CRISIS: New World Order

by GanonFLCL

Chapter Twenty-One: Embrace

“That certainly is quite a tale, darling,” Rarity said as Zarya concluded her story, gently patting Zarya’s hoof in consolation. “I am truly sorry to hear of the horrible losses you and your kingdom have sustained over these past months. These wendigos are truly monstrous beasts in this world compared to mine.”

She, Sundial, and Zarya were still awake in Zarya’s tent late that night, though it was already past midnight when Zarya had finally finished speaking. The lantern had stayed lit and warm throughout the night, so listening to the story had been quite a comfortable experience despite the gruesome, harrowing content. The quiet from outside the tent—minus the slow winds—was enough indication that they were pretty much the only ones in the camp still awake.

Zarya shook her head and gave Rarity a small smile. “'Tis not something to hath sorrow over, Lady Rarity, though I appreciate thy concern and kind words. Instead of sorrow, hath faith instead. Faith that Zeb’ra’den can be retaken from the monsters that hath intruded on our lands and taken so many lives.”

“I certainly have faith that you and your fellow zebras will succeed, especially with this army of House Snow’s at your back.” Rarity set her hoof on Zarya’s cheek and gave her a sincere smile. “And you’ll have my support as well. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll do it. I promise.”

Sundial grunted and shook her head. “Sounds ta me like this situation is worse than I thought it was when Lady Snowstorm first told us, ta be perfectly honest. I wasn’t expecting ta have ta charge through a bloody army o’ these wendigos ta get ta the Beacon, aye?”

“Thy path will be simpler than that, I can assure thee,” Zarya said with a nod. “If thou art insistent upon entering into the city and reaching the Beacon, then thou only needst reach the entrance to the tunnels beneath the city, which is a safe distance away. Thou canst reach the Beacon from there without the wendigos giving thee trouble.”

“Aye, that’s handy—”

Zarya held up a hoof. “'Tis not the place for discussing our war plans, Miss Sundial. When we hath arrived at our staging area, then thou canst speak with the Lord-Commander to devise thy strategy.”

Sundial leaned back and sighed. “Well, at least take some solace in the fact that if this foolhardy plan o’ mine works and the Key diffuses the Beacon, all of the Light magic released should bloody well destroy the wendigos in one go, since they’re created by Dark magics.”

Zarya’s eyes widened. “Art thou certain of this? Wouldst thy plan really accomplish such a feat?”

“We can only hope it does.” Sundial then yawned and stretched her forelegs out. “But like ye said, we’ll discuss it with yer uncle when we get ta our destination. Might as well get some sleep for now, seeing as we’ve got a few days o’ travel ahead o’ us, aye?”

“Yes, the trek to the staging area will taketh three more days at our current pace. We will then likely taketh some time to maketh a plan of attack. Thou shalt hath time to develop thine own strategy for what is to come and presenteth it to mine uncle.”

Sundial nodded and stood up. “Well, good luck ta all o’ us then, I suppose.” She turned to Rarity. “You should get some sleep too, lass. We’ve got a long march ahead tomorrow.”

Rarity nodded. “I will, Sundial, thank you.”

Sundial then headed out of the tent. Rarity heard her speaking briefly with Weaver, then the both of them headed off together for their tent. Venture must’ve already headed off to sleep or went elsewhere hours ago, since Rarity didn’t hear the other mare’s excitable voice.

Rarity then stood up as well and turned back to Zarya. “She’s right, of course, I really must be getting some rest for the journey ahead. I’ve never marched before, you see, so this has already been a rather rough day. Thank you again for sharing your story with me, Zarya.”

“Thou art welcome, Lady Rarity,” Zarya said with a smile. “And thanketh thee for sharing thine own tale. Betwixt our two stories, I hath nothing but certainty that thy reunion with mine uncle will be a happy one. He hath been in low spirits since the battle at the city gates. Thy presence shalt light a fire in his heart.”

Rarity smiled back. “I certainly hope so, darling. You should get some sleep, too.”

“I will.”

Rarity then stepped out of the tent and headed off towards her own to catch some much-needed shut-eye.

*****

The House Snow army marched for three days through the fierce southern snowstorms before they arrived at their destination early in the evening at the end of the third day. Their destination was a zebra encampment at the base of the western mountains which led up into the Hippogriff Commonwealth and Astropolis. The camp was rather small at the moment—only a few dozen large tents of zebra design—but grew tremendously in size as House Snow’s army settled in to make their own preparations for the coming battle, setting up tents of their own.

The camp itself was bustling with activity now that House Snow had arrived to reinforce the zebra troops. Based on the count that Zarya had given of the surviving soldiers and knights during her story, Rarity figured that the zebras has bolstered their numbers the only way they could: recruiting the common folk into their ranks. Even then, their numbers weren’t nearly as large as they had been before, only a few hundred strong, and they were not nearly as well-equipped as Rarity knew they should be.

At the moment, Rarity walked through the camp alongside the others of her traveling party, following behind Zarya, Shine, and Harvey as they made for the southern edge of the camp, situated against the mountainside. It had been a couple of hours since their arrival, but Lady Snowstorm was entitled to meet with Lord-Commander Zircon first to begin preparing her own army for what was to come and to get a full assessment of the situation from—and the character of—the zebras’ military leader.

“I only see soldiers and the like here, Zarya,” Bluebolt noted as she looked about. “Where’s King Zaratite? Where are all of the other zebras, like the civilians and lords and stuff?”

“His Majesty hath led the other noncombatants into the mountains,” Zarya explained, gesturing towards the western peaks. “Our hippogriff allies hath agreed to provideth shelter for them. Should we fail, they are all that is left of our kingdom, and 'tis their duty to rebuild. 'Twould be folly to sacrifice so many.”

“The council of Astropolis was very gracious with their offers of assistance, both with shelter and food and supplies,” Harvey said with a smile. “They’ve even made contact with our own allies in House Wind to the north to try and aid the zebras as much as possible. It’s the most we could do since we’re not really warriors ourselves.”

“Really? House Wind has forces here already?” Bluebolt asked.

Harvey gestured off towards a few smaller tents on the mountainside, separate from the main camp. “House Wind’s larger army is scheduled to arrive in a few days and will meet the coalition forces in the field. The soldiers stationed in their embassy have volunteered to join our ranks for now, of course.”

“It sounds like you guys are really trying to put things together here to get this done,” Bluebolt said with a nod. “Maybe I should get word to my mom and dad. I bet they’d send help this way, too, if I told them what was happening. Zeb’ra’den is our ally, after all.”

“We still have no idea if the NPAF even attacked Hope’s Point yet,” Symphony grunted, shaking her head. “I’m starting to get worried that we haven’t heard anything from up north. Your parents would have sent a messenger or something to find you as soon as there was anything to say.”

“Maybe that means there’s nothing to say?” Bluebolt suggested. Then, she sighed. “I hope that just means the NPAF hasn’t attacked yet for some reason, not that something awful has happened.”

“Have faith, you two,” Shine said. “Your city’s reputation is well-earned. I’m certain that everything is going according to Queen Blackburn’s designs.”

Bluebolt grinned. “Thanks, Shiny. I appreciate that.”

Weaver shook his head. “I think that there is a different reason to worry. If the NPAF hasn’t attacked yet, that would imply they waited. But why would they wait? Even with your warning, Princess, they still had ample time to strike before Hope’s Point was fully ready. And if not for your warning, they’d have the element of surprise.”

Symphony nodded. “Yeah, right? It’s been bugging me for days now. What the hell’s going on up north?”

“I just hope everypony’s okay,” Flurry muttered.

“Well, there’s not much we can do about it down here now, aye? We just have ta push forward and do what we came here ta do, and worry about the north later.”

Zarya gestured up ahead at a fairly large tent on the edge of the camp. “Ah, there, 'tis mine uncle’s tent.” She then stood in front of the group and gestured for them to stop. “But, if I might maketh a request? Waiteth here for now, all of thee.”

“What? Why?” Sundial asked.

Zarya then looked to Rarity and smiled, gesturing for her to continue forward. “'Tis my belief that this hath been a long time coming, Lady Rarity. I wouldst not wish to delay it any further.”

Rarity’s heart had been pounding in her chest the entire time she’d been walking through the camp, but knowing they were getting closer and closer just made it beat faster and faster, and seeing the tent there in the distance nearly made her heart leap into her chest. She was so close.

She smiled and nodded at Zarya. “Thank you, dear. This means the world to me.”

Bloom smiled and patted Rarity’s shoulder. “Go get ‘im, Rarity.”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Aye, just don’t take too long. We’ve got important matters ta discuss with the Lord-Commander, too.”

“Of course, dear, I wouldn’t dream of imposing myself on these matters,” Rarity said with a smile. “I’ll have all the time in the world to spend with him once this is all said and done, but I just need a few minutes here and now, you understand?”

Rarity took a deep breath, then set off towards the indicated tent alone. She walked past dozens of zebra soldiers and knights, several of them stopping to look or point in her direction. A distant memory came to mind from her last journey through these lands, recalling that the zebras considered her some sort of physical manifestation of Harmonia herself because of her coloring and beauty. Even with Harmonia in a mortal body of her own—she wasn’t sure how many zebras knew that truth—apparently such was still the case.

She walked with confidence, head held high, her heart beating faster with every step until she was sure it would burst right out of her chest. The soldiers parted to let her pass through without a word or a gesture from her. She was beginning to think there was more to this than she’d thought. How many zebras knew of Zircon’s sculpting hobby, she wondered. Likely most of the Order did—each knight she passed looked at her with a glimmer of familiarity—but did the other soldiers, too? Surely not all of them.

She made her way past the last line of zebras and tents and reached the Lord-Commander’s tent, and as she did, her heart leapt up into her throat. Zircon was standing there just outside the tent flaps speaking with a pair of soldiers and issuing orders or something to that effect, though she couldn’t tell what and she didn’t care. All that mattered to her was that he was right there in front of her, only a dozen feet or so away.

As soon as the two soldiers left to go do whatever it was Zircon had told them to do, he took a moment then looked out into the camp, and he saw her as well.

It was at that moment that time stopped completely. Not literally, of course, but as far as Rarity was concerned, everything in the world around her seemed to freeze in place as she and Zircon locked eyes from across the snow. They, too, were frozen in time, just looking at one another with stunned dispositions. Rarity couldn’t feel the snow under her hooves anymore, or the wind in her mane, or the cold gripping at her sides and nose.

When she finally found the strength to walk, she didn’t just walk, she ran. She ran to him like her life depended on it, and he did the same towards her. They met in the middle and embraced one another, and it wasn’t until that moment that the world seemed to come unstuck from its lapse in time and Rarity senses worked again.

She could feel his strong forelegs around her, his hooves upon her back. She could feel the warmth of his body pressed against hers. She could smell him as she pressed her muzzle against his neck and by the stars above he smelled exactly like she remembered, a husky, pleasant musk that stirred her mind in just the right way. He even looked just like she remembered, ruggedly handsome with just the right amount of dashing charm, only older, but no less the peak of masculinity he’d once been.

In a fleeting moment before that Rift portal had torn itself open, she’d seen a vision of an older Zircon, but had at the time thought it was just her imagination getting ahead of her. Seeing him now, he looked exactly like that brief vision had.

As she broke the embrace briefly to look him in the eyes, tears of joy welled in her own and began to trickle down her cheeks. She didn’t hesitate for an instant to lean up and kiss him deeply, and was pleased that he wasn’t given pause and joined her in the act with the enthusiasm she remembered and enjoyed so much. She’d never forgotten what this felt like, how it made her heart flutter and her stomach twist, and now more than ever she was glad to feel those things again.

When she finally pulled away from the kiss, she couldn’t help but smile and laugh at the bewildered expression on his face.

“Rarity, how is that thou hast come back to me?” he asked, his voice just as deep and lovely as she remembered.

“It’s a rather long story, sweetheart,” she said, putting a hoof to his cheek. “We’ll have time for that later, though. Let’s not waste a single second on such things until the time is right. Right now, let’s just focus on us and this moment, hmm?”

He pulled her in for a tight embrace, running his hooves through her mane. “My heart hath ached for thee. I hath felt as though a part of my soul flew away with thee and wouldst never return. Seeing thee again, holding thee in this embrace, 'tis a moment I hath only seen in my dreams.”

“Mine too, Zircon. Mine too.” She leaned her head against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. “I’ve missed you so much, more than anything in my world, yours, or the next. I’ve dreamt of this moment for twenty-one long years.”

Zircon pulled back from the embrace to look down at her and smile. “Thou hast returned to me, my love. Thou hast returned to me in the darkest hour of zebrakind. 'Tis the greatest sign of hope that couldst ever be asked for. My spirits hath been lifted higher than they hath ever been, not since I first laid mine eyes upon thy beautiful face.”

Rarity smiled, leaned up, and kissed him again. “I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you, my love. So, so much.” She pulled back from the embrace and let out a breath; she didn’t want to let him go. “We shall have more time to be together. But for now, Lord-Commander, I do believe that you have business to attend to.” She gestured behind her, where Zarya was just now leading the others forward. “Ah, what excellent timing.”

Zarya stepped forward and bowed before her uncle. “Lord-Commander, I hath returned.”

“Well done, Dame Zarya. My thanks thou hath earned,” Zircon replied with a nod. She looked to the others of the group that had gathered together, giving small nods to Shine and Harvey. “'Tis quite a collection of ponies that hath come to our encampment this evening. Might I inquire as to who hast come here? What art thy names and titles?”

Bluebolt moved her way forward and gave a smile and a slight nod to Zircon. “Greetings, Lord-Commander. I’m Princess Bluebolt of Hope’s Point. I believe you’re well-acquainted with my mom and dad, Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood?”

Zircon tilted his head, then smiled and bowed to her. “Ah, Princess, I didst not recognize thee. I hath not set mine eyes upon thee since thy last visit to Zeb’ra’den, and that was many long years ago. Thou hast grown much since then. But I am confused. What art thou doing here, and without thy parents?”

“It’s a long story,” Bluebolt said with a shrug.

Zircon looked briefly at Rarity with a small grin. “'Twould seem there art many ‘long stories’ to be shared.”

“No, just the one,” Rarity replied with a grin of her own. “If you want the short version, I met Bluebolt up north when I traveled back to your world, though the latter was rather on accident I’m afraid. She and her friends have helped me and my friends come down south so that we could return home again… and so that I could find you, of course.”

“'Tis a long tale they hath to share,” Zarya noted with a nod to Rarity.

“I see. Then I shall maketh time to spare,” Zircon replied with a nod of his own. He turned back to the others, not looking to anypony in particular. “And who art thou, then, who hath come all this way and helped my Rarity to returneth to me?”

Symphony bowed briefly. “I’m Sweet Symphony, Bluebolt’s bodyguard. I think we met once on her last visit, so I don’t know if you remember me. I wasn’t her bodyguard at the time, we were just friends.”

“She practically had to beg her dad to come along,” Bluebolt added with a grin.

Zircon shook his head. “Forgiveth me if I doth not recall our meeting.”

“Nah, it’s okay,” Symphony said, waving off the thought with a hoof. “I figured you wouldn’t. I’d only just taken up an interest in swords and stuff, but I was too nervous to ask anyzebra about the stuff at the time.”

Shine snorted. “I’m finding it hard to believe that there was ever a time that you were nervous, Symphony, especially in regards to swords and swordfighting.”

“Thou art a swordfighter?” Zircon asked, eyebrow raised. He noticed the two swords on her back and nodded. “Ah, yes, I see that thou carrieth two blades of thine own. 'Tis a pleasure to meet a fellow swordfighter.” He paused a moment, gazing at the hilt of her rapier. “Hmm… why dost that hilt seemeth familiar?”

Symphony smiled and drew out her rapier first. “I’ve been training in the zebra-style as well as the water dancing style of House Waters. Shiny told me you’d be interested in knowing about that. Oh, and that I was taught by the former Lord Stillwater—”

Zircon smiled, eyes wide with surprise. “Truly? Lord Stillwater hath trained thee? Ah, 'twould explain that rapier.” He chuckled and shook his head. “'Tis a small world that I wouldst encounter his student after so many years. Thou wouldst hath only been a filly when I dueled him. 'Twas the greatest duel of my life, against the finest opponent I hath ever faced in fair combat.”

“Oh man, I wish I’d been old enough to see that fight,” Symphony gushed. “Master Stillwater talked about it all the time. He said you were the only zebra warrior that he’d ever truly respected as a swordfighter back then. Something about how you moved was different from the average zebra, I guess?”

“Ha! What a boon our meeting is, then. I wouldst love to speaketh with thee about thy master, if thou wouldst permit it?”

“Sure! It’d be an honor.”

“And what of thine other blade?”

Symphony drew out her runic longsword. “Well, as I said, I also trained in the zebra-style under a zebra named Zyra. This is her sword, which she gifted to me recently because she felt I was ready for it. She thinks I’ve truly come into my own with the zebrican swordfighting style.”

“She’s not bad,” Shine added, nudging Symphony slightly.

Zircon tilted his head. “Zyra? That name doth sound familiar.”

“She was a Priestess of Layk down here a long time ago, but moved up north a few months before I was born.” Symphony paused, then smiled wide. “Oh! She’s married to Lord Stillwater, by the way.”

Zircon’s jaw dropped. “By Harmonia, 'tis truly a small world, then. Ha! What a wonderful turn of events. I shalt hath to remember to sendeth some manner of congratulatory message their way.”

Sundial cleared her throat. “Oy, forgive me for interrupting this thrilling little conversation, but it’s bloody freezing out here and we have a few important matters ta discuss, aye?”

Symphony blushed and coughed. “Right, right, sorry. Got kind of caught up in the moment.” She gestured briefly at Shine. “Shiny here’s the only other pony I can talk with about swords and stuff, but he’s un coglione.”

Shine grunted. “Wow, and after all that I’ve done for you, telling you all about Lord-Commander Zircon and stuff? For shame, Symphony. For shame.”

Sundial rolled her eyes, then held out her hoof towards Zircon. “I’m Sundial, Lord-Commander. It’s a pleasure ta finally meet you after spending the last few months listening ta how great ye are from Rarity here.”

Zircon took her hoof and shook it. “'Tis a pleasure to meet thee as well, Miss Sundial.” He glanced briefly at Rarity with a little smile. “Hast Rarity spoken highly of me?”

“Aye, she has. Yer niece, too, and even my predecessor, Tick Tock. Between the three o’ them I’ve got some bloody high expectations of ye.”

Zircon smiled and nodded. “Ah, Mrs. Tock too, then? Then that wouldst make thee a Chronomancer, yes? 'Tis quite a collection that thou hast heard tales from. I hope I liveth up to thine expectations.” He then looked to Weaver. “And who art thou?”

Weaver bowed slightly. “I’m Weaver, Lord-Commander, though I don’t have a title or anything like that. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Zircon nodded in response, then turned to Venture. “And—”

Venture practically leapt forward and grabbed Zircon’s hoof, shaking it ecstatically. “Hi there! My name’s Venture, and I’m the world’s finest and foremost explorer, treasure hunter, archaeologist, and adventurer, yes sir, and that’s the truth. I’ve heard so much about you, Sir Zircon, sorry, Lord-Commander Zircon.”

Zircon smiled and nodded at Venture. “Thou art a bubbly one, Miss Venture. Quite full of pep and energy.”

“That’s what they tell me! So, hey, I’ve got a question for you: you were there when Lord Silvertongue himself showed up at the southern Beacon, right?”

Zircon frowned. “Yes, I was. 'Tis still a sore spot for mine honor that I allowed the traitor Silvertongue to murder Warden Mémoire—”

Venture shook her head. “From everything I know about that event, Lord-Commander, you did what you could. Silvertongue was a master manipulator, and he’d manipulated zebra culture in the ancient past to the point that they revered him as a hero even hundreds of years later.”

“'Tis no excuse for my behavior towards the Warden,” Zircon said, hanging his head.

“I beg to differ! If your greatest zebra hero, say, Princess Zarya herself showed up on your doorstep, you’d listen to anything she said, wouldn’t you?”

“I suppose so.”

“See? So don’t beat yourself up over it, hmm? There were a lot of factors in play during that fight, so you can’t just go blaming yourself for it all, okay?”

Zircon paused, then tilted his head. “How is it that thou knowest so much of the battle? 'Twas mine understanding that few outside that courtyard were aware of exactly what happened?”

“Oh! Well, like I said, I do a lot of research on a lot of things, y’know? I know it was a fairly recent event, but it was a pretty significant one, wasn’t it? I wouldn’t be the history expert if I didn’t know everything there was to know about the most significant event to occur in our world since the Beacons were first erected, would I?”

“No, I supposeth not.” Zircon shook his head. “Well, 'tis a pleasure to meet thee, Miss Venture.” He then turned to Apple Bloom and waited for her introduction.

“Howdy!” Bloom said, offering her hoof. “Name’s Apple Bloom. I’m from the same place as Rarity is. I think y’all knew mah sister, Applejack?”

Zircon’s eyes widened as he took her hoof in his. “Truly? Thou hast come from so far from thy home? For what reason hast thou come all this way?”

“Well, long story short, I kind o’ got wrapped up in things when Rarity came over by accident, like she said. It’s really kind o’ complicated, yeah? So, uh, mah sis didn’t really talk about ya much, but I’ve heard a lot from Rarity since we got here, and if you’re anythin’ like what I’ve been hearin’, I’ve got faith in ya.”

Zircon smiled. “Well, 'tis a pleasure to meet thee, then. Thy sister was a brave, mighty warrior as well, from mine understanding. I had hoped to perchance partake in a duel with her at some point. 'Tis a shame.” He then turned to Flurry. “Ah, and the last of the group, 'twould seem. Who art thou?”

Flurry bowed and smiled. “I’m Princess Flurry Heart, Lord-Commander. I’m friends with Apple Bloom and Rarity, and, um, I guess you could say that I’m at least partly responsible for the three of us being here. It was an accident, like we said, but it seems like it was a happy little accident in the end, wasn’t it?”

Zircon smiled and looked at Rarity. “Yes, 'twould seemeth so, Princess Heart,” he said with a bow. “I hath hope that I can soon welcome thee properly to Zeb’ra’den, as is proper.”

“I hope so too. Um… oh! I also think you know my aunt, Twilight Sparkle. Is that right?”

“Aha!” Zircon chuckled. “Yes, I remember thine aunt quite well. Quite a powerful unicorn mage, if my memory doth serve correctly. I traveled with her briefly on the road to Zeb’ra’den, alongside Rarity and the soon-to-be King Lockwood.” He shook his head and smiled. “Well, this meeting—this day—hath proven quite exciting, 'twould seem.”

Sundial cleared her throat again. “So, uh, now that we’ve got the introductions all over and done with, Lord-Commander, can we speak about the plans ye have for the attack on Zeb’ra’den? I have very important business in the city—world-changing stuff—and I’m coming with you and the army when ye move out.”

Zircon raised an eyebrow. “What sort of ‘world-changing’ business?”

“The Beacon. I have with me the means to ‘diffuse’ it and release the Light magic still inside back out into the world. Long story short, it’s probably why the world’s in such a sorry state at the moment, what with the war going on up north and the wendigos down here. If I can get to the Beacon and diffuse it, it’s my theory that it might just wipe out the wendigos in one go.”

Zircon was given clear pause. “Thou art serious, I can see it in thine eyes. If this be true, then my hopes for our success riseth higher still.” He then shook his head. “But 'tis late this evening, and thou hast marched long and far. Lady Snowstorm hast arranged a war meeting upon the morn. Thou art welcome to attend. Consider this a formal invitation.”

Sundial grunted, then nodded. “Fine, I suppose I can wait until tomorrow. I could do with a good night’s sleep anyway.”

Zircon nodded in return, then turned back to the rest of the group and gestured out into the camp. “Friends and guests, please, useth our camp as thou needest. There is food aplenty for thee to partake in. Upon the morrow, we can discusseth matters further, but for tonight, please rest and relax. 'Twould be unkind of me to push thee further after such a march.”

“Thanks, Lord-Commander,” Bluebolt said with a bow. “We appreciate your hospitality in these trying times.”

Shine smirked. “You’re getting better at this whole diplomacy business, Cousin. That was very well said.”

“She doesn’t need your praise, Shiny,” Symphony huffed.

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Alright, alright, come along then, everypony, let’s get a move on and get ourselves situated in the camp, aye? We’ve gotta get our tents set up and grab some food before bed.”

With that, the group headed off into the camp, excepting Zarya, Shine, and Harvey—as they weren’t part of that group—and Rarity, who remained behind without any objections from anypony. Flurry turned and gave Rarity a little wink before she left, though, which Rarity returned with a knowing smile.

Zircon then turned to Zarya, Shine, and Harvey, and addressed the three of them as one. “Thou hast done well in bringing House Snow here with such haste. With their numbers, we hath the opportunity to taketh back Zeb’ra’den from the wendigos.” He then turned briefly to Rarity. “And thou hast brought me hope beyond hope, as well.”

Zarya saluted—hoof to her chest—and smiled. ‘'Twould seem we hath luck on our side. We shall faceth our foe with pride.”

Zircon saluted back to Zarya. “Thou art dismissed.”

The trio nodded as one, then headed off into the camp, leaving Zircon and Rarity alone again. Zircon turned to Rarity and made to speak, but Rarity set a hoof to his lips before he could.

“Zircon, my love, I have just one question for you,” she said, pulling herself closer to him and looking him in the eyes.

“Yes?” he asked, pulling her into an embrace.

“Your tent. Would you say you have a great deal of privacy in there? Such that nobody—zebra, pony, or otherwise—would disturb you for, say… an hour or so?”

Zircon paused, then smiled and nodded. “Yes. Yes I would.”

“Good.” Rarity leaned up and kissed him again. “Very good.”

*****

Early the following morning, the war meeting was ready to get underway in Lady Snowstorm’s personal tent on the north end of camp, which was large enough to hold more than a dozen ponies if needed. Zircon was the first to arrive, naturally, and did so with Rarity at his side. Sundial, Weaver, Bluebolt, and Symphony arrived shortly thereafter, followed soon by Zarya and Shine.

“Is zis all of participants?” asked Lady Snowstorm as the last two walked in.

Zircon nodded as he looked around the room. “No others art needed for these proceedings, so far as I am concerned. If thou wouldst call this meeting to order, Lady Snowstorm?”

“Da.”

But, just before Lady Snowstorm was about to continue, Venture wandered into the tent. Well, more crashed into the tent, as though she’d been running and tripped. “Oh, um, hey! I was wondering if I might sit in for this little… sorry, not little, important meeting you guys are having, if it’s not too much trouble?”

Bluebolt raised an eyebrow. “Uh, sure, I guess?”

Sundial grunted. “Just so ye know, everyone here—pony or zebra—is offering some sort o’ contribution ta what’s coming, though, so unless ye’ve got something ta provide us with that might be helpful—”

“Oh, absolutely!” Venture said with a grin. “I wouldn’t expect you guys to let me in unless I could offer something, right? I think I’ve made perfectly clear many, many times, I’m the world’s leading authority on anything and everything historical. I can tell you some things about the wendigos that you might find useful.”

Shine tilted his head, clearly not buying it. “Something more useful than firsthoof experience?”

Venture nodded excitedly. “Yup! I’ve researched every book and record known to zebras and ponies both, so even if I’ve never fought against these things like you have, I can tell you how to expect them to fight going forward.”

“Harvey hath already researched much on the subject,” Zarya interjected, shaking her head. “What dost thou know that he hath not found? He hath searched through every record on these beasts in the Order’s archives, and he didst not find anything that could hath prevented our loss.”

Venture sheepishly ran her hoof through her mane. “Well, uh, I could’ve told you all about that little technique they used. The Order’s archives didn’t mention it because the wendigos never faced the Order at Zeb’ra’den—it wasn’t built yet—but the wendigos used that technique to overrun old pony outposts that were further south back in those days. There are some records of it in Utopia’s archives.”

Zarya blinked, astounded. “Truly? Then thou hast information that might be of help?”

“I certainly hope so, yeah.” Venture then gestured to Sundial. “Plus, I’ve got a lot of information on the Beacons and how they worked and stuff. I’d be useful for Sundial’s part in all of this.”

Sundial scoffed. “Ye’re saying ye know how ta use the Beacon Key or something like that, lass?”

Venture nodded. “Yup! That stuff was stored in old zebra records, seeing as they built the thing and all that, but I don’t think anyone would have had reason to go looking through it before now, right? I asked Harvey and even he had no idea what I was talking about!”

Shine chuckled. “Well, if you know something Harvey doesn’t, then you’re welcome to join in as far as I’m concerned.”

Bluebolt nodded. “I agree, we could always use extra information on what’s going on, right?”

Zircon pondered this for a moment, then nodded as well. “'Tis logical, and I see no reason why not to allow Miss Venture to be present.” He gestured towards the table they were all standing around, which had a map of the zebra territories on it. “Come, standeth with us.”

Venture smiled and approached the table. “Thanks, everyone. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed to have me along.”

“I certainly hope not,” Sundial grunted. She turned to Zircon and Snowstorm. “So, now that that’s out of the way, what’s our big strategy?”

Snowstorm traced her hoof along the map from a marker indicating their camp towards Zeb’ra’den, stopping at another marker that was several miles west of the city. “Our army marches east towards Zeb’ra’den, to zis point. Lord-Commander Zircon said tunnels into city start here.”

Zircon nodded. “'Tis a long tunnel, and it will take hours to traverse, but 'tis the only route into the city while the wendigo blizzard surrounds it. 'Tis buried under the snow. Thou wouldst not find it without prior knowledge.”

“Speaking o’ the blizzard, what are we supposed to do about the wendigos?” asked Sundial. “If they’re all in the city when we show up, I don’t like our chances of getting to the Beacon even if the tunnel opened up right under it. Weaver and I can’t exactly fight all those things off.”

“And me! I’ll be there too!” Venture chimed in.

Zircon tapped his hoof on a marker placed west of the city, a few miles northeast of the tunnel entrance and a few dozen miles west of Zeb’ra’den itself. “After thou hast taken the tunnel entrance, our armies shalt march here and draw the wendigos out of the city to faceth them in honorable combat.”

Sundial paled. “Bloody hell, you’re going ta engage them out in the open? That’s suicide.”

Zircon shook his head. “We hath no other choice. Even were we to move further towards the city, we wouldst not be able to meet them anywhere else but in the open tundra. We shalt do what we can to preventeth us from becoming surrounded by the storm.”

Venture tapped her chin. “Well, since they’re such a unique enemy, and since their main tactic when fighting in the open is to surround their prey in a whirlwind, your best bet is to adapt and adopt a new formation for your armies. When you make ready for battle, form a ring instead of a line.”

“Aye, that’d probably work,” Sundial agreed. “And if there’s nothing but flat ground all around ye, they can’t come from above, can they? Seems like yer best option if ye’re gonna just engage them like that.”

Snowstorm shook her head and sighed. “Even so, we will take losses. Many losses. But this plan is best we have, da? I don’t like it, but even wiz House Wind’s reinforcements arriving at battle line, we do not have numbers to retake city. Your Beacon idea is only option, even if only a theory.”

“We wouldst need other Houses to joineth us in the battle,” Zarya noted, gesturing towards the lands north of the zebra territories. “But with their damnable war, we hath no other allies to turn to in the pony territories.”

“House Silver’s forces have been decimated,” Shine said with a sigh. “House Sky has no military. House Dawn’s army was weak anyway, but they’ve been wiped out to the last. House Golden would never aid the zebras—their hatred for Silvertongue extends to Zeb’ra’den for the same reasons as House Silver—and so neither would their allies in Houses Waters and Green—”

“If those two had any forces to contribute after Hope’s Point wiped most of them out at Newhaven,” Bluebolt pointed out with a grunt. “Not to mention that House Waters has no army, just a navy.”

“Indeed. Furthermore, House Light would never help the zebras either, much like House Golden won’t, because they blame the zebras for the death of Harmonia’s Warden just as much as they blame Silvertongue. Even the Harmony Guard doesn’t blame Zeb’ra’den for that.”

Zircon snorted and shook his head. “Damnable pony Houses. Do they not realize that their petty squabbles hath placed us all at risk?”

“And besides the Houses currently at war, House Night’s army is small and weak, and while House Flower’s army is respectable, it would take weeks to even organize anything with them, let alone get troops this far south. House Wind might get forces down here in time, sure, but they’ve got so few to offer. House Snow mobilized quickly because that is their way.”

Snowstorm smirked and nodded, putting a hoof to her chest. “Da, it is our way.”

Sundial let out a breath, clearly exasperated by the whole conversation. “And the more time we waste, the more time that the storm has ta get bigger as it feeds off o’ the emotions of the warring Houses. We have ta act as soon as possible.”

“We art prepared to march in the morning at first light,” Zircon said. “Today shalt be used to arm House Snow’s troops with the means to combat our foes, for the wendigos shalt not succumb to iron and steel alone. We needeth heat and light to vanquish them. Flames wouldst be preferred.”

“We don’t have much to make use of if we’re keeping mobile, either,” Shine grunted. “But I suppose we’ll have to make due with lanterns and such instead of sturdy braziers. It’s not ideal, but nothing about this is.”

“What about you two?” Sundial asked, gesturing at Bluebolt and Symphony. “What are ye gonna contribute ta this plan o’ ours, hmm?”

Bluebolt took a deep breath, then nodded at Symphony. “I’ve talked it over with Symphony, and I’m going to leave as soon as this meeting is over and fly north to Newhaven. I’m gonna get word to Hope’s Point—to my mom—about what’s going on down here.”

“Flying all the way to Newhaven? That’s gonna take you almost a full week if you’re going at top speed!” Shine said, shaking his head. “We’ll be at the battlefield by then. What good does that do?”

“If I can get a message to Hope’s Point, my mom and dad can mobilize, I dunno, something. Our ships are fast, Shiny. They can make it from Hope’s Point to Zeb’ra’den in a matter of hours, tops. I know it’s not much, but if I leave today and fly as fast as I can, then maybe you’ll get some help in time in case things go south out there.”

“For the record, I tried to talk her out of it,” Symphony sighed. “I can’t go with her if she’s flying, so she’d be going alone.”

“But this is what I need to do,” Bluebolt said with a nod. “I can’t contribute anything to the battle out there, you all know that. I can fight, sure, or at the very least defend myself, but I have nothing to offer against a bunch of wendigos. I can’t exactly light my power hoof on fire, y’know?”

Sundial chuckled. “Well, at least ye can admit it, lass. If this is how ye’re gonna help, I say go for it. Way I see it, if yer mom shows up with a bunch o’ her airships, they can probably blow that bloody storm apart, aye? Lots o’ fire and explosions ought ta do the trick.”

“That’s exactly what I figured. We still need to get the wendigos away from Zeb’ra’den so that the ships don’t destroy the city, of course, so just go through with your plan as-is and I’ll send help as soon as I can. I can only hope they arrive in time.”

Shine let out a breath, then gestured towards Symphony. “And what about your loyal bodyguard? I’m sure she’s going to be useful on the field and all that, but I highly doubt you’re willing to send her into a warzone.”

“I’m not. She’s not going to the battle with the rest of you.”

“I’m going to escort the other noncombatants we have here to safety up in the mountains,” Symphony said with a nod. “That would be Apple Bloom, Flurry Heart, Rarity, and Harvey. They don’t belong here, they don’t belong in the battle, and we can’t just take them back north, not if there’s any other monsters out there.”

Zarya nodded. “'Tis a sound consideration. Beasts wouldst not dare attacketh our camp or a large migration, but a small party might attract attention from something vicious. Frostwolves, at the very least. But the Commonwealth hath not reported any sightings of creatures of that sort.”

“Aye, that’s good,” Sundial said with a nod of her own. “I was going ta suggest that we get the folks that can’t fight ta safety as soon as possible, and I’d feel better knowing somepony capable and trustworthy is going along.”

“There’s only one problem with your plan, darling,” Rarity said. She’d been content to stay quiet until now—she had nothing to offer—but now the conversation had reached the point where she’d been looking to join in.

Symphony raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“I’m not going with you.”

Sundial blinked, tilting her head and looking at Rarity like she’d just spoken gibberish. “What do ye mean ye’re not going with her, lass?”

Rarity turned to Zircon, who was just as confused as everyone else in the room. “I’m going to the front with the army. I’m staying with Zircon.”

Zircon quickly shook his head. “Nay, Rarity, 'tis not necessary, and 'tis a dangerous, foolish idea to venture out into the battlefield with me. Thou must remaineth safe. Go with Miss Symphony—”

“Oh no. No, no, no. I am not letting you out of my sight again,” Rarity said, poking him hard in the chest. “First of all, I’ve spent twenty-one years waiting to see you again, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you go leave me after we’ve finally reunited. You know as well as I do the kind of heartache I’ve been through, and I will not go through that again.”

Zircon, taken aback, looked to the others as if for support. “But—”

“Second of all, the last time I sent you off to battle after sharing a night of passion, you nearly got yourself killed trying to stand against Silvertongue, like the brave, beautiful fool you are! I’ve told you already, this time is going to be different, and I will not send you off to battle again just like that.”

Bluebolt and Symphony shared a brief look. “Did she just—”

“And for another thing, if there’s anyone in this room that’s going to be of help on the field of battle as much as all of you tried-and-true warriors, it’s me.”

Snowstorm snorted. “What do you know of battle, pretty one?”

Rarity wheeled on Snowstorm. “I’ll remind you that I am a unicorn, first of all, so I have magic at my side.” She then turned back to Zircon. “And not just any magic. I have a great deal of the Light within me because I am an Element of Harmony, and my particular talent will be of great benefit to you and the other soldiers out there. I was given these powers for a reason, and blast it all if I’m not going to put them to use!”

Sundial smirked. “Well this is bloody magical, is what this is. I didn’t think ye had it in ye, Rarity, but ye sound like a true warrior, don’t you?”

Rarity pointed at Sundial. “And speaking of which, it’s not as though I’ve never participated in a fight before, or even a gruesome war scenario. I was there when evil changelings attacked Canterlot. I was there when the Storm King attacked Canterlot. I was there at the Battle of the Bell. I’ve fought for my life in this very world multiple times!”

Sundial held up her hooves defensively. “Aye, there’s nobody here denying—”

Rarity poked Zircon again in the chest. “I might sound like I’m just a pretty, pampered mare, but I’m more than that. I am Rarity, the Element of Generosity, and if I want to give you my aid in the coming battle, then that’s what I’m going to do!”

Finished with her rant, Rarity breathed heavily and stared at Zircon, a fire in her eyes and her heart that she didn’t even know she had.

Zircon paused for a long moment, then smiled and took her hoof in his. “As thou wisheth, my love. Thou art welcome to join us on the field of battle by my side.”

Rarity paused for a long moment as well, then smiled up at him. “Thank you, Zircon.”

Snowstorm cleared her throat. “So, we have decision. Plans have been made. House Snow and zebras will draw wendigos away from city. Miss Sundial’s team will travel through tunnels into city, reach Beacon, and do whatever it is they must do. Princess Bluebolt flies north to Newhaven to get help from Hope’s Point. Miss Symphony takes zose who cannot fight into mountains. We march at first light towards Zeb’ra’den. Any questions?”

Nobody—pony or zebra—raised a hoof.

“Good. May Harmona guide us all.”

*****

Bluebolt triple-checked the supplies she needed before she shoved anything into her saddlebags: there was enough food to last her for a week, a general map of the southern continent so that she could find her way, and a sleeping bag so she could keep warm at night. She didn’t need much for a straight flight north, luckily, so she could pack light and travel fast.

Symphony opened the tent flap. “Hey,” she said, rather flatly.

Bluebolt turned and smiled. “Hey.”

Symphony looked at the stuff in Bluebolt’s saddlebags, then let out a breath. “I know I’ve said it a few times already, but I’m against you going up north by yourself. What if soldiers from one of the other Houses that aren’t quite so friendly with you and your family see you? What if they come after you?”

“Then I’ll just have to fly faster,” Bluebolt said as she stuffed the sleeping bag into her saddlebags first. “I’ll be fine, songbird, I promise.”

Symphony paused for a moment, then wrapped her forelegs around Bluebolt’s neck in a hug. “I’m going to be worried about you all week. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

“We haven’t spent this much time apart since… well, since were were kids. We’ve been so close for such a long time that I can’t even remember a time when you and I weren’t together.”

Bluebolt smiled and tucked her wing over Symphony’s back. “I know, songbird. I know. But I have to do this. I can’t help the zebras from here, you know that. And I can’t just head up into the mountains and hope for the best. I need to do something.”

Symphony pressed her muzzle against Bluebolt’s neck. “I know that, pecha, but I still don’t like this one bit. You’re going to be alone out there. I won’t be there to protect you and keep you safe.”

“I need you here, Symphony. I’d take you with me if I could, but I need you here. You have to make sure our friends stay safe this time. We don’t know what’ll happen out there, but I promised Bloom and Flurry that I’d get them home. If the only way I can do that is by going north alone and leaving you here to protect them, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

“I don’t want you to go. I’m absolutely terrified that something might happen to you.”

Bluebolt leaned her head against Symphony. “I’ll be worried about you too, songbird. There’s just this… feeling in my gut that something’s going to happen, and that’s why I want you here to keep our friends safe. But that just means I’m more worried than ever for you.”

Symphony pulled Bluebolt in for a kiss, then set her chin on Bluebolt’s head. “I’m against this decision with every part of me, Bolt. But I won’t stop you from going. I know you need to do this, but that doesn’t mean I like it, and that doesn’t mean I won’t be scared for you the entire time. But I’ll let you go. Just this once.”

“Thank you.” Bluebolt pulled Symphony in for another kiss. “I love you, songbird. When this is all over… when this is all over, we’re going to talk. Okay? About everything that’s happened, about the future… about us. Our future.”

“I love you too, pecha.” Symphony smiled and ran her hoof through Bluebolt’s mane. “You’d better come back to me, Princess, or I swear to every star in the sky that you won’t hear the end of it. Promise me.”

Bluebolt smiled back. “I promise.”

Comments

[RoboRed]

The happy reunion has finally come! Huzzah!

I'm looking forward to how Rarity performs during the upcoming battle. It's been twenty-one years. I think she's more than likely learned a thing or two that might be beneficial.

“Good. May Harmona guide us all.”

You forgot the "i".

[My name is R]

“Yes, the trek to the staging area will taketh three more days at our current pace. We will then likely taketh some time to maketh a plan of attack. Thou shalt hath time to develop thine own strategy for what is to come and presenteth it to mine uncle.”

I'd suggest talkin' it over with 'er tomorrow night. That way you've got a better idea when ya get there.

I’ll have all the time in the world to spend with him once this is all said and done,

Rarity. Do. Not. Jinx. It.
No, nein, desist.

Zircon paused, then tilted his head. “How is it that thou knowest so much of the battle? 'Twas mine understanding that few outside that courtyard were aware of exactly what happened?”
“Oh! Well, like I said, I do a lot of research on a lot of things, y’know? I know it was a fairly recent event, but it was a pretty significant one, wasn’t it? I wouldn’t be the history expert if I didn’t know everything there was to know about the most significant event to occur in our world since the Beacons were first erected, would I?”

Again, there is something up with her. No clue what, but she seems... not necessarily trustworthy, but good-hearted.