Chapter 17
The first thing Dash noticed was the white walls. Each one was impossibly polished, so much so that she could see her own blurry reflection. Columns stretched upwards, taller even than the ones she’d seen in Pegasopolis, and when she looked up, there was nothing but the empty sky. Clear, blue sky. No clouds in sight, and her jaw dropped at the view. There, above her, hanging in the sky just like the stories of old, was a yellow ball of light. It hurt so much to look at, but still Dash stared. She couldn’t help it. It was... it was...
Her hoof reached out, stretching towards the sky, and it was only once a soft pitter-patter echoed through the massive hall that she realized tears were rolling down her cheek. It was wrong, it should have been wrong to show such weakness, but she just didn’t care. Not anymore. Hoof trailing to her zipper, she began drawing it down, shrugging off her thick jacket. The boots came off next, quickly followed by the lower layers underneath, until she wore absolutely nothing.
A small whimper escaped as she felt a tender breeze run through her fur and mane. Against her will, her eyes closed and she took a deep breath, savoring that sweet scent. Wings slowly unfurled as Dash stretched them out, shivering as the wind caressed them. With her eyes still closed, she took a step forward and felt the warmth wrap around her body. With a single mighty beat of her wings, Dash took to the air.
“Oh yeah!” she yelled as she did a roll and a flip. A shiver ran down her spine as she twisted and turned in the air, testing out her wings without all that heavy baggage. “Eat your heart out Lightning! Rainbow Dash is in the house and she’s gonna kick your flank. Move to the side Spitfire, a new captain is coming through. The one! The only! R-Danger-Dash!”
“It’s times like these I wish there was a way to record things so I never forget.” Dash’s head snapped down, and there stood the horned freak with a smirk on her face. “I see you survived.”
Glaring at the unicorn, Dash rolled onto her back while still in the air. “And you’re rather banged up. What happened? Got your flank kicked?”
“You could say that.” The chuckle and easy shrug of her shoulders only caused Dash to grind her teeth together. “I take it your trial was easier than mine.”
“Eh, stupid freaky mind-reading magic trying to make me think an illusion was reality,” shrugged Dash. “Very bad magic, might I add, took me less than a second to realize what was up and figure it out. Makes me wonder how you freaks have lasted so long.”
“Of course,” sighed Twilight, “why am I not surprised?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
Silence descended as the two stared at each other.
“It’s night where I am, you know,” whispered Twilight as she looked up. “It’s night and it’s not cold. I look up and instead of clouds, I see stars. Stars! Small, white twinkling things that sparkle like... like... I don’t know like what, but it’s beautiful beyond belief. And then there’s the moon.” Her hoof stretched out into the air almost as though she was trying to grasp something. “It’s so... small. I thought it’d be larger, but this just feels right. Proper. Like it balances everything out. I’ve seen pictures you know, stained glassand tapestries, but this is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”
Dash swallowed and landed. “It’s day here and the sun, it’s so... big and there, you know? Like, it’s taking up everything, dominating everything. You can’t help but notice it. It’s just... there.” Looking up, she squinted against the light, feeling a weight settle on her shoulders before she looked down, a small smile on her lips. “And there’s this green stuff under my hoof.”
“It’s grass,” said Twilight as she scuffed her hoof against the floor. “I’m positive that wasn’t there earlier, but do you feel it? The grass and mud?”
“G-Grass?” Leaning down, Dash took a bite only to come up empty. Beside her, Twilight burst out laughing. “Oh shut up!”
“I’m sorry, but it’s magic! Did you actually expect anything?” giggled Twilight as she flopped back, rolling around on the grass. “This is what I fight for, this is what I want. Too bad it just feels like rolling on stone ground.”
“So what now?” asked Dash as she looked around, the marble walls gone, leaving behind fields of grass and rolling hills.
“I... don’t know. Last time it was just a simple chamber, not this,” said Twilight as she looked around.
“Another illusion?”
“Perhaps. Things often comes in threes, after all. Three alicorns, three temples, three trials. It would make sense.” Twilight sighed and looked around. “There must be something we’re missing.”
“You’re not missing anything.”
Both heads snapped across and there sat two alicorns. The white one from before, and a dark blue one next to her. Behind them was a lake, the surface as smooth as glass even as wind rippled through the clearing. On all sides were trees, impossibly tall trees that stretched up the sky and blotted out everything. Trees that were green and brown and... and... alive. Not those frozen husks. They just looked... right. There was no other way to describe it. It just felt right, and that was that.
“Thou performed... decently,” said the younger one, the darker one, the colder one.
“By all rights you should not be here at all,” said the older, lighter, warmer one. “But we are desperate.”
Twilight frowned. “I thought you were triggered memory spells.”
“Thou art correct, but we are more than that, we are thoughts with a will. We know what our real selves know, and we have waited for so long.”
“Too long.”
“Aye, sister, too long. We turned so many away, waiting for the warriors we needed to come along when it was not about what we needed.”
“It was about what this land needed,” finished the white one. “We dreamed for a white knight, but all we received were charlatans and deceivers. There was no Harmony in their souls, and very rarely would there be a Spark, but what is a spark without tinder?”
“Other times we received naught but dry tinder. They had the potential, but lacked the Spark.”
“And yet here two stand, dearest sister, one with the Spark and one with the tinder. ”
“Thou art indeed correct, sister dearest.”
“Hey! Stop talking like we’re not here,” snapped Dash.
The darker one chuckled. “Correction, we hath both spark and tinder in this one, just the wrong type of spark. Fiery, isn’t she?”
“Hm... and if what you told me is correct, then our little Spark enjoys a bit of fieriness.”
Twilight took a step towards the two alicorns with a death glare, “For once, I agree with Rainbow Dash, stop talking at us like we’re idiots.”
“Please, calm down my little ponies, we mean no harm, we merely wish to get to know you better. Let us begin anew.” The landscaped shifted and changed so that they were sitting on a cloud, staring down at green pasture below, as far as the eye could see. “I am Celestia, and this is my sister Luna.”
“And your niece is in the centre of the world,” whispered Twilight. “That’s the floating castle, isn’t it?”
“Correct.” Luna’s horn began to glow, and for a brief second a mark could be seen on the side of Twilight’s neck before it faded from sight. “Now thou bear our mark. Enter the castle, speak with our niece, and fin-”
“Oh no.” Dash began backing away, eyes locked on Celestia’s horn. “You’re not casting anything on me and you’re definitely not marking me. I’m not some slave for you to brand.”
“It is a shame you do not have a choice in the matter.” Dash dodged to the side, but she still felt warmth on her neck that slowly spread through her body, like the sweetest drug, and warmed her to her very soul. “And it is done. Worry not; nopony will ever know you have it.”
Stumbling back to her hooves, Dash glared at Celestia. “That’s not the point! You don’t just go ar-”
Black tendrils wrapped themselves around her muzzle and her head was jerked in Luna’s direction. “Silence knave, thy opinions mean naught. What we do, we do in service of this land, and thy petty wishes are beneath us. Thou have a mission. Carry it out.”
“Luna.” There was no change from the perfectly serene voice Celestia had used throughout the conversation, but that single word carried with it a power that forced even Dash to shrink back.
“We are right, dear sister, these two may be the closest we have to weakening the Windigos’ grasp on this land. If something is not done soon then We fe-”
“Luna, they are still mortals and they are still beings under our care, we cannot force them to do anything.”
“And yet you were the one who cast the spell without permission,” said Twilight, crossbow loaded and aimed at Celestia. “That is something that should never be done.”
“I gave her the key to unlock her destiny; she has no need to follow through if she does not desire to. Come, you are a unicorn, see for yourself, the mark leaves no trace,” said Celestia, not even looking the least bit put off by the weapon aimed at her. “We know you will go, Twilight Sparkle, but you are not enough, one pony will never be enough. Two is... improbable at best."
“So even with two, we’ll fail,” muttered Twilight as she frowned.
“More than likely, but we have no choice.” Celestia sighed and dipped a hoof into the cloud, creating a small ball. “We can’t hold on much longer you know, this is our final gambit unless a miracle happens.”
“Celly...” Luna nuzzled her sister tenderly. “Thou need to have hope.”
“You were always the dreamer,” Celestia chuckled as she wrapped a wing around her sister before turning her attention back to Twilight. “With two in Harmony, it would be difficult. With you two though?” She shook her head sadly. “I... I will be honest.”
“Celly,th-”
“No, they deserve to know.” Celestia breathed out slowly. “Though many tried and failed, a select few made it through, and we sent them to their deaths. Sometimes willingly, sometimes without their knowledge, and though it pained us to do so, it was necessary. They were buying us time, buying the world time, but it wasn’t enough and soon things will cascade out of control. We will reach a tipping point, and once crossed, there will be no way to save this world. You two will die, but like those before you, your deaths will buy more time.”
Dash swallowed and closed her eyes before saying, “I don’t know about you, but I’m going.”
“Dash?”
Eyes open once more, the pegasus smiled at Twilight. “The world’s going to end soon right? It’s my duty to protect the pegasi, to be loyal to them no matter what, and sometimes that loyalty demands sacrifices. If that means dying, then I will gladly face my death head-on. Something you obviously do not get yourself.”
That got a snort out of Twilight. “I’m loyal, but not to ponies. My loyalty is to this.” She swept her hoof out around her, gesturing at the green pastures. “Look at this. My loyalty is to a dream, this dream. To return the land to this state, where there’s no snow and where there’s food enough for all, where the sun and moon shine in the sky. This is where my loyalty lies, and I am willing to do anything to achieve this. Fighting my own race, fighting my own brother, it matters not. I will become a monster if a monster is what is necessary to achieve my goals.”
“You’re wrong,” whispered Dash, her wings unfurling, “I refuse to let the pegasi become monsters to win. We are better than that.”
“Better for me to be a monster than anyone else,” replied Twilight with a shrug. “The ultimate sacrifice, remember?”
Dash was forced to bite her tongue and glare at the unicorn. Trust a freak like her to use logic like that.
“So you’ll both go,” said Celestia, relief evident in her voice. “Thank you.”
“I’m not doing it for you,” snapped Dash.
That got a chuckle out of both alicorns, and the world around them began fading away. It was like a painting being washed clean, with the way all the colors ran together. It swirled around their hooves, flowing down some invisible sinkhole before the infinite whiteness all around them shattered like glass, leaving both of them in the ruins of some temple. The walls were cracked, snow drifted through a hole in the roof, and a fallen tree had cut the entire place in half. Beside her stood Twilight, looking around just as curiously.
"I suppose it's time to get moving then," said Twilight as she raised her hood.
"Back to the base?"
The unicorn merely shook her head. "We go straight to the centre of the earth."
Dash found her voice caught in her throat. She had orders to follow Twilight, she needed to follow Twilight, to figure out what was going on and to bring that information back to Spitfire. They were counting on her. She was the eyes and ears of the Pegasus Empire and that meant there was no way for her to go back and get Fluttershy before rushing after Twilight.
But... was that really an issue? After all, Dash just wanted Fluttershy somewhere safe, and sure, it wasn't exactly an ideal location; the entire place was crawling with horned freaks and dirt ponies, but it was better than nothing. And, well, Fluttershy just wasn't a pony made for hard travel. As much as it pained Dash to admit it. Maybe... maybe it'd be better to leave Fluttershy behind. She was a smart filly, she knew the difference between pegasi and those lesser races and wouldn't fall into the silly little traps the unicorns loved so much.
Fluttershy would be alright. She'd be fine. She'd survive and wouldn't have to worry about being forced into a relationship against her will. For all the faults of unicorns and earth ponies, they at least seemed to respect that. This whole thing, before it spiraled out of control, had always been about Fluttershy. Getting her to safety and now that she had found someplace that was decently safe, surely Dash was meant to leave her there.
With a sigh, Dash rolled her shoulders and nodded. "Let’s go then."
That got a cocked eyebrow from Twilight.
"You heard what they said, we do this or we die. If we can buysome time, even another year, it'll be worth it." Dash shrugged and began moving towards the door. "You coming or what?"
"And Fluttershy?" asked Twilight as she walked beside Dash.
"I could ask you about Spike."
That got a brief second of hesitation before Twilight looked away and said, "This is dangerous enough as is."
"Exactly. If only we have to die, why drag others into it?"
"For once I agree with you." Together, they stepped back out into the chilly air, their breathmisting. "We need to head west from here. We need supplies before we can move out."
"Lead the way then."
"Okay, seriously, what is wrong with you?" said Twilight. "This is too... amicable."
"Ami-what now?" frowned Dash.
"You're being too nice."
"Screw you," snapped Dash.
"There we go, you had me worried."
"Go suck yourself."
"Wouldn’t you rather do that for me?"
Dash's eyes bulged and her mouth worked uselessly. In the end, she just yelled, "You don't have a cock!"
Smirking, Twilight brushed past and took the lead, moving through the forest without a care in the world. Dash muttered a string of obscenities under her breath, but followed, keeping an eye on the sky. She needed to get her information to Spitfire somehow. If that freak was going to be as aggressive as she had been in the past, she'd probably waltz in and burn everything to ashes.
Actually... did they even need that horned freak anymore? Dash had been marked, and that meant she could get into the castle that was below her hooves. It was so tempting to just bash that freak in the back of the head right now, to crack her skull in and let her bleed out on the ground. But as much as she wanted to, those two… alicorns? Yes, Twilight had called them alicorns. Those two alicorns had said that both of them were needed. That she had to work with Twilight and that only together they would be able to do something important, maybe even great. The two of them, working together! If the entire thing wasn't so serious, Dash would have thought it was some sick joke.
Shaking her head, Dash focused on following Twilight. There would be time to think this all through later. Right now though, she needed to concentrate on what was important. And yet, if Twilight could get through, then surely the Wonderbolts could as well.
A small smile began spreading across her lips as she gazed at Twilight, completely oblivious to her thoughts. It would simplicity itself to knock the mare unconscious, drag her to the Wonderbolts, help them through the trial and then go to the center of the earth. No doubt she’d have better luck with a pegasus for a partner instead of that horned freak. With Spitfire and Soarin and the rest of them by her side, they'd easily be able to get through the trials and save the world.
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Dash glanced upwards yet again, praying for a brief hint of some pegasi in the air. Not even the slightest hint of mane or tail could be seen, but she could see smoke billowing into the sky in the north.
Dash frowned.
"Where we entered... it's not to the north is it?" asked Dash.
"No, why do you ask?" Twilight's head came up and her eyes widened. "That's where Pinkie’s base is!"
One second she was on her hooves, and the next, Dash found herself on the ground with a very pissed-off unicorn on top of her. She tried to struggle, but Twilight just lowered her head so that her horn was pressed against Dash's throat. Gulping nervously, Dash immediately froze. The last thing she wanted was for Twilight to turn her blood to fire or something.
"You told them," hissed Twilight, "I don't know how you figured out where the base was, but you told them. I should kill you right now for what you’ve done.”
“I didn’t do anything!” Dash’s hindhoof snapped up, slamming into Twilight’s stomach and sending the unicorn flying over her head as she rolled backwards onto her hooves. “I’ve been with you the whole bloody time! At no point was I out of your sight or able to talk to any of them privately!”
“Lies,” hissed Twilight as she loaded a bolt, aiming it directly at Dash. “You sold them out. You sold out the only place where flowers grew, where there was no snow, and where everypony was happy. You sold them out and now I’m going to fucking tear your intestines out!”
Wings flaring open, Dash took an aggressive stance and grinned. “About fucking time. I’ve been wanting to kill you for ages now. You’re a freak and a monster and you don’t deserve to live!”
With a strong pump of her wings, Dash threw herself forward. The crossbow fired, but with a deft twist, she corkscrewed and the bolt just grazedalong her stomach. A second later she slammed into that bitch. Together they smashed into a tree, shattering it and sending shards of ice in all directions. The horn flared to life and Dashwas forced to kick the freak down while she disengaged.
A bolt of magic ripped through the air with enough force to send Dash tumbling end over end. Before she could recover,pain laced through her body as a bolt found her thigh. Gritting her teeth, she put on a sudden burst of speed, zipping straight for a tree. Flipping at the very last second, all four hooves connected with the solid surface and she kicked off with enough force to crack the wood, launching herself at Twilight once more.
Twilight dove to the side and Dash tucked herself into a ball. Hooves hitting the ground, she skidded for a dozen feet, leaving behind twin lines of melted snow. Ducking down, a bolt whizzed past her head, and she quickly sidestepped as another grazed her cheek. Moving with quickside-to-side motions, Dash closed the distance, easily dodging each bolt fired. Feinting to the right, she came around from the left with her wing blade, leaving a deep cut in Twilight’s chest. Without missing a beat, Dash pressed her advantage, going in for a quick one-two punch and constantly threatening with her wings.
Instead of backing up, Twilight discharged a burst of magic in all directions, throwing Dash back. Hitting a tree, she tried to roll out of the way, but magic continued to dance across her fur, locking her muscles in place. Each gasp of breath was laced with pain, but Dash forced herself toher hooves just as a crossbow bolt pierced her flank. Stumbling, Dash managed to stay on her hooves, but just barely.
Ignoring the pain, Dash dove to the side, slipping behind a tree just as bolts thudded into the ground where she had been standing. She ran from tree to tree, moving closer with every passing second, but Twilight stood firm, waiting patiently.
Back against a tree, Dash took deep gulps of air even as her injured leg shook under her, threatening to give out. Blood seeped into her clothes, turning the fabric a deep red. Already she could feel the limbgoing numb, butthat just caused Dash smile.
Licking her lips, Dash leapt out and dropped low, racing towards that horned freak. Without any pain to slow her down, not that pain could slow her down, she slammed into Twilight at maximum speed, sending them both to the ground and flinging the crossbow away. Together they hit the ice, sliding uncontrollably as they tumbled over one another. A hoof here, a knee there, a head-butt thrown in for good measure.Two animals fighting for survival, biting, growling, and snarling as they tried to get the upper hoof.
Slamming a knee into the horned freak’s stomach, Dash finally got the upper hoof. A sickening crack echoed through the silence and the unicorn fell unconscious beneath her. Heavy pants filled the air as Dash loomed above Twilight, asteady drip of blood sliding down her cheek. A single hoof was raised into the air, aimed straight at the freak’s head, but something stopped her. It felt too easy, too straightforward. For all that anger and frustration and hate, to end that thing with one simple motion felt too... dull. Sure, they had fought, but neither of them had gone all out, or pushed themselves beyond their limits. That horned freak barely even used her magic!
This would not do, this would not do at all. With a snort, Dash rolled her shoulder and nudged the freak with a hoof. Typical horned freak, even in death she was worthless. Not that she was dead. Yet.
With a sigh, Dash lowered her hoof. A quick death, one without pain or suffering, was better than that monster deserved. Out here, alone, without Spike, she would quickly succumb to the cold or her wounds, and she'd suffer. Slowly, surely, she'd suffer, and that was what Dash desired.
Turning back, Dash spat on Twilight before limping away.
A wall of white greeted them.
"Ya know, it's not too late to change your mind."
Applejack didn’t take a single look backwards as she took her first step into the wilderness. A deep, biting chill settled into place, but Applejack shook it off with a shrug of her shoulders. She glanced over her shoulder at the earth ponies standing there, a disappointed look etched onto her face as she surveyed those that stood with MacIntosh. So many... too many... Could they not see?
A light hoof was placed on her shoulder. "It'll be fine darling, you can't save those who do not wish to be saved."
A snort came from her right. "As much as I hate to say it, the horned freak's right. They're blind and deaf, leading each other around in circles with false promises and false praise."
"My, my, my, an earth pony with an eloquent tongue, color me surprised," smirked Rarity.
"And a unicorn with common sense." Reaching past Applejack, they shook hooves. "Call me Serpent."
"My, how melodramatic. Let me guess, you pi-"
"Another time please," sighed Applejack as she turned away, walking forward once more. Almost as one, the small group she had with her fell in line, following her into the wilderness. "Sharp Shooter, Ah need recon. Drifter, plan our route. Sunny, check on Lemon Drops and the foals."
"I'd rather check on Lemon Drops if that's alright..." said Drifter, glancing towards the caravan they had managed to wrangle out of MacIntosh.
"Ya're the one most familiar with the area."
Sighing, he nodded and gave a piercing whistle. A couple sharp shouts and hoof gestures later, he had a small group around him. After a couple minutes of deep conversation, he turned to Sharp Shooter and said, "Can you scout out the ridge to the north? If we can get over it then that'll cut travel time down."
"My, my, look who's suddenly in charge," chuckled Rarity, "and to think you were doubting yourself."
"Ah'm still doubting myself," sighed Applejack, speaking in a whisper so she couldn't be overheard, "but I have to stay strong. For all of them. They look to me and follow me into this insanity."
"Because they trust you and believe in you," said Serpent. "You better not disappoint. I'm planning on recording everything that happens so that foals in the future will be able to look back at this and be proud."
That got a small smile out of Applejack.
"And on that note, first thing I have to know is what your relationship with this... er... mare is," asked Serpent.
Applejack's eyes narrowed. "Leave."
"Come on, it's just a si-" A yelp escaped and he ducked under Applejack's kick, quickly scrambling off.
"You really shouldn't do that darling. You have to be fair and patient and ignore comments like those. Ponies will talk, whether you like it or not," whispered Rarity.
"Ah know, but damn it! Ah ain't some horn lover." Her eyes widened. "Not that ya're not beautiful. For a horned freak! Ah mean-" She facehoofed. "Kill me now."
"I'd rather not, I have grown rather fond of your antics. Why, without you around, who would keep me entertained at night?"
Applejack gagged.
"Real amusing dear, but such antics are so uncouth.” Rarity tossed her mane to one side before moving closer to Applejack when she got a glare from one of the nearby earth ponies. “But in all seriousness, could I perhaps sleep close to you tonight? I do not think your… acquaintances like me very much.”
“Ah wonder why,” remarked Applejack, “but Ah agree, Ah’llhav’ta ta-”
“Golden! Golden!” A light blue earth pony skidded to a stop before her, panting heavily. “Sharp wants you to see something.”
“Lead the way then.” Applejack began walking forward, only to stop mid step and glance back at Rarity. “Ya coming or what?”
“Oh, what’s this? Now I’m allowed in your inner circle?” With a cocked brow, she sauntered past. “Very well then, we better make haste.”
“Well, ya are our expert on unicorns and all things magic.”
“You… you can’t be serious!” panted the messenger, “She’s a-”
“She an ally.” The temperature around them dropped as Applejack glared at him. “And Ah won’t hear ya say otherwise.”
Nodding until his head was about to fly off, he quickly scrambled before them. Every so often, he looked like he wanted to glance back, but each and every single time, he stopped mid turn and kept trudging on.
“That was a bad idea you know,” whispered Rarity. “You need them to follow you willingly. Address their concerns, make them feel wanted and needed, don’t shut down the conversation like that, especially not around this topic.”
That got a surprised look out of Applejack.
“I used to… dabble... in politics, I suppose you could say. In Unicornia, politics is often deadlier than the battlefield.” Jumping onto a fallen tree, they were forced to walk along it to cross achasm and into the dense forest. “Leadership is an art, requiring perfect understanding of the audience, yourself, and your message. One single word can move a nation and you need to learn it. Lead not with fear, but with passion.”
Applejack nodded slowly before opening her mouth. After a couple seconds of searching for the right word, she finally said, “Can ya teach me?”
“I can try, but-” Rarity held up a hoof. “-you cannot make it obvious that I am. Act normally and when somepony asks you something, reply as you would. Do not glance over at me, do not see if I approve. If they find out I’m teaching you, well…”
Bile rose in her throat.
“Why are ya helping me?” she croaked, though perhaps a better question would have been why she had asked for it to begin with.
“Bec-”
“Golden!” Their eyes moved up and saw Sharp sitting at the top of atree. “There you are, we were afraid Rover there got you lost. Come on, get up here.”
After a couple seconds glancing around, Applejack quickly found a hoofhold and began climbing up. Scrambling from branch to branch, she shook snow from the leaves in the bucketful, and by the time she reached the top, she was panting heavily.
“Somepony needs more exercise.”
Unable to respond, Applejack merely glared at the older stallion.
“Alright, alright. Now look out there,” he said, pointing to the northwest at a plume of smoke. “That’s coming from the Everfree Forest and it’s in the direction we’re travelling. There’s also heavy hoof traffic in that direction. Whatever is going on up there, it’s huge, and I don’t want to be any part of it.”
“Can we go anywhere else?” asked Applejack.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.” Pulling out his map, he pinned it to the tree with a knife. “We can strike out north-northeast and aim for this cave here, but that’ll put us dangerously close to nightfall and with foals…”
“So either we go northeast an’ risk freezing to death, or we go northwest like planned an’ walk into something.” Applejack sighed and rubbed her temples. “What do ya suggest?”
“We go northwest. The tracks are fresh, but if there’s fighting up there, they’ll be too busy to bother us. From there we strike out east to this camp, then northeast and circle around that way. It’ll take longer, but we should survive with the supplies we have.”
“It’ll be close.” Applejack closed her eyes, the map still imprinted in her memory. “Ah think ya right though. Unless we get bogged down by a blizzard for three days, we should be fine.”
“Whenever anypony ever says that, there’s a blizzard.” He gave Applejack a flat look.
“Ya found a way around yet?” She jerked her head back to the ridge.
“Yep. I’ve already sent Ballad and Waltz back to find a way around. It’s only a slight detour. Star Song has gone ahead with a small group towards the cave to make sure everything's fine.” He drew on the map with a hoof. "That work for you?"
Applejack simply nodded. "Whatever ya think is best. Ah was a slave, not a scout so Ah'mtrustingya to keep our snouts clean."
"Great," he muttered, running a hoof through his mane. “Way to lay the pressure on me."
"You’rewelcome," chuckled Applejack, "but for what it's worth, Ah know about what the pony body can stand and looking at ya plan? It works if ya timing is right."
"I'm giving it three hours leeway." He glanced up at the cloudy sky. "As long it's not a massive blizzard like the one three years back, we should be fine."
"Alright." Applejack swung down and landed with a roll next to the unicorn. "Come on, we better check on the caravan."
Rarity nodded and followed until they were out of earshot before whispering, "Much better. You showed you were willing to take advice from others, but still took the lead. In the end, it was you who made the choice, you who verified that the plan was good and you who reassured him as well."
"Ah ain't an entire idiot," replied Applejack with a smile.
"No, no you're not." Rarity flushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "It's something I have to keep reminding myself, though."
How often had this horned freak used those same tactics on her? Perfect words chosen for every scenario, designed to make Applejack feel exactly what Rarity wanted her to feel. Had her entire time with Rarity been one big show? Dancing on puppet strings without even knowing it, lead along from this to that, making links and feeling emotions due to some fancy word trick? The mere possibility chilled Applejack to the bone, and yet...
If that was the case, why teach these skills to her? Gain more trust? Maybe, but that just felt wrong. That was like some slimy stallion trying to bed her. Despite everything, despite being a unicorn, this mare had something more. There was something special, important, maybe even... earthpony-ish about her.
"Wait," whispered Applejack.
"Yes?"
"Hold still." Stepping forward, Applejack slowly reached out, wrapping her lips around the ring on Rarity's head before giving it a hard twist and pull. Spitting it onto the ground, grabbed a second ring, completely identical and slipped it on. "Don't let anypony find out about this."
Rarity just stared at her with wide eyes.
"Ah ain't doing this for ya. If we run into a manticore..." Applejack shook her head. "We're gonna need all the help we can get. Now come."
She had no idea why she had done that. What vile spell had overtaken her in that single moment of weakness? But at the same time she walked away with her head held high. It just felt right. After all, she had been a slave for so long and to subject that to another pony, even a horned freak, that was just wrong. Now she could sleep easy at night.
Now she'd no longer be haunted by the orange eyes in her dreams.
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Yeeeeaaaaaah, so.... about this chapter. It's super late, by like a month or something, but that's due to work and assignments and Doom on break (though that only delayed it by a day or two). Anyways, this chapter was actually a lot of fun to write. We've got Twilight and RD exploding at each other (finally) with RD coming out on top. Perhaps more importantly, we also get a lot of things coming together as we move towards the end of the fic as a whole. We're not that close, but we're definitely moving towards the final arc so to speak.
As for AJ's section, we continue her character development alongside Rarity and stuff. Yeah. Not that interesting and I don't really have that much to say.
So much for Twilight....
Ouch. The Princesses probably should of mentioned the "Friendship is magic" deal before...
...that.
Anyway, those two are likely going to meet up with Rarity and Applejack (soon?) to complete the whole harmony thing. Hopefully their meeting goes better and the racial issues are toned down. Applejack's been through enough.
3141716
Come on, it was bound to happen eventually. I don't think anyone was surprised that it did happen. But mentioning it beforehand would have probably been a good idea
You should have flipped the two sections, putting the Rarity and Applejack one after the fight is cheating us out of a perfectly good cliffhanger.
3142170 Oh, I wasn't surprised! If anything I've been looking forward to more fight scenes
Keep up the good work, and can't wait for the next update 
Interesting that this is the first time they've been alone together. Fluttershy and Spike were the primary drivers of all the cooperation. Now we get to see whether Rainbow Dash will really leave Twilight to die after she cools off.
The champions of harmony are off to an awfully inauspicious start, regardless.
3142352 Eh, I tend not to order things specifically for cliffhangers, but yeah.
3142387 The space eater thing is seriously pissing me off
3142732 I was wondering if anyone would pick up on this
Ah, Rainbow Dash, ever the racist hypocrite. A shame she managed to come out in the fight like that (Though a fight was all but likely, with Spike and Fluttershy out of the way), but I guess that was needed to advance the plot - I imagine Applejack's party will happen upon Twilight and pick her up, while Rainbow Dash ... why do I have a feeling her delusions about Pegasi moral superiority are about to get a kick in the curb.
I wonder what sight will greet her once she gets to Pinkie's base, and better yet - what will she see being done to the Pegasi of Pinkie's ranks? More specifically, Fluttershy? And it's all her fault, which is brilliant. Depending on how bad things are, that's going to put her through one hell of a wringer ... and I'm looking towards every moment of it, she has had one long in coming.
And so Cadence is actually inside that floating castle. Makes me wonder if she is just another living memory like Luna/Celestia, or whether she's alive. Hm, perhaps she is guarding the Crystal Heart in there, trying to keep the thing going with last of her power, and the end of the world Celestia and Luna spoke of would be the Heart going out for good? Though that begs the question of why all the previous adventurers died in that place (The Heart consuming them and their bond to keep itself fueled?) ... or perhaps I am way off with the Heart thing.
Never the less, can't wait to see how things are at Pinkie's camp and what will come of it.
3143209
A fight was totally going to happen with those two no longer around. Both of them have hated each other for so long. Well, hate may be a tad too strong, but yeah, they definitely do not like each other.
Technically, it wasn't RD's fault at all. She was going to give them the information, but never got the opportunity so she was totally telling the truth. Whether that makes a difference or not, is up to you.
Cadence will be... interesting to say the least.
3143780 From chapter 14:
How exactly is it not RD's fault that Pinkie's base is being raided?
Clearly I'm a massive optimist, because I think that Rainbow Dash will return to save "the horned freak."
3144465
If you recall correctly, the next chapter, Twilight immediately drags RD out before the rest of the wonderbolts are awake, and she never told Spitfire in chapter 14. Lightning came around, they chatted then Dash slept. So someone else figured it out and told the pegasi. Not everything revolves around the Main 6.
3144858 Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?
There's a few ways I can interpret what you were trying to say... There's also several places where the spaces got removed.
Other than those few hiccups I don't see anything wrong with this story, though I am curious as to its projected length.
3146693
Yeah, the space gobbling monster is back. I plan on fixing them up later tonight
crap, i forgot if dash did sell out the base or not.
Any idea on when the next chapter might be up?
3230178 Hopefully next week
I hold by what I said, the pegasi are as much slaves of the empire as the ponies THEY enslave, and are just as expendable. The only difference is that the WINGED slaves are the empire's slave soldier force. Their empire is an evil UNTO ITSELF!
I wish someone, in a way RD can't just plug her ears and say "LA LA LA! You're wrong/lying/etc." would point out to her that Pegasi living by a code of 'weak die, strong breed' MAKES THEM NO DIFFERENT FROM CATTLE!
I finally understand why others didn't want to read the Pony POV Series for being too 'grim dark' when I wrote the dang thing as a CONTRADICTION to grim dark by giving all the characters happy endings!!!
3284077
Pretty much. You're not gonna see me argue with you over those two points.
As for Pony PoV, it's not the ending that makes something dark or not, but the journey in my opinion
Basic question.
While the changeling race has likely become extinct for a world being engulfed in thousands of years of HATE.
Do Diamond Dogs, Zebra, and Donkeys still exist?
Or did they decide to just leave the ponies alone and let them destroy themselves?
3291178
Zebra's are on another continent, Diamond Dogs are implied to have gone extinct or at least vanished for whatever reason, Donkey's are gone. Changelings are... another issue entirely.
3291649
I guess I'm just sick of despair.
3381690
Well I've got good news at least. Next chapter of Winter is with my editor and I just posted up the demo of the project which can be found here. You know what that means? More time writing so I can finally finish this fic!
Sweet, can't wait for more of this story.
3384410
Soon!(TM) But in all seriously, with my pony poetry project demo out and responses coming in, I can (finally) concentrate on writing again so with a bit of luck, we'll get back to quick updates.
bullshit. twilight would've won every fight they ever had. that self righteous pride-flag has ridiculous plot armor.