> Evenfall: Verdant White
>  by Yinglung
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1 - Sundown at the Northern Horizons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“It’s good to have patrons in Rarity and Applejack.”

Geuse smiled satisfactorily while holding a big bag of bits. “With this much money, we can equip ourselves well. It’s a shame that there aren’t any places in this town that sell good armors, weapons and such.”

Pinkie smilingly shook her head. “Heh Geusie, Equestria is a peaceful land. There’s no need for those kind of things! Only the royal armory makes those stuffs!”

“Bummer.”

Geuse shrugged with a sigh. “You Equestrians are fluff. No wonder a bunch of treehouse pegasuses can kick your plots so easily in Las Pegasus.”

“Don’t let them hear that! Cruzesians can fight as well as chugging down mugs of rum all while partying hard, I know it firsthoof when I hosted the welcoming ceremony a few weeks ago. They might be carefree, but when it comes to coming together to fight, they’re hardcore! Remember, that’s the people who used to…”

She then made a scary wheezing noise. “… whip themselves to cleanse and embolden themselves! How hardcore is that, heh!”

“They’re a fighting people for sure, and I didn’t say that to badmouth the Cruzesians.”

Pinkie pouted a little. “So you’re taking potshots at Equestrians, then?”

Geuse scratched her mane and grinned wryly. “Not all Equestrians. I just meant that that alone doesn’t explain how Equestrian coast guards flee from the first sight of action, or so I heard. I swear by my obsidian trident, even the small contingent of our Timbucktuan warband could’ve taken over the city if what I saw from the papers were true. An aerial vertical pincer attack with the pegasus shock troops combined with bull and antelope auxillaries would knock out that pitiful defense in the time someone pour me a rooibos. I even doodled some battle plans in my free time.”

Pinkie still smiled, but she asked with some unease. “H- Heh, Geusie, surely you don’t mean to actually, like, plan to…”

Geuse turned her head to Pinkie and widened her eyes. Slowly, she began to laugh aloud. “… Ha ha ha! For someone that always looks so happy-go-lucky, you sure also share Twilie’s fussiness. Of course not, even if I can!”

Pinkie looked fretful for having accused the orange pegasus. “I’m s-”

The orange pegasus waved her down. “Don’t be. That’s not an unreasonable thought after I talk tough for as long as we met.”

Geuse turned to her thoughts, sighed and looked a little bit miffed. “Yes, Verna and I are adventurers. Some would even say we’re just glorified mercenaries. But I’m also a knight of Timbucktu… Even a hedge knight has its code of honor. We fight for money, but it’s just like a bonus of our job. I’m okay with earning enough to have food to eat and a roof to sleep under...”

She grinned. “Moneygrubbing is Vernie’s thing anyway.” 

Pinkie nodded, and then she asked with a more comfortable smile. “Hey, then what about the whole ‘fighting for a name and a title’ thing?”

Geuse’s gaze flickered. “What do you mean?”

“You said those when we first met! I also asked Vernie when she dropped by the Sugarcube Corner earlier this week, and she nudged and winked at me a lot! Heh, I might not be the smartest pony in town, because that pony is certainly Twilight, but I can still totally, entirely catch a hint lopped right at my snout! She was hinting if we can get you some official recognition on the knightly roster in Equestria as well!”

Geuse’s eyes narrowed thinly. Pinkie noticed the slight change in her expression, but she did not comment and even show any reaction to it.

The orange pegasus eventually drew in a breath, and then toothily shook her head. “… Silly bokkie. Yes, I love fame and glory, they’re two of the reasons that I went into the adverturing career. I welcome the attention fighting hard foes brings, I love the big silly grin my clients show when I solve their headache-inducing problem, and the flattering words of mouth that spread among the people.”

She spread her mane backwards with her hoof. “That makes me sound like a gloryhound, doesn’t it?”

Pinkie hurriedly shook her head and said. “N- No, of course not!”

Geuse smiled a bit wearily this time. “Thanks, Pinkie. To me, fame and glory that comes with pulling political strings is like a jousting drape – colorful, pretty, but useless in battles and ultimately empty. This is because making things right and dealing justice is always my big goal, both personally and as a knighted pegasus. If the Timbucktuan court is not so hopelessly biased against non-ponies like my good friend Vernie, then I might consider soldiering instead of adventuring. That’s why I joined force with Twilie, and the Timbucktu royal army even I hate their pretentious guts. That’s why now I so long to go north and rescue that bloke’s family.”

Looking at the slightly bemused look on Pinkie’s face, Geuse again shook her head with a grin. “I’ve been blabbering, haven’t I?”

Pinkie let out a clear chuckle, and shook her head quickly. “I’m beginning to understand you more… I’m really glad we have this chat!”

Geuse again laughed. “You would know me much better much earlier, if we haven’t just partied and feasted on the entire selection of cakes and pastries in your bakery for three solid weeks like a pair of butterqueens!”

Pinkie protested with a blush. “But you enjoyed them a lot, didn’t you!”

“Oh yes, I certainly did. If anything, they also gave me a great sugar rush before working out. But this is no longer time to chow on sweets or fool around, for we have a really difficult task ahead.”

Pinkie’s smile faded, giving way to a determined gaze.

“Are you ready, Pinkie?”

Pinkie proudly raised a hoof and said. “Born ready!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As Pinkie shoved the last batch of her incredible gadgets down the seemingly bottomless saddlebag of hers, she heard a heavy voice muttering something behind her.

“The North… Ranging…”

“Eh? What are you saying, Geusie? Something about raining?”

Geuse put down the newspaper she’s holding, and showed her rolling eyes. “No, ranging. Apparently, Consul Sunset Shimmer of the Crystal Empire has just ordered a great ranging to the far north.”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow and asked quizzically. “What exactly is that?”

“Basically, the Crystal Empire wants to survey their old borders and gather a lot of hooves in order to do so. They apparently want to stick their flags again on the land previously belonging to the Crystal Empire, but neglected because the crystal ponies had disappeared from the surface of the earth. That does not only include the Circumference, but also lands farther to the north…”

Geuse shrugged in disappointment. “Shame, Equestrian records are rather iffy on those places.”

The orange pegasus looked to the pink mare, who froze in the middle of the packing in deep frown and thinking.

“Pinkie?”

Pinkie replied inattentively. “Geusie, Equestrian records are iffy when you go beyond the border of Equestria proper. Equestrians rarely travel overseas. There’s a Griffon joke about it – There are only two kinds of reactions you can get from Equestrians when you tell them about Griffonstone: whether you can buy one, or whether it also afflict the kidneys.”

Geuse snorted. “I don’t know you can do deadpan humor as well.”

Pinkie turned and smiled helplessly. “The Westerly Peninsula lies just a sniff to the northeast of Las Pegasus, but officially it is entirely uncharted. Nations, even fellow pony nations are poorly documented. Griffonstone is actually one of the better known nations because of the rail connection, and we still become the plot of their joke, so you see…”

“Weird.”

Pinkie shook her head. “It’s more or less encouraged officially and unofficially. Equestrians always have this mindset of inward perfection, as we think we’re the shining example of harmony. And while we aren’t xenophobic, we aren’t exactly raring to explore. Some say it’s to prevent raising Tartarus with tampering the magic in other parts of the world, some say it’s easier for the Princesses to rule if the ponies stay neat and tidy in one place, some say that it’s just that most adventurous ponies simply chose other places than Equestria to settle.”

Geuse listened with interest. However, she chose not to comment on the perceived geographical ignorance of Equestrians, and instead turned the attention back to the Crystal Empire. “But hey Pinkie, aren’t those lands that are going to be claimed by Crystal Empire simply ice and more ice? Why would they want that?”

Pinkie touched her lips with her hooves with intrigue. “The geography of the Frozen North is not well known, but it’s far from ‘just ice’. The cold winds surrounding the city proper might give us an impression that the north is harsher than it is, but it’s just because the site was at the end of a funnel-shaped valley, and the cold arctic air and snow shot down from the other side of the Everhoof like a gatling confetti machine. Yakyakistan to the northwest, for example, was dry and cool, but not quite as harsh. The old mountain colonies in the Circonferenza were also cold but tolerable, not to mention bearing great mineral wealth. Perhaps there are milder spots in the north which the crystal ponies think would be worth resettling.”

“Are there native population up in the north, like the yaks?”

“I’d guess there might be some, but there is no official record for that. Legends exist about other communities and creatures in the north. The bringer of infinite winter, the Windigos for instance, are said to live in the Frozen North. But there is also myth about white wolves, reindeers, muskoxen, ice dragon and even ponies who were scattered to the north by wars and conflicts, and somehow survived and thrived in the cold weather. But none of those are confirmed, or indeed seen for the last thousand years.”

“Thanks, Pinkie, that’s super informative, much more so than I could’ve looked by sifting the papers and records.”

“You’re very welcome!”

Geuse then shook her head for some reason. She took up her saddlebag, and the equipment inside the bag clanged together like a chiming wind bell. 

“That’s strange.”

“Strange, right?”

“Yeah, the way you spout out handy information, I thought you were Twilie for a second.”

Pinkie’s entire body shook in shock, but she immediately covered her astonishment by beaming a grin. “Ha ha! What a joke, Geusie!”

“Joke or not, I always get the feeling that all six of you are ridiculously knowledgeable and skillful for mares of your age.”

Just as Pinkie flustered for a response, the orange pegasus added. “I always thought I was among the brighter bunch to have gotten into Sandcore, but after meeting so many precocious and bright individuals on this journey, I feel like I might as well be a dumb flabby piece of muscle.”

“Don’t say that, Geusie! You’re a graduate yourself, aren’t you? I didn’t even attend a college! I’m just a baker!”

“…”

Geuse stopped and turned to look at Pinkie incredulously. Pinkie smiled uneasily and asked. “What’s wrong, Geusie?”

“… H- Haha- Hahahaha!”

Although Pinkie Pie felt somewhat glad to see her friend laugh aloud, she was far more concerned that the laughter seemed to be directed to her and she didn’t know why.

After her laughter died down and a few more dry coughs, Geuse began her diatribe. 

“Come on now, just a baker? Every single one of you six mares have proven to be extraordinarily competent in a bizarrely wide range of areas. For instance, even with the similarity between Equestrian and Zebrikaans, it took Verna and I almost three moons to get comfortable with speak it, and another two moons to read it. And yet you six walk around like universal translators.”

Her wings extended in heightened excitement. “Then there is that unnervingly intimate knowledge of ancient history and legends. And you, Pinkie Pie, are a highly proficient mechanic, as well as a cook and a comedian. Yesterday I heard from Mevrou Cake that you even have a factory under your name. And yet you tell me you’re just a baker? For goodness’s sake, you’re a walking, talking multiple switchblade. I think bringing you is much more useful than bringing my trident, and this comes from someone who absolutely love her trident.”

Pinkie sweat-dropped. “W- Well, you’re too kind, Geusie!”

“You’re way too humble, just like every absolute geniuses I met… Except Kanipha maybe, he’s still a jackas- mmpf!”

“No swearing inside the Sugarcube Corner!”

Geuse removed the pink hoof in her mouth. “Pfeh! Pfeh! How come it’s so sweet? Are you snacking on cupcakes again?”

“Ehehe.”

Geuse rolled her eyes. “But even he’s toning down after spending time with Twilie and now you guys.”

The orange pegasus sighed and turned back to her saddlebag, her eyes swept across the clock.

“Golly, we’ve been chitchatting for so long. How’s your preparation, Pinkie?”

“I’m almost done!”

“Great, because I’m almost done as well. I have to go sharpen my weapon, you know, just in case. Since I can’t do it here, let’s meet later at the bend at 7, okay?”

“Aye, aye, Geusie!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“This stinks, and I’ve travelled in cow carts covered in dung before.”

Geuse’s eyes twitched as she breathed in another bout of coal dust when she spoke. “Are you sure this is the best way of transport?”

Pinkie wincingly said. “I’m sorry, Geusie, but Rarity, Applejack and I agree that riding on a nightly supply train is the best way of transport with the lowest risk. We can’t risk being tracked by whatever powers that be who threatened Buon Vino into doing something that bad. His family’s safety will be on the line if our plan to sneak in is discovered.”

Geuse coughed. “Yeah… But this is still going to slice a few years off my life.”

Pinkie could only pat the orange pegasus’s back and offered some comforting words with smile.

Suddenly, the train shook and stopped, and the vibrating pile of coal behind them gradually settled down, allowing for a better breathing space. Geuse widened her eyes and asked. “What happened? We’ve arrived already?”

Pinkie shook her head. “Nope, not yet. The train should now be stopping over at Rainbow Falls for a routine check before heading through nominal Cloudsdale territories.”

“I knew it, because it’s not freezing cold just yet. But ugh… It honestly feels like an eternity in here.”

Geuse then scratched her cheek. “But customs check? Aren’t we just passing through internal borders?”

“Equestria is a confederal state, and it has a lot of strange quirks. Cloudsdale always enjoys a high degree of autonomy and has a very unique identity. They have quite a lot of special rights. In this case, they limit the amount of freight train that can pass under their territories each day, because they care a lot about the quality of the water they make cloud out of. And since we’re transporting coal, it goes double for them!”

“I see…”

Geuse then gasped. “But then won’t they open this train car and discover us?!”

“Eheh, they won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Well… Rarity has inherited and expanded Twilight’s network of favors… And she, mm, already spread them around to ensure that this particular freight will pass with nopony disturbing.”

Geuse deeply frowned. “This is blatant bribing of officials! I hate this corruption nonsense back in home, and the Timbucktu court is filled to the brim with useless corrupted bureaucrats slunging around on the people’s wealth and ignoring the law of the land, Vernie’s family got stuffed and screwed over by them hard! Don’t tell me you guys endorse this, or I would be really disappointed!”

Pinkie tried to be diplomatic. “Geusie, I- I understand. But sometimes favo-”

“Stop calling them favors! Bribes are bribes, and they don’t get miraculously better even if you call them ‘happy rainbow fees’!”

Pinkie snorted a bit inappropriately. Geuse also noticed that her inadvertent joke broke the serious atmosphere slightly, but she still looked deeply unamused.

“Please, Geusie, nopony is hurt by this, right?”

“A dam burst starts from an ant’s nibble. Commoners get routinely shafted by the rampant corruption in the government. If we allow small transgression to a clean and transparent government pass, then as time goes by, things would get worse and worse because corrupted fat cats help each other and suppress honest officials, until everything goes to Tartarus.”

Pinkie lowered her head worriedly. She didn’t know what to say to placate the proudly upright pegasus.

After an awkward silence, Geuse sighed deeply. “I’m sorry if I come off as a moral neat freak, Pinkie.”

“N- Not at all, Geusie. It’s our fault to have-”

“We can talk about this later, after we go back. I’m not unreasonable as my old stallion…”

“Your dad?”

Geuse covered her mouth and coughed. “T- The point is, I know that neither you nor I can do anything about this now. So let’s put this aside first.”

Raring for another topic to discuss, the orange pegasus hurriedly said. “Hey Pinkie, I’ve been thinking over the Crystallian ranging for some time now.”

“What about it?”

“It’s a military expedition. There will be soldiers, there will be fighting.”

“W- What?!” Pinkie Pie yelped in shock. “What are they trying to fight?”

“Beats me. I think this might be the case because I’ve chatted with some of my brothers who’ve returned from working on the Northern Railway before we departed. They told me that there are some shuffling of soldiers and personnel in the Empire. Most of them are Sunset Shimmer’s guards, but there are also quite a number of civilians. Once you told me about Yakyakistan, I looked briefly into their history. I don’t think that the yaks and the ponies really see eye to eye.”

Cold sweat was dripping down Pinkie Pie’s face already. “A- Are you saying that Sunset Shimmer is trying to start a war with Yakyakistan?”

“Heh, I don’t know. I lean towards ‘no’, because usually even fighting among city-states in West Zebrica requires far more preparation than that, but without witnessing what’s really going on up there I can’t be sure. The most benevolent explanation would be that the soldiers and volunteers are there to assist the reintroduction of Crystallian rule in the area. If so, other than straining a few yak nerves, I don’t think it is going to turn into a war.”

Pinkie Pie gulped. “I… I don’t think the yaks will just leave them alone. They’re as easy to anger as a swarm of wasps… uh, no disrespect intended, but they really, really think very high of any perceived slight to their pride!”

Geuse reached inside her saddlebag and stroke her obsidian weapon. “If conflicts really break out, there is use for a fighter like me.”

“I- I don’t mean to demean you or your skills, but fighting is… um… not good! It hurts others! We really shouldn’t be there and fan the flames!”

“True. But there are times when our fighting skills are warranted. Against unjust forces, for instance, needs us to stand up and fight. You, alongside Twilie and others, fought the corrupted Equestrian princess, and also the wisselkinds.  In this case, whether to make peace or defend the needy, there can always be a place for a black trident.”

Pinkie looked distraught. “I just don’t want any more conflicts to happen in my sweet homeland. It once took away Twilight from us, and it was an unrecoverable blow. A militant Crystal Empire would be a thousand times worse than a changeling invasion.”

“… Well, yeah. I’m not a warmonger. Peace is much more valuable than all the fame I can obtain in fighting. So let’s hope that it’s all just my unfounded fear.”

Pinkie nodded forcefully. “Yes, Geusie, I hope so too…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the Northern Railway was still under work, and the fact that the supply train was officially to supply fuel to site only, the train could only reach the Galloping Gorge Station. 

After hopping off the train in the dimming twilight and having a rough wash in a nearby cold stream, they were almost immediately waved towards a non-descript carriage by a brown earth pony who recognized the two immediately.

“Hiya, Doctor!”

“Welcome, Miss Geuse, Pinki-”

“Hey you!”

Geuse accused with a red face. “Are you watching us washing in the river?”

The brown stallion’s face also immediately reddened like a tomato. “N- N- No! I would not do something like that! I have a marefriend at home already!”

Pinkie chuckled with some embarrassment. “He isn’t that kind of stallion. He’s super loyal to Derpy!”

“You tell her, Pinkie! Goodness gracious, I’m just paying back favors from Twilight by doing this. I haven’t tried pull this kind of stunts in years.”

Geuse narrowed one of her eyes, and sighed. “If Pinkie says so… What’s your name?”

“Doctor Whooves at your service.”

“You’re a doctor?” Geuse asked.

“Not a medical one, I have a doctorate in intelligence studies in the Royal Canterlot Army Institute.”

“In other words, he’s a former spy!” Pinkie grinned.

“Pinkie, you know well that I prefer the official term ‘intelligence agent’.”

Pinkie chuckled again. “Aye, aye Agent Smith.”

“Sweetie Drops would have come, but she’s on vacation with her roommate. I know it would’ve been awkward.”

Geuse looked a bit regretful to have accused the stallion. “Okay, I’m sorry for the baseless accusation. But uh…”

“What’s the problem, Geusie?”

“Is he…?”

“You don’t have to worry about my loyalty or my ability to keep secrets, Miss Geuse. For one, I wasn’t told about the purpose of this trip, only the fact that I have to get you two inside the Crystal Empire covertly at all cost. And as a former intelligence agent, I know that the ability to keep my mouth shut is the reason people entrust me with secrets and therefore my lifeline, and I won’t ruin it by divulging them to anyone. Last and perhaps most importantly, Twilight helped Derpy immensely with some medical issues and thusly did me a great favor, I would not for the life of me think of betrayal.”

Geuse gazed into Doctor Whooves’ eyes, and nodded. “Okay then, I trust you. Just try not to disappoint us.”

“No problem. I get out of the profession because I want to stay at home with my loved one, but I also love me some occasional action. Pleased to be of help.”

The brown stallion pulled open the curtain of the carriage, revealing a surprisingly large and bright interior with all kinds of gadgets and tools.

“Whoa!”

“Woohoo, Doctor! Your gadgetry never stops to amaze!”

“Hah hah, Pinkie, as if you aren’t proficient in espionage yourself. Now, feel free to use the inside of the carriage to change into your disguises. We’re taking the fast route, and we should be at the gate before dawn.”

Geuse still looked a bit unsure, but Pinkie thanked Doctor Whooves and immediately shoved the orange pegasus inside. The carriage then moved without any sign of delay, storming through a hidden path in the pinewoods.

“Hey Doctor.” Geuse called out to the front compartment.

The stallion’s voice came through the small door. “Finished with the disguises?”

“Y- Yeah, you can open the door now.”

With a creak, Doctor Whooves poked his head out from his driver’s seat.

Geuse asked curiously. “How’s this carriage moving? I don’t see somepony pulling it, or a steam engine.”

“You’re Miss Geuse, I presume? That’s an impeccable disguise.”

Geuse looked down to her new disguise and gingerly smiled. “Ah yep, I’m.”

“For your question, a steam engine would be way too loud. This carriage runs on electricity. I heard from Applejack that the Flim Flams were testing out new motors in their shed, so I went and bought a prototype from them. It was too weak to pull the harvest, but it’s enough to pull a lightweighted car like this.”

“I see. This is quite ingenious. I wish my brethrens in West Zebrica is half as industrious as ponies here.”

“Heh. Now you two should take a good rest. I know it must be very uncomfortable to have sat inside a coal freight car for half a day.”

Geuse drily chuckled. “You don’t say, Doctor.”

“Now that we’re inside forested area, we can afford to use a more comfortable mode of transport. You two should take a good rest, because you might need to see action soon. I can only stop at the edge of the forest line, and you two have to walk to the gate yourselves.”

“Roger that.”

As the two mares leaned back for a rest, they could feel that even the air inside the well-insulated carriage became noticeably cooler. Peeking out of the black laminated window, Geuse noticed that there was already snow on the fast-moving forest floor. 

After a few more hours of uneventful journey, the carriage reached the edge of the snow-covered pine forest. They carefully got off and waved goodbye to the brown stallion, who swiftly went back the way he came.

The two then treaded on the snow with anticipation and some unease. The gate was at a distance, glowing a curious purple in the morning light. 

The entrance to Crystal Empire was a magical gate in the middle of a snowy mountain pass. The magic of the Crystal Heart not only pumped warmth for the enclave, it also hid the empire from plain sight in the middle of the windblown mountains.

However, the usually lightly defended entrance was heavily guarded when the two arrived. One of the guards in brown-shirted, a light yellow coated crystal pony, saw the approaching pair, and loudly yelled in Crystallian.

"Halt! Citizens of the great empire, show me your identification.”

Geuse widened her eyes at hearing the completely foreign tongue, and turned to Pinkie with a helpless look. Pinkie was also a bit shocked at hearing old Crystallian instead of the lingua franca that was Equestrian. Crystallian had largely been supplanted by Equestrian as the vernacular in Crystal Empire, so it was strange to hear it from the guard.

The guard narrowed his eyes and tutted his tongue. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves another pair of barbaros. Learn your mother tongue, dannazioni!”

Although Pinkie knew Crystallian just as she knew other ancient tongues, she decided to play along in the off-chance that it might net them some information. “W- We’re sorry, we should really learn it long ago, but you know…”

“Stop giving out excuses, citizens. You know our beloved Guida Shimmer has since the very beginning mandated the use of Crystallian in all official occasions. You’re only lucky that the law for mandatory national language test is still being passed, or else you would be in deep trouble.”

The duo silently took note of the information. Pinkie nodded timidly. “Yes, yes, we’re terribly sorry.”

“Now give me your IDs, and go learn Crystallian for Crystal Heart’s sake!”

Pinkie and Geuse immediately pulled out the forged documents just as rehearsed. The now grey and magenta ponies tried to appear calm as the guard kept sweeping his gazes on their faces.

“Hey you.”

The guard pointed towards Geuse, who internally gasped to herself. On the surface, she squeezed out a smile. “What’s the matter, officer?”

“Nothing, I just think that you’re a bit too young to be allowed out of the Empire in the first place.”

Geuse was bemused, until she realized that her disguise gave her a younger look than she actually was.

“Betelia is my little sister.” Pinkie smiled.

Geuse stuck to her script and added. “Y- Yeah, Rosa and I went south to check out the legends that our ancient ally, the Cruzesians, has come to Equestria.”

The guard flipped open the giant logbook he kept on his saddlebag and muttered. “Of course it’s true, our beloved Guida just sent out an official delegation to them. Hopefully they shall honor our age-old alliance.”

Geuse felt uneasy, not just because she’s being questioned, but the fact that they had to spend time with this unusually talkative officer. Her breath slightly quickened when the guard’s gaze turned a bit suspicious and walked back to check with the apparently superior officer.

However, the tension loosened when the officer came back with a nod and said. “Citizens, worry not. Although we cannot find your names on the register, the other information you provided seem to be complete. We understand that the turmoils before the ascension of the Guida and the Principessa caused the loss of a lot of records. Follow commandant Asclepias. He would lead you to the registrar, and you’d be free to go afterwards. Just don’t cause any trouble on your way there.”

“Y- Yes, thank you officer.”

The duo turned and saw a green-coated and large-build crystal pony wearing a brown come to them. A six-pointed crystal prominently featured on his shirt.

“Welcome home, citizens. I’m Asclepias, commandant-general of the reformed Frontier Militia of Crystalline Voluntary Squadron.”

Pinkie gulped and spluttered. “C- Commandant-general? Thank you very dearly kindly, but it might-would-could probably be a bother to you-”

“Not at all, citizen. Our return has been a trying time for all, and it’s only our good blessing to have such a strong leader at our helm. It happens that I have finished my inspection and is about to leave for the barrack. Rather than moving the guards at post, I would personally send you two to the registrar.”

Looking at the unsure faces, Asclepias seemed to take it as the typical fear for armed individuals. “Fear not, for I’m perfectly aware of the reputation of the VS among the civilians. I’m here precisely to gauge the opinions and clear up misunderstandings.”

The two mares looked to each other, and Pinkie turned back with an uneasy smile. “Okay.”

“Let’s move then, citizens. I must report back before eight, for the Guida would have a grand speech very shortly.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pinkie Pie and Geuse strode into the gate to Crystal Empire after the commandant. Before them unfolded a dreamy landscape of crystalline buildings. Crystal Castle stood prominently in the middle of the city, and the numerous buildings spread from the center radially, with streets neatly forming rings of concentric circles.

Pinkie Pie finally could not suppress her mix of curiosity and nagging concern and burst out. “Commandant?”

Geuse and Asclepias both turned. Geuse’s composure was somewhat shakier, as she struggled to get into character, and she was further spooked that Pinkie opened the chatterbox and potentially exposing them to suspicion.

Asclepias seemed not to notice, however. He thinly nodded and said. “Speak, citizen.”

“I, uh, love Guida Shimmer, she’s done a lot for us, huh?”

The corner of Asclepias’s mouth raised. “Of course.”

“I just, um, have been curious about the goal of the language program.”

Geuse tensed up, but Asclepias simply waved his somewhat long silver mane. “… Ha ha, good question. You see, as a commandant in charge of overseeing the border, I see a lot of our good crystal brethren and foreigners alike. And I can tell you that foreigners can be really really stubbornly stupid at times.”

Alarmed at heart, Pinkie put up a faux-knowing smile. “Heh, right?”

“I know that a thousand years have passed for them, but it’s no reason to sully the great name of crystal ponies by calling them just ‘shiny earth ponies’ or the ‘additional’ tribe. That’s unacceptable! Crystal ponies are the first pony nation. As the one nation who gave the world civilization and light, we afford a higher degree of respect from the Equestrians than to be lumped together with the three tribes! The least that we can do is to emphasize our identity and independence by asserting the use of our own language. And you two should subscribe to the official language program as soon as possible, for it’s our patriotic duty to strengthen the knowledge of our mother tongue.”

Pinkie blinked, and remembered to give a response. “A- Ah, yes, definitely!”

Asclepias cleanly chuckled at the slightly off-tone outburst. “Oh my. I seem to have get a bit excited myself. Even the anticipation of the Guida’s great speech has this effect on us.”

He then continued. “But still, by natural order of things, crystal ponies should speak their mother tongue, the one gifted directly from the Old Roam. It’s only through unfortunate historical circumstances that it is supplanted by the Southern tongue in the public, and il Guida is fixated on fixing that. All public servants, except in foreign receptions, are required to speak in Crystallian language, or face censure.”

“Thank you! You’ve been most kind to explain this in such detail to us.”

Pinkie Pie slowly nodded. “What about the great ra-”

Geuse hurriedly poked Pinkie’s back, herself burning from the unease and worry that her incessant questioning would raise alarm. However, Asclepias simply smiled placidly. “You mean the official northern expedition? It’s always great for the citizens to care so deeply about our nation’s glorious exploit. I can’t tell you confidential details, but I will try my best to assuage any concerns or misunderstanding, as it’s my job to communicate with my fellow citizens.”

“Great! Ah, I saw the news on newspaper in the south first. I just want to know if the… beloved Guida of ours have in plan for the great northern lands.”

“None can fully comprehend the Guida’s immense foresight and illustrious plan for our nation, but as far as I know, this is both to ensure the safety of our settlers by surveying our future land, and also a military exercise to stave off Yakyakistani threats of aggression by showing of strength.”

Both mares felt worry rising in their hearts. “The yaks?”

“Perhaps you haven’t heard about this since you two have been away from the Empire, but the yaks have made repeated noises about our rightful return. They complain annoyingly about intrusion and other ridiculous claims of offense. Everypony saw in the Gazetta how baseless and unreasonable those claims are. The yaks are just another race of stubbornly stupid foreigners who are ever so easily offended by the slightest perception of not following their foolish barbarian customs. The only antidote to that is to show that you’re so overwhelmingly strong that it was futile to make a squeak about their nonsense. Remember the old Roaman saying – If you want peace, prepare for war.”

The two mares each took his words differently. Pinkie was still uncomfortable with the belligerent tone, but even she had to quietly acknowledge that the yaks could be highly unreasonable, and the crystal ponies might not be wrong to be displeased with their gestures.

Geuse instead felt some resonance with his last message, as she nodded. “Indeed, strength makes peace.”

“That’s a succinct way to put it.”

Asclepias looked to the front and said. “Oh, it seems that we’ve already arrived.”

Pinkie slightly widened her eyes. They’ve come to the castle itself. She almost yelped out in surprise, but she managed to steady herself. Still, she wondered why such a civilian matter would have to be dealt with in the Crystal Castle itself.

Regardless, the trio finished their trot through the final stretch of the strangely empty boulevard, the few civilians on the street saluted the commandant as he grinned back.

As they arrived at the gate to the Crystal Castle, however, they were blocked by some sort of ceremony. Asclepias looked a bit surprised.

“Oh dear, I’ve been a little bit late. The Guida is already here.”

A platoon of crystal pony soldiers were standing before the gate, an orange pony with red and yellow mane stood high on the gate balcony and yelled with a magically-enhanced voice.

“Soldiers, ponies of the Crystal blood, hear my words!
Look around you, an organized squadron vowing to protect your nation... no longer themselves slaves, but triumphant warriors ready to restore Crystal Empire to her former height!
We had fallen into a deathly slumber for a thousand years. But now all of that belongs to the past. We have to retake what had been unjustly taken away from us. 
Our resurgence is a must, a necessity, a natural evolution of the great Roaman nation. The hour has struck for us to take action, and take control of our destiny!”

Then, not only the platoon soldiers cheered extremely lively, Asclepias also joined in, raising his right hoof and ululated, shouting a passionate war-cry.

“Whoa.” Geuse stated neutrally, while Pinkie Pie maintained a fixed smile.

“See? The Guida can inspire so many pride in our chest just by giving a short speech.”

Pinkie Pie gazed at the orange unicorn in surprise. She looks just like a crystal pony, but also with a horn like a unicorn. It seemed that the rumors about her own new connection to the Crystal Heart was not unfounded.

Before the pair could respond, a bright flash shone in their face. And in the light appeared the orange unicorn they had been watching a minute ago.

“Salve! Asclepias.”

“Salve, I- Il Guida!” The stallion gulped and stepped back immediately.

“Well done with bringing them to me. Now back to your post, soldier.”

“Si!”

With a nervous shout, the previously casual and calm commandant scurried away like a house rat seeing a cat.

The orange unicorn turned to look at the duo, who stood there with utter shock that the top mare herself descended and teleported right in front of them. There should not be a reason for her to set her eyes on them if they were just ordinary crystal ponies.

“Greetings.”

“H- Hail to you too, G- Guida Shimmer!” Pinkie gulped and squeezed out hurriedly.

“At ease, I’m not here to eat you whole.”

Sunset Shimmer smirked. “You’ve come to register your names on the citizenship roster, haven’t you?”

“Y- Yes, uh, so if you so graciously can point us to the registrar-”

“I’m the registrar. In fact, the vetting of all citizenship matters passes through me, for I desire to know each and every of my… citizens intimately.”

Pinkie almost wheezed aloud. But Sunset Shimmer’s gaze flickered again curiously and smiled. “I do have a word with you two, but this is not a place for discussion. If so you may, please hold onto me and I would teleport all three of us into my office.”

Pinkie and Geuse looked to each other again for confirmation, and they eventually gingerly nodded.

“Excellent, so three, two, one-”

After a bright flash of green magic and brief disorientation, the three appeared inside a wide and large office. A semi-circular crystalline office desk encrusted with stylish orange fire opal and also black obsidian sat in the middle, and Sunset Shimmer already sat at it comfortably.

“Welcome to the Crystal Empire, Miss Pinkamena Diane Pie, and Miss Geuse.”

“… E- Eh?!” The two yelped out in shock.

The orange unicorn chortled. “Don’t be surprised, I know more than you think I do.”

Facing the almost terrified looks on the two mares, Sunset Shimmer simply shook her head with a light smile. “Don’t be afraid, I fully understand why you two take to such an extreme measure to hide your identities. As a matter of fact, the conundrum with the family of Buon Vino has already been resolved. His family was already rescued from the undue and unrightful surveillance and personal threats from the outlaws in cahoots with corrupted officials, and the agents we sent to secure Buon Vino have already established correspondence with him in order to arrange for possible repatriation.”

Geuse deeply sighed, as she immediately took off the delicate but now useless disguise and threw it onto the floor unceremoniously. She then asked while panting in sweat. “We need proof…! And explanations.”

A glint of displeasure shone in the eyes of Sunset Shimmer, but it was quickly covered up with a neutral expression. 

“Proof, you say? Is the word of the highest office in the land not enough for you?”

Pinkie has also put away her disguise, and she agreed with unusual seriousness. “As lives are on stake here, we can’t afford to be sloppy.”

Sunset Shimmer took in a breath and smirked. “Very well. Let’s just say that Buon Vino was an unfortunate victim of some power struggle among the corrupted ranks of government officials who stood to profit from a deal with foreign agitators.”

Geuse asked. “What foreign agitators?”

“It’s classified.”

“Mmm…”

Sunset Shimmer threw her mane backwards and said. “I’ll direct you to the Vino household later. But I also have one demand of my own.”

Pinkie sighed. “Please tell.”

“I want some time to talk with Miss Pie alone.”

Geuse became alarmed and said. “Why would you want to do that? What’s it that I cannot be present?”

“Miss Geuse, what I’m about to ask her was about highly confidential national secrets, the fewer ponies know the better. Please respect the need for Crystal Empire to maintain a certain veil of secrecy.”

Sunset Shimmer then offered a conciliatory tone. “Of course, I’m not barring the possibility, nor do I have the power to stop her if she decides that it would be suitable to divulge those information to you. But the meeting has to take place first.”

“… Pinkie?”

Pinkie returned an assuring nod. “I’ll go, Geusie, just wait here for me to come back!”

“Great! Miss Geuse, please feel at ease in here. Miss Pie and I will discuss in the backroom, and we should be back shortly.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With some trepidation, Pinkie followed the orange unicorn into the secluded room. Her mind was cluttered with uncertainty about how their plan to sneak into Crystal Empire came apart so easily and how come it was plainly knowable by this Sunset Shimmer. However, she tried her best not to let her worry get to her.

The crystalline room was plainly decorated. A lone bookshelf stood behind three strategically-placed couch, two cups of hot tea already poured and served nearby on a small table.

Sunset Shimmer walked near the heavy door, and used her magic to slam it shut. She then turned towards Pinkie with a grin.

“This room is absolutely soundproof. No voice or vibration, however large, could escape.”

The orange unicorn then touched her horn to the wall of the room. Again, a soft green glow enveloped the whole room, and disappeared gradually as she powered down. Pinkie looked on with concern, because for all she knew she couldn’t tell which spell Sunset Shimmer was casting.

“How come you know about our plan to come into Crystal Empire?”

Sunset Shimmer snorted, and then the snort turned into a hysterical laugh. Regardless of her status as the Element-bearer of Laughter, Pinkie was not devoid of contextual understanding. She immediately demanded. “W- What are you laughing at, Shimmie?”

The last word of address did stop the orange unicorn’s laughter in its track. “S- Shimmie?”

“Yes, you, Shimmie!”

Her annoyance was quickly replaced by a narrow glint in her eyes, as Sunset Shimmer blinked and snorted again. “Getting on first-name basis so quickly, huh? Very well, Pinkie, now that I’ve separated you from that meddling pegasus, we can be somewhat honest here.”

“What are you talking about?”

“This is all a ruse to get one of you Element-bearers here. And you’re my chosen one, Pinkie Pie.”

“What?! What naughty thing are you planning to do?”

“I have no desire to tell you the whole picture, because there’s no need to. But if it sates your curiosity, then I would briefly tell you what these nonsenses about kidnapping are about.”

Sunset Shimmer then flatly smiled. “You see, Buon Vino is just a hapless chess piece that I used to lure you in. The chessboard is large, and many things are moving at once. All the signs are already there, if you aren’t so blind. And if you’re slightly cleverer, then you might have noticed where one of all these fail to make sense.”

The orange unicorn swerved and sat in one of the couches. “For instance, if any powers that be really want to turn the Saddle River into a trail of black sludge and frame your friend, why would they use an unwilling pony who would spill everything under stress? If there’s anything I’ve learnt, it’s that loyalty cannot be forced with fear of retribution alone. In fact, I can’t care less about the river.”

“Grr…” Pinkie gritted her teeth.

“Now that you’re with me, I can finally investigate the source of my concern…”

“Huh…?”

“In case you don’t know, I have gone south to check out each of you Element-bearers inside the town of Ponyville myself earlier, and I have agents down south as well. At first, I’m just concerned that you lots might interfere with my plan to raise Crystallia to her former glory at the possible detriment to our southern neighbor…”

“You can’t be planning to go to war with Equestria?!”

Sunset Shimmer smirked knowingly. “Alas, to actually fight means hurting our illustrious citizenry. There is little benefit for pony nation to fight pony nation unless the situation is extreme. As her proud adopted daughter, I just mean to bring the Crystal Empire again to the forefront of all pony nations.”

She turned her gaze on the pink pony again. “But bringing you here is less about that grand goal of mine, but more about a personal matter… You particular… even though it was partly circumstances that make me settle my gaze on you, but you prove to be a more than suitable candidate for me to make the first move.”

She licked her lips and muttered. “Mhmm… I can sense it now.”

“What in the hay are you talking about?!” Pinkie shouted in a mix of fear and anger.

“Oh, feisty. I just sensed the delicate magical signature that I recognize from… a certain place that I stayed for a long, long time. There can be no mistaking it. And you six must be hiding something besides your obvious statuses as Element-bearers.”

Pinkie’s mind briefly went to their deepest secret, and breathed in sharply. But she soon rebuked in defiance. “I won’t tell you a thing if I keep being a meanie like that, hmpf!”

Sunset Shimmer touched her forehead and smiled. “Meanie, huh? How delightfully innocent.”

Pinkie crossed her hooves. “This is more than enough! Why on Earth are you in charge of everything instead of Princess Cadance anyway? Where is she and where is Shining Armor?”

“They’re on a diplomatic overture at Yakyakistan, don’t you worry. They serve well to placate our perennial rival while we quietly move to positions.”

The orange unicorn raised a hoof. “But now, since Miss Geuse is waiting for so long outside, I might as well finish up my business here instead of keep on partaking this pointless chit-chat.”

Pinkie became much more guarded. “What do you want to do?”

“… Spike the Dragon.”

“Eh?!”

“Well, it does surprise me somewhat to see a pony in a relation with a dragon, and it further surprises me that it turns out that you are the hypotenuse, huh?”

“H- How dare you?! Spike loves us all the same, stop trying to spread lies and divide us, you big bad bully!”

“Remember, Pinkie Pie, we’re in the land of love. As the First Consul of Crystal Empire and the only newly ascendant crystal pony aside from Cadenza, I share a connection to the Crystal Heart almost on par with her. And I can sense the undeniable doubt and self-doubt in the love you emanate when I mention the name of the dragon. You know well that he only takes you on because of guilt, not of love.”

“H- H- how did you…?!”

The orange unicorn did not answer, instead she smirked again. “Can you look me in the eyes and say that it isn’t the case?”

Pinkie immediately turned up her glare and burrowed her gaze into Sunset Shimmer’s greenish blue eyes, eager to prove to her that her love of Spike could undergo the truest of tests.

“Of course it-”

Pinkie gasped when she did look into the eyes of the orange mare. Her resolve for some reason drained away completely when she met the unicorn’s solid gaze.

“I- It… I don’t… It’s not…”

“Pinkie Pie, don’t you feel that your relationship with him is… perhaps a bit too flimsy? Tacked on, even?”

Pinkie gritted her teeth, but she also felt some moisture near her eyes. “That’s n- not true!”

“I might be a magical unicorn, but even I can’t bend truth. The truth is in your heart, ask yourself whether you ever feel like you are at the helm of this relationship?”

Sunset Shimmer then lowly hummed. “Accept it, Pinkie Pie, you’re just a match of convenience. Everyone in Ponyville knows that the dragon loves Rarity as a mare but merely likes you as a friend, despite what some of your friends told you for comfort. This situation is but a thrown-together half-solution in order for the Element-bearers to keep as one. When are you going to wake up from this untruth?”

Pinkie Pie thought she was made of stronger material, but the orange unicorn’s word hit rightly at the most insecure places in her heart. She had always feared that she could not compare to the first and ‘real’ love Spike had for Rarity. Whenever she’s reminded with what was foretold in the visions, she feared that she was an anomaly, a divergence from the right path, a temporary state that eventually had to end.

She was bemused about how this orange unicorn and former student of Celestia managed to know so much about her personal relationships. However, she was way too hurt and confused to think clearly.

The orange unicorn’s eyes remained ever steady, and it seemed to add to the authority of whatever she said. The aquamarine of her eyes was strangely luring, drawing her gaze and refusing to let it go.

The voice of the orange unicorn dropped to a quiet coo. “Pinkie Pie, Pinkie, why it must be the case?”

“I… uh… I… ?”

“Why must you adhere to the thin veil of duty and solidarity all while your true love withers? What is protecting the realm compared to the warmth of his smile? What is advancing the welfare of the townsponies compared to the feel of your beloved dragon in your hooves? It’s but morning mist, winds and words. We are only mortals, and we’re fashioned for love by nature.”

Sunset Shimmer closed in, until it was almost snout to snout. She did not for a second break her gaze, however. Pinkie Pie barely noticed that the unicorn’s horn was gradually glowing with a stronger and stronger green glow.

“Embrace your raw feelings, Pinkie Pie. Look at my eyes, think of it as a mirror to your heart.”

An illuminant limish glow reflected off Pinkie’s eyes, as she wallowed in self-doubt. Whenever she thought of Spike, she felt as if her heart was sliced by a sharp knife. 

A forbidden thought began to form in her mind. Why must she share? She had just as much right to him as the white unicorn who was the object of his desire. With all her foreknowledge and a bit of added initiative, she could have easily crafted a situation that would send Spike into her hooves and hers alone. The only obstacle was her… so-called solidarity with Rarity and the other mares. What’s even the world to her if she could have her love?

Pinkie wheezed in some air sharply but weakly. How could she think like that? That wasn’t her, that mustn’t be her. The five mares were all her dearest friends, sisters in hooves, they’ve been so much that no force in the world could’ve separated them-

The limish glow in her eyes wobbled, and Sunset Shimmer let out a dismissive groan. The orange unicorn doubled down her efforts as her horn shone in brilliant green.

Pinkie now felt a tangible pounding in her head, as she began to slowly realize that her conscious mind was being tampered with by the orange unicorn’s magical suggestion.

“W- What are y- you doing t- to-”

“Why resist, Pinkie Pie? You bear an unmistakeable signature that ties us together in fate as much as you and your other five so-called friends do.”

“I, ugh, I… I- I don’t know what you’re t- talking about!”

“Then don’t think about it, just follow your instinct, where your desire brings you towards.”

“Le- let… gr…”

Pinkie felt never so weak and exposed. She could sense some foreign probing in her mind, threatening to invade her private thoughts and direct her to do things not of her thinking. It just so happened that Sunset Shimmer’s honey-covered words were the most savory poison, easing her controlling magic into the recesses of her mind.

A small part of her, the remaining rational part in her mind regretted letting down her defense inside this secluded room, and also becoming intensely concerned that their greatest secret might be leaked to this malicious mare by way of force. Her heart pounded, but her head was like in thick fog, unable to assess the current situation. 

She wondered briefly if this could be compared to Twilight’s resistance to Chrysalis’s attack in Canterlot, but it soon turned to bitter regret as she realized that she had no magic whatsoever to mount a meaningful resistance. Sunset Shimmer’s magic was like sharp ice picks, quickly sending them inside her brain and taking over her remaining mental faculties one by one.

She difficultly wheezed again. She could not be the sole failure among the six mares. She always was the one with the greatest mental flexibility, and she must figure a way to... 

Like a diver of minds, she used her last bit of strength and reached into her own inner sanctum. The old connection to Twilight left an indelible legacy, granting them visions of the future and knowledges of the past. This was the one thing that could not be left in evil hooves.

The connection of her mind branched out into an entire network that made up the mare that was Pinkie Pie. Immediately, like pulling in clothlines from inside the house, she settled her inner eyes on those parts of memories which would expose their biggest secret, and began to pull them towards the innermost part of her mind.

At the risk of damaging her delicate network of memories, she rapidly hid the important pieces of information inside and rushed to seal them in with her very self with the latent magic from Twilight and the Ancient Spirit.

The mental invasion was swift, and Pinkie struggled to draw all the memories within the last perimeters in time. Those precious moments with Spike’s were still largely outside, but it was too late to put them inside. With great reluctance, she sealed the perimeter just in time. The leaden sphere wobbled slightly, and then disappeared from the recesses of her mind quietly.

Sunset Shimmer’s grin turned bigger and bigger. The pathetic defense put up by the so-called Element-bearer was not worth even a mention. Quickly, the defiant, angry look put up by the pink mare was replaced by a confused but thin, pliant smile. Her ears drooped, and her blue eyes were brightly lit with green magic, suggesting a fully susceptible mode of mind.

The orange unicorn clasped her hooves together and leaned in, horn almost jutting at Pinkie’s forehead. 

“Where is it, where is it?!”

Sunset Shimmer desperately searched for the source of the weak magical signature that she sensed from all of the Element-bearers. 

In actuality, she felt the strongest signal from Twilight Sparkle, the Element-bearer of Magic. But despite her disabilities, getting close to her was prohibitively difficult, she had the closest brush with being discovered inside the army camp of the Cruzesians. It was at that time she decided to set her eyes on the seemingly most emotionally vulnerable of the Element-bearers.

“Grgh! How come there is no one single source for that magical signature! Don’t tell me all those planning and risk to be discovered net me no progress at all! I didn’t spend time out of Crystal Empire for nothing, did I?”

The pink mare gave no response, her half-closed eyes looked at nothing in particular. Green glow flickered off the two half-concealed eyes of hers, until Sunset Shimmer crudely held Pinkie’s jaw up with her hoof.

“What a weak, useless fool. Tangled by petty emotions. Even your Element… Laughter, is itself laughable.”

She rudely threw down her hoof, and Pinkie’s head drooped again. “Oh well, at least I get one of the Element-bearers by my side. With Twilight Sparkle’s miraculous comeback, I had thought that they would become a hard thorn on my side, but now I’ve secured one of them, they would no longer be able to activate the Elements one way or another.”

Sunset Shimmer narrowed her eyes and smirked. “Pinkie Pie, Pinkie Pie, let’s prove yourself useful, will you? You shall become my loyal servant, my sleeper agent in Equestria.”

Her horn flashed again, and Pinkie abruptly raised her head, though it was seemingly by force rather than self-initiative.

“Pinkamena Diane Pie, you will hear my words and take them as thoughts and memories of your own, do you understand?”

Like slurred mumbling in sleep, Pinkie replied with a drunken smile. “Yes, Shimmie.”

Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes in annoyance with the hated nickname. “Tsk. You will remember none of the events once you entered this room. We merely had a pleasant talk about… the miraculous comeback of Crystal Empire.”

Pinkie Pie numbly nodded, and Sunset Shimmer continued. “You should adore no one but me, and become my diehard servant and my most ardent supporter. Though in public eyes you shall remain cozy with your other friends and stifle their suspicion with your intimacy. But when I so order, you should always cast everything aside in favor of absolute obedience towards me. My words are the only truth and I’m your only goal, nothing else is important, and you shall act upon them whenever you receive my order. Do you understand?”

The pink mare again nodded, and Sunset Shimmer grinned. “Upon hearing a tap on the floor, you shall again become lucid, with all my commands remaining effective.”

The orange unicorn tapped the floor, and the pink mare drew in a big gasp of air. Her eyes were still glazed, and her gaze confused. But when she set sight on the orange mare, she beamed a big grin. With the stereotypical strength of an earth pony, she tackled the orange mare onto the ground.

Sunset Shimmer yelped out in shock and almost instinctively casted a spell to peel Pinkie off from her, but when she looked at her more carefully, she only noticed a loving look in her eyes and an intimate body expression of tight embrace.

“Shimmie, I’ll never leave your side…”

Sunset Shimmer looked back with a deeply unamused expression. She unceremoniously threw Pinkie down to the floor with a wave of hoof, and the pink pony simply drop to floor with a plop.

Although clearly hurting, Pinkie’s face was still filled with eagerness to please.

Sunset Shimmer suddenly thought of something and touched her cheek thoughtfully. “I’ve never tried this ever since… well, let’s see if it’s still as strong as it’d need to be.”

“Pinkie Pie.” She called out.

“Y- Yes, Shimmie?”

“If now I send you out to hit your Pegasus friend out there squarely in the head with this spiked hammer until she was bleeding red and unconscious.”

Sunset Shimmer took out an ornate hammer from a box in her saddlebag. “Would you do it for me?”

Pinkie nodded with a vacant smile. “It might sound a little bit mean, but if Shimmie says so, it must be right! It might even be good for her!”

“What about Princess Celestia or Luna?”

“Gladly!”

“What about each and every one of your five friends?”

Expecting at least a flicker of resistance, Sunset Shimmer was surprised to see a series of enthusiastic nods. “No problem at all!”

“What about… Spike?”

The pink mare stopped and frowned. Sunset Shimmer raised a brow, thinking that she had finally reached the threshold of her latent resistance. After all, she had made used of her love for her small dragon in order to soften her for the domination of her mind.

The pink mare did show some hesitation, but after some more blinking, she said while scratching her cheek.

“Well, it’s not like dagger is going to penetrate his thick scales. You would better off using tampered ruby or diamond to make him faint!”

“Hah hah hah! This is brilliant, wondrous! I never thought my spell’s influence is this complete and overwhelming! The average crystal pony I understand, but you, Pinkie Pie, are an Element-bearer! It’s as if I have a completely heartless and remorseless underling by my side! With your past track record as a skillful mare, surely you would fit right in the most competent of my followers.”

She grinned and said cryptically. “Oh my, oh my, what a fortunate encounter, me and my vast magical potential.”

She touched her horn with satisfaction. “But do try to maintain a veil of normalcy when we’re outside, Pinkie Pie. Don’t rouse any suspicion in your friend yet until I decide on what to do with her. I will send you two back after wrapping things up… Hmm, or maybe not, you and even that pegasus might be useful fodders. I should probably think this over more carefully.”

“Whatever you say, Shimmie! You’re my bestest one true friend and I will do anything for you!”

“F- Friend?”

Sunset Shimmer turned abruptly and opened her mouth, almost retorting. Then she realized that her commands during Pinkie’s hypnotic stage must have been construed this way.

Her eyes twitched and she quietly shook her head. This should not cause any disruption. In fact, if those self-annointed protectors of harmony were so enamored with the concept of friendship, then she being seen as her one true friend would be immensely helpful for her control over the pink mare.

“On second thought, it might be beneficial for me to keep you by my side a bit longer. Say, what do you have in your arsenal if you must fight?”

Pinkie’s blank smile did not waver, and she asked. “Oh, oh! I have a-plenty! Shimmie, are you sure this room is strong enough for testing?”

“Of course, I have anticipated a possible fight, so this room is constructed with the strongest gemstone pos-”

Pinkie had already taken out a long hoof-held cannon and fired her weapon. Sunset Shimmer shrieked as the fire-breathing projectile blazed through the side of her ears. It landed on the crystalline wall behind her just in time for her to cast a hastily constructed magical shield.

A ground-shaking tremor almost caused the two to lose their footing, and Sunset Shimmer looked back in shock. The strongest adamantine crystal was blasted clean off, leaving a giant semi-spherical crater on the wall.

She immediately yelled in anger. “Damn it, Pinkamena Diane Pie! Are you trying to kill me?! And how dare you to ruin perfectly good adamantine!”

Pinkie beamed a bright smile. “I will never do something like that! You’re the one pony that I adore the most, remember? I was just following your order to test my weapons!”

Sunset Shimmer breathed in and out, gasping for air and heart still beating fast. She looked into the glassy blue beads of eyes that Pinkie used to look at her, searching for any sign of magic miscasting on her part, or deception on the pink mare’s part. But all she saw was an empty smile and a glazed gaze.

She pondered briefly. It was even much emptier than the usual test subjects or her past preys. It was as if she was a soulless automaton to begin with, but she knew that it could not be the case.

Or was her magic strengthened to such a degree that it was able to completely suppress and wipe clean a pony’s mind save for their surface traits?

Sunset Shimmer couldn’t help but break into a twisted grin. If so, her plan to raise the Empire and herself to the top of all would be even easier. For now though, the sheer versatility and firepower provided by her brainwashed captive would serve her well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Geuse and Pinkie stayed over inside one of the guest rooms in the Crystal Castle after the bizarre encounter with Sunset Shimmer. Wearing a grey cape, she accompanied the two to the Vino household, and the family of the crystal pony seemed to be incredibly thankful for escaping the menace of the ‘corrupted’ Brownshirts. 

Throughout the walk, Geuse couldn’t help but silently observe the similarly orange pony, who seemed to know their carefully hidden plan to infiltrate the Crystal Empire so well, it was honestly unnerving to the adventuring knight.

But more unnerving was Pinkie after she came out of the conversation. Although it was understandable for her to become less tense, after their main goal here seemed to be resolved automatically, it was still paradoxically out of character for Pinkie to act so bubbly with abandon.

Although she only spent several weeks’ time with Pinkie, she knew that she was much more than a simply happy-go-lucky party-planner. Underneath that cheery exterior hid a complex, thoughtful and delicate mare, who always thought for her friends and put them before herself. She was one of the, for the lack of a better word, the ‘realest’ ponies she’s spent time with.

But ever since she came out of that room, she only spouted elated platitudes and placid greetings, avoiding or ignoring all conversations of substance. Even though it was ostensibly more pleasant than seeing a cheerful pony worrying one thing over another, it was distinctly unnatural. It was as if the orange unicorn placed a spell on her in their meeting…

Geuse gulped. Was she being paranoid? Pinkie still acted roughly normal otherwise, and she even continued the chain of conversation they had been in before going into the room. Perhaps Pinkie only acted like that to conceal some of her deeper worries, and the orange pegasus would be overstepping her bound to push for an answer.

As a Zebrican, Geuse had been stereotyped by Equestrians as a superstitious bunch, a label that made her both vexed and frustrated because it had a small grain of truth, as education and general knowledge about both pony and other types of magic was sorely lacking. That made her reflexively doubtful whenever it came to suspecting any occurrence of malicious spell-casting.

She sighed and muttered. “Hey Pinkie, care to bring me a glass of water? I need some to clear up my mind.”

Pinkie did not even wait before turning to the small kitchen in the room. After a while, she gave the cup of water to Geuse with a full grin.

Geuse narrowed an eye. She thought of something and wanted to test the pink mare’s reaction. “Pinkie, can you go to the kitchen and… er, make me a giant three-layered cake? I just feel like it.”

Expecting a playful rebuke for her ridiculous demand, Geuse was shocked to see the pink mare simply nod off and walk towards the kitchen.

Geuse immediately caught the pink mare’s back hoof and called out. “Pinkie, are you crazy? I’m just so obviously kidding!”

“I’m not crazy, Geusie! There’s a command to make a cake for you, and I just followed it! That’s just what friend does to friend, right?”

Geuse looked at Pinkie, shaking her head at the unbelievable sight. “Pinkie, that’s ridiculous! So what if I tell you to hug and kiss me like you would’ve done to Spike- umhmmh!”

Geuse felt a full-frontal sensory attack by both the physical touch on her body and on her lips. She didn’t know what had possessed her to tempt fate – or an obviously out-of-her-mind Pinkie with such a command.

Compared to her experience in combat, she was a complete novice in anything related to romance. She knew she fancied stallions, but her martial outlook made it difficult to get dates in schools. Even before she kicked the stallions who harassed off down the clouds, she was already the big scary sis in the eyes of stallions.

She would never, even under the pain of torture, admit to anyone, but she did also harbor some forbidden fantasies for her lifelong partner Verna. She knew that if she ever expressed those feelings, she would be immediately castigated by her fellow Zebricans. 

Despite her refusal to mingle with other knights due to their stuck-up pride, she still observed a long list of knightly conducts, this meant never to simply give in to her own carnal desires. Pinkie’s sudden but relentless assault reminded her of those long-suppressed thoughts, and unlike others whom she could just forcefully peel off, Pinkie was her and Twilie’s friend, and as such she could not quite act rough on her.

Wading her remaining rational mind out of a sea of confused thoughts, Geuse briefly managed to separate her lips from that of the manic pink mare. She gasped for air and shouted. “What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?! Pink- mhmm!”

Pinkie seemed to hear nothing, as she smilingly but blankly ramped up her attack. Geuse felt never quite as helpless, as she limply tried to hold a line of defense against the pink tsunami. She felt like her rational mind slowly giving way to her confused thirst for intimacy by Pinkie’s alarmingly expertly caresses.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pinkie stood near the door with the same smile as before, but Geuse was sitting at the corner opposite to the pink mare, shuddering and whimpering after being completely overwhelmed by the puissant pink pony. She would quietly condemn her own unknightly and weak outlook that she must be sporting right now, but in truth she could no longer care.

She felt completely confused. It had long past the threshold of play and gone into something else entirely. She didn’t know what and how to think about the pink pony. She liked the pink mare, but only as friend, not… like that. Before this she could chat with the pink pony easily and casually, but now, whenever she tried to weakly sneak a glance to the pink mare, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of fear and tumult. It was as if she didn’t know the pink pony anymore.

She sniffled. It was then that she sharply realized – the fact that she was quietly sobbing. A proud knight and a brave adventurer that she was, now pitifully tearing up at a corner like some defenseless damsel? How pathetic that she had become, she thought.

Still, she drew up her remaining courage and peeked at the pink mare, who has since stood near the door with a vacant smile, seemingly awaiting something.

Geuse looked on with disbelief. How could such a previously considerate and compassionate mare be so blind to the fact that she had ravished one of her dear friends? Even though she arguably gave the command, but the pink pony should also have some capacity of self-determination, especially when she yelled and resisted, right? It’s not like she had to follow every command that found its place into her mind.

Geuse resentfully gritted her teeth. She really hated to think badly of the cheery and friendly pink pony, but what she’s done had shaken her up so much that she was totally beset with sadness, fear and even anger. She just couldn’t comprehend how the pink pony could still act like nothing had happened at all and stand them with that faux-innocent smile. Couldn’t the pink pony see how much anguish she had caused at all? Where did her empathy go?

Suddenly, sounds of trotting hooves could be heard from outside the room. Geuse gasped and immediately stood up, her bullheaded pride forbidding her from showing weakness to more than the ones she knew. She hurriedly rubbed out all her tears and tidied herself.

The door opened, and to her surprise, it was Sunset Shimmer herself again. Why would such a busy leader take such a personal interest on them two?

The orange unicorn first took a satisfied glance at the pink pony, who perked up so much seeing her she beamed as brightly as sunshine.

“My, Pinkie Pie, I’m pleased to see you await me at the door as you’re told. This bid well for our…”

She glanced at the guarded-looking pegasus. “… future cooperation.”

Geuse rubbed her snout and said, doubt clouding her mind. “… What might you be wanting from us at this hour in the night, Consul Shimmer?”

“I just have some unfinished discussion I had with Miss Pie. She… has been immensely helpful with her display of skills and knowledge, and I certainly want to learn more from her.”

Sunset Shimmer coughed and smirked. “With her consent, hmm?”

Pinkie Pie almost immediately replied with a sing-song voice. “Of course! I’d be really glad to help Shimmie out! She’s such a great pony and friend after all!”

“Excellent! So, uh, Miss Geuse, you may want to go to sleep early tonight, because our talk might be quite long.”

The orange unicorn again smirked. “You… look a bit banged up, don’t you? Puffy eyes and all, maybe our crystalline bed is too hard for you to sleep on? I shall order a servant to bring you more mattresses to ease your sleep.”

“Uh… tha-”

Pinkie said with a glowing and adoring tone. “Ohhh, Shimmie, you’re such a kind and benevolent pony! I love you so much!”

“… Let’s move out. Have a good night of sleep, Miss Geuse.”

“Uh…”

Geuse weakly reached towards the two mares, but Sunset Shimmer quickly left, with Pinkie almost hanging onto her hind leg with a revering look. The heavy door then banged shut, leaving the befuddled knight inside the guest room pondering all the strange happenings of today.
> Chapter 2 – Flight of the Orange Pegasus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After having a couple cups of hot rooibos inside her belly, Geuse felt much calmer, her senses finally coming back to her.

That wasn’t right. That wasn’t right at all.

That mare, although she looked Pinkie, acted kinda like Pinkie, and smelled like…

“Gah, no!” The pegasus shook her head vigorously, trying to physically fling away her disturbing thoughts.

But indeed, ever since Pinkie went into that strange little room, she hadn’t been acting like the Pinkie she knew. After the shocking scenario in the living room, she no longer had any reason to be skeptical of her now solid doubt. You didn’t need to wield magic to notice somepony was acting completely unlike herself. Why would she suddenly acted as if Sunset Shimmer was her best friend and idol? That made not a lick of sense!

Her nagging fear and confusion towards the pink pony was gradually transforming into a solid determination and anger towards the perceived culprit. How dare the orange unicorn made her friend into a mockery of herself using whatever witchery she possessed! She’s going to poke a new hole or three on her smug plot for all the indignity that she endured.

She then let out a long breath. She could not be rash. She could not afford to be rash. She’s in hostile territory. She must make use of the element of surprise, now that Sunset Shimmer still didn’t know that her gig was up in her eyes. Pinkie might have fallen prey to some evil magic, and she would easily become a victim as well if she was not careful.

She sighed. Revenge could wait. She must figure out a way to safely bring her and Pinkie out of this accursed castle first. Once they have reached the safety among her other friends, she was sure she could count on perhaps unicorns like Rarity, Trixie, or even the Cruzesians to return Pinkie to… normal.

Unfortunately, Sunset Shimmer didn’t seem to be particularly willing to just let them go. The orange unicorn did not explicitly say so, but from the tidbits in her conversations, it seemed that she wanted them, particularly Pinkie to stay, and helped them out in the ‘great ranging’.

A disgusted feeling welled up in her chest. She was the one who was all jingoistic with the prospects of fighting in the north.

She was far from being naïve and heartless enough to seek the desolation of war, but she did find purpose in fighting for a good cause. This was not a good cause, it was ruinous from the first stroke of the plan, causing her friend to act like a lobotomized maniac.

“What can I do…?”

She bit her lips with worry. Where would Sunset Shimmer bring Pinkie to? And what if she was going to subject the pink mare with more strange and outrageous treatment? She must quickly find a way to locate the pink mare and take her away, even if she screamed and kicked her in the snout.

However, trotting sounds from guards kept reverberated in the corridor even late into the night. It seemed that Sunset Shimmer was not at all a careless mare. She also couldn’t help but worry if she already raised suspicion in the orange unicorn’s mind. 

As such, she kept alert next the door for as long as she could. When the steps quieted down and she heard a creaking in the door, she was almost going to pounce on the one who entered. However, it turned out to be a surprised maid who followed Sunset Shimmer’s order to give more blankets to her.

She could not in good faith attack innocents, so she reluctantly took over the blankets and thanked the maid. Hugging the soft blankets, she couldn’t help but feel the day’s tiredness all coming back to her. Against better judgment and her weakening endurance, she finally fell asleep unceremoniously on the floor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After an uneventful but tumultuous sleep, the next day was simply more of waiting for chance to sneak out. However, the heavy guard presence was still there all the time, making it impossible to break out. Even the classical ploy of waiting for the time between the change of duty to strike could not be applied, because the guards came in and out in pairs and alternately.

Geuse felt her worry rising in her heart. Sunset Shimmer sent a message to her, claiming the need to ‘borrow’ the pink pony for a longer time. What could be in store for the pink pony by the accursed unicorn? 

In the same letter she also said something good about her status as a fighter, and she would like to meet her tomorrow to discuss what way they could work together in the great ranging, and she also promised generous rewards.

“Like Tartarus I would walk into the lion’s den myself.” Geuse wheezed though gritted teeth.

She ground her teeth again, as she lamented that she was already half a leg in said den. Looking at the belonging she brought with her, she pondered what could she do if she must break out with force. 

Her trusty trident was with her. In a break of warrior tradition, she was not one to feel averse to modifying her weapon due to attachment, provided that it did not significantly change the feeling when she used it. As such, her obsidian trident was now diamond-tipped and reinforced with excellent steel alloy, courtesy of Rarity. It was now slightly lighter than even before, making it more portable.

There was the disguise she used to get inside the Empire, but she doubted there was much use to put it on again. The Crystallians, curse their bizarrely thorough network of intelligence, had somehow already knew about their trip and the fact that they would’ve been in disguises. Even if she could fool some low-rung guards, sacrificing the mobility granted by a free pair of wings was far from worth it.

There were bottles of water and some dried, nutrient-reinforced haystacks, which were creation by some intrepid pony working for the Apples on request from the Cruzesian army. They were for use in battle situations, emergency or survival in the wild, which might all apply depending on how things turned out. 

There were also blankets they brought with themselves and a folding tent, but Geuse decided against bringing those with her, because it would be too heavy and drag down her breakout. She did decide to wear light snowboots though. She still remembered the warning from Fluttershy that the northern weather might give her frostbite in the extremities.

She finished up with adding some ropes, firestarters and pocket knife, and then she sealed her saddlebag carefully. Now it was to find a way out.

The room they were in was in the center of the castle, completely devoid of any windows. There was an air duct of sorts, but it was dark, spiked and far too narrow to climb through.

Fortunately, she thought to herself, that the orange unicorn’s office was not that far from where she was staying. She did try to memorize the layout of the part of the castle while she walked through the corridors, although she was not at all certain of the reliability of her memory. 

She felt some regret having to subject her beloved trident to such coarse work, but extraordinary occasion called for extraordinary solution. She used all her might and stabbed her trident onto one of the crystalline walls. To her delight, the tips as well as the body sank into it like a voracious predator, and almost no noise was created at all. With more and more digging, a portion of wall cleanly came off.

As most rooms seemed to be empty quarters in this enormous castle, she should have no problem avoiding the network of guards and potentially reaching the area where Sunset Shimmer’s office and quarters were. Then she would incapacitate her quickly… in the best case scenario. She did not really know where Pinkie was kept. If she was in somewhere else not with Sunset Shimmer, then it would be easier. But if she was kept too far away or if she was staying together with the orange unicorn, then it would be difficult.

She drew in a breath. She looked at the clock. Night had again descended, and she no longer had another day. Shunting the door shut and cushioning the gaps of the door with the blankets to minimize the noise, she began her work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cold fear rumbled in Geuse’s mind. She had miscalculated.

Not that she was caught by any patrolling guards. In fact, the rooms she dug through to so far were all empty, much to her relief.

However, the problem was – she was lost.

She gritted her teeth for her overconfidence in finding bearing in this damningly large castle.

She was not somepony with a terrible sense of direction. On the contrary, she was an excellent tracker in the open. She led several ambushes in the swamp against changelings in several risky sorties during the siege of Timbucktu.

She wondered if there was also some strange magic in the castle that messed with her internal bearing. So far she had only dug forward and down, and it should have taken her to the end of the wing that connected to Sunset Shimmer’s office, instead of this dark storage room.

She sighed. At least she hadn’t dug into an actually occupied room so far. Whenever she heard some rumbling from the next room, she would dig carefully from the other side. All rooms she encountered in the castle so far were fan-shaped in accordance to the general radial arrangement.

She again dug down, and she was surprised. Instead of the ubiquitous turquoise crystal that adorned every facet of the castle, the layer under the floor was mere granite rocks.

Geuse almost groaned aloud. She must have overshot somewhere in the way and got to a floor too low. She must have already dug herself to the ground floor. 

She reflexively threw down her trident in a fit of anger. To her shock, the granite panes of rock cracked and fell, and an ever darker space was revealed.

Unsure whether to proceed or return the way she came, she heard a muffled yelp from down the hole. 

Blood drained from her face. There was someone down there! She was at risk of being discovered if that certain pony went out of her way to alert someone.

Using the weak light from an oil lamp in the room, she peeked down the hole to see if she needed to preemptively silence the particular pony. 

It appeared, however, the yelp had turned into some pained whimpering. Geuse was startled to find that the heavy debris had apparently strucked and injured the pony. The light was too dim for her to see clearly, but from how the pony twitched in pain, the injury might not be so light.

Feeling guilty, she weighed what to do with this injured pony. Flying down to bandage the pony would be an honorable thing to do, but also immensely risky and probably monumentally foolish, given how her life and her friend’s life were both hanging on balance.

At the end though, the chivalric teachings she had learnt since she was young won over. She sighed and flew down the narrow opening, and landed next to the pony.

Now that she was nearer, the pony’s appearance became clearer to her. She was apparently a crystal pony with a puffy white mane and a yellow coat. Her eyes were light green and crystal clear, oddly enticing in the dim torchlight. 

Geuse winced, as the pony’s hind leg was struck by falling rocks, and was bleeding somewhat.

However, the mare did not seem to see the pegasus at first, even when she was so close. It was only when Geuse flapped her wings to get closer that the pony became alerted. She abruptly turned and hissed. “Ci èlo?”

“Shh- D- Do you speak Equestrian? I’m… uh, here to help!”

“E- Equestrian?” 

The mare looked surprised at first, and then a wide smile appeared on her face. “Help…? You’re here to help me out?”

“Help you out? Huh?”

The mare tilted her head with bewilderment. “If you are not here to help me out, then why are you in the dungeon?”

“Dungeon…?!”

Geuse gasped and looked around. To her shock, the room was indeed bounded with featureless rock walls crusted with the occasional blue and black gemstones. A tiny grated window was on a small door some distance to them two.

The mare gritted her teeth angrily. “Don’t tell me she has blinded another innocent pony…”

“No, I see it now. I didn’t see it first because I come from the ceiling.”

“Oh, so you’re the one who dropped the rocks on my hoof.”

“I- I’m sorry! It was an accident! Now, please let me bandage your hoof.”

The mare sighed and smiled weakly. “Okay then, stranger. Do your work.”

As Geuse scrolled her prisoner’s drape up and wrapped the mare’s leg up, the mare said. “I hear flapping of wings. Are you an Equestrian pegasus?”

“No, I’m a pegasus, but I’m not an Equestrian.”

“Oh? So do you come from the East, in the land of Griffons?”

“No.”

“Are you from Trot then?”

“Nope.”

“This might be a long shot, but are you from the legendary pony tribes in the north?”

“Those are real?”

“Then where could you be from?”

“I’m a landsknecht from West Zebrica. Name’s Geuse.”

“Oh dear, what a long way that you’ve travelled! I have forgotten my manners as well. I’m Pisacan, daughter to Vitale Lena, the late chief justice of Crystal Empire and the patriarch of Vinidi clan. As a cheer for our bizarre but fateful encounter, please simply call me Pisa.”

“Pleased to meet you, Pisa.”

Pisacan then said lowly. “I would be immensely grateful if you can rescue me out of this castle, as a redress for the great injustice that has befallen our clan.”

Geuse widened her eyes, but she then sighed. “I’d love to take up on your offer and right an injustice, but I’m afraid I’m myself in a bit of a hot water right now.”

Pisacan slightly frowned, but she nodded. “Do tell, Geuse.”

“You see, I was trying to rescue another of my friends… She was not a prisoner… yet, because she still has use to Sunset Shimmer and I suspect she’s with her right now, but I also suspect that she was under some undue magical influence-”

Pisacan stroked her cheek and breathed through clenched teeth. “That witch Sunset Shimmer, right? I bet she must have bewitched your friend.”

“Eh? You think so too?”

“I was rounded up and thrown in this cell because of many reasons, but one of them is because I discovered the malicious streak of this so-called hero of our land. I’ll not be surprised if she resorts to that kind of lowly tactics not unlike the tyrant King Sombra.”

Pisacan then raised her head, but she did not look at anything in particular. “She had made use of the commotion caused by my father’s untimely demise and my inexperience to scatter my clan and rob our wealth. The Vinidi is now but a shell of her former self, and how! Not even when we were sent out to fight like drones under Sombra did we lose so many a good kin!”

The crystal pony looked madder and madder as she spoke on, so Geuse decided to ask her something else. “Um… so, you’re… blind?”

Pisacan’s anger gave way to ice-cold hate. “Courtesy of the Crystal hero, of course. She made me out as an example to the ones who opposed her. She blinded me with glass, so that my eyes look uninjured, but I can see nothing.”

Geuse’s heart sank to the bottom like a leaden ball. There was no mistaking it now, the orange unicorn she saw was evil. 

Pisacan drew in a long breath, and she smiled with a sigh. “So you want to rescue your friend, huh? I can understand that if you want to put your friend’s life first. It’s not like a blind mare like me can run anywhere that far anyway.”

Geuse bit on her tongue so hard that it almost bled. She didn’t know if the yellow crystal pony’s word was genuine, or if it’s just a ploy to play on her guilt, but it was dealing a twistingly painful blow to her conscience nonetheless.

“Listen up then, Geuse. I had memorized the entirety of the structure of the Crystal Castle before coming in, thinking that it might be useful in case of emergency. I can see why you might have made mistakes when you’re trying to reach your friend, because the flooring of Crystal Castle was at strange angles, and there were multiple magazine floors to confuse any potential intruders. Blind as a bat as I am now, that bit of knowledge was simply useless. But it might be useful to you now.”

“P- Pisa…”

“You want to reach the office of Sunset Shimmer from here, then you better count straight up three floors from this very cell. You should pass through a storage room, a small kitchen area and another storage room. None of those should be occupied at this time of the day. From there you can actually just exit through the door and you should be right opposite to her quarters, which are just next to her office. It’s great that you can fly, otherwise this route should not be possible.”

“Pisa… I don’t know how I can thank you.”

Pisacan shook her head and grinned mischievously. “It might be a tall order, but I would like it if you pick me up on your way out, haha!”

“How? I’d try my best to-”

The yellow mare waved her hoof and chuckled. “Haha, I’m not being serious, because to get out of this castle, you need to go the other way. This dungeon is at the center beneath the castle. So basically, you better dig your way out and keep going.”

She shrugged. “I’m no longer mobile or able to lead my kin, which is probably what that orange witch wants. This kind of blinding and imprisoning is traditionally reserved for political rivals in Crystal Empire. As far as I know, the dungeon was otherwise empty because all other lesser ‘crime-doers’ are conscripted for the so-called great ranging. I don’t know what she wants by sending our youth to the icy north, but for all her black heart, she might want to let nature take its course and eliminate some peskier elements in Crystallia.”

“What?! This is… This is evil, unforgivable!”

“… Who could be so high and mighty to do the forgiving, when she towers over all others?”

Geuse mulled difficultly, unable to give a response.

The yellow mare’s voice turned low again. “I’m just a loser in a political struggle. If you take me away, you make an enemy out of the whole establishment which Sunset Shimmer so shrewdly welded together. She even managed to pull wool over the eyes of Cadenza and her husband… She’s much more dangerous than Sombra, because the old stallion only knew to cast coarse mind control on the poorer citizens and force them to fight, while this unicorn also knows to manipulate hearts using means other than magic.”

She continued with unmistakable regret. “I only lament that the many thousand-year heritage of proud ancient Vinidia, which endures countless intrigues and even the brutal Sombra, will end in my very hooves. Such is the blood price for her visions of ‘unity’ and ‘glory’.”

Pisacan then closed her now useless eyes and slowly said. “… Off you go, Geuse. The guards will be back in roughly five minutes in their routine inspection. Other than the usual abuses, they shan’t further injure me. Even if you leave me here, she had tons of other things to worry about now that she’s busy playing toy soldiers. You’ve already done a great favor for me by listening to my story.”

Geuse bit her lips and reluctantly nodded. Seeing no response, she realized that the poor mare was blind and added hurriedly. “I understand, hang on here!”

“Thank you, my compassionate Zebrican friend. We Vinidis have a saying - No bisogna spuár nel piato che se ga de magnar… People who are empathic need never worry about what the future has in store for them. And yours will certainly be bright.”

Geuse waved her wings and went up, as she bit back her tears and left through the hole in the ceiling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pisacan breathed in and out slowly. Her own breathing was the only voice she heard in the majority of time she spent in here.

When one of your major senses was deprived, they say, the intensity of the other sensations would heighten.

Cruelly and laughably to her, the first senses to be heightened had not been her hearing or even touch, but her senses of hunger and thirst.

The dungeon ‘meal’ was worse than chewing on raw grass. The water was bitter and muddy. But for her and her clan’s survival, she must endure.

It was rare for her to explain her clan history to someone else, because there seldom was such a need.

Vinidi, a name alien to non-Crystallian, it had however always loomed large in Crystallian politics. The name was said to mean exactly ‘love’ in the proto-pony tongue even before the formation of Old Empire, Vinidians had been a proud nation specialized in trade, dedicating herself to connect the beating heart that had been Roam to all her daughter colonies around the world. Old Vinidia was said to be a floating city on a lagoon, where ships from farflung land would sail in and do trade, exchanging all sorts of exotic goods.

Gradually, Vinidians become subsumed in the larger Crystallian identity, but their memories and history as an expert trading people persisted. It was said that the focus on love and Crystal Heart was most strongly championed by Vinidians when the new Empire was rebuilt in the frigid north.

Even after the tumult that was the great migration, Vinidians, now a Crystallian clan among many, had nonetheless kept being an influential political player, occupying important positions in the Empire. Before the fall of the Empire to Sombra, they commanded a powerful navy out of the port of Vanhoofer, then called Castellammare del Bosforo – ‘sea fortress on the cow crossing’, due to its status as a cow trafficking depot.

“… All ancient history, innit. I should probably stop reminiscing that much, or else I would become as crazy as that orange witch.”

Pisacan heavily breathed out. It was strange. She counted her breaths, and she counted the time internally. It was of course difficult without external references, but five minutes should have passed long ago. Why was the foul-breathed guard not here to jab at her as he had done for the past few weeks?

“The guards never miss a beat. Something must be wrong up there.”

Pisacan’s heart sank a bit. Could it be that the mare just now…?

A gust of wind blew on her face, and flapping wings could again be heard inside the cell.

“G- Geuse? Is that you? What hap-”

“Hang on to me tight!”

With a somewhat panicked yelp, Pisacan felt that she was being lifted. And then she kept rising through the air and passing through narrow openings.

The blind mare felt a dizzying acceleration, and then a loud bang compounded with debris making contact with her face. The pegasus had apparently abandoned all sense of clandestineness, and elected to charge through walls using whatever tool that she had been digging walls with.

“The guards found that I was not in my room, and after seeing the holes in the wall, they had been mobilized to find me.”

Geuse gritted her teeth so hard she could break them. “Even with me trying to mask my trail, they could locate me in a jiffy… It’s already a lost cause to locate my friend.”

She gasped for more air. “… But I know you’re here, so I have to take you with me.”

“Why? I’m just a deadweight!”

“Then try not-!”

Geuse broke another layer of wall with her charging. “- to be one! Tell me how I can leave this place!”

“O- Okay! Can you s- see the color of the wall?”

“Yeah, it’s blue, with some green gems studded in the middle. So?”

“That means we are in the middle ring of the second floor… Let me think… Charge through the side of the wall to the 120 degree clockwise to the door!”

“120… 120… This one?”

Pisacan waved her hooves around with some frustration. “I don’t know! I can’t see!”

“S- Sorry, but well, here goes nothing!”

After another shower of debris, Pisacan called out. “Then keep charging straight until you reach a hexagonal room again!”

After more of those reckless charges, Geuse looked at her trident and bit her lips hard. The steel body had already been bent out of shape by the completely unintended uses, and she had to grasp near the spikes, which made it harder and harder to channel her momentum. Her hooves also hurt majorly from the repeated gem-blasting. 

“Now, Geuse, it was now or never. The wall to the 240 degree clockwise to the door should be the thinnest and the weakest, because it had been damaged under Sombra’s reign and only recently repaired with a sloppy job. Still, the thickness of the external wall was nothing compared to those thin sheets of gemstones they use to delineate rooms. Charge with all your might, and we shall find freedom!”

Ironically echoing what she heard from the pink pony earlier, Geuse muttered. “Aye, aye, Pisa.”

Drawing in a deep breath, Geuse put in every liter of strength she’s stored up since her birth and charged at the wall. A giant crackling sound emanated upon touch, and the two were soon covered with a cloud of fine and rough gem dust. To the two’s delight, the cough-inducing dust was soon blown away by a gust of cold wind.

“A- Are we outside the Castle now?”

Geuse bit on her trident to rest her hooves for a bit. “It appears that we are. But it is all dark in this quarter.”

“This corner of the castle courtyard was where the castle servants used to live. However, Sunset Shimmer drafted all the servants into joining her brownshirted thugs, so this place is now used to store food and stuffs. Escaping from here should minimize our risk of being discovered.”

“… Where do you plan to go, Pisa? I plan to escape the city as soon as possible and reach my friends in the south. They are the other Element-bearers and had relations to a lot of important ponies. If anypony could mount a resistance to Sunset Shimmer’s villainy and rescue my friend, it would be them.”

Pisacan smiled. “I really had nowhere to hide in this city now, honestly. Perhaps I should hitch a hike on your back, if you feel so inclined.”

“Of course I would never escape without you. You’re the very reason that I could get out of that crazy spiral maze in the first place. Just… how do we get to the barrier, and how do we leave?”

Pisacan looked fretful in her thoughts. “Time is precious now, let’s talk while we move. Try to fly high in the air to avoid the patrols on the ground. There should be a safehouse cladded in orange gemstone and hay bales at the end of Via dell’Impero… That’s the widest boulevard straight out of the hole we just came out.”

“Roger that! Hold on tight again!”

As rapid streams of air hit Pisacan’s face like a giant waterfall, something long extinguished in the heart of the young matriarch lit up again.

It was a flicker of hope.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After briefly staying over at the abandoned warehouse to rest and replenish themselves, the two had sneaked gradually near the border patrol who was guarding the magical gate.

Lit torches could be seen in a distance near the city center. It would be a matter of time for the chasers to reach them.

Pisacan, now tied to Geuse’s back with several round of ropes, muttered. “Geuse, this is the trickiest part of our escape. The gate is always guarded by at least two Crystallian border patrol at all times. We must knock all the guards out preemptively in order to secure our escape.”

“… Fine.”

Geuse felt uncomfortable at sneaking up on an opponent unawares. But this was no time to stick to fair play given everything that was at stake.

“The small canister that I just told you to grab with us… It was something that my father procured from a land far beyond the Griffonland. Not even I knew about its true origins, but apparently if you light it with fire, the smoke it makes would swiftly knock out whoever breathing in the smoke. Its effect lasts for several dozen minutes, and well… let’s say whoever used it usually had malicious intent. But now it’s used to aid our run, which might as well be its most legitimate use in history.”

“Won’t we also keel over when we breathe those smoke in?”

“We can take in the antidote first. In fact, we already did. Remember the limewater we had in the warehouse? That is the antidote.”

“I see… So, uh… should I light the canister and throw it to the guards?”

“We should be more careful than that, Geuse. Isn’t it downwind out there? You can fly up, then let the smoke blow down to the gate and do its job. Even a sniff of it would knock out a full-sized yak. Little ponies like us stand no chance.”

“Okay, here I go…!”

Flapping her now quite tired wings, Geuse flew up against the first sliver of morning light. Her heart beat fast as she knew she was racing with time. After lighting up the canister with a match, the canister began to create a puff of smoke. It was even less conspicuous than she expected, as it was only slightly visible straight out of the canister.

Geuse widened her eyes at how powerful the smoke was. In a few blinks of the eyes, the vigilant trio who was standing guard fell over like three pieces of cardboards. The orange pegasus whispered the message of success to the content-looking crystal pony, while gradually descending towards the gate.

As they were about to cross over the magical gate, and greeted the brutally cold, but at least non-hostile north wind, someone tugged at Geuse’s tail back with a powerful pull.

“Gah!”

Geuse’s heart skipped a beat, as she hurriedly slipped her misshapen trident out of her holster and pointed it backwards.

Geuse couldn’t see the face of the stallion, but the uniform told her enough of his allegiance. She managed to then calm down a bit and lunged out in attack, planning to buy a moment of time for them to skip out of the gate.

The orange pegasus narrowed her eyes, and gasped. “A- Asclepias?”

“Hmm-? Did I know you, pegasus?”

Just as Geuse pondered if she could talk her way out of this, the mare on her back said with a trembling voice. “… Asclepias.”

“W- Wait, who’s there?”

“Who...? You have the gall to ask this question, Asclepias. I see that by the time you sell your blood family by the pound to the orange witch, you’ve already forgotten their names!”

“That voice… it can’t be… Pisa, sister, is that you?”

“I have no brother!”

Pisacan’s unseeing eyes watered up, and warm tears fell onto the base of Geuse’s wings, sending tingles up her spine.

“P- Please understand, Pisa, I join the VS to protect-”

“And look at all the fruits of your dedicated protection! Our kin dispersed and conscripted into hard labor, our ancient wealth squandered and confiscated! And you… by your own hooves you arrest your own sister! Do you know what they did to me in the prison?”

“I… I thought the wise Guida will surely give you a fair tria-”

“She blinded me without a slight pretense to justice, Asclepias, I can’t see a thing now. You read history books, right? You know well what this means when such a thing is done to the head of a clan.”

“W- What?!”

“How could you see so well and yet be so blind, Asclepias! To that orange witch, every one of us can live as long until our usefulness to her has dried up. Do you think that she genuinely cared about auditing our businesses and family wealth fairly according to the law? Never! It’s just a ploy to remove a thorn on her side, as our presence made it impossible for her to fully control the Crystalline Assembly.”

The burly crystal pony commandant was stunned. He looked at the pathetic appearance of his sister. Her sister, despite her youth, had always been the steady pillar that calmed their minds with her determined outlook. Before the brief but destructive reign of Sombra, she had been the one who took care of the clan finance and businesses when their father took on official posts in the government. 

The petite but confident matriarch now seemed direly malnourished and resentful. Was it all his fault for putting his trust in his country and adored leader?

Geuse looked a bit impatient, as she looked back to the distant torchlight. “Commandant Asclepias, now if you excuse me, I would like to escape with your sister to safety.”

Asclepias stood motionless for a moment, and then he suddenly removed his coat and hat, and covered his sister with them. His similarly white mane wavered in the night wind.

“… Take them with you, sister, you will need them in the north wind outside.”

“Clepy…?”

Asclepias shivered at his sister’s intimate address, something that he hadn’t heard since he was a foal. He gritted his teeth and asked. “Would my fellow guards-”

“They would be fine, it’s just the Eastern sleeping incense that father bought before everything turned to Tartarus.”

Asclepias took a breath and said. “… Don’t go south.”

“Huh? Why?” Geuse asked in surprise.

“Gui- Sunset Shimmer has instrumentations in the south, and she has lined quite a number of soldiers and militias along the entire base of Crystal Mountains. I don’t know what this operation is for, but it’s said to prevent any news of the subsequent actions of the northern campaign from leaking out to the Equestrians and their annoying press. So if you go south through the pass, chances are you will run into Crystallian soldiers.”

“Geuse can fly, so-”

“And Crystallian soldiers have crossbows and ballistas. Don’t risk your life anymore than this mad jailbreak. You two… perhaps you can go northeast to the yaks first, and then sail down to Vanhoofer through the Luna Bay. I will cover your track by saying that you two headed south.”

Pisacan felt incredibly conflicted. She hated her little brother immensely for betraying the clan by joining force with the Brownshirts and by extension Sunset Shimmer. She didn’t know which switch was flicked in her brother’s mind that caused him to relent, but it did make it difficult for her to hate him as intensely as before.

“If what you said is true, then thank you in advance, Commandant. Time is not on our side, and we must go now.”

“Please, Miss Geuse.”

Geuse turned with wariness, but she was surprised to hear what he said next. “… p- protect my sister.”

“… I shall, to the best of my ability. Incidentally, if you see my friend, a pink pony with a puffy mane.”

Geuse sighed with immense regret. “I can’t rescue her out, but try to keep an eye out for her. She’s a very important pony to me.”

Asclepias nodded. Watching the two cross over the magical gate, he muttered difficultly under his breath.

“… May Vinidius preserve my sister… and my soul.”


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“By my beloved trident…”

Hugging the ground on the southside of the insurmountable Everhoof, Geuse looked to the south and muttered in disbelief.

The entire southern horizon, just as Asclepias said, was crowded with scores of ponies in formation. Smoke billowed from the numerous army camps and checkpoints along the base of the mountain. It would indeed be prohibitive difficult and risky to try to sneak past such a watertight line.

“Your brother spoke the truth, Pisa. The entire south is but a long swarm of Crystallian soldiers. Trying to get close would only end badly for us.”

“… Is it?”

Pisacan muttered weakly. She was much more weakened by her weeks of imprisonment, and hiking in the mountain took its toll on her. “My stupid brother has a use for once.”

Geuse bit her lips. It would not be wise to comment on their family matters. So instead she talked about something more casual. “It’s interesting that this side of the mountain is nowhere as cold as where we started. There isn’t even much snow on the ground, although the wind is much stronger and drier.”

“It’s an effect of the Favonio wind. When the cold, wet northern air passes the roof of Everhoof, it drops all its moisture on the northern face, and then gets pulled down by force of gravity. When the air above smashes with the air below, the energy has nowhere else to go and turns into heat. So the air here all the way to Yakyakistan is clear, dry and warm. In fact, we also call them the mangianeve, ‘snow-eater’, because where Favonio blows, snow simply disappears.”

Geuse was not expecting such an expertly answer from the yellow mare. She gulped and asked. “Thanks, Pisa. How long till we reach Yakyakistan, given that my bearing is correct?”

“If you fly at double the speed of walking, and through a straight line, then we should reach the Gate of Heaven before noon, which is five leagues away from the Empire.”

“… You’re such a knowledgeable mare, Pisa. I’m glad to have met you on my way out.”

“I’m just glad that the lessons I learnt from all those boring tutors are useful for once. And this is the least that I can do after you saved my blind plot from further humiliation under that orange witch.”

Licking her lips to replenish some moisture, Geuse muttered.

“… I… don’t understand.”

“Don’t understand what?”

“How come Sunset Shimmer can get into power in Crystal Empire? And if she’s so bad, how come no one outside the empire knows about her deeds?”

“It’s not like Equestrians are a particularly quick and perceptive bunch, isn’t it? Before Sombra dissolved the Crystalline Assembly, banished Princess Amore and came to power, there are many red flags that should’ve been plainly obvious to the Equestrian Princesses. Shame that they got distracted by Discord’s monkey businesses and their own indetermination.”

Pisacan shook her head and muttered. “Crystallians have a hero-worship fetish. We always do. It’s always been since the days of Old Empire. Heroes can do no wrong. Those gladiators in colosseums were not seen as cold-blooded killers, but brave and martial warriors. And now comes a tyrant-defeating hero, we’re quick to rally behind her, and we’re willing to do and say anything to avoid marring her name. Even outrageous crimes are hushed and dismissed as small aberrations. Sombra was crude and cruel, but Sunset Shimmer is shrewd and cruel. And now history comes upon us, not as an exact repetition, but a refrain with a twisted rhyme.”

“My friends are not going to allow it…!”

“Not to be a wet towel, but look at how easy it was for Sunset Shimmer to capture one of your Element-bearer friends. As a unicorn, she might easily be even more powerful than Sombra, and what’s more, the Crystal Heart seems not to be her anaethema like it was to Sombra.”

“… I don’t know. I really don’t know…!”

Pisacan could feel emotional trembles on the pegasus’s back. “I have shamed myself and betrayed the expectations of all my friends. I escaped like a coward and left Pinkie in the hooves of that horrible mare. I’m a failure of a knight and failure of a friend! How can such a failure like me talk about something so grand?”

“… Don’t bang up on yourself that much, my friend. Things go awry and such is life. I said all those seemingly deflating appraisals, simply because it’s important for us, even a blind mare like me, to never lose sight of where we are. Just like I never knew that someone like you would come, but knowing where I was eventually helped us both out. You never know when fate would smile and lend us a helping hoof.”

Geuse stayed silent for a while, and she eventually thinly chuckled. “Pisa, you have a way with words, don’t you?”

“My good Geuse, you don’t get to be a Vinidi matriarch without a dram of passion and a slight slide of silver tongue. In a twisted sense, I’m glad that she took away my sight rather than my ability to speak, or else I’d truly be a useless pony.”

Geuse sighed sadly. But something emerged from one of the myriad mountain passes at a distance.

“Um, Pisa, I see something in a distance… Looks like two brown yak statues with a gate in the middle.”

“Oh, right, that’s the Gate of Heaven. Ah… So it’s still standing, something never changes, it seems.”

Pisacan then said. “Don’t provoke the yaks by flying over it. Drop us down before the guards. I dealt with them a few times… more than a thousand years ago in your time, that is. But if yaks are still yaks, then it should be alright.”

“A- Alright, thanks, Pisa. Just pull back when you sense any danger. I would be gutted to lose two friends in the north.”

“Don’t be a worrywart and just go! Life will sort itself out.”

Geuse briefly shivered at her use of the charmingly innocent word, and her worry for her pink friend flared up again. She still felt the intimate press on her lips…

Geuse rapidly shook her head and doubled down on her wing flapping. In a blink of an eye, they had arrived at the top of the precipitous cliff when the Gate of Heaven lied.

A large, brawny yak guard standing next to the gate noticed the incoming pegasus, and shouted with a ear-piercing volume. “Get your weak plot down here so yak see your face, puny pegasus!”

“… What was that?” Geuse muttered to the mare on her back.

“That’s just the way yak talks, especially when you haven’t shown strength to earn their respect yet. Just land and comply.”

“Okay…”

Geuse landed cautiously at a distance off the guard, however the yak guard was much more impatient, as he huffed hotly and charged right towards the two. Geuse was alarmed and almost flew up into the air in anticipation of a collision, but at the end she stood her ground.

“Hmng, orange pony not trot back when yak charge. Pony pass test.”

Geuse widened her eyes. “Now what was that about?”

“Uh… Well, yaks are an impulsive warrior race, so maybe he thinks that if you show enough bravery, then you’re good to go.”

“What a strange way to guard a border.”

“Well, at least I don’t have to get down and talk with them n-”

“Hey! Orange pony no small-talk with yellow crystal pony! Enter right now or get buck over cliff!”

“Right, right! We’re going in!”

Geuse hurriedly flew up and rushed towards the half-open gate, and suddenly the yak yelled at them again. “Stop, orange pony!”

Geuse gasped and turned again, wondering what the burly yak guard had in store for them again this time.

“Pony better not disrespectful inside Yakyakistan, or pony get punished and thrown out!”

“U- Understood!”

“And since orange pony not coward, yak tell of you severe warning.”

“A warning?”

“Two warning. First warning, yak know crystal pony moving soldier near Yakyakistan. Prince Rutherford very angry! Yak hid puny crystal princess and prince in secret place, no give back until crystal pony retreat!”

“… It’s not like we have much say in th-”

“Second warning, yak now holding celebration for dragon champion, do not disturb great hero or pony get punishment!”

The pegasus and the crystal pony had two different reactions to the news.

Geuse tilted her head with intrigue. “Dragon…?”

However, Pisacan only gritted her teeth. “Hero…? Why must it always be hero?”

“What pony say under breath?”

“N- No, nothing. No disturbing, got it!”

“Then enter the great Yakyakistan, ponies!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“What should we do now, Pisa?”

Pisacan was finally allowed off the pegasus’s back, and she trotted behind the pegasus, tugging at the orange mare’s tail as a guide.

“Now that we’re inside Yakyakistani border, we should be much safer. Even King Sombra, at his height of power, failed to take this impenetrable fortress. The Gate of Heaven is a choke-point that can foil any kind of invasion. And to put it in a cruder way, the Yakyakistani prince could give no flying buck even if Sunset Shimmer wants us extradited.”

Geuse chuckled, and then let out a sigh of relief. “I’m no prude, Pisa. And if there’s any occasion that warrants a loosening of our darn mouths, it is now.”

“Ha ha ha! Right you are.”

Geuse’s smile then dimmed a bit. “Would the yaks really be amenable to any of our requests? They have already hold Cadance and Shining Armor as some sort of hostages, if what the guard said was true. They might think badly of us because of Sunset Shimmer’s actions and the fact that we’re ponies.”

“Well, you don’t need to worry about that a bit. Yaks are fiercely honorable, and the fact that they hold up Cadanza and her husband is a common diplomatic gesture to ward off opportunistic attacks. There should be no personal danger to them even if the unthinkable happens. At most, they would have to stay in yak lands for the rest of their lives.”

“I don’t think Twilie would like that…”

“Who?”

“Twilie is one of my best friends, an Element-bearer and-”

“You mean Twilight Sparkle, the one who beat back the changelings at Canterlot and somehow came back to life six moons later?”

“Yeah, that’s her. I picked her up personally in West Zebrica myself. Shining Armor is her brother.”

“A small world innit, I certainly hope that she isn’t another one of those ‘heroes’ who had a dark agenda, being another unicorn student of Celestia and all…”

Geuse stopped in the middle of the road. Pisacan asked quizzically. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t let that slip, Pisa. Twilie will never do something remotely as bad. She’s easily the most kind and selfless pony I knew. She saved at least two nations by now, and yet she wants nothing for herself. I would bet my life on her innocence any time.”

“My, Geuse, no need to do that. My apologies for having misspoke. Please do not take my jest seriously.”

Geuse smiled thinly. “I know, I just want to emphasize what I think about Twilie.”

“Well, I can’t wait to see-”

Pisacan paused a bit and wryly continued. “Well, bad choice of word. But I would love to meet her someday.”

Geuse decided not to mention Twilight’s true condition, and instead asked. “Pisa, how are we going to leave for Equestria then?”

“We need a ship. The yaks have a small port on the Luna Bay, where they use to trade hay with Equestrians. But we must plead with the prince to board and sail… Can you sail, Geuse?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Oh well, then we’d need sailing hooves as well. Don’t worry, I know the yak tongue myself. Yaks are almost always surprised and impressed when they hear non-yak speak Yakyakistani, since they think it’s the most difficult language to learn in the world.”

“That would be great.”

“Now, let’s go to the palace and request to see the prince. Uh, but there’s one thing though.”

“What is it?”

“There’s a… curious tradition for foreigners who want to see the prince. It especially applies to visitors like us, who request to see the prince immediately right now. Yaks expect to observe sincerity before allowing visitors to see the prince. And to do that, we have to throw our pride to the wind, because we have to walk the short trail from the palace gate to the throne room, kneeling down every three trot, and knocking our heads on the ground every nine trot.”

“What?! But I’m still a knight! A knight can’t just casually kneel unless it was a formal ceremony and with an accolade! And touching our head to the ground to appease someone is even more sacrilegious!”

“… Geuse, sometimes we must swallow our pride to actually achieve something-”

“I have bent my principle enough by sneaking out without Pinkie. I told myself that I still serve a purpose because I must reach south and tell my friends of the great treachery of Sunset Shimmer. If I must trash my remaining pride by kissing the dust, then I might as well throw myself off the cliff outside. You aren’t bounded by the code of chivalry, so you can go without me.”

“Stop being so stubborn, Geuse! You-”

“My way of life isn’t stupid, Pisa!”

A familiar voice suddenly rang from their behind in the middle of the road. “Excuse me, it seems that you two are arguing over somethi- What in the Tartarus?!”

Geuse and Pisacan both turned. Geuse’s jaw almost dropped, while Pisacan deeply frowned as she couldn’t see who the newcomer was.

His green back spikes showing signs of some tear and wear, but the purple scales on his body was luscious as ever. However, the most shocking thing was a giant wound on his chest, and a bloodied cotton bandage covering it.

“S- Spike?! Why are you in Yakyakistan? And what’s up with your chest?!”

“Oh, it was just a small bite from a cragadile. Don’t get spooked by the blood, it’s been healing alright, but my fire breath is still out because it ruptured my flame gland. A bit unlucky, really-”

“A s- small bite?! It’s frigging cragadile!”

“Oi, Geuse!”

Geuse again turned to another side, and covered her mouth. “Kanipha!”

The zebra colt smiled. “You look like you’ve been through something, huh? The last time I saw your wing feather this messy, was when you had to fetch for oasis water in the middle of a sandstorm.”

Geuse covered her mouth, and muttered slowly with shaky breaths. “T… Thank goodness…”

Kanipha and Spike both widened their eyes. The dragon asked. “What’s wrong, Geuse, you don’t look alright…”

“Spike.”

The pegasus knight who just said she would never casually kneel, knelt right in front of the purple dragon.

Spike gasped. From what little time he spent with the orange pegasus, he knew that behind the easy-going demeanor hid a prideful mare who took her knightly code seriously.

“I have failed you, I have failed every friend of Twilie, and I have failed everyone that I know. I am no knight of Timbucktu.”

Pisacan silently stood aside. She didn’t know who these two were, but she understood that they were Geuse’s friends. At this kind of emotional moment, she decided not to speak up and ask questions yet.

Kanipha felt palpitations in his heart. Something must have gone terribly wrong for Geuse to say something like that. 

Spike also thought similarly, and he gulped. “D- Don’t be rash yet, things might still turn out okay, just get up and tell us what was wrong.”

“No, my sin and cowardice had weighed me down.”

Geuse gritted her teeth and said difficultly. “I had let my guard slip, and the villainous Sunset Shimmer captured and bewitched Pinkie, and she was now in danger of being manipulated for her nefarious purpose, not to mention the risk to her personal safety! I didn’t manage to get her out when I mounted an escape.”

Spike stumbled backwards and said shakily. “This can’t be!”

Kanipha looked at Geuse carefully and breathed out heavily. “And you have escaped her clutch in the nick of a time.”

Geuse winced and nodded. Kanipha then asked as calm as possible. “And who might that crystal pony be?”

“Greetings, friends. I’m Pisacan, matriarch of the Vinidi clan of Crystallia.”

“I’m Kanipha, and he’s Spike. We’re currently trekking all across Equestria to do quests and help people out. Kinda like what Geuse used to do, eh?”

Although Spike was still shocked and burning with worry, he had calmed down for a bit. Noticing that the crystal pony was not facing them, he waved and said. “Hello, Pisacan, we’re here.”

Pisacan tried to reorient to the source of the sound, but she unintentionally walked into the small zebra colt and tripped.

“Ouch!”

“A- Are you alright?”

Spike immediately extended his arms and grabbed the mare, who was a bit surprised at the non-pony feeling of touch. Still, she kept her good manners and thanked.

“Thank you, Spike isn’t it? I can’t see, because I was blinded in my jail cell by Sunset Shimmer. She was wary of my opposition to her rule and our clan’s influence, so she used the ancient Crystallian punishment to deprive somepony of meaningful political participation, namely blinding and imprisonment.”

The dragon and zebra both looked aghast, when they turned to the kneeling pegasus for confirmation, they only got a slow and teeth-grinding nod.

Spike deeply sighed, and with a strong pull, he dragged the unaware pegasus from the ground and in front of him, looking each other eye to eye.

“S- Spike!” Geuse was surprised by the dragon’s sudden action, and she was about to protest. “I’m just too-”

“Stop moping, Geuse! Our top priority now is to rescue Pinkie. Playing the blame game will achieve exactly nothing.”

Kanipha also nodded. “And why would we blame you? Without you risking your safety to bring out the message, we would still walk around thinking that Sunset Shimmer might be a good and benevolent leader in the north.”

Spike patted Kanipha’s shoulder in agreement, and then turned to Geuse again. “I need clarification, though. Why exactly are you and Pinkie in Crystal Empire in the first place?”

“It’s a long story. But basically, a series of events down south lead to a need for us to rescue the family of a crystal pony, reportedly wrongfully banished. He was threatened to join in a plot, which involved polluting the Saddle with poisonous waste. We surmised that might be industrial sabotage, but now it turned out to be much more sinister. Given how Sunset Shimmer knows about our secret plan to infiltrate the Empire, she must have spies in Ponyville, and she must have set the whole thing up as a trap to lure us in…”

Kanipha stroked his jaw. “… Perhaps to neutralize the famous threat of the Element-bearers, in order for her to have free rein in Equestria and beyond.”

“That’s a possibility…” Geuse sighed.

Kanipha shook his head. “We must go south to find more help at once. Whatever nasty plan she has must not be allowed to succeed.”

Spike gritted his teeth in frustration. “If only my fire breath is not out, I can just send a message to Princess Celestia.”

Geuse bit her lips. “… The direct road to the south is blocked. There are Crystallian soldiers all around. If what my brother said was true, Sunset Shimmer is planning some sort of military actions, and she wants no news of that to pass to the south. They aren’t going to let even a sparrow through without shooting it down with bow and arrows.”

“Curses!” Spike gritted his teeth.

Pisacan said. “We can still reach Equestria by sea, though. The Yakyakistani port of Sighanak is to the West. And the Crystallians has no navy presence to speak of as of yet. If we manage to get a ship to the south, we would do fine.”

The yellow mare then touched her lips with intrigue. “You… Spike, your hoof… no, it wasn’t a hoof. What race are you?”

“I’m a dragon, and Kanipha is a zebra.”

“Oh? It seems that we have a melting pot of races here, that’s wondrous. And you say you’re a dragon, might you be the so-called dragon champion the yaks are talking about?”

Spike blushed a bit and scratched his cheeks, and Kanipha just smiled and said. “Yep, he definitely is.”

It was now that Geuse noticed something different about Kanipha. He was far less cocky, and she was surprised that Kanipha simply gave Spike his credit, without adding a cynical remark.

“I did nothing really special, really. I just helped the yak prince to retrieve one of their ancient tug banners, which got lodged in a volcanic crevice. It happens that I can tolerate the heat of the lava, so I can get it out in a way that didn’t burn the hairs of their yak ancestors.”

Pisacan smilingly nodded. “Oh, the yaks revere their ancestors. No wonder they think so highly of you. If you haven’t asked any favor from him yet, we can use this feat as a chance to borrow a ship of his.”

Spike bit his lips. “It sounds wrong to ask for rewards, because we haven’t done so throughout our journey.”

“It’s for a righteous cause, my dragon friend.”

After a long silence, Spike breathed out heavily and said. “… Is it really impossible to save Pinkie all by ourselves?”

“Spike…” Kanipha’s gaze swept through Spike’s wound.

“Pinkie is in danger in somewhere we can reach in half a day, and yet all we’re thinking is to run away with our tails tugged under us. As a dragon who had sworn to protect the mare I love, this is simply unacceptable.”

Geuse frowned. “But you’re wounded, Spike.”

Spike sighed with a rolling eye and tore off the bandage, revealing a largely healed scar. “It’s weeks ago, Geuse. Everything other than my fire breath is fine, and the dragon doctor at Baltimare said even my fire would come back in a week or two. I still have my scales, my claw and my wit to boot!”

“My dragon friend, I know this is a bitter pill to swallow. But even a clan matriarch like me, who once commanded thousands of ponies, got defeated and imprisoned by the orange witch, a motley crew like us stands little chance of achieving anything.”

She raised a hoof and gesticulated. “Look, I would gladly throw myself onto the tip of a spear if it means reviving the Vinidi fortune. But any sacrifice has to be meaningful. I’m a merchant by trade, and to me, getting a ‘moral victory’ out of a demolishing defeat is worthless. We stand the greatest chance of success by connecting ourselves to any and all allies that we can find, not fighting alone against impossible odds.”

“Who knows the odds are impossible until we actually try?”

“Trust me, Geuse and I know with our first-person experiences.”

Spike was still highly reluctant, and Pisacan could sense that only too well, so she conceded. “Let us see the yak prince and borrow the ship first, just in case? We still have time to debate for the next course of action while it’s being approved and arranged.”

Spike slowly nodded. “Alright. The celebration will be due two hours later. I can bring it up to Prince Rutherford when I see him.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Among raucous celebration and loud coarse yak cheering, Spike returned to the table where his other friends awaited. 

“Good news or bad news?”

“There’s good news and bad news as well.”

Pisacan sighed. “Good news first then.”

“Prince Rutherford is more than generous enough. He said it’s just ‘calf stuff’, and he could lend us a dozen ships if we so need.”

Kanipha smiled. “That’s great, but what’s the bad news then?”

“The entire Yakyakistani fleet seems to be pounded in Vanhoofer for some minor customs issue. So he said there’s no ship in port. And smaller ships would not survive the roaring waves of the Luna Bay. He had to consult with his ministers to figure out when can the fleet return by the earliest, but it would likely be several days at least.”

Pisacan angrily huffed. “What a terrible timing for bureaucratic nonsense!”

Geuse weakly sighed. “At least we have a safe haven to stay over…”

Pisacan scratched her mane with annoyance, and joined in the collective sigh. “I guess you’re right.”

Spike took an alabaster gem from the bowl and chomped on it inattentively. “We’ll definitely have one Tartarus of a time the way the wind blows, enjoy this peace when you still can.”

Kanipha for once lost his knowing smile and looked to Spike worriedly. The dragon didn’t say a thing about how he felt since he was told that Pinkie was caught, but a sense of abandon was only too obvious in his voice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inside the simple hay guesthouse the yaks built for visiting dignitaries, Kanipha was writing his journal entry of the day.

Someone gently knocked on the thick pinewood door, and Kanipha shouted. “Come in!” 

Geuse gingerly waded in, earning a surprised look from the zebra colt. The zebra colt then smirked with a conceited expression.

“At this hour, Geuse? Do you want me to sing you a sweet lullaby for sleep?”

Geuse rolled her eyes and breathed out heavily. “How in the world can you make annoying jokes even at times like this? Bah! I must have mistaken, I’m leaving!”

“… Wait, please stay.”

The orange pegasus stopped and turned with a suspicious look, and the usual smug look he had sported was replaced by one of genuine worry.

“Sorry, Geuse, I just wanted to lighten up the mood in my own way, but it seems like all it does, like before, was to make you feel more annoyed. I apologize.”

Geuse blinked, and then blinked some more. She tentatively walked back and near the zebra colt, who rolled up his journal and stuffed it in his saddlebag.

“… What happened, Kanny?”

“Hmm? What do you mean? It’s rare that you use that dimunitive with me. I don’t mind hearing it more to be honest, ha ha.”

“I mean, you seem a lot less… abrasive. Why?”

“… You notice that too, huh? It must’ve been obvious for you to catch that in the few minutes that we talked.”

“It’s just a few weeks since we last met. Did something…”

Geuse gulped. “… bad happen?”

“Bad thing…? No, no. Nothing compares to what happened to you and Pinkie in term of severity. We did endure some hardship, but I won’t call it bad, because they’re valuable experiences.”

He looked up to the swaying oil lamp light. “It’s just that spending time with Spike made me realize something.”

“And what is it?”

Kanipha slowly let out a breath, as he sat on the roughly made bed made of a thin blanket and shredded hay. “I’m a horrible piece of work.”

Geuse breathed in sharply. “Y- You don’t…”

“No, that’s what I am. I’m the sanctimonious know-it-all. I always made it all about myself, and whenever I got something right, or had a solution for something, I never passed up the opportunity to rub it in others’ faces. I know you never saw me eye to eye, but tolerated me because Twilight seemed to dote on me.”

Geuse was stunned at his brutal honesty. She couldn’t quite find what words to say after his revelation.

“If it’s any consolation, I never cared much for you either. You always said you’re a knight and such, but you’re just a hedge knight without a liege. You left the king who knighted you to become an ‘adventurer’, which was simply a bounty hunter in all but name. You were stuck-up and holier-than-thou, and at the same time chasing copper, a contradiction of a pony.”

Expecting some kind of rebuke, Kanipha was surprised to see Geuse nodded tiredly. “… You are not wrong.”

Kanipha smirked thinly. “Now, what happens to you? Any day before this, you might even contemplate breaking your silly code and smacking the mannerless colt before you.”

Geuse responded with a wry smile. “It’s clear that the two occupants of this room both like to wallow in self-loathing. You know I realized I failed hard, but what about you?”

Kanipha toothily grinned. But then he let out a big sigh.

“… You know where I came from, right?”

“You’re from Northeast Zebrica, near Habesha, if I remember correctly.”

Kanipha smiled. The flickering light shone on his poised face, making him for once more worn than he really was. 

“I’m glad you remember. It was a small piece of grassland next to the Great Desert. When I was born, the Great Desert Sandstorm was most severe. Sand blew from the south and covered half of the savannah. It didn’t reach us, but it affected us nonetheless… oh boy, did it so.”

Geuse gulped. She remembered the event that Kanipha seemed to be alluding to. “You can’t be saying that t- the hyenas…”

“How perceptive, Geuse. I regret talking badly about you back then all the time… You graduated from a prestigious university after all, while I’m just a zebra from the plot-end of space.”

“Stop it, Kanny. If I hear any more self-deprecation from you, I would begin to suspect that you’re either a wisselkind or Sunset Shimmer got her hoof on you too.”

The zebra colt snorted. “Heheh! You made it hard for me to talk about the tragedy in my home village without sounding heartless and stuff.”

The smile on Geuse’s face quickly faltered. “… I’m sorry.”

The zebra colt shrugged. “Why apologize? You have nothing to do with it. But yes, you guessed correctly, it had everything to do with the Spotted Peril.” 

Kanipha lowly murmured in a droll manner, almost like he was telling as story unrelated to himself. “The hyenas… They got hungry because the areas they used to hunt for critters were covered by sand. Led by the Spotted King, they swept across cattle and zebra lands, laying waste everywhere. It happened that our village was chosen to be made an example to other villages, in order to scare them into surrendering without a siege.”

Geuse didn’t know if she had mistaken, but the zebra colt’s eyes seemed to have hazed up. 

“My mother was there… She’s a brave zebra mare. I’d never forget her last moments. Her teary eyes begging for me to run, as the hyenas sank their teeth in her neck.”

Geuse covered her mouth, but Kanipha continued. “… If she’s still here, I must be a disappointment in her eyes, because she put in her all to bring me up as a learned zebra, but I turn out so conceited and so messed up. I might’ve gloated and I might’ve bragged, saying how sagacious I am, but at the end, I played fire with my wits because I thought I could get away with it, and I played fire with my life because I thought it was borrowed anyway. You said you’re a failure of a knight for a day, but I’m a failure of a son and a zebra for pretty much the entirety of my short life.”

Geuse deeply knitted her brows. The zebra’s pomposity and barbed tongue always made him a valid target in her eyes, but at times of now, he simply looked like what he was, a lost and despondent orphan of war.

“It would be embarrassing to say this in any other situation, but buck it, I may as well spill my heart’s content here – Twilight really reminded me of my late mother.”

“Really?”

“Really. She even had her eyes, the brilliant violet which I don’t quite inherit. She’s selfless and has a stunning streak for self-sacrifice. She doted and lectured me like no others before, and she did it not because she’s fed up with ‘that little brat’, but out of genuine care and concern. I absolutely savor that feeling, so it came as quite a shock that she’s now forgotten about all those and I’m all alone again.”

“You’re not alone! And I’m sure she would recover in time, Kanny.”

“Thanks, Geuse. But it’s no use, even if it does happen.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve realized something else. Even if I do see her as a surrogate mother, she saw me not as a surrogate son.”

“H- How can that be? Didn’t you say she dote on you?”

“I have always had my suspicion, but it has since become solid. I’m just a temporary replacement for Spike during her time of exile.”

Geuse felt her heartstring tugged tight. “This is not true, she certainly looked at you as your own zebra.”

“You don’t understand, Geuse. And neither did I, till I spent more time with Spike and heard from him their exploits. It’s true that their life in Equestria was nowhere as restive as ours in Zebrica, but their bond is truly unique and unbreakable. I had sensed early on that Twilight merely saw a shade of Spike in me because of my willfulness, and she also saw what she wanted Spike to have, that is independence and a good knowledge about the whole wide world. That’s why I felt those irrational needs to spar with him, in a misguided and foolish attempt to ‘prove’ that I’m a better son”

Geuse again was at a loss of words. The zebra colt had a clear understanding of himself and his relationships, and she found it difficult to offer any meaningful insight to someone who was already so thorough in his thinking.

“Spending time with Spike really made me think about my life on a level I never before experienced. He’s a spring of passion, a dragon of action, and he cares about Twilight in a spiritual level that someone like I, who seek only comfort and intimacy, cannot compete.”

Kanipha smiled. “The fact that he’s so innocently helpful helps, of course. And he’s never once held the facts that he saved my sorry plots several times up in my face like I would’ve done. He would shrug about how he pulled me up from the thousand-foot drop in the Gorges, how he used his fiery breath to chase off the swarm of vampire bats.”

The look on the zebra colt was guilt-stricken. “See his chest wound? He also got it because he tried to rescue me from the cragadile. He jumped into its mouth, stuffed a large rock in its throat and then dislodged me from its teeth. He’s an unbelievable dragon. Who, after so many things, can hate a dragon like that? I was so afraid that I would lose him, just as I was afraid that I would lose Twilight.”

“… Whoa, where did you two go? It’s just several weeks and it sounds like that you’ve been to Tartarus and back.”

“We’re on a trial by fire here. If you let Spike hear that, he might actually take you up on it and go tour Tartarus, if he thought it’s what it takes to move the Tree of Harmony.”

“He’s really dedicated, isn’t he?”

“Yeah… I really need to learn a lot from him before I can call myself worthy of Twilight’s care. Even if it means dousing my acid tongue in lime and be a meek zebra for once.”

“… I’m really glad for your discovery, Kanny.”

“I also thank you for caring and listening, Geuse. It’s such a liberating feeling to tell someone what I’ve been thinking these days. You know, I still love my pride too much to tell it to him myself.”

The two spent the next few minutes in silence, until Kanipha quietly muttered. “Geuse, are you sure you’re alright yourself? The escape can’t be a tame affair.”

“My hooves are all sore, because I had to literally charge at walls to break out. If Pisa hadn’t taught me to tackle the inherent structural weaknesses in each type of crystal walls, I fear that even if I could break out, I would not be able to walk straight. My wings are terribly tired as well. Not even when I fought hoof-to-hoof combat with changelings was I this exhausted.”

“I don’t just mean physically, you know.”

The aberrant encounter with Pinkie Pie briefly flashed in her mind, and she bit her tongue again to distract herself from it. “There are so many things that are unclear, including what exactly did Sunset Shimmer do to Pinkie.”

Geuse rubbed the errant moisture in her eyes out with her hooves. “My mind is a congealed mess. I feel so guilty and shameful for leaving her behind… If I can choose, I will take her place every time. A simple fighter like me is much more expendable than a bearer of a powerful magical artefact…”

“Geuse!”

Kanipha growled, causing the orange pegasus to shiver in shock. “None of us is more or less ‘expendable’ than one another!”

“Bu- but it is far more dangerous if Pinkie’s skills fall into her wrong hooves! If it were me, at most I would knock out a few ponies and punch several holes in the wall.”

“That’s one thing to consider, but at the very least, we have four capable bearers on our side, one of them with a mighty army under her wings. Surely they would figure out a way to use their superior tactics and strength to take Pinkie back. And Twilight’s other friends, like us, aren’t exactly push-overs, are we?”

“I hope so…”

“Don’t worry too much, Geuse. You should really take a rest after such a hectic run. We still have many tomorrows to figure a way out.”

“Thanks, Kanny.”

Geuse then suddenly gave a smooch on the zebra colt on his forehead.

Kanipha blushed brightly. “W- What was that for?”

“A thank you for… everything. It’s strictly platonic!”

“Of course it should be platonic! I’m just a colt!”

Now it was Geuse’s turn to blush. She coughed and calmed herself, and then she said slowly. “… Good night, Kanny. I’m glad that we have this talk.”

Massaging his hot cheeks, Kanipha sighed and smiled. “Me too. Good night.”

> Chapter 3 – Ballad of the Aurora
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Pisa!”

Pisacan’s ears perked up, and she carefully stood up from her hammock bed. She then smilingly walked towards the source of the voice.

“Spike, isn’t it?”

“Um, yes, I’m.”

“What may I help you?”

“Nothing. I’m looking for you because lunch is ready. We have egg stew for today!”

Pisacan smiled. “Thank you for looking out for me, Spike.”

“You’re welcome, Miss Pisacan.”

“Just Pisa is fine, Spike.”

Pisacan then quietly muttered. “In trying times like this, eating our good fill might be the simplest, but also the most blissful activity out here.”

Spike chuckled, and he was surprised to see Pisacan reached over to the table and poured a cup of water for herself.

“Wow, you’re still quite versatile… despite your sight.”

“Heh, I would pretend that I’m a super adaptor. But in truth, I have a special skill that let me ‘see’ to a certain extent without my eyes.”

Spike was intrigued. “What would that be?”

“You see, ever heard of how bats see with their poor eyesight?”

Spike’s smile turned into an uneasy gulp. “B- Bat? Uh…”

“Oops, sounds like you have a bad experience with them.”

“… You may say so.”

“Let’s use another example then. The bat ponies are also known to use a similar method, which is the sound of echo.”

“Echolocation?”

Pisacan instinctively widened her bright green but unseeing eyes. “… Oh my, you’re a learned dragon, aren’t you?”

“I never thought that would be useful when Twi forced me to study it.”

“Twilight, Sparkle…”

Pisacan muttered under her breath, then she shook her head and smiled. “Anyway, yes, I make clicking noises with my mouth or my hooves, and I find things by listening to the echoes. Neat, right?”

“Yeah, but…” Spike scratched his cheeks and became reticent.

“But how come I know such a convenient skill if I’m just blinded recently?”

“Uh…”

Pisacan chuckled. “You don’t have to be overly cautious, Spike, the only one I’m going to vent my anger on about my blinding is the orange witch.”

Spike let out an uncertain but affirmative mumble, and Pisacan continued. “I used to have a bat pony wet nurse when I was a foal. When I was young, I was curious about all those weird noises she made, when she waded through our house in the dark. After I asked, she taught me how to echolocate. I never gave it another thought till I was blinded all of a sudden.” 

She shook her head. “It’s such a sad thing that when King Sombra came to power, all non-crystal ponies were thrown out of the empire, or else she might still be with us, not buried in the ancient past.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Pisa.”

Pisacan pressed her lips. “There are many like me, and my personal losses are not the least special. What’s more important is that even at this very moment, countless Vinidi kin of mine are slaving away in unknown locations, toiling in hard labor… or even forced to become the orange witch’s pawns. She must be stopped. I would do anything, give anything for that to happen.”

“Pisa, we all want to stop her, but don’t do anything rash.”

Pisacan extended her hoof and patted Spike. “No, I would not be. We’ve waited five years for Sombra to be defeated, and then a thousand years more in the limbo of time. If there’s anything a Vinidi has, it’s plenty of patience to see to our enemies’ final demise.”

Spike gulped. He knew that he could not afford to be too kindly, since this Sunset Shimmer was incredibly ruthless. Still, the harsh language made the simple dragon feel somewhat uncomfortable.

He slowly sighed. “Pinkie is my marefriend.”

Pisacan’s surprised reaction carried a hint of strange uncertainty. “… Oh.”

“My heart and my guts tell me to rescue her right now, fire and claws blazing. We have met not nearly enough since Twi’s miraculous comeback, and then I chose Twi over spending more time with her. I’m a horrible drakefriend, I know it and I want to make up for it now. But I’ve drunk some ice cold kumis Prince Rutherford gave me, and I’ve given the current matter another good thought.”

He heavily sighed. “We really should get south first. When we have enough distance from that evil senior alum of Twilight, we should be able to think up better and safer way to defeat her and rescue our loved ones. I fear that any decision made in this state of panic will not be a wise one.” 

“I agree.”

“I fear that time is not on our side though. Who knows what in the world does Sunset Shimmer send those soldiers around for. The only major nation up north other than Crystal Empire is Yakyakistan, and I don’t believe for one that she isn’t pointing her hoof here on a map. If her army comes, we’ll all be trapped.”

“When will the ships come exactly?”

“About three more days, I believe.”

“Not nearly quick enough… We’ve already waited for two.”

From outside the guesthouse suddenly came a loud and low howl, which was joined by many more. The ground trembled with the sound of many hooves treading. 

Pisacan was alarmed. “What happened?”

“I- I’m not sure! But it sounds like the yaks’ war cry!”

“What?! Tacagà! Speak of the orange witch!”

“It m- might not be her necessarily, right?”

The door to the room was barged open, and in came a panicked looking duo of zebra and pegasus.

“Spike, Pisa! The Crystallians are flooding up the valley and preparing to siege the Gate of Heaven!”

Pisacan gritted her teeth. However, she breathed out eventually and said.

“I wouldn’t overly worry for now, even though the enemy’s at our gate.”

Kanipha raised a brow with aghast. “Not worry? They number in the thousands! They would sack the dang place and round us all up in a jiffy!”

“No one has ever taken the Gate of Heaven in an assault or a siege before. This should include the stretch of time that the crystal ponies disappeared from the face of the earth.”

The zebra colt scoffed. “That kind of boastful statement is just waiting to be slapped in the face by reality, isn’t it?”

“I’m not saying that no force in the world can successfully invade Yakyakistan. However, it will take more than number to storm the gate and then siege the Castle of the Sky Father. The Gate of Heaven is not just the gate itself, but a series of well-stationed battlements on the winding roads to the summit. It is built on a natural choke-point, where all roads narrow into a tight ravine, and only one yak or several ponies can pass at a time. Spike, Kanipha, you should know how treacherous the roads uphill since you presumably walked here, right?”

Spike scratched his cheeks in embarrassment. “Actually… We were carried up by a procession of yaks after we befriend them. We couldn’t see a thing in the ornate litter.”

“Oh… Well, then let me explain further. On the slopes that hug the roads to the gate line a chain of watchtowers. In them there are many expert yak rock-slingers and archers, ready to rain down Tartarus onto the invaders. And if the invading army managed to miraculously pass through the gate, then they have to face the prospects of either scaling the almost vertical mountain face, or marching in single file through three more waycastles till they reach the heavily reinforced main gate. Even Sombra himself was heavily wounded when he foolishly tried to invade, and that helped Celestia banish him to the north in his weakened form. Non-flying creatures would have a really hard time trying to get in.”

Spike sighed in some relief. “Heh, when you put it like that, it’s much less worrisome.”

Pisacan coldly added. “Heartless witch… She seems to be willing to spill countless Crystallian blood just to have a shot at taking a piece of yak lands.”

“What should we do now…?” Kanipha said with worry.

“We’re visitors to Yakyakistan. At times like this, we shouldn’t really move around unless absolutely necessary, because they might suspect that we’re spies. It’s doubly incriminating for me because I’m a crystal pony. I bet if not for Spike, I would already be interned.”

Geuse nodded and turned to the zebra colt. “Indeed. Kanny, this is a different situation compared to Timbucktu. We’re guests, and we should stay put for now. When the initial chaos passes, we can seek an audience with Prince Rutherford to see what we can do.”

A deafening blast pierced their ears, and the ground shook violently. Everyone in the room was almost thrown to the floor.

“Now what the Tartarus was that about?”

“Look outside!”

The three with good sight peeked from the small window of the room, which had a commanding view of the valleys below the capital. The morning mist permeating the valley was all but dispersed. 

In a distance down the winding trail, where the Gate of Heaven was located, the ravine that formed the defensive choke-point of Yakyakistan was utterly obliterated, leaving a giant crater near crumbled waycastles and watchtowers.

Geuse said in shock. “What kind of destructive power is that?! The Gate of Heaven is utterly destroyed! In just one blast! Even the mountain body nearby is blasted off!”

“That- that is…”

Pisacan said shakily. “Where could this monstrous destructive power come from?”

“Could it be Sunset Shimmer’s magic?”

“… I have no idea of the limit to her magical power. But in the brief time that I had to deal with her, she didn’t come across as a particularly physical magic user, and she disliked menial work quite a lot. This doesn’t sound like her hoofiwork.”

“Then what-”

Another grounding-shaking blast saw the mountain face to the summit spectacularly collapsed. Pulverized rocks and rubbles fell from the sky and deposited under the base, seemingly into a gentler and wider slope for the army to walk on.

Kanipha yelped. “They’re blasting their way up! At this rate they would clear themselves a way to the main gate by sundown!”

Spike narrowed his eyes and said. “Whatever they’re using, it is not magic. No telltale signs of spell-casting as Twi taught me.”

“They’ve brought… cannons? But this kind of destruction is unheard of!”

Geuse gritted her teeth. “They must’ve figured out a way to really up the ante on their firepower, haven’t they?”

Pisacan muttered. “That’s bizarre… Crystallians were never really big gunpowder users, because ours was always terrible. There is no good source of saltpeter and sulfur up north, and ever since the days of the emperors, we’ve only relied on pony wave attack in battles – in other words, throwing a giant wave of hoof soldiers into a frontal assault, and hoping that it breaks the spirits and formation of the enemies. Sombra simply turned that tactic up to eleven.”

Spike breathed through his teeth. Reaching into his bag on the desk, he took out a telescope and gazed out the window with it. He swept the scenes of carnage with his eyes, but he suddenly stopped.

His claws shook, and his telescope almost dropped to the ground if not for Kanipha who caught it in time.

“What gives, Spike? That telescope was a precious gift from the ponies of Hollow Shades!”

“… That can’t be…!”

Spike looked entirely shaken, and the two mares near him both extended a hoof and asked with worry.

“What’s wrong, Spike?”

He again breathed in through clenched teeth. “Pinkie…”

“Pinkie is out there?!” Geuse gasped.

“Pinkie… She is wearing Crystallian colors and leading the charge up the hill!”

Geuse went silent at first. Before sadness and regret could creep up her face, unadulterated rage already took its place, as the orange pegasus almost broke her clay cup in brute force with her hoof and let out a frustrated yell.

“Sunset Shimmer! You scum!”

Pisacan also quietly simmered. “Absolutely lowest…”

Kanipha took up the telescope Spike dropped and gazed out again. He said with “She… She was carrying something on her shoulder.”

Geuse let out a heavy sigh. “Lend me the telescope, Kanny.”

Kanipha complied, and Geuse tried to identify the said object. The orange pegasus drew in a heavy breath and said. “It is the hoof-held cannon Pinkie brought with her up north…”

“Are you kidding me?! That thing cannot be much larger than a pony! How come it can blow off half of a mountain in one single hit?”

Geuse shook her head wryly. “If there’s anything I’ve learnt, it’s not to question what kind of skills and tricks Twilight and her friends hid under their sleeves. It’s terrible for these skills to fall into the wrong hooves, though.”

Pisacan bit her lips. “So… this Pinkie, she really has no reason to attack the yaks, no?”

Both Spike and Geuse turned sharply. Spike looked offended and was about to retort, but Geuse stopped him. “Pisa, I can swear on my honor and my life, if Pinkie is herself and in anyway sane, she would never partake in an unjust and unprovoked invasion. Not to mention unleashing such a destructive force on anyone.”

“Why did she bring a cannon this powerful with her, then?”

Geuse winced. “That… you have to ask her. She does many things without much reasoning behind, but she really is not a bad pony.”

Spike finally couldn’t bear it and join in. “For goodness’s sake, she’s friend to all Ponyvillians, and she organize party literally for everyone! Not to mention she’s the Element-bearer for friggin’ Laughter! How dare you imply that she’s in anyway in cahoots with Sunset Shimmer?”

Pisacan was a bit taken aback. “I’m sorry, Spike, Geuse. I… I just feel that’s a bit unreal. I don’t mean that you’re lying or anything, and my skepticism might seem ridiculous given what happened under Sombra.”

Pisacan shook her head wistfully. “I just found it hard to believe that this is actually happening, that something as nefarious and condemnable as mind control is being brought back to bring havoc to the world, and an illustrious Element-bearer is her victim. I shudder to think if she decided to pull this on me instead of taking away my sight, or on any of my kinsponies to make them listen to her. But now it seemed to be delirious to think that she would not stoop this low. I’m so sorry. I must sound horribly insensitive for doubting your good friend.”

Spike’s brows were still tightly knitted, but he eventually sighed. “… No offense taken, Pisa. We all have our reasons to be sad, or angry, or even fall into escapism. But the most important thing now is to take Pinkie back, both to rescue our friend and remove biggest danger in Sunset Shimmer’s invasion force.”

Kanipha exhaled. “This would be very dangerous!” 

“When she’s held deep inside Crystal Empire and far away, we still have excuses. Now that she’s so close to us, and that we have a chance to snap her away from Sunset Shimmer, we must give it a try. If I don’t, my guilty conscience will forever eat at me.”

“Right you are, Spike.”

Geuse nodded forcefully. “The situation is different. Now we should be bringing Pinkie back, even if she’s kicking and screaming.”

“Let us go to Prince Rutherford with this information and plan. Hopefully my badge as a ‘dragon champion’ helps persuade him to cooperate.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“The Prince sure was shocked to see a pony speak Yakyakistani.” Spike commented wryly.

“We used to trade with the yaks a lot despite our rivalry, but all relationships collapsed when Sombra came to power. Still, Yakyakistani was a must-learn for a Vinidi heiress like me. I bet the yaks haven’t heard Yakyakistani from a non-yak for precisely a thousand years now.”

Pisacan’s gaze flickered. “But what about you, then? What use is knowing Yakyakistani to a dragon? You almost make Prince Rutherford tackle you in a brotherly hug!”

“I don’t know… Maybe to beg for ships and safe passage?”

“Ha ha, you cheeky drake. Fair enough.”

Pisacan laughed. “I bet it’s another thing that your dear Twilight made you learn.”

“Well, who else? Almost every pony I met think that since Equestrian is pretty much the lingua franca of lands from Saddle Arabia to Zebrica, there is no use to learn it on the off-chance that they meet a foreigner.”

Pisacan grinned. “Heh, why then she insisted to have you learn foreign languages?”

“She said that Equestrians cannot afford to think that they’re exceptional, that they can take it for granted everyone has to follow their hoofsteps. It’s a surefire way to stagnation and earning resentment. Making an effort to speak someone else’s tongue, even when you fumble through it like a fool, is almost always taken as a sign of respect.”

Pisacan smiled. “She’s a wise pony.”

“She truly is. That’s why it hits hard to see her lose her memories now. I hope that we can eventually find a way to make her… whole again.”

Pisacan nodded, and then touched her cheek uncertainly. “I… I’m sorry for talking about your marefriend like that.”

“I told you already, you don’t have to apologize. You didn’t know Pinkie, and you didn’t know us that well either. It’s natural for you to doubt just one side of story.”

“You’re such an understanding dragon, Spike. In fact, all three of you are such upright people. My father must be pleading hard with Lady Destiny in heaven, in order for me to get rescued by Geuse and then meet the rest of you.”

Spike smiled with a hint of melancholy. “You’re being way too kind with your words as well.”

“I’m serious. When you’re the young head of an influential clan, honesty and kindness come across as rare commodities. Ruling a clan in Crystal Empire is a soul-wrenching affair, and my father certainly was hit hard. You three come by like dew drops in a drought, and you never once complain about the troubles of taking care of a blind mare, or having to spell everything out to the tee. I can’t be more thankful.”

Spike slowly breathed out, and then grinned. “Hey, Pisa.”

“Yes?”

“If you really want to thank me, there’s a way.”

“I’d love to give you some of the Vinidi fortune, but Sunset-”

“Silly Pisa! Of course I’m not so crude! I’m talking about the interesting tongue that you speak.”

Pisacan tilted her head in genuine surprise. “Huh?”

Spike chuckled at the rare showing of naiveté from the yellow mare. “Yep, I mean those curious little phrases that you sprinkle your speech with. Those aren’t Standard Crystallian, are they? Even your name does not sound Crystallian.”

“You’re so perceptive!”

Pisacan covered her mouth and chuckled. “Yes, we speak Vinidian in addition to Standard Crystallian, and it’s different from the rest of Crystallian languages. In fact, before the great migration which saw crystal ponies sailed west en masse, Vinidia was a nation within a nation, with its own tongue, laws and of course, our famous fleet which was responsible for transporting so many ponies across the sea.”

She patted her puffy mane. “Clearly, there were many more different unique groups and nations within the Empire, which stemmed from the imperial expansion, and they all spoke languages related to but not the same as Imperial Crystallian. But I can say that we Vinidis take immense pride from having an identity of our own, even to this day. Most other groups have long been assimilated, and ceased to call themselves anything but a Crystallian or crystal pony. But we Vinidis stand and stay proud.”

“Wow… So, Pisa, what does your name mean in Vinidian?”

“It means ‘dandelion’. My mother named me so because of my tufted mane.”

Spike smiled. “That’s an apt and beautiful name.”

Pisacan slightly blushed. “T- Thank you.”

“So, uh, what does Tacagà mean then? I heard you say that a moment ago.”

Pisacan did a spit-take. “W- What? Uh, uh… it, uh…”

Spike chortled. “A really dirty swear word, isn’t it?”

“S- Spike, you knew it and you still asked!”

“I just want to learn more Vinidian from you… after everything’s sorted, of course.”

“Of course yes! I’d be more than glad to teach you, Spike. It’s rarer than a blue moon that someone from outside Crystal Empire would be interested enough about Vinidis.”

Spike chuckled. “Thanks, it’s also not at all common to have a head of a nation herself teach you their national language. And since you’re the head of the Vinidis, aren’t you technically a Princess of Vinidia?”

Pisacan’s jaw dropped, and then she laughed, almost with tears out. “Hahahaha! My side, Spike! Never in my life did someone suggest something as ridiculous as that!”

Spike blushed. “It isn’t that ridiculous, is it?”

“Oh Spike, but it makes no sense. Vinidians never had any native princes or princesses.”

“No princesses? Then who ruled Vinidia? How did the government work?”

“Vinidia had a Great Council of forty one wisest and most influential ponies, who would elect leaders, who would then serve for a life-time. These leaders were called the doxe, or doge in Equestrian. They were not royals, therefore they couldn’t be called princes or princesses, although they did wield similar powers. After the great migration, because of our dwindling numbers and increasing central authority, the Mazor Consegio was eventually abolished, and the head of the Vinidi clan became a hereditary position with no statutory power.”

“I see…”

Pisacan smiled sweetly. “Well, maybe you can be the catalyst for the revival of Vinidia, Spike! People might actually take an interest in us after they hear the dragon champion is learning our tongue!”

Spike lightly chuckled. “You jest, Pisa.”

“It made you laugh, didn’t it? You need to relax your nerves before going with Geuse and Kanipha.”

Spike sighed, and Pisacan threw a hoof on his shoulder. “I can’t help much out there, so I’ll be here hoping for your safe return. Please, pull back when it gets dangerous, I really want to have the Vinidian lessons with you like you asked.”

Spike nodded. “Thanks, Pisa. Wish me luck.”

“I will.”

Spike looked out of the window. A purple trail of smoke billowed from the Prince’s Palace, signaling him to meet Prince Rutherford for the last time before leaving.

“I must go now.”

“… Please come back soon.”

The dragon smiled, albeit a bit weakly. “I… will try. Yeah, try.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The narrow trails to the summit of the Yakyakistani capital were a scene to behold. Strange-shaped rock jutted up from the slopes, forming spectacular arcs and bridges. Patches of grass, deep ravines, as well as crooked firs and birches, together created a view worth a thousand fair paintings.

However, the mountain pass was now pure desolation. Rubbles covered the now flattened pass, mixed with the obliterated remains of watchtowers and gatehouses. A few yak defenders who could not escape in time languished in pain among the ruins, until the Crystallian soldiers from behind swept in and captured each and every one of them.

Sunset Shimmer, who was now wearing an armor of gold and red, proudly announced to the soldiers in the temporary camp, who all listened with rapt attention.

“Soldiers of Crystallia! You’ve heard what they said about Yakyakistan… How it is ‘impregnable’, ‘unconquerable’! How yak warriors are ‘brave juggernauts’ of war! And yet, gaze upon this!”

She waved towards the destroyed paths. 

“All lies to confound the honor and glory of our motherland!”

The soldiers cried out together with passion, prompting the orange mate to continue.

“The treacherous yaks spread lies to placate us, promising peace and trade. And yet what did they do? Kidnapping our good princess and prince, while threatening to halt our peaceful resettlement of the north! The shameful attack on our newly built railroad station showed us yet again the yaks’ cowardly plan to infringe our border and damage our sovereignty. It is crystal clear that there is no willingness on the part of the Yakyakistani government to conduct serious negotiations with us. I will not let them succeed in their nefarious plan to suck the blood out of our proud nation while hiding behind their forts. I will continue this struggle, no matter against whom, until the safety of the Empire and its rights are secured!”

The soldiers all erupted in cheers, raising their right hooves enthusiastically to salute their heroic leader.

“Today, our work towards regaining our ancient glory is greatly strengthened by the presence of the Element-bearer of Laughter, Pinkamena Diane Pie. Her ingeniously crafted weapon had flattened the defense of our cowardly enemies, allowing us, the true heirs of Roam, to march on! Destiny smiles upon us, Crystallians! Once more arise and be worthy of this historical hour! We shall win!”

Amidst another deafening round of cries, the trio retreated back into the gully, where they were hiding.

Spike this time served as the translator, but as he progressed, his expression turned sourer and sourer, and when he went to the part when Sunset Shimmer mentioned Pinkie, he almost burst out a bolt of fire in uncontrollable anger.

Kanipha commented. “Woah… what a dangerously charismatic orator… I can see why she might not need mind control spells and still makes the crystal ponies follow her. Heck, if I don’t know what was that about, I might even be inclined to think that the yaks indeed sneak-attacked the crystal ponies and earned their rightful ire.”

“That makes her even more dangerous…”

Geuse gritted her teeth. “If it’s just mind control, perhaps we can get them out of it by smacking them in the head. But if they truly believe Sunset Shimmer is their national savior, who would bring about a new age of glory and prosperity, they would absolutely fight to their last breath even if we slap them silly.”

Spike, however, was occupied with something else entirely. “I can’t see Pinkie…”

“I didn’t either.” Kanipha nodded.

Spike frowned. “But I swear we saw Pinkie walking back into the camp with the main army group.”

Geuse suggested. “Come to think of it, the soldiers here seem to be fewer than we saw on our way down.”

The dragon gasped. “It can’t be that when we’re flying around the bend, Pinkie was again sent out with a detachment?!”

Geuse widened her eyes, and Kanipha gritted his teeth. “Curses! We must’ve missed it when we fly low to avoid detection!”

“Telescope… telescope!” Spike muttered while reaching in his bag in a near-panic, and then hurriedly pointed the device towards the castle side. He immediately located the solitary dot of pink in front of the castle gate.

“Dang it! They’re already in front of the gate! Geuse, fly us there quickly!”

“O- Okay, hang on to me!”

The pegasus flew with her full speed towards the castle, this time abandoning the pretense of secrecy. A small contingent of crystal pony soldiers immediately located her, and showered a hail of arrows in her direction. 

Geuse opened her wings and arrested her own momentum in the air, and the arrows passed above her head in a close shave. She then immediately started flapping again and managed to dodge the next wave of arrows by flying behind a hill.

“My ancestors! I thought that was the end of me!” Kanipha yelped.

“Yeah, I thought I was going to meet my set of ancestors as well, even I don’t really know who they are.” Spike swiped his chest in palpitation.

Geuse gasped for another mouth of air and said. “C- Couldn’t you just breathe a ball of fire and burn away the arrows?”

“No can do! Arrows are way too fast and my fire is not nearly hot enough. It would just turn the dang arrows into fire arrows!”

“… Point taken.”

Kanipha said. “Look, we’re approaching the castle! The gate had already been breached!”

After another look, he added. “Pinkie… Pinkie is inside, and she’s knocking out the yak soldiers!”

Geuse gasped. “What the…? I know earth ponies are strong and all, but they’re friggin’ yaks!”

Spike gritted his teeth. “I don’t know! The only thing we need to do now is to take her away from Sunset Shimmer and the Crystallians!”

“I… agree. You two, get behind me and grab tight on my tail, I’m going down at maximum speed!”

The pegasus let out a loud battle cry, as she rapidly descended to the direction of the pink pony with the speed of a shooting star. Both Spike and Kanipha struggled to hold on, and they felt the pressure of wind on their faces as if it was going to pull their legs off.

All of a sudden, in a loud blast, the sound barrier was broken. A brilliant trail of green shot from a sphere of radiant orange.

“H- Holy crap, was that what Twilight said the cyan pony did? A Sonic Rainboom? Except it’s, uh, orange and green?” Kanipha gasped.

Spike almost barked. “Kanny! We’re in the middle of a battle, pay attention and appreciate her feat later!”

“O- Okay, geez!”

They then swiftly closed in on the ground, and they could see the battle scene more clearly. Pinkie was indeed fighting in the forefront, while the other Crystallian secured the line of retreat and demolish the defensive structures, but Pinkie was now holding another device which seemed to cause any yak that came by kneel down in agony.

Suddenly, the three felt a splitting headache developing in their heads as well, and Geuse let out a yelp of pain, and instinctively flapped her wings down to get up away from the offending source.

Kanipha cried out again. “What the Tartarus was that?!”

Spike peeked and said. “Looks like a modified speaker… Another one of Pinkie’s gadgets! It must be playing headache-inducing ultrasound to disable her enemies!” 

Geuse massaged her head and yelped. “Darn it, why are there so many gadgets of hers that have offensive potential?!”

“Geuse, I’ve seen a similar device in her home, I know how it roughly works. Can you do it?”

“Do what?”

“It’s actually quite fragile. Can you fly above her and deliver a drop kick to the device to knock it out?”

“Wow, you sure know how to pick the most difficult request, Spike! She keeps moving around and the device will surely disorient me. How in the world can I make sure that I don’t kick her head off instead?”

“We have to try!”

Kanipha interjected. “Hey, what about we really kick Pinkie’s head to knock her out? It can prevent her from resisting-”

“What the Tartarus, Kanny, are you serious? At this height, the momentum would break her spine, if not really take her head off! I don’t want another loved one of mine to become disabled, nor do I want a headless marefriend!”

“F- Fine, I retract my suggestion… How about picking her up then?”

This time Geuse shook her head. “It’s busy enough with you two on my back. Adding a kicking and screaming Pinkie will be way too much!”

“Well, Geuse, how about plan A then?”

“I guess I have no choice, don’t I. Hold on tight again!”

Geuse again descended quickly, this time bracing herself for the ultrasound-induced headache. At first, she was able to tolerate the disorienting effect. But as she got close to the device, it was as if the helm to her body control was yanked away crudely.

Letting out a pained yell, she nonetheless tried to stay on target, even though it’s no longer possible to fine-tune her flight using her wings.

Pinkie was bucking the last of the semi-conscious defenders aside. Hearing a sharp squeak in the air, she looked up. Before she could get a good look though, it was as if a giant hammer was knocked onto her side and she stumbled back.

She gasped, as she found her Vestibular Imbalance Propagator, VIP, knocked onto the ground and broke into a thousand pieces.

She turned a bit vexed, as she scanned for the culprit. Finally, she located a heap of creatures in a distance and closed in.

“You meanies! I was told by Shimmie to fight the yaks, why did you break my-”

Pinkie’s frown became a giant smile when she recognized the three, who was climbing up from the ground with alarm.

“Spike! Geusie! Kanny! Wow, how come you’re here in Yakyakistan? Are you here to help Shimmie out as well, huh, huh? And Geusie, why did you suddenly sneak away in the middle of the night? Shimmie is so, so sad and so, so mad! She immediately sent guards all over the city to look for you!”

“… See for yourself, Spike.” Geuse cupped her forehead with immense sadness and regret.

Spike and Kanipha went briefly speechless. The dragon then gulped and said. “P- Pinkie, why are you helping Sunset Shimmer to invade Yakyakistan? You’ve destroyed their city and wounded many yaks!”

“Silly Spike, the yaks attacked first! Shimmie says so, so it must be true! And so they have to be punished so that they won’t do it again! It’s for the greater good, and also to preserve the peace and harmony of Crystal Empire!”

Kanipha grunted and yelled. “Snap out of it already, Pinkie Pie!”

“Yeah Pinks, don’t give in!”

Pinkie looked genuinely bemused. “Give in to what? I’m just doing what’s best for everyone, because Shimmie-”

Kanipha and Spike looked at each other for a moment, and the dragon hardened his resolve. “You must come home with u-”

“Pink pony destroy Gate of Heaven, wound many yaks! I, Prince Rutherford, will offer up pink pony as offering to Sky Father! Pink pony will be nailed to the top of Everhoof and let eagle peck her heart out slowly and painfully!”

Spike gasped and cried out in horror.

“Prince Rutherford! No!”

The enraged yak prince turned in surprise to find Spike and others standing nearby. 

“Dragon champion, what do you have to say about her only fate? She deserves no less after such an ignominious attack on the nation of Yakyakistan!”

“Pinkie is my marefriend, and she is not herself right now! Her mind is being controlled by the evil consul of Crystallia, and she will never do such a thing-”

The pink pony suddenly interjected and yawned. “So much mumbling in a strange speech! Shimmie told me not to waste any time.”

She again took out and raised her pocket cannon, and aimed right at the ancient palace of the yaks.

Spike screamed. “N- No—!”

The dragon jumped with all his might and tackled the pink pony. The latter yelped in surprise as Spike managed to get a hold of the cannon and punch it far away, which was promptly grabbed by Kanipha on the other side.

“Good job, Spike!”

Pinkie smiled and embraced the dragon, briefly forgetting what had preceded. “Heheh, Spike, you’re so passionate!”

Normally Spike would savor a moment of intimacy, but Pinkie’s clear anomaly made him feel incredibly uncomfortable at being cuddled. He immediately squirmed out and said. “Pinkie, we must go!”

Pinkie became sullen. “I can’t, Shimmie said if I haven’t mopped up all resistance outside the Castle of Sky Father, and blasted a hole for the Crystallian soldiers to get in, she would… she would hate me forever! I quite let her down, she’s my bestest friend!”

Spike held his head in utter frustration. “Pinkie, you’re being controlled!”

“Hmm…? If Shimmie is my bestest friend, then why does it matter?”

Geuse snapped and closed in. “Talking is useless, Spike, drag her away and be done with it!”

“And do you think I would allow you to do so, Geuse?”

The group turned to the source of the voice, and it was Sunset Shimmer, who stood at a distance with a thin smirk. Surprisingly, there was no soldiers who followed her around this time.

“You’ve already committed a grave crime by breaking out Pisacan de Vinidi, traitor to the law and to the Crystallian nation. Your name and likeness is already being circulated in our press, and later Equestrian press, and you will live in ignominy forever… if I let you live, that is.”

“Sunset Shimmer! Did you cast your foul magic on Pinkie when you two were in the small room?”

The orange unicorn smirked. “So what if I did?”

“Return her to normal at once, or face the consequences!”

“Hahahaha! I’m trembling in my armor, Geuse! I’d think that I’m somehow the one being surrounded with thousands of soldiers, if I hadn’t turned my head and checked!”

“…!”

“Now surrender at once, and tell me where you hid that traitor, and I might consider not making you lick my boots clean when you’re all under my thrall.”

Spike spat. “Bah, as if that would happen, you villainous cur!”

“A kinky villainous cur to boot.” Kanipha mocked.

“Oh, a dragon and a zebra. That’s a first for me. I already foresee a way for me to spin your subservience into another auspicious sign for all my fervent crystal pony soldiers to feast on.”

“I’d rather die than to serve you, scum!”

“And do you think that this is the first time I hear that, dragon?”

Spike gritted his teeth tightly. Satisfied at silencing her opponent, she grinned and raised her hoof towards the pink pony. “Pinkie Pie.”

The pink pony perked up and said. “Yes, Shimmie?”

“It seems that you’ve lost your cannon.”

The pink pony gasped, and her mane deflated in tepid anticipation. “S- Shimmie, I’m so sorry, please don’t hate me, pretty please?”

“Well, I don’t know…”

Pinkie’s expression turned despondent, until Sunset Shimmer again grinned. “Pinkie Pie, you can still help to break a hole to the castle if you try. Remember… Plan Rosa Frantumata?”

“Oh oh, of course!”

Pinkie beamed, and she took out a series of red canisters from her saddlebag. Then she tied them one by one to her belt.

“Wait, Pinks, what are you doing?!”

“Well, since you’ve broken my Blistering Blitz Bombard, I can only carry out Plan Rosa Frantumata! Hehe, Shimmie taught me this one!”

“Listen well, you three. If you don’t come close and come into my fold voluntarily, then you can fully count on me ordering your Pinkie to take herself out along with everything within our sight.”

“What?!”

“And she would gladly listen to my order… Would you, Pinkie Pie?”

“Of course!”

“Tell them what your little red fireworks can do.”

“Heheh, ah, actually, these red canisters are the shots of my BBB! There are 12 of them left, and if I make them all explode at once, they will create a crater so big, you can fill thousands and thousands of pound cakes in it!”

“How dare you threaten us with Pinkie’s life, you’re the lowest of the low!” Spike barked.

“And are you going to take up on my offer? Remember, if my lieutenant catch up on me, the offer will be null and void, and you lots would suffer a much worse fate.”

Geuse spat. “Tsk, death is preferable to the non-life under you, Sunset Shimmer.”

“… I’d take that as a n- Uogh!”

Sunset Shimmer was suddenly tackled from behind and flew forward onto the ground. The orange unicorn felt a piercing pain on her back. She reached back and gasped at her gashing wound, and another pang of pain told her that she might have broken a bone or two.

“Who dare to-”

“Orange unicorn, bad beyond hope. Me, the hundred and seventy-fourth yak prince, will defend home till last blood drop!”

The yak again sprinted, unusually fast for a creature his size, and pinned the orange unicorn down with his muscular legs.

“Foolish yak! You earn my wrath and yourself a quick end!”

Sunset Shimmer immediately charged up the strongest offensive spell she had in store, but she was shocked to see her magic fizzle out at her horn.

“What?! Impossible! I should have more than enough command of this-”

“Orange unicorn real fool. Orange unicorn know not how Sombra fail.”

“What did you s- Argh!”

Sunset Shimmer was casually smacked aside, rolling on the ground in pain. Prince Rutherford immediately dashed forward and continued his dominance.

“Yak connect to Sky Father, yak prince channel His protection. Magic do no harm!”

“You useless piece of dumb muscle!”

Prince Rutherford slapped the orange unicorn again, and turned to the onlooking trio. “Yak prince live and die by his people. Pegasus, take dragon champion and friend to safety.”

“Prince Rutherford…!”

Geuse bit her lips and approached Pinkie, but the pink pony suddenly yelled. “Don’t touch me!”

“P- Pinkie?”

“I will stay here with Shimmie! If you dare pull me away, I’ll show you how these red canister can do!”

“Don’t be si-”

Pinkie looked dead serious, as she took out a match and casually lit it on the pelt of her belt. Geuse wheezed out in shock, and immediately stepped back.

Sunset Shimmer had repeatedly tried to fire spells at the brawny yak to no avail, but suddenly, a flicker of spark shot forth and singed the yak’s cheek hair.

“What? H- Haha! Your magical resistance is not total after all!”

Prince Rutherford grumbled, and he again bellowed. “Blessing of Teniri last not forever! Pegasus, move out at once!”

Geuse looked at Pinkie, who had since retreated to behind the wrestling duo, and bit her tongue. Eventually, she grabbed Spike and Kanipha up and spread her wings.

“Geuse, Pinkie is still there!” Spike yelled.

“She’s going to blow herself up if I touch her! Do you want her to blow up, huh?!”

“Grr…”

Kanipha interjected. “Let’s go! Don’t make Prince Rutherford’s selfless actions meaningless!”

Geuse immediately flapped and shot up into the sky. Dashing around the castle and heading towards the mountains, Geuse suddenly remembered that Pisacan was still waiting in her guesthouse, and gasped. She immediately dipped and flew towards their residence.

“Geuse, where are you going?”

“Pisacan is still down there! If Sunset Shimmer gets her hooves on her, she would be no more!”

Spike felt incredibly conflicted at first, but he soon nodded. “… Even if Pinkie cannot be rescued right now, a life saved is a life saved!”

Kanipha frowned worriedly. “But Geuse, can you really carry three of us on your back at once? I’ve never seen a pegasus carrying so many on her back!”

“I’m not dumping Pisa here after breaking her out of the dungeon! Even if my wings break off after this, it would be worth it!”

“Geuse…”

Kanipha took in a breath. “W- We’d forever remem-”

“Duck, you fools, we’re going through a window!”

The two immediately ducked, and Geuse dashed inside the room, barely stopping herself in time before crashing. In the room sat a solemn-looking pony squibbling something on a piece of paper.

“Pisa!” Geuse cried out.

“G- Geuse?!”

Pisacan shakily dropped her quill onto the table. She turned towards the direction of the window with a shocked look, seemingly unable to comprehend the pegasus’s presence.

“Get on my back and get out at once! We’re fleeing again!”

Pisacan bit her lips and looked aside. “You three should go by yourself.”

“W- What? Are you out of your mind, Pisa?”

“You can’t carry the three of us together and still fly! I’ll just finish my last note here and-”

Geuse took over the notes, glanced at it and shredded it to pieces. “You foolish fool! You can’t even write legibly, and yet you talk about writing notes and face certain death?! Are you trying to throw away everything I did for you in a gutter?!”

“G- Geuse-”

The orange pegasus was approaching the breaking point of her frustration. “Cut the crap and get on! I alone will decide if I can fly!” 

Spike interjected. “Pisa, come with us, you promised me!”

“P- Promise?”

“Yeah, you said you would return your thanks by teaching me about Vinidi and Vinidian tongue, don’t you back out of it now!”

“Spike…”

“Stop getting sentimental, you lots! Prince Rutherford is out there buying time for us! Sunset Shimmer is an expert unicorn mage, and she could catch up with us using teleportation in no time if she could locate us!”

Pisacan looked bashful, but she at last clamped onto the panting orange pegasus. The four immediately burst out of the window and took to the sky, quickly flying into the chilling north wind and disappeared into the mountains.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In frigid winds, Geuse flew weakly across the seemingly endless field of snow under the moonless dark sky. Pisacan, Spike and Kanipha hanged on limply while shuddering in the unbearable cold.

Finally, Geuse reached her physical limits. She gradually lost altitude, and flew herself onto a patch of snow on a gentle forested slope. All three on her back rolled off and fell into the snow as well with soft thuds.

Being a dragon, the cold weather was making Spike incredibly drowsy. But through sheer willpower, he used his claws to dig up snow and make way for a fire pit.

The zebra colt was also in a place completely against his elements, being a tropical creature. However, he decided that he could not be completely useless. After helping the shivering crystal pony mare up, he trotted under the pine trees, gathered some branches and tinder and place them in their middle. 

“S- S- Sp- ike.”

Kanipha said, teeth clattering. “Y- You got any more matches?”

Spike reached into his bag, and grunted with frustration after a while. “Darn it, we must’ve used it all up in Hollow Shades.”

The dragon then drew in a breath. Kanipha noticed what he’s about to do and said hurriedly. “Don’t strain yourself, Spike!”

Spike gritted his teeth. “Gotta try now, we have no other options. Maybe I can even squeeze out some green flame to send a message.”

He opened his mouth, but only black smoke came out, and he began to cough laboredly.

Pisacan had picked herself up from the ground. She heard the two’s conversation and said in alarm. “Spike! Don’t-”

He tried again despite the warning. Although the pain became more unbearable, this time a shower of sparks came out from his mouth. Kanipha immediately hugged the tinder nest and carefully blew. To their delight, a small fire began to glow.

Spike panted. “I- I don’t think I’m ready to breathe fire yet.”

“Don’t stretch yourself to the limit!”

The zebra colt chastised, as he moved the completely exhausted pegasus near the fire. 

“Geuse, are you alright?”

A completely hoarse and tired voice came through. “W… Water…”

“R- Right on!”

Kanipha reached onto his bag and took out a metal bottle. After stuffing some snow into it, he roasted the bottle on the fire, and soon the snow melted. He then carefully fed the water into Geuse’s mouth.

The pegasus gulped slowly, and weakly smiled. “T- Thank you…”

“No, thank you. We would all be done for if not for you.”

“You… you should’ve looked into my bag. I have all the stuffs you need in the wild... including firestarter.”

“Oh… oops.”

The pegasus’s gaze began to wobble. “I… want to… take a rest, if you don’t mind.”

Spike had recovered somewhat from his exhaustion. He reached into the pegasus’s saddlebag and unfurled a sleeping bag. With the help from Kanipha, he stuffed Geuse inside quickly and zipped it up. Immediately, soft snoring could be heard from outside.

Pisacan cuddled near the fire, and quietly said. “Poor dear, she’s been through a lot these few days.”

“We’ve all been through a lot, Pisa.”

Kanipha looked at the burning pinewood and lowered his head. “I’m sorry, everyone. There’s only pinewood in this area, and it burns not that well in general. What’s more, it makes pungent smokes.”

“Kanipha, you’ve done more than enough for us. It’s not your fault that there isn’t a pile of properly seasoned ironwood sitting where we landed. If anyone has to say sorry, it should be me, the only deadweight in here.”

“Of course you’re not a deadweight, Pisa. You’re from the north, and you helped us out on many things we didn’t know throughout our run. If not for you, Geuse’s breakout might not even be a success.”

“Now… Achmm-!”

Kanipha managed to cover his nose before his sneezing could wake Geuse. “We’ve gone north instead of south because Yakyakistan has fallen. What should we do next?”

Pisacan noticed a sense of expectation from the dragon and the zebra. “… I’m terribly sorry, Spike, Kanipha. The far north had always been poorly mapped and not well known even by us. Ever since the ill-fated expedition to explore the north by one of the princesses of the new Crystal Empire, it had become kind of a place of taboo. To my knowledge, we might as well be the first group from greater Equestria to cross to this side of the Everhoof, and reach the Arctic North in thousands of years… Barring Sombra’s shadow, of course.”

She sighed. “So not even I can say where and whether we can obtain assistance, if there’s any in this wide, untamed land.”

Spike drank some water from the bottle to soothe his chest pain. “If it’s any consolation, then I guess since this place is so taboo, it’d be very unlikely for Sunset Shimmer to reach us.” 

Pisacan muttered. “That’s probably true.”

Kanipha nodded. “If so, this is already a big plus.” 

Pisacan pondered for a while and said. “Actually, things aren’t that grim, if legends are to be believed.”

“Oh?” The other two listened with interest.

“The far north isn’t completely barren. You see, trees and plants do grow in here, and with food there are inhabitants.”

“So there might be someone who can help us out?”

“I’d hope so, even though it might be a flimsy hope. Still, there are few sapient races in the north according to legends.”

“Oh, I heard them in stories, like, the windigos?”

“I don’t know if they count, because windigos are more spirits than sapient creatures. And I doubt that they’d be particularly helpful given their nature.”

Pisacan smiled. “But actually, there might be dragons up here as well.”

“Really?”

Spike looked surprised. “I thought all dragons came from the Dragon Lands south of the Griffonland! What business would a dragon have in such a cold, northern place? Dragons hate the cold! If one could not hold his warmth in such a place, he could easily perish from exposure!”

“You clearly know a lot more about your race than me, Spike. I do not pretend to be a dragon expert. I heard that there are far from only one Dragon Lord, and the one closest to Equestria only rule over the dragons here because they’re close by. They even say that there are a full-fledged, advanced dragon civilization to the far, far east, and it would take years of travel to reach from here.”

She touched her cheek and continued. “As for the story I heard, it told of an eternal ice dragon in the far north, who lords over snow, motionless and age-defying. But nopony actually saw this ice dragon before. Of course this could mean he doesn’t really exist, but it could also mean that he’s not bounded to the Dragon Lord and did not need to see him or her.”

“Whoa, perhaps we can bet our luck on finding him.”

Kanipha raised a brow. “Spike, that sounds a bit, you know, risky? He’s just a legend after all.”

“Alright, what other races might be out here in the far north then, Pisa?”

“There might be deers as well. I don’t imagine that they fancy ponies like me this much, since their ancestors were chased north by pony settlers even before Equestria was founded.”

Spike nodded. “I read about this in history books. There were talking deers in the Everfree as well as the White Tail Woods. But there aren’t seen anymore for the last millennia or so.”

Kanipha smiled. “Well, at least dragons and zebras don’t have a history with them. If we really see them, we can just approach without fear of offense.”

“What else, Pisa?” Spike asked.

“Umm… I don’t think things might work out well if we really see one of those, but in the whitest snow, they say, lies a fierce race of white wolves. They are quite unlike the… what do you call those wooden wolves in the Everfree forest?”

Spike raised his brows, as his thoughts briefly drifted back to long ago, when he and Twilight investigated their mysteries. “Uh… timberwolves.”

“Thanks. White wolves are beings of flesh and blood, and they are said to roam the towering crags upon the Arctic Sea. They’re possibly one of the first inhabitants in this land. But they have a legendarily fierce dislike for ponies, which is said to make them fly into a rage uncalmable by anything, surpassing whatever distaste those displaced deer might hold for us. So… it would be probably better if they and we do not meet.”

Spike slowly nodded, still quietly wondering if the two kinds of wolves had any tie. But then his pondering was interrupted by a giant yawn.

Pisacan chuckled. “It seems that we all are slightly exhausted by today’s events.” 

“Acho-!”

Kanipha shivered. “T- This might be the biggest u- understatement I’ve heard in moons!”

Pisacan slowly walked near the zebra colt and cooed. “Kanipha… You really need extra cover for tonight.”

Spike nodded. “I don’t know why. I used to be dead afraid of cold, but now I don’t feel exactly shivering, besides a bit drowsy, but Kanny definitely needs some more insulation. Twi taught me that small thing loses heat fast.”

“Who are you calling- Achoo-!”

“Quick, get him into a sleeping bag… no, make it two, he’ll need it.”

Spike nodded, and grabbed the freezing zebra colt and put him into the sleeping bags one by one. The zebra colt was too numbed by the cold to even resist or respond.

After making sure the zebra colt was tucked in, the dragon sat back down near the bonfire, and looked to the yellow mare again. A thin layer of powdered snow covered her billowy mane, and with a gust of night wind, the snow was blown away, floating above the fire and shooting up into the sky.

“Heh… it really looks like dandelion seeds.”

“…?”  

“N- Nothing.”

Spike lightly bit on his tongue, quietly chastising himself for being somewhat insensitive by mentioning visuals in front of the blind mare.

In any case, the mare didn’t at all mind. “Spike, we should probably call it a night. We should walk by ourselves instead of riding on Geuse again, and we need the stamina.”

“You’re right… Oh dear.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Uh, only one sleeping bag’s left, because Kanny’s using two.”

Pisacan chuckled. “That’s nothing to worry, we can share! It would even be warmer this way.”

“Yeah, right… wait, what?”

Pisacan smirked. “Don’t tell me you’re too embarrassed to share a sleeping bag, dragon champ.”

“Um, uh, m- my scales would be too uncomfortable to hug!”

“We all got pelted in the face by hurricane-level hail, while hanging on Geuse like wonky strings of Hearth’s Warming Eve ornaments. Tell me again about discomfort.”

“Do you really not mind?”

“Why would I?”

Pisacan quietly sighed. “Spike… do you know how I feel, when I just lost my sight?”

Spike said sadly. “It must be terrifying.”

“It is, at first. But it soon gives way to loneliness. Horrible, horrible loneliness. We’re so used to use our eyes to confirm there’s someone out there to talk to, to connect with. But without sight, it was like being in a dark dungeon alone at all time.”

Pisacan drew in a sharp breath. “I find that I want… no, I need physical touch. Whenever a friend like you confirms your presence in such a way, I feel much safer. So if anything, I’d even be elated to have you in my embrace when I sleep. The only concern that I have is that it might cause your wound to hurt.”

“Not at all. If anything, the warmth would make it tingle nicely.”

“Heheh.”

“Pisa… If you wish, then I’d be glad to make you feel better.”

The yellow mare looked delighted. “Thank you, Spike… I was worrying my request would sound, um, too weird.”

“Not at all. So, let us crawl in, shall we?”

Pisacan beamed, and immediately followed Spike’s directions and climbed in the remaining sleeping bag. With the small dragon resting near her chest, she quickly drifted off to her best sleep in weeks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heating up the frozen energy bars on the bonfire, the four were chitchatting to disperse the heavy atmosphere that otherwise plagued their escape.

Spike warmed his claws on the fire and muttered. “I wonder if there’s any gems around this place. I’ve been hungry for a good turquoise since we left the south.”

“Even if there’s any, I guess they’re all buried under this accursed mountain of snow.”

Kanipha huffed in annoyance. “Seriously, does this place ever stop snowing?”

Spike shrugged. “Kanny, to be fair, it’s now snowing not nearly as heavy as before. Heck, the snow felt wet somehow. It must be melting.”

Pisacan quietly pondered. “I suppose seasons here don’t work like they’re in Equestria proper. The presence of magic and weather management usually overshadows the natural progression of seasons, and we don’t know if there’s any here. But judging from the amount of snow and the temperature, now it should be sort of like the early spring in the north.”

Geuse said. “Thank goodness, that means it would only get warmer, right?”

“I hope so.”

Spike nodded “Mhmm. Speaking of which, why isn’t the sun up yet?”

Pisacan explained calmly. “We’re at a rather northern altitude. Since the sun and moon ran around a circle around the equator of the world, they might not even pass beyond the horizons around here. Depending on the season, it would either be day all day or night all day.”

“Aw, I’ve forgotten what Twi taught me. But yuck, eternal night? This is like if Nightmare Moon got her ways.”

“Nay. See? There are lights on the horizons. I would prefer calling this polar twilight.”

Spike slowly smiled. “Now that you put it this way, it sounds much more auspicious. Let’s do this for Twi then.”

He stretched his arms. Then he waved his claw and directed the aroma from their breakfast to his nose. “Smell nice.”

Kanipha laughed. “Spike, I remember that you spat them all out when Applejack offered one to you.”

Spike immediately blushed, and Geuse grinned. “Everything looks like a gourmet dinner when you’re hungry enough.”

Pisacan nodded. “Well, let’s eat our ‘gourmet’ then. We need some energy, regardless of whether we want to go further north, stay here, or go look for signs of habitations.”

As they were chewing on the pleasantly heated food, some rumbling could be heard in the far side of the forest.

All four of them put down the bars they were chewing on, and turned towards the source of the noise.

Geuse muttered. “Could it be…?”

Pisacan whispered. “Be careful… I heard that bugbears are sighted in the north as well. Nopony was able to communicate, much less reason with them before.”

Spike again took up his trusty telescope and observed. After a while, he shook his head and said. “Just a fallen tree, I’m afraid.”

Kanipha even looked disappointed. “What? Just a fallen tree?”

A loud gruff voice boomed from behind all of them. The four turned again with shock, and a large black bovine stomped on their bonfire and extinguished it.

The bovine male glared at them, his curved horn waving aggressively. It seemed that apart from the color, he also had a thicker layer of fur than the yaks. A necklace of colorful decorations shook as he huffed angrily.

Geuse whispered. “W- What is he saying?”

Spike shook his head. “I… I’m not too sure. It sounds like Yakyakistani, but not quite the same. I can only pick out a word or two.”

Pisacan bit her lips. “I think I heard something about ‘daring’, ‘sacred’ and ‘lighting fire’.”

Kanipha gasped. “Dang, we must have angered this black yak by lighting a fire in their sacred grove! Quick, someone explain to him in Yakyakistani!”

Spike and Pisacan looked to each other, and gingerly approached the black ‘yak’ in submissive looks.

“Mister yak-”

The 'yak', however, grumbled and shouted a long sentence, ending with the word 'muskox'.

“Muskox?” 

Pisacan covered her mouth and tutted her tongue. “How could I forget about them!”

Spike whispered. “What about them?”

“They’re the ones who invited the yaks to the land of Equestria in the first place. They and yaks are related, kinda like pegasi and bat ponies. But unlike the yaks who built a nation south of Everhoof, they chose to remain in the north, living a nomadic life. Nopony has heard about or attempted to visit them for a long time!”

“He’s grumbling, let’s talk later and apologize first!”

Spike quickly turned back to the angrily huffing muskox, and said. 

“Mister muskox, we're sorry for the offense. We're refugees from Yakyakistan, because it was attacked by Crystallia.”

Pisacan nodded and added. "Yes, we've been chased by its evil consul, Sunset Shimmer, and we ended up taking shelter here. We really didn't know it is your sacred place.”

The muskox took some time to process their words, and said with almost no accent. “Alright, you lots can speak your own tongue. The tongue of our yak cousins is different to the tongue of ours, and given your accent, it’s somewhat difficult for me to understand.”

“H- Huh?!” Pisacan’s jaw dropped at hearing almost perfect Equestrian.

He continued. “Dragon, crystal pony, you’re from the south, are you not?”

Spike was shocked that this muskox’s Equestrian was much better than Prince Rutherford’s pidgin speech, and much better than his own command of the muskox’s native language anyway.

“Well?” The muskox huffed impatiently.

Spike hurriedly nodded. “Y- Yes, Prince Rutherford and I are friends. I helped him take back the tug banner of Aimag from the Gorge of Seven Horns, so he honored me before the sudden attack by Crystal Empire. He fought for enough time so we few could bring the message out.”

The muskox slowly nodded and turned to Pisacan. “You’re a crystal pony, why are you against your fellow crystal ponies?”

“I’m not against my fellow crystal ponies, wise muskox. I’m only against the terrible rule of Sunset Shimmer, who tricked them into supporting this unjust war. I rose up against her, and I was blinded and imprisoned.”

“You’re blind?” 

The muskox looked surprised. He then breathed in deeply and said. “My name is not ‘wise muskox’. I’m Chief Kirgut of the muskox tribe.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Chief Kirgut.”

The chief took a good look of the four, and said slowly after some pondering. “… I am a follower of Earth Mother. Earth Mother told us about what makes a tribe great. A tribe is great because the tribe would treat the weak and the needy with kindness, not throw them out.”

Facing with the sudden spring of kindness, the four looked elated.

Kanipha asked. “Is, is that true? Chief Kirgut, you will take us in?”

“If you four truly are speaking the truth, and among you are the hungry, the cold and the blind, then Earth Mother shall frown on my name and my honor, if I take away your warmth and leave you outside in the cold.”

The group immediately thanked the muskox profusely. “T- Thank you, Chief Kirgut!”

Chief Kirgut stroked his long beard. “Not yet. You four need to swear by this sacred rock on my neck, that you four has nothing against the muskoxen, before you may enter our place. Would you?”

“Of course!”

The four almost said at the same time, as they sprinted towards the muskox. They rubbed their noses when they got near, noticing the namesake of the muskox, a strangely sweet and musky smell.

The chief took his necklace up in the air. It was a stack of plain-looking flat stones, arranged like a two-legged creature.

“Touch it and swear.”

The four followed his instruction, and then the chief raised the necklace up towards the sky. The overcast above their head suddenly cleared, revealing a direct path to the sun.

They looked on with amazement as the sunlight hit cast a shadow on the chief’s giant curling horn, and it began to glow a mesmerizing blue.

Chief Kirgut smiled. “You four are truthful, worthy visitors to the muskoxen tribe. Now follow me and you should have a shelter of comfort.”

“Thank you again, Chief Kirgut, your kindness is a slice of heaven.”

Geuse said with a moved tone, which was followed by a series of nods from the others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the nervous silence during the long walk, it was Pisacan who first broke the ice. “Chief Kirgut, we’re still terribly sorry about the fire.”

“Fire on sacred ground is not bad in itself, but it must be lit in a proper ritual to make it a tribute to Sky Father and Earth Mother. However, I understand the need to maintain warmth, and we allow even members of our tribe to overlook the rule if their lives are in danger. After all, our lives are gifts from the divine, and they should be placed before ritual.”

The four quietly exhaled in relief at the open-mindedness of the muskox chief. Spike then asked. “Excuse me, Chief Kirgut?”

“Yes, small dragon?”

“I wonder why you have such a good command of Equestrian language. It’s simply amazing, since not even Prince Rutherford could speak Equestrian with, uh, a bit of errors here and there.”

The chief lowly muttered. “Rezer is a hard-headed yak. I don’t know if he truly doesn’t master your tongue or else. However, in the few times we met, he pretended to speak bad muskox to make yaks look unyielding.”

Spike slowly took in what the chief implied. “Oh… But where did you learn Equestrian from, Chief Kirgut? No one down south had seen a muskox for millennia! And I don’t think Prince Rutherford himself is… uh, fluent or willing enough to teach you.”

“The trees cast long shadows, and evil spirits might be listening.”

The chief again showed the vague expression when he challenged them to swear on his necklace. “And even though we shall honor you, our visitors, with fresh milk broth, I shall have a… certain task for you afterwards. And after that you will know where I learn the tongue of the ponies.”

Spike nodded hesitantly. He looked to the others, which gave him similar looks of bemusement.

Regardless, they walked on, and after passing through a few ravines and gullies, they reached a seemingly dead end with a pile of stones at the end. It curiously resembled the one which was hanging on the chief’s necklace.

“Get near and lay your hooves… or claws on the stone.”

The chief touched his necklace to the stone pile after everyone complied. And with a flash of light, the five were inside an enormous cave, standing in the middle of a bowl-shaped hall.

“Whoa!”

“W- Where are we?”

Pisacan looked particularly concerned and disoriented, as she held tight at Geuse’s tail uncertainly.

“Worry not. This is our winter home, the Cave of Earth Mother. The blessing of Earth Mother allows us to seal the cave, and go in and out by magic instead of hooves. This is not our year-round home, however, for the fields under the blue sky are our true home.”

Pisacan looked amazed. “So we just teleported in, unbelievable!”

Chief Kirgut called to a young female muskox nearby, and ordered something in his native tongue. The female muskox nodded, and briskly trotted to the other side of the cave.

The chief looked to Spike and said. “You must be wondering why I know so much about the pony tongue.”

“Um, yes.”

“Follow me.”

The four gingerly trailed the large muskox, and after walking through an arched corridor, they arrived at another domed room. 

Dim torchlight barely illuminated the stone walls, smoke was drawn towards an air hole at the top. At the far side there was a strange structure – it looked like a bed built with a sheet on some dried grass. However, there were two large, strangely shaped pillars with pitch-black chains tied to them, and the chains led to two figures who were laying motionless on the bed.

Geuse, Spike and Kanipha walked close to take a better look, and they were stunned, to say the least, to discover who the two chained figures were.

Spike was first to ask with shock and disbelief. “Why in the world are they here?!”

“Yeah, why?” Geuse and Kanipha joined in.

Chief Kirgut nodded imperceptibly. “So it appears that you also know the two, even though you’re not the crystal pony. I was slightly worried because she cannot see.”

Pisacan frowned and asked. “What’s going on? Who are they?” 

Spike almost shouted. “Cadance and Shining Armor! They’re chained to the bed and-”

“Dragon, I mean them no harm. The chains are there for protection, because they had become a danger not only to us, but to themselves as well.”

Geuse immediately said. “We need explanations.”

Kanipha, however, already thought of some educated guesses. “It’s the yaks who sent them to you, wasn’t it?”

“Clever zebra. Yes, Rezer did request us to hide these two in our cave.”

The chief looked at the yellow torch flame and slowly said. “Ever since our yak cousins chose to completely settle down, our relations have been lukewarm. Many yak princes did not even send anyone at our kurultai. Rezer was first in many years to try to reconnect with us. We’re a bit surprised, though, by his request to hide these two among us. He’s a shaman head for Sky Father, so I bet he foresaw something in his visions to not keep these two in yak lands.”

Pisacan muttered. “Chief Kirgut, do you know well who these two are?”

“I know, they’re the chiefs of the crystal pony nation. But the problems lie not in my recognition.”

The chief let out a groan. “By Earth Mother, they have been talking non-stop since their arrival. But since no one here knows what the Erlik they’re talking about, we put them on hold initially. But by some forsaken way, they got rid of the magic limiters Rezer put on them, and they began to go crazy on their spells, almost bringing down the whole cave.”

Spike asked with a deep frown. “That’s why you chain them up?”

“Not yet, dragon. We’re a peaceful bunch, so my advisors suggested me to first appeal to Earth Mother in order to understand what they said, and therefore stood a chance to talk them down. Such a ritual would usually grant us a short moment of trance-like clarity, allowing us to talk a foreign tongue temporarily, and we do this whenever we need to talk with the deer and the wolves.”

Pisacan touched her lips. “So there are indeed deer and wolves up north.”

Chief Kirgut looked bemused. “Of course there are. Granted, they don’t usually show up in our lands, if at all. We only meet when there is any dispute with regards to water and control of summer grasslands. Unlike us, they are highly evasive and like to keep to themselves, and would never stay around long enough to really let us learn their tongues, so we always had to resort to invocations.”

The muskox then sighed. “But to start the ritual, we need some hair or clippings from them. When we got close to them, they became even more frantic. The blue-maned one is crazy strong, and it took three muskoxen to pin him down.”

Spike muttered. “Well, he is the Captain of the Equestrian Royal Guard…”

“When we got all the materials ready, I was shocked to see that the usual invocations caused a most unusual omen. The stone platform burst into a storm of sparks, and a brilliant band of aurora appeared in the sky. This was the sign of Ulgen, not Umay.”

“Uh…” The four listeners were clearly stumped by Muskoxen mythology. Kanipha, in particular, was barely able to hide his skeptical look convincingly.

“I see that you’re not familiar with our beliefs. Umay is the Earth Mother, and she is usually the most responsive of our pleas. However, knowledge was not her domain, it was the domain of Ulgen the stargazer. Ulgen seldom comes up in our divination, however, and it signals something highly unusual. In any case, after seeing the signs, I was struck by a torrent of knowledge, and in no time I become fluent in the strange southern tongue of the two ponies. This time, it did not go away even long after the ritual.”

Geuse said slowly. “That’s… intriguing.”

“The last time we muskoxen received a sign from Ulgen, it was a thousand years ago, when the evil shaman king of the crystal ponies was defeated by Gun-Ana the Brilliant.”

“Who?”

“I thought you all must know. She resides in the south and leads the southern ponies alongside Ay-Ana. She’s the spirit of the sun, a winged unicorn.”

Spike widened his eyes. “You mean… Princess Celestia?”

“Oh, right, this is what you southerners call her. The highest spirit, Tanri, had long ceded the control of the two brightest stars in the heaven to the rainbow race, and we fully acknowledge that.”

“Uh huh.” Spike listened, but understanding only some of it.

“Ulgen had warned us of the evil shadow of the defeated shaman king, and we all wore nazars to successfully ward him off. We even took the efforts to spread the news across the entire northern lands, and to this day, the deer and the wolves still honor this memory despite their reclusiveness.”

The chief picked up and signaled with another trinket on his necklace. This time it was a blue, teardrop-shaped bead with concentric circles.

“Ulgen never relay us with revelations that were less than life-changingly important. Therefore, there is a sense of urgency at reading his intent. I immediately tried to use my newly learnt tongue to talk with the two ponies we kept, but…”

Spike asked. “But?”

“They are plainly crazed. I do not think that they are in their right minds at all.”

Pisacan interjected. “What did they say to you? Pardon me, but it might be cultural misunderstanding.”

“Nay, no. They are cursed, their eyes are clouded by haze and impurity. Their chants are singular, only begging to return to yak lands so that they can continue to placate Rezer and other yaks, and persuade them that the crystal ponies are all for peace. It is simply impossible to talk any sense into them. And after some time, they would simply forget everything that we talked. When they finally acted up and could no longer be talked with, we had no choice but to chain them to the black pillars, which absorb all kinds of offensive witchery and magic.”

Geuse spat. “Sunset Shimmer must have placed them on some sort of mind control or hypnotic suggestion… Just to use them as tools to detract her enemies.”

“Is this Sunset Shimmer the new shaman king-”

Pisacan interjected. “She’s a mare.”

“Alright, queen of the crystal ponies?”

“She’s just a consul, but Sombra was also ‘just’ an advisor before he usurped the throne. Cadanza is supposed to be the… hmm, rightful princess. The one supposedly related to our late Princess Amore and supported by Equestria anyway.”

Spike was concerned about the obvious signs that his new crystal pony friend clearly had issues with Twi’s foalsitter and one of his closest relations, but he stayed quiet for the moment.

“So are you saying that they’re cursed by the new, witch q- consul?”

“I think so.”

“Then my decision to bring you four in is definitely right.”

The chief clapped his hooves and thinly smirked. “I must admit, my action is not purely selfless.”

Pisacan knitted her brows. “What do you mean, Chief Kirgut?”

“I was expecting a group of four to come to our aid in our quest to portend Ulgen’s will, and I had been scouting within our tribe for long without success. Now, you four came along and happened to fit. However, I still had doubts whether you’re the ones I was waiting for, so I brought you in and see whether you have any connections to the two ponies. Now I’m sure of it.”

Kanipha finally asked, unable to contain his doubt. “Why four, huh?”

If the chief heard any hint of skepticism, he did not show. “Four is the number of stars in the constellation of Great Square, the abode of Ulgen, and I suspect that you hold the key to solve our mysterious dilemma. Now, I expect you to break their curses and make them sane, so that Ulgen’s will would be done.”

The group looked to each other with barely concealed looks of surprise. Pisacan was the first to hide it with a placid expression. “We understand. Chief Kirgut, since this might take some time and efforts, and bear some risks, we would like to stay in this room alone.”

Chief Kirgut nodded. “As you wish. But first-”

He trotted out of the room and took a tray of jugs from the female muskox they saw earlier. “Have some warm muskox milk first. It’s what make us healthy and strong.”

The four all smiled or beamed. They were all hungry and thirsty following the trek to the cave.

After finishing their drinks, the chief took out a curious looking plant from his bag. It was a yellow flower tipper with red, and it had a tall fleshy stem.

“They’ve been fed some specially made chamomile tea, and they’re in really deep slumber. If you want to wake them, you might use this roseroot plant and hold it to their noses. They should be up in no time, but take care, they might be unstable after… everything that had happened.”

“We understand.”

“Good luck, visitors. Hopefully you four would help us solve the riddle from Ulgen, and at the same time help yourselves as well.”

They nodded, and saw to the departure of the chief from the room. A large round stone was pushed in to seal the entrance. And with it came the silence.

Spike first turned to Pisacan. “Pisa, why did you tell the chief to leave?”

“Spike, it’s clear that none of us have quite an idea to break Sunset Shimmer’s spell, isn’t it? It might not be the best of ideas to disappoint the chief, after everything he did.”

The rest sighed with frustration, but Geuse then said. “But now that Cadance and Shining Armor are here, if we do revive them, we’d have two magic users by our side!”

Spike also perked up. “Yeah, I mean, if we manage to get them safely in front of the crystal ponies, maybe we can even expose Sunset Shim-”

Pisacan interrupted. “They might help us with their magic, but they’re not going to be that helpful with talking down the Crystallians.”

Spike looked surprised. “Why?”

“I know they’re your close relations, especially to you, Spike. But to us Crystallians, they have done few things to merit our loyalty.”

“But Cadance is an Alicorn, a Crystal Princess!”

“Of course she is, but she’s also somepony the Equestrians pushed onto us. To the average Crystallians, the Sombra-vanquishing ‘hero’ that is Sunset Shimmer is always at the forefront, and she’s the face of the revived Empire to most of her citizens. Cadanza’s heritage might matter to some, but it isn’t the biggest issue for most. What’s more, she and her husband simply hid in the castle all day, not even coming out to calm the citizenry, for example, when the labor revolt happened.”

Geuse muttered. “You seem to have a pretty dim opinion on her, Pisa.”

“I’d freely admit, yes. Back when things were less grim, when Sunset Shimmer began to arrest my kin left and right, I thought that appealing to Cadanza was a last but valid resort. I was wrong, as I was just casually dismissed and placed me under house arrest. A do-nothing, know-nothing royal, that is my only impression of her.”

Spike frowned with sadness and disbelief. “Cadance is a Princess of Love, she surely wouldn’t have done such a heartless thing-”

Noticing Pisacan’s silent dismay, he added quietly. “… if she’s herself.”

“So you’re saying that they’ve been under Sunset Shimmer’s thrall since this long ago, and that face of indifference was not her true face?”

Spike argued. “That’s not unreasonable, isn’t it?”

Pisacan huffed, and Kanipha tapped his chin. “We might as well find out by trying.”

Pisacan said. “But how?”

Geuse picked up the roseroot and suggested. “Let’s wake them up first?”

Kanipha raised a brow. “But are you as strong as three muskoxen?”

“The chains look as thick as your legs, Kanny. They should do the job of restraining them. I think we should be more worried about them injuring themselves by accident.”

“Here goes nothing…”

Spike took the roseroot plant from Geuse’s hoof, and began waving it in the front of the two’s noses like he was angling for a sneeze.

Kanipha snorted and commented. “That’s just silly.”

Suddenly, the two moved abruptly. Despite the expectation, Spike took a bit of a scare and stepped backwards slightly, steadying himself at a distance.

“P- Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, can you hear me? I’m Spike!”

The disheveled duo appeared to look to the direction of the dragon, yet their eyes were not focused on the dragon at all.

Shining Armor stood up, and immediately growled. He leapt forward, and the chains on his body were immediately pulled taut.

When Spike was briefly distracted by the frenzied look on the face of Twilight’s brother, a powerful kick was suddenly delivered to his side.

“Woagh-!”

Spike rolled and tumbled to the side of the wall. Kanipha sprinted to catch him, partly softening the blow with his own body.

Kanipha helped Spike up, and gleaned at the one who kicked Spike to the curb. Cadance was nothing like the friendly and mature Alicorn she once saw in Twilight’s house. She bared her teeth and hissed in an animalistic manner, making threatening gesture with her hooves as she struggled to get off the chains.

“Spike, are you alright… Oh, oh, oh my goodness!”

The dragon raised a brow quizzically at the panicked face of his zebra friend, until he felt a wetness at the corner of his mouth. He rubbed it with his arms, and it was dark red. He looked down to his scarring wound, and it had been torn again, blood again seeping out.

He wheezed in pain. “Damn it, Cadance. I’m not into this kind of tough love.”

Kanipha gasped. “That’s no joke! You might’ve some internal injuries!”

“Bah, this is nothing to a dragon. Even a broken tail can be healed in a few weeks. But now…”

The four again looked at the two ponies, who had seemingly degenerated into mindless, feral fierceness. They growled and wrestled, using every fibre in the body to try to get away from the magic-suppressing pillars.

Gently patting where he was kicked and wincing, Spike moaned. ”I thought the chief said he picked up Equestrian from the whatever star-spirit to talk with them! What happened to talking?”

Pisacan sighed. “Didn’t he also said they were too crazed and unstable towards the end? Perhaps that’s what he meant.”

Kanipha gritted his teeth when he saw Spike’s injuries. “He could’ve used some bucking clarity, then!”

All of a sudden, with an unnerving crackling sound, the bolts that pinned the chains to the black pillars gave way in quick succession, and the two ponies leaped towards the shocked four like two wounded beasts.

Geuse yelled. “Spread out!”

The pegasus flew up to evade a mad charge by the crazed blue-maned unicorn. However, she gasped when she saw he turned to the crystal pony and began to charge up his horn.

“N- No-!” She yelped in panic.

Just as a searing spell was about to hit Pisacan squarely on the head, she was knocked sideways by Spike, who happened to lean on the wall nearby.

“Ugh…!”

“W- Wha-”

Ignoring his own pain, Spike immediately stood up and dragged the crystal pony away. “Follow me and get behind cover! They’ve shaken loose and started shooting spells everywhere!”

After shoving the fearful pony behind a stone table, Spike immediately walked out and towards the rampaging duo.

Geuse was busy dodging stray spells in the air. The pegasus wanted to fly further up and dash towards the ground with her trident to gain momentum and impact, a favorite tactic of hers. However, the cave room was not high enough for her to even completely evade the occasional jump from the two.

Wanting simply to subdue the two without seeing blood, the pegasus was rather reserved in her strikes. She attempted to hug the ground and bend behind Shining Armor, and administer a blow to his head.

However, she attracted the attention of Cadance, who in this deranged state, seemed to be alarmed at someone attempting to hurt her lover. 

She snarled and lit her horn. The trident on Geuse’s hooves shot out with a purple glow despite her firm grip.

The trident then shot back tip-first in an even greater speed. Geuse could barely react as her right wing were pinned onto the wall crudely, immediately spilling blood on her orange feathers.

“Argh—!” Geuse let out a scream of pain.

Just as the pink Alicorn was ready to deliver the next blow, a primal cry of anger was heard behind her. She turned her head, and was squarely pummeled with a large splinter of black stone.

Further behind in the room, the white unicorn, who had been about to charge at the dragon, was also clobbered in the head by the pillar that used to restrain his movement. A frightened zebra colt stood behind the collapsed column and gasped for air.

With the two rampaging ponies lying motionless on the ground, Pisacan shakily asked.

“I- Is it all over?”

“… I think so.” Spike said with a strained voice.

Geuse drew in a heavy breath and took a firm hold of her own trident. With a resolute yell, she widened her eyes and pulled out the trident with her own hooves.

Immediately dropping to the ground, the pegasus whimpered on the ground as her injured wing bled profusely. Still, she bit her tongue and took a roll of bandage from her saddlebag, and immediately wrapped the wounded area tightly with both her hooves and mouth.

“Geuse…! Y- Y- You-” Kanipha had run towards the pegasus and said shakily.

“Kanny, this is far from the first time I’m badly wounded. Heck, this is not even the first time you see me bleed from a battle wound. So stop freaking out.”

Letting out another heavy breath, she said through clenched teeth. “Damn it all to Tartarus, I have too little experience dealing with magic-capable foes. I almost got poked in my damn neck by my own damn trident.”

Spike had also led Pisacan out and came near the pegasus.

Geuse closed one of her eyes and turned to the dragon. “Hey bud, still alive?”

The dragon said in short burst of breathes. “My wound is again torn open, and I might have bruised internally… But not as bad as yours, I guess.”

Geuse quickly lent the bandage roll to the dragon and helped him dressed his wound. Spike looked at the pegasus’s wing and asked. “Is your wing…?”

“Can’t fly for a while, I’m afraid. But it shouldn’t be anything permanent.”

Pisacan’s head lowered with deep regret. “I shouldn’t have let the chief go and seal the door. It almost became a cage deathmatch here.”

Geuse muttered. “It’s over, and this is what matters.”

Spike peeked at the carnage and said bitterly. “We’ve wounded ourselves and knocked them out. We have achieved precisely nothing.”

Kanipha shouted. “Look out! They’re moving again!”

The others straightened in alarm. Geuse and Spike observed warily as Cadance and Shining Armor slowly and unsteadily stood up. They had been wounded and incapacitated. If they were again in a combat situation, things would turn really ugly.

However, Geuse noticed something different. The hazy gazes in their eyes were replaced by simple looks of confusion. They no longer grunted ferally or emanated a primal sense of aggression.

Spike also noticed something similar, and tentatively asked despite heart-wrenching pain. “Ca- dance, Shining Armor?”

The pink Alicorn winced deeply and shook her head. “Ugh… what happened?”

Shining Armor briedly widened his eyes, but then gritted his teeth in response to the terrible headache. “Where are we?”

Spike exhaled heavily and said. “This is the Frozen North. Specifically, the cave of the muskoxen tribe.”

Cadance was nothing but shocked. “What? Why are we here? Shouldn’t we be in Crystal Empire?”

Kanipha said. “… Whoa, we might be dealing with quite a spectacular blank in memories here.”

Pisacan let out a sigh of relief. “At least we aren’t dealing with two caged animals.”

Spike asked. “Do you two remember being taken to this place? Or anything prior to that?”

“I… I-” Shining Armor again clenched his teeth in pain. 

Cadance similarly winced, but she managed to squeeze out. “I don’t know why we’re here… Everything seems like a blur and a dream…”

Geuse asked. “What is the last thing you remember, uh… Princess Cadance?”

“You… you’re Twilight’s friend from Zebrica, right? I think we met you in the Golden Oak once.”

“Yes, I’m Geuse, the zebra colt is Kanipha.”

“For your question, Geuse… I don’t quite know. I remember bits and pieces of imageries that don’t quite make sense, and the past moon or so seemed like a really bad dream.”

“Cadance is right, that’s what I felt too. In fact… If I’m forced to described, it was eerily similar to the trance Chrysalis once put me in.”

Cadance was stunned at her husband’s suggestion, while Spike raised a brow and bared his teeth. “There it is, the red hoof is right there! Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, did you remember Sunset Shimmer doing anything suspicious to you?”

“Sunset Shimmer…?” 

Cadance’s initial expression was one of utter bemusement. “She- she… suspicious?”

“Yeah, did she take you into a room or something?”

After a labored recollection, she shook her head and sighed. “… Sorry, I can barely remember anything after my return to the Empire. I think that I did summon her to the throne room to discuss some… thing?”

She looked to the ragged bunch and frowned sadly. “Speaking of which, why are you two wounded, Spike, Geuse?”

“Well…” Geuse mumbled in hesitation.

Pisacan coldly said. “You magicked Geuse’s trident onto her own wing and bucked open Spike’s old wound, that’s what happened.”

“Eh?!” Cadance and Shining Armor both gasped in shock.

The pink Alicorn looked at the white-maned crystal pony. “W- Who might you be?”

Pisacan’s look was a complex mix of anger, shock and betrayal. “How can you? I pleaded so relentlessly, till my very last breath, for you to exercise your royal power to overrule Sunset Shimmer’s unlawful arrests! How can you now tell me that you don’t remember a thing?!”

Spike tugged at the blind mare, who was shaking with such intense emotion that she could barely speak. “Pisa, they were clearly under Sunset Shimmer’s thrall at the time…”

Visibly shaken, Cadance gazed long and hard at Pisacan. “I- I recognize you from the banquet… you’re from the Vinidi family, right? P- Pisacan?”

Pisacan drew in another breath and calmed her anger. “Yeah, then-matriarch of the then-Vinidi clan. It’s no more thanks to Sunset Shimmer. And excuse me if I don’t look you in the eyes when talking, Your Highness. I got blinded and jailed by your trusty consul, and if not for Geuse, I would be probably be paraded on a spire soon enough!”

Standing in for his trembling wife, Shining Armor asked heavily. “S- Sunset Shimmer… What had she done?”

“You want the concise version, huh? She’s poised to become an even more shrewd and cruel Sombra.”

Ignoring the appalled looks, she continued. “And instead of having everypony under her iron hooves, she charmed the whole nation with her silver tongue into following her. From what we’ve seen, mind control’s not below her, but she seems to know that straight-up deceiving them into genuinely following her is much safer.”

Her cold tone turned heated, and she hissed. “All because the new leaders Equestria got for us did nothing to stop her, and even got duped and manipulated into being disposable pawns to distract the yaks!”

Shining Armor felt a torrent of emotions in his chest, however, his wounded pride came through first. He bellowed. “You will have your respect before your princess!”

Pisacan’s subdued rage flared again. “Respect? Respect?! The Crystallian throne has done nothing but to hound and torment the Vinidis for the past decade! What have you done for us to warrant respect?! Tell that to my kin who survived Sombra but now about to be driven onto the battlefield by someone with royal assent!”

Spike frowned at Twilight’s brother. “Shining Armor, this might not be the best of times to flaunt your royal status.”

Geuse at the same time calmed the angry mare. “Don’t work yourself up, Pisa. Our true enemy is Sunset Shimmer, and I’m sure they never hope for this terrible situation themselves.”

Shining Armor gritted his teeth, and reluctantly said. “I misspoke, sorry, Pisacan.”

Pisacan did not respond or even acknowledge his apology, and turned sideways simmering in quiet ire.

Kanipha sighed. “At least we did what the chief asked us to do, which is to return you two to sanity. Now we can plan to do something more than escaping to somewhere even more northern and freezing our snouts off.”

Cadance again asked with a sad, pleading look. “C- Can you tell us more about the current situation?”

Spike sighed. “Alright, Princess Cadance. We suspect that Sunset Shimmer had already usurped the power in Crystal Empire and had complete control. She had mobilized the Brownshirts and presumably drafted a lot of Crystallians into the reformed army. Yakyakistan had fallen in just a day.”

Shining Armor was in disbelief. “A day?! Yakyakistan is the best defended place in greater Equestria!”

The dragon said through clenched teeth. “That’s because she captured Pinkie and made her do the dirty work using mind control. Pinkie’s gadgets were majorly destructive, and the defense of the yaks fell like a house of cards. We barely managed to escape intact, although Prince Rutherford stayed till the end… Grrgh!”

Geuse took over from the frustrated dragon. “Pinkie and I was originally going to the Empire to investigate a separate incident in relations to an industrial sabotage, but it seems to be a trap to capture one of the Element-bearers. Before she could lay her filthy hooves on me, I saw through her foul play and escaped, although I couldn’t rescue Pinkie, to my utmost shame.” 

She pointed towards the yellow mare. “On my way out I met Pisacan, who was being imprisoned in the dungeon. With her help we escaped the Empire and fled to Yakyakistan, with them hot on our trails. We then met Spike and Kanipha, who happened to be trekking across Equestria to research a way to help Twilie. We originally planned to get to the coast and left for the south on a ship, but unfortunately, the Crystallians caught up to us and quickly sacked the place. And we had no choice but to flee again.”

Kanipha nodded and continued. “So we flew round Everhoof on Geuse’s back and came here, the Frozen North. We met the muskoxen chief Kirgut, who revealed to us that he was entrusted with watching over you two. Prince Rutherford must’ve thought that the hostages he had would prevent an outright war, but it was likely just a ruse by Sunset Shimmer to give a false sense of security to the yaks.”

Spike again picked up and explained. “We don’t know for sure, but Sunset Shimmer had likely hypnotized you two to distract the yaks using whatever means necessary, and with you being sent here…”

Spike flicked his cheek scales. “Now, I’m by no means an expert, but with what Twilight taught me about mind-bending magic, if somepony who is hypnotized is placed in a situation that the victim cannot carry out an order, he or she would default to the spell-caster. However if the spell-caster is not around nearby, the magic would cause the victims to go into a mindless craze… Like what happened just now.”

Kanipha asked curiously. “Huh, so why did hitting them in the head work?”

“I don’t think it’s the strike in the head, but rather the fact that we used something that is magic-absorbing. The chief said that the black pillar is exactly that, and I guess it’s the closeness of the material to the head did the trick, but I’m far from sure.”

Cadance and Shining Armor looked to each other and silently nodded. The blue-maned white unicorn sighed. “We must return to the Empire and right the wrongs.”

Pisacan grunted and mocked. “Forget it, Prince Shining Armor! What do you wanna do? Just walk up to a soldier and say, ‘Hey, we screwed up, Sunset Shimmer is evil, and she wants to bring the nation into wars and ruin!’ Do you honestly think that any of them would listen to you? If so, you are a fool even when you’re not brainwashed!”

“You-!”

“Remember, you two are as foreign as Sunset Shimmer when it comes to us the Crystallians. No one would dare point this out to your faces, but to a mare like me who’s lost everything now, buck it! You two are ineffectual and nameless, wastes of space as supposedly heroic leaders!”

Cadance looked shook up, but neither she nor Shining Armor could offer a retort.

“In their eyes, everything since the comeback of the Empire is done by the orange unicorn, Salvatore e Guida della Nazione! You might think that it’s unfair, how you’ve been misled and even controlled… But that’s the reality you have to deal with. That not even a crystal pony would take your words over what they’ve been constantly told through countless rousing and mesmerizing speeches, as well as what they’ve read in the papers. If you do go south and run into any Crystallian, I swear to the Crystal Heart that they would side with Sunset Shimmer each and every time.”

The yellow mare sneered. “She knew who to appease to shift power to her side, and cement it on an ever stable pedestal. On the flip side, she knew when to strike hard and without mercy. Do you know why she targeted us, the Vinidis? We’re the largest clan, the most influential and the longest established family in the Empire apart from the royal Amores. We were made to be an example of what happens to someone who dares to oppose her! After our fall, not even a squeak came from the Zenas, the Florentinas, or the Mediolas, even if their kins were drafted and a war tax three times higher than under Sombra was levied on them!”

She trotted forward, stopped right in front of the royal duo and gesculated. “That’s the mare you’re going to deal with. She has done something even Sombra with his magic couldn’t – She made herself the will of the Crystal Empire, the second sun, none can stand up to her without getting struck down, the closest thing to an ancient Crystalline Emperor! Do you really think you can just wrangle her away with just a few platitudes, huh?!”

Cadance and Shining Armor were stunned silent. They had been disoriented by the blank in their memories, and the subsequent discovery of everything that happened in between. However, the most shocking thing was the complexity in Crystallian politics, which both of them failed to see through when they ruled the Empire in their castle. Had they been deceived and misinformed from the very beginning?

“Pisa.”

To the yellow mare’s surprise, the first response came from Spike. And the next thing he did was even more surprising.

The dragon ignored his searing chest pain and held the white mare tight with his arms. The mare quivered at the intimate touch, and her indignation was doused almost immediately.

“Pisa, I know that you’re incredibly frustrated. You feel shocked, betrayed, and everything worsened so unbelievably quickly. But remember, we’re still all here together, and we all have the same goals – to defeat Sunset Shimmer, rescue our loved ones and restore peace to the land. We can point hooves, but it wouldn’t help us achieve those goals. Only mutual trust will help us through.”

“D- Do you think that I don’t know th– Orf!”

Spike tightened his embrace. “Pisa, you said you’ve lost everything, but you still have us, you still have me!”

The yellow mare shuddered again. Slowly and with tremble, she returned the embrace. 

“Spike... Do you think that an exit to all the madness is out there?”

“We’ve been very fortunate to escape and get received by Chief Kirgut already. We’re on an upward trajectory of luck! If his star spirit is really out there, then we’re literally blessed to succeed.”

Cadance suddenly interjected. “Signora de Vinidi.”

The white mane of the mare quivered, as she turned to the source of the voice with cautiously.

“You have every right to be angry with us. As leaders, we failed you completely. What have been inflicted on you and your kin can hardly be recompensed. But now that the horrible curses have been lifted, we must work together to defeat Sunset Shimmer first.”

Cadance winced. “I… I know there probably is no love between us now, but you’re free to vent your anger on us after everything’s over. Please, for the moment, accept my sincerest apology.”

Pisacan was a bit taken aback by the humble gesture, and it was a bit hard for her to remain boiling mad with the Alicorn princess now. “… I must apologize as well, Vostra Altezza. It’s not entirely your fault to be bewitched by the orange witch. She’s our true enemy, and our first order should indeed be dealing with her and not going against each other. For my inability to control my emotions and insolent outburst, if you wish to punish me with lesa maestà after this, I’d not object.”

“Don’t be silly, I’d not respond to a plea of redress with lese-majesty. And please excuse Shining Armor as well, he’s just very protective of me.”

Shining Armor gave his wife a look, and nodded towards the yellow mare. “Please accept my apology.”

Pisacan narrowed an eye and said. “Very well.”

Cadance then said. “Everyone, I’m so glad to be brought back to… sanity after all things that had happened. Now it should be time to discuss a way to defeat Sunset Shimmer while not endangering any of us.”

Spike said. “Why not tell Chief Kirgut first? He seems to be convinced that everything happening here is the will of the star-spirit of his tribe.”

Kanipha nodded. “Yep, he seems like one who might be able to offer some way to help.”

Spike scratched his cheek again and asked. “Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, you really don’t have an idea who he is? He said he talked with you in this very cave.”

Shining Armor responded first. “… I can’t say one way or another. Everything that happened in these weeks seem hazy.”

Cadance added. “I do remember seeing someone who looks like a darker version of Prince Rutherford. He wore a necklace of many different colored stones.”

Spike nodded. “That’s probably him, and he’s probably waiting outside as well. If you two feel ready, we can push the stone at the entrance away and go find him.”

The royal couple nodded to each other, and levitated the stone together with their magic. With some efforts, they’ve pushed the stone out and then to the left, and the corridor to the main hall could be seen again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Well met, Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor.”

Cadance nodded. “It’s an honor to meet you as well, Chief Kirgut.”

Shining Armor added. “Yes, it’s my honor as well. And if what Spike told us is true, then we must’ve made quite a scene. We’re terribly sorry about that.”

The chief waved his hoof and said. “You two did not behave too badly. It’s quite an eye-opening deal to cross hooves with someone with the ability to cast magical spells so effortlessly. What’s more, the dragon told me that you two were indeed not yourselves until now, so there’s no need to feel apologetic about the slight rampage, or your lack of recollection about what we’ve talked about previously.”

Cadance and Shining Armor smiled appreciatively. Chief Kirgut did seem to be a reasonable and benevolent authority that they could count on.

The muskox chief picked up his cup of fermented milk and drank. He grinned. “Worthy chiefs of the crystal ponies, you perhaps are thinking that I’m much more obliging than my cousin Prince Rutherford, aren’t you?”

Cadance and Shining Armor widened their eyes. The Alicorn princess instinctively shook her head, then nodded, and then shook her head again. “I, uh… Chief Kirgut, I respect both of you as the leader of your respective honorable nations.”

“You don’t have to be so cautious in words. I didn’t get mad from the things you two said to me some time earlier when you’re not quite yourselves, and I will not be concerned simply because you say something less than flattering about my yak cousin.”

The duo gulped, thinking what exactly they did and said when they were under undue magical influence.

“Our yak cousins were warriors on the endless plain, before they came across the narrow sea upon our invitations. They’re fiercely protective of their pride. We muskoxen, on the other hoof, are proud of our hospitality as much as our tradition.”

“And we’re grateful for your excellent reception under this… extraordinary circumstance.”

“Extraordinary… Yes, this meeting is definitely most unusual.”

Adding some firewood to the cave fireplace, he continued.

“The northern lands, as I understand, are called the Frozen North by southerners. A barren place of no importance, perfect place to let loose the spirit of an evil shaman king.”

Cadance almost sweat-dropped. “I- I’m sure Princess Celestia didn’t mean harm to the esteemed residents of this land. She might’ve been… underinformed.”

“I didn’t bring up the apostle of Erlik to show our grudge, no. I only meant to say that it’s about to change.”

“What do you mean?” Shining Armor asked.

“Princess Cadance has put it in a way that cannot be more perfect. I’d also be inclined to believe that the sun princess did so not out of malice, but a mix of lack of knowledge compounded with lack of choice. Uninformed decisions, ignorance, misunderstanding, these are all things that Ulgen, the spirit of knowledge, would despise.”

Pouring a new cup of milk for himself and the two ponies, he said. “Your intention is plain to see, my pony friends, you want to deal with the threat of the new evil shaman queen, and yet you fear that you alone have not enough power to do so. Therefore you come to us for help. Is that correct?”

Cadance nodded. “… We would be immensely thankful if you can lend us your hooves.”

“We’ll, not simply because the new shadow would eventually be casted over the whole world, but also because the portent of Ulgen. However, our help would not be enough.”

“Why?” Cadance was surprised.

“As it was explained to me kindly by Spike the dragon, the Crystallian army numbered in tens of thousands. Armed with reforged weaponry left over from the era of the shaman king, they are further bolstered by bewitching an erstwhile ally, a pink-maned fire-caster, whose infallible arrows destroyed our yak cousins’ high fortress in just a day. We’re but humble muskoxen, and while we might be relatively long-lived and strong, we breed slowly and number in just low thousands at most, lots of us being children and the infirm. Compared to our yak cousins, we’re few, and yet they got tragically crushed under the horseshoes of the new shadow. We need more than us to destroy this dark shadow once and for all.”

Shining Armor licked his dry lips. “We only need a breakaway opportunity to go south past their line of defense. Once we reach Princess Celestia, she surely can unleash powerful forces upon Sunset Shimmer, who dared to usurp our power for her terrible deeds.”

The chief’s eyelids drooped to half. “Well, how exactly do you want to do it?”

“C- Can we reach south by the sea?” Cadance asked.

“The only access to sea in the north is dominated by the white wolves. They’re kings on the pack ices. So regardless of everything, we’ll need to talk with the wolves. What’s more, it’s now early spring in the north, and the sea is almost completely frozen.”

“How about pounding an opening in their line for us to rush through?” Shining Armor suggested.

“Prince Shining Armor, this is equal to telling my young muskoxen to just throw their lives away. And after inviting the wrath of the new shadow, do you think that they would hesitate before descending on us with full force?”

Shining Armor muttered difficultly. “I don’t mean…”

“Listen, Prince and Princess, any plan would require us to put our gaze to the north as well as the south.”

Shining Armor’s gaze focused on the chief. “Chief Kirgut, the way you put it… it sounds like you have some idea.”

“Ulgen gave us a way to shield against the shadow, and it’s clear that he would want us to stop this threat on its trails. This calls for an unprecedented union in the north.”

Cadance asked. “Can you explain what do you mean by that?”

“Much like the three races under the union forged by Gun Ana, the north had been a land shared by three races. We the muskoxen, who live on the plain, the deers, who live in the forest, and the wolves, who live on the coast and the ice. However, we never had real peace, only long truces.”

Carefully taking out a crude piece of hemp rag from his drawer, he gazed upon the writings and the hoof and paw prints on it. 

“Before the mutual struggle against the shadow of the shaman king, the three races fought against each other viciously, and there were no accord of any kind. The legacy of cooperation cooled down our enmity, and granted us this arguably grudging recognition of each other’s existences in form of this treaty. However, the deer and the wolves still quarreled from time to time, and we’ve seen no real unity between us.”

He looked up with determination in his eyes. “The new shadow will require a never before seen unity between the three races. In addition to liberating my yak cousins as well others under the tyrannical hoof, this is a golden opportunity for us to turn the looming threat into a seed of positive change, and bring true peace and boon to this long-ignored piece of land in the world. Ulgen wills it.”

Shining Armor couldn’t help but feel that the chief had leapt a bit far with his idealistic picture. “This sounds rather nice and all, but don’t you think that we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves?”

He chuckled. “It’s not a bad thing to set a higher goal.”

Cadance asked in worry. “Chief Kirgut, are you sure that the other races in the north will join in our struggle against Sunset Shimmer? I fear that they would not understand the real threat of Sunset Shimmer to the world. In fact, not even we know what the end game of her is, besides her ruthlessness.”

“They will know the price of disunity, I’m certain of it. After all, the shadow was a matter of life and death back then, and it will be the same this time.”

“Sunset Shimmer is not Sombra.” Shining Armor commented.

“Is she really?”

The chief said with a curious look, causing the duo to contemplate what could he possibly mean.

“A shadow is a shadow, whether it is casted with a spear or an arrow. A drop of bad blood would not stop until it spreads to all corners of a jug of water. Given how the old shadow tried so desperately but failed to manipulate the northern races for his recuperation, I believe, and I hope, that they would not be so foolish to ignore the threat of a new shadow.”

“… What exactly did Sombra’s shadow do in the north?” Cadance slowly asked.

“He first attempted to enchant and coax a muskox shamaness into offering him the liquid gold of life. However, the shamaness resisted, and jumped into the Chasm of Seven Fires along with the elixir in order to evade him. To this very day, we still honor the memory of the Qam Qatun by burning offerings on winter solstice.”

“What a brave muskox...”

“Indeed she was. After the old shadow failed to manipulate our tribe, he moved onto the white wolves. He wanted to make use and stoke the age-old enmity between wolves and us herbivores. By promising storm and thunder upon their enemies, he almost persuaded the wolves to complete a blood ritual that would restore a physical body to him. But at the end…”

“Huh? What happened then?” Shining Armor asked when Chief Kirgut trailed off.

“The white wolves just hated you ponies too much. Since Sombra, even in just his shadow form, was one of your kind, he was rejected and promptly thrown out from the wolves.”

“Why did they hate us? What ever did we even do to them?” Cadance frowned.

“No one other than themselves know. It’s good to be cautious though, as they probably still have a great distaste for ponies in general. Hopefully it would not be an obstacle when we seek their help.”

“So I presume he moved on to the deer, am I right?” Cadance said.

“Probably, but how, we never know. The deer was something of a mystery to us. The white wolves might be aggressive, but they are bluntly honest and honorable, kind of like our yak cousins. But the deer never told us what the shadow did to them. All we know is they became determined in joining us against the shadow afterwards with never before seen passion.”

The chief gently shook his head. “After all the failures to make us do his bid, the shadow attempted a frontal assault. Fortunately, Ulgen, our stargazer spirit of knowledge, taught us to protect ourselves with the magical blue beads. Added with our unity and bravery, we successfully dissipated his remaining power, and his shadow disappeared from the northern lands ever since, slumbering and waiting for his next chance to strike.”

Cadance and Shining Armor looked to each other. The same question came to them at the same time.

“Chief Kirgut… Do you know anything about Sunset Shimmer before all these? Specifically, do you know how she dealt with the remnant of Sombra which threatened to rise up again?”

The chief’s calm smile faltered a bit, as he sighed sadly. “I can’t say I know clearly. We’ve always known that Sombra hadn’t truly been purged out of the world. Dark mist still lurked in the mountains in the dead of the winter. However, I can say that most inhabitants of the northern lands know of the moment Sombra rose from his slumber, and was swiftly struck down. It was dark green, followed by a brilliant explosion of orange and yellow, the sign of the chariot stars. It was supposed to foretell great time of change, and we all think that whoever vanquished the remnant of the old shadow must be a great hero.”

“So you do think that Sunset Shimmer defeated Sombra and lifted the curses he casted on the others.”

“Yes, but sadly, being a great hero does not make one immune to evil. In fact, the more she is convinced of her moral superiority, the more likely she will excuse herself from horrible actions. The greater a hero is, the more disastrous it was for her to turn wayside. Now that she seems dead-set on waging destructive wars in the name of her nation, she was rightly labelled as the ‘new shadow’, I’m afraid.”

Cadance and Shining Armor both sighed at how they’ve allowed this threat to grow from within.

The chief said meaningfully. “I suppose that you’ve now had a clearer understanding of the current situation.”

Cadance nodded back. “Thank you Chief Kirgut, what you and my other relations said have filled us in properly.”

Shining Armor added. “Your help is immeasurable, Chief Kirgut. Equestria… and Crystal Empire would not forget your assistance.”

The chief raised a brow and laughed. “Now you’re getting ahead of yourself, Prince. We haven’t formed our northern alliance, and you haven’t regained your nation yet. Let’s talk with your other friends and see to a way to achieve those first, huh?”

Cadance asked in surprise. “Wait, Chief, aren’t you going to send anyone to accompany us on any mission?”

Chief Kirgut blinked, and patted his head lightly. “Oh. Indeed, I should. You would at the very least need a tracker, because the white snow and white sky is quite disorienting even to us. My daughter Yolana would do, she’s always raring to go do something big, and she’ll surely do better in diplomacy than an old muskox like me.”

Cadance smiled. “You’re quite the diplomat yourself, Chief Kirgut.”

“I’m just an old muskox obsessed with stars and portents.”

The chief thinly smiled. “Now let me have some time to carve some snow goggles for all of you. You will need them for the good of your eyes.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cadance and Shining Armor left the chief’s room to a concerning scene. The purple dragon was coughing his lungs out, while his friends surrounded him with very worried looks.

“What happened? Why is Spike coughing like that again?” Cadance asked in worry.

Pisacan began to mumble under her breath, but Geuse preempted her before the yellow mare could utter something that invited arguments. “Spike overexerted, when he tried to use his green-breath to send in a message to Princess Celestia about our current situation.”

“I can’t. I still can’t.”

Spike breathed in heavily. “It seems that it’s not possible for me to use even non-magical fire breath for probably some time. What a joke, a dragon without fire breath, I might as well just be a talking lizard.”

“Your own health is far more important!”

“The herbs that the chief’s daughter gave to me are very effective. They’ve stopped my wounds from bleeding soon enough.”

“Spike, I can’t apologize enough for-”

Spike opened his mouth again immediately. Unfortunately, he had disturbed the dressing on his wounds, and his words came out a little strained and annoyed. “Yes, I get it. You’re not yourselves. You’re sorry for hurting us. Et cetera. If we keep this apology match on, we’ll be seeing Sunset Shimmer’s lackeys in frigging Trot before we can get out of this cave.”

Shining Armor immediately frowned at the small dragon’s disrespect. “Spike, this is not the way a baby dragon talks to an Alicorn princess.”

Pisacan immediately mocked. “If you don’t want someone using a strained voice to talk with you, Your Royal Highness, then consider not bucking open their old wounds.”

Cadance winced, but she hurriedly stopped her husband from joining the fray. “Yes, yes, it’s our fault. We should not dwell on this any further, as Spike said, time is not on our side. The chief had brought us her daughter, an excellent tracker, who would also be our representative and translator once we reach the deers and the wolves.”

Shining Armor tried his best to calm his emotion. For some reason, Pisacan really wanted to pick a bone with him. “… The chief said that only the combined force of the three races would stand a chance against Sunset Shimmer, so it’s a must for us to go.”

A young muskox female sneaked up on behind them and suddenly said. “Welcome to the muskox tribe, honored guests.”

A few of them turned with an ‘Eep’, while the rest looked back with curiosity. Who else could be speaking such good Equestrian in muskoxen land?

The muskox female unfurled rolls of white silky cloth and put them on the necks of each of them. Then she smiled and said.

“I’m Yolana, daughter to the chief and Qam Qatun of the muskoxen tribe.”

“You’re the chief’s daughter?”

Kanipha asked in surprise. The young muskox was the very female they saw when they first entered the cave, the one who Chief Kirgut told to pour milk for them.

“Yes, indeed. Do you need to confirm this with father?” The greyish brown muskox touched her short shaggy black mane.

The zebra gulped and shook his head. “N- Not at all. I’m just wondering, uh, how come you also know how to speak the Equestrian tongue?”

“As I said, I’m the Qam Qatun, the chief shamaness of the tribe. And while my father prayed to the Blue Sky, I set up the whole ritual. So when Ulgen’s sign struck, I was also miraculously blessed with the ability to speak this tongue. And no, no other muskox in the tribe can speak it besides me and my father.”

Geuse nodded. “That’s very good. We don’t need to translate back and forth when talking among ourselves.”

Spike toothily grinned. ”Not that Pisa and I know much about the Muskoxen tongue. According to the chief, our attempt to talk to them using Yakyakistani was like an offensive caricature by a drunken yak.”

Yolana said. “There is some similarity between Yakyakistani and Miski, but they are ultimately different. If you’re interested, I can teach you more about our tongue.”

“Hmm, another tongue to learn?”

The dragon raised a brow and grinned. “Hey, why not? The more the merrier. As Twi would say, you don’t know when what you know would become life-saving some day.”

The female muskox smiled, then walked to the front of all and clapped her hooves.

“Right, everyone. This has been a most hectic day for all of us. You all need to rest, because our trip will be long and harsh. Please first go to the common area for dinner and then I will lead you to a sleeping area. Don’t worry, it’s definitely better than the dark room you all saw earlier.”

Yolana scratched her cheek to the embarrassed-looking Alicorn princess and her husband. “Sorry, but that really wasn’t the room guests were supposed to live in. It was a storage room, and the bedroom the princess and the prince were in originally was sadly ruined when hoof-fight broke out. We might scantly receive any guest, but we don’t just let guests sleep on rough hay, even in summer time.”

Cadance immediately said. “N- No, it’s fine. After all, it’s primarily our fault that things turn out like this.”

“Now is the chance for us to make proper welcome with our northern hospitality. Come with me, and I shall tell you more about muskoxen and the north.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike tried to sleep, but he woke very early after only a short period of sleep.

He was not exactly worried about another journey to largely unexplored lands. He and Kanipha had wandered into enough places where they had no business being in, for the last moon or so.

He was a bit regretful that the stated reason of his trip, which was to look for a way to help Twilight’s recovery, was barely being fulfilled. He was even more regretful that he missed the chance to save Pinkie in Yakyakistan, which was a constant sore wound in his heart. 

But he had been the one to keep telling Geuse not to dwell on unrecoverable mistakes, and he had so far maintained a veil of indefatigability.

However, all these were not the reason why he lost sleep.

The real reason was far simpler, incredibly silly even.

He couldn’t help but think Yolana reminded him strongly of someone he saw before. But he just couldn’t put his claw to it. He simply rocked his hammock from one side to another until he reached maximum annoyance.

There was no clock in this cave, and he couldn’t quite tell the time without seeing the sun or the moon, not that he could see them outside. The muskoxen were strangely able to tell what time it was via some means, but he had forgotten to ask before bed.

In any case, in the midst of all the rumbling, he suddenly felt a need to answer the call of nature. Fortunately, he did remember to ask about where the loo was.

As he carefully jumped down and walked towards the corridor in the dark, he tripped over something. Suppressing his natural reaction to yelp aloud, he tumbled forward and fell.

His heart missed a beat. If he again fell hard on the ground, then his wounds would be torn open again. At his rate it was never going to heal, not to mention the nerve-wrecking pain whenever it happened.

But he fell into something soft, much softer than the mudbrick flooring of the room.

“Mhmm-!”

He was swept inside the embrace of someone. He was shocked, until he heard the soft snore from Pisacan.

The yellow mare somehow rolled to the middle of the room from her wallside blanket. Spike tried to wrangle himself out from the embrace, but he couldn’t move out without touching his bandage or risking waking up the mare.

What’s more, as he struggled, he heard the low murmuring of the yellow mare, barely audible but filled with emotion.

“Please, don’t leave…”

Spike tried to look at the face of the yellow mare. Using the weak light filtering from the hemp curtain separating the room from the corridor. She was still clearly sleeping, but she was mumbling off half-consciously.

The dragon gasped, when he saw some flickering light reflecting off her eyes.

Her eyes were wet with tears.

Why? Spike thought with surprise. The young Vinidi matriarch might get emotional, temperamental, cynical, borderline hysterical even, but she never cried in front of them.

He thought she was always making a point, such as proving her toughness against the orange unicorn that brought them much misery.

No matter the reason, here she was. In the seemingly safety of her own dreams, tears finally freely flowed.

Spike felt uneasy, even somewhat guilty, at infringing the privacy of the mare. But then he thought, it’s not like he could help with being dragged into the crystal pony’s grasp.

There he quietly lied, not knowing what to do. Luckily, as he now discovered, his need for bathroom seemed to be a false alarm, even though it led to another conundrum.

He shrugged imperceptibly. Sometimes he might as well what destiny dished out for him. Pisacan was quite warm and velvety to sleep next to, and it was not like they hadn’t slept in the same sleeping bag the day before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Spike woke up, he was somehow in his hammock again.

He turned and noticed that more torches were lit in the corridor, so perhaps it’s morning already?

He briefly wondered if it was all just a dream, simply because of the experience he had with Pisacan the night ago.

Jumping down from the hammock again, this time he was more careful about not tripping over anything on the floor.

When he was finally out in the corridor, he heard a chirpy voice from behind.

“Good morning, Mister Spike. Did you have a good night of sleep?”

Spike turned, and saw the chief’s daughter, Yolana, waving at him genially.

“Thanks, Yolana, I, uh, slept okay.”

Yolana said with an amused tone. “I’m sure you did. I also remember fondly of the days when father still let me sleep under his coat. Miss Pisacan’s mane does look quite comfortable to sleep next to as well.”

Spike blushed. So it wasn’t a dream. “I- I was just trying to calm her. She wasn’t sleeping well, and she was calmed by having someone in her hooves.”

Yolana tapped her chin. “Is that so? Very well.”

She then smiled again. “Anyway, though you’re up early, but I have already heated the pot and made a stew.”

“I see, thank you! What time is it anyway?”

“Um… If Ay-Ana is doing her work, the moon should be two third down the zenith.”

“Whoa, that’s really quite early! Why are you up so early then?”

“I have to prepare the gifts and other materials for our trip. It’s over thirty years since we last met the deer and the wolves, and I wish to make the best preparation possible. Besides, I’m the current Qam Qatun, I have to stay up late to go out, stargaze and read portents. It can’t be helped, but I can drink some herb tea to remain alert during the day.”

“Thank you so much for your work, Yolana. So you cooked breakfast for yourself?”

“Not just myself. I met Miss Pisacan, and I also cooked the stew for her. In fact, you can go join her in the dining area, the pot’s still hot.”

“Oh, uh, I’ll be right there then. Thanks again.”

As Yolana waved him again and trotted away from some other works, Spike slowly waded through the corridor thoughtfully, and eventually entered the wide open area.

Although he had dinner in there the night before, everyone was so tired that no one really paused to appreciate what the room looked like. The drab mud and stone wall was covered by white sheets, which were further decorated by red ropes weaved into complex geometrical shapes, and a plethora of colored stones that were tied on it.

There were also tapestries all over the cave. Much like the stained glass in the Canterlot Royal Castle, they seem to depict events of all kinds. Rituals, celebrations, battles, and so on.

“If Twi were here, she would’ve been overjoyed at the opportunity to study muskoxen culture and history.”

“Spike?”

The dragon was a bit surprised that his low muttering was heard, till he turned and found Pisacan holding a bowl of half-empty stew near him.

Spike smiled and asked. “You’ve done already?”

“Yes. I can’t quite hold all of them though. It’s way too much for me.”

“Cool, can I have the rest of it?”

Pisacan’s face slightly reddened. “I- If you don’t mind, I don’t mind.”

Spike gently took over the bowl and began scooping away. Pisacan massaged her own neck and said. “Strange, I was always the biggest eater in the family.”

The dragon thinly chuckled. “You don’t look like the eater type, no offense. You’re much fitter than Pinks... Don’t let her hear this though.”

“Hah, dungeon life did wonder to my waistline. I bet I’ve lost half my weight since this ordeal began.”

“… Wow.”

“And my body clock has been out of whack ever since my sight was gone. I’m feeling as if breakfast, lunch and dinner is blending into a vague blend of indiscriminate meal. Back in the dungeon, I was trained to eat anytime at order. When I was inexplicable up and then bumped into Yolana earlier, I decided that I might as well join her and have a chat along the way.”

“Aw…”

“Don’t be sad, my eating schedule compares nothing to what we as a clan has been through. I’ll get over it eventually when this is over, and we can finally start to rebuild.”

“… Did you sleep well last night, Pisa?”

Pisacan quietly gasped and blushed. “Y… You know, don’t you?”

“Don’t worry. I guess once someone hugged me, they won’t be able to resist my luscious texture.”

The yellow mare blinked and snorted. “Oh you. But uh, I must’ve somehow romped you from your bed in the middle of the night. I’m sorry for disturbing your sleep.”

“No, not at all. I just tripped and fell onto you when I wanted to go out. Somehow you rolled to the middle of the walkway.”

“I see. Then my apology stands, perhaps even more. I’ve always been a terrible roller. Back when I was a small foal, my dad used to put me in a caged crib.”

“Your father put in you in a cage?!”

Pisacan giggled. “Sounds cruel, doesn’t it? But it’s really because I would manage to roll over even the tallest fence. If anypony saw me back then and only see me again now, they would probably think that I’m blind because I’ve hit the back of my head too much growing up.”

Spike looked at the satisfied grin on Pisacan’s face, and knew that he had to politely chuckle despite the discomfort.

After a moment of silence, the yellow mare said. “This is pretty surreal.”

“Yeah.”

“And it’s about to get even more surreal, I think.”

“Surrealness I can stand. I just don’t want to see any more hurt faces about lost loved ones.”

Pisacan slowly nodded. “Amen to that.”

She then slowly let out a sigh and stretched her hooves. “You know, I’ve become more and more interested in meeting Twilight Sparkle after spending more time with you all.”

The dragon was surprised. “Twilight? Why?”

“It takes a certain quality for a pony to gather so many good and competent people around her. Even Discord, the king of chaos himself, seems to become so tamed and pliant. I was born just after Discord’s reign down south, and let me tell you, nopony thought he could be dealt with in any way but with brute force and a tight seal.”

“To be fair, Pisa, you would still want to seal him up regardless, after having to live with him for a while.”

“Heh, I’ll pass.”

Pisacan chuckled. “But still, Twilight Sparkle had such a meteoric rise, and then had a miraculous comeback after everypony thought she’s a goner. I was not all that into the hero worship thing given my experiences, but even I’m tempted to know what kind of a pony she is.”

“She’s still recovering, you see. I’m not sure she’s fit for accepting guests right now.”

Pisacan sounded slightly disappointed. “Ou. So the rumors… they’re true, aren’t they?”

“What rumors?”

“That she’s amnesiac? O- or even…”

Pisacan looked a bit troubled. The dragon patted her shoulder, causing her to jump a little bit.

“Easy there. I know that you don’t mean to offend whatever you say, so just say it already.”

“Alright. There was a strange rumor out there, claiming that this Twilight Sparkle that was brought back from Zebrica is not the real deal.”

“Hah? Ha ha ha… Oh, geez.”

“… I must say, that was a most strange and curious reaction.”

“The thing is complicated. It’s patently false. But I can’t blame the whisperers for doubting the identity of somepony who should be addressing the public a long while ago. It’s true that she lost her memories due to injuries, magical mishap, or likely a combination of both, but there’s no doubt that she’s the real Twilight.”

“… You know, they said she was a high-ranking changeling spy that had been spared under some secret deals.”

“What? They really say that?”

“It’s reported in one of those Manehatten street tabloids.”

Spike’s voice turned irritated. “Those bucking rags. Barely legal, hardly moral and scantly truthful pieces of garbage. I don’t know why Princess Celestia never did anything with them honestly. Those ‘journalists’ are more like failed script-writers from Applewood who can’t say good things about others for a change.”

“Heh, that sounds almost personal.”

“They made a lot of noises about us after the debacle in Canterlot, and nowadays about the Zebricans and Cruzesians. Very annoying bunch of jerks who would blatantly lie to get more readers. If we don’t have a counter-voice in the Mirror, we’d have been billed as heartless monsters Tartarus-bent on stealing Twilight’s money and legacy, and now attempting to flush out all ponies in Equestria and replace them with ‘mud-trotting zebras and cows’.”

“Whelp, I should know better. Those shrills of border guards weren’t going to let real news pass in or out of the Empire.”

Spike harrumphed. “Since we’re on the same boat now, and I trust you, Pisa, I’m going to tell you what I know. It’s not exactly national secret, but it would be good if you don’t speak about this casually.”

“Of course.”

“There are indeed changelings in where we live.”

“Oh dear…”

“But they are on our side now, sort of.”

“What?! Changelings too?”

“You see, Twilight beat the crap out of them in West Zebrica, and they became weak and hungry. But after she and the changeling queen fought a duel of mind, something strange happened, and it made even Chrysalis soften down somehow.”

Spike tapped the stone desk and continued. “Admittedly, the changeling queen did once conspire to steal Twilight’s body along with her magic, in order to revive the fortune of changelings. She even taunted the real Twilight by threatening to hurt me. Twilight absolutely loves me to bits, so she was devastated. By the time we’re on the ship, she had already got ahold of her body, but Discord rose up to the threat and managed to dislodge the changeling queen.”

“The very chaos draconequus himself helped you all out, huh…”

“Yeah, it’s him alright. And to be fair to him, apart for that one big demerit in Canterlot, he’s been nothing but loyal and diligent.”

Spike shrugged. “Can’t say I would trust him totally, but in my heart, he’s turned from a terrible heartless traitor, to a roguish friend, who would trip you up down the road for fun, but would not spare a helping hand when you’re about to fall down a cliff.”

Pisacan said. “Doesn’t seem too bad to have someone like that on your side.”

The dragon scratched his cheek. “Kudos to him at least, because I don’t even want to consider the terrible alternative if Chrysalis succeeded. Unfortunately though, the mental shock she sustained during the fight, added with those injuries she got before, seemed to cause her to lose her memories. She had since been recovering under Cruzesian care.”

“Cruzesians…”

“As for the changelings, they actually had an internal coup of sorts, and leadership changed hooves. But at the end, both Chrysalis and the new leader pledged themselves to Twi. It was apparently due to some bizarre accident that transferred the changeling symbol of power to her. So technically, Twi is also the new changeling queen in name.”

The yellow mare’s jaw dropped. After a while, she cupped her mouth and chortled. “I sometimes wish my brother was not that big a tool. If he didn’t wander off to join the army and became Sunset Shimmer’s lackey, I could be free. Maybe I could even pull a Geuse, become an adventurer and join up you guys. You guys sound much more interesting... At least more fun and less harmful to my eyes than watching over the clan and arguing with jealous uncles.”

Spike was slightly surprised at the mare’s showing of adventurous spirit. He coughed and said. “Ha. But remember, they’re quite the exclusive club. I know they don’t like to be labelled as a secret society, but heck, I know they have things that they’re keeping away from even me.”

“Even you?”

“Yeah. I know it all along, and I don’t like that a bit. But hey, I’ll bear with it as long as it doesn’t lead to foolish actions and loss of lives. They always mean well, which is a plus.”

Pisacan nodded with a sigh. “What a story, what a band. But…”

“But?”

“I just don’t understand. How can you come to tolerate the changelings in the first place? Even if Chrysalis softened up, she still hurt all of you immensely. If it was me, I would’ve hated them too hard to give them a chance.”

Spike let out a long sigh. “That’s none of my choosing.”

“What do you mean? How can you be unable to choose to hate someone?”

“The girls- well, at least Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and…”

He sadly sighed. “… Pinkie anyway. They all saw to Chrysalis’s change of heart, and thought that she could pull a Discord and go on our side.”

“She almost sacked Canterlot and was the one who blew Twilight Sparkle up.”

“I don’t claim to know what’s going on in their minds. But their logic went like back when Discord betrayed us. I was beyond angry, but the girls insisted that we gave him a chance to repent. It was unbearable in the beginning, but it worked out at the end.”

“It’s not just forgiveness, it also takes a boldness of unimaginable proportion to try to give a chance to really terrible people…”

“At the risk of sounding insensitive, Pisa, can you imagine a day… that you could forgive Sunset Shimmer?”

The yellow mare widened her unseeing eyes. The corner of her mouth trembling, she eventually shook her head. “I can’t. It’s too much to ask.”

“Too much?”

“If she got Pinkie Pie maimed or killed, would you ever forgive her?”

Spike drew in a breath through clenched teeth. He did not reply immediately, as he simply dug into his bowl of stew and remained silent.

“… Spike? I thought that was a cut-and-dry question with a cut-and-dry answer. Anypony would answer that question in a heartbeat.”

The dragon exhaled deeply. “Perhaps it rubbed off me somewhat as well.”

“Huh? What?”

“I love Pinkie, I really do. If Sunset Shimmer hurts her, I would fight her to my last breath. But after what happened with Discord, I’ve learnt that even feeling towards the foulest of offense can be diluted with time. The note will always be sour, but seeing how Discord and even Chrysalis reformed in such a spectacular way, I will never say impossible. Even if the perp is remorseful, unconditional forgiveness sounds stupid. But give the girls credit, they pull it off twice by now. Even if I don’t personally believe it, by now I’d have to at least look into it.”

Pisacan clenched her teeth tightly. Spike let her have a moment of thoughts and stayed quiet.

Eventually, the yellow mare quietly muttered. “You lived with Discord right after he betrayed you all.”

“Yeah, kinda.”

“It’s impressive how you bore with it.”

“Not really. I just avoided seeing him in the beginning, until I stopped screaming internally whenever I saw him. His own remorse and the girls’ good words eventually soften me up enough for me to treat him roughly normally.”

“I see… I know it might matter to you less, but what about his past records? Do you know about them, the terrible things he did when he was the chaos king of Equestria? Did his betrayal make you think that his reformation might not hold after all?”

“I know some of them. Twi made me read them. He himself was a great offender in messing with pony’s heads, causing untold damages. But Twilight said she was willing to give a chance to him to recover from past mistakes, and even forgiving every offense committed against herself. But if he dares to do those to any other ponies nowadays, and Twilight goes back to normal… she will blast him to dust, personal relationship be damned. He knows that, and he treasures his relationship with Twi enough to stay put, so I’m not too worried.”

“She sounds almost unreal, no offense.”

“She is unreal. What real pony comes back from the dead after six moons?”

“… I really hope we can weather this storm together. If we make it out this frigid north in one piece, I hope you can find a way to make her normal again, and if my clan is no more, I would look forward to work with somepony like her. She’s bound to do great things.”

Spike chuckled. “… Yes. I’m sure you would be warmly welcomed among us.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Yolana?! What are you doing?”

Geuse shook herself a bit to poke her head out of the thick coat the muskoxen gave her. She let out a shocked yelp, to the non-understanding of the sleek female muskox. 

“Miss Geuse, is there any problem?”

Cadance added with a raised brow. “That’s way too much belonging to bring with us on the snow plain, don’t you think? We can’t possibly drag them al-”

Yolana shrugged, and just slugged the baggage up onto a giant snow sled as if they were just small bean bags. She then secured the sled onto her neck with ropes and a wooden beam. Then she inspected the sleds carefully and caressed the pattern on them with an almost loving look.

Noticing the strange looks from the others, she turned and coughed. “Um… Right, everything’s ready. All hooves on sled, my friends.”

“Seriously? We’re bringing this many things with us.” Pisacan was surprised that the muskox wanted to carry everyone plus the luggage all by herself.

“This journey will be long, and we need many supplies on our way. Besides, I’ve dragged heavier stuffs than that. We muskoxen are not shy about our strength, mam. Father got elected chief many years ago because he managed to carry our entire tribe to the safety of our ancestral cave, during a mysterious plague that made the afflicted extremely sensitive to sunlight. Every single muskox all by himself.”

“Darn. That’s impressive.” Spike commented.

“I will say thanks for him, Mister Spike. Just don’t bring it up to him unless you want to hear it all day long. He still liked to go about it all the time. Alas, old people do like to reminisce about their good old days.”

The group laughed. The female muskox then continued. “This year the Windigos are calm, and warm days are coming quicker than usual.”

“Windigos, you say?” Spike asked with surprise, joining in by the royal couple.

“Yes, windigos. They bring forth the winter. They are usually a genial bunch, bringing us enough snow to feed the Kuukpak in the summer.”

“Genial bunch, windigos?! They will blanket the whole world with ice if they have their way!”

“Okay, I might’ve undersold their impact whenever they act up. But like all worldly spirits, ice spirits like windigos have a role in the mundane. They react to the affairs of the living and prompt them to act in a virtuous manner. In this sense, they’re kind of like a harsh mentor pushing us to do good.”

Kanipha said with an unamused tone. “Mentors don’t usually kill off their mentees, however harsh.”

“That why the windigos are as they are, I can’t tell. We respect all spirits but prefer to leave some distance between us and them. So long as they hid in their high heavens and only occasionally came out during winter, who am I to complain?”

She waved her hoof and said. “Anyway, this means the snow will melt quickly, and the Kuukpak will overflow if we don’t depart soon. I can’t drag the sled over wet mud, so we better be quick.”

“Can you really...?” Shining Armor raised a brow.

She thinly smiled. “Talk is cheap. Let’s hop on and see whether I can really do it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“This is ridiculous… How’s there so much power packed inside that small frame of body? I can’t even pull one of these sleds alone.”

Kanipha muttered while shaking his head. The endless snow plain dashed in front of his eyes, the occasional white hills dotting the landscape.

The lone muskox ‘princess’ – Kanipha addressed her as such in his mind, after all, Yolana was a daughter of a chief – took on the unwelcoming menial task without any hesitation, and dragged everything and everyone towards the destination. The procession of chained snow sleds was like a train he saw in the south, swiftly ploughing a trail in the soft spring snow.

Spike from the sled behind caught his words, and agreed. “She’s really not kidding when she said she’s got power. Heck, I bet she could wrestle with one of those farm machines in Sweet Apple Acres.”

Pisacan nearby also spoke up. “She’s daughter of the chief. I’m sure it’s in the blood.”

Kanipha drily chuckled. With the new clothes generously given by the muskoxen, his mind functioned much better despite the bone-chilling cold.

But he did not quite devote it to the current situation for the moment. He simply looked and observed the virgin tundra. It was a spectacular sight, comparable in its splendor to the Great Desert in Zebrica. 

Wearing the specially-made goggle, his gaze darted around the seemingly infinite circular pattern of melted snow on the ground. 

The vegetation in this northern land was scarce, but those which remained thrived in the unrelenting cold. The greeneries, once buried under many feet of snow, now burst out from the ground, and even gave off enough heat to melt the snow nearby.

Geuse was lying sideways next to the zebra colt. She was carefully preening her wing feather, which were brutalized by the north winds and then broken off in the cage match against the royal couple. She raised her head and said to the zebra colt. “Hey, Kanny. Never thought you’re that big about scenery.”

Kanipha briefly turned to the pegasus, and then returned his gaze to the endless plain. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been staring the horizons ever since we’re out of the cave. You never did that in the Great Desert. Seriously, even with this wacky goggle, my eyes still hurt from all those reflected light!”

“Geuse, the white is soothing, don’t you think? I now know what Mkondo meant when he waxed philosophical on us. A moment of peace is valuable in these tumultuous times.”

Geuse looked to the zebra colt again. He had really changed a lot compared to when they first met in Timbucktu. He had been clingy, annoying, quarrelsome, the quintessential example of a brat. His only redeemable qualities were his wits and loyalty to Twilight, and maybe the occasionally biting humor.

But these days, he was a different zebra entirely. It was quite a strange experience to see his past irreverence superimposing with his current placidness. 

While the pegasus and zebra colt were sitting side by side each other, the royal couple looked at each other quietly on the last sled car. 

“Cadance, sweetheart.”

“What is it, Shining?”

“It’s a bit short, isn’t it?”

Cadance’s tired eyes looked up briefly, before she caught what her husband meant. “It’s almost as dream-like as the trance we were in.”

Shining Armor’s face turned pained again. Cadance stroked his blue mane and cooed. “We can only make do with what we have on our hooves. Things are turning better again, aren’t they?”

“I can’t help but feel pessimistic, dear. We all think that Twily’s return is a sign that everything will become better. But now here we are, mired in another desperate situation. This time, it’s even our undeniable fault, because we pretty much put our trust in the wrong mare and handed the Crystal Empire to another evil unicorn.”

Cadance turned to the sled trail on the snow behind them, unable to meet her husband’s gaze.

After a while, she began in a shaky voice. “Sunset… Sunset Shimmer… I still can’t believe that she would do this to us. She’s supposed to bring the Empire out of darkness, not into it! I trusted her, she’s supposed to be another brilliant spark under Princess Celestia’s tutelage!”

“But dear, don’t you feel it in your mind as well? Fragments of memories, and dark suggestions pushed onto us by unicorn magic. They’re much clearer now that we’re out of its restraining bound. Spike and Kanipha literally gave us a blow and a shout. It’s no doubt that she did this to us, and made us forget anything that is suspicious about her.”

Cadance felt as if her throat dried up. She slowly squeezed out. “But… why? She was a pleasant dear when we first met her…”

“She could’ve been faking it all the time.”

“If that’s the case, then I’d be immensely saddened. Her passion for Crystal Empire seemed so real. Even if I took out the utterly condemnable transgression on pony’s minds, she did look like she would give it her all to make Crystal Empire a better place. I just never thought that she would turn out to be a dabbler of dark magic and a destroyer of peace.”

“On the contrary, Cadance. If she’s so completely able to hide up her dastardly ambition to usurp our power, first behind a benign veil, then using casually casted mind spells, then she’s nothing but an utter psychopath. It’s important for us to completely renounce any remaining attachment to her, lest we’d look like we’re still under her sway.”

“S- Shining…” Cadance winced.

“I should’ve been more cautious…! Because of my carelessness, I’ve already lost Twily once. This has all the signs of disaster brewing, and all Equestria would be engulfed in it soon. I’m sure many crystal ponies and yaks have already been hurt and maimed due to this oversight. Outright war will come to Equestria after a millennium of peace and harmony… and it’s all my faul-”

Suddenly, something smacked Shining Armor’s face. It was not a forceful strike, and for a second, Shining Armor thought he had been hit by a snowball or a piece of hail.

When he looked up again, he only saw an astonished Cadance looking down to the floor. And when he traced her gaze, he saw a bashful Spike scratching his cheek.

“Oh, hey, sorry Shining Armor.”

The voice of Geuse hollered from two sleds ahead of them. “Spike, are you alright? Sorry for overexerting.”

Spike turned and said. “Nah, I’m fine. Thanks Geuse.”

“Really? You could’ve torn your wounds open yet!” Shining Armor chided with worry.

“Nah, don’t worry. Before we’re out, Yolana gave me some amazing potion to drink. It sealed up my wounds faster than even a nurse unicorn’s magic! That’s why I thought to try fire-breathing again, though it didn’t pan out.”

Despite their current situation, Spike was the sole acquaintance that the couple knew from youth, and his presence gave them a sense of security in the sea of uncertainty. Cadance therefore smiled at the small dragon and asked gently. “Spike, is there anything you would like to talk with us?”

“Yep. I’d forgotten to ask you two before we hopped on. I was too concentrated helping out Yolana to put the luggage on the sleds. She was asking if you two can cast magic normally again.”

Shining Armor raised his brows and asked with some surprise. “Is there anything she would want us to do?”

“Yes. She said that normally, we would have to take a long detour round the bend of the river, because there is a deep fjord cutting between the muskoxen hills and deer forest. But since you two are magic users, she wonders if you can just move us across the ledge. If so, we can cut the journey short to only three days instead of a week.”

Cadance winced and said. “Our magic should be largely intact, but it’s a bit too many things for us to handle.”

Shining Armor muttered. “How far apart are the two sides of the ledge, Spike?”

“She said it’s hard to tell because the Arctic landscape changes often, but she’s confident that she could find a crossing that is less than fifty feet apart.”

“… Well, tell her we’ll try our best.”

“Roger that.”

Noticing that the dragon was yet to move, Shining Armor asked. “Do you need a lift back to your own sled?”

“Thanks, but not now, Shining Armor.”

“Huh? What’s the matter?” The blue-maned unicorn was surprised. 

Cadance continued to smile. “Spike, you want to spend some time with us?”

“I don’t mind spending more time to reconnect with you two, but more importantly, I just want to make sure that you two are alright.”

The royal couple widened their eyes again. They could not expect something more mature to come out of the mouth of the small dragon. Slowly, but steadily, Cadance nodded with an even bigger smile. “I… no, we’re alright. Thanks for your concern, Spike.”

Spike’s gaze was persistent. His focus swept from the Alicorn princess to the white unicorn, giving out a surprisingly pressing aura.

Shining Armor coughed. “Yep, Cadance is right. We’re fine, so let me just get you back to-”

“No, you’re not. I’m too used to be fooled around by Twi and her friends, and I can notice that kind of evasiveness from a mile away.”

The mare and the stallion were stunned at how direct the small dragon’s speech was. Rather than feeling embarrassed or even offended by being talked to by a dragon much younger than them, they felt an air of immense concern and understanding emanating from the small draconic frame. Even the dragon’s round chubby face was somewhat more chiseled than they remembered it.

“Things have gone downhill in a blink of the eye, and we’re all within our rights to feel terrible and the urge to assign blame to ourselves and others. I must say sorry for accidentally eavesdropping on you two, but I’ve heard it all, how you two are feeling guilty for your inaction back then.”

Cadance sighed sadly. “But it’s true, Spike… We could’ve done much more to prevent the rise of Sunset Shimmer and her descent into tyranny. We basically gave her a free pass on a lot of alarming things.”

“Princess Cadance-”

She smiled wistfully. “Just call me Cadance, Spike… like the old days.”

A genial smile came up from Spike’s determined face. “Alright, Cadance, Shining Armor. Let me tell you something I never told you two about Twi… and Discord.”

The royal couple looked shocked at the mention of Discord. The confusing enigma of a character that once betrayed them in their most important moment of their lives, and now redeemed himself somewhat by bringing back their beloved Twilight.

“Decision and indecision is divided by the thinnest line. And as you may know, Twi and Discord had a fall-out before what happened in Canterlot.”

Shining Armor looked displeased. “He tricked Twily and used magic on her to make her fall for him! If it’s done by anyone other than that chaos draconequus, he would be indicted and then confined to the royal dungeon long ago!”

Spike paused for a bit. He sighed. “It’s quite heinous, I agree. Twi did not forget it, but she chose to forgive him, and we accepted her decision.”

He then turned to Cadance with interest. “Cadance, do you think that Discord loves Twi? You know, in the romantic sense?”

Cadance looked a bit surprised at the question. She briefly pondered and replied. “I can certainly sense a heavy sense of longing on his part. They have a bond that is… special. But whether it transcends the boundary of friendship and common intimacy, into the sacred realm of romantic love, I think this is a question that can only be answered by him and him alone.”

With another pause, she quietly added. “The signs are there, I must admit.”

“Cadance, I’m but a green dragon in terms of love, especially before the Princess of Love herself.”

“Spike, you joke.”

Shining Armor thinly smiled in a flare of mischief. “You have twice the experience the other usually has, though.”

Spike rolled his eyes up. “Not you too, Shining Armor. Not that I don’t appreciate your humor, but I’ve heard too many variations of this joke that obviously upsets the girls, so I’ve kinda become ambivalent about it.”

Cadance again smiled with a hint of sadness. “So long as your love is true and steadfast, and it is not clouded by the poison of jealousy and distrust, no one are right to criticize you three for it.”

“Thanks, Cadance. I’m glad to have a seal of approval from the Princess of Love herself.”

Spike toothily grinned, but his grin gave way to a sad smile. “But enough about me. What I meant to say was that I too agree with what you said, Cadance. Discord had feelings for Twi… whether he has now still, I can’t tell. And Twi might have feelings for him too. Unfortunately though, their relationships were troubled by inexperience, lack of trust and indecision. And it ended badly for both of them.”

Spike reached back to straighten his scale, then continued. “Twilight is a brilliant unicorn, incredibly bright, wise beyond her years even. It’s not exaggerating to say that she’s got more knowledge than an entire library combined. She had helped so many of her friends through difficult times, me included, but she doesn’t know what to deal with her own feelings. In this aspects, she’s not that different to Discord.”

“You’re comparing Twily to that- that…” Shining Armor looked shocked and somewhat offended.

“I know it sounds wrong, but hear me out. Before the mess in Canterlot, Twilight not only once hinted to us that she felt close to Discord. It was such a strange idea to me, because they could not be more different to each other. But now that I think about it, one of the reasons could be that they both felt lonely in their power and their knowledge. Their senses of self are lost among larger goals, and they see each other as buoy in a storm.”

The two ponies slowly took in the dragon’s observations.

“Unfortunately, they are also newbies in this thing called trust and intimacy. I know that they fought not over Discord’s trickery with the love potion nonsense, but rather the reason Discord used the love potion in the first place. It’s about a secret. So secretive that Twilight never told me about it.”

“What could it be?” Cadance asked.

“I never knew, and it’s through pure observation and luck that I noticed. Though I know that the other girls do know. They made a vague promise that they would tell me if Twilight is completely healed.”

Spike looked to the side of the sled. “Not that I don’t want to know. I fervently want to know everything about Twi, but the more important thing about what I’ve said is that they become mired with uncertainty and even a hint of distrust, which was what ultimately led to the sad day of infamy.”

He then turned back to look at the two. “And after what happened in Canterlot, we all were a bit shell-shocked, weren’t we? And if there were anything that we three had in common, it was that we all hated Discord’s guts.”

Shining Armor huffed. “I still do.”

“Honey, you said you’re over it when he apologized to us in our wedding.”

“I said I’d think about it. And I said it because all of Twily’s friends were watching.”

Spike grinned wryly again. “Well, hate him all you want, he did do the ultimate redemption and become devoted to not only Twi as a person, but also her ideals of peace and harmony. I saw to his changes, but it’s not at all straightforward, especially since he had something that was at the same time his drive and his hurdle.”

“And that is…?”

“His own sense of guilt, of course.”

The two took in a sharp breath, feeling a swirl of emotions as they realized they were being compared to Discord.

“At the risk of sounding rude, yes, I’m making such a parallel. But again, please listen first then judge, because Discord’s experience with guilt is actually quite illuminating.”

Shining Armor looked reluctant, but Cadance softly sighed.

Spike continued regardless. “The very first thing Discord did when he committed the treacherous act was atonement. He went to the Tree of Harmony, even when he knew that his nature would likely came into conflict with the very expression of harmony on this land. Twi told me that he once hated the Tree so much, he attempted to smother it if a viny overgrowth of chaos. But there he was, knowingly got burnt and stung, in a misguided hope that pain would wash away his guilt.”

“He never told us this…” Shining Armor muttered.

Spike chuckled. “He’s a prideful draconequus. He would never admit his weakness in front of anyone but his closest relations.”

Cadance smiled thinly and thoughtfully. “When you put it this way, it’s as if the ageless chaos spirit is not that different from any pony.”

“This is true, Cadance. His showing of guilt shows that he has a healthy conscience, just like every normal sapient being in the world. Guilt brings us up short and convicts us for actions, and it can be good or bad depending on how we deal with it. At first, he chose the unproductive way of self-punishment. Apart from the episode at the Tree of Harmony, from which he was talked out of by Fluttershy, he also took unhealthy indulgence in being lashed at and even assaulted by walkers-by.”

He sighed. “I must admit, it was somewhat perversely soothing to see him punish himself at first. It was as if justice was done… But was it though? His beating himself all over did not bring back Twilight. It only caused him to look like a shell of what he used to be. Depressed, anxious and tired, blaming himself for past sins all the time. If he was like that when we’re ordered by Princess Celestia to go to Las Pegasus, then harmony helps us when we had to deal with Chrysalis.”

The two listening ponies looked fretful. Especially Shining Armor, who seldom thought of the chaos spirit in sympathetic light.

“But then Fluttershy nursed him through the period of renewal and recovery. She made him understand his guilt, rather than get tormented or manipulated by it passively. It’s from there on he went on to try to become a helper, and even sometimes a mentor to the girls using his expertise.”

Cadance briefly looked to the scar on Spike’s belly and winced. She kept her eyes closed and slowly said. “Spike, I understand. You put the whole thing in such a long and roundabout way, only to tell us that we should not wallow in our guilt for the past.”

Spike’s eyes slightly widened, and he turned aside. “I’m young, and in many ways I’m still a baby dragon. I know little, and I will never say that I’m mature enough to dish out lessons. I’m just trying to make things better in my own small ways.”

He sighed. “I might have said a string of big morals, but to say the truth, those are regurgitated words. I wouldn’t be able to say those to you if not for Twi and her friends’ demonstration. At heart, I’m much more concerned that my loved ones are frowny and regretful all the time.”

Shining Armor gently patted the back of the purple dragon. “I’m glad that Twily has brought up such a thoughtful and kind dragon.”

“I can never hold a candle to Twi herself. That’s why I would work my hardest to right this situation, bring back Pinkie, and at the end give Twilight her memories and mobility back.”

Shining Armor and Cadance looked to each other. The blue-maned unicorn brushed his mane and said. “No, Spike.”

The dragon looked surprised at the rejection of his vow. “H- Huh? What’s wrong with it?”

Cadance smiled. “You should mean: We would work our hardest, shouldn’t you?”

Spike slowly widened his eyes, and emphatically nodded. “Yes, of course! Welcome aboard, Cadance, Shining Armor. Let us work together… for our better tomorrow.”

> Chapter 4 – The Fawn and the Foal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Here we are, the taiga forest where the deer dwell.”

Yolana quietly said to all, apparently not quite tired by endless sledding. The snowing had stopped shortly before their arrival, and Luna’s moon could be seen in the horizons, just some way below the clear and bright Northern Star.

“What should we do, Yolana? Should we go in and find the deer?” Kanipha asked.

Yolana quickly shook her head. “Don’t. The deer are really serious about protecting the integrity of their territories, even more so than the famously territorial wolves. When our forefathers first met them and made the mistake of entering the forest by ourselves, they were viciously attacked and chased out.”

“So we just wait here till they discover us? This seems inefficient.”

“Nay.”

Yolana took out a long wooden tube from the luggage. When the group looked at it more clearly using the dim moonlight, they discovered that it was actually a flute.

“This is a sybyzgy. It’s the traditional musical instrument of yaks and muskoxen alike. We have long made an agreement with the deer and the wolves, that when the tune of the White Star was played, it means that an emissary has come.”

She then put her mouth to the end of the flute and started playing away.

The tune was breathy, low humming, but also dreamily lyrical. It seemed to beckon for a night on a grassy plain, lone muskox trotting about in wavy fields of green and white. It almost sounded sad, but upon a longer hearing, it became soothing and plainly peaceful. 

Especially for Cadance and Shining Armor, who had heard from the chief about the muskoxen way of free roaming as opposed to yak’s sedentary lifestyle. What could not be expressed in words was now felt sincerely in the wistful tune, and they began to appreciate why the muskoxen preferred a roofless sky, under which they were one with the nature.

After the entire play, Yolana put down the flute and said with an uneasy smile. “And now we wait.”

After a while, the expected host began to swarm out of the dark forest and encircled the group. The deer were all horned and armored in white plate and red gems, holding delicately decorated spears. 

From afar, the disdain in their looks was apparent. From their wear and equipment, they were, for a lack of a better word, a more ‘civilized’ race than the muskoxen.

However, they looked incredibly surprised when they saw there were creatures other than muskoxen in the group. Some of them pointed at the ponies with barely hidden surprise and shouted in their tongue, and a few soldier-type galloped back into the forest with a faster speed than they came.

A grey-coated deer cautiously trotted near the group. He pointed towards Yolana and made a curious gesture towards his neck. Yolana seemed to understand what he was hinting at, and held high one of the necklaces she was wearing towards the sky, against the white moonlight.

Just like when her father chief was using muskoxen ritualistic power, a shaft of light descended on the black muskox, causing her to gleam a crystalline white like a black pearl.

The deer acknowledged the happening, and mouthed off some words incomprehensible to everyone in the group.

Yolana’s black pupils were glowing a piercing ice blue, and she opened her mouth to reply.

Strangely, no sound came out of her mouth, but the deer seemed to hear and understand. He continued to ask questions, and Yolana replied in her wordless magic. 

Spike frowned. This tongue sounded strangely familiar. It almost sounded like the ancient draconic tongue, but flat and accentless. He could understand some of his words, but even less than when the muskoxen spoke their own tongue, but he figured that trying would not hurt.

When the two was done talking, he walked out from behind the taller ponies and said tentatively and very slowly, supplementing his speech with plenty of body language. 

“Hey, mister… deer. Can… you… understand… me?”

The deer’s eyes grew as large as dinner plates upon seeing Spike, and even wider when he began to speak in Old Draconic. He back-trotted unconsciously and his breaths turned shaky.

“What? What's wrong?”

Spike asked with bemusement.

The grey deer turned his head and shouted to his fellow deer with a shrill voice, seemingly in great urgency.

The surrounding deer let out loud gasps and murmurs. Pisacan, who had been listening quietly, finally asked with a frown. “What happened, Spike? What did you say to them?”

“I just tried to use the Old Draconic tongue to talk to them, because it sounded a bit similar to what they’re talking in. It’s almost as if they’re speaking Draconic drolly with a potato in their mouths.”

The others snorted, and Yolana covered her mouth with surprise, and she uttered something. But no sound came out of her mouth again. 

She slapped her head with frustration, grabbed a large gem on her necklace and yanked it off. The blue glow in her eyes wore off immediately, and she exclaimed immediately. “Mister Spike, I’m amazed! You’re talking to them directly without magical aid!”

“Don’t put too much stock in me yet. I can understand just itty bitty of what he said though, something about dragon and languages.”

The grey deer leaned in. The disdainful and guarded expression on his face turned soft, and even a bit welcoming. “Jeg er Juniper.”

Spike blinked, and said. “Your name is Juniper?”

The deer tilted his head, and grinned. “Ya, hvat wid you?”

“Spike… or 'Gaddur' in the Dragon tongue.”

The deer named Juniper narrowed his eyes, seemingly to try to understand Spike’s words. At last, he gingerly grinned and said a really long sentence in lightning speed.

Spike’s brow twitched uneasily as he struggled to understand what the deer was talking about.

The deer noticed the difficult expression on the dragon’s face, and gestured with his hoof. 

“Huh?”

The deer gritted his teeth and said again. “Uh… Yai meen, staan her.”

“Star… her… stand here? Standa hér?”

“Ja, ja. Stan-da her.”

“But why?”

The deer mulled and said. “Someone who kan talk the tongue of the ice king vil kome.”

“Oh… uh, okay.”

The deer tilted his head again, and walked away from the group.

“How did it go, Spike?” Shining Armor hurriedly asked.

“Not much. His language is clearly related to the dragon tongue, which is strange, since they’re deer. But it’s clearly not Old Draconic, because I can only understand 30-40% of it, and that’s when he spoke slowly and in small chunks.”

Cadance then asked. “What did you talk to him about?”

“That deer, if I’m not mistaken, is called Juniper. I don’t know who he is exactly, because we just exchanged our names. He then talked very quickly about some, uh, ice king? I’m not too sure about that. And later, he told us to stand here and wait, because he would go fetch someone who can actually talk with me.”

“Not bad for talking to someone speaking a different language!” Shining Armor patted the dragon’s shoulder.

Pisacan also praised. “Spike, you sure have a talent for language.”

Kanipha agreed and poked the dragon’s back in jest. “Here comes again our dragon savior.”

“Cut it out, it’s just literally parley! And Yolana, so what did you talk to him about then?”

“He just asked what we’re here for, and who we are, in addition to me as the muskoxen representative. I then told him that we’re here to negotiate an alliance against the new shadow. He told me that he had to consult his peers and higher-ups. That’s about it.”

“They seemed a bit surprised to see ponies.” Geuse commented.

“And they probably don’t even know what the heck I am to form a reaction.” Kanipha joked.

“Alas, don’t blame them, Mister Kanipha. We’re as ignorant as them regarding the zebra race.”

Yolana raised a brow. “As far as we know, the deer were historically partial to ponies. Which is why I’m quite confident with bringing you all with me.”

Pisacan looked bemused. “This… is a bit different than what I expected.”

“And why would you think so, Miss Pisacan?”

“According to the traditional knowledge down south, deer were expelled from their southern homeland to the north by ponies, so I expected at least a bit hostility.”

“Hm… Something of that nature probably did happen, but that’s ancient history, probably before the yaks’ arrival. At least by the time the Old Shadow descended on earth, the deer was almost too inclined towards the ponies to consider joining us against him.”

“And what could possibly be the reason of this shift in attitude?”

Yolana frowned. “I’m sorry, but I have no idea. The deer has always been a race kept to themselves. The past thirty-seven meetings between us in this millennium all happened outside of their border, because they didn’t even want us to know what the place they lived in looked like. Not to mention the inner workings of their community.”

Kanipha interjected. “So are you telling me that the deer like ponies, but the wolves hate ponies?”

“That’s what the muskoxen tribe thinks, yes.”

Cadance raised a brow. “So what about later, when we have to meet the wolves?”

“I’m not sure yet, maybe we can discuss after the meeting with the deer. But as for now, we can make the biggest advantage of having ponies in our midst.”

Spike raised an arm. “What about dragons, Yolana? Juniper looked chuffed at seeing me. Maybe it’s a good thing too?”

Yolana smiled. “Perhaps indeed. Though I don’t know of any possible link between dragons and deer, but I too noticed how well-received your presence was. This shall make our outreaching more promising.”

“What do you know about dragons in the northern lands, then?”

“I’m afraid dragons are extremely rare sights in the north. In the whole time muskoxen have been roaming here, we’ve only recorded a few counts of dragon encounters, and they mostly happened when we were sending representatives to our yak cousins down south. If I must make a guess, I would say that the cold might be too dangerous for cold-blooded creatures.”

Spike slowly nodded. “That’s true. Dragons have a wildly fluctuating metabolic system. We’re also constantly spending a lot of energy to maintain our core flame. The cold is going to cause most dragons to feel sleepy, tired and even unable to shoot fire or fend for themselves. Worst, the cold could even kill.”

“But Mister Spike, you look alright.” Yolana commented with interest.

Before Spike could answer, Kanipha already interjected and winked. “Maybe the fact that your flame’s out is a blessing, Spike.”

“Hey, yeah. I never thought about my injury in this light. Maybe I need to go find and thank that cragadile if we can ever go back to Equestria...”

“Hey, Pisa!” Spike suddenly pumped his fist and called out.

“Eh? What’s the matter, Spike?”

“Ice king… dragon tongue… ring a bell?”

The yellow mare took in a gulp of air. “You don’t mean…?”

“Yup. Can the ‘ice king’ he talked about be the ice dragon you mentioned to us?”

“You sure that he’s talking about an ‘ice king’ at all?” Kanipha frowned.

“50-50 only. But it’s good to talk about this possibility anyway. Don’t you see how fast his expression changed when I walked out in front of him? It’s very possible that it’s due to my status as a dragon.”

“What on earth could deer have to do with dragons, anyway?”

“If only I have a smudge of idea. Do you have any, Pisa?”

“No, not according to what I’ve heard about the legend of the ice dragon. If anything, the ice dragon was said to be a lone, silent and secretive watcher. The legends were really iffy.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With another labored wait, some loud shuffling noises came out of the dark snow-covered forest. The deer surrounding the group spread out quickly to form a guard of honor. A large figure gradually trotted out from the pines.

The newcomer deer was tall, but slender and fit. The coat was an impeccable white, and a soft orange mane adorned her head, chest and tail. Her softer and rounder features seem to suggest that she was a doe. However, she had a magnificently large pairs of antlers. It was quite obvious that she was a leader figure.

She gave the muskox female a gaze, and walked near her. Yolana quickly put the magical gem back on her necklace in time, and the tall deer asked her something. Yolana raised a brow and nodded, acknowledging the deer in her wordless answer.

The deer then passed through the ponies and observed them with some alarm and also heightened interest, but she did not speak to them. She briefly looked bemused when she passed through Kanipha, who snickered in response.

Shaking her head, she directly went to Spike. The deer, for the first time, smiled gently, which came as a surprise to the others in the group. She also looked somewhat uncertain and fretful, and she began.

“I hear that you speak the old tongue of our white savior, the ice king.”

The deer’s voice was calm and dignified, much like Princess Celestia’s, but it was also higher and more melodic, carrying an out-of-the-world atmosphere with her.

Spike cautiously replied. 

“My name is Spike, and I do speak the old dragon tongue. But who is this "ice king" that you speak of?”

The deer’s voice trembled with barely suppressed emotion. 

“This is an extraordinary occurrence, my honored dragon visitor. We have waited for this day for thousands of years.”

Spike was stunned. Thousands of years? What extraordinary thing could this deer be talking about?

The deer then did something even more surprising. She bowed towards the dragon and made a gesture for him to ride on her back.

“Please, my good Spike, let me be your wings and your guide towards our new destiny.”

“Wait, wait, wait! I'm confused. What on earth are you talking about? New destiny? And you haven't answered me about the ice king yet!”

The deer winced, and looked briefly to the surrounding ponies, zebra and muskox. She stood back up and said.

“All shall be answered in a moment. For now, you must follow me inside to prove your... worth.”

Spike eyed the deer a bit suspiciously. Although he got a bit of ‘reliable authority’ vibe from the deer, that might just be because her passing resemblance to Celestia. He was not that naïve to just trust her words and follow her inside the strange forest.

“I'd be glad if you can be less vague.”

The deer looked a bit stung by Spike’s words. But she bit her lips and said.

“While I'm pleased to make acquaintance with pony friends, your presence is far more important to us.”

Spike shook his head. He thought that the talk had strayed far enough from their official purpose.

"We need to talk about the deal-”

The deer said resolutely, cutting Spike off.

“You're the only one that we care about at this moment.”

“This would not do. We come as a group, and we come with one purpose. Why would you need to single me out?”

The deer exhaled heavily, and a solid look of determination flared up on her face.

“Alright. If you come with me and pass the trials, we the deer shall be your sword and your shield, we shall be all yours to command.”

“What?! Are you serious?”

A hint of verve and blitheness briefly flashed across the deer’s face, but it was quickly replaced by a solemn nod. She raised her left hoof up and said.

“I Rainga, the fiftieth princess of the deer nation, pledge to Spike the dragon good and true, that the promise I made just now is entirely truthful, and as the sovereign of all deer I will see to the fulfillment of my pledge.”

Spike took a deep breath. With some calm pondering, he said.

“Please allow me to have a word with my companions.”

Rainga, the deer princess, slightly frowned with worry. But she then nodded.

“Feel free, Spike.”

Spike then swiftly turned to the group, who quickly crowded around the little dragon. He scratched his cheek and muttered. “Goodness me…”

“What did she say?” Pisacan quickly asked.

“First of all, she claims to be the princess of the deer. Namely, she’s Princess Rainga, the fiftieth princess of the deer nation.”

Yolana nodded. “I can vouch for that. She did look the look according to muskox records.”

“And then she told me to ride with her into the forest.”

The female muskox looked surprised. “She let you into the forest?”

Geuse immediately asked. “What for?”

“She said that I must come with her to complete certain… trials.”

Kanipha frowned with bemusement. “Trials? We’re here to conduct a diplomatic mission, right? You sure she got the idea?”

“She gets the idea. However, she didn’t seem to care too much about deals, alliances, or even the pleasant surprise of meeting ponies. She was fixated at getting me inside the forest. You see her bow down just now, don’t you?”

“Yeah, Spike, what’s that about?” Shining Armor asked.

“She offered her back for me to ride on! A princess bowing down to me and let me ride on her!”

Cadance narrowed an eye and said. “A leader doesn’t simply humble herself casually and put aside her pride, unless she’s angling for something.”

Pisacan agreed. “This is rather… fishy, Spike. This might not be safe at all. You must think twice.”

Spike grimaced. “But you see… she promised me something big if I do follow her in and pass the trials.”

Kanipha looked suspicious. “How big could it be? It’s not like she would trade you her nation for completing the trials.”

“… She basically said that.”

“What?!” The group almost shouted at the same time.

“I’m not joking. She swore in front of me that if I come with her and pass the trials, the deer are ‘all mine to command’.”

“Holy heck, Spike. You’re gonna lord over these deer if you make it! What are you waiting for?” Kanipha looked excited.

“But that makes no sense!”

Geuse protested. “Why would she just hand over the leadership of her entire nation just because a dragon came forward and completed some tests? If becoming a prince is that easy, the world will be flooding with royalty!”

Cadance quietly added. “Being a leader is not just about the glamor, it’s also about the responsibilities. It would be shocking if she just abandons all responsibilities and leaves it to an unknown dragon. I know not her tongue, but she did not look or sound to me like a reckless and unthinking leader.”

Kanipha shook his head. “But why would she lie to Spike? If she had to make up a promise to Spike, I don’t think that would be her first go-to excuse. Spike’s arrival, or at least the appearance of a dragon in front of them, might be something of monumental importance to them.”

Shining Armor however cautioned. “Power always comes with a price, Spike. You might be a guileless dragon no more, but what you’ll encounter inside the forest might be tougher to deal with than everything you’ve seen before.”

Yolana looked a bit speechless. Only after everyone had commented, she managed to say. “Deer… Truly a strange bunch.”

Spike slowly breathed out. After a brief silence, he said. “This is something that I must do.”

“Spike!” Pisacan yelped in worry.

Spike turned and said. “I know this might be quite worry-sounding, but this does sound like what I’m out here for. Right, Kanny?”

Kanipha tapped his lips with his hoof. “You’re thinking this as your ultimate trial, aren’t you?”

“Bingo. We started this journey to prove our own worth to the Spirits of Harmony. Without sounding dramatic, this sounds like the most promising of challenges.”

Reminded of her own pairing with Pinkie for the same purpose, Geuse looked pained, but she still asked. “But Spike, we’re up north with no way back to Ponyville yet. How would you know if your previous adventures didn’t already do the job?”

“I just have this hunch… This is going to be the make-it-or-break-it opportunity for me. In any case, it’s also the way for us to break through to the deer through their stuck-up and stubborn ways and get them on our side.”

All others looked to each other with uneasy glances. Cadance asked slowly. “Are you certain, Spike? Even after hearing all the potential risks.”

“Yes Cadance, I’m certain.”

Pisacan bit her lips. She moved to sweep the dragon’s back scales gently. “Spike, please come back safely. Remember, we still have a promise.”

Spike chuckled. “Thanks Pisa. But everyone, stop worrying about nothing! I’m not exactly walking into a giant death-trap. It’s just some boreal forest.”

Kanipha, who had been cheering on Spike’s daring decision, suddenly looked a bit worried and sad. “I guess I can’t follow you around anymore.”

He scratched his cheek and joked a bit insecurely. “Maybe it’s for the better. You don’t need to put yourself on teeth of a cragadile or some such to pull me out of a pinch.”

“What the hay are you talking about, silly colt?”

Spike punched the zebra colt’s side lightly. “You put stock into my crazy plan, and from that day on you’re my responsibility. A brother of oath even.”

Kanipha slightly gasped as the dragon mentioned the idea of brotherhood, but Spike simply threw out more bombshell. “You don’t have to say it out loud, but from the fact that you so willingly join me and so quietly put up with my antics, I know that you love Twi as much as I do. If I… no, we make it out okay, and once Twi gets her memories back, you should totally join our household. Twi should be more than happy to have another adopted s-”

Kanipha cried, and he buried his head in the surprised dragon’s chest. “Don’t you ever try to skip and die on me! I’ll hold you to this all the way to Tartarus!”

“Okay, okay, Kanny, golly.” Spike smilingly patted the back of the colt. Geuse was stunned to see Kanipha broke down in tears in public, something that he never did in their long journey. It seemed that he really grew very fond and attached to the purple dragon.

After everyone calmed down, Spike gave a glance to the patiently waiting Rainga, who was eyeing their conversation keenly. With a clean flourish, he waved and turned towards the deer princess.

“I'm ready, Your Highness.”

Rainga remained largely calm, but palpable delight was still apparent on her face. 

“Let's go then.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been some time since Spike was riding on the back of someone.

He used to ride on the back of Twilight all the time before the debacle in Canterlot, when she was with him and all well. It felt so natural, and both the mare and the dragon liked to bond in this way. But since now Twilight was still recovering, he dared not to even touch her with too great a force. 

As for the other girls, it was not like that they would not allow him a ride. On the contrary, they were incredibly permissive, eager to pamper the dragon after he lost one of the dearest mares in his life.

However, he never quite took them up on their offer. He sought to grow up and better himself as an independent and strong dragon, because that was what Twilight had always wanted. Riding on ponies in public gave off an impression of a suckling foal, not a capable dragon. Even with Pinkie and Rarity, he never intimately mingle with them unless they were not in lime light, but that was also for many other reasons.

He did take up on Discord’s offer for a ride once. And he had sworn off to never mention or remember it ever again.

His errand thought was terminated when he noticed that the scenery was gradually changing.

Rainga trotted quite fast for a large deer, and they had made several turns and crossed quite a few gullies. Without referring to familiar landmarks and celestial objects, he was a bit lost as to his exact location, but he thought that he must be getting quite deep inside the forest.

The forest. It was becoming stranger as they progressed. The snow cover was becoming patchier and patchier. And the air was getting… warmer and damper?

He felt a bit weird finding himself fixated on the scenery and the air so much. Perhaps it was just signs of spring coming. But with him riding on a stranger deer, it was the least he could do to maintain some semblance of control.

As they progressed, the warmth was becoming even more and more apparent. Spike had to take off his scarves. As he warily eyed the surrounding, he was a bit bemused that the pine trees and snow had all but disappeared, replaced with broadleaves and vines commonly found in more southerly places. It was as if he had walked into the Everfree at night.

After a moment of more galloping, they came across a wide gorge, and a roaring river flowed beneath them. Rainga stopped right behind the ledge and let out a quiet sigh.

She smiled to Spike and said.

“Hold tight.”

Spike complied. He had a rough idea of what the deer princess was going to do, but he was not prepared to believe it before she actually did it. Rainga kicked backwards and leapt elegantly into the air. Her ebony horns flashed a warm orange, and she elevated in the air smoothly like a pegasus taking flight, all the more amazing due to the fact that she had no wings.

It was a surreal experience, and Spike was too engrossed with the amazing feeling of wingless flight to notice that Rainga had swiftly landed again.

Spike raised his head again. And before him was an enormous white rock, extruding from the larger chalk-white mountain ridge like an overturned column. 

“The test will be simple, Spike. Simply go forth and hug the column.”

“... That's it? What exactly is the challenging part of this trial?”

The deer princess’s eyes shifted, and she said.

“The magic of the great ice king will determine whether you're our worthy champion. You... will know the result when you do it.”

Spike felt suspicion growing within him. But now that he was in front of the trials, he thought that it would be simply cowardly if he simply backed out.

He slowly walked forwards the smooth column and laid his claws on it.

It felt incredibly smooth, strange for a natural formation exposed in the elements. But the feeling of cold and smoothness was quickly replaced by incredible surge of heat and power.

Instinctively, he wanted to withdraw his claws. Briefly, he turned back to Rainga with a look of shock, only to discover that the genial and polite deer princess was grinning at him with an honestly unnerving look.

Spike let out a scream of pain, as energy continued to surge within his body. Not even being force-fed molten gold would he feel even remotely this scorched, being a dragon that could withstand lava.

There was also an enormous presence pressing at his mind, threatening to squash him like a boulder did to a pea. He felt like his very presence was being peeled piece by piece.

He again let out an anguished cry, beginning to doubt whether the deer really had an innocent intention.

Swimming in and out of consciousness, he again looked back. Rainga was holding a large piece of white scale on her hoof, and she licked her lips drunkenly with satisfaction, while saying something with a triumphant tone.

Spike could not comprehend what she was saying, because he was entirely exhausted fighting with the battering ram against his mind. 

He winced and gritted his teeth. He did not need to know what she was saying to know that this overtly dignified deer was actually some kind of a crazed cultist. But he could no longer hold his own anymore. His defense was mercilessly shattered, and he was brutally knocked back into the dark recesses of his mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The deer could not believe everything was coming to fruition. And the prize seemed to have walked to her door himself.

Ever since she was cut from the grace of their infinitely benevolent sovereign millennia ago, she had been planning for this. Initially there was still a veneer of altruism for her brethren deer, but it had long given way to intense personal longing, a possessive desire of gargantuan proportion.

The muskoxen were always to her mere barbarians. Willing to subject themselves to the mercy of the winds, compliant of being the pitiful victims of the cruel winter spirits. The wolves were murderers worth a thousand cut, but she was restrained from revenge by words from the ice king himself.

She had had his blessing, whose immense presence created a world within world in the Frozen North. The ‘threat’ of the Shadow King was but kid’s play to her, even just with his latent protection.

They were the dignified servants of the greatest dragon of all, and she was his loyal, perpetual disciple. However, past events had rendered the body of the ice king incapable, and his mind all but erased. The deer nation lived in a state of shattered glory in the forest, reminiscing their golden age in their once Garden of Eden, meshing together in harmony with the first ones and the lucent ones who had the luck to live inside him. But newer fawns have already lost the memories of the olden days, even the sacred language of the dragon king.

She had fixated on one single goal – to bring back her beloved king. But having to maintain her consciousness over millennia came with a dark price, and she could barely leave this forest without literally losing herself. As such, she could only wait.

The last opportunity for her to bring in worthy vessels was a thousand years ago, when the coalition against the Shadow King offered her a chance to covertly steal some of his power, in order to move herself outside the forest. She did scout and bring forth some candidates, but they all perished when the immense power of the ice king surged through them.

Her elation was interrupted by a neutral voice. Deep and youthful harmonics vibrated in her ears like heavenly tunes, and she almost teared up in pure joy.

“Raingeva. It must’ve been a long time.”

The deer sharply turned, the purple dragon now stood right behind her, gaze locked with her own orange eyes. His face did not betray his emotion in any way. However, the deer felt the unmistakable signature of overwhelming draconic magic that she sought after for so long, and she struggled to contain her excitement.

She bloomed into a full smile, although she briefly wondered why her beloved king would choose to speak in the Southern pony tongue. She did make sure to choose a mind fluent in Old Draconic to facilitate the transfer of the great ice king’s consciousness. And her ignorance of the Southern tongue was a silly façade, because she already learnt it during the ranging to the south a thousand years ago.

But since that was her adored dragon king speaking, she would scramble to speak in the tongue of the sea snakes if it beckoned her to learn it.

“M- M- My lord! I have been waiting for this moment for so long! L- Let me, your humble serv-”

“Raingeva!” The dragon angrily shouted. His claw almost hit her cheek, but at the end, it limply fell as the dragon looked at her with a look of disbelief and ire.

“E- Eh?” The deer blinked with a confused look. Her smile still did not go away entirely, but confusion, and more evidently, fear for offense against her beloved dragon king, reigned in her mind.

“You… I cannot believe you, my child, would indulge in such a crime against the nature of things.”

The deer said with a trembling voice.

“My lord, I- I-”

“Tell me, how long exactly had passed since that night when the fanged white descended upon us?”

Finding calmness and solace in stating fact, she hurriedly said. “T- Three thousand years had passed since that horrible night the despicable wolves ambushed us.”

“Three thousand years…”

The purple dragon looked incredibly tired. “Raingeva, is the taint I sense on you…?”

Tears rolling down her guilty face, she sniffled. “Y- Yes.”

The purple dragon’s eyes narrowed, and spat out each word seemingly with pain.

“Whose body is this?”

“R- Rainga is my blood. My great grand-daughter through the maternal line, fifty generations removed.”

The purple dragon sharply chastised. “How can you do this to your own kin? And you’ve presumably done it over and over again over the years… You should be ashamed of yourself, my child! For you have robbed many younglings of their chance and choice to live their own lives! And now, I must bear this crime myself as well.”

“Yes… I’m a terrible thief and a craven, and the shame and sin is all mine. But alas, I have no choice, my lord! The project of finding a new vessel for you would have spanned many a lifetime, and to bring you back in order for m- us to witness your glory and join your grace again requires a steady guidance with my hooves!”

The dragon’s face was distorted in a whole slew of emotions, anger and disappointment being the most obvious. After a while, he shook his head and sighed with a breathy voice.

“I want no part of this, Raingeva.”

The deer felt lightness in her head, and she quickly begged. “My lord, please don’t! The deer need you! I- I need you!”

“I don’t want to, nor do I need to steal anyone’s life. The guilt would forever damn me to a non-life worse than the bliss of non-existence.”

The deer had not done something like that for a long time, but faced with the immovable dragon, she whimpered and cried aloud. 

The dragon put a claw to his forehead. “Raingeva, Raingeva, why can’t you be more selfless like Alva, or more magnanimous like Aida?”

The deer already looked heartbroken with the dragon’s merciless chastisement, she looked even more hurt by the mention of the two names. However, the purple dragon merely continued. 

“Alva would never hurt anyone innocent, let alone her kin, to forward any twisted plan of this sort. Aida would focus on the future and bring goodness to her people, not to dwell on the fact that I have passed on and looked for a way to bring me back. I had protected thousands during my life, and I had protected more with my body afterwards. Whether there is a mind attached to the magical warmth, it matters not the least, for I had fulfilled my purpose in the mundane. My body had become a veritable refuge for eons to come.”

The deer managed to ask with a small voice. “My… lord… Why had you forsaken me to the cold winds? The paradise was denied to us for three millennia, my lord…”

The timid and respectful voice grew loud, giving the dragon a stun. “Why? I- I never understand!”

The dragon looked old and sad for a second. He extended a claw and stroked the wet cheek of the tall deer. “You know, Raingeva, I love the deer as much as I do for the first and the lucent.”

“But…”

“Raingeva… The fanged white is as ancient as the greys. They are smart, fierce and most importantly, relentless. They remember. They would have wiped out the first ones at the bays and inlets had I not let them in. They would have destroyed the lucent ones had they turned east but not west in their directionless wander as well. They have no real vendetta against the deer, however, that’s why you, my child, can afford to roam the outside.”

“The outside is but windigo’s cruel breath and desolation, my lord!”

The dragon said bluntly. “The outside has limitless possibilities. It’s only been your obsession that bounded the deer here.”

The deer frowned, while the dragon looked up to the enormous white mountain, and breathed out.

“My child. Have the wolves ever come again after that time?”

“We have had skirmishes over lesser, mundane issues, but those are conveniently mediated by the simple-minded muskoxen. The wolves have never breached our home again… But I would never forget the pain they inflicted on us-”

“Alas, a long memory is a curse, Raingeva. Death is nature’s way to wipe away hate and cover it with dry dust. The fanged white bounded themselves to the chain by clinging so closely to the tragedy that happened to the fanged grey, and we shan’t allow ourselves to do the same.”

The deer looked down to the ground without a word. 

The dragon looked glazed, deep within memories of the past. “The magic from my youth and the force of my bulk gave the two sister races of yours a safe haven. But it’s always been my deep regret that the separation must be enforced. And although I felt through the beating of their life forces that they still thrive, I feel sad that I know little more than that.”

He sadly said. “It is not a blessing, Raingeva. They might be living without the threat from the whites, but they are caged and have no real freedom. They are stripped of their potential.”

“The only thing we want is to live in quiet harmony. The world is torrid, my lord, and under your protective wings we-”

The dragon cut her off. “My greatest regret was exactly that, my child. The first ones were too restive, the lucent ones were too placid. I would have gladly given them freedom regardless, if it would not invite the wrath of the fanged white, but I would always worry for them. But the deer… they are adaptable, and I had high hope for you that you and your successors might bring the deer from its dark past to a bright future.”

His tone became even more tired and heavy. “Raingeva... You are not as grown as I had thought. But you should have understood, for the comfort of the past and certainty is like a cradle, one must not stay in the cradle forever.”

The deer merely quickly nodded, perhaps somewhat too enthusiastically. In her mind, all that mattered was that he was here giving guiding light to her again.

The dragon’s gaze suddenly turned sharp. “Since you so long for the life inside, I trust that you do not hold grudges against the two sister races?”

The deer quickly shook her head. “I have nothing but love and respect for them. Every day I dreamt of restoring it and bathing in our once golden harmony. I never let my longing turned into poisonous jealousy… because I know you hate jealousy.”

She looked down to the ground and said wistfully. “But I’m afraid I already displeased you to the highest degree.”

“Raingeva. I don’t condone any of this, but I understand your loneliness. For I had lived the good first half of my life in it as well.”

Hope resurfaced in her mind. However, the dragon continued. “But as I said, you should have put me aside for a long, long time.”

The deer frowned again. The dragon shook his head again. “Raingeva. I am supposed to be gone, and remain gone.”

“My lord!”

“This is not your first try to reform me from ethereal energy and channel my essence into some other dragon.”

The deer again winced fearfully.

The dragon looked sorrowful. “I had felt it even as I swam on the boundary of ether with little consciousness. You know that it could well weaken the barrier and invite the fanged white here. Moreover, blood of many of my brethren is on my claws as well.”

The deer said grimly. “The responsibility is solely on my hooves, my lord.”

“It’s easy to say so, my child! Their bones might be dust, but they were all once beings of their own, with their own hopes, dreams and aspirations. We can never live their lives for them. This overbearing kind of thinking could only lead to tragedies.”

He looked down to his unfamiliar claws and sighed. “Even as of now, I’m taking away this young, hopeful drake’s life. He had important missions ahead of him, and old tired dragon like me should not usurp his place.”

The dragon suddenly laid a claw on the front hoof of the deer, causing her to yelp aloud in surprise. The expression on her face then immediately turned from a pout to a dreamy smile.

However, the dragon immediately said. “The spell you use… it is flawed.”

The deer now truly gasped in shock. 

“This spell is by nature blood magic. And you only ever bound your essence to your own kin using the same spell, and so its flaw is hidden.”

“Wh- H- How… Ahem, my lord, what is this flaw that you talk of?”

“Minds are never meant to jump from one body to another. In most of the times, the unholy union would result in a precarious coexistence. However, it would not last long, because a side must win, and nine times out of ten the native bond between mind and body would triumph. The foreign essence would either be expelled or destroyed. Stranger things could in theory happen if the essences collide as they battle, but I doubt many lived to tell.”

The deer blinked. Panic then welled up her timid face, and she knelt down on the ground frantically. “O- Oh, oh dear! M- My lord, I didn- I would never in a thousand years dream of- oh I’m so sorry! I don’t mean to-”

The dragon chortled wryly. “Raingeva, you misunderstood me. I’m not trying to say that you would have killed me off for real. I’ve lived long enough, and if I clung so much to survival, I would never have chosen this path anyway. I belong to the rare case, in which the ‘foreign’ essence is vastly overpowering. This would rather cause the host body to become physically unstable and disintegrate, as you have probably observed.”

The deer sighed quietly, and the dragon raised a brow and continued.

“I don’t know exactly how this magical item of yours attempts to circumvent this, but it seems to mask and magnify the foreign essence as the body’s own. However, this hinges on how similar the essences are to each other. But all in all…”

The dragon’s gaze turned harsh, and the deer bit her lips in uncertainty.

“I’m very disappointed and ashamed in your dabbling in the dark arts.”

The deer’s ears drooped in shame. “I’m terribly sorry, my lord…”

“We shall deal with this eventually. But now, I bring this up because this highlights why all your previous attempts failed but this one succeeds.”

“O- Oh dear… Are you saying that this… Gaddur… is related to you by blood as well?”

The corner of the dragon’s mouth raised slightly. “If so, I’d be rather surprised.”

“Why, my lord?”

“My form might be one of a dragon, but I was born of no one.”

The deer smiled fully. “Oh, I’ve always known that my lord is the special one.”

“The earth begot many more spirits, the Windigos, for one. Though I was powerful, I was not unique.”

He turned his gaze from the wind-blown trees back to the deer. “This might be as good as a time to tell you more about my time before I became the leader of all of you.”

“My lord! You never…”

“I never mentioned it because I had a history with the whites, and I fear that this would unsettle the first and the lucent that were under my protection.”

“A history…?”

“I was born long ago, deep under a hill down south, a height held sacred by the fanged grey. It held a mysterious eye of beacon, which emitted a strange wave in the fabric of natural magic. It swept through the living in the area, and it caused an upswing of civilization among the formerly nomadic greys. They still worshipped their sacred tree, but the hill became their equally holy site. And rightfully so, because I was born of that wave of magic as well.”

“What can that ‘beacon’ be?”

“I never knew quite exactly. But I surmise that it must have rippled through the immense natural deposit of magic in the area, and it resonated and concentrated magic to the extent that it shaped a dragon in the deep out of small lizards on the surface. Such signal must contains an unimaginable richness of information. But seeing how dragons also come from lands yonder, similar things might be happening around the world.”

The deer eagerly nodded, reminiscing the day she took lessons from the old and knowledgeable dragon.

“After I was born, I mostly slumbered and grew under the hill, until the great deluge happened. The newcomer ponies disturbed and reshaped the hill, and the signal became blurred and disrupted. What’s more, their disrespect and quarrelling rattled the Windigos. The south was a sea of chaos, thus I moved out of the hill and flew north”

“Whoa… my lord, I never saw you fly before! It must be an immense sight!”

“I was indeed a bit too intimidating big to be seen in the air, but I could fly just as well. The southerners were understandably terrified, but they left me alone after I simply flew on without threatening their livelihood.”

Eyes gleaming with interest, the deer kept asking. “So… my lord, have you witnessed the downfall of the greys?”

The dragon trembled briefly, and deeply breathed in. “I have. And I was the one who brought the news of this great injustice to the whites as well.”

The deer looked flabbergasted.

The dragon looked remorseful. “At the time, I only knew of my indignation at seeing such treachery by the southerners. I never knew that it would ignite a millennia-long blood feud.”

The deer sadly smiled. “M- My lord, what had happened had happened-”

“Alas, my child. I can’t shrug it off like that to lessen my guilt. As I moved north, I actually first dwelled amongst the white. They looked up to me, and I was happy to counsel them. But their temperament was still fiery, and they came to see all equines as their blood enemies.”

He sighed deeply. “At the time, the first ones were the only equines in the north, having sailed through the frozen ocean in their endless mission to trade, conquer and colonize. You might not believe it, but the first ones were once barbaric and efficient raiders, and the whites were the civilized ones.”

The deer covered her mouth. “My goodness…”

“The whites told me that they wanted to teach the first ones a lesson in humility, and I failed to see through their true intent. And so passed the tragedy at the town of Svein. The first ones went from the predator to the preys, their settlements burned and pillaged, their numbers decimated.”

Holding his head in pained recollection, he continued. “I was appalled, and yet the whites said to me it was but justice rendered, and I was too soft. However, their intention was plain. It was not really about the first ones’ raiding or other offenses. It was their guilt by association for being an equine. And so I left the whites to shelter the survivors, and they had denounced me ever since.”

“These faithless, despicable curs!”

“Now you know why they knew me so… and why they left me alone instead of delivering the killing blow and attempting to crack the barrier open. It’s because they still had a sliver of gratitude and respect for me.”

The deer was in disbelief. This added a confusing layer to her simple, straightforward distaste for the white wolves.

After a while, the dragon said gently. “Do you know why I’m speaking in the southern tongue with you?”

“No, my lord.”

The dragon grinned a wide grin. “I can’t help but take up his tongue, my child. I am afraid I am sort of dissolving into little ‘Spike’ here.”

The deer’s jaw dropped. “What?! H- How can this be happening?! D- Didn’t you say you’re much more powerful than all the dragons I brought to you before? If so, then how come this dragon c- can…?!”

“This ‘Spike’ bears the same kind of magic that once bathed me and nurtured me.”

“… Eh?!”

“It’s no wonder he could withstand my presence for so long. It’s also because of this, our essences are quite similar even without the mold of your spell. And being in the state of near-death for so long, plus being forcefully extracted from the diffused ether must have rendered whatever remaining of my integrity to almost nothing.”

The deer let out a terrified whimper, but the dragon simply shrugged. “If not for the fact that I’m still standing so close to my old body, and its power still feeding into this body, I would probably be gone like a spoonful of salt in water.”

The deer cried and begged. “M- my lord! Please, hold steady, I- I’m going to-”

“To do what? Use more twisted magic to prolong this? Even against my ardent wish?”

“Ugh…!”

“Raingeva. There is no need to worry. I won’t falter yet unless I walk out of this forest. And before I finish this talk with you I won’t take any drastic action.”

“… Yes, my lord. But I still-”

The dragon cut her off. “I’m glad to see you, but this is a meeting that should not happen. Both of us are here through unnatural means. While I’m amazed and curious about how Spike could have gained this unique brand of magic that had not been seen on the surface since the deluge, and that he could not be related to me by blood since I never had a mate, I’m more concerned that I’m doing a great disservice to someone who might have a common tie of fate with me, not to mention the baseness of body snatching.”

Facing with the sorrowful deer, the dragon gently sighed.

“You know what, Raingeva, you should take a rest as well.”

The deer’s tearful face shot up in surprise. “H- Huh?”

The dragon warmly smiled. “I give you a proposal that might soothe your sorrow, my child.”

“I- I’m all ears!”

“If you fear solitude in the mundane, we should both return to the ether… together.” 

The deer was completely stunned. The thought simply had not come across her mind. She had only thought about defying death and bring the dragon king back, but never joined the dragon in the quiet embrace of mortality.

The past millennia were a blur to her. She had worn the faces of her innocent and unsuspecting descendants like a puppet master, their minds all but a footnote to her presence, and eventually merged with hers at her next jump. 

All she had in mind really was to meet her dragon king again. She had stooped to the lows of forbidden magic and indirectly led to the demise of many innocent drakes in order to bring about her goal. Not that she did not care for her fellow deer, but they increasingly became an afterthought in her fervent pursuit of a lost dream.

But now suddenly, as if all the jadedness over the years came back to her at once, she felt an intense mix of existential dread and guilt. The dragon’s words seemed to bring out her long-suppressed doubt about the futility of her actions. 

Despite seeing to the deer’s continual survival in the northern land, and the subsequent integration of the refugees that escaped from the southerners, she had dragged down the deer race with her dogged attachment to the long-gone past. She had allowed them to become isolated and conceited, against the benevolent wish of her dragon sovereign.

Raingeva, for the first time in thousands of years, felt old and tired.

The dragon observed the deer carefully, but he did not speak. The deer slowly raised her head and asked. “My lord, I’ve always wondered.”

Noticing the change in demeanor in her, the dragon nodded with some curiosity. “Do ask, my child.”

“Why do you care so much for the deer and our sisters? A- And even the wolves too at the beginning?”

“Oh? Why wouldn’t I?”

The deer looked mortified. “Um… b- because we aren’t…?”

“Raingeva, although unlike most other spirits, I was never branded with an explicit purpose, over time I did strive to open my heart and embrace all within the world. We were never meant to journey alone.”

The deer blinked with a half-knowing look, and the dragon smiled sadly. “After witnessing tragedy after tragedy, I decided to use whatever there was in my power to mend the wounds of this imperfect world together. Although it was somewhat fortuitous, bringing together the three races together was my very first project towards this goal. It’s exactly because you’re so disparate, that I love you all so.”

“My lord…”

The deer bit her lips. “A dragon as powerful as you could have simply subdued all that opposed you. The white should have no chance to-”

“No, no. I would never do something like that. If I just brute-force my way to impose my will, what kind of example would I have been setting?”

The dragon sighed at the deer, sounding a bit disappointed that his erstwhile follower was not understanding of his mindset. “Yes, I want there to be no boundary between races, I hoped that we can all put aside pointless rivalries, and wade through the tides of times as one. But I don’t want the community-building becomes a dogma. If I just roasted anyone who would object to me putting all the disparate races together, then I’m just a tyrant. Even if I just threatened with such a possibility, people would just act out of fear. I want people to truly see past the differences by themselves, not simply being ordered to get along with each other.”

The dragon held his snout and grunted. “This is the same reason I sometimes regret assuming the trappings of a king.”

“...!”

“I took on the mantle of a king merely as a mean to iron out the disagreements that naturally arose, when you bring together races with different physiques and tongues. But it infantilized the people that I so fervently hoped to grow by themselves. It makes life under the eternal shadow of a seemingly benevolent authority look good. I would rather you all stand on your own hooves.”

The deer again looked at the dragon with a sad frown and a look of bemusement. 

The dragon secretly lamented. He doubted that his point would ever get to the head of the obsessed deer. However, he still cared immensely about the deer. She always had looked up to him more than anyone he ever met, and stayed dedicated to him even as things started to turn south. He could not stand to see her continue down the misguided path of trampling on other lives to further her own.

He extended his arms and held the deer’s head with both his claws. She shivered in shock. 

“Raingeva, despite everything, I must still say – I’m really happy to see you.”

“My lord…!”

“I had to maintain a veneer of aloofness and respectability before my people, so I never told you explicitly.”

He drew in a light breath and smiled. “My time with you was perhaps the blissful time I have ever lived through.”

The deer looked overjoyed, she swooned back and fell onto the ground like a wind-blown papier-mâché ornament. 

The dragon continued to say in a gentle tone. “As such a large and powerful dragon, intimacy was a rare thing to experience. Even Alva and Aida were always cautious and detached when they were around me. And yet you stay around me at all times despite my suffocating presence.”

He said with a hint of regret. “When I was alive, I did not ever show my feelings in return of your fervent devotion. I thought it was a sign of impartiality. But now I realize how cold I must have come across. I… am sorry for being so distant for all your faithfulness, my dearest Raingeva.”

The dragon let out a quiet sigh. He wondered if he had paid more love and attention to the deer, she would have come out more well-adjusted than how she was now.

The deer was gobsmacked with the sudden burst of sincere affection from her adored dragon. She always dreamt of being on closer terms with the dragon, but she also feared that her affection was only one-sided and that the dragon king himself would be offended. Now that the dragon himself said something that directly assuaged her long-held doubt, she felt as if she could melt away at any moment and not feel a sliver of sadness.

“My lord-”

“Raingeva, call me my name… for this once.”

“…!”

The deer gulped hard. Hot tears dropped from her wide eyes again as she forcefully nodded. “Nighthewer… I love you.”

“I love you too, Raingeva. Please accede to my last wish and join me in the ether. We can then truly be one and pure again.”

The deer froze for a brief while, and then she nodded resolutely. “I understood… I shall cast the release spell and unbounded… our essences from the mundane.”

She let out an ‘oomph’ as the dragon softly embraced her. 

“My lord, please lay your claws on the old white scales again.”

The dragon complied, and a soft, warm orange surrounded the horn of the white deer. The night forest was briefly lit up, and then everything grew dark again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was all white. The horizon was blended into one giant enclosing whiteness.

Nighthewer looked around. It was not quite the all-soothing nothingness that he expected and had experienced for the past millennia.

He raised his arms, and discovered that they were no longer purple and chubby. Instead, it was lean and white, much like what he was like when he was young.

As he raised his brows in surprise, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Turning back abruptly, he saw the purple dragon that he was a moment earlier. 

“So you must be Nighthewer himself.”

“And you’re… Spike, I presume?”

“Yep, I am.”

Nighthewer sighed. “You do not look too pleased, youngling.”

“Well, old guy, I can’t be expected to be too pleased. The so-called trial turned out to be a cynical ploy to steal my body.”

“I have no intent at all to-”

“Nah, I got it. You have nothing to do with what Raingeva’s done. And she was the most insecure among the three anyway.”

“…?!”

“You seem surprised that I have knowledge about your past. I take it that this is not reciprocal?”

“Ashamed to say, youngling, I only know of your name and nothing much.”

Spike bit his lips and said with a curious tone. “Sometimes it might be a bliss to know less than to know more, though.”

Nighthewer knitted his brows in bemusement. 

Spike then said neutrally. “You’re the most pacifist of dragons I’ve ever seen. Even Red Fury, the dragon who taught me old Draconic, was always flaunting his aggression and power about. If we didn’t exactly come across each other in this kind of situation, I guess it would be much more pleasant.”

“Thank you for your understanding, young Spike.”

“You’re a good guy. I know it. I was sitting here listening the whole time. Being good to good people isn’t exactly the hardest job in the world.”

Nighthewer raised a brow, and Spike continued. “And I can’t even be mad at Raingeva either. She might be an immortal body snatcher, but at heart she’s just a naïve fawn hoping for the return of her adored adoptive father.”

The older dragon looked grim. “So you know that as well.”

“Because of this mishap, I know all about you, and I don’t know if this is a good thing or not.”

Nighthewer realized what Spike meant, and shook his head with regret. “I apologize for any distress viewing my memories might have caused you.”

Spike raised a brow. “You don’t seem mad that your private thoughts and memories were seen by me.”

“I would’ve preferred otherwise, but it’s undoubtedly our fault to have intruded upon your mental realm at first. A thief has no right to cry foul.”

“You’re just as upstanding as your memories suggest you’re. I can respect that.”

Spike then shook his head as well. “I might be young, but my adoptive mother made an effort to teach me about the less savory side of history, and the difference now is only that I see and remember it as well.”

He sighed. “I just don’t feel like this is what it should be.”

“What do you mean, young Spike?”

“I’m on a spiritual mission to prove myself worthy, so that the magic of harmony would restore my adoptive mother to full health.”

“’Tis indeed a worthy cause.”

“And she would’ve loved to see me become a strong, knowledgeable and independent dragon as well.”

Nighthewer tentatively said. “My young friend, then wouldn’t my experiences be a helpful claw on your way to enlightenment?”

Spike sharply looked up. “That’s exactly the thing I’m racking my head about.”

“Alas, perhaps my experiences are no longer suitable or applicable for the current age?”

“Not at all. Wisdom, kindness and endurance are all ageless qualities.”

Nighthewer smiled thinly. “You’ve flattered this old dragon, youngling.”

“However, sorry to say, I just felt a bit cheated.”

Nighthewer’s smile quickly dropped, and he sighed heavily. “Raingeva-”

“No, it is not about her. It is rather about myself really.”

Spike cupped his chin and said wearily. “I’m just sad that I don’t manage to grow by myself.” 

“Hmm…?”

“You see, some time ago, my adoptive mother did something not dissimilar to you when the white wolves came. She sacrificed herself in order to bring down a dire threat to Equestria.”

“I did not quite literally die yet from what I did, so she…”

“She turned out to be alive quite some months later, magically showing up in somewhere far from our home. We managed to get her home eventually, but she was ravished and amnesic. That is why I was traveling the land in the first place, to look for a way to cure her via magic.”

He shook his head. “But that happened way afterwards. I had soon begun to rethink my life after I thought she passed away. Following her teaching, I read extensively, traveled extensively, and tried to become an adult drake in general. Even after she turned out to be fine, I did not exactly stop in my track.”

Sighing softly, he continued. “I know this does not sound entirely sensible, but I’ve been seeing this as a journey towards my adulthood that I must do by myself. From the first time she told me to become an independent dragon, to the eventual moment that I finally become one. But now, suddenly out of nowhere, years of ancient memories of an old wise dragon suddenly got dumped onto me.”

Preempting the old dragon, Spike said. “I’m not saying that I resent your influence, I can still pretty much hold it on my own. It’s just that it just made everything that I did… a bit pointless, you know? What you’ve been through is infinitely more legendary, heroic and memorable than what a small drake like me ever did. It was like working my scales off to dig for a rare gem, only to be given one by a loved one as consolation.”

The old dragon narrowed his eyes. His expression was worn and grim. “Alas, our inopportune meeting had been injurious as well.”

Spike shook his claws and said. “It’s a bit much to call it that. Yes, it’s unexpected, and it put an end to my journey of self-discovery, but it’s been-”

“Young Spike, why would you think that your self-discovery ends here?”

Spike looked surprised. He sighed. “What more could be out there? The cataclysms and battles and miraculous occurrences that you witnessed would dwarf whatever I would see in my life.”

“Don’t let this old dragon’s jadedness overshadow your youthful passion, Spike.”

Nighthewer said solidly. “Life goes on, and all kind of possibilities are out there. What I’ve seen might be immense, but it’s far from everything.”

“Then tell me, Nighthewer, why would you rather die than to grab my body as your own? Even staying here next to your old body and being an armchair general to Raingeva’s devoted bunch would be more ‘possibilities’ than withering away and becoming nothing.”

Nighthewer said nothing. He closed his eyes and turned away from Spike. Towards the endless white of the mental realm, he began to hum with a low and deep voice.

“While you live, shine
have no grief at all
life exists only for a short while
and time demands an end.”

The older dragon showed Spike a pensive look. “I’ve never envisioned that my last act of desperation would turn out to be the same act that paradoxically tied my essence to the world, opening myself to the tampering by my errant child. Dragons might be long-lived, but we’re not supposed to be immortal, even earth-born ones like I was.”

He smiled. “Nothing is permanent, and no one is truly immortal. And yet things we do live an indelible mark that would keep on passing towards others in the world. And I’m proud to say that what I did was good to something rather than nothing. It satisfied me fully to know that my actions were constructive, and they might, in ways that I may never know, benefit others. You still have a life to live, and many others to help and benefit. I would be doing you and other a much greater service as a memory rather than an obstructing presence. And I, knowing that I have lived fully, am prepared to pass on at any time. Can you, though, say you’ve lived fully?”

Spike slowly took in what the old dragon said, and quietly let out a breath of mixed emotions.

“… No. Not until I’ve brought Pinkie back, restored Twilight to health and put an end to Sunset Shimmer’s menace. And at the very least knowing the wolves’ speech would be immensely helpful.”

“Young Spike, I wish you all the best on your endeavor.”

The old dragon tapped on his chin. “I figure that you’re securing the wolves’ support for something, am I correct?”

“An evil unicorn mage named Sunset Shimmer has taken over the pony nation of Crystal Empire, and threatened to engulf the world with her tyranny. She was a mind-controlling slaver with a poisonous gift of speech, and she mesmerized the whole nation into doing her bidding, even bewitching the ruling princess… and my marefriend as well. Through luck we chanced upon the muskoxen who’s been keeping the prince and the princess, and they are generous in their support. We are roaming the north lands to seek support from every friendly race that we can find.”

The older dragon frowned. “… Huh. A noble goal, but I doubt the wolves would be inclined to involve themselves in this matter.”

Spike knitted his brows deeply. “Yep, I know. They hate ponies to the bone.”

He drew in a breath deeply. “But I have something that might change their minds… Something that neither you nor they know.”

Nighthewer looked truly surprised. “Oh, what could that thing be?”

“I know about the greys before all these, and I know how to save them.”

“Really…!”

“Given it was actually the discovery and idea of my adoptive mother, and I doubt any non-unicorn, or indeed any unicorn other than her can pull something like that off. She did devise a ritual that would undo the terrible curse Trefoil placed on the grey wolves. But due to… personal and other circumstances, she did not manage to set the greys free before everything went to the drains.”

“… Most unfortunate. But the mere fact that she could find a way to magically connect with the greys were amazing in itself. The whites tried to do something like that but were only met with failure.”

Spike held his forehead and said. “I didn’t know what you know back then, so I don’t know how surprising it was, other than being amazed at the dancing light show. But yep, it should be patently impossible to do what she did. Trefoil was ruthlessly brilliant, he didn’t just cast the curse, he made dang sure that no subsequent magic, unicorn or not, could have unlocked it. How the hay did Twilight do exactly that, I would never know unless all dusts are settled. For now though, I can use this piece of information as a flag of peace when we eventually go to them.”

“That’s all the more reason that I wish for your eventual success.”

Nighthewer sighed. “It’s a shame that I could not have assisted you more. My conscious mind is but a redundant presence given that you’ve already known what I’ve known.”

“You’re not a redundant presence, Nighthewer. You’re the first dragon that I met who is not all gung-ho about gems, territories and how hot their fire-breaths are. I would love to have you around… not in my head preferably.” Spike added with a smirk.

Nighthewer chortled. “Alas, young Spike, then might I excuse myself and go into eternal rest already. My current presence is not stable anyway.”

“Wait, Nighthewer.”

“Yes, youngling?”

Spike breathed out slowly and said. “We were both born in Canterlot, even though it was a few thousand years apart. We were both born without seeing the face of our parent. And of course there is that strange thing about how similar our inherent magic is. I feel that our meeting is not at all a random accident.”

“I have this feeling as well, young Spike. We’re definitely connected in special ways.”

Spike closed his eyes. “… Thank you. Despite everything, you’ve given your experiences to me. In this sense, you’re like my mentor.”

“That is a way to put it. You shall be a worthy mentee to pass on what I know as well.”

“Nighthewer, I will keep you in my memories and your spirits in my life.”

“Thank you, young Spike.”

Spike bit his lips. “… One last thing, Nighthewer.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think it should continue?”

“… Isn’t it clear that you know what I think?”

“It’s one thing to glean your feelings from your memories. It’s another thing entirely to hear how you, a conscious mind, would put it to me.”

“A young but prickly mind that you are, Spike.”

Nighthewer heavily breathed out. His voice began to grow distorted as his presence began to lose whatever remained of its integrity.

Spike gulped, his voice grew shrill by emotion as well. “Now don’t you dodge my question by disappearing off to nothingness, old guy.”

“Ha… ha. I can’t even properly die off without answering that one, can I?”

The older dragon sighed difficultly. “Spike, before today, I would solidly say yes. In this harsh world, fencing the two races off against external threats was the only way they would continue to live, even though their freedom is illusory. But now… I honestly don’t know.”

“Why? You seem to have changed your mind.”

“It’s because of you, Spike. You bring surprise, as you presented a solution to a problem I never thought could be solved. You symbolize what I hope could bloom in the races that I’ve watched over – possibilities. I have, in pursuing the basic instinct and goal of survival, forwent the quality that I should foster, and even created a barrier that limited it. Guilt and fear dragged me down even as I drifted off to unconsciousness, and now even more so since you proved that freedom is not necessarily at odds with security. Moreover, as my magic falters, so would their world. It simply is a tragic affair to confine them in such a place, destined to fall apart slowly.”

“But opening the barrier means exposing them to the ire of the white wolves.”

“Indeed, but it’s up to you if you think the benefit outweighs the risk. If the white wolves could be persuaded to stand down, then having both freedom and safety might not be that fleeting a hope.”

The white dragon raised a brow. “But Spike, have you figured out a way to do it? You know that not even I could have opened it myself, having sealed and bent the space inside. It is a veritable alternate dimension that is inaccessible to us even if you can physically crack my crystalized body. Or have you hidden another surprise for me?”

Spike said bashfully. “… No. I don’t have an idea how. Maybe when all dusts are settled and we can carefully research a way to do it. They should be doing fine inside, shouldn’t they?”

“I hope so. But unless we actually get inside to have a look, it’s unkn… able h…w my bel…ved peop… are do… af…r all these y-”

“Nighthewer? Nighthewer!”

The flicking image of Nighthewer smiled. “I h…ve to g… now. Spike… t… care o… Rain…a a… th… de…r.”

Spike emphatically nodded, but then yelled nervously. “Nighthewer! Wait-!”

Yet no voice came through in the vast emptiness in his mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike abruptly opened his eyes. His claws were still laying on the white surface.

He looked up again to the towering object, scarcely able to believe that it was actually once the very body of the dragon he just talked to. Magically fossilized into chalk-like monolith, the old dragon literally gave his mind and his body to protect his people.

He sighed deeply and retracted his claws, and looked back to the deer that unscrupulously doublecrossed him a moment ago. 

She promised to give up her hold over her distant descendent as well, but Spike wondered what would come out of it. Unlike him and Nighthewer, the actual master of her body must have been casted aside in her own body for a long, long time. Would it really be a good thing to suddenly hand back the rein to her?

The deer simply looked dazed. Her eyes crossed in a silly manner like Derpy Hooves, as she sat on the ground like a helpless fawn. It was a sharp contrast of her gleeful, almost vicious look the moment before her plan ‘succeeded’.

Her gaze immediately focused on him as he shifted to observe her. Spike was briefly startled by her sudden movement, until the deer suddenly leaped forward and tackled him.

“W- What are you doing?!”

Spike gasped aloud as the deer planted a passionate kiss on his cheek. “Raingeva?!”

The deer immediately pouted. “Nuh-uh! I’m not gram-gram! I’m Rainga!”

“Rain…ga?” Spike looked briefly confused, and then immediately remembered that was the name of the original owner of the body of the doe.

“B- But I’m not Ni-”

The deer said cheerfully. “Heh, I know everything! I can see the memories of gram-gram just well! You’re Spike, right?”

Spike was taken aback. “Um, yeah. So why do you, uh, hug me?”

Rainga looked so naively delightful, it was a strange contrast to her solemn and mature physique. “I like you, is that not a reason enough?”

“B- B- But why?” Spike was completely perplexed. The guileless doe should not have any special knowledge of him that made her like him particularly. 

“Ya see, gram-gram always said Nid-nid is her dada. I always want to have a dada!”

Spike tilted his head slightly. “Rainga, don’t your mama have a, um, mate? Wasn’t that deer your 'dada'?”

Rainga shook her head. “That deer is just somebuck gran-gran picked. She always picked her mate at will. Gran-gran don’t really love or care about them, and they themselves just wanted to get close to gran-gran so that they become important deer themselves. She would make baby doe with them and then just shoo them away immediately. I don’t even know who that buck was before gran-gran got into my head.”

The deer banged her hooves together and said excitedly. “So Spike, you’re my very own dada!”

“What the-?!”

Spike’s jaw dropped, but he quickly covered his own mouth before swearing in front of the ‘youthful’ doe. 

She kept on smiling and said enthusiastically. “Nid-nid has given his knowledge to you, and it’s only because of you I’m free! You’re the new successor of the dragon throne and the only dragon in the world that is worthy of being my dada!”

Spike licked his dry lips, but his jaw then hung open wide while Rainga went on. “I thought gram-gram is going to take the rein till the end like mama, mama’s mama, and mama’s mama’s mama-”

“O- Okay, Rainga, I- I get the idea.”

“Hooray!”

A thousand worrying thoughts about suddenly becoming a foster parent ran through his head. But a part of him thought that if the doe would like to think that, he had little heart to simply deny her the attention she wanted. 

Spike scratched his cheek. “So, uh, Rainga, how old were you when, uh, ‘gram-gram’ took over?”

Rainga knitted her brows in deep thought. “Hmmm… I don’t really know myself, I’d only just learnt to talk back then…”

Spike did not know what reaction to put out. The influx of Nighthewer’s experiences were surprisingly congruous and unobstructive, and it did not really rattle his own sense of self like a merge of minds. The process was to him more like watching a particularly memorable moving reel, than actually living through those churning times himself.

But now, out of nowhere, he suddenly got an adopted fawn daughter. What’s more, that ‘fawn’ was outwardly a fully-grown doe the size of Alicorn princesses, with the ability to cast magic no less-

Spike slapped his forehead and said. “Ow, speaking of which, can you tell me more about the magic you just casted?”

The deer showed him a glassy-eyed expression. “E-hhh?”

“Oops, I mean, the magic ‘gram-gram’ casted. Can all deer cast magic?”

“Nope! Only gram-gram’s daughters and so on can do the floaty-float!”

“Oh, I see. So what about other magic?”

“What other magic? Floaty-float is all we can do!”

“Huh? What about the other spell that,uh, let her put ‘Nid-nid’ inside me and herself inside you?”

“Aha, that was not something that is born with us! Gram-gram came across some magical powder a long, long time ago. She would mush them and put them on the horn in order to do the job!”

“Oh for Pete’s sake, it’s Soul Dust again…!”

“Ooooh-! So that’s what the powder is called! Dada, you know so much!”

“Haha… But Rainga, please don’t play with that powder casually. It’s very dangerous.”

“Don’t wo-rry! Gram-gram told me the same thing when she left my head!”

“Okay…”

Spike sighed. This was going to be incredibly awkward when Rainga and he went back to the others. What would the deer think if their princess suddenly became a childish fawn? They would probably pin the blame squarely on him.

“Now Rainga, can you do something for me?”

“What is it, dada Spike?”

Spike clenched his teeth awkwardly. “Uh, first thing first, unless there are only you and me, please just call me Spike.”

“Eh-? Why-?” The deer flailed her hooves petulantly.

Spike scratched his head nervously. He quickly ran through ideas in his head and said. “Um, because you’re a princess, if I’m your d- da, then wouldn’t I be a… king? But I’m not yet in others’ eyes! We need to tell them at the end, but… um, we need to find a good time, a grand moment to tell them the good news!”

He rolled his eyes as even himself groaned at its incoherence, however Rainga simply said in seeming amazement. “Oh- I see!” 

“By the way, Rainga… Can you play pretend?”

The eyes of Rainga lit up like two spotlights. “Uuuoh! Play! I love playing! No one has ever played with me after gram-gram took over! Dada, what am I going to pretend to be? A grouchy muskox? A howling white wolf? A roaring dragon? Rawr rawr!”

Spike briefly wondered if the last sounds were supposed to be dragon roars. “Nah… Those would be too, um… easy. Can you pretend to talk to me in the way when ‘gram-gram’ is in charge? You know, all serious and highbrow and the like?”

The white deer’s eyes grew wide. After squishing her own face like a putty with her hooves, she gently coughed, raised her magnificent horns and said with firmness and pride. 

“Worthy dragon, friend of the deer, I Rainga, fiftieth princess of the nation of Deermark, welcome you to our midst.”

“Um. That’s excellent, you nail it down completely.”

The dignity on her face immediately melted away, and the deer grinned brightly in a jejune victory pose. “Heheh-!”

“Okay... So what was that tongue you and other deer were speaking in?”

“It’s Deerish, a brand new tongue that comes from the old dragon tongue! It’s funny, really!”

“Funny?”

“Long, long time ago, we had our own tongue, unrelated to the one we’re speaking now. When Nid-nid came, he taught us to speak his tongue, and over time it replaced the old Deerish. But after Nid-nid’s gone, some deer began to speak funny, and other deer think it’s a good idea to speak funny as well! So many many funnies afterwards, the deer began to speak so differently that it was poles apart from dragon! Gram-gram was at first not happy about it, and she wanted the deer to speak like Nid-nid did. But she found that it was impossible to stop the deer from speaking funny, so she just gave in and learned the new funny way to speak things, which became Deerish!”

“Oh, I see now. Quite interesting indeed.”

“Right-?!”

“Yep. But uh, Rainga, can you first take me back to my other friends?”

“Of course, dada!”

“Thanks Raing-”

Rainga interrupted him and asked eagerly. “Do I get to play with dada afterwards?”

Spike breathed in deeply, and smirked. “Only if you can keep up the gram-gram act you just showed me in front of your fellow deer.”

“Ehhhhh-?”

Rainga looked disappointed. “But-! It is such a quibble-squabble! Gram-gram always talked like a bore! And the way she walked and acted and blahblah was so… so… showy! La-di-da! It’s so put-on, it makes me feel queasy!”

“Remember Rainga, they don’t know that gram-gram is gone and I’m…”

Spike suppressed his desire to sigh out loud. “… y- your dada yet. They also don’t know that the princess they saw was mainly gram-gram but not you. If they see that you act so unlike gram-gram, they might think of you as a… as a phony!”

Rainga gasped aloud. But then she quickly shrugged. “Meh, being a princess is such a chore anyway. I’d rather play and take naps.”

Spike’s eyes almost popped out. “B- But think of me, Rainga!”

“Dada?”

“They would roast me alive if they think that I somehow make their princess act so close to me using some bad dragon witchery!”

“Roasting? Dada, you’re a dragon! You shouldn’t be afraid of fire!”

Spike massaged his temples. “Ah… I just meant they would be really mean to me! And if they hurt me, I- I can’t play with you anymore.”

Rainga gasped. “That won’t do!”

“So-”

Rainga scratched her cheek. “Guess I’m going gram-gram myself for once.”

Spike let out a sigh of relief. “Great…”

“But Spike, what fun game are you going to play with me afterwards?”

Spike’s eyes rolled left and right, and showed her a mysterious grin. “You will see, Rainga.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A giant hollow tree sat at the base of the white mountain, towering over most other trees and structures. It was meticulously crafted and decorated, with oaken window frame looking out to the semi-circular deer settlement inside the misty boreal forest.

Pebble pavements connected many perfectly circular clearings of different sizes, each of them containing exactly one building. Most of them were half-timbered circular towers, but some were hollowed trees, including this royal guesthouse. The level of technology was not quite as advanced as Equestria, but it was respectable, showing clear signs of advancement like metal working.

The forest town easily covered the area of Ponyville, though the population was probably much sparser. The visitors could not really tell, since the deer was by nature evasive and aloof.

Strangely enough, the town was not that far away from the ‘entrance’ of the forest, but from the outside it was not at all visible. Some magic was probably involved in masking the true location of the settlement from potential enemies.

Inside the treehouse guesthouse, the group assembled in what appeared to be a large guest room.

And yet, they were completely silent, looking at the small dragon and the white deer with disbelief.

“… So, Spike.”

Geuse said blandly. “Let me get this straight. You get tricked by a body-hopping-”

“Nuh-uh.”

Pisacan made a ‘T’ with her hooves and interrupted Geuse. “Repeating what Spike said is not going to make it sound less off-the-wall.”

“And I think result speaks louder than whatever logic there is in this case.”

Kanipha added, pointing to the dragon being helplessly cuddled by the unbashful doe.

Shining Armor wryly commented. “Spike, I guess your time with Twily had earned you the ability to work miracles as well.”

Spike rolled his eyes up and said. “You know, I would open up a portal back to Ponyville if I can really do miracles. I miss the soft embrace of my old basket.”

Cadance asked worriedly. “If what you’ve said is true, Spike, then do you feel alright? It can’t be good for your mental health to suddenly receive years and years’ worth of foreign memories.”

“I thought it would be maddening at first, or at least incredibly jarring. But no, it came and swung by naturally. I am not even too sure why, perhaps Nighthewer and I have some unknown bonds of magic. But at least now thanks to him, I have a pretty good perspectives of some of the northern races.”

Spike gulped, unsure whether he should also mention the whites and the greys, and if he mentioned it, how he could explain it so that he would not break his promise to Twilight.

He flicked one of his back scales and tutted. “I hope I can pull some old favors to entice the wolves into helping us.”

Yolana blinked and smiled. “This overture is so far going excellently, I’m sure the wolves would be kind enough to join us too. Father will be glad to hear that we’ve been allowed inside the deer settlement for the first time in history.”

Spike only scrubbed his nose nervously.

The muskox turned to the white deer and asked. “Rainga, I would like to ask you something.”

The deer was stunned at first, then looked at the muskox uncertainly. For a moment she attempted to hide behind Spike, but due to the size difference, it was impossible.

Spike crossed his arms and said. “Rainga’s just a fawn at heart, don’t raise your voice on her, please.”

Yolana covered her mouth and apologized. “My bad, Rainga.”

“What do you wanna ask her anyway?”

“I just wonder if the deer can pitch in some hoofpower to help, if the new shadow does come and pounce on us again.”

Rainga pouted. “Why would we want to? We are safe and snug in our homes.”

Yolana looked disappointed. “But she’s going to destroy the peaceful way of life for all of us if she succeeds…”

Rainga turned her head away and said. “Meh, dada’s magic is going to protect us just like the last time.”

Yolana frowned. “… Mister Spike?”

“Oh, about that… Goodness, it’s so complicated.”

Kanipha shrugged. “It’s not like we can do anything other than keep on listening.”

“Alright. First, yes, Nighthewer can wield magic in addition to breathe fire. He’s a dragon straightly born from the ambient magic of the earth, making him one of the first dragons to roam the world. He would not like this comparison, but in this sense, he’s kind of like Discord, in that he’s an earth-born spirit with magical power.”

The zebra colt exclaimed. “Holy heck, Spike. Does it mean that you inherited his power?”

“Nah, I don’t think so. The last time I check, I still almost cough my lungs out when I tried my green breath. And I don’t think I can cast any spell yet.”

Pisacan sighed. “I told you not to overexert yourself, Spike.”

Spike waved his claw. “Roger that, Pisa. So when the nice little community Nighthewer forged together was under attack by the white wolves, he pulled a desperate gambit to save his people from their vendetta. He first casted layers upon layers of protective magic, and then concentrated his remaining magic and compressing it, so much so that it bent space-time and create a pocket space for them to live in, with his body as an anchor. The enormous white mountain behind you is exactly his fossilized body frame.”

Everyone in audience emitted a sigh of shock and wonder.

“So near the frame, the protective spells actively neutralize all offensive magic within a certain distance, including Sombra’s dark magic.”

Kanipha commented. “How handy if it’s something that’s portable.”

The dragon shook his head. “To counteract something that malicious, it requires great sacrifice. It’s literally Nighthewer’s life energy that makes up the protection, and it’s been weakened by Sombra’s assault and the passage of time.”

A tinge of sadness showed up in the listeners’ faces. Spike turned to the deer and said. “So Rainga, we can no longer rely on the magical protection anymore. We must learn to fend for ourselves.”

Rainga reluctantly nodded. “Aiyeee…”

This time Yolana used a cooing voice. “Um, Rainga, so how many deer can you muster if there is a need to fight?”

Rainga looked lost for a moment, and then she difficultly said. “Hummm… I don’t really know… Gram-gram thought she could call up a thousand or so defenders if the wolves try anything funny, but that’s only for holing up in our homes. If we have to fight the baddies out of the forest, we’ll need to move and eat a lot more food. I don’t think we’ll have enough for that, especially if we have to go all the way down south.”

She shrugged. “What’s more, the Windigos just went to sleep half a month ago. Snow has not all melted yet. We can’t even eat wild grass if we can bear the yuckiness.”

“But if you order them to move, will they totally listen?”

“Oh, they will I act all gram-gram on them. They’re dead scared of gram-gram’s anger. Heck, I’m a bit scared about that when I think of her outburst too.”

“So the deer can help, but probably not much?”

“Yep, yep.” Rainga nodded, and then yawned at the boring subject matter.

Shining Armor asked. “At the risk of sounding insensitive or ignorant, can we also count on the help from the people from within the pocket space? Like, can we open the barrier somehow?”

Cadance nodded. “Shining is right, who exactly are in the barrier anyway? Why do the wolves hate them?”

Spike winced hard. With clenched teeth and a difficult look, he said. “You know, the legends are true. There are ponies in the north, and those ponies are living inside the protection of Nighthewer.”

A few listeners yelped at once. “Really!”

“So, ancient history time. And just a warning, it might not be exactly pleasant.”

The listeners looked around with unease, and Cadance said grimly. “Speak freely, Spike. If what you’re going to say is the truth, then there is little need for censure.”

“Very well.”

Spike muttered softly. “It was back when ponies began to move across the sea to settle the land of modern-day Equestria en masse. However, the land had been already occupied.”

Shining Armor asked. “By who? Buffalos? Deer? Muskoxen?”

“The Equestrian landscape was different back then. At the time, south of the Crystal Mountain was an endless primeval forest. The crowns of old-growths were so dense that they would intertwined together, blotting out the sun. The Everfree is the only remains of this ancient woodland.”

Spike looked out of the window and continued. “Technically, the very first ponies who came onto this land was a group of snow-dwelling earth pony seafarers. They called themselves ‘Fyrstlingar’, or Firstlings. They were a freedom-loving bunch, and they came to get away from the influence of the ancient Crystal Empire, which was at her height of power. They were traders, but also raiders, and from the safe havens in the extreme northern icy fjords they would strike out at passing ships on the high seas. Their numbers were few, but they had sailed far and wide.”

He then looked at Cadance with a meaningful look. “And after Roam fell, crystal ponies fled to the West as well. Wary of the foes in the East, and also Firstlings on the coast, they built the impregnable citadel in the chilly mountains, and that city would later become the Empire Proper of now. The more southerly places was not a viable place to settle, being so covered with dense vegetation.”

The dragon then turned to Pisacan. “Pisa, remember how you told us about Princess Alba, who led an expedition to the north, right?”

“Yes! Oh dear, don’t tell me that the expedition was related to the ponies-”

“Bingo. Princess Alba originally went to the north with a large delegation to strike a peace deal with the Firstlings and establish permanent relations in a historic deal. But she was unexpectedly engulfed in a raging war between the Firstlings and the white wolves. The expedition had been cornered and forced to flee into the protection of Nighthewer alongside the Firstlings.”

“But you haven’t said why the white wolves hate ponies so much!” Geuse said.

“Their hatred might be irrational, but I don’t dare say it’s unjustified. They’re out there to take revenge for their lupine brothers, who were betrayed terribly by ponies.”

“…!” “Betrayal, ponies? How could it be?” “What exactly happened, Spike?”

Spike sighed, he was going into areas that were Twilight’s findings rather than Nighthewer’s knowledge, but given the current situation, to keep hiding his knowledge seemed unwise. He simply felt terrible that he might have to partially break his promise to Twilight.

“So anyone here has heard about the name… Trefoil?”

The listeners either frowned or shook their heads, but Cadance raised her voice after some recollection. “I think I’ve heard of this name in history class. He’s one of the first recorded unicorns in history, am I right?

“Yep. He’s the chief mage in the Unicornian court before the migration. Since the north was not only cold, but also already occupied by yaks, deer, crystal ponies and such, they mulled over the possibility of settling in the southerly lands. But once the fleet was sent out and some surveying was done, it was found that the forested land was not only unsuitable for pony settlement, it was also already occupied by a large confederation of sapient creatures – led by the forest-dwelling grey wolves.”

Kanipha frowned deeply. “Hmm, I surmise that this Trefoil must’ve done something really bad to them, am I correct?”

“That’s putting it lightly. The grey wolves were nothing like the feral hyenas. They were a civilized bunch with sophisticated social organization. They were deeply spiritual, and only ate fruits, nectars and occasionally fishes, even though it made them physically weaker than their other wolf brethren. I did not know how exactly Trefoil and the grey wolves met up, but it was certain that some trickeries were involved to lure the grey wolves to one place, and then Trefoil casted his vile spell to… exterminate all of them.”

Cadance gasped. “That’s a horrific crime…! Even though they’re not ponies, the sanctity of their lives should always be respected! How come nopony ever mentioned it in history books?”

“Well, for one, I guess it’s because Trefoil wrote most of the early Equestrian histories himself. It’s also very likely that he acted alone, independently of the unicorn court. And to give him the most generous appraisal, without him, there would be no Equestria.”

The ponies let out some muted noise of deep pondering. 

“After the greys disappeared, the natural magic of the land was also disrupted, perhaps as the magic of harmony reacted to the sheer vileness of the act. But this paradoxically benefited the ponies, because it led to the rapid shrinkage of the magic-tinged woodlands, opening up fertile flatlands for farming and settlement. One people’s hero is another’s villain, I’m afraid… It’s worth mentioning that Windigos, who would later terrorize the land, were likely given their current equine form because of Trefoil’s vile magic. Before that, they were simply formless energies of winter.”

Shining Armor and Cadance winced. Kanipha commented. “I know history is usually darker than we thought, but dang…”

Spike shook his head. “So yeah... When the white caught wind of the betrayal, they were enraged beyond reason. Nighthewer was at the time staying with them. Without his counsel, war would have immediately broken out. However, it turned out that his action only put their hatred into the backburner. Years later, just when Nighthewer thought the whites had finally put their hate behind them, they had launched their own war of extermination against every pony in sight. The Firstlings were caught by surprise and decimated. And it was then Princess Alba’s delegation came into the equation and got accidentally roped into the turmoil. The conflicted raged on for years, and the white wolves fought with such fury and intensity that the ponies had no choice but to flee into this very forest, then solely occupied by the deer.”

Regret apparent in his tone, he continued. “Nighthewer left the white to offer protection to all three races in the forest, and for a time conflicts did stop. He then attempted to build a union between the northern races to prevent something like that from ever happening again.”

Shining Armor commented with a sigh. “Not unlike the founding of Equestria itself, even though it’s somewhat ironic.”

“If only it’s a similar success… It turned out that the peace was an illusion, because the white were actually concocting a way to defeat even Nighthewer, who dared to shelter their blood enemies. War abruptly came to the door of the young union, and amidst almost assured defeat, Nighthewer had no choice but to offer up his life energy to preserve the life of his ponies. Fortunately, the white were not entirely heartless. They’ve come to regret cornering their once benefactor into sacrificing himself, and understand that the deer were only caught in the crossfire. So they pulled away and lived in isolation ever since, seemingly forgoing further revenge.”

Spike then clasped his claws. “That’s it. The concise description of the feud between wolves and ponies. It was also because of the experience of common struggle, even though the northern deer were later joined by refugees from the south, they did not become resentful of ponies as much as the white wolves did.”

Yolana frowned deeply. “We muskoxen only know that they once warred with each other almost to the last warrior, but we never know it’s because of… that.”

Kanipha bit his lips. “Somehow I get the feeling that the white wolves might not be the most forgetful or forgiving of bunches.”

Shining Armor covered his snout and said wryly. “No wonder Sombra got his plot kicked out by them. They must hated him extra for being an evil unicorn mage from Equestria. It was a miracle that he came out in one piece.”

Cadance asked uncertainly. “So Spike, do you still think it’s realistic to seek their help?”

“I can’t say. Given how sparse the white interacted with others, it is hard to tell how they would react to our outreach. Personally I doubt it would be much more successful than, um, Sombra.”

Spike deeply frowned. “Though I know a piece of information that might be useful.”

“What is it? Tell us, tell us!” Geuse asked hurriedly.

“There might be a way to bring back the greys by breaking the curse.”

“What?!”

Kanipha asked. “But didn’t you say all grey wolves were… were dead?”

“I don’t know why Trefoil did it this way, whether by design, by limitation, or out of some twisted sense of cruelty like our dear Discord in the past. He did not exactly kill the grey wolves. Rather, he forcefully stripped them of their sapience and transformed them into beings of wood and leaves, and then added layers of anti-magic charm on them to prevent any intentional or accidental tampering. This way, they would have gradually fizzled out and eventually truly died off, but not before walking the earth like a mockery of their former selves.”

Shining Armor asked in shock. “H- Holy, Spike, are you saying that Timberwolves are the greys?!”

“Yep. I am almost entirely sure.”

The zebra colt spit his tongue out. “Hot dang! This Trefoil is the quintessential evil warlock.”

“Magical as he was, he probably did not take into account of the ambient magic from the Tree of Harmony, which lengthened and sustained the effect of his transformation. Otherwise, it should be transient in nature like all other transfiguration spells.”

Cadance asked. “Spike, I didn’t know that you’re that proficient in the matter of magic. Is that thanks to Nighthewer’s experiences as well?”

The dragon said with a sigh. “Nighthewer was somewhat knowledgeable in magic, but it was actually mainly thanks to Twi.”

“T- Twily?” Shining Armor was even more stunned.

“Twi was the one who actually discovered something wrong with the Timberwolves when she surveyed the forest. She almost reached the truth, and she even devised a ritual that can realistically revive the greys. But she did not manage to set them free before what happened in Canterlot, out of the fear the commotion it would cause. Of course she did not know then the true history of the greys, but she knew that they were not simply animated branches.”

“… Dang. That leads us onto a dead end again, doesn’t it?”

Geuse looked frustrated. “Now that Twilie’s not exactly recovered, and we also have no way to prove our words even if we tell the wolves that.”

Pisacan nodded. “Indeed, if I’m the leader of the wolves, I would be inclined to think that you might be simply bluffing your way into getting their support.”

“It’s still worth a try, isn’t it? To avoid setting them off, the ponies among us can stay, while Yolana, Kanny and I can-”

“What about meeee?” Rainga added with a drawn-out voice.

Spike showed a helpless smile. “No, Rainga, you have to stay here. Without you, who’s going to translate for the ponies and the deer and look after their needs?”

Rainga pouted and frowned, but Spike quickly whispered something to her ears. Smile quickly returned to her face and she nodded enthusiastically. The others looked on with interest but stayed politely quiet.

Yolana’s look was worried. “Without the wolves’ support, the struggle against the new shadow would be very difficult. Among the principal three races in the north, they fight the best, no doubt.”

Kanipha said. “Not to mention they control the seaways. So even if we want to pull a getaway and-”

Yolana looked shocked. “Mister Kanipha, you can’t be serious! We’re in this together, aren’t we? This is our home, we can’t flee like you can!”

The zebra colt stuck his tongue out and said with a somewhat bashful tone. “I’m just saying in hypothetical. O- Of course I’m not really thinking of leaving you behind. If not for the muskoxen, we all would be frozen icicles out there. Having access to the sea would be an advantage in all cases.”

Yolana blinked and nodded. “We must try to secure the wolves’ support. That’s the way Ulgen intends it to be – the final step to eternal peace.”

“Bleh, you muskoxen with your silly supers- oomph!”

Spike put his claw on the deer’s mouth before there could be a diplomatic incident. He whispered into her ears and lightly chided. “Nuh-uh, Rainga. No disrespect of your visitors, hmm?”

“Yes, da- Spike.” The deer pouted.

Shining Armor bit his lips and asked again. “Spike, we must have more helping hooves especially if the wolves say no. Do you think it’s possible to get the ponies that were gated in by Nighthewer’s magic out of their pocket space, in order to get their assistance? You know, like how Crystal Empire came back into being after a thousand years in limbo?”

“I don’t think they are similar at all. Rarity told me that the Crystal Empire came back because Sombra’s curse ran its course. But what Nighthewer did was much more permanent. Hmm, if we have to make a comparison to something familiar, I would say it’s more like the protective barrier of Crystal Empire, but charged up to eleven by Nighthewer’s life energy and immense magic. It distorts space like a tight twist in a balloon, and not even air can pass between the two places.”

Geuse asked. “So there is no way to ‘untwist’ it at all?”

“Not even Nighthewer knew of a way to undo it. He only aimed to seal the place so tight that no one could have entered to harm the two pony races. The place might as well be its own little universe, now that there is no way to interact with it at all from the outside.”

“Oh, that’s loads of poppycock. But don’t you say it’s weaker than when he initially casted the spell? Maybe we can actively try to weaken it more so that it would go away entirely.”

This time it was Rainga that looked dismayed. “No can do! Nid-nid’s old body might fall to pieces if the magic is completely gone!”

Rainga slapped her forehead dramatically and whined. “We deer love and adore Nid-nid! His magic protects us and his body is holy to us! They don’t know dada took over for Nid-nid, and there will be a lot of unhappy deer if you do that!”

Kanipha peeked out of the window and mulled. “And I would get the Tartarus out of here if that really happens. I mean, a rockslide of this scale would bury this entire town.”

Rainga nodded vigorously. “Yep yep, and that too!”

Pisacan coolly warned. “Without more hoofpower, it would not be enough to inflict a defeat on Sunset Shimmer’s army shall they invade. The best we could do is use speed and element of surprise to break through the blockade across the Crystal Mountains and tried to muster help. But even if we manage to scale the mountain, it would leave the deer and muskoxen’s homelands defenseless, not to mention the fact that we know nothing about the south at the moment, as well as the possible toll on lives such a risky maneuver would cause.”

Spike exchanged glances with Cadance, Shining Armor and Yolana. The dragon quickly took initiative and said. “Time is running out, and we’ve already used quite a lot of time traveling around. The coast is a long way away from here, so we better get movin’.”

He nodded firmly. “Even if we can’t count on the white wolves believing our intention to save their brothers, we can still prepare something to appease them.”

“What can that be?” Cadance asked.

“First, Yolana, what I’m going to say might be somewhat unsettling to you as a muskox.”

The muskox chief’s daughter blinked and nodded, and Spike began. “You see, unlike the greys, the whites were carnivorous. They used to abduct muskox calf and, uh… feed on them. In fact, before Nighthewer came to the north, muskoxen were the primary target of attack for the white wolves.”

Blood drained from the female muskox’s face. With trepidation, she said. “By Teniri, I never knew t- that! They never cannibalized on deer or muskoxen in our records!”

“Bloody Tartarus, do they still prey on other sapients?” Kanipha looked both disgusted and angry.

“No, no. It was ages ago. When Nighthewer tried to forge a northern union, he already knew that it couldn’t be done if the whites see the others as food and not as partners. He again traveled south to the ruined fields of the greys, and brought the whites the seeds of susimarja, or wolfberries in the white’s tongue. It grows even in the harsh climate of the north, is incredibly nutritious, and they also produce sweet saps. It eliminated the need for them to hunt for preys. Seeing what happened in the following years, it’s safe to say that it stayed the same.”

“Thank goodness for that!”

“So yep, they grow wolfberries as their primary food source. But wolfberries do not grow the best on the coast, where salty sea wind and poor soil make for small, lumpy and dull-tasted berries. I don’t know how they’re doing after such a long time, but back in the old days, they also had to build large smoking fires to warm the plants in winter. It’s a great hassle for them, but it’s safer than being bucked in the face by a muskox.”

Yolana crossed her hooves defensively. “If they dare to attack me or my muskoxen, I’m not going to pull back.”

Spike smiled helplessly. “Relax, relax. But back to the topic of wolfberries – I found out that they grow the best in this very forest. Although the deer, as far as I know, do not grow wolfberries, they grow by themselves all around the white mountain, where it is hotter and wetter due to the latent magic from the barrier. Prime-quality wolfberries have an irresistibly sweet and wine-flavored taste to the wolves, but Raingeva has never let the wolves get their paws on them. Now that we want to offer an olive branch, what’s better than adding a good barrel of plump red wolfberries on the side?”

Shining Armor nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me.” 

Cadance touched her jaw uncertainly. “Can a barrel of berries trump years of hatred, though?”

Spike shrugged. “It can’t hurt, can it? Rainga and I actually already arranged for some deer helpers to collect berries down there, and they should be loaded to a cart very soon. Rainga also picked a small group of elite honor guards to protect us on our way to the wolves. They can even help pull the sleds!”

Yolana puckered her lips. “I don’t need help. My physical strength is a divine gift, and to not use it is to squander this gift. Plus my sleds are my life-craft, I would prefer no one to pull it save for myself.”

“But Yolana, you’ve just pulled a ton of stuffs and people across the snow for three days! It would take another week to get to the coast. You need some rotation to not exhaust yourself completely.”

Rainga looked disdainful. “For-get it, dada, if some muskox can’t learn to de-le-gate, then let her work herself into melted slush.”

Spike coughed. “Rainga.”

“But-!”

Spike huffed and drew a circle in the air with his claw, and then wiggled them.

“Fine, fine!”

Rainga hurriedly but reluctantly said to the muskox. “I’m sorr-iee.”

Yolana muttered. “No offense taken. But really, I can do it alone.”

Spike watched the defiant look on the muskox, and sighed again. “Alright then.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kanipha could not sleep, even though the bed he slept on was a vast improvement from the rock bed in the muskoxen cave, or the cold canvas of the tent floor.

He quietly walked out of his quarter and up the spiral staircase that surrounded the tree house. Cold but damp night wind blew in his face, but he just shrugged it off.

Entering another corridor, he soon walked in front of the door of a large room. The door was not entirely closed, and he attempted to peak inside.

The door was abruptly opened, and the zebra colt almost yelped aloud if not for a timely claw to his mouth.

Spike whispered. “Shh- I’ve just got her to sleep.”

“O- Okay.”

Spike pushed the zebra colt out of the room and quietly closed the door.

The purple dragon asked. “Got something to talk about?”

“U- Um… yeah.”

“Let’s get up to the penthouse. It’s got a spectacular view.”

Kanipha nodded hesitantly. And the two went up to the conical-shaped rooftop of the treehouse. Spike immediately sat down next to the window, and gazed into the nightly view of the town.

To the left was the snow-white cliff made out of Nighthewer’s old form, and to the right was a spreading network of dim orange from the deer households. It was like floating candlelight on a placid lake.

“What is it, Kanny? Don’t tell me you need lullaby to sleep as well, ha ha.”

“I already made this joke to Geuse in Yakyakistan, and she hated it.”

“She’s not a jokey pegasus, even though she might get too sarcastic for a ‘knight’ at times.”

“Heh.”

“You look concerned. Is there anything I can…?”

“I just want to ask you something.”

“Fine, shoot.”

Kanipha drew in a breath and said. “Are you still 100% the Spike I used to know?”

“…?”

“I- I’m just worried! It can’t be nothing to have a thousand-year-old dragon to get in your head and dump everything into your head! For goodness’s sake, you know what happened to Twilight after she got jacked by the Wisselkind queen using the exact same method! What if you suddenly keel over and forget all about us, huh?”

“K- Kanny, no such thing would happen. I’m walking, talking and breathing.”

“So are Twilight.”

“Look, Kanny, Nighthewer was completely against the idea, and he could not wait to end that soon enough. Not to mention that he was supposed to be long dead, and that he had used up all his power to create the magical frame we’re seeing right now, his vital essence was weaker than a newborn’s breath. His will could not affect my conscious mind or my personality a bit. What Raingeva did to her descendants or those poor dragons before me was terrible, but what she did to me was just harmless folly.”

“Harmless?! That’s impossible… Even if there is no lasting damage to you, that is still a hundred times the length of your own life experiences suddenly put inside your head! What we remember makes us what we are, so how exactly can this be nothing? How is it possible that it did not alter you in any way?!”

“Kanny-”

The zebra colt bit his lips tightly, and after a short silence blurted. “I- I was always trying to catch up to you!”

“H- Huh? What are you talking about, Kanny? You’re much smarter than me! Didn’t you say you’ve solved mysteries all around Zebrica before joining Twi? That’s almost on par with Daring Do… sans the action and evil monsters, but still!”

“Those are peanuts. You said to me about family before you came into this forest, right?”

“… Yeah, I did.”

“I was too embarrassed to tell you, but to Tartarus with that now… I was so happy to hear than you think of me as a brother in oath, because that’s my biggest wish ever since I began traveling with you in Equestria.”

“Really, Kanny?”

“Yes! I was really piqued to have someone like a brother to me, who’s similar in age as me, would protect me without a blink and treat me like I’m your blood. While Twilight cared for me, she was older than me by a stretch, and that made more like a foster parent of sorts. But as a lone son, having a caring sibling is a luxury that I never dreamt of having.”

Spike looked both happy and regretful, thinking of the old days when Owlowicious just came. “You sure about that? Having a sibling is not always a good thing, you know. They compete for attention, for instance.”

“That’s why I was jealous of you at the beginning.”

“I thought you’re just…”

“… being my usual insufferable self?”

Kanipha toothily grinned. “I can see why people can be mistaken. I can be really obnoxious at times.”

“You’re not at all annoying, especially after the first few days.”

“It’s because I’ve come to understand why you’re a better son to Twilight.”

Spike was simply stunned into silence.

“I’m a year younger than you, at least according to what Twilight said. I am an insufferable smart-aleck, and not to mention I was jealous of you when we first met. I’m an all-round terrible zebra that would shame my birth mother, and my clan too if not for the fame I brought to their name. I believe the only reason Twilight doted on me was because I was a youngling that is also somewhat worldly and traveled, and this was what she hoped to see in you.”

Kanipha stopped Spike from speaking up with a quick hoof. “I was undoubtedly a stand-in for you, but I didn’t mind because I loved her attention and this new feeling of being loved again. But when I saw you, I realized all this and lashed out on you. I was so ashamed when you let it slide and invited me onto this journey. I had then determined to better myself, so that even if Twilight let me go, she would still think that I’m a decent zebra colt that was worthy of her attention.”

“K- Kanny, you…”

“As we went, though, I think that I have another, perhaps more pertinent goal – I want to make you think better of me. I want you to think that I’m an adequate brother as much as I’m an adequate stand-in son.”

“Stop saying that you’re a stand-in, Kanny. You’re as much as a worthy son to Twi as any.”

“… Well, let’s put that aside, I’m going to focus on the thing I’m most concerned now.”

Kanipha looked fearful. “Spike, I’m afraid after hearing that you’ve mind-merged with an ancient dragon. What if it changes all that? What if it makes your perspectives shift so much that showing care to a mere zebra colt is no longer important?”

The zebra colt’s voice grew shaky. “What if it again moved the bar to somewhere I can never reach? I will never be as good as you are, and I will always be an inadequate son in her eyes, and a bottom-feeder in your eyes…”

He quickly shook his head. He held his tears barely, and he quickly turned away for fear of showing them. “I- I’m sorry… I am being selfish again. I know I shouldn’t be jealous of your growth, quick or slow. But I don’t want to be separated with someone I so care about again, not physically, but mentally as well!”

Spike wanted to say some comforting words, but they were all lodged in his throat. The zebra colt never came across as someone with much self-doubt. On the contrary, he was quite full of himself at times. But he was so vulnerable in his arms, like a small brother who was just told that he would never see him again.

He still reflexively laid a claw on the zebra colt’s back as Kanipha trembled. He could not help but reflect on whether the colt’s words had merit.

Despite the ease at which Nighthewer’s experiences meshed with his, could he really say that he was a hundred percent Spike? But then again, was the colt’s impression based on something that was possible, meaningful, or even real?

He certainly did not at all think that he was Nighthewer, or even Nighthewer Junior. He was his own dragon. He was Spike. Nighthewer’s experiences might have added a whole canvas’s worth of scenery, but the purple dragon still stood proud as the centerpiece of the painting.

He knew that at least part of the reason was that Nighthewer was a spent force. Indeed, the old dragon had been a dragon that was so large, he could flatten a hill – or in his case, become a hill himself. He also possessed an internal magic similar to his, albeit orders of magnitude stronger than his too. However, by the time Raingeva casted her dodgy spell, his mind was barely there, nothing but a thin imprint on the mesh of magic that sustained the barrier. Added with the old dragon’s active reluctance, he barely made an imprint on his mind as well.

But the old dragon’s knowledge was indeed immense. He could easily lose his track when immersed in those distant memories. He trusted that he could keep his cool until everything became settled, but what then? What could he do to really add to those earth-shaking heroics and call his life a full life lived? And was the fact that he was contemplating these thoughts a sign of him changing? Perhaps he was losing his naïve optimism of being a young dragon too?

He bit his lips and tried to put aside those complicated thoughts. For this very moment, his most important task was to soothe and comfort Kanipha, his eager little brother. He needed to make sure that he understood that despite all, his relationship with the colt would not change.

“You know, Kanny. I can’t say that I’m 100% the Spike you waved off a day ago.”

The zebra colt let out a shocked noise, as if someone suddenly landed a punch on his chest and knocked out all the winds.

“But Kanny, who can say that they’re 100% the person they were yesterday? Even if you hide in the bed all day, you might still daydream, or at least get hungry or thirsty. All those qualify as change, no?”

“That… you know that’s not what I meant!”

“My point is, Kanny, we all change in ways that are expected or not. The important thing is that there will be things that forms a core that would not change. And my care for you belong to that group of things.”

Kanipha let out a sigh of slight relief, but he could not help but asked uncertainly. “Spike, I know that I am desperate, but you... why? Why must you entertain me, somecolt who just swung by and want to be your brother?”

“You didn’t just ‘swing’ by, Kanny. You helped Twi through the most difficult six months of her life. But even if we put all those aside – what makes our meeting more random, than the accident of birth who pit two people together as brothers?”

“…”

“You see it out there, I suddenly got an adult doe calling me her dad. Do you think that it make sense?”

“… Not really.”

“I too think that it was bizarre. Given how we’ve drifted to the frozen north by this string of strange events, this is one of the strangest things to happen.”

He stroked his scales and said. “But love did not have to make sense. It’s more about feeling, need and mutual acknowledgement. Rainga was a poor doe, really, and she happens to both need and hope for a father in her life, like her distant ancestor Raingeva once did.”

Kanipha difficultly gulped. “S- So it’s out of pity after all.”

“No, Kanny. It’s not pity. There are plenty basket cases out there, but that don’t mean that I have to, or indeed, can adopt all of them, or swear an oath with them. What we’ve been through was unique. It chiseled something into our very senses of self, and if it was not so life-moving, we won’t have the same thought of having you join our household.”

Spike sighed. “I must admit, Nighthewer did affect me in my decision regarding to Rainga. He saw himself as an aloof and tough father to Raingeva, but he was too much of a softie. He would’ve seen a parallel in Rainga as well, and his feelings might have rubbed off on me. I don’t even know if this can work out in the end… But I just can’t say no to her puppy eyes.”

“To be fair, I’ve observed that you’re weak against any form of begging and pleading from the opposite sex. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been scammed in Dodge Junction.”  

“Hey you cheeky varmint!”

Spike chided with a smirk. “So you remember how to mock me now. Does that mean you’re over it?”

Kanipha reflexively wanted to retort, but he eventually said with a meek voice. “I’m hoping that you- no, we would never be ‘over it’. I hope we would be oath brothers forever.”

Spike slapped the zebra colt’s back and said with a laugh. “Quit being all wishy-washy, of course we’re brothers in arms… hooves… well, whatever, brothers!”

The zebra scratched his cheek, and then began to chortle as well. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“W- What the…? What are they doing to my sleds?”

Standing on the platform of a treetop outpost, Yolana pointed to the sleds with her shaky hoof. Crowds of deer carpenters appeared to be busily tinkering with her sleds at the edge of the forest.

Rainga looked dismissive. “Whaaat? I’m not going to let dada’s face get blasted with ice and hail on his way to the scary wolves. I’m building him a comfy moving fortress, like a king’s home!”

Yolana was vexed. She lowly groaned. “I- I don’t remember letting you mess with my sleds!”

“Aha, I know now, you’re a scaredy-cat and you’re afraid you can’t pull the sleds now that I’ve added all those goodies.”

Rainga waved her manicured hoof. “Pfft, we’re super good with wood. Our work would not throw off the balance by the slightest bit. And if you’re worried about the extra weight, how about you finally get over it and let our gooood strong deer hooves pull them for you?”

“Those sleds are my heirlooms! They’re passed from generation to generation from chiefs to their successors! They are also painted with protective runes, and now they are all ruined!”

Rainga narrowed her eyes and mocked. “Har har. Stop acting like that’s a special tradition of yours or something. Look at you muskox, so fat and ragged, totally dragging behind the wind. My belly tickles when you tell me you’re some sort of super sled-puller.”

Yolana was originally restraining herself and tried to maintain a vestige of diplomacy. However the arrogance of the deer was really unbearable. She loudly growled. “I- I’m not fat! Those are all muscles! And you, lady, you’re such a brat!”

“If it’s gram-gram instead of me, she won’t even bother with some mud-prodding muskox like you. Every single time in the past, gram-gram only sent out some lowly captain to meet you guys and those scheming wolves as well. And have you ever stopped and thought about where did you guys learn sled-pulling from? Yeah! From peeking at the whites and then us! It’s so rich to hear that it’s like something sacred. I say, why don’t you let the experts do it? That’s us if you want it spell out to ya.”

Yolana stomped on the snowy ground angrily. “T- This insult to the muskoxen will not stand!”

“Oh, so all the talks of getting closer together is just a yarn and a whopper? I thought your silly 'spirits' told you to do this, huh?”

“Don’t you dare to demean them with your ignorant, self-important words!”

“Tsk, if your dear god is oh so powerful, why don’t he just come down and smack me, huh? Is it because they’re actually make-believ- ouuuch!”

Rainga held her cheek in shock. She looked back to the muskox, who was visibly irked. Despite the slight difference in size, Yolana apparently reached up and slapped the deer with her hoof. Although the muskox obviously held back her full force, but pulsing pain still radiated around the deer’s cheek.

Tears immediately flooded out of the deer’s face. “How dare you! N- Nobody had dared to hit me before! Y- You mean, bad muskox! I hate you!”

Seeing the deer’s childish retort, Yolana was reminded of the deer’s mental age and felt immediately a bit regretful. Also, she was a bit afraid that it would irk any deer nearby or even caused a rift in the new fragile pact.

Fortunately, the two were in a secluded spot. Though the bawling noise of the deer did apparently attract someone’s attention.

“What’s happening in here? Why is Rainga crying?”

Spike walked out onto the balcony. He was donning an exquisitely crafted wooden chest-plate that hid his healing scar. He put aside a tray of supplies and frowned at the scene.

The deer immediately whined and complained. “Dadaaa-! This horrible, mean muskox hit me! My face huuurts!”

Spike clawed his cheek and turned to Yolana with a questioning look. “Is that true, Yolana?”

The muskox’s ire again rose up and displaced her nagging guilt. “She dared to insult the entire pantheon of ours! She said t- they’re make-believes! And before that she ordered her underlings to mess with my precious sleds, then said we’re all third-rate sled-pullers!”

A part of Spike thought that while calling her gods fake in front of her face was very rude, which race exactly invented and excelled at sled-pulling might as well be the pettiest thing to argue over. 

Giving the sleds an overhaul without asking for Yolana’s permission was quite impolite, given the emotional attachment she had with them. But it’s also in a small part Yolana’s oversight, as she had not at any time cautioned the deer handlers that helped stored her sleds. The fact that Shining Armor and Cadance used magic on her sleds before also gave off an impression that the sleds were nothing too special.

He sighed. “Yolana, while I understand that the sleds are important to you, I think the communication could have been done better. It might be better if you told the handlers that they were to maintain untouched when we turned them over to the deer. Seeing how the deer loved woodwork, they might’ve kind of assumed that you gave them implicit approval to tinker with your sleds.”

The muskox’s righteous anger was doused a bit, but she was still deeply angry at the deer’s insolent attitude. She breathed out heavily and said. “But the very reason the deer started to tinker my sleds is just that she wanted to make the trip more comfortable for you. For this… reason, she befouled the runes my father and I so laboriously carved onto the sleds for the safety of everyone on this trip!”

Spike briefly looked shocked, and then turned to the deer, who moaned. “I- I just want dada to sit comfily and rest well before meeting those slippery, fishy white wolves!”

He smiled sadly and stroked her head. “Silly Rainga, I have camped out in the open countless times, I can get by without snuggling in blankets for a few days. Your gesture is still much appreciated though.”

Turning back to the muskox, he apologized. “Yolana, I’m terribly sorry for that. Is there anything I can help to, you know, reapply those runes?”

The muskox rubbed her eyes tiredly. “I didn’t bring the runebook and the dice with me.”

“What is it, and why would you need a dice?”

“It is the Book of Omens we use to portent signs. We kept the Book of Omens in the Cave of Earth Mother. I would need to throw the dice in front of burnt offerings on our sacred platform, and then consult the Book for what runes to carve on the sleds. Since we’re now away from the cave, it can’t be done.”

“Okay… See, Yolana, I’m again sorry about the sleds. But now that time is not on our side, we have to make do and press on. As you said, the task on our hands and hooves is grueling but divinely inspired. I’m sure that the blessing shall remain even without the immediate protection from the runes, as long as we’re working our best.”

“Very well.”

Yolana raised a brow, and looked somewhat pacified. “You do have a point, Mister Spike. After all, the Book did say ‘everyone is master of his own fate’ at the end. But this doe also insulted us by claiming that we worship false gods!”

Spike bit his lower lips and turned back to the deer, but she immediately interjected with a sniffle. “She hit me over her superstitious nonsense! My cheek still hurts!”

“Yolana, I know I might simply be a small young dragon...”

“You’ve also had Nighthewer’s immense insight in you now.”

Spike looked ambivalent, but then solidified his gaze. “I might also have accidentally inherited some ancient knowledge, but I don’t need those to know that it’s wrong to hit someone over mere words.”

“B- But she blaspheme-”

“Still not a reason to smack her. I don’t supposed the High Spirits of yours are vengeful and out to get all non-believers?”

“Of course not!”

Spike gently stroked the shivering Rainga’s cheek, and sat her down on a chair. He took out a bag of marbles from his bag and gave it to Rainga, which caused the whining doe to puff up visibly. 

He then quickly returned to the bemused Yolana. With a slightly disapproving look, he said quietly. “Yolana, despite her look, she’s just a fawn. She never had a proper upbringing, because her ‘gram-gram’ only foster her to make her into a proper vessel to jump inside. And when she’s there, she was never really given any sort of life lesson, or even agency and choice. Her gram-gram’s coldness also rubbed off on her, so she sounds mean and unthinking at times. But at heart she’s not a bad fawn. I’m a bit shocked that you laid your hoof on her.”

Yolana was stung, and then sighed. “I have indeed let the red mist of anger cloud my judgment. Even though as the Qam Qatun, I have an obligation to the High Spirits, I also have an obligation to uphold their reputations, for the goodwill in the world sustain their powers as well. I failed to be the mature one here and I deserve all of your scorn.”

“I don’t dish out scorns. I only hope that you can indeed be the mature one here and set an example.”

Yolana paused for a moment before getting his hint. She looked reluctant, but she sighed and bit back her pride. “For my transgression and for our future peace, I shall apologize to her.”

“Excellent. Now let me talk with her and get her here as well.”

Spike walked near the doe, who was gazing into the bag of marbles excitedly. She looked up to him with a smile, seemingly forgotten about her hurt cheek already.

“Dada! Are we going to play marble attack again after packing up?”

“Sure Rainga. I’m not going to leave you hanging after last time.”

Rainga looked excited. “Yippie!”

“But there’s one string attached.”

“…?”

“You need to go and apologize to Yolana.”

“That nasty muskox?! Whyyy? She hit me! I’m not gonna-”

“Rainga, I know her beliefs might sound weird to you. But this is no reason to mock those she holds dearest in front of her. You will not be happy if someone speak badly of Nighthewer in front of you, right?”

“… Yeah...”

“And the sled-pulling thing… So what if the muskoxen were last to adopt them? It was ages ago, and by now all northern races have pulled sleds on snow for thousands of years. That kind of overbearing attitude towards Yolana was uncalled for.”

Rainga deeply pouted. She massaged her cheek and moaned. “My cheek still stings!”

“Yolana will say sorry to you. So you should say sorry about your attitude and those hurtful words as well.”

Rainga made a face, but at the end she shrugged weakly and said. “If you say so…”

She got up and slowly trotted up to the expectant muskox. Spike watched from behind at a low angle, still somewhat unused to the contrast of her physique and mental maturity.

Rainga raised a hoof and made a slight flinging movement. “Yolana.”

Yolana licked her dry lips and said. “Rainga. I apologize. No matter what you’ve said, I should never lose my temper and hit you. I hope that my act of aggression, though uncalled for, would not dent the relationship between the deer and the muskoxen.”

Rainga raised a brow. “I’m sorry as well. I guess it feels terrible to have something so dear to you talked down so casually. I will not do it to you again.”

Seeing an acknowledging nod, she waved her hooves. “And meh, I might be no gram-gram, but even I know to put my own feels and deer matters into two separate boxes. I, in the capacity as the princess of Deermark, promised to give aid. I’m not going to trot back from something that big because you hit me or something.”

Yolana looked a bit ashamed. “… Thank you, Rainga.”

Spike looked on from a distance with a satisfied look. The two appeared to have apologized to each other and the tenseness was gone. He then prepared to get back to his own work. A hoof suddenly landed on his shoulder, and he sharply turned back.

“… Pisa?!”

“Shh. I was just getting up here to look for Rainga or you. Juniper was streaming around like a headless deer, and it’s clear that he’s trying to get us to fetch someone who can understand him. I guess it’s about provisions and the number of guards to bring with us.”

Now fashioned with a birch walking-stick, the yellow crystal pony looked much more confident at walking around on her own.

“I see. But I’m still pretty much a newbie at Deerish. Dragon tongue might’ve given rise to it, but it’s become too different.”

“So Rainga that is.”

Noticing a quiet smirk on Pisacan’s face, Spike was suspicious. “What are you so happy about, Pisa?”

“Nothing much, I’m just amazed that how you prodded the two into positions to prevent a diplomatic incident.”

“So you heard it all, huh?”

Pisacan gesticulated hurriedly. “It’s not intentional, I just waded in when they began. Then I just hid behind this curtain because I don’t want to make it more complicated.”

Spike shrugged. “Fine, I understand.”

Pisacan nodded, and the two grew silent. Spike scratched his head and said. “Guess I’d be going then.”

“Wait a moment, Spike.”

“Yes?”

“Geuse told me that Kanipha looked much more relieved. I suppose you give him a talking to as well?”

Spike drily chuckled. “Well, yeah. I did.”

“I’m glad. You’re just like the Spike we sent off into the forest.”

“Oh, Pisa, don’t tell me you too are going to go all existential on me.”

“No, no. I have listened to you since you’ve come back to us. I’ve been confident that you didn’t change much. Kanipha was freaking out a little bit, worrying that you’ve been some grumpy old dragon. But I have faith in you.”

Spike laughed. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, I guess. But what is it then you want to talk with me?”

Pisacan bit her lips and looked nervy. “Um… Well, although I believe in you, I still want to know more about your new condition.”

“Huh… what do you want to know that I haven’t explained to all of you yesterday?”

“I…”

Pisacan suddenly sighed. She waved off with her hoof and shook her head. “Forget it. You’re right. What you’ve talked to us yesterday was clear enough.”

“Huh?”

Pisacan shifted the topic. “Do you think that you should leave the deer tinkering with the sleds be? Even though Yolana’s no longer mad, she can’t be too pleased.”

“I’ll sort this out with them, don’t you worry.”

“Hmm… I’ll be waiting with the others here then. I really hope everything’s well with you, Kanny and Yolana on your way… Ciao.”

“Um, ciao.” Spike scratched his head, but he kept quiet as he watched Pisacan walked down the stairs with reverberating knocks.

> Chapter 5 – White Specters from the Past
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You know, Yolana might be mad, but this is like the best idea ever!”

Kanipha cheerfully proclaimed. “We no longer have to tolerate getting pelted in the face by snow and ice!”

“And the occasional bugs too.”

“Occasional? Spike, I think that this displays a severe lack of sense of scale. The frigging mosquito swarm here is worse than those in the dreariest swamp in Zebrica. Given, it was tolerable a few days ago, but since we departed again, it was a helluva worse. We’d all be stung into hogheads if we don’t have this cover. Thank your Rainga for that!”

“Heh. I’m just glad that Yolana is now willing to rotate and share her load. She’s quite stiff-necked. I guess this is a common trait to all yaks and muskoxen.”

“Yeah. Anyway, I don’t wanna sound whiny, but it’s a shame that we can no longer talk with people on other sleds by shouting. That was fun. But if it was that or getting a mouthful of bugs. I’d take a warm and bugless trip every time.”

Spike chortled. But then, the sled they were on abruptly changed direction and then stopped on its track. Kanipha was launched from his seat and smashed onto the wooden interior unceremoniously. When he fell back down, he was cross-eyed and moaning in pain.

Spike fared better as he was opposite the zebra colt’s direction. He gasped and checked out the zebra colt. Kanipha shook his head with a wince and signaled that he was fine. They then quickly stepped out of the sled car.

A circus of loud growls permeated their ear drums. On the uneven landscape with half-melted snow, a pack of about a couple dozen white wolves have stood aggressively on the horizons. He turned back and found that the sleds were circled.

Yolana was nervously using her magical translation to communicate with the dozens of deer guards who leaped out of the other sled cars.

Kanipha immediately asked. “What is the matter? Wolf attack? Are we still half-way to the coast. Why are there wolves all of a sudden?”

“Hang on. Look at them, they don’t really look at all belligerent. They might be howling, but these kind of howling was not intended to shock and awe. These are more like ‘don’t get closer, we would really bite’.”

Kanipha peeked at the wolf pack at the distance and retreated near the car warily. Seeing lupine creatures still made him feel incredibly queasy.

The purple dragon sadly sighed, and then gazed at the wolves again. He muttered. “These whites look rather ragged as well. The whites like to preen themselves. They must be in a hurry or something.”

Yolana finally came through with the guards in formation. She immediately said. “Mister Spike, these wolves suddenly showed up in our way, so I stopped the sleds and circled them. I don’t think they are hostile, but I’d like your input because you have Nighthewer’s experiences with the whites.”

“They don’t look hostile to me as well. But without actually talking with them, I don’t exactly know their intention.”

Kanipha gasped. “Oh dear, don’t tell me you’re going to talk to them on your own. They’re wolves, and we ain’t gonna get lucky everytime!”

Yolana added. “And are you sure you can actually talk with them? Language changes a lot over the millennia. The deer are a living example of that.”

“Even so, I can still try. If all else fail, you can use the sign of Ulgen to talk with them.”

The muskox slowly nodded. “Indeed I can. Do you want me and the guards to follow you to them?”

“No. That would risk setting them off. We should raise a white flag to signal that we’re peaceful, and then I will go over and try to explain ourselves. Once that’s done, we can talk about a larger meeting.”

“… Very well.” Yolana solemnly nodded.

Kanipha looked weak. “Please, Spike. Run if there’s any danger. My heart can’t withstand any more scare from your escapades.”

“Come now Kanny, you’re beginning to sound like Twi herself.”

“I’m not joking-”

“Yes, yes. Roger that. Why don’t you all go raise the flag first? If we move too slowly, they might think that we’re discussing battle strategy.”

Kanipha pouted, but he went off to look for a white cloth to fly. In the meantime, Spike steadied his chestplate and cautiously walked towards the wolves with both his arms raised.

The wolves stopped howling all together when they saw the white flag. One of the larger, older wolves walked forward, looking rather surprised.

“You! Are you a dragon? In this barren northern land?”

Spike perked up visibly. Unlike the deer’s speech, the white wolves’ speech remained recognizable over the years. Strange, he thought, but he was not going to question it when it benefited him. The wolf’s voice sounded really deep, but it was apparent enough that she was a she-wolf.

“Yes, my name is Spike. We come in peace. We represent the deer and the muskoxen, and we wish to seek the goodwill from the wolves.”

The wolf raised a brow in alarm. She quickly ran towards Spike, causing the dragon to widen his eyes quickly and assumed a defensive pose.

To his surprise, the she-wolf began to sniff him rather aggressively. With an aghast face, he shuddered and yelped. 

“What the Tar… are you doing?”

"I smell the sign of 'Yölei' on you.”

Spike looked surprised. 

“You know about him?”

“The white wolf never forgets. Now, you shall tell me who you are and why you bear his magical signature.”

“It is complicated. But before we continue, I must confirm that you are not hostile.”

The she-wolf gruffly howled. It was only after a moment Spike realized that it was a sad chortle.

“We are the outcasts of the pack. I myself was casted out by my own sons. We are wolves without fangs.”

“... Words cannot express my shock. Care to have a meeting around our sleds? I promise I shall tell you what I know of, if you do the same.”

The she-wolf looked wary, but Spike then added with a grin. 

“We have wolfberries freshly harvested from the forest.”

The she-wolf gulped. Her belly emitted an untimely growl of hunger. She immediately flushed with shame.

“If you do feed us, then telling you about us is only fair.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The she-wolf and her pack ravenously chomped on the honeyed wolfberry stew Yolana prepared in a hurry. It was less apparent at a distance, but it was clear now that these wolves were severely malnourished.

Spike’s face was tinged with a shade of iron green. Upon seeing Yolana and Kanipha, he immediately said with a firm and heavy voice. “We need to head back to the forest immediately.”

Kanipha was shocked. “Why? W- What’s up with that? Haven’t you talked these wolves into behaving themselves?”

“Yes, Mister Spike, what’s wrong?” Yolana also asked worriedly.

“We have to wait till they finish eating, so let’s use this time to talk."

Spike gave a gaze to the wolves, and darkly sighed. “Sunset Shimmer had preempted us. Her lackeys must have gained sea access, because she seemed to have managed to reach the wolves by sea and talked them into joining her in alliance.”

Kanipha’s face was drained of color. “What the Tartarus!??”

Yolana also said with great alarm. “How in Erlik’s darkest mumble did that even happen? Don’t the wolves h- hate ponies?”

“The she-wolf I talked to is Suologievra. She was the supreme pack-leader of the whites. But as you see now, she lost her throne to her two ambitious sons, Laske and Puuska. After she refused Sunset Shimmer’s proposal casually on the mere fact that she was a pony, Sunset Shimmer was able to depose her by linking with her plotting sons, and promised them aid to overthrow her. In return, they turned against their mother and joined Sunset Shimmer against her enemies.”

“Holy heck, is Sunset Shimmer still in the north, then? Like, hunting us down along with the wolves?” Kanipha asked worriedly.

“Suologievra seemed to hint that she left by sea right away after defeating their royal guards and pulled a palace coup. Sunset Shimmer might have more urgent matter to deal with in the south. Suologievra does not know of such an order given out by the ‘orange unicorn’. But then again, she does not know everything because she had to escape in a hurry with a handful of followers.”

Yolana frowned. “This is way too strange. Why would the new shadow specifically go to the wolves and attempt to gather their support? The white wolves have lived a secretive life over the years. And you all do not know of them before coming to the north. Why would she know? And above all, why would she succeed?”

“Is she, you know, using her vile magic to turn allies against allies again?” Kanipha grunted.

“I asked Suologievra, and she doesn’t think that something like that was involved. Her eldest son, who had always been on less than cordial term with her, had plenty of reasons to oppose her. She was a bit less sure about her younger son, but she said he could be swayed by simple words as well. Of course, given Sunset Shimmer’s history with mind magic, there’s always the possibility of memory manipulation. If so, the whole thing might be taken with caution.”

The faces of the two listeners were darkened, but Spike quickly added. “But I’m inclined to believe her for now. For if anything happens, it would always be better if we’re in it together.”

Kanipha nodded. “… I guess you’re right.”

“She must have a yet unknown source of knowledge about the north, even though she might or might not know that we’re here. While the fact that It seemed that she was able to play the wolves into helping them, by not only promising the two power, but also an honest-to-Harmony horrible plan that feed into their ancient hatred.”

“And what might that be?” Kanipha gritted his teeth in nervous expectation.

“She came prepared. She had given the brother-leaders an extremely powerful anti-magic charm. It was apparently so powerful that the charm must be hauled in the sea, lest it drained away her and the crystal ponies’ own magic.”

“Anti-magic charm? What use can it have for the whites?” Yolana knitted her brows.

Spike clenched his teeth, and recited to the unknowing duo.

“It sates itself on the life-blood
of fated warriors,
paints red the powers' homes
with crimson gore.
Black become the sun's beams
in the summers that follow,
weathers all treacherous.
Do you still seek to know? And what?
… a wind age, a wolf age—
before the world goes headlong.
No wolf will have
mercy on thee.”

Kanipha looked grim. With shaky breaths, he asked. “W- What was that poem about?”

“It was the proclamation from the whites before the ancient whites swarmed the Firstling settlement of Knarvik and started the war. And the two brothers were intent on finishing their unfinished business three thousand years ago.”

Yolana looked sick. “My stars, are you saying that they want to negate the protection given by Nighthewer… t- to try to do their thing to the remaining Firstlings?”

“Not only that. From what Suologievra said, they planned to join force with the crystal ponies in an ‘unholy alliance’ afterwards. In their minds, creating as much havoc in the pony lands would satiate their needs for pony blood. And more pony blood will well avenge the souls of their ancient brothers.”

Kanipha wheezed. “Bucking Tartarus this is bad. They need to be stopped post haste.”

“Suologievra said they saw the pawprints of a large wolf army heading to the direction of the Deermark forest in the snow a few days ago. We need to go back and join the others in defense.”

Yolana’s face was stormy. She blinked and asked difficultly. “I know this sounds a bit too distrustful, but why would a former leader of the white so willing give you all these information vital to her pack? She should still have at least some loyalty to her pack.”

Spike breathed out heavily. “… She recognized Nighthewer’s ‘scent’ on me. The whites kept a piece of Nighthewer’s scale in their altar.”

“The white wolves still respect Nighthewer? Even after the war?”

“The wolves were, since the sealing of the Firstlings and the Lucent, split on how they should treat Nighthewer’s legacy. According to Suologievra, she was of the faction that focuses on honoring Nighthewer’s hope for peace, but her eldest son was of the faction that focuses on righting the injustice and maintaining their hatred against ponies. The two factions were always in dangerous balance, and even Suologievra had to placate the other side by showing Sunset Shimmer the cold shoulder. Now that she’s out here, my connection to Nighthewer was perhaps a good enough sign that I’m a trustworthy enough dragon to confide in. Of course, I also told her a bit about my condition as a gesture of goodwill.”

Yolana licked her lips. “This might sound preposterous, but do you think that we can count on them… to fight for us?”

Spike smirked. “I asked her this question over the bowl of stew.”

Kanipha showed a knowing smile as well. “Cheeky.”

Yolana also nodded with a grin. “Heh, you know that them wolves are too honorable not to return the favor after being rescued from starvation.”

“She agrees to join our ‘warband’ on three conditions. First, we have to hand them all barrels of forest wolfberries to them.”

Yolana snorted. “I don’t think that those are going anywhere anyway.”

“Second, unless attacked, they’re not going to fight their fellow white wolves.”

Kanipha stuck his tongue out. “That sucks, who are we going to fight here anyway? Mosquitos?”

Spike waved his claws. “Helping out with self-defense is good enough. They’re good fighters. But the third one might be a bit tricky.” 

“Let me guess, she wants her throne restored to her from her treacherous sons?”

“Bingo. She didn’t set a deadline, but it’s not going to be an easy job.”

Kanipha sighed. “Or a bloodless job, even.”

Spike clasped his claws nervously. “Well, let’s get back to Deermark quickly and hope everything’s still well. With any luck, we can stop them at the outside of the forest.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smoke billowed from a spot in the erstwhile peaceful forest, prodding the group to gallop even faster into it. Their worry was compounded by the fact that there was no guard to stop them at the edge of the forest this time. 

A hastily erected barricade sat in the middle of the main forest road, and the outposts were all visibly stationed. Stray arrows and other signs of battle was plain in front of the defense line. 

The defenders were agitated upon seeing the wolves that followed their back, and bows were stretched to the full.

Suologievra was alarmed, she immediately detached from the sleds and pulled the following wolves out of the arrow’s range.

Spike immediately yelled in his pidgin Deerish, hoping that someone among the defenders was able to understand. 

“Stop! Dese volves are our fwiends!”

A familiar-looking white deer poked her head out of the barricade. She was trying to be solemn, but she was clearly nearly unable to hold it hearing the butchering of the Deerish tongue.

She turned and gestured to her fellow deer, and the gate opened slightly. Spike looked back, and after receiving affirmations, he ran inside and immediately went for Rainga.

The deer princess quickly waved away the guards nearby, and she cheerfully embraced the approaching dragon.

“Uunf-! Whoa, Rainga, you look excited.”

“Mwahahaha-! Dada, your Deerish is horrible!”

“R- Rainga! I just learnt the tongue for, like, two hours. What do you expect? Making a poem out of it?”

“If it’s dada, I would believe you can do it!”

“H- Haha… So, um, Rainga. Can you tell me what exactly happened here? Why the battle scene?”

“The whites invaded the forest and attacked us, for the first time in thousands of years! They never dare to actually come in before!”

Spike gritted his teeth. “We caught wind of that.”

“Really? Then you’d be relieved to hear that these faithless baddies were no match for natural protection, as well as our brave and strong warriors! Our scouts saw them coming and immediately raised the walls, and they were all but scattered by our rains of arrows! I bet they’re out of the forest with their tails between their legs!”

“… Huh. How many wolves were there, you reckon?”

“About several hundreds in total, I think. They come in really, really small waves though. The whole thing was dragged out for two days! The last wave was only beaten off half a day ago. That’s why we’re still in high alert.”

“… That’s weird.”

“Ehh?”

“The entire wolf army should be much more numerous than just a few hundreds. Anyway, Suologievra out there was on our side. They’ll stay put. Please don’t attack them, and if okay, give them somewhere to stay for now. Also gather everyone, for I have something to tell about this trip.”

Rainga looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded with a clean smile. “Aye, dada.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This time, the entourage and those who stayed behind met in a small barrack near the entrance of the town of Hvideskov. The wolves led by Suologievra were quickly herded inside a secluded corner inside the barrack and left to rest. Still, a lot of townsfolks were alarmed at the sight of wolves walking among their midst.

Spike again stood in the middle of the group, and coughed. “As shocking as this might sound, I’m afraid that Sunset Shimmer managed to hook with the whites before us.”

Cadance covered her mouth. “What?! T- This… How can this be?”

Shining Armor also said with disbelief. “How exactly does an Equestrian unicorn like her know about the white wolves in the first place?”

“I don’t know. But the real threat is that the wolves are now possessed with an artefact likely capable of breaching the barrier set down by Nighthewer. They are fully intent on cracking the shell and finally devour the almond nut inside.”

Geuse muttered. “Well… at least they’re beaten off for now…”

Pisacan mulled. “Spike, so who might that she-wolf be?”

“She’s Suologievra. She’s the mother of the current twin leaders of the white wolves, and used to be the pack leader herself too. When Sunset Shimmer promised them power, they agreed to join her in an alliance, in exchange of her help to dethrone her. We chanced upon them on our way there. If that didn’t happen, we might be walking into a trap ourselves.”

Spike bit his lips. “If what she said was true, then we must stop the wolves from getting their paws on the barrier.”

“… Do we, though?”

Spike sharply turned to Shining Armor, who was mulling over. The unicorn said cautiously. “We’ve talked about this, right? Maybe letting them open the door for us isn’t that bad an idea. We can join force with whatever remained of the ponies inside, and the wolves would be hard-pressed to defeat our combined force.”

Rainga again complained. “But the white mountain would crumble…”

“Is that something that would absolutely happen, though? It comes across as quite foolish if the white wolves would do something like that, only to suffer a landslide which would definitely bury a number of their own.”

The white doe pouted. “I’m not gonna risk it by testing this out. Hvideskov is my home, and only home!”

Cadance spoke up. “Spike, I don’t think you’ve ever commented on this.”

“Yeah, will it or will it not cause a frigging landslide?” Kanipha tagged on.

Spike deeply frowned. “I don’t really know, I’m sorry. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think Nighthewer think this out very clearly back when he had to pull this off. While his body does anchor the pocket dimension his scorching fire created, it’s only by conventional wisdom that cutting off the magic would stop magical occurrences. Rainga’s worry is not baseless, but whether Nighthewer’s body would crumble, disappear or explode, we couldn’t have known unless we try.”

He sighed with a shrug. “If Twi’s here, she’s definitely going to make me plot a risk-benefit profile.”

Kanipha covered his mouth with his hoof to hide his amusement. “I think that the prudent way is to defeat the white wolves first. They have to come inside this forest and fight on foreign soil, while we have the defensive advantage. Whoever remains of the ponies inside the barrier can wait. It’s not like they haven’t waited for thousands of years already. Only when things calm down a bit, we might be able to arrange for the deer to evacuate to a safer distance, and only then we attempt to do it in a safer way ourselves.”

Spike slowly nodded. He looked to Rainga, who was looking back at him with an uncertain and somewhat expectant look. He then made a gesture to the others, who then let the two have their own little talk.

Spike laid his claws on the doe’s soft white fur. He whispered into her ears. “Don’t be pressured if you really don’t want to affect the lives of your fellow deer too much.”

Rainga blinked. “Dada, I know that gram-gram promised to let you have the full rein of the deer nation. If you say so, I will command all the deer to leave at once.”

“Rainga-”

“Yes, I might be a wide-eyed fawn, and gram-gram’s intention might be less than pure, but even I know to keep to a promise.”

“The situation when the promise was made was strange. I’m just a small dragon.”

The deer’s gaze hardened. “No you aren’t. You’re the only dragon that lived. You’re my one and only dada.”

Spike momentarily grew doubtful of the propriety of the current arrangement, but he then simply sighed.

“The thing is, I should not just randomly hold the power to all deer, because of some weird magical ritual that no other deer know about.”

Rainga turned her head away and puffed her cheeks. “I’ve said this before. I don’t like being a princess or being in charge. I know that they joke to each other all the time, but no deer would dare to have even a bit of fun in front of me. It’s also so much stress and trouble. Like this – why do I have to make the choice? Either way there’s going to be unhappy faces. Dada, you go make the choice.”

Spike bit his lips. At the end, he patted the doe and turned back to everyone. “Let’s heed Kanny’s advice for now. We have to defeat Laske and Puuska’s invasion first.”

Cadance asked. “But didn’t we? Rainga’s deer guards have repulsed waves of wolf attacks in the past two days.”

“According to Suologievra, at full strength, the white wolves can field over three thousand shook troops, plus an indeterminable number of auxiliaries. This far exceeds the number of wolves that were seen invading the forest these two days. I doubt that we’ve seen the end of them yet.”

Shining Armor suggested. “Perhaps they’ve split their army to join force with Sunset Shimmer down south?”

Spike winced. “That’s a worrying possibility. If so, the situation in the south might’ve worsened.”

Geuse raised her trident and said. “If they are defeated here, and their main army is at the south, why don’t we quickly mobilize and descend right onto the wolves’ den? This would destroy their morale to keep on fighting, and it can restore that So- Sulo- Suo-”

“Suologievra.”

Geuse rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that. You can even get that she-wolf her throne and be done with it. She’s going to be grateful for our help. Bam, Yolana’s plan of getting the three northern races together achieved.”

Yolana licked her lips. “If so, that’s indeed a promising development.”

Cadance slowly shook her head. “This sounds a bit too shaky to bet on. If we’re lured out of the safety of our defenses and instead got our homes ransacked, then it would be disastrous to our effort to stop Sunset Shimmer.”

Kanipha nodded. “It’s a bit too foolhardy to abandon our natural defensive advantage here to fight in the open. Geuse, don’t you remember how much casualties we took when we sallied out of Timbucktu?”

Spike lightly shook his head. Looking at the expectant faces, he secretly questioned the bizarreness of being looked upon as the one to make decision here. Others he understood, but even Cadance and Shining Armor were yielding to a small dragon like him. 

He never asked out loud, but he surmised that it must be due to the shame and regret they felt when they had had the power to stop these from happening. As for himself, he would have been prouder if not for the discomfort he felt and the depressing situation he was currently in.

Nonetheless, he had to act the part. He raised his arms and turned to Yolana. “Yolana, I would like to know if the Cave of Earth Mother is absolutely impermeable to attacks.”

“I would like to think so. The cave was carved deep inside the body of a granite mountain. It was only owing to the mystical power of the Bitig that the cave could can be excavated without any opening, save for small crevices for letting air in. Unless the wolves have acquired the pounding lightning from the heavens, they would not be able to breach our shelter.”

“Excellent. If so, is it possible to call forth all the available fighters from the muskoxen tribe to join us in here? Whether we’re going to strike out or hole up, more hooves are always better.”

Yolana pondered for a bit, and nodded. “I guess I can do that. So am I to rush back and call for more backup right now?”

“Please do. But Rainga, please spread out the scouts to make sure that the way to the muskoxen lands is clear.”

Rainga smiled. “Aye aye.”

“I myself will communicate with Suologievra more to try to better gauge the wolves’ possible intention. For now, we stay put.”

The others looked to Spike’s determined outlook and calm command, and nodded readily.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luna’s moon again rose to the middle of the distant horizons.

Or at least Spike thought and hoped that this was Luna. If the royal sisters were still there, then at least the south was not yet plunged into war and complete desolation yet.

He sat on the fence of the barrack, gazing at the few white wolves who were ordered to stand guard. It seemed that Suologievra was not entirely trustful of them yet.

The erstwhile wolf matriarch was a hard white wolf. Still, despite her altercation with her wayward sons, she still had a fierce loyalty to the pack, and was incredibly uncomfortable with the idea of turning her claws against them.

Despite her belief that the white wolves should put less focus on the past, ponies were still not a welcoming sight in her eyes. As such, seeing ponies in the midst of the deer came as an uneasy surprise for her.

But Nighthewer’s experiences told him that Suologievra was also unlike the white wolves the old dragon saw several thousand years ago. For one, she was flexible and negotiable. Unlike the white wolves who had only seen Nighthewer as a goodie-two-shoes, she seemed to think Nighthewer was an ameliorating influence on the wanton aggression that the white wolves once had.

Something interrupted his thoughts and he raised a brow. The fence he was rocking on was shaking and trembling. He jumped onto the ground, and noticed that the ground was also shaking.

The wolves at a distance looked to each other, and then to Spike. None of them seemed to know what that was about.

The tremble receded, and just when he thought it was just a light earthquake, a blinding white spot of light lit up the entire polar night sky from behind the white mountain, but then immediately disappeared.

He felt a yanking feeling in his heart towards the white mountain. Knitting his brows tightly, he began to run towards the tree house. Sleep be darned, he thought, as this was definitely not normal occurrence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainga yawned deeply. “Dada, why can’t we wait till tomorrow to check this out? Shooting stars and arctic lights aren’t exactly uncommon here.”

Riding on the back of the white doe, Spike said apologetically. “Sorry, Rainga, I have a nagging feeling that it was not just something unimportant. I felt yanked towards the source of light, and I’m afraid that the barrier has been tampered.”

“But the wolves-”

“I know, I myself am not entirely sure about that, so I didn’t wake up everyone. I figured that you’re more familiar with the landscape, and given your agility, you can take a peek and pull back if it’s in any way risky. I’m just concerned that the whites might have some tricks in the hat, and that’s related to it.”

“That’s silly. Nid-nid’s protective magic ensured that any malicious invaders that don’t travel on the roads would get lost inside the woods, before even getting near the white mountain! And we have sealed the roads like a glue!”

“Um… Crap!”

Rainga first snorted, but then raised a brow. “Ehh? What’s wrong, dada?”

“Seriously, if magic keeps out the wolves, what do you think they would do when they get a hold of an anti-magic charm?”

“Uh… Ohhh… right.”

“Crispy crud. Let’s go back and get more hooves before we actually run into- mff-”

“Dada, they’re already here.”

Rainga covered Spike’s mouth and said, although there was no real need of speaking softly. The melted spring snow had made the river roaring with water, and its sound was deafening. 

Spike looked out between the trees, and the scene he saw was shocking. They had arrived at the backside of the white mountain, opposite the town of Hvideskov. It was near the place when he was first duped by Raingeva, the strongest node of magic that remained of Nighthewer’s mega-spell.

He did not even need to rely on any natural light. The white wolves had somehow cleared a straight path towards the white mountain from the seldom-trodden side of forest. Freshly felled trees lied chaotically to the two side of the clearing, leading up to a large circular campsite where a barrack had been established, complete with bonfires and parameters around the surface of the white mountain. They were standing perilously close to the said campsite.

He took in a breath. There was machinery that seemed to have helped them fell the trees. The warriors were all well-armored and equipped.

It was hard to gauge how many wolves were there, but it was safe to bet that this was where the main bulk of wolf army was. He lamented that he failed to carefully think about the possibility, that the assaults on the deer settlement were simply distractions.

“Let’s get the hay out-”

“Soldiers! Arrest these two intruders!”

Spike and Rainga gasped. The purple dragon turned and saw a scarred white wolf officer glaring at them ferociously. 

Rainga immediately kicked her hooves and ran back the way they came. Perhaps it was the natural instinct of an herbivore against her predator, the doe did not even spare a split second in thought before fleeing. Spike was barely hanging on, but also secretly thanking harmony for that.

However, his thankful thoughts were cut short when Rainga abruptly stopped. In the hot pursuit, they seemed to have been driven to the face of the mountain purposefully by the wolves.

Rainga was trembling, but she still heavily breathed out and attempted to cast her flying magic to escape.

To her shock, the orange magic simply fizzled out at the tip of her horn. She looked up, and noticed that there was a huge glowing crystal being pushed towards them from the camp.

The white wolves had closed in and surrounded the two within a semi-circle. The officer they saw just now readjusted her pure black cap and leathery armor. He then walked close with a threatening stance and an almost sadistic grin.

Spike jumped down from Rainga and pushed the doe behind him.

“W- What are you doing, dada?”

“I’m not as absolutely pacifist as Nighthewer. When it comes to self-defense, I’ll absolutely not hold my fire. Besides, if I’m not going to roast them now, they’re going to roast us.”

Rainga’s face turned green. However, Spike simply drew in a deep breath and attempted to reignite his flame gland. A piercing pain immediately ensued, but he pushed on.

The white wolves stopped advancing when they noticed that Spike was apparently preparing a fiery attack. With a painful scream, a fireball quickly materialized in front of Spike’s mouth.

To his shock though, instead of orange-red like ordinary fire, or even green like his message fire, it was pure white. Moreover, it did not shoot forward, but rather stayed where it was and quickly ballooned in size. He stepped back involuntarily and carelessly looked back. The mountain was also glowing in silvery white, oddly resembling what he saw on the fence earlier.

He could see the white wolves frantically moving around and yelling commands, but he could not hear them clearly. Rainga was looking at him with a frozen stance. He tried to reach her, but before that, the expanding white fireball engulfed him, and his sight was replaced by pure blinding white.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sky was dark and dusky. 

Spike opened his eyes. Greyness swirled and swayed in front of his eyes, he noticed that the sky was seemingly arched in a strange way.

As senses gradually returned to him, he found himself inexplicably lying on a stone platform. He jumped up, and he was immediately shocked still by the scene he saw.

Apparently, he was lying on a raised rock in the middle of a torrential stream. He was not restrained in any way, so he looked around to see if this was the doing of the white wolves.

Loud shuffling noises were heard both left and right. He quickly looked to both sides, and was flabbergasted.

Ponies.

That was something that he hadn’t seen in large number for quite some time.

To the great river’s left was a crowd of rugged-looking ponies dressing in lamellar and chain mails. They all wore the same style of helmet, with a round cap and a spectacle guard around their eyes. Half-kneeling on the ground, they emitted a collective grunt upon noticing Spike’s gaze, and raised their axes and round shields high up in the air. The shields all had a motif carved on it – it looked both like a sunburst and a snowflake.

He turned to his right. This group of ponies were more refined-looking. Cladded in quilted cloth and stout linen, these ponies also looked incredibly solemn in their black clothes. Their short cape waving in the winds, they turned towards Spike when he looked at them, their full helmets clanking with metallic noises. Raising their spears and white-gold kite shields, they hollered something unintelligible at him as well.

Trepidation, as well as a tinge of happiness, rose in his heart. He knew them. They were Nighthewer’s lost children. The First and the Lucent.

However, he did not understand the meaning of this, or how he exactly got to the place where he was.

A mare, who looked calm but also somewhat surprised, suddenly stepped onto the rock from a ledge Spike had not noticed before. She had a coat of greyish silver, and her wild violet mane with many locks billowed. Her cut-glass voice rang through his ears, and this time it was in a language that he understood. 

“Heed, here comes the Aldarrök.
Raise thy weapons and thy shields.
Our father that birthed this world,
had come to us in flesh again.
Let us praise his name in solemn hymn,
Before we took up arms and joined the final fight.”

“Wait, wait a sec-”

Before Spike could interrupted, the two crowds joined in a sublime chorus of chant. Spike’s mouth opened and closed. He could not find words to describe his thoughts and feelings. He was floored by the dedication Nighthewer’s former followers showed even after all these years. 

But he was not Nighthewer, he was Spike. Furthermore, while it was pride-stoking, it was also incredibly uncomfortable for him to be literally revered as a living god. Time living inside Nighthewer’s protection might have slowly changed the two races’ perception – their mere thankfulness and respect had developed into full-blown worship.

He sighed, and asked the mare. 

“What's your name?”

The mare looked honored, and she replied aloud. 

“My name is Frigg, my lord.”

Drawing upon the memories of Nighthewer, Spike sighed. “Frigg, are these the children of Alva and Aida?”

Intense emotion came over Frigg as she was further certain that the dragon before her, though not white as foretold, was indeed their 'lord'.

She nodded fervently and said. “Yes, yes indeed, my lord.”

Spike was conflicted. He wondered if honesty was the best policy here. His discomfort aside, it might not be exactly wise to proclaim that he was not quite their messiah in front of two groups of heavily armed ponies.

With difficulty, he said. “Frigg-”

“My lord, I need thee to proclaim Aldarrök. Our destiny must be fulfilled in the next world, remade with our very own flesh and blood.”

Spike widened his eyes in confusion. Frigg then continued. “The dome of this world has to be shattered with the fire that made it. The Firstlings and the Lucent will stop fighting each other in ritual, and instead join force to fight the war to end all wars, the ultimate test of our courage and our faith.”

Spike covered his mouth. Despite all, her words seemed to hint at a possible way to get out of this faltering dimension. The same way that warped him inside in the nick of time. Also, although it might count as exploiting their adoration, this could not come in a handier time. An army of battle-hardened ponies to join in their fight, it would prove incredibly valuable later on.

But a part of his mind tugged at him, and he knew very well where it came from. Nighthewer, or as those ponies called him, ‘Nidhogg’, was staunchly pacifist. 

He would be appalled to know that he intended to… manipulate their worship of his memories, into fighting a bloody battle that they mistakenly thought as divinely inspired.

Massaging his temples, he sighed long and gruffly. Thousands of lives were to be decided at his breath, but the only one he could think of at the moment was the doe he met just a few days ago.

His sharp teeth dug deep into his tongue, and the pain cleared his mind up for the difficult decision. He breathed in deeply, and faced the sky. Opening his mouth and encountering the familiar pain of exertion, he difficultly drew from his newly reignited flame.

Frigg seemed to be observing him closely, and once he opened his mouth, she raised a long birch staff that was tied into a knot at the end, and pointed it to the sky as well.

The two groups of ponies at the two sides of the riverbank also noticed the change occurring on the rock. They began to rhythmically shout and bang on their shields, and the sheer power of warrior’s chant was eardrum-blowing and heart-throbbing.

A ball of white light shot forth from Spike’s mouth, and it was guided to the top of the ‘sky’ with the birch staff of Frigg. 

It was at that time their world shattered into a million brilliant white particles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainga blinked, and her dada was engulfed by the white fireball he created. She called out in shock, momentarily forgetting the dire situation she herself was in.

When the white light was out, the visage of the purple dragon was gone.

Her heart almost stopped.

Feeling of revulsion welled in her chest. Where had Spike gone?

The truth was out there – her last clutching straw was gone. Disappeared in a last ditch of repelling the enemies.

She was, in a way, sporting an act. She was not entirely the fawn that she was pretending to be. It was not like she did not know how to ‘act her age’, but she did not want to, because she thought it was not a part of herself. Her adult experiences were all a product of her stolen years.

She wanted to continue from before all those lost years, she wanted her own life that was guided with her own hooves.

However, she also loathed the emptiness and loneliness without Raingeva. The eternal matriarch was such a massive fixture in her life, she did not know what to do with her life once the elder doe had passed on.

And so she settled on a middling choice. The inheritor of the massive knowledge from Nighthewer, the mysterious dragon champion, which like the older dragon himself, came from the south and became their legend. He shall be her very own idolized adopted father, separate from the twisted love Raingeva had for her Nighthewer, and they can grow together in mutual acknowledgement of their common baggage. She knew that this feeling was petulant, and even might not be shared by the purple dragon himself, but she was like a drowning fawn, who was desperate to clutch at someone with a connection in fate with her.

All these went down the drain now, it seemed. Her invested feelings were once again crushed under the cruel reality, like when Raingeva ignored her own will to take control of her own body.

Heartbroken, she did not even pay attention to the encroaching wolves. She feebly stepped back and backed herself up onto the face of the mountain.

Or she thought there was one. Shocked that there was nothing to lean on, she turned.

The white mountain, the gigantic crystalized body of Nighthewer that towered over the Deermark forest, was gone. It was replaced with a large brownish fenland that was cut in the middle by a river.

Her sight of further horizons was however blocked by a thundering wave of advancing creatures… no, ponies.

Ponies! 

She was shocked beyond words. Those were not just any ponies, but from what she gleaned from a distance, they were Firstlings, once sister race to the deer under Nighthewer’s protection. The Lucent, if they were there as well, must have been heavily influenced by the Firstlings, because they all dressed in Firstling attire.

She looked back, and the wolves that once surrounded her had hurriedly pulled back into the protection of their fortified camp. She let out a breath of relief, as these wolves were likely ignorant of her true identity and the use as hostage.

The warriors let out waves of increasingly frequent deafening cries, and the wolves in the campsite let out series of bloodthirsty howls in response. It seemed that despite their past defeat at the paws of the wolves, it did not dent their will to battle even a little bit.

The deer then realized that she was right on the path of the galloping Firstling warriors. But when she almost closed her eyes and prepared to brace for impact, a distant visage entered her sight.

“Halt, hold your position! Shield formation!”

Rainga gasped. Sitting behind a pony with violet mane, Spike quickly scanned the horizons. Then he saw Rainga, and his gaze locked onto her solidly.

“Rainga, come quickly!”

Rainga immediately galloped towards the tip of the newly formed line of Firstling infantry, led by the strange pony and her ‘dada’.

However, the wolves suddenly let out an even louder howl of pure aggression.

“Praise the ancestors! These treacherous vagabonds show themselves and placed their head on our chopping blocks!”

A white wolf wearing a golden crown and golden collar yelled from the safe distance of a lookout tower inside the campsite. Another one who wore a silver coronet and silver scepter simply curtly said in a low but rumbling tone.

“Archers, load – fire!”

Rainga gasped, a sky-blotting wave of arrows came from the direction she was fleeing from. Unfortunately, the muddy fenland she was trotting on was impeding her to move at full speed.

“- Gaargh- ”

Rainga thought she was able to reach the line in time, and she nearly did it. 

Nearly.

A stray arrow landed on the small piece of light armor on her back. While the armor saved her from a gaping tear, the sheer force of the crossbow arrow knocked all the winds out of her lungs. She lost balance and fell gracelessly onto the ground, and hit her head on something hard. Her vision promptly went black as consciousness slipped away from her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainga opened her eyes again. Her back was still nursing a stinging pain, and her head felt incredibly light.

She blinked and looked, the bittersweet vines on the wall of her quaint palace swayed in the air quietly, just like when she left the day before…

Or was it the day before? She was confused about the passage of time.

She gasped suddenly, and she struggled to get up from her bed. However, her legs buckled and she fell down again.

The door to her swung open quickly, and a small dragon covered in mud and grime strolled in.

“D… D- Dada? Dada!”

“Shh, Rainga, lie down and rest. Everything’s fine now.”

Her voice was breathy and weak. “But- but…”

She began to sob. Difficultly raising her hooves, she tried to sweep Spike into her embrace. The purple dragon was momentarily reluctant to let the dirt on him blacken the snow white coat on the doe, but he quickly relented.

“Is this a dream? Am I dead? Please tell me this is not just an illusion… I don’t want to fade into nothingness yet…”

“Of course not, Rainga. I’ve dragged you back from the frontline with my very own claws. If you dare to die on me, I’d be mad as Tartarus.”

Rainga weakly giggled. “Thank you… Dada, you really are my savior.”

Spike guiltily said. “If I was not willful and asked you to come with me, you would not have been injured.”

“Silly dada, I would not in a thousand years begrudge you for that.”

Rainga let out a sigh. “Tell me, dada, what happened out there? Who were they?”

Spike lightly drew in a breath. “Are you sure you’re well enough to listen? I’m sure one of your lieutenants will draw up a report to you after you recover.”

“Nah, I want to hear from you, dada.”

“… Very well-”

> Interlude – Assorted Notes on the Children of the North
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Passage translated and adapted from Lucentian annals. Manuscript prepared by REDACTED

In the year of our Lord three thousand and one, the continual faltering of the skylights culminated in the prophesized Aldarrök (End of Ages) and subsequent Renewal. Nidhogg (Nid: Night, hogg: striker, hewer) the Anointed was rebirthed and returned to his children as Gaddur (Spike) the Brilliant, both the son and himself.

…

In the year of Our Lord two thousand and ninety nine, the last War of Honor was fought between the Firstlings and the Lucents. Firstling thane Magnar and Lucentian prince Stellan were to end the yearly ritual due to the dimming of the sky, which caused the harvest of both nations to fail. Frigg, daughter of Fyorgynn and high vala (untranslated, something like a priestess?) of white dragon, proclaimed the coming of Aldarrök within a year.

Walls were established around the Firstling settlement of Nidelva and the Lucentian settlement of Neapel. Ceremonial weapons were sharpened into blood-drawing ones. Shields were again permitted, no longer a symbol of cowardice. So were bows and arrows. The Forbidden Bridge was built across the Klara. The two races interweaved into one single formation, prepared to strike out to the blooded foe of bone-white (white wolves). 

…

And thus Gaddur breathed the essence of Nidhogg, and Frigg Fyorgynnsdottir directed it to the firmament of sky. The world of Firstlings and Lucents unraveled, yet the bone-white nemesis awaited outside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Personal Note #5 - Research on Nordland Races

The historical records of the two Nordland pony races have been mythologized by the lack of record keeping, their extreme isolation, as well as the passage of time. The current research represents an effort to purge superstitious elements and present the two races’ histories as neutrally as possible. 

The Firstlings is a race nation* of earth ponies. Before their conflicts with white wolves, they once occupied the northern coast across the old and new worlds. Nighthewer, ‘Nidhogg’ in Firstling tongue, was a legendary white dragon who attempted to shield them from the onslaught from the encroaching white wolves. Unwilling to harm lives, he casted a megaspell with his life energy that severed the physical connection between their sanctuary from the world.

Alongside the Firstlings were the Lucents. Their history was less obscure than the Firstlings. They were originally members of a large northern mission from Crystal Empire, then newly established in Equestria. Princess Alba, who only ruled the Empire for half a year before disappearing in the north, seemed to be the same pony as ‘Albe, mother of Aida’ in Lucentian records. The originally peaceful expedition were roped into the relentless anti-pony military actions from the white wolves, and by chance and necessity they had to hide within the magical parameter Nighthewer set down.

Since the magic that sustained the perimeter was fully negated by anti-magic charm and Spike the Dragon’s own magical fire breath**, it is no longer possible to precisely gauge the nature of Nighthewer’s magic. Therefore the following are largely educated guesses. 

In the saga of Firstlings, Nighthewer was said to have forged the ‘new world’ to shelter the two founding mothers of the Firstlings and Lucents, Alva and Aida respectively. The pocket space created with Nighthewer’s magic seemed to be a world within world. Its size and vibrance was likely directly tied to the amount of energy that fed into it from Nighthewer’s leftover magic. 

The pocket world seemed to be, at least initially, a miniature of the world we lived in, with spacious land, seas, plants and creatures common to our world. However, as Nighthewer’s magic dissipated with the passage of time, a slow crunch of space presumably occurred. It was inevitable that the inner space would shrink to the size of which the white mountainous body of Nighthewer actually occupies in this world. By the time the two worlds again connected, the two races had to live next to each other in two riverside settlements on a poor fenland, where in records the two races once occupied a much larger and diverse landscape and lived in multiple settlements.

* Consult the official diplomatic guidebook next time
** Need to check carefully, seems doubtful in scale of energy 
…

On Lucentian cultural beliefs

Lucentian records describe three Ages, each spanning exactly a thousand years. The Age of Gold, the Age of Silver, and the Age of Bronze. Each successive age was said to be less bountiful, magical and spacious than the previous one. 

The continuous shrinkage of their natural bounty, as well as imperfect record keeping, fostered a collective mindset of spirituality, detachment and even a sense of fatalism in their culture, common to the Firstlings. Nighthewer, the dragon that used his magic and body to craft their pocket world, was elevated to the status of supreme protector deity. Daily work was conducted in Nighthewer’s sacred name, and ponies did good in hope to slow down the gradual fall of their world.

Lucentian society was strongly influenced by Firstlings, so much so that their original Roaman tongue was replaced by a Firstling-based tongue. It should be noted that, after consultation with reconstructive linguistic expert Moon Dancer, Old Firstling and Old Draconic appeared to be essentially dialects of the same tongue. The circumstances that lead to this were unknown, but it was probably a reason that Nighthewer was more well-received among the Firstlings than the white wolves. The substratum for related Deerish was a complete unknown, however. Although this might inform their prehistory, for now it remained a curiosity for linguists to study.

In any case, the initial low population of Lucentians necessitated cross-marriage between the crystal ponies and earth ponies. The resulting community was a largely culturally Firstling society with the odd Crystallian practices, the most obvious one being the name of their race – Lucenter – from Roaman ‘lucere’ (to shine, referring to the crystal magic that once caused their bodies to glitter); as well as title of their leaders – principe (prince) – rather than Firstling thane.

…

On Firstling and Lucentian military culture and practices

A strong warrior culture was actively maintained and encouraged in Firstling and Lucentian society. It was apparently a leftover practice from the days when the Firstlings still sailed and raided around the seas. Firstling warriors were encouraged to show their martial ability by fighting honor battles within the community even during time of peace. But due to ameliorating influence of their pacifist dragon deity, and the coexistence with the sedentary Lucents, the battles were converted into highly organized rituals that were forbidden to cause open injuries. 

The relatively brief but brutal episode of white wolf conquests three thousand years ago left a deep scar on the Firstling and Lucentian psyche. White wolves were quite demonized in the liturgy of Firstling mythology. The fear towards annihilation at the paws of the white wolves were embodied in many aspects in their society. For instance, the reverence towards Nighthewer reflected a hope for both physical and spiritual salvation. Somewhat paradoxically, it also led to the strengthening of Firstling martial culture remarkably over the millennia. 

Firstlings had since come to believe (somewhat correctly) that their world would eventually fall apart, and they would have to face their feared and loathed nemesis on the field of battle once again. It was a fortuitous coincidence that this indeed happened when Spike the Dragon came by, fit the description of their draconic prophesy, and became their dragon lord in flesh.

Indeed, the Firstlings and Lucents were not monolithic. Despite the highly potent signs (at least in the eyes of them), there were still a number of ponies who did not quite subscribe to the idea of myth and prophesies. But when Spike the Dragon’s presence indeed opened their world to a wider world, foretold the imminent hostile encounter with the white wolves, and his subsequent involvement in the Battle of the Deermark Forest, these would cement his status as one of the most influential characters for the Nordland races.

…

Sunburst on Monday, 21st of August, AC 1006

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PER THE OPEN RECORD ACTS OF 1008, THIS DOCUMENT IS DECLASSIFIED FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION

Translated by Dagny (E.N. ‘New Day’) on Behalf of Foreign Service

---

To the High Commissioner of Records,

The Union of Kalmare is pleased to comply with your request for information regarding our common struggle. Attached please find a hoofwritten summary of the events and circumstances that led up to the famous Battle of the Deermark Forest. They are condensed from field records, independent investigations and oral reports that represent the very best efforts of our national historians. 

---

The Battle of the Deermark Forest was one of the only two major military engagements that occurred within the boundary of Deermark for recorded history, the other one being the War of Dawn that ended in Nighthewer the Dragon’s sacrifice. Its commencement was as curious as its circumstances and rareness, mainly because of the convergence of many incidental events, as well as how it was to the surprise of all three parties of belligerents, the white wolves, the deer and the twin pony races. The results also had deep consequences to the fate of the Nordland races and Equestria as a whole afterwards.

The white wolves’ force was led by the twin paramount chiefs of Susia, Laske and Puuska. They were the twin sons of the previous paramount chief Suologievra. Susia, or Hvideland in Deerish tongue, referred to the area administered by white wolves, roughly encompassing the north and northeastern coast of Arctic Equestria. 

In March of dHå 3003 (Note: AC 1003, CE 3, SK 4732), a palace coup saw to the deposition of Suologievra in favor of her two sons. While coup was not uncommon for the upper echelon of white wolves, who then mostly saw successful seizure of power as rightful display of leadership, this palace coup was uncommon in that it was supported and, some witnesses argued, directly planned and instigated, by the unicorn Sunset Shimmer from the Shadow Crystal Empire. Sunset Shimmer, privy to the history between white wolves and the other races in the north, offered to help the twin brothers to power in exchange for their help in her war efforts in the south.

After securing power with foreign support, Laske and Puuska were anxious in proving their independence and power to their subjects. They were presented with a chance to do so with a magical artefact gifted by Sunset Shimmer. The Spellbreaker Stone was made with incredibly concentrated magic-negating material. The two brothers were excellent orators, they were able to assuage the discontent among the white wolves for their connection to ponies, by arguing it was just a marriage of convenience and promising to use the Spellbreaker Stone to unravel Nighthewer’s ancient barrier and reignite the War of Dawn.

It was a risky gamble on part of the white wolves, because not even the deer knew the situation within the parameter of the white mountain, which was the enchanted remains of Nighthewer. It tethered the pocket dimension which sheltered the twin pony races. 

Merely five days after the coup, Laske and Puuska had amassed an army of 3500, incredibly large for a conflict in the north at the time. This included 3000 light infantry were equipped with iron claws and reinforced gambesons, as well as 500 crossbow archers that carries their deadly weapons on their backs. The army was accompanied by an indeterminate number of entourage that provided support.

The army quickly departed the Susian capital Isojoki (Stórafljót in both Old Firstling and Old Draconic, literally ‘Great River’) and marched west towards the Deermark forest. The white wolves were swift on their march, progressing over twelve leagues a day despite the difficulties of marching on melting tundra. 

When the army arrived at the vicinity of Deermark, a small contingent of infantry was detached from the main army. They were tasked with following the patrolling deer guards and waged feints and probes into the main road at the south side of the forest, to the deer settlement of Hvideskov (Whitewood).

This detachment was a classic distraction tactic, intending to draw attention away from the true theatre of operation, which was the north side of the white mountain. The white wolves had correctly located the locus of magic of the white mountain at the Drageskalle (Dragonskull), whereby Drageskalle Stream fed into River Nid. But to reach the spot they have to either siege and invade the deer capital of Hvideskov in order to march on the forest roads, or traverse up the roaring and overflowing River Nid, both highly dangerous. 

Laske and Puuska decided to do neither, however. They elected to circle to the northern periphery of the Deermark forest and directly clear a direct path by felling the trees in their way. They did so by spraying onto the forest something the white wolves had in their arsenal in preparation of the eventual re-ignition of struggle against the deer – an extremely fast-acting tree poison called ‘Puuntap’ (Wood-kill). In two days, a straight road to the Drageskalle was cleared, and a marching camp was set up next to the spot.

To avoid the border patrol from the deer from noticing such a large and disruptive operation, the detachment flagrantly drew the attention of Deermark defenders by constant small-scale probing attacks. They also manually fell woods and pretended to construct siege engines, ostensibly wanting to breach the perimeter of Hvideskov. The feints and light skirmishes persisted for two days, until the detachment received orders to pull back and join the main force at the marching camp.

The white wolves’ war efforts were aided by the Spellbreaker Stone, which negated the disorienting magical effect that afflicted all previous intruders to Deermark.

In actuality, while the twin brothers definitely planned for conflicts with the deer, they did not truly expect a pitch battle with ponies. Indeed, they did not really expect any survivors within the barrier of the white mountains, if any, to be immediately ready to fight a battle with them. The strings of defeats their ancestors inflicted on the Firstlings also caused both the commanders and the common soldiery to look down on the pony’s fighting abilities. Indeed, in the eyes of Laske and Puuska, Firstling ponies had always been glorified raiders and vagabonds, presumably unfit to wage large-scale battles.

Laske ordered the soldiers to set the Spellbreaker Stone next to Drageskalle to disperse the magic of the white mountain. But instead of causing it to crumble and bury Hvideskov with a rockslide as they hoped, it instead merely unbounded the megaspell for ease of outside tempering. At the same time, this produced a burst of dragon magic that was felt intensely by Spike the Dragon, then residing in Hvideskov with the eclectic 'Fellowship of Exiles'. 

Spike the Dragon was the first dragon since Nighthewer to reach the territory of Deermark without succumbing to the cold, which was deadly to most dragons who are not in hibernating sleep. Earlier, via a magical ritual sanctioned by HH Rainga XI, Spike became the successor to Nighthewer and became the Draconic Guardian of Deermark and a close confidante to HH. Spike’s inherent magic was highly congruous with Nighthewer’s leftover magic in the white mountain, which would prove to be massively influential to the Battle.

Spike accompanied HH on a risky reconnaissance mission to investigate the burst of dragon magic, treading on the Hærvejen (‘Army path’, which despite the name was a narrow forest path only used for transporting materials needed for the annual ritual at Drageskalle). Unluckily for them, it looped right inside the clearance where the white wolves were, and they ran in direct confrontation with the white wolves.

Despite the brave breakout by HH, they were cornered with their back on the insurmountable cliff of the white mountain. Again, unexpectedly, this created a physical connection between Spike and the white mountain, and the remaining magic completely drained out via him as a conduit. Spike himself was teleported inside the dimension that the Firstling and the Lucent lived.

The two races were then an almost spent force. Once thriving inside the large and expansive pocket space created by Nighthewer, they were a shadow of their former selves. Population had fallen from an estimated height of over two hundred thousand to a measly ten thousand, and only one fifth of them are trained fighters. The radical shrinkage of livable space and the faltering magic could no longer sustain a viable community. The magic sunlight was dimmed to a color of dark orange, and for both races, there was a keen sense that the end of days were near.

When the Spellbreaker Stone was brought near the white mountain, the remaining magical illumination inside the dimension was gone, and fighters were gathered under their respective leaders, Firstling thane Magnar and Lucentian prince Stellan. 

Frigg Fyorgynnsdottir, the High Vala of the ancient devotional community, the Pious Adorers of Precious White, was called upon to hold a blót. A blót is a sacramental ritual in Firstling religious parlance. It was performed to draw upon the innate life energy of the believers via devotional chants, in order to delay the complete collapse of their world. 

When it was found that even a regular blót did nothing to replenish the skylight, Frigg was prepared to do something that was not done ever since the Firstling met Nighthewer – a Stóði blót. In a stóði blót, a stallion warrior would be selected by drawing lot. He would then be tied down to a flat stone, whereby he would be castrated and slowly bled to his demise, and his congealed blood would be used to draw lines of runic blessing on said stone, which would be subsequently raised. 

The intended revival of such horrifying ancient practice drew revulsion from both races. However, Firstling legends that dated to even before Nighthewer claimed that stóði blót gave rise to magic of great potency, and it was allegedly performed to ensure the successes of raids. It was said to be the reason why the Firstlings were the kings on the high seas in the olden days. Moreover, the High Vala herself, who was supposedly the spokespony for the revered dragon guardian, championed this method. 

Therefore, the special blót was almost performed when Spike was teleported onto the platform himself. Upon seeing a dragon appearing out of thin air before them, almost everypony took it as a sign of the return of their dragon messiah. 

It was not known how and to what extent Spike was linked with Nighthewer, or at least what remained of the great dragon, during the ritual arranged by HH, as it was a matter of royal prerogative. However, whatever it was seemed to be able to convince the Firstling, the Lucent, and in particular, Vala Frigg to take him as the Great Dragon reborn. 

Afterwards, Frigg proclaimed the End of Age, and the prophesized Final Fight with the white wolves. The assembled warriors were relieved that none of their own would be sacrificed, and instead they would be able to use their fighting skills against a mythical enemy, as well as fighting under the direct grace of the Great Dragon himself. Spike then promptly, and quite literally, split the sky with his magic-infused fire breath.

At the outset of the battle, the two army of pony warriors were camping at the two sides of the River Klara, the delineating river for the two races originating from a ground source near Drageskalle. The Firstling army hailed from Nidelva and the Lucentian army hailed from Neapel. They were the last two settlements for the surviving ponies, after the retreating barrier literally devoured their cities and towns one by one. 

Thane Magnar commanded 1000 axe-wielding berserkers, who could fight in bursts of trance-like fury. Prince Stellan commanded another 1000 of elite spearponies, who wielded expertly-crafted winged spears, and were arranged in 10 by 10 squares that held tight even under tough attack. They were coordinated by Frigg, who assumed temporary commandership of this highly religiously motivated battle. Once the white dragon emblazoned banners of Førstehov (First-hoof) and Lysandevit (Brilliant-white) were raised, the two armies rapidly marched towards Drageskalle at the behest of Spike.

The opposing armies were quickly able to see each other through the thin mist. Although neither of the two races were keen on archery, they nonetheless remained cognizant of the dire threat of the long-ranged weapon that once tipped the balance of the war against them. Frigg ordered the shield wall to be set up 500 yards from the front line of the white wolves, who while surprised, reacted promptly and fired a wave of arrows towards the newcomers. 

HH, who was sandwiched in between the two armies, quickly galloped into the newly available fenland and towards her seeming allies. While her judgment was correct, the wave of arrows had struck and injured her, and she fell short of the shield wall. She was promptly brought into the care of the Firstling medic. With the nod from Frigg, Spike elected to expedite her with a chariot back to Hvideskov, now in a straight gallop’s way, and as well call for aid from the deer.

The white wolves were surprised, but they were not in any panic. They were safely surrounded by well-constructed palisades. Their crossbow archers were tugged behind them or inside observation posts. 

The only worrying aspect to the white wolves at the time was the highly vulnerable and outstretched soldiers and workers outside in the forest, numbering in low hundreds. And indeed the two races pounced on the disorganization and immediately descended on the white wolves without protection inside the woods. The Lucentian army protected the right flank as the Firstling entered the woods and surrounded the hapless camp followers and the few white wolf soldiers.

The white wolves immediately fired arrows again to assist the few who were cut off from the main army, however the Lucentian adopted a tortoise formation, which saw them march forward slowly while protecting both their top and front with raised shields from the raining arrows. The Firstlings opted for speed, and quickly mopped up the little resistance. This was a blow to white wolf morale, as they did not expect the ponies to be so tactically sound in battle.

Carrying off the injured and the captured, the twin pony races appeared to be rather cautious, opting to remain outside of the white wolf archers’ range. 

While the field between the two armies were cleared by the white wolves, Puuska was opposed to his brother’s idea to lead an assault to the retreating ponies to rescue the prisoners of war, content to hide behind the protection of their campsite. Also, the newly felled trees in their way were not carried off in time. This made it difficult for the white wolves to use their signature short dash-and-maul tactics that once devastated the Firstling armies.

The armies returned to their positions and entered a stalemate. Frigg was aware of their numerical disadvantage, and hoped to wait for the reinforcement from the deer to arrive. 

In the meantime, the ground became much wetter. It turned out that the groundswell that gave rise to River Klara was able to flow back into River Nid via the Drageskalle Stream, but the old channel was overflowing, and this turned the ground into soft mush.

The white wolves were alarmed. The campsite was right next to Drageskalle Stream, and it could be flooded if this continued. Moreover, having much shorter limbs than ponies, a muddy terrain would be highly disadvantageous to their mobility and fighting ability. Laske therefore sent servants to place some fallen woods to block part of the stream, but they were attacked by the Firstling soldiers before they completed their tasks.

Worried that they would eventually drown in their own camp, and that the ponies would later take advantage of the worsening terrain, the twin brothers ordered a break-out attack with two-third of their troops, with the rest protecting their camp and their rears. 

The initial wave of attack was towards Lucentian lines, which withdrew their shields and adopted the defensive schiltrom stance, an innovation from thousands of years of mock battles with the Firstlings. The Lucentian spearponies pointed their long winged spear to the front in alternating fashion, forming an impenetrable grove of deadly spikes in face of white wolf attacks. Their incredible discipline also helped them to hold firm.

However, the attacks were fierce enough that it eventually began to significantly wear down Lucentian defense. But then, Laske recalled his brother’s troops, and sent forth his very own noble Snow Guards. His motivation was unclear, but it was presumably a confidence that elite troops would ram open the defense much faster.

Unlike the regular infantry, Snow Guards had in general larger builds from elite training. This ironically caused them to suffer more from the unfavorable terrain. The Lucentian defense began to reorganize and recover. The Snow Guards became quickly tired out by fighting half-submerged in grime, and it was at this time Lucentian formation spread out to give way to Firstling axe warriors, fresh and eager to pick on the disorganized, fallen and mud-drowned targets. A desperate charge from the white wolf garrison in the camp was thwarted by a Firstling contingent specifically placed there for that task.

The Snow Guards were sustaining high loss, but they fought on relentlessly. That was until the Doe’s cloth rose from the horizons, and the deer arrived at their right flank with over 1000 longbow archers and 500 hornsdeer. 

Initially the white wolves maintained composure, but they were simultaneously bombarded with extremely intense waves of longbow arrows, as well as suddenly smacked with magical attacks from Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor of Crystal Empire, then members of the Fellowship of Exiles. The Snow Guards were thrown into complete disarray, and the battle became a rout, with the fleeing white wolves trampling on their fellow archers at the rear.

When they realized the battle was lost, the surviving white wolves abandoned their camp and fled, only to be pursued over several leagues by the combined army along the forest clearing. Puuska went to the rear and attempted to sort out the chaotic condition, only to be greeted with the shocking sight of his own mother’s banner, a wolf’s head inside a ring of leaves, amid the combined army. They were cut off from Laske’s fleeing army and surrounded, and the completely demoralized army of about 500 survivors, along with Puuska himself, surrendered, ostensibly to Suologievra to preserve their honor.

Laske, on the other hoof, successfully made a break out of the forest. Despite the disastrous encounter, he still made it out with over 1000 infantry largely intact. Surmising that going back to Isojoki with the news of a hallowing defeat would swiftly lead to his own deposition, he opted to turn south and again attempted to seek help from Sunset Shimmer. These white wolves troop would later be influential in the Shadow Crystal Empire’s war efforts in the south.

…

> Chapter 6 – After the End
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“… Whoa.”

“So how was it? Isn’t that an excellent news? We’ve won decisively against the fierce white wolves. And atop of that, now the Firstlings and the Lucent are again with us.”

He smiled. “Nighthewer would have been sad to hear how they suffered a long history of decline, but he would be more chuffed to know that the artificial boundary that limited their growth was finally gone.”

“Spike, I want to confess something.”

“…!” 

Spike was brought to attention by the change in address by the doe. He cautiously nodded, and said. “Go ahead, Rainga.”

“I… I… I’m confused.”

“Confused? About what? If it’s about the battle, then no worries. All the doctors from all three races are tending to the wounded and the others are cleaning up the battlefield. Prince Stellan and Thane Magnar both want to meet with you, but I’ve dealt with their most pressing concerns at the moment-”

“No! It’s not about those boring ruling and stuff!”

“Oh? Then what’s…”

“Spike, are you really fine with this? A doe that you walked into suddenly calling you her dad?”

Facing with the sudden showing of self-doubt and maturity, Spike had an odd feeling of déjà vu. This was also not the first time this thought passed his mind since he met her. Still, he was surprised to hear the childish doe acting so seriously for a change.

“… To be honest, if it is any other doe, I would really hesitate. But I think there is one thing that ties us together.”

“And that thing is…?”

“We both bear sins of the past, having foreign memories floating in our minds. They are not really ours, but they affect our lives so tangibly. I can understand that you would feel scared and confused. In some way, I’m too. I’m glad to make you feel better if you think that me being your dada is the best way to cope.”

He playfully poked the doe’s side. “Besides, you’re already a full-functioning doe. It’s not like I have to babysit you or anything. What a bargain!”

Rainga inexplicably blushed for a moment, then shook her head quickly. Her expression darkened. “D- Da… da. I still feel like a deer caught in headlamp.”

“Why? And why are you speaking so… uh, formally? Didn’t you say you don’t like the yawn-inducing way she talked?”

Rainga frowned even deeper. “… I am a cheat, a no-good two-faced deer.”

“Huh? Why would you say that? You’re far from a bad deer, Rainga.”

“I said I was going to confess, and I’ve been looking for a way to phrase it… The truth is, I’m acting like I am still the kid I once was, and I am trying my darnedest to make me talk and behave like I’m five, both to convince me and convince everyone else. But I know very well deep in my mind that I am not five anymore. The years gram- Grandma Raingeva took from me were not lived by me, but they are in my head, and everyone think that is me. Heck, even dada you told me to act like her in front of my fellow deer.”

Spike sported an ashen look. “That’s just a way to ease things out, a convenient arrangement. We will sort it out together.”

“In the brief time you were gone, I’ve thought this whole thing through again. When I first see you, dada, I feel so happy. Unreasonably happy, even. It’s crazy, and I don’t even know why. I didn’t want to think much about it, so I just said reasons are not important. B-but, who am I kidding! The only reason I felt such a strong closeness to you must just be because of the relationship between grandma Raingeva and Nighthewer! I never had a parent figure in my life, so I just latched on you, especially because how similar we are, both getting a copy of mind who isn’t us in our head. I don’t even know how real or tangible these feelings are!”

Spike simply looked at the doe directly in her sad eyes. He unbuttoned his armor and set it aside.

“It’s strange circumstances that brought us together, yes. But once we’re with each other, the only thing that matters is whether we want to keep us together.”

He looked to the wall of the doe’s room. Portraits of deer princesses before Rainga all the way to the time of Nighthewer hung on the wall, all with the same calm, dignified expression.

“You’re not the first one that I took on recently, Rainga.”

“W- What?” She looked stunned.

“See that zebra colt, Kanipha? Some month or so ago, I didn’t even know him. But now he’s my brother. He and I might be born thousands of miles apart, but he and I share camaraderie for our common link to Twilight. Similarly, we share our very own for our unbreakable bond to what happened in the War of Dawn. The accident of fate is not so different than the accident of birth.”

Spike stroked Rainga’s face with his bandaged claws. “I know only too well how confusing it can seem. But at the end, it’s not like we’re trying to play detective. The only thing that matters is our hearts’ content. Are you happy to be with me and call me da?”

Rainga shakily gulped, but she then nodded forcefully.

“If so, then I’d be happy to draw on the years from Nighthewer to make myself an adequate da.”

Looking at the astonished face of the doe, he continued. “We choose to make us what we are, and we don’t have to reject anything to make that true. We can be family and you can act whatever age you like… in front of me at least.”

The doe blinked, and broke into a mirthful smile. “… Thank you, dada. It’s really eye-opening talking with you.”

She struggled to straighten herself, which caused Spike to reach out and say. “Wait, Rainga, what are you doing?”

“What? Can’t I act my age for a lil’ bit and go sort out the mess after we fought the War of Dawn redux?”

Spike crossed his arms and glared at Rainga. “You have to stay in this bed and this is final.”

“B- But dadaaa, don’t you want my help?”

“You need your rest, just like all the other injured soldiers on our side. Besides, it’s not like we don’t have tons of time right now. The prince and the thane would be staying over for a while.”

“Eh? Why?”

“The Windigos are frigging mad right now. It’s raining hail and snow outside so hard that it knocks you onto the ground. I bet it has something to do with us fighting a bloody battle under their watch. We can’t even pursue the white wolves that fled the battle because of the dang snowstorm.”

“Oh…”

“Don’t overthink it. If you’re all well and rested the next time I check up on you, then maybe we can talk about meeting the prince and the thane.”

The doe smiled helplessly. “Aye aye, dada.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“How’s Rainga, Spike?”

“Oh, Kanny, yeah she’s recovering well. But why are you here?”

“I’m getting totally stir-crazy. The snowstorm made taking a walk impossible. And given how tense things are around here…”

“Ease up, Kanny. We’ve repelled even the frontal attack from the white wolves. It’s just a matter of waiting for the snowstorm to die down to march onto Isojoki and set Suolo onto her rightful throne. Then we can march the combined force south and blast us a way back home.”

“That’s mighty optimistic of ya.”

“Things have been turning out pretty well for us since we arrived at the north.”

“Really…?”

“Kanny, we shouldn’t lose perspectives on how lucky we’re so far. We could’ve become lost in the endless snow. We could’ve encountered hostile creatures. The muskoxen could’ve not been divinely inspired or sheltering Cadance and Shining Armor at the same time. The deer could’ve not had a history with an ancient dragon, who was also sheltering two pony races who helped us beat back the white wolves in the most opportune moment. This is the sum of an insane amount of happenstances, and I am still very grateful for it.”

He then sighed. “I know I might sound greedy after this, but I still hope that we could’ve done this without shedding one drop of blood.”

“That’s impossible, Spike. We’re fighting a war.”

“I know. I just feel terrible. All these need not to happen if the white wolves just put down their baggage of hate.”

Spike wryly smiled. “But I get it. We must fight to win, and win to make peace. I’m not Nighthewer. I even think he’s too stubborn to admit that his way of absolute pacifism doesn’t work unless everyone believes in it.”

An orange pegasus flew rapidly into the corridor of the modest palace, and she stopped quickly in front of the dragon-zebra duo.

“Hey messiah, done comforting your daughter yet?”

“What’s up Geuse, you got a kick out of mocking me too?”

“Mocking you? Well I never. You’re after all a walking, breathing religious figure for the Firstling and the Lucent. If I don’t pay enough respect, I might get some negative reactions from your fervent followers.”

“That’s Nighthewer, not me! Look at me, a baby dragon-”

“Seriously. How can you say that with a straight face? You quite literally just went real melee with the iron claws of the white wolves alongside thousands of soldiers. Between that and the subsequent woodland barbeque, if that wasn’t the most spectacular adult ceremony for you, I don’t know what the heck is.”

“Geuse is right you know. I was never on the frontline back in Timbucktu. Whoever says you’re a baby dragon can go stick their pinheads into the icy cold outside.”

Geuse snorted and took over before Spike retorted. “Heh, anyway, the prince and the thane are very anxious. They want to meet someone who’s in charge and talk about pooling up the resources immediately. They have tons of equipment but woefully short on food. However, the deer ministers refuse to do anything before getting the nod from Rainga, not to mention so few deer still spoke their old lingua franca, so it’s like mixing chicken and duck out there.”

“Bunch of bureaucrats! Didn’t I already sic Juniper on them already? And aren’t they supposed to be their sister race?”

Spike looked irritated. “Don’t tell me they’re interfering with helping the injured as well…”

Kanipha chortled. “Yeah, High Regent of Deermark, go sort them out already.”

Spike looked momentarily flustered, but he then grew grim. “… That’s not a joking matter, Kanny. Rainga might be on our side, but a nation is not just a princess. We can’t act with impunity, or it would earn us enmity.”

Kanipha shrugged. “I am not too worried, since you’re so keen about that already. I trust your judgment.”

Spike rolled his eyes. He turned to Geuse and said. “I’d drop by and see what I can do.”

“Great. Oh, and that priestess was also very keen to see you.”

Spike’s expression became very awkward, while Kanipha pointed at him and laughed. “Spike, thou shalt go forth and dispense thy divine mandate unto thy faithful disciple.”

“… I think I should be frank to her at the very least. And then I should figure out a way to communicate to every one of them what it really is.”

“Heh? Why? Isn’t it good to be worshipped like a living god?”

“Blood was shed and lives were put on the line because they believe me to be their savior. I can’t let all their sacrifice to be built only on a lie. That would be an unforgivable crime.”

Geuse smiled softly. “… Well, all powers to you then.”

Kanipha also nodded. “So far your sense of justice hasn’t got us in trouble yet, and hopefully it would continue.”

“Yeah… So see you later, and thanks.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike walked across the main corridor of the Hornsborg palace. Due to the snowstorm outside, a lot more deer were taking shelter indoors. Adding with the foreign dignitaries and visitors, the modest palace was much more crowded than before.

The dragon tried to ignore the spotlight-like gazes from different deer and ponies. Some were inquisitive, some were doubting, some were adoring, and yet most were simply curious.

As he walked past the shuttered windows, he shuddered involuntarily. Ever since he relit his inner flame, the cold became much more bone-cutting. While it was not life-threatening to him yet, he could picture why most dragons were so reluctant to go into the deep north.

From the opposite direction walked two familiar faces towards him. Cadance and Shining Armor looked deflated at first, but they both squeezed out some smile for Spike upon seeing him.

“Good day, Spike.” Shining Armor curtly said.

“It’s good to see you in good health.” Cadance nodded.

“You two don’t need to be that formal, I’m still Spike.” 
Cadance and Shining Armor looked at each other, and they both sighed with the same kind of helpless smile as well. 

Shining Armor said. “You know, Spike, we want to do something as well. You alone have done almost all the legwork towards unifying the races in the north and getting back at Sunset Shimmer, while we’re just standing there and watching.”

“Twi’s brother, you didn’t exactly do nothing. You’ve blasted a crater in the white wolves’ left flank. And then Cadance body-slammed into them like a wrestler. You two have wreaked havoc on the hapless whites, and that’s the first time anyone describe them as that.”

Shining Armor flashed a rare mirthful smile, but Cadance shook her head. “I would rather pursue a peaceful option, if only there’s one.”

“That’s what I think as well.”

Spike then slightly raised his brows. “Why the long faces? You two seem rather grim walking down the corridor. Can’t just be the weather.”

“… As I said, we want to do something, so we tried to reach out to these long lost pony races.” 

Spike massaged the bridge of his snout. “… I don’t suppose you got a very good reception.”

“Well, at least the Lucentian prince seems cordial. After all, he’s like Cadance’s cousin… a couple dozen times removed. The Firstling thane, however, was basically telling us to get lost.”

Spike looked grim, but then he asked. “Wait, how are you two talking to them? I don’t think you guys have a common tongue to talk in?”

Shining Armor said. “The Lucentian prince recognizes Cadance as a Crystal Princess even after all these years, after she showed off her crystal magic.”

Cadance added with a sad smile. “But we also recognize the universal body language of snubbing from thane Magnar.”

“Where are they now? I’m going to talk with them a bit. Perhaps there’s some misunderstanding abound.”

“They’re in the hall to the end of this corridor a moment ago, but I don’t know if they have things to do afterwards yet, given the talks and other diplomatic fanfare they must be itching to do with the deer after all these years of separation.”

“Thanks, I’ll check them out. Hopefully I can talk some sense into Magnar.”

Cadance smiled, while Shining Armor outright grinned. “Spike, you sound like you’re his father or something. That Magnar is at least thrice your age.”

“Much more than that, actually. But I’ll see to it.”

Spike smirked. “Anyway, another good news. I’ve finally recovered enough to send in a letter to Princess Celestia via my magical breath.”

“Really?” Cadance looked delighted.

“Is there any response yet?” Shining Armor quickly asked.

“Not yet. But since it’s only half a day, she might need to formulate some suitable response. Hopefully it’s not because there’s a messy situation in the south.”

“I see. All lucks to you, Spike.”

After waving off the two, Spike picked up the pace and jogged into the hall they just mentioned. To his disappointment, it seemed that the prince and the thane had already left, but at the far corner, one pony remained.

“Frigg…”

Frigg turned and coolly smiled. She then said in Old Draconic. “My lord, it’s great to be graced with thy presence.”

Spike knitted his brows to the all-too-familiar routine. “There’s no need to be that formal, Frigg. I come to tell you something that… well, it is better if you know.”

Frigg slightly bowed. “I await thy divine guidance.”

“I’m not Nidhogg-”

The silvery mare gently smiled. “I- We know very well that thou art not Nighthewer himself. But he had lived on through thee, Spike.”

“I still sincerely doubt my status as the messiah prophesized in your beliefs.”

“Then I ask of thee, my brilliant Spike, what other dragon is here in our blessed Nordland? What other dragon was dear to the deer princess, looking over her like a father? What other dragon arrived in the nick of time to lead our assault on our dreaded white nemesis? And what other dragon had the memories and knowledge of our adored lord in white scales?”

“I know I might have matched those description, but I’m a mere young drake. I don’t feel at all comfortable with your adoration, as I think I barely deserve those.”

“Why, my lord? Every single thing thou hast done is perfect proof for why thou deserve our adoration.”

“Well, this is also not what Nidhogg would have wanted.”

The ever cool and composed priestess looked curious. “Pray tell, my lord, please illuminate my opaque mind on His will.”

Spike sighed heavily. “Neither he, nor I, demand your worship. In fact, his most fervent wish was to make the deer, the Firstling and the Lucent into the union of self-determining equals. He never wanted to be deified. He already regretted immensely about having to play it safe, by putting the two races in what was effectively a magical enclosure, and thereby limiting your potential. Before he was gone, he only wished to set you free.”

Frigg looked at Spike with an intense look. And at last, she let out a silent breath. “Is that so, my lord…”

“Please, Frigg, I’m no one’s lord. Please just call me Spike.”

Facing the round-eyed priestess, Spike fidgeted. “… And I’m sorry too, Frigg.”

The silvery mare looked surprised. “My lor… um… what art thou sorry for?”

“Well, my word must have invalidated a lot of your beliefs. And, uh, I might even cause you to lose your job.”

Frigg blinked, and then blinked some more. At last, she began to chuckle with her clear cut-glass voice.

“Alas, I could not have thought that my adored dragon savior is most concerned about my mere remittance. As for our belief – well, it would be most strange for me to remain stubborn after the savior himself told me to halt.”

The silvery mare nodded. “But to us, both the Firstling and the Lucent, you are still the pillar of our minds. Your presence shone a light to how we should survive again in this familiar and yet so strange world. Your undaunted spirit would serve as our spiritual guide as to how we step into our brave new future.”

Frigg smiled thinly, a contrastive visage to the bewildered dragon. “Praise be, the Adorers did not arise out of thin air. As thou must have already known, we have always worshipped great heroes and illustrious ancestors, and the primacy of our erstwhile pantheon shifted from time to time. The Adorers were not only a devotional group towards our savior, but also the culmination and continuation of these beliefs. Our belief does give us strength. Magic flowed through our veins as we chant the gaudrar of devotion, and our Allfather smiles at our endeavor from beyond the ether. While we would try our best to heed thine advice, the exaltation of those beyond us would still be our incentive to move forward.”

Her hoof ran through the locks in her mane. “So indeed, it would be most welcoming if thou continue to stand out and serve as our inspiration... Spike.”

The dragon widened his eyes. He nodded, not without heavy doubt. “… If my presence serves a good purpose, then I guess so be it.”

“I thank thee, brilliant Spike.”

“You’re welcome…”

The dragon smiled helplessly. “So Frigg, I heard that Thane Magnar was not quite happy with Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor, wasn’t he?”

Frigg’s gaze flickered. “I suppose.”

“What was the matter? I doubt that they had any talk of substance given that they can’t really talk to each other.”

Frigg was clearly more uncomfortable than when she was talking about spiritual matters, but she complied. “The Firstling and the Lucent were both allies and friendly rivals. The ties of the two races are immensely complicated.”

“Frigg, so are you a Firstling or a Lucent?”

“A vala is both… and neither. I had sworn off allegiance to any clan when I became a vala.”

Frigg tried to pull up a smile, but only looked a bit forlorn. “But if thou must know, my father is a Firstling, and my mother is a Lucent… At least this was what the previous High Vala Fyorgynn told me anyway. They had given me up to the Adorers when I was very young, because the Adorers were dwindled to few by then, and they were both quite pious.”

“I- I see.”

“And as for why Thane Magnar was displeased, he was probably concerned that the Lucent might be wrangled away from the unique mutualism of the two pony races. Despite all, the Firstling saw the Lucent as their proud Nordic brothers, and if they were lured by their former ties to the Crystal Empire, he would not be amused.”

“Oh… I can’t say that is a silly worry. But given how we must break down the old connections and re-forge the northern races as one again, this seems short-sighted. Besides, Princess Cadance wanted to connect with not just the Lucent, but all races that she could count their support on. She was not there to try to pull the Lucent into the Crystallian fold again like some calculating bod.”

Frigg looked for once pleased and hopeful. “That’s good to hear. I can only pray for the eventual success of thy fair vision.”

Noticing Spike’s continuing gaze, Frigg smiled helplessly and said. “I suppose I can also help explaining to the thane about the Crystallian Princess’s benign intention.”

“Thank you very much, Frigg. I’m glad to have you here.”

“You’re most welcome, my lo-”

Frigg visibly gulped, and then gingerly smiled. “… Spike.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Hail, respected Suologievra.”

“Hail, respected Spike. What are you here for, young avatar of the white titan?”

Spike silently sighed. The white wolf matriarch was clearly not listening to him when he tried to explain his difference with Nighthewer. But he shook his tired head and said. “I trust that you have reached an accord, or at least an agreement with your younger son, and the soldiers that followed him.”

Suologievra mulled. “… Indeed. I thank you for your lenience, young avatar. Blood would certainly have spilled free and wild if my sons were the victor. You truly act as I expected the white titan would have done.”

“You overstate my influence, Suologievra. This is a collective decision agreed on by most who are involved.”

“… Even the ponies?”

“Embarrassed as it might be to say, but the ponies would probably listen to me if I tell them to stand down. The issue is whether the white wolves would do the same.”

“It’s not like I can do much. We’re in your custody, and I myself owe you the kindness of a life-saving meal.”

“What I’m saying is that I hope to see a true-hearted change-”

Suologievra smiled thinly with narrowed eyes, this time the dismissiveness was more apparent. “We might have an internal turmoil, and we’ve had a fresh defeat, but those are far from enough to change our deep-rooted culture.”

The white wolf matriarch just sat on the ground and casually leaned on the wall of the dilapidated barrack. “Basically, despising ponies is our national pastime. We’d curse the southerners even when we snub our claws on the legs of a table.”

“What if I told you that I can bring back the greys? Would the white wolves be less mad?”

Suologievra turned to Spike sharply with raised brows.

“A unicorn who’s my close relation had investigated the curse of Trefoil. Although she did not know the background or history of this curse, she set up an effective ritual that could have brought the remaining greys back from their cursed state to life. The only reason that stopped her from doing that was her fear that the returned greys would be mad, since she sensed that unicorn magic was what caused the curse in the first place.”

Suologievra narrowed her eyes and frowned. She studied the expression on the dragon, who remained silent. At last she said. “Even so far you had not told us any untruth, something as big as this had to be seen to be believed.”

Spike sighed. “I understand.”

“… But even though most of my pack would be very doubtful, I am inclined to believe the words from the venerable white titan.”

“Well… thanks for the trust anyway.”

Spike decided to save his breath and shifted to the next topic. “The Windigos were quieting down again, probably thanks to our current accord. The muskoxen also sent their help from their cave. So we’re all set for Isojoki, rightful chief.”

Suologievra brisked at Spike’s words. “Do you know any idea yet where had… Laske scampered to?”

The matriarch clearly sounded somewhat annoyed at the name of his traitorous son.

“What? Would he most likely be back at Isojoki?”

“He better not be, though I doubt I would shed a tear. A defeated general who lost almost all his army is going to meet with a terrible fate back home. At best he would be stripped of power and exiled like me, at worst, he might be executed right under the pole star.”

“Holy heck…” Spike was not only unsettled by the possible outcome, but also the casual dismissal of his blood offspring’s safety.

“I bet he was trying to go somewhere else to reorganize and regroup, and hopefully get a victory over us to redeem himself. I doubt that he had enough wolves under his command to do so, though. We must have captured over two-third of his forces.”

“Let’s get to Isojoki as quick as possible. The quicker you regain your throne, the faster we can make use of resources of Susia to track him down.”

“Very well. May this be a roaring success, so that this pointless conflict can be put to a rest.”

Her gaze flickered. “And if you can indeed bring back the greys, truly it would signal a new age in the Nordland and beyond.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainga stepped onto the podium in her full regalia, behind her was Thane Magnar and Prince Stellan, as well as Frigg, Spike, Cadance and Shining Armor. The two pony races sandwiched the deer in organized rectangular formations. The small square in front of the palace was entirely packed with soldiers, well rested and fed.

Shining Armor stepped up and casted a volume-boosting spell, and Rainga curtly thanked with a slight bow. Using simple Old Draconic, the deer princess began.

“Soldiers of Deermark, and soldiers of our ancient sister races, I, Princess Rainga, salute and welcome you. This is the most joyous moment in all our histories, and may the golden daughters of the great white dragon never be separated by ill fate again.”

Not all soldiers were proficient in the ancient tongue, but once some in the audience understood, the wave of approving chants spread out like ripples.

Rainga drew in a breath. She was secretly shaking in her armored boots, because it was the first time she made a public speech like Raingeva did. 

She turned slightly. Seeing Spike giving her a secret thumb-up, her confidence was boosted again. The deer princess coughed gently and quieted the soldiers, and she began again in Deerish.

“My fellow deer true and good, the time has finally come for us to step forward and come together as one. For ages, the deer have dutifully guarded the white mountain, the venerated Nighthewer’s magical barrier that sheltered our two sister races. I, and the Princesses that came before me, had sought a dragon that could take on the mantle of Nighthewer. Up came Spike, whose words brought together the unacquainted, and whose magic brought together the long lost. Now a new destiny is upon us, and we will end these thousands years of stasis and isolation due to fear of outside threat, as we will now set out to dispel them.”

She drew in another breath and said. “We deer are loyal and steadfast, and we have a long history of charity. We have been the guardians to Nighthewer’s legacy for three thousand years. And when the turmoil in the south forced our white-tailed friends to us, we opened our gate and welcomed them in. Today, it’s our time to reap the fruits of our patience, kindness and labor. We stand together against warring despots and ancient hatred, and when we succeed, Nordland will be a free and prosperous place for all to settle and thrive in. Let us raise our weapons and shields, and march onto Isojoki!”

The deer loudly cheered, and Rainga secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She signaled Prince Stellan to take over, and the magenta-coated stallion with short white mane nodded with a candid smile. He then waved to his organized spearponies, which elicited a unified shout of strength. 

Stellan opened his mouth. Spike then realized that he was speaking in Lucentian, which was again sufficiently different from Old Draconic and Deerish that it was completely unintelligible to him. It had a very nasal quality, quite forward in the face. It was also somewhat musical, perhaps a legacy from the Crystallian tongue they used to speak.

In the midst of Stellan’s speech, Spike caught him mentioning the names of Cadance and Shining Armor. The two also noticed, as they made an acknowledging gesture to the Prince in response. The thane looked on, but his gaze was not antagonistic, just guarded. He noticed Spike’s own gaze on him, and he grinned roughly to signal that he was over it.

When it came to Magnar’s turn, he trotted forward but kept silent. He then raised his hooves above his head, forcefully clapped them and yelled an ear-piercingly loud grunt.

Everyone except Stellan was stunned and shocked by the excessive volume. That’s when some Firstling soldiers in the formation began to beat their drum twice quickly in succession, and as if on cue, the whole Firstling army returned with an even more deafening chant and clap. The routine of Magnar and his army chanting menacingly loud and in tandem became more and more frequent, and at last descended into one billowing wave of boisterous cheers.

Magnar then yelled his speech to his soldiers, which was loud enough without the volume boosting. The ‘modern’ Firstling tongue sounded upbeat, fluid and rhythmic, with almost every sentence yodeling up in tone at the end. 

At last, it was Spike’s turn. Cadance and Shining Armor gave him a hopeful glance, to which he returned with a buoyant look. He mimicked Rainga and coughed gently, and he began using the similarly simplified form of Old Draconic, aiming for maximum intelligibility.

“Be healthy and happy, ponies and deer.”

A wave of murmurs spread among the listeners, principally the Firstlings. The traditional Firstling greeting again signaled his knowledge of their culture.

“I’m Spike, and perhaps you have heard of me from various sources. Just to confirm a few things first: Yes, I have inherited the experiences of Nighthewer the Dragon by way of magic, and I offered my bit of help in uncorking the barrier of the pocket dimension that once sheltered the Firstling and the Lucent.”

The murmurs grew much louder, with some hollering the name of ‘Gaddur’ loudly.

He gently breathed out and said. “I will not say whether I’m the dragon that was foretold. I am just what I am, a dragon with a fervent hope for peace and prosperity. Nighthewer once had a similar dream, to unite the disparate tribes of the north, stop the cycle of hatred and create everlasting peace.”

Holding his arms high, he said firmly. “Now a unique opportunity is upon us. The wicked unicorn consul, Sunset Shimmer, had usurped the rightful throne of Princess Cadance of Crystal Empire, and turned the nation into her own war machine. The north is not going to be spared. She already orchestrated the deposition of Paramount Chief Suologievra and prompted the new rulers to start a war with us. We have halted the nefarious plan of this horrible mare at our gate, and we will do it again at Isojoki!”

After some more cheers, he dropped the bombshell. “Nighthewer had one regret, it was about the very reason that set the white wolves onto their destructive and hateful path. A unicorn of old have cursed their grey-coated brothers into oblivion, and they wrongfully laid blame to the northerners. Even to this day, some of the white wolves are still fixated at this mad campaign of extermination.”

The story of Trefoil was only too familiar to the two pony races, and almost everypony in audience grew grim.

“But no more! For once the wicked forces are defeated, we will have a way to bring these greys back to life via a magical ritual, and we shall end this pointless carnage once and for all!”

After another wave of stunned grunts, he said. “Brothers and sisters! If you have faith in me, yourself, and our brilliant future, then wear your heart on your sleeves, and put every drop of your sweat and blood into the oncoming fight! Forward together!”

The soldiers responded in kind emphatically. “Forward together–!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“What a speech, shame that I only understand tids and bits.”

“Same here.”

Geuse pulled a long face. “I literally understand none of it. Darn you two polyglots showing off again.”

Kanipha narrowed an eye. “Uh… you’re a polyglot by definition too. Equestrian, Zebrikaans, and didn’t you learn a sprinkle of Antelopian from Verna too?”

Geuse’s cheeky expression fell when she heard the name of her antelope partner. “… Nah, Verna’s mother tongue is also Zebrikaans. Their family had settled in Timbucktu for a very long time… I miss her badly, though.”

The zebra colt scratched his cheek. “Sorry, Geuse, I should not bring that up.”

Geuse put a hoof on the zebra’s shoulder and grinned. “You know what, Kanny, I think you will suffice for now.”

Kanipha playfully crossed his arms. “I’m not your spare friend, missus pegasus.”

Pisacan smiled at the duo, basking in their little moment of warmth at the side. That was when she sensed the approach of a distinctly draconic scent. 

“Spike, welcome back.”

“Oh hey, Pisa. I’m back, but not for long.”

Spike’s voice was tired, as he thanked the Firstling pony who carried him to the chariot Pisacan and others were in. 

Geuse frowned. “Why? You’ve been all over the place ever since we began the march.”

Kanipha nodded. “Yeah, Spike, you can really use some rest!”

“I have to be with each of the races for a roughly equal amount of time, the white wolves included, so that none of them would feel I’m playing favorite.”

“Oh well…” Kanipha put his tongue out.

“And I just settled and acquainted Cadance and Shining Armor with the Lucentians. Prince Stellan is interested in what happened to the Crystal Empire for the time they were gone, so I translated for them.”

Geuse nodded. “So that’s why they aren’t back yet.”

“They had some mead. And by some I mean a giant bucket load. Lucentians love their liquor, just like the Firstlings. I doubt that they are quite sober enough to come back yet.”

“I’d rather not drink out of my mind at this moment and in this cold, and neither should they as well.”

Pisacan shifted and mulled. “So, Spike, isn’t it good that you can take a rest here? You don’t sound exactly relaxed yet.”

“Can’t hide it from you, huh?”

Spike smirked helplessly. “Yeah, they are arguing about stuffs that shouldn’t be a problem to begin with again.”

“How so?” Pisacan softly asked.

“So now Suologievra were leading her own followers, and also the newly surrendered white wolves. While her younger son was sulking and not doing much to disrupt the order, the other races are making some complaints about…”

He sighed and rolled his eyes up in frustration. “… the white wolves’ marching position.”

“What?” Kanipha asked with a frown.

“You see, after the battle in the forest, even the ones who aren’t savviest about ancient legends become crossed with the wolves. So while they aren’t going to openly disobey my advice, they are really reluctant to let them march alongside them. They think that placing them at the front, like now, is a disgrace. Placing them at the flanks would imply that they’re equal and also make them feel exposed. And placing them at the rear-”

Kanipha finished his words. “-make them think that their plots are on fire, got it.”

Geuse covered her mouth before she could snort out loud. “So what are you going to do?”

“Beat me. I really don’t need another thing to wreck my nerves some more, but I guess that what I deserve for not dealing with that distrust before we began our march.”

Pisacan quietly listened, and after a while, she said. “How about placing them in the center?”

The purple dragon raised a brow. “… Oh?”

“As far as I know, we have four battalions in our formation, each led by the leaders of the four allied races. Out of all, the muskoxen, despite their small numbers, have the least bad blood with the white wolves, and they didn’t participate in the battle against them. So they should be the least wary about having them as their rear. Given their neutral status, the three races should be fine with them heading the front. This arrangement can let them watch the white wolves from behind, and it is also fair to all three races. In addition, they can march in a staggered formation, so that even if, goodness forbid, the white wolves turn back and get at them, there is adequate space cushion between the soldiers.”

“I doubt that she would turn against us.”

“That’s less a precaution but more of a way to simply make these soldiers feel safer.”

“I see… This is an excellent advice, Pisa.”

Geuse and Kanipha both nodded. “We agree.”

Pisacan grinned. “You’re welcome. Although it’s rather unlikely for me to be joining the Crystallian officer corps given the circumstance, those private tutoring has to pay off in one way or another.”

“Thank goodness I have such good, loyal and competent friends. My heart would have given out long ago with all those responsibilities that, frankly, came out of nowhere... Can’t even use the ‘I’m a baby dragon’ excuse these days without getting a wave of eye-rolls.”

Geuse bit her lips. “Heh… Hope we can get out of this mess in one piece.”

“Yeah, and then you- we can go back to our peaceful, old lives.” Kanipha added.

Spike sighed. “I doubt that it can ever happen. Things are never going to be the same.”

“Doesn’t mean it can’t be better, though.” Pisacan said meaningfully.

Spike eyed the crystal pony, and breathed out. “Alright, let me do this one last thing, and I’ll call it a day.”

The dragon wanted to yell out some command, but was immediately floored by an even larger waves of loud commands. He almost lost his balance as the chariot he was on quickly reverse its course.

“What the heck is that?” He yelped.

He poked his head out of the chariot, and spotted a young Firstling jarl galloping alongside their chariot.

“Jarl Haldor!”

Haldor immediately turned and looked at Spike with a reverent look, while keep galloping forward. “Hail, Gaddur! What may I be of service?”

“I want to know why we’re suddenly running towards our rear!”

“It was the emergency command from High Vala on the front line! We moved after all four leaders raised their flags to signal approval!”

“But what happened? Is it the white wolves?”

“Sorry sir, I don’t know. We simply follow commands on the battlefield.”

“Jarl Haldor, you shall be relieved of your guard duty for the moment. Please go ask Frigg why we’re retreating. If it’s enemy, we might need to communicate for a bit.”

“Yes sir!”

But before Haldor even moved, the galloping visage of Frigg already appeared among the sea of running white wolves that sandwiched the two groups. She saw Spike’s chariot, and expertly hopped on its edge without a second thought.

“Frigg!” Spike yelled.

“Hail, heroic Spike. I personally come to discuss with thee the trouble ahead.”

“Or now behind.”

Frigg raised a brow, but the humor flew above her head. “Indeed, my mistake.”

Spike sighed. “What might this trouble you speak of? Why must we make haste for the rear?”

“The road ahead of us is flooding immensely, and the way the water roars, it might entirely engulf our advancing soldiers, since we’re treading on lowlands. We must make way for the higher grounds behind us.”

“That’s strange. According to both Rainga and Yolana, the Great River should not overflow so early in the year.”

“If the maps are still correct, the Great River should not flow in this area at all.”

“So we’re bracing for a mega-flood that just happens, what luck…”

“In fact, I do not think that this flood is at all a coincidence.”

Frigg brushed her luscious violet locks aside and said curtly. “… Windigos.”

Spike widened his eyes and said. “Oh… I see what you mean now.”

Frigg smiled. “These otherworldly spirits blow cold winds that chill our bones whenever there is conflict. We’ve seen it with our own eyes after the battle. Yet now, warmth and gentle wind is all that we feel, and snow is nowhere to be seen. I trust that peace that is never before had will soon come to the great north.”

“But not yet, Frigg. We need to set our sight at the present and finish the task. So many things are at stake… Matters of national fate aside, I also have loved ones who are captured, bewitched and behind enemy lines.”

Frigg widened her eyes, temporarily unable to process that the dragon, so revered and venerated, has his own mundane ties. She gulped gently and only managed to say. “Yes.”

Spike shifted into a more joking mood. “But this kind of flooding might tie us down for quite some time. Do you think we can use some mock battle in our midst, you know, to bait the Windigos?”

Frigg again did not get his humor. Instead, she grew somewhat admiring. “Wise Spike, what an idea! Indeed, we can organize a ritual battle, to induce the Windigos to act to our advantage…”

“Uh apologies, I’m just being facetious. I think in this case, the muskoxen might be right. They like to say ‘respect the spirits, but keep them at pole’s length’. Even if the ritual works, it might overshoot and cause a blizzard. Not to mention if it’s already flooding, freezing the floodwater isn’t going to make them go away.”

Frigg’s ears drooped slightly. “You’re right. I’m too foolish before thy-”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Frigg, perhaps now we should also inform the other commanders, so that we can plan out our next course of action.”

The silvery mare nodded and said. “Actually, I’ve sent out messengers to them as well. I just figure that your counsel would be most illuminating.”

“You joke, Frigg. It’s you who suggested the most logical explanation of what’s happening after all. Despite everything, I’m still a young dragon. I act thick and make mistakes. So don’t take my words as gospel.”

Frigg looked conflicted again, but after an exchange of looks, she curtsied. “… I shalt excuse myself, heroic Spike.”

“Be healthy and happy, Frigg.”

Spike turned with a sigh, and noticed two pairs of curious eyes and a pair of straightened ears both directing at him.

“… Uh, you guys can open your mouths and ask. Don’t have to do the eavesdrop.”

Kanipha pouted. “It’s not like I can understand beyond the simplest bit. I hate it when there’s something that I can’t make sense of.”

Spike smiled helplessly. “Relax, Kanny. She’s just telling me why the army was running tails. It’s because there’s big flood ahead, which is probably caused by the excessive weakening of Windigo activities.”

The zebra colt’s frown turned into a snort. “So there is a downside to harmony. Discord is right all along!”

“Heh, I will let him know of your approval if we ever make it back. Maybe he would cast some blissfully mind-altering spells on you as your reward.”

Kanipha blanched. “Heck, no.”

“Heh. So we’ll have a meeting shortly after arriving at higher grounds and some more observation. If the flood continues, we might need to think of a safer way to cross it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



In a temporary large tent on a hilltop, the leaders and commanders of the coalition army sat around a large round stone that they found in the vicinity and was used as a temporary table top.

Thane Magnar began by gruffly huffing in highly accented Old Draconic. “The flood is terrible. As brave and strong my axe warriors are, they aren’t going to chop the water in half and walk in the middle.”

Prince Stellan nodded. “Brother Magnar speaks the truth. I simply cannot risk my good ponies by potentially letting the flood engulf them.”

Frigg mulled. “And yet the flood will only get worse as the weather becomes warmer.”

Rainga was trying to rub the boredom out of her eyes. Once she noticed the gazes falling on her, she quickly said. “Uh, how about we try to ford it at a shallow place?”

Holding onto her translation bead, Yolana frowned and mentally directed her magical speech to her intended audience. “No, we can’t. The tundra with all the melted ice is already muddy and hard to march on. We all are either heavily-equipped or heavy enough by ourselves. Our hooves can get stuck in the muddy water and we would sink into the ground. Besides, the terrain changes quickly as water flows through, it’s nigh impossible for us to find a good ford that would last for the entire army to go through.”

Rainga pouted, and the other leaders sighed or groaned aloud. 

Spike looked on, and translated their words for those who did not know Old Draconic that well. 

After listening to the purple dragon, Cadance then suggested. “How about caulking the chariots and sleds to float them across?”

Shining Armor pondered and said. “Or even make a pontoon bridge?”

Spike nodded and turned his gaze to the last but largely ignored white wolf matriarch, Suologievra. She and surprisingly, her younger son, sat at the side silently with an ashen look. Even without understanding what the others were saying, the two felt the disdain solidly directed at them, especially from the prince and the thane.

The purple dragon did not pay heed to those searing gazes, and simply asked in Susian, the white wolf tongue. “Suologievra, Puuska, now that the flood has blocked our way, what do you suggest us to do to reach Isojoki? Is fording the river feasible? Or is caulking our chariots or building a pontoon bridge safer?”

The mother and the son were both surprised that their opinions were being asked. Puuska, in particular, never thought that his thought would even matter.

Suologievra said first. “Thank you, respected Spike, for asking our opinion. I do not think that fording is at all a feasible option. For one, we white wolves have shorter legs and much lower centers of gravity, and we would get easily swept away by rising waters.”

Puuska briefly gave his mother a judging look, but also added swiftly. “Respected Spike, I must also adore your forbearance, for treating a defeated general like me with kindness and respect. As for your question, floating across or making a pontoon bridge might work, but it’s not quite safe either. The excessive ice melting would flood areas that have not been previous flooded for a long time, and it would carry a lot of dangerous debris. A simple wooden craft or hollowed floats would not withstand those easily.”

Suologievra nodded. “Puuska is right. Proper ships are needed to carry us through. We might even reach Isojoki faster if we travel by river.”

Spike nodded, and translated their words for Magnar, Stellan and Frigg. The three looked to each other and exchanged a few glances.

Magnar then said slowly. “Princess Rainga.”

Rainga widened her eyes at the unexpected call, and coughed nervously. “Um, yes?”

“Is it alright if we use some of the wood from the Deermark forest?”

“… Slicing some trees down on the outskirt shouldn’t be much of a problem. There aren’t that many good oak except in the middle of the forest, but a lot of them were felled by the fierce snowstorm caused by the Windigos. Birch trees are plenty, but birch wood rot too quickly to make any river-worthy craft.”

Stellan shrugged. “It’s not like we need them for long.”

“So do you need the service of our woodcrafters? I might need to send back messengers to gather them.” Rainga asked.

Magnar and Stellan looked to each other, and grinned. Magnar said. “We only need the wood to be here, and our axe warriors would be more than ready to march back and cut the woods.”

Stellan nodded. “We could use some cords and saws, which would speed up our work, but it’s not strictly necessary.”

Magnar raised his cup of mead. “Give us five days of time, and we would craft enough longships to carry all of us to the gate of Isojoki!”

Rainga was surprised. “Just five days? It would take us up to a month or two to build ships that large and many, without tools or a shipyard!”

This time Frigg said with a subtle smile. “Princess Rainga, the Firstling and the Lucent have built longships for our various rituals, each year for three thousand years, longer if you count Firstling history before that. If we say five days, then you can simply settle down and watch us work wonder.”

Spike smiled. “Very well. So any objection to this idea?”

He asked around in different tongues. After seeing a round of shaking heads, he proclaimed. "Well then, let us build the longships and sail onto Isojoki. May our voyage be safe and fast."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike looked towards the horizons, but it was no longer possible to see the dry land on the opposite side. The river had grown so wide that it had become a veritable gulf that broke the land in half.

He looked back, and was still scarcely believing when he saw the majestic longships with the likeness of dragons carved on their heads. The Drekkar, or dragon ships, were elegant and ornately decorated, a feat that was not overshadowed by the amazing speed the Firstling and the Lucent finished their work.

As long as the Firstling brought back logs and logs of wood from the Deermark forest, the Lucent immediately organized themselves into small but highly organized units of workers, each in charge of a step in the carving of the keel, stems and hull. And then like putting together a knock-down boat model, they seamlessly put together all the parts at the same time. An impeccable longship would then appear out of thin air before his eyes. 

The Firstling had their own ritualistic carvings that Frigg told him about. They were imageries of fire-breathing dragons, which were said to contain protective magic and could scare off enemies. With the consent of the thane, the muskoxen also painted on wards of their own, and put on colorful beads around the dragon-heads on the bows. At last, Cadance and Shining Armor tightened the wooden planks of the hull with their own magic.

After most of the soldiers boarded the ships, the remaining ones on the ground let slip the tracks and slid the ships into the river water. The ropes that held the ships immediately grew taut, as the Firstling rowers hurried to their positions.

Spike boarded one of the longships using a plank. The water was so turbulent that it almost threw him off balance, but he jumped onto the deck with a last-minute sprint.

When the ropes were unfastened, the rowers immediately set into motion, and the sails were lowered. The fleet of fifty large longships set sailed in a spectacular fashion.

At first, the ships sailed down the river with the flow. Isojoki was at the river delta of its namesake, therefore they would likely reach their destination directly by going downstream.

Two days into the voyage, the white wolf navigator already reported that they have gone 3/4 on their way to Isojoki, which even taking account into the time of building the longships, was vastly ahead of their schedule.

On a windless afternoon, Spike and his three original companions gathered near the bow and had a chat.

Kanipha mulled. “Despite the name, this perpetual twilight is unsettling, to be honest.”

Spike consoled. “Don’t overly worry, Kanny. We’re going more north and north, and the sun and moon is only going to hide from us for a longer time.”

Geuse said. “I also can’t shake off the feeling that something’s wrong. Not seeing the sun and the moon going round is driving me a bit stir-crazy.”

Pisacan smiled. “I know I’m no one to talk, given that I can’t see either the sun or the moon, but we can simply sail south after Isojoki, and this would be the most likely way that we can go back. Isn’t that good news?”

Spike said curtly. “True.”

Kanipha, though, sighed. “… If the south is all peaceful, but I doubt that’s the case.”

Geuse opened her mouth, but her voice was covered by a distant but ear-pounding series of boom, almost like a thunder right next to her ears.

Everyone covered their ears, and turned to the source of the sound. The polar dusk was dim, but thanks to the clear air, they were able to look to the distant horizons. The source of the Great River, the Everhoof and Yaket range, stood prominently in a distance to the south. However, something was seriously wrong with how it looked like.

“What’s happening?” Pisacan asked with worry.

Kanipha yelped. “Holy, there is a giant avalanche on the Everhoof!” 

Spike narrowed his eyes and observed carefully. “It’s no ordinary avalanche. Some natural ice dam on the north face of Everhoof must have melted away and collapsed.”

Geuse pointed towards the now breached dam. “My goodness, look at that! Water is shooting out of the mountain pass like a giant hose!”

Pisacan gritted her teeth and muttered something under her breath. “This doesn’t sound good at all. The Everhoof held a huge amount of water in those glacial lakes. If they are let go all at once, then this river flood we’re witnessing now will be foal’s play!”

Kanipha blanched again. “We’re going to be smashed into little bits when the mega-flood eventually arrives!”

Spike forcefully breathed out, and immediately walked away. He then shouted towards the Firstling captain of the longship, who was slightly trembling at the immense power of nature.

“Captain Preben! Tell all other captains to chain the longships together, we cannot be blown apart by the incoming floods!”

“Y- Yes, heroic Spike!”

Spike’s firm command had settled the Firstling captain down somewhat. He immediately ordered the signaler to communicate with all other longships in the fleet. Flying chains of metal were immediately thrown across decks, and the staggering formation was condensed into a rectangular platform on the roaring river.

The ear-deafening rumbling sounds grew louder and louder, until the ship crew were able to see a horrifying sight on the horizon – a giant wave of muddy water, filled with various debris, was slamming downstream towards them in a lightning speed.

The captains immediately ordered the sails to be hung up, and the rows were withdrawn. Every passengers on the longship crowded towards the middle of the deck, held onto the firm masts and hoped for the best.

The wall of water chased up the fleet like a ferocious beast. Even as the fleet and the wave front travelled in the same direction, the flood was still closing down menacingly. 

Finally, the water arrived at the back of the chained-up fleet. Like a carpet that had been flipped up roughly, the longships, along with its crew, were thrown into mid-air. Even the battle-hardened soldiers on the ships let out a horrified scream, as they thought it was the certain end of them.

But also like a carpet, they fell one by one down onto the surface of the water the right side up. Most of the rudders on the ship were ruined by high-speed debris, and the hulls sustained some superficial damage. But other than that and some bruising injuries on unlucky crews, the entire fleet miraculously survived the onslaught of the catastrophic flood.

The fleet, though, now drifted down the river without any control. As the crew struggled to recover, gain a sense of what was happening, and then row the ships away from strutting rocks, they had lost reference to landmark or even the cardinal directions.

The messy situation persisted for quite a while, until the tumult in the water slowed and quieted down, allowing proper communication to be finally restored between ships. 

Spike, who had hit his head heavily on the bow, let out a giant sigh of relief as he heard the reports streaming back that there was no casualty.

“I don’t know whether it was the dragon carvings, the muskoxen runes, the magic casted by Cadance and Shining Armor, or simply the master woodwork of the Lucent. But we owe all of them big time.”

Kanipha yelped. “But we’re now getting ferried about on this wave of flood without any control!”

Spike sighed. “Better than getting crushed by the flood in the first place.”

“What if it carries us to some giant rock and smashed us onto it?”

Geuse interjected. “Um, I don’t think that would be likely. Look.”

The orange pegasus pointed to their surroundings. Despite a thick layer of mist hung on the horizon to the south, it was clear that there were now in a much larger body of water.

Kanipha was stunned. “What the hay? Where is land?”

Spike walked towards the Firstling captain, but it was the white wolf navigator who spoke first. “Respected Spike, I believe that the flood had carried us far away from Isojoki.”

“Is that true, Herra Tapio?”

“I am not a hundred percent sure, but I have used a far-barrel to watch the landscape from afar as we’re getting swept away. It seemed that the flood, instead of carrying us downstream to Isojoki, had instead poured across the Meän Pass and down the Kvään River Gorge, which drains to the southeastern sea. I surmise that that is where we are at now.”

Spike carefully walked towards the edge of the ship, and scooped up some water with his claws. It was chilling, but once he tasted it with his tongue, a zingy salty flavor spread in his mouth. 

After relaying the message to the captain, he looked onto the misty horizons with a welling sense of dread and unease. Fate seemed determined to play him around literally like a float on tumbling sea, and he literally could do nothing as well.
 

> Chapter 7 – Tides of Fate
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With loud grounding sounds, the heads of the longships ran ashore. The rowers tried their best to avoid grounding, but the lack of functioning rudders made that pretty much a futile task.

The assorted muskoxen, deer, pony and white wolf soldiers unloaded themselves orderly at the command of their respective leaders. The longships were too damaged to sustain much further voyage, so the leaders were somewhat relieved that they were finally on shore, despite that their original war plan was all thrown into disarray.

The beach they landed on was a rocky beach in the middle of a fjord. A thick cloud of mist hung around the coast, necessitating the use of torches. 

After the leaders congregated, scouts were sent out to locate a suitable site to make camp. But what the scouts reported back was surprising, especially to Spike.

The purple dragon asked. “Really? Are you sure about that, Birger?”

Birger attempted to answer in broken Old Firstling, until Stellan stopped him and translated for him. “Yes, Birger is sure. He saw a moderate-sized but drab-looking settlement at the end of the valley. There are silos and farming fields, but few crops are in them, only rocks and rubbles. There are also ponies wearing greyish and black clothing tending to them.”

Magnar huffed. “What? Who are these fools? Farming rocks? Everypony knows minerals are mined, not farmed.”

Spike interjected. “Apologies, Thane Magnar, it’s actually practiced in some parts of Equestria. Due to the high level of magic in parts of the land, arranging the rocks in a certain manner can promote the growth of certain mineral within the rocks, usually construction materials like marble, granite and sandstone. That’s not to say you can’t just mine them off somewhere, it’s much quicker that way in fact, but rock farming is more sustainable and less polluting.”

Frigg thinly smiled. “My brilliant Spike, your knowledge once again illuminates us.”

Spike looked briefly bashful, but then his expression turned painful. “I… I have a loved one that was a rock farmer. That’s why I know about it.”

He gulped and asked. “Is there any sign of enemy presence? Crystallian flags? Crystal pony soldiers walking around?”

Stellan again translated for him and said. “Nay. Birger said the only flag in town is a square pennant, with two winged unicorns inside it.”

“That’s the flag of Equestria. So this settlement is not fallen, and probably safe to approach. Still, we must be careful. But if everything goes smoothly, we might be able to confirm our location and even obtain some much needed supplies.”

He paused and said. “We should not approach all at once, lest it frightens the townsponies. I shall go talk with the town leader, maybe with a few other companions, as they’re likely to speak Equestrian. It would be safer for the rest of you to stand guard here. As impossible as it might be, enemies might descend on us with surprise.”

Stellan said. “Indeed, the flood was already a major occurrence that we could not have ever accounted for. It would be wise to play safe.”

Magnar nodded, and Frigg bowed. “May the weavers of fate be in your favor, brilliant Spike.”

Spike thanked the three, and explained the situation to the others. Aside from Cadance, Shining Armor, Geuse, Pisacan and Kanipha, Puuska the white wolf, in a shocking move, volunteered to be their bodyguard.

The purple dragon was at least understanding if Suologievra was the one who made the suggestion, but he could not understand the motivation of the white wolf younger brother, who had been until recently their enemy.

The zebra colt and others also looked at Puuska somewhat warily. The young wolf bared his teeth and grinned. “Am I really this untrustworthy?”

“I just… um, wanna know why you would like to do that.” Spike pulled the white wolf to the side and cautiously said in the white wolf tongue.

The gaunt white wolf snorted. “Just feel like it, it’s all.”

“It’s all?”

“I think that you’re the only one that gives me any kind of respect after my defeat, so I kind of want to repay you for that.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s just something basic. Honor is what separate us from beasts.”

“Honor, well said... Besides, after I get captured, I’m beginning to understand my brother’s mindset. This makes me more amenable to the idea of change.”

“Oh?”

“Laske is always the more impulsive of us two, and without sounding like blaming him for this, he was the one who hatched the idea of pulling the coup upon seeing that orange-coated unicorn. I usually overthink things, and this was what got me into your claws in the first place. So I think, why don’t I let what I feel leads me for once? For now, I feel that you’re someone that I should really strive to protect.”

Spike mulled, and then thinly smirked. “Well, not least because if I encounter any accidents, you and your band of white wolves would lose a voice that advocates for your welfare.”

Puuska moaned. “Heh, they say you’re the new avatar for Nighthewer, but you are way too slick to resemble the white dragon in legend.”

“I might have Nighthewer’s memories, but I’m my own dragon. I don’t want to be all foxy, to be honest. I just wish for the safety of my friends and loved ones… and uh, preferably also myself. So if you don’t pull anything funny, I won’t.”

“I’m not going to. I’m interested to see if your vision pans out as well.”

“Huh, really? I thought you belong to the faction that calls for cleansing the ponies for the surface of the earth.”

Puuska widened one of his eyes, and broke out in laughter. Spike frowned. “What’s so funny about killing off an entire race?”

The lanky wolf let out a groan and said. “Oh man, harsh. Do you really believe every word my mama said? Yes, she’s usually upright and honorable. She’s also a wolf born in aristocracy. Nobles like us are trained to phrase things to our best advantage, even if it means lying by omission.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am no ideological crusader. My brother is a rare specimen, he does believe that this land of ours is better off without pesky ponies. But he never really seriously thought he would encounter any surviving Firstlings, nor did he ever contemplate straight-up wipe out pony civilians beyond the expected war-time damages, even if he gets to the south, since he’s more honor-bound than most other wolf nobles. How the heck can that be compatible with a pony-cleansing agenda, nobody knows. Despite his battle prowess, he’s not one to think things through.”

He rolled his eyes. “I myself am not too concerned that there are some quadrupeds that live beyond our border, who might have an ancestor that did something to the poor greys. Not to mention that the attack on the Firstlings was largely something of a silly collateral mistake. And yes, what happened to the greys was terrible, but come on, it’s three thousand years ago. I was shocked and honestly a bit amazed that you said they’re still kind of alive, and that you can bring them back. If so, great…! So in conclusion, mother probably exaggerated our fervor to make us more threatening.”

“… But that’s mostly about yourself. What about white wolves as a whole?”

Puuska grinned. “It’s a cruel reality, but no white wolf in the modern time really care about the survival of some distant ponies, nor are they all for honoring the memories of the greys. Yes, they still get all uppity when you trot out mentions of ponies, be it Firstlings or the southerners. But the truth is, this hatred is shallow, not much beyond shouting profanities after a few chugs of votka.”

The young white wolf lowered his voice. “It is actively maintained and manufactured by us, the elite, for political gains. The ponies have long transformed from a tangible target of hatred, to some abstract bogey monsters that represented the loss of white wolf honor. Basically, don’t think of us as a monolithic race who’s hell-bent on this pony-offing business. The so-called two factions within our society are simply your garden-variety warmongers and peacelovers, common to all races in the world. Once the new order in your vision is implemented, both would probably be obsolete.”

Spike was somewhat floored but also intrigued by Puuska’s new angle of white wolf society. But he then raised a brow and asked suspiciously. “You seem quite worldly for a wolf that lives in the isolated north.”

“Susia might look isolated to deer and muskoxen, but that’s just due to their bias… and our own as well. We do trades all the time, just not with them. We have a large fishing fleet based in Isojoki, and we sell those fish to the Ursians, and sometimes bugbears as well, in exchange of gems, tools and all kinds of other stuffs.”

“… Wait, bugbears? I thought they were, um, monsters from Tartarus.”

“Tartarus? Monsters? I don’t know about that. But bugbears are indeed an easily irritated bunch, and they flew too often into incomprehensible rage all the time to properly do trade with, so I said sometimes… Hmm, don’t the ponies like to use that underworld dimension to exile criminals? I guess he might just be a madder-than-usual specimen that waded into pony lands.”

Puuska grew interested as he talked on. “These bugbears, when they’re not being raving mad and smashing things up, live in primitive huts in the northwestern corner of Ursia. And they’re definitely sapient, because they speak a variant of Ursian, have a modicum of social structure and recognize Ursian suzerainty.”

“Hmm… Ursia? How come I’ve never heard of this place before?”

“It’s possible. They’re rather reclusive to most other species as well, just like us. Ursians are intelligent bears living to the vast wild forest east of the empire of the griffons. They are rather diminutive in size, but love their liquor so very much. We import crates and crates of votka from them every year…”

Puuska blinked, and slapped his forehead. “Oh, I slip too far from our original topic, I’m sorry. It’s just too boring without a proper conversational partner for so long. Besides, mother had appointed me as the ambassador to Ursia for a number of years, so I grow quite fond of that place.”

“It’s okay, I’m interested in the world beyond as well. But now, we should pack up and prepare to do the parlay. If you want any extra equipment, do tell.”

Puuska raised a brow and smirked. “Oh? So I gather that you permit me to go.”

“Yes, but on one condition.”

The white wolf made a face. “Pray tell, what can it be? Walking there on my forelegs only?”

“Quit acting cheeky. I just want you to start learning Equestrian, and possibly Old Draconic, so that you can communicate with the others directly, and make them less paranoid around you.”

“Oh trust me, I’ve been eavesdropping on you all to try to get a hang of them. But by goodness it’s just impossible. How can two languages be so hopelessly different?”

“Nothing is impossible, you just need to start with basics. I will try to teach you some on our way to that settlement. I’m already teaching those to the Firstlings and the Lucent leaders as well. Hopefully someday I can quit being the busy translator.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Are you out of your mind, Spike? Why are you br- bringing him? He’s gonna sneak behind us an- an- and…”

Spike patted the frightened zebra colt’s head. “Calm down, Kanny. I had a… heartfelt talk with Puuska, and he’s not going to act up, he even swore to guard us with his life.”

Geuse narrowed an eye. “Like we are going to trust someone who’s willing to turn on his own mother.”

Shining Armor said. “Yeah… Spike, I don’t get it either. He’s more of a liability than asset to be kept around.”

Cadance nodded. “He might sabotage our effort to reach out to these villagers.”

Spike felt a bit defeated facing the sea of opposition, but he insisted. “He might be a bit frivolous, but… his words sound genuine. And sometimes, we need to be the first ones to extend an olive branch. For the good of our future.”

Kanipha frowned deeply. “We have plenty of time to play with an olive branch in the camp. No need to jeopardize our mission like that… And h- he’s a meat-eating canine!”

“I asked, he said he only eat fishes aside from wolfberries.”

“He could be lying!”

Spike cupped his face with his claws. “Please trust my judgment! Not that it ever leads to Tartarus, right?”

Puuska looked on from the side, and he called out to Spike and laid a paw on his shoulder. The others almost all straightened in alarm, but the wolf immediately raised his forelegs to signal that he meant no harm. Then he whispered for a while into the dragon’s ear, and snuck something into his palm.

Spike then sighed and said. “Puuska just told me that he knew all of you don’t trust him a bit, so he gives me this.”

He held up a small metal pipe, which looked like a miniature flute.

“What’s that?” Kanipha asked.

“It’s a wolf whistle. It’s like a dog whistle, one that gives out high frequency sound that only they can hear. But this one is magically enchanted with his cut fur. Once blown, it would cause unimaginable pain in his head and immediately paralyze him.”

“Why the hay would he have something like that by his side?” Pisacan looked aghast.

“Yeah, are the white wolves somehow masochistic?” Geuse added sarcastically.

Spike turned and asked Puuska again, earning an amused look from him as he explained. The dragon then said to the others. “It’s an utmost sign of trust from a white wolf noble, as it implies total submission. Puuska used to give his to his brother, the heir apparent, before Laske himself gave it back to him as a sign of gratitude for his loyalty.”

Cadance and Shining Armor looked to each other with raised brows. Cadance was about to say something, when Kanipha suddenly grabbed the whistle from Spike’s claws. Both Spike and Puuska looked stunned, when Kanipha blew into the whistle forcefully.

“Wait, Kanny!”

Spike’s words were late, however. The young white wolf let out an extremely pained yelp, then convulsed and fell onto the pebbled ground gracelessly. His eyes rolled back, and his jaw hung open listlessly.

Kanipha walked near the wolf, and forcefully jabbed his chest with his hoof. He then smacked the wolf’s cheeks. After eliciting absolutely no response, he shrugged and said. “Huh, I thought he’s just bluffing or pretending.”

Spike looked almost exasperated. “Kanny, how can you betray his trust like that? Surely he must trust us not to use it casually to give us the key to his weakness!”

Kanipha puffed his cheeks. He was irritated that Spike sparred with him over some wolf that had until recently been their enemy. “I- It’s not the first time he gives it out! It’s not like it’s anything unique or precious anyway!”

Spike did not say anything in return, simply electing to show disappointment through silence. The zebra colt peeked at the disapproving dragon, and his ears drooped.

Geuse sighed and said. “Come now, Spike, you can’t blame him for distrusting canines… especially these wolves who have a history of aggression.”

Pisacan also added. “Yes, Spike, he also shows us that the whistle does work.”

Spike frowned deeply. “And now we’ve meaninglessly tortured a well-wishing wolf on our side…”

He tried to see if the wolf was alright. Cadance and Shining Armor were tending to the wolf. The white unicorn turned and said. “Well, we aren’t experts on wolf anatomy, but he’s breathing steadily and his heart’s still beating.”

“He should be doing fi-”

The pink alicorn’s words were cut short by the sudden movement of the white wolf. Puuska struggled to get up, and managed it at the end. But his look was one of glazed confusion and fear.

Spike said to the white wolf. “Puuska-”

The wolf flinched and grew pale. He immediately begged with a weak shaky voice, completely unlike the confident and wry tone he had been using all the time. “Oh goodness gracious, please, please never do that again...”

The dragon winced and looked to the zebra colt with an even more displeased glare. Although Kanipha still did not understand his speech, but his fearful desperation was only too apparent. The zebra colt sighed and said. “Alright, I’m sorry.”

Spike translated it for the wolf, who looked back with a leaden expression. “He said as long as you don’t do it without a reason again, he’s fine. He would let us keep the whistle as well.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The party set out after Puuska was given some time to recover. The U-shaped valley slowly inclined up from the inlet, and it was covered by short bushes that were stunt by the north winds. 

Soon they crossed the pass described by the scout and left the mist-covered valley floor, the rock farming settlement entered their eyes.

They were stunned, as it was not at all some dinky small town. While the architecture was distinctly monotonic and archaic by Equestrian standard, it seemed well planned. Stone paved road weaved around square plots of land, alternating between farm houses and rock fields. The town also extended to the horizon covered by another cloud of mist, suggesting that it must at least cover an area half the size of Ponyville.

As the party walked down the slope, Spike muttered. “This town is large. How come I never see it marked on any official maps of Equestria? Does anyone have any idea which town could this be?”

A series of head shakes followed. Cadance added. “Not even the maps in Crystal Empire, I’m afraid.”

Geuse then said. “So long as it’s a town under Equestrian control, it should be friendly territories, right?”

Kanipha agreed. “Whatever we decide to do, whether to repair the ships and sail back to Isojoki, or else, we really need replenishment, supplies and somewhere to rest. A lot of our food are spoiled when flood water spilled on board. Settling down in this town should do the trick.”

Trotting down slowly with the help of Geuse and her walking cane, Pisacan said. “Although Equestrian maps are famously lacking, the fact that no one here has heard of this place should be a cause of caution. We can’t let down our guards. This town smells of suspicion.”

The party nodded, and continued to slowly progress towards the town. Finally, they reached the outskirt of the town, and a bearded pony wearing a black felt hat slowly drew his buggy across the street.

Spike gulped, and walked towards the bearded pony. He distinctly reminded the purple dragon of Pinkie’s father at her family rock farm.

The bearded pony turned as Spike was about to greet him. But instead of engaging the dragon, the pony breathed in sharply and galloped away with all his might. He disappeared into one of the farm houses just in a short moment, leaving a stunned-looking Spike standing on the street at its wake.

When the others caught up to him, Kanipha said wryly. “Seems like your outreach isn’t all that well-received, Spike.”

Pisacan nodded. “I hate to say it, but they might be more comfortable with talking to a simple pony, than an eclectic bunch like us.”

Cadance touched her horn and sighed. “Me being an Alicorn is likely too conspicuous for these ponies.”

“And if Cadance stays, I would be here with her.” Shining Armor said.

“I’m a bit too striped to be counted as a pony.” Kanipha smirked.

Pisacan bashfully added. “And I can’t see a fully-grown minotaur in front of my face even if my life depends on it.”

After being told about the condition, Puuska simply rolled his eyes and said nothing.

Geuse then threw her hooves up and said. “Alright, I’ll do it. Let’s hope that I don’t end up with a pitchfork or three to my back.”

Kanipha teased. “Heh, I’m sure that they would take you in as one of their own when you show them your very own black pitchfork.”

“My trident is not a pitchfork!”

Geuse gave the smirking zebra colt a harsh glare, and then walked towards the town center alone. On her way, she saw a number of ponies who dressed in black, white and grey, but they all gazed at her guardedly or avoided her altogether by going back into their houses.

Finally, near a large building that seemed to be congregation house, Geuse caught a young grey-coated earth pony mare walking out with her three friends. But once they saw Geuse, all her friends bailed by running back into the house and shutting the door, leaving the hapless mare outside, shuddering in the sight of the orange pegasus.

Geuse tried to put up a helpless smile and began in Equestrian. “Excuse me, madam, can you tell me what the name of this town is?”

The grey earth pony shook like a windblown twig, but she managed to squeeze out in an oddly familiar tongue to Geuse. “I- Ik weet niet wat je zegt, mevrouw.”

The orange pegasus widened her eyes. That was exactly the slightly off-based ‘Zebrikaans’ Twilight’s friends initially used to talk with her. She recalled that Pinkie called it the West Germane tongue.

The orange pegasus smiled. This could not come inhandier, since she definitely knew how to speak a simple-to-understand West Germane pidgin from her days with Twilight.

“Sorry missus. Can you understand me now?”

The grey mare was stunned. “W- What? How? You know how to speak Deitsch? But you don’t seem like one of us?”

“I indeed come from outside. In fact, I come from far beyond the sea. But seeing how we speak languages so similar, perhaps we do have a common root somewhere up the line.”

The grey mare looked cautious but somewhat more relaxed. Geuse noticed it and pressed on. “My name is Geuse, may I know yours?”

“Mine is Warm Hearth (Warme Kachel). But I… I don’t know how to put this… We are not used to have visitors, and townsfolks like me aren’t supposed to talk with outsiders directly… But then, no outsider has ever spoken Deitsch so fluently to us. I’m sure Elder Streng would be interested in seeing you.”

“Thank you, Warm Hearth. Can you point me to where the Elder resides?”

“His house and office are at the center of this town… Over there.”

Warm Hearth nervously pointed towards the far end of the pebbled street. Geuse nodded and smiled. “Thanks… Ah, I forgot. What is the name of this town, may I ask?”

“Oh… This town is named Rockdale. We’re primarily a rock-farming community, but we also grow some crop to feed ourselves.”

“Thank you again, Warm Hearth.”

The mare gingerly nodded, and then scampered away and quickly knocked on the door to the congregation house. After she was let in, Geuse could hear almost panicked murmurs of discussion emanating from beyond the wooden pane.

She shrugged, and walked back to the waiting group at the other side of the street. She then explained her encounter with the rest of the party.

Shining Armor shook his head. “Can’t say I’ve heard of this Rockdale. But given their isolation, I’m not surprised.”

Cadance was surprised. “You say the mare doesn’t even know Equestrian?”

Geuse nodded. “Seems so, they speak only West Germane. It’s fortunate that my own mother tongue, Zebrikaans, is similar to it enough that we can chat fluently.”

Spike raised a brow. “West Germane, you say? Huh… I thought Common Equestrian had replaced all these old earth pony tongues in Equestria long ago. But then again, I recall Twi say that there might be remote communities in the northeast that clung to the old traditions.”

Shining Armor shook his head. “But not knowing Equestrian at all? Come now, Princess Celestia has been promoting ‘plain speech’ since like literally centuries ago. Even crystal ponies speak Equestrian more than their own ancestral tongue.”

Pisacan mulled. “Indeed. If they can’t speak Equestrian, how can they conduct administrative businesses with the Royal Equestrian Government? How do they pay taxes?”

Kanipha muttered. “I know this is a crazy idea, but are we really on the right side of the ocean?”

“… Doubting the expertise of all our navigators aside, if this is really some second-rate pony dukedom under Griffonstone rule, how do you explain this?”

Spike pointed towards the distinct building which resembled a town hall. On it flew a tattered, yellowed but distinctly Equestrian flag.

Kanipha raised his hooves in defeat. “Touché. Then maybe the mayor or whatever leader here knows Equestrian?”

“It’s possible. How about we go and meet the Elder now?” Geuse suggested.

“Good, let’s go then.” Spike nodded.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Geuse led the group across the mostly empty street, and they entered the open door of the townhall-like building. 

The stony exterior enclosed a surprising sight. The inner part of the house was entirely wooden. Rows and rows of wooden benches extended towards the front, and a wooden dais sat upon a simple podium.

They passed through the empty benches. Some cloth cushions were scattered around, suggesting that the place was indeed a meeting house of sorts. Then they passed by the dais and arrived at a thick elmwood door. On it carved the word ‘ÄLTESTER’.

Geuse studied the carvings and whispered. “This must be the Elder’s office.”

Spike nodded. “Let’s knock and see if he’s here.”

The orange pegasus complied. After a few knocks, a gruff voice sounded out in West Germane. “Wie is het?”

Geuse then cleared her throat and said. “Good day, is Elder Streng here?”

The voice sounded a bit bewildered. “Of course I’m the Elder.”

“We’re visitors to Rockdale. We’d like to request your audience.”

Now the Elder’s voice contained a clear sign of surprise. “Visitors? Are you from Equestria?”

Geuse and Spike looked to each other in awkwardness. “Um, kinda?”

“Come on in.”

Geuse slowly opened the door. The Elder was an old pony with weathered dark grey coat and braided brown mane. He clearly looked shocked when he saw the mishmash of a party. When Cadance entered, his jaw almost dropped. And when Puuska finally came inside the room, he almost retreated from his desk and hid behind the giant wooden shelf.

Geuse reach out with her hoof and said. “Wait, Elder Streng, Puuska is a, um, pliant wolf.”

Spike added. “Indeed. He’s the young prince of Susia, the nation of the northern white wolves. He comes with us to guard us, and he’s not going to, for a lack of a better word, act up.”

Elder Streng grinned. “By goodness, now even you, a small dragon, speak our ancestral tongue. Interesting... Anyway, despite the odd make-up of your group, I must say I am pleased with your speed this time. The last time when the sun failed to go up and unsettled our residents, it took the royal government two whole months to send somepony in to explain.”

He then grunted with dissatisfaction. “Yes, I know that we’re seen as a peculiar bunch in your eyes. We have our own culture, language and unique community that we do not wish to be disturbed. But our ancient charter had clearly stipulated that in exchange for our non-resistance to your lordship, the nation of Equestria has a duty to maintain a normal day cycle for our non-rock crop growing. At the very least, sending someone to tell us why the sun and the moon are not rising from the horizons for so long is basic courtesy.”

The last sentence struck Spike and Geuse like a hammer to their heads. They looked to each other with shocked expressions.

Slipping back to Equestrian, Spike nervously said. “Dang! I forgot that now that we’re down south, there’s no reason for the ‘polar twilight’ to remain!”

The realization hit every listener in the room. Cadance yelped. “D- Does that mean Princess Celestia and Princess Luna a- are incapacitated or even captured?”

Geuse gritted her teeth. “Seems like the only reasonable explanation.”

Pisacan added bitterly. “And I’ll bet that orange witch is involved somehow.”

Streng looked on incredulously. He switched into heavily-accented Equestrian and said. “Wait, so you lots do not know why the sun and the moon failed to rise as well? Are you not royal representatives?”

Spike winced and made a gesture to Cadance. “Well… technically…”

The pink Alicorn nodded and said. “Apologies for the lack of manners, Elder Streng. I’m Princess Cadance of Crystal Empire, and this is my husband Prince Shining Armor.”

“An Alicorn princess from Crystal Empire? By my glistering gypsum, Crystal Empire is back?”

Pisacan smeared her snout. “Oh my.”

Cadance smiled wincingly. “Y- Yes, indeed. It has been back, devoid of her ancient curse, for quite some months by now.”

She then said grimly. “Good elder, for how long have the sun and the moon failed to rise?”

He tutted after some thought. “Well, uh, Your… Highness? I think it’s almost a month already. We had to light giant lamps around our crops to prevent them from wilting. The dim twilight might be enough for wild plants, but our potatoes are much more fragile than that. We’ve just dug the good ones all up and store them in the silos a few days ago, so you won’t see them in the field apart from our rocks.”

Kanipha said. “So things must’ve turned really bad half-way into when we’re busy marching and fighting in the Frozen North.”

With a heavy sigh, Spike began. “Elder Streng, the nation of Equestria and beyond is now in serious peril, and we need help from the town of Rockdale.”

Elder Streng was still processing the news that the Alicorn sisters were somehow incapacitated, and he slowly said. “Pray tell, what help can we, rock farmers so little and poor, might offer?”

He added guardedly. “May I remind you, our chapter dating back to the days of the Earthen Confederacy clearly stated that we Rockdalers are a pacifist self-governing community, and we’re exempt from most taxes and conscription.”

Shining Armor sighed. “Worry not, Elder Streng. We’re not coming to conscript any of you.”

Cadance added. “We hate to engulf your peaceful, secluded community into any sort of turmoil. But please, hear us our about our situation. It’s most extraordinary.”

Elder Streng stroked his beard carefully, and he waved his hoof outward. “Go ahead.”

The party then explained the situation and encounters from their exile to their accidental return to the south. The elder listened with a grave expression silently.

After they finished, the elder said with some alarm. “So you say that they’re over several thousand soldiers by the bay?”

Spike said. “Yes. But I assure you, Elder Streng, they’ll be on their best behavior, and they definitely will not disturb any local residents. We just need a more sheltered place to set down our camps. And we’d be immensely grateful if you might share supplies with our soldiers.”

Cadance nodded. “Indeed, elder. Our army is in unfamiliar land after being swept away by the giant flood. We do not have quite enough supplies to venture forward for far, and our supply line is broken. We’ll definitely pay the town of Rockdale back in full and more, when the situation is more allowing.”

Elder Streng tapped on the desk several times, and then he breathed out heavily. “Princess, mister dragon, we Rockdalers have always been a simple people. We always want to remain what we were, and therefore we ask any visitor not to make us known to the others. But that doesn’t mean we do not value hospitality to those who we indeed meet and who are in need.”

He paused and said. “We don’t expect you to give back what we give you, for that would be usury, not charity. However, we’re already in quite a food shortage given the lack of sun. We have to resort to eating mushrooms that we found under rocks. For a town our size, we really cannot afford to give out any more food to outsiders, I’m afraid.”

Looking at a sea of disappointed faces, the elder raised his hoof. “Now, while we’re not in a position to give food, we do have other provisions to spare: cloth, horseshoes, saddlebags and so on. You can make camp on the depleted fields outside the town. Our wells are also free for you to use. Let’s not it be said that Rockdalers are a miserly people, or Rockdale a town which refuses to help her country in need.”

Geuse looked around to gather everyone’s reaction, and said slowly. “Thank you very much, Elder Streng. We know that this must be difficult enough for you and Rockdale already.”

“Despite everything, I advise you to leave for a place that can better accommodate such a large amount of soldiers. Our folks are not used to so many outsiders in and out of the town. Even when a lone merchant does show up, they always only do trade through my office.”

Catching what the elder hinted at, Spike nodded. “We would try out best to keep to our best discipline.”

Elder Streng mulled. “That’s not the only worrying matter. The last time a royal army got lost and made a stay at Rockdale, some five hundred years ago, a devastating plague hit our town. Our folks have since believe even more that soldiers only brought misfortune.”

The listeners winced and frowned. Spike pondered and said. “Given how secluded Rockdale is, it’s natural that outsiders might bring in diseases that they have no resistance against.”

Pisacan suggested. “We shall minimize contact between townsfolk and the soldiers during our stay.”

Kanipha nodded. “Maybe we can select only a hoof-ful of most healthy soldiers to handle any direct interaction?”

Shining Armor then hurriedly asked. “My good elder, we would definitely hurry and go. But may we know where is the next major settlement that we would likely get enough supplies from?”

“Big settlements nearby? Sorry, we know not much about that, and what we know might not be entirely… up to date, so to speak, seeing how we don’t even know of the return of the Crystal Empire.”

Cadance bit her lips. “Any bit would help, Elder Streng.”

The elder let out a sigh, and began to think aloud. “This corner of land is rather empty. There is no other settlement all the way up the Rockdale Valley. You would have to go through the Icecloud Pass and walk down the face of the Crystal Mountain… If our records are still correct, the unicorn settlement of Ville de Platine should sit at the feet of the mountain.”

Geuse bowed. “That’s immensely helpful. Thank you very much, Elder Streng.”

“Before you go, I must ask you and mister dragon something.”

“Yes?” The two belted out in surprise.

“I’m interested how you two are so fluent in our ancestral tongue. Never have we seen any Equestrian speak our language so. Are you two from the Old East, where our erstwhile brethren live after the griffons took over?”

Spike licked his lips. “No exactly. I learn West Germane from my adopted mother. She’s an academic who’s interested in ancient history, and she made me learn a range of languages that were once more widely spoken in Equestria. It’s a fortunate coincidence that it is of use here.”

Geuse then said. “And I’m not from the East. Rather, I’m from the distant land of West Zebrica. In there we speak a tongue very close to yours, which was probably brought over by your ancient kindred. I’ve since spent time with relations of Spike… the dragon over here, who also know how to speak West Germane… So yeah.”

“I see.”

The elder remained mostly neutral. “So let me announce this in our weekly meeting with the townsfolk in this afternoon. When you see we raise a blue pennant on this meeting house, you and your soldiers may begin to move in.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike was sitting inside a dilapidated farm house teaching Equestrian to Puuska. That was when Rainga and Yolana both walked in through the barn door.

“Oh, hey Rainga, Yolana, how’s it going out there?” Spike raised a brow.

Yolana muttered. “Mister Spike, the soldiers of all races settled down fairly quickly, although a few are not quite accustomed to the climate and got a bit ill. All of them already got better after they had some rest. Unlike us muskoxen, most other races prefer having an overhead. Now that we have one, it helps morale somewhat.”

Rainga put her tongue out and then said. “Ah well, I think they’re more concerned that they’re suddenly so far from home and away from Isojoki, their original destination. Many of them are worried about how they’re going home now that they’re kind of lost.”

Yolana nodded. “Also, our soldiers are keenly aware of supply issues. Many are talking about living off the land now that we have no way to source them from either Tashuragan (Stony Cave; Earth Mother’s cave) or Hvideskov. Our current supplies would deplete in some five days. At worst, we can let our soldiers simply graze on fresh grass somewhere, and maybe go tell the white wolves fish in some stream. But it would take up considerable time.”

Rainga looked unamused. “Not to mention that most of us think that foraging like this is…”

She gave a careful glance to Yolana and Spike, then gulped. “… a bit too primitive. And, um, no offense to muskoxen.”

Yolana graciously waved. “Not at all.”

“We have to figure out a plan soon. Have all commanders gathered already?”

“Yeah, da- um, Spike.”

“Ah, I vil com tu.” Puuska spoke up.

“… Wait what?” Yolana and Rainga looked shocked when the white wolf chimed in.

“Whoa, you learn pretty fast, huh?” Spike grinned.

Struggling to express his more complex ideas, he slipped back to Susian. “When I was first sent to Ursia, I don’t know a word in Ursian. I’m used to catch up from zero… And of course, listening to you all talking before help me catching the gist somewhat, even though it’s still mostly opaque because how different words are conjugated.”

“Fair enough.”

The group walked out of the abandoned farm house and to another larger barn where the other leaders were waiting.

Looking at the two ‘princesses’ of their respective nations on their way, Spike was relieved that they seemed to be getting on with each other much better than when they first set off.

“Excuse me, Yolana.”

The female muskox looked back. “Yes, Mister Spike?”

“Nothing, I just… think that so many unexpected things have happened since we set out from the Cave of Earth Mother.”

Yolana’s gaze flickered. “Yes indeed.”

“Do you think that it’s, like, all planned ahead by some divine presence, like the Ulgen that you always refer to?”

Yolana stopped in her track and turned back to the purple dragon with an interested gaze. “Does a divine plan exist, you ask?”

She grinned. “That is beyond our understanding, even for me, the Qam Qatun. Ulgen, for example, gives hints and signs sparingly, and leaves the rest to our own reason and faculty.”

“But you did say that Ulgen’s sign signals great change.”

“True.”

The dark brown muskox bobbed her head. Then she gingerly smiled. “The spirits and the divine might have set out the material changes in our surroundings, but they are hints and nudges compared to our initiatives. The divine helps those who help themselves. And those who quickly make the best out of what happens are those who are favored.”

Spike raised a brow and sighed. “I understand. But it’s just… so unpredictable, so hard to grasp. All plans go to the gutter when forces beyond our control, such as the flood, hit. I can’t help but feel that even someone as powerful as Nighthewer was just a cosmic plaything. Then what is it that makes us?”

Surprisingly, it was Rainga who then interjected. “Now, now! Quit getting all… what’s it? Yeah, existential! Just listen to what Yolana said and deal with the present!”

Yolana broke into a chuckle. “Hehe, Rainga put it concisely what I wanted to say.”

Spike was a bit surprised that Rainga came to Yolana’s defense. He smiled and said. “Heh, when do you two get along so well, huh?”

The two looked at each other with widened eyes, and then bloomed into a knowing smile together. “It’s a secret!”

Spike raised his brows, and then helplessly grinned. The little moment of heartfelt warmth was pleasing to bask in. Puuska looked on from behind, seemingly deep in his thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Welcome, everyone. To you happiness and health.”

Spike said in Old Draconic, Equestrian and Susian, each language once. “Are all of you feeling well? I hope that the journey on the rough waters and being in unfamiliar lands do not make any of you sick.”

After seeing a wave of cautious headshakes and frank brush-offs, he then said. “Very well. Then are the soldiers from every battalion well settled in? Are there any conflicts with the local Rockdale residents?”

Suologievra and Puuska looked to each other, and the young wolf raised his front leg. “Respected Spike, one of our auxiliaries got into a kerfuffle with a local buggy driver.”

Spike frowned. “Oh… What happened? Any injuries?”

Suologievra stroked her cheek. “No. But the language barrier prevented us from gauging whether the locals were truly pacified.”

Puuska continued. “It was a few hours ago. We followed the Deermark battalion into the southwestern fields. That was when a young pony female pulled her buggy across the street. Apparently she found us a bit too frightening, and in a panic her buggy was overturned. Some gems and vases were thrown down onto the ground and shattered. Some locals, possibly her relations, gathered and shouted at us. But as more Snow Guards showed up in their full gears, the locals seemed to be deterred and they scattered.”

Spike was not amused. “My good paramount chief and honorable prince, this will be seen as bullying of the locals by force. We’ve promised impeccable discipline, and this runs against it.”

Puuska pouted. “Our Snow Guards already righted the buggy, parked it and tidied up the scene. They even pieced up some of the vases themselves. I resent the notion that we’re bullying them.”

“Puuska, you were a diplomat. You out of all white wolves should understand that sometimes it’s perception, rather than intention, that matters.”

Puuska widened his eyes, while Suologievra let out a muffled, knowing snort. The young wolf narrowed his eyes briefly, but eventually sighed. “So what do you suggest us to do?”

“There is not much that you can do, as none of you have knowledge of West Germane. I will personally visit the affected and apologize.”

Suologievra wrapped her tails backwards and raised her brows. “Well then, I thank you for the troubles you have to endure, Respected Spike.”

“… I have a responsibility to you after all.”

Spike turned his glance away from the pensive duo. “I believe that it is dealt with. Let us move to the most important thing that we must all agree before moving on.”

Sweeping his gaze to the expectant faces, he began again. “We have strayed far away from our original destination. Now that we’re south of the mountain, we must hammer out a new plan for our subsequent action.”

Rainga immediately said. “So what is preventing us from directly sailing back to Isojoki after repairing our ships?”

After some translating by Spike, it was Puuska who offered a surprisingly counter-point. “Even though we seldom sail south of the mountain, we know that the current here would have brought us to the deep south before going north again near the coast of the eastern lands. While it would eventually bring us to the Susian coast, it would take up to a whole month, and we definitely don’t have enough supplies for that.”

“Are you doubting the prowess of our heroic rowers?” Magnar again huffed after hearing Puuska’s words. He also muttered some more words under his breath, but Spike wisely decided not to translate those.

Puuska coolly smirked. “Not at all, Thane Magnar. But however strong your rowers are, they are bounded by the laws of physics just like us. Your… illustrious Firstling ancestors also have to be subjected to the mercy of ocean currents while on sea. From what I’ve understood, within that sanctuary created by the white titan, the widest stretch of water you’ve encountered was merely some large rivers. Those were no merciless oceans. Unless every one of the rowers are, for instance, freakishly strong bugbears, we would have bleached by salty sea winds before we even see the north of the mountain.”

After hearing a toned-down version of Puuska’s speech, plus a placating addendum from Spike himself, the thane crossed his hooves and did not speak further.

Prince Stellan then offered. “Perhaps we can march across the mountain on land?”

Pisacan raised a brow and said. “The forces under the orange witch must be all over the more accessible parts of Crystal Mountain. Look at the high mountains around us, they might as well be an impassable bush of jutting spikes.”

Spike nodded. “Pisa, since you seem to be aware of the geography around the area, can you suggest where can we go to secure passage to the north again?”

“… It is quite implausible to try to find a land route that can accommodate an army our size. There is a reason why there is practically no meaningful communication between the south and the so-called Frozen North. The closest route that I can think of is a mountain pass directly to the north of Ville de Platine. It was a narrow road that was a gem mine trail a thousand years ago, but I don’t really have any information as to what it looks like now. It might get us to the north, but it’s a big might.”

“Sounds better than nothing, to be honest.”

“But!”

Pisacan quickly cautioned. “Ville de Platine sat upon the hillside of Yaket Range. It looks over the main passage from Nova Roama to the prosperous Equestrian East Coast. Besides, it had been an ancient vassal to the Crystal Empire. It did develop a distinct identity based around Prench culture and later declared independence, but some Crystallians never quite managed to let it go. There is no chance in Tartarus that the chauvinistic orange witch is going to overlook the city.”

Spike bit his lips. “But no matter what, Ville de Platine seems like our next and only logical destination. We should try reaching the north again and finish our business.”

Suologievra suddenly said. “Respected Spike, I don’t think that we’re in that much a hurry to retake Isojoki.”

The purple dragon was almost stunned. He did not expect that from someone who seemed to have the most at stake. “Wait, really?”

“This march to the north will be fraught with hardship and even casualties. We’re an army with ample fighting prowess but little supplies, what we should do is to… secure a place with resources and skilled workers first.”

Spike stressed. “We’re not going to pillaging around-”

“No, no, that’s not what mother means. We simply don’t want our best fighting force to be lost against the elements instead of real enemies.”

Puuska smirked. “Don’t you always want to build a northern alliance against the forces of the orange unicorn? Here you are, our force fresh for your use. If ancestors wish us to be in the south for the time being, we might as well fight these foes off, before returning to Isojoki.”

Cadance and Shining Armor almost had to cover their mouths to avoid looking too excited. Pisacan also looked intrigued. Spike, however, asked. “Are you sure about that? I’d be blunt, but this doesn’t sound like the white wolves’ war to fight.”

Puuska snorted. “Would I be denounced if I say I really want to pick on some ponies to fight, with a good chance to win as well?”

“Oh you didn’t.”

Spike wagged his claw and glared. “You know very well that I’d be… far from glad if I see any sort of bad discipline against pony combatants and civilians.”

“Quit joking around, spud.”

Suologievra jabbed her son’s side and said. “I just want to see to your success. It’s about time we take down the bogey-pony from the pyre. If you can really bring about the revival of the greys, it would be a golden opportunity to convince our people to finally take rein of their own lives, instead of shirking the prospects of building for the future by fueling ancient hatred.”

Spike would have been simply glad to hear the heartfelt support for his vision, but he could not help but think about Puuska’s earlier expose about white wolf nobles. Despite so, he graciously smiled. “Thank you for your support, Suologievra.”

He turned to the others. “What about the others? Should we operate in the south for the moment, before we resupply and find a safer way to go back?”

Yolana said. “We will follow the majority’s decision, as long as it foster the togetherness of all northern races.”

Rainga softly smiled. “Gram said that we’re all yours to command, and I’m sticking to that promise.”

Prince Stellan gave a thoughtful look to Cadance and then Spike, and said. “It would be a poetic matter, for us, erstwhile children of Alba and Aida, to return to Roama in her time of need. Besides, as a people newly liberated from the protective bound of the praised Nighthewer, we have no other agenda other than following the will of His successor.”

Spike looked queasy. “Well… But is there any concern that you’d like to address? Any matter of… hum, national interest, say?”

Stellan looked at an already laughing Magnar, and joined in with a sustained chuckle. Spike was mystified, until Frigg chimed in from the side-line. 

“My brilliant Spike, you speak so gravely about the machinations of a people, who till a short while ago was so few and so forlorn, was lifted from certain oblivion by the dragon champion that was foretold in legends.”

Stellan said smilingly. “Frigg is right. We, as a nation, have dwindled to the lowest of the low, and our only hope was salvation through a last-ditch holy battle.”

Magnar laughed. “We are pretty much all set to breathe our last! So what’s this little logistic trouble to us?”

Stellan nodded. “We’d be happy to fight this battle as you lead us, so long as you stay afterwards and help guide us rebuild our nations in a new age and new world.”

Spike gulped and said. “Thank you all for your trust and support.”

Cadance softly added. “Spike, we’re glad to have you. You’re the best thing to happen to us besides Twilight.”

Shining Armor scratched his head. “I don’t know what we can ever do to repay you. You turn out to be the most reliable and determined one among us.”

Spike put up a sad smile. “Don’t get ahead of ourselves right now. We still don’t know what lies ahead of us. Congratulate me after we finally have peace, okay?”

After a moment of quietness, Geuse asked. “Are we moving out soon, then?”

Spike nodded. “That’s my plan. After this meeting, we’ll all return to our posts. Once all our supplies have been moved from the shore to the town and loaded onto the carts, we’ll rest for the night. Then we’d depart in the early morning and move onto Ville de Platine.”

A round of nods followed, and the participants in the meeting left one by one to their duties.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The stay in Rockdale was otherwise uneventful. Spike managed to track down the buggy driver and apologized to her and her family. It turned out that they were a family of potters, and the mare was pulling their products to exchange for increasingly expensive firewood.

The dragon then offered them his own fiery breath, which came as a pleasant surprise to the family, because they never managed to make their kiln hot enough to make finer clayworks. He ended up staying with the family for the whole night making batches of expensive porcelains. 

The thankful family even gave him a decorative plate as a gift. They almost made them stay, before Spike revealed his status as a leader in the army. The shocked looks were palpably amusing.

Much less amusing was having to march on high mountains, he thought. The Icecloud Pass, despite its name, was barely passable. There was no road of any kind, or even anything resembling treaded path. The mountain face was littered with sharp rubbles and obsidian rocks, cutting into any unprotected feet. It was dangerously precipitous, and a platoon of muskoxen almost got buried in a rockslide, if not for their sheer combined strength that held back the cascading rocks.

After finally crossing the V-shaped pass in narrow columns, the army was stretched thin and exhausted. They carefully made a descent and snaked down in an S-shape route, until they reached the valley floor. A small stream flowed down from distant Everhoof. The army drank from the stream, before taking a brief rest to reorganize and soothe the hurt legs from the difficult march.

A small team of scouts, this time from the white wolf battalion, was sent out to the downstream direction to ensure clear passage, but they came back with shocking news.

“What? Crystallian army in our direction?” Spike widened his eyes.

Suologievra said. “Yes, Respected Spike. Our scouts saw the snowflake pennant from afar. They can’t be mistaken, especially since one of them confirmed that the flag was the same to what he saw when the orange unicorn arrived at Isojoki.”

“But what are they coming up to the mountains for? There are only snow-capped mountains upstream, and Crystal Empire is another way…! They couldn’t have discovered us and come to fight us, right?”

Puuska looked at Suologievra, who snorted in a knowing smirk. “That, I’m afraid, is rather unlikely.”

“Why?”

“Those ponies do not look like a fighting force. They carry supplies rather than weapons.”

Spike looked incredulous. “Why would a Crystallian supply train march onto a mountain?”

Suologievra grinned. “I don’t think they have as much choice as when you beat the forces of my pups into a pulp, Respected Spike.”

“So you’re saying that they’re a defeated force?”

“Not so much as a defeated force as a fleeing force. Their banner was tattered, and their formation is scattered. The force was stretched into a broken thin line, which suggested that they marched on the order of retreating as quickly as possible.”

After Spike translated the situation to the other commanders, he noticed that everyone was watching him with a wily look. He asked with a frown. “What about it?”

“I say, my good dragon savior, we beat them up while they’re down!” Magnar proclaimed.

“That’s a golden opportunity for us to obtain much needed supplies.” Stellan nodded.

“I don’t see why we shouldn’t pounce on them, Spike. We need that food and they’re our enemy.” Rainga licked her lips.

Yolana did not look particularly excited, but she made a circular motion with her hoof and said. “If that’s what needs to be done, so be it.”

Puuska observed the eager looks and said. “If they all want to do it, better be quick. The convoy will be within sight in an hour, and we’ll lose the element of surprise by then… Not that it would be a devastating disadvantage against a fleeing foe, given that we have the high grounds, but anything that reduces potential casualties on our side is a good thing.”

Cadance and Shining Armor looked nervous, however. The pink alicorn whispered to him. “Spike, not that I’m going to stop this, given that our country has likely been tragically fallen into wrong hooves, but I… I just hope that you may pull your blows and give mercy. After all, these crystal ponies are probably only those who have mistakenly believed in her hateful rhetoric, if not outright brainwashed into her service.”

“Of course, Princess Cadance.”

Pisacan frowned. She softly coughed and said. “Spike, it’s a bit premature to assume that these are enemies, isn’t it?”

Kanipha nodded. “Pisacan is right. Although their conditions might imply that there are conflicts in this area, we don’t really know about the allegiance or condition of this band of Crystallian soldiers.”

Geuse said cautiously. “I agree. For all we know, Sunset Shimmer might have been tyrannical enough to make her own citizenry rise up against her. While our action must be quick and on the mark, we ourselves shan’t be too headlong and presuming.”

Spike let out a thoughtful hum, then clasped his paws together. “We shall encircle this supply train and force it to surrender. And then we’d extract information from its commander to get a better understanding of what’s happening in the south.”

He said to Puuska and Suologievra. “White wolf battalion, you should cross the stream and lie in wait behind the U-bend. When the crystal ponies arrive at the bend, you are to rush to their rear and cut off their means to escape.”

Turning to Yolana, he said. “Yolana, the muskoxen should guard the rear of the white wolves and reinforce any breaks created after they charge forward.”

He then told the Firstling thane and Lucentian Prince. “Magnar, Stellan. The Firstling and the Lucent should march in packed schiltrom formation and await the howling signal from white wolf battalion. Then you shall march and clamp down on convoy together with the white wolves in a pincer movement. Hopefully we can pin them to the steep mountainside, and force a surrender out of them without any casualties.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Spike, when we’re back and all dusts are settled, I’m going to find a stenographer to stalk you and record everything you say.”

“Why, Kanny?”

“Because you’re like a dang prophet. So far every plan and order of yours bore fruits. Come to think of it, Frigg might not be that far off for setting up a proper cult centering around you.”

“Haha, very funny. Let’s get to the front and see what was that about first, shall we?”

“Yeah, that’s even easier than I thought.” Geuse interjected.

Once they reached the front line, the full view of the Crystallian army entered their eyes. They immediately understood the reason that they surrendered so readily.

The convoy was battered and completely demoralized, and most of the soldiers were wounded. Few, if any of them, still had their weapons in their hooves, and some of them even fled into the wagons for cover. Only through the sheer rallying power of their commander that the convoy maintained its cohesion, and not descended into a rout. However, if the northern army was to really clamp down on this shadow of a fighting force, it would immediately turn into a completely one-sided massacre.

A crystal pony stallion, wearing an embroidered brown surcoat over full armor, walked towards Spike’s group alone with a raised white flag. When he got close, he took out their regimental pennant from his saddlebag, unfurled and rerolled it. He then looked around to see in front of who exactly to kneel down at. There was clear surprise on his face when Magnar and others all pointed to Spike.

“Tell me your name and post, officer.”

The officer cleared his throat and said. “First Captain Marin of the Serenissima brigade support battalion.”

“Very well. I, Spike of the… Northern Alliance, will accept your surrender of colors.”

Marin looked bemused when he heard the name and allegiance of the small dragon, but he handed over the rolled pennant to the dragon regardless. Spike promptly gave the colors to the officers next to him to pass into storage.

“Captain Marin, as commander of this army, I guarantee the safety and dignity of you and your soldiers while in our custody.”

“On the behalf of my soldiers, I thank you for your honorable conduct, Spike the dragon.”

“Now, captain. We would be very interested in knowing what prompted the seemingly frantic retreat of your army.”

Looking at the incredibly hesitant look on the captain’s face, Spike added. “Of course, you’re not obligated to tell us anything. We would not do anything untoward either. But I suppose you too have some questions regarding our identities as well, don’t you?”

Marin frowned, and sighed. “Indeed. We do not expect to see such a large and well-equipped army emerging from the deeps of snowy mountains.”

“So I will tell you our goal and identity, and in exchange you will tell us what lies ahead if we continue our way downstream. Deal?”

The captain rubbed his blue, dirt-covered chin, and appeared reluctant again. Spike was about to coax him further, when he shifted his gaze to the group of ponies behind him and cried out in shock.

“Principessa! Oh dear, Y- Your Highness, I- I don’t know you’re still alive!”

Cadance gave a gaze to Spike, and walked up with a look of mild annoyance. “Tut, apparently I’m dead now. Does Sunset Shimmer claim this?”

“U- Um… yes, the Guida made an impassioned announcement when she proclaimed the annexation of Yakyakistan into Crystallian domain.”

“My good captain, a lot of things happened to us in this forced exile of ours. We would like to know what happened in the time when we’re gone.”

“What happened…? Dear Crystal Heart, we’re at war again…”

Shining Armor also walked up. “That we can gather from your look. But against who?”

“The rebels, of course. Those who are sadly against the Collegamento and rose against us.”

“What? What do you mean by that?”

“Guida Sunset Shimmer had planned to peacefully negotiate the reannexation of Argentoratae (Ville de Platine) and Bosforo (Vanhoofer) into the Crystal Empire. However this earned some unfortunate ire from certain sectors in Equestria, who claimed that this is an overreach on the part of Crystal Empire.”

“Well, duh.” A sarcastic groan came from behind, but none of the listeners pretended to notice. 

“… The Guida went to Canterlot to negotiate, but a riot broke out which forced her to take control of the royal capital. When the Equestrian princesses were reportedly missing, she asserted protectorship over the royal government and proclaimed a full union of Equestria and Crystal Empire.”

“Holy buck!” Shining Armor could not help but swear aloud.

“But the East Coast as well as the South were far too stubborn to see to Guida’s intention to stabilize Equestria and bring it to further glory alongside the resurging Crystal Empire, and they rose in revolt against us.”

Geuse looked unamused. “If that’s not a blindingly biased account of what happened, I would swallow my trident in front of everypony.”

Spike looked grim. “So she somehow pulled a successful coup in Canterlot and triggered a civil war.”

Marin quietly huffed. “The Crystalline Army will certainly put an end to these rabbles and brought peace again to the land.”

Shining Armor couldn’t help but scoff. “After bringing it into complete chaos in the first place?”

Cadance sighed heavily. “Captain Marin, I’m afraid you’re being misled by Sunset Shimmer. She… does not have the best interest of you all in her mind.”

“Why cushion your words, honey? She’s a traitor, that’s what she is!”

Marin widened his eyes. “W- What?”

Shining Armor squeezed out in anger. “She used hypnotizing magic on us to make us do her bidding, and then throw us to the yaks when we no longer have any use to her.”

The captain looked stunned. But after a while, he grunted and said. “… Prince, Princess, as a captain of Crystal Empire, I answer to the supreme commander of the Army. And that commander is Guida Sunset Shimmer right now. We answer to no one but her, not even you, Your Highness.”

This time it was Cadance and Shining Armor who looked shocked. “What?”

“And privately, as a Crystallian citizen, I believe in the Guida. I cannot stand such baseless smear against her, even… no, especially when it comes from the mouths of our Prince and Princess. In fact, I have half a mind to accuse you two being changeling spies from the south-”

“When did you become such a slavish follower to that orange witch, huh?”

The sudden voice was like a thunder in Marin’s ear, as he staggered and searched for the source. Pisacan looked positively simmering, her green eyes did not, and indeed, could not focus on him, but Marin felt as pressured all the same.

“L- L- Lady Pisacan?!”

“Judging from your reaction, you seem to think that I’m dead too, Cousin Marin!”

“B- But Guida said y- you’re…”

“I’m what? A traitor? A ghost?”

Pisacan coldly huffed. “Ask yourself if those matter more than the fact that you’re acting so impudently in front of me. And think what happens if I denounce you in front of all our clan members.”

Marin wheezed and gulped. After a while, he said with some stutter. “I- I… no, I must’ve been mistaken, Lady Pisacan.”

“Good. Remember who you are, Marin di Vinidi.”

The others looked at this short exchange with varying degrees of amazement. None of them saw this Pisacan before – assertive and iron-hooved, making a full-grown stallion shuddering in his own armor with her mere voice.

After a labored silence, Marin managed to ask. “L- Lady Pisacan, i- is it true that you’ve been b- blinded by…”

“You know well that I would have choked the Tartarus out of you if I can see where I put my hooves to, just for the stupid bile you’ve just said about that orange witch. And don’t you for a second think that I’m in any way weaker because I can’t see.”

“Y- Yes, Lady Pisacan.”

“Marin, cut the nonsense and straight up tell us what the hay happened to Crystal Empire, her army, the Vinidis, and last, what in the name of Vinidius set you lots fleeing up the mountains. Are our clan members in this army too?”

“Uhmm, yes. So uh… the Guida had taken control of the Vinidi estate after the conquest of Yakyakistan. A lot of dislo- I mean, cousins who opposed her got sent into the mines in the cold mountain. But it seems that after she made an example out of the most rebellious ones, she drafted the rest of us into the army.”

“So did she use any witchery to make ponies obey or not?”

“N- No! The Guida only ever use her wise words to make us realize-”

“Got it. But say one more positive word about that orange witch and see what happens.”

Cold sweat dripped from Marin’s forehead. “Y- Yes… Initially we stay behind the frontline, b- but since the Canterlot front was sucking in so many hoofpower, the Guida gather the remaining Vinidis and organized us into a field support brigade. We are then sent to Argentoratum to help suppress a popular rebellion.”

Spike interjected. “Hang on a sec, the Canterlot front? Didn’t you say that she had taken Canterlot already?”

Marin’s look was uncertain, but after being glared daggers by Pisacan again, he quickly said. “Signore Spike, it’s true that Canterlot was in Crystallian control, but as we attempted to solidify it, some pesky lots from Ponyville engineered a massive breakout to the south, and with the remaining ponies shipped off somewhere else to labor, the royal capital was almost emptied overnight.”

This elicited some hopeful murmurs from the listeners, but Spike simply continued.

“I’ll pretend not hearing the part about forced labor, but what then? Did you guys try to fight your way south?”

Marin’s expression turned even sourer. “The southern rebels were ridiculously tenacious. The army suffered a major indignity there, when they were ambushed in a diamond dog settlement. And when reinforcement was being sent in, the earth was completely obliterated by them blowing up all the mines along the Saddle River...”

Spike quietly gasped as he thought of safety of his beloved Rarity. 

“… It’s like a Tartarus-scape now, and it’s almost impossible for an army to move across the land. Even scouts that we sent in disappear to nowhere. What shame, as the Guida was hopeful that the Cruzesian army in Ponyville might be responsive to a plea to help.”

Spike could not help but tutted. “As if.”

Marin shifted. “… So the Guida ordered part of the army to fortify the royal capital and survey the situation closely. Also, to prevent these rebels from linking up to those in the East, she prepared and casted a major sealing spell along the Rambling Rock Ridge. After ensuring that not a soul could pass, she turned her attention to the East, a place that requires our utmost attention.”

“Wait, did you just say that she sealed shut a whole frigging mountain range?”

Marin showed a rare smile. “The Guida is an extremely talented and powerful unicorn. After all, she’s the one who defeated King Sombra and returned us to the mundane world.”

After Spike fervently calmed down the fuming Pisacan, he continued. “Go on. Now what’s happening in the East?”

“We don’t have much reliable information. Though we know that some upstart pegasus called Lion Muzzle in Argentoratum was the source of all our headache. We’ve originally negotiated a peaceful agreement with Prince Blueblood, who was then in the city, but this pegasus must have heard about the ruckus in Canterlot and thought he could pull something off against us. He rallied the citizens and attacked Blueblood’s residence at night. All officials who are partial to us were also rounded up.”

Spike sighed. “Blueblood… This guy...”

“What, do you know him?” Kanipha asked.

“He’s a powerful duke and distant relative to the Princesses. But he’s a useless piece of crap, if I might be blunt. He’s done nothing majorly bad yet, but he’s an all-around jerk to almost everyone. Rarity used to fantasize about him until she actually knows more about him.”

Pisacan’s anger gave way to surprise. “Oh, wow, Spike, you seem so casually nonchalant about, um, that.”

“He’s a miserable bloke, and I’d be even more miserable if I got jealous of him because of some harmless fantasy. But I just never thought that he would be actively acting against his aunt and Equestria.”

“I resent that remark! The Princesses certainly would have invested full trust in-”

Spike dismissed him with barely a thought. “Yeah, yeah. So what sent you up onto the hills?”

“The Guida have extracted every possible pair of hooves and sent in a large army of elite soldiers to Argentoratum. She wanted to make an example out of them for their blatant disloyalty, to make the East Coast cities rethink their ambiguous stance.”

“Who’s the commander?” Pisacan asked bluntly.

“… A- Asclepias.”

Pisacan looked momentarily shaken, but she soon gritted her teeth and spat. “So he’s gone on to serve that orange witch after all.”

“Lady Pisacan! Signore Asclepias defended the rights of the remaining Vinidis, and saved us from the ignominy of treason!”

Spike again interrupted. “We’ll see to that later, but first, did you lose?”

Marin’s look was ashen. “… It was a disaster. Lion Muzzle was a master tactician. We never thought they would come out and assault us, seeing how we’re well fortified and had superior number. But the mad stallion did it. Their pegasus contingent clamped down on us along with the unicorn rock slingers on the ground. We have little experience dealing with organized flying enemies, since Cloudsdale surrendered without much a fight. Their vertical columns broke through our lines, cutting us into three and rounded us up. We was retreating west, but the bridge over Whinnypeg River collapsed and caused a horrible stampede. Asclepias and his army surrendered and were captured.”

Pisacan tried her best to mask the worry on her face. “I assume that you’re part of the relief to that unmitigated failure?”

“… No, we’re part of Signore Asclepias’s army as well. I have seen the chaos in the front line, and quickly turned back to preserve our supplies. We’ve hid in the woods for some days, but as their scouts close in on us, we have to hide even higher up the mountains to wait for the relief.”

Spike mulled. “And then you ran into us.”

“That’s correct…”

Spike patted his chest plate. “Thank you, captain, this is about it. You and your brigade will soon be directed to a suitable place within our procession. We’ll discuss this matter within ourselves, but barring major events, we’ll be heading down to Ville de Platine to negotiate a peaceful passage. Your safety is guaranteed in our hands.”

> Chapter 8 – Locomotives of History
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“… Pisa.”

“What’s it, Spike? You’re acting strangely ever since Marin surrendered to us.”

“I, um, just wonder why he’s so submissive to you once you show up. Is this a Crystallian clan thing?”

Pisacan turned to Spike, and drily chuckled. “… Yeah. Despite our differences, Vinidis, like other crystal ponies, value our family above everything. Our ties to our clans are the cement to our status within the Crystallian society. Out of the clan, we’re nothing. A denunciation from a clan matriarch like me, though exiled, still carries a high degree of authority, or at the very least, psychological pressure.”

She then looked more riled as she went on. “That’s one more reason I hate that orange witch. She wants to dismantle the clans in favor of some nonsense allegiance to the state. I just want my clan to stay together.”

Spike looked thoughtful for a moment, and then he smiled. “You look so tough and authoritative in front of Marin.”

“I have to be leader-like to all of my clan, but Marin in particular demands a harsh treatment, not least because he’s now working for that orange witch. He’s a smart-aleck who can’t be trusted with a sack of potatoes.”

“Why? He seems competent enough. After all, he successfully marched this band of Vinidis up the mountains and evaded the Villians. He arguably saved their lives. And as a Vinidi matriarch, shouldn’t that be a merit in your eyes?”

A storm was brewing on Pisacan’s face after hearing Spike’s words. At last, she breathed in and out slowly and said. “Marin is the son of one of my many uncles, precisely, he’s my third cousin. That uncle of mine had always had his eyes set on the vast inheritance of the senior Vinidi branch. So he’s been always pushing us two to marry.”

“Oh…”

“I know what you’re thinking. I hate cousin marriage as well. I don’t want the others think the Vinidis as a bunch of inbreds.”

“Actually, from what the girls taught me, third cousin couples usually produce the healthiest and most numerous foals.”

Pisacan’s face alternated from each of the three principal colors. At last, she squeezed out a flimsy laugh. “Haha, very funny. Anyway, I just hate his guts. He’s smarmy bastard who sucks up to anyone. His advances were awful and head-splittingly annoying. Before I learnt to be harsh on him, he bought gifts for me almost every week, acted all ‘gentlecoltly’ at my every step, and offered to help the minutest chores at our house.”

Spike gulped. That sounded dangerously close to what he used to do to Rarity before they finally got together. Fortunately, Pisacan pointed out a difference as she continued. “… But he must’ve done all those at his father’s command. No vomit bag in this world could contain my disgust.”

“He does look like an impressionable young stallion, and I know you’re extra irritated by him proclaiming adoration for Sunset Shimmer, but, well… he did not look like the calculating type, and I doubt he meant anything nefarious.”

Pisacan finally could not hold it but groan aloud. “Spike, why are you speaking for him so much?”

“I’m not speaking for him. I’m speaking for ‘getting along’.”

Pisacan narrowed her unseeing eyes instinctively. Spike sighed and said. “By sheer luck, we’ve survived a great flood unscathed, and chanced upon enough supplies to support many more days of marching. This luck might end any time, and we need as much good will as we can gather.”

“You don’t have to butter Marin up for that. I’ve talked with ponies of my own blood within the surrendered army. They all deferred to me when they saw me, and their compliance will be doubtless.”

“I believe you. But I still think that having Marin around would help us get an insight into how Sunset Shimmer enthralled and transformed Crystal Empire. At the very least, he might let off some military secrets on their side if he felt comfortable enough in our company. Might save us big time in the future.”

Pisacan sighed reluctantly, that was when a bell-ringing interrupted their talk. Spike shouted to the outside of his tent. “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Captain Marin. I obtained permission to speak with you about supply matter.”

Pisacan’s face contorted. “Speaking of the devil…”

She was about to wander off and hide behind some curtain, but Spike already replied. “Come on in.”

Marin poked his head into the tent, and walked in when he locked eyes with Spike. With his armor and helmet off, Spike now saw him more clearly. He was a well-toned stallion with a buttery coat and short, spiky grassy green mane.

He only noticed Pisacan was also in the room after walking nearer, and already he was sweating beads.

Spike gave Pisacan a gentle poke. The yellow mare shifted uncomfortably, before she shakily pulled up an unconvincing smile. “H- Hey, Marin. Ciao.”

Marin’s expression froze. After rubbing his eyes to confirm that he was not hallucinating, he looked completely overjoyed. “L- Lady Pisacan, d- did you just-”

Pisacan immediately frowned again. “Do not push your luck, Marin. I’m only giving you the benefit of the doubt because Spike said so. I’m still never going to consider your ridiculous proposal.”

Marin nodded off nervously, but with a big silly grin. Spike thought to himself that if Pisacan could see, she might again fail to hold her temper and would have punched him in the snout again. He lightly coughed. “Ahem.”

Marin immediately turned to Spike, and lavished his appreciation. “Oh, my fair and just dragon commander, I thank you immensely for speaking for me to Lady Pisacan.”

“… That’s fine.”

Spike breathed through his nose and made a meaningful blink to him. “But before we discuss the supplies, how about you filling us more in about the terrain around the Ville and their organization?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, the army decamped and again moved down the snaking Whinnypeg River Valley. After passing through a small pine forest at the mountain base, the sprawling city of Ville de Platine entered their sight.

At first glance, the city looked somewhat like Cloudsdale, with clouds of whites and falling rainbows dangling from the sky. However, unlike other pegasus-dominated cities in Equestria, the whole city was built on an elevated plateau, surrounded by a wide and deep moat fed by water from the Whinnypeg River. 

The entire city was vast, not quite like Manehattan yet, but certainly more expansive than Ponyville, and could easily house hundreds of thousands of inhabitants. Still, a gem-encrusted wall surrounded the whole city, giving it a sense of impregnable defense. The pegasus’ clouds snugged closely over the city center, far from any disturbance any outsiders could cause.

The army scouts reported that there were rows of empty houses and fields around the city, which were presumably evacuated into the city proper, as battles had raged on the wide prairies. Some signs of battle could be seen, such as burnt patches of grasses, broken swords and shields, as well as destroyed hay silos.

The army immediately raised a sea of black flags, which were a recognized symbol of parley. They carefully closed in the main gateway of the city, and stopped short of the distance at which unicorn mage could usually cast their bombarding spells. 

A large bonfire was built, and after hanging up the various flags of the northern alliance on a tall pole nearby, they patiently waited.

After several hours of waiting, a lone pegasus flew out from behind the walls and towards them. After being stopped and searched by guards at their camp, Spike and other commanders came out to hail the messenger.

The messenger, who was grey pegasus mare with black mane, spoke up. 

“Saluer! Qui êtes-vous que intrusion sur notre terre?”
“Hail! Who are you that intrude upon our land?”

Pisacan muttered under her breath. “Speaking Prench even to outsiders, huh? Stuck up as usual.”

Spike, though, responded in kind in Prench. “Je vous salue, Madame messager. Nous venons en paix. Nous ne sommes pas en Cristalie, nous ne sommes pas sous le commandement du Sunset Shimmer.”
“Hail, madam messenger. We come in peace. We're not Crystallian, nor are we under command of Sunset Shimmer.”

The messenger looked subtly satisfied when she heard Spike’s Prench. “Then name your allegiance, strangers. We have already beaten back an army three times our size, and we will not tolerate or forgive any false-flag trickeries as well.”

“I assure you, madam messenger, that we are none of that sort. Although some of us came from south of the Everhoof, but the bulk of our army are inhabitants of the so-called Frozen North. The story of our formation is complicated, but let’s just say that we’re in principle opposed to Sunset Shimmer and her wanton ambition to subdue everything in and out of her sight.”

“We welcome any and all friends that cherish our newfound liberty. If you stand alongside us against tyranny, then you may come in and talk with the director of the revolutionary council. Hopefully you’ll prove to be as steadfast as our other Equestrian friends in the East Coast.”

Spike narrowed an eye at the hints she dropped in her speech, but he simply nodded. “I’m Spike the Dragon, commander of the Northern Alliance. May I know your name, madame messenger?”

“Salutations, Spike the Dragon. I’m Octavie-Fontaine, lieutenant of the Regiment of Chasseurs. Vive la République Prançaise.”

Spike looked surprised. “Wait, did Ville de Platine declare their independence?”

“Proudly so. With the usurpation of power by Sunset Shimmer, the Kingdom of Equestria no longer have a valid mandate over her city-states. We the Prench are pleased to be the first among the Eastern cities to stand up against the arrogant attempt of the Crystallians, as well as our cowardly, cruel and callous nobility who so readily collaborated. The director has been popularly proclaimed by plebiscite, and he shall lead us to our freedom. Down with tyranny, and long live the republic!”

Ignoring the stunned look on the dragon’s face, she calmed herself a bit and continued. “In any case, it would be impossible for us to allow a foreign army to march into the city in this moment of time. So if you wish to talk with the directory, only a small group of leaders and followers would be permitted to enter.”

Spike coughed. “Before continuing, I must tell you two things up front, lest you accuse us of withholding crucial information.”

“I’m listening.”

“Despite our neutrality, there are some Crystallians in our army. First, we have forced a surrender out of a support brigade which have fled up the Whinnypeg Valley. The captured soldiers are now in our custody.”

“That’s superb news, Commander Spike. That brigade has evaded our search party for some time already. Director would be most pleased if you would transfer them to us as a gesture of goodwill.”

Spike’s expression was difficult. “Well, this is related to the second issue. The Princess of Crystal Empire and her Prince consort are also in our company.”

“What?! I thought they are…”

Spike knew that she could not possibly have known their real conditions, but he decided to leverage the hatred against her. “Are you surprised that Sunset Shimmer lies to people?”

“… Touché.”

“Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor are victims of Sunset Shimmer’s mind control, since they stood in way of her ambition. We have found them in the custody of the muskoxen tribe, who are cousins to the yaks. They have since become our allies against the treachery of Sunset Shimmer.”

Octavie-Fontaine mulled, her face now tainted with suspicion. “… This is not a light matter, and I would have to report back to the directory. But just a warning, we in the Prench Republic detest royalties, not to mention Crystallian ones. Do not expect us to accommodate your autocratic excesses.”

“… Very well. We have no desire of making an enemy out of Ville de Platine, republic or not. We merely wish to pass through unscathed, and possibly exchange crucial strategic information. We can even offer other forms of… help, perhaps in exchange of cooperation, information and material supplies. If your director do not wish to see some of us, we can make accommodation. If it is all of us, we understand fully and will retreat from your sight.”

“Wise decision, Commander Spike. Let me communicate the information with Director Lion Museau. Meanwhile, you’d do well to stay put within our sight.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Octavie-Fontaine came back after a few hour with a small contingent of well-equipped guards. The grey pegasus, as well her soldiers, now wore full military attire. Three large feathers were stuck on her black bicorn, one light blue, one white and one velvety purple. Her brilliant blue coat flapped in the wind as she flew slowly towards the gate, guiding the assorted leaders of the northern alliance into the city.

Immediately, a group of unicorns swarmed onto them. After a few frantic search and high tension, it was made clear that they merely wanted to make sure that they did not bring with themselves dangerous materials like explosives and weapons. Geuse was livid that her trident was to be taken away, but Spike’s words calmed her down and she relented eventually.

Cadance and Shining Armor, though, being an alicorn and unicorn respectively, had to undergo something even more severe.

“Whelp, that’s humiliating.” Shining Armor drily noted, as he stroked the magic limiter on his horn.

“Don’t say that, Shining. It’s fortunate enough that they let us in despite who we are. They almost made us go through the magic neutralizer, which is much worse.” Cadance softly said.

“Sorry for that, Cadance, Shining Armor. I can only speak for you two so much without irking these Prench ponies.”

Shining Armor sighed and smiled defeatedly. “It’s fine. You’ve done more than enough to keep us afloat. I’m just surprised that they would denounce the idea of an Equestrian nation altogether just because of Sunset Shimmer’s action alone.”

“Republic, huh…”

Spike muttered. “Never thought something out of ancient history books would pop up again in the modern world. What exactly are the Villians thinking?”

Pisacan merely shrugged. “But it’s not like the idea of ‘hating tyrants’ needs to be rediscovered by some great philosophers, is it? Kings, queens, princes and princesses have screwed up royally so many times in history. Or in like Sombra’s case, even outright evil. Can you really blame them if they think getting rid of all royalties is the solution?”

Spike bit his lips. “I know. Witnessing the failure of the Princesses to deal with two major crises in such a quick succession must’ve shatter many ponies’ confidence in the royal government. I wonder what’s happening elsewhere in Equestria…”

Kanipha said. “You said they said that the Eastern cities are their friends. So perhaps they’re also up in arms against Sunset Shimmer too.”

Geuse added. “And Ponyville pretty much barred themselves up and shunted the entire south off to the Crystallians. I think that the remaining friends of ours there have things under control. If Marin’s words are to be believed, they’ve even done a pretty bang-up job evacuating the citizens of Canterlot too.”

Shining Armor wondered aloud. “Canterlot! That’s easily tens and tens of thousands refugees, perhaps more. How in Equestria did they manage the logistics of transporting so many ponies under the eyes of Sunset Shimmer?”

Spike smiled. “If anyone can do this, it has to be the girls. They are a bunch of miracle workers.”

Octavie-Fontaine had been silently walking in front of everyone, and she did not speak a word even though she was proficient in Equestrian like almost all Villians. 

Noises permeated through the rues and streets, but the very boulevard they walked on was cleared of any civilians by numerous patrolling soldiers. Spike suspected that the large boulevard alone had more soldiers than his entire army, a testament to the size of the ancient city.

After passing a white marble bridge on a wide river, they arrived in front of a large building. Ancient Trotian portico formed its exterior, twelve white columns stood majestically in front of the buttery white brick wall. 

On top of the portico, there used to be a façade of unicorn nobles and princes that once ruled the city. The noble title to the ancient city had been nominally held by Prince Blueblood, himself a unicorn of partial Villian extraction. But he had largely opted for life in Canterlot and attention towards the more prestigious title of Dukedom in Lower Canterlot, only visiting his ancestral home once in a long while. 
However, it was now completely defaced, with heads crudely lopped off and other details chipped. In the middle of the cleared area, a slogan was carved deeply onto the white marble – ‘Liberté, Égalité, Harmonie’.

In front of tall, rusted copper doors, she turned and said. “Welcome to the Palais de la Concorde. This is where the directory operates and rules the city, after we have cleansed this city of royalists and Crystallians.”

Spike nodded. “Thank you for leading us here, Madame Fontaine. I trust that despite your leanings, Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor are not to be mistreated, are they?”

“Naturally. We still respect basic diplomatic protocols, and we’re not going to harm anyone on a diplomatic overture, barring any erratic behavior on your part. Now, go forth and enter. My soldiers and I will stand guard outside the Palais to prevent any disturbance.”

Spike was blunt. “Disturbance? I thought the directory has full control of the city?”

Octavie-Fontaine waved. “Of course we do. We’re just here to prevent some more passionate elements from doing some overly damaging actions, like attacking you or the nobles that we rounded up. They’ll be dealt with eventually, but only after we ensure our national survival. Despite what the royalists claimed in their foolish propaganda, we’re not a mad mob aiming for complete anarchy and ruin.”

“… If you have the welfare of the people in mind, then I bid you every success.”

“On behalf of the great Prench public, I thank you for your kind words.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The group streamed inside the Palais. The main corridor was ornately decorated, with classical wall carvings depicting Villian history all the way back to the days when it was the Unicornian capital. These were curiously spared the destruction they saw outside. Large chandeliers hung from the ceilings, illuminating the way to a large hall to the front.

When they entered the hall, they saw a clearly hastily arranged scene. The place was likely originally a ball room, but it had been repurposed as a meeting place for the people. Chairs were arranged in semicircles, and a few planks was erected in the middle as a make-shift dais. Standing behind the dais was another bicorn-wearing unicorn. He had a light red coat, and a mane of striped black and white. Noticeably, he had a very defined snout and jaw, making him quite naturally intimidating. He was also wearing a ceremonial uniform of mostly white, and he promptly stopped his work and walked towards the group when he saw them.

In slightly accented Equestrian, he greeted the group. “Salutations. I’m the director of the Prench Republic in Ville de Platine, Lion Muzzle. What brings you, strange visitors, to the doorsteps of our nation?”

Spike introduced the leaders one by one. When he mentioned Cadance and Shining Armor, Lion Muzzle looked at them intensely for a moment, but he then returned to a neutral expression. 

Afterwards, Spike briefly described their journey in the north, omitting some details but outlining how the coalition of forces came to be.

“Interesting, interesting.”

“Your Excellency, we would like to know how you’ve come to be and what you stand for as well.”

“Of course.”

“What are your stance on the Equestrian royal government? What about Princess Celestia and Luna?”

“We no longer answer to the royal government, which is now merely a thrall and extension to the Crystallian menace. The confederation of city-states have always been a marriage of convenience, and it hinges on the shaky premise of Canterlot exercising its regressive feudal responsibilities. The princesses are amiss, failing to move the celestial bodies, and honestly useless like they were in the changeling crisis. Their representative in the city, the decadent twit that is Blueblood, is merely a tool of foreign despot. We the people must take control.”

“Well…”

“Commander Spike, I know you. You’re linked to Twilight Sparkle, royal student to Celestia. I saw you in several photos in the papers.”

Spike was truly surprised. This Lion Muzzle somehow picked him up from the small fragments and scant mentions in the news.

Lion Muzzle continued and pointed towards Cadance and Shining Armor. “And now you appear alongside them.”

He entered into a meaningful silence, waiting on the response from the purple dragon. Spike gritted his teeth and said. “Yes, I have a close relat… I like Princess Celestia, and I’m close to Princess Cadance and Shining Armor as well. I’d like to see everything go on as it was in the past. But the Equestria as we know it is clearly no more. The world is changing quickly, and so much have happened in the past few months. Personal emotions must be set aside for the good of all. If the people in Ville de Platine decide that they would be better off this way, all the power to you.”

“Excellent. Now, perhaps let’s move onto the real issues. What are you here for?”

“We want to know more about the current situation in Equestria. We’ve heard of something about the Eastern cities rising up against Crystal Empire too?”

“Indeed. After our successful revolution earlier this month, Manehattan, Fillydelphia and Baltimare were inspired by our heroic resistance. We have established correspondence with local leaders, and they have thrown out royal representatives in each of the cities. A few days ago, I have received news that they planned to band together to fight against the opportunistic griffons that responded to the call of Sunset Shimmer.”

“… Wait a minute, griffons?” The listeners were aghast.

“Oh, seems that you’re not aware. The King in Griffonstone now has his greedy paws over the Eastern Coast. It should be an unholy alliance for them, given the history between Griffonstone and Crystal Empire, but here we are, tyranny attracts tyranny. The griffons have sent in invasion fleets and raiding ships all over the eastern ocean, and reports said the Griffish Isles have already been completely taken. One fleet has sailed into Horseshoe Bay and set fire to Baltimare. They would like to use the rails to invade us as well, but we have destroyed the rail line in anticipation of their action.”

“Holy Tartarus, now even foreign forces are involved.” Geuse muttered.

“So much is at stake, and the republic will not stand idle to those who want to take away our liberty.”

Kanipha gulped. “Director, we would like to know if there’s any news from south of Canterlot as well.”

“Not much, I’m afraid. The Crystallian forces have taken over royal apparatus all over the West and around Canterlot and shut down all passages. Pegasi from Cloudsdale and their bat pony cousins at first courageously rose up when the coup in Canterlot happened, but they were crushed, from what we’ve heard, in Rainbow Falls. Cloudsdale was punished with Sunset Shimmer’s evil magic. A black pillar, dark as her heart, was summoned to pin the proud cloud settlement onto the ground, a testament to her heartless abandon to the people.”

He briefly paused and continued. “Ponyville has reportedly risen up as well, they had beaten off the invaders and scorched the earth to prevent any more invasion. Given that and the griffon blockade, we couldn’t have known much more than that. In fact, what I’ve told you was almost wholly extracted from captured Crystallian soldiers.”

After Spike translated the information for the rest of the leaders, he turned and said. “This presents many difficulty and options for our next course of action, we need some discussion among ourselves. But above all, we want to make clear that we offer a branch of friendship to the Villians, for we’re all in this to oppose the tyrannical Sunset Shimmer.”

“And the Prench Republic appreciate it.”

“I’d be shameless and upfront. Is it possible for the Ville to spare some supplies for us? We might stay, or we might try to reach the East Coast and leave by sea.”

“I’d be blunt as well. What good would it do to us if we’re to share our already tight supplies with you?”

Spike sighed. “… I suppose that good will is not enough. I alone cannot promise you at the moment, but would an alliance against Sunset Shimmer interest you?”

“It would be welcomed. However, we’d be also interested in some sort of official recognitions of our newborn republic, for detractors have wrongly denounced the legitimacy of our government.”

“Very well, let me discuss with our leaders and commanders first. Thank you, Director Muzzle.”

As Spike turned to the assembled group again, Pisacan approached Lion Muzzle with a pleading look. The director clearly looked non-too-pleased at her being a crystal pony, but she pressed on regardless and began in flawless Prench.

“Director... I might be a Crystallian, but I detest the orange witch more so than anyone else in the world, for she wronged and dismantled my very clan that I lead. Still… I’ve heard that my relations, including my brother, are being detained here in the city. I would be forever grateful if you can spare a kind thought and let me see him.”

“A clan, huh? Are you a Vinidi?”

Pisacan nodded. “Yes, wise director. I presume that you’ve had some understanding of my clan from some captured crystal ponies.”

“The commander of the siege, Asclepias, had confessed much under some suitable… coercion.”

Pisacan felt as if her heart was twisted like a towel. “Please, director, have mercy. I want nothing more than a look and a short chat with him.”

Lion Muzzle was about to dismiss her, when some loud sounds of ruckus could be heard outside the palace. He quickly shouted to call the guards in, and then he asked in Prench. “Guards! Report the situation!”

Octavie-Fontaine reported back. “People are marching up the boulevard, chanting the war song for the revolutionary army!”

“Why are they coming to the directory? We’re on the side of the revolution!”

A Villian soldier galloped into the hall nervously and whispered something into the grey pegasus mare’s ears. She then coughed and replied gravely.

“It appeared that some of them have caught wind of the presence of royals in the directory. False rumors are flying around that the directory is in collusion with Crystallian royals. We have already sent in soldiers to maintain order peacefully, and attempted to communicate with the protesters, but the crowds are highly passioned. They have stormed the Julliet Fortress and dragged out those high-profile prisoners, among them the Crystallian commander. They’re beaten up and being paraded on the street right now. The crowds want blood, and they want it on the Place de la Concorde.”

Colors drained from those who could understand Prench. Spike immediately said. “Director, we have diplomatic privilege!”

Lion Muzzle narrowed his eyes. “I will go address the crowd myself.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The crowd chanted the revolutionary war song loudly, shouting slogans of all kinds to the repurposed grand palace. As Lion Muzzle appeared between the columns, the crowd’s noise grew louder. Some of them welcoming and celebratory, glad to see their leader coming out to address them, but others were clearly angry and condemning.

Lion Muzzle opened his mouth. He let out a loud roar like his namesake, made even more booming with his magic. The crowd immediately grew quiet, at awe of his sheer dominance.

“Citizens of the great republic! Your voice is heard, so now, hear me out as well.”

He walked down the porch and stood down to the height of the crowds, seemingly unconcerned with his safety.

“Against tyranny, we have risen up in arms, that’s what we’re all here for. I have promised you that we Villians, brave sons of Prance, will never be packed and sold to corrupt royals and nobles, and if I ever betray the will of the people, let my blood be spilled and soaked into the verdant fields of liberty as well!”

Some murmurs could be heard from the crowd, but clearly a number of them were not convinced by mere emotional appeals. A few faint insults and angry words could be heard hushing around.

“Many of you have heard about that there are Crystallian royals in the city, and in the very Palais you’re seeing. That’s a fact.”

Gasps could be heard around the plaza, and the angry shouts of anti-monarchist slogans, in both Equestrian and Prench, grew much louder. Some ponies were again chanting the war song of the revolution, which were joined by more and more protesters. The Crystallian prisoners and nobles, forcibly chained to elevated poles, were moved forward and crudely brandied about.

The assorted leaders gazed from a small window behind the portico, and almost all grimaced. Most of them, except arguably Yolana, were royals, and Spike’s translation and explanation more or less unnerved them to the core. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor looked pale, not simply because of fear, but because of the seeming failure of the monarchy to its people.

“… Eh? Where’s Spike?” Kanipha looked around and suddenly noticed that the dragon was nowhere to be seen.

“He’s out there!” Geuse almost shouted.

The purple dragon walked near the red unicorn, who turned with some surprise. After some hushed exchange, Lion Muzzle graciously let him onto the raised column platform near him. He turned to the crowd and said again. “I’ll let the representative of this delegation speak for themselves. You, the people, with your free reason, be the judges of his merits.”

Spike difficultly climbed higher, so that more in the crowd can see him. The crowd was clearly surprised at the sight of a small, civilized dragon to address them. He seized their shock and used it to his advantage. 

“Citizens of Ville de Platine, I bid you well. My name is Spike, and I command a small coalition of force currently stationed outside of the city. Today I stand here, in front of the Villian public, I only ask for your brief attention.”

Someone in the crowd shouted something, seemingly accusing the dragon of being a royal relation. Irrational anger spread out quickly, and Spike winced at the distant sight of the bloodied prisoners on poles.

“The northern alliance consists of forces from beyond Everhoof, and none of them are enemies of Ville de Platine. Instead, we gather to oppose the treachery of Sunset Shimmer, who duped the people of Crystal Empire and Equestria and caused this needless war to further her own ambition. You should know that the Crystallian princess and her husband themselves are pronounced dead by Sunset Shimmer herself. Why? For it was she who planned to seize power from them. Yes, the princess and prince are here, but they by no means condone what Sunset Shimmer did.”

He then said grimly. “I understand your frustration, and I know that the ship has sailed. The people of the Ville had declared that they have enough of royals, and we do not have the intention or can change that. But I ask of you, think of Cadance and Shining Armor for a moment not walking symbols of privilege, but fellow ponies who just as passioned in life as you, and intend for nothing of this to happen to the innocent public. As a people, you have suffered, so I dare not call on you to see them as much the victims as you yourselves are. But let us not shed any more blood than necess-”

A light beige mare with blue and white striped mane climbed up another pony’s shoulder and yelled. “Shut your mouth, you royalist lapdog! The soil of liberty must be fertilized with the impure blood of royals and criminals!”

As the crowd joined in the abusive shouts, Spike felt cold sweat forming on his forehead. His last-minute gamble on his public speaking ability seemed not to be working out well. He had been pandering to their republican leanings to his best ability, despite his deep bemusement how a people content in the rule of Princess Celestia just two months ago could be radicalized and turned against the idea of monarchy so fast.

Distant cannon blasts were suddenly heard from the periphery of the city. The crowds’ angry chant got overshadowed, and a large column of soldiers marched up to the protesters. 

At first, the angry mob thought the directory finally turned their guns and spears onto its people, and was enraged beyond reason. But then the army of soldiers began to ring a bell with a distinct dull and trembling quality. The crowd gasped aloud and began to disperse, some even let go of the prisoners’ poles and let them hit the ground callously.

“Enemy attack!” “The Crystallians are coming again!”

“Holy Tartarus!” 

Spike actually had half a heart to ‘thank’ the Crystallians for their timing, but he was not foolish enough to think that they would be spared if they fell into the invaders’ hooves.

“Director! We must leave at once to command our armies! They’re hanging dangerously outside the city wall!”

Spike bit his lips briefly and threw in an extra incentive. “Please, we will help defend Ville de Platine!”

Lion Muzzle widened his eyes slightly, but he then quickly said with a calculated smile. “Good, I’ll have Octavie-Fontaine escorting you lot out of the gate. She would stay and act as our intermediate. We will coordinate and offer support, do not disappoint us.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Buck those ponies, let’s just go! We’ve had captured enough supplies to march to the East Coast anyway!” 

Kanipha huffed as they were rushed out of the city gate. The enemies seemed to be on the other side of the river, having just crossed the hilly pass and preparing to ford the Whinnypeg River without the bridge.

“No... We make a promise to defend the city, it must be followed through. It is a golden opportunity to demonstrate that we are not their enemies.”

Geuse frowned. “So we’re going to go head to head against real soldier’s spears to convince those mobsters, whom we are going to leave alone anyway, to lay down their pitchforks? Doesn’t sound like a good deal to me.”

“That’s simply so if we think only of tactics. We’re dealing with a bunch of ponies, who until a few months ago were still calling themselves Equestrian, now so eagerly calling for the heads of their former leaders. Given how Sunset Shimmer is our enemy anyway, we have a unique opportunity. By showing that we’re with the people, we can recover the image of a united Equestria. This will help come a day we march on Sunset Shimmer’s lair together.”

Shining Armor looked unamused. “These ponies might be against Sunset Shimmer, but they are also perverted with their poisonous thought that all royals and nobles, with their harmony-preserving duties, should instead be cast out or even worse!”

Spike shook his head. “To these Villians, Blueblood and Sunset Shimmer are their most intimate experience of monarchy. If these are the only sources of my understanding of the Kingdom of Equestria, then I’d be a republican too.”

Shining Armor looked aghast. Cadance said gravely. “Spike, you can’t mean-”

“Don’t be silly, what I’ve said was clearly hypothetical.”

Spike mulled. “It’s also a matter of careful study after this died down, but I’ve thought about that somewhat. Three feet of frozen ice on a lake can’t be due to merely a day of cold. Lion Muzzle more of less implied that republicanism in the Ville is not something that randomly popped up after Sunset Shimmer’s rise. Before coming here, I thought it is only an ancient idea from the early days of pony civilization, but it’s clear that it’s alive and well and has been clearly fomenting in at least some circles in the Ville.”

Pisacan interjected with some pride. “Ancient Vinidia is a republic, too. We used to pride ourselves in having elected ponies guiding the doge in managing stately matters.”

Spike showed a helpless smile. “We don’t really know how and why the Villians harked back to their Prench roots and declared a republic, and we’d do well not to dwell on a debate whether they’re right or not at this very moment. What we have now is a dire threat to Equestria, and an opportunity to build a united front to save our homes.”

A white wolf scout galloped to the side of the white wolf duo and whispered something to them hurriedly. Suologievra was already getting impatient because she could not understand a word of what Spike said. After listening to the scout’s report, she immediately interrupted their discussion. “Respected Spike, we must hurry up! My wayward son is seen opposite the river!”

“What? Laske is here?!”

“Can’t be mistaken. His falling star pennant flew above them. He must’ve crossed the great mountain and led the remnants of his army to the crystal ponies’ capital.”

“We shall deal with our internal division ourselves. It so happens that our battalion sat directly across them. I shall personally defeat their first charge and capture brother, ending this pointless fight once and for all.”

Spike looked surprised. “Puuska, you… you’re simply in our custody you don’t have to-”

“I want to talk to my brother, and I know him. He will not give up unless thoroughly beaten.”

The mother wolf looked at his son with a neutral look, but then she shook her head. “Let’s go, Puuska, back to our positions.”

Spike waved them off, and he communicated the situation to the remaining commanders, who quickly went to their respective posts. 

After he began to receive streams of reports from battalions getting into positions. Another scout, this time a Firstling, reported in with a much more nervous look.

“Hail, Aage, what did you see out there? Is it the white wolves?”

“Commander, our brilliant savior, this time it’s not the wolves. The crystal ponies have followed them from behind, and they come with a dreadful weapon!”

“Calm down, which kind of weapon did you exactly see?”

“They have been repairing those ruined iron tracks (jernbane) to the West, and they are bringing in a very large, fire-spewing barrel! It is at least thirty ponies wide, and it is almost fifty ponies long! They have fired onto the mountainside, seemingly as a warning, and it crumbles the entire foothill!”

“Ridiculously large cannon… From the crystal ponies… oh Celestia, no!”

Spike breathed out heavily. “Aage! Tell the scout team to look out for a pink pony with puffy mane! She is a very important target!”

The battle seemed to have already commenced at the time they spoke. Aage scrambled out of the tent, and Spike closely followed. At the far side, the white wolves on their side were trying to stop Laske’s army, which seemed to be about to ford the river. The other battalions could only offer limited support, however, as they were guarding crucial positions opposite the advancing Crystallians. 

Fearing the devastating range and blast that the giant cannon would cause, Spike quickly jumped on a rushing medic chariot to the front-line and hitchhike to the fighting white wolves. 

“Puuska!”

The younger white wolf was directing logistics at the rear and busily communicating with dispatch runners.

“Respected Spike, what brings you to the frontline? You would do better to direct the battalions at the safety of the main camp.”

“The Crystallians have reinforced Laske with a battalion of their own. Moreover, they brought with them a giant cannon. With the egregious caliber that it possesses, it will annihilate an entire battalion in one hit. Even with they simply use it in the siege, it would swiftly bring the city to her knees, with unfathomable casualties.”

“That doesn’t sound good at all.”

“Moreover, I suspect that…”

Spike sighed bitterly. “Let me be frank. My marefriend is probably there with the cannon. This has all the signs of her hoofiwork, for she has a ridiculous penchant for tinkering. When she’s herself, she only uses those for parties, but I’m afraid now Sunset Shimmer had brainwashed her and made her create killer cannons for her army. I want my marefriend back, and we need to take away their advantage in weapon technology.”

Puuska thinly smirked. “I understand your frustration. The Ursians kidnapped my fiancée as soon as we arrived at Kiova. They wanted to use her as a leverage. Apparently they did it to all diplomats with family.”

“What the hay?”

He looked reminiscent. “I did not bulge, and I arrange to have the wife of their foreign minister… transported onto our ship. Magically, my fiancée appeared back in my quarter a few hours later. But by then she’s too traumatized by the experience and wanted nothing to do with me anymore. She’s not one to get close to me because I’m a potential heir, and I liked her for this exactly… Anyway, I hope that your marefriend is all and well.”

Spike blinked with a slightly stunned look and said slowly. “Thanks, Puuska… I just wonder, though. Do you think you can spare some fast legs?”

“Oh? Are you planning to rescue your marefriend?”

“Yes. The white wolves have quick legs, and I want to recruit some mobile elites to go with me in case she’s really found.”

As they talked, a ruckus developed in the front of the formation, and the organized Snow Guards showed a rare moment of panic. The columns retreated somewhat disorderly from the river bank. A female wolf, almost completely losing her composure, pushed aside rows of soldiers and ran to the younger wolf with a desperate look.

“P- Puuska! Respected Puuska! It’s- It’s a disaster!”

“Quit panicking, Ilona! What happened?”

“T- The matriarch… she…! Laske…!”

The female wolf rubbed her eyes of fearful and shocked tears. “The matriarch is- is sniped on by Laske!”

“What? Mother? How? They’re still quite a distance away from us!”

“Laske pulled a false flag on us! He pretended to want to talk with matriarch under a flag of truce, but once she stepped out of the formation and crossed the river, h- he… he ordered the crossbow archers to shoot at her!”

“How dare he! Had he no shame, no sense of honor?!” Spike looked horrified.

Puuska froze, his face completely blank with expression. After a while, he muttered. “And here, foolishly I thought, that I was the foxy one.”

The army in front of them parted, and a stretcher covered with bloodied white cloth was hurriedly carried back towards them. Without a word, Puuska went over and lifted the cloth. Spike closely followed, and saw the sickening sight with his very eyes as well.

Suologievra was no more. Arrows pierced her white body, turning it into stripes of bright red. One arrow, in particular, slashed through the back of her neck and came out just below her jaw. This must be the killing shot, taking away her life as she ran away from the rain of arrows. Her eyes were lifeless, though her look of shock, fear and betrayal etched deeply in her last expression.

Revulsion turned in his stomach, the stench of blood causing him to almost vomit. A selfish part in Spike could not help but think of Rainga, who almost suffered the same fate in the Deermark forest. Anger rose within his chest, causing him to shake furiously.

Puuska stroked his mother’s face almost reflexively. His face did not betray any emotion. Though Spike suspected that the young wolf knew not what emotion to feel. The young wolf once acquiesced to the fact that his mother was to be exiled, and would have starved to her death. But Spike did not think that Puuska ever intended to witness his own mother’s violent death with his own eyes. He swept her dull blue eyes close, his forelegs shook like two blades of reed.

A loud, familiar voice boomed from across the river. Spike was even more shaken when he heard that voice that he so long sought after, but had no intention of hearing it from behind the enemy lines.

“Hiya! I don’t know if anyone in your army can understand Equestrian, but if there is, listen up! I’m Pinkie Pie, friend to First Consul Sunset Shimmer, Crystal Empire… and all of you as well! And uh, hey, you white wolves, Mister Laske has already neutralized your leader, so just surrender already and join…”

The voice of the pink pony continued, but Spike was already mentally filtering out the rest. His rage was beyond his rational control. Suologievra was basically blatantly murdered by treachery, her blood needlessly shed. He knew that he could have done little if he used a confidence trick on his own mother, but somehow he felt an intense sense of guilt. And who were they pushing out in an indirect admission of guilt? His very own Pinkie Pie! 

Puuska was still kneeling down in front of the stretcher, when he noticed that the purple dragon next to him roared to the sky and glowing in brilliant white.

The young white wolf stared with a stunned look together with his white wolf soldiers. The purple dragon began to grow in size, his small youthful physique began to become taller and more muscular. His green eyes were tinged with fiery red, and his trunk continued to lengthen and thicken.

He leapt into the air, eyes locked onto the opposite bank of the river. Between a pair of his back plates, two streams of white particles shot out and materialized into two giant wings, formed from pure white light.

Growing to over several dozen times of his original sizes, he roared again, this time demonstrating the dominating pressure of a fully grown dragon. The white wolves looked on with fear and amazement, mostly amazement on his side, and much more fear on the opposite side.

He flew above the swarming mass of white wolf soldiers on his side and across the river. A whole slew of crossbow arrows immediately flew towards him at high speed, but they just reflected off his hard scales like raindrops. Some stray arrows came close to his left eye, but he simply engulfed it with a highly concentrated stream of hot flame and swept away the ashes.

A small formation of white wolves under Laske’s command gathered up and charged at the dragon, who had flown low and been searching through the ranks to locate the offending white wolf leader. Spike gave little notice to them, until the rank split open to reveal a giant ballista, aiming right at him. Without warning, it was let loose towards his unprotected underbelly.

He breathed out a ray of flame to incinerate the giant dart, but it could not completely pulverize the projectile, nor could it reduce its momentum. The dragon therefore pulled up and swayed to his left side. The dart still managed to plant deep into his shoulder, spilling blood immediately all over his side.

Pumped with adrenaline, however, he pressed on and soon used the wind pressure created from swaying his white wings to sweep away the resisting white wolves. With unbelievable precision with someone his size, he dipped down into the back of their lines, and swept the commander in shiny white armor up, tightly in his claws. Laske glared at the dragon and tried to shake himself loose to no avail. His personal guards also tried futilely to stop the dragon, but Spike was overwhelmingly strong and yet clinical in his strike, and cleanly disengaged.

Roaring with power to the sky, he then yelled to the rubberducking white wolves on his side opposite the river.

“Eteenpäin, sotilaat! Nimissä Suologievra!”
“Forward, soldiers! In the name of Suologievra!”

As the white wolves, presumably under Puuska’s command, began to regroup and launch a counter-attack, Laske’s followers showed signs of panic, chiefly at the dragon’s terrifying presence, and the fact that he so easily picked their leader out of the formation and took him away like plucking a grape from a bunch.

Spike glared at Laske, who looked up defiantly but spoke nothing. He almost tightened his grip and squeezed the life out of the treacherous wolf, but he gritted his teeth and let out a smoky breath. His rational mind won over his emotion.

Quickly enough, Puuska’s army crossed the river and tore into the lines of the now leaderless enemy, inflicting carnage. Trumpets blew aloud around the battlefield, and the three battalions of crystal pony soldiers in stand-off with the northern alliance finally made a move to salvage the situation in their far left flank.

Immediately, both the Villians and the northern alliance moved in to capitalize on the thinning of their front line. The defender pegasi poured out from behind the wall and shot towards the right flank of their enemies. Unicorn mages situated in the high towers on the wall blasted magical projectiles to cover for them.

In coordination, the Firstling and the Lucentian battalion pushed forward and attempted to recreate the pincer movement that had worked earlier in the narrow valley, now possible as the enemy had to maneuver away from the raining fireballs from the city walls and the chaos in the white wolf ranks. The muskoxen guarded their rears and directed the medical and logistical support towards the front lines.

There was some discussion on whether presenting Cadance and Shining Armor to the crystal ponies would confuse or even sway them to their side. But at the end, Spike counseled against this idea, as it was still not yet fully clear how complete Sunset Shimmer’s control was over the government machineries of Crystal Empire and Equestria. Therefore, they stayed far behind the front line alongside Kanipha and Pisacan, with Geuse as their guard.

It was then a loud metal clanking sounded out from beyond. Spike dodged another wave of crossbow arrows and pulled up, and was aghast to see the giant cannon described by Aage earlier now pointing menacingly to them.

It was a terrifying piece of weapon. It went forward on newly repaired railway at a snail’s pace, but it was not the technology’s fault for its slow speed. The railway gun was a ridiculously large siege artillery, weighting probably over thousands of tons. Its long, wide barrel extended and towered over its operators, positively miniscule in comparison.

It was almost bewildering how come so many pieces of heavy steel could be welded together without collapsing on its own weight, but then Spike noticed that large pieces of black crystals were embedded within the machinery, perhaps to strengthen the sprawling chassis.

The dragon flew forward, intending to destroy the dread weapon with his physical body. He was smart enough not to plan to breathe fire on it, lest it exploded into an all-encompassing fire ball.

But soon enough, loud grinding noise could be heard as the operators began to load the giant piercing shell into the long barrel. Spike internally gasped in horror as the barrel then raise at an angle before he could reach it, and then it fired in a spectacular, ground-shaking blast.

Almost everyone on the battlefield covered their ears at the shattering blast. The shell whirled through the wind at a speed seemingly physics-bending towards the city wall, crowded with defenders behind its protection and taking pot-shots at the hapless crystal ponies. Spike could not even begin to flap his wings to chase behind, before the city wall was consumed by an explosion that completely obliterated a large section of the wall, as well as three associated wall towers. The pegasi made a leap away from the exploding shell, but some of them were still badly injured from the flying debris or trapped under the rubbles, now filling up the moat and forming a convenient foray into the city.

The crystal ponies immediately made way into the city through the big hole in the wall, bypassing the northern alliance forays altogether. They seemed to want to make use of the panic created among the defenders by the giant gun, and quickly forced a surrender out of Ville de Platine. The assaulting crystal ponies quickly raised some gem-encrusted pennants, which slowed down their movement, but they seemed to neutralize the magical missiles frantically thrown at them by the remaining mages.

Unfortunately for their commandership, they did not quite take into the calculation of the appearance of a strange army interfering with their attack. Their formation was chiefly with organizing a siege in mind. They also seemed to be underestimating the disruption they could cause given the numerical advantage, as they were content with the rear open in exchange of quick assault.

Spike had quite some confidence in the combat ability of his side. The engagement in the Deermark forest showed that the Firstling and the Lucent were not two toy armies. In term of battle readiness, they should outstrip those in Equestria, which only saw action at most since several months ago.

He elected to continue on his way to the dread cannon. After feinting a fire breath that sent the crystal pony infantry to both sides of his way, he endured one more ballista shot to his lower belly, before shaking his pursuers loose and reached the front of the artillery.

Its operators, clearly conscripted technicians and not military personnel, began to flee in terror when they saw a dragon as large as their very cannon, but the officers in charge whipped them back in positions.

Spike was about to body-slam into the piece of artillery. Knocking it sideways or destroying the barrel should prevent it from firing. However, the cannon seemed to be ready for another firing as he approached, and he also saw a shocking sight – the very pink mare he was looking for was piloting the cannon with a manic look herself.

In the pause caused by his surprise, the artillery was fired again.

This time, it was directly towards the frontline of the Firstlings. The explosive shell arced forth, and it was about to bend above him and land in the middle of the soldiers.

Spike gasped. Although from the initial blasts, it was clear that this artillery was mainly a fortress buster, and it would not be the most effective against moving armies. However, even at lower effectiveness, its blast could cause severe carnage, and it must be stopped at all cost.

Without much thinking, he flew up and stayed in the expected path of the incoming shell. He turned his back to the shell, rolled up and held his captive in the space created by his two cupped paws.

The shell landed on the back his waist, and immediately exploded. Spike let out an agonizing scream of pain, as the sheer energy of the blast had blown a big hole in his body like it did at the wall.

He felt his life dimming, blood showering out of his body and onto the battlefield in a crimson rain. He was losing stamina to even keep himself in flight. However, he was determined to do at least one thing.

He allowed himself to drop, until he finally closed in to the cannon. He smacked the barrel down, causing it to crash down to the chassis. There he could see the pink mare, frozen with a bemused expression. He then roared and dug his claw, forcibly plucking the mare along with the platform she was standing on. She did not even resist, as the dragon began his return flight to his base. 

Some more arrows found their way onto his exposed wounds, compounding his already unbearable pain, but he did make his way back to the rear of his coalition army, before collapsing listlessly in the dead center of the camp, in the view of a great number of gathering ponies in burning concern.

Blood continued to gush out of his wounds, as the medics were running around like headless chickens, and only managed to remove the arrows and rubbles, as well as clean the wound somewhat. None of them knew how to treat a wounded dragon the size of a small fort. Many of them were panicking, worried that the object of their fervent worship would simply die on them, shattering their hope and guidance. 

A red pool congealed around the fallen dragon, and his grip on the pink pony and white wolf gradually loosened. Both of them were stunned by the sonic blast of the explosion that hit Spike and went out.

I- Is it the end of me? Darn, I haven’t made it back to see Twi, Rares and the others yet... And I didn’t even manage to talk sense into Pinks…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His wings of light particles dissipated, then they rose into the air like a water stream, and poured over the wounds on his shoulder, belly and waist. Like filling a mold with concrete, they quickly became solid and became blood and body. The medics all stopped and gazed in wonder, and Frigg, who had rushed back to the main camp from the Firstling rear to follow the sky-trail of the dragon, let out a sigh of amazement.

There was one conspicuous detail, though. The healed patches were white in color, not purple like Spike’s own.

The dragon groaned in pain, but as strength returned to him, his eyes fluttered open.

“Ah… Well met, Frigg...”

He growled in Old Firstling. “Be happy and health- ugh-”

Frigg looked mortified and elated at the same time, gazing upon what she thought was the ‘true’ form of Spike. “Don’t overexert yourself, my splendid champion! You need to be happy and healthy yourself!”

Spike huffed out a cloud of smoke, and he turned back to the distant view of battlefield. “Hope I helped out there.”

“Brilliant Spike, your very presence have boosted the morale of our troops, and struck fear into those ingrates who dare to oppose you, the bearer of divine justice.”

“Uhh… Oka-” 

Realizing he had a façade of severity to keep, he shifted gear despite his urge to roll his eyes. “I mean, very well.”

A Lucentian runner came up to the duo, and whispered something into Frigg’s ear. The silvery mare listened and lit up with joy. “We have routed the perfidious foes outside the city wall! Our victory is assured!”

“Whoa, really? When I flew out and checked, there were at least several times as many enemies out there.”

“As far as I observed, brilliant Spike, the remainder of the forces left to guard the dread fire-barrel were disrupted by your operation. Thane Magnar immediately began to penetrate through their overextended front line, with Prince Stellan and Princess Rainga carried out parallel pursuits at their flanks. If all is well, the dread fire-barrel should be in our hooves shortly.”

“But our forces should still be far numerically inferior than them, aren’t we? Have the Villians joined in?”

Frigg’s gaze flickered. “In a sense… the main body of our foe’s army had gone into the Ville, seemingly in the belief that forcing the city to surrender would force us to do so as well.”

“That doesn’t sound good at all. If they’re let in the city, it’s no difference to let in an enraged ox into a china shop, no offense to Mkondo.”

“Brilliant Spike, may I ask what a ‘china’ is, and who is Mkondo?”

“Uh… we can talk about them later. But now, the more important thing is to stop-”

As if on cue, Octavie-Fontaine had flown into the camp and landed gracefully next to Frigg. She gave a sprawling dragon an appreciative look and began, this time curiously in Equestrian. “Greetings, I presume that you’re Commander Spike?”

“Don’t look like it, but I am. The very Spike who exploited his emotion and greed growth to do a foolish maneuver to their rear and almost got myself killed.”

“Indeed, I’ve heard of how dragons could grow in an amazing spurt in a pinch, but I’ve never witness it in person, not to mention when it is to our tactical advantage, rather than when they cause a fracas over some colorful stones. It’s quite a scene I must admit. And ah, your bravery is very much appreciated.”

Spike lowly huffed and ignored the uncomfortable underlying irreverence in her tone. “What leads you to our camp again, lieutenant?”

“We merely ask you to command your army to envelope the broken section of city wall. Our director is about to flush these vermins out of our homes, and he does not want anyone of them to escape.”

“… We will do that, naturally.”

“Excellent. Then, excuse me and let me report this to Director Museau post haste.”

As the two eyed the departure of the grey pegasus, Frigg narrowed her eyes and glared at her receding visage. “What a mannerless filly. My Equestrian is not good enough to make out what she said, but her tone was terrible. How dare she act so insolently before you?”

“Fret not, Frigg. I don’t know much about Villians before, but from what I’ve heard, the fact that she’s using Equestrian to talk with an outsider like me, when it’s clear that it’s not out of necessity, is already a sign of respect. They are famously stuck-up.”

“We… you have spilled blood for them! And that’s the kind of respect she gives?”

Spike sighed. “We should talk about this no further.”

Frigg shuddered. “Y- Yes.”

Spike frowned. “Ah, I don’t mean to wave my ‘authority’ around. I just want to leave this discussion later, when we actually discuss the aftermath with Lion Muzzle. For now…”

Spike almost raised his voice to call for a runner, but realizing that his volume had scaled up with his size, he simply waved one by and reiterated the command to accomplish a single envelopment.

He glared at the two figures laying prostrate near him. He first restrained himself from getting worked up over the sight of the white wolf, and merely ordered several muskoxen, the race in the camp who had the least contention with him, to put him somewhere guarded and more secure.

Next, he drew in a large breath. The very pink mare that he did not manage to rescue several months ago was in front of him. Presumably, she had been made to do all sorts of things against her true self, like making that dread cannon using her uncanny mechanical skills. 

A small part of him wondered whether she would feel more blissful if she was left alone, thinking that serving her orange ‘friend’ was the only thing that made her happy and fulfilled, without feeling guilty of all the atrocities she might have caused. But he quickly shook away the irrational thought.

Grimly shuffling, he dug his claws in one of his chest scales.

“Thank goodness it’s still here. I thought it would certainly be crushed or fall out when I grew big.”

A black slab of crystal was plucked out, and he handed it to the stunned silver mare.

“So, Frigg.”

He pointed to the pink mare. “This is my marefriend, Pinkie Pie.”

“S- She’s from the enemy lines… I presume that she’s fallen to our enemies’ witchery?”

“Yes… uh, at least I hope so. So to prove that, please smack her head with this slab of magic-negating crystal to see if it restores her to sanity. I’ve kept it on me for a long, long time for this very moment.”

Frigg widened her eyes, but soon enough she nodded with a solemn look. “As your command.”

The silver mare flipped up her wavy purple mane and took up the crystal from his paw like it was a holy relic. Then when she raised it up high above the pink pony’s head, Spike added nervously. “Hey, Frigg, remember to smack gently.”

Frigg chuckled, but quietly nodded. 

She lowered the crystal. Like carefully placing stones on a chessboard, she dipped the sharper end on her forehead and drew a half arc.

Before she even made actual contact, the black crystal shook with a strong tremble. Frigg bit her lips and held on tightly, and soon enough, a dark blue tinge formed around the pink mare’s forehead, and the silvery mare felt appreciable physical resistance.

Frigg widened her eyes, and she let out an aggressive grunt. Waving her thick cape up using her spare hoof, she then dipped it into a small pouch on her side and smeared some red powder under her eyes. Spike looked on with some surprise, but he did not intervene.

Seemingly with renewed vigor, she shouted something aloud and pushed on. The black crystal made contact with the blue mist, and unlike the time when he used it on Cadance and Shining Armor, this time the magic-negating crystal outright shattered in the hoof of the silvery mare.

She yelped as she sheltered her eyes from the splinter. She then looked on with disappointment and some worry. “H- Have I failed?”

“Let’s have a look first, don’t fret yet.”

The pink mare collapsed after the ritual, but she quickly showed some signs of movement.

Frigg walked around to shush away the on-lookers, citing the need for more fresh air. It was not known that it was due to that or Pinkie’s own recovery, but the pink mare soon opened her tired eyes and looked up.

“P- Pinkie!” He called out with excitement.

The pink pony was completely expressionless. Her gaze floated across the giant form of the purple dragon. When she finally came across the puddle of blood and the white areas of healed wound, she shed a single drop of tear. 

She then said with a voice with so much sadness, it was unbelievable that it came from a pony known for her laughter.

“Spike, I- I’m glad to finally see you… talk to you properly… But… goodbye.”

“What-” The dragon’s joyous expression froze, as he witnessed the pink pony bite on her own tongue. 

A poignant smile welled up on Pinkie’s face, Frigg covered her mouth with disbelief, but none would surpass the look of shock and horror on the purple dragon’s face.

“N- Nooooooooo!”

> Chapter 9 – La Ville Est Belle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Pinkie… I can’t believe it… S- She’s a wiser mare than this. She should be!”

Geuse shook her head in disbelief and devastation. “I thought it would all be better once we have her by our side again.”

Kanipha merely stroked the pegasus’s leg due to his height. “I can’t imagine what she was forced to do under Sunset Shimmer’s control. It’s fortunate that she doesn’t… um…”

Geuse rubbed her teary eyes. “One is too many! If Pinkie also, also…”

Pisacan pat the back of the pegasus in consolation, and bit her lips resignedly. “This can’t be good to her mental health. At the very least, if what Spike told me about her sentiments are true, she would feel incredibly bad about hurting so many yaks with her own invention, at the very least. Now everything came back to her, it must be a horrifying shock.”

Kanipha tutted. “And look at that railway gun. If that thing is used anywhere else in Equestria… Hoo boy.”

The yellow crystal pony wondered. “Besides, she was explicitly made commander of this relief force. If the orange witch is in any way uncertain about her loyalty, she would not do something so foolish. That means she must have been her obedient weapon-master for some time now, and she might even be part of her propaganda for what I know. It’s rather strange that if her control was flimsy enough that it can be negated using a simple anti-magic crystal. Doesn’t seem to add up.”

“That’s because the black pillars are not your run-of-the-mill anti-magic charm. Not even the anti-magic stone gifted to the white wolves by the new shadow herself might compare. It’s natural that she would mistakenly think that she would be safe in her thrall. But even with its help, Frigg, the Firstling Vala, did struggle at first when she was to break open the curse with them, a testament to its scary strength.”

The three looked back to the entrance to their tent. Yolana, who was in full ceremonial gear, walked into the tent. She was wearing a large headdress with chains of decorative feathers, coins and beads. A black veil dropped down from the tip of the conical hat, partially obscuring her face. She was also wrapped with a black dress with minimal embellishment.

She continued. “The black crystals are called two-faced stones in our native language. It does not carry the connotation of treachery like in Equestrian. Rather, they are prismatic stones that can be oriented in two ways, representing its ability to connect tangible dualities as one… Light and dark, fire and water, expansion and contraction, magic and anti-magic, mesmerization and clarity. This is why this stone can restore balance to minds who are forcibly swayed from their inherent reality.”

Kanipha mulled. “… Hmm. I see. So Yolana, why are you…?”

“The battle is over. Lion Muzzle had fooled the invading forces using rather clever tactics and inventive traps. The Crystallians had been summarily disarmed and herded to the main square, awaiting their fate by the hooves of the Villians.”

A grim look came up on her face. “And now, within our coalition, I must do my part as the Qam Qatun. There must be repose for the soul, perished and lost in a land so foreign.”

“You mean Suologievra…” Geuse sighed.

Pisacan shook her head. “Even though the white wolves’ loyalty have always been somewhat suspect, she seemed like a good leader who cares for her own people. It’s simply so needless. She had never acted against our interest even once.” 

“That matricidal son of a b- I… I mean, basta- no, ugh! Where’s he anyway?” Kanipha spat.

“His brother went to see him, I heard.”

“You sure about that? That sounds fishy. After all, they’ve been partners in crime, or rather, in coup.”

“Spike said to allow him, and I trust his judgment.”

The zebra colt bit his lips. “Well, if it’s Spike…”

“Vala Frigg and I would be holding a brief ritual when Spike is better available and Puuska had finished his talk with his brother. She and I might have differing beliefs, but we’re united in our well wish to honor Suologievra’s memory.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Brother, it’s been some time.”

“Puuska.”

Laske, a muscular specimen of white wolf, drawn out his brother’s name as if he heard it the first time. Bounded with ropes, he wiggled towards the entrance to the small tent where his sibling abruptly entered. “Shame. This is not exactly how I picture our reunion.”

Puuska slightly narrowed his eyes. “You don’t seem bothered by the fact that I now stand on a side that fought against you.”

“Oh Puuska, you know who I am. Am I some pup who dwell on every small thing like you? It’s all good if it leads me to you.”

The gaunt wolf frowned and said bleakly. “So why exactly did you kill mother?”

“Puuska, Puuska, now you moralize before me, but you do remember that you have your paws in the decision to ostracize her in the first place? If not for the sheer coincidence that she was picked up and fed, she would have died in the harsh wilderness anyway. Not that I would shed a tear for it.”

Puuska looked pained. “This… this might be true. But why did you do it in such a dishonorable way? This will be a major stain when it comes to the decision of the fate of you and your followers by them.”

“Have you suddenly developed an honor code during your re-bonding experiences with mother?” Laske sneered.

Puuska looked unamused. “I don’t need you talking down to me. I just want to know what exactly you have got against mother so much that you need to use trickery to take her life.”

“H- Heh- Hehehahaha!”

Laske began to laugh wildly, causing Puuska to frown even more. “Brother-”

“Puuska. None of them matter to the slightest. Not mother. Not the orange unicorn who thought me to be a fool begging her for life. This plan of ours will proceed.”

“What? What can be still done? We are at best their new allies and at worst their unwilling drag-along! Isn’t it about time we give u-”

“Puuska, I think now is the time you’re made aware.”

Puuska knew this tone. His brother always raised his voice when he was about to do something out of bound. “You see, I’m determined to see to the completion of our ancient fate.”

“And look at where it brings us!”

“We’re at the right place, and the plan has already succeeded by a half.”

“What are you talking about, brother? You don’t make sense to me at all!”

“I don’t make sense, you say? Heh, mother used to say that to me all the time.”

“I don’t mean to-”

“Now, now, Puuska. There’re only us here, and we don’t need to be all formal...”

He loosened his shoulders by moving them around. “Seriously, even though we’re brothers, we’re only really living by each other in the last few years. We were never too close, mainly because in truth, we had no chance to know each other. And there is something that I never told you about.”

“… What is it?”

“I have dreamt of the Sielulintu, who whispered to me affairs of the mortal realm ever since I was very young.”

Puuska paused for a while to process that sentence, and then widened his eyes. “Y- You’re a prophetic dreamer?!”

“See? If mother was like you, recognizing the potency of the soul-bird at first mention, then all would be well in the world, and I would not be urged to bloody my paws.”

“Wh- What… I… you- what?” The younger wolf was in complete confusion.

“Mother had always been afraid of me. That’s why mother and I never got along, and you got to take on a prestigious post to Ursia and have her arranged with you as soon as you became an adult, while I stayed in Isojoki, practically under house arrest all day.”

He bared his teeth, his expression a mix of grin and exasperation. “I ask you, Puuska. What’s your impression of me the few times we saw each other in our youth?”

Puuska spluttered slightly, but he said. “Y… You were friendly enough. You greeted everyone that came across you by name and with impeccable manner. You were like the perfect heir. That was why I was somewhat bemused to see you become a bit… eccentric after I came back from Ursia.”

“Ah… but that’s problem though. That Laske you had seen was never the real me.”

“… Huh?”

“Mother never believed me when I told her of those visions I saw in my dreams, even though they came to pass eventually. She blamed me for cursing father to his demise at the seas, while I was a mere messenger. To make my presence less troubling to the peace of her mind, she fed me with concoctions she procured from the mysterious lands to the east. It softened my resistance, allowed her to manipulate my psyche to her whim. That’s why I might finally fit her conceptions of how an heir should act in the public, because I was little more than her little wolf puppet. More importantly, it severed my connection to the dreamscape, therefore I would not be able to bother her with my nonsensical talk of the grim future anymore.”

Puuska froze. He did not at all expect his somewhat distant but generally just mother could do something like that to her own son. 

He had joined in his brother out of a plethora of different reasons – his brother’s heartfelt appreciation for his ability, the readiness in returning the wolf-whistle to him, and the very fact that Laske had treated him like a long-lost brother with all his devotion. His experiences with Suologievra was never a reason, because at the very least, she had treated him with proper care like any mother would have done, and he had never felt too comfortable siding with either in the conflict.

Seizing the shock apparent on his brother’s face, Laske continued. “But though I have never managed to dream the soul-bird again, even after I wriggled myself out of her tyrannical paws, I did have one very specific vision, one that should change the world as we know it. And my gut feeling told me that the she-wolf called Suologievra would never be part of it… I would never allow it.”

“You…”

“Listen up, Puuska. You saw the sky, alright.”

“… Yes, the sun and the moon are no longer moving across the sky. So?”

“The soul bird had told me, before you’re even born, that this would happen.”

“…!”

“And you have misunderstood me as well, brother. The ancient prophecy I pursued was not bringing about the downfall of the Firstlings or the southerners. No, that would be inconsequential in the big picture. The prophecy that I was promised is far greater and would change the world as we know it. And you, Puuska, are my equal centerpiece.”

“B- Brother…?”

“The expedition to Deermark was actually not as much an exercise to cleanse the remaining Firstlings, as an excavation to find clues for my visions. Even though we lost the battle, my private scouts did recover something interesting from Firstling ruins on our way there. It’s a legend that foretold a mythical danger to their civilization, and guess what, my brother, we’re supposed to be the danger!”

After a pregnant pause, he grinned. “The sun and the moon have until now been forced up and down the horizons with by the pony princesses down south. Because of the treachery of the orange unicorn, they have been casted off to somewhere unknown. And it is our destiny to finish them off and bring about the downfall of the cosmos itself. Success and failure on the battlefield might mean a slight issue for logistics, but so long as we’re together again, it’s all good. Now, with mother out of the picture, I figure that it’s about time to tell you the truth-”

“T- This is madness! I had known you to be a bit unstable, but-”

Laske’s grin dropped, and he looked like as if he had been slapped. “… Not you too, Puuska. That’s what mother used to say about me always.”

Puuska’s derisive outburst was abruptly doused. Laske had been forthright so far. From his brother’s own standpoint, he was the one who left and turned against his elder brother, yet Laske did not seem to dwell on that fact at all. Perhaps Laske deserved at least some patience and attention?

The younger wolf sighed and said. “I misspoke, brother. I’m just still very conflicted about mother.”

“… It’s fine.”

Laske’s grin returned, as he retold the story with a murmuring voice. 

“There used to be an age, when the wild nature gives us plenty of bounty by itself, the sun and the moon coursed through the sky unhindered. Then a cataclysm happened, and that cataclysm was the advent of wide-spread magic. Like a blanketing mist, it seeped into every fabric of the world. It disadvantaged old races like us, who thrived in this world with our physical strength alone. Our grey brethren adapted well, but we were forced to the corner of the world, living on barren, frozen lands.”

“But brother… we’ve turned out well eventually as a nation, haven’t we?”

Laske huffed. “Yes, but the affinity to magic is the great unfairness can never be eliminated, unless the world is thoroughly remade. It just so happened that the vision brought to me by the soul-bird told me of a way to do it. A way to redo history and rewrite destiny herself.”

“And that would be?”

“The sun mare and the moon mare… They are our very prizes. At this time between light and dark, we shall seek them out, and we shall nourish our innards with their flesh and blood. Once we devour them whole, I the solar pony, and you the lunar pony, then the Firstling legend will finally come to pass. The sheer release of magic would rend the earth in twain.”

He got more and more excited as he went on, his eyes glazed as if he was witnessing the scenes himself. “The land itself shall tremble, and all the spirits contained and fettered within it will flood the world. Fire will be rained upon the earth for forty days and forty nights, and then the seas would churn and cleanse the remaining ashes of its taint. The times of ponies and magic would pass forever, yet in their place a new age will dawn, one that the wolfkind could dwell in unprecedented prosperity and peace, and our children shall finally inherit the earth!”

After a laboring silence, Puuska said with a quiet voice. “… This is too much, brother.”

Laske’s thrilled expression froze. “… What?”

“I… I don’t want to be the one who destroy the world, however noble the goals are. There will be too much pain and suffering on the road to this renewal, and that is given if it is indeed true. M- Mother was already been killed because of it.”

The elder wolf’s voice turned chilling. “Are you speaking for her, Puuska? Are you saying that her treatment of me was but a fair punishment for my ‘unnerving eccentricities’?”

Puuska felt as if he was pinned to the ground by Laske’s dominating presence, even though the larger wolf was restrained. “I- No, w- what she did was wrong, very wrong. But we should perhaps try to talk first? Why shed her blood?”

He gulped and continued. “After spending some time with the new dragon champion of theirs, I found that perhaps even the deepest, the most ancient hatred could be ameliorated by dialogue. The Firstlings, once seeing us as their mythical nemesis, could be talked into fighting with us side by side… Ponies, with all their magic and advantages, might not be that-”

“Shut up!” Laske thundered with a face distorted by rage.

Puuska breathed in deeply, and looked incredibly sad. “I’m sorry, brother. I- I just can’t bring myself to do this. If this plan does work, and it goes through, so many would be killed and destroyed. And yet not every non-wolves, as I’ve learnt, are bad. Spike, for example-”

“It’s that pesky dragon, isn’t it? I knew him to be a trouble the first time I saw him with that white doe. He must have filled your mind with poisonous thought -”

Puuska interrupted with a shaky grunt. “B- Brother! I don’t need anyone else to tell me this plan of yours is too extreme!”

“It’s not just mine, it is ours! And it is not just a plan, it is a divine plan, a destiny that we must fulfill as brothers!”

The younger wolf’s stomach churned. He sharply turned from his brother, his thoughts a confused mess. He wanted some time to think alone. “I have to leave now.”

Laske, however, took his brother’s action as an outright rejection. He leapt up from his confinement and pinned Puuska to the floor, much to the latter’s shock.

“Brother!? Aren’t you tied up to the chairs?”

“You’re sorely mistaken if you think that weak ropes might bound me down. You’re also sorely mistaken if you think you might simply walk away from your fate.”

Pulling out a small capsule from between his sharp teeth, he emptied its white powdery content. He then bit into his own paw without a second thought, allowing his blood to drip onto the white powder. Strangely, it did not stain the powder, merely causing it to balloon in volume.

“I never thought it would come to this, Puuska. Though I always have this nagging thought that you might think like mother and reject my vision of a new world. I suppose I must take things into my own paws and realize the prophecy alone.”

Puuska struggled without success. He said with deep fear on his face. “W- What do you want to do?!”

“Perhaps my torment under mother is not completely futile after all, for it teaches me the way of utter desperation. Now, for the greater good of us all, you shall submit to my will and join me.”

The younger wolf gasped as Laske savagely clamped on his snout with his strong paw, and forced him to ingest the white powder. As his mental defense quickly slackened, he heard the last thing with his conscious mind.

“The dragon… he must be dealt with like mother as well…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike grimly moved away from the medic tent that held Pinkie. According to the assembled medics from all races, even including one Villian doctor who flew in, and a crystal pony specialist who had been plucked out of the PoWs, she almost bit her tongue off, and she almost choked herself with her own blood, if not for the prompt medical attention she had received.

Spike’s heart twisted like a dead knot. He did not know what exactly had she seen, experienced or done to cause such a previously bouncy and happy mare turned to this dark path once she was returned to clarity. 

He needed answers, and he had half a mind to grab Marin or any other surrendered Crystallians to do a proper interrogation. But his vastly enlarged size made every mundane action prohibitively difficult. He could not even move around too liberally without the fear of accidentally crushing someone.

Thinking that his ‘greed’ growth at least did something useful for once, he sighed and walked to the elevated platform constructed by muskoxen and ponies, where a requiem for lost soul would soon be held.

“Respected Spike.”

Spike turned, and found Puuska leading Laske in chains and walking towards him.

“Respected Puuska, have you finished talking with your… brother?”

The gaunt white wolf at first gave no response, but as if jabbed by someone, he abruptly began with a glib voice. “I have, indeed. He had confessed everything, and he’s willing to submit himself to your judgment.”

Spike raised a brow. Puuska sounded somewhat… placid, displaying none of the conflict and concern he had before he went to his brother. But he shook his head to dismiss his seemingly unfound doubt and said. “Where are you bringing him to? The memorial to Suologievra would soon be held, and with all due respect, his presence does not seem appropriate.”

“He’s still a son of hers, and he has all the right to be there.”

“… If you say so.” Spike frowned slightly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yolana stepped up to the platform, and walked all the way to the edge. Dry north wind blew her black mane aloft, the bells in her headdress were the only sound in the silence amongst the a hundred or so loyal followers of the matriarch.

The arrows on the white matriarch herself was removed, and she was washed clean of her own blood, then placed in a wooden casket supplied by the Ville. Spike rested his large body behind it, guarding the casket with pained, watchful eyes.

The white wolves preferred to have her cremated and spread on seas as soon as possible, but given that the ocean was a mountain away, they agreed to put her ashes in jars after the ritual first, and only to release it back in Isojoki.

The Qam Qatun of the muskoxen tribe reverently held up a bowl of warm milk. Muttering words of peace under her breath, she then stood up on her back legs and swayed in a half circle with her first hooves outstretched, sprinkling the milk onto the brown soil before her.

After Yolana, Frigg walked up to the platform. The white wolves murmured among themselves at the sight of the priestess of their former enemies leading the rites for their own leader, but the silvery mare merely did her part in silence.

She drank a draught she brought with her, and spilled the rest of it on the ground, mirroring what Yolana did. She then sang a sad dirge in Old Firstling. None of the wolves knew what she was saying, but the emotion seeped across the language barrier, and quite a few mourners cried aloud and howled.

The dragon then rose from his position. He was about to raise the casket and bathed it with scorching flame in his own claws, when Puuska suddenly walked up to him, dragging Laske, who seemed to be disheveled and miserable, along.

Spike raised a brow. “Puuska? What is the matter?”

“Respected Spike, I have some words to say to you before you cremate mother. It’s about me, brother and her.”

“… Speak away.”

Puuska blinked. “I need you to lower your head and ears to me, for this matter is sensitive.”

Spike complied, and lowered his head to ground height, just in front of the younger white wolf.

Without warning, the victorious voice of Laske suddenly boomed from behind. “Goodbye, ‘white titan’.”

“What-”

Spike suddenly felt an intense, paralyzing pain at his right eye, and its vision abruptly went black. He yelled out and looked back with his remaining good eye, and saw, to his horror, Puuska holding a ceremonial dagger in his paw, face reddened with his own blood but did not betray any emotion.

The white wolf gave it another thrust, this time planting the knife deep into his head. His paw dug deep in the bloodied eye hole, and straightly into his brain. An intense disorienting sense immediately came and washed over him.

Blood squirted out liberally, as Spike drew up his remaining strength and questioned hoarsely. “P- Puuska, why?!”

“Save your last breath, wretched dragon. Puuska’s my loyal little brother, and he would listen to me and me alone.”

Spike huffed and breathed difficultly. He could not believe Puuska’s actions up until this point were but an act. If the white wolf wanted him dead or betrayed him when he was vulnerable, he had plenty opportunities to do so.

The dragon bled out helplessly on the ground, this time without the grace of the healing white particles. The assembled mourners were confused and outraged, and Yolana and Frigg were both ready to sprint forth to tackle the wolf brothers. 

Laske merely grinned, as he called out some more commands aloud in Susian. The two priestesses were then shocked to see those white wolf captives who should be chained up somewhere else, were somehow free of their bounds and swarmed into the venue. The mourners were quickly rounded up and subdued.

As the main part of the army was still halfway across the battlefield, and others unknowing this sudden development within their own camp, it was a shockingly successful decapitation operation with Spike as the target.

Puuska was standing behind his brother woodenly. Spike looked on with drooping eye, the debilitating pain already numbed down to nothing. He squirmed on the ground gracelessly like a dying worm, but he remained stubborn. He did not believe that Puuska was a traitor. Something wrong must have happened to his mind, likely the fault of his brother. The dragon decided to bet on his suspicion once more.

He clawed out another scale on his belly, this time failed to do it in any elegant way. A number of trinkets fell out onto the ground, and he just grabbed them up with his weak shaking claw surreptitiously.

Just when the two brothers were looking away from the dragon, assured that he was on his way out. He used his remaining strength and flicked the trinkets towards Puuska’s head.

A few of them fell onto Laske’s head as well. A dragon’s strength was overwhelming, but it was also severely weakened by his injuries. Laske merely turned back with clear annoyance. “Can you just bleed out quietly and stop playing pup’s tricks?”

A sloshing sound came from below his neck. Laske blinked with a pregnant pause, the dragonblood-soaked knife was now firmly lodged in his chest, penetrating his body from behind.

He slowly turned and looked with disbelief. Puuska was holding the knife with a look of betrayal, anger and sadness.

His heart and innards torn and sliced, blood began to seep from Laske’s mouth as he fell onto the ground.

Expecting some sort of shocked retort at his betrayal after his control somehow slipped, Laske merely smiled peacefully, which made Puuska even more shocked. The crazed glint that had always been present in his blue eyes had disappeared for the first time since Puuska reunited with his brother.

“… I… guess I deserve this as much.”

“…?!”

He coughed out some blood locked in his throat and continued difficultly. “Now that it comes to this… I guess what I’ve seen in m- my dreams might just be what mother said… a mad wolf’s hallucination.”

“B- broth-”

“I’m glad that you *cough* *cough* still consider me brother after I so callously take away your free will… You’re magnanimous, much more so than me.”

The knife in his paw shaking, tears streamed out of Puuska’s eyes as he slowly took in what he had done.

“I’m sorry for everything, Puuska. I led the white wolves onto this path of destruction, causing so much *cough* bloodshed pursuing the distant goal of world renewal. In the process I killed mother out of nothing other than *cough* petty revenge, and I manipulated you the exact way I so despise mother about. I don’t begrudge you a bit,”

“Brother!”

Laske’s breath became short. “Thank you for giving me clarity at last… I- I don’t suppose my death would solve everything, but at least a life taken away is now repaid… P- Please, as the solitary leader of the white wolves now *cough*, m- make us-”

Light went out in his eyes before he could finish his last words, as Puuska dropped the knife to the ground, and howled to the grey overcast, completely heartbroken.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Facing the uncomfortable and uneasy crowd, composing of almost all his companions and friends, around his bed, Spike attempted to liven up the mood.

“Hey now, at least I look like a pirate captain now, don’t I?”

However, no matter in any of the several languages he rendered the joke, the reaction was at best lukewarm.

He sighed, and turned to the Villian army mage. “Thank you, lieutenant-major Pointed Release, I thought few unicorns are versed in the dragon lore enough to revert a greed growth, and I was prepared to trek back to find the only one I knew who did it once for me, but you did it with such style and ease. If not for your prompt attention, I could not have been shrunk small enough to be treated normally by medics and doctors. I offer you my sincerest thanks.”

Pointed Release, a blue unicorn with a tidy goat beard, stroked it gently. “Ho, ho. You’re welcome, Commander Spike. We Villians prided ourselves in our Unicornian roots, and magical art is our bread and butter. Despite what Equestrians at large like to think, we certainly haven’t forgotten about that, even though we’re now Prench first. And I’m proud to use my elite training to assist in someone who had offered great assistance to this beautiful city of ours. I trust that you’re no longer feverish, correct?”

“Yes, I’ve largely recovered. And you’re welcome as well, it’s the soldiers and everyone else who did the hard work. I’m just happy that I can now fit through a door and talk normally with all of you.”

The mage eyed Spike curiously. “Ah… a civilized dragon, commanding hordes of foreign ponies, yaks-”

“Not yaks, we’re muskoxen.” Yolana promptly corrected.

“Apologies, mademoiselle. Yes, muskoxen, and white wolves. I wish I could keep you here for a longer period of observation…”

Octavie-Fontaine, who was the other Villian accompanying the mage, groaned. “You mages and your obsession with research. Commander Spike, despite his diminutive, cutesy look, is still a foreign dignitary!”

Pointed Release winced. “My bad, my bad. I’m sorry.”

Spike said. “It’s fine. Tell Director Muzzle I will meet with him as soon as I can get off and walk. And thank him for allowing all of us to come inside the city as well. It must’ve been a burden.”

Octavie-Fontained thinly smirked. “A burden, yes. But it is a worth it, I suppose. So long, then. On behalf of the Prench Republic, I bid thee well.”

After the duo left, Kanipha muttered. “That mare…”

“Is your type?” Spike finished his sentence.

Kanipha did a spit-take. “Goodness forbid, no! She reminds me of how I use to talk all the time, makes my skin crawl with shame.”

Spike decided not to comment on the strange look on Geuse’s face. His glazed silence prompted Kanipha to ask in worry. “H- Hey, are you okay? T- T- The knife… I mean, it went right through your eye and lodged in your brain! H- Have you forgotten anything? Quick, tell me who am I!”

“Uh… hmm… you certainly look familiar…”

Geuse rolled her eyes up. “Please, for the love of all that is mighty, quit screwing with him. He, as well as all of us, are worried sick of you.”

Spike put out his tongue. “Look, I’m sorry. I’ll try to not die-”

“Shush, da! Don’t say that word so casually!” Rainga blurted out.

Spike offered a helpless smile. “Geez, I don’t know I have a list of banned words, but I’m still here largely thanks to everyone’s prompt help. Speaking of which, care to give me a mirror?”

“What for?” Kanipha asked.

“Everyone’s looking at me funny. I want to know why.”

Geuse nodded. “Don’t worry. You haven’t been disfigured or anything. But if you want to have a look, here you go.”

Spike took over the mirror, and immediately raised his brows. With an understanding sigh, he said. “I look like a scoop of yam and vanilla ice cream.”

Suppressing an inappropriate snort, Kanipha asked. “Do you know why the healed wounds are now white?”

Spike closed his good eye. “Can’t be anyone other than him…”

Rainga gasped. “Da, you mean, like Nid-nid?”

Spike mulled, before being interrupted with a strong sensation. “… You know what, my right eye… or whatever is left of it, suddenly itches terribly. It’s driving me crazy.”

“Wait, no!”

Several by the bedside wanted to stop Spike, but he tore down the eyepatch and the bandage altogether. They immediately averted their eyes, too afraid or pained to see the horrific wound to his seeing organ.

“Huh.”

Spike pulled a face, and then said to the averted eyes. “You guys don’t need to look away. It appears that my eye is no longer something out of a horror story.”

Kanipha was the first to turn his head back, and he gasped aloud. “… How? We all saw it…!”

Spike’s right eye seemed to have grown back, even though it’s still red with veins and glazed. Most egregious was still the color of his eye, which went from the original bright green, to green with a band of bright gold running from bottom left to top right.

“T- That eye…!”

Rainga covered her mouth. “It’s the eye of Nid- I mean, Nighthewer the dragon!”

“I think by this point, it’s pretty clear, isn’t it? I’m still living thanks to him, at the cost of slowly turning into him whenever I am mortally wounded.”

Frigg and the other two pony commander talked with each other in a few hushed exchanges, and then the silvery mare said difficultly in accented Equestrian. “Brilliant Spike. This must be the will of Nidhogg. He wishes to protect you, his worthy heir, in times of danger.”

Spike was visibly delighted that these ponies were grasping Equestrian pretty quickly for complete novices, even though the grammatical structure and vocabulary overlap certainly helped. Still, he scratched his head. “I am grateful for him as always, of course. Though I’m used of being a purple dragon with green eyes.”

“If you don’t want to feel weirded out, don’t throw yourself time and again to fatal situation.” Kanipha puffed.

“Right.” Spike grinned.

Pisacan chuckled. “I’m so glad for you, Spike. A good sight is a priceless thing.”

“Pisa… I will definitely try to find a way-”

The yellow mare smiled. “Goodness gracious, Spike, you’re a responsibility hoarder, aren’t you? I know you want to help anyone you meet, but it is exactly because of that you go into danger’s way so often. The most you can help now is by resting properly. If you get stabbed in the same place twice, I’m not sure it would magically heal again.”

Spike winced as he thought about the perpetrator. “Heh. So how… is Puuska?”

Yolana softly sighed. “He is still pretty unstable. He saw the death of his mother and brother in one single day. And he is still quite traumatized about his brief episode of being controlled mentally.”

Rainga, however, was visibly angry. “He stabbed da in the eye!”

Spike sighed. “Yeah, but he’s not himself at the time. It immediately reminded me of how Pinks was not herself. I heard their exchange before and after I threw my remaining stash of two-faced stones at him, and he must now be an emotional wreck. Laske was an extremist, and he killed Suologievra, but he’s also himself a tragic figure. It’s tragedy all around for the white wolves, and I can only feel for them.”

He looked up to the silent crowd. “So… how are the two wolves now…?”

Yolana said. “They’ve been cremated already. Puuska took the two jars of ashes, and he wished to think alone first. He also said he was very sorry about his action, and there is no excuse for any punishment you would hand down.”

Rainga pouted. “Tsk, he’s gonna exploit da’s soft heart and kindness again.”

Kanipha could not help but agree. “Yeah… It’s not like we would ever hear from Spike that he demands bloody vengeance from anyone that crosses him.”

“He’s innocent of his action even if he did slice my head into ribbons. If we start blaming mind-controlled individuals of their actions under control, then Cadance, Shining Armor and Pinkie would also have to implicated, and it’s ridiculous.”

The two royals shifted uncomfortably at the back, but the alicorn gave the dragon a wordless but appreciative look.

“Now, you all should get a rest. It’s been some time that we’ve had a proper place to sleep under, and proper meal to have.”

He added half-jokingly. “The lack of a day-night cycle is also wreaking havoc on our sleep quality. Now that the city lights help with that a bit, we should take full advantage of it, shouldn’t we?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike was lying on the bed, holding the mirror up high and examining every white stripes he gained inadvertently, and then he stared into his green-gold eye quizzically.

At the end, he was a bit tired, and he also realized he must have looked like a narcissist staring into a mirror for so long, so he put it down and nurse on the bed again. 

With a creaking sound, the door to his personal ward opened. Thinking it was the Prench nurse again, he called out without raising his head. “So early tonight, Madame Florence? I promise I’d be sleeping soon, my eye is quite tired anyway.”

“Spike…”

Spike abruptly raised his head. This was not the voice of Nurse Florence.

“P- Pinkie?!”

The pink mare hid her face behind the wooden door like a fearful fawn. Her mane, frazzled yet straightened, hanged listlessly from her drooping head. When Spike’s gaze burrowed into her own blue eyes, she quickly turned away as if in immense shame.

The dragon had already jumped off the bed. He stumbled for a bit, but he quickly sprinted towards the pink mare. Pinkie flinched, but Spike gave her a long and passionate hug, restraining her from running away.

“Don’t you… Don’t you dare running away from me again!”

Pinkie let out a squeak, but she did not speak. Spike half-begged and half-dragged her into the ward, and sat her down by his bedside. Then he asked worriedly. “Can you still speak, Pinks? Don’t tell me…”

“N- No, I’m fine! T- The Villian unicorn medic helped stopped my t- tongue from bleeding, and it’s been healing fine now, even though I speak with a lith-p some time…”

“Thank goodness… Pinks, why did you…? I have looked for you for so long!”

“I’m so sorry… B- But I just couldn’t stand t- to even see or talk to you anymore. I have become a terrible excuse of a friend, a marefriend, an Element-bearer… and a pony. I’ve broken goodness-know how many Pinkie Promises in the past months, I might as well-”

“Stop that nonsense at once, Pinks! Seriously, even if you cause the end of the world as we know it, I know you’re never the mare to intentionally do something like that. You’re just too much of an adorable dolt to wish harm on anyone. You’ve been brainwashed by Sunset Shimmer, haven’t you?”

The pink mare began to shake, and she burst into tears. “S- Spike, I- I’m a terrible pony! It happens all because of me!”

The dragon stroked the downcast face of his marefriend. “Now, now. We have all the time in the world, with only you and me. Tell me, and I promise I’ll never judge.”

Pinkie cried into the chest of the dragon until she had tired herself out, and in his gentle cradling, she began with deep wistfulness.

“Shim- She… knows about us. Shortly after she became First Consul, she had sent spies to Ponyville to investigate the Element-bearers and their relationships. She knew from the first day on we’re going to cause trouble for her plans, and she wanted to divide us.”

With an ashen, wry smile, she said. “And I am the weakling she had picked out. Because I am a joke of a marefriend.”

“Pink-”

“I have doubted our relationship, I am a jealous little filly, and she knew it. I jumped right into her trap, and she used my emotions against me. When I realized it, I was already under her thrall.”

“It’s not your fault… I- I have neglected to maintain our relationship in the past few months as well. I should reach out to you more, instead of telling myself that you’re probably busy.”

He frowned with pain apparent on his face. “I am the drakefriend that is terrible. I know that multiple relationships are hard to maintain. I should have put more of my heart into it to make sure that none of you feel insecure. But I went off on some adventure on a critical junction, and for that I have a responsibility that I can’t escape as well.”

He sighed and said. “It’s a first step to face square with the past to make peace with it.”

Pinkie caught what Spike implied, and began to look incredibly distressed. She turned her head away from the dragon, seemingly uncomfortable. 

The dragon sighed quietly again. “If you don’t feel like it, then don’t tell me for the moment. Instead, why don’t you hear my side of the story, hmm?”

Despite the cutting guilt in her heart, her curiosity was piqued. The dragon was suddenly the commander of a strange army, bringing with him so many new friends and so many mares-

Pinkie winced and almost slapped her cheeks hard, her mind had drifted to the poisonous pit of jealousy again. She then looked at Spike with watery eyes. The dragon received her wordless request, and began to tell the pink mare his exploits up the wild north.

A shocked look hanged on the pink pony’s face, and it became especially egregious ever since Spike mentioned his meeting with Nighthewer and the subsequent mind-meld.

“… You look silly with that face, you know.” Spike commented.

Pinkie shook her head quickly, and asked with a shaky voice. “S- So Spike, y- you have mind-melded with an ancient dragon in the north?”

Spike felt slightly curious that out of all things that he had told her, this was the thing that she was apparently most interested about. He figured that it was probably from a similar fear like with Kanipha, a fear that he was no longer himself. 

He quickly comforted. “Don’t you worry, Pinks. Even though I have all the ancient memories of Nighthewer, I’m still demonstrably, absolutely, positively the Spike you’ve known and loved.”

Pinkie gazed at the dragon with a conflicted expression, her mind seemingly in great turmoil. At the end, she showed him the ashen smile from the beginning again. She closed her eyes and said. “Spike, I think it’s no longer fair to withhold this bit of information from you, now that you’ve definitely shown that you’re mature enough to handle it.”

Spike frowned slightly, and he straightened himself. “… What is it, Pinks? You sound so grave.”

Pinkie drew in a breath, as she thought back to Twilight, and whether she would approve of her breaking the secret to him without consulting them. But then she saw the weathered, concerned look on the dragon’s face, she shook her head again and began.

“Remember… Remember the time you walked out on us on Dashie’s ship? Because we’re being all secrety-secret and you suspect that we have hidden something from you that is on the QT?”

Spike looked up to the ceiling as he struggled to recall things that seemed to be quite a while ago. But eventually, it clicked. “O- Oh, right. Wait, a- are you telling me… the big secret you girls were hiding from me the whole time?!”

Pinkie slowly nodded. Spike gulped hard and said. “Well, shoot.”

“The very same thing happened to Twi before she even came to Ponyville, and it changed her greatly.”

Spike went quiet, as he looked at Pinkie steadily and without any hint of movement. A protracted silence ensued. 

Just as Pinkie was about to say something out of sheer discomfort, Spike said with a bemused voice. “What? You mean, Twi also somehow met with Nighthewer? There isn’t such an episode in his recollections.”

The pink pony did a mini-spittake and facehoofed. “I’m such a silly pony! I phrased it a little bit too vague… What I meant was that she met with a separate ancient entity, and something similar happened with them.”

Spike blinked several times, and asked with a low voice. “A… Are Twi… still Twi?”

Pinkie gulped, and answered slowly. “She is no less Twilight than you are Spike.”

Spike then smiled brightly. “If so, that’s no problem by me.”

Before Pinkie said anything, he quickly added. “… I… always have this nagging suspicion of Twi’s changes in the few months before we moved to Ponyville. No wonder she suddenly changed from a bookworm recluse to a pony who got around with even the castle maid and the gardener.”

Pinkie’s face scrunched up, seemingly an acknowledgement of Spike’s words. He then asked with a frown. “So… who’s that entity? And why does what happened to Twi matter to the other girls at all?”

“It has no name. We all merely call it the tome, or the ancient tome, because it’s a knowledge collector and storage made by a civilization beyond our world.”

“Holy guacamole, it’s alien? That’s, like, ten notches more intense than an ancient dragon! No offense to Nighthewer.”

Pinkie weakly smiled at Spike’s joke. “It’s very old. So old that it had heard when the first sentient beings came to the Canterlot hills, even though the tome had not grown a sapience by then, and it only heard their murmuring voices.”

“Canterlot hill, again…”

Spike sighed. “You know, Nighthewer was born under the mountain rocks in Canterlot hills too.”

“Dragon born in the Canterlot hill…? Hmm… it might be a bit tricky. The tome would certainly heard his movement, but solitary dragon almost never speak. Without hearing words, it would never have been able to pick him out from all the ambient noises.”

“I can confirm. Nighthewer never had another soul to speak to, before he was disgusted by the mass annihilation of the greys by Trefoil and left for the north-”

“P- Pardon?”

“I said, he witnessed Trefoil casted the accursed spell that did the grey wolves in, and turned them all into timberwolves. I promised the white wolves, who are their northern cousins and hated ponies because of it, to right that wrong at the first opportunity.”

“… Whoa… S- so that’s what happened to the timberwolves… Twilight’s worries were not unfounded after all. So many ancient ties were churned out of the soil in one single trip…”

“Yeah… So, Pinks, so Twi’s part-tome, I understand. I… I would really want to talk to her over this ourselves once her memories are recovered. But that aside, why would it involve you and others?”

“Her meeting with the ancient tome had caused her essence to be colored with that of the tome itself. It was like she was two ponies at once. There can’t be an Element of Harmony that is tied to two ponies at once, while all the others have one single owner. So it was a big problem.”

“Hmm, so what exactly did she do?”

“In order to bring balance to the Elements when we first activate them, she casted an incredibly strong mind-melding spell on all five of us. So strong, it left enough of her vital essence in each of us. This makes us equal, so that we might all claim the Elements to fight the Nightmare Moon.”

“Holy, is it… voluntary?”

Pinkie shook her head. Spike narrowed his eyes, and huffed heavily after a long pause. “… Even if it’s Twi, this kind of behavior is unacceptable. A mind is a sacred thing. Time and again we see people temper with it with nasty results. This is no less mind-control when the ‘good guys’ did it.”

Pinkie spluttered. “S- Spike, Twilight is not-”

Spike cut her off. “But hang on, something doesn’t add up.”

“E- Eh?”

“How in Equestria did she know that you five would have become Element-bearers in the first place? She isn’t Nostradamare.”

“Oh, about that… Maybe I should tell you more about how Twilight came across the ancient tome in the first place…”

“Oh?”

“In fact, the tome itself is not quite okay with the idea of sharing a head with Twilight, because it hated to steal her chance to live a proper life by herself.”

“Heh, at least it’s also someone who has moral qualms about taking over someone’s life.”

Pinkie smiled briefly, but then winced. “It is actually Twilight’s selfish idea to force it into her head. The tome explicitly wanted to be destroyed, because it was tired of life under the hill, but Twilight didn’t want a tome who’s clearly so versed in history, magic and mystical knowledge to be gone. So she extracted it and put it into her head.”

She sighed with a defeated look. “It would have been a precarious but doable arrangement. But the tome violently resisted, and it caused their minds to collide spectacularly. The sheer burst of magic tore a small hole in the fabric of space and time, and sucked Twilight into an in-between world, where she was briefly able to see into the future of herself – if she never came across with the tome. At the end, the tome spent its own integrity in a bid to extract her mind back to the real world. So the end result is quite similar with yours.”

Spike muttered. “Oh dear... So, what is the future like?” 

“The visions were in scenes, and only went up until a point… about a few years in, when she became the alicorn Princess of Friendship.”

“Sounds peppy. Surely she did not become a princess of friendship through the brutal conquest of Equestria, did she?” Spike joked.

“O- Of course not! The alternate timeline is peaceful, and we solve every crisis that’s thrown at us quickly and neatly!”

“Pinks, what have stopped us from copying the proven formula of success and ensure none of this… do-do happens?”

“Unfortunately, Spike, ‘history’ already diverged by the time we failed to stop Chrysalis at Canterlot. Everything that happens afterwards have differed so much. Besides, Shimm- ugh, Sunset Shimmer had never been on our radar before. That’s what makes her so scary!”

“At least now Pinks, you know the inner workings of Crystal Empire under Sunset Shimmer’s rule, right?”

Pinkie looked crestfallen. “I- I do… I’m her enabler, after all. I am a war criminal-”

Spike patted Pinkie’s back forcefully. “Pinks! Tell me what you know, and we’re going to deal with this together! And if anyone would confront you after we strive to fight for the right cause, let them talk to me eyes to eyes, mano-e-mano first.”

The pink mare gulped. The dragon’s upbeat and encouraging words did mend her broken heart a little. But when she thought back to what she had done under the thrall of the orange pony, she felt burning guilt and sadness wash over her again.

“S- Spike, I have betrayed the girls, I have betrayed the ideals of Twilight, I have betrayed y-”

“You haven’t done any of those. That wasn’t you, plain and simple.”

The dragon sighed. “Also Pinks, if you continue to wallow in self-doubt, we can never begin to heal. We need you to stand up, not only against evil, but shadows of our past.”

Pinkie widened her eyes. She looked at the dragon’s placid smile, wondering when he had become so steady and mature.

She breathed in and out a few times, and then slowly began. “… I know you must be wondering why I was acting… that way, back when we meet in Y- Yakyakistan.”

“Pinks…”

“We five have each inherited Twilight’s knowledge, and by extension the knowledge of the ancient tome. Together with the visions, we have very dangerous knowledge that can… realistically destroy the world if fallen into the wrong hooves.”

Pinkie continued. “Imagine, Spike, the power of a thousand suns, concentrated into the size of a pebble. Entire city can be annihilated in one hit… Big Dora – the railway gun – is foal’s play in comparison.”

Spike took a sharp breath. “Y- You girls can make something like that-?”

“Not at will, but with resources and dedication, it’s not at all a mere fantasy. In a blink of an eye, Equestria will become a lifeless wasteland.”

She gritted her teeth. “That’s why even if I did become a mindless puppet, none of these knowledge must fall into her hooves. Sadly, I don’t have the means to cast an anti-magic spell, but I still managed to draw within the deeps of my mind, and pulled out a thread of leftover magic from when Twilight melded with me. From there I built a cage of ‘quarantined’ knowledge, where I hid the most sensitive information in case she might get me to betray the other girls. It’s not a complete success, as she still managed to exploit some of my deadly skills to prop up her conquering army.”

“H- Hey, that’s already quite a feat. Any other pony would just be meat on a chopping board.”

Pinkie looked pale, however, not at all soothed by his comforting words. “I have helped subjugate the yaks. I have helped suppress dissent. Crystallians should not have a weapon advantage, but they have killer cannons all because of me. I have been the willing accomplice to evil.”

She covered her face with her hooves, tears seeping through the gap. “I- I even go to the press and denounce the girls as t- traitors after they realized that she’s evil and rose against her! I am the worst friend ever! Like, in all the history of Equestria!”

Spike, however, was quietly simmering with anger. “That manipulative husk of a pony… How dare she does this to my dearest marefriend!”

He took away her covering hooves and gazed directly into her fearful eyes. “Pinks, tell me all about her. I swear that justice would be done, don’t you ever doubt it.”

Pinkie gloomily sighed, before slowly began again. “Thank you, Spike, but it’s not about justice. What I did was plainly terrible. I- I am sorry for s- scaring you back then. I let my emotion get the better of me, and for a moment, I really wanted to take the easy way out-”

“Pinks, I can’t imagine what kind of torment you have endured. But you’re never a quitter, you bring joy to people even at the darkest of times. Now is by no means the worst moment. Unlike a month or so ago, we have with us a band of brothers and sisters, all eager to fight against evil. Now we only need a bit of brains as well, to sketch our next course of action, and your help will be sorely needed. Don’t ever give up… for you and for me, please!”

“S- Spike…”

Pinkie slowly became determined, and she nodded. “I will tell you all that I know, I promise.”

> Chapter 10 – Aching Recollections
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

You see, Sunset Shimmer is not a unicorn who ascended to power through brutal dominance with sheer magical prowess, like Sombra and many other mad unicorns in history. She is a powerful and extensively knowledgeable unicorn, and she knows about the apparatuses of the state. She uses them to the point of perfection to achieve total control and effective propaganda.

Unlike Sombra, who earned the hate of the crystal ponies by his disregard of laws and institutions, and had to resort to mass mind control through thought helmets, Sunset Shimmer wanted to actually make the masses love and adore her to the point that they would not bat an eye if she tell them to jump off a cliff.

Yes, Spike. But I don’t know whether this makes her a worse or a better pony than Sombra. A- At least she’s giving her subjects a choice? Even though there is only one option given how overpowering her propaganda is.

I also don’t know what her exact reason was that she did not employ mind control on a more massive scale, like Sombra once did. Of course, removing the free will from the draftees using low-level mind wipes tends to reduce their capacity to carry out more complex tactical orders, but seeing how devastating Sombra’s wars were, it did not seem to be a serious concern if you have enough fodders to throw onto the battlefield. Crystal ponies are certainly no strangers to pony wave tactics.

Higher-level, more customized control… like what she did to me, might just be too difficult to cast on everypony. I also suspect that she did not quite know the full extent of her spell, seeing how she put me to the test when she made me do… rather nasty things in the beginning. 

But then again, she had shown herself to be a highly magical unicorn, worthy of the name of a former royal student. If she puts her mind to it, something like that might not be completely out of question. So I would guess that she withholds casting mind control spells on more ponies, because she had some ideological concerns… and even reservations.

… Now, Spike, you look surprised that I seem to be speaking for her. I- I must be perfectly honest, I…

*sigh* I don’t know if I am still under any lingering influence of her command. I don’t exactly remember any of them, probably because she commanded me to forget about the hypnosis itself. I only know that when I was under her control, I considered her my best and only friend in the world, and I would do everything to help and protect her. I- I am afraid, Spike… I am afraid that it would come back one day and I would betray-

Umpf! S- Spike, you…

*blush* I- I see. Two-faced stones… huh? I must admit that not even the ancient tome, in its long observation, have ever heard of this item. I- It would be great if there are no longer any complications of her spell on me. Can I keep one on me…?

Thank you! Anyway, she… she’s not a pony that’s completely lacking in moral. I know it’s hard to accept the idea that an enemy is not a pantomime villain out of a comic book, but she is a complicated mare… Sometimes she is an ideological crusader and staunch Crystallian nationalist, determined to recreate Pax Cristalica; sometime she is only there to create more havoc and watch the ‘mandatory labors’ toil with glee, like a Sombra with more subtlety. It’s as if there are two Sunset Shimmers at times, and I, even when I think back with my clearer mind now, can never tell which one I was being with.

I- I know, what she is like personally doesn’t exactly matter if she can be defeated, but it is still good if we can understand her end game, isn’t it? The problem, though, is that not even I quite understand her. I don’t think she does either. Sometimes she looks like a stranger in her own mind and body, and sometimes she literally said something to that effect, as if she’s only Sunset Shimmer a moment ago. It’s weird I know. 

Speaking of which, she had said something about the specific magical signature on me when we first met, and that she had stayed in a place where that signature was detected. As she referred to all six of us at that time, and that the signal was the strongest on Twi, I’m pretty sure she was referring to the lingering magic from the ancient tome. Now, I don’t know how exactly Sunset Shimmer has to do with the tome, since they really never had any sort of communication or interaction. So this points to the suggestion that she’s… abnormal, and probably not just what she appears, at the very least. In any case, she never brought it up again, and I had no chance to know about that further.

Regardless, she showed that she’s not a lightweight in manipulating public opinion and getting the myriad interests in the Empire to align to her will. She knows that the media and public perception can be her most powerful weapon, so she made sure she controlled the flow of information from day one. That was what got her to the top so fast.

After she had brought Crystal Empire back using a spell that she devised, and purportedly defeating Sombra, she immediately leveraged her fame into a place in the Crystal Assembly.

Crystal Empire after Sombra was a demoralized nation. None of her citizens had anything to celebrate or to be proud of. They were a thousand years behind in time, their old bonds broken, and what remained of their colonies were buried in the dust of time. In better times, that could have been redeemed by slow reintegration and revitalizing events… the prestigious Equestria Games were to be held in Crystal Empire this month if the war hasn’t broken out.

However, Sunset Shimmer exploited the grudge among crystal ponies, and promised them greatness, if they put in their trust and give her power. Her heroic feats and demonstrated bond to the Crystal Heart made her a much more obvious symbol of hope. Love is itself an unqualified thing, misguided love is still love, which could be used to bond with the Crystal Heart…

Princess Cadance and Shining Armor might have a chance if they were not consigned to irrelevance by her hypnosis, but *sigh* she did so to make sure that the newly forged loyalty is to her and to her alone.

She calls for crystal ponies to be martial, to be ruthless and energetic enough to make a clean sweep. She calls for unity within the Empire, and covertly denounced foreign influence as the reason the crystal ponies declined. She convinced that they were betrayed by the southerners, and so they need to take control. This proves to be wildly popular with the Crystallians, and they support her in droves without a real need to plop helmets on them.

She is also savvy enough to know that even though she had popular support, she needs organization to for her base to be more than a bunch of rabbles. So she formed the Voluntary Squadron, a brown-shirted paramilitary group that acted as her hooves to enforce her power.

The most prominent opposition within the Empire against her were primarily the patrician clans and noble families in the Empire. They saw her as a foreign appropriator of Crystallian culture, basically a pretend Crystallian and a brutish vulgar. Her rapid rise of power as a unicorn also worried somepony in the grassroot, who saw her as a mare-version of Sombra that might enslave them all again.

She knew the age-old adage of divide-and-rule. Against the clans, she deliberately antagonized the Vinidis and made an example out of their matriarch. 

Y- You said Pisacan is with you, right? That makes me so glad and relieved. Thank Geuse for sparing a thought for her when she broke out, or else she might really… meet with a terrible fate in the dark cell- No! Of course I don’t begrudge Geuse for not managing to rescue me from Sunset Shimmer’s hooves! There’s no chance that she would be able to get past the magical defense even if she punched out the physical walls.

After terrifying the clans into submission, she dealt with the nagging opposition by placating the proprietors. She used the VS as enforcers, breaking up strikes and enforced ‘mandatory labors’ for even the most minor of offense. It’s in essence slave labor, but a lot of the ponies were not concerned as long as they were not the ones put to work, and instead praised her for cleaning up the streets and putting bread on the shelves.

Of course, there are still representatives in the Crystal Assembly to deal with. These ponies were mostly appointed before Sombra even came to power by the old Princess. They came from the clans, nobility, and other important ponies of the Empire. They had a mostly advisory role, but now that Cadance and Shining Armor were made to be quiet, some of them took action against her meteoric rise by taking to the floor.

Her response was simple and clinical. Citing popular support and a need to put a stop to the ‘squabbling’ among assembly members, she organized a ‘spontaneous’ march, consisting of tens of thousands of brownshirts in plain clothes, to the Crystal Palace. Fearing their own safety and lives, the opposing members resigned, and the president of the assembly was forced to confirm her supremacy over the Assembly.

Afterwards, she removed one by one the legal and conventional restraints on her power. After Cadance and Shining Armor’s ‘kidnapping’ by the yaks, she began to simply call herself the ‘head of government’, implying that she was now in charge of the nation, and at least the Princess’s equal. She also removed the ability for the Assembly to set political agendas, make laws, and declare a lack of confidence in the First Consul, effectively making them a body of rubber stamps. 

After turning the Empire into a dictatorship, she ramped up the propaganda machine. Her lackeys from the brownshirts formed a new body called the Grand Council of National Revitalization, which replaced the Crystal Assembly as the real power-broker, and also kept a tight grip on all communications. She and her followers heavily emphasized the virtue of youth and vigor, as a front for her aggressive foreign policies.

The first victims were of course the yaks, who was unprepared for the possibility of war because they’re self-assured that their defense would foil any invasion.

Sunset Shimmer… She knew that I have a talent for tinkering, and she also saw the powerful guns and cannons I brought with me on the trip. Most damningly, I have failed to completely conceal my knowledge of advanced weaponry from the ancient tome. So she quickly put it to use against the yaks… to devastating results.

P- Prince Rutherford? He is captured by Crystallians after he was subdued by Sunset Shimmer. Ugh… he- he was paraded around the streets of the Empire afterwards, and it was terribly humiliating. He refused to eat any food given by the Crystallians afterwards as a sign of defiance, but he somehow did again after Sunset Shimmer visited him… I- I know… She probably m- made him obey her using her spell again. I- I can’t really speak for her for this, b- but a- at l- least s- she’s doing it so he wouldn’t have s- starved? 

Spike… I am glad you understand. My biggest fear is to come off as somepony who’s still attached to her, I… *sigh* I know, Spike, this is silly, but…

So… Yakyakistan was swiftly subjugated, and its territories were directly incorporated into Crystallian control. Yaks were immediately put to menial work in mines and fields, and ‘pioneers’ were encouraged to settle in the new territories.

There had been a strict blockade to prevent the news of the invasion from spilling to the south and causing the peace-lovers in Equestria to rise up in protest. But soon the heavy military presence along the Crystal Mountains was causing concerns in the Ville, Vanhoofer, and to a lesser extent to Cloudsdale and Canterlot. Princess Celestia and Luna were unsettled by the situation, and the lack of response from either Cadance or Sunset Shimmer herself.

*sigh* Sunset Shimmer was quite certain that I was completely under her control and on her side. So certain that I was sent south to speak on her behalf. She exploited the trust in me by the Princesses and the girls to ease their guards, which allowed her precious time to go further in her plans.

That was also the first time ‘I’ met with the girls and other friends after being sent north. Twilight was not there, though, probably still recovering in Ponyville. They also probably sensed that I was acting rather weird, but they weren’t keen to make assumptions after...

*sniff* I told them and the press a terrible cover story. It’s a plan conjured up by Sunset Shimmer to explain away the strangeness around my circumstances and the odd military presence in the north. I don’t even dare to look at Geuse in the eyes now that… now that…

*breath out slowly* Spike, I can never forgive myself for this. I have falsely accused Geuse of being a traitor in cahoots with the yaks, in a plot to kidnap Cadance and Shining Armor for some nonsense ancient rituals. And I told them the siege of Yakyakistan was a sad but necessary operation to rescue them. I- I even said that she used you and Kanny as living shields as she escaped to the north! I am a horrible, horrible excuse of- 

– a while later –

Thanks, Spike, I… I am better now. Thanks for the cup of warm water.

But I am ashamed. Geuse might be a roughened mercenary, but I also know that she took the concept of honor and vows very seriously. I besmirched exactly this and made her a pariah in the national press. Of course, now that the civil war have broken out, many are seeing her as some sort of failed revolutionary, but it’s still an untruth and it… it would never go away.

… So after making sure the south stayed quiet, she moved to the next step. Vanhoofer and Ville de Platine are two major city-states that once took order from Nova Roama than Canterlot. To the tune of national revival, she ‘suggested’ the two states to switch their allegiance to Crystal Empire, while marching around the perimeter of the cities in an attempt to blatantly coerce them. Vanhoofer is a famously a city of peaceniks, its residents tracing their roots to the homeless Equestrian refugees, since ‘Bosforo’ was deserted after Crystal Empire disappeared. They do not have any sort of defense force whatsoever, so they folded rather quickly, granting valuable sea access to the Crystallians. What were left of their former residents were able to return, which was a great propaganda coup for Sunset Shimmer.

Ville de Platine, however, was another story. It had been the first capital of Unicornia in the Pre-classical period, and with the integration of pegasi refugees from Griffiny, it had since been the center of the unique Prench culture, an envy to all high-class Equestrians, only being eclipsed rather recently by Canterlot. It is a city with proud roots, and Crystallian dominance only accounted for a relatively short time in its long and illustrious history.

It was also a city with strong undercurrents of political forces not seen in any other place in Equestria. For much of its history, La Ville was ruled by Princes of the Prench. They were absolute rulers with utter and complete power over the state, much more so than even Princess Celestia with her self-imposed constitutional restraints. It’s only several centuries after La Ville joined Equestria for good that one of the foalless Prince deeded the city to a distant royal cousins related to both him and Celestia. The Principality was quietly demoted to a duchy to diminish its identity, causing consternation among its nobles, but the inheritance went on… until the duchy went into the hooves of Blueblood.

La Ville had been a city of autocrats. It basically produced and exported all the haughty noble types in Equestria throughout history. But for every arrogant noble that ordered others around, there were ten downtrodden ponies that had to work for basically nothing to support that lifestyle. The nobles here are unaccounted for and unchecked like it was in other parts of Equestria, thus the lower class here had long endured a rather harsh life. But the union with other parts of Equestria had ensured the stability of this system, even if it’s so unbalanced. There is little that the royal government can do without straining the union, and Princess Celestia had resorted to setting a good example for the noble herself in the hope that at least some would emulate her good behaviors.

On the other hoof, small underground communes always existed as a mean of mutual support for commoners and merchants. They look to classical republics like Ancient Roam and the Vinidian Serenissima as their ideals. They had been outlawed multiple times in history, but could never be truly rooted out. They did not necessarily vilify rule by a prince or a princess, but they longed for virtue and common good to be held in government, and that the nobles should not have unrestrained power to take away their personal rights. The moderates among them thought Celestia to be a perfect example of an enlightened despot, but she was still not entirely infallible and was limited by the autonomy in the member states.

Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer reached out to Griffonstone. Now… the griffons are rather skewered in pony accounts, given that we had been serious rivals before the Gutian Cataclysm…

Um, you don’t recall that bit of history? You brought me out to eat hay fries afterwards after we revised that bit together! S- Still nothing? Alright… 

*sigh with a smile* You see, the first Griffonstone King, Grover the First, had retrieved the Idol of Boreas and used its power to unite the squabbling griffon tribes. Griffons, in all pony accounts, were described as a greedy species, like… I’m sorry, Spike, but indeed, they are often likened to dragons. I won’t deny that there’s a bit of casual racism there, but there is certainly a sliver of biological truth.

But unlike dragon greed, which oriented towards materials, griffon greed is more territorial. The Golden Idol’s biggest use is to magically transcend that urge to squabble among griffons into an outward national pride against foreign rivals. Therefore Grover didn’t need to do much nation building to unify the griffons into mighty Kingdom of Griffonstone, which went on to become to most powerful nation in the Near East. They frog-leaped the camels and filled in the power vacuum created by the sinking of Roam into the Atlantean Sea, and the subsequent fall of the ancient Crystal Empire.

The griffons kind of took on the mantle of ruling over the remaining ponies, even calling themselves the Holy Roaman Empire… heheh, yeah, you won’t find that bit in Equestrian textbooks, because it annoyed the crystal ponies to no end. You see, as they had fought the Crystal Empire as one of the ‘barbarian tribes’, and due to the sheer fact that they were not ponies, a mass exodus began in earnest, and this caused another wave of emigration to Equestria. Still, they lorded over a vast patchwork of races in myriad princedoms, dukedoms and counties. 

Griffons had a glorious past indeed. They held the dragons to the south at bay, and even the ravenous bears and ‘wild’ ponies across the Hyperborean mountains were weary of attacking them, and some of them even moved in, attracted by its grandeur. They competed for the lucrative node of trade in the Atlantean Sea with the savvy camels and mules, and Griffonstone was rightly called the City of Lights in the world.

*gasp* … I- I guess you’re right. It *was* a tool of mind-control, even though it has mostly benevolent effect. But after the Arismaspi Ascendancy raided Griffonstone for the Idol during the reign of King Guto, the unity among the griffons collapsed. After King Guto, the griffons were in a long, continuous decline. No king had been elected for thousands of years by the prince-electors since King Guto, since they have been too divided without the magic of the Idol. Real power shifted from local prince-elector to another, that’s why the royal capital of Griffonstone proper now looked worse than the most backwater town in Equestria, and its residents all miserable pan-handlers. Still, the nobles elsewhere in Griffonstone did not go fully independent due to the ancient prestige associated with the name of the Kingdom.

The current most powerful prince-elector in Griffonstone is Guillaume the Bald of Griffiny. That’s right, Spike, the name is Prench, even though the prince is a griffon. This is because the Villians once conquered and held a large part of Griffonstone and Griffish Isles for centuries after Guto. They were eager to reconquer the near east for ponies, before the union of Equestria forced them to give up overseas territories to preserve unity.

Thus for a long time, the label of Prench culture was even more prestigious to some griffons than Germane, or Griffonian culture. Many griffons had been assimilated to local Prench-speaking unicorn nobility, and their marks remained even after Villian influence receded. Remember the griffon pastry chef in Canterlot? He’s one of these ‘Prench’ griffons. That’s also why now Griffonstone is a melting pot of High Germane, West Germane and Prench…

O- Oopsie, I have gone too deep into griffon history, haven’t I? I have said so much about griffons because it highlights how dangerously practical Sunset Shimmer is. Griffons and crystal ponies are natural rivals, having fought and competed historically, not to mention the Roaman pretense that stung Crystallian sensibility, as well as the complicated but generally cordial bond between ‘La Villa Mère’ and the Prench griffons. 

But Sunset Shimmer somehow managed to broker a deal with Guillaume, who was secretly promised full dominion over Griffish Isles and later military assistance to subdue other opposing electors when he calls for a royal election, in exchange of full military alliance with their former foes.

With the seaway secured, she went on a covert mission to the north… which now I know that she went to the white wolves because you’ve told me. No… I have no idea how she could’ve known about the white wolves, seeing that not even the ancient tome knew about them. But I do know that she quickly returned to the south and began to plan to swallow Equestria in whole like a rattlesnake. She called it Operation Collegamento, or ‘Collage’.

Ostensibly coming south to meet with Celestia and Luna about why Crystal Empire independently reached out to foreign nations and circumvented the Equestrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she planned to seize control of all Equestria by seizing control of its nucleus, thereby controlling the entire Equestria without having to shed a drop of blood.

I… I wasn’t there, Spike, I’m sorry. This time, she left me back in the Empire to research weapons and equipment for Crystallian soldiers, since there have been some advances during the thousand years they’ve been gone which they hoped to catch up. I also seemed to be their perfect candidate to spearhead the creation of ‘Armi-meraviglia’, or wonder weapons… just in case. 

From what I know though, she sent a large number of hirelings and agitators into Canterlot beforehand. Princess Celestia and Luna naturally questioned her over the aggressive actions, and the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Cadance and Shining Armor.

Outside the castle, a carefully propped up demonstration in support of Sunset Shimmer and her efforts against ‘foreign anti-pony saboteurs’ and ‘Yakyakistani extremists’ flooded the streets. In what I assumed was a false-flag operation, several explosions hit the crowd and injured many, as her accompanying Crystallian soldiers which so happened to be near chokepoints and strategic locations quickly exploited the chaos and seized control of the capital, in what can only be described as the smoothest coup in history. The Royal Guards were immobilized and arrested within their barracks, barely with a chance to fight back. Ministers and generals were rounded up and diplomats were quarantined, with a planned efficiency like clock-work.

What happened inside the castle, though, is only something that she would know. I don’t know exactly if she was to pull her old tricks of brainwashing ponies, even if it’s against two powerful alicorns, into doing her bidding. Although it’s safe to say that she hadn’t succeeded whatever she did. I’m sure if Celestia and Luna had fallen into her control, she would likely make them come out and publicly support her claim to merge the two nations into a Greater Crystal Empire.

Instead, they were said to have ‘gone missing’, giving her a convenient excuse to take control anyway. Sad as it might be, I doubt that they had escaped, because she didn’t even bother sending out a search party. I don’t know if they’re locked up somewhere, but it’s clear from the lack of celestial revolution that they are deprived of their ability to intervene.

All was not lost, however. It seemed that her plan was somehow partly intercepted by the girls in Ponyville fortunately. As the clamp-down on resistance began in earnest, a counter-insurgency disrupted the Crystallians from asserting full control. 

I- I can’t help but think that the girls have noticed that I had been acting weird in front of them during the previous meeting, and therefore they did more investigations into Sunset Shimmer. Y- You see, because we have a big common secret, which is our connection to the ancient tome, and the very fact that a piece of Twilight is in us, they can easily notice if I was being weird…

*sigh* I know… We failed to notice Twilight was being controlled by Chrysalis back then as well, but then it was Twilight herself that wanted to win her trust… This time I was presented to the girl as a somehow oblivious Pinkie, surely this would have raised some alarm, right…? I really hope so… I- I don’t want the other girls think I’m a traitor!

*sniff* Umpf-! Spike… Your hug always makes me feel so much better…

Umm… right. Sunset Shimmer had ordered a complete blackout of media reports of how they did it, but the girls threw Sunset Shimmer’s playbook directly back to her. They infiltrated the royal capital and created various distraction and false cues. After drawing the Crystallians to the gateside, away from the Canterlot Castle, they sent in a brigade of volunteers… Reports are sketchy, but there seemed to be Zebricans in it. These volunteers fought their way through and evacuated those who wanted to escape from Sunset Shimmer’s brownshirts, which numbered in probably up to tens of thousands. They probably searched the castle for the princesses but found nothing. Then Crystallian soldiers speak of an impressive array of inflatable slides that were blown up in the middle of the night and were used to evacuate all the ponies, sliding all the way down to the valley floor.

Seriously, I have no idea how they manage to make all ponies, some of them deathly afraid of height, line up and slide down orderly and safely, without making a heap of ponies down there or igniting some plots out of sheer friction. Some magic was probably involved, because the next day when Sunset Shimmer scoured the valley floor for those who escaped, she was seething mad because she could find not a trace. So many nobles and big wigs that could have been forced to speak on her behalf just stolen and gone.

She could not immediately go and pursue these ponies to Ponyville, though, because she had other things to deal with. The traditionally militaristic Cloudsdale would not just sit there and accept a new head of government, given their autonomy, pride and rights. The Crystallian army had been stretched thin to cover potential uprising in the east and the south as well.

Sunset Shimmer wanted her prize without a fight. She sent messengers to all city-states in Equestria, proclaiming herself to be the legal successor and head of the caretaker government in Equestria. Whinnyapolis, being practically just next door to Crystal Empire, was first to fold.

Blueblood, desperate to protect his inheritance from being taken away by the Crystallians, also struck a deal with Sunset Shimmer and surrendered a number of rights to Crystal Empire, and proclaimed La Ville to be a Crystallian protectorate. 

Infuriated by the nobility who saw their inheritance as more important than the autonomy of the city, the disgruntled young officers and the communal ponies joined forces. Cleverly using the post-Vanhoofer fears of being subjugated, Lion Muzzle rose from the fray and successfully convinced the Villians that Blueblood was about to sell La Ville and her citizens out to the Crystallians.

Curiously though, Lion Muzzle himself seemed to have distant relationship with a small Crystallian clan, his name an oblique reference to Corleone ‘the Lionheart’. This by no means diminished his popular support. He led the protest against the nobles and asked for redress. Then when coldly shut off out of the palatial gate, he plotted with the others to plan for a rebellion.

Other cities were not so convinced of Sunset Shimmer’s legitimacy. The East Coast was initially lukewarm, but they would then be unnerved by later events, such as what happened to Cloudsdale, that they would join together against the puppet Equestrian government under Sunset Shimmer.

West of the Foal Mountain, situation was much tenser. The small town of Tall Tale openly rose in defiance of Sunset Shimmer, and insulted her in front of her messengers. She responded by sending in a disproportionate amount of soldiers and let them loose in the town for three days and three nights… I can’t imagine that they behaved nicely in there, because the poor settlement was practically flattened to the ground and looted empty, its residents drafted and its defiant mayor forced to toil in labor camp.

Sunset Shimmer was angry that there’s so much resistance shown among her newly conquered people. Cloudsdale, in particular, had been giving her the cold shoulder since the beginning, even refusing to let her messenger in. To be honest, it’s less about their steadfast loyalty to Princess Celestia and Luna, and more about their disdain of an upstart claim to power while they, a proudly militaristic city-state with an ancient warrior fame, had not made a move yet. Besides, they did not believe that the pegasi, who are responsible for making rain and regulating weather in Equestria, would be treated with nothing but care and respect whomever the new head of government was.

However, Sunset Shimmer took this snubbing very personally. She’s very sensitive to ponies snubbing her because of her social status and birth, and she swore, enraged, in front of all Crystallian officers that these pegasi were going to pay very, very dearly for their ‘insolence’.

And pay dearly they did.

Little happened for the next week. The other actors in the brewing civil war thought that it must be because Sunset Shimmer was hoof-tied by the lack of supplies and the need to suppress dissent. That was only partly correct. Supplies were indeed tight, especially since food production had gone down since the sun and moon stopped moving. However, her indiscriminate looting from towns and villages that showed dissent had filled up the granary for the time being. Dissent was indeed brewing, and you simply could not underestimate the staying power of a thousand-year princess even if she is missing. But they were thus far without leader and organization, except in La Ville.

Little did those ponies know that Sunset Shimmer was merely biding her time to cast a mega-spell of devastating power. Her vengeance fueled her quest to punish the pegasi in the most spectacular way, humiliating them and striking fear in the others who sat on the fence.

Oh… It seems that Marin had already told you. Hmm? Marin? Uh… He’s a… good pony, actually. He just put all his heart to believe in the wrong mare. Don’t fault him for being simple-minded. He’s somepony who always want to make everypony happy, and it so happens that everypony he knows seem to be loyal to Sunset Shimmer.

It had been a normal day for the Cloudsdale pegasi. Well, as normal as somepony knowing that their eternal princesses suddenly got replaced by a ruthless unicorn anyway.

Suddenly, giant, sharp crystals, as black as the night itself, fell from the sky and down onto each and every cloud in Cloudsdale. Like enormous stakes, the gracefully floating cloud bases were pinned down to the ground. The Cloudsdale Cloud Chamber was directly hit and completely destroyed, and the Cloudeseum, proud symbol of pegasi, was torn apart and reduced to rubbles, split into several pieces like pie. Many pegasi were trapped and maimed, and it was like Tartarus suddenly opened a portal in the sky and rained furious vengeance on the pegasi.

It was Sunset Shimmer’s mega-spell, aptly and simply named Vengeance. It was prepared over a week, and probably researched on for even longer. She needed so many magical crystals and gems that she was willing to be price-gouged by the camels. She also gathered any and all willing unicorns to help her create and power the giant magical circle.

The survivors, shell-shocked, were quickly rounded up and herded into a temporary camp directly built with broken rubbles and materials under the former cloud bases. Campobasso, a contraction of Campus Vassorum, Ancient Roaman for ‘plain of the vassals’, which signaled to everypony that she’s not going to be as subtle and respectful to the member states of Equestria as Celestia did. The pegasi were made to do their old job with much reduced pay and ration. It was either that or outright slave labor, imprisonment or…

Well, it is a mere rumor, but I really hoped that isn’t true. Sunset Shimmer certainly preferred her subjects to be alive. But she had had enough of elements openly disloyal to her, and she ordered the CNR to conjure up a plan to make these ponies ‘disappear’. A lot of ways were discussed, some of them more benign than the others. For example, there was a voluntary program for ponies ‘not compatible’ with the new rule to simply emigrate to Griffonstone with a small amount of state subsidy. But it had been taken away on the ground that it’s silly to give money and food to somepony they hate.

Next they discussed the idea of shipping them all to a remote island, and after scouring old maps, they chose the island of Tanindrazana off the East Zebrican Coast as the preliminary site. However, the plan was quickly abandoned because they realized that they had not nearly enough ships to transport everypony across the Luna Ocean.

So this left Sunset Shimmer practically no means of disposing these ponies. Other than one… A horrible plan that had only been on paper, or so I heard… A plan that would stun her opponents with its abject terrorizing cruelty that would silence her critics once and for all. The details were omitted, but in all versions of the rumor, it ends in the mass physical annihilation of dissenters in a chosen location. Mass, deliberate killings, atrocities that had never happened even in the darkest point of Equestrian history.

I don’t know if I should call this fortunate, but so far Sunset Shimmer did not seem interested in putting the words into action. Perhaps she had other more burning concerns, perhaps even somepony like her had a moral standard, which stops her short of such lows. 

In any case, after the brutal subjugation of one of the founding members of the union, many cities and towns in the west gave up their fight, fearing that they might suffer the same fate. A fate that could be plainly seen with their own eyes.

Confident that the rest of the cities in the east, La Ville included, would simply raise hooves and surrender after her ‘masterpiece’, she first turned her attention to the south, a place that shelter her hated meddlers that robbed her of her valuable noble prisoners and useful workforce.

Amassing the best and the most elite forces of the Crystal Empire, she ordered one of her two main armies, the South Equestria Division, to the source of her trouble, our home… Ponyville.

Before they could assault our home, though, they must cross the Saddle Plain. It had been changed massively by Rarity’s work. Diamond dogs had come from all corners of Equestria and expanded the vast underground network of caves. The Saddle was surrounded with mines and foundries, and Raritan sat in the middle of them all… You know they used to say bad things about Rarity for this. Inviting the diamond dogs there and ruining the verdant view of the Saddle from high up Canterlot… And I bet you those who said that were breathing sighs of relief that Rarity did just that.

As Sunset Shimmer was indulging in her revenge for the perceived slight, Rarity must’ve been working tirelessly to turn the Saddle Plain into a nopony’s land, where not a soul could’ve passed through to hurt her and her friends.

As soon as the Crystallian army entered the Saddle Plain, they were met with an endless stream of diamond dog militia, seemingly popping out of nowhere. After ambushing them and stealing their supplies, they would disappear into the caves again, nowhere to be seen. 

This wore down the invading force and plummeted their morale, but they pressed on to Raritan. They believed, wrongly, that once they took over the ‘main settlement’ of the diamond dogs, they would just stop harassing their army. It’s pretty clear that they never heard of the concept of a guerilla war and asymmetric warfare… Um, well, we can talk about those later, they are battle concepts from beyond our world.

They talked of seemingly walking into a maze among the countless mine openings and strange mist, so I think some strange magic was again involved. Hopefully it was Discord who’s helping out…

The combined effect of unfamiliar terrain and constant harassment of from diamond dog militia had stretched their army into a long thin column. Still, confident in the superiority of their armor and weapon compared to the diamond dogs, the commander was sure that he would take over Raritan and possibly important supply depots within two to two-and-a-half hours. This confidence was boosted by the fact that diamond dog resistance seemed to have thinned out as they approached the town, and some of them, apparently unarmed and standing in their way, ‘fled’ at the sight of their army.

Raritan had no city wall, so the column simply strolled in the main street. They have let their guard down after the diamond dog threat simmered away, the commanders were standing out from the hatches of their armored ‘rams’, which are tanks in all but name after my upgrades.

Meeting no resistance, the column reached the intersection at the Generosity Square, when they encountered heavy attack and fire. Explosives used in the mines were gathered and made into rounds for paw-thrown, hoof-thrown and even rocket-propelled grenades – weaponized explosives in a container, if you will. There were also various light arms… guns, which were basically miniaturized cannons. Bullets rained down on the column from every possible direction, even the ground and the sky.

The Crystallians had only ever engaged in limited firearms and gunpowder weaponry at that point… The same as other Equestrians really. They were completely unprepared for a thunderous hail of lead. The rams caught fire, and the commanders, exposed out of the hatches, were almost all hit and wounded. 

The column came to a halt, as the Crystallians panicked. They ran out of their formation, and those in the burning rams leapt off hurriedly, they all wanted to take cover in the nearby buildings. The remainder of the column turned around and retreated, which was disorderly. On their retreat, they came under attack with bottle bombs – glass bottles filled with fuel oil which would ignite a sea of fire when broken.

The ability for the militia within the town to coordinate perfectly within physically being with each other deeply bemuse and unnerve the remaining Crystallians. Either they have the help from the changelings, or the Flim Flam have touched up the radio technology enough for actual application, which is excellent news.

The elite Fire Opal Assault Regiment was at the rear when the ambush happened, therefore largely spared. They however, instead of pulling out of the town to carefully assess the conditions, quickly marched down the street to try to salvage the situation. And though they were much more prepared this time, they could not distinguish where the attacks were coming from among the sight of their fleeing compatriots, and they too were heavily hit. But they eventually managed to erect a barricade outside the Raritan Cinema and took shelter inside the spacious building.

However, Raritan Cinema was actually a giant rat trap. Booby traps lined the corridors and seats and stages, and they could not move out after shutting themselves in. Effectively, the bulk of their army were trapped inside the cinema and the several surrounding buildings. Anypony who dared to poke their head out of the windows were immediately attacked. After a while, shots and shouts could be heard from even within the buildings, and it was a total pandemonium. The ranking uninjured commander contemplated ending his life to spare the ignominy, but his vice-lieutenant knocked him out and instead ordered a general surrender.

As the shell-shocked and wounded Crystallian soldiers were herded to the streets the same way they once did to the Cloudsdale pegasi, they were stunned to see that the victors were merely a bunch of local policeponies and diamond dogs, plus a smattering of lightly equipped militia. A small group of Crystallians managed to escape from behind the square when the Raritan militia were ‘unaware’, but I suspect that it was deliberate and it was to send a message to the invaders.

According to them, Rarity was definitely there too. The survivors told of seeing a purple-maned white mare, who fought on fiercely alongside the militia with her ‘fire-lance’ even when she took a spear to her cheek. Generosità di Sangue, or ‘Bloody Generosity’ was the ironic name they gave to this devastating battle, which was the first major defeat suffered by Sunset Shimmer’s forces. The captured far exceeded the number of soldiers who escaped.

Enraged beyond limit by her generals’ ‘incompetence’ and ‘betrayal’, she personally led a force from Canterlot to take back the captives. But this time, shortly after she went into the Plains, the second phase of the girls’ plan was on. Rarity… she lived up to the name of her Element to the fullest, as she must’ve ordered the diamond dogs to pull out of their caves, but not before leaving high-grade explosives in each and every tunnels.

Once the second Crystallian force came, all explosives were detonated at once. The resulting blasts were almost like nopony had ever seen before. Even the East Equestria Army of the Crystallians heard the blast from high up the Crystal Mountains. The Saddle Plain was turned into a complete impassable waste.

Sunset Shimmer herself had to be pulled out of the rubbles among the descending guerillas and transported to safety. The fate of the rest of the army was unknown, because an even more disorienting mist soon covered the entire Saddle Plain, probably Discord’s hoofiwork again to stop the Crystallian from even touching Ponyville. If so, bless his heart…

After the humiliating defeat and subsequently being shut off the entire south Equestria, Sunset Shimmer bid her time in recovery, while turning her attention east.

La Ville was at the time subservient to Sunset Shimmer and allowed passage of goods and ponies to the east, because Blueblood had agreed to her demands. He was only there on a short trip, but opted to stay after seeing that Canterlot had been engulfed in conflict. The locals hated his guts for selling out and lording over them after ignoring them for so long. Again, he’s not actively malicious, just terribly lily-livered and obliviously offensive. His lack of intent of course did him no good in the eyes of his subjects, and the communes were quickly radicalized. Now both the intellectual leaders and the common followers were openly calling for the removal of him and his cabal of nobles.

Seeing the seething mass of ponies and worrying that he might get overthrown by the mob, he first appealed to Sunset Shimmer for help. But freshly after the defeat in Raritan, Sunset Shimmer was pinched of hoofpower. She was at the time waiting for the East Coast to formally fall in line. She also misjudged the mood of the leaders there. With the pretense of being the ‘legitimate Equestrian government’, she attempted to conscript troops from them and order them to surrender food and supplies to support her next attack on the south. And this would become apparent as a big mistake on her part.

At La Ville, Blueblood was basically told to sort himself out. He first half-heartedly clamped down on the protesters with the gendarmeries. After achieving nothing other than fanning the flames, he tried to flee the city and recruit from the countryside, which he probably thought contained more loyalists, and where he would have greater freedom of action than when he was in the chaotic city. Some of his minor vassals in the countryside seemed to have encouraged him to take shelter there instead as well.

He couldn’t be more wrong, though. The escape was prepared in typical Blueblood fashion, a disastrous series of mishaps upon mistakes. He didn’t even bother to communicate with his Crystallian advisors, who would have helped his escape. As he was stopping by the nearby village of Sainte-Manehould, now probably deserted because of Crystallian attacks, he was recognized by the local postmaster. Anti-royalist crowds had then gathered and neutralized the cavalry at his destination before he even arrived, and he was arrested in his slow-moving and extravagant carriage, before being returned under guard in humiliating captivity.

Blueblood was greeted with silence and complete shock in La Ville when he returned. Before that, only a small part of the crowd thought to actually depose him and take control themselves. You simply don’t undo thousands of years of teaching that nobles are supposed to be superior and take care of everything at the drop of a hat. But Blueblood’s cowardly flight ripped his remaining credibility to pieces, and caused a lot of people to realize that they might be able to take care of La Ville better than Blueblood did.

He at first wasn’t outright dethroned. He was confined to the Palace as the legislative assembly convened on his fate. He had the chance to cooperate with the moderates and retained some power, but he trusted that the Crystallians would save his plot, and thereby rejecting any plan that reduced his power. He secretly pleaded with Sunset Shimmer again, and this time she issued a manifesto that ran in the vein of her style – she likes to make an example out of things to terrorize her opponents into silence. Basically she threatened destruction of La Ville if the safety of Blueblood was again endangered. 

This was the last straws for the Villians, as it was seen as a definite proof for his ‘treasonous’ activity. His palace was stormed by angry mobs, and the physical letters were found. He, each and every one of his boot-licking nobles, and the corps of Crystallian advisors, were dragged out on the streets and locked up in the prison towers. Lion Muzzle was quick to use this popular momentum to formally dissolve the Villian monarchy and reformed the assembly into the Revolutionary Council, consisting of the old middle classes as well as poorer artisans. He proclaimed himself the director of the Prench Republic after a quick and decisive plebiscite.

It was even worse, because the east coast seemed to have taken the Villians’ successful arrest of the Crystallians as an inspiration. They really did not want to submit to Sunset Shimmer, who asked so much from them but basically promised them no right or power, nor was she interested in drafting a new article of union. 

The royalists and loyalists in the eastern cities were swept aside when ponies heard that armies under the Equestrian flag were wreaking havoc on their own citizens. They in general are supportive of Princess Celestia and Luna, but now that they are missing from the picture, and the one unicorn leading the royal government was an unapologetically brutal dictator, they were very tempted to secede, and the Villian declaration was a big boost to that idea. 

I believe that the cities came together in a convention later to determine their next course of action, but subsequent events are sketchy due to Villian blockade and heightened counter-intelligence efforts. I am sure though that they have turned hostile to Crystallians and the puppet Equestrian government, which caused Sunset Shimmer to in turn call for Guillaume to raid and blockade the port cities as punishment.

Sunset Shimmer was angry, of course. But when she called me forward to talk about this, she also looked… a bit shaken? I don’t know…

*sigh* I said she wasn’t a pantomime villain, and she sometimes… showed a bit of weakness in front of me that she absolutely won’t show in front of the others. Not that this excuses any of her actions or anything, but she’s not an anti-social monster. Even though my friendliness towards her was a result of brainwashing, but sometimes she seemed to be melted by my bubbly optimism and saw me as somepony more than her puppet… As if my constant pleading with her to be my friend worked.

I- I really hesitate to tell you these, Spike, because I must’ve sounded like a victim that grew attached to her captor. But I swear that I am being truthful. I think she realized this as abnormal as well, so she deliberately avoided to see me lest she softened too much.

But when she called me up, she looked tired. She lamented aloud that she just wanted to make Crystal Empire the envy of all pony and the light of civilization again. She then even momentarily doubtful whether she would succeed or not. Being her unconditional ‘friend’, I offered words of comfort and even hugs. To the surprise of even my brainwashed self, she nodded! She never accepted that before, and she even threw me onto the floor like a rug once!

After a brief hug, she looked a bit less tired, and she asked me about the wonder weapon that I had been assigned to work on. 

Since before I was subdued, I managed to seal most of the most dangerous knowledge along with the secrets I had with all of you, so she thankfully knew not much more by questioning me. But some of my skills were still exploited. The giant gun you smacked into a pile of metal… It is, or rather, was the ‘Big Dora’. 

It was her dream wonder weapon. Something mighty such that it would finally bring the ponies who sat on the fence to her. It had been worked on since the very beginning. However, after the disaster in Raritan, she knew first-hoof the devastating power of gunpowder weapon, and she told me to focus all my energy into making the dread cannon that could obliterate a small town in a hit.

This was the very first time Big Dora was brought to action. Most of the rails to other parts of Equestria had been damaged by fighting or deliberate sabotage, and only the one from the Empire proper to La Ville is preserved. But at the end, other than tumbling a wall and hurting my drakefriend, it didn’t do much.

The original battleplan was to have La Ville surrounded with a large amount of soldiers and starved for a while, before transporting the Big Dora here and having it firing explosive shots on the thick walls, completely demolishing them. If the Villians still resist, then the Crystallians would pour in from all directions and begin their reign of terror.

Lieutenant-General Asclepias commanded the East Equestria Army, newly reinforced by the remnant of the southern army. The new army was about one sixth of all operational forces under Sunset Shimmer. Asclepias’ promotion was situational, because he’s a Vinidi, a clan that despite its size, was disgraced due to their early opposition to Sunset Shimmer. However, so many high-ranking commanders have been lost and captured in Raritan, Sunset Shimmer had no choice but to promote him, who seemed to be the most competent and silently loyal of them all.

To boost his position and ease the tight hoofpower situation, Vinidis in the mines and labor camps were assigned under Asclepias, effectively making it a Vinidi-majority army from officers to recruits. 

Spike, I am stressing this point because I see that Miss Pisacan is with you, and the Villians are not going to be kind to the Crystallian prisoners of war. If what I gather from the intelligence was true, it was only the Directory’s restraints keeping the people from outright enacting ‘mob’s justice’ on them.

The events that unfolded afterwards are also known to you. Asclepias was summarily defeated by Lion Muzzle. Sunset Shimmer then did the desperate thing and sent me out, along with Laske who just arrived to request protection as a reinforcement. And here we are. 

Now we’re at a crossroad. I understand if you and your followers want to go back to the north to finish the white wolf business, but with your army, we might be able to do something to bring down Sunset Shimmer and return Equestria to peace.

First, I think it is important to make sure that the captives would not become the victim of a purge borne out of hate. What the Crystallians did and stands for are… wrong, but as they were mostly following their leaders, they can be led to join the good fight. Now that we have Pisacan, Cadance and Shining Armor on our side, we could’ve switched their allegiance to the ‘true’ government of Crystal Empire. We can’t stand to antagonize all crystal ponies, and pulling at least some over to us is our key to victory.

I hope to honest harmony that it would not end badly. Then what we do next will greatly affect our outlook.

We can immediately assault the Empire proper through the Crystal Railroad. This way we exploit the vacuum of military presence after this major defeat, as well as the faltering confidence of the people on Sunset Shimmer’s ability to wage wars.

H- Heh… Uh… Well, I would still say we shouldn’t underestimate our opponent. But even though she’s a great speaker, a very magical unicorn as well as a grand strategist, she was not so… um, great in tactical planning. And yet she insisted in putting her hooves and micromanaging decisions on the frontlines. So yeah, that’s a plus for us.

However, the Empire proper is also heavily fortified, and any assault would be very costly. Having dealt a deadly blow to the yaks by dismantling their defenses, Sunset Shimmer are very conscious of the possibility of being defeated in the same way –broken through by speed and surprise with short, fast and powerful attacks. Hence she was very careful in building up defenses determined to deter fast enemy movements. 

The Winter Lines anchored around the Crystal Mountains, and were a series of newly built and repurposed crystal-reinforced stone forts that overlooked the major throughways to the Empire proper. If we still have Big Dora, these forts are easy-peasy to deal with, but now… I- I’m not blaming you, Spike, I’d never do that! It’s a weapon that’s designed to hurt and destroy, and if the situation doesn’t demand it, I’d hate to keep it intact. In fact, I hate myself for having making it and other weapons in the first place…

*breath in slightly* Another option is to bypass the Empire altogether and try to reach Canterlot, thereby restoring a rightful Equestrian government… possibly under Cadance? I know that her status as the Crystal Princess would complicate things, but she’s the best choice we have. Anyway, to do so, we must march through the Neighagra Escarpment and then the Foal Mountain. There will not be a road to march on, and it could be perilous. Although we might be able to stop by the town of Hollow Shades. It’s a major bat pony settlement that had not been involved in the conflicts so far. The railroad into the town had been abandoned and inoperable for years, and the town was so secluded and secretive that few knows where it stands, both figuratively and physically.

The last option is to sail down the Whinnypeg, cross the Echo Notch and go to Manehattan and the other eastern cities. Although we have no recent information as to what happened after the grand convention, there should be a wellspring of support against Sunset Shimmer, and we can leverage those support if we play our cards right. My worry is that the sheer number of Crystallians that might end up attached to us would be too great for them to put their trust in us. Heck, I have been paraded as the happy face of the new regime for so long, I bet I am going to be vilified and spat on by those ponies as well… 

Speaking of which, one reason that Sunset Shimmer banked on when she sent me east was my connection to the donkeys. I guess she must’ve dug it up when she was doing background checks on me. It started with me reuniting Cranky and Matilda, and it ended up leading to me being inducted within the donkey community in Manehattan. 

Donkeys came from north of Saddle Arabia, but they are long integrated in Equestria. Still, there are considerable biases against them, so most of them banded together in Manehattan as a tight-knitted community. A lot of them are successful business operators, having stakes in finance, retail, media and real estate. Sunset Shimmer hoped that I can persuade them to support her cause and eventually turn the whole of Manehattan to her side. Now that I have… shaken off her control thanks to you, I might be able to do something similar for us.

So, Spike, what path would you choose?

> Chapter 11 – The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike solemnly nodded. To an expectant Pinkie, he whispered his choice.

“I choose to-”

He yawned with a wry look. “- call it a night… well, on o’clock terms anyway.”

Pinkie’s hopeful expression dropped, and she looked stunned. “W- What?”

“Of course, all these things are as important to you and they’re to me. But by goodness they’re so much to digest and think over! I need at least a night of sleep, and I would also need to call a meeting with everyone. It will not be my decision alone.”

“B- But-”

“Besides, I want to put things of ‘national importance’ aside first. We’ve been speaking about everypony for an hour, but how about ourselves? We just see each other after so long and so many troubles, and we can afford to be selfish for a moment, can’t we?”

Spike gave the pink pony another powerful hug, and then he planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Crimson red quickly bloomed on her face, as she looked at him with a dazed expression.

“I miss you, Pinks. I miss you terribly. Yes, it might’ve hurt to be shot, it might’ve hurt to be stabbed, but none can compare to the hurt when I knew that you’ve fallen into Sunset Shimmer’s hooves. Now that we’re finally together again, can we at least have a small moment together? Just for tonight?”

Pinkie gulped hard, and then vigorously nodded. She showed him the first true smile since they met.

However, noticing the puffy eyes and her general tiredness, he cooed. “Pinkie, you look… Have they mistreated you?”

Spike sighed softly and scratched his cheeks. “Also, not to sound mean or anything, but who let you out? You know, technically you’re an important captive and all…”

Pinkie blinked and gingerly shifted. “T- That ‘Firstling’ mare came to see me, and then set me free.”

“Oh, you mean Frigg?”

“Yes, her.”

Spike noticed that Pinkie was being a bit too succinct about Frigg, and he asked. “… Uh, what did you two talk about?”

“We just kind of exchanges names, and she asked if I am really your ‘be- betrothed’.”

“Ah… You see, the concept of love and marriage being separate things is not that common in their society. I guess you'd be savvy to that kind of things, with all the big knowledge and whatnot.”

“Yes, b- but it’s still a bit embarrassing to be asked that outright!”

Spike suppressed his amusement at how demure Pinkie was acting. “You should know that in many cultures, hers included, courtship is something of family and community interests. She simply doesn’t get the distinction between being a drakefriend and being a fiancé. Besides, she’s herself somepony who pretty much gave up her personal life to become the High Vala, it’s probably an even more foreign concept for her.”

“So she’s not your new marefriend?”

Pinkie covered her mouth after she realized how blunt it sounded. Spike widened his eyes, but then simply broke into a heartfelt laughter. “Hahaha! No way! We are not in that kind of relationship at all! She’s a priestess to a religion that worship the old great dragon, and I’m kind of his surrogate. That’s the only reason why we’re linked up.”

Pinkie was careful not to sound too relieved as she let out her acknowledgement. But then, her guilt for her own jealousy welled up instead. She again thought of how she fell afoul of Sunset Shimmer’s spells because she was vulnerable.

“Hello, Equestria to Pinkie?”

“Uh- Ah! Yes?”

“You should put a little more stock and trust in me, Pinks. Whatever I do, and whatever the future holds, I will not let you feel hurt. I’ve grown much since I left Ponyville, and I promise I’d be a much better drakefriend than before.”

Pinkie frowned again. “… I… It is at heart not your problem, Spike. It’s me who’s being insecure.”

“With me by your side, why would you feel anything less than secure, Pinks?”

“Our relationship... I don’t think it’s meant to be.”

Spike was truly shocked by her statement. He quickly asked. “Why? What do you mean?”

“In Twi’s vision, we two didn’t get together at all and stayed friends. Only Rarity seemed likely to get close with you.”

Spike sounded relieved. “… Just that?”

“B- But it’s the fut-”

“Excuse me, but buck that vision to Tartarus in this particular case!”

“Eh-?”

“We’re our own persons, and whoever these alternate Spike and Pinkie Pie and Rarity are, they are their own persons as well. Our destinies did not diverge when Chrysalis had her ways, but rather likely since the very, very beginning. If you believe that we have the power of choice and free will, then why would you get so attached at that particular version of future?”

“W- Well, that future seems much happier, peaceful and-”

“It’s true that we’re at war. It’s true that ponies are maimed and their livelihood ruined. But look at what we’ve achieved so far, and think of what 
could have happened otherwise.”

He breathed out slowly. “Don’t look at us for a moment. Think Rainbow Dash. Even though the reason she left was the sad disappearance of Twi, but if she had not gone south to the Amarezons, a whole pony civilization would likely be snuffed out of existence.”

Pinkie muttered. “And if you haven’t gone to the Frozen North…”

“… If.”

“Yet we’re here. Life is full of unknowns and possibilities, it should not be dictated by visions and prophecies. They might offer us some pointers, but at the end it’s us who need to fight for a good ending. We might easily meet with sadness and bitterness in our way, this is what makes the end result, if it’s happy and hard-earned, particularly sweet. So much have already ‘changed’, and won’t you agree that some of them was a blessing to have happened? Like you becoming my marefriend?” 

Pinkie again blushed deeply, and fervently nodded.

“Then all is right within the world. We’re going to work together and with our friends new and old, to bring peace back to this land.”

He paused and grinned, as he reached to blow the lights out. “But for now, it’s time for sleep.”

Pinkie looked a bit sad and lonely, as she prepared to get up and leave. Instead, she was pulled by a strong arm and into the bed sheets. She gasped aloud, but had her mouth gently covered by a dragon paw. “Be with me for the night, Pinks.”

Pinkie shuddered, but then relented as she was dragged onto the bed and embraced by the purple dragon. She never felt so at peace and blissful since she had been released from the orange unicorn’s control.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spike stretched his arms, yawned and jumped up of his bed. As he requested, the nurse helpfully lit up the many oil lamps within the room in the ‘morning’. He found that having a daylight cycle helped him function better in general.

However, Pinkie was somehow nowhere to be seen. Her warmth and scent still remained in the bed. Then Spike remembered that a visitor like her was not supposed to be here with him in the hospital, and she must have slipped away before the nurse came in and discovered them.

Sighing wistfully, he went out to the corridors and greet the hospital staffs. They were respectful enough, but someone must have instructed them not to get overly close to him for security reasons. After getting more lukewarm responses, he decided that he should no longer bother them, who were busy caring for the injured personnel in the previous battles anyway.

He went down the stairs and reached an area with visibly heightened security. A few Villian pegasi raised their spears at his sight, but lowered them as they saw it was him, electing to merely watch him closely as he passed by. Deeper into the corridor there were some of his own aggregating outside a reinforced door – a smattering of white wolves, muskoxen, ponies and deer.

After hailing each and every one of them, he was stopped by a white she-wolf.

“Respected Spike…”She called out in heavily-accented Equestrian, but her dejection and nerve was apparent.

Spike slightly tilted his head. He did not recognize this she-wolf at all. He responded in Susian. “Greetings. And I must apologize, we did not seem to have met before.”

She spluttered. “I- I am sorry, white titan. I forgot that I have not properly introduced myself. I… I am Gumpa. I come to guard Puuska.”

Spike raised a brow at the lack of title she used for the white wolf prince, but he first corrected her. “Well met, Respected Gumpa. Please call me Spike, or Commander Spike if you insist. But please don’t call me white titan, I am not white like Nighthewer, nor was I gigantic… for long anyway.”

“Yes, Commander Spike…” She still looked incredibly nervous.

“It sounds like that you know him personally.”

Gumpa raised her head abruptly, then lowered it again. “… I was his betrothed.”

Spike raised his brows. “So you are the she-wolf Puuska told me about? The one that left Kiova because of the Ursians?”

Gumpa looked ashamed, and she turned her head away. “I… have been regretting that decision since.”

“Okay… But forgive my bluntness, how are you here?”

The she-wolf shifted uncomfortably. “I was there, fighting for Puuska in a disguise and with a false name. I wore a helmet all the time so that Puuska won’t recognize me... which is probably why you don’t either.”

“Oh, but why the disguise?”

“I… still love him. I always do since we’re pup playmates.”

She quietly continued. “But I don’t feel like ‘reuniting’ with him again, giving the circumstances of my departure. I am the one who tore up the betrothal because of my cowardice, I don’t want to be seen as a leech to his status, and I have no wish to remind him of the events back then as well. He must’ve had enough. I am merely trying to shake off my cravenness.”

Her voice then turned emotional. “But now… now such bloodshed befalls the line of the paramount. I’m worried for him…! Please, Spike, don’t punish him further! He’s-”

“Of course I’m not going to punish him. He’s being forcibly controlled by his brother, who… have already received his dues. I merely come to check on Puuska’s conditions.”

The she-wolf looked up with gratefulness apparent in her eyes. She gulped, and seemingly with great bravery, she spurted out. “S- Spike, I know this is preposterous given your leniency already, but please bring him out of this depressed torpor! Susia has no wolf but him now, and we can’t afford to lose all our leaders at once!”

She added with a smaller, more whimpering voice. “I- I can’t afford to lose him as well…”

“Don’t worry, Gumpi, I’m here exactly for that. Whatever the future holds, the white wolves are definitely in the picture. This is time to mend wounds and raise our spirits to face future challenges. I will try to encourage him to raise his head up again as well.”

Gumpa for once sounded hopeful. “I thank you with all my heart, Commander Spike. May good health and fortune line your way forward.”

Spike nodded and squirmed past the guards at the door. Opening and closing the wooden door as carefully and quietly as possible, he turned to the bed where the dreary white wolf lied.

There he was, staring out of the window, placidly scanning the city view of Ville de Platine. 

The white stone pavement and the equally white buildings were somewhat marred by painted-on revolutionary slogans in glaring red, and there were still some signs of property damages by lawless mobs. However, it also seemed that Lion Muzzle had been able to organize some volunteers to begin clean-up already.

Spike felt some pain in his chest when he noticed that Puuska was hugging two jars – ashes of his only families in the world, one of them he killed with his very paws.

The white wolf did not even turn back as he said with a raspy voice. “Spike, isn’t it?”

“I’ve come, Puuska.”

“If you want to hand out any pun-”

“Why is it that all of you think I am going to punish you? If you were intentional, then yeah, perhaps. But it clearly wasn’t your fault-”

“It’s my fault for lowering my guard, it’s my fault for plunging the dagger into your eye, it’s my fault for being a foolish enabler, and at the end having to commit the worst crimes of them all to stop my brother. I am a fratricidal monster, and the furies of our ancestral spirits shall plague me forever and ever till the end of time.”

“If they’re being unreasonable, that is. I, on the other hand, am a perfectly reasonable… ‘authority figure’, heh. I think the argument is pretty solid that mind-controlled individuals should not be held against their actions, given that they are opposed to these actions and would’ve never done them.”

“How would you prove my intention was always pure, though? For all you know, I could have been a traitor-in-waiting.”

“I am not all-knowing, of course. I only call it as I see it. Besides, finding blame and assigning responsibility are not the reasons that I come.”

He finally turned back. The white fur on his face was crumpled. And as if it was possible, he looked even paler than his fur. “… Then what do you come for?”

“I come to check up on you, Puuska. This must be a painful time for you. Whatever they’ve done, family is family. I can’t imagine the amount of shock, turmoil and betrayal you had in your head when you made the decision to…”

“I did what I had to do. Despite our blood tie, subjugating my mind and making me his murder puppet is way too far.”

His determination quickly faded away, as his glance swept across his brother’s ashes. “I… might be able to do something else to subdue him, though. He treated me well otherwise, and at death’s throes, he said nothing but words of kindness and regret.”

Spike winced. “… There was nothing you could do. Those were your brother’s most loyal guards, right? If you did nothing short of… that, they were going to tear you apart the moment you wavered.”

“You need not say these to absolve my sins, good Spike. You though… I am simply floored by your lenience. Remember, I’m the one that stabbed your eye out.”

“You don’t need to remind me, because it did verily hurt.”

Spike continued. “I am also just a petty dragon, and despite what Frigg and her lots believe, a mere mortal troubled by mortal concerns. If you did blind one of my eyes, I would probably be a lot madder at you than I am now.”

“Your honesty is welcomed. I must thank the old white titan, then.”

“There’s no need for honeyed lies now. This clearly hurt all of us… a tragedy all around. We might have fought, but you’ve been a good-humored wolf ever since we have a chance to talk, and I feel really bad seeing you in such dismal spirits.”

“… Say, what do you want me to do for you?”

Spike was a bit taken aback. The white wolf silently put the jars of ashes on the nightstand nearby. Though he still looked rather pale, he jumped down onto the floor and bowed his head low in front of the surprised dragon. 

“I should be thankful enough that I am not punished for my crime. And though many white wolves witnessed my paws reddened with brother’s blood, they merely keep their disgust in their hearts rather than showing through open disloyalty. It seems that I have no time nor recourse to be an effeminate wolf and mope, now that you’ve come yourself as well.”

“Puuska…”

“Name your order, Commander. I will sort it out promptly.”

Spike crossed his arms and glared at the wolf intensely. After a while, he softened his gaze and merely shook his head. “Puuska, I see that you still don’t trust me enough to confide in, nor do you truly believe that I care for you as a person, not just someone who could order a large group of soldiers around for me. That I understand.”

The expression of the white wolf’s face was tumultuous, and Spike added. “No, I don’t have anything for you, other than telling you that you’ll face no punishment from me, and if anyone else demands it, I will oppose it myself. If you do feel like it, though, think of your fellow white wolves. They have been in disarray since losing two leaders in such a quick succession, and I heard many of them are openly expressing their worries. They need you.”

“… You…”

Spike abruptly turned. “I will come back to you when you’re in better shape.”

As the dragon turned and walked towards the door, he was stopped by the white wolf calling out to him. “A moment, good Spike, before you go!”

Spike sharply turned. “Hmm?”

“My brother… I had thought he was merely being his willful self. But he told me about the true, greater reason of his actions.”

“And that would be?”

After a pregnant pause, he said with a cut-glass voice. “… He wanted to remove magic from the world, and restore balance between the races.”

Spike widened his eyes. Puuska suddenly looked much older, as he stroked the jar of ashes of his brother again. With a strained voice full of regret, he began.

“He told me that he could see the Sielulintu in his dreams. It’s said to be the Soul-bird of our people, and it’s the shepherd of life and fate. We… the white wolves, however, do not all believe in matters of supernatural that much. It’s simply not in our nature to talk about forces beyond our control like the muskoxen. We strived to be the masters of our fate, that’s why we build the most civilization out of all Nordland races. Isojoki might be no ‘La Ville’, yet it is much more bustling than any other settlement in the north.”

Puuska bit his lips. “That’s why my brother must be a queer specimen in mother’s eye. He talked of the future in vague visions, yet they tragically coincided with father’s disappearance. Mother must have wrongly blamed brother for jinxing father’s journey, and she tried to suppress his visions and ‘correct’ his behaviors with mind-altering means. If only I had known…”

Spike said with a sad voice. “I’m very sorry for that.”

Puuska shook his head. “… My point is, brother’s actions might be… wrong, and I wish I could defuse the situation otherwise, even turn back time and hold back my frenzied paw… but his intention was not at all malicious.”

“But he wanted to take away magic from the world…So many things would stop working at once! Heck, I heard theories that the first dragons are born from the bath of ambient magic, and Nighthewer’s experiences certainly support that. Without magic, there could easily be no dragons! The weather… the sun and the moon… they might go out of whack at once!”

“I understand, so I was not wholly convinced of my brother’s project… which led to him taking my mind forcibly at hostage.”

He held his temple with a paw and frowned. “But he’s not entirely without logic either. Things run on their own outside of this landmass. In Ursia, for example, rain just falls and wind just blows. When the sun and the moon passes beyond this sky, beyond the control of the sun mare and the moon mare, they merely go on their own merry way. This land, out of all lands, is bathed in strong magic… magic that the equine lots called the Harmony. Though we never hooked up on it, our grey brothers were said to be also heavily entwined with it.”

He looked out to the city view and said. “Yet what brothers said haunt me. I personally have no qualms against magic in general, though I do resent the irregularities risen from the misadventures of ponies, which now deprive us of the light of day and night. But what brothers said… Magic does now seem to me such an unbalanced thing… Those who are born with it course through their lives, and those who lack it wallow in mediocrity. It uplifted the ancient ponies and caused our illustrious ancestors, though so strong and resourceful, to be eclipsed.”

Spike could find no answer to Puuska’s existential inquiry. He, though not so much as ponies, was also a product and benefactor of magic. In fact, without Twilight’s magic, he would not have been born.

“… Legends have it that we come from a wide wild plain to the east, where food was plentiful, the sun shone bright, and there were rivers of milk and honey.”

“Paradise on earth…”

“Yes. But we were driven out of it by force. It was then the white and the grey parted ways, we opted to go alone, and they went off to search for some distant brethren that a priest in their tribe told of. It was many, many thousands of years ago, and few other than passioned soothsayers still sung about this story.”

“… Were the wolves chased out because of ponies?”

“I don’t know. No white wolves nowadays know. The ‘eastern plains’ were so mysterious that none of us are sure if it really exists. I surely did not hear any of it even when I was at Kiova, the farthest east most wolves got. But brothers seemed to imply that the ponies were the culprit, the reason that we have to live on the corner of this land.”

“But… the white wolves do thrive eventually.”

“Yes, so I spoke against brother at the time. That does not mean his words were meaningless. If he was right, and he did succeed in his plan to take away magic, then perhaps…”

He looked up and scanned Spike’s face, then shook his head. “… At the very least, magic will no longer interfere with the natural rotation of the sun, moon and stars, and a day cycle would return.”

Spike frowned. “… There must be a reason for the very need to raise the sun and the moon by magic. If a lack of magic solves the problem, why the need to use magic? What are the purposes of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna’s cutie marks?”

“I don’t profess to know. But incidentally, brother told of a way for him… and me to complete our ‘destinies’.”

“Your destinies?”

“He said that we were supposed to work together, and tracked down the sun mare and moon mare. He studied legends, not only from the wolves, but also ancient Firstlings. And he concluded that we must tore them apart and devoured them, he the ‘sun’ and I the ‘moon’.”

Spike’s face turned green. “Didn’t the white wolves forgo-”

“Yes, but yet brother suggested so. Bloodying our snouts and sloshing our stomachs with coppery red. I suppose this ties to our discussion about celestial revolution just now. But I… I don’t even know those two mares.”

“If you knew them, you would know them to be good ponies who don’t deserve that!”

“I don’t wish to do so to anyone sentient, in any case. It would feel like cannibalism, and my honor forbids it. But no smoke without fire, I don’t believe my brother is a mad wolf, and all he saw were merely hallucinations.”

The white wolves gulped, and looked Spike directly in his eyes. “Spike, commander, successor to the white titan, I have sinned against my blood to turn away from this path, and I don’t know if I am even right.”

“Puuska…”

“I told you all these because I want a promise. A promise that only you can make.”

“… Yes, I’m listening.”

“The old white titan wanted to build an alliance of peace, but he failed. Now you come along and tried to do something even bigger. Can you promise that in that new world of yours, the white wolves would have a place of our own?”

“Of course-”

“Not only that. You hear the deep-seated worries of my late brother. He feared being casted aside, he feared the inequity between races, and he feared the disruption of nature by the unnatural. I will atone, and I will listen, but only if you promise me, under your watchful eyes, none of those would happen, or at the very least worsen.”

Spike gulped hard, but then he nodded with a similar level of vigor.

Puuska looked relieved, he slid back onto his bed sheet and nodded off, hinting to Spike that he needed some sorely lacking rest.

The dragon silently nodded back. He quickly made it to the door and pushed it open, which startled someone outside the door when they ran into each other.

“Ah!”

“Ouch! I’m sorry, Gumpa-”

A sharp gasp could be heard from behind him. “Wait, did you say Gumpa?”

Gumpa, who had again put her helmet on, let out a muffled sound, as she was about to turn heel. Puuska, though, had already rushed out with unseen vigor.

The she-wolf was going to run, but Spike pulled at her gently and said. “Well, what’s done’s done, might as well face him now. You need to sort it out eventually.”

“B- But-”

“Just go!”

With that said, Spike pushed the she-wolf into the chest of the pale prince. Puuska looked up with some shock, as he sniffed her scent. “Gumpa, it really is you!”

With some reluctance, Gumpa removed her helmet. Puuska shook with emotion, and he looked up to the dragon with bemusement as well as a bit of gratitude.

Gumpa was uneasy and full of shame, but Puuska’s face only had the expression of a wolf who just found his long lost family. He did not think that he needed to stay around and be a bother to their reunion.

As Spike walked out to inform the guards that he would soon leave the hospital for the barracks to meet with his own commanders, he briefly threw back a glance. The severity on Puuska’s face a moment ago had mostly melted away, and the dragon felt much more relieved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Pinkie! Oh by my beloved trident, is that really you?”

Geuse’s calmness was completely gone the second she saw Pinkie walked into their tent in the vast verdant greeneries. 

The army was staying, per the Crystallians’ demand to split them up, partly at Caserne des Célestins, which name survived the republican regime because of its oblique reference to Celestia, who was after all a benevolent monarch. 

The other part of the army, including Geuse and Kanipha and mainly consisting of non-ponies, were hidden from the citizens’ sight in Parc de la Libération. This park, located at the periphery of the city, had been promptly renamed from Parc des Princes. Few Villians, even the closet royalists, were willing to openly oppose the measure that omit the reference to a widely hated position. 

Geuse was immediately apologizing profusely, her voice full of shame and guilt. “I- If I had rescued you back then, you would not need to bear with the indignity of becoming Sunset Shimmer’s thrall.”

“Say no more, Geuse. It’s none of your fault. You could’ve done nothing at that situation.”

“But you almost chomped your own tongue in half!”

Geuse gritted her teeth. “Whatever you’ve experienced must be utterly humiliating and marred your psyche… And I’ve done nothing to stop that!”

Pinkie winced. She lowered her head and said. “… I… I wasn’t thinking clearly. For a brief moment, I wanted to end it all, as my own self came flooding in, and along with it my burning shame. But maybe I wasn’t that sure after all, or else I would’ve gone all the way.”

The pink mare gulped. “But really, given the security she placed around me at the time, you could’ve done little. She wanted me to split the Element-bearers. She also wanted me for my weapon skills. She was at the time trying out this mind-control spell. For whatever reason, she eventually did not go and mass-cast this spell on everypony. But if you barged in at the time, she might as well act on her threat and controlled you as well. That would have been a double disaster.”

Geuse bit her lips. “Regardless, I’m still a knight in name, and I didn’t manage to save you. Even if I take a step down and consider myself as a glorified mercenary, failing to make good on my ‘contract’ is still the highest dishonor.”

“Geuse, the true dishonor is on my part. I- I have lied to the press and-”

“I’ve read those already. Some Crystallian recruits thought it would be funny to throw those headlines to my face. Spike was with me too, and he too saw it, but he did not say anything other than showing a deep frown.”

Pinkie gasped. She immediately looked evasive and fearful, but the orange pegasus merely shrugged. “Yeah, it’s a pretty outrageous story, and I only hope that clearer heads prevailed in Ponyville so that Vernie is not mistreated and blamed by association to me. But lies are what they are, they would disappear like dew in the sunshine, when truth is finally brought out. What’s important is that we keep on fighting, so that truth will not be forcefully bent and swept into the dust of history. That would require us to work together as one.”

Geuse shook her head. “You were under control, but I have failed you with my full agency.”

“If this is a competition on who fails who, then I am going to win it all, because I have failed all my friends by helping Sunset Shimmer out.”

“But you failed them because I failed you!”

Pinkie showed the orange pegasus a weathered smile. “This is getting out of hooves. We can do nothing if we’re stuck in a loop of who’s going to take the most blame. Let’s agree to disagree that we both messed up royally.”

“… Agreed.”

The two mares then went silent for a long time. Geuse eventually twitched a bit, and got up to pour a cup of water for both of them. However, Pinkie called out from behind her with a nervous voice.

“I- I’m so, so sorry about what happened in the room…”

The pegasus stopped in her track, and turned with a bemused look. “Um, what?”

The pink mare winced, as a blush developed on her cheeks. “I… I must’ve crossed the line back then in the Crystal Castle…”

Memories came flushing back in the orange pegasus’s mind, and her face alternated from blue to red, and then back. But then, she let out a quiet sigh, and out of nowhere, she planted an impassioned smooch on the pink mare’s lips, in the exact manner Pinkie did to her.

Utterly confused, Pinkie could only look at the grinning pegasus in awe and shock.

“Now, there. We’re even. Mind ya, I’m still not into mare-on-mare action.”

Pinkie immediately shook her head like a rattle drum. “M- Me neither! Sunset Shimmer’s commands just stripped me of too much autonomy and personality that I was barely thinking for myself!”

Geuse asked half-jokingly. “Oh? So how come you’re able to command an army just then?”

“I- I told her when she asked, and she might have done some fine tuning afterwards to allow me to act more naturally in front of others. Besides, I- I was not really in charge of anypony either in the labs or in the army… The officers as well as… Laske did the heavy lift-”

Suddenly, there was a loud ‘clank’ near the entrance of the tent. The two mares turned sharply at the source of the sound, and were surprised to see a zebra colt hiding behind an overturned pot with tomato-colored cheeks.

He blurted out quickly. “I- I saw nothing, nothing at all! Ha ha ha!”

Geuse immediately flew in front of the colt and flicked his forehead. “Of course you don’t! Why are you peeping at us anyway?”

“Hey, this is my tent too!”

He crossed his hooves and immediately retorted. Then he turned doubtful. “You can’t be serious-”

“No, no no no. Pinkie’s all Spike’s. I’m just making it even for something that… uh, have happened before.”

Kanipha looked at the pegasus with a long, steady and suspicious gaze. But eventually, he just shrugged. “Alright, if you say so.”

“Hmm, you’ve really grown smarter these days. I swear the Kanipha a year ago would have insisted to stick your nose to where it does not belong.”

The zebra colt grinned. “Huh, it seemed that you two would do enough of that to each other already, there’s no need for yours truly.”

“… What?”

This time, Geuse merely looked back with a blank, non-understanding look. It was Pinkie whose cheeks became burning red after a click in her head. The pink mare spluttered. “K- Kanny!”

The zebra colt held his belly and bellowed at an uncharacteristic deep voice. “Haha, you get it, Pinkie... I know you’re the type! But when have you become so easy to embarrass? You used to be an excellent comedian and party planner extraordinaire!”

“What the hay do you mean ‘the type’?! You’re still a foal! Don’t make a joke so crass in front of mares!”

“That’s unfair! Technically I’m only a year smaller than Spike. And I have already cut down on my crassness. You should hear more of my glorious exploits from Geuse.”

“Shut it, Kanny! And I thought you’ve been reforming!” 

Geuse turned to the pink mare with a frown and asked quietly. “But I don’t get it… Pinkie?”

The pink pony again gulped and quickly whispered something into the pegasus’s ear. The blush then immediately became infectious, as the pegasus let out a stirred yell. “Ukuhlakanipha Okusezingeni!”

“Whoa, how in the world do you, Geuse, remember that? I am amazed! You never, ever, managed to say my name in full correctly before!”

“You racy little rapscallion! How dare you mock me like this? I- I’m gonna get you good!”

The zebra colt already bolted towards the entrance. “As if you can do it with that barely preened wings of yours, ha ha!”

Pinkie looked with wide-eyed as the pegasus chased the small zebra colt out of the tent, playfulness apparent in their eyes. After a while, she sat down with a content smile on her face, and unbeknownst to her, some puffiness also returned to her mane.

As she sat in the tent to savor the precious moment, she heard another voice coming from outside the tent.

“Hello Geuse, are you here? I’ve come back from the meeting...”

Pinkie looked over, and a yellow crystal pony walked into the tent tilted her head left and right, then up and down like an owl.

Pisacan then mumbled. “You’re here, right? Don’t play with me please, I’m serious.”

Her spirits boosted somewhat by her previous encounter, she joked. “Hi Serious, I’m Pinkie!”

The yellow pony gasped. She flustered and said. “S- Sorry, Miss Pie, I don’t know you’re here.”

“You can just call me Pinkie!”

Her smile then faltered somewhat. “And you don’t need to be that mellow with me too. I was in complete cahoots with your enemies after all.”

Pisacan widened her green glazed eyes, and then she slowly shook her head. “So you see, Pinkie… I used to be pretty mad at Cadenza and Shining Armor too. They were also in the thrall of the orange witch at the time. I was just so angry that they appeared to be turning a blind eye when I personally appealed to them. Now I realize that they are two pretty passionate and compassionate ponies, just fallen into the wrong hooves with no choice. Presumably you’re also similar.”

She smiled. “Spike also said a lot of good things about you, so I’m sure you’re a good pony too.”

“But I probably do much more damage than them… I propped up her rule that scattered your clan and even put some of them into slavery in all but name. You should hate me and yell at me…”

“As I said, I did exactly that to Cadenza and Shining Armor. No good came out of that, though.”

Pisacan blew her lips and let out a sigh. “As the Vinidi matriarch, the clan’s survival is my goal first and foremost, not pursuing some meaningless vendetta…”

She breathed through her teeth and nearly hissed. “Though I might well make an exception for the orange witch.”

She then calmed down a bit, used her hoof to adjust her mane slightly and continued. “You’re a valuable ally, you certainly know much about the inner workings of the orange witch’s rule. Not to mention your very presence cheers Spike up. He’s the pillar of our whole coalition. He’s the very real dragon hero who saved our plots time after time. I can’t be mad at you both at a personal level and a purely utilitarian level. If anything, I pray to Father Vinidius that you’re safe and sound, so that we might one day see to the downfall of the orange witch.”

“I will try my very, very best, Miss Pisacan!”

“Just call me Pisa, Pinkie.”

Pinkie slightly cheered up at the warming conversation. “Pisa, thank you so much for your understanding. I’ll try not to disappoint you and everypony like I did before…”

Pisacan nodded, and drily coughed for a bit. Pinkie took it as a cue and poured a cup of water for her. The yellow crystal pony, however, flailed her hoof as she got up and accidentally swatted the cup onto the ground, spilling the water inside and onto herself.

“Oh dear! I’m so sorry, Pisa! Let me help you clean up a bit!”

Shaking the water off herself, Pisacan put out a tongue. “Nah, it’s me who’s blind as a bat and should be sorry.”

“I should’ve told you that I was pouring a cup of water…”

Pinkie sighed. “… Pisa, your eyes…?”

“I don’t think they could be healed, even though I’m not an expert. The last thing I saw before I was blinded was a ridiculously strong light. Spike told me that it might have burnt the back of my eyes and even seared the nerves. I guess it’s pretty fortunate that I still look roughly normal, not a bloodied-eyed ghoul… or zom-pony like what Equestrians say it nowadays?”

“Your eyes are green and beautiful!”

Pisacan drily chuckled. “I would swap the look for the function if I can, but thanks.”

“T- There must be some magical spells out there that can be tweaked a bit to fix your eyes…”

“Ehh… Sorry if I sound negative, but isn’t finding a cure for Twilight Sparkle’s disabilities the reason Spike left his home and went on an adventure? If fixing a disability this severe is just so straight up doable, then he won’t have to do that, right?”

“Actually, the reasons he went was more complicated… Geuse and I basically went to places together for a similar reason, and it was to try to harness the power of Harmony from the Tree of Harmony. It had previously granted healing power to Twilight after we’ve shown that two of her friends have grown as a pair, and we hope that by keeping at it, Twilight would be fully healed.”

“Good for her. Though that seems to suggest it’s even more unlikely that a mere crystal pony like me would enjoy a grace from Harmony itself, like an Element-bearer would.”

“Don’t say that, Pisa-”

“Pinkie, I’m coming to term that I might not be able to see for the rest of my life. I am already blessed to be extra-prepared with my knowledge and skills. While it would be good to see again, for now your attention is needed not on me, but certain bigger things.”

Pinkie raised her brows and her ears perked up. “Hmm? Please tell me, Pisa, I will try to help to the best of my ability.”

“Pinkie, Spike had checked himself out of the hospital earlier today and called for a meeting.”

“Really?” Pinkie was a bit surprised that Spike acted on his words so quickly.

“He knows that you would want to rush there to join, but he wants you to take more rest. He really loves you very much, I can see that.”

The pink mare nodded with a blush. Pisacan continued. “Since you’re here, I might as well relay something that have been talked about in the meeting. Food for thought, you know?”

“Of course!”

“Spike already mentioned to us the three plans suggested by you, and we have discussed and debated on them extensively.”

“Whoa, that’s quick!”

“We have so far strongly inclined to stay away from the Empire for the moment. The expected resistance from there is too strong. We’ve already seen too much bloodshed, and it would be much better if we can return in better numbers and equipment. Also, not that we don’t want to exploit the weakness in their ranks, but it still seemed that we alone won’t make it through.”

“If we can persuade the Villian army and surrendered Crystallians to go with us, then perhaps it could be done? I am not sure about the Prench, but for the crystal ponies, maybe the combined efforts of you, Princess Cadance and me can make it happen.”

“I don’t want the blood of my clan to spill any more…”

Pisacan gritted her teeth and continued reluctantly. “… than absolutely necessary.”

With a sigh, she shook her head. “Selfish reasons aside, the morale of the crystal ponies would be dismal, especially if they’re pitted against their compatriots. The white wolves might have so much warrior blood in their veins, that shifting commander thrice a day would not faze them as long as there’re some foes to fight… But these are crystal ponies recently defeated, and before that slaving away in mines. Most Vinidis were ponies working in offices and merchant halls before we’re dragged in this mess. You can’t expect draftees to fight with any sort of vigor after all these.”

Pinkie looked at the ground in sadness. But then she raised her head and asked tentatively. “What about the Villians?”

“Nopony knows what they’re thinking. I doubt that even the Villians themselves know. But one thing is damningly certain – they’re definitely not thinking for us.”

“… It’s everypony for themselves in a time of turmoil, isn’t it? But can we, you know, sway Lion Muzzle, hmm? Defeating Sunset Shimmer could only be good to him?”

“Lion Muzzle is a genuine competent leader, but he did not seem particularly warm to us. I also suspect he had an agenda unknown to us… or even the Villian public.”

The pink pony looked surprised. “Why would you say so?”

“I’ve talked to him for several times since we arrived, because I’m the only pony fluent in Prench here, not counting you or Spike. I was trained to be a merchant, so knowing Prench and Villian traditions is a must. It’s better than nothing even though my knowledge might be a thousand years out-of-date. Not that he doesn’t know Equestrian, everypony here does, but we suspected that it would please him more if we make an effort to speak in his mother tongue. It’s Spike’s lesson.”

The yellow mare smirked. “As I thought, he was above that. He’s a charming stallion and slick diplomat as well. He always hedged his words, but did not sound any less assertive. Moreover, I can vaguely sense that he was not a republican through and through, which was confirmed when I talked with more ponies, like the Crystallian captives who have extensive history with him and Villians in general.”

Now this truly stunned Pinkie. “What? B- But he’s the face of the revolution!”

“Others might cynically say power corrupts, but I say he’s much more complex than that. To outsiders it might seem like he’s the chief agitator of republican sentiments, and it’s plain that he too agrees with many ideas of a republic for all. In truth, though, he almost was never the one who directly called for purging the nobles. He certainly would have not overly humiliate or antagonize any royalists, like the riot some days ago, should he have had his ways.”

“Are you saying that he is a closet royalist?”

“I doubt that, but I don’t really know. There are hints that he is amenable to overriding power, since he had already issued several edicts without consulting the revolutionary council or the old commune leaders. He also tracked the opposition, not only royalists, but also radical factions in the communes, but it’s by no means a witch-hunting craze yet. Despite his authoritarian streak, he had not yet slipped into a despot or a dictator like the orange witch, as he showed keen interests in convincing the Villians that he has the common touch and cares for them personally.”

“He does sound like a complicated pony… How come you seem to know about him so well in just days?”

Pisacan’s smirk grew wider. “As I have discovered… Ponies, consciously or unconsciously, look down on the blind.”

Pinkie immediately frowned. “Pisa-”

“Now now, I am not wallowing in self-pity, I’ve done doing that long time ago. I’m only saying that this can be a good thing, especially when you’re out to extract information. When ponies patronize, they lower their guards. You can then exploit that to get what you need to know.”

Pisacan raised a brow. “For instance, I gathered that he actually was also reluctant to exploit the weakness of the orange witch’s lackeys after their big defeat.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“His true reasons we cannot know, but yes, the most educated guess is that he doesn’t want peace to return to Equestria this quick. If the next day the orange witch somehow gets shot to the moon, and Celestia and Luna return triumphantly to Canterlot, the most likely outcome for him was to reluctantly give up his power and position to some royal cousin.”

Pinkie bit her lips. “Do you think that they would not respect the will of ponies in La Ville?”

“Public opinion can be shaped, and their images among ponies are good enough for that to be done easily. Even though their own positions, secured by thousands of years of rule, are in no way threatened by an upstart, they would still need to soothe the nerves of the couple thousand kings and princes and assorted thoroughbreds in and out of Equestria, who would turn green knowing that the ‘peasantry’ would be inspired to pull the same trick on them.”

She tutted, and then picked up the half-spilled glass of water flawlessly. After giving it a big gulp, she continued. “If they’re smart, Blueblood would definitely have to go, but they would certainly find some other distant relatives to replace him. If they tell the Villians to accept a prince of their choosing, or stick with a director and a republic and earn enmity from every feudal lands in this world, the choice of the Villian public would be obvious. In any case, this would spell the end of the republican experiment. He clearly would not want to see that happen.”

Pinkie frowned. “So he’s an opportunist? Somepony who want to encourage Equestria to fall into total chaos so that he can take advantage? If so, he’s no better than Blueblood!”

“Heh, that’s a bit harsh. As I said, there’s probably a bit of an idealist in him too. And personally, I hope their experiment… or rediscovery of republicanism ends well. I just have this feeling that he’s aiming for more than the survival of the Prench Republic… more than even this conflict. From what we’ve seen, l’Armée is a force to be reckoned with under his command. With Lion Muzzle in charge, La Ville will not be brought down as easily like Cloudsdale, and he would probably want to do more than holing up in here. If not onwards to Empire proper, then…”

Pinkie frowned. After some thoughts, she said. “If so, it might be better for us to be careful, and even better for us to keep some distance from him, or we might be pieces of his strange game.”

Pisacan nodded with an appreciative look. “Agreed. We need to preserve our strength and link up with more reliable… or at least understandable allies with obvious overlapping interests. We have to quickly obtain our deserved supplies and support in exchange for our protection of their city, and then quickly pull out of here. That’s what we’ve concluded in our meeting as well.”

“Other allies? You mean the eastern cities? Or Hollow Shaders?”

“They might prove useful allies. But that’s a big-if, since we know next to nothing about them. Since the northern alliance is one heart and soul united behind Spike, there’s no urgent desire for them to return north yet. Rather, we should go to your home and join force with the ones who pull off the miracle at Raritan.”

“P- Ponyville?”

“Yep. First, you’re a bearer of the Elements. Bringing you back there and reuniting you with the other bearers will be our best hope to end this with as little bloodshed as possible. Failing that, more hooves the better for our coming fight, since Spike told us in absolute terms that they would be completely on our side.”

Pinkie slightly winced at the possible consequences at home for her ‘betrayal’, but she nodded.

Pisacan continued. “… The south of Equestria, according to Spike, had become a veritable bread basket thanks to immigration and improvement in farming. With food production going down along with the sun, and signs of famine lingering in the horizon, we’d do well to move quickly to somewhere we can feed ourselves and somewhere that is willing to feed us.”

“I… I agree with all these, but how? We’re a long way from Ponyville here.”

“We ended the meeting without making a final decision. Though personally, going overland seems to be the most logical way to do it.”

Pinkie frowned. “Sunset Shimmer had set down a fixed barrier to prevent the Ponyvillians to link up with the East. It’s a highly advanced and magic-consuming spell powered by special crystals she placed in Canterlot. She wasn’t keen on the details to anypony, but from Canterlot the barrier shot southeast, cutting through the Rambling Rock Ridges and possibly even farther to the Eastern edge of Badlands. She's so confident on the strength of the barrier that she even let me try Big Dora on it as target practice. There’s no way we can simply pass the barrier.”

“Can we go around it?”

“Either we walk through area under her control, or make the impossible march through Hayseed Swamp, and possibly the Forbidden Jungle and Badlands deep down south.”

Pisacan quickly shook her head. “Goodness sake. I’m not putting myself through this. And there’s also no way those thick-coated northlings can survive the conditions down there.”

“If so, going to the Eastern Seaboard and go by sea seems to be our only option.”

“All the way around the distant southern seas and around the Skull Coast? Besides, what about the griffon raiders?”

“With an army this large, marching overland is also going to take similar amount of time compared to sailing on seas. Besides, there’s as much chance that we will be intercepted by Sunset Shimmer’s patrol on land as we will be interdicted at seas by griffons. At least at seas we will have a better chance to hoist full masts and turn tail.”

“But unlike in the north when the Firstlings are close to home, we’re at the mercy of the eastern cities if we want some ships of our own, or at least to obtain materials to build ships. Given the war and blockade, I doubt there will be…”

“We’re gonna try, aren’t we? I’ll try my best to pull threads and walk over… unburnt bridges when we’re there.”

“I suppose… Heh, if you’re there, our meeting would be done so much faster. You’re a wily character yourself, huh?” Pisacan grinned.

Pinkie lightly chuckled. “I’m just trying to help in my own small ways. Pisa, you’re also a very, very clever and learned mare!”

“Hah, I’m not gonna be humble on this one. This is why I’m the matriarch, and Clepy…”

Pisacan suddenly turned pensive. “And Clepy…”

Pinkie bit her lips. “Asclepias… is still in Villian custody, right?”

“They locked him in the prison tower. And then earlier when there was a protest against the presence of Cadenza, he was dragged out along with other Crystallian officers and Villian nobles, beaten up and paraded in the streets. I used a telescope to look at him. He looked miserable.”

“I’m so sorry…”

“… He deserved this much for supporting the orange witch willingly.”

“Pisa! H- He must’ve done this to make sure that what’s left of your clan can survive! Since you’re not there-”

“Enough of this talk, Pinkie. The matter of our clan remains ours.”

Pinkie flinched. “I- I’m sorry I overstepped my mark.”

“Don’t worry, I can feel that you care, and no offense was meant.”

Pisacan turned aside forlornly, and began after a pause. “Of course, he’s still my brother. I’m angry at him, but we’re tied by blood, by clan, and…”

She shyly chuckled. “And more. So I’d rather not have him continue to linger weakly at the unkind hooves of the Villians. This also goes for all other Vinidi prisoners, of course.”

“… I will-”

“Trust me, I tried everything, and there’s likely little you can do, especially given your status as their enemy. It’s bad enough that I’m a crystal pony myself, and I’d have been beaten up in the street if not for the escorts. Lion Muzzle won’t even let Clepy and I talk, so we need to escalate and put it in the demands on a negotiation table... Not now, but eventually.”

Pinkie looked disappointed, but she nodded. “I understand.”

“You’re a good mare, Pinkie. Spike is so lucky to have you as his marefriend.”

Pinkie’s head shot up in surprise, and she quickly blushed. “E- Eh?”

“I mean, you don’t need to feel tied down by your actions under the orange witch’s control. Spike said that you have an infectiously cheerful spirit, though I suspect that you’re in no mood to live up to your Element at the moment given what have happened.”

“Pisa, I…”

“But you can help in some other ways.”

“R- Really?”

“We need something to cheer ourselves up. The soldiers that follow us need to hold their head up high in good spirits to make the march ahead as well. It so happens that I’m going to hold a festa for the soldiers here to boost their morale.”

“A- A party?” Something long dormant had stirred in Pinkie’s mind.

Pisacan smiled. “Yeah, something like that.”

“Where does the food come from?”

“The supplies Marin brought with him. I checked, and turned out that it is almost all corn powder. Immediately I had an idea, and I got the nod from Spike as well. We’re not going to eat them all in a go, of course, I just want everyone to feel the buoyant mood of a traditional Crystallian and Vinidian festa.”

The yellow mare scratched her cheek and chuckled. “Although I’m not quite used to hold a festa myself. I used to have other ponies help with this kind of stuffs. And to be honest, it’s rare for a matriarch like me to plunge myself in festas, since it’s an activity usually enjoyed by, um… commoners more.”

“I- I will help! You can count on me to organize the best part- I mean, festa for everyone!”

“Excellent, Pinkie. With your help, I’m more confident that the festa would be a roaring success.”

“Hehe. But Pisa, what do you want to do with a big lump of cornmeal?”

“Aha, let me explain as we prepare for it…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the bright street lights on the rues and boulevards went out one by one, signaling that bedtime was about to come in the Ville, activities were conversely beginning to heat up in the Liberation Park.

Although chiefly a Crystallian and Vinidian-styled celebration, Spike negotiated with Lion Muzzle to let as many attendees from their own army to join as possible. After some wrangling, they were permitted to hold a celebration as long as it was entirely within the confines of the park, and allow Villian patrols to watch over them.

Marin’s brigade was, for once, not under heavy guard by the others, but rather placed in the middle of everyone around a giant bonfire, and allowed to roam freely around the camp.

The crystal ponies looked upbeat, as they streamed about and poured bags upon bags of cornmeal in metal pots of various size. There was also an enormous pan next to the fire. Even the non-crystal ponies were helping to carry buckets of water and poured them into the giant pan.

“Holy, Pinkie…”

Pisacan’s ears perked and twitched, and she realized that there was a big pile of instruments unloaded in front of her. She extended her hooves, touched and gasped. “Where in the Ville do you get so many accordions and genuine organettos?”

“Heheh! Not only those!”

Pinkie beamed brightly, as she pulled out instrument after instrument from her puffy mane. “I’ve also got flutes, bells, castanets, tambourines, and this!”

Pinkie pulled out a horseshoe-shaped metal instrument with a reed in between. She then put it inside her mouth, and began to pluck the reed with her hoof. A series of whimsical vibrating tones immediately came out of her mouth.

“Oh my goodness, is that a rebèba?”

Pisacan bloomed into a big smile. “I haven’t played with one of those since I was a foal myself!”

“It’s called a donkey’s harp in Equestrian, but I know that you guys played it all the time, and a festa needs that to be more fun!”

“Whoa, you know how to play all these?”

“Of course!”

“And these are all specific instruments we usually use in our music as well. You really are superb! Ten leagues above any hired entertainers I’ve met!”

Pinkie smiled even brighter. “Heheh, so let’s begin the festa already! I will play, and you will sing!”

“M- Me? Sing?”

Pisacan looked stunned. “I- I…”

Pinkie smirked. “Are you worried that you would seem less like an imposing matriarch if you sing?”

Pisacan huffed. “Of course not, they know better than to judge me on my appearance. It’s just that… well, I have never sung in public, much like in front of my clan members.”

“Come on now, Pisa! This is not a concert, and you don’t even need to sound good! Everypony would just join in anyway! Just give it your all, and I will help out a bit with my instruments!”

Pisacan licked her lips. “Alright, here we go then.”

She took a light step onto a dais, and knocked on a tambourine. Every crystal pony immediately stopped browsing around and listened with attention.

“My dearest blood, fellow Crystallians and welcomed guests of the Vinidi, I, Pisacan, matriarch of the Vinidi clan bid you welcome. This is a trying time for many of us, but tonight, let’s throw all the worries behind and join us in this joyous festivities! We celebrate food, warmth, safety and a comfy place to settle down, and we’re going to make enough food for everyone!”

“Hooray!” “Yay-!” “The more the merrier!”

“Excellent! The Festa della Polenta shall start right now!”

The crystal ponies cheered aloud. Though most are in ragged military attires, they still managed to find some colorful stripes to wrap around their hooves and necks to make their dances livelier. They also began to move the big pan onto the red-hot fire, and began pouring cornmeal and water into it.

Pisacan coughed with some nerves, but as soon as she heard Pinkie’s instruments playing, she threw her worries over her shoulder and into the winds. With a cheery and cut-glass voice, she sang.

“Cuàndo se pianta la bèla polenta,
la bèla polenta se pianta cussì,
se pianta cussì, se pianta cussì.
Bèla polenta cussì.
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum.
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum.

Quando la cresse la bèla polenta,
la bèla polenta la cresse cussì,
se pianta cussì, la cresse cussì.
Bèla polenta cussì.
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum,
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum.

Quando fiorisse la bèla polenta,
la bèla polenta fiorisse cussì,
se pianta cussì, la cresse cussì,
fiorisse cussì.
Bèla polenta cussì.
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum,
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum.”

The crystal ponies, mostly Vinidi laborers, were more than surprised that their lordly matriarch began to sing in the folkish tune of their humble hearths. Cornmeal mush, or polenta, was a staple food for poorer crystal ponies, and Crystallian families often gathered around the stove and the dining table, singing La Bèla Polenta, as a bonding exercise. The fact that she was singing the song greatly warmed their hearts.

Other non-crystal ponies simply were piqued at the lively and cheery tune. Some of them began to dance around and pass around the meagre liquor ration in the camp, and happily drank.

Pisacan cleared her throat, as the whole fireteam of crystal ponies somehow got ahold of a large wooden stirrer and lowered it onto the pan. With much sweat and effort, they mixed and stirred, occasionally smacking the cornmeal mush with the blunt end.

However, the yellow crystal pony was surprised that another voice chimed in before she could restart. 

“When you go stir the lovely polenta,
the lovely polenta, you stir it like this,
you plant it like this, it grows by like this,
it blooms wide like this, you stir it like this.
Lovely polenta like this.
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum.
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum.”

Amazed that the pink mare somehow was able to sing an Equestrian-version of their folk song, Pisacan shook her head and chuckled, and promptly ordered the crystal ponies to watch the fire carefully, lest it burnt and became a lump of charcoal.

As now more understood the meaning of the polenta song, they was attracted to the celebration, and the central circle now consisted of a mishmash of ponies, muskoxen and white wolves. Orange sparks of the fire reflected upon their glinting eyes, and Pinkie was overjoyed that most of the attendees were enjoying themselves.

The soft lump of polenta was carefully unloaded onto a giant, cleaned wooden plank. Like beating a dummy, the crystal ponies then used the blunt end of their spears to repeatedly bash the giant cornmeal mush. Other first looked on with bemused, stunned looks, but they quickly caught on. 

Under the instruction of crystal ponies, they too found whatever clean wooden stick they could lay hooves or paws on, and join in the exhilarating exercise of beating something up without a need to pull back. Even some neighboring Villians came out from their homes, attracted by the salivating scent, and the soldiers did not stop them from joining in the grand polenta bashing.

After bashing the lump for a while, the crystal ponies then brought out rolls and rolls of threads. Under the watchful eyes of the others, they use the thin threads to cut the polenta into smaller servings and distributed them out to everyone. 

“Quando se taja la bèla polenta,
la bèla polenta se taja cussì,
se pianta cussì, la cresse cussì,
fiorisse cussì, se smissia cussì,
se taja cussì.
Bèla polenta cussì.
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum,
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum.”

Intrigued at the curious method of cutting food, the attendees took a serving one by one. The cornmeal mush was a simple dish, and while most of the soldiers would just eat it as it was, some brought their private sauces, like tomato paste to mix into the polenta. Whether seasoned or not, however, the attendee ate them joyfully all the same, the worry and fear they had a moment ago dissolved in the impromptu festivities.

“When you go taste the lovely polenta,
the lovely polenta, you taste it like this,
you plant it like this, it grows by like this,
it blooms wide like this, you stir it like this,
you cut it like this, you eat it like this,
you taste it like this.
Lovely polenta like this.
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum.
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum.”

As the night wound down, the giant lump of polenta got sliced smaller and smaller, and most attendees began to rub their full bellies and sat around with satisfied looks. Pisacan aptly began to sing the last stanza of the polenta song, ‘lamenting’ the running out of polenta, while in actuality bringing the food sharing session to a close, and let the nightly chat begin.

“Quando fenisse la bèla polenta,
la bèla polenta fenisse cussì,
se pianta cussì, la cresse cussì,
fiorisse cussì, se smissia cussì,
se taja cussì, se magna cussì,
se gusta cussì, fenisse cussì.
Bèla polenta cussì.
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum,
Cia cia pum, cia cia pum.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Pinkie, can you answer me an honest question?”

The Vinidi matriarch sat down next to the pink mare after mingling with her own clan. Immediately, she leaned over the small fire and asked.

“Hmm?” 

Pinkie somehow had with her a bag of marshmallows and was grilling them over the fire. She chewed on one and handed another to the yellow mare. “Try one! BBQ’d marshmallow!”

Pisacan waved her down and said. “Sweet, but later, Pinkie. Listen to me first.”

Sensing the seriousness in the yellow mare’s voice, Pinkie put down the marshmallows and said. “I’m listening!”

“Is it true that every one of the Element-bearers are as maddeningly competent as you?”

Pinkie slightly shifted and blushed at the question. “You’re being way too generous again, Pisa. I’m just a simple-”

“I’m not joking around, Pinkie. I need that information to gauge how worthwhile it would be to go to Ponyville, even though it’s been decided.”

Pisacan then smirked. “You know about our customs, which is surprising already. And so far, you display knowledge about weapon making, battle planning, linguistics, history, cooking, music, diplomacy, magical theories, and more. I know somewhat about each of these topics because I was trained intensively by father and attended a maddening amount of lessons from various hired tutors, all for my eventual takeover as the clan leader. But according to Spike, you’re just a baker and party-planner in Ponyville.”

Sweeping her fleecy mane away from her face, Pisacan continued. “I’m not inclined to disbelieve either you or Spike, so the only conclusion I can make here is that you’re a very bright pony for your age. Can I expect to see such level of competence in the rest of your friends?”

Pinkie gulped, but then turned serious with a confident smile. “Well then… You betcha, Pisa! For one, Dashie – I mean, heard of Rainbow Dash?”

Pisacan muttered repeatedly as if to refresh her memories. “Ah, the bearer of Loyalty. Before the orange witch really clamped down on the press, I managed to read some snippets about her. She’s also mentioned in the government gazettes because she somehow came to lead the Cruzesians?”

“Yes! Dashie’s a brilliant leader herself! She’s an excellent flyer, and rose from managing a weather team to leading a whole nation of ponies! She’s also a battle veteran, leading them to defeat an army of ancient evil dwelling in the Amarezons!”

“What about the rest?”

“Well, Fluttershy is not only good about animals, she’s also standing up for ponies and speaking for them in the media that she was in charge of!”

“Ah, so that’s what the Manehattans mean when they say ‘media mogul’.”

“Heh, I don’t think Fluttershy would particularly like this label. But my other friend, Applejack is definitely a railroad and farming tycoon! She built farms in the dry south and an irrigation system that can sustain them, and a dense network of railroads that transports goods around at lightning speed! She and I as well as other tinkering experts were working on a remote communication device that can be used by anyone before I left.”

“By anyone? Even me? Without unicorn magic?”

“Of course! No strings attached! It is basically a machine that converts your voice and sends it out in the form invisible light and also receives it from any other device in the area! There’s both a wired and a wireless version!”

“How ‘remote’ are we talking about though? 10 yards? 30 yards? Half a furlong?”

“It really depends on how high off the ground they are, and whether there’s any objects blocking our way… But say, if the two ponies are communicating over a flat plain, it could theoretically reach over six miles.”

“By Vinidius, two leagues?! If we have this device on the battlefield, it would be immensely helpful!”

Pisacan then frowned worriedly. “But Pinkie, did this piece of technology fall into the hooves of the orange witch?”

Pinkie shook her head a bit nervously. “N- No, of course not!”

“But why? At the risk of sounding rude, didn’t the orange witch have complete control over their captives?”

Pinkie applied her best mental control to not sweat beads. The yellow mare was getting dangerously close to her secret. She did briefly wonder whether it was fine to share her secret further, but even though Pisacan seemed like a trustworthy mare, she knew her for too short a time to fully know her.

With a sigh, she said. “… I used some mental discipline to block some of the more sensitive knowledge of mine, so that she could not fully exploit them for her nasty works. As you see from Big Dora, it is not as successful as I hope it would be.”

Pisacan merely went silent with a shocked look. Then she said with disbelief apparent in her voice. “You can do that? Just use your willpower against her wicked strong magic, and partially succeeded? Jeez, some ponies really are born different than another.”

Pinkie shifted and bashfully grinned at the unabashed statement, but she tried to shift the topic. “Hey, let’s talk about the rest of my friends!”

“Sure.”

“So this leaves us with Rarity-”

Pisacan’s smile suddenly intensified. “Hey, I heard about her too.”

“Right? She’s a top-quality fashionista, even having boutique branches in Manehattan, but she’s also an industrial entrepreneur! She mines not only gems for decoration, but also those for spell-casting! She also mines different metal ores and makes the best steel! She-”

“I’m sure she’s brilliant as well, but I’m more interested in something else… You two share Spike, right?”

Pinkie screeched to a halt, and she let out an exaggerated gasp. “I- I- I-”

“Deep breath, Pinkie.”

Pinkie did as told, and breathed in and out for several times. She then looked up and down nervously, but eventually nodded without a word.

Pisacan licked her lips and grinned. “No judging there. I am just so curious, if you would excuse me.”

“H- Heh?”

“How does that work in practice? I’ve never seen multiple relationships work in pony societies. In the ‘Land of Love’, the Crystal Princesses always promoted monogamy and subtly encouraged ponies to frown on ‘cheaters’... So you don’t get jealous whatsoever?”

Pinkie’s face grew red, this time not out of cutesy embarrassment, but intense tumult and shame. But then she remembered her talk with Spike after the traumatizing moment at their reunion. 

With a slow, steady voice, she said. “I did get jealous from time to time. In fact, being jealous had put me in a weak position against Sunset Shimmer’s controlling magic.”

Towards Pisacan’s surprised face, she continued. “Of course, there’s a reason why ponies would prefer a one-to-one relationship, even if we take out the whole concept of being faithful or whatnot. There’s simply so much time in a day, and the more partner you have, you simply can physically pay less attention to each of them… The use of magic excepted.”

She smiled. “But ultimately, the problem is not multiple relationship itself, but the entitlement that comes from it. We get together because we love each other, and love is not something that diminishes as you share. The challenge is there, of course, both from the judging outside and from the somewhat more limited time that we can share. However, that’s what makes it more precious when it does work out.”

“Ah… So, take this as a purely hypothetical situation… Could you envision a situation where there are more ponies in the equation?”

Pinkie’s smile froze, she was a bit concerned about the direction of this conversation. Still, she said. “I- It depends. But I’ll try my very best to accommodate if that’s what Spike wishes. After all, I did promise not to let my love for him turned into poisonous jealousy anymore.”

“I see, I see…” Pisacan nodded with a mysterious smile on her face. Pinkie almost wanted to ask her the pertinent question aloud, but at the end, she was too flustered to do it.

In any case, Pisacan quickly straightened herself. “Sorry for asking something this personal, Pinkie. I promise to tell you my story to the fullest, if you’re interested of course.”

“N- Not at all… And of course.”

“For now though, it seems that you haven’t told me about…”

Pinkie drew in a breath. “Twilight, isn’t it?”

“Yes, her. She’s the leader of the Element-bearers, right?”

“You can say so.”

“I know that she’s also a royal student of magic under Princess Celestia. I heard that before we came back as a nation, she saved the capital city by blasting herself alongside the queen of the invading changelings. What a mare, what a character!”

“She is…”

Pinkie looked down on the ground worriedly. “She is a very magical and very competent unicorn no doubt, bound to do great things. But to us, her friends, she’s just Twilight. And now she’s…”

“She’s lost her memories, I know. Spike told me quite some time ago. It’s a sad situation indeed.”

Pisacan again leaned forward, this time seemingly simply for warmth rather than to make a gesture. “If I was the spirit that resides in the Tree of Harmony…”

She grinned a lopsided grin. “Well, if so, I would first question my morals then. If it’s really so much more powerful than the Crystal Heart, and it can affect the happenings in the mortal realm to its whim… Putting you guys along with everypony else through this gigantic mess is simply cruel and unusual. There surely is a better way to give you all a chance to grow as a person, no need to plunge Equestria into a war... Ha.”

Pinkie’s face again turned somewhat sour. Pisacan seemed to have sensed her displeasure and said. “Just kidding, I believe in the agency of ponies. And even if this has all been planned out, I’m still not questioning the divine. They’re scary, and I would rather not invite their wrath by mocking them.”

“Don’t say that, the Spirits of Harmony surely are benevolent…”

Pisacan’s eyes, though unseeing, did shine a strange glint. She blinked and wistfully chuckled. “I’m just saying that if I was the one who decided whether you guys have passed the ‘test’. The one that is supposed to bring Twilight Sparkle back to health… This should be waaaay more than enough. You lots have suffered enough.”

“P- Pisa… Thank you for your kind words. I really hope so. Everyone have suffered enough as well.”

Pisacan smiled steadily. However, out of a sudden, she then stomped her hooves and looked annoyed. “Ugh…”

“W- What’s wrong?”

“I have to go now, just remember. Marin says he had something for me after the festa. Now I swear to Vinidius if it’s not something important, I’ll…”

“Marin…”

Pinkie muttered. “He... He seems very happy to know that you’re alive. His smile looks genuine now.”

“I don’t want to talk about him, sorry Pinkie.”

“B- But…”

Pisacan sharply turned back to the pink mare, seemingly remembering something. “Ah… I did say I need to be honest to you about myself, didn’t I. Well, then may I say that I think that he’s the posterchild of what you call ‘entitlement’ just now.”

“Eh?”

“He’s the quintessential ‘nice guy’. He showered me with his ‘gentleness’, ‘compassion’ and ‘helpfulness’. But being helpful does not necessitate me to return with love. If that’s true, I guess I probably have to Prench-kiss a lot of people now, like Geuse.”

Towards an embarrassed Pinkie, Pisacan added sarcastically. “For more detailed information, please consult Cadenza, she likes to think herself as the love expert.” 

She then turned grouchy. “I want nothing to do with him. The very reason that he approached me was my inheritance.”

“He seems to genuinely care for you even though his father told him to come near you at the very beginning. He and his father are two different ponies.”

“I’m sorry, Pinkie. I really can’t bring me to like him even by a hair of an ounce. Maybe, just maybe if he forcefully drags me in front of his beloved ‘Guida’… urgh, and has me brainwashed. Then I might become his little ‘love birdie’. Yuck, I have to rinse my mouth after this.”

Pinkie winced and flinched. Pisacan coughed and said. “Sorry to have brought it up again, Pinkie. But yeah, I, uh… already set my eyes on somebody else, now that I no longer have to worry about building clan alliance with myself as the chip.”

Pinkie’s ears perked up. “C- Can I know-”

“Lady Pisacan!”

Marin’s voice came from the direction of the bonfire. “Lady Pisacan! I’ve been looking for you all over the-”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Pisacan turned to Pinkie. “Sorry, I must go now. We can talk more about… that later. Now I must deal with Marin.”

She stood up and yelled back. “Turn down your volume, knobhead! I’m blind, not deaf!”

Marin immediately flinched and apologized profusely. “S- S- Sorry, Lady Pisacan…”

“Tsk, let’s go already.”

Pinkie looked at the cousin duo walked into one of the many tents nearby, her heart inexplicably tied into a knot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The slumbering peace in the Liberation Park was suddenly shattered by high-pitched yelling, sounds of metal clanking, and general chaos.

The soldiers were ambushed in their sleep, completely caught flat-footed that somehow, in a friendly city, there could be a sneak attack on them. The few guards on duty were swept aside.

However, the intruders seem to be careful in choosing who to attack. They targeted only crystal ponies with their gleaming coats, and mostly evaded the others, only returning blows when they were attacked.

After a whirlwind-like operation, the camp was left in shambles. When the commanders scrambled to organize a counter-attack, the intruders were already cantering away down the wide boulevard with their shocked crystal pony captives.

When Pinkie finally managed to squeeze past the half-panicking soldiers and exasperated officers to meet up with Geuse, Kanipha, Yolana and Puuska, she discovered that Pisacan was conspicuously missing.

“Geuse, where is Pisa?”

“They’ve got her, bastards!” Geuse massaged her side, and spat out some red liquid from her bloodied mouth.

“Who are they?!” Pinkie gasped.

Kanipha also covered his black eye and hissed. “Who else, the Villians have turned on us, those traitorous sons of b-”

Yolana said sharply, her stone-encrusted scepter still firmly in her shaky hooves. “As Zarlik is my witness, these southerners lied to us when they said we’re guaranteed safety in the walls.”

Rainga’s face was bright red from exhaustion. “They almost bash me in the head if I didn’t leap into the air in time. Horrible people these ponies!”

Puuska muttered something under his breath, and then wiped some blood off his face and said in accented Equestrian. “Their target was not us though.”

“Huh?” Pinkie looked confused.

Kanipha narrowed his eyes. “Isn’t that obvious? These Villian mobsters only targeted anypony who’s ostensibly crystal pony.”

“B- But why?”

“Who the heck knows! But one thing’s for certain, they’re not carrying them to a great banquet when everyone’s asleep!”

Geuse added sharply. “They took Pisacan, we must-”

Another ruckus developed at the entrance of the park, but this time it quieted down quickly. The Firstling and Lucentian contingents who were staying over in the barracks have arrived. However, they seemed to have fought through someone to get here, and the equipment on them looked hastily put on.

Spike quickly ran towards the group and gritted his teeth. “The Villian mob have come, haven’t they?”

Kanipha replied. “They took all the crystal ponies away!”

Spike asked with an even darker tone. “Even Pisacan?”

Geuse nodded slowly with sadness and shame. But then she asked. “What happened? Why did the Villians turn on us?”

“The Villian army didn’t turn on us. The Villian public did.”

Spike clearly thought for a bit to try to make his explanation short and quick. “They hate the Crystallians, and they don’t bother or don’t care about whatever clan they belong. They only know that a bunch of them are roaming free in our army, instead of chafing in their oubliette. Some rabble-rousers must have planned this in advance. ”

Pinkie said angrily. “There’s no way Lion Muzzle doesn’t know this! He has eyes all over La Ville!”

Spike sighed, but it came out nearly as a hiss. “Pinks, we can find the blame later. On our side, Cadence and Shining Armor fought them back successfully and alerted the entire army, that’s why we can come to you so quickly... Not without some fighting.”

The couple galloped from behind and joined the group. Shining Armor, who had some battle scratches on his face, grunted. “We need to go as soon as possible. They seem to be going towards the city center.”

The group nodded together. The army was then rapidly merged and made ready to move out of the park.

Marching down the rue with hurried pace, the army encountered scattered resistance from the Villian public. Ponies living in row houses next to the street also threw trash and foul water to the army.

Magnar was livid. He yelled at a particular saboteur in Firstling tongue, and then switched to heavily accented Equestrian. “Unthankful ponies! We used our blood to shield your city, and this is what we get?”

Stellan said with a low voice. “These ponies really despise crystal ponies, I’m afraid.”

Magnar suddenly grinned. He patted Stellan’s back forcefully and said. “You lots should be glad that you no longer glitter like those pyses. All thanks to strong Firstling blood!”

Stellan shook his head. ”If they want to turn on us, they are welcome to try.”

On the other side, Geuse was asking Spike more about the situation as they ran forward.

“Spike, how exactly was the saboteurs able to get into the barrack and reach them? Aren’t there walls and guards?”

Spike gasped for air, and then said. “I don’t know, but someone familiar with the layout of the barracks must be involved.”

“This ‘Ville’ sounds more and more like a giant trap…” Kanipha grunted.

“At least they are not inherently hostile to all of us.” Yolana muttered.

“They stole the crystal ponies under our noses and beat everyone up! If that’s not hostile, I don’t know what is!” Rainga complained.

Puuska shook his head. “If they want to snuff us out in our sleep, they could’ve done so.”

Rainga was about to retort, when the army abruptly came to a halt. Following the hoofsteps of the ‘mob’, they again arrived at the Place de la Concorde. This time, the vast plaza was heavily guarded with actual Villian army soldiers. 

The mobsters they’ve seen earlier were gathering in the middle of the plaza, ironically around a big bonfire. However, this time the bonfire was surrounded with wooden pillars, and around those pillars were fearful crystal ponies, stripped of their armors and weapons, left shuddering without knowing what their captors would do to them.

Spike stopped the march, and scanned the scene with his green eyes. Before he could pick out anyone who looked to be a leader, however, he was already approached by a familiar-looking pegasus.

“Lieutenant, what is the meaning of this?” Spike asked with barely hidden annoyance, not bothering to address the pegasus by name.

Octavie-Fontaine looked dismissive. “Commander, it’s rather late at night. Considering that there’s no longer the sun and the moon to follow, it’s understandable for you and your army to lose track of the time. And since the Ville is a big city, getting lost is also likely for newcomers. We will forgive you for accidentally harming our citizens, but-”

Geuse already angrily cut her off. “You screwy shrew! You’re the ones who beat us up in the middle of the night and robbed ponies away! Give them back to us at once!”

“No can do, I’m afraid. Please just return to your camp and barrack. I promise you this is the extent of our action.”

Spike was utterly bemused by Octavie-Fontaine’s attitude. Of course, he had known the pegasus to be blunt and not exactly diplomatic from their previous encounters, and he had expected it. 

However, so far she had not shown any inclination to harm their physical safety. Especially on the matter of prisoners and Crystallians captives, he would expect her and her soldiers to be a moderating force against brutal excesses. He was at a loss why she now seemed to be an utter enabler of these mobs, when she had explicitly told him that the directory and the army will not allow this kind of actions, which would have completely fit the bill of ‘overly damaging actions’.

Cadance tried to use a softer tone and pleaded. “Please, be kind and spare a thought for-”

“We have already extended our maximum thought and appreciation for you, Sua Altezza, when we allowed you, living symbols of autocratic entitlement and Crystallian tyranny, inside the walls. We will not in any circumstances act against the very everyday heroes that made the revolution possible, especially when it aligns with the interests of the Republic.”

Cadance looked wounded, and Shining Armor held her while glaring daggers at the pegasus. With a pout, Pinkie complained. “You meanie! I can’t believe you Villians are so two-faced, hmm!”

“That’s an interesting way of taunting, Madame Pie. Knowing who you’re, you should be grateful already that you’re not among the wanted of these courageous citizens. We certainly haven’t forgotten the devastation caused by your weapon.”

Pinkie Pie’s anger was doused by the guilt she felt. Spike quickly grunted and said. “I told you lots multiple times. You know very well that she’s a victim of mind control by Sunset Shimmer, so were Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. But now this is a blatant violation of our guest right, especially since we’ve helped defend your city with our blood and toil!”

“As I said, Commander Spike. These ponies are volunteers from the ranks of Villian citizens. They’re not under our direct command.”

Rainga asked with raised brows. “But what are they going to do to these crystal ponies anyway?”

Octavie-Fontaine blatantly ignored Rainga and went on. “…They merely felt-” 

Rainga’s face grew red. She shouted. “Hey! I’m talking to you!”

“The ability to speak or walk on four does not make you intelligent, doe.”

Spike gritted his teeth as he pulled back his adopted daughter, who almost charged at the pegasus horn first like an enraged bull. 

“They merely felt the righteous anger of seeing so many treacherous foes roaming around unbounded, and potentially causing troubles for the safety of the republic. So the army is not going to involve ourselves in their action, but if you foreigners would disrupt or attack them, the Villian Army would not hold back.”

Spike’s eye twitched. “The Crystallians already in our custody are… technically our… war spoils. You take them from us just like this, and it’s a hostile action.”

He then raised his voice with a huff. “And everyone in my army is under my protection. Pisacan wasn’t even part of Crystallian army, yet she was kidnapped. This is unacceptable.”

He added with an ominous tone. “You see, when you mess with the hoard of a dragon, bad things happen.”

Octavie-Fontaine narrowed her eyes. “Dragons, tsk. I know you are a miserably greedy lots.”

Kanipha yelled. “Hey, take that back, you sanctimonious hypocrite! Who’s the one that beat us all up and robbed the crystal ponies away from under our muzzles, huh?”

Spike shook his head. Veiled threat did not seem to work, so there was no point escalating the tension. Though secretly hoping that he could give the mare in front of him a good telling-off or something more ‘direct’, he swallowed his ire, calmed down the angry murmurs on his side, and coldly demanded. “I want to talk to Director Muzzle. Now.”

The highfalutin look on the pegasus’s face temporarily shook, but she immediately huffed. “Director Muzzle is busy dealing with important national matters.”

Spike was about to push back, when a series of noises began to develop in the middle of the plaza, drawing their attention.

The group looked on as the prisoners, seemingly those captured by Villians in the previous battles, were brought out from the prison tower and brought into the plaza. The confused and emaciated captives did not look at all delighted to see their compatriots. Rather, they looked at the giant bonfire in the middle of the plaza with looks of clear dread.

“Wait, what are they doing?” 

Cadance dropped all hints of subtlety as she pointed towards the events in shock and horror. “T- They’re raising the wooden pillars on the fire!”

Even Magnar and Puuska looked disgusted. The Firstling Thane said. “Huh? So these ponies are trying to set their prisoners on fire, after they have surrendered?”

Puuska merely shook his head. “Where’s the honor in this?”

Magnar smirked. “Hm, agreed. Fire should be used to shepherd the valorous fallen to the realm down under, not this. And they call us barbarians!”

The white wolf returned with an almost imperceptible smile. “Seems like we have some common ground after all.”

“Don’t get too over yourself yet, pup. We thought of you lots as our prophesized nemesis for millennia, and you’ve so far done only so much to change our ancient perception.”

Puuska, however, did not seem to in the mood of biting back. He merely said placidly. “Very well. Trust could not be built in a day, I understand. For now though, we need to stand united behind him.”

Magnar snorted and harrumphed. He did not respond, but some surprise could still be heard in his voice. He looked back to the ‘him’ Puuska referred to, and saw the dragon questioned in shock.

“What, pray tell, can be more important than a bunch of ponies about to be burnt at stakes outside his grand palace?! Have you all lost your mind? Your sense of basic decency?”

“The people’s will be done. That’s why the Prench people have decided that the aristocracy has to be gone.”

Octavie-Fontaine crossed her hooves and coldly added. “And if you want to know about decency, ask why Sunset Shimmer and Blueblood started all this, not us. We cannot let you through no matter what. I suggest you all to retreat to your quarters and avert your eyes if this discomforts you.”

Rainga yelled. “Why talk to her anymore? It’s useless! I’ll order the hornsdeer to slice them through like melted butter!”

Magnar barked a laughter. “Gutsy lass, I say screw them as well. If they want to be a bunch of ingrates, then let them!”

Spike shook his head difficultly. Despite the jingoistic words, he knew that they would be dead meat if they really started a fight here, right in the middle of the city surrounded by Villian soldiers and hostile civilians.

He peeked forward, and he suddenly saw someone he distinctly recognized. 

Pisacan was singled out from the crowd. The captors clearly knew that she was distinct from the rest of the captives, but they didn’t seem to heed her desperate cries. The brawling shouts of the republican war song filled the air, eerily calling for the blood of their enemies to be spilt onto the ground.

The yellow mare was shaking, but she seemed to have made a last minute plea to her captors. Though way too far to hear clearly from, her exaggerated body language showed that she seemed to want to plead for the lives of the others in exchange of her own.

The group looked on with impotent anger as she was forcefully shoved back onto the ground. Geuse was ready to bolt out when they seemed to be dragging the helpless mare, face ashen with resignation to her dark fate, to the burning pyre.

“This cannot go on anymore, Spike, do something!” Shining Armor hushed.

Spike gritted his teeth. His ears perked up to the emanating chants, and he sharply turned. “Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, can you cast the strongest volume boosting spell for me?”

Cadance and Shining Armor looked hesitant. The blue-maned unicorn asked. “A- Are you sure you can still get through their heads through words alone?”

Spike had almost lost patience. “Just do it, please!”

“Alright…!”

With the double aura of combined magic from the couple, the air in front of the purple dragon grew a bright white.

Spike gritted his teeth hard, and then sang with his loudest, most pleading voice into the magical glow.

Prench folk, as forgiving fighters,
Please bear and hold back your blows!
Spare those penitent victims,
Who have armed against you with woe… Who have armed against you with woe!

Hearing such a loud, clear and emotional plea sung to the tune of their anthem, the Villians stopped to look at the source of the voice. A small part of them even looked a bit doubtful of their current actions, when they met gazes with their sorry captives again.

Spike drew in another breath, and continued wistfully.

We will share round the idea
Fairness is our doctrine
For this harmony of our mind
We will build a new world that we all live in.

Feeling encouraged by the lowering tension, he carried himself into the rousing chorus of his own version of the chant.

The hope, oh citizens,
shall be our bastion.
March on, march on,
For the peace and future of our nation!”

Spike then slowly walked towards the Villian soldiers alone. The others were about to follow him, but he raised his arms and stopped them, signaling that he would walk alone to avoid raising alarms.

Miraculously, the soldiers merely looked on guardedly but did not stop him. Octavie-Fontaine looked displeased, and was about to lunge forward to stop the dragon. But she somehow stopped mid-sprint, and tilted her head at a curious angle. Without a word, she returned to her original position and ordered her soldiers to stick to observing as well.

He walked right past the line of soldiers and up to the assembled mob, right in front of a young stallion who appeared to be a central figure. Around him many ponies looked unsure as to whether to continue. 

“Villians, I, Spike the dragon, come to you, alone and unarmed. I’d be grateful if you would spare this small dragon a few moments’ time.”

“These crystal ponies before you. You think them vile, you look at them as accomplices to Sunset Shimmer’s tyranny. But where were they mere months ago? They were also just normal ponies like most of you, scrapping by in their life without trying to harm anyone. Why are they now here? First defeated under the high walls of the Ville, then captured and tormented in the city? Do they hate freedom? Do they, somehow by birth, have a visceral distaste for the Prench?”

Spike almost thundered in an assertive voice. “No! They are victims of a tiny few of corrupted minds. A creator of a system that makes ponies fight ponies, dragging in hundreds of thousands of innocent, despairing stallions, mares, colts and fillies. Put yourselves in their horseshoes, free ponies of the city, and realize that your cherished liberty isn’t something that can be afforded by everypony in the world.”


He breathed out and continued. “Please let your uncloven brothers and sisters have a chance to obtain their freedom as well. In grave there are only empty coldness, but not true liberty. The fire that was fueled with the flesh and blood of defenseless prisoners will not brighten the future of La Ville or the Prench Republic, it would only mask it in a paralyzing film of terror. Instead, we should unite and fight to fulfill the promise. A promise to free your fellow souls, better the world, and do away with hate and intolerance. Let us join together, not to light the pyre to burn the sorry victims, but to light our inner fire to take action and free them all.”

Many of the listeners looked genuinely taken in by Spike’s speech, the extent of which surprised even the desperate dragon. The faintly yellow-coated young stallion, who had until then remained silent, walked up to the dragon and said.

“Salutations, Spike the Dragon. I’m Saint Just. Your oratory skills are truly outstanding. The Prench have always admired and idolized excellent orators, no matter their race or creed, so long as their points are cogent and wholly sensible. Indeed, what you have said has clearly moved a lot of us. We indeed hate the Crystallians for trying to take over our homes and enslave us all. However, to inflict the fiery dues on them seems to be depriving them of a chance to repent and obtain freedom on their own.”

“I’m happy that you see reason, Monsieur Saint Just. Seeding the idea of liberty in the wider Equestria… can only be great for the future of the Prench Republic.”

As the tension seemed to be melting away, however, some elements were not moved by Spike’s impromptu lyrical and rhetorical persuasion. Rather, they detested the perceived insult and ‘butchering of their war song, and then the patronizing speech calling for unity.

A sharp yelp saw the very matriarch herself yanked away from the ground by some over-zealous members in the mob. Pisacan initially back-bucked one of the assailants and pressed him onto the ground in an impressive display of self-defense, but as others piled on her, she was dragged away, hooves violently flailing, and tied onto one of the pyre.

It all happened so abruptly and quickly that Spike had to react in a visceral manner. He lunged towards the scene and jumped. Intense emotion coursed through his head, and without himself noticing, his body transformed again.

The mob grew panicked as the dragon magically grew large and muscular. Several potshots were fired, but they merely bounced off his scales effortlessly. They evaded to the two sides the way he dashed.

Now slightly over half of his maximum size, he managed to reach the pyre. One stallion tried to set fire to it before Spike could reach them, but he was body-checked and slammed aside. The purple dragon immediately grasped the yellow mare with his own paws, and rolled away from the wooden pyre. 

The action, however, renewed the tension in the crowd, with some loud cries fanning the flames and encouraging the crowd to attack the dragon. Even the soldiers on two sides were getting itchy, with Spike’s companions ready for combat.

“That’s quite enough, citizens!”

A deeply masculine and roaring voice boomed. It came from behind the lines of Villian soldiers in front of the Palace. They quickly dispersed to two sides, revealing the very director of the Prench Republic himself.

Octavie-Fontaine rushed to the front of Lion Muzzle, but was only met with a hard gaze. She quickly went out of his way without a word.

The director bellowed deeply. “Courageous citizens of the Republic, I bid you well. I know why you are out in the open in this hour. Anger rose within you, when you witnessed the sight of the accursed foes, tyrant’s accomplices within the city. And so I understand fully what drove you to action of such extent to purge them. And yet, Spike the Dragon said it with elegance: Fire would not cleanse our city, but darken it with the foul name of barbarity.”

Hearing the direct denouncement from the director himself caused a lot in the mob to question their action. Some grew secretly resentful, and doubted the loyalty of the director to the revolution, but they kept their mouths shut for the moment.

Lion Muzzle continued. “You know me, citizens, for you have elected me as your director. I am no fan of being mired in the past, when fangless princes and nobles can trample us and make us toil. It was the precious moment of unity that brings brave soldiers and great people of the Ville together. However, we shall be magnanimous in our victory. We are champions of liberty, defeaters of tyrants. If we allow our hatred of tyranny grow into a hatred of the misled and the oppressed, then we too will become cruel oppressors, accessories to those tyrants.”

A series of gasps could be heard in the crowd, many clearly shocked that the director was seemingly accusing them of instrument of tyranny themselves. But before any could voice their opposition, he thundered. “Think! Mere several months ago, these ponies were but ordinary people in the Crystal Empire, living out their own lives like you and me in the Ville. By accident of birth, and fortuitous conditions, we in the Ville are able to shed our shackles and forge our glorious republic on the foundation of the old communes, yet these sorry crystal ponies, either through the tyrant’s poisonous propaganda, or helpless tides of greater events, are now here.”

He shook his head. “People of Ville de Platine, this is the time we make our choice. We either let the revolution descend into anarchy, barbarism and disorder, or use it to guide us onto the light of reason and progress. I ask of you, fellow Prench ponies, for what do we suffer this lack of light, shortage of food, agony of war? We take our fate into our own hooves and build a better Ville for ourselves. However, if we give in to our ravenous, desirous power over their lives, not only do we betray the free and equal ideals of the revolution, but we would also weave a veil of white terror, no different to the blood-infused mantle of the privileged!”

Reaching over to the sitting dragon with Pisacan resting on his belly, Lion Muzzle said. “Let Spike the Dragon’s words be heard, and let go of these misguided warriors of the tyrants. I, director of the Prench Republic, promise you that they will never constitute a threat to our nation. We will announce plans in several days, for now, please return to your homes and work for the future of the Ville.”

Those in the northern alliance who could understand Equestrian looked at the director with amazement and a hint of gratitude. He seemed to say exactly what was need to be said to save the lives of these crystal ponies, and largely called them down.

The only doubtful gazes came from a small, stubborn part of the mob, as well as on-lookers such as Kanipha, Rainga and Puuska.

Adrenaline still coursing through the veins, Spike had little time or mind to dwell on any suspicion. He was only glad that the appearance of the director seemed to have brought this errant episode to a close. This could easily lead to the most horrific episode in Equestrian history, yet it seemed to have been dispersed with songs and short speeches.

“You saved me… and many of our clan as well, Spike.” Pisacan raised her head and said softly.

“Not at all. I would never just sit there and allow this to happen unchecked.”

“Spike…” Pisacan muttered.

“I-”

Spike suddenly felt a pang of unbearable pain. It radiated from his chest to his entire body, causing him to bend and lean forward in agony. He managed to push Pisacan out of his paws, and then lied prostrate on the cobbled stones of the plaza.

The yellow mare stumbled but quickly managed to get up. She felt that some warm fluid drenching her body. Though blind, she could smell the all too familiar coppery smell of blood, and she gasped in shock. “Spike?!”

“U- Uh- I…” The dragon’s voice came through, but it was mostly incoherent gargling. It was as if his mouth was filled with some liquid, presumably blood.

That’s when the pink mare suddenly burst through the line and reached the side of the purple dragon. She yelped. “Help! Please, any unicorn medic?!”

“W- What happened-” Pisacan’s voice was shaky.

“He had mostly likely strained himself by getting into too many greed growths in a short amount of time! I- If this is not treated quickly, his inside would turn into mush and he could… he could…”

Director Muzzle observed the events. With a stone cold look, he turned to Octavie-Fontaine and ordered. “Lieutenant, arrange for unicorn medics to tend to Spike the Dragon, and let the pegasi transport him back to the hospital. Other soldiers should escort the citizens safely back to their homes.”

Octavie-Fontaine silently nodded, and immediately sprang to action. The events in the Place de la Concorde had ended in a peaceful yet discordant note.

> Chapter 12 – City of Light, City of Right
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike felt a sense of déjà vu when he scanned the assorted friends and companions of his around his hospital bed.

He blinked, and his dry lips weakly moved. No word came out, only a few shallow, short breaths.

It was not entirely right to call it déjà vu, he wryly thought. This scene was a carbon copy of his hospital visit just some days ago, after the tragedy at Suologievra’s funeral.

The difference this time, though, was the expressions on his friends’ faces. In addition to discomfort and unease, there was suspicion, and even anger.

He knew that those emotions were by far not directed to him, but someone else. He could barely mind when he was this weak physically, though. 

He coughed, and along with the coughs came a strangling sensation of pain, as if his intestines were tied into a series of knots, and then yanked left and right. Fortunately, this time nothing was being coughed out, other than the tears of pain squeezed out from the corner of his eyes.

Pinkie hurriedly poured a glass of water and fed it to his mouth. Spike weakly smiled and said. “Thanks, Pinks. I *cough* I’m already feeling much better.”

“This is not called ‘better’! Look at you, poor thing! You look as pale as fine sugar!”

Spike drily chuckled. “Poor thing? Geez, I’m fine. You sound like Fluttershy towards small injured animals, you know.”

Before Pinkie could retort, Kanipha already interjected with a deep frown. “I can’t believe you try to risk your life like this again, Spike. You’re a commander for crying out loud. You have thousands of soldiers at your disposal. Delegate your work! Don’t risk your life by going alone! The alliance would disintegrate the moment you fall, don’t you realize that?!”

Wincingly, Spike protested. “Don’t be unreasonable, Kanny… Don’t you know what would happen if fight did break out back then? The Villian army will surely join in against us, and we’d be no more than a bunch of caged beasts, ready to be canned and beat down. The whole army of ours would be gone, and everything we’ve done so far would be for nothing…”

Geuse also frowned. “Spike, I know you want to protect as many as possible. Still, it took Twilie some time to realize this as well in Zebrica – an army is a collective. And even as we joined force recently, an army shares its load over many hooves and paws. You need not try to do everything yourself. Kanny is right, a good leader delegates. We all want to help, so please, please never overexert yourself like this again.”

Spike bit his lips, and eventually sighed without nodding or shaking his head.

Yolana said softly. “Miss Geuse is right. We need you, so you must take utmost care of yourself.”

Spike looked aside. Out of all companions he had, he was most unable to fathom her and the muskoxen in general. Her stated goal was noble, but as far as he understood it, it was mostly tied to the benefits the muskoxen tribe would gain by peace in the north and preventing the ‘shadow’ from befalling the three races… which now turned out to be five, to be technically correct.

The dragon mulled and said. “Yolana, I thank you and the muskoxen for your suppor-”

“Good Spike, you don’t need to doubt the steadfastness of the muskoxen.”

Spike’s jaw hung open. The black-haired muskox was unnervingly perceptive, presumably hearing his uncertain tone. He felt a bit ashamed that he seemed to be doubting the muskoxen in front of basically every commander of the northern alliance, but he did want to hear what she would say next.

Yolana observed the dragon, then said after a long silence. “We muskoxen are few, but we are happy few following behind you. Of course, we all put in our full effort to get to where we are now, but you…”

Pausing with a smile, she then continued. “Well, I have not foreseen this when I was consulting the Sky Father, yet everything that happened showed that you’re key to the eventual peace and unity of not just the north, and beyond as well. Alas, with a song and a speech, you move the hearts of these red-eyed ponies. You work magic without magic, and our yak cousins certainly were right in calling you the dragon champion.”

Pale and weak as Spike was, he still felt embarrassed at being praised so directly in front of so many people. He mumbled. “Yolana, I am just… a simple dragon caught up in-”

“Your humility, while appreciated, compares not to what actually transpired, Spike. I know you and others…”

Yolana gave a side glance to Rainga, who emitted a dull nasal noise in response. “… might not be inclined to believe in our beliefs, but still, we’d always thought that we’re all instruments of the divine will… or at least, something much bigger than just who we are or where we belong. Some, though, instead of calling it the divine will, might call it hope for the future, or threads of fate, or destiny.”

Spike mulled and gave Yolana a quiet look of acknowledgement. She smiled again and said. “Say, didn’t you come north originally to fulfill a divine quest given by the Spirits of Harmony? You may think of me as someone who’s on something of the same nature. Our faith in our own spirits might be somewhat foreign, but my wish to embody their benevolent will for peace and prosperity is all the same. Please do not think less of our sincerity because our beliefs seem enigmatic and hinge on higher power.”

Before Spike could respond, though, Frigg already mused with some concurrent expecting looks from Stellan and Magnar. “Higher power? Well, look no further than the dragon before you…”

His face a swirly mixture of awkwardness and bashfulness, Spike endured the thesis of his supposed divinity by the silver-coated mare. Eventually, he interrupted. “Okay, Frigg, I thank you kindly for your devotion, but that’s quite enough. Yolana, I am by no mean doubting your sincerity. I only think that the muskoxen might be… tired of a foreign war on a foreign land, the same of which goes to all of you.”

Every commander almost retorted at once, but the group eventually deferred to Yolana, who shook her head and said. “This war is not foreign to the muskoxen. Divine guidance and the peace of the land at stake notwithstanding, as you may remember, we’re also bounded by blood ties to our poor yak cousins. The muskoxen abhor violence, but we’re not going to sit there as justice laid ravished and perverted.”

“I see…”

Rainga pat her chest and said. “And needless to say, the deer stood at full force behind you, I guarantee!”

“Rainga, I of course know that you are standing firmly behind me. But I’ve always been concerned that the deer…”

“Look, da. I’m still learning, and I’m still beginning to get used to the grasp of things. I’m leaning on the authority gram built up over the years a lot, and at home things are… more complex to say the least. But the deer who do follow us out here are true and steadfast, and this point is doubtless.”

“And so do the Firstlings, of course.”

Spike turned towards the thane. His Equestrian was still weirdly accented, pulling up at the end of each sentence, but it was already quite fluent for a recent learner. 

“We had been many things in history. Explorers, raiders, traders, warriors. Our forefathers had bloomed within the world Nidhogg made for us, making a history that we all looked back fondly towards. But now it comes to the moment that we step out of that cradle. Our small world had come to an end, and eras went by. We now walk in a much bigger world. You, Spike, with the mandate of Nidhogg, led us to this point. Without doubt, this is the critical moment when we chart our future. And I believe that with you at the helm, we have the best chance to stake a claim in it and make the fame of brave Firstlings fly across the world again.”

Stellan raised a brow and looked at Magnar. He looked a bit surprised. He then turned to Spike, who sported a slightly bemused expression. The Lucentian prince chuckled. “Alas, I didn’t know my thane brother have a flair for poetry.”

“Stellan, you know them’s fightin’ words.”

“… What? Who’s fighting what words?”

“Huh?” 

Magnar turned to those in audience who spoke Equestrian natively, who have be snorting in relaxing mirth. “What? Isn’t that how you say ‘what he said made me want to punch him in the snout’ in Equestrian?”

It was Pinkie who replied cheerfully after suppressing her laughter enough to form coherent words. “Hehehe… Ah! I mean, yes! B- But it’s like… it’s just so strange coming from a northern pony’s mouth! A great thane no less!”

Spike added diplomatically. “Um, my good thane, I’m sorry I haven’t made it clear back then… this phrase is usually said with a southern drawl. I mean, deep south, said by small village farmers when someone insult the look of their thatched hut.”

Magnar widened his eyes, and Stellan laughed. “Ah, I see now. It must sound comical to their ears. It’s like our mighty thane suddenly becomes a raggare… or a råner, if you will.”

Magnar’s face turned red, and he barked. “Dra til Tartarus, you slyngel!”

“Now, now, no need for that kind of language.”

Magnar pulled the corners of his mouth down, but eventually he just huffed and shook his head. “It’s your turn to loosen his doubt, cheeky ‘prince’.”

“Oh, right. Let me then.”

Stellan cleared his throat. “What Magnar said stands true for us as well. What stands out as extra to us, is the fact that we Lucentians are distant sons of the ancient crystal ponies. While the passing of the centuries might have diluted our blood, blurred our records, and even shed our crystal magic… We, sons of Alba and Aida, still like to see to the welfare of our once brothers, even if they do wrongly stray into the path of destruction. The cold of the north have not made us forget the power of love, that once tied a nation together in the harsh Crystal Mountains. While we’re now Firstling first, our Crystalline heritage we will always treasure and protect.”

Not only Spike, Cadance and Shining Armor were also moved by Stellan’s unequivocal support. The dragon softly said. “Thank you, Magnar, Stellan.”

“My lord, my good Spike.”

Frigg was the one who followed, her gaze low yet sweeping. “I know that you’re still unused to the idea of our reverence. I know you have doubt, thinking whether you deserve such devotion. I have reflected on it myself as well.”

“Frigg, I accept that I might…”

Spike mulled and pondered for long, before carefully settled down on a suitable word. “… effect my part to bring peace and even a better future for many. But surely, I need not rise to an altar to do this?”

Frigg softly sighed. “… I know, for you have repeatedly told me. I understand that you have strong reservations to being worshipped. I promise that I, as the Vala of the Adorers, will… review the situation after all dust has settled. Yet, I pray that you understand, for thousands of years, Nighthewer had represented a higher force in all our hearts, and you, the bearer of his mandate, are now the very face of our faith and motivation.”

She extended her hooves and said. “To the great dragon, we prayed our summers be wet and our winters clear. Nidhogg, through his sacrifice, imprinted on the nature all his divine ideas. He blessed us and kept us. He lifted up his countenance before us, and gave us peace. This love we devoted to him is divine, and it was what that kept us going even when everything started to falter and fall apart in our final years inside his protection.”

She smiled mysteriously at Cadance. “Alas, I might not be as expertly to the matter of love as the Crystal Princess, but we do have a saying in our sacred codex - two cities have been formed by two loves. The earthly, by the love of our kind; and the heavenly, by the love of divine. Our divine love to Nighthewer and you, I believe, is a source of magic, power and fortune. It shields and it gives strength. And such are direly needed at this junction of time, when we’re battling for the fate of nations.”

Spike breathed heavily, and he nodded. Frigg could not be less unclear in her words. She basically laid it open that it was the act of believing itself that empowered the believers, not necessarily the one who was being worshipped. And so, he should remain as he was, so as not to disturb their faith in this critical moment of war. He even felt a hint of shame and regret for forcing her to say something so invalidating of her own faith.

With reluctance, his gaze turned to Puuska. The white wolf prince looked somewhat better than when he just reddened his own paws with his brother’s blood, but a clout of sadness seemed to have become a permanent feature in his blue eyes.

“Spike… So long as you keep to that promise, I will ensure that the loyalty of Susia would not waver. Everything, including every petty court intrigue we white wolves engaged, is nothing compared to what we’ve talked about.”

“Of course.”

The others looked at the duo curiously, wondering what kind of promise he had made to the white wolf. However, their thoughts were interrupted by a series of hurried trots outside the ward they were in.

A few uniformed unicorn guards rushed in and stood next to the door, and a only-too-familiar red unicorn stepped inside the room.

Everyone except Spike tensed up, yet Lion Muzzle made a gesture to dismiss the guards. They did not look at ease with the order, but they complied and shut the door behind them.

“Commander Spike, I come to you with utmost regret for what happened out there.”

The self-styled director unbuttoned the first button on his uniform, in a gesture to seemingly appear more personal. His gaze swept through the assembled. Most of them were looking at him with guardedness at best, and animosity at worst. 

He shook his head slowly and turned to not Spike, but Pisacan first.

“Madame de Vinidi, I cannot express in words of my shock and horror what almost happened. I will try to arrange for suitable compensation for the distress you and others might have endured.”

Seeing the director being surprisingly apologetic, the tension in the room lowered a bit. Pisacan let out a sigh and said. “… I myself don’t need compensation of any sort. I just want my folk’s safety, as I have reiterated to you many times before.”

Lion Muzzle then smiled. “Then you might be happy when you hear this, Mademoiselle. I shall champion a proposal that would see the majority of prisoners of war transferred to Commander Spike’s army… on the fulfillment of certain conditions, naturally.”

“I beg your pardon?” Spike looked stunned, so did most others in audience.

“We shall discuss the details once Commander Spike recovers enough. But I do personally think that it is for the best, if the very fuel of unrest would become far-removed from the city. This serves the interests of us both, I believe.”

“Ah…” A few listeners grasped the reason why Lion Muzzle seemed to change his mind now on the treatment of prisoners.

“Since Commander Spike seemed to need more rest, I shall excuse myself for the moment, for the Prench Republic needs my constant service.”

“Please wait, director.”

Surprisingly, it was neither Spike nor Pisacan who called out and stopped Lion Muzzle. It was Cadance, who looked at the director with steady gaze.

Lion Muzzle said with a neutral tone. “Princess Cadance, to what do I owe the pleasure of your query?”

He then thinly smiled. “I trust that you do not intend to castigate me for interrupting thousands of years of princely and princessly rule?”

Cadance briefly narrowed an eye, but she shook her head. “As terribly inept as Blueblood was, I don’t think that removing one of the cornerstones of the peace of the three races was the answer.”

“Regrettably, Princess Cadance, the answer is often not decided by few, but by many.”

She bit her lips, and shook her head. “… I didn’t stop you for a debate on princely rule. I’ve stopped you to ask why you let this happen in the first place.”

Spike locked his brows. Without looking too infringing of Cadance’s own authority, he gently said to her. “Princess…”

Lion Muzzle simply raised his hooves and said. “Let it happen, Princess? This is… rather uncharitable, I must say.”

Rainga could not help but interjected, eager to vent her frustration about the hurt Spike received. “Director Muzzle, let’s not fool around shall we? We all know you have the whole city under your hooves!”

Kanipha added coldly. “This could not have happened without any signal from you yourself, or at least your prior knowledge…”

Lion Muzzle did not look at all shaken by the accusation. He simply leaned up on the wall and said. 

“You must know, what is currently happening in the Ville is unprecedented. Even in the most heated moment of the Griffish conquest, even during the worst times of Discord’s rule, even when King Sombra descended upon our very Platinum Pride… this never happened. The ponies here never, ever thought that princes or princesses are something that could be… just taken away, like an unwelcome décor on the wall. This is unthinkable merely a few months ago.”

He smiled with a hint of wistfulness. “And so, this is no mere rebellion. The Villian ponies are not foals, who threw their princely toys out of their prams because the nasty Crystallians disturbed their nap. Rather, the events that transpired had woken us, and what we have here is a revolution.”

Facing Cadance who drew in a sharp breath, the director raised his voice and said each word with a pointed stress. 

“A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, by which the commoners overthrows the overlord. By luck, by fate, by work, I have become the forefront of the revolution. But unlike a prince who is, or at least thought he is the state, I am not the revolution. Nopony can be the revolution. It’s by nature an unordered thing, and like a formless abyss, one day it could swallow your foe, the next day it could swallow you.”

Shining Armor narrowed his eyes and lowly bellowed. “What’s your point?”

“Staying in a revolutionary city bears an inherent risk, Prince Shining Armor. I cannot control everything in the city as her director, lest I am not really a director but a dictator, aren’t I?”

Geuse wryly commented. “You sure sound like you’d want more control.”

“I can’t say I reject this characterization, but I have some caveat of my own. Control brings order, and order promotes harmony. The three tribes came as one, and Equestria did enjoy more peace after it finally came together as a union. I wish to promote order, so that the Prench would strengthen and her influence would spread beyond the Ville once more…”

He huffed. “Yet excessive control also promotes inequality and brings resentment. A director, with his executive power, might turn the directory into his personal rubble stamp, and the revolutionary guard his enforcers. And yet he would almost certainly suffer the same fate as the tyrant before him, swallowed by a wave of popular anger. This anger, the one that drove the revolution itself, might easily turn irrational, and to relieve and prevent it from destroying the fruits of revolution itself, a release mechanism must be there.”

Shining Armor had quite enough of his verbosity, especially when it seemed to mask and play down the atrocity of the action. “And this ‘release mechanism’ is to let ponies burn ponies? What the Tartarus?”

“Shining Armor, please calm down a bit.”

Spike finally broke his silence and said. “Director Muzzle is being magnanimous by banking his authority against the popular mood. He didn’t really need to side with us so blatantly and earn the hate of some radical elements, but he did and made a stance.”

Lion Muzzle’s smile grew wide, and he nodded appreciatively at the dragon. “Thank you, Commander Spike. You might not always have the size of a dragon lord, but you surely possess the wisdom of one.”

“You jest, Director.”

“Well, I’ve indeed taken a liking to you, Commander Spike. And so I shall warn you… Someone in this city want you… gone from this world, and it might be beyond my power to fully prevent them from taking action. It’s probably a good idea to quickly depart after you’re healed.”

“What?!” A chorus of shocked gasps and yelped filled the room. Spike himself was also looking at the director with disbelief.

“I know this reflects poorly on the Villians, given how your action saved the city. But these radical elements are justi… well, let’s not use that word. They are convinced of their own ways, which in their minds benefit the Ville most.”

Cadance looked shocked and a bit angry. “Pray tell, how can Spike, a dragon that practically saved the city from being blasted open with the dread cannon, be a threat to the city?!”

“Well, the northern alliance is a mysterious force to most. We don’t even know there are such a plethora of races and nations up in the so-called ‘arctic waste’. Alas, not even I have a full idea of your goals and even composition. Some do worry if you would eventually turn on the Ville, given the sympathetic attitude you’ve shown or hinted towards certain… opponents of the Republic. Most importantly, after seeing how Commander Spike single-handedly relieved the siege, and how you healed so quickly after being hit by those dragon-slaying ballistae, they’ve become unreasonably terrified of you.”

He vaguely hinted. “Surely you all might have noticed some oddities in the unfolding of the unfortunate events… I am afraid there might be a conspiracy abound. The true purpose was not only… or even, never the prisoners, but to arrange Commander Spike in a particular state and situation so he could be… harmed. There certainly are enough unicorn experts on dragons to craft such a plan. In fact, that’s the very reason that propels me to the square in the first place.”

Coldness shivered up Spike’s spine, and his companions also looked to each other in worry. It sounded preposterous that the whole thing arose just because someone wanted to eliminate the purple dragon, but since the words came directly from Lion Muzzle, they could not easily dismiss it.

“You should not feel unsafe now, though. I have assigned my most loyal guards around the hospital, and they shall protect you until we conclude our meeting and your subsequent departure. You might also consider upping the protection on your part, though.”

Spike gulped. “U- Understood. Director Muzzle, you… your honesty and kindness is very much appreciated.”

The director already pushed the door to the corridor half-open. Without turning back, he said. “So long, and may our camaraderie survive this war.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Bonjour et Bienvenue, commanders and worthy associates of the northern alliance.”

“Une très bonne journée à toi aussi, Director Muzzle. Your kindness and assistance throughout our somewhat… eventful stay is very welcomed.”

The red unicorn smirked. “Noted. So, let us not waste any more time. The plan is to remove all Crystallian prisoners as well as Villian nobles, Blueblood included, from the city. Their lives would be spared, yet we’re reluctant to keep feeding them using our precious food store, nor am I happy to see unnecessary blood spilled. Most importantly, they must not fall in Sunset Shimmer’s hooves again. Would you be willing and be able to take them on?”

Spike mulled. “Well, of course we can, we’re used to moving a large amount of captives. The problem remains in other areas…”

He turned to Cadance and Shining Armor. “Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, what do you think?”

Shining Armor rubbed his snout. “Of course we’re taking all the crystal ponies.”

“You think you can reform them, right?”

Cadance bit her lips. “We’ll try our best. Our enemy, after all, is only Sunset Shimmer, not the entire Crystal Empire.”

Shining Armor huffed. “Sunset Shimmer’s actions had poisoned the well. The name of Crystal Empire is now equal to wanton aggression and warmongering. We need to create something with the native crystal ponies in order to oppose her and oppose this notorious fame.”

Pisacan interjected, concern apparent in her voice. “Spike, the Vinidis in their dark cells must be rescued out. Asclepias…”

“Of course, of course…” Spike comforted the yellow mare, who had been somewhat neurotic after the brutish kidnapping.

He sighed and asked. “How about the nobles?”

Cadance showed a rare smile. “I might not be as old as Princess Celestia or Luna, but some mere local nobles… I’m used to deal with these types, I assure you, they will keep their mouths shut and not act up, especially now that they’re stripped of their lands, armies and power, and they basically owe us their lives.”

“Uhmm, but… Blueblood?”

Both Cadance and Shining Armor frowned with apparent annoyance. After a protracted silence, Spike sighed and asked. “Son Excellence, what… would happen to Blueblood if, um, he’s just left here?”

Lion Muzzle eyed Spike with some surprise. “I thought you lots would care for his life. After all, he’s a bona-fide royal prince, his charisma and rallying power notwithstanding…”

The listeners’ amusement at Lion Muzzle’s sarcastic remark ended when he made it clear. “He’s a symbol of reaction, and he stands for everything that is against the revolution. The only reason he got to live as long as he is now, is my concern that his passing would electrify the royalist opposition, effectively making him a martyr. It would be best and indeed most merciful, if he could be moved to somewhere far away, without power to affect Prench affairs. But sooner or later, public sentiment is going to heat to a point... and then I would have no choice.”

Shining Armor grinded his teeth.

Cadance shook her head. “We can’t leave him here. As obnoxious he was as a pony, a life is a life, and not to mention he’s not just your usual noble, he’s a royal prince, blood of Platinum. If we want to return Equestria to some semblance of normalcy after all these, he’s got to live.”

Spike deadpanned. “Bloody shame, really.”

Cadance gasped lightly. “Spike, you can’t possibly really…”

She then caught the smirk on the dragon’s face, as well as the mirthful laughter around the table, and realized that he was merely joking.

Lion Muzzle grinned. “It seems that we’re united in our common distaste for him.”

Spike shrugged. “But we’re gonna take him, and bear with him. Now, Director Muzzle, do name your conditions.”

“Very well. The first one is already said, really. On official term, the prisoners are to be ostracized. That means they are not allowed to enter Ville de Platine ever again, nor should they enter territories under Prench control. Violation would be dealt with extreme prejudice.”

Spike gulped, but nodded. “Agreed. What’s next?”

“This is much more important in my eyes. The Prench Republic is of course a new phenomenon. However, we want to be recognized as the legal and by-and-large successor to the Princely City-State of Ville de Platine. While we shall carefully consider our status within the Kingdom of Equestria after all dust has settled, we want our sovereignty and autonomy recognized and guaranteed.”

Cadance and Shining Armor narrowed their eyes, as Lion Muzzled continued. “That of course means an official written pledge, from each of the head of state and government here, that once peace returns to this land, the Prench Republic will not be under any undue pressure to change her leader, or system of governance, particularly from any new, or continuation of central authority in Equestria. The undersigned will oppose any attempt to enforce or impose any non-Villian or unelected ruler or governor, military or civilian, on the whole or any sub-component of Prench state.”

Sleekly, he slid several copies of documents across the table. They were written in Prench, Crystallian, Equestrian and even Classical Roaman. “Apologies for not being able to reproduce the pledge in the language of every nation in the northern alliance. But rest assured that the pledge from every one of you is equally treasured. We in the Prench Republic welcome all freedom-loving friends in Equestria and beyond.”

The said leaders all looked to Spike for verification. Spike duly recited the pledge to them in Equestrian and again in their native tongues. He then concluded. “Naturally, this is something that you all should decide on your own for your own nation, as this is a state but not military matter.”

Rainga looked to Spike, and then touched her hoof to her lips. Quickly, she lifted a delicately crafted wooden seal and a small jar of shiny red liquid from her saddlebag. Without hesitation, she inked the seal and impressed it on the document. The seal displayed a shield with three pairs of deer antlers, supported by a majestic dragon on the side.

“Done. The State of Deermark agrees to this pledge.” She curtly said.

Seemingly gladdened with the quickness she displayed, Lion Muzzle nodded with satisfaction.

After Rainga, Magnar and Stellan both took out their respective seal. The Firstling seal was simple, just a muscular stallion standing on his back legs and holding a battle-axe in his hoof. The Lucentian one was more complex, consisting of a pony in robes sitting on a throne, while holding a heart-shaped orb on his left hoof. On top of his head were three snow-flakes.

Magnar was first to speak. “I’m not one to haggle. The matter of the southerners should not trouble us anyway, so long as you lots don’t mess with us, or return our goodwill with acts of despicable betrayal.”

He huffed again, and used the subtlest way that he knew of to express his displeasure. Lion Muzzle naturally nodded and said. “Again, I regret any indignity suffered at that night. Please understand-”

“Cut it out. The sword speaks louder than the pen… Or how does it go again?”

Stellan suppressed his urge to laugh at the thane’s propensity for malapropism, and he said. “As the Prince of Lucentians, I have no intention to meddle in the matter of the south as well. Even if comes a day my people shall despise me and my rule, I will not linger around like an unwelcome guest.”

Lion Muzzle thinly grinned. “If only the other entitled nobles in Equestria would heed this advice.”

Puuska, the white wolf prince, sighed but nodded his head in resignation. What he took out, though, was not a seal of majesty. To Spike’s surprise, it was the silvery wolf whistle that he always carried with him.

“Director Muzzle, Susia is still reeling from losing her matriarch and her eldest in quick succession. As the only remaining member of the paramount white, and once co-ruler of the nation, I’m by fact the sole patriarch of Susia. However, I’m yet to be affirmed by my people. As such, I cannot use the grand seal for this occasion. And yet in my informal capacity as the white wolves’ leader, I can agree to this pledge. If you think this is sufficient, I would give my consent using this whistle as my personal seal.”

Lion Muzzle stroked his jaw, and slowly nodded. “I’m sorry for your loss, Patriarch Puuska. I’m not one to stick to formality at times of necessity, and I would take your word for the genuineness of Susian goodwill.”

Puuska wordlessly nodded, and impressed the side of his whistle on the document. His seal was a white wolf rearing up, holding a crossbow in his front paws, while stepping on a curved sword on his back legs. Behind him was a field of wolfberry flowers.

The gazes fell onto the muskox priestess. She winced and said. “I’m not the chief of the muskoxen tribe. I’m merely his daughter, the Qam Qatun… A priestess if you will. I have no power to represent the entire tribe, I’m afraid.”

Lion Muzzle looked genuinely disappointed. “I see.”

Shaking her head, she smiled thinly. “We are a simple people. We know only peace and maybe tribute, such intricate treaty-making is simply not in our nature. And given how few the muskoxen are, I suppose even we do offer our pledge, it means little to the mighty Prench.”

Lion Muzzle shook his head in return. “Of course not. Of course a paper inked with black and white would calm our populace much more, but any goodwill, from nations large or small, many or few, is appreciated.”

Yolana smiled. “Then you’ll have our assured goodwill.”

Lion Muzzle nodded. “We’ll gladly take it. However, we do want to extend our hooves to the muskoxen formally, after this war of aggression comes to an end.”

He then looked to Cadance and Shining Armor with a meaningful expression. He drew out his first syllable and said. “Princess Cadance, Prince Shining Armor, I await your response.”

The Princess of Love looked grim. She slowly said. “Director Muzzle. First… I thank you for giving us refuge and the basic amount of respect even given your… ideology.”

She sighed and said. “But my status is now rather ambiguous. First, Shining and I were falsely declared to be the victims of yak aggression. While now we’re back, Sunset Shimmer could easily dismiss us as some sort of frauds.”

Lion Muzzle again massaged his angled jaw. “That’s true. However, you’re still a crystal princess, you can easily show that you’re the real Cadance by demonstrating your love spells, can’t you?”

“… True, but there is another issue. Many of these crystal ponies are still quite enthralled with Sunset Shimmer’s teachings… If they were only afflicted with mind control, then it’s straightforward – we only need to apply anti-magic charm on them, or even simply wash over them with a burst of love magic. It might take time to re-convince them of the legitimacy of my rule, even if I do set up a government-in-exile elsewhere. In other words, my words might mean little to you and them in the short term.”

Lion Muzzle nodded with a curt smile. “While I detest the ‘Guida’ for infringing upon our sovereignty, I can’t deny that her rhetoric is incredibly attractive. A national renaissance for crystal ponies, let Roam be reborn in Equestria… Certainly a few notches above enslaving and antagonizing everyone in sight. I’m afraid her ideas would have some staying power as well…”

Cadance gasped in shock, but Lion Muzzle kept his smile and quickly changed the topic. “You speak of setting up a government against the Sunset Shimmer regime. That can be beneficial to the Prench Republic. We can offer certain assistance, but that still hinges on your words that the internal matters of the Prench Republic remains ours.”

The alicorn bit her lips. “You must understand, Director, this is no foal matter. With Princess Celestia and Luna now missing in action, I’m the sole alicorn princess in the land. You… ‘republicans’ might disagree, but plenty of ponies out there, not just in the Crystal Empire, but also in Equestria, would look to me for authority. Whatever I agree here will be taken by the Equestrians at large… as words not merely said by a Crystal Princess, but an Equestrian Princess as well.”

Lion Muzzle did not bulge. “Regardless, your words are critical. Our ponies would not be pleased that I’m letting the Crystallians go in the first place, but if I do not obtain any form of official assurance from the very Crystal Princess herself, let’s say you will definitely not see me in this chair the next day.”

Shining Armor, however, clearly looked much more impatient. “You’re looting our house while it’s on fire. You’re just using the lives of those crystal ponies as bargaining chips to make sure you stay in power, huh?”

Lion Muzzle paused, and slowly leaned back to his oaken chair. Reaching down to a hidden drawer, he pulled out a curious-looking smoking pipe, which was much longer and thinner than Equestrian ones. Pouring some well-shredded tobacco leaves into it, he lit it with his horn and leisurely smoked.

Seeming to vent his passive-aggression on Shining Armor, Lion Muzzle deliberately drew the wait out and observed the former royal guard, who was getting more and more annoyed. He blew out a cloud of smoke directly in his face, causing the white unicorn to cough, then grit his teeth with ire. 

But before Shining Armor actually blew up in anger, Lion Muzzle put down his pipe and said.

“I have a responsibility to the newborn state, and I’m obliged to increase the chance of it surviving and thriving, during both times of war and times of peace… As for me, I would freely admit that I would very much like to stay for as long as my people permit me. The Prench state is a project that I would like to see to the completion thereof. I regret that if you think this is me wanting to cling to power, but that’s how it is.”

Shining Armor gritted his teeth and wanted to say something more, but Cadance looked resigned and stopped him. “Shiny… don’t.”

She turned to Lion Muzzle and said. “Very well, I will agree to your demand, but it must be explicitly stated that I only signed it in my personal capacity of the Crystal Princess, not Equestria, or hereto unorganized government-in-exile of Crystal Empire.”

The director tilted his head, but then slickly nodded. “Well, that can’t be helped, I suppose I would take it, lest I will begin to be compared to greedy griffons.”

He witnessed Cadance magicked a quill pen and signed on the pledge. The director then smiled with satisfaction.

“Speaking of the griffons, I have one last request.”

“Do tell.” Spike felt some unease hearing the director’s jarringly upbeat tone on such severe matter.

“We want free hooves in the East, that is, the occupied Griffish Isles and any griffon lands east of them. Specifically, we want reassurance that any military action the Prench state conducts there will not be interfered unless explicitly required.”

“What?”

Spike raised his brows. That sounds quite like an odd request given their status as a city-state under siege. “Uh… Why?”

“The details, I’m afraid, must be kept confidential. In any case, I explicitly required that because the charter of Kingdom of Equestria did forbid us from individually taking military action outside the boundary of the Kingdom, and I don’t want any of our action to be construed as illegal and damaging our prospects of being accepted. However I assure you, none of your interest would not be diminished. Griffons are now enemies of a free Equestria, surely you all would be happy if they’re beaten back, right?”

Spike frowned. “That… isn’t wrong. But the way you phrase it sounds rather concerning.”

Lion Muzzle waved his hoof. “Well, rest assured that the conduct of the Prench army will be up to the same excellent standard you observed in this city.”

“Excellent standard…” 

Someone muttered wryly under his or her breath. Lion Muzzle caught wind of it and threw up his hooves. “Now, now, I thought I made it clear that L’Armée is separate from the sans-culottes and the Villian public in general. I can’t possibly control everypony in this city, and I certainly can’t punish them for being patriotic or showing revolutionary fervor. I promise you though, if you do agree to the three principles I outlined, you will be well-stocked on your way away. Think of it as our thanks for defending our city.”

After some exchange of glances, Spike tentatively nodded. “So if we agree to your conditions…”

“The Prench Republic will not aggress against any member of the northern alliance, with the option of mutual military assistance and supply arrangement in the future. We will offer a fortnight’s worth of supply upfront on your way to the East.”

Spike tried to appear calm, but he could not help but be floored about not only the generosity, but the capacity of the Ville to simply give away so much supplies in the time of this sunless war. 

Lion Muzzle added. “The eastern cities, as far as I know, should be… receptive to friends of the Ville. I will pen some letters for you to bring to the leaders there, whoever they may be currently. You can think of the supplies also as my price for your courier service.”

Spike asked with a light frown. “Director, do you know something about the eastern cities that we don’t know?”

Lion Muzzle nodded. “The war might have disrupted many of our usual communication channels, but we Prench in the Ville are always a resourceful bunch. The tragic fall of the Ancient and Noble City of Cloudsdale reinforced our belief that we must reach out at all cost. And so, we used a mix of mundane and magical means to keep track of the situations in the east.”

His face darkened somewhat at the mention of Cloudsdale. “Now commander, let me be frank that I can’t tell you everything unless we’ve known each other better, and fought together some more. The eastern cities are a complicated place, and due to our… existing relations with them, I cannot tell you other than the fact that big changes are happening there. Ponies there are getting angry at the puppet Equestrian government led by Sunset Shimmer, and our uprising is a perfect inspiration for many of them.”

Spike dully noted. “Right.”

Lion Muzzle emitted a nasal noise. “Speaking of Cloudsdale though… I can tell you something, if only as a heads-up.”

“Shoot.” Spike shrugged.

Lion Muzzle seemed amused at the dragon’s more casual speech, but he simply continued. “The Cloudsdale pegasi, before they were subjected to the horrible nation-breaking tragedy, did refuse our covert offer to share intelligence and rekindle the Auld Alliance.”

“So you guys are able to send in scouts or agents deep inside hostile territories.”

“It’s pretty basic, mon dragon. No army or nation can go anywhere without good source of intelligence. And of course the revolution had it up a few notch for it to succeed in the first place.”

Cadance raised a brow. “And what is it about the ‘Auld Alliance’? I’m not familiar with that term.”

“Oh, I don’t blame you. That’s a bit of ancient history, and if it were not for the industrious review of ancient treaties by our legal academics, I would not have known it as well. These ancient things seem to pop up quite frequently in recent times, don’t they? Be it the emergence of ponies from deep south and far north, the return of Crystallians, and indeed the very idea of a pony’s republic itself…”

Lion Muzzle shook his head and chuckled. “But I digress. The Auld Alliance has been an old and persistent alliance between Unicornia and Pegasopolis towards the end of the Late Classical Era. It was a defensive pact against griffons, earth ponies and crystal ponies. Quite a number of pegasi migrated to this old capital of Unicornia back then. And in fact, it was the very reason Ville de Platine is what it is now, magical unicorns supplemented with industrious pegasi, but coming together as one proud and noble Prench culture.”

Elevating a pointer to the big map of Equestria on the wall behind him, he poked the place where Cloudsdale used to be. “Even though the Union of Equestria had superseded most of the older treaties, we discovered some complex legal fiction that supports the conclusion that the Auld Alliance was never actually revoked. We knew well that Cloudsdale still retained the proudness and independence of their Pegasopolis ancestors, and they were likely to prefer sitting high up on their clouds unless directly mobilized by Celestia herself. The whole project to revive the Auld Alliance was a way for us to offer them a staircase down to earth, so to speak, and join force with us.”

“Okay… So you want to link up with them. But frankly, I don’t see them agreeing really, if only for the fact that they might not recognize you guys as the legitimate government in Ville de Platine.”

Lion Muzzle narrowed his eyes, but he then just sighed. “Yes, at face we were rejected because of our… change of regime here, but I must say I think their prideful attitude was more at fault. If they had mind to cooperate with us, they might be able to sabotage Sunset Shimmer’s mega-spell, for example, by intercepting their convoys of magic gems…”

He waved his hoof. “Anyway, we have strayed a bit far. Later on, all imprisoned Crystallians and Villian nobles are to be marched away from the city by your army, and you have the ultimate responsibility of watching over the high-value captives, especially Blueblood. If he went away under your watch, then the Prench Republic will sever all agreement we have made.”

“As if we will ever let him go.” Shining Armor rolled his eyes.

Cadance added. “It’s really a shame that he’s now the de facto head of the Equestrian aristocracy. We certainly will not let him run around more and cause more damage to its name.”

Spike japed. “I say he’s a living ad for republicanism. I guess this is why you’re keeping him alive?”

Lion Muzzle bellowed a laugh. “Ha! Maybe… maybe…”

He swept through everyone’s face, and then slipped an agreement across the table right in front of the dragon. He asked. “So what say you?”

Spike said. “A moment please.”

The dragon looked around. The assorted commanders either looked indifferent or deferring. They did not seem to be particularly interested in the politics of the Ville, and would not mind if Spike called the shot.

His gaze passed through Pinkie, who was until then completely and uncharacteristically silent. Spike knew that she was probably unjustly blaming herself again, since the kidnapping happened right after everyone winding down at the festa. He felt pained to see her in such a terrible state, but he could say little for now.

Still, it was Cadance and Shining Armor who looked the most hesitant. Spike looked to the Crystal Princess, and whispered into her ears. “… Princess Cadance, you don’t have to be pressured into accepting this. We will find a way. A lot of our soldiers are good at foraging.”

Cadance shook her head imperceptibly. She tilted her head and whispered back. “… Even so, I cannot possibly leave all these crystal ponies here in this city. They are our citizens. Even if they’re temporarily misled by Sunset Shimmer’s dazzling words, they must not be left here, or else we risk another terrible incidence.”

Shining Armor did not join in the conversation, but he clearly echoed the sentiment of his wife.

Spike deeply breathed in, grabbed a quill and sighed his own name on it on behalf of everyone.

Lion Muzzle clapped his hooves. “Wonderful. May our friendship last as long as the stars.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Towing in chains, the captured Crystallians and disgraced nobles of the city were marched by the Villian soldiers towards the Liberation Park, where the entire army of the northern alliance was now gathered, preparing to march out of the city shortly.

Eggs and vegetable were again thrown in copious amount. Spike, who was accompanying Octavie-Fontaine, the pegasus lieutenant who was leading the procession, wondered how come the Ville have so much food to spare that they could throw them at will.

Separated by ranks of well-equipped Villian soldiers, he could not quite reach the many captives he would like to have a word with. Though he was certain he would have plenty of time once he was back to the Park.

He shook his head and turned with a wry look. “Lieutenant, we meet so often. I sometimes wonder if the Ville have another officer.”

The pegasus, surprisingly, was not riled up. “I was assigned by the Director himself to handle matters related to you and your army, and that’s probably why.”

“Is that so?”

The pegasus silently nodded. For some reason, she lost a lot of edge since he last saw her in the square. He briefly wondered what her deal was, before they finally were greeted by soldiers from the northern alliance.

Octavie-Fontaine saluted the dragon, and said. “Commander Spike, per the executive decree of the directory and by the popular will invested in our director, we hereby transferred all captives and prisoners of war to the northern alliance. The responsibility now rests in your, ahem, hands.”

“Thank you, lieutenant.”

Octavie-Fontaine nodded. “We will put guards around the park to ensure that your exit from the city will be smooth.”

Under her watch, the prisoners were hushed inside the park like a herd of sheep. Spike walked over to join the others, as the most high-value prisoners, Asclepias and Blueblood, were brought in front of the commanders. 

There was also great difference in their looks. Blueblood looked well-fed, and spirited enough to loudly moan his complaints. Asclepias, though, was barely able to move or keep his eyes open, his breaths labored and shallow. Unhealed lash wounds were seen on his neck, seemingly from the time the rioters stormed the prison tower and dragged him out.

Spike turned and peeked at Pisacan. Her expression was stone-cold. The dragon tilted his head and whispered to her. “Asclepias is here.”

“I know that.”

“He… looks pretty bad.”

The yellow crystal pony closed her eyes and nodded minutely, but giving no other response. Spike sighed and turned to the other captive, who was making a scene in front of them.

Cadance and Shining Armor went to the hollering white unicorn prince. When Blueblood saw them, his eyes went as wide as two plates.

“W- Wait, h- how in Equestria-”

Cadance raised a brow. “Are our survival that much of a shock to you?”

“They said you two are dead!”

Cadance deadpanned. “They’re wrong then.”

Shining Armor narrowed his eyes. “Sunset Shimmer is a scheming power-grabber, a warmonger and above all, an evil magic user. She casted a mind-control spell on us both, not to mention she manipulated the whole Crystal Empire into this ruinous war. And yet you, the last royal prince that was in Equestria, somehow got this brilliant idea of becoming a collaborator, willingly.”

Blueblood spluttered. “S- Shut up, you’re just an uncouth commoner if not for your marriage to Cadance. How would you even comprehend the enormous heritage and grace that I, Blueblood, proud scion of Unicornia, prince of the blood, carry with me?”

Shining Armor was again fuming, however, he was gently shoved at his legs. Then he saw the small dragon passed by and gave him a knowing look. 

“Prince Blueblood, this might come as something rather inconvenient, but you’re now no longer the ruler of this city, rather, you are our… hmm, guest, just that you cannot leave our side unless we say so.”

“Who the heck are you, and why do I have to listen to a suckling drake? I’m still a royal prince, and all of the Lower Canterlot is my fief! You’re just a feral boor of a dragon!”

Spike did not look particularly pleased, but he shook his head. “I’m not a ‘feral’ dragon, Prince Blueblood. My name is Spike, and I lived with the ponies my whole life. This arrangement is for your own good and safety as well. This alliance of various races are set on returning Equestria to peace and normalcy. As the-”

Even though Spike tried to talk some sense into Blueblood, he had clearly tuned out Spike’s reasoned plea. He frantically yelled at his small group of erstwhile followers, who had been unbounded before him, once the Villians were out of sight. “Hey! Would some of you – any of you useless gits – get me out of the ropes already?!”

Spike darkly mumbled. From his modest cape he drew out a silver rapier from its hilt. He then pointed sharply to Blueblood, who now knew how to show fear. Even Cadance and Shining Armor looked concerned. The prince yelled out among shocked gasps. “W- What are you doing?!”

“… How stupid can you be?”

Spike patted the prince’s face with the tip of the rapier. “This is a Platinum Ceremonial Rapier, the blade and the tip are both blunt. It’s gifted to me by Lion Muzzle as a symbol of good will. A prince like you really should know about precious artefacts in your own city.”

“You dare touch a gift, stolen no less, from that traitor to my face?!”

“Get a grip, Your Highness. If not for Lion Muzzle’s carefulness and protection, you’d have been treated with much worse than what essentially was a house arrest. Just look at poor Asclepias, would you?”

“Tsk, he’s just an incompetent failure of a pony. If he’s any good at fighting, we’d not be here in the first place!”

Biting back a more caustic retort, Spike breathed out and slowly said. “Prince Blueblood, you weren’t even discovered and dragged out in those popular riots. Knowing how wimpy you are, you would probably beg for a quick release when the belts hit your pretty face.” 

“H- How dare you?!”

Shining Armor looked covertly pleased at Spike’s smack-down of the foolishly prideful prince, but he gently coughed. “Spike, Blueblood is still a royal prince.”

“I know. I’ll try to be diplomatic.”

Spike turned and glared at the prince, then punctuated each of his word with a tap to his face. “Ville de Platine now wants nothing to do with royalties, and the whole Lower Canterlot is either a nopony’s land or a field of rubbles. You are not the ruler of anywhere or anyone… Don’t you realize how close you are to being a red splatter on the ground? A headless pony on a guillotine? A mangled skeleton in the darkest cell in Ville de Platine?”

Blueblood let out a strange yelp, as Spike continued. “Look at yourself, Prince Blueblood. I believe that you barely got harmed or interrogated in custody. But I warn you, no one’s luck is unlimited, and it is even more limited for you if you don’t behave.”

Blueblood’s face turned a shade of purple, as he proclaimed indignantly. “I- I’m going to tell-”

“Tell who? Princess Celestia?”

Spike’s face turned darker. “We don’t even know where she is at the moment. And despite your thick-headedness, you should know well that if she’s still here, she would allow none of these to happen. The biggest… and very nearly the only reason that we get you out from their prison is our charity, and Lion Muzzle’s.”

“What?! That traitor-”

“That ‘traitor’ has the support of the people, unlike you. And I’m afraid he’s also a much more competent administrator and ruler in this trying time for the Ville. He’s also immensely forgiving. I doubt that you would treat him as nicely if the situation is reversed.”

“I- I will tear his guts out and feed-”

“Cut it out with your revenge fantasy, prince. What happened here had already shaken the foundation of the Kingdom of Equestria to the core, and it’s quite largely thanks to you. And however everything turns out…”

Spike let out a sigh. “… It will never be the same. So, if you want to preserve a sliver of claim to power after the war is over, you should tug in, lower your head and follow us. If you stay here, Lion Muzzle will not be able to shield you from the angry mob much longer.”

Blueblood gritted his teeth, and then asked. “Where the Tartarus are you going? Where in the world is safe anymore?”

Spike smiled. “Ah, finally some sensible questions. We’re going east to Manehattan and other east coast cities.”

“What for?”

“We will find a way to join with forces of our own in Ponyville. Either by sea or over land, we would march to the south. Our friends have extensive influences there. Rainbow Dash has an army of Amarezons under her wings. Rarity is cozy with the diamond dogs, which from what we heard were also battle-capable... And we do have something up our sleeves once we’re back too.”

Blueblood mulled and mumbled. Spike then added with a more conciliatory tone. “If you stay put among us for now, we might be able to arrange for a… favorable final settlement. Maybe you can even reclaim some of your ancestral privilege.”

“Now, who exactly are you to make these grand claims?”

“His words have my backing, my royal cousin.” 

Cadance added wryly. “And if you don’t think it’s enough, his words also have the backing of an army capable of beating Sunset Shimmer’s forces.”

“What? A small dragon like him is the commander? I thought you-”

The Princess of Love’s tone was somewhat dry, but she explained. “No, Spike is the one who pulled all of us through the difficulties while we’re in the Arctic wastes. He rightly commands the respect and following of these Nordland peoples. We two, on the other hooves, are merely on his tabs.”

Spike added neutrally. “Don’t say that, Princess Cadance. You should be able to command huge influence and inject confidence among these newly surrendered crystal ponies. Any peace to be had at the end cannot leave out the crystal ponies.”

“We hope we can.”

Looking at the tumultuous look on the prince, Spike felt a dash of worry. Blueblood was not known for his reasonableness or prudence. It would be a big headache if he acted up or flaunted his princely attitude at march.

Suddenly, an idea came up in his head. He briefly hesitated, but he eventually said. “Prince Blueblood. I wonder if you still remember a certain… Applejack.”

The dragon’s words attracted prompt attention from the prince. At a distance, Pinkie also stopped moping and looked at Spike with some degree of surprise.

The angry look on the prince immediately softened, replaced by a desirous expression. “Well, of course. Hmm, such a specimen of a mare. Shame that she did not reply to my wonderful suggestion of joining me in my household as my maîtresse-en-titre.”

Spike suppressed his urge to roll his eyes. He suspected it had been the doing of his lapdog followers, but after some condescending pestering through letters, the Sweet Apple Acres were once sabotaged by some unknown agents, almost setting the orchard on fire if not for their bumbling incompetence. The girls tracked down to none other than Blueblood’s relations, but decided to let him off because they were busy preparing for the imminent changeling invasion. 

Presumably, those unscrupulous ponies wanted to force Applejack out of a home and a job, and therefore allowing Blueblood to ‘swoop’ Applejack up. Of course, the orange earth pony was no pushover, and given her resourcefulness, the plan had no chance to succeed in the first place. 

It did leave a bad taste in his mouth, to now suggest an association between them two for convenience. However, Spike internally sighed, this might be the only non-violent way to entice Blueblood into staying put.

“Well, she’s also the landlady who owns the most land in the south, as well as an Element-bearer who lives in Ponyville. Given how you two, ahem… have a pleasant time the last time, she might be able to offer help and… uh, companionship if you may. So do follow us to Ponyville, Prince Blueblood. We’ll arrange something for you, and we’ll try to ensure your comfort on our way there.”

“Aha… Interesting, interesting. Hmm, now that you’ve mentioned it, the prospects of having her by my side would at least assuage some of the injustice I, prince du sang, suffered here.”

Spike winced, as he began to question his initial judgment. Still he said. “… Look, I understand that you see the Ville as your birthright. But without support, you can do nothing with it. To our understanding, most of the Canterlot aristocracy has been relocated to south of Canterlot anyway. Once you’re escorted there, you might be able to find rapport there. Given your status as the head of the unicorn nobility, your presence would rally their support in this miserable time.”

“Ah, ah. Now we’re talking.”

Blueblood harrumphed. Spike sighed and untied the prince, who gave the dragon a not-so-gentle shove. Deliberately using a voice just audible to the dragon, he said. “… Uncouth cur, should’ve treated me nicely from the beginning…”

Spike turned away and pretended not to hear anything. When he looked back, however, Blueblood did look much more placated. The gold-maned unicorn mumbled. “Hmm, that is not exactly an arrangement befitting a royal prince of Equestria, but I guess this is the best you lots can offer. Can’t help it then, I suppose I will take it for the time being.”

“Good. Birger, bring the prince to the tent for a rest.”

The Lucentian soldier quickly trotted up and saluted. “Roger that!”

After Blueblood was led away, the dragon was immediately swamped by several of his friends.

Kanipha said with awe. “Whoa, I mean, Spike. You kind of, sort of just uh…”

Geuse was blunter. “Spike, I thought you were going harsh on his sorry plot! I can’t believe you just practically promise one of your friends to that nasty stallion, selling her off like packed goods!”

Pinkie also looked worried. “Spike, why…”

“Why are ye doubtful, o ye of little faith?”

Surprisingly, it was Frigg who barged in with the archaic expression Spike did not recall teaching her. “Surely our good dragon has a plan in his head, just like every other thing. All is well in the world when he’s well.”

“Meh, I see nothing wrong with it either.”

Pisacan also shrugged and chimed. “The prince might be a pain in the plot, but he’s the top-top noble in Equestria, his words, however asinine, do carry a lot of weight among the nobles. A marriage alliance is not that out there. Heck, if it was to save my clan, I would do it in a blink of an eye. Nopony says you must love thy husband in a marriage.”

“Ahem.”

Cadance coughed. Pisacan threw her hooves up. “Alright, she would say that. But I don’t think that the hypothetical non-existent love towards… ugh, that prince would be more than a glimmer on the Crystal Heart, which is not even our primary concern now anyway.”

“Okay, you all have taken your assumptions and take flight with them. At no point did I ever suggest such thing to him. I’m not Granny Smith, and I have no power over their family affair. Besides, it would be Applejack who decides what to do with him once we’re back, and she would not let Blueblood do whatever he wants.”

Shining Armor raised his brows. “Ah… So you kind of… scammed him into following us?”

Spike deadpanned. “I prefer ‘being economical with the truth’.”

Kanipha barked a laugh, and then shook his head with wry chuckles. “Hahaha, our dragon hero merely suffered a bout of terminological inexactitude, no need to hound him for that, ladies and gentlecolts.”

Cadance still looked sour, she looked to the dragon and lightly chided. “Spike, you should not have brought up matters of love as a bargaining chip. It cheapens the sanctity of romantic love and union.”

Pisacan said sarcastically. “I say, Sua Altezza, whatever love lost by this, you two can solve it by closing your eyes on bed, thinking of the Empire and plopping a foal out. I’m sure the resulting Crystalling would power the barrier, if there’s still a use for it that is, for the next couple of decades.”

The couple furiously blushed at the open discussion of their bedroom activities. Spike rubbed his snout and asked. “Pisa, you seem quite keen on teasing your own princess.”

“It’s their fault for being so fidgety. The daughters of Roamans have always been a spirited and impassioned lots.”

Sensing Spike’s mood about her barbed words, Pisacan pouted and said. “I’m already very tactful by our standard.”

The dragon sighed with defeat. He then took a good look at the mare’s brother at a distance. He knew Asclepias from Pisacan, and he knew that the stallion was her younger brother. 

The dragon had not seen him before, but even then he knew that the stallion was languishing in the prison. Some lash scars could be seen on his side and even his cheeks, his eyes were surrounded by dark circles, and his fur was crumpled. He looked much gaunter than even the worst-fed soldier.

“Pisa, won’t you go talk to your brother?”

Pisacan raised her brows. She first said nothing, and then she asked Spike softly. “Commander Spike, may I?”

“Pisa, why the reserved tone?” Spike was a bit bemused given her attitude a moment ago.

Pisacan dropped all informality, replaced by a thoroughly cut-glass voice. “I’m officially a nobody in here. It isn’t appropriate for me to just go out and talk to Clepy, especially given our ties.”

“Pisa-”

“Besides, if… and just if I somehow am to be blessed with the opportunity to again lead the ponies in my clan as we march, I would have to do this anyway. In a large army, there must be a clear hierarchy of power and command. Now it’s all implicit and working out so far due to your personal ties and understanding with every commander, but as we go on and absorb the Crystallians, you will need to show a more rigid adherence to a system of command.”

“I see… Alright then, you may go, Matriarch Pisacan.”

Pisacan smiled. “Aye, commander.”

The yellow mare then slowly walked towards the green stallion. Their white manes both billowed in the humid spring wind. Wordlessly, Pisacan reached out a hoof and felt the scars and bones on her brother’s body. Asclepias’s eyes fluttered open, and gulped upon the sight of his sister, but he could not say anything with emotions so high.

Everyone was moved by the most genuine display of brother-sister love. But then, Pisacan simply smacked Asclepias’ head with a backhoof and yelled into his ears, while making angry gestures with her spare hoof.

“Asclepias, you stupid excuse of a pony nato pal culo! Look at yourself with your good eyes where are you now following that orange witch?!”

Asclepias flinched with a wince despite his larger physique.

Pinkie, who was sulking at the side before, could not help but say. “P- Pisa, don’t be so harsh on him, pretty please?”

Pisacan tutted and crossed her hooves. “Pinkie, this is how I do things in my clan. Do not interfere.”

Pinkie lowered her head and stepped back, returning to her chronic state of sulking. Spike frowned at the sight, but he could only offer a supporting arm to the distraught pink mare.

Pisacan continued to shout angry tirades in a mix of Equestrian and Vinidian. It was so loud that not only the commanders had to cover their ears, but the Vinidis, both already in the camp and newly arrived, looked on with apprehension and shock. Many of the newcomers had already heard of the rumors that Pisacan was still alive, but to watch and hear their matriarch yell with full voice still gave them a taste of the past, and it was terrifying and electrifying.

Pisacan then dragged Asclepias by his tattered cape, and walked in front of Spike. “Commander Spike, I need to talk to him alone.”

“… You may, Matriarch Pisacan.”

Pisacan nodded and rapidly went off and disappeared from the sight of everyone in the park, dragging with her Asclepias, while everyone looked on with shock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once in the secluded tent, Pisacan immediately dropped her angry façade. She hurriedly sat the stallion down. After some literally blind search, she grabbed ahold of a blanket and covered her brother with it.

Asclepias looked on with bemusement. “Pisa-”

“Shhh.”

Pisacan shifted into Vinidian as she asked softly. “Clepy, do you want something to eat? Or drink?”

Asclepias was even more confused. He coughed and said weakly. “Wh- Pisa, j- just tell me where it is. I can still do it myself.”

“You need rest, Clepy.”

“I can’t possibly let a blind pony help me out.”

Pisacan’s eyes narrowed slightly, as she questioned. “Hey, what exactly do you mean by that? I’m perfectly functional despite my sight! Remember, I’ve been following an army across the arctic waste for the past few months, and I eat, walk and trot just fine!”

“T- That…”

Asclepias sighed. “Pisa… Aren’t you mad with me?”

Pisacan’s shoulders slackened, as she shook her head with a small smile. “Sometimes I do wonder if you really are my brother. How come you can’t distinguish an act from genuine anger?”

“… Huh?”

“Sorry to have tra-ma-tized you, Clepy. I was just reasserting authority in front of every Vinidi. As I have been away for so long, and the fact that I have been blinded must have greatly diminished my standing for some of them, I must show that I am still matriarch material, and am able to lead them after all the tumult. Only extreme action can counter the deep-rooted traditional prejudice that a blind mare is a useless mare.”

Pisacan then crossed her hooves. “And yeah, I was still pretty mad at you. That’s doubly so why I chose this method of publicly bashing you to make myself hea-”

The yellow mare suddenly felt two bony appendages wrapping around her torso.

“I thought you were no more, Pisa…!”

“Clepy…” Pisa sadly smiled, gently returning his weak hug.

“You seemed so mad at me when we last met at the gate… I have since been worried that… that it was the last time we ever met.”

Pisacan immediately frowned. “Shush your salt-spilling mouth. I, Pisacan di Vinidi, is as tenacious as my namesake. Not even searing flame or freezing cold can exterminate the stout little grass that is the dandelion.”

Asclepias thinly smiled. “Right.”

Pisacan seemed to have sensed her brother’s subtle jab, and she deflated. “Well yeah. I owe Geuse a big time. Without her-”

Asclepias’s expression darkened. “I don’t imagine you would’ve gotten out alive.”

Pisacan’s brows raised. “Hmmm? Do I sense a change of heart regarding the evil nastiness of the orange witch?”

“… Please, Pisa, I have had long enough to think and reflect while I was in the oubliette. That is, when I was not being made to mount the chevalet.”

Pisacan looked shocked, and then she asked with genuine concern. “Holy Father Vinidius, d- did they neut-”

Asclepias almost yelled. “No! I am still a full stallion!”

Pisacan let out a relieved sigh. “Thank goodness. You know what, if I can’t birth a foal, then the next leader of the clan has to come from your nether.”

Asclepias rolled his eyes up. “… By our grand old dad’s beard, this is what you care about now?”

“What, I am your sister, and I am not into any aspect of your uccello other than its function.” 

Pisacan huffed a dry laugh. “More so now that I can’t see.” 

Asclepias could not help but facehoofed. After a pause, he said with a cautious voice. “I understand that you hate Sunset Shimmer with the heat of a thousand suns.”

Pisacan gritted her teeth. “That’s a given, isn’t it?”

The yellow mare’s brother weakly sighed. “I can only offer you an advice if you are to fight against her.”

“… What is it?”

“To fight against her, you must turn the immense support she enjoyed from the crystal ponies. But to do so, you must understand her appeal to them. Your hatred might cloud your judgment.”

Pisacan’s eyes twitched. “Don’t tell me, Clepy, that you’re trying to speak for her in a roundabout way…”

“Not at all, Pisa. Don’t be mired in your anger. She could only be summarily defeated if we keep our collective heads cool and calm. As somepony who’s been in her army, I know that the fervor ponies show for her is a thousand times more potent than King Sombra’s mind control helmet. We must defuse this… misguided love, and only then we can build resistance of our own.”

Pisacan looked somewhat shocked that her brother laid it out in the open so explicitly. He seemed to have made up his mind about fighting against his once leader. “Clepy, you…”

“I know what you’re thinking, Pisa. As I said, I’ve got a lot of time to think. Crystal Empire under King Sombra is like a giant prison, but Crystal Empire under Sunset Shimmer is like an intoxicating bubble of rabid nationalism. We all think that we’re doing the right thing for the Empire, and castigate those who say otherwise. It’s only by staying away of the bubble that I can shake off the rigid group-think.”

He then stressed. “That’s why I think it’s so important to carefully take apart what makes the ‘bubble’ so potent. What makes it so powerful that young ponies are willing to swarm towards enlisting points and throw themselves onto the merciless battlefield? Some Vinidis even put the country before their family, like me for a moment of time… Why is that the case?”

Pisacan stroked her chin. Instead of denouncing him or her clan, she merely said. “… If we can co-opt some of those fervor, it would certainly help us out a lot.”

Asclepias widened his eyes slightly, and then sheepishly grinned. “My sister is always the crafty type.”

“Hey, what do you mean?”

“The good kind of crafty, of course.”

Pisacan narrowed her eyes, and smiled. “At least you know how to say the right thing. I think we should leave further discussion for later, though.”

“Hm, why?”

“As I said, you’re tired and you need rest, Clepy.”

Asclepias touched his heavy eyelids, and slowly nodded. “Maybe you’re right…”

He let out a barely audible mutter. “Maybe going into soldiering is also a wrong decision. Maybe I’m better suited at flicking abacus than waging battles anyway… Maybe…”

Pisacan shook her head with an inscrutable look, and pulled the blanket over his chest. Asclepias let out another weak mutter, and after some gentle nudge and cooing from the mare, finally fell asleep. 

The sister stood up slowly. Walking to the entrance of the tent, she listened quietly, as soldiers were streaming to finally prepare for departure. She could hear grains and haystacks promised by Lion Muzzle being transported onto carts, and commanders from every race were busy taking roll calls. 

Shrugging helplessly, she stepped out into the crowd, readying herself to reorganize the transferred crystal ponies into something resembling a marching group alongside Cadance and Shining Armor as well. 
> Chapter 13 - In Our Mind's Eye
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Finally! We're finally leaving that darned city."

Kanipha stretched his legs, as the zebra colt looked back to the direction of Ville de Platine one last time. The said city was no longer visible, clouded in the mist of the Crystal Mountains.

The zebra looked down the valley with the dim grey light from above. The meandering Whinnypeg River flowed quietly downstream. Large amount of materials were floated on barges, which were in turn dragged along by troops on shore. The army marched in a few loose columns across the treacherous mountain trail towards the Echo Notch, the seldom-used gateway to the metropolis of Manehattan.

Hearing no response to his remark, he added and pointed to a pegasus at a distance surreptitiously. "Why is she following us?"

Octavie-Fontaine promptly turned. "I'm tasked as a Prench representative by Director Muzzle to both the northern nations and the Eastern Cities, monsieur zebra. I'm here for important reasons."

Kanipha looked surprised at being overheard, but he immediately said. "My name is Kanipha! And you shouldn't be allowed so close to us when we're discussing important stuffs all day."

The grey pegasus merely shrugged. "Your dragon commander allows me here. If he wants, he can send me away from this cohort at any time."

Kanipha grumbled. "Tsk. What're you doing here anyway? Aren't you technically an army officer? Why are you even sticking your hooves into diplomatic matters?"

Octavie-Fontaine's gaze flickered, but she soon said blandly. "I'm whatever role Director Muzzle wanted me to fulfill. Besides, this is none of your business, especially since you're nobody."

Kanipha's eyes twitched. "W- What?! What kind of a diplomat are you, you daughter of a-"

Spike, who had been at the front silently and alone, sighed and interrupted. "Kanny, let Octavie do her things. Despite everything, La Ville is potentially a valuable ally."

Kanipha bit his lips, and swallowed his irritation in the face of Spike's words. Geuse looked to the scene, and commented on something else to draw away the tension. "It's a good thing we have boosted our numbers as well."

Pinkie Pie had not looked particularly animated since the tumult in the city, but she still chimed in. "H- Hey, how's it going anyway? I mean, the crystal ponies are mixing in well, aren't they?"

Pisacan, who was trotting nearby, duly replied. "Thanks to most of them being my clan, and with the combined efforts of their former commander and Princess Cadance there, they didn't act out too much despite the abrupt change in allegiance."

Geuse shook her head. "That must be one Tartarus of a chore to manage so many former prisoners of war. I mean, the changelings, be they so few, were enough to cause a headache on the seas."

Pisacan knitted her brows. "That's why you don't see Clepy or the royal couple with us right now. My brother insisted to help out even if he's coughing his lungs out."

Spike suddenly turned with a severe look. "Is he alright? I heard that many of our troops are also sick. Do we have enough medics and medicine?"

"We're barely hanging on with the number of medics, but it's medicine that we truly lack."

"We're also trying our best to help." Yolana, the muskox shamaness, interjected. "Our horns have some soothing properties, and we can ground some of them into powder without harming ourselves. But if this went on, we can't grow our horns fast enough to treat even a tenth of the sick."

The dragon let out a heavy sigh. Massaging his forehead, he muttered under his breath. "Argh... War is Tartarus. Those stories I used to read are all loads of bulls! No offense to Mkondo."

"That's because those stories are written by and for those who live in peace, Spike."

Offering a somewhat dejected smile, Pinkie continued. "But at least we remember a time before all these happened." 

Spike merely gritted his teeth slowly. "I've never met that Sunset Shimmer, but if I..."

The dragon's ireful remarks were cut short by the panicked arrival of a messenger from the front. The helmeted white wolf was completely out of breath.

The dragon interrogated immediately with a stern voice. "What's the matter?"

The wolf hurriedly removed her helmet, revealing herself to be Gumpa, the wolf prince's first betrothed.

Spike widened his eyes. "Gumpa, what's wrong? You look-"

Gumpa nervously shushed the dragon. Her ears perked up and flicked quickly, as if she was searching for something in panic. Before Spike could ask again, Gumpa began to wail pitifully. "Oh help us, Spike, something horrible happened before the Notch! My Puuska... the white wolf and other pony vanguards a- are..."

Spike asked with a steely look. "Horrible? What happened?!"

Gumpa gasped for air, and she replied shakily. "W- We have arrived near a lake in front of the Notch. It seems that someone had built a large dam there."

Pinkie narrowed her eyes. "That's the Echo Lake and Echo Dam, built relatively recently to provide power to Manehattan. The lake would feed into the downstream Delamare River that skirts the big city."

Spike nodded and signaled the female wolf to continue. Gumpa gulped and nodded. "We're surveying the area to find a way for the main army to cross the Notch safely, that's when... that's when..."

"What? Spit it out already!" Rainga, the white deer, couldn't help but get agitated with worry.

Gumpa gasped for another breath of air. "Eek! T- There's a strange song in the air..."

"... A song?" Both Magnar and Stellan frowned and said. None of the listeners understood why it would cause such a grave concern.

Gumpa looked even more neurotic seeing the doubtful faces. "It's no ordinary song! It's witchery, witchery I tell you!"

Spike patted the wolf's shoulder. "Okay, calm down, Gumpa. What's so horrible about a song?"

"I- It causes all our soldiers to go out of their minds! They began to ignore our orders, and wander towards the dam... some of them even jumped into the lake! Puuska and I were the only two that were unaffected, but we don't even know where the song came from. And when he wanted to stop them, he was himself attacked and roped away... by his own soldiers!"

Spike looked incredibly perturbed. He turned to Pinkie, who trembled violently and was barely to return his gaze.

He turned and faced the rest of the group, who was looking as much concerned as he was. "... Everyone suddenly acting out of their place."

Kanipha narrowed his eyes. "Since the changelings are dealt with, this leaves us with only one possibility, really."

Spike nodded with gritted teeth. He turned to Gumpa again and asked. "Gumpa, I assume that Puuska gave you something in the room, right?"

Gumpa widened her eyes, and hesitantly nodded. She pawed towards her sack and took out a small fragment of black stone.

The dragon's gritted teeth crackled with anger. "As I guessed... This is probably evil mind control magic. That's why magic-negating artifact like the two-faced stone shielded you from harm."

Yolana nodded severely, and took out a sack of stones from her bag.

"Spike, since the battle outside the city, I've gathered all two-faced stones that we can find from the muskoxen's belongings. It's far from enough to distribute to every soldier, but among us few, it should be adequate to protect the bearers from being affected by such nefarious magic."

Gumpa suddenly knelt in front of Spike, her face contorted with guilt and worry. "Please, Spike! Help me rescue Puuska! I've been a coward and left him alone to danger again, I-"

"Of course we're going to. That's for you, for me, as well as for us all."

Spike briefly looked at the despondent marefriend of his, his entire face began to twitch. "I don't know who's using that song to bewitch our soldiers."

Hot smoke almost leaked from the corner of his mouth. "... Be it Sunset Shimmer or not, I'm going to make sure that the perpetrator face the consequence."


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The Nordland trio - Rainga, Magnar and Stellan - were left with the main army to stand guard, even though Rainga was clearly reluctant to separate with the dragon. It eventually took Frigg's cooing to soothe her nerves.

But even Frigg's words of caution could not stop Spike from insisting to lead the small team of companions to investigate the strange happening. He delegated the commandership to the worried doe and quickly departed, to the mare's unease.

As the group progressed, the stagnant sun's light from the distant horizons was further dimmed by the cloud of mountain mist. But not before long, a faint buzzing of singing voice could be heard from afar.

Spike immediately tensed up. The song was either in a language he did not know, or simply lyricless humming. However, it was so irresistibly sweet, filling with invitation and longing. It seemed to urge the listeners to loosen their restraints, and throw their body and soul to the mysterious source of the song.

Before any desire to give in popped up in his mind, however, he hurriedly grabbed at the two-faced stone he wore as a necklace on his neck. He grabbed at it with such strength that it almost cracked the scales on his paw, but its effect was prompt as well. Soon his mind was clear of any undue influence, and when he listened to the song again, it was mere sonorous humming.

He looked to his companions, and all of them were also tightly holding the anti-magic charm the way he did.

Spike particularly gazed at Pinkie, who insisted to come with him with the same level of stubbornness that he insisted to lead this excursion. The pink mare's pupils had shrunk to pins, and she was clearly palpitating with traumatic fear.

"Pinks, you... you need to go back. Frigg will take care of you-"

"N- No! I'm fine, haha, don't be a worrywart, I-"

"Pinkie! What we're about to face is another mind-bending villain, and you shouldn't force yourself to be exposed to something so-"

"I- I have to... I have to! I can't let my fear and my guilt stop me from helping everypony a- and helping you!"

Pinkie's eyes grew a bit red, but she continued. "Gumpa's right, there're no place for a coward in this big battle of good and evil!"

"That's not about being a coward or not, Pinks. You're clearly hurt, and I can see it. If you force yourself to be here, the wound in your heart will not-"

Pinkie gritted her teeth. Pushing away her face-covering straight mane, she said with uncharacteristic severity. "It will not heal regardless, Spike. So let me stay, at least I can help you this way."

Spike frowned deeply. Each of the pink mare's words sliced deeply into his heart. But before he could offer some words of his own, he was interrupted by a pegasus landing nervously near him.

"Geuse? What's wrong?"

"I know who's singing that darn song now! It's a monster in the water!"

"... At least it's not that orange witch, it seems." Pisacan raised her brows.

"Can you be more specific?" Kanipha merely groaned and asked.

"Fine, it's a big blue sea-snake-like thing. It's got red fins, blue eyes and some more reddish tinge near them. Its tail and, um, 'mane' are white. It's swimming in front of the dam and yapping like a mouth-breather. I bet you my trident that it's the singer of that mesmerizing song."

Pinkie suddenly gasped. "Oh dear, it can't be...!"

The worried-looking Gumpa immediately asked. "W- What can it be?"

Yolana softly added. "Do you have an idea who that creature might be, Miss Pie?" 

Pinkie gulped. "... Well, a- as far as I know, water creatures that cast hypnotizing magic through songs are few and far between. I've only heard about sirens and kelpies that do that. Sirens are more vicious by nature, but from what Geuse said, that singing creature looks more like a kelpie. Kelpies are in general placid singers, and some of them even have pony contacts. I- I don't know why-"

"No reason on earth would excuse her action."

Spike cut her off, and growled through gritted teeth. "This kelpie thing hypnotized an entire army of unwilling sentient beings to do her bidding, taking away their free will and placing them in unnecessary danger. This is vilest of the vile."

"But..."

"There's no 'but', Pinkie. We must use the quickest and the most clinical way to make it stop singing."

Spike's angry expression was quickly replaced by a chillingly cold look. "If it takes punching a hole in its throat, then so be it."

The companions near the dragon looked shocked and worried to see such vengefulness dripping from his words, freshly off his speech of peace to the Villians. It was clear that the dragon had taken the matter very personally. 

Yolana immediately said. "Good Spike, there's no need to be so riled."

Geuse added with a frown. "Yes, Spike, a commander should keep his emotions in check-"

"My emotions are very much in check, Geuse. I have no wish other than quickly bringing the nasty mind-controlling creature down and returning order to our army."

Spike narrowed his eyes and cut the pegasus off abruptly. Facing a stunned Geuse, he continued. "Now quit the yammering, and hear me on my plan to evade its detection and give it a paralyzing strike."


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Aarrgghh-"

The kelpie let out a yelp of intense pain, as a searing blast of fire scorched the fin on its backside and cause it to fall wayside towards the shore. 

Free from the charge and attack from the brainwashed ponies and wolves, Geuse then quickly acted. Picking up a thick rope at a distance with her mouth, she flew up and around the creature, wrapping it up tightly like a lassoed bull.

"Quick, Yolana!"

The muskox priestess huffed and reluctantly nodded. She took over the rope and dashed away from the shore. The kelpie was immediately dragged up onto the rocky shore. Rope and small rocks chipped into its delicate scales, causing the kelpie to wail miserably.

"Thank you, Yolana, Geuse. This should be it."

Spike looked around, and nodded imperceptibly when the controlled soldiers began to groggily return to their senses. Some of them were shocked to find themselves in water or precarious places, and Geuse hurriedly joined others on shore rushed to help. When she returned, she was dragging along an unconscious Puuska in her hooves from afar.

The dragon, however, merely walked near the kelpie with a bland look.

"You. I assume that you're intelligent."

The kelpie wheezed and recoiled in fear. "W- Who are you?!"

Spike raised a brow. "Oh, you can talk as well. I should assume so, 'cos you can sing that song after all."

"How come you're not affected..."

The dragon spat. "I have no obligation to answer that, you vile monster."

The kelpie looked stunned and hurt at being called names. "I- I'm not a monster! W- why do you attack-"

Spike's rising anger was overshadowed with his incredulity. "You ask why we attacked you? It should be us who ask why you used your song to bewitch an entire army into your selfish bidding!"

"I- I-"

The dragon coldly huffed and interrupted the kelpie. "I kid. Your crime is so bad, your defense does not interest me."

"S- Spike-" Several of his companions also called out, stunned that he was not showing any kind of leniency. 

He turned, and his gaze swept across his clearly worried companions. It eventually locked onto the gradually realizing herd of ponies and particularly, the pack of white wolves, who were all closing in onto the culprit with angry looks. 

"You see, kelpie, I don't eat fish, and neither do ponies. However, the wolves probably would appreciate a bountiful meal after being needlessly worked and made to attack their own chief."

"Eeek!" All colors drained from the kelpie's face.

"Please, Spike, don't give her any more scare. Hear her case out first."

Pinkie, who had been silent before, suddenly placed her hooves on the dragon and pleaded. Spike turned with wide eyes, and then let out a slow, heavy breath.

The kelpie took in the cue quickly enough, and spurted out fearfully. "M- My name is C- Cassie."

Spike continued to glare at her. "... Cassie, huh. So you're a 'she'?"

"Y- Yes..."

"Make your case short and to-the-point, 'Cassie'. I very much frown on unprovoked aggression on our soldiers, using mind-controlling magic no less. My quip was not entirely serious or final, but depending on your explanation, I would consider what kind of treatment you should receive, and what kind of example you would be made to any other mind-controlling beings out there."

Cassie gasped and wheezed again weakly. Being out of water was extremely taxing for a kelpie like her, but she took in one last breath to plead. "P- Please, mercy! I- I have a reason!"

Spike huffed mockingly. "Do tell. I wonder if there was great good being done that had escaped my eyes."

Cassie winced. She pointed weakly towards the lake and yelped with all her might. "W- Water sprites, show yourselves!"

Spike and the others looked to the water, and a handful of small kelpie-like creatures elevated into the air in pockets of water.

"The water sprites need to get to the ocean and can't leave the water. If they can't get there in time, they would become very, very sick!"

"Wait a minute."

The dragon suddenly widened his eyes. "So what... what were you trying to do by hypnotizing all our soldiers?"

"C- Clear us a way to the ocean, of course!"

Spike's expression froze. "... You want to... destroy the dam."

"Of course, how else-"

Spike blinked, and abruptly turned away from the pleading kelpie. Facing his companions, he said. "What else do you all need to hear?"

Several of them squirmed uneasily. Yolana looked to Gumpa, who was still tending to Puuska, and sighed. "... What happens if the dam breaks?"

Pinkie and Spike's gazes met, and the pink mare said difficultly. "The Echo Dam feeds into major rivers of the East Coast. The entire Echo Lake would be emptied into them at once, flooding all downstream communities at a blink of an eye. An unimaginable number of homes and businesses would be destroyed, countless lives would be lost, habitats would be ruined, and the fertile farm soil around Delamare that fed so many ponies would be washed into the sea, causing famine within the surviving ponies."

Spike added with barely suppressed anger. "In short, the millions living in and around Manehattan would meet their watery graves if her plan succeeds."

Kanipha and Geuse gasped and covered their mouths. Even the peace-loving Yolana looked hard-pressed to speak on the kelpie's behalf.

Cassie said with a horrified, shaky voice. "I- I didn't know... I didn't think..."

"You didn't know?"

Spike breathed out slowly. "I should expect such from someone who so carelessly uses her own mind-bending power on others."

His voice turned blander and blander towards the end. "... You're too much of a dangerous fool to simply let go."

Cassie let out a shocked yelp, and she teared up with a terrified voice. "P- Please, mister dragon, i- it's a mistake- I- I..."

The kelpie's plea descended into incoherent mutters, as fear consumed her very being.

"Spike, that... that's not what Twilight would have done. What Cassie's done was very misguided, but she did it for her little friends. And we all did stupid things for our friends."

The dragon straightened abruptly, and turned to the pink mare. Pinkie knitted her brows with deep pain on her face, but she continued bluntly. "You're being controlled by your anger, Spike."

Spike gritted his teeth, his claws dug deep into the palm of his another paw. Pinkie knew that Spike was biting back his anger so that he did not lash out on her, and sadly lowered her head. 

The pink mare then weakly tugged at Pisacan. The young matriarch sighed and attempted to talk him down. "Spike... have you so forgotten what you yourself have told the Villians to convince them not to scapegoat the crystal pony prisoners?"

This time, Spike could not help but yell aloud. "What the Tartarus?! How're the two situations remotely close? The crystal ponies in the Ville are surrendered personnel, they are defenseless and cannot be prosecuted for what they did in any previous battles once they folded their flags!"

The dragon angrily pointed towards Cassie. "But we're talking about a mass-murderer-in-waiting here! If she succeeded with what she was going to do, what Sunset Shimmer did to Cloudsdale would be foal's play in comparison!"

Pisacan took in a deep breath when Sunset Shimmer was mentioned, and she became silent again.

Geuse worriedly exchanged a gaze with Kanipha, then said. "Spike... didn't you forgive Discord even though he did terrible things in the Equestrian capital and to Twilie?"

Kanipha nodded and added. "Yeah, and Chrysalis too, right? You gave her a pass eventually."

Spike simply shook his head and narrowed his eyes. "Those are different. I never really completely forgave Discord until Twi was found out to be alive. As for Chrysalis... I'm still withholding judgment on her for most things... In any case, neither actually threatened to murder the entire population of Canterlot."

Kanipha muttered. "This is more like ponyslaughter, I would argue..."

Spike said through gritted teeth. "I don't think the hundreds of thousands of drowned ponies would care about the difference, nor can they."

Pinkie observed the companions, who were all unable to convince the dragon to stand down. She let out a wheezy sigh, and touched Spike's face with her hooves.

"W- What?" Spike was a bit stunned.

"Spike, this is not like you. The Spike I know and love isn't like this."

"W- What do you mean?" Spike was clearly rattled, and his voice trembled.

"I... I know this is tough. It is, for both of us. And the responsibility you have to suddenly shoulder out of nowhere must be enormous."

"So are we all. Rainbow Dash also did pretty much the same thing in the Amarezons, didn't she?" 

Spike shook his head slowly and gave Pinkie a meaningful look. "Plus, I have the advantage of having an ancient dragon's experiences in my head. I can do this and I must."

Pinkie looked incredibly forlorn for a moment. Then she walked away from the dragon and towards the injured kelpie.

The dragon immediately shouted. "Pinkie, she's dangerous!"

The pink mare turned and said sadly. "Spike... you used to be so carefree, so allowing and so much fun. You didn't mind it when Twilight made you do overnight study, you didn't mind it when Dashie pranked you in the most over-the-top way, you even didn't mind it when Rarity and I..."

Pinkie winced and shook her head. "But being so harsh and unforgiving isn't like you, Spike. She's injured, she's trembling in fear, and all she wanted was simply to bring her little friends back to where they belong."

Spike looked down to the ground in silence. After a while, he said lowly. "... At the expense of so much possible destruction, at the expense of everything we know and love?"

The pink mare only said softly. "We have prevented just that. Why must we dwell on unspilled milk?"

Spike closed his eyes. As if tiredness suddenly caught up to him, he backed off a few steps and sat on a rock behind him in unsteady gait.

It was at that moment that the assorted soldiers cleared out a path towards them, and trotting from a distance was a caped silvery mare.

"My lord! I have come the moment we receive news of your victory!"

Frigg galloped towards the group, and respectfully bowed to the dragon commander. She gave a glance to the roped kelpie and nodded with satisfaction. "I see that you have captured the monster causing the unrest."

The silver mare looked bemused when Spike gave her no response, and so she went on. "My Spike faithful and true, the main bulk of the army is about to move across the Notch, not least because the prince we brought along from the Ville was getting fidgety despite having the royal couple from the Crystal Empire by his side. I implore you to decide on a way to deal with this water creature, as soon as possible."

Spike tensed up again when he felt the gazes of every companion looking intensely at him. He gave a look to the expectant Pinkie, then to the kelpie, then to Pinkie again.

Eventually, he let out a long breath. "She can't go."

"Spike!" Pinkie yelped.

"I didn't say that must mean serving a kelpie dinner. She seemed to be clueless about what she nearly did, and I... I'm not cold-blooded, despite what they said about dragons and lizards."

"... Huh?" The pink mare became confused as to his intention, but she was slightly relieved that he was backing down.

"Frigg." Spike turned.

"Yes, my lord?"

"I trust that the Firstlings build the best ships."

Frigg smirked. "That's of course true. While the runes and charms did play a part, we would not be able to brace for the flood on our ships if not for our proud hoofwork."

A small smile briefly appeared on the dragon's face. "Well, then can you make a landship, holding water on the inside?"

Frigg widened her eyes, but she cautiously nodded. "I don't supposed it's too difficult for our craftsponies."

"Good."

Spike stood up and briskly walked towards the kelpie. He knelt down and put his claws to her terrified face.

"Gah!" Cassie almost screamed in pain.

Pinkie also looked shocked, as she trotted towards Spike and extended her hoof in worry.

Spike waved her down and said. "I'm just picking out some broken scales and chipped pebbles on her face. It would cause the wound to fester, coming from a fellow scale-owner."

Both were surprised by the sudden expression of mercy. Spike then said. "I can't let you go scots-free. So you must be with us on our way forward. I'll arrange for a container filled with water to be built, and then we will put you and those water sprites inside. Once we're by the ocean, we'll replace it with seawater. You can't cross the dam by yourselves anyway, can you?"

Cassie blinked. "No, we can't."

"So, Yolana?"

Yolana raised her brows. "Yes, Mister Spike?"

"Would you happen to have more powdered horn salve by your side?"

"Yes. Do you want me to treat her?"

"Please do. The burns on her back will be the worst, treat those first."

Cassie winced as Yolana began to apply salve to her back, but she still managed to say. "W- Why do you show me kindness now?"

"I still distrust you, and I still hate you for taking our soldiers' minds hostage. But I'll not bite at a hoof that pleads for forgiveness, and to let you fall sick in our care will be my lapse in duty."

He huffed. "A chance is what Pinkie and others told me to give, and what you will receive. But if you dare to play tricks when we're shipping you along..."

The kelpie shook her head like a rattle-drum. "I- I won't do it anymore. I was desperate! I- I'm grateful if you can take us across the dam w- without busting it!"

"We'll put you back into the water before we finish building that landship. Meanwhile you should stay positively put."

Cassie merely nervously made a noise of acknowledgement. 

At the side, Pinkie looked to the dragon; despite the persisting thorn in his words, she was very glad that he finally relented. Spike merely looked up to the grey horizons, and then slowly placed a paw on Pinkie's shoulder. 

"Let's hope that this is the right decision. So far our good-hearted trust has... mixed results."

Pinkie nodded back, first with some hesitation, then with a thin smile. 

"It... will be, Spike. For the goodness in all our hearts, It will be."
> Chapter 14 - The Pony Cost
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thin fog covered the dark green valley, and the hordes of soldiers trotted wearily against the grey sky.

"Fifty leagues."

Shining Armor continued. "Still fifty leagues till we arrive at the outskirts of Manehattan, according to our crystal pony orienteers. The terrain will no longer be this rugged after we descend the hills. With any luck, we'll be seeing the Statue of Harmony in a day or two."

He added bleakly. "If it's still standing, that is."

"Are they reliable?" Spike asked.

"They're well drilled about the geography of the East Coast under Sunset Shimmer's order, so I will trust their judgment."

Shining Armor raised his head. "And I'd like to think that our authority as royalties still count for something in these chaotic times. They should be loyal enough."

"Of course. So at least we've that going for us."

The dragon drolly mused. He then muttered with worry. "... Can we make it there safely, you think?"

Cadance lightly sighed. "Maybe. The medical emergency in our army is so far ameliorated by the muskoxen's gracious sacrifice, and I also helped calm down some of the sick and wounded with my love spells."

"Commander, commander!"

A panicked cry rang from the front. Spike's heart skipped a beat, when he saw Gumpa run towards them with a fearful expression. It eerily reminded him of the incident at the Echo Notch.

Shining Armor did not couch his words, and straight-out said with a groan. "Darn it, Spike."

Spike's eyes twitched, but he still said. "Gumpa, what's wrong again? Is Puuska-"

"No, respected one. Puuska's fine, and he told me to say thank you for your earlier help. B- But there's an entire horde of q- q- qua-dru-peds running up hill from a distance!"

"Quadrupeds?"

Spike frowned. "So you mean... they're not ponies?"

"Those far-seers said most of them are not ponies. I think they're what you Equestrians call... donkeys and mules?"

Despite his incredulity, he asked. "... Are they coming for us, and are they armed?"

"I- I don't think so, since we're shielded by the mountain fog. But at this rate we'd make contact very soon! And they are clearly armed, but with very backward weapons, like hoes and pitchforks."

Shining Armor nodded and mulled. "While we don't want to engage in any needless conflicts, a bunch of donkeys and mules with rusty pitchforks will be no match for our army, however knackered we are."

"T- That's not all! Lady Pie told us that she saw a unicorn leading the donkeys and mules. A purple one."

Spike's eyes grew round, and the two ponies next to him looked visibly shaken as well. He asked immediately. "I- Is she-"

"No, she told me that she's not somepony you know. But Lady Pie knows that pony, and she warned us that she was a very, very powerful magic user, on par with the strongest unicorn that you personally know, Commander. And she doubts that the unicorn has the best of intention."

"What? A unicorn as powerful as Twilight?"

Spike looked aghast. "A unicorn as strong as her could level the mountain and bury us all in a landslide if she gives it her all! If that unicorn is against us like Sunset Shimmer does, then we're... we're..."

"Toast, that's what." Shining Armor tutted.

Gumpa's white face looked even whiter by their words, as they were not exactly instilling the most confidence in her right now. "D- Do you not have any way to deal with her?"

"We need to engage her pre-emptively and do some proper diplomacy."

Spike let out a nervy sigh. "Maybe she's not as hostile as we think... I pray to the Spirits of Harmony that's the case."


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"Well, this went better than I thought."

Spike gleaned at the unicorn from afar. She was standing in front of her herds of donkeys and mules on a jutting rock, a particularly tall mule accompanied her at her side. She had a slightly wavy mane of purple, dashed with cyan stripes in the middle. Her coat was a lighter shade of purple, and according to the scouts, she had a starry-shaped cutie mark that suggested an affinity to magic.

"Commander, that mare, called Starlight Glimmer I think, wanted to meet you and 'any other leaders' of our army by the bend. They promise that they are a band of peaceful rovers that would only retaliate if attacked."

"Thank you, Marin. Signal to her that we accept, and reiterate that we're not hostile as well unless provoked. We will meet her, both parties unarmed, exactly half an hour later."

"Yes sir!"

Spike nodded to the retreating crystal pony, and sighed. He was but an eager young lad caught up in things that were much bigger than himself - not unlike himself in truth. 

His companions, on the other hand, stood in scattered positions near him. Most of them were at clear relief that the leader of the mob did not seem overtly hostile.

He then tilted his head slightly. "So Pinks, you do know her."

Pinkie, who was directly beside Spike, nodded rapidly. "She, um, she is somepony that, uh, we know b- because Twilight!"

"Yeah. I get it, say no more." Spike smirked minutely. A flustered and stuttering Pinkie Pie was a step up from a depressed and self-harming one.

But Pinkie then winced. "I know she's being nice now, and we should really accept an offer of friendship at times like this..."

She fidgeted. "But... But she's known to feign kindness and be a manipulator of the mind as well."

Spike immediately tensed up. "What?"

"She could strip ponies' cutie marks at her will... Of course, I don't know if she could do that at this point of time, but she's a master manipulator, and she has many more spells up her sleeves, even if she's not wearing any sleeve, no doubt!"

"That does not sound good."

Spike's face clouded up, unfazed by Pinkie's feeble attempt at a joke. "But since you've heard of her, unlike Sunset Shimmer, what exactly was her motives then?" 

"I think... it was because she blamed Cutie Mark for losing her her only friend. So she strove to create or obtain powerful spells, first to strip Cutie Marks, next to even ambush Twilight in her castle, bending time to her will in order to make us fail."

"... How exactly?"

"By traveling back in time to make Dashie's first Rainboom fail. Since it would lead to our friendship never forming in the first place, it created many many terrible changes to the world we knew, before that world's Twilight fixed it..."

Pinkie recounted the many possible future-pasts to the astonished dragon, and at last added with deep wistfulness. "... And of course, there was also one version of the future that Equestria as a whole was plunged into an all-out war with the Crystal Empire."

Spike suppressed his first reflex to bare his teeth anxiously. Instead, he asked half-jokingly. "Aw. So are we in a bad timeline ourselves? Can I realistically expect an alternate pair of Twilight and me to bail us out now?"

To his pleasant surprise, Pinkie softly chuckled and leaned in. "We had a frank discussion with Discord a while ago on the nature of time, time travel, and alternate worlds. Without sounding like I'm giving an old bo-ring lecture, let's just say that the world we saw was probably wholly separate from the world we're in, even though it is so super similar in most circumstances. This probably explains why there're ponies here that we never expected to come up, such as Shimmie..."

Pinkie bit her lips, but quickly smiled again. "... And the common past of our own world is basically set in stone, unlike the future, which contains unlimited possibilities. Time travel could never really change things, other than forming stable loops or causing transient mirages. Still, we suspected that her tampering caused some sort of anomaly that caused us to see the visions in the first place, but it was what it was, simply visions, no more real to us than a passage in a story book."

"... I see." Spike breathed out heavily. "But we must still be careful. The two-faced stones must be kept on us at all time during the meeting."

"Of course!"

He massaged his chin a bit, and suddenly asked. "Pinks, how's Cassie doing?"

"E- Eh? She- she's alright, and her little water sprites are fine as well. Why ask?"

"No, nothing special. It's just that I've thought things over after that near-disaster."

Spike sighed with a bitter smile. "You all were right. Even though I was angry, I was not blind. I did see all of you frowning at me, nearly pulling my tail to stop me from going off on Cassie, but I paid no attention to that. I'm too caught up with my sense of righteous anger. And I thought by venting my anger on her, the injustice Sunset Shimmer afflicted on you by her callous mind control could be somewhat redressed, if only by proxy."

"Spike..."

"I brought her up now, because we're now facing yet another individual, who, as you said, might have the potential of throwing mind spells at people's faces without a second thought."

Pinkie winced, and the dragon kicked up a bout of dust carelessly. "... You just told me how Discord and Chrysalis would act up if they had their ways, I... well, I am oddly relieved."

"H- Huh?" Pinkie widened her eyes.

"I've been too stubborn for my own good, it seems. Not even the experiences from a dragon old as dirt helped. At the end, it took me threatening to cut up and serve a kelpie begging for her life, and then stopped by none other than you, that I realized that focusing on what terrible things someone could've done does nobody any good."

He tightened his breastplate and continued. "The old chaotic tyrant, and even the ruthless changeling queen both managed to be turned at the end. Even though it was a very bumpy road, even though they could've caused untold damage to everything we know and love, but there they are, content and even arguably willing to side with us... I hope they are, still."

He dryly laughed, and then smiled. "All of these make me think, maybe there is... no, there should be a chance for this Starlight gal, even though she was damned by your visions of future-past, and her shameful but maybe malleable tendency to bend minds."

The dragon scratched his head. "Actually, I am now a bit surprised that you stress her danger to me so much, after what happened with Cassie... Eh, not that I'm unhappy with your useful reminder or anything. But if I am to face her without needlessly bad preconception, then perhaps you should as well, Pinks."

Pinkie blinked, and then genuinely chuckled for once. "... Spike, this is why I liked you in the first place."

Spike quickly blushed. "W- What's that all of a sudden?"

"You've always been quick to show your emotions. But nowadays you've kept that to yourself so much, just to show everypony that you're not just a barely weaned dragon, but a credible leader as well."

"Hey, I resent that first remark! And is that even something a normal pony would use to describe their own drakefriend?"

The pink mare merely continued to chuckle. "I was a bit worried, and even more scared when you acted so cold towards Cassie. But now I know why you did that, and you're still the Spike I knew and loved: Sometimes quick to anger, but always quick to forgive as well."

"Really, huh?" Spike smirked.

Pinkie suddenly straightened and turned serious, prompting Spike to drop his grin as well. "Spike, I've been feeling so insecure about why and how we two should be together."

Spike immediately knitted his brows. "Pinks, didn't we talk about-"

Pinkie grinned. "No, I'm not moping anymore. I'm just saying that I've just realized why we're such a matching pair of drakefriend and marefriend! And feeling insecure anymore is just silly!"

"Hmm? What is that-"

"Spike, Pinkie, I don't mean to be a third wheel, but we have to go now. Everyone's ready except you two."

Kanipha walked near and put his tongue out. "Not even I can predict what that Starlight Glimmer girl would do if we're late."

Spike and Pinkie separated from each other with an embarrassed blush. The dragon then coughed and said with barely authoritative tone. 

"Okay, everyone remember to hold onto their charm, and let's go."


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The sound of flowing water filled the air, as Spike and his entourage entered the hastily erected tent in the middle of the two armies.

"Whoa, did we ask for so many of them to come?"

The tall donkey turned and asked Starlight Glimmer, the latter of whom appeared to be as confused as him. She cantered in front of the group and interrupted. "Hey, you lots, didn't I just ask for your chief commander and the main leaders to come?"

"Well, Miss Glimmer, everyone here beside me is also important persons of their own-"

However, before Spike could introduce everyone one by one, the donkey suddenly covered his mouth, pointed at Cadance and Shining Armor and yelped. "Oh my goodness! T- They're Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor of Crystal Empire!"

"Wait, what?"

Starlight Glimmer rubbernecked and widened her eyes. "Hey, you're right! She's an Alicorn! How the Tartarus did I miss that?"

The donkey became hyperventilated as he seemed drawn to the bemused couple, and he let out some shrill hisses. Before anyone could make sense of the situation, he was engulfed in a green flame, and a hissing changeling appeared in his place.

"W- Wha-?" Spike blinked, and then blinked again in simple astonishment. Pinkie was similarly shocked.

The royal couple took several steps back in deep weariness. The others, however, did not give an overt reaction, because most of them did not even know what a changeling was.

Starlight Glimmer turned to the now-changeling. She was not a bit stunned by this abrupt change in his appearance, and she merely groaned. "What now, Thorax? Why suddenly reveal yourself right here and now?"

"I... hsss... am... sorry... hsss... can't... stop..."

Pinkie sighed and said. "That changeling mister probably got a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of love Princess Cadance is emitting, and loses his disguise. She's the Princess of Love after all."

Starlight Glimmer turned back to the pink mare, and she looked even more shocked. "Huh? Y- You know about changelings? How?"

"Oh boy."

Spike raised a brow and let out a 'hmpf', which was reciprocated by Kanipha, Geuse and the royal couple in particular. "Yeah, we're about to ask the same question, plus many more. I guess you also have some for us as well."

"But!"

Starlight Glimmer glared at the royal couple and interjected. "Are you guys sent here by Sunset Shimmer to conquer the East Coast? The Manehattanites might be utter jerks, but Sunset Shimmer is also our foe!"

Cadance was a bit surprised by her words on the Manehattanites, but she quickly clarified. "She's our enemy as well."

Shining Armor exchanged a gaze with her and added. "We fight for ourselves."

Starlight Glimmer looked stunned, while Spike timely said. "So if we've established that we mean each other no harm, then why don't we trade some questions and answers?"

"Deal."

Starlight Glimmer quickly refocused and said. She briefly looked at Thorax, and added. "But first, can you all find a way to make him stop hissing first? He looks really uncomfortable."


 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The changeling, Thorax, sat meekly behind the purple unicorn in his changeling form, clearly nervous at being studied from head to leg. Starlight Glimmer, on the other hand, spluttered in disbelief. "T- That... Are you telling me that all these are true? The Crystal Prince and Princess exiled, a long-lost pony race-"

"Two, actually." Spike corrected.

"- returning from thousands of years of solitude... and now every race from the Frozen North, plus a bunch of surrendered crystal ponies are banding together under your - a baby dragon's - command?"

"You can say that again." Kanipha snorted.

"Doesn't make it less outrageous." Geuse laughed.

"Or less true." Frigg added with a serious tone. 

"You should know that if I were to make a story up, I would definitely pick something much more plausible." Spike exhaled and reminded Starlight. "But remember, it's now your turn to share your side of story."

Starlight began to grit her teeth. "We are forced to take up arms, and we want nothing but peace."

"Hm." Spike lightly harrumphed, and the others also threw their judging gazes on her.

She bit her lips and continued. "I... I was a unicorn who studied magic at my home on the Griffish Isles. Back then, I was quite frustrated by... um..." 

Her eyes shifted and she coughed. "... A lack of community cohesion."

Spike and Pinkie covertly exchanged a glance, as Starlight hoof-waved. "Anyway, I gathered a bunch of ponies, and were about to move shop to a new place and build a new village, where we can all live happily together without bad influences."

"Uh-huh."

"I had been choosing a good place to settle my followers. After much investigation, two prime locales were selected. One was a dry, secluded vale far up the Delamare, and the other one was a parcel of boreal clearing, at the foot of the Hyperborean mountain across the sea."

Pinkie suddenly interjected. "Is the first one about eighty leagues to the north-northwest of Manehattan, just a bit south to the eastern stretch of the Crystal Mountain?"

"Wait, how do you know?" Starlight looked astonished.

Pinkie briefly flustered, and Spike quickly covered her track. "We camped near that place once, when we were marching down from Ville de Platine. It's indeed a good place to settle if you want to be away from everyone else in Equestria."

"... I see." Starlight slowly nodded. "So, just when I was weighing the options, our little fellowship somehow attracted attention from Equestrian authorities. It was probably because security all around Equestria was tightened after the changeling invasion and the events at Las Pegasus."

"Eh." Geuse commented. "You can't blame them for getting suspicious, can you?"

"Maybe they thought you were trying to build a cult." Kanipha mocked.

"I'm not!" Starlight's face grew red. "It's for everypony's good!"

Spike waved her down. "Fine, fine, whatever you say. But I assume things went awry?"

"... It did. To move ourselves out of the attention of the Equestrian authority, I chose the option to move abroad. But when we were about to board the eastbound train and leave... Guillaume's army descended upon the Griffish Isles, as part of Sunset Shimmer's plan to isolate the East Coast."

Starlight looked despondent. "... They surrounded the whole isles and cut off the outbound rail connections. They were ravenous and fearsome, and I did the cowardly thing - I left everypony I knew behind and escaped by sea alone, hanging to a crowded life-raft which drifted to the south."

"..." Spike was silent, and even Pinkie was saddened by her obvious showing of guilt.

"Starlight, maybe I should take on from here."

Thorax spoke up, and pat the sad unicorn's back gently. "From your gazes, I guess many of you are quite curious about my origins."

"Sure do... Thorax." Shining Armor narrowed his eyes.

"I'm a changeling."

"Duh." Spike rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I know it's redundant." Thorax snorted. "But from what you said, not all of you had seen a changeling before. The prince and the thane, for example?"

"Ja." Magnar curtly said.

"So you can change your appearance... at will?" Stellan raised a brow.

"Yes, a changeling can impersonate anyone by changing into any look. Also, we feed on the emotion of love. That's why earlier our evil queen attacked Canterlot during the wedding of Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance - she wanted to turn Equestria into a giant love factory by force."

Spike could barely believe what he was hearing, when he heard Thorax badmouthed Chrysalis so blatantly. But then he thought of 'Allela', so a changeling who hated Chrysalis's guts might not be so far-fetched at all.

"I was part of the invading army during the Canterlot invasion..."

Thorax suddenly blinked and pointed at Pinkie. "Hm, did I see you there back then?"

Pinkie grinned. "Sure you would! I'm the Element-bearer of Laughter!"

Thorax widened his eyes, and muttered. "Ah... But that's only part of why you're known to me. However, yes, I was tasked to guard the door after you guys entered the throne room, so I saw and heard everything."

"Only part of it?"

"I would explain later."

He then sighed. "After the explosion occurred in the royal garden, I scurried away quickly to avoid arrest. I was hungry and hurt, but the experiences in Canterlot also showed me what true friendship was like."

"Really?" Pinkie looked genuinely happy for once.

"Absolutely. That... Twilight Sparkle was truly an example to all. Even though she was betrayed by someone she trusted wholeheartedly, she was barely angry or vengeful, and she only blamed herself for neglecting her friend's feeling. And of course there were the rest of you, standing by her till the very last moment."

He smiled brightly. "You were an inspiration to me since then."

Pinkie looked so overjoyed that tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. "Aww! I'm so glad!"

Spike studied the changeling carefully, and found no obvious sign of lying. He then asked. "So what then?"

"After a long, hard journey, I stumbled into the city of Manehattan. In particular, I found myself wandering inside the donkey quarter in Fresh Meadows. I took on a donkey disguise, which you all saw just now. And to my surprise, I got accepted pretty quickly into the community, and even made a custodian in charge of official documents. I strove to apply what I saw about friendship and dedication back then in my daily life, and I discovered that I don't need to steal the tasty love from other's true friendship, if I can just make good friends and gain love myself... And even though because it's not a-hundred-percent pure and unadulterated love, their companionship did nourish me for a good while."

He pointed at Pinkie again. "Miss Pinkie Pie was known to the donkeys, because she was famous not only for reuniting Cranky Doodle, the son of a prominent judge, and his old lover Matilda, but she was also one of the rare ponies that speaks the donkeys' old sacred tongue."

"Well, it's nothing really! I'm just glad to help!" Pinkie grinned.

Thorax smiled, but then winced and became sad. "However, everything changed when the war broke out. Everypony almost suddenly became paranoid and aggressive overnight. The attack on Griffish Isles and Sunset Shimmer's threat caused everyone to grow incredibly anxious, which was not helped by the blockade and the few times that Griffish warships actually fired on the harbor. Vigilantes and bandits of different factions roamed the streets. But it was also the time when Starlight and I met."

Starlight looked genuinely grateful. "Thorax was the one who helped me up from my broken raft and nursed me to full health. I am forever indebted to him."

"Nah, I just did what I had to do. Besides, you did not bat an eye when I accidentally reveal my true self. I can't even begin to describe the sheer amount of love I felt back then." 

Thorax's sweet smile gradually evaporated, as he recounted their plight. "... At first, the donkeys and mules could still band together and defend themselves. But after the horrifying news about Cloudsdale reached us, the city leaders from every big East Coast community convened together, in order to discuss the possibility of rejecting the tyranny of the 'false' government in Canterlot. I heard that they were trying to emulate La Ville and proclaim independence from the 'Dominion of Equestria', in order to fight against Sunset Shimmer in earnest."

"Huh, wasn't that a good news?" Spike asked.

Thorax's expression was difficult. "The truth is, to us in the donkey and mule community, it does not really matter who's the one ruling over us, so long as we can live in peace and harmony without conflicts. And to most of them, although Sunset Shimmer's actions in the West were undoubtedly cruel and excessive, a lot of them thought it might not entirely be a bad thing if she took over."

"What? Why?" Spike looked shocked.

Thorax scratched his chitinous shell on his face. "Well, we all read about words in the press defending Sunset Shimmer written by Miss Pinkie Pie. Since she has such a good reputation among us, we were admittedly a bit hesitant when it came to making a stand against Sunset Shimmer, even if it was the right thing to do."

Starlight exhaled with irritation. "She started the fire, and she ought to be burned by it."

Pinkie simply blanched, her newfound happiness was abruptly extinguished by the welling of guilt. Spike immediately groaned aloud, and gave a glare to the clueless changeling. "Thorax, she was mind-controlled at the time, and she was incredibly traumatized by being forced to betray her friends."

Thorax gasped. "Oh dear, I don't know about that. I'm so sorry."

Pinkie shakily grinned. "T- That's fine. I have to know one way or another eventually."

Thorax shifted and scratched his snout. "But the fact is, our deemed sympathy to Sunset Shimmer's cause made us a public enemy for the other Manehattans. In addition, as I have learnt painfully, prejudice against non-ponies was a reality in Equestrian society. The combination of collective paranoia, as well as old and new hatred, eventually led to an all-out attack on our community a week ago."

Pinkie gasped, and Thorax said wistfully. "The rioters were not stopped by the police, presumably because the higher-ups wanted to let the war-crazed Manehattanites 'let off some steam'. As a result, our houses were looted and burned, and we were robbed and beaten in the streets."

Starlight Glimmer looked positively incensed. "I wanted to use spells on those looters and vagabonds to stop them, but Thorax just won't let me do it!"

Thorax sighed. "Starlight, it's simply too dangerous to go against the mob. Besides, what could you possibly achieve by beating them up with magic? It would just lower us to their level, not to mention anger them even more."

"I could psych them into obeying me!" Starlight huffed.

Spike quickly narrowed his eyes but remained silent. Thorax breathed out and said. "Mind control is not the solution either. If they shake out of it, then what?"

Starlight harrumphed, but she was jolted when she met the almost hollow gaze of Pinkie. She then winced and did not offer a retort.

"All in all, we're brutalized by the end of the day. Even the grand elder was beaten up and kidnapped to somewhere unknown. After being made the temporary leader, I made the painful decision to abandon our homes and lead an exodus out of Manehattan, partly because Starlight said there is a spot up north that might be suitable for us to hide and camp at this turbulent time. We can do little else, because to stay in Manehattan for longer would spell the end of the largest donkey and mule community in Equestria."

Starlight slowly added, her tone full of spite. "We've then grabbed whatever we could find to defend ourselves, even hoes and pots, and escaped the city overnight. They didn't stop us, probably because they thought it was good riddance."

"And then you met us." Spike exhaled.

"That's correct." Thorax nodded.

"What do you want to do afterwards?"

Thorax and Starlight exchanged a gaze, and he said. "... To continue our journey up north, and escape the war and conflicts till things calm down."

Pisacan mused. "You sure about that? Now that the sun is out, crops are probably much harder to plant. And you would have to start from nothing in the middle of nowhere."

"We must try." Starlight sounded stubborn.

Spike looked around, and suddenly asked. "Have you considered the possibility of... joining us?"

"What?" Both Thorax and Starlight looked stunned. Other companions of Spike also looked astonished, except for Pinkie, who was already cheering him on.

"We have no wish other than restoring peace to the land, and isn't that what you want as well? Two heads are better than one, and three are better than two. With us, you'll be protected against the more hateful elements in Equestria, and you can also help bring an end to this cruel war. Moreover, the donkeys and mules shouldn't be too unhappy with Pinkie on their side, should they?"

Thorax buzzed his wings. "... That's not wrong."

Starlight looked more suspicious. "... What? Are you planning to use us as your cannon fodder?"

"No one in my army is a fodder." Spike said with a steely tone, and then he softened somewhat. "Besides, we're not expecting another fight in the short-term if everything goes right."

"What's your plan?" Starlight was piqued.

"We plan to make a quick march and rendezvous with our other friends in Ponyville. If that's done, the weak and the needy can be settled, and only the capable ones would be called to the final fight with Sunset Shimmer."

"Ponyville is your ally?" Starlight looked brightened. "I heard that they were the only settlement in the west that successfully repelled the attacks from Sunset Shimmer."

"We have very capable friends there, who undoubtedly were holding the line against her encroachment. Even Discord, the former king of chaos, is on our side. We must go join with them quickly, and deal a blow to that nasty orange unicorn."

Spike then casually gazed at Thorax. "Speaking of which, your old queen Chrysalis is in Ponyville as well."

Thorax's jaw dropped, and he stuttered. "W- W- What?"

"I wonder if it would make you feel better... if I tell you that she's probably also on our side."

The changeling could only blink repeatedly in silence. Starlight chimed in and asked. "How? Isn't Chrysalis the ruthless changeling queen that doesn't believe in sharing love and friendship, and would only drain every ounce of love out of someone if she gets the chance? How in Equestria would she agree to join force with you guys?"

"Long story. She and some changelings got blasted to Zebrica after the invasion, and she then ended up back and staying in Equestria, this time willingly with us. Let's just say that it was again because of Twilight's sacrifice, that even a miserable and hateful tyrant like her could be persuaded to soften up." Spike said with obvious uncharitableness. 

Thorax let out a half-understanding whimper, and then he asked bemusedly. "Why didn't she just go back to her old seat in the Changeling Kingdom and recuperate?"

Geuse heaved. "She got into an all-out war with Timbucktu after she got blasted to Zebrica, and after she lost and fled, we ransacked her pithy little home to dissuade her from ever coming back."

Spike added to a flabbergasted Thorax. "Many things happened afterward, but I should also mention that she got double-crossed by her most trusted lieutenant, so she might be a bit shaken in confidence. I don't suppose you heard about Allela?"

"A- Allela? She's my direct boss in our squadron!"

"Guess what, she's originally a queenship candidate Chrysalis forcefully absorbed into her own hive. And when she managed to regain her memories before the assimilation, boy, was she teed off beyond measure, and she almost stabbed many more holes on her former queen before we stopped her. But after everything, Chrysalis should now be much more subdued. I think you might even be able to tell her your friendship speech to her without getting yelled at."

Thorax only managed to close his agape mouth after a moment, then he said smilingly with obvious resignation. "When you put it like that, do I even have a choice? My old queen seems to be reformed, and the promise of peace is only second to love in sweetness, especially to my adopted donkey and mule brethren."

Starlight was still visibly unsure, but when she looked at the clear look of longing on Thorax's face, she huffed and sighed. "Fine, I'll go too. But don't you betray Thorax's trust, or you would taste the consequences!"

Spike merely smiled, quietly taking note of the steadfast dedication of Starlight towards her friend. "Of course, we will try our best to deliver. But you should know that not even us know what exactly is happening in Ponyville at this moment."

"Huh. Very well."

"But if you're really to join force with us, something much more urgent and important must be explained first."

"What is it?"

"We're actually going to Manehattan ourselves."

Starlight and Thorax widened their eyes and looked at each other, and then yelled in unison.

"What-?!!"
> Chapter 15 - Manehattan Handicap
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Relax, you two. It's going to be fine."

Walking among the eastbound army, Spike said to Starlight and Thorax, all while scanning the surroundings. As they progressed towards the City, he was relieved to see the Manehattan countryside largely untouched by the ongoing conflicts. However, few ponies were tending to the fields, presumably because they had fled into the protection of bigger cities. Most companions beside the dragon merely looked on with complicated looks of their own.

The uneasy duo, however, was not calmed. Starlight promptly complained. "Fine? How's this fine? You're telling us to walk right back into the giant mouse trap that is Manehattan!"

"Come now, Manehattan is the proud royal gem of Equestria. Surely they will not be uppity when we, a just army loyal to the will of princesses, arrive? We might just be able to resupply and find a way home."

"Wow, you sure are naive!" Starlight huffed in disbelief. "This is a city that cynically sic the ponies onto the donkeys and mules for political gains! Pogroms against one of its own in Equestria, it's unheard of in the modern age!"

Thorax, however, was more collected. He merely sighed. "Not even you believe what you said, right, Mister Spike?"

The dragon held his forehead resignedly. "... It's good to be optimistic in mind, and practically prepared for the worst at the same time."

"Oh great, more wise-sounding adages." Starlight mocked. "Try tell the Manehattanites your big-hearted speech. I'm sure this would make them less prone to setting fire to our tails."

The impatient Kanipha had had enough of her passive aggression, and huffed. "It happened that Spike did speak to a bunch of murderous Villians, and dissuade them from literally burning ponies at stakes."

Starlight frowned, but Thorax kept shaking his head. "It won't be this simple."

"Why?" Kanipha pressed on.

"When we left, talks of secession were already rampant." Thorax frowned. "When it comes to time like this, it's everylin- everyone for himself."

Geuse interjected. "I still don't understand why they're making a fuss right now, given what's at stake. Aren't they all Equestrians? The Villians I at least understand, they sort of have a distinct culture and history. But these ponies in Eastern Equestria should be Equestrian and nothing else, shouldn't they?"

Starlight tutted mockingly. "It's never about who the people think they are."

"Huh?"

"The average citizens here do think that they're Equestrian. And for many many years they do. But ponies can change, and they change even quicker when they're following a leader."

"You'd know, huh." Pinkie muttered, and Spike looked up feigning ignorance.

On the other hand, Geuse asked in bewilderment. "Like how?"

"From day one, the provocateurs are not some rabble-rousers on the street, but those in the high society."

"Really? Shouldn't those ponies be the most loyal to the royal government and the Equestrian princesses? They're highborn, after all."

"Bah. Lots of those high-trotting ponies are only loyal to power. Some even have wild ambitions of their own. Seeing what Lion Muzzle achieve in La Ville boosted their galls a lot."

She then wryly exhaled. "The crown is seen as a lost cause after Sunset Shimmer seized Canterlot. That gal has the temerity of demanding hoofpower, food and bits from the east to help her fight fellow Equestrians, all the while denying them any tangible promises in return. It's no miracle that the people here are so easily roused against the royal government."

"What on earth are they trying to achieve, though?" A concerned-looking Shining Armor chimed in. "Proclaim themselves independent and hope everything would just blow over?"

"I don't know what their end game is, but it certainly isn't turning the East Coast into a bastion of loyal subjects to the missing princesses." Starlight shrugged. "When we were chased out of Manehattan, the royal governor had already been disposed."

"If what Starlight said is true, then they're not going to take our arrival well." Cadance sighed. "We're a proper royal spanner in their works."

"Let's not be this glum." 

Spike waved down the doom and gloom. "Look, isn't that the Empire Crystalline Building at the far horizons? It seems that we're finally within Manehattan's perimeters."

"You're right!" Thorax exclaimed. "We're back..."

"But what was that flag on the pole?" Geuse pointed to a fluttering flag hoisted on a townhouse. It was a circular array of six-pointed stars enclosing a windmill, and arranged within the Prench tricolor.

"That is the Manehattan seal." Thorax pointed out.

"Enclosed within le Tricolore. They certainly got inspiration from the Prench." Starlight added. 

Shining Armor gritted his teeth. "How can ponies be this disloyal? It takes not half a year for them to go from loyal subjects to completely abandoning their Equestrian roots."

"Shiny, we should wait till we actually meet ponies in the city first." Cadance said. "Maybe things, as Spike said, won't be too bad after all."

"Right..." The white unicorn captain sighed.

~~~

The mixed army pushed on under the command of their leaders, and gradually the magnificent skyline of Manehattan entered their sight.

Across the roaring Manehattan river, seemingly improbably tall buildings extended high into the sky, themselves arranged in neat plots of squares. The ongoing conflicts seemed not to have taken away the grandeur of the Big Apple, as the skyscrapers reflected whatever left of the sunlight and streetlights into the eyes of the visitors, many of whom only saw the concrete wonder for the first time. 

Seeing the dancing lights of the metropolis, the northern ponies looked the most astonished. "How in the world do Equestrians build such enormous pillars of stones?" Stellan exclaimed. "This looks like a city of jotuns!"

Magnar merely shook his head in disbelief, and muttered in a low breath. "Miklagard... Miklagard... This is the Great City."

"... Well." Starlight looked to the city with a mixed look of resentment and forlorn. "This may be the city that chased us out, but it does carry a weight unparalleled in Equestria, even the world. It's the biggest city in Equestria after all."

"How's the city defended, though?" Pisacan asked cautiously. "In case... things turn sour."

"It's very complicated, and I hope that it doesn't come to fighting on streets again. Canterlot was more than enough." Thorax winced. "If things did not change too much from when we left, then the city defense was probably still on the shoulders of voluntary militia, which could easily swept aside by your professional army."

He shook his head worriedly again. "If we're a changeling army, airborne and mobile, then it's fine and dandy. But for a big regular army like yours, fighting in city streets is many times worse than fighting in the open, with everything working against you. Ambushes at every street corner, hostile citizens... You're going to be bogged down really quickly."

Pinkie interjected. "We must avoid that at all cost, Spike."

"That's the worst case scenario. I'm sure they too have no reason to fight us." Spike reassured, and then called out to the grey Prench pegasus. "Madame Octavie-Fontaine?"

"Oui?"

"I believe that you carry the friendly message from Director Muzzle with you."

"This is correct."

"And not that we've escorted you safely here, surely you will also speak to the Manehattanites on our behalf about our peaceful intentions?"

"... Certainly." The pegasus thinly smiled. "I shall be a messenger once more and bring news of your arrival to the current leaders of the city."

"Great. Then..."

Octavie-Fontaine merely nodded, and flew away towards the big city in a gust of wind.

After the grey pegasus disappeared at the backdrop of a magnificent suspension bridge, Kanipha asked with doubt. "Can she really be trusted...?"

"I hope so. She's our best hope to make peaceful contact anyway. If we move any closer, the defenders would become panicked and start firing on us right away." 

"That mare gives me the creeps as well." Starlight tutted. "She's obviously a Prench spy. I bet she's hiding something big from all of us."

She then smirked. "If you'd just let me, I could've made her spill the truth, you kno-"

"Absolutely not, Starlight Glimmer." Spike turned and loudly grunted, stunning the purple mare. "Any sort of tampering with mind is strictly forbidden in this army. You should know why Cassie the kelpie is with us, shouldn't you?"

"... Tsk. Fine." Starlight pouted, and turned away.

"Argh!" Magnar barked, drawing everyone's attention away. "It's so frustrating to be so passive. I know we've sworn off the ways of raiders long ago, but I wonder... if we just gallop in and ransack the great city, how long can we live like kings with the loots? The riches in this place is simply untrue."

Magnar's query elicited more than a few spit-takes and head-turns. Stellan huffed with amusement, and Rainga chuckled. However, everyone else simply looked appalled. 

"Hah. Quit staring at me like that, you lots. We're not exactly barbarians, you know. I believe what I said is called... monkeying around?"

"For the first time, our thane doesn't mince up the idiom he uses." Stellan quipped with a smirk, causing the bearded pony to glare daggers at him. 

Spike grinned helplessly. "Thane Magnar, it's fine to joke now, but please don't say something like that when we're inside the 'Great City'. It's going to scare them witless and make them do silly things."

"Ja, sure." The thane again barked a laugh, releasing the tension in the air.

~~~

The army reluctantly set up camp outside the city, when the Prench emissary did not return as soon as they hoped. Spring chill seeped into the bones of the soldiers and commanders alike, dashing their morale, as their hope to have warm food and a roof to stay under in the big city seems to be slipping before them.

"I told ya that mare does not care for us a bit." Kanipha was unamused. "Leaving us out here hanging, what is she thinking?"

"Princess Cadance! Commander Spike!" A crystal pony patrol ran towards the assembled leaders, interrupting their droning wait. "War ships are sailing up the Manehattan river from the bay!"

"War ships? Whose?" Cadance asked with surprise.

"It has black and white strips on the colors. It must be Duke Guillaume the Bald's grand navy."

"So they've come back again." Starlight frowned. "They might've heard how relations have totally broken down between Sunset Shimmer and the eastern cities, and swooped in again."

"No wonder nopony from the city came out to greet us." Spike harrumphed. "They must've been busy organizing defense."

"Right." Shining Armor frowned. "We always arrive at some place when it's about to get sieged. What rotten luck."

"Can we do anything at this moment?" Geuse asked.

"What, do you want to help the Manehattanites out? Do you remember how grateful the Villians were?" Kanipha mocked.

The pegasus puffed her cheeks. "W- Well, they did give us help! ... Eventually. It's going to help us get cosy up with these big city ponies."

"Like they'd suddenly be friendly to the bunch of donkeys and mules whose homes they looted a few weeks before." Starlight frowned. "I have little faith in them being a thankful lot to be honest."

"But alas."

Frigg shook her head and interjected. "Even if we want to, there is nothing that we can do to help. We don't have a navy to speak of now, and waving the griffons over to our defenseless transport barges is simply foolish."

"So we've traveled so far, just to hole up here in the fields?" Geuse huffed.

"We have sadly no choice." Spike shook his head. "Still, we should prepare, just in case, for any sudden engagement with the griffons, especially since they can just fly up from their ships and attack us. Commanders, get back to your posts and get the soldiers ready."

~~~

The grueling wait was wearing everyone down, including the dragon commander. He impatiently looked over the records of dwindling supplies and injured personnel inside the main tent, with Pinkie leaning by his side.

"Commander Spike."

Marin, who was assigned to guarding the tent, cantered from the outside and saluted. "Somepony from the city has come."

"Really? Is Octavie-Fontaine back?"

"No, it is not Madame Octavie-Fontaine." Marin shook his head. "They claim to be somepony you personally know, and they demand immediate audience with you."

"What? Who're they?" Spike was even more astonished, and so was Pinkie. She exclaimed. "M- Maybe they're somepony we know, trying to link up with us!"

"Well...There are two earth ponies. They didn't tell me their names 'for security reasons'." The crystal pony shifted in apparent embarrassment. "But I recognize at least one of them."

"... Wait, what? You recognize some random pony from Manehattan?" Spike was in disbelief.

Marin blushed with a grin. "Well, she's definitely not 'some random pony'. Even though she tried to put up a disguise, I doubt that there is anypony around Equestria with good eyes or ears could mistake her for somepony else. Even I, a crystal pony, recognized her from certain... memorabilia that I acquired when I was outside the Empire."

"Okay, you can stop being all mystical and straight up tell me who she and that other pony are."

"Alright. The first pony was a earth pony mare with an off-white coat and light blue mane. The second one... is the Countess Coloratura."

"Hang on, you mean... the pop superstar?"

"Yep, commander. I'd have to ask, though, how come you personally know her? She's such an instant hit even in reborn Crystal Empire, that I didn't even manage to get the tickets, back when she was invited to perform at the celebration for our miraculous comeback."

"It's a long story. But let's just say she's a good friend of a good friend, and we were acquaintances." Spike smirked. "And the other pony..."

"Judging from the description... It's probably Coco Pommel." Pinkie suggested. 

"Ah, yeah, Coco! Oh my goodness, how I've missed her!" Spike brightly smiled. "I still remember how happy Rares was, when she got to poach her from some other fashion pony. Quick Marin, invite them in... and bring us some warm drinks as well. They'll be hugely helpful."

"Aye, commander." Marin thinly smiled, seemingly infected with the joyous atmosphere as well. After a while, the two ponies were allowed inside the tent, cautiously led in by the crystal pony.

After the visitors removed their hoods and capes, Spike and Pinkie looked delighted, as they confirmed that the visitors were really whom they've guessed.

"Wow, are you really Spike?" Coco Pommel covered her mouth with her hoof. "I can't believe the news were true!"

"There ain't another Spike in the world, Miss Pommel." Spike grinned.

"I'm very impressed by the size of the army you're leading, Mister Spike." Coloratura nodded with some unease. "I trust that they're not here to..."

"Of course we're not here to do anything outrageous towards the people of Manehattan." Spike said. "And I trust that you two are here... because somepony told you to look for me?"

Both Coco Pommel and Coloratura smiled. The demure fashion assistant chuckled. "Yes. Ever since you've gone missing in the north, Rarity has been telling me to look for you and the others using all the resources."

"So am I." Coloratura added. "I hadn't had the chance to see Applejack and you again, since I performed in the groundbreaking of her southern railways. Therefore I was kind of surprised to be called upon by a desperate AJ to search for you." 

"Then you might be happy to know that everyone that they're looking for is also safely with me, including Pinkie, Geuse the Zebrican and Kanipha the zebra. Even Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, who were wrongfully ousted and proclaimed that by the traitorous Sunset Shimmer, are here with us."

"That's excellent news, Mister Spike!" Coloratura beamed.

"But what about you two? How come you two become their... messengers?"

Coco Pommel squeezed out a smile, but she looked genuinely sad. "... After the conflicts broke out, everything in Manehattan went to chaos. Much fewer ponies went to Coloratura's concerts, and clothes aren't selling as well as before because ponies spend most of their bits on storing up food. Life is not good in Manehattan."

"I heard that the city was shelled by griffons, and all the donkeys, mules and griffon residents got expelled, are these true?" Spike asked.

"... Yes. It wasn't a pretty sight at all." Coloratura sighed with regret and shame in her voice. "We all got caught up in a craze, and it happened so quickly. Most of us know that these non-ponies are not so different from us, but few were courageous enough to stand up for them when everypony else was outraged."

However, the singer then swiped at her lips with her hoof. "But when we were feeling dejected with the deteriorating situation, Coco received something interesting... pigeon letters from Miss Fluttershy in Ponyville." 

"Message from Fluttershy?" Spike gasped. "What did it say?"

Coloratura and Coco Pommel looked at one another with a wry smile. The fashion helper then said. "Our friends in Ponyville told us how they fended off Sunset Shimmer and preserved peace there. They also swear that they will use their power, including those of the Elements of Harmony, to return peace to the entire Equestria. I then followed the instructions and contacted Miss Coloratura, who is one of my clients, and told her everything."

"... You two believe them, just like that? Off some scribbled words on a small piece of paper?" Spike questioned, secretly unsure of their resolve.

The two ponies briefly frowned. After a while, Coloratura sighed. "... I must admit, we're at times uncertain as well. Our links to the Ponyville resistance are a bit tenuous. Sometimes I was even worried that the messages were forged by ponies with bad intention, and I'm working towards their goals."

Coco Pommel added with a small smile. "But... But these messages bring us hope.  A hope that peace and normalcy can return to Equestria, and nopony shall fight each other over meaningless things ever again. A hope that even a simple seamstress like me can work to achieve."

"And I'm convinced that nopony, other than my dear friend Applejack, can write to me in such honest, sincere words about our shared hope." Coloratura's smile then turned a bit wistful. "Since my singing alone can no longer bring peace to Manehattan, I decided to band together with Coco and help our friends in Ponyville out."

"What do they want you to do?" Spike asked.

"Specifically, they want us to be their agents in the east."

"... Eh?"

"It's quite funny, actually." Coloratura smirked. "I've never imagined that a pop singer like me would be spy material. I thought it's something that only happens in plays, like the Mareta Hari."

Coco Pommel blushed. "So do I. I'm only good with trimming, sewing and design. Rarity never told me that my job would involve any kind of  intrigue."

Spike joked. "Not even fashion secrets?"

The blue-maned pony looked up, and chuckled. "... We don't steal designs from others. But we decide to place trust in our friends to end this conflict, and begin to pull strings in the city and elsewhere to help our faraway friends."

"How exactly?" Pinkie asked with interest.

The duo looked at the pink mare with some clear hesitation, causing her to sulk and turn away. Spike quickly explained with a pained look. "Now, you two might've heard that Pinkie... had been helping Sunset Shimmer and denouncing her other friends. But it was because she was mind-controlled at the time. Please don't hold it against her."

Coloratura and Coco Pommel shared a glance. Coloratura let out a surprised hum. "Huh, they're right again."

"What?" Spike asked with confusion.

"Rarity wrote to us that she also thought Miss Pinkie Pie was not being herself, and told us to be careful while not blaming her for anything that she might've done under undue influence." Coco Pommel explained.

"Rarity..." Pinkie could not help but sniffled at her friend's magnanimous generosity.

Coloratura nodded. "So anyway, we're told to collect information and send them back to Ponyville, as well as to influence public opinion, so that ponies here would be friendlier towards the resistance." She then grinned sheepishly. "I guess that's when my celebrity status comes in handy." 

"I'm just a humble dressmaker, but I overhear some interesting things as well, when I'm invited to important ponies' houses to tailor-make dresses for them."

"I see..." Spike nodded slowly. "I'll tell you my side of story soon, so that you might communicate that with everypony back home... using pigeons?"

"We'd be very glad to hear them." Coloratura smiled. "However, there's no need to send out pigeons now. We're only here to confirm that you're indeed the Spike that we're looking for."

"... Huh? Why? The sooner we get the news of our survival, and that we have the capable helping hooves and paws of the Northern Alliance to the girls in Ponyville, the better!"

"Well, for one, pigeon post is not a hundred percent secure. Although I'd like to believe that we've never been intercepted, news as big and complicated as yours might be better told in person."

"... In person?"

"Yes. Some of our allies in Ponyville are coming to Manehattan themselves."

"R- Really?!" The news shook both Pinkie and Spike to the core.

"That's right. From what I've read in the last pigeon mail, the resistance in Ponyville had been organizing a naval relief for the East Coast cities. They have been amassing ships in Las Pegasus, and they had departed quite a while ago."

She sighed. "Despite the more and more complicated politics around here, they seem to still think that we're all Equestrians, united in our opposition to tyranny... I should hope this is so, even after the big-wigs here moved forward with their wild ambitions..."

Spike asked with bemusement. "What do you mean?"

"There has been heated talks among leaders and delegates from Fillydelphia, Manehattan and Baltimare in an emergency convention a while ago. They soundly denounced the latest orders from the central government, and sought to formally secede from Equestria to deny it any authority. The Union of Alleghaneigh seems to be the most popular name of this... to-be new nation, after the Alleghaneigh Ranges of the Foal Mountain. So far the people here are at most lukewarm to the idea, many questioning the wisdom of dividing ourselves at times like this, but who knows what would happen a few months down the line."

"..." Spike and Pinkie knitted their brows, offering no comment on the disquieting development. Instead, the dragon sighed and asked. "When will this naval relief arrive, and who would be on board?"

"The estimated date of their arrival was... the day before yesterday, actually."

"Eh?!" Spike gasped.

"But they also said that they intended to track down and defeat the griffon navy first. So it might slow them down a bit." Coloratura looked to the entrance of the tent in thought. "Now that the griffon navy are here blockading our harbor again, I believe that they would show up in here very soon. And when they arrive, they can sink every single ship of those greedy raiders, and bring some of the hungry citizens and expelled refugees to the safety in the south... Bread and butter is more substantial than mere cheerful songs, after all."

"Don't say that. Morale is something very important during times like these. Keeping our collective heads up will only reinforce the powerful magic of harmony." 

Spike then lightly sighed. "That being said, what you said about the relief's arrival sounds a bit too optimistic." 

"But I heard that Miss Rainbow Dash is on board." Coco Pommel quipped. "She's already a war hero before all these, I read from the papers, single-hoofedly rescuing a lost nation from the ancient times!"

"Kinda like Daring Do, only with less rope and more flying snakes." Coloratura chuckled. "If it's her that's leading the relief, then I'd put some serious currency in it."

"Well, when you put it like that..." Spike offered up a defeated smile.

"Dashie..." The longing on Pinkie's face was obvious. Spike sighed and stroked his marefriend's mane gently.

"So." Spike turned after a silent moment. "What would you recommend us to do now? We do not have the permission to enter the city, sadly. The Prench emissary who would speak on our behalf have yet to come back."

"Madame Octavie-Fontaine, you mean?" Coloratura said.

"You heard about her?"

"Of course. It was her who brought news of your arrival to the city ponies. However, she seemed to have trouble arranging a meeting with city leaders after the griffons come again. Coco and I only managed to sneak out before there is a total shutdown."

"Tut. Oh well. I suppose that it might not be safe for you two to return to the city for now, right?"

The two ponies sighed, which prompted Spike to wave at Marin at the entrance. 

"Marin, can you please escort our two very important friends to rest? I have to relay the new information to the rest of the commanders as well."

"Yes, sir!"
> Chapter 16 - Confluence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The intermittent sounds of naval bombardment ripped through the air, even reaching the estuary mouth where the army was camped.

Fortunately, their stay was not completely idle and fruitless. The donkeys and mules among them, some of whom have farmsteads outside the city, were able to bring forth some of their crops that they had not managed to harvest before they fled, supplementing their meager stock.

Even Cassie was allowed to recuperate in the brackish water in the ria. She had not used this opportunity to escape, though Spike suspected that it was more due to the ongoing battle than her code of honor.

Sirens blared from within the city whenever the ships of Guillaume closed in, and several attempts by the griffons to push past the Harmony Island were repelled by onshore fortifications. The Statue of Harmony, though, sustained some light damage from the shelling.

"What in Equestria do these griffons want, really?" Spike put down the 'far-seer', or telescope, that the Firstling and white wolf scouts used. "Their strength is by no mean enough to take down the naval defense of Manehattan."

"Maybe they want to wear down the Manehattanites, and when they're unaware, raid parts of the city that's not as well-protected as the others?" Pisacan surmised.

"Really? Then this is truly the amateur hour, these griffons. Even we can do better if we follow the ways of our glorious ancestors." Magnar scoffed. "The essence of raiding is speed, hit-it-and-run. These griffons have ships that are wide, clumsy and slow. They cling together like a lump of molass, and they hoisted the full masts coming in, ruining any sort of surprise."

"Perhaps, Magnar, this means they're not here to simply raid..." Stellan said a thoughtful voice. 

"Look!"

Geuse suddenly gasped. "T- That... Is that..."

Magnar exclaimed. "By my braided beard, what is that sea beast? It's larger than even the largest Kraken!"

"That's no beast, Thane Magnar." Spike's astonished look turned into an excited grin. "That... That's our greatest ally."

"Chitona... Our Great Black Ship from Zebrica! How is it-" Geuse exclaimed. The gargantuan vessel could now be seen more clearly through the mist. Its sharp black spikes and shells were flickering from the flares on shore, and the beastly figurehead on the bow stared menacingly at the griffon raiders. The Two-Sisters, royal banner of Equestria, was fluttering prominently atop.

Kanipha snorted. "I never thought I'd see something that remind me of Chrysalis's hoofiwork and feel so happy, but there you go."

Thorax immediately asked with apprehension. "C- Chrysalis? Would she be on that ship, then?"

Spike reassured. "Even if she is, which I doubt, she would have to get past me to lay a hoof on you."

"And me, of course!" Starlight harrumphed, but then she covered her mouth as she pointed towards the horizons. "Wait, there are still more?"

"I'd very much hope so." Spike looked expectantly at the colorful Cruzesian galleons that followed. "We've got mountains of hooves and paws to move. If we can get a Harmony-send hitch-hike, I would take it."

As the allied navy moved in a half-circle, the griffon raiders were suddenly sandwiched between the coastal defense of Manehattan and the newcomers bearing Equestrian colors. When it became clear that the newcomers were hostile, the griffons tried to fire a few shots at the colossal flagship, only to have the shots bouncing back like grapefruit seeds into the sea. 

Initially, the Manehattan defenders were alarmed at the strange newcomers as well. However, when the Equestrian colors became prominently visible, they began to coordinate the coastal artilleries and forced the raiders back into the range of their pursuers.

After suffering loss of several more vessels, the remaining griffons attempted to make a break for the open sea, but were summarily encircled by the relentless galleons. Some defiant griffon sailors took off in desperation and tried to sabotage the sails of the Cruzesian ships, and they too were quickly forced back by the battle-hardened pegasi.

At the end, the griffons seemed to have lost any remaining will to battle. More and more griffons fell into the cold harbor water and had to be rescued up by their former foes. 

At the loud, wailing cry of their naval horn, the Griffiny colors of their flagship was struck. The invading band of raiders decided to try their luck and surrendered to their seabound pursuers, rather than the city of Manehattan, clearly fearing the consequences of falling into the hooves of the people they tormented for the last few months.

"Let's light up the signal flares." Spike ordered with a face of relief, after hearing the latest report from the scouts. "We did get some from the Ville, don't we?"

"Yes, sir. But to whom and in what colors?" Marin asked.

"To our allies at sea, of course. It would be much, much better if we meet up, before any of us take a stroll into the messy swamp that is Manehattan." 

Spike smiled. "And make it purple and green. If Rainbow's really there, she should know."

~~~

"Grand navy, meet grand army." 

Spike smiled wryly to the astonished cyan mare before him. "Long time no see, Your Rainbowy Grace."

"Y- You really are alive, Spike!" 

Rainbow Dash, clad in a slightly rumpled white military uniform, merely exclaimed with raw emotion. She dashed in front of the dragon inside the tent, then knelt and hugged him tightly. Spike closed his eyes and accepted the embrace.

The colorful feathers in Rainbow Dash's hat trembled with her elated voice. "I... I never thought it was you when I saw the flares. I thought it's the city representatives from Manehattan who wanted to meet somewhere outside the city."

"The news of my demise is greatly exaggerated... as Twilight would've said."

Rainbow Dash pulled up a grin, but it was forced. Spike then attempted to soothe the atmosphere further. "Aww, and who else in the world has such an eye-catching color combinations anyway?"

"Pfft. You being with a large group of allied soldiers here is already pretty far-fetched. For all I know, the... I dunno, maybe the genderqueer have overthrown the government in Manehattan. I won't put it past them, given the craziness in recent months."

"Hardy har." Spike snorted. "So did the others fill you in already?"

"I met Cadance and Shining Armor at the entrance of the camp. They toured me around for a bit and introduced everyone here to me." Rainbow shook her head in disbelief. "Quite an adventure you've got there."

"Seems like I've got the Rainbow Dash's seal of awesomeness. It only took me like getting holed up in a siege, getting blasted by freezing hail, getting bodyjacked out of nowhere, plus getting randomly stabbed in the eye. It was like me tearing up my action comic collection and played magnetic poetry with them."

Rainbow Dash, however, frowned instead of finding humor in his words. "Yikes. Is that how you got those funny colors on your eye and body?"

"Yeah, but you also look different yourself. Chipped ear is in chic, it seems?"

"Hey punk, it's a mark of bravery." Despite the words, Rainbow Dash heartily chuckled.

Spike laughed. "Ha, and those are not the only things I got. I also somehow got myself a zebra brother, a reindeer daughter, a bunch of followers who think that I'm the successor to their dragon god."

Rainbow Dash simply laughed wrily with disbelief as Spike went on, until he said. "... and even the super duper big secret you guys didn't tell me for so long!"

"What the pff- erd?" Rainbow Dash reacted with shock.

Spike decided to tease the cyan mare a bit first. "Dude... I can't believe I'm ranked below Discord in importance, since even he knew. Am I too much of a wimpy baby dragon back then to handle the truth?"

Rainbow Dash, however, was uncharacteristically serious. "Spike, we wanted the reveal... to be a special moment between Twilight and you. Twilight was not ready, so we did not tell."

The dragon's mock accusatory look fell, and he turned away from Rainbow's gaze. 

"That's just silly... Life never wait for you to prepare perfectly. Not to mention 'perfect preparation' is just a comfortable lie. Life will always find a way to surprise you."

"... True, I suppose. Twilight is just afraid that you will reje-"

"Don't even say that, Rainbow." Spike interjected. "She should've put some bits in me, her loyal dragon assistant and dearest family. Did she think just hearing some weird voice and getting all timey-wimey will somehow make me not love her anymore? Silly Twi."

Rainbow Dash simply returned with a startled nod. The dragon then chuckled. "We've been winging it ever since we're banished to the frozen north. Going from four to a good couple thousands strong. While it's mostly blood-curdling surprises, it turns out mostly well, don't you think?"

"... Yeah, sure." Rainbow Dash finally grinned. "You must admit though, you seem to have got extraordinary good luck along your way. I can't help but wonder if you're being helped along by the magic of Harmony itself."

"... If so, I wish I can give out some luck to you girls, our friends, the Princesses... and Equestria. This land of ours sorely needs it right now."

Rainbow Dash lowered her head again and showed him an ached expression. Spike then asked with concern. "What's wrong?"

"We could've done more to prevent this in the first place, just like the changeling invasion. We've failed Equestria and her people again by allowing all these to even happen. Our intervention seemed to have harmed more than they fixed."

"Why suddenly sulk? It isn't like you at all."

"You don't understand, Spike. Everything's gone to the gutters for us, even while we're trying desperately to fix our mistakes. And while it's very lucky for us to somehow meet here, it was not even my original idea to lead the bulk of our naval force to the East. I come here by myself... not really by choice."

"Oh?"

"There are certainly places that need this army and this fleet much more. While relieving griffon raids and possibly rescuing refugees are noble goals, the politics east of the Foal Mountains are far too messy. Besides, things here are not so bad that we need to intervene right away."

She bit her lips. "On the other hoof, we should've tended to the towns that are fallen, or those coastal cities in the west that were laid waste. If we're more strategically flexible, we could've even tried to relieve Vanhoofer from Sunset Shimmer's hooves, or at least interfere her supply lines close to home. At the very, very least, they could garrison in Ponyville and Raritan to strengthen their defenses." 

"Okay... So why on earth are you here then?" Spike asked, not without some intrigue.

She deeply frowned. "Because if I do any of these, you won't be seeing me in this uniform for much longer."

"Eh? Why?!"

Rainbow Dash raised her hooves and massaged her temples. "You see, if I ever command the Cruzesians to directly assault the crystal ponies, they might just turn against me faster than I could pull off a Sonic Rainboom."

"Why would they do that? Don't they absolutely adore you?"

Rainbow Dash smiled, but it was full of sadness. "I don't know if you still remember, but the ponies of the southern cross look very fondly to their crystal sisters. On top of being old allies, they feel strongly that they're fighting together as two sister nations, suddenly returning and adapting to the world stage after practically frozen in time for thousands of years. I can't blame them for thinking like that."

Rainbow Dash's tough look gradually melted away completely. "I might've beaten the Black Snake, but many Cruzesians simply flat out refuse to turn against the crystal ponies. Shortly after the conflicts broke out, a hoofful of generals and commanders even threatened to desert their posts and go back to their jungle homes."

The cyan mare looked more and more guilt-ridden. "My hooves were entirely tied. A coup was a very real prospect at the time... Misty was constantly fighting with the more unruly elements in the ranks. Therefore even we have so many capable Cruzesian hooves, none of them are sent to the front to help things out."

She looked away from Spike. "... This forces Rarity, who organized the defense up north, to take matters into her own hooves."

Spike sharply breathed in. He quickly grabbed at Rainbow Dash's shoulders and asked nervously. "I heard that she fought alongside the diamond dogs in Raritan, but got wounded. I- Is she okay?"

Rainbow Dash now looked like a filly who had broken an expensive vase, her face full of shame. "She did not suffer any life-threatening trauma..."

"Phew..."

"But..." Rainbow Dash shifted. "The battle completely destroyed her livelihood, and left her with a long scar on her cheek, right below her eye."

Spike gulped hard, and then slowly said. "... Well, at least she's alive, and this is all that matters. Fortune can be rebuilt, and I too got scars here and there too, even on my face."

"I know, and she knows that this is not the time nor space to dwell on something so superficial. Plenty of fighters got more serious injuries and they did not complain... at least out loud."

Rainbow Dash looked conscience-stricken, as she said. "But this is still Rarity we're talking about. She's a pony who tops herself on looks and fashion and stuffs. She wants to be at her most presentable at all times..."

The cyan mare shook her head. "Plus the business that she built with her very hooves had turned to rubble in a blink of an eye. Her self-confidence must've been totally shaken. Yet she could not show it to anypony but the closest ones she knows, because she needs to show everypony that she's a strong, brave and magnanimous leader."

"... I will go talk with her when I'm back." Spike gulped again. "I hope that the news of my survival would at least cheer her up."

"It certainly will."

Spike went quiet with thought, but then he shook his head. "So, Rainbow, how about the others, and how about the general situation in the south? Can you tell me more from your perspectives?"

Rainbow Dash merely let out a long sigh, prompting Spike to ask with worry. "Hey there, speak up. You're freaking me out if you stay quiet like that."

"What...?" The cyan mare looked defeated. "Do you want me to tell you how exactly we failed to sense there's something wrong with Pinkie and Sunset Shimmer?"

"Look, I'm not trying to pick at the wounds and scabs. Just wanna know what's going on down there when we're wandering in the icy cold."

Seemingly relieved of a bit of her guilt, Rainbow Dash began difficultly with a raspy voice. "We're also reacting to the situation as it happened. In the early days, we're panicking a bit because Pinkie and Geuse did not report back. And then we lost contact with you and Kanipha as well. It... It was devastating."

"I'm so sorry."

"There's nothing to feel sorry about, Spike. You've done the biggest thing that we could've hoped for, which is to live." She then turned her head back to the entrance and nodded. "... and much, much more."

Rainbow Dash briefly smiled, but a sorrowful head shake followed. "It was very confusing, because no news of any kind came out from the north. Not even Doctor Whooves could go in to check out what happened. We were already talking about the possibility that Sunset Shimmer was up to no good, but disruption keeps happening in Raritan, Canterlot and Ponyville, distracting us from the big picture. We now know that there were spies from the Crystal Empire amongst the refugees that we received, probably part of Sunset Shimmer's plan to shift our as well as the princesses' attention, so that she would have a freer rein on things."

"Darn it!"

"Pinkie's oddity did raise our alarm, but before we can execute our own plan to catch and interrogate Sunset Shimmer as she came down to Canterlot, she already had the planned coup neatly in place."

Regret filled the cyan mare's face. "It's a damn bloody shame that things turned out this way. What happened afterwards in Cloudsdale... It's a complete outrage, and I can't believe anypony with a conscience could punish an entire city like that. My mom and dad survived, fortunately, but they too toiled hard in the weather-making camp before we sent in some commandos to rescue them and the others."

Spike merely closed his eyes and sighed. Rainbow Dash continued. "The frontline had, fortunately, stabilized after we fended off the invasion at Raritan. And you probably know this already - the Saddle Plain was blown into smithereens to stop their future advances, with every single ounce of explosives that the Raritan miners had with them. Discord also used his chaos magic to turn it into a virtual maze. No enemy troops have invaded ever since."

"Hmm... This matches with what we've heard so far."

"But with so many refugees from around Equestria, the infrastructure in Ponyville was strained. We took in a large amount of Canterlot citizens and Cloudsdale pegasi. The food situation is stable thanks to Applejack's extensive farmworks in the deep south, but the living condition for the newcomers is not so good, to say the least."

Rainbow Dash again looked as if she had a pulsing headache. "The morale is passable since we got help in the media, but there is also a lot of tension. The highfalutin' types from Canterlot are just not adapted to life in Ponyville, and they got into a lot of fights with the locals and the... proud Cloudsdale pegasi. If I hadn't brought away the Cruzesians, they too would fight with the Cloudsdale pegasi, I guess."

She began to hiss with irritation. "Also, those haughty nobles that we rescued with so much effort, now somehow get the brilliant idea of wanting to stick a hoof in governing Ponyville. Enough to say, they only make the messy situation messier."

"Uh Rainbow, remember, 'nobles'. They're the living, walking symbols of entitlement."

"... Touché."

"What about the princesses? Do you guys have any idea where they are?"

"I don't have an ounce of idea." Rainbow Dash frowned. "When we stormed the Canterlot Castle, they were already nowhere to be seen. Nopony saw them escape either."

"Would Sunset Shimmer... you know..." Spike pointed a claw to his neck with a cold hard look, and made a horizontal motion.

"... I don't know her too well, so I won't put it past her." Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. "But if she went so far and eliminated the princesses, I think she would definitely parade the fact to the whole world. The total defeat of the princesses would only shatter the morale of her opposition."

Spike mulled, and then thinly grinned. "I thought you're the type that keeps on finding somepony, even though you've seen them evaporating before your eyes."

Rainbow Dash narrowed an eye, seemingly gauging whether the dragon was mocking her. Yet she could only find sincerity on his face. She then merely explained. "Yes, but we're not free to search the land with the conflicts raging on. This time I could not afford to leave Equestria either... for obvious reasons."

"... Right."

"I even ignored multiple calls to go back. The Cruzesians back home seemed to have trouble with strange occurrences inside the jungle for a while now. I bet I'm about to be- oompf!"

Rainbow Dash's monologue was abruptly stopped by somepony who jumped into her back and practically screamed with heightened enthusiasm. "Yeeeeeee-! Dashie!!"

"P- Pinkie-?" 

Spike merely asked quizzically. "Huh, you two didn't meet outside?"

"I- I didn't see Dashie at all!" Pinkie gasped for air, but elation was clear in her tone. "I was busy talking to Misty about logistics... boring stuffs!"

However, when Pinkie noticed that the enthusiasm seemed not to be shared by the cyan mare at first, she fearfully retracted herself. Then Rainbow Dash pulled the pink mare into a powerful hug.

"Pinkie! We've worried sick of you! That darned orange unicorn didn't hurt you or anything, did she?"

"S- She-" Pinkie spluttered.

"Bah, forget it." Rainbow Dash waved. "The most important thing now, is that you're here with us."

Pinkie's sniffling could barely be contained, as Rainbow's sight and plain acceptance prompted her to finally lower her guard and loudly reminisce about the better days. 

"Hn- Hnn- Hnnng... Waaaaaaah! Dashie!!" Two gushing fountains of tears exploded from the pink mare's eyes, as she returned the hug like a filly desperately grasping at a life float. 

"I miss you badly, Dashie! I miss all of you! I miss all the happy faces in Ponyville! I miss my family! I miss the Sugarcube Corner and Mr. Cake and Mrs. Cake! I miss baking! I miss throwing parties for my bestest friends and telling jokes and making everypony laugh!"

She lowered her head and bury it in the cyan mare's chest and wailed. "I don't want to hurt anypony! I don't want to see anypony hurt! I just want everypony to be happy and at peace! I- We worked so hard! But why is this so difficult? Why did all these happen? I just want this to end, and I can wake up to big smiles and streamers and cupcakes!"

"..." Rainbow Dash looked at the hurt mare silently, and stroked her back somewhat clumsily. She, too, had no answer to any of the questions the pink mare raised.

Spike and Rainbow Dash's gazes crossed. The dragon then leaned in and whispered in the cyan mare's ear. 

"I'm going to sort out the army, deal with some kelpie, and prepare for the inevitable meeting with the Manehattanites. We should talk about the griffons and how to get all of us out of here when we next meet. Meanwhile, take good care of the silly girl, will ya?"

After receiving an affirmative nod, Spike quietly donned his small armor, had a last glance of the duo, and walked out of the tent with resoluteness.