Chapter 5: Sibling Rivalry
The journey from Canterlot to the Thousand Aeries took just under a week. About ten minutes in, River realized just how poorly thought out her plan was. Had she snuck aboard any vessel other than the one carrying the cargo required for an army to march, she would likely be dead before they docked.
While food and water was plentiful, light was not, so breaking into thickly-wrapped pallets with naught but her hooves and her own adjusted night vision became a frustrating ordeal that kept her sore and occupied, both of which she would later be grateful for. An idle mind was prone to self-destructive thoughts, and a weak body was easily defeated by a superior combatant.
These were tenants taught to her early in life by the Noxian military. River could not remember her mother or father, but the name and face of her first drill instructor was forever etched into her memory. Her siblings were her squad, which changed frequently as she ascended the ranks. Her new pony friends had asked if she had any family back in Runeterra, perhaps a lover that believed himself widowed. She would always answer in the negative, but her personal belief was that her family was the whole of the Noxian military, and such a massive thought had brought her comfort in some of her more trying times.
In addition to various freeze dried amenities and bottled water that River greedily partook in, the soldier’s weapons were also stored on this ship. Her first order to business was to jam a spear into the seam of the iron loading door and pry it open just enough to allow air in but keep the ocean out. She partially succeeded, and as she returned the spear to its slot in the rack and fished up a sword, she noted that she would rather have damp hooves than suffocate and die.
With her basic necessities attended to, River began the arduous process of rediscovering her talent for swordplay, and she soon realized that most of what she had learned was no longer applicable. River did not have hands and thus had to rehearse her drills with the sword’s hilt firmly clasped between her teeth, and from the onset she felt green again.
It did not take River long to realize that she simply did not have the neck strength required to do this with any semblance of skill and grace, but she was already using the smallest sword available to her. With great effort that reminded her of her initial attempts at flying, she managed to hoist the blade and keep it level, and did so long enough to get through the first half of one drill. Her stamina was exhausted at that point, however, and she spat out the sword punctuated by a howl of pain. Her neck throbbed, her teeth and jaw ached, and she began throwing a tantrum that she was immensely grateful no pony else was present to witness.
River had never felt so useless in her entire life. Even after forsaking Noxus and sundering her sword, she had her strong arms, her freedom, and her honor. Now she had a neglected body that was unacceptably frail, she was stowed away with real soldiers like an urchin, and her honor was no where to be found when she gazed upon her pathetic reflection in the accumulated water at her hooves.
The one thing that River had was the one thing that she never personally acknowledged, but had been told by countless people and ponies was her most defining characteristic: Perseverance. River took a moment to motivate herself before picking up her weapon again.
And again.
And again.
Over the course of that week traversing the open ocean, she regained a modicum of her old strength. To say that she was comparable to even the lowliest Noxian private would have been laughable, but it helped bolster her confidence nevertheless. And she would soon need it, because she heard the approaching sound of war.
Soldiers in her old unit had often spoken of feeling fear and apprehension before venturing into combat. The chaplain told her it was natural — even expected — and that the mark of a true Noxian was the ability to set those toxic emotions aside and fight as you were trained. River could not recall ever feeling anything before a battle, and the one time that she did had caused her to forsake the land of her birth and embrace exile. Even now, as she hid behind the pallets and stilled her breathing so that none might hear her, she was calm. River was both willing to die and would welcome any punishment the princesses could mete out. So long as she could right Cho’Gath’s wrongs, she would be content.
After nearly two hours of silence, the last deckhand left. A few of the rear pallets were left untouched, and that was where River waited. Believing that the coast was clear, she quietly scooped up her sword and prepared to disembark.
“You can come out now, River.”
Her breath hitched in her throat. River recognized that voice and her eyes widened in shock. It was not fear that she felt, but surprise. “P-Princess Celestia?”
River peered around the corner of the pallet and, sure as the sky was blue, there stood Princess Celestia. Arranged around her were her six closest friends, all of whom displayed some emotion upon their muzzles, ranging from horror to relief to unmitigated rage. Rainbow Dash, her “sister”, fell into the latter category.
“Are you bucking kidding me?! You stowed away?! I can’t believe this sh—”
“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy admonished, giving her friend a stern look. “Language!”
River sighed and slouched out of her hiding spot, having already accepted the earful that she was no doubt about to receive.
“Screw that! I was told that River didn’t come because she was sick and was staying with Shining and Cadence in Canterlot!” Rainbow whirled on Celestia then, and River could swear she saw the slightest inkling of worry cross her normally serene countenance. “You told me that! How dare you?! What gives you the right—”
“RAINBOW DASH!” Twilight Sparkle spoke up next, now standing between one of her best friends and her mentor. River could tell that Twilight was likewise concerned over her health but talking down an irate pegasus who was reading a goddess the riot act seemed to take precedence. “You can’t speak to her like that!”
“Twilight, it’s all right. Rainbow Dash has every right to be upset with me.”
“I’m upset with you too!” Twilight clarified, now looking up at her mentor. This time River knew without a shadow of a doubt that Celestia had been caught off guard. “You knew River was back here but you didn’t say anything! She could have been killed.”
“I’m fine,” River interjected, which earned her six pairs of murderous eyes.
A synchronized chorus of “SHUT UP’S!” closed River’s mouth fast enough to catch a bullet.
Celestia only sighed and placed a comforting hoof onto her student’s shoulder, which had an immediate calming effect on the young unicorn. Rainbow Dash wouldn’t be so easily placated and with deliberate steps, she approached River. Every stomp of her hoof made River reflexively take a step backward, but soon she was cornered against the rear of the cargo bay. No where to run, no where to hide.
“When we get back, you can find somewhere else to crash,” Rainbow seethed, then reared back and smashed her hoof square into River’s snout. The tan pegasus yelped and staunched the blood pouring from her nose with one feeble hoof, but it did little good. The anger everypony else felt washed away immediately and they surrounded her, asking if she was all right and to tilt her head back to stymie the blood.
River denied them. “I’m fine,” she wheezed, her voice sounding nasally. “I deserved it.”
“That was uncalled for,” Rarity said gently, saddling up beside River and holding a once pearl-white handkerchief to her snout. Apparently she had gotten it from Pinkie Pie, who also looked uncharacteristically sad. The pink party pony sighed and nuzzled up against River’s neck, then pulled away just as fast, as if she couldn’t decide if she was still mad or not.
“Dashie shouldn’t have done that,” she hedged, looking behind her at the fuming pegasus. Rainbow hadn’t gone far; she was still on the beach, yelling at herself and whoever else happened by. “But you shouldn’t have made us all worry like that either, miss silly-pants! A-Are you all right? I mean… from the trip, not from Dashie breaking your face.”
River shrugged, casting her eyes down at her hooves. Everypony’s eyes followed and observed white, pale, crusty flesh on all four of her hooves. It was widely known as trench foot where she came from, but River did not know what ponies called it. “Standing in brine for a week will do that,” River replied to the crowd of aghast faces. “I’ll live.”
“You’ll be an amputee!” Fluttershy retorted, beginning with her usual mousy tone and devolving into a sobbing gasp toward the end. “Let’s get you dry and taken care of.”
River followed the group off the boat, continually reassuring her friends that she was not too worse for wear. Twilight made a comment regarding all of the hard work she had put into River’s body and how poorly it was being treated. Celestia rolled her eyes, unsure if her beloved student was more concerned for her friend or her friend’s magically crafted body.
The staging ground for the assault on Cho’Gath was a small camp on a beach on an island just over a mile away from the Aeries proper. It was an altogether too small location for the armies of two different species, but it soon became apparent that at least part of that wasn’t a concern.
The griffons were world renowned for their military might. They excelled at every aspect of warfare and held numbers no other nation could match. What River saw as she limped through the camp toward the medical tent was the broken, defeated remnant of a once-proud people. A scant few hundred griffons remained, and most of them boasted some kind of injury. River noted that many of those wounds were small and appeared defensive; even with a glancing blow, Cho’Gath couldn’t have caused injuries like that. He was a wrecking ball, not a precision laser.
“Something is wrong,” River said, wincing with each step. Her friends attempted to alleviate her pain by keeping her hooves off the sand, but she had just spent a week regaining some iota of her confidence. Being carried like an invalid wouldn’t have done that any favors. “I think Cho’Gath has help.”
“What kind of help?” Celestia asked, gamboling forward to match the girls’ pace. Before she had been taking in the horrific sights as well.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But look at their wounds.” River’s left front hoof swept across a nearby platoon of griffon warriors. They were in fighting shape but most sported bandages with small, bloody wounds staining the centers. “They look like they’ve been attacked by something their size.”
“They were,” came a deep, authoritative voice from the rear. As River was lead into the medical tent and immediately attended by a matronly eagless, they were greeted by a bronze-feathered tiercel wearing a tricorne adorned with five stars arranged in a circle. Slung across his left shoulder was what River recognized as an old fashioned musket. His right wing seemed to double as a hand and held tight a triangular wooden crutch, which helped alleviate some of the burden of his missing right leg. The wound was apparently recent, as it was still bandaged and stained.
Despite his condition, the griffon swept off his hat and bowed low. Not just to Princess Celestia, but to every pony present. “My friends, and my princess,” he said with a deliberate nod at the solar ruler. “I am General Cresting Claw, though I think that title is now more symbolic.” He sighed miserably and cast a wary eye across his bedraggled troops. “I’m among the rank and file now, I suspect.”
“The men will still look to you for guidance, general,” River spoke up, directing the attentions of everypony (and everygriffon) to her. “Leadership is tested and most crucial when the fighting is harshest.”
This helped to soften the hearts of the few who were still mad at River. She might be an insufferable and possibly suicidal fool, but she seemed to have a knack for speech. Surprising considering how rarely she engaged in it.
“Thank you kindly,” Cresting Claw said with another embellished flourish. “Perhaps you should lead this army, eh? I’m not sure I could keep up with them now… bah, listen to me chirp like a chick. I live, which is more than I can say for ninety percent of our military forces.” Cresting Claw did not react to the horrified gasps of his audience. “We’re facing an enemy that we cannot defeat. No weapon we’ve employed can harm the biggest one. The little ones are easy enough to dispatch, I suppose, but are virtually endless in number.”
The medic that had been treating River’s hooves finished applying a thick, oily balm to each and rubbed it in thoroughly. For several minutes River focused on nothing but the pain and did her best to block it out. When the eagless finished, River observed her handiwork; the infected flesh was completely healed.
“That’s incredible,” she said with awe but did not question it further. She was happy to hop off the table and stand unburdened once again. Rarity was not the closest to River, but she was the quickest to move to intercept her friend, hoping to be leaned on. River did not need it, but thanked her regardless.
“You don’t need to be so hasty, darling. Clearly we won’t be moving from here for some time. Um… no offense,” she appended, but Cresting Claw waved it off. “If the whole of the griffon empire cannot defeat this beast, I don’t know what the six of us will do.” Celestia cleared her throat. “Er, seven. Sorry, your majesty.”
“It’s quite all right, my little pony. I fear you’re correct; even if the Elements of Harmony could defeat Cho’Gath,” Celestia enunciated both syllables of his name, finding it still quite alien to say out loud. “I would not risk your lives to get close enough to try.”
A number of quiet, dejected sighs emanated from the group, the nurse and the general included. He knew such a mission was folly and considering what had already happened to his own troops, he wasn’t about to throw six young, untrained mares to their inevitable doom.
Of course, it was the seventh that had ignored the obvious futility and her own self-preservation. River wandered away from the group a short distance — closer to where Rainbow Dash was still pouting — and scrounged up a sheath for her sword. She hopped into the harness with some difficulty as she returned to the group, all of which were following her with disbelieving eyes.
As River pulled the straps taut with her teeth, she finally noticed the eyes on her. Even Dash had rejoined the group, likewise flabbergasted by River’s hubris. “What?”
“No.” It wasn’t Celestia who had said this, despite it becoming something of a trademark whenever River was involved. It was Rainbow Dash.
“I didn’t kick my own ass for a week on that boat just so I could sit here and mope. I’m going.”
“No,” Dash repeated, stepping forward and blocking River’s path further inland. “I’ll break your Celestia-forsaken wings if I have too.”
“Why not my muzzle again?”
Dash’s face fell. She sighed, looked sheepishly away, and rubbed her left hoof over her right. “I’m… sorry. I was emotional! Terrified! My sister went off and did this stupid-damn thing without telling me and now she’s planning on doing something even worse!”
River’s eyes widened a bit at Dash’s omission. Twilight knew Rainbow’s feelings and a ghost of a smile crept upon her lips.
Dash caught on quick and looked even more upset. “I don’t have a lot of family, and I never had any real siblings. So… yeah. Sister.” Vivid cerise eyes met shifty crimson ones. “Is that… cool… with you?”
River’s family was huge, she told herself again. Tens of thousands of fellow brothers and sisters in arms. But like Rainbow, she had no immediate family. It was a heartwarming prospect, and one that she agreed to after an entirely too long period of silence. She shook herself coherent. “Yes, of course it is.”
Rainbow squee’d with delight and hugged River, who stiffened like a board before returning the embrace. A hundred or more “aww’s” echoed throughout the camp. Some of the nearby griffon soldiers had heard the exchange, and both pegasi separated and attempted to look as nonchalant as possible.
“River,” Celestia began, stepping forward and looking down at her little pony with vast empathy in her eyes. “I think you’ve proven that you are not easily persuaded from a goal once you’ve set your mind to it, but I beg of you to reconsider… at least for a day.”
Every pony nearby looked up at their monarch like she had grown a second head. Rarity was the only one capable of vocalizing her opinion. “Princess! You cannot seriously be considering letting her go?! She’ll die for certain!”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” River grumbled, earning her a very unladylike hoof to her shoulder.
“This is serious, you idiot! This isn’t like your usual complete disregard for your well being! We are your friends and we’ve come to accept that you’re partially insane; even Dash routinely crashes whenever she is practicing her tricks!”
“Hey!”
“But this…” Rarity gestured toward the distant location where Cho’Gath could be heard rampaging. “This is suicidal!”
“One life or a hundred,” River intoned, having turned to face Rarity at the beginning of her rant. “I appreciate your concern, I do, but what am I compared to everything that has already been lost?” River sighed and with determination evident in her eyes, she began to slowly walk backwards toward the ship, to recover the sword she had been wielding throughout the week. “I can take care of myself. Why do you all assume I’m just going to spontaneously combust the second I get near him?”
“Why do you think it’s not valid, considering how much death there has already been?” Twilight questioned, bridging the distance between herself and the still retreating River. She then looked over her shoulder at Celestia, who appeared completely calm, as per usual. “I’m sorry princess but I can’t agree to this. I won’t let her go, even if you give your consent.”
“Me neither,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Nor I,” Rarity chimed in.
Applejack looked apprehensive. River was a good friend and the last thing she wanted was to see her hurt. But she wasn’t keen on the idea of disobeying Princess Celestia either. After a moment’s deliberation, she offered a steely nod. “Naw, this is crazy. I ain’t lettin’ her go.”
“I have streamers and I’m not afraid to use them,” Pinkie said ominously, producing from behind her back a large, thick ball of multicolored plastic ribbons, perfectly suited for impromptu restraints.
Fluttershy squeaked something that sounded like more of the same.
Princess Celestia said nothing. General Cresting Claw had stepped to the side, believing this conversation did not involve him. River looked between each of her friends and saw aggressive conviction blazing in their eyes. She knew she wouldn’t be able to evade them all, even if she attempted to leave under the cover of darkness. Twilight narrowed her eyes and, as if reading River’s mind, immediately took a seat on the sand.
“Girls, we’re taking shifts. One awake at all times. No pony takes her eyes off of River for a second.”
River’s stoic demeanor crumbled like a stack of cards. She couldn’t believe her friends would go to such lengths to keep her safe — to treat her like a fragile doll — and her anger boiled over. “You think you can keep me here against my will?! I don’t need sleep! I slept too damn much on the boat as it is! You will falter and I’ll get away.”
“Sounds like some pony needs the ol’ mother hen treatment.”
“Applejack, if you sit on me again I’ll break your ass off and feed it to you.”
A pegasus and an earth pony engaged in a tense, face-to-face contest of willpower. “Missy, you don’t know whose ass you jus’ threatened. I call first shift.”
Thus began a battle of wills between one former human and six stubborn mares. Princess Celestia made some entirely too happy noise and trotted off to get some shut eye, having been excluded from “guard duty”.
True to her word, Applejack popped a squat less than two feet away and stared unblinking at River for nigh on five hours. River’s patience broke long before Applejack’s did, and she paced around the immediate area spouting infuriated diatribes at herself. Applejack’s unwavering gaze followed her like a hawk.
Rainbow Dash was next, having called the shift immediately after Applejack did, treating it like a contest as she was wont to do. She wasn’t quite so stern about her watchfulness, but she didn’t slouch either. River thought she could perhaps persuade her “sister” easier than she could Applejack, but Rainbow steadfastly refused every sweet comment, bribe, and wrathful outburst.
Pinkie Pie was third. By this point, River had stopped her futile pacing and went to retrieve her sword. Pinkie hopped on her back and literally rode River the entire way, much to her chagrin. Once they returned to camp, Pinkie popped off like a window decal (complete with a wet suction noise, oddly enough) and River began practicing her drills.
Twilight Sparkle was fourth, and while she was no less vigilant than the others had been, she attempted to make constructive use of their time. She tried talking River down from her foolhardy quest, and though it didn’t seem to work, River did seem appreciative of the effort. More so than just being uncomfortably stared at anyway.
At Twilight’s suggestion, River set the sword she found on the boat aside and attempted to do what she hadn’t done since she became a pony: She tried to summon her rune blade. The act itself was simple; second nature to Riven. To River, it was like trying to grab something just out of arm’s reach. She could see it, but it wasn’t getting any closer. After an hour of intense concentration, the sword flashed into being and out of newly trained reflex, River craned her neck out to grab the hilt in her teeth.
The outcome surprised no pony. River collapsed with a yelp and immediately recoiled, falling backwards onto her rear and hissing in pain. Her jaw, her neck, her shoulders, heck, her entire upper body shrieked in protest.
A familiar sensation of weakness crept up once again…
“River!” Twilight galloped over to her friend and knelt down beside her, nuzzling under her chin as delicately as she could. The closeness was comforting to River’s pony heritage, but even Twilight’s velveteen touch was uncomfortable at the moment. “That was a bad idea. I’m sorry.”
“Had to find out sooner or later,” she replied quietly, wincing with each word. She looked at her discarded blade and shook her head in resignation. Even broken it was beyond her ability to wield. Twilight picked up on this and continued to murmur comforting things to her friend.
The final shift was Fluttershy’s honor. River’s sword hadn’t been moved since it fell, and now she was finding it hard to even swing around the much smaller one. Throbbing pains arced throughout her neck with even the tiniest of movements, but she powered through them. She could still be a warrior, she told herself, just not the same one.
It was nearly midnight now and Fluttershy was afraid of the dark. River did not look tired or deterred. River noticed her friend’s distress and stepped a bit closer, to which she received a grateful “thank you”. The next hour passed by in relative silence, the only sound being the crunching of earth underneath River’s hooves.
“How is your jaw feeling?” Fluttershy asked.
“Better,” was the simple reply she received.
“Oh, that’s good.” More companionable silence. “You know, if it still aches, I could give you a massage. I’m quite good at it.”
River didn’t shut the idea down, much to Fluttershy’s surprise. “If the pain persists, I’ll take you up on that.”
“Oh, good! You should. If left untreated it could cause a host of issues, including arthritis, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, tinnitus… in fact, I think I have a book on it. Here, let me go find it.”
Fluttershy turned away from River and walked into the nearby nurse’s tent, where she had left her pack. She had brought along few personal amenities, instead opting for a large number of medical supplies, including a book of symptoms and ailments. Fluttershy was gone for less than five minutes, returning with a smile on her face and the book balanced expertly on her back.
“Here we go. Now I don’t want to frighten you, but these are things you should be aware of to prevent careless heavy lifting in the future.” Fluttershy set the book down and began flipping through the pages with her nose. “Ah, here we are. Come over here, River.” Silence. “… River?” Fluttershy looked up but did not see her friend anywhere. Her broken blade was also missing.
“Oh buck me.”
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Yeah! We're alive, baby!
FINALLY!
The darkness must fall and shrivel at all costs.
Whether the expense of a life must be paid. Beware.
Awaitng further releases.
WOOOO! Been waiting on this one!
i.imgur.com/2zIC45L.jpg
No wonder she can hardly carry the thing, the part still attached to the handle is huge.
Still, the story is back to being produced again! I am so excited!
Well
IT LIVES!!!!!
Sigh it's annoying that they won't let River help...
3845465
That's not it, though I can see why I might have given you that impression. See, it's not that they don't want River to help; they would very much like her help. The problem is that River is headstrong and wants to do it by herself, because she feels it's her responsibility. She would probably accept a few able-bodied warriors if they volunteered, but she isn't about to wait for them.
"precedence"
Drop the "else".
There were other errors but these were the two that raised my ire the most.
3854130
Good eye. Fixed.
An update!
Will read tomorrow, first thing in the evening after work, but even without reading it I'm sure it will be great! :)
Oh hey, look what I found a week late.
Anyways, I really liked this chapter and the ending was spot on. I knew from the moment they decided to take shifts that Fluttershy would be the weak link to let Riven get away, and the way you did it was so perfectly Fluttershy that it made me smile. I also really liked the interactions with Rainbow Dash and the sword, although I am wondering how she was able to take it with her at the end there.
So far this series looks amazing, can't wait to see the next chapter!
...There IS a 'next chapter' coming, right?
Rainbow Dash became a douchebag....and some of the others. Seriously if they saw what Riven could do i'm pretty sure they wouldn't question her ever again. Even in-game she's got some scary moves (depending on the player though). can we please see a good ol' fight scene of Riven vs Cho'Gath.
Marco
5415060 Polo.
I haven't abandoned the story. My life has not been conducive to writing as of late. If you're still here, I love you. If not, I don't blame you. In Exile No Longer will continue... I just don't know when.
5415124
Thank you for the update, I deeply appreciate it, most authors on this site just go on an eternity hiatus with no rhyme or reason. Anyway, it makes me very happy to hear that this story will continue!
Just making sure you know that there's still people patiently waiting for the next update
It's still a favourite of mine and I'd hate to see it waste away D: