CRISIS: New World Order

by GanonFLCL

Chapter Seventeen: Exchange

Spirits were high the following morning when the group met at the southern gates of Old Town and prepared for their departure. Everypony was well fed, well rested, and eager to get moving to their next destination: Frostburg, seat of power of House Snow. It would be the last stop on their journey before making the long trek further south into zebra territory and Zeb’ra’den. Rarity was particularly excited. She was just that much closer to home—which was important, of course—but also that much closer to seeing Zircon again. She knew that regardless of the outcome of meeting him after all these years, she would be able to move on with her life.

Speaking of high spirits, Bluebolt and Symphony hadn’t left Venture alone since the group had left Nighthall. Rarity knew why, of course, but she had the tact not to ask those sorts of questions.

“Sooo?” Symphony asked, nudging Venture and giving the other mare a coy smile. “Go on, Venture, spill.”

Venture tilted her head. “Spill what? I’m not carrying anything at the moment.”

“You know what I mean. You know what I mean. C’mon, girl, give us those deets. We’ve gotta know.”

“We’ve been thinking about it all night, y’know?” Bluebolt added with a grin and a nudge to Venture of her own. “We were taking bets on a few things, and now we want answers. So go on, tell us everything that happened last night. You don’t have to go juicy if you don’t want, but at least give us something.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Girls, please, there’s no need to have this discussion right now, not here with all of us certainly, and definitely not out in public.”

“Psh, these folks wouldn’t care about that kind of stuff, you know that,” Symphony said with a grin. “I’d think they’d want to hear it, actually.”

“Yes, well, maybe some of us don’t, hmm? And besides, you should feel ashamed, taking bets like that on such a private subject.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Do I even want ta know what the hell ye lot are prattling on about?”

“Oh! Yeah, actually, you might get a kick out of this,” Bluebolt chuckled. “Venture got laid last night by Lady Stormy Night herself of all ponies. I believe congratulations are in order.”

Sundial’s jaw dropped. “No bloody way. What? How? Why?”

“See? That’s what we’ve been thinking since it all started,” Symphony said.

Venture tilted her head again. “It’s not a big deal, really. It’s House Night tradition to take a partner for the evening when welcoming visitors. Most visiting lords and ladies usually have somepony in their entourage to offer as, uh… ‘tribute’, I guess? I figured that since most of you had relationships and such to be dedicated to, it was gonna be me or Flurry, and I took charge.”

“Wait wait wait, ye’re saying that ye went inta that manor last night with the full expectation that you were gonna shag Lady Night herself? Just like that?”

“Well, yeah! Like I said, it’s tradition and proper manners where their House is concerned. I’ve actually been looking forward to it for the last few days, y’know? I’ve never had sex before—”

Bluebolt and Symphony’s eyes widened. “Whoa, what?” Bluebolt blurted. “You were a virgin? You mean to tell me that Lady Night was your first?”

Symphony shook her head, dumbfounded. “Talk about a memorable way to pop your cherry. Go big or go home, I guess.”

“Oh, there were no cherries involved,” Venture said with a little smile. “A few strawberries, maybe, but—”

“Oh my stars, girl, you’ve gotta tell us how it was! Go on, spill!”

Rarity grumbled to herself. The youths of this world were awfully open about their sex lives it seemed. “So much for trying to keep things tactful.”

Venture just gave a little shrug, no big deal. “It was okay, I guess.”

Bluebolt and Symphony deflated instantly, like a pair of balloons. “Wh-what?” Symphony muttered. “Just ‘okay’, you guess? What kind of response is that?”

“Yeah, just okay. I mean, I thought that sex was supposed to involve lots of love and compassion and stuff like that, but Stormy seemed more… selfish, I guess? Hmm, I have to think of a word here,” Venture said, stroking her chin. “She was passionate, sure. Uh… lustful? No no, not strong enough. Ooh! Carnal.”

Bluebolt shook her head. “That sounds amazing! Did you see what that mare looked like? She was drop-dead gorgeous!”

“Yeah!” Symphony agreed. “She might have gotten off on the wrong hoof and all, but even I’ll admit she wasn’t bad to look at. That family’s got some damn good genes, yeah?”

“I mean, sure, okay, she was very beautiful, and she seemed to talk about love a lot and had lots of nice things to say, but I like I said, she was a little selfish,” Venture said, shaking her head. “A little too focused on her own fun instead of mine. It wasn’t really what I was expecting. And another thing, she didn’t know nearly as many hugs as she said she did.”

Bluebolt scoffed. “C’mon, really? Hugs again?”

“Yeah, really! She knew just a few, and they’re not something I think I can do with any of my friends, y’know?” Venture shrugged. “She even showed me how to kiss and everything, but it just wasn’t the same as I see when you and Symphony do it. There wasn’t a ‘spark’. I mean, it was nice, but it just wasn’t special, I guess.”

“This is the saddest thing I think I’ve ever heard in my life,” Symphony grunted. “This is like opening your Winter Festival presents and getting a book when you wanted anything but a book. Questo è zoppo.”

“I was absolutely certain Lady Night knew how to have a good time, too,” Bluebolt said, shaking her head. “You’re right, Symphony, this is sad. Like going to the dentist on your birthday.”

“It’s alright. I think it just wasn’t right for me, y’know? Maybe I’m just no good at it, or just didn’t, uh… ‘click’ with her?” Venture said. “I mean, Stormy seemed to enjoy herself the whole time, and Lunar did too.”

Bluebolt and Symphony stared at Venture again. “Wait wait wait, back up,” said Bluebolt, holding up her hooves. “What do you mean, ‘Lunar did too’? She was there?”

“Well, yeah. She arrived to accept her punishment for disappointing Stormy earlier, remember? But it was weird, y’know? I mean, I don’t know what I was expecting for a punishment, but I wasn’t expecting Stormy to spank Lunar like she was a little filly.”

Symphony’s jaw dropped. “Okay, wow, this just got weird. Kinky, but weird.”

“Right? I think it was more weird that Lunar seemed to be enjoying it. I mean, I thought spanking was supposed to hurt. Otherwise, why would it be a punishment, right?” Venture shook her head. “But they really seemed to be enjoying themselves all night, so I guess it’s just me that didn’t really seem to get much out of it. Oh well.”

There was a long, awkward pause.

“What in the bloody hell are they getting up to in that bloody house?!” Sundial blurted, breaking the silence. She looked straight at Bloom and shook her head. “I bet ye’re glad ye came with me and Weaver, aye?”

Bloom nodded. “Uh, yeah, pretty glad. I just heard a lot o’ things I really didn’t need ta hear.”

Sundial wheeled on Rarity. “The rest o’ ye didn’t go through a bunch o’ weird shite, did you?”

Rarity shook her head. “Apart from a few awkward conversations—this one especially—it was a mostly harmless experience overall. It felt nice to have somepony compliment my looks so earnestly. And to be honest, it’s the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long while.”

Sundial wheeled on Flurry next. “How about you, lass? They didn’t do anything to ye, did they?”

Flurry tilted her head. “No no, nothing like that. Like Rarity said, just a bunch of awkward conversations about awkward topics. Like what ‘heat’ is, I guess. And how Bluebolt and Symphony feel nervous without their clothes on around strangers. Oh, and they sort of found out I was an alicorn. Sorry.”

Sundial paused, jaw hanging open. “They what?!”

“Well, I mean, Lady Night said was House tradition that we weren’t allowed to wear clothes inside the manor, so we were just being polite and diplomatic, right? I don’t think they were bothered by it when they saw—”

“Ye took yer bloody clothes off in front o’ them?! Why?! Because they bloody asked ye to?!” She glared at Bluebolt. “What part o’ ‘nopony’s supposed ta find out about her’ didn’t ye understand, lass?!”

Bluebolt held up her hooves defensively. “H-hey, don’t get mad at me. It’s part of their traditions here and we didn’t want to disrespect them and cause an incident or something. I mean, Lady Night might’ve refused to help us if we didn’t—”

“All she’s helping us with is getting ta Frostburg a couple o’ days faster, lass! That’s not worth—” Sundial paused and took a deep breath. “Ye know what? What’s done is done. There’s no sense in arguing about it now.” She pointed at Flurry with conviction. “But as for you, lass, ye’re not getting out o’ my sight for the rest o’ the trip. Got it?”

Flurry frowned. “I’m sorry, Sundial, I didn’t mean—”

“I’m not mad at ye, lass. It seems like it was unavoidable, but we’ll just have ta hope nothing comes out o’ this. Ye’re gonna stick with me until I say otherwise, aye? I don’t want ta risk anything happening ta ye.”

Flurry paused then nodded. “Okay… sorry…”

Sundial grumbled and headed off towards the gates. “Let’s just get moving, aye? We’ve got a lot o’ ground ta cover, and this’ll all be over soon. The quicker we get going, the quicker we get done with it all.”

The group went quiet again.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “And this was such a pleasant morning, too,” she sighed as she followed after Sundial.

*****

The journey from Old Town to Frostburg was longer than the journey had been from Newhaven to Old Town, despite being allowed to use the roads this time; it took seven days in total. Part of the issue was the sheer difference in distance, with Frostburg just on the edge of zebra territory far to the south. Another part of it was that the roads had to meander about around mountains, so it still wasn’t quite a straightforward route. The worst part of all, though, was that it was snowing, and quite heavily at that.

Rarity grumbled as she and others trudged through thick white powder early that evening. She remembered how it had been in the north during the winter, and how it was back home in the Crystal Empire, and even how it had been in zebra territory all those years ago, but this snow was different. It was oddly thick, slushy, and cold, and she didn’t like moving through it one bit.

“Is this weather normal for this time of year?” she asked nopony in particular. “It’s the middle of autumn, isn’t it? Why is it so snowy?”

“Well, it tends ta snow a lot more the further south ye go,” Sundial noted, shaking her head. “But usually it’s not like this, aye? The first snowfall is supposed ta be in late autumn, but we’re barely two weeks inta the season, and even then it shouldn’t be this heavy, either.”

“At least it’s not a huge northern snowstorm this time,” Bluebolt noted as she tucked her scarf tighter around her neck. “It’s just a little cold and snowy. No winds whipping about for now, right?”

“Aye, but it’s colder than it should be. It’s colder here than it is in the northern winters. Can’t ye feel it?”

“I mean, yeah, but I thought that was natural, since the zebras live by the south pole and it’s always cold and snowy there, all year round. I figured we were just getting closer, so it was getting colder. Is that not what this is?”

“No, lass, it’s not.”

“It shouldn’t be this cold, you’re right,” Venture agreed from the front of the group. “And it shouldn’t be like this this far north, either. We shouldn’t be seeing snow for several more miles at least, and that would be in the wintertime, not now. I’m not sure what the heck is going on, to be honest.”

“How much farther is it before we get to Frostburg?” Rarity asked as she pulled her cloak tighter around her. “After all this traveling in this dreadful cold, I’m desperate for a hot bath and a warm bed to sleep in. Maybe a nice, hot meal, too.”

Venture pondered this for a moment. “We should be getting there within the next hour or so. We’ll be able to see the town right after we get around this mountainside.”

“Thank goodness.”

Sure enough, after the road took them around the base of the mountain they were passing by, they could see Frostburg itself situated at the bottom of a shallow valley. The town was composed of dozens of white structures that were hard to distinguish against all the snow, but their blue accents kept them from blending in too much.

“Anything we should know about this House Snow, darling?” Rarity asked Venture. “They’re not as ‘unique’ as House Night, are they? No odd traditions we should be made aware of?”

“More aware of,” Bluebolt added.

“Oh no, no no no,” Venture laughed. “House Snow is almost exclusively a House of warriors and soldiers. They have the largest army in all the southern lands, including Zeb’ra’den, and value strength and honor above all else, yes ma’am. That’s why they’re such close allies with the zebras, y’know?”

Rarity smiled and nodded.. “Yes, the zebras do seem to respect a mighty warrior, don’t they?”

“Yup! And it goes further than that, too. Y’know, way way way back when the south was in their first civil war, even the zebras got involved at one point. House Snow and Zeb’ra’den almost exclusively fought against one another for close to a year. They were the most bitter enemies back then. But then Nihila’s cult got banished to the north! Once tensions died down, House Snow and the zebras realized they respected one another’s strengths. They’ve been friends ever since!”

“Well, that’s certainly interesting. Usually that only happens on a smaller scale between individuals, not entire nations or societies.”

Venture smiled and nodded. “Yeah, and everypony in Frostburg knows how to fight, too. Like I said, they value strength and instill that value into foals from a young age. Sure, they aren’t all soldiers all the time, but if there ever was an emergency, the entirety of Frostburg—except those unable to fight—would stand together.”

“That doesn’t exactly sound like an ideal that Harmonia would praise or preach,” Bluebolt noted. “She’s more the peace-loving type, isn’t she?”

Venture nodded sadly. “Naturally, but, well, like you saw back in Newhaven, sometimes peace must be earned through force when there are those who refuse to listen to reason. And there is no reason why one should not be prepared to defend oneself from somepony that means you harm. But House Snow is honorable. That’s why they are remaining neutral in this war.”

Bloom tilted her head, clearly concerned at something she was seeing. “Uh, if that’s true an’ they’re neutral 'n' all that, then why’re they gettin’ together an army down there?”

The group looked down into the valley as they drew closer to Frostburg, and they could all clearly see troops gathering outside the gates. It was difficult for Rarity to count them all, as their armor was white with light blue accents that made them blend in with the snow and with one another, but her best guess was two thousand ponies gathering together in formation.

“What the bloody hell?” Sundial said, scratching her head. “That’s a lot o’ soldiers, aye?”

“I’ll say,” Bluebolt noted. “That’s bigger than the entire Hope’s Point militia by a decent margin. Just look at them all. What’re they doing down there? Venture, any ideas?”

Venture bit her lip and shook her head. “I don’t like this. House Snow hasn’t put together their full army since the last civil war. They’re supposed to be neutral right now, right? We’ve heard that from multiple sources.”

“That’s definitely what Lady Silverluck said, and I trust her,” Rarity said with a nod. “I don’t suppose they’re just preparing in case one of the other Houses disagrees with their neutrality, like what they tried to do to House Sky for even thinking about talking to Lady Silverluck?”

Sundial grunted and increased her pace. “Well, we won’t find out just gawking at them, aye? Let’s just get the news straight from the source.”

“That would be Lady Snowstorm,” Venture noted as she ran to keep up. “She’ll be the one to ask for help making passage down to Zeb’ra’den anyway, so we can really take care of both questions at the same time, can’t we?”

“Well, good, that’ll make things easier,” Bluebolt added.

The group continued into the town proper, passing by the army that was still making preparations outside, who seemed to pay them no mind. Once inside the town, Rarity realized that Venture’s earlier statements were quite true. Most of the town was empty, as those who were old enough and healthy enough to fight were all outside forming up in the army. This left the younger ponies, the ill, and the frail to operate the shops and services, which meant that most of them were closed for the time being.

The buildings in the town were built of a white, polished stone and reinforced with a smoke-colored wood that blended in perfectly with the snow from a distance, though up close it was easier to see the blemishes that made them stand out. The streets were paved with the same stone, which was smooth to the touch.

Because so few ponies walked the streets—mostly just some younger colts and fillies—everything felt rather eerie. Not helping matters were the stronger snowfall, the slowly worsening cold, and the winds that were finally starting to pick up. If the weather got much worse it would be a veritable blizzard, and yet none of the natives seemed all that bothered by the prospect of a blizzard in autumn.

The group made their way through the streets, following Venture as she led them towards the House Snow estate, which she had called the Crystal Citadel. Said estate was a large white building in the center of the town, built with towering spires that could be seen with ease from anywhere within the town limits. The roofs and windows were trimmed with a subtle dark blue to help the structures stand out from the surrounding snow in both the air and on the ground.

Unlike Nighthall back in Old Town, the estate’s gates were wide open at the moment, though still maintained by a single guard, a light blue unicorn stallion with a pink mane wearing the same armor as the soldiers outside. His armor was marked with a black stripe, and he carried an impressive-looking lance at his side.

He approached the group with a calm, focused gait the moment they arrived. Rarity noticed he was smoking a cigarette. “Privet. How may I help?”

Bluebolt cleared her throat and stepped forward with an air of confidence. “Hello. I’m Princess Bluebolt of Hope’s Point, and my friends and I are looking for an audience with Lady Snowstorm.”

The guard was given pause, and his cigarette nearly fell from his mouth. “Princess Bluebolt? Nopony told of your arrival. Do you have—”

Bluebolt lifted up her power hoof and displayed the emblem, and her cutie mark. “My personal seal, my good sir. I hope that’s sufficient proof.”

Rarity was glad to see Bluebolt had toned it down a notch. Now she sounded like a true royal.

The guard nodded, then bowed briefly. “Welcome to Frostburg, Princess Bluebolt. You will follow me,” he said, gesturing towards the estate.

Bluebolt blinked, clearly confused. The others were in the same boat. “Really? Wow, that was fast. We don’t have to wait or anything?”

“Nyet. We do zings quick in Frostburg. No wasting of time. Come, you follow.”

The group shared a few brief glances at one another, shrugged, then followed Bluebolt as she followed the guard inside.

Rarity could tell from the estate grounds that it was normally not covered in snow this time of year, and actually had some pleasant plantlife on display if not for the winter cold in the beginning of autumn. Statues of ponies decorated the courtyard, each of them dressed in armor and in various brave, proud poses. Plaques indicated that these were all heroes of Frostburg over generations, not all of them even members of House Snow itself. Even a few zebras were present, which intrigued Rarity.

“May I ask a question, Venture?” she asked.

Venture smiled and nodded. “Sure! What’s up?”

Rarity gestured towards a zebra stallion brandishing an impressive warhammer. “The rest of these ponies are all members of House Snow throughout the years, aren’t they? Why are there zebra statues out here?”

“Oh, those are the zebras who have contributed to the House Snow bloodline,” Venture said matter-of-factly.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Like I said, House Snow and Zeb’ra’den are super close, right? Well, just like any political alliance, the two have solidified their bond through marriages and children.”

Rarity blinked. “Truly?”

“Yup!” Venture gestured towards another zebra statue, this one a stallion with an elegant longbow. “Like this fellow here, Captain Zuma. He married Lady Snowdrops a few generations back and gave her three healthy foals.” She then gestured towards the statue next to Lord Zuma’s, a hearty earth pony stallion. “This was their firstborn son, Lord Snowbank.”

“Huh… interesting,” Rarity said with a nod. “I was unaware that such relationships were so common.”

“Well, not exactly ‘common’, but they happen often enough. Frostburg has a lot of mixed-race ancestry as a whole, actually.”

“Oy!” Sundial called from further ahead. “Quit yer gawking and get a move on!”

“I’ll speak with you more on this another time, Venture,” Rarity said as she picked up the pace to catch up.

After passing through the courtyard, they ascended a tall flight of stairs into the manor itself. Rarity marveled at the interior of the building, which despite being made of the same white stone as the outside—she had an eye for that sort of thing—had been textured and painted to look like sparkling blue crystal, rather like Princess Cadence’s palace back in the Crystal Empire.

Flurry seemed to have much the same feeling, judging by the nostalgic wonder in her eyes. This was probably the closest Flurry had felt to being home in months, and Rarity was glad that Flurry’s smile had returned. She’d been kind of mopey the past week, ever since they left Nighthall, actually. Rarity figured she just wasn’t sleeping well.

The decor was otherwise sparse and quite spartan, actually, seemingly done with purpose and pride rather than for aesthetic purposes. Old weapons were on display with plaques describing them and what battles they’d been used in; paintings of great moments in battle were on display; busts of the heads of the House through the ages decorated one entire hallway. There weren’t even any vases or rugs to liven up the rooms. It wasn’t to Rarity’s tastes at all, though it reminded her of some of the halls back in Zeb’ra’den. Maybe Rainbow would find it interesting, if she were here.

The group ascended another stairway, then another, climbing the centermost tower until they reached a room near the top, where the guard stopped and bowed. “Lady Snowstorm is inside.”

“Are you sure we’re just allowed to go in? Just like that?” Bluebolt asked, tilting her head. “This isn’t at all how I was expecting this to go, you understand. It’s too smooth.”

The guard just left back down the stairs without another word.

“Yeah okay, bye then?” Bluebolt looked to Venture, half-worried, half-confused. Rarity understood completely. “Uh, is this normal behavior? We’re not walking into something weird, are we?”

Venture scratched her chin. “Well, House Snow values strength and honor, as I said, and they make it a bit of a habit to get to the point of things as quickly as they can. This is a little quicker than I was expecting, too, but, well, considering that army massing outside, I’d say Lady Snowstorm is probably trying to get through as much business as she can before she leaves.”

“‘Leaves’?” Symphony asked. “Where’s she going?”

Venture smiled and nodded. “Oh yes, of course. If she’s putting an army together, she’s going to be at the front of it when they march, if they’re marching anywhere in the first place. It wouldn’t do for her to sit at home while her soldiers are fighting, after all. This might be our only chance to talk with her. Who knows?”

“Maybe she’s stressed about something and just wants to get through any petitions and such as quickly as she can?” Rarity suggested.

Flurry nodded. “My mom says that when she had to fill in for Celestia and Luna while you guys were gone last time, she tried to streamline the process as quickly as she could so that she had time to eat and sleep. Maybe Lady Snowstorm is doing the same?”

“Sure, maybe.” Bluebolt gulped. “Well, uh, here goes?” She pushed the door open.

The room beyond was rather small, and looked more like a war room than anything Rarity would call a proper meeting chamber. A table sat off to one side, where she could see a map of the zebra territories—she recognized that exact map from just a brief glance when preparing to leave Utopia with Twilight all those years ago. The map had been marked quite a bit with routes and other markers, but whatever meeting had taken place here was already over and done with.

The room was otherwise decorated much as the halls throughout the manor were: sparse and spartan. Weapons were on display; a suit of armor on a ponyquin stood in the corner, gleaming in the light of a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling; there were no chairs, windows, rugs, sofas, or anything really to accommodate guests. No, this definitely wasn’t a standard meeting room.

Two other ponies were already in the room when the group entered. The first was a pegasus stallion of impressive size wearing a suit of heavy, decorated armor. His coat was light green, his mane black. He carried a sword at his side with an odd shape that Rarity had never seen before. Judging by his stance and position, he was likely the personal guard of Lady Snowstorm.

The second was an earth pony mare—obviously this was Lady Snowstorm—with a snow-white coat and a silver mane that she kept styled short. She, too, was wearing armor, hers bearing a golden stripe, as well as a cape. She carried a lance at her side with an odd hook at the end.

The two had been in conversation before the group had arrived. “Who interrupts?” asked the stallion. “State your names and business.”

Bluebolt gave a slight smile and a wave. “Uh, hello. I’m Princess Bluebolt of Hope’s Point, and I wanted to ask for an audience with Lady Snowstorm. The guard just showed us straight up here. I hope we’re not interrupting anything.”

Snowstorm nodded, but didn’t smile. “Good, time is saved. I have cleared schedule for today to make ready my army, but can spare some minutes for zee Princess.” She gave Bluebolt a slight bow. “Welcome to Frostburg, Your Royal Highness. I am Lady Snowstorm of House Snow.”

Bluebolt bowed right back. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, m’lady.”

“You will forgive if I try to make quick zis meeting. To what am I owing visit?”

“It’s not really a lot of trouble, but it seems like we came at just the right time if we’re gonna ask, I suppose. My companions and I are looking to travel south to Zeb’ra’den and wanted to see if you could us any assistance in that matter, perhaps a guide?”

Snowstorm frowned. “Word has not traveled yet?

Bluebolt tilted her head. “Huh?”

“I cannot offer help in getting you to Zeb’ra’den, Princess,” Snowstorm said, shaking her head. “Prosti menya.”

“What? Why not?”

“Does this have to do with that army outside?” Venture asked.

Snowstorm nodded. “Da. We march south in zee morning. First light.”

Rarity’s heart leaped into her throat. South was the direction of Zeb’ra’den, naturally, and that was quite an army. “Oh dear, this doesn’t sound good at all.”

“Why are you marching south with an army?” Bluebolt asked.

“It is long story,” Snowstorm said. “I know only important details. Most important detail is Zeb’ra’den calls for aid. We march south to meet zebra army beneath western mountains.”

“The zebras called for aid? For what reason?”

“Yeah, why would their army be in the mountains and not the city?” Symphony asked.

Snowstorm shook her head. “Zee envoy sent spoke of terrible creatures of snow and ice attacking Zeb’ra’den, which now is lost. Zebra army plans to retake it and called for our aid.”

Rarity gasped, her heart racing in a panic. “Oh no! No no no, this can’t be. You say that the city’s been overrun by… by monsters or something? What of the zebras, are they alright?”

Snowstorm tilted her head, giving Rarity an odd look as if not expecting her reaction. “Da, Zeb’ra’den is overrun, I have said. Zebra population evacuated west towards hippogriff capital, Astropolis. Hippogriffs are zebra allies as well, and called on zeir own allies, House Wind. We march south to offer aid in retaking city wiz army.”

Rarity’s hoof went to her chest. Was Zircon okay? If the entire city had fallen, surely he didn’t stand and fight to defend it? No, of course he would do that. He’d stood against Silvertongue himself, if only for a moment. He would absolutely do it again. She was practically hyperventilating at this point, and Bloom and to hold her steady.

“Are y’all okay, Rarity?” Bloom asked.

“Not at all, dear,” Rarity murmured, taking deep breaths. “Oh my goodness, I hope he’s alright…”

“What kind of creatures did you say these were that attacked Zeb’ra’den?” Venture asked, more invested in the conversation than Rarity had ever seen her in any conversation before.

“Zebra envoys described zem as big ponies made of snow and ice,” Snowstorm said, shaking her head. “I do not recognize, but zey are zee enemy of our zebra friends, so zey are our enemies as well. We will crush zem, for zee glory of House Snow.”

Flurry stumbled back just a bit. “C-creatures made of snow and ice?” she asked. “Big ponies, you said?”

“Da.”

“Oh no…”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Do ye know what she’s talking about, lass?”

Flurry nodded, though she looked quite disturbed. “I’ve had some more nightmares lately. I know I’ve spoken with you about them before, but in the past week they’ve gotten worse. In the most recent ones, I saw creatures just like what Lady Snowstorm just described. Big ponies made out of snow and ice. They were… terrifying…”

Venture took a deep breath, looked clearly troubled. “Wendigos.”

Sundial turned to Venture. “What? Wendigos?”

“They’re ancient creatures that once plagued the zebra territories long, long ago,” Venture said, shaking her head. “They were servants of Nihila, and were monstrous creatures that resembled large ponies made out of ice and snow. They feed off of Nihila’s Darkness, as well as the hate, anger, and fear in the hearts of others. Nihila used them during the ancient civil war to sow despair and death, and the war only made them stronger.

“But then the war ended and Nihila’s cult was driven north, and so Nihila’s influence was weakened. Without the hate and anger to feed them, the wendigos were pushed back by the zebras and sealed deep under the mountains east of what’s now Zeb’ra’den, aided by Harmonia herself. The seal should have been unbreakable.”

Sundial rubbed her chin. “There’s a lot o’ things going on right now that could be breaking the seal. Harmonia was weakened severely when she was first given a physical body by Silvertongue, so perhaps her seal weakened as well?”

Bluebolt raised her hoof. “Or, perhaps the war brewing here in the south is stirring up enough hate and anger to make them stronger? You said that the last time they appeared was during the last civil war, right?”

“Aye, that too. Hell, maybe the Darkness from the northern Beacon finally reached down here enough ta feed them, too. Gilderoy said the Darkness had spread across the whole world by this point, didn’t he?”

“As far as we know, it could be all three!” Symphony noted. “I bet with all of those things combined, even sompony as strong as Harmonia would have trouble stopping them, unless she was actively watching for it to happen so she could stop it.”

Venture sighed and nodded. “It’s a shame she was up north for all that time. It looks like trying to help ponies up there really made a mess of things down here, didn’t it?”

Snowstorm cleared her throat. “So, you know situation now, da? We cannot take you to Zeb’ra’den. I am sorry.”

Rarity shook her head. “You say you’re marching south in the morning, though? To meet with the zebra forces and their other allies?”

Snowstorm nodded. “Da. First light.”

“Please, I want to come with you.”

Bloom’s eyes widened. “Whoa, Rarity, what’re ya talkin’ 'bout? Didn’t ya hear? They’re goin’ ta some kind o’ war wit’ them wendigos. An’ if they’re anythin’ like the ones from the stories back home, that’s mighty dangerous, don’t ya think?”

“I know that, dear, but I have to do this. I have to know if Zircon is okay. And besides, we need to get to Zeb’ra’den anyway in order for us to make our way home. If the city has been taken by these creatures, and the zebras are trying to take it back, I might be able to help. I want to help. I need to help.”

Sundial nodded. “Aye, and I have ta get ta that Beacon anyway, which is also in Zeb’ra’den. If this army is marching that way, I should go with them. I’ve got ta do this job, aye? It sounds like it might actually help solve the problem.”

Weaver stepped alongside Sundial. “If Sundial is going, then I will go with her.”

Sundial smirked. “Aw, thanks, lad.”

Snowstorm cleared her throat again. “I have not agreed to take anypony. I will not be responsible for you.”

Rarity rose up sharply. “Please, m’lady. Please. I must— we must get to Zeb’ra’den to accomplish some very important tasks. We may not look like it, but we are all very capable in our own right if you need assistance in this war of yours. Please, take us with you”

Snowstorm shook her head. “I have spoken. I will not take anypony.”

“But—”

Bluebolt held up a hoof to quiet Rarity. “Lady Snowstorm, as Princess of Hope’s Point, I must insist that we be allowed to join you on this endeavor. The zebras are our allies as well, and we would like to offer any assistance that we can.”

Snowstorm pondered this for a moment. “Da, you have your rights. However, you travel wiz me, wiz my army. I cannot agree.” Before Bluebolt could speak again, she held up a hoof. “However, zebra envoys still present in my Crystal Citadel as guests. You ask the envoys. If zey agree, I will not object to bringing along anypony, da?”

Bluebolt smiled and nodded. “That’s fine, we’ll speak with them, then. Where can we find them?”

“In guests rooms, maybe, or dining hall. Ah, it is dinnertime soon, da?” Snowstorm then clapped her hooves. “As apologies for refusing assistance, you are now my guests also. Please, visit my dining hall and enjoy dinner. Stay here tonight and rest from your journey. At first light, we leave, and maybe you will come along.”

“Thank you, Lady Snowstorm, that’s more than fair,” Bluebolt said with a bow.

“You are welcome, Princess,” Snowstorm replied with a bow of her own. She turned to the big stallion—who had remained silent the entire time—and gestured towards the door. “Inform our cook of arrangements and make rooms ready.”

“Nemedlenno, m’lady,” said the stallion. He gave short nods to rest of the group as he made his way out the door.

“We appreciate this, m’lady,” Rarity said as well. “And in case we aren’t able to come along, I wish you all the luck in the world.”

Snowstorm nodded. “Spasibo. I wish luck to you also.”

Bluebolt gestured for the others to follow her out of the room. “Okay then, guys, let’s go meet these envoys. Just leave all the negotiating to me.”

*****

The dining room was, like the rest of the manor, a rather sparse and spartan affair as far as Rarity was concerned. Just one long wooden table with plenty of chairs, a large fireplace for light and heat, and sculptures of warrior ponies in proud, bold poses. The room was certainly warmer than any the group had been through thus far, enough to actually feel suitably comfortable and pleasant, perfect for the dinner and conversation to come.

Food had already been served for everypony to partake in, which included more foods which Rarity had not been too accustomed to, though she was certain she’d seen similar items offered in Stalliongrad back home. She recognized the turnip soup—she’d tried it once and found it palatable—and there was a chili-like stew that was available and looked to be made with carrots and mushrooms, plus some rice porridge with cranberries. All-in-all a hearty offering.

After a few moments of sampling the delicacies, Rarity noticed the door open and another trio walk in, who she assumed were the zebra envoys that Snowstorm had mentioned.

It was natural that one of them was a zebra, a mare in this case. She was garbed in light armor and a thick coat, which Rarity recognized instantly as the same sort of attire that Zircon had worn while on duty as a knight—gold-dyed genuine leather armor and a white genuine fur cloak—so Rarity figured this mare was a knight as well. Her mane was styled in a sort of mohawk, and her tail was long and styled rather like her own, truth be told. She knew the zebras kept their tails long and neat, since they used them to wield their weapons, and hers was a longsword not unlike the one Symphony wielded.

The second was rather surprising to Rarity, as this was her first time seeing one of this world’s hippogriffs. Unlike the kirins up north, there was nothing different about him appearance-wise compared to the hippogriffs of her own world, though she understood that this world’s hippogriffs and seaponies were entirely separate races. His coat was a lovely sky blue, his mane and tail feathers were sea green, and his beak was gold. He wore a red-and-green striped scarf and a small pair of glasses. He looked to be around the same age as Silverstream, maybe a little younger.

The third was most surprising, since while a zebra was obvious, and a hippogriff a possibility Rarity had considered, a pony was not something she’d expected to come along. He was a unicorn with an off white coat and a gorgeous golden mane, and he wore a warm winter coat colored with assorted silvers. Most importantly—and tragically—Rarity noticed that his horn was broken, much as Tempest Shadow’s had been when they first met. He, like the zebra, kept a longsword at his side.

Most of all, however, Rarity did not expect to see Bluebolt and Symphony bolt up from their seats the instant this trio entered the room. “Silver Shine!” the two mares blurted in unison, their eyes glued to the unicorn.

The unicorn raised an eyebrow. “Bluebolt? Symphony? What in the world are you doing here?”

The two leapt from the table and rushed over to him. Rarity watched their smiles immediately turn to frowns when they noticed his horn. “Oh my stars!” Bluebolt gasped, hooves to her mouth in shock. “Your horn! What happened to your horn?!”

Shine shook his head and sighed. “I strained myself too hard in battle, and this is the result. I was foolish—”

“He was brave,” the zebra interjected, giving him a hard look. “Do not disparage thyself, Shine. Thou art a warrior, and thou hast earned thy mark with honor.”

Bluebolt moved in to give Shine a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Shiny. I can’t possibly imagine what that must feel like.”

Even Symphony set her hoof on his shoulder. “Are you okay, though? You’re not hurt otherwise, right?”

“Right. Thanks for your concern.” Shine then cleared his throat. “Cousin, I’ll ask again, what are you doing here? This is a little far south for you, don’t you think?”

“We’re here trying to get on our way down to Zeb’ra’den,” Bluebolt said. “Some of my friends have business there, and I’m helping them along. What are you doing here? Last anypony heard of you, you’d gone missing!”

The gears clicked in Rarity’s head. This was Lady Silverluck’s son? The poor dear was going to be absolutely devastated when she saw him next. But at least he was alive. Hopefully word had been sent out now that House Snow knew?

“I went to Zeb’ra’den hoping to get some help with this damned war of the Houses, and now I’m in a completely different war fighting alongside zebras,” Shine said with a shrug and a cocky smile. “It’s a bit of a long story, really, and I’m not up to tell it right now. There’s business to be done.”

Bluebolt glanced at the zebra and the hippogriff. “So, who are your new friends?”

Shine turned to the zebra first and gave her a brief nod. “This is Dame Zarya, a Knight of the Order of the Black Flame.”

The zebra—Zarya—nodded briefly at Bluebolt. “'Tis a pleasure to meet thee, Bluebolt. Thou art Shine’s cousin, then? I do not see a resemblance.”

Bluebolt nodded back. “Yup, I’m his cousin, uh, once-removed? Or is it his second cousin? Family trees are confusing. Why, has he mentioned me before?”

“Never.”

Bluebolt rolled her eyes and gave Shine a terse look. “Of course he hasn’t.”

Symphony shook her head and sighed. “You haven’t changed a bit, Shiny.”

Shine snorted. “Ohh, I apologize that it never came up in conversation to tell anyone that I was related to the great Princess Bluebolt. ”

Zarya’s eyes widened briefly, and she bowed to Bluebolt just slightly. “Forgiveth me, Princess, I was not aware of thy true identity.” She nudged Shine. “Thou didst not mention she was royalty. I must pay her the proper respect.”

“Yeah, he tends not to like talking about anypony else,” Bluebolt huffed. “Hurts his ego if he has to make anypony look good. Don’t worry about it.”

“More like I didn’t want to use my relation to you to gain favors or reputation,” Shine said with a smirk. “I can do just fine on my own merits, thank you. Besides, if I did, it might risk your family’s reputation. Most ponies these days completely forget that we’re related because my aunt married your grandfather, may Harmonia rest their souls.”

“Oh, sure, you were thinking of us the whooole time,” Symphony grunted. “Yeah right.”

The hippogriff coughed into his claw. “Begging your pardon, but shall I preen my feathers as I wait for my turn to be introduced, or should I simply interject? I don’t wish to be rude.”

Shine rolled his eyes and gestured to the hippogriff. “This is Harvey. He’s—”

“Salutations and hello,” Harvey said, grabbing Bluebolt’s hoof to give it a brisk shake. “Yes, my name is Harvey, and I am a scholar and diplomat in service of Astropolis, capital of the Hippogriff Commonwealth. It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Bluebolt. I have never met pony royalty before.”

“Uh, yeah, hi,” Bluebolt said, her hoof still in his grip. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too. I’ve only met a few hippogriffs before—”

Harvey brightened immensely. “Oh ho ho? Who did you meet? Perhaps I know them?”

Bluebolt blinked. “Uh, okay, sure. Um… oof, I don’t remember any names, actually. I think I met your Treasurer—”

“Ah, Henrietta, yes yes, a wonderful girl, quite spirited,” Harvey said with a smile and a nod.

“Y-yeah. Um, and a couple of merchants that were with her, I think. That’s about it, really. Sorry?”

“Well, that’s quite alright. The Commonwealth is still working on expanding, you see, so we have yet to send too many envoys and diplomats up north.” Harvey turned to Symphony and, without prompting, took her hoof and shook it vigorously. “Salutations and hello—”

Symphony nodded as her hoof was shaken about. “Yeah, hi, I’m Sweet Symphony, Bluebolt’s bodyguard. Nice to meet you.”

“Ooh! A bodyguard, you say? Intriguing, our leaders have not employed such measures of protection before. I understand that the lords and ladies of the south do it but did not know it was northern tradition as well. Simply fascinating.”

“She’s also Bluebolt’s lover,” Shine added with a smirk.

Bluebolt huffed. “Shiny! You can’t just blurt that out!”

Harvey flustered immediately. “Oh my oh my, that’s quite an interesting tidbit isn’t it? Why, it’s awfully convenient to have your lover and bodyguard be the same individual. Yes yes, it saves on the effort of having to befriend two separate individuals. Ah, though I note the slight downside in the possibility of losing both in the case of a catastrophe.”

Symphony just stared at the hippogriff. “Well, that’s not a morbid thought at all.”

“No worries about that, I think,” Shine said with a shrug. “Symphony’s able to hold her own in a fight. At least a little bit.”

Symphony now looked to Shine, wide-eyed. “W-was that a compliment?”

“A compliment? All I did was say you’re not totally useless.”

“That’s as good as a compliment gets from you. Who are you, and what have you done with Silver Shine?”

Shine rolled his eyes and looked to Bluebolt. “How about you? Did you finally learn to defend yourself, or are you still hiding behind your fillyfriend’s skirt?”

Bluebolt scoffed and showed off her power hoof. “Uh, yeah, I learned to fight.”

“Oh good, you’ve got a horseshoe. Wonderful. I’ll remember to call you if we need one of those.”

Harvey tilted his head and looked at the power hoof attachment. “Hmmm, intriguing, is that a techno-magic construct? I so rarely see them. May I examine it? What does it do? Oh my, this is exciting, isn’t it?”

Bluebolt eyed Shine briefly while Harvey grabbed at her power hoof and looked it over.. “Uh, you’ve got interesting new friends, Shiny.”

“You’ve got friends,” Symphony chuckled.

Shine snorted. “I suppose.” He turned to the others sitting at the table. “Ah, and these must be the friends you mentioned earlier, the ones that you were escorting south?”

The group rose from the table as one to let introductions start going around. For the most part there wasn’t much of a fuss in meeting Shine, Zarya, or Harvey, with the exception of the latter being particularly nosey about little details of everypony’s character.

For Bloom, he noted her Newhaven accent and asked her questions about the town, which naturally she couldn’t answer, much to his consternation. For Flurry he asked why she was so tall for a pony—she was above even his eye level—which she just shrugged off as genetics. Rarity could only imagine what he’d do if he saw her wings. Weaver escaped Harvey without much questioning, a benefit to him being so stodgy when in normal conversation; Sundial got away with about the same by being her typical terse, professional self, which Rarity figured was a good thing since her Chronomancer status would likely get a lot of attention.

Venture hit it off with Harvey like two peas in a pod, or so the saying goes. Not a single pony in the room was surprised, really, and not one of them thought it prudent to interrupt the sudden mile-a-minute conversation the two sprung into once introductions were all finished. It just didn’t seem right to break them apart when they so clearly were made for one another. Not in that way—that was Rarity’s opinion—but at least as a distraction for each other. The irony wasn’t lost on her.

Rarity also got away without much from Harvey, much to her relief. However, she did not have the same luck with Zarya, but that was a different matter altogether. When the zebra greeted her, she first tilted her head and eyed Rarity with a great deal of curiosity, too great in fact. But then, when Rarity gave her name as they shook hooves, Zarya’s eyes widened and her grip on Rarity’s hoof fell lax.

“Did thou sayest ‘Rarity’?” she asked in almost a whisper.

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “I did.”

Zarya grinned and nodded. “I knew it. I knew I recognized thee. I thought I was just seeing things this whole time.”

Rarity paused, then the pieces of the puzzle all connected together. “Ah, I know what this is about. Zyra mentioned the sculptures?”

“I do not know this ‘Zyra’, but I do know thee. And yes, I know thine appearance from the sculptures, but I know thee from so much more. Thou knewest mine uncle.”

“Your uncle?” Then, Rarity gasped in realization. “Sir Zircon is your uncle?”

“Lord-Commander Zircon, now,” Zarya corrected with a frown. “Our Lord-Commander, Zaffir, was killed during the evacuation. Mine uncle was next in line for the position. He leads the Knights of the Black Flame now, and he sent us here to seek aid from House Snow.”

Rarity’s heart leaped into her throat again, not from fear, but from elation. “Then he’s alive?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Oh, thank goodness…”

“Miss Rarity, forgiveth me for asking, but mine uncle hast told me many times of thine extraordinary tale,” Zarya said, eyebrow raised. “When he spoke of thee, he said that thou didst depart to a land far, far away from here, and that thou couldst never return to our beautiful snows again. And yet, here thou standest. How is this possible?”

Rarity sighed. “It’s a rather long story, dear.”

Zarya smiled. “I would like to hear it. Straight from thee, for once.”

Sundial cleared her throat. “Och, that sounds like a bloody wonderful idea, aye, but we just don’t have the time ta tell the whole thing tonight, now do we? However, we hear you lot are heading south with House Snow’s army tomorrow morning, at first light as Lady Snowstorm was so keen ta put it.”

“Why? Dost thou wish to come along?”

“Aye, that we do. We have business in Zeb’ra’den, ye see, same as you and yer uncle do, and all o’ the other zebras, and all o’ House Snow, and House Wind, and the hippogriffs. Different business, aye, but we still need ta get there ta finish it. The sooner we get it handled, the better.”

Zarya nodded without hesitation. “Done.”

“Whoa, just like that?” Bluebolt asked.

“Yes, just like that. Mine uncle hath placed me in charge of these matters in Frostburg, and so I hath full say in who stays and goes,” Zarya said. “I wish to speak with Miss Rarity, and I know mine uncle would love to see her as well. I will bring her south regardless, and I see no reason to deny thy request.”

“Wow, this is great!” Bloom said with a smile. “I didn’t think it would be this easy ta get y’all ta agree ta have us along.”

Shine snorted. “If it were my say, none of you would be coming. We’re going into a warzone and we need capable fighters, not a bunch of civilians.”

Weaver tilted his head. “I am not a civilian.”

Symphony poked Shine in the chest. “You’re looking at the most capable fighter in the room, Shiny.”

Weaver honest-to-goodness snorted, indignant. “I am just as capable as you are, Symphony.”

Symphony briefly tilted her head in his direction. “Hush, I’m talking here.”

Weaver made to retort, but Sundial patted his shoulder. “Just drop it, lad. This is a personal thing, aye?”

“Ha! You?” Shine laughed. “You couldn’t handle yourself in a real combat situation if your life depended on it, Symphony. This is war, not a little training fight against one of those mechanical contraptions you’re used to.”

“Try me! Let’s go, you and me, one-on-one. I’ll whip your ass into next week—” She then paused, and stared at his broken horn in abject horror. “Wait… you can’t use magic. Shit, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean—”

Shine smirked. “I’ve learned how to fight without magic, Symphony. Just like you. I can still take you in a duel, no problem. Just because I can’t use magic doesn’t mean I’m not a better swordfighter than you. It’s just natural.”

Symphony scoffed, loudly, multiple times. “Oh, okay! Qualunque cosa! You think you’re gonna talk tough like that and that I’m gonna back down. Fine. Okay, you cucchiaio d'argento jerk. You’re on. Outside, let’s go.”

“Oh, with pleasure. We’ll see if you’ve grown at all since our last duel. Maybe you’ll last more than a minute this time.”

Symphony and Shine headed straight for the door, shooting glares at one another.

Bluebolt smiled and clapped her hooves. “Ooh, this I’ve gotta see.” She followed right behind them.

“The hay was that about?” asked Bloom.

“No idea,” muttered Flurry.

Sundial cleared her throat and turned to Zarya. “Thanks for having us along, Dame Zarya. I appreciate the help.”

“It is no trouble at all, but save thy thanks for after thou hast seen the truth of matters down south,” Zarya said, shaking her head and giving a polite smile. “However, I believe I am owed a story about what brings Miss Rarity here after all these years, yes?”

“And I’d be happy to tell it—” Rarity started to say.

Sundial raised her hoof. “Ah, hang on a minute.” She glanced back at Zarya. “We’d also like ta know what the bloody hell is going on with Zeb’ra’den, aye? We heard ye’ve got a problem with wendigos and that the whole city got evacuated?”

Zarya frowned and nodded. “Yes. But that, too, is a long story.”

Rarity smiled. “Well, tell you what. Why don’t we regale our tales to one another while en route to meet your uncle, hmm? Let’s save it for tomorrow. Tonight, we should eat, and we should rest. We’ve had a long journey getting here, and I’m assuming we’ll have another long journey getting south.”

“Aye, that sounds good, actually,” Sundial said with a nod.

“Yes, I agree,” said Zarya as she took a seat at the table. She poured herself a cup of wine that had been made available to the table, then lifted her glass. “To new friends?”

Rarity lifted her glass—also wine—and tapped it against Zarya’s. “To new friends.”

Comments

[RoboRed]

I've been thinking about Venture and how she seems to conveniently know an awful lot about things ever since roughly 4-5 chapters after her first appearance. I have a little crack theory about that abut I think I'll hold it to myself for now.

Good to see that many important characters are still alive, for the time being. Especially Zircon.

[Blewfire]

I am so glad Zircon is still good. I am very much looking foward to him finally meeting Rarity again. Venture has been growing on me. I think she is Harmony myself. I probably wrong, but there seems to be a lot of little hints at it or I could be miss reading them. Very much enjoying these chapters.