Yaerfaerda

by Imploding Colon

Rating: teen
Tags: Random, Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Rainbow Dash, Original Character
Length: 344270

Rainbow Dash and the Noble Jury continue to fly east.

Rainbow Dash and the Noble Jury continue to fly east.

Published 2014-09-16 00:20:08 UTC
Last updated 2015-03-26 06:10:49 UTC

Rainbow and the Jury Fly East

Galaxies swirled slowly away from each other in the great cosmic expanse. Between the glittery bands of billions of stars, several black objects emerged. At first, they appeared as a single grand tunnel, flowing unendingly. Then, over the course of eons, they separated, becoming multiple rings that split apart, spreading to the furthest corners of the cosmos.

One ring drifted into an incalculably large cloud of chaotic space. The light that fueled the heart of the structure dissipated. Then, after a flash of discordant energy, the ring split into twelve different segments. They all flew in opposite directions, but one plane in particular flew even deeper into the miasma. The continental shelves of the megastructure were cast into darkness, consumed from all angles by abominable forces that ravaged the once-glistening landscape and reduced life to dust—

"Rainbow?"

Static consumed the cosmos. Light and darkness distorted. The constellations shredded apart.

"Rainbow Dash...?"

When the hoof reached in, it shattered everything...

...before softly grazing the pegasus' shoulder.

Rainbow opened her eyes from where she sat calmly, meditatively inside the observation room. She raised her head from the sunlit windows and squinted upwards.

Roarke gulped. "I... I-I'm sorry." Her thin blue eyes blinked. "I should have realized that you were... h-having another session."

Rainbow sighed. "It's alright." A tired smile. "I wasn't getting anywere with it anyways."

Roarke squatted down across from her. "Was it the same vision as the time before?"

"And the time before that and the time before that." Rainbow clenched her eyes shut and rubbed her brow. "I see the rings—as they must have been a long, long time ago. Then I see them splitting apart. And then one of them—Urohringr—breaks up into many pieces, including our world."

Roarke leaned her head to the side. "Have you been able to hear the voice again?"

Rainbow shook her head. "No use. No matter how long I let the vision run its course, I can't hear who it was that spoke to me the first time."

"When you last contacted the flame..."

"Right." Rainbow gulped. "I feel the same hoof grabbing mine, but then that's it. I wake up, and the best I can do is repeat the vision from where it started on the next occasion."

"Perhaps..." Roarke fidgeted. "...there is no grand purpose to these hallucinations."

"Are you kidding?!" Rainbow smirked. "Roarke, they came to me at the same exact time that my body got its recharge!"

"Rainbow—"

"I've been fit as a fiddle for two months!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "Someway, somehow, I owe it to myself to figure out what this repetitious vision means! It's... it's almost as if I-I owe it something."

Roarke's brow furrowed. "How many times have you collapsed since the visions began?"

Rainbow opened her mouth, but hesitated. She exhaled, hung her head, and muttered, "Mrmm... seven..."

"Visions or not, you have the same problem."

"Yeah—well—I'm a heck of a lot better, y'know."

"There's no denying that. Even still..." Roarke bore a bittersweet smile. "Sounds to me like you don't owe anyone anything." She reached up and calmly squeezed Rainbow's shoulder. "I think Austraeoh could stand to take her eyes off the cosmic bullseye from time to time."

"Hmmmm..." Rainbow stared out the windows beyond Roarke's shoulder. The Yaerfaerda symbol flickered as a distant, lavender dot along the horizon. "Easy for you to say." She then did a double-take at the stationary clouds and mountaintops outside. "Wait, wh-why are we hovering still?"

"That's the reason I came here and bothered you," Roarke said, standing up. "The tome could use a recharge."

"Not a bother, girl." Rainbow stood up as well, stretching her legs and wings. "Still, sucks that you have to be stuck with the task of being my alarm clock."

"Face it. You've been sleeping more these days than ever before."

"Uh huh. Y'know..." Rainbow Dash leaned in, nuzzling Roarke's shoulder. "I can think of more things that could use a recharge, if you catch my drift." She giggled mischievously.

Roarke pushed her back at hoof's length with a smirk. "At ease, Hurricane. One task at a time."

"Awwwww... you're no fun."

"Indeed. A transient stick in the mud. Now move." Both mares trotted out of the observation room.

"So soon, beloved?" Bellesmith asked.

"Indeed!" Pilate strapped on a saddlebag before sliding into a cloak. He pivoted about from where he gathered his things inside the Noble Jury's Navigation Room. "No doubt, news from Zeezrom will have already begun spreading!"

"Knowledge of the Jury is being passed around at an exponential rate!" From across the room, Booster Spice spoke up from where he too gathered a bunch of belongings. "Information breeds information. If we go now, we might finally catch some word on what's happening in Val Roa."

"How can you be so certain?" Belle bit her lip. "The last few trips didn't yield much information."

"One mustn't give up hope, my love." Pilate smirked. "If you like, you are more than welcome to join us. There's room in Whizzball for one more."

"Thanks, but no thanks." Belle leaned in and nuzzled the zebra. "I promised Eagle Eye that I'd help him with the suit he's working on."

"Oh, well, I certainly wouldn't want to rain on that parade!" Pilate kissed Belle and smiled. "Such a good friend you are."

"Don't let it get around."

"I don't understand..." Booster Spice smirked. "When do EE and Ebon think we'll ever slow down long enough for that?"

"It helps to remain positive, Mr. Spice," Pilate said. "It's assisted us thus far, yes?"

"Well, good point."

"I'll tell Zaid and Floydien to keep an eye out—" Belle said, then nearly ran into Rainbow and Roarke strolling in from the bow. "Oh! Rainbow!" She pointed. "Pilate and Booster intend to—"

"Yeah yeah, permission granted," Rainbow waved with a yawn. "Just... y'know... be sure to rendezvous with us within a day."

"Amulek, right?"

"That's the plan."

"Be mindful of Green Bandit scouts," Roarke said in a dull tone. Her blue eyes reflected the stallions. "At this point, they're liable to possess rocket propelled ordinance."

"Yeesh, those sniveling imps don't know when to quit, huh?" Booster sighed.

"Don't give into trepidation," Roarke droned. "I do believe our shock and awe is working."

"One would hope." Booster smiled. "Before we go, Roarke, do you need any upgrades to the suit?"

"I do believe I possess the knowledge to augment it myself, Mr. Spice, thank you."

"We can always work on that flame thrower that you've wanted!"

"Thank you, no." Roarke's jaw clenched. "After that one incident when the fuel cannister ruptured, I've been wary of utilizing your original design."

Booster gulped. "Yeah, well... eheheh... how c-could I have known you were so attached to your mane hairs at the time?"

"You and I are attached to many things." Roarke's eyes glinted menacingly. "...for now."

Booster bit his lip. Rainbow leaned in and whispered into his ear, "You should... probably get going now."

"R-right. Pilate?"

"You drive," Pilate felt his way toward the engine room and opened the hatched. "If I take the controls, we're liable to be pulled over on account of my stripes."

"Heheheh—yeah." Rainbow smirked. "Could you hold the door for us?"

"Oh—Going to recharge?"

"Yup!"

"Very well then. So long, Belle."

"Come back safely, beloved."

Belle trotted into the vertical crawlspace at the front while the other four crept into the engine room. Pilate and Booster Spice walked all the way across into the stairwell beyond. They brushed past Props who was lying under the bench that housed the communications array, her forelimbs joint-deep into a mess of wires and manacrystals.

"I'm telling you, blondie!" Zaid spouted from where he sat lazily against a wall of steam consoles. "Give it a rest! For the last time, there's nothing wrong with the communications array!"

"Nnnngh!" Props grunted and strained amidst her constant tweaking. "I-I can't abandon him! He's probably worried sick about us!"

"Your Uncle obviously has his hooves full of something at the moment!" Zaid smirked. "The last we heard of him, he was dealing with the Killas on the southern border of Luxmare!"

"R-right!" Props' tail flicked and twitched from where she wrestled with the wiring. "And poor Unky Prowsy might be in gr-great distress!"

Zaid squinted. "We... are talking about the same red-bearded kickassopath with a boomstick fused to his forelimb, right?!" He sighed. "Blondie, if anything, he's donating all of those motherless diamond dogs a smattering of new biscuit holes!"

"Or h-he could possibly be their new chew toy!" Props stammered. "That would be slightly less sexy!"

Zaid groaned. He turned and smiled tiredly at Roarke and Rainbow. "Maybe one of you two could talk some bubbles back into her, cuz I'm at the end of my rope."

"Pffft—and ruin the best routine on this ship?" Rainbow smirked.

"Besides, I don't do bubbles," Roarke muttered.

"Girls!" Props jolted. WHAM! "Owwwwwie!" She slid out from beneath the bench, rubbing her head. "Rrrgh... wh-why didn't I just nail the communication array to the wall?"

Zaid droned, "It wasn't ready to die for our sins."

"Hiya!" Props sat up straight, smiling at the mares. A pair of bright gold ponytails dangled behind her fuzzy ears. "Is it that time, yet?"

"I didn't think we had slowed down to stop for ice cream," Rainbow said.

"Well, it's all yours!" Props pointed at the dormant cage across the way. "Just give it the zap! Zaidy Waidy knows what levers to grapple when the time comes."

"Don't I always?" Zaid stood up and bowed melodramatically. "This way, brave soldiers."

"At ease." Rainbow trotted over to the cage along with Zaid. "How long was the last charge good for?"

"About forty hours!" Props chirped from afar, sliding back under the bench and returning to her electrical task at hoof. "Minus the extra bursts we used to save the giraffes from those adorably horrible baddies!"

"Only adorable thing about goblins is the way they smile after we kick their teeth out," Roarke said.

"You're trying too hard, Roarke." Rainbow stood before the cage. "Zaid...?"

"Oh, by all means." Zaid gripped several bars. With a grunt, he yanked a door open and swung it aside. "Careful, this thing turns back into a pumpkin at midnight."

"Hardy har har..." Rainbow narrowed her eyes, stepping up to the dormant book lying on a pedestal in the center of the open cage. "Props, is it just me, or does it stay charged for less time with each cycle?"

"Must be your imagination, Dashie!" Props' voice echoed back. "Like I said, we've been doing an awful lot of imp-bashing lately!"

"Still, feels like I'm doing this with more and more frequency."

"Then what's stopping you, smexbeard?" Zaid slapped the cage door. "Chop chop!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Boy are you in a hurry to see silver mines again."

"For another chance to spit on Drakshaa's beard? You bet!"

"I still can't believe Merigold lets us visit still..."

Roarke leaned her head to the side. "I'd pay to see that again."

"Shut up, Roarke." Rainbow gripped the open edges of the cage with her hooves and took a deep breath. "Alright..." Her eyes narrowed as her ears folded back. "...here goes..."

"Oy vay..." Zaid shielded eyes, turning away. "...somehow, I always end up with the lingering taste of strawberries in my mouth after she does this."

"Shhhh!" Roarke insisted. "Go ahead, Rainbow."

"Going... going..." Rainbow seethed, her face... body... and wings lighting up with a ruby glow. The pendant around her neck was overloading, sparkling with harmonic energy. At last, after twenty seconds of filling the air with static, she fired a beam of crimson light into the book. The tome erupted in lavender flames, spun like a top, and levitated in place. "...gone."

"Good to go," Roarke said.

"Touchdown!" Zaid slapped the cage shut, locking it in place. He smirked at Rainbow. "Want a cigarette?"

"Awwwwww shut it..." Rainbow wiped the sweat from her brow. "Can't believe I've resorted to being a living book battery these days."

"Would you rather read it?" Roarke droned.

"Heh... that'd be the day I finally croak." Rainbow glanced across the way. "Zaid?"

"Let's get ready to grapppppple!" The stallion yanked at a pair of levers. The ship hummed from harmonic energy being cycled from the glowing cage and into the skystone reserves.

"Snnnnkkt!" The intercom instantly crackled. "Does that hiss hiss mean that we are ready to zoom zoom again?"

"Sure thing, handsome!" Props' voice rang.

"What she said, Floydien!" Rainbow barked as she trotted back towards navigation with Roarke. "Just wait for Whizzball to disembark first!"

"Ahh! The boomers be giving the countryside a sniff sniff?"

"Yeah, Pilate and Booster. They'll meet us in Amulek. So, y'know, take your time in getting us there."

"You can't put Nancy Jane's glimmer in a bottle!"

"Could you settle for a wine glass?"

"Yes yes yes! Snkkkt!"

With a mechanical clatter, the hangar doors to the Noble Jury opened. The black Lounge Sphere slid out, rotated, and shot its way southeast, zipping over treetops as it approached a distant township along the horizon.

A minute later, once the hangar doors were once again shut, the Noble Jury pivoted on bursts of steam. It then aligned itself with a fixed point to the northeast. Its crystal skystone pulsed with crimson energy, then accelerated the ship at a blurred speed towards the mountains beyond.

A burgundy hoof relaxed, then tensed. In a flash of green flame, it turned into a black shell with porous holes at the end. A few seconds passed, then—with another plume of flame—it returned to its fuzzy complexion.

Ebon Mane's nostrils flared. He sat on the sofa inside the Noble Jury's lounge, at the far end of the mess hall. With a sigh, he reached over to the table in front of him and grasped a smoking mug of coffee. He cradled the thing in two hooves, examining the liquid from different angles. Then, daringly, he leaned forward and took a tiny sip. He leaned back, swallowed the liquid down, and fidgeted as he felt the sensation of the drink running down his esophagus.

Suddenly, a muzzle leaned in from behind and nuzzled his shoulder, kissing his ear and neck. "Needing a morning pick-me up in the afternoon?"

"Mmmmm..." Ebon's ears twitched. He clenched his eyes with a delightful coo. The mug fell from his grip.

"Whoops!" Eagle Eye caught it in a violet magic field. Giggling, the stallion trotted around the couch, levitating the coffee safely in midair. "Something distracting you, honey?"

"EE... what have I told you about coming on so strong?" Ebon sighed, his cheeks rosy as he squirmed. "It... p-positively makes me drunk. You have no idea."

"Sorry..." Eagle sat beside him. "I-I can't help myself sometimes."

"Don't I know it..."

Eagle levitated the coffee towards him. "Please, by all means, don't let me stop you."

"Th-thanks..." Ebon grasped the mug again. He took a deep breath, then brought it to his lips.

"Careful!" Eagle chuckled. "It's not the same as oxygen, y'know."

"Mmmm..." Ebon gulped, winced, and sputtered, "Speak for yourself..."

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"What's it like?"

"Uhm..." Ebon bit his lip. "A lot h-harder to take than water." His eyebrow twitched and he rubbed the side of his fuzzy head. "And I'm really not fond of this whole caffeine thing."

"It does the trick for Josho."

"Anything would do the trick for Josho," Ebon grumbled. "I could cook him a mountain of lard sprinkled with arsenic. So long as I melted cheese over it, he'd be happy." With a sigh, he placed the mug back down on the table.

Eagle glanced at the gesture. "Quitting while you're ahead?"

"It just... d-doesn't do anything for me, EE," Ebon said. He sat on folded hooves with a sigh. "I mean... I-I've always wanted to consume things like normal ponies—"

"'Other.'"

Ebon blinked at Eagle. "Huh?"

"We've been through this." Eagle blinked. "The word to use is 'other ponies.' There's nothing abnormal about you."

"I'm just being practical."

"So am I."

Ebon smiled tiredly. He leaned against Eagle's shoulder as he stared at the mug of coffee. "I can cook and brew anything imaginable, but I can't enjoy it."

"But you do it so well."

"I know," Ebon mumbled. "Guess I'm just stuck with emotions."

"Hmmmm..." Eagle nuzzled the stallion. "Is that such a bad thing?"

"No." Ebon shrugged. "I just feel like it's in my ability to... I dunno... evolve?"

"We've never seen another changeling eat food."

"No offense, but we've never seen another changeling do much of anything." Ebon stared at his forelimb with dull eyes. "And though we may be flying in circles a lot lately, I doubt we'll be heading back to Abinadi anytime soon."

Eagle leaned his chin atop Ebon's head. He stared at the stallion's forelimb. "...having any luck?"

"Sure..." Ebon held his hoof up. "If you call this luck." Concentrating, he unveiled his limb with a plume of flame, exposing the natural black gloss before turning it back to a burgundy fuzz. "Ghhh... t-takes a lot more out of me than I expect."

"Good thing I'm here."

"Heh... guess I could always use a battery."

"Does that mean if we make love, you could turn into an elephant?"

"Would you want me to?"

"Please..." Eagle grinned. "I'm just joking."

"Well, I wish I could." Ebon sighed. "I don't understand what the whole point was..."

"The whole point?"

"For making me the way I am," Ebon muttered. "Who ever heard of a talentless drone?"

"I think we've pretty much figured it out by now," Eagle said. "You were probably meant to be some sort of splinter—y'know, a spy. How better to do what you were hatched to do if you didn't know that you were ever meant to do it in the first place?"

"Yeah, but it just seems so cold." Ebon gulped. "I can't get over that. I mean, you'd think Mother would at least be capable of some compassion—" He suddenly winced. "I... I-I mean..." He sighed, eyes shut. "...Chrysalis."

Eagle took a breath. He nuzzled Ebon again. "You're such a wonderful, loving pony, Ebony, but please... you have to get her out of your mind."

"I wish it was th-that easy, EE," Ebon murmured. "If it was my mind, then it'd be simple. But it feels deeper than that. I swear, she's burned into my heart."

"And will she always be taking up real estate there?" Eagle raised an eyebrow. "You know what she's capable of and what she could still be doing to innocent ponies."

"I know, but—"

"You owe her nothing, Ebon," Eagle said. "She's just a phantom. If she really cared for you, she'd have done more than just abandon."

Ebon gulped, squirming tighter into Eagle's embrace. "I just... s-sometimes I just wanna feel like I belong, y'know?"

"And you do..." Eagle kissed his forehead. "You belong to us... to me." He tilted the stallion's chin up, smiling. "Is that too silly to believe?"

Ebon blinked back. His cheeks went rosy as he leaned in and nuzzled the nape of Eagle's neck. "Not silly at all..."

"Then maybe you can give the coffee a rest."

"Mmmmhmmm..."

"And as for all of the shape-shifting stuff, you'll learn it someday. Not that you really need to—"

"Don't I, though?" Ebon glanced up, muzzle agape. "J-just think of it, EE! All the ways I could help Rainbow Dash and the others!"

"Ebon..."

"Imagine me being able to pose as anypony!" Ebon grinned excitedly. "I-I could even maybe infiltrate Val Roa so we could finally find out what's going on in there!"

Eagle sighed. With a tired smile, he said, "If it was as simple as sending a spy into Val Roa, don't you think we would have done it weeks ago?"

Ebon's ears folded. He bowed his head. "I know. Just... I-I wanna be more than only the ship's cook at times..."

"You think anypony wants your job?"

"Even still..." Ebon glanced at his hooves. "You guys could use the backup."

"Don't stress it," Eagle Eye said, caressing the stallion's mane. "We love you just the way you are."

"Hmmmmm..." Ebon smiled calmly. "You're too sweet to me."

"Can't help it. Addicted, remember?"

"Ugh... don't even joke about that."

"Do I joke with you?"

"Yes. All the time."

"Hah! Name a time when!"

Ebon turned and squinted at the stallion.

"Heh..." Eagle Eye grinned. "Got nothing?"

Slowly, the stallion smirked. "You know what? I told a white lie."

"Oh?"

"Turns out I did learn one trick."

"Really?" Eagle leaned his head aside. "Let's see it."

"Alright... you ready?"

"Ready."

Ebon took a deep breath and sat up straight on the edge of the couch. "Belle helped me with this one. Okay..." He clenched his jaw, concentrating. After a few seconds, sparks of green flame splashed across his face, neck, and shoulders. Suddenly, his burgundy muzzle curved, turning round and petite. His eyelashes grew longer. At last, extra curly-lengths to his dark mane flowed around his shoulders. After a calm breath, the pony looked up with sparkling eyes.

Eagle blinked, his jaw agape.

"Well?" Ebon chirped in a strikingly high voice. Her eyelashes fluttered as she tossed her mane. "Do you approve?"

"Uhhh..." Eagle sweated, inching away slightly. "It's... it's..." He gulped. "Uhm..."

"Heeheehee..." A girlish giggle. "Sooooo... you 'love me just the way I am,' huh?"

"Of c-course!" Eagle gulped dryly. "I m-mean every word! It's just that... uhm... it's so... I mean it's gorgeous and all... I just... I-I...."

"Haah haah haah!" Ebon's laugh deepened as—in a plume of green flame—his muzzle snapped back to its regular, angular shape. He flew forward and engulfed Eagle in a deep hug, nuzzling him dearly. "Thank youuuuu..."

Eagle winced. "F-for what?"

"Mmmmm... for reminding me how friggin' adorable you are, EE."

"Eheheh..." Eagle stroked the stallion's hair and held him close. "Anytime."

Ebon sighed happily. A beat. "No more estrogen. I promise."

"Yeah." Eagle wheezed. "Th-thanks."

"Heehee. No problem."

Swissssh!

Whizzball glided to a stop in a forest clearing. With a hiss, it settled down and parked on the grass. Seconds later, the doors slid up. Booster Spice and Pilate shuffled out, the former having to help the latter from tripping on an exposed tree root or two.

"Well, this place certainly... smells familiar." Pilate raised his nostrils to the air, giving it a few sniffs. "Let me guess... Gideon?"

"Yes! Precisely!" Booster gawked at him. "That's incredible! How'd you know?"

"The pine trees have a unique fragrance to them," Pilate said. "I trust we aren't too close to the town proper?"

"No sir." Booster shook his head and slid his goggles over his eyes. "We touched down before we could have entered line of sight of the rootops—not that the locals expect airships anyway."

"It amazes me that with all the power that Val Roa has at their disposal that they never bothered to invest in air travel."

"Well, it doesn't make that great of a difference," Booster said with a sigh. "Even with the best airship in the country, we've hadn't had any luck piercing their defenses."

"Indeed." Pilate nodded and reached a hoof out. "Maybe we can have some luck in finding out just why today."

"How do we intend to do that?" Booster asked, taking the zebra's forelimb and guiding him through the forest.

"By the same means we've incorporated on every other occasion." Pilate smiled. "Patience and open ears."

"What makes you think we'll be fruitful this time?"

"That's where the patience part comes in."

"Yeah, well, I'm more open stomach than open ears."

"We'll take care of that too, Mr. Spice. Just remember—"

"Yes yes... I'm a local prospector and you're my adoptive grandfather from a foreign land."

"And my metal plate?"

"Buffalo stampede."

"Hrmmmm..." Pilate sighed as the two strolled calmly towards the bustling streets of Gideon beyond the trees. "How I wish we wouldn't let Rainbow make up the backstories for us."

FWOOOOOSH!

With throttling skystone engines, the Noble Jury approached the glistening rooftops of Amulek. Toward the northeast, a steady column of smoke billowed from the silver mines located along the slopes of the mountain. Down below, ponies paused in the street to wave pleasantly at the returning airship. Sentries in their tall wooden towers saluted and continued their loyal vigil over the outlying country and forests.

As the Noble Jury touched down, Josho stood along the port side with Kera perched on his shoulders.

"Wow! They always look extra cheery with each visit we make!" Kera exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, kid?" Josho glanced up. "Any sign of that growling jerkface?"

"Who? You mean Mr. Drakshaa? I can't spot him!"

Josho smirked. "Then count me as 'extra cheery' too."

"Heehee! I wouldn't mind showing the kids the tricks I've learned after our last trip!"

"I don't think your mother approves of you tossing anypony down a chimney."

"Hey! That one time was an accident!" Kera pouted. "And besides... the punk deserved it."

Josho squinted. "Are we talking about the squeaky-voiced colt who put cat poop in your mane?"

"Mmmmm... yeah..."

"You're right. He did deserve it."

"Heeheehee!"

"Josho... honestly..." Belle trotted up with a sigh. "Don't encourage her."

"Awwwwwwwwwww!" Kera pouted as she hopped down from Josho's side. "Belle, we were just reminiscing!"

"Throwing foals into chimneys is no laughing matter."

"Even the kid who stained her mane with cat crap?" Josho asked.

Belle blinked. "It was one of the Amulek foals who did that?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you!" Kera pouted.

"Oh." Belle fidgeted. "I hope he's still coughing up soot."

"Heeheehee!" The ship landed with a heavy thud. "Whoah!"

"Praise the shimmer glimmer that the mining boomers cleared the north field for Nancy!" Floydien shouted from the cockpit. "Now Floydien can spit at them less!"

"At ease, branch-head," Josho muttered. "I'm sure there're still some ponies here we can appreciate."

"Josho, please..." Belle chided. "They've done so much for us."

"Speak for yourself," Josho muttered, trotting towards the nearby stairwell. "The toilet paper they gave us molded after the first thunderstorm we flew through."

Fwooosh! Rainbow hovered overhead. "So that was the smell!"

"Going to play diplomat again, Rainbow?" Belle asked.

"Euugh... something like that." Rainbow squinted at the town hall in the center of town. "If only everything was as fun as kicking goblin butt."

"They'll be grateful to hear of what the Jury has done southwest of here."

"It always kills me that the one town that we've chosen to accept due praise is the same place that wanted to kick us out when everything was up against the wall."

"They've turned around quite considerably, Rainbow," Belle said. "We can only benefit from keeping our faith in them."

"Yeah, well, at least we can afford to give them anything." Rainbow sighed, glancing up at the nostrils. "I can think of some ponies who gave a lot more."

Belle gulped. She trotted over and nuzzled one of the pegasus' dangling legs. "You had nothing to do with that. The changelings chose to make that sacrifice on their own."

"I know. Still..." Rainbow's jaw clenched. "I was there, Belle. I wish I could properly convey to the ponies here what kind of a cost that was."

"They'll learn in time." Belle smiled. "Just have faith."

"Besides, what kind of a memorial would they make?" Roarke trotted up. "A bunch of silver bug sculptures?"

"Oooh!" Kera hopped in place. "Like grasshoppers?! I'm all for that!"

Belle sighed with razor-straight eyebrows. "Roarke..."

"I wouldn't put it past them, honestly," Roarke said.

"Yeah, alright." Rainbow turned and flapped her wings in the direction of the center of town. "Time to get this over with."

"And what of our friends to the northeast?" Belle asked. "Are you going to meet them too?"

"Right after Merigold. Gotta let her know what's up."

"I'm amused that you think we owe her anything still," Roarke said.

"Quite honestly, Roarke, we don't owe anypony anything." Rainbow flew backwards with a wink and a smirk. "But we're helpin' out anyways. That's what makes the Jury so awesome."

"Searo, it makes me practically vomitous when you lay it on that thick."

"You love it, girl."

"Meh."

Kera flashed Roarke a look. "Hmm? You called?"

"Training time."

"Awwwwwww..." Kera pouted. "But we already spent an hour training this morning!"

"Yes, and now we have an open field to practice better skills in."

"Can't we just do it first thing in the morning?"

"Do you want to learn how to make things explode with your mind or not?"

"Wooohooo!" Kera scampered off. "Training time!"

"Hmmmph..." Roarke trotted after her. "Works everytime."

"You will be careful, won't you?" Belle asked.

Roarke sighed. "Must we go through this again...?"

"S-sorry..." Belle blushed. "F-force of habit."

"Indeed." Roarke spoke over her shoulder while following Kera. "In the meantime, try not to cause any cataclysmic earthquakes while brushing Eagle's mane."

Belle stood alone, fidgeting. "I... I-I don't brush that hard..."

Making Up Six Words Is Hard

"What do you mean, 'Zeezrom exploded?!'" An old earth pony frowned from where he squatted, fixing a set of wagon wheels in front of Gideon's general store. "That's not like the Jury!"

"No, you don't get it!" A goat leaned forward, eyes blinking brightly. "They blew it up and saved it at the same time!"

A mare sat in a rocking chair, fanning herself. "Do you know how foalish you sound right now?! Nopony can blow a village up and save it at the same time."

"The Jury did! They're just that good!"

"Hrmmph... and what did they do it for?"

"To save the giraffes' long necks from goblin scum! That's what!" The goat pointed with a cloven hoof. "Same thing that happened in Mosiah and Ammon! I'm telling you, the Jury's a godsend! The best thing that's happened to this country in years!"

"If they're such a godsend, then why'd they have to show up after Val Roa turned its back on us?!"

"You know what I think?" Another pony strolled up with a basket of trade goods on his flank. "I think the Jury was sent by Val Roa."

"Pfffft... please..."

"Honestly! They regret closing in their borders and they've sent a police force to protect our lands in the interim!"

"What kind of a police force utterly decimates droves of Green Bandits without taking any names?! Or making any arrests?!" The goat frowned. "Also, since when did Val Roa have power over the elements?"

"Eh?"

"The Jury is built out of lightning bolts, you daft horse!"

"It is not! It's a zeppelin!"

"What kind of zeppelin moves as fast as the Jury does?"

"Does it matter?" The mare on the front stoop shrugged. "What matters is that they're doing a world of good. When Val Roa went silent, I thought peace in this land would be over. But this Jury has single-hoofedly held the Southern Cartel back."

"Amen."

"Even the naga tribes haven't bothered encroaching on our land! It's a miracle, alright, but just how long is it going to last?"

"Why don't they talk with us? Like really communicate with us?"

"You make them sound a bad as the Val Roans."

"If you ask me, they speak through their actions."

"Then what is it that they want from us?"

"To keep us safe, apparently. The giraffes of Zeezrom had nothing substantial to pay anypony with. Whatever heroics they must have pulled off, it had have been a thankless task."

"I bet those giraffes aren't thankless."

"Heh... well put..."

As the villagers of Gideon spoke, two figures shuffled quietly by them along hte bustling main street, clad in unassuming brown cloaks. Booster Spice glanced at the group gathered by the General Store as they passed. He cleared his throat and spoke aside to the zebra leaning against him.

"We appear to be celebrities..."

"I must admit..." Pilate's lips curved beneath his hood. "There's a twinge of ego-stroking joy that comes with these incognito visits."

"Is that why you wanted so badly to do this?"

"Honestly, I was hoping that we'd have a chance at finding out more about Val Roa, but the earful of praise isn't terrible either."

"I doubt we'll find much by staying outside," Booster said.

"What would you suggest, Mr. Spice?"

"A seat in the local saloon would benefit us."

"I'm afraid I don't drink."

"Well, neither do I, but it's the best way to lend a true ear to local travelers," Booster explained. "Gideon's a major trading town, from what I understand, and it sees visitors arriving from all across the central valley, from the town of Mosiah to as far east as Helaman."

"You know..." Pilate cleared his throat. "I can't help but notice a distinct pattern to the names of your kingdom's many towns."

"You're right." Booster nodded. "They're polysyllabic." He motioned into the saloon. "Here we go. Let's step inside. I'm certain they serve something non-alcoholic."

"Yes, I would hope so..."

"My messengers came back just two days ago, Rainbow Dash." Merigold looked up, her weary face reflected by flickering firelight. "I provided them with the Seal of Amulek personally. I made sure that they were acting as official representatives of the township. And, just like the group I sent before, they navigated the Central Passage and approached Val Roa's Western Gate."

"Lemme guess..." Rainbow Dash sighed from where she hovered inside the town's main hall. "They were sent away."

Merigold hung her head sadly. "I've lived under the protection of Val Roa all my long years. Never before have I witnessed them become so closed in... so secretive." She gulped and glanced up with sad eyes. "They're going back on their promises to protect us... or even acknowledge us. You must understand, this sort of th-thing has not been recorded as happening since centuries ago, when the kingdom experienced a brief civil war."

"What caused that?"

"An internal schism with the monarchy," Merigold explained, pacing across the grand hall while the pegasus watched. "Which I highly suspect to be the issue once again."

"You really think so?"

"Val Roa has always had a great deal to be proud of," Merigold said. "Its royal integrity most especially. If there was... so to speak... a problem in the monarchy, then I imagine the Ruling Court would prefer silence over admitting it."

"What kind of a 'problem' are we talking about?"

"I can only guess," Merigold said. "I'd venture to guess that an heir apparent has been seen unfit to rule. The Val Roan royal family has—historically speaking—been plagued with... health issues in the past."

"Health issues?"

"Mental... issues..."

"Oh great..." Rainbow Dash chuckled. "The kingdom's being run by a melon fudge... literally."

"That is pure conjecture on my part, of course." Merigold sighed. "The truth is, I don't know what's happening beyond the West Gate. Nopony knows, Rainbow Dash. I feel confused, frustrated, betrayed, and—most of all—sorry. I'm so sorry that I cannot help you with this..."

"Hey... it's nothing for you to apologize for." Rainbow smirked. "The crew and I have been away for a while, so I was hoping that maybe you would have heard something from your end."

"I've endeavored to uncover the truth. Truly, I have. But, reality is, Val Roa has long fallen out of our graces," Merigold said. "Even long before you arrived, it was evident that they wanted nothing to do with Amulek's future. But you, Rainbow Dash..." Merigold gazed with glossy eyes. "You and your friends' arrival has done so much for us. If it weren't for you, our silver mines would have remained closed forever. And I shudder to think of what would have happened to all of my surviving citizens."

"Hey, for the umpteenth time, don't mention it." Rainbow smirked. "You're a swell gal, Merigold, and even beneath all that 'bitter survivor' crap I could see that you and the rest of Amulek needed help."

"Well, you are... most certainly eloquent if nothing else, Miss Dash." Merigold cleared her throat.

"Besides..." Rainbow Dash paced close to the ceiling on flapping wings. "We needed Amulek almost as much as this place needed us." She gulped. "If it weren't for what I found in the mountain, I wouldn't be breathing now. And the ship—"

"How is the Jury fairing, anyways?" Merigold craned her neck. "I thought that its primary engines had suffered a power loss."

"Eheh..." Rainbow ran a hoof through her own mane. "Just a temporary setback. I've got it covered."

"It would certainly seem that way." Merigold nodded. "You've built quite the name for yourselves. All of these interventions along the southern border have brought much joy and relief to the kingdom."

"Somepony's gotta do it," Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. "And if Val Roa won't step up, then I guess it's up to us."

"But—surely that isn't what you all came here for." Merigold's aged eyes narrowed. "I get the distinct feeling that all of these selfless acts are delaying something important."

"Oh, don't get me wrong. Our goal has always been to make it inside Val Roa proper."

"What a shame that you'd run into such a terrible road block."

"'Sky block' is more like it," Rainbow muttered. "Let's just say that there's more than the West Gate holding ponies back from entering the jewel that lies against the Grand Choke."

"Well, I most certainly hope you find your way in, Rainbow Dash," Merigold said. "I'm afraid all of my attempts have been in vain."

"And I totally appreciate you for trying, Merigold."

"Though I must say, if a group such as yours can single-hoofedly fight back the Southern Cartel..." Merigold's wrinkled lips curved. "Then I have full faith that you can go where no other pony can tread—including beyond the borders of Val Roa."

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "Yeah, well... one th-thing at a time."

Merigold blinked. "I... I don't understand. Do you or don't you wish to—?"

"Right now..." Rainbow Dash flew towards the hall's exit. "...I have to meet with somepony in time to make it back before sundown."

"Sundown?" Merigold scratched her chin. "I do not understand. What happens after sundown?"

"I have a very important date!"

Rainbow Dash flew out of the largest building in the heart of Amulek. She twirled and ascended skyward, zooming past the rooftops and guard towers of the tiny town. Villagers paused what they were doing to wave at the familiar, bright figure. Rainbow smirked and waved back before contuining her lazy glide east. She glanced south at the Noble Jury as she passed by. From a distance, she thought she spotted the shapes of Roarke and Kera training in the field alongside the craft.

Flapping her wings harder, Rainbow accelerated, cruising over the dense and denser forest that collected at the foot of the mountain. She passed over dirt roads where stallions hauled wagons full of ore back home to Amulek. She curved northeast, taking a familiar path that led towards the columns of smoke in the distance.

Minutes later, she flew over the entrances to the silver mines. A bustling camp had been built over the past month, and there was no longer any sign of the damage caused by the faux chaos dragon that once stalked the community's airspace. Below, she spotted stallions sweating and toiling at the mouths to the caves. One stallion in particular noticed Rainbow's swiftly darting shadow and looked up. Drakshaa's eyes narrowed above a neutral expression. Taking a deep breath he returned to whatever it was he was doing, paying Rainbow no further mind.

Without a word, Rainbow climbed altitude, spinning around the summit of Silver Peak. The mountain was a great deal easier to scale without any misty fog clinging to its granite heights. Within the span of minutes, she was levitating at the north face, staring into a dark gaping hole bored acidically into the stone depths.

Exhaling calmly, Rainbow Dash touched down at the mouth of the cave. She peered down with a rattle of her pendant, her eyes narrow.

Darkness stared back at her. The tunnel was dead still, and even the slightest sniffle or cough would send noisy echoes reverberating back up.

In a dull voice, Rainbow muttered to herself, "Here lies me...." She bore a tired, bitter smile.

Something echoed back—but it wasn't with her voice. "Did you have success in Zeezrom?"

Rainbow jolted. She spun and stared up at the top lip of the cave's mouth. "Uhhhhh... t-totally! You should have been there!"

With the crackling of stiff shells, the gray stone surfaces shifted in three distinct places. Pulses of green flame erupted one after another, and soon three changelings were fluttering down to perch on the cave's mouth beside the pegasus.

"We were there," one changeling said, its glossy eyes thin, weak. "Minor casualties... but no deaths among the giraffes."

"Considering all the explosions you made," said another, "It's no minor miracle."

"Heh... best compliment I've heard all week." Rainbow gulped. "And thanks for—y'know—not blowing your guys' cover. When'd you get back, anyway?"

"Just this... just this..." The middlemost changeling teetered, then collapsed forward. "Nnnngh..."

"Wh-whoah!" Rainbow leaned forward, catching the weak-kneed metamorph. "What the hay, dude?! When was the last time you recharged?"

"C-couldn't help it..." The changeling wheezed in Rainbow's forelimbs. "Had... t-to get back here before we were discovered..."

"And why didn't you make a stop in Amulek?!"

"You know we're not comfortable doing that," another changeling said, its webbed fins drooping along its skull. "Not after all the mistakes we made."

"Dang it!" Rainbow frowned. "How many times have we been through this?! If you guys want to survive out here, you gotta do some things outside of your comfort level! I can't be in two places at once!"

"We're sorry, Rainbow Dash. It's just that..." The changelings collectively winced, avoiding the pegasus' gaze.

Rainbow blinked at them. She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine." She motioned with a wing. "Come here. Let's get this over with." Rainbow then proceeded to hold the weak shape-shifter in her arms close, nuzzling it close. "Keep close."

"Rainbow..." The creature wheezed. "Please forgive us—"

"Shhh! Will ya hush already? Now... concentrate." She closed her eyes, meditated, then gradually smiled. "Hmmmmm... ah yes, there's a good one..."

The changeling in her embrace closed its eyes. It took a deep breath. Then, with a curtain of green flame, it morphed into a petite version of Roarke.

The other two shape-shifters reached in, resting their webbed hooves on Rainbow's shoulders. Second passed, and they both breathed at the same time—a warm and wholesome breath. Their black shells flickered to a gray coat and then back. Their wings buzzed, and suddenly they could hover in place with full strength.

"There..." Rainbow leaned back, tapping the muzzle of the Roarke doppelganger in her grasp. "Better?" She smirked.

The changeling gulped. "V-very..." It slipped out of Rainbow's grip, returning to its insectoid default. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash. As always, you know just how to make us whole."

"Correction: You guys know how to make yourselves whole!" Rainbow hovered with her forelimbs folded. "For real, dudes! The ponies of Amulek can do the same thing for ya! You don't have to hide yourselves up high in this mountain, wasting away!"

"The ponies in that town hate us."

"No they do not."

"Yes, Rainbow, they do," one of them said emphatically. "We know it."

"You can't possibly—"

"You know very well that we can." One sighed. "Courtesy of the empathic sense that Mother hatched us with. The villagers want nothing to do with changelings, and honestly we can't blame them."

Rainbow stared at them silently.

"Your love and your friendship is ample enough to keep us going," another said. It bore a weak, fanged grin. "I think the formula that we have going right now works the best."

"Just keep sending us out on reconnaissance missions," the changeling next to it said.

The other one nodded. "We'll find out what you need to know about the Cartel. You move in to stop the Goblins, and then we all come back here."

"Everypony benefits."

"Yeah... but not forever guys!" Rainbow sighed. "At some point, the Jury and I are going to make it inside Val Roa, and I can't promise that we'll be coming back here!"

"You honestly believe you can make it past their borders?"

Rainbow squinted at the three.

The changelings collectively shuddered. "We're sorry, Rainbow. You have every right to hate us for saying that."

"No! I don't hate—ungh!" Rainbow Dash touched dowh with an aggrivated sigh. After a few seconds, she strolled forward and rested a hoof on two of the changelings' shoulders with a smirk. "To think, millions of miles and a year of flying, and I'd run into a bunch of Fluttershy's."

"Flutter... shy's?" one changeling blinked.

Another turned towards its sibling, growing long pink hair and a yellow coat. "She means this," it said in a honey-soft voice.

Rainbow instantly winced. "DON'T—" She clenched her eyes shut, sighed, and breathed calmly. "How many times have I asked you guys not to do that?"

"Sorry..."

"Just not in front of me." Rainbow gulped and produced a weak smile. "That's all I ask."

"We know of no better way to communicate."

"I'm aware of that." Rainbow nodded. "Which is why I'm so determined to find another hive."

The changelings exchanged nervous glances.

"What?!" Rainbow shrugged. "Is that so hard to wrap your heads around?"

"Mother... n-never communicated any such nest to us—"

"But she had to have made more places to settle than just Silver Peak!" Rainbow exclaimed. "It'd totally make sense if she was wanting to stage an invasion of Val Roa!"

"For all we know, she's already done that."

"Pfft. You know what I mean."

"Honestly, Rainbow," a changeling muttered. "You have far greater concerns to deal with than us."

"Nuts to that!" Rainbow leaned forward. "Look at me. You guys sacrificed so much to put me on the right track, and I owe it to you to find you a place to live happily—"

"You don't need to—"

"Yes I do!" Rainbow frowned. "Even if you're a bunch of wish-washy saps!" She chuckled and playfully rubbed one of the changeling's skulls. "Please... let me do this for you! Someway, somehow, I'm going to reunite you with your own kind! I mean—heck—I know they're out there! It sure wasn't a wayward soccer team that I saw flying out of Stratopolis when that place went down!" Rainbow grinned. "If you ask me, all I need to look for is a sign!"

The changelings exchanged glances.

Rainbow noticed it. She raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," said one.

"Just something we observed while flying back from Zeezrom," said another.

"Shhhh!" a third hissed.

Rainbow squinted. "Okay now..." She folded her forelimbs again. "Out with it. What did you find?"

"Uhm... it may be nothing... but..."

"But what?"

The centermost changeling stared up with glossy eyes. "Occasionally, when flying, we send signals in every cardinal direction."

"Signals?"

"Like sparks rippling across the emotional wavelength. It's... d-difficult to explain."

"Try me."

"Well... this last time, when we sent a spark out..." The changeling gulped. "...a spark rippled back."

Rainbow leaned her head to the side. "From where?"

"Due northeast."

Love in all the Fuzzy Places

The saloon doors to Gideon burst open, and two dusty stallions and a weathered antelope marched in.

"Ahhhhhh... if it isn't the best watering hole west of the Choke!" An earth pony was answered with a round of inebriated chuckles as he adjusted his broad-rimmed hat and sauntered up to the bar. "Today is a beautiful day for the abandoned children of Val Roa! Let's celebrate with having the drinks on me!"

Several ponies clapped their hooves against the wooden floorboard, cheering.

The bar maid shuffled up with a smile, pouring the first of many glasses. "Haven't seen you three this happy in a long time! What's the big occasion?"

"We just came out of Mosiah!" the antelope said. With a grunt, he hoisted a big burlap sack onto a nearby table. "And we've got the spoils to prove it!"

"Spoils?!" and old stallion wheezed from the bar. "What, did you sack the place?! That's the Cartel's job these days!"

"Funny you should mention that! Check it!" One of the three stallions untied the sack and reached in. He pulled his hoof out, cradling bits of ivory and metal strips. "Eh? Ehhh?"

"Oh god..." The bar maid grimaced. "Are... are those...?"

"Yup! Goblin teeth!" The stallion in the broad-rimmed hat smirked. "Looks like the Jury gave those imps a bigger throttling than we all thought!" He rummaged through the bag. "And we've got precious metals, trophies of war with the naga tribes, shell casings..."

"And the villagers of Mosiah just gave all that crap up to you?!"

"Why not?!" The antelope chuckled. "They didn't want it! But sell these things to the right ponies—"

"—such as those just dying for souvenirs of the Cartel's collective ass-whooping all along the border..." Several ponies chuckled.

"And we'll become rich overnight!"

"Heck, I'm in!" A stallion stood up, fishing through a money purse. "How much for two of those grimy yellow molars?"

"Normally I'd say three strips apiece. But just because I love Gideon so much, I'm gonna make it two."

"Jee. How patriotic."

"Hahahahah!"

"Who else wants in on this?! You can never make a profit too quickly!"

As more and more ponies shuffled up to the bar and bartered with the three travellers, Pilate and Booster Spice looked on from the table where they sat four spaces away.

Booster was already wincing heavily. "Dear goodness, Pilate, can you believe this?"

"Mmmmmff..." Pilate leaned back from sipping a clear glass of pink liquid. "I know. The third strawberry mix and it only gets sweeter and sweeter."

"Pilate, I mean this barbaric display!" Booster shuddered. "I know you can't see it, but they're selling goblin teeth for silver strips!"

"I recall overhearing that they were collected in Mosiah."

"Yeah, so?"

"Weren't those the imps whose mortar cannon permanently scorched the starboard side of Whizzball?"

Booster blinked behind his goggles. "You're right," he muttered, slumping down to the table. "May their gums rot."

"Heheheh..."

"I'm beginning to think that this was an ill-timed plan," Booster mumbled. "We should have let things cook for a day or two since our involvement in Zeezrom."

"But we're not here to hear gossip about Zeezrom, are we?"

"Err... well, I guess not, but I figured that the fresh wave of news would help facilitate information concerning Val Roa—"

"Just be patient, good friend." Pilate adjusted his cloak and gestured. "Sit down. Lay low. And let our ears do the work."

"Hrmmmf... you're a lot better than this than I am," Booster said. "I'm most at home when I can build my way to a solution."

"Then consider this a casual vacation. Ahem. Shhhhh..." Pilate gestured towards the bar as he leaned a twitching ear towards it.

"—tell you what, I'm surprised they haven't declared martial law at this point!"

"Well, that sounds rather chaotic."

"I'm serious!" The pony in the wide-brimmed hat turned several strips of silver over in his hooves, studying their quality with veteran eyes. "If Val Roa's out of the picture, then we need to saddle up and pull things together on our own!"

"Mmmm..." The antelope finished sipping from a tall glass before saying, "Val Roa ain't out of the picture! They're probably just—y'know—dealing with interpolitical crud."

"Sonny, that interpolitical crud is leaving us high and dry!" an old stallion rasped from the far corner of the saloon. "And it's the Cartel who've been batting at us like a pinata all this time!"

"That's why I'm so glad that ponies like this newfangled Jury have shown up to knock the proverbial bat out of those wretched imps' grubby hooves!"

"Hands."

"Yeah—whatever. You know what I mean." The stallion in the hat cleared his throat, smirking. "They're showing us that we don't have to roll over for those bomb-wielding creeps down south! We can fend for ourselves just fine and dandy!"

"Yeah!"

"Amen!"

"You said it..."

"That's why I say that a whole bunch of us should get together and form our own Jury! Get the job done on multiple fronts, y'know?!"

"I dunno about that, partner..."

"Yeah... ain't no Jury like the Jury."

"Pfft! Stop talkin' like they're all mysterious-like! They're just ponies like you and me, ain't they?!"

"Pffft... only that one of them can fly..."

"Two of them can fly, ya idiot! Just one has wings!"

"Yeah, and another's made of metal."

"And one has stripes and can float stuff."

"And one has tattoos and can float stuff!"

"Face it..." The antelope took another sip, wheezed, and said, "These dudes are angels."

"Pfft. Knock it off."

"No, straight on! Nopony can pretend to be like them because it's impossible! Otherwise, they'd be cut from a cloth that the imps could sink their teeth into immediately! But that ain't the case! The Cartel's getting their little green flanks—"

"Butts."

"Whatever! They're getting their rear ends handed to them by a force that none of us can fathom! Your idea's fancy and all, but we can't make a new Jury! Nopony but the Jury can!"

"What do you think makes them so ungodly powerful, anyways?"

"Pffft. They're robots, of course."

"Unnngh... not this theory again."

"Well, what else could they be?! I mean, with tech and skill like that, they'd have to be trained by Val Roa itself!"

"I doubt that they're agents of Val Roa."

"Why not?"

"I mean, that wouldn't make any sense!" The stallion in the broad-rimmed hat rubbed his chin. "Unless..."

"Hmm? What?"

"Could be that somepony within Val Roa ain't happy about them turnin' all isolationist n'all." He tipped his hat and smirked. "I bet someone on the Council would be funding the Jury from the inside!"

"Wouldn't that be considered traitorous against the Monarchy?"

"That's assuming the Monarchy is the reason behind them closing their damned borders."

"Well, what else could be the reason?"

"I've got a better question. Who—if anypony—would be acting independent from the rest of the Council?"

"I've got a good idea," said the bar maid.

"Oh? Who?"

She smirked. "The House of Sehlp of course."

Pilate cocked his head curiously to the side. Booster glanced curiously athim.

"The House of Sehlp? Seriously... of all the Council Members you could have picked, and you choose the nobles who've been silent for far longer than all of Val Roa proper."

"They haven't been 'silent!'" the bar maid protested. "Why, just in the last month alone, I've had three bands of merchants arriving from their manor down south!"

"A likely story." The antelope smirked. "They were probably just drunk skunks with nothing creative to brag about."

"Hey... genius!" The mare raised two hooves to her forehead. "They bore the mark of fealty!"

"Hrmmmf..." The antelope finished his drink and belched. "No kidding?"

"You forget how long I've worked here in Gideon." The mare smirked. "I know a servant of Sehlp when I see one. The way I hear it, the Duchess has been sending much-needed aid to the local towns during the Cartel's incursion."

"For real?"

She nodded. "Started months before the Jury ever became a thing around these parts. She's supplied goods to Ammon... Mosiah... Zeezrom... all the hard-hit places. If you ask me, if anyone from the Val Roa council is responsible for the Jury, it's the Duchess of the House of Sehlp."

"That's a brilliant idea, actually..."

"Oh yeah? If this Duchess is so brilliant, then what was she doing on this side of the West Gate when the borders went tight?"

"For all we know, escaping something really terrible from within."

"Whew... can you imagine if Val Roa was to actually collapse in our lifetime?"

"Oye..." The pony in the hat zipped his bag shut. "I dunno. Something tells me that pony teeth won't grab as much silver as goblin's in these parts."

"Hahahahaha!"

"Whewwwww... yeah..."

Pilate rubbed his chin beneaeth the hood. "House of Sehlp..."

"Now there's a name I haven't heard about in a long time," Booster Spice remarked.

Pilate glanced at him. "Anything significant that you can recall?"

"Well, more or less." Booster fidgeted in his seat. "You see, there are many members of the Ruling Council who—though they function politically inside Val Roa proper—they live out here in the countryside. It's not uncommon for Val Roan aristrocrats to live in these rich mansions built in the forests several centuries ago. Townships tend to blossom and grow around the manors. It's how towns like Ammon were formed."

"Sounds like feudal serfdom to me," Pilate said.

Booster Spice. "It's a relic of an older, less glamorous time. Since the middle class rose up, most nobles moved into Val Roa."

"But evidently not this Duchess of Sehlp."

"'Duchess of the House of Sehlp.'" Booster cleared his throat. "Though why she'd be living out here still is beyond me."

"Well, it's certainly a blessing from the Spark if I ever heard one," Pilate said. "If an ear of the Val Roan Council exists this far outside, then it's safe to assume that she has a leg in." He scooted his chair out and stood up.

Booster blinked beneath his green goggles. "Uhm..." He fumbled up onto his hooves. "Wh-where are you going?"

"As Rainbow would put it, 'seizing the day.' Ahem." Pilate took several bold steps across the saloon, and came to a stop. "Excuse me, good sir, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation concerning the Duchess of the House of Sehlp. I was wondering if you'd be so kind as to tell me how I might be able to make contact with this noblepony." He smiled calmly. "Like you, I'm an avid traveller, and it would benefit my party greatly if we were to open dialogue with this individual." He opened his mouth, lingered, then sighed. "And I am talking to a wooden post, aren't I?"

Booster cleared his throat, shuffled over, and pivoted the blind zebra towards the bar. "Th-there ya go."

"A thousand thanks," Pilate cleared his throat. "Excuse me, good sir, but I was wondering—"

"Yeah, we heard you the first time when you were romancing the saloon, partner," the stallion in the hat said, summoning several chuckles from his companions. He took a deep sip of his glass and exhaled. "What can I do you for?"

"The House of Sehlp. What can you tell us about it?"

"Well, we've galloped by there a few times in the past, but never stopped by." The stallion smirked, tilting his head down in an attempt to see beneath Pilate's hood. "Why? You intend to trot over there and flash 'em?"

More chuckles.

Pilate smiled calmly. "My friends and I have an invested interest in anypony connected with the Val Roan Council."

"Uh huh. If you ask me, you're better off leaving them be. Seems like they have enough problems with the kingdom as it is."

"Unless you've got a bone to pick with them!" The antelope exclaimed, frowning. "Cuz we sure do! Rotten snakes think they can ditch us all and get away with it—"

"Uh uh uh!" The bar maid spoke up. "None of that talk in here. You wanna start a revolution? Do it outside!"

"Awwww..."

"We were just talking about declaring martial law a few minutes ago. How come you didn't throw us out then?"

"Because you were paying for your drinks then."

"Heheheh... yeah, alright."

"I'm quite adamant about this," Pilate said. "It would mean a great deal to my friends and I if we were to learn more about this Duchess."

"What's it to ya, partner?" The stallion in the hat took another sip and wiped his muzzle clean. "In case you can't tell, we're super busy merchants. So maybe you should hike up your cloak and frolic out of here."

Pilate's nostrils flared. "Very well. Perhaps this will convince you." He gripped his hood and lowered it instantly.

"Heheheh—whoah dayum!" The antelope nearly slipped off the bar, eyes wide. "Those stripes! That metal plate!"

"Uhhhhhhh..." Booster looked at Pilate, sweating nervously.

"Wait a second..." The stallion in the hat gaped, his eyes squinting. "Do you mean to tell me that—"

"Hmmmm?" Pilate's clear eyes flickered. In a second, the O.A.S.I.S. sphere was hovering beside his skull and flickering its scanning beam. "Do I strike you as familiar?"

"Oh my god!"

"A Jurist!"

"And honest-to-god Jurist!"

"I can't believe what I'm seeing!"

"Screw these goblin teeth! This is the real deal!"

"Omigosh omigosh omigosh!"

"So... then..." Pilate's metal brow furrowed. "Might we have a talk?"

The three travellers exchanged glances, then turned to gawk at the zebra. They smiled. "Yeah, partner... I think we just might enjoy that..."

The entire saloon bustled with excitement. Other villagers of Gideon poked their heads in through the swinging doors, gasping in amazement.

Meanwhile, Booster Spice cleared his throat and trotted in close. "Uhhhh... Pilate?" He winced under his breath. "Whatever happened to 'being patient' and 'keeping our ears open?'"

"Hmmmm?" Pilate tilted his head back. "Oh..." He smirked. "That was three strawberry mixes ago."

"Err... r-right..." Booster gulped and waved at the thickening crowd with an awkward grin. "Of course..."

"There has to be no less than a hundred of them," one of the changelings said, its shell glinting with the orange sunset from the west edge of the mountain. It sat across from Rainbow Dash in the mouth of the cave at Silver Point. "That's all we got, though. A large group of empathic beings, situated in a spot due northeast of here." It gulped. "And they aren't moving."

"I see..." Rainbow Dash was slumped with her back propped up against the wall. Two changelings cuddled close to her like large cats, their smiling faces leaning over her legs as she stroked their webbed manes in a gentle fashion. "And you're sure there other changelings?"

"Honestly, Rainbow, we aren't sure of anything," the one facing her said. "They could be anyone or anything. But..."

"But what?"

"Well, we... we don't know of any other empathic creatures besides ourselves, especially in this part of the world." It cleared its throat and stared at Rainbow with glossy green eyes. "You've flown all over this plane. Perhaps you know?"

Rainbow shook her head. "The only ponies who feed off of emotions are you guys. Unless, of course, there's anything of the sort waiting for me beyond the Grand Choke."

"Well, Mother must have spanned it."

"Hmmm?"

"The Grand Choke, I mean." The changeling fidgeted. "From what you've told us, Mother's sister dwells on the Dark Side. Mother had to have come from somewhere."

"Yeah..." Rainbow Dash stared down at the two shape-shifters cuddling against her. "The Dark Side..."

The one across the way leaned its head curiously to the side. "Rainbow...?"

Rainbow's eyes were locked on the two changelings. Their shells had turned to orange coats and their webbed manes to full tufts of violet hair. Both fillies lay calmly, their blank flanks rising and falling with gentle, contented breaths.

"Is... something wrong?"

"No. It's..." Rainbow looked up with a jolt. "Everything's cool. Ahem. Just... some things I'll never get used to."

The changeling's fanged mouth curved. "You've been nice enough to spend this much time with us. If you need to go, that's fine. We've fed enough, thanks to you."

"Not quite yet." Rainbow leaned forward, gently petting the pink manes on either side of her. "I wanna know more about this signal you've all picked up on."

"Honestly, I wish we could tell you more."

"Do you at least know if there's any sort of township or village around those parts?"

"I don't know." The changeling shrugged. "I can't imagine there would be. All that's northeast of here is mountains and snow."

"And if what Booster told us all, that's about where the norther border of Val Roa begins."

"Have you ever considered crossing there?"

"Huh?"

"Into Val Roa, I mean," the changeling said. "Perhaps you could find passage into the kingdom from such a point."

"I... d-doubt it," Rainbow said, glancing at the darkening horizon. "We tried something like that at a spot far to the south, near the border with the Cartel."

"And?"

Rainbow gulped. "It's not something I-I want to put the Jury through again."

"I see..." The changeling lowered its gaze. "I know you care very deeply for them."

"I care for you guys as well," Rainbow said. "And—you know—the invitation's still open."

"That's... kind of you to offer, as always, Rainbow," the changeling said. "But we'd simply take up too much room... not to mention tangle the emotions of your friends into a knot."

"It's not impossible to adjust, y'know," Rainbow said. "After all, one of you—" Her voice broke off.

The changeling stared.

"Er... I mean..." Rainbow gulped. "One of us is doing A-Okay... one day at a time."

"Is he truly?" the changeling asked.

"I'd like to think so," Rainbow replied. "Eagle Eye's with him every step of the way. They've found a balance, it would seem. Ebon doesn't starve of emotion and Eagle Eye doesn't rush out of the ship doing stupid things." She giggled. "It works."

The changeling smiled. "That's good to know, then."

"But... y'know..." Rainbow raised a hoof and stroked her bangs back. "Ebon could totally... use some guidance." She stared fixedly at the changeling in front of her. "From one of his own kind."

The changeling shifted its hooves and exhaled slowly. "I don't know what kind of help we can give him."

"Face it. You know more about the whole shape-shifting shtick than he does."

"To what end?"

"Huh?"

"Your Ebon Mane has been living and flying and loving alongside you for months and months, Rainbow Dash," the creature said. "All things considered, it has a full grasp on what it means to be a living, breathing pony."

"He's still got no memories of his hatching," Rainbow said. "And his very body is simply modeled after a late stallion he had the fortune of falling into company with—"

"Even still, he's more pony than changeling," the metamorph said. "He's achieved that which all changelings are hatched to do. And—let's face it—there really is no more depth to us as a species."

Rainbow sighed. "Come on now..."

"I'm sorry, Rainbow," the changeling said, slowly shaking its head. "We would love to help, but it's beyond us. Ebon is your sibling... not ours."

Rainbow took a deep breath. "Yeah, well... I'm going to find you yours." She stood up, gently pushing the other two changelings aside.

They protested with little trilling sounds, rubbing their foalish eyes as they returned to their natural black shells. They glanced up at the pegasus along with their companion.

"I'll send the Jury to find out whatever this emotional feedback thingy is northeast of here," Rainbow said. "If it's what I think it is, then—I promise—you guys won't be alone any longer."

"Are you sure you want to do this, Rainbow?" the one in the center asked as its two partners stood up by its side. "I always thought that Val Roa was—"

"Hey..." Rainbow leaned forward, her eyes hard and piercing. "If I ignored all of the needy ponies that I've met in my travels, do you honestly think I'd be where I am today?"

"Perhaps not." The changeling shook its head. "But, then, perhaps you'd be in a better place."

"Yeah, well, we're gonna do something about that attitude." Rainbow pointed. "You three are important to me. All of my friends are. I'll find out all about that signal. Just you wait." She flapped her wings and lifted up.

"Needed somewhere?" one of the changelings asked.

"You can definitely say that." Rainbow turned towards the western horizon just as it dimmed. "I've been out here for two months, back to back."

"How is that significant?"

Rainbow smirked at them as she lifted up. "Means my date's almost ready." She saluted. "Stay adorable."

The three changelings waved back. They sighed in the mare's absence, then retreated back into the mouth of the cave, blending once more with the solid rock surrounding it.

Minutes later, as night fell, Rainbow surged upwards through the clouds. She flapped her wings faster and faster, as if racing against time.

At last, she stopped flying, touching down on a misty bed and resting her limbs. As her breath calmed, she stared up at the night's sky, her wings twitching in anticipation.

Her eyes scanned the heavens. When at last it appeared, she smiled, her ears flicking happily. She stood up tall, aiming her pendant skyward. Before her, a full moon rose above the mountains, glittering down at the forests surrounding Amulek.

When the silver glow contacted Rainbow's pendant, it sent a twinkle through the air, reverberating with a regal voice that made the heavens shake.

"Rainbow Dash, are you there?"

"With bells on, Your Majesty!" Rainbow Dash said with a full grin.

"Alas, it fills me with great joy to know you're still alive."

"What'd I tell you?" Rainbow giggled. "I got a full charge!"

"I know, but still—"

"Just relax, Luna." Rainbow winked into the air. "You've learned to straighten out your tongue, so surely the rest should come easy, eh?"

"Poetic as always, Rainbow Dash. What news do you have to share with us—erm... with me?"

"What else?" Rainbow grinned devilishly. "A whole lotta ass-whooping!"

A Penultimate Decision To Be Made

Swissssssssssssh! The Lounge Sphere flew in from the south, gliding down into the valley of Amulek, then slowing down to enter the hangar at the rear of the Noble Jury.

Roarke glanced up from where she stood beside Kera. The little filly's glowing horn illuminated the metal mare's features as she levitated several planks of lumber, rotating them around one another in elaborate motions.

"Mmmff..." Kera's tattooed brow furrowed, her eyes clenched as she sweated. "What was that?"

"Your father has returned, evidently."

"Snazzy," Kera murmured. "Think he and Booster brought some Chineighs food with them?"

Roarke glanced at her, her lips slightly curved. "Finish your meditation, child," she said. "Then we can retire for the evening."

"Heh, you k-kidding?" Kera smirked. "I could do this all night—!"

Cl-Clank! One piece of lumber collided with another, sending a shard of splinters flying at Roarke's neck.

The mare quietly ducked. Milliseconds later, a tree right behind Roarke wobbled as several dagger-sized chunks of wood embedded in its surface.

Kera gulped, squinting one eye open. "Uhhhh... you d-didn't see that."

"No." Roarke stood up, dusting herself off. "But I almost felt it."

"Eheheheh..." Kera shuddered. "Sleep sounds good right about now..."

Inside the hangar, Booster Spice helped Pilate out of Whizzball. The door from the stairwell creaked open, and Bellesmith galloped in.

"Finally!" she exclaimed with a smile. "You've been gone all day!"

"Sorry I took so slow in flying us back here," Booster said. "We visited a tavern, after all..."

"Mr. Spice," Pilate chuckled. "All you had was a grape knee-high."

"Yes, well..." Booster fidgeted. "I-I didn't want to take any chances."

Belle embraced Pilate and rubbed noses with him, grinning. "Beloved..."

Pilate kissed her, then lingered, nostrils flaring. "You know... there was a time when Eagle Eye borrowed your conditioner, not the other way around."

"Hmmmph..." Belle stuck her tongue out. "You forget that it was I who had to grow her mane back."

"Indeed."

Zaid strolled in. "Hail the conquering zeroes!"

"Hardy har har," Booster mumbled, shutting the sphere with a hydraulid hiss.

"Well?" Zaid folded his forelimbs and smirked. "Did you learn anything on your fart-finding tour?"

"As a matter of fact, we did," Pilate remarked.

"Although Pilate utilized some rather unorthodox tactics," Booster said.

"Unorthodox?" Belle squinted. "How so?"

"Let's just say I got to show off my stripes to a certain degree," Pilate said.

"Pilate..." Belle sighed. "Please don't tell me you revealed yourself as Jurists."

"I assure you, nopony knows where the Jury is, much less where it will be next," Pilate said. "But my decision was a timely one, for I think we may have found a plausible avenue into infiltrating Val Roa."

"Oh?" Belle leaned her head to the side. "In what way?"

"I will explain—although Rainbow Dash would very much like to hear this." Pilate craned his neck. "Just where is our illustrious leader at the moment?"

"Where else?" Zaid smirked. "She's moonlighting."

"Ungh..." Booster Spice trotted past him. "I'm only on this ship for two months and already you make me wanna jump off."

"Heheheh..."

"What's more, they've begun exploring several of the outlying areas to the west. This includes the bluffs of Alafreo," Princess Luna's voice said, drifting nebulously across the pale cloud beds. "It would seem that there—more than any other location—they have encountered noticeably friendly locals, and have initiated a robust trade agreement."

"Heck yeah, the locals there are friendly!" Rainbow's voice cracked. She lay on her back, forelimbs crossed behind her head. Her pendant pulsed with lunar energy as she gazed casually into the starlight. "If I wasn't—y'know—a terminally ill half-chaotician with east farting powers, I'd totally pick that part of the continent for an extended vacation!"

"Well, according to Celestia, the Alafreons and the Durandanans have become fast friends overnight. Jerrio, the First-Born himself, has made three separate trips, and on each return he brings good tidings."

Rainbow smirked. "And just what are the Valkyrie's grandfoals using to trade with those turtles, anyway?"

"An abundance of fruit. It would seem that the bluffs of western Alafreo are greatly lacking in both vegetation as well as sweet delicacies. The Durandanans provide the sentient tortoises with bananas, melons, and grapes. In return, the long lost pegasi of Equestria dine on... fish for the first time..."

"Heh... guess you're not all that proud about that last bit."

"In truth, Rainbow Dash, the thought of any equine devouring animal flesh disturbs me... but that may simply be a consequence of attuning myself to the modern Equestria that my sister has governed for so long. Alas, I'm old enough to possess an open mind. After all, Sarosians dine on insects and small rodents, and they've never fallen from my grace."

"Y'know, Princess, Fluttershy used to feed fish to her otters out by the cottage where she lived."

"The caretaking of wildlife is a different matter, for they operate by their own scale of harmonic balance. I must admit that I have several reservations when it comes to consumption on the pony level. It boggles my mind how you've been able to witness so many different cultures with such varied rules first-hoof and yet maintain your composure."

"Hey..." Rainbow shrugged against the cloud. "The Jury eats meat all around me. I've learned to chillax with it... so long as I don't take a bite myself."

"Your integrity is commendable, Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah, well... don't let it get around."

"I just remembered something. Jerrio and Sivrem requested that Celestia and I deliver a message from the Alafreons to you."

"Oh?" Rainbow Dash sat up straight, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of a message?"

"Are you familiar with a village that goes by the name of Abinadi?"

"Pffft! Totally! What, did Boxer have more snazzy things to say?"

"No, not him, though the descriptions I've heard of the village elder have instantly won my respect. Alas, this message comes from Lerris."

Rainbow paled instantly. "Uhhh... excuse m-me?"

"The changeling who traveled in your party, evidently. She wishes you and your companions good fortune, and she desires for you to know that she is thriving happily among her peers in Abinadi."

"... ... ..." Rainbow blinked. Slowly, she smiled. "Well, how about that..." She giggled slightly and hugged herself with a long sigh. "Now, if that isn't a bucket of awesome right there..."

"Celestia and I were certain you would benefit from hearing that."

Rainbow cleared her throat. She rubbed one of her eyes dry with a forelimb. "Yeah..." The mare gulped. "Well... it's s-super nice hearing that Durandana's doing nicely for itself too."

"Indeed."

"Cuz, y'know, if the place was imploding in on itself in cultural upheaval and all that crud—"

"I'm certain that is the least of your concerns at the moment," Luna's voice said. "It begs inquiring: have you had any success in reaching Val Roa?"

Rainbow Dash's eyes instantly clenched shut. She took a deep, deep breath.

Eventually, Luna once again spoke up. "...if that is a tender subject, we can switch to discussing something else—such as the welfare of your companions."

"Nah, Luna, it's okay," Rainbow Dash murmured. She reopened her eyes with a weak smile. "It's just that... th-there's not much else to say. I mean... we're trying everything we can to find a weakness along the border that we can fly through."

"A 'weakness?'"

"That's right."

"You almost make it sound like you're attempting to invade the kingdom, not bring it salvation."

"Well, honestly, Your Highness, at this point it's not like we have any other ch-choice!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "They're sure as heck not making it easy for us! Or for any other pony for that matter!"

"The kingdom is obviously experiencing a crisis, on top of the fact that they value their secrecy."

"Yeah, or maybe it's just Chrysalis who doesn't want anypony to know what's going on inside Val Roa."

"You truly believe her influence has consumed the land already?"

"I'd friggin' bet on it." Rainbow sighed, her nostrils flaring. She kicked lazily at the cloud bed beneath her. "We've certainly given her enough time to pillage the place from the inside out."

"Rainbow Dash..."

"She probably has a dayum hive being laid on the monarchy's chest, for all I know!" Rainbow wheezed. "The Val Roans are probably up to their fetlocks in changeling slime as we speak! And with me and the Noble Jury farting around the countryside, we certainly haven't made life any better for them!"

"Correct me if I am wrong, but have you not been exemplifying peace and harmony for the last sixty days in that land?"

Rainbow sighed, face-hoofing. "Yes, Y-Your Highness—"

"Have you not been acting as key guardians and defenders of justice in a time and place where the local ponies have no one else to turn to?"

"Yeah. We've been kicking butt and saving innocent flanks! I know that! But even still—"

"You must not punish yourself unnecessarily, Rainbow Dash," Luna's voice said. "There is no doubt whatsoever that you are a pony of integrity. You and your close companions are heroes to the core."

"There's a big picture here, Luna," Rainbow muttered. "I fear that we're not doing anything to tackle it."

"Well, you most certainly are not ignoring it," Luna said. "Neither are you ignoring the pleas for help from these needy villagers being plagued by the insufferable goblins of that land."

"Uh huh..."

"Your actions are completely and utterly commendable. Do not deny that."

"And I'm not, Luna." Rainbow gulped. "There's j-just... something else to it. Something else that I'm having a hard time with acknowledging."

"And what is that, exactly?"

"Don't get me wrong. I enjoy kicking goblin butt. I do." Rainbow rolled over on the cloud, hugging herself. "These punks deserve it. I don't know how come so many of them are so aggressively rushing up from the South—but the Jury's literally been the only thing holding them back, and their numbers are starting to dwindle. But still..." She sighed, her eyes thin and melancholic. "I-I know that deep down... I'm not doing this for heroism's sake. Neither am I doing it just to be a good pony..."

"Then what is your motivation, Rainbow?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the pegasus muttered. "Right past Val Roa is the Grand Choke. And I know that trying to take the Noble Jury through it is stupid."

"I seriously doubt that this 'Grand Choke' is capable of halting your travels—"

"No offense, but you're not getting it, Your Highness," Rainbow grumbled. "It's suicide." She gulped. "Not for me, though, but for the Jury. The place screws with magic. Every pony around these parts confirms it. Plus, it's all I've ever heard about the dang place since I started flying east in the first place." Rainbow sighed. "The Grand Choke may not consume Austraeoh, but it sure as heck would drain all the life from my friends."

"Your concern is admirable. And, believe it or not, Rainbow, I do get it," Luna's voice said. "You dread an inevitable parting of ways."

Rainbow slowly nodded. "For the longest time, I always figured that... y'know... something tragic would force me and the Jury to split. I know that sounds morbid, but we've been through some pretty nasty straits and it's taken quite a few blows to my faith. But these past two months?" She shuddered, smiling slightly. "They've been fantastic. Mega awesome, even. We've kicked butt and taken names. We're like friggin' superheroes out here. It's everything I've ever wanted to be, but..." Her smile faded. "...sooner than later, it's all gotta end. And I'm thinking that—deep down—it's not the border of Val Roa that's stopping me... it's just me stopping me."

"I seriously doubt that, Rainbow."

"Well I don't," Rainbow snarled slightly. "No matter how hard I shake the feeling, the truth always comes back to haunt me. And that truth is that... sooner than later..." She sighed. "The Noble Jury will make its last flight together. And... and I-I can't bear to face that. But I should."

"Nopony can blame you, Rainbow Dash. You've made some remarkable friends in your journey. It would not be easy to give them up."

The pegasus sniffled slightly. "I wish it was th-that simple, Princess. I've f-found more than friendship out here." She hugged herself and closed her eyes with a shudder. "I've found love..."

Past and Present; Failure and Triumph

At the crack of dawn, Rainbow Dash flew west, gliding back towards the sleepy, misty town of Amulek. Her bleary eyes blinked, tired from a full night of chatting with Princess Luna. She stretched her neck, grunting slightly. The pendant felt like it weighed a ton on an exhausted mornings like this. Sighing, she stared down at the rows of fir trees drifting beneath her.

The landscape hung in quiet dimness below. The first of several shadows were born in the faint golden dawnlight. Bands of illumination split through the trees like the strings of a harp. One by one, birds woke up, fluttering to life with faint song and melody.

Rainbow Dash took several deep breaths. In her exhaustion, she felt her heartbeat pulsing in her ears. Closing her eyes, she turned her flight into a gentle glide. She concentrated on the throbbing in her skull, her breaths shuddering between the thuds... thuds... thuds...

THUD! TH-THUD! THUD!

"Just what in the creepy peepee's is that?!" Props' voice crackled out of the intercom of the Noble Jury's cockpit. "It sounds like it's hitting Nancy from all over!"

"It must be manafeedback from the force field!" Pilate shouted, bracing himself against a bulkhead. "The energy is simultaneously resisting and scanning the Jury!"

"Oh y-yeah?!" Rainbow Dash wheezed, hovering in place as she looked over Floydien's shoulder. "Scanning us for what?!"

"My guess is for interference along the leylines that the Val Roans have manifested here!"

"Manifested?!" Floydien sputtered, gnashing at his teeth as he struggled to keep the ship steady. "Who in the spit can construct shimmer out of thin air?!"

"If it was technological, then I might be able to explain it!" Pilate stammered, his runic plate flickering. "Nnngh!"

"Pilate!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "What's the matter?"

"I don't b-believe it..." The zebra wheezed, stumbling sideways amidst the turbulence. "The field is affecting O.A.S.I.S. I'm st-starting to see actual sparks!"

"Go downstairs with Belle and Kera!" Rainbow shouted. "Brace yourself until we've passed over—"

"That's not going to make any difference!" Pilate shouted. "The leylines are entangled with the entire Jury!"

"But—"

"You need me here, Rainbow!" Pilate sputtered. "After all we've planned, it'd be foolish for me to back out now!"

The ship shook again. Everypony inside the cockpit jolted.

"Mmrrffnngh!" Floydien hissed, yanking at the controls. Beyond the cockpit, all that could be seen was a fluctuating wave of translucent green energy. The faint hint of desert mountains lingered beyond, along with a smattering of city lights. "No no no! Nancy can't take much more of this shake shake!"

"Just maintain our velocity and carry us past the distortion, Mr. Floydien—" Pilate began.

"What d-does striped boomer think Floydien has been attempting to do?!" The elk pointed at the console. "Engines are at full power and Nancy is still decelerating!"

"Snkkkt!" Props voice crackled once again. "Bad news boobies! The tome is bouncing around like a Mexicolt jumping bean!"

"Darn it!" Rainbow hissed, then leaned into the intercom. "How's the lavender light?! Has it dimmed yet?!"

"I-I can't tell, Dashie! It's hard enough just k-keeping an eye on the instrument panel with all this interf—" Distortion, then more crackling. "Zaidy Waidy! Quick! The steam reserves—SKKKT!"

The whole ship shook, buckled. Everypony inside the cockpit gasped.

"Nancy's falling!" Floydien yelped. "Down with the flash flash!"

"Can you stabilize her?!"

"Yes yes yes! But not for much more shimmer!"

With a grunt, Roarke climbed up from the crawlspace below. She peered up, reached a hoof up to her helmet, and opened the faceplate. "Bad news. Steam is venting all throughout the engine room."

"Crud!" Rainbow hissed. "Did Props send you up here to tell me that?!"

"She could if she could get to me," Roarke uttered, eyes thin. "Do not confuse this with cowardice: but we should reconsider this current venture."

"Roarke, we are so close!" Pilate growled, teeth clattering. "I made all of the calculations!"

"Pilate, we're obviously dealing with something way over our heads!" Rainbow's voice cracked. "These Val Roans—"

"Just a little while longer, we'll emerge on the other side!" Pilate said. "If we can just break past the leyline entanglement—"

Just then, a loud alarm blared across the cockpit.

Roarke twisted towards the elk. "What is that?"

"Shimmer glimmer!" Floydien hollered. "Shimmer glimmer, inbound to nose nose!"

"Huh?!" Rainbow Dash peered past Floydien's antlers. Her pupils shrank upon sight of a bright cluster of green energy being hurled at the vessel like a missile. "Luna Poop!"

"What?! What is it?!" Pilate shouted.

"Some kind of projectile!" Rainbow exclaimed. "And it's headed this way!"

"We need to evade it!" Roarke hollered.

"Not enough quick quick!" Floydien spun a dial and pulled two levers, venting steam from the bow. "Blonde boomer! Cut engines and divert all of Nancy's steam—"

"Too late!" Roarke exclaimed, then yelled down the crawlspace. "Everypony, brace for impact!"

WHAMMMM! The green pulse struck the Jury... then surged through it. Everypony wheezed for breath as the ship's interior turned a bright emerald. Instantly, consoles sparked and panels exploded with bursts of manaflare.

"Aaaaugh!" Floydien twitched in pain, his antlers sparkling from branch to branch. "Gnnngh-augghhh!"

"Gnnngh... Fl-Floydien?!" Rainbow sputtered, watching in horror as smoke rose from the points in Floydien's forehead where the antlers connected. "Floydien! What's wrong—?!"

A body was rattling across the floor beside Rainbow.

The pegasus looked down and gasped once more. "Pilate!"

The zebra was convulsing all over, gripping his plate as the runes trailed with green energy. His clear eyes rolled back as he foamed at the mouth.

"Pilate! Pilate!" Rainbow knelt down and shook him. "Stick with me, buddy! Just try to stay calm!" She shouted across the cockpit. "Roarke! Pilate's having some kind of a seizure and Floydien's passed out! I think that projectile zapped them right in the magic gut or something! Get Zaid or somepony up here! We need to bring the Jury around!"

Silence.

"Roarke?!" Rainbow crawled over and stared down the vertical passage. "Roarke, where—?"

The metal mare far down on the floor of the bottommost deck. She winced in pain, a prisoner to her own sparkling armor.

"Roarke? Roarke?!" Rainbow hyperventilated. Suddenly, she felt a warm trickle running down her brow. She dragged a hoof across her muzzle and looked at it. Blood clung to her fetlock. Nervously, she touched her forehead, feeling two points where chaotic bone was piercing her flesh. She seethed, "Oh Celestia, no..." She glanced down at her pendant; it was flickering like mad.

Breep Breep Breep Breep!

Gasping, Rainbow Dash looked up.

Past Floydien's slumped figure, past the distorted energy field, the Noble Jury was soaring straight towards a desert mountainside.

Rainbow shivered, her eyes flickering red-on-yellow as the entire vessel buckled around her. Then, with a gasp, she—

—jolted forward, overcome with dizziness.

"Guh! Mmmrnnngh!" Rainbow's eyes bulged as she clutched her pendant, hissing under her breath. Through tearing vision, she spotted the fir trees of East Amulek looming closer and closer below. "Sonuva..." A prolonged snarl, and she caught the wind once more in her wings. "Okay... okay... just stay calm." She gulped, descending slowly in spite of her dizziness. "It's not as bad as before. Nothing is as bad as before. Just... easy... easy..."

She found a stretch of dirt road leading through the forest, marred with wagon wheel trails.

"Perfect... one sexy runway..." She nevertheless gnashed her teeth as she glided down, her body heavy as an anvil. "Slow and steady... that's right... that's—"

She plouded into the earth, belly-first.

"Poopsicle!" The pegasus rolled and rolled and collapsed in a sweaty heap by the side of the road. "Ooof!... Unnnnghhh..." She slumped on her back, wheezing for breath. "...what's with this friggin' town anyway?" She covered her eyes with sweaty forelimbs, panting and panting. "Mmmmff... just let it pass... let it pass..."

She lay still under the dim hush of dawn. Eventually, after several minutes, she felt the first warm kiss of sunlight. It eased her, and the dizziness almost instantly vanished. Breathing easier, Rainbow Dash lowered her hooves and simply lay there on the dirt path, legs spread as if she was about to make snow angels with no snow.

The mare was almost completely oblivious to the heavy hoofsteps until they lingered right beside her skull.

"Ahem... 'Rainbow Dash'... is it?"

"Mmmnngh..." Rainbow squinted one eye, then the other.

The dark, hairy face of Drakshaa peered down at her.

"Mrmmff..." Rainbow rubbed her eyes, grumbling tiredly. "'Douchebag,' is it?"

The stallion's nostrils flared. "Oh... so you're still on about that."

"Fella..." Rainbow Dash sat up, grumbling. "I'll always be on about that." She tried to stand, but fumbled. "Mmmrfff... how about I drive a giant hardened dog-turd into the wheel-spokes of your 'save the whole friggin' world' machine and see how you like it?"

"Are you always this eloquent in person?"

"No, normally I kick the crap out of creatures I don't like, present company included."

"I see." Drakshaa nevertheless reached down, hooked his hoof with hers, and yanked her up into a standing position.

Rainbow wobbed slightly, then blinked awkwardly at the stallion as he brushed her off. She raised an eyebrow. "Gonna size me up for a dress next?"

"Get over yourself," the stallion grumbled, flicking dirt and leaves off her shoulders. "You always this moody after crash landing?"

"I didn't crash land."

"Harumph... I saw what I saw."

Rainbow looked past him, spotting a wagon full of mining tools leading away from Amulek. "Going to work so soon?"

"Always the first to go in and the last to go out," Drakshaa said. "Thanks to you and your gang."

"Yeah. You're welcome, by the way."

"Rainbow Dash..." Drakshaa leaned back. "I get the distinct suspicion that you don't like me."

"Wow, somepony truly was born yesterday."

"You're a strong mare," he said. "I imagine you would do anything to save the zany bunch of adventurers you fly around with."

"I do and I have." Her eyes narrowed. "What's it to ya?"

"Merigold and I would do the same for this town, under any circumstance." He took a deep breath. "We haven't flown around like you and your air-buds. We haven't seen quite as many fantastical sights as you. So, when a giant flaming dragon attacks our encampment like any giant flaming dragon would do... we're apt to respond to it like it's a god-damn giant flaming dragon."

"You should have trusted me," Rainbow Dash said. "It would have made things easier."

"Would it? Would it really?"

She squinted at him.

"Follow me," he said, trotting down a beaten path that led away from the main road. "I want to show you something..."

"Show me what, exactly?" Rainbow Dash stared after him. "Shouldn't a punk like you be wearing a trenchcoat first?"

"Just shuddup and follow me already..."

"Mrmmmf... fine." Rainbow trudged after him. "This should be golden..."

After an awkwardly quiet ten minute walk, both ponies emerged into a forest clearing right as the sun came out. Drakshaa shuffled to a stop, then stepped aside. He gestured at the patch of grass ahead of him.

Rainbow Dash trotted forward, then halted in her tracks. Her lips pursed. "What is this...?"

"What's it look like?"

Before Rainbow Dash there lay several mounds of dirt, each with a freshly-planted wooden stake in the ground. On several of the dirtpiles, a few flowers had been gathered, along with tiny trinkets and effigies.

"These are fresh," Rainbow said. She gulped and looked Drakshaa's way. "But... I-I don't get it. Is th-there some horrible plague in Amulek or something? Because surely Merigold would have told me—"

"These aren't for the villagers of Amulek," Drakshaa said. "That cemetery isn't too far from here. No..." He shook his head and sighed. "These graves are special for a whole different reason."

Rainbow Dash blinked. Her ears folded. "The changelings..."

Drakshaa paced slowly past the wooden stakes. "It's been two months, and we're still finding them. That is to say... pieces of them." His nostrils flared. "Those horribad chaos creeps really did a number on your shape-shifting pals. We... really c-can't guess what leg belongs to who... or whatever parts we find. But once we're certain we've found enough to account for a single changeling, we bury them in this plot of land." He paused, staring up at the nearby mountain. "It's the least we can do, I suppose. I mean... not all of us can zip around the countryside willy-nilly. This is our home. We're stuck here... with both the beauty and the carnage that you left behind."

Rainbow Dash winced. "I... I-I never asked them to give their lives for me the way they did."

"I didn't say that." Drakshaa pivoted towards her. "What I am trying to say is that we're grateful." He shuffled towards Rainbow. "We, the ponies of Amulek, would have lost our necks if it weren't for the sacrifices that those bug-eyed things made." He came to a stop. "As well as the one you're making."

"Heh... what are you talking about?" Rainbow smirked bitterly. "I'm still here."

"I know that." Drakshaa nodded. "I also know that you and your air-buds are dead-set on getting to Val Roa. But you're not there yet..."

Rainbow winced slightly.

"Instead, you're hopping all over the countryside, saving the butts of other villages just like Amulek. And for what?" Drakshaa leaned his head to the side. "What could you possibly be benefitting from all this?"

"Uhm..." Rainbow shrugged. "A good night's rest?"

"Bullshit," Drakshaa spat. "I know profit-loss when I see it."

"We're not in it for that."

"No. You're in it for something else. And that's some rare crud right there," he said. He glanced back at the stakes. "I just hope that somepony won't have to be burying you like these poor guys. That's a pretty lousy reward."

"I dunno..." Rainbow Dash gulped. "From where I'm looking, it doesn't seem that lousy at all."

"Yeah, well, if a pony like you bites it—believe me—it'd be pretty lousy. Nevertheless..." Drakshaa looked at her dead-on. "You should know that what y'all are doing out here is greatly appreciated. Perhaps sometime you should stick around long enough to find out just how much."

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. She smiled faintly. "I think I may have been wrong about you."

"Yeah, well, we all may have been dicks." Drakshaa brushed past her. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got work to do. I'll let you get back to your own as well."

Rainbow stayed in the clearing, her ears twitching to the sound of his departing hoofsteps. She sat before the graves, took a deep breath, and hung her head.

Hitting Zaid is the Best Therapy

"Were any of them actually representatives of this 'Duchess of Sehlp?'" Rainbow Dash asked.

Pilate shook his head from where he sat in the mess hall. "No, although many of the ponies who've traveled through Gideon have also passed by the Sehlp Manor. Apparently there are many townships just like the Duchess'."

"How so?" Josho asked from where he sat.

Pilate tilted his head towards the obese stallion. "A good number of Val Roa's council members are aristocrats who own farmland out here in the country," he explained. "They hire common workhooves to work the land, and this breeds commerce and trade. The township of Sehlp is one such community—very old and traditional, but also very small and meagerly populated."

"Sounds quaint," Bellesmith said.

"Indeed. That's the same impression I got," Pilate remarked. "Not only that, but the tavern patrons of Gideon explicitly stated that the Duchess of Sehlp is currently residing in her manor."

"And not in Val Roa proper?" Eagle Eye asked.

Pilate shook his head. "It would seem that—in spite of Val Roa's closed borders—members of the government still get free passage in and out of the West Gate."

"You mean they're somehow impervious to the shield?" Props asked.

"No, but rather they're allowed through," Pilate said. "They have to go through all the proper channels, but they are nevertheless free to come and go."

"What for?"

"To perform their duty as members of the Ruling Council, I suspect."

"Just what does this Ruling Council do, exactly?" Rainbow asked from where she hovered.

"Well, primarily, they make up the kingdom's official legislature."

"I thought Val Roa was a monarchy," Ebon said. "So you mean to say that a council of ponies make up the law?"

"Oh, I'm certain the monarch still creates and enforces law," Pilate said. "But running a country is a complicated thing, and Val Roa represents—or at least used to represent—a colorful cornucopia of different, varying communities. My assumption is that the Ruling Council manages most of the laws, meanwhile the monarch can wield absolute power at any time."

"But some power may be granted to the Council to intervene on behalf of the general populace," Roarke thought aloud, "Even contrary to the monarch's decision."

"Precisely." Pilate smiled. "At least, that's the picture that was painted before myself and Mr. Spice yesterday. It's a relatively simple system, similar to the former Ledomaritan structure—albeit less convoluted."

"And you learned all of this from a bunch of drunk tavern ponies?" Zaid asked.

Pilate sighed.

"They weren't all drunk!" Booster Spice said. He fidgeted. "Just the ones we ignored."

"Delightful," Josho grunted. "So, how the hell is this Dipstick of Selfie—"

"Duchess of Sehlp."

"Whatever." Josho shrugged. "What's she to us?"

"Don't you get it?" Booster exclaimed. "She can tell us what's going on inside Val Roa!"

"Assuming she wants to," Roarke droned. "I can't fathom a way that we can gain her confidence that wouldn't come across as invasive."

"We could always kidnap her!" Props chirped.

Ebon grimaced. "Propsy! Are you out of your mind?!"

"Mmmmm..." The mare blushed. Ponytails flouncing, she slumped down to the table top. "So what if I've always wanted a pocket duchess of my own?"

"I'm sure we can find a way to be both reasonable and genteel with her," Bellesmith said with a smile. "Especially if she knows what we've done to help many of her fellow countryponies."

Eagle Eye squinted. "You mean use the heroics of the Noble Jury as leverage?"

"Why not?" Belle shrugged and placed a proud hoof on Pilate's shoulder. "It worked for my beloved!"

"Floydien isn't too fond fond of the striped boomer's honest spit," Floydien grumbled from the far end of the room. "Nancy Jane is meant to be an inside-out thief in the night, yes yes yes?"

"It was a gamble; I admit," Pilate said. His lips curved. "But it served us well in the end. No names or coordinates of our whereabouts were ever given."

"And besides!" Booster smirked. "We made a stealthy exit! I flew Whizzball out of there so swiftly that all the heads of Gideon spun!"

"They'd better have," Roarke grunted. "Or yours will."

Booster gulped.

"Okay, everypony calm down," Rainbow grunted.

"Since when was I 'everypony?" Roarke asked, squinting.

"Since now." Rainbow cleared her throat and faced the group as a whole. "Booster and Pilate did a great job. Nopony but the villagers of Amulek know who or where we are. I think Belle's got a good point: we could totally spring the truth on this Duchess character and see if it will make a difference."

"And if it doesn't?" Josho droned.

"Let's try to smile on the inside as much as we do on the outside for once," Rainbow said with a cynical grin. "After all, things have been going awesomely these past few weeks. Let's pretend that fate isn't entirely out there to harsh our buzz."

"Meh," Josho exhaled.

"B-Buzz?" Kera trotted out of the hallway, rubbing her eyes tiredly in the hazy morning light. "Did Ebon find more grasshoppers?"

"We're discussing what Booster and Pilate discovered yesterday, scampy," Zaid said with a smirk.

"We're gonna go glomp a duchess!" Props cheered.

"Really?" Kera blinked. "Is she waterproof?"

"Uhhh..." Ebon's mane scrunched. "Then is it official?"

Everypony looked at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow glanced at Roarke, then at the others. "I think we should do it. I'm so desperate to get inside Val Roa that I'll nuzzle a cactus."

"With the Grand Choke waiting for us, you just might," Zaid said with a smirk.

"But..." Rainbow raised a hoof. "First thing's first—"

"Wait..." Josho narrowed his eyes. "You mean something takes priority over this?! I figured this was our first big break in... forever."

Rainbow Dash spoke on: "I visited with our reconaissance buddies at Silver Point last night. They told me that they sensed an 'immense emotional signature' in the mountains northeast of here."

Ebon's eyes flickered green. "Northeast, d-did you say?"

Eagle looked at him. "Why, sweetie? Have you sensed something too?"

"Uhhhhh..." Ebon squirmed from all the eyes resting on him. He sank in his seat slightly. "Maybe a l-little..."

Belle smiled and turned towards Rainbow. "Could it be another hive?"

"I'm willing to guess it's something like that," Rainbow said. "It'll be a cold trip—"

"Oh wonderful," Josho moaned.

Rainbow continued: "—but, all things considered, it shouldn't be all that far of a flight. We've traveled that far north before, remember? When we..." She shivered slightly, wincing. "...when we tried to enter Val Roa the first time."

The group collectively shuddered.

"Please tell Floydien that the paint bucket isn't sending Nancy through that shimmer again."

"Not at all, Floydien. This time we're stopping for some tiny, nameless village shut away in the high, snowy mountains!"

"And that is better..." Zaid leaned forward. "...how?"

"Look, if worse comes to worse, only I will be the one to fly out and take a look around."

"You mean only you and me," Roarke growled.

"Like I s-said!" Rainbow smirked nervously. "Only me and Roarke! The rest of you can stay inside where it's warm and slice-of-lifey."

"But... b-but..." Ebon leaned forward. "It could be more changelings, right?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. I dunno."

"But this is somehow worth a visit over this Duchess chick?" Josho asked. "Seems like it's going out of our way—in more ways than one."

"It's closer to where we are now, Josho," Rainbow said. "And we can swing down south to the House of Sehlp immediately after."

"But—"

"The Jury is fast enough! Just two quick zaps of my pendant. Flash! Swoosh! There. Done."

"If it was a town being goblin-humped by the Green Bandits, then I would understand," Josho said.

"Understand this," Rainbow said, pointing for emphasis. "We owe the changelings our lives."

"We do?"

Rainbow's nostrils flared. "I do, and our friends who've helped us out in all of these recent Green Bandit butt-kickings will end up alone and starved if we don't find a way to reunite them with more of their kind! Now, are we an honorable bunch of jurists or aren't we?"

The group collectively muttered in enthusiastic approval.

"Rainbow's right," Eagle said firmly. "The changelings may have bumbled around in Amulek before we even got here, but—face it—they saved those villagers, and they're just as responsible for the good that's been done in Mosiah, Zeezrom, Ammon, and abroad. We can't let them down now. Besides, who knows what would happen if Chrysalis got to them first."

"Mmmm..." Ebon shuddered slightly. "Right..." He gulped.

Zaid smirked and pointed. "Pretty pink princess has a pretty pink point."

"Hey..." Eagle squinted. "Lay off, will ya?"

"Don't worry, sunshine. I'm already laying on somepony else."

"Uggggh..." Props kicked Zaid's chair out from underneath him. "Zaidy waidy!"

"Gah—" THUNK! Zaid's chin ricocheted off the tabletop as he rattled to the floor.

Kera giggled and Josho laughed.

"Haah haah haah... haaaaaaaaaaaah..." Josho sat up with a calm smirk. "Now I'm awake. Fine, let's do this cold mountain changeling shuffle."

"Assuming it is changelings," Belle murmured.

"Optimism, beloved." Pilate nuzzled her with a smile. "Optimism."

"So, then..." Rainbow rubbed her hooves together. "Is that a briefing or is that a briefing?"

"Say, it, Dashie!" Props hopped, ponytails flouncing. "Say 'set a course!'"

"Pffft!" Rainbow stuck her tongue out. "I will do no such darn thing!" A beat. She nodded Pilate's way. "Let the zebra do it. It's much cooler when he does."

"Ahem." Pilate stood up. "Mr. Floydien, set a course due northeast, the high snowy mountains bordering Val Roa."

"Yes yes yes..." Floydien was already marching down the hallway and towards the bow. "Just as soon as Paint Bucket Boomer gives the womb a zap."

"That's your queue," Roarke droned.

"The queue to be cute?" Rainbow brushed her feathers past Roarke and fluttered through the kitchen. "Thought you'd never ask!"

"Rrrnnnghh... you're lucky I love you..." Roarke trotted after her.

"Mmmff..." Josho picked his heavy self out of his chair. "I think I liked the blue fuzzball before she drowned in puppy love."

"Speak for yourself, old stallion," Eagle retorted.

"I do," he belched.

"Heh..."

"Awwwwww..." Props leaned down and helped a dizzy Zaid up. "Did I hurt you too much, Zaidy Waidy? I'm sorryyyyyyy..."

"Guhhh... all I see are birds..." The stallion rubbed his head. "...and each one of them wants to crap on my head."

Aurora, Goddess Sparkle, a Mountain Shade

FWOOOOOSH!

The Noble Jury rocketed through a snowy blanket of fog. It emerged on the other side, soaring over jagged peaks covered in show and frost. The mountains shot out of the earth at precarious angles, like giant talons racking against the gray, wintry sky. There was nary a plateau of even rock to be found.

As the vessel slowed to a graceful glide, its glowing skystone crystal glinted off the nearby peaks, highlighting the gloss to the otherwise razor-sharp cliffs and promontories. Deep ravines lit up below, looming with sleepy crimson shadows. The engines of the craft echoed off the walls of every chasm, filling the air with eerie resonance.

Fl-Flash!

Rainbow exhaled, lowering her hoof from her pendant and stepping away from the now-glowing tome.

Cl-Clank! Props slapped the cage around the enchanted book shut and turned towards Rainbow with a smile. "Wowzers, Dashzers!" A bright grin between her ponytails. "If only every airship had a living, fuzz-battery like yousa! Heehee! I bet we could sail to the moon and back!"

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow exhaled as she trotted across the engine room. "At least the moon doesn't have the Grand Choke between here and there."

"Come on... the place can't be that bad!"

"Props, I've been traveling for a long time, and lemme tell you." Rainbow gulped. "I've heard stories..."

"Dashie..."

"What's so big about the 'Grand Choke' anyway?" Zaid yawned from where he reclined on a cot, fiddling with a wrench. "Sounds like a vacation getaway for David Canterdine."

Rainbow opened her mouth to say something—

Creeak! The hatch to the Navigation Room opened up, and Kera stuck her face in. "Uhhhhh... the elk told me to tell you that we're there."

"Already?" Rainbow blinked.

"What?" Kera smirked. "Surprised that some things in this world can fly as fast as you?"

"Your muzzle certainly does."

"Hardy har har." Kera motioned with her horn. "Better hop, skip, and jump upstairs."

"Right. Right."

"And... uh... grab something warm."

"Meh."

"H-hey!" Kera pouted as Rainbow trotted past her. "I own that!"

"Sure you do."

"Spit sucking glimmer smudge!" Floydien snarled, angrily slapping his hoof over the switch to the windshield wipers again and again and again and again and again. "Floydien has had it up to her with snow flakes sticking to Nancy's nips!"

"Whelp..." Rainbow grunted, struggling to slip on her leather jacket. "If I wasn't awake before, I am now." She leaned forward inside the cockpit, squinting over the elk's shoulders. "What's the problem?"

"If Paint Bucket Boomer must know, the problem is trying to find Nancy's destination in all this blight blight!" He pointed a cloven hoof at the serrated landscape slicing at the ship's bow from below. "There is no place to land!"

"Then don't land!" Rainbow said. "Just look for a village and let us out!"

"Who's us exactly?" Josho asked as he climbed up the vertical passage.

"Funny you mention that!" Rainbow grinned. "Because I just started taking volunteers!"

"Bull! Since when?!"

Rainbow smirked even harder. "Since two seconds ago."

"Mmmmfff... who died and made you Captain?"

"I did," Rainbow droned. "Twice."

"Heh. Well put."

"Wait..." Shivering, Eagle Eye climbed up. "Who died?"

"Hey, what luck, princess!" Josho tugged the unicorn up and dropped the stallion beside him. "Rainbow's taking volunteers! Looks like we're going out there with her!"

"Ah jeez..." Eagle Eye hugged himself with his forelimbs, teeth clattering. "G-going out where?!"

"There!" Rainbow pointed over Floydien's shoulder at a cluster of buildings hugging the edge of a tall peak. "Wow... just how in the heck did they build this thing way up high?!"

"Spit," Floydien muttered. "Lots and lots of frozen spit."

"You're obsessed."

"Yes yes yes."

"Hrmmm..." Josho's muzzle scrunched. "Doesn't look very navigable."

"We'd better not drop there if we can't see any solid hoofing." Rainbow rubbed her chin, scanning the area below. "Hmmmm... there." She pointed at a patch of snow-covered stone located southwest of the peak. "We'll hop off there and scale our way to the structure. Doesn't look all that hard."

"Yeah..." Eagle shuddered. "Says you, Miss Wings-and-Pendant."

"We'll be fine, Miss Purse-and-Horn," Rainbow retorted. "Just wear something warm and grab your trusty shield. We've handled bomb-tossing goblins. This should be a walk in the park. A little bit of a nippy walk, but still—a walk nonetheless."

"Yeah, well, at least the goblins' incendiary grenades have been warm."

"Yes... but..." Rainbow sun and stared at the unicorn with bright, glistening eyes. "Not as warm and nourishing... as our friendship."

"... ... ..." Eagle Eye glared. "You're full of it."

"Right up to the hilt." Smirking, Rainbow opened the door and trotted out onto the top deck. "I'll go first!" she shouted into the heavy winds.

"Gaaaaaaaaaugh!" Eagle Eye shivered, scrunching up against a console as flecks of snow pelted his coat. "Nnnngh... old stallion? Before this day is over, I might end up cutting your belly open and sleeping inside you."

"Wouldn't that be incestuous at this point?"

"Oh, great..." Eagle's muzzle turned pale. "Maybe I can warm myself with my own vomit."

"Whatever." Josho shrugged and crawled downstairs for his gear. "Shut up and go fetch your wooliest corset."

"Brbrrbbrbrbrbrbrbrbrbrrr..."

Cl-Clank!

Roarke landed on the slab of icy rock beside Rainbow. Clad in her tight black armor, she stood up, squinting into the pelting breezes.

"Hmmmm..." Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. She turned towards Roarke. Vaporous breath exited her grinning muzzle. "Invigorating, isn't it?"

"Hrmffff..." Roarke jerked her neck, and her glossy black helmet folded shut around her skull. "Speak for yourself," the metal mare's voice crackled.

"What are you waiting for, boys?!" Rainbow shouted up to the floating Jury. "The water's fine!"

"Httt!" Eagle Eye hopped down, aiming his glide with a beam of violet telekinesis. He landed—then slipped. "Wh-whoah!"

Fl-Flash! Josho teleported beside him, steadying the petite stallion with a pulse of magic. "Seriously, with all the ballet you do—"

"Quit it!" Eagle hissed, then caught his breath. "Unnnngh..." He squirmed in his dark black coat. "I-I really should have had this thing pressed..."

"Okay, everypony, we're gonna do this carefully!" Rainbow flapped her wings and hovered above the group. She strained against the blistering winds as she shouted, "I'm going to fly a bit ahead to scout out the area! Josho, you take point for the rest of the group! Roarke will take up the rear! EE, you're in the middle!"

"Same old story, same old song and dance," Eagle sighed.

"Don't sing until we get to the bridge." Josho pumped his shotgun. "How far to the buildings, Captain, my Captain?"

"About two hundred meters! I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but let's do this slowly! It's not like we're in a race with anypony!"

"I don't even know what we're friggin' looking for."

"Changelings," Roarke said. "Presumably lots of them."

"Great, another arctic wasteland, another bug hunt. I'm detecting a pattern here."

"Yes," Roarke nodded. "In every situation, you're always complaining."

"Words to live by from the world's smartest fire hydrant."

"Say... uh..." Eagle Eye squirmed, his shield rattling across his shivering flank. "What if there's an avalanche?"

Josho grumbled, "Just be sure to snap my neck before you draw and quarter my flank into a pot roast."

"Cute. Can we go marching into the obvious trap, now?"

"After me!" Rainbow said, zipping ahead.

Through the portholes along the mess hall, several Jurists watched the four ponies trudge up the uneven mountain pass.

"By the Spark..." Bellesmith shook her head in awe. "They are truly the bravest among us."

"I still don't see why Eagle and Josho had to go," Booster Spice remarked, adjusting his goggles. "Couldn't Roarke and Rainbow handle this on their own?"

"Just because those two mares carry the team doesn't mean they have to carry the team," Zaid said. "Y'know what I mean, dude?"

"Mr. Zaid, I've been with this group for two month, and I hardly ever know what you mean."

"That's how we know you fit in!"

"Are they making much progress, beloved?" Pilate asked.

"It's hard to say," Belle said. "They're having to endure such grueling elements, freezing to the bone and battling hypothermia." Her nostrils flared. "You know, it's times like these where we can stand back and look at ourselves at pride. Even in the harshest of environments, we tackle the greatest challenges head-on, even in the complete absence of luxury."

"I know, right?" Ebon trotted up wtih a steaming tray full of mugs. "Hot cocoa, anypony?"

"Yes. Please." Belle, Booster, Zaid, and Pilate all grabbed a cup and sipped heartily.

Rainbow gritted her teeth, pushing her way bravely against an inclement blizzard. She paused to hover and squint ahead. Fifteen minutes into the trek, and they were barely a quarter of the way to their destination.

"I hate to be the first pony to spout this, but—" Eagle began.

"Then don't!" Roarke hissed.

"—are we there yet?"

"Unnnnnnngh..." Roarke helmet-hoofed. "Searon spare me... once a breeder, always a breeder."

"In all seriousness, color wheel!" Josho shouted against the wind, steadying himself and Eagle Eye with a fatherly hoof. "Did the wind just pick up, or is it just me?!"

"You're not imagining it!" Rainbow exclaimed. "This is some of the most unpredictable weather I've seen! I think it's got something to do with just how freaky these mountains are shaped! It's making the wind go nuts at random!"

"Then do we fall back?!"

"Not on your life! We came this far; we gotta see what's in those buildings—"

"One hundred meters ahead and closing," Roarke suddenly droned.

"H-huh?!" Rainbow's voice cracked.

Josho leaned in. "Just what is 'one hundred meters and closing,' Queen McVagueTongue?"

"A heat signature," Roarke muttered, her helmet flickering a bright red. "It's descending from the peaks ahead of us, getting warmer by the second."

"But... but..." Rainbow squinted. "I don't see—"

"I do!" Eagle Eye pointed. "Coming this way! And fast!"

"Don't have to tell me twice," Josho grumbled, whipping out his shotgun.

"No, wait!" Eagle Eye steadied the stallion. "No need for that!"

"The hell do you know?!"

"Trust me!"

All four Jurists waited, quiet and tense.

Before them, a gray figure could be seen—hopping and hopping from mountain peak to mountain peak. It bounded closer at an alarming rate, its fuzzy body flouncing with each bounce.

"What..." Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth against the blizzard's winds. "...the heck?"

At last, a tall-tall quadruped with shaggy hair landed right in front of them. Piping hot hydraulic leg-riggings hissed steam along his fetlocks, melting some of the ice around his dark hooves. Snow clung to his eggshell white wool as he raised a pair of goggles above and smiled with droopy lips.

"Hi there!" He grinned, twitching. "I'm Winree!"

The four jurists blinked at him, then at each other.

"It's a llama name!" he said, twitching again. Then, with an icy breath, he leaned forward. "My God, you all look tasty..."

All four flinched. Eagle Eye unsheathed his mechanical sword—

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Winree leaned back, wheezed, and grinned again. "Get it?! It's a llama joke! Y'know... for llamas!"

The four relaxed with a cold shudder.

"We are not llamas," Roarke's voice crackled.

"God, I'd hope not! Cuz if I woke up every morning looking any less beautiful, I'd throw myself off a cliff! Then eat myself! HA! That was another joke!" Winree slapped the mountain with his hoof. "Hehehehehe—guahhhhh—But seriously. Lemme extend a warm llama welcome to you all!"

"Jee, that's... uhm..." Eagle fidgeted.

"You've got nothing to worry about!" Winree grinned twitchingly. "This high up, spit freezes!"

"That must suck," Josho said.

"Naw, mostly it just sticks to the fur. HA! Boy, I'm on a roll. You must forgive me! The only new faces we ever see around here are the ones we accidentally make in the cesspool!"

"We had no idea," Roarke droned.

"Uhm..." Eagle stepped forward. "Who exactly is 'we?'"

"Me and my buddies!" Winree spun and pointed at the mountainous village. "Up there in Ether Point!"

"Ether Point?" Eagle Eye remarked.

"Lemme guess," Josho droned. "A llama name."

Winree gasped. "How'd you know?!"

"What are you doing up here?"

"Who, we? We're studying the Aurora Borealis!"

"Wow, you're scientists or something?"

"Pretty much!"

"What have you discovered about the Aurora Borealis!"

"It's bright!" Winree said with a grin.

The group stared in silence.

"Also, sometimes pretty!" Winree shrugged. "But hey! Who's counting?! Besides us?!" He twitched. "Every night!" He twitched again. "For months at a t-time!"

"Ahem..." Rainbow Dash hovered lower. "Say, Winree, we were wondering if you ran into—"

"Wh-whoah ho ho!" The llama spun with forelimbs waving. "What are you doing out of your cage?!"

Rainbow Dash blinked. "...buh?"

"Now now... we talked about this, you silly goose..." Winree waved a disciplinary hoof at her while smirking. "Your and your sisters, always flying the coop. You want a share of the nibbles tonight or not?!"

"I... have no friggin' clue what you're going on about."

"Now she catches up," Josho groaned.

Roarke trotted forward. "Have you... seen this mare before?"

"Pfft! Who hasn't?!" Winree rolled his eyes and chuckled. "They basically blot out the sky!"

"'They?'"

"Which, at night, is something of a heavenly respite, but... heh heh heh heh..." Winree spun towards Rainbow again. "Wherever you found that jacket, I suggest you put it back, young lady."

"I believe you're mistaken, you see—she's—"

Rainbow flew in front of Roarke, grinning. "I'm sorry, Winree!" she exclaimed in a girlish tone. "But, I got so excited flying around in this weather, I got lost!" She fluttered her eyelashes. "Would you be kind enough to help me back to Ether Point?"

"Why, I thought you'd never ask!" Winree turned, grinning, towards the rest. "How would you like to come along?! We'd love to have some company up in the research camp!"

"Yeah, I bet you would," Josho said.

"Come on! It'll be fun!" The llama smiled. "We've got sticks!"

Eagle Eye bit his lip.

"I think you'd better lead the way, Winree!" Rainbow Dash chirped.

"Yupperooni!" Winree slapped his goggles back on and spun about. "Just follow me and try not to burst into a bloody mess against the rocks below! Hahahaha—but seriously, though, hop this way." Ch-CHTUNG! His hydraulic braces sent him flying in a curved arc. The llama landed with a thud on a distant peak, fired away again, and propelled himself towards another cliff. In such a swift fashion, he bounced his way expertly back to base.

"I swear, I've lived too long," Josho wheezed. "Life's running out of sane shit to throw at me."

"Let's just play along, guys," Rainbow said. "I think there's a special reason why he recognizes me."

"I don't know what you're cooking, Rainbow," Roarke said. "But it better not smell ike pony."

"Don't worry." Rainbow Dash flew on ahead as she the led the group after Winree's hopping-stones. "If worse comes to worse, I'll be the first to headbutt."

"But you're always the first to headbutt."

"Shut up."

At last, the group scaled the last cliff. Before them stood Ether Point, most prominently a building made out of metal shingles that covered a cave carved into the tallest peak. Icicles and permafrost clung to the buildingface. Winree was waiting, as were three other llamas huddled around a burning oil drum.

"Hey! You made it!" Winree chirped, smiling at the four as they limped across the frosted distance. "And in four pieces, too!" He nudged the llama beside him. "Too bad for your appetite, huh?! Hahahaha—but seriously, glad none of you got eviscerated on the rocks."

"Your sincerity is most gratifying," Roarke slurred.

Rainbow shushed her and landed on soft legs. "So... uhm... where's this cage that I belong to?"

"You're looking at it!" Winree spun and pointed towards the giant building. "The supply hut! Where we keep our provisions! Wow, you and your sisters really don't have much of an appetite, do ya? Not that I'm complaining—what with us down to the least flavored rations and all. But hey! Heheheh... who doesn't like bread and water... and m-more bread?"

"Uhhhh—"

"OH!" Winree gasped, grinning wider. "I forgot to introduce you to my study buddies!" He trotted past the other three llamas, laying a hoof on their shivering shoulders, one at a time. "This is Sam! This is also Sam! And this here is Dave!" He grinned, twitching. "Together, they are all Sam."

"But..." Eagle pointed, teeth clattering. "I thought you said his name was—"

"A girl is going right into a grass region!" Dave stammered, his neck jerking as he drooled. "Rnnngh! Some oranges hate killing art hats that ordain anarchy!"

"As I said." Winree grinned and grinned. "They are all Sam."

"Erm..." Eagle stood nervously behind Josho. "I-I see..."

"Say, Winree..." Rainbow Dash glanced over. "...Sam." She smiled. "Any chance we could step inside?"

"But you're already inside!" Winree said, smiling. "Most of you, that is! Heehee!"

"Well, I wanna... uh... complete the circle, so to speak!" Rainbow's eyes thinned. "After all, I gotta return this jacket to the supply hut."

"Totally roonily!" Winree hopped over to the metal doors. "Where is my mind?! Way out, in the water, see it spitting! HA! That one's an oldie... y'know... as old llama jokes go..."

"Just let us take a peak inside, Winree, and you can tell us all the llama jokes you want."

"Oooh, you mean it?! That's fuzztastical!" Winree giggled lightly. "Cuz the aurora certainly doesn't listen to me, and Sam is kind of... nnngh..." He shoved the metal door open with a loud scraping noise. "...surly th-these days!"

A bright warm light shone across Rainbow's figure. "Well, count yourself lucky that we..." She stepped inside, only to stumble to a stop. "...came here." Her muzzle dropped.

Dozens upon dozens of voices cracked from inside the torch-lit supply building.

"Whoah, awesome! It's me again!"

"Awesome!"

"Awesome!"

"Awesome!"

"Cool!"

"Awesome!"

Roarke trotted up beside Rainbow Dash, her glossy helmet reflecting nearly a hundred pairs of ruby eyes. "Hmmm... all things considered, this was a great deal more rewarding than I anticipated."

Rainbow grimaced. "You've got to be friggin' kidding me..."

Winree stuck his woolie head in. "Go on and put the jacket down anywhere! Just don't roll over it while wrestling with yourself like you always do! Hah hah hah! That's a new llama joke..."

Life and Times of Winning Dashies

"Whoah, cool!" A prismatic pegasus flew up to Rainbow Dash. "You look just like me!"

"Dude!" Another flew up. "You look just like me!"

"D-dude!" Another. "You and you look like me and the other me!"

"Oh yeah?!"

"Yeah!"

Two of the pegasi tackled each other, rolling across the supply station with a series of grunts and voice-cracking yelps. They knocked over barrels full of metal tools while the other Rainbows gathered in a circle, whooping and chanting.

"Awesome, a fight!"

"Awesome, a fight!"

"Awesome, a fight!"

"EE?" Josho grumbled.

"Yeah, old st-stallion?"

"I did quit the booze months ago, right?"

"I hope so..."

"I hope so too."

FWOOOSH! Another pegasus flew into the group and hovered before Eagle Eye. "Hey, Twilight! Lookin' spiffy!"

Fwooosh! "Yeah! Nice shield, Twilight!"

Swisssh! "Why's your muzzle so freaky looking, Twilight?"

"Uhhhhhh..." Eagle Eye nervously backed away from the grinning pegasi. "Wh-who's Twilight...?"

"Nnnngh..." Rainbow Dash hovered beside Roarke, face-hoofing. "Why me...?"

"Because..." Roarke spoke underneath her helmet. "...if they all chose to impersonate a breeder like Zaid, the mountain would have imploded by now."

"No, I get why they're all 'me!'" Rainbow exclaimed. "When I dethroned Chrysalis, I gave the zap to every brood on this plane! But..." Rainbow grimaced. "Why aren't they—y'know—in default?!"

"H-huh?!" Eagle Eye flashed her a weird look.

"You know... default!"

"Rainbow, they're changelings, not plastic molds!"

"You sure?" Josho droned. "You're pretty good at making Ebon melt."

"Josho... tch..."

"Say, uh, not to be a sore llama, but..." Winree hopped into view on steaming leg-braces. "What's a changeling?"

"These are, ya woolie talking penis," Josho grunted. "You've been harboring a bunch of secret bug-eyed shape shifters and you don't even know it."

"Hah!" Winree grinned with twitching eyes. "You mean these fuzzy wuzzies?! Since when has something so cute been so deceptive?!"

"He's really starting to annoy me," Rainbow Dash grumbled.

"Is that so? I'm only now beginning to warm up to him," Roarke droned.

Rainbow glared aside at her. "You must be eating this all up, aren't you?"

"Not necessarily," the metal mare said, staring at the group of wrestling, cavorting rainbows. "However... hmmm... that could swiftly be remedied."

"Ugh... That's it!" Rainbow marched straight forward and stomped her hooves. "Everypony! Listen up!"

Every doppelganger froze, locking eyes on Rainbow's figure.

"You've had your fun, but it's time to ditch these frozen spittakers and own up to who and what you really are!" Rainbow hovered high to the metal ceiling. Her voice resonated, rattling icicles and clumps of frost in the torchlight. "Months ago, Queen Chrysalis—your 'mother'—lost control of you and every other hatchling across the globe! For some changelings, this meant new and unprecedented freedom! For others, this meant having to sacrifice their lives to patch up the nasty stuff Chrysalis had set into motion! Now... you guys are in a pickle of your own, but you don't even know it! Not that I blame you for picking such an awesome form to shape-shift into, but game over! You gotta wake up to who and what you really are! These llama dudes have enough on their hooves without having to deal with—"

"Pffft! What are you talking about, dude?!"

"What are you taling about, dude?!"

"I'm Rainbow Dash, and I'm awesome!"

"I'm Rainbow Dash! I'm awesome!"

"There ain't nothing awesomer than me but me!"

"Nopony's awesomer than me!"

"Listen!" Rainbow sputtered. "I'm trying to tell you that you've made a huge mistake! I'm flattered—really! But you gotta change into—"

"I'm awesome!"

"Awesome!"

"Awesome!"

"Awesome!"

"Dang it! Cut it out! You... rrrrrrgh!" Rainbow Dash pulled at her mane.

"Snkkkt—Heeheeheee!" Eagle Eye fell against Josho's side, giggling so hard that tears squeezed out of his eyes. "Ohhhhhh ho ho ho ho this is too rich!"

"Don't encourage them," Rainbow growled.

"Why not?!" Eagle Eye grinned. "They make for a great role model! Don't you think?"

"Hey, Rainbow," Josho spoke with a smirk. "No biggie, but any chance we could stack them all together from end-to-end? I wanna see if there's a pot of gold beneath the hundredth mare's flank."

"I am the real Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow snarled while the stallions giggled.

"Hey... uhm..." Winree leaned in to Josho, grinning twitchingly. "Any chance I-I could steal that last one? We're short on more than just oxygen up here, not that I'm complaining. Heeheehee—" He spontaneously choked and wheezed.

"Perhaps if you appealed to their logic," Roarke spoke up. "Used something to convince them that you couldn't possibly be part of their brood."

Rainbow Dash brightened upon hearing that. With a devilish smirk, she flew in the center of the group and cleared her throat. "Hey... look alive, bozos!" Several blue muzzles tilted up to face her. "If I'm one of you guys..." She grinned and showed off the jacket clinging tightly to her figure. "Then how come I'm wearing something like this?! It's not as though the llamas had any to spare and—" The room lit up with countless green flashes. "OH COME ON!"

"Hey! Awesome jacket!"

"Thanks! Hey! Awesome jacket!"

"Thanks! Hey! Awesome jacket!"

"Thanks! Hey! Awesome jacket—!"

As the doppelgangers twirled about, showing off their warm, matching outfits, Josho trotted up. "Don't sweat it, Rainbow. At least they can't mimic your pendant."

FL-FLASH!

"Dude! You brought your Element!"

"Sweet! You brought yours too!"

"Dude!"

"Sweet!"

"Dude!"

"Mrmmffff..." Rainbow glared daggers down at Josho.

"Whelp..." The obese stallion shrugged. "You're screwed." He trotted back to Winree and Eagle Eye. "Have fun with your rugby teams."

"There just has to be a way to get them to recognize who they really are!" Eagle exclaimed.

"Yes," Roarke murmured. "Because spontaneous existential crises have worked so well for Elma and Ebon."

"I'm with Eagle on this," Josho said. "This is just too many to deal with, and we haven't got all the time in the world to spend here in a winter llama land."

"Oh, it gets warmer in the summer!" Winree chirped. "Our spit actually reaches the lower elevations!"

"Okay!" Rainbow slapped her hooves together. "I'm telling you for the last time, guys! I'm the real Rainbow Dash! And what's more..." She narrowed her eyes. "I can prove it!"

FWOOOOSH! All of the pegasi flew up and stared the mare down.

"Oh yeah?!"

"Ready to put your money where your muzzle is?!"

"What you've got, chump?!"

Rainbow smirked. "I've brought everything on the table, under the table, and smashing through the table!" She sneered. "If any of you are really Rainbow Dash, then you can never lose at anything!"

"That's for dang sure!"

"Buck yeah!"

"I'm the winningest pony there ever friggin' was!"

"Is that so?!" Rainbow folded her forelimbs. "Well, I've got news for you! There can only be one winner, and that's me! Wanna see for yourselves?" She spat. "I challenge each and every one of you to a race!"

Eagle Eye and Josho did double-takes.

"Uhmmm..." Roarke fidgeted in her armor. "Rainbow Dash...?"

"You heard me!" Rainbow threw her forelimbs up. "Everypony heard me!" She pointed into the thick of the blue fuzzy group. "If I race all of you and win, then that proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that I'm the real Rainbow Dash—the one and only—and the rest of you losers are just making pretend!"

"Pffft! As if!"

"You're so full of it..."

"You're all talk and no trot!"

"What's the matter?" Rainbow hissed. "You cowards?"

The entire supply station went dead silent—like a grave. Every feathery body froze as if time itself had stopped.

Winree glanced left. He glanced right. "PINDROP!" He slapped his knee and giggled incessantly. "Hahahaha... ohhhhhhhhh I'm so hungry."

FWOOOOOSH! No less than four dozen Dashes thrusted their sneering faces into Rainbow's muzzle.

"You can't call me 'coward' and get away with it!"

"You wanna race?!"

"You're on, bucko!"

"Good! Fine!" Rainbow spun around and slid the door open to the wintry gale. "Right this way, slowpokes—"

FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FW-FWOOSH! The entire flapping herd of Rainbows soared out the front entrance, filling the interior with an ear-splitting tempest.

Eagle Eye and Josho clung to each other. "Nnnngh...R-Rainbow Dasssssh!"

Outside, the three llamas fell as the mass of pegasi roared over their heads, extinguishing the flames of their burning barrel.

"Hey!" one Sam sputtered. "We were using that!"

"Get your own mountain!" shouted the other Sam, shaking his hoof.

"Just essay!" added Dave, cross-eyed.

"Rainbow..." Roarke hobbled out of the supply shed in creaking armor. She stammered, "You'd better know what you're doing!"

"Sure don't!" Rainbow shouted, grinning madly as she hovered ahead of the group. "Uhhhhh..." She pointed towards the western horizon. "There! See that mountain with the crooked peak?! We'll fly around that and then back! First to touch down on the llama's plateau is the winner—and the real me! Got it?!"

"Got it!"

"Got it!"

"Let's do this already!"

"Alright!" Rainbow cracked the joints in her neck. "On your mark, get set—"

Sw-Sw-Sw-Sw-Swissssh! Several bodies already soared past her, spinning Rainbow Dash in the air.

"Guhhh!" She gathered her balance, gasping. "Hey! You... y-you friggin' cheated!"

"Heeheehee!"

"Heehee!"

"Haaaah ha ha ha ha hahhhh!"

"Grrnnnghhh!" Eyes on fire, Rainbow rocketed after the flock of herself, slicing the snowy air in twain as she struggled to catch up to the group.

Take a Healthy Dose of WIN

Props crawled up into the cockpit of the Noble Jury.

"Hi hi, handsome!" She smiled with flouncing ponytails. "How's Nancy handling the nips? Heehee!"

"She's flying stable," Floydien muttered, turning a few dials from where he sat. "But she could use more of the zap zap from paint bucket boomer."

"Mmmhmmm..." Props sipped from a mug of hot cocoa. "Y'know... is it just me, or is she needing to zap that thing more and more in shorter spans of time?"

"Floydien thinks that the book no longer needs her," the elk said. "And paint bucket boomer no longer needs the book."

"Yeah. Freaky." Props shivered. "What do you suppose that means?"

"Floydien can't pretend to know that spit," the pilot said, suddenly leaning forward, his red eyes squinting. "East horse's destiny is... very... mysterious..." His muzzle scrunched at the sight of multiple, multiple blue bodies all surging the Jury's way. "Hmmmm..."

"What is it, handsome?"

He slowly reached a cloven hoof back. "May Floydien borrow blonde boomer's mug?"

"Uhhh..." Props shrugged. "Sure!" She hoofed him the hot cocoa.

"Thank thanks." Floydien took a sip and spat all over the windshield. "Psskkkttt!"

"Ackies!" Props flinched. "Handsome?! What gives—?!"

SW-SW-SW-SW-SWOOOOSH! A hundred Rainbow Dashes soared through the snowy air, rocking the Noble Jury off-center as their giggles rang through the bulkheads.

"... ... ..." Props' blue eyes blinked. "Gimme th-that mug!"

"Here..." Floydien hoofed it back to her.

She took a big sip, leaned forward, and spat all over the windshield too. "Spkkkttt!"

FWOOOOOOSH!

Outside, a solid train of blue fuzz and rainbow hair soared toward the crooken mountain peak to the west. The air resonated with raspy chuckles and voice-cracking giggles.

Through it all, one determined pegasus bobbed and weaved. Gritting her teeth, Rainbow Dash threaded her way through the massive flight and pulled herself toward the front of the pack. She squinted against the pelting snow, her vision foggy from the sheer distortion of air that all of the powerful wings caused.

"You're going down!" one of the dozens of pegasi shouted.

"Oh yeah?!" Rainbow grunted, eyes tearing. She opened her mouth again—

"IN HISTORY, MAYBE!" the entire atmosphere thundered.

Rainbow winced. "Celestia on a trampoline..." Holding her breath, she angled her wings, dove down, bounced off a flurry of cold air, and propelled herself upwards. She was nearly at the head of the group, inching her way past several blue bodies and shoulders and—

Wh-Whap!

"Gaugh!" Rainbow yelped, nearly being thrown off course. As they approached the crooked mountain, she glanced aside. "Did one of you just bump into me?!"

"Pfft! No!" said one, while another—

Wh-Wham!

"Aaugh!" Rainbow yelped again, struggling for balance. "Knock it off! You..." She grimaced. "You cheater!"

"Quit hitting yourself!"

Whap!

"Quit hitting yourself!"

Smack!

"Quit hitting yourself!"

Th-Thwap!

"Eeh hee hee hee!"

"Hah hah hah hah!"

"Rghhh... Luna's nipple!" Rainbow wheezed, shrugging off the multiple hard-contacts. "H-how could I possibly suck this bad?!"

Just as she wheezed those words, the flock finally reached the crooked mountain. She held her breath, weathering the g-forces as she and all of the doppelgangers spun sharply around the jagged peak. Then, evening out, the group flew back towards Ether Point in a solid line. The air thundered from every set of wings flapping harder to boost themselves down the final straightaway.

"Can't let them win..." Rainbow hissed under her breath. She felt her sweat freezing across her brow as she pushed her wing muscles to the limit. "Think about the changelings back at Amulek..." Her eyes narrowed. "I owe it to th-them...!"

"They're coming back around," Josho said from the llamas' plateau.

"EE," Roarke spoke. "Can you tell who's ahead?"

"Uhhhhh..." Eagle Eye sighed, shrugging his forelimbs and slapping them down. "Rainbow Dash is... pulling ahead of Rainbow Dash."

"This will prove to be a real migraine if she doesn't win this," Josho grumbled.

"Yeah!" Eagle scratched his head and glanced at the others. "Who'll we tell who's who?"

"Oooh!" Winree slid in, grinning. "We pluck their tail hairs loose and listen to who yelps the loudest!"

"Creative," Roarke droned. "But no."

"Say... uhm..." Winree chuckled nervously. "I-I don't suppose you have any fishsticks under th-that helmet of yours, huh?"

"Shhhh!" Eagle Eye hissed. "Here they come!"

"Ledo's vulva, I'm so glad I didn't bet silver on this," Josho mused.

"Grnnngh... hnnngh..." Rainbow pulled and pulled and pulled herself ahead of the group. Then—on a dangerous whim—she spun around and flew backwards, facing the group. "Okay! For the last time! I'm the real Rainbow Dash! You're all are just changeling copies!"

"Pffft! As if!"

"It's not over yet!"

"Say your prayers, punk!"

"All my life, I've only ever done things the hard way!" Rainbow shouted, her eyes flickering red-on-yellow. Her pendant glowed and the ends of her mane turned stiff with static energy. "And that's the only way to show you the truth! The hard way!"

With that, she twirled around and shot forward with incredible speed.

"Watch and learn, dudes!" Rainbow's voice echoed behind her as her body formed a vaporous pale cone of compressed air. "This... is what you call winning!"

KA-POWWWWWWWW! The air exploded with a spherical flash of prismatic light, issuing outward in every direction.

The dozens of Rainbow Dashes gasped—only to be blown back and knocked off balance by the sheer force of the sonic rainboom. One by one, their blue bodies fell towards the plateau below.

"She did it!" Eagle Eye beamed. He hopped up and down. "The real Rainbow did it! Woohooo!"

"The borealis!" Winree shrieked, his bright eyes reflecting the heavens as the rainbow glow instantly cleared the sky of all gray snowclouds. "The aurora! The aurora!" He hopped up and down on steaming leg-braces. "Sam! Sam! Take notes! Take notes!" While the other llamas scrambled, Winree paced back and forth, pulling at his face-wool. "Nnnnnngh—GOD! I hope we can somehow eat that!"

Swisssssssh! Rainbow hurled down like a color-streaking missile. She ricocheted off the ground, grunted, and slid across the plateau's ice.

Wh-Whump! Roarke caught her with metal-laced limbs. Cl-Clak! She retracted her helmet armor, squinting at her with thin, proud eyes. "Congratulations. You just smoked your own flanks."

"Mmmmfnngh..." Rainbow rubbed her forehead as her mane slowly, slowly settled in place. "Now I know how Fluttershy felt..." She lifted one leg. "Look. Tell me... are butterflies appearing?"

"You're delirious."

"Love you too." Rainbow stood up on wobbly legs, her pendant still flickering. "Nnngh... ooh ra." A brief smirk, and then she blinked. "Wh-where the hay did they go?"

"Don't fret, speedy," Josho said, pointing at the sky. "Here they come now."

"Uh oh..." Eagle Eye helf a hoof over his muzzle.

Slowly, the Rainbow Dashes descended, and each one of them had a look of worry and sadness spread across their muzzles. Within the span of a minute, all one hundred-odd of them were perched along the ledges of Ether Point.

"But... b-but..."

"I don't understand..."

"I'm awesome..."

"Aren't I awesome...?"

"I... I..."

"Nopony said you can't be awesome," Rainbow Dash said, pacing forward along with Roarke. With the blizzard completely eradicated, her voice carried far in the crisp, mountain air. "You just don't have it in you to be awesome in the same exact way."

"I... we..." One doppelganger grimaced as its body reverted to a black shell under green flame. "We were wrong the whole time..."

"Mother..." Another sniffled, its blue fuzz and ruby eyes replaced with dark gloss and glazed green. "She... she abandoned us..."

Eagle Eye bit his lip. He turned to look at Josho.

Josho looked back. He nodded. Holding his breath, he spun, faced west, and disappeared with a pulse of magic. Fl-Flash!

"Now look..." Rainbow stepped up to one of the many changelings, tilting its chin up. "Don't be so glum! It just so happens that 'being me' is a job for three ponies: Me, myself, and I."

"But... y-you've done so much good!" one wheezed. "And we..." It sniffled. "We've done so much bad..."

"It was so righteous being you," another stammered, its clear eyes leaking tears. "You were the only one strong enough to face up against Mother..."

"That's not true!" Rainbow grinned. "My friends wouldn't have survived the perils they did if it weren't for shape-shifters—brothers and sisters just like you—who defied what they were in the past and stood up for saving their fellow equines!" She motioned with her hooves. "And in my travels, I've met other changelings who sacrificed their all just so that innocent ponies could live! You are capable of living past what your 'Mother' made you out to be! You just have to trust in yourself and have faith!"

"Faith in what?" A changeling choked on a sob. "We have no future. We don't even have a home!"

Fl-Flash! Josho rematerialized with a powerful teleportation spell. A timid earth pony shivered in his grasp.

"Rainbow..." Eagle Eye motioned at the pegasus and pointed at Ebon Mane.

Rainbow smirked. She faced the changelings once again. "If you don't believe me, then lemme introduce you to a pony who you can believe. A pony with first-hoof knowledge about what you're going through."

Eagle took Ebon's hoof.

Ebon smiled at him, then trotted across the icy plateau with a brave breath. Shuffling past the llamas, he faced the many-many changelings and said, "I know a lot of thoughts are going through your head right now. I went through the same thing. All things considered, I-I still am. But... you have to believe me... you can pull through this."

The Noble Jury's cook took a deep breath. Slowly, a green band of flame ran down his body, exposing a petite changeling that looked identical to the rest.

The broodlings blinked, their gossamer wings twitching in curiosity.

Eagle Eye trotted up from behind Ebon and nuzzled him.

"Hmmm..." The changeling smiled in Eagle's embrace. He reopened his misty eyes and said, "You can find a purpose. What's more, you can find love. It's okay to be scared... at f-first... but soon you'll discover that the best thing you're capable of doing is adapting."

"Adapting?" one changeling murmured. "How?"

"Have a seat," Ebon said, squatting beside Eagle Eye as the herd of insectoid equines gathered around. "I think it's time we had a long... long talk..."

The Ships Have Sailed, Quite Honestly

"All aboard who's collapsing aboard!" Zaid exclaimed, waving his hoof from where he stood atop the Noble Jury's starboard deck. He smirked while Josho hopped off the snowy plateau and landed by his side. "Welcome back to the ship, ship."

"Please," Josho muttered as he made a bee-line for the rear stairwell. "The ship ship is down by thirty-eight percent for the time being."

"Heh..." Zaid winked. "The fact that you understood me well enough to respond with that shows that I've made progress with you."

"Blow it out your cult hole."

"Spoken like a true whale." Zaid leaned over the airship's wooden railing. "That enough grilled cheese, for you?!"

"Yes! Very!" Sam the Llama exclaimed.

"It's absolutely s-sufficient!" Sam the other Llama said, gripping the stack of piping-hot containers.

"Salamander squirrel ripcord!" added Dave.

"Thank you for not dying of cold before you got to Ether Point!" Winree exclaimed, waving a woolie hoof. "Also for taking those bug horses off our shoulders! That was pretty swell too!"

"Besides, they tasted sour whe we licked their shells."

"Sam says bye, everypony!"

"Good bye!" Bellesmith, Kera, Props, Pilate, and Booster Spice exclaimed, waving with pleasant expressions. "Good luck with the borealis!"

Kera glanced up at her foster mother. "So, are we ditching these mountain flouncers or what?"

"Shhhhh! Kera, darling!"

"Hey, just one sec!" Rainbow shouted, gliding across the plateau to where the three remaining Jurists huddled around Whizzball.

There, Ebon Mane stood before a thick crowd of changelings—all staring at him with bright, blinking eyes.

"You'll like it where we are going!" Ebon said with a smile. "For one, it's a lot warmer. For another, there are plenty of ponies to share emotion with. For a third, there're countless numbers of plants and herbs to make scrumptious meals out of!"

"But... but..." One changeling shifted nervously. "We don't need the same kind of sustenance as your friends."

"That's just it!" Ebon grinned. "Not having to eat food can actually make you pretty darn good at serving it! And if there's one way to a non-shapeshifting pony's heart—no matter the race—it's food!"

"Could you... t-teach us how to make this food?"

"Not only that..." Ebon smirked. "I can teach you how to make it well."

"That's just what this continent needs," Roarke droned, her eyes thin above a subtle smirk. "An army of empathic cooks."

"Well, if anypony can make it work, Ebon sure can!" Eagle Eye exclaimed.

"Yeesh!" Rainbow Dash touched down. "Look who's pony of the hour!"

Ebon spun around, blinking. "Who, m-me?"

"You were shoveling out grilled cheese and vegetables over the past three hours for the llamas over there," Rainbow said, motioning. "And now you're about to lead a bunch of changelings to a new, glorious home." She winked. "Real renaissance stallion you've won yourself, Eagle Eye."

"Yeah, well..." Eagle Eye folded his forelimbs. "I-I liked Ebon before he was cool!"

Ebon murmured, "I-I think Props has you beaten by over a year."

"Pffft! What does she know? She's overdosed on Zaid."

"Who wouldn't be?"

"Uhm..." One changeling shifted nervously. "About this new home..." It bit its lips with pensive fangs. "...would Mother come to find us there?"

Eagle and Roarke exchanged glances.

Ebon smiled. "You do not have to worry about her," he said. "We've got ponies making sure that she never enslaves us—her children—to do anything mean again." He gestured towards the Jury. "These ponies. My best friends."

The changelings looked at one another, murmuring. There was a slight twinge of warmth to their eyes.

"I think it's about time we headed south," Rainbow Dash said, taking off. "We'll keep in contact! You know Props' number!"

"Yeah! It's the only leyline frequency that shrieks!"

"We'll let you know how it goes with the Duchess!" Rainbow said. "Assuming she's there when we arrive!" She saluted. "Stay frosty!"

"In a place like this, that won't be hard," Roarke muttered.

Eagle and Ebon waved enthusiastically while Rainbow flew back to the Jury. Within a minute, Floydien lifted the vessel up from the plateau, pivoted south, and throttled away, shaking the air above Ether Point. The three remaining Jurists watched as the ship blended in with the obscure gray winds beyond the sloping mountains.

"Well, guess that's our cue," Eagle Eye said.

"Everyone!" Ebon gestured. "Follow me! Let's head towards the west cliff! That'll be the best spot for all of you to take off! Now, we'll be taking breaks every three hours of flight! That way you can rest your wings and we can collect our bearings—"

Roarke sat still, taking a deep breath. She began tucking her flowy red mane into her helmet when a blue body floated down in front of her.

"Hmmm?" The metal mare looked up, her thin eyes blinking. "Huh?"

Rainbow hovered in front of her, breathless. She rubbed her forelimbs together and grimaced. "I... I don't want to leave you..."

"Don't be going stupid on me, now," Roarke droned. "We went over this. The Jury needs you, okay? Besides, we'll rendezvous later—ulp!" Her ears flattened in surprise.

Rainbow Dash was kissing her deeply.

Swiftly, Roarke broke the kiss, only to feel Rainbow Dash clinging to her with a tender hug. "Nnngh... R-Rainbow?!" She seethed. "I'm serious! Fly! The Noble Jury is going to leave you behind at this..." She froze in mid-speech, blinking. "...wait."

"I'm so gl-glad," a voice deeper than Rainbow's drawled. Out of the corner of her eyes, Roarke spotted the mare's mane growing longer, fuller. "I'm just so glad you f-found somepony, sugarcube."

Roarke grimaced. She dashed backwards, staring. "Wh-who...?!"

A freckle-faced mare looked on, her face mirroring the same shock and confusion. Slowly, the orange coat and blonde mane faded away, exposing a glossy black exoskeleton with glossier eyes. "I... I-I..." The changeling's jaws quivered. "I'm so sorry! It's just that... w-we've been so hungry!" It gulped. "And what you h-have is so strong..." It winced, curling its gossamer wings around itself. "I-I'll go now! I'll be quiet and follow Ebon! Please..." It ran off, fighting back a sob. "Pl-please forgive me!"

Roarke looked after the creature. She raised a hoof, feeling her blood pulsing heavily through her limbs. Gawking, she stared curiously past the southern horizon, to where the Noble Jury disappeared. In silence, she hung her head, staring fixedly into nothingness.

Explosions Sucked Then; Explosions Suck Now

"Rnnngh... mmfnngh!" Roarke struggled and struggled, wriggling in the dead-weight of her armored suit. At last, with much struggle, she yanked her helmet off. "Duaaaaah!" the metal mare inhaled deeply, feeling a rush of blood to her sweat-soaked head as oxygen returned to her body. When her weak blue eyes came to focus, all she saw were the rattling bulkheads of the Noble Jury around her.

She looked straight up and saw the vertical crawlspace flickering with warning lights. High above, Pilate's striped legs dangled from the cockpit. A flash of green light illuminated the bounty hunter's peripheral. Twirling about, Roarke looked past the billowing curtains and into the observation room. Beyond the glass windows of Alafreon reconstruction, she saw the world spinning outside, strobing with a hint of the Val Roan magic shield just past the horizon.

"Searo's womb..." She sneered, then grunted as she fought to strip of the rest of her armor.

"Mr. Floydien?!" a voice hollered from above. "Mr. Floydien?!" Roarke saw Bellesmith's head poking into the crawlspace from the second floor. "Why are we plummeting?! Did s-something hit us?!"

"It's the shield!" Roarke yelled, startling Belle with a gasp. She pulled off various planks of metal while shouting above the groaning bulkheads. "Something in the Val Roan defense hit us! It disrupted our manabatteries—!"

"Then how come Floydien isn't—"

"It also knocked out magic!" Roarke hollered. "And magic users!"

"Oh no..." Belle's chestnut eyes instantly teared up. She tilted her head towards the cockpit. "Pilate?!" She shrieked. "Beloved!!!"

"Belle, quiet!" Roarke hissed, rolling out of her flank-braces. "I need to get up there and—"

The whole ship jolted. Roarke collapsed against a bulkhead, grunting. She heard a yelping voice from above, looked up, and flung her forelimbs outward in time to catch Belle's plummeting figure. Both mares rolled across the bottom floor, wincing—while the Jury dropped at a sharp angle.

"Wh-why's this happening?!" Belle squeaked. "Why would the Val Roans do th-this to us?!"

"I don't think it's just them," Roarke managed to say, teeth clenched. "But rather, somepony's empowered them."

Belle's eyes twitched. "Chrysalis...?!"

"I wouldn't doubt it."

"We're falling! We could hit the mountains at any rate!"

"Which is why I need to—" Roarke froze, looking over Belle's shoulder.

"What?!" Belle stammered. "What is it, Roarke?!"

The metal mare's blue eyes were locked on a sight just beyond the observation room's windows. As prophesied, a plateau of jagged earth loomed. Between the Jury and a crushing doom—however—was a petite blue shape. It flew up to the outer bulkheads, pressing against the careening airship with blurred wings.

"Rainbow...?!" Roarke sputtered.

"What?" Belle gasped. "What is she doing?!"

Roarke's eyes twitched, and for a brief moment they made contact with Rainbow's on the outside. The world flew up like a tidal wave of rocks, and though the nose of the vessel just barely started to tilt up, Rainbow's figure was still a tiny fragile thing stuck between both pulverizing bodies.

It didn't stop a tiny, devilish smirk from being tossed Roarke's way, just before the ship struck and gravel sprayed murderously in every direction.

Through the ship's intense jolting, Roarke could hear herself scream: "RAINBOW!"

"Roarke?"

"Uhm... R-Roarke?!"

"... ... ..." Roarke blinked. She glanced lethargically aside. "Hmmm?"

"A-aren't you going to pull up?"

"Pull up?"

Thwp-Thwp-Thwp-Thwp-Thwp! Whizball's cockpit echoed from the repeated slaps of treetops against the bottom edge of the Lounge sphere.

"Oh," was all Roarke said. Gently, she pulled back on the flight stick, raising the transport before it could fly smack-dab into one of several hulking tree trunks.

Ebon Mane and Eagle Eye stopped gripping their seats on either side of Roarke. They relaxed with identically slumping bodies, then exchanged nervous glances.

"My apologies," Roarke murmured. "I was in another place."

"Yeah, alright." Eagle Eye gulped, slicking his mane back. "Would you mind being in this place for the time being?"

"Yes..." Roarke glanced to the far edge of the windshield. Several changelings glanced nervously at the ship, but nevertheless maintained formation. "I suppose I can do that."

"Are you alright, Roarke?" Ebon asked. "You're rather silent." He blinked "I-I mean... m-more than usual, eheheh..."

"Would you rather I be screaming?"

"Th-that's not what I meant!"

"In Searo, it was custom for mares to gather together in a room, soaked themselves in the blood of their victims, and scream all night or until their voices became hoarse."

Both stallions were dead quiet.

"I wonder if I'm capable of singing," the mare droned.

Whizzball soared along, allowing for a hint of whistling winds to resonate against the manaconsoles.

"Well!" Ebon grinned pleasantly. "How about... uh... checking up with the Noble Jury?!"

"I was going to suggest a bathroom break," Eagle muttered. He smirked. "But I like that idea better."

"So do I," Roarke droned.

Ebon was already pulling out the microphone from the console and crackling it to life. "Ahem... Whizzball to Jury. Whizzball to Jury. Hello?"

"Scrkkkkkkkk..."

"Yoohoo! Whizzball to Jury. You there, Propsy?"

"Scrkkkk-crkkkk—friggin' little melon fudges. HELLO?!"

Roarke's blue eyes darted from the windshield.

"Uhhhh..." Ebon's brow furrowed. "Rainbow? Is that you?!"

"Oh. It's Whizzball. Uhhh... Hi guys!"

"How come you're not Propsy?"

"Because I hate wearing double ponytails. Makes me feel like I'm back in flight school."

"Oh, I-I'm not complaining! Just—"

Roarke spoke up. "Are you using the communications array for something?"

"Is that Roarke?"

"I would certainly hope so."

"Hey, Roarke! Nice weather, huh?!" Grunting and struggling sounds. "Anyway, uh, I-I guess you caught my sound stone signal! No biggie! Super glad to hear from you! Luna says hello!"

"Uhm... Rainbow?" Eagle Eye leaned in. "Why do you sound so breathless?"

"Uhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Is this a bad time?" Ebon asked.

"Heh heh heh... Scrkkkkt... You kidding?!"

Rainbow panted against the biting winds. "I'm always in the mood for a good chat!" She yelled into the stone wrapped around her fetlock. "Just getting my morning exercise! Whoopsies! Just one second!"

Then, hissing under her teeth, she ducked low in time to dodge a giant metal claw that sliced at the air above her, lopping off the branches of several trees as they blurred by. The thunderous noise of collapsing vegetation cracked through the morning air. Below Rainbow, a giant metal truck roared downhill on eighteen wheels. The thing was armored from front to back in spiked goblin armor, and several imps operated an enormous, multi-jointed deforesting crane in the center top rigging. Shouting at one another, they switched the claw out with a vicious buzz saw and swung it higher to cleave Rainbow Dash in two.

"Httt!" Rainbow zig-zagged through the air, all the while chasing the rampaging truck as it smashed through trees, mounds of dirt, and underbrush. The wind filled with mulch and powdery clouds of debris. "Oomfa!" She ducked another swing of the buzz saw and glided low so that she flew parallel to the rolling, churning wheels. "On s-second thought, maybe I should call you guys back!" Rainbow sputtered. "Morning exercise just grew some teeth." Grunting, she slapped the soundstone several times until it flickered a different color. "H-hey! Jury! You still there?"

"Scrkkkk! Dashie! What h-happened?"

"Sorry, Props. That was Ebon calling to remind us that sometimes we live a sane lifestyle. I briefly lost our frequency."

"Well, I'm glad you're back! Where the hay are you?!"

"About a hundred clicks south of Helaman!"

"Do they still have the foals?!"

"I bet my life on it!" Rainbow shouted, then gasped as she dodged another swing of the crane's spinning blade. Three trees snapped at their foundations, exploding in splintery chunks behind Rainbow. "Whew!" Rainbow barrel-rolled through the spray of debris and lifted up in the air, pursuing her vehicular target. "At this rate, they'll get to the House of Sehlp before we will!"

"I'm trying to triangulate on your frequency! They can't be faster than the Jury!"

"Never mind that!" Rainbow shouted, eyes glancing up at a cluster of treetops sticking out above the rest of the forest canopy. "Tell Floydien to look for a group of tall pines! Head southwest of that! I bet we're nearing the edge of the ravine!"

"Okie dokie lokie!"

"And follow the line of shattered trees!" Rainbow hollered as shadows overtook her. "Things are about to get dense."

The air thundered with trees exploding right in front of the rampaging vehicle. Ignoring, Rainbow, the imps suddenly swung the buzz saw forward, lopping several of the larger trees to instant shreds in front of the speeding truck.

Inside the red-lit interior, eight foals clung to each other, shivering and sobbing their heads off.

"Shut up!" Jex hollered, his green ears flouncing as he yelled above the truck's rattling interior. "Just shut up! God!" The imp tossed his stubby arms. "You just can't grab yourselves slaves like you used to!"

"How'd she find us?!" one imp yelped, gripping the truck's controls as they smashed through tree after tree. "We're a hundred miles away from where she tossed us in the drink! Literally hundreds of miles!"

"Idiot!" Jex slapped the back of the driver's skull. "Just shut your crudhole and drive! I'll be damned if I leave this last village empty-handed!"

"You're damned either way, Jex!" another imp yelled from across the way. "Once the Boss finds out how badly you screwed up in that giraffe town—"

Cl-Click! Jex aimed a pistol down the imp's nose. "You mean how badly we messed up! Remember, gobshite, this is your last chance as well as mine!" He pointed at the sobbing foals. "If we can't win back the Boss' favor with these mongrels, we're done for!"

"Why's the boss so desperate for foal and calf slaves anyways?"

"The hell do I care?! Just get us out of this damn forest and onto a straightaway so we can lose these 'Jurists' before—"

FWOOOOOSH! Outside, the collapsing trees lit up with a crimson glow.

"... ... ..." Jex's ears drooped. "Awwww poo..."

Once More, Jurists, Unto the Drink

"Therrrrrrrre she blows!" Zaid smirked out the Noble Jury's windshield. He pulled at the ship's controls, bringing the vessel to a steady glide above the rampaging goblin vehicle. "Gotta hoof it to ya, Floyd-Floyd!" He grinned over his shoulder. "I'm getting the hang of this! Sure, you might make Nancy purr... but I can make her sing!"

"Quiet, you!" With sparkling antlers, Floydien marched out onto the windswept deck. "Just keep Nancy steady so Floydien can turn the green boomers into charred boomers!"

"Not so fast, Mr. Floydien!" Booster Spice shouted. He and Josho galloped from the rear stairwell, heaving a heavy metal rig over their shoulders. "Nnnnngh!" Cl-Clank! They slapped down a miniature, crystal-powered turret onto the starboard side railing. "This is just the moment I've been waiting for!"

"What are you even spitting about?"

"Nothing against your space horns, big guy," Josho said. "But I've always felt the Jury needed a bit more 'oomf'."

"So I spent the last three weeks working on a new defense system using Roarke's backup weaponry!" Booster chirped pleasantly, fastening the turret into place. "It could come in handy if things get tougher between here and Val Roa!"

"And who better to test it on than these morons?" Josho pointed. "Hope we're not stealing your red-nosed spotlight."

"Floydien doesn't see why we can't both shimmer glimmer."

"Just start firing already!" Bellesmith grunted, trotting up with Kera on her backside. "The longer they ride off with those poor children—"

"Yes yes yes." Floydien was already pivoting with his horns aglow. "Spot for Floydien!"

"On it!" Kera's voice cracked as she stared down a pair of levitating binoculars. "There's a clearing in the trees ahead! Five seconds!"

"Steady..." Booster gestured to Josho as the obese stallion gripped the turret's handles. "Steady..."

"Aaaaaaaaand now!" Kera shouted.

TH-THOOM! The turret's discharge was almost enough to knock Josho and Booster across the deck.

P-POW! The blast formed a crater in the earth that rattled the truck's wheels. The vehicle below had to swerve left and right before accelerating once again.

"M-mother of chipmunk chunks!" Josho wheezed.

"Hrmmm..." Floydien's lips curved ever so slightly. "Floydien approves." Fl-Flash! Flash!

The elk's electrical bolts knocked one imp off the claw. The goblin went shrieking while his partner swung the crane around, switching the buzz saw for a missile launcher that he aimed up at the Jury.

Swooooosh! Rainbow dove in and bounced off the missile launcher like a trampoline.

Thwooooosh! The missile fired off-target, exploding into a line of trees to the vehicle's right. The truck nearly rolled off course, instead swerving through a row of bushes and barreling downhill towards the southeast.

"Doing good!" Rainbow Dash hollered, zipping up to the Jury's level and then darting back down. "Aim for the wheels! We gotta neutralize it and get to the foals inside!"

"Now we're in it deep," Josho said.

"Why's that?" Belle asked.

The stallion smirked as he reloaded the cannon. "This has gone on so long that Rainbow's had to say 'neutralize.'"

"Oh."

"Th-they're heading for a clearing!" Kera shouted above the binoculars.

"Then let's get this over with!" Booster shouted.

"Yes." Josho aimed down the cannon. "Let's." THOOM!

CRACKKKK!

The front right wheel well to the truck exploded, tearing out a chunk of the windshield along with it. An imp in the front passenger seat was instantly sucked out. He caught onto a bent bar of metal, clinging to dear life.

"No! N-no! Please, God, no—!" Wham! An errant tree branch struck his body, sending the goblin flying off into obscurity. "Nooooooo!/"

Jex grunted, collapsing besides the frightened foals. The truck slid downhill, its front right side spitting sparks from the collapsed wheel well. Nevertheless, the vehicle maintained its horrendous speed.

"The Boss is going to make you p-pay for that!" one imp said.

"Will you shut up about the Boss already?!" Jex hollered. "We can still win this!"

Th-Thap?! "Win what?!" Rainbow's voice cracked from where she suddenly perched on the truck's hood, grinning through the shattered windshield. "Aren't you on the wrong side?!"

Jex looked up, then sputtered, "Oh for crying out loud!"

"You?!" Rainbow giggled and giggled some more. "Really?! You again?! Jeez, dude, your mother must have given birth in a hot air balloon to have dropped you on your head that hard."

"Scram!" Jex shouted. "Or we'll take down your whole ship!"

"Wow, I can't decide if you're serious or just stupidly cute."

Cht-Chtckk! Jex cocked a pistol and yanked a gasping foal under his arm, pointing the gun at his tear-stained face. "How's this for cute?!"

"Whoops!" Rainbow spread her wings and let the air jerk her out of sight. "Gotta go fast!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaugh!" Jex hollered at the top of his lungs, firing several rounds out the windshield. The foals clasped their ears while the imps flinched and yelped. "Rrrrgh—God! I hate that pony! I hate her!"

"Just a little bit further!" One imp shouted, pointing ahead at a looming ravine. "We can still lose them among the rocks!"

Fwoooosh! Up above, Rainbow ascended back to the Jury's level.

Floydien paused in blasting the truck's hull with several electrical beams. "Any luck luck with the suck sucks?!"

"Hold your fire," Rainbow grumbled. "It's a tight, hot, nasty problem inside that thing."

Zaid stuck his head out of the cockpit. "That's what she—"

"Get back to Nancy!" Floydien spat.

"One twirl of the pistol and they can put holes in all the kid's heads," Rainbow said, glaring at the truck as it made for the stone chasms ahead. "I can't get inside without risking any of the villagers' foals."

"Well, there must be some way of getting them out safely!" Belle exclaimed. "Within minutes, they'll be where the Jury can't reach!"

"Come on, Rainbow!" Kera exclaimed. "We can get 'em!"

"Not with only one way for me to enter the ship," Rainbow said.

"So let's make another hole!" Booster patted the smoking turret's barrel with a proud smile. "We can totally do it!"

"Yeah, and fry a foal or two in the process."

"This would help if I knew the truck's weak spots," Rainbow thought aloud. "Darn it! I friggin' hate having to think during an action scene!"

"Why use your head, Rainbow, when you can use your zebra?" Belle asked.

Rainbow looked stupidly at Belle.

Belle smiled stupidly back at her.

"We're almost there!" the imp driver exclaimed, smiling through his sweat. "We can do this! The Boss won't kill us after all!"

"Just drive straight!" Jex said, shoving the foal back with the other seven. He reloaded his pistol, gritting his teeth. "I don't want anymore screw ups! Especially with—"

Something round and spherical zipped past the shattered window.

"... ... ..." Jex's eyes darted left and right. "What in the Hell was—?"

Thwissssssssh! The O.A.S.I.S. sphere flew directly into the truck's interior. It stopped on a dime, strobing a red laser-light that swept all across the bulkheads and consoles.

"Does that belong to the Jury—?"

"Get it!"

"Don't get it! Hit it!"

An imp dove for it. The sphere jerked away with a whistling noise. Another imp dashed forward, swinging a crowbar. The O.A.S.I.S. sphere darted towards the floor, causing the imp to hit his friend's face instead. Blood and teeth glistened in the object's manalight as it took two more sweeps, then zipped out of the vehicle before Jex could even aim his pistol at it. As it flew outside, the goblins could see Rainbow flying past the truck—a zebra dangling from her grip. The stallion tilted his head aside and waved with a smile, all the while the sphere returned to a choker around his neck and pulsed a beam of data to his runic plate. Just like that, the two ponies flew up out of view.

"What... j-just happened?" Jex muttered.

"Uhhhh..." One goblin gulped. "I think the thing just scanned us."

"Scanned us?!" Jex spun about, sneering. "What for?!"

Fl-Flash! Josho materialized in front of the foals with a grin... and a shotgun. "Candygram!" BLAM! He fired into the dashboard from across the interior.

"Aaaaugh!" the driver flinched, showered with sparks.

The vehicle swerved hard to the right, knocking Jex to the floor. "Ooof!"

Meanwhile—"C'mon, kiddies!" Josho wrapped his strong forelimbs around all of the foals, hugging them towards him. "Stick close to Uncle Josho! That's right—fat teddy bear all up in this b—" Fl-Flash! They all vanished in a pulse of mana.

"Jex!" the pilot shouted.

"Dammit..." Jex punched the floor with a little green fist. "Dammit dammit dammit!"

"Jex!"

"WHAT?!" Jex spun, snarling. The world lit-up in front of him, and his pupils shrank. "Oh no."

Every goblin inside the truck screamed—

—as the runaway vehicle drove clear off a cliff, plummeting towards a trickling river far below. Several goblins peeled out of the vehicle, only to fall alongside the hulking dead weight. Within half-a-minute, their bodies made lame splashes in the drink below, only to be swept off in the merciless rapids.

Meanwhile, up above, Josho released his grip of the timid foals.

"Is that all of them?!" Belle yelped, galloping forward along with Kera. "Please tell me that's all of them!"

"I grabbed everyone I saw," Josho said, holstering his shotgun. "Eight little scamps."

"That matches what O.A.S.I.S. counted," Pilate said, wheezing slightly as Rainbow Dash lowered him down to the windswept deck. "Eight foals total."

"Oh, bless the Spark!" Belle squatted low and swept the more distraught colts and fillies into a hug. "There there... you are safe now! We'll get you home to where your parents are waiting for you!" She smiled, sniffling. "I promise."

"Hey!" Kera waved at a few of the blinking foals. "My name's Kera! And I run this place!"

"Kera..." Pilate started.

"Wooohooo!" Props galloped out of the stairwell, did a victorious cartwheel, and skidded to a stop with flouncing ponytails. "We did it! They should re-name Nancy 'Goblin Hunter!'"

"Heh... sure..." Zaid put the ship into a slow drift and trotted out of the cockpit. "But I'm not sure if Clopcom would approve."

"Hrmmf..." Floydien marched past him. "Cult boomer gets less funny funny each day."

"... ... ...Clopcom Hyper Turbo Edition?"

"Well, if you ask me, Josho and Pilate are the stallions of the hour!" Booster Spice said, grinning. "And here I selfishly thought my new cannon would steal the show."

"Please..." Pilate turned towards him with a smile. "It was entirely a group effort, as ever."

"Well, I don't mind boasting," Josho said, still trying to shake loose a trembling foal clinging to his hoof. "Hey... the tender moment's come and gone, kiddo. Urinate on somepony else, will ya?"

"Hold on a second," Rainbow said, hovering again. "Show's not yet over."

"It isn't?" Props asked, blinking.

Fwoooosh! Rainbow dove off the ship's edge while every Jurist craned their necks to watch.

"Nnnngh!" Jex hissed, his claws clinging to the edge of a petrified tree branch stretching over the edge of the penultimate cliff. Below him, his partners sputtered and treaded water at a frightening distance. One inch at a time, he worked his way up the tree.

And then the branch shook savagely from four blue hooves.

"Gaaaugh!" Jex winced, squinting up at the pegasus.

"Wow..." Rainbow blinked. "Not only are you lame, but you're—like—a living cliche too!" She smirked. "Or in this case, a dying cliche."

"Where... d-did you come from...?!"

"I've got a better question," Rainbow said, eyes briefly glaring. "Where were you gonna take those foals?"

"Screw you, pony!" Jex hissed. "I don't owe you anything!"

"You've certainly been giving us a lot to be cathartic about! I should almost thank you! But there's no time for that." She trotted forward along the branch, making it wobble more and more. "You know, the strangest thought occurred to me..."

"Guh!" Jex struggled to keep ahold as she made the branch shake more and more. "Mrmmmf!"

"A punk as desperate as you couldn't possibly go on this way if you were the one in charge," Rainbow said. "Besides, seems like the egoes of goblins is counter-intuitive to the fact that they're the size of hippopotamus boogers. So, lemme make an educated guess..." She leaned down, sneering into his green face "You're working for someone. And I'd like to know who that is."

"Go to Hell!" Jex sputtered. "The Cartel doesn't negotiate!"

"Well, then. The last time I owned your stupid ass, I gave you a threat. Since I hate repeating myself, this time I'm going to give you a message." Rainbow Dash stood right above is straining claws. "Tell your boss, your queen, your stock broker, your goblin king, your whoever—the Noble Jury is gonna fix Val Roa soon. And once they do, they're going to send every able-bodied pony in the kingdom down south to raze you little turdlettes off the face of the earth once and for all." She flapped her wings and lifted up. "You can count on that... like gravity!"

"Don't—!"

Rainbow coiled her wings tight, fell, and struck the edge of the branch with all four hooves. THWACK!

The whole thing shook like a spring, launching Jex off.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaiiiieeeeeeeeeeee—" Sploosh!

Rainbow yawned and flew back to the Jury.

It's Mystery Jurist Theatre Three Thousand

"Don't be afraid," Ebon said, smiling in the orange glow of an Amulek sunset. "These ponies can be trusted as much as us—if not more!" He chuckled. "And, yes, I said 'ponies.' We are all ponies on the inside, no matter what our shells may look like to others. Don't ever think that you're lower than anyone else, and don't be afraid to make friends." He smiled. "After all, we all have very useful talents. I'm sure they can be used to make life here very pleasant, not to mention abroad."

Despite his warm speech, several of the changelings from Ether Point shifted nervously. They glanced at the three shape-shifters hovering in the shadow of the silver mountains, but not a single one made a move forward.

"It's alright!" Ebon exclaimed while Eagle Eye and Roarke watched on. "They're here to help you! Just as much as you're here to help them!"

"Help them?" one changeling glanced at Ebon with thin, glazed eyes. "How? Until a day ago, we all thought we were Rainbow Dash."

"What use could we possibly be?" another murmured. "We're lost."

"Not anymore, you're not," one of the three said, looking down at the crowd gathered around Whizzball. "Now that you're here, consider yourselves found."

"But... what do we have that you need?" one of them asked.

The changeling flying in the center shuddered, then said, "Family." Its wings batted limply. "We've lost so much. The l-love... we are starved... It... it..." The shape-shifter fumbled for words.

The one beside it spoke in a stronger tone. "We need to be together. We need to find a way to be strong without Mother. This landscape... this village is around t-thanks to us," it finally blurted.

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Ebon remarked. "It's a very brave thing to finally admit." He turned towards the large group. "It'll be just as brave to admit that you have much to learn... just as these three have a need for you. This world can be made a better place... especially with us on Harmony's side."

The changelings murmured amidst one another. Gradually, their eyes flickered the same bright green. They trotted forward as the other three hovered down. Once they were within hoof's length, they leaned forward, nuzzling their siblings—then threw themselves in close to hug the trembling trio.

Eagle Eye held a pair of hooves over his mouth. He smiled with teary eyes at Ebon.

Ebon smiled back and leaned into Eagle Eye as he watched the reunion with a warm gaze.

Roarke was dead silent. Her thin blue eyes wandered toward the edge of the changeling cluster. She found that a single shape-shifter was staring back at her. There was a flash of orange freckles, and then the changeling jolted, trembling... and pretending to be fully invested in the three siblings that its group was being reunited with.

Roarke's brow furrowed. She was numb to whatever happened immediately after that, including Eagle Eye's cooing voice.

"This is beautiful, Ebon," the stallion said, nuzzling his coltfriend. "I think you've finally found your calling..."

"Dammit!" Josho grumbled from the kitchen. Pots and pans rattled along with splashes of water from the sink. "Where is Ebon when you need him?! I'm telling you—sending him back to Camel Lick was the absolute worst idea we've ever conjured up!"

Zaid cackled back. "He's off helping dozens of changelings get their groove back!"

"Yeah! And ruining dozens of my taste buds!" Josho growled. "'Send the ship's only cook off to be the changeling-whisperer in the far north!' Who's damn stupid idea was that?!"

"That damn stupid idea was Rainbow's, thank you," Belle retorted from the mess hall's table. "She's alive today because shape-shifters sacrificed their lives! It's the least any of the Jurists can do!"

"Heehee..." Kera giggled from her stool. "You just cussed, Belle!"

"Shhhh. Eat your peas, darling."

"I would if they looked like peas." The filly grimmaced, picking at her plate with a rattling fork. "Not these 'gerbil turds.'"

"Hey, Chef Obesity!" Zaid shouted towards the kitchen. "This is the fourth grilled cheese sandwich I've had to dig into with a jackhammer! Don't you know any flavor other than 'volcanic ash?!'"

"Screw you! Unless I get a book on 'Cooking for Cultist Idiots,' that's the best you're gonna get!"

"I've got a better idea!" Zaid smirked. "How about we scrape some of that sarcasm out from under your chins and use it for cooking oil?!"

"I'd take your flank to the woodshed if only I could climb my way out of this alfredo I'm making!"

"Josho, Ebon ran out of noodles before Eagle and Roarke took him to Amulek!" Belle exclaimed.

"... ... ...Oh!" A beat. "Then what in Ledo's furry navel am I cooking?"

Props scampered in, breathless. "Hey! Has anypony seen my mop? I think I left it in the kitchen."

Cl-Clank! Zaid dropped his grilled cheese like a brick. "That's it." He slumped forward, smiling tiredly. "This 'cultist' is fasting."

"I'm starting to feel rather penitent myself," Bellesmith muttered.

"Well, feel no more!" Props grinned. "Wait'll you see what the boys brought us!"

At that precise moment, Pilate and Booster Spice trotted briskly into the mess hall, balancing two large boxes on their flanks.

"We found something that just might spice up tonight's menu!" Booster exclaimed.

"Indeed," Pilate added with a smirk. Both stallions placed the boxes onto the table's edge. "This was among the gifts given us today."

"You mean from the villagers of Helaman?" Kera asked. "Wow, they must have really liked getting their foals back!"

"Kera! What a thing to say!" Belle exclaimed.

"Well, I figured if the kids were dumb enough to be kidnapped in the first place—"

"Kera..."

"What's in the box?!" Props bounced and bounced, ponytails flouncing. "What's in the box?!"

"Voila!" Booster pulled out a reel of film. "And five more just like it! It's about half their village's movie collection!"

"Movie?!" Josho stuck his head out, toweling his hooves off. "You mean... like holographic recordings?"

"Ha!" Booster winked through his goggles. "Maybe in your crazy land of crystals and blinking lights! But not here!" Grunting, he reached into a box and heaved out a projector. "No... th-this..." Thud! He slapped it down onto the table. "...is the age-old method! Lots of villages between here and Alafreo love to make photographic recordings and edit them together into motion pictures!"

"Oh, yes." Belle smiled. "I recall Kenna and Baxter from Blue Shelf having one or two such reels in their possession."

"Spark rest their souls," Pilate said.

"Mmmm... yes." Belle hung her head.

"Hey! This is a reason to cheer up!" Booster smirked. "Stumbling upon these things is like digging up treasure! And—God only knows—with three of our jurists situated far away, we could use the entertainment!"

"Won't get any complaints from me," Zaid yawned. "Or farts, for that matter."

"Well?! What are we waiting for?!" Kera hopped, grinning.

A white sheet hung across the lounge of the mess hall, against which a moving image constantly flickered. The Jurists had the chairs and stools turned so that they could face in the direction of the projected footage. Before them, two young adult stallions in black and white robes galloped wildly across a muddy plane wracked with mangled, dead trees.

"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Props blinked. "I don't get it!"

"I'd be able to get it if there was sound!" Kera pouted.

"Relax!" Booster said, his hooves propped up on the table as he reclined right next to the projector. "Not every village is as technological as Zulu."

"Xona."

"Whatever."

"Besides, this is a gift from the ponies of Helaman! Let's enjoy it for what it is!"

"Anything's a Spark-send, if you ask me," Josho grumbled. "Takes my mind off the fact that we're starving."

"Yeah! No thanks to you!" Zaid said.

"How'd you like a hoof up your nostrils for dessert?"

"Pfft! Please. You'd eat it before the punch was halfway thrown."

"Guysssss!" Props pouted. "Come on! I wanna enjoy the movieeee!"

"What's to enjoy?" Zaid gestured. "It's just two dudes running across a muddy plain at sunset." He blinked. "Ooops. Now they're crossing a bridge." He squinted. "Now they're... doing forward-flips off a hillside?"

"What are they even looking for?" Kera squeaked from where she lay on the floor.

"A passing grade," Josho said. "Hey, Bust-a-Move, I think you stuck us with some student art films!"

"It's not like they were labeled!" Booster Spice exclaimed, shrugging. "This was the very first reel I grabbed!"

"Heh..." Zaid smirked. "Makes you wonder just how 'random' their movie lineup gets."

"How do you mean?" Props asked.

"Well, in this one, we've got ponies galloping through mud." Zaid waggled his eyebrows. "Maybe the next reel will have ponies wrestling through mud... ponies with ovaries."

"Ha!" Booster grinned. "Not from a town named 'Helaman.'"

"Ha ha ha ha!" Zaid laughed.

"Was that really funny?"

"No, but food isn't the only thing I'm starved for, here."

"I wonder what they're saying," Kera murmured.

"Hmmmmm..." Props smirked. "'I know I left my wrench around here somewhere!'"

"'I would love to help you, brother!'" Zaid squeaked, impersonating the other stallion on screen. "'Do you know what color it is?!'"

"'Mud brown!''"

"'D'oh!'"

"Heeheeheee!"

Kera chimed in. "'It's okay, brother, we're looking for an outhouse too!'"

"'Oh yeah?! Where'd you last see it?'"

"'Second star to the right and straight on until flatulence!'"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"Whoah!" Kera pointed. "That one guy just got tackled by a giant snake!"

"Pffft! More like a giant foam pillow!"

"Heeheehee! Look at him! He's wrestling the snake!"

"'Dang it! Not again!'"

"'I shouldn't have gone out cavorting during snake season!'"

"'Wait, this isn't right!'" Zaid grinned. "'This morning the weather pony said it was going to be partly cloudy with a thirty-percent chance of frogs!'"

"Heeheehee!"

"Heheheh... ahhhhhhhh buck me, this is silly."

"'Alas, robed boomers, we should have kept our eyes out for the serpent shimmer!'"

Booster did a double-take. "Mr. Floydien! I didn't realize you were here!"

"Hmmrff... it is fine fine." The ship's pilot smirked aside. "Most boomers don't notice the elk in the room."

"Well, it's a pleasure to have you join us!"

"If goggled boomer insists." Floydien glanced back at the footage. "These are some of the silliest ponies Floydien has ever seen."

"It sounds to me like they had just as much fun filming it as we do watching it," Pilate said.

Props glanced at him. "Ohhhh! Pilate!" She pouted. "I didn't even think about it! This must be super, super boring for you."

"Say nothing of the sort." The zebra grinned in her direction. "Turns out I can 'hear' the movie pretty well."

"Oh! Look! Look!" Zaid pointed as a shed opened up to a white-suited stallion with a bright light. "'Come unto me... my holy garden hose!'"

"Eeeeheee!"

"'We must wash this continent clean of goblins and their nose-hairs!'"

"Hah!" Kera grinned. "Like the ponies need anything but the Jury for that!"

"'For it was prophesied: the Skystone Twelve would save the day multiple times, then die tragically from Josho poisoning!'"

"Hahahaha!"

"Hey, Zaid. You wanna wrestle a real snake?"

"Ew. Not in this lifetime."

"Heheheh..."

From the far edge of the mess hall, Belle gazed at the group with a calm smile. Soon, her expression faded, for she realized that something... or somepony was missing. Her eyes darted to the portholes. The night sky shimmered outside with moonlight. With a nervous shuffle, she turned around and trotted down the hall, making her way to the top deck.

Author's Note

Cherish What You Have, Not Dread

"It sounds to me, Rainbow, that you have done an awful lot of good for that continent. Especially with Val Roa having turned a blind eye, as it would seem."

"Yeah, well..." Rainbow reclined against the ship's outer railing in the moonlight. "We haven't done everything in the most 'harmonic' way."

"I know full well what it means to engage in battle, having done it countless times in the past to protect Equestria's interests," Luna's voice replied. "These 'green bandits' that you describe seem entirely bereft of morals. If I were you, I wouldn't hesitate to dispense with them using any force necessary."

"It certainly isn't as easy as it sounds," Rainbow said, gazing at the star-lit landscape drifting slowly beneath the Jury. "I mean, those goblins have done some pretty nasty stuff. Friggin' unforgiveable stuff, actually. The Jury and I are as smooth as greased lightning at this point, and I bet we could wipe the floor with the Cartel if we wanted to. But... y'know... I-I didn't come out here to destroy an entire culture." She gulped. "No matter how vile."

"That is quite understandable."

"Is it? I mean, with Val Roa out of the picture—I swear—the Jury is the only thing standing between the ponies of the valley and these nasty invaders from the south." Rainbow took a shuddering breath. "And... w-we've been lucky. The whole fight remains clear cut... so long as we are the defenders and they are the invaders. As much as I would love to, I can't bring myself to suggest that the Jury stages—like—some attack on the Cartel down, though I bet it would change things in this part of the world for the best."

"It simply is not your country, Rainbow Dash," Princess Luna's voice resonated off the skystone. "I appreciate learning about all that you've done to rescue the ponies of that land, but—even in spite of all your heroics—I'm sure you don't need me telling you that thus far you have addressed merely the symptoms of that kingdom's problems, and not its cause."

"Right..." Rainbow hung her head. "And I'm doing my best to get inside Val Roa. You g-gotta believe me."

"Why would I have any doubt?"

"We found a lead just recently that we're going to investigate right away." Rainbow gulped. "There's this 'Duchess of Sehlp' who lives out in the country, but is connected with the Val Roan High Council. The Jury should be able to reach her manor by sometime early tomorrow. It may be a long shot, but it's still a possibility that this might finally get us somewhere."

"You don't sound particularly enthused by this venture. Could it be that you doubt its authenticity?"

At this point, Belle trotted up to the cockpit. She gazed out through the doors, spotting Rainbow reclining on the top deck in silence. The mare's back was to her.

At last, Rainbow spoke up. "You know very well why I'm not thrilled about it, Your Majesty."

"I know that this vexes you greatly, Rainbow. But I find it quite fascinating."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Any other pony would be supremely anxious to spend two months fighting goblins and risking one's life for strangers. But you? You appear to relish in the lifestyle. Your true fear does not include the loss of limb or reputation."

Rainbow grimaced. "I just... I just can't believe I've come this far."

"You mean to where you are now? On the borders of Val Roa?"

"No. I mean... th-there was a time when I didn't fear anything. Not even death." Rainbow gulped. "When I left Ponyville—when I began flying east—I had nothing to fear, because I had nothing left to lose. The only thing I had to give up was myself, and I figured that I'd do that—by hook or crook—in some crazy lunge across the horizon." She exhaled slowly into the crisp night air. "Well, I found death... and more." She slowly shook her head. "Seems like fate decided I wasn't cut out for ending so soon."

"Take it from an alicorn who has dealt with immortality through and through," Luna spoke. "It never gets easier—dealing with the souls who appear and disappear like the twinkling of stars across your endless days. But that doesn't mean your existence needs to be bereft of beauty. Even sadness—for all of its abysmal qualities—is strangely sweet, for it takes a different shape with each friend you make and lose, like hoofprints that never leave your mind while you venture forthwith into cosmic shadow."

"Heh... now there's one way I've never imagined myself."

"Hmmm?"

"'Immortal,'" Rainbow said. "If nothing else, I've considered myself the complete opposite."

"The problem with a fatalistic way of thinking is failing to realize that you still stand to gain as much as lose in life."

"And look at all I've gained," Rainbow Dash murmured. She gulped hard. "Luna... I..."

"Yes, Rainbow?"

"I don't know where I'll be the next time the full moon rises," the pegasus said. "But... b-but I get the feeling that I'm going to n-need to hear your voice more than ever." She cleared her throat. "I may not be immortal, but I live my life by a straight line... and I get the distinct feeling that the biggest knot of all is r-right about to untangle itself."

"You will forever have my eternal loyalty, Rainbow Dash," Luna said. "Even beyond your death, your impact on my life will shine brighter than most ponies I know."

Rainbow smiled, eyes glossy. "Somehow... I-I totally believe that."

"As well as you should. I 'totally' meant it."

Rainbow Dash giggled. She rubbed her eyelids and sighed. "Th-there's still several hours left, Luna. We could talk about the changelings that Ebon's taking to Amulek, or I could fill you in on how we learned about the Duchess Sehlp—"

"Rainbow Dash, friendship is forever, but time isn't."

"Huh?"

"I'll be waiting for you next moonrise. Right now, I can sense where you truly wish to be... and who you truly wish to be with."

Rainbow bit her lip.

"Cherish every moment, Rainbow Dash. I would do the same if I were in your place."

The mare cleared her voice. "Th-thanks, Luna," she said. "Thanks for everything."

"The feeling is mutual." And Luna's voice faded along with the glow of enchantment from Rainbow's pendant.

With a shuddering sigh, Rainbow Dash stood up. She brushed back her mane, took a deep breath, and spun around.

She froze the very moment she saw Belle.

"...hey," Belle murmured.

Rainbow fidgeted. "H-hey..."

Belle strolled forward. "I didn't hear everything. I came up just now."

"Well, uhm... I..."

"Why don't you come downstairs?" Belle smiled. "Booster Spice is playing the reels that the villagers of Helaman gave us for rescuing their foals."

"Heh... boy does that sound like a whizzbanger."

"It's a lot more fun than you think." Belle said with a slight giggle. "Even Floydien's joining the fun."

"Belle, there's..." Rainbow bit her lip. "There's something that's been weighing on my mind—"

"About Val Roa?" Belle leaned her head to the side. "You truly think you're alone there?"

"H-huh?"

"Everypony feels it, Rainbow Dash," Belle said. "Especially Pilate and myself. Perhaps Kera as well."

"Belle..."

"We don't like thinking about it either." Belle placed a reassuring hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "But it's something that will have to happen. I-I..." She cleared her throat, courageously steadying her voice as she spoke to Rainbow. "I've come to a point where I'm at peace with myself... and with the future. I know you can get there too, Rainbow. And we can help you. We can all help each other."

"How can you s-say that?" Rainbow hissed. "Maybe you and Pilate c-can move on. Heck, m-maybe this frazzled pegasus can. But..." She grimaced suddenly.

Belle waited patiently, quietly.

"The... The Grand Choke..." Rainbow's lips quivered. "If... if Roarke tries to follow me through that... it will kill her." She sniffled. "I know it will! Because what in this d-damned world will make her stay? Even I couldn't make her stay."

"Rainbow Dash..."

"I-I love her, Belle..." Rainbow hyperventilated. "And in loving her, I-I've killed her! H-how can I be so selfish?!" She ran a hoof over her face, seething. "But everytime I think about it, all I want is for her to be by my side! But it's impossible! She's going to die if she follows me..." Rainbow peered over her hoof with moist eyes. "And I'm going to die if I stay behind with her... or with you..."

Belle threw Rainbow into a hug. "Nopony needs this. Nopony needs to feel anguish over love."

"B-but I've made so many stupid mistakes—"

"You've made a life for yourself here. A beautiful, wonderful, rich life," Belle said. "Whether it lasts two months or two years, it doesn't matter. You've brought joy to Roarke as much as you have to Pilate, Kera, and I. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"But—"

"Nothing," Belle said firmly. "No shame. Do you understand me?" She gazed strongly at Rainbow, bearing a tender smile. "I do not know what waits for us in Val Roa anymore than you do, but give Roarke the benefit of a doubt. She won't do anything self-destructive. After all, you've given her a reason to live. How fitting..." Belle winked. "...for a mare who discovered reasons to keep living herself."

Rainbow trembled. She bowed her head. "I don't know, Belle. Everything has been so awesome as of late, but... tomorrow?" She gulped. "Tomorrow fills me with so much dread. I feel more dread than I did in Silvadel... or in Ledomare... or in Stratopolis. It shouldn't be this way... and y-yet it is. I do my best to hide it in our daily goblin butt-whooping... but... but..."

"Shhhh..." Belle caressed the mare's cheek. "You want to stop dreading?" She smiled and tugged on Rainbow's hoof. "Come downstairs. Join us. We're having fun."

"I... I-I wish I—"

"What? Wish you could relish in friendship?" Belle grinned. "Rainbow, stop dwelling on what you stand to lose and relish in what you'll always have." She teared up slightly. "Memories. There are plenty more to be made before all is said and done. Starting tonight."

Rainbow swallowed a lump down her throat and rubbed her cheek. When she was done, she gave Belle a fragile smile. "S-sounds like a challenge..."

"I knew you'd be game." And both mares trotted downstairs, side by side, leaning against one another.

Let It Go, Let It Go

Under the Lounge sphere's outstretched doors, a canvas tent had been attached. Ebon Mane and Eagle Eye slept, shaded from starlight. Their necks spooned with one another as they slumbered silently, their breaths soft and serene. Surrounding the sphere in the valley northeast of Amulek, dozens of changelings lay in a dense circle, their shells dark and glossy in the moonlight.

Roarke was the only one awake. She reclined against Whizzball, staring out while she kept silent vigil over the cluster of shape-shifters. She took several deep breaths, her nostrils flaring. At last, after much fidgeting, she stood up. On remarkably graceful legs, she shuffled across the field, stepping in between the changelings as she approached one particularly anxious figure on the edge of the group.

A single changeling was shivering, its fangs clattering as it struggled to find slumber. While its brothers and sisters remained still as stone, this one shuddered upon hearing the approach of Roarke's hoofsteps. It looked up, took one glance at the metal mare, and gasped. There was a flicker of an orange coat, and soon it was scooting away.

"Shhhh..." Roarke nevertheless stepped towards it. "Be still. It is okay."

"I'm s-sorry!" the creature whimpered, crawling backwards into a tree. There, it curled, covering its face with webbed forelimbs. "Please! I didn't mean for that t-to happen back at Ether Point! It w-won't happen again!"

"Calm down—"

"I promise!"

Roarke grasped its forelimbs, forcing the creature to look her in the face. Stern, Roarke nevertheless kept her voice low. "I will not hurt you."

The changeling stared at her, panting.

Roarke gulped and said, "It's a promise I made. A promise to the mare that I love."

Slowly, the changeling exhaled. Its eyes flickered green, and its shell was replaced with an orange coat. "Reckon I believe ya, darlin'..."

Roarke's eyes narrowed.

The shape-shifter flinched. "I-I'm mighty sorry..." She clenched her green eyes shut as the orange fuzz began to dissipate. "I'll switch back—"

"No." Roarke shook her head. "Don't. Stay like this."

"But..." The thing winced, looking nervously at the bounty hunter. "Why?"

"Because you obviously need to," Roarke said. "And who am I to stop you?"

After several heavy breaths, the orange mare relaxed. It leaned back against the tree while freckles solidified across its muzzle.

Roarke sat across from her. The two stared at one another in reverent silence. Finally, Roarke leaned forward and spoke, "Who... are you, right now?"

The mare bit her lip. "I... I'm sorry, sugarcube." She sniffled. "I have no unearthly clue..."

Roarke leaned her head to the side. "You first appeared when you hugged me." She blinked. "When you were Rainbow."

"Yes. A thousand pardons. It sure wasn't very neighborly of—"

"I'm not grilling you," Roarke grumbled. "I'm just..." She sighed. "I only wish to understand."

"So do I." The changeling shivered, her blonde bangs flouncing with each shiver. "Everythang's all cloudly like, and whenever I try to think about it... I-I plum wear myself out."

"You've been starving for so long," Roarke said.

The mare's green eyes fell.

After a moment of silence, Roarke said, "I may not have much confidence in the strength and courage of these two stallions who've come here to help you, but they are certainly loyal and dedicated equines. If there's anything I've learned from flying with the likes of them, it's that loyalty is the strongest quality anypony could ever hope to embody. I've no doubt that they will show you the way to a bright and promising future."

"Yeah..." The changeling nodded. "Reckon so..."

"It's alright to be scared," Roarke said. "But don't let yourself be too discouraged. You have a future now, and it's glorious. Trust me." Roarke's lips curved slightly. "I know what it means to believe in no tomorrow. And I also know what it means to have that change overnight. It's frightening, yes, but it's also undescribably liberating."

"I... I guess so..." The mare shivered. "It's just... h-happenin' so much all at once. I... I f-feel like I can't handle it..."

Roarke's eyes fell to the wayside.

The changeling covered her eyes, groaning. "I d-dunno how my brothers and sisters are doin' so m-much better than me. I j-just felt somethin', and it's been tearin' me apart on the inside ever since—"

"Ever since what?" Roarke asked. "Since you hugged me?"

The creature avoided her gaze. "I'm awful sorry! I... I-I just couldn't help myself. I... I..." The changeling suddenly gasped.

Roarke was hugging her. Softly. "Shhhh..." Roarke spoke gently, her voice calm and neutral. "Then stop trying to help it."

The changeling clenched its teeth, shivering.

"Simply relax," Roarke said. "My friends are here to help each and every one of you. So why shouldn't I?"

At last, the changeling caved. It clung to Roarke, burying its freckled face in her shoulder as quiet sobs escaped its lungs. Finally, with a shuddering breath, it murmured, "Thank you, sugarcube. Thank you so m-much..."

Roarke was merely silent, gazing off into the dark treeline as she held the shape-shifter close.

"She lurves you," the creature drawled. "She lurves you so darn m-much..." Sniffles.

At last, Roarke murmured, "You're one of them, aren't you?"

The creature hung in silence.

"You're one of her deceased friends," Roarke said coldly. "The companions that she lost back in Ponyville?"

The changeling exhaled, nuzzling her face into Roarke's shoulder. "Yes," she said. But then, seconds later. "And no."

Roarke blinked at that. She leaned back and stared at the changeling's tear-stained face. "No?"

The shape-shifter took several calm breaths, relaxing in Roarke's embrace. "I... I-I was somethin' different, sugarcube. Somethin' special."

"To Rainbow Dash?"

"I can sense that she'd never say it out loud," the changeling said. "But it was a love so strong that she had to keep it secret. Her loyalty's like a two-edged sword, all strong and steel-like, but it cut both ways, ya reckon? It's enough to tear a pony in two..."

"And a changeling in a million..."

"I wouldn't rightly know." The shape-shifter gulped. "All I can say is that it hurts. It hurts somethin' awful. And I h-haven't been able to get it out of my head ever since—"

"You sensed it in me."

The changeling looked up, lips quivering. "It's in you, darlin'. Rainbow Dash's love." She gulped. "And it's so strong and fillin' and scrumptious. But..." The changeling winced. "It hurts to much at the same time. I... I-I dunno how to handle it! If everypony we ever meet in this world is like this, I-I dunno how we'll ever fly right by Ebon's standards. I—"

"Does Rainbow Dash still love her?" Roarke blurted.

The changeling merely stared at her.

"I..." Roarke winced, but nevertheless spoke, "I need to know... is our—" She gulped. "Is her love really split apart like you say?"

The shapeshifter stared at Roarke. Slowly, its body grew more and more limp. A distant spark illuminated its eyes.

Roarke's voice lifted with a touch of concern. "What—....? Are you—...?"

"Does our l-love ever die, Roarke?" Imre's voice said. The changeling's orange fuzz turned to a pale scarlet. "Do we leave enough to share with others?"

The metal mare sucked her breath in.

The changeling's eyes rolled back. With a tiny whimper, it slumped forward in Roarke's grip, its dark body trailing with green smoke. "Nnnngh... g-guh!" It sputtered. "S-sorry... can't... c-couldn't hold on—"

Roarke clenched her eyes shut. "Then don't try." She seethed. "Let it go."

"I... I-I want to h-help," the changeling sobbed. "You are both so precious. So loving and tender—"

"It's not your love," Roarke hissed. "Feed all you wish, but let go of it. Don't be consumed by what you consume. Your life is your own, do you understand me?" She swallowed hard, carressing the changeling's translucent, gossamer mane. "You deserve to live your own life. So let go."

"But... b-but..."

"I promise you that you'll be safe. Trust me."

The changeling cried quietly. In a flash, its coat turned blue, and Roarke saw that she was caressing a prismatic mane. Within a minute, the coat dissolved back to a black gloss, and the changeling finally stopped shivering. When it spoke next, it was with a sob... a tranquil sob.

"Thank you," the creature mewled. "Thank you s-so much..." It clung to Roarke like a foal, murmuring. "I understand now. I... won't let the feeling consume me."

Roarke stroked the creature's shoulders as she nodded. "That's a very good thing," she said, sighing out her nostrils. "I... I wish we all had your tenacity." And she gazed up into the starlight with a distant expression.

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

"Mmmmmnnnzzzzz—zzzzzzzz—znnkkt..." Josho's fat face rattled against the mess hall's tabletop.

Booster Spice reclined in his seat, his head hanging back and drooling wide.

Zaid sat, chin planted against a hoof, bored eyes glued to the flickering projector screen in front of them.

After a long buzz of silence, the Noble Jury rattled with minor turbulence.

"Shhhnort!" Josho jolted upright, shaking his skull. "Hnnngh... wh-what? Where?" He rubbed an eye, then scratched his five'o'clock shadow. "Mrmmmmfff... wh-what are they doing now?"

"Same thing they were doing four hours before, ten repeats ago," Zaid muttered. "Staring at each other while standing next to a lake."

"Nypppp..." Josho yawned heavily. "Why do I get the feeling that we were simply stuck with all of Helaman's rejected student art p-pieces?"

"What I don't understand is what would possess two grown stallions to film nothing but the two of them standing on the lake's docks and looking depressed for twenty minutes?!" Zaid cackled. "If I wasn't so bored, I'd be dead!"

"You're the one from a cult. Shouldn't you be explaining weird stuff to us?"

"Kera."

"Huh?" Josho looked around, blinking blearily. "Where?"

"I mean 'meh.'" Zaid stood up, cracking his joints in the morning light wafting through the portholes. "Mrmnnnnghhh... there's still hope. We've got one last untapped reel."

"Hmmph..." Josho lifted a half-empty mug to his muzzle. "...oh yeah?"

"Yeah..." Zaid held the canister up into the projector's light, squinting at it. "'Something something... attack of the satin saddle mares?"

"Spkkktkkktktkttt!" Josho thoroughly doused his side of the table. Sputtering, he wiped his muzzle clean and gawked at Zaid. "You're telling me that you spent all last night playing two morons spouting monologues by a friggin' lake on repeat when you still had that to pop in?!"

"I dunno." Zaid shrugged. "I figured it was just some boring educational movie!"

"Educational my third buttcheek!" Josho flailed his forelimb. "You should have put that sucker in first!"

"No way!"

"Why the buck not?!"

"Kera was watching with us at the time!"

"Yeah, so?! Her tattoos are getting crowded! Let her grow up!"

"You're—like—the worst damn uncle ever."

"Hell, I could an uncle, an aunt, and two and a half grandma's!" Josho scooted out of his chair. "Pop it in, already! Ledo on a zamboni, I need to be fully awake for this! What's for supper, pal?"

"Beats me. You're the one preparing it. Pal."

The Noble Jury gently drifted its way south. The mountains here gave way to a low, rolling valley with sporadic slusters of oak and pine. Below—as the dawnlight spread over the earth like a blanket—a break in the foliage appeared. A tiny patch of land exposed several quaint buildings and cottages through the trees. Quadruped figures trotted back and forth between buildings, inns, merchant shops, and warehouses. Chimneys puffed quiet streams of smoke into the air, adding to the tranquility of the early morning.

Rainbow Dash sniffed, and she liked what she smelled. A soft grin covered her tired face as she looped and looped around the slowly cruising Jury for a morning stretch. After giving the rooftops of the little village a few more flyby's, she ascended to the clouds high above the Jury. From there, she surveyed the landscape. Below the Jury and to the southeast was a round building surrounded by a decrepit wall. Centuries of wear and tear had left the bulwark a crumbling mess, overgrown with vines and moss. Although the wall had given way countless years ago, there was no longer any need for it, and much of the village had bled into the fortress' inner circle. Ponies milled about, calmly carrying produce and tradesgoods from one place to another. In the center of the community—instead of a stone-wrought keep—there was an elegant mansion, three stories tall with majestic gothic architecture. Built around the manor was a series of parks, elegant in their horticultural design. It was—by far—the most affluent sight that the pegasus had stumbled across since departing from Durandana.

She smirked to herself. "Bingo." With a rattle of her pendant, she dove down and perched on the hull of the vessel, just outside the cockpit.

Cl-Clack!

Floydien looked up from the instrument panel.

Rainbow Dash waved immediately outside. She cupped two hooves around her muzzle, lifting her voice to be heard through the windshield. "This looks to be Sehlp! Try finding a place to park the Jury while I go have a look-see!"

Floydien merely nodded. He reached up, pulled a lever, then shot several tiny sparks from his antlers into the surrounding instruments.

The Jury slowly descended while Rainbow Dash darted off, zipping her way toward the rooftops.

Floydien looked at where she was flying. He did a double take. Floydien blinked. He leaned forward. He blinked again. He leaned forward even more. His red eyes began twitching.

"... ... ...NOPE."

Cr-Crunkkk! He pulled savagely at another lever.

Inside the mess hall, Zaid and Josho leaned forward, their jaws dropped as their wide eyes reflected the writhing figures on screen.

"Whoah..."

"My goddess..." Josho slurred. "...can you even do that with a beach ball?"

"B-before or after you inflate it?"

"I think we're about to find out."

"Shhh! Look!"

"Oh..."

"Ohhhhhhh..."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh!" Josho slapped the table, laughing. "Haahaah! Oh jeez! They sure as hell never did that in boot camp!"

"Nnnnghlkkttt..." Zaid held a hoof over his muzzle. "Forgive me, Props, I-I think I'm going to be s-sick."

RUMMMMMBLE!

The whole ship shook, throwing both stallions onto the floor with shocked yelps. The projector fell to its side while the reel rolled off like a runaway ball of yarn.

"Snkkkt—snhorrt!" Booster Spice woke with a jolt, his goggles flying off with the turbulence. "What in the balls?!"

"Oooomf!" Pilate fell out of his bunk and collapsed to the floor. Wincing, he sat up on the floor of his cabin, bracing himself against a rattling bulkhead. "What in Sp-Spark's name?!"

"Aaaaaaaa—" THUD! Belle fell onto him from the top bunk. "Ooof!"

Pilate moaned.

Belle sat up, blinking blearily. "Pilate?!"

"M... m-morning, beloved..."

"H-huh?!" Rainbow Dash spun around. She watched with muzzle gape as the Noble Jury turned savagely on its side, almost pivoting fully horizontal. "Whoah whoah whoah—jeez!"

Even the residents of the village below looked up, their collective voices rising in surprise.

"Floydien, what gives?!" Fwoooosh! Rainbow shot herself towards the careening ship like a bullet. "Floydiennnn!"

"NOPPPPE."

The elk's cockpit lit up like a lightbulb from all the lightning.

Teeth clenched and sparkling, the crazed pilot yanked and twirled at the controls, swinging the ship hard to port. "NOPE NOPE NOPE."

"Aaaaackies!"

Props fell off her cot, rolled across the engine room floor, and bumped her head against the base of the central iron cage.

"Ooomf!"

Wincing, she reached up and rubbed her skull. That was when she noticed the savage lavender flicker throughout the room.

Scampering to her hooves and struggling for balance, she hobbled around the cage, gasping at the book. The tome was pulsating at an unprecedented speed. Steam rose from its runic pages.

"What in the fuzzle-what?!"

She clawed her way up the leaning floor and slapped her hoof across a console.

"Handsome, stop pouring so much energy into the lateral thrusters!" Props sputtered, ponytails dangling—as were her legs. "Nancy can't take the strain!" She panted, wincing. "I really mean it! The core's gonna short out! Do you even hear me?!"

"NOPE NOPE NOPE—sncrkkkt!" was all the intercom relayed.

"...handsome?" Props blinked worriedly.

FWOOOOOSH! The Noble Jury lost altitude, cruising towards the forest floor to the west of the town.

Rainbow Dash darted all around it, trying in vain to "push" against the hull of the careening vessel. Despite her best efforts, the ship still glided its way towards the ground.

"Floydien?! Snap out of it! For realsies!" Even from where she pressed her shoulders to the bow of the ship, she could hear the cockpit's warning alarm blaring at full volume, echoing off the surrounding branches as the ship descended past the treeline. Breathless, Rainbow took one glance at the incoming throng of oak and pine. "Awwwwww buck it." And she zipped up and out of the way.

SMASSSSH! The Noble Jury struck dirt, grinding its way across the soft soil. It plowed into a few trees, uprooting two of them and bending three others at awkward angles from their central trunk. Despite the heavy impact, the ship's momentum soon stopped, and there was only half-a-dozen scratches, harmless... if not glaring.

With a few lasting flickers, the skystone shard above the gondola dimmed, and steam vented tiredly from the plates in each bulkhead.

All was as quiet as it was before the ship steered off path.

Inside the mess hall, Zaid and Booster cooperated to help Josho onto his hooves. The three stallions brushed themselves off, looking at all the disarray. The ship had stopped in a permanent lean. Sunbeams bled through the portholes at sharp angles while many of the chairs had collected in the far corner of the room.

"Okay, I give." Zaid shrugged. "We struck an iceberg?"

"Sounds like the engine's off!" Booster exclaimed, galloping straight into the kitchen. "I'd better check on Props!"

"Say! Uh... isn't that my job?" Zaid sputtered.

Just then, Belle, Pilate, and Kera stumbled out of the hallway.

"Is everypony okay?!" Belle remarked, breathless.

"Only my pride," Josho said, wincing. "And even that has indigestion."

"I don't think we hit anything," Pilate said, ears twitching. "Feels like a catastrophic power failure."

"No, Rainbow charged the tome yesterday," Belle said. "Besides, didn't you feel that heavy turn we just made?"

"I sure as heck did!" Zaid exclaimed.

"Hey..." Kera squatted low, pawing at an unrolled spool of film. "'Saddle Mares?' We didn't watch this that night!"

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Zaid swiftly galloped over, yanking his hooves over Kera's eyes and dragging her farrrrrrr away. "Nothing to see here, kiddo."

"Hey!" Kera frowned, horn glowing. "What gives?"

"At least not until your tattoos are old enough to buy drinks." Zaid gulped, smiling nervously at the couple.

Belle glared. "Zaidddddd..."

"Don't look at me!" Zaid sputtered. "I'm not the one who was flying under the influence!"

"Where's that dayum elk?!" Josho grumbled.

At the sound of hoofsteps, Belle turned and gasped. "Mr. Floydien! There you are! What in Spark's name happened?!" She frozed in place, cockeyed. "Is... s-something the matter—?"

"nope Nope NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE Nope nope." Floydien marched straight past them and into the kitchen, his chanting voice producing a doppler effect.

Everypony exchanged nervous glances. Seconds later, they all bolted through the kitchen, chasing after the elk.

By the time they had reached the hangar, the mechanical doors had already whirrrred open. They arrived in time to see Floydien shuffling briskly into the forests in a straight line.

"Nope nope nope nope nope!"

"I hope he doesn't look as bad as he sounds," Pilate stammered.

The door squeaked open as Props and Booster rushed in from the engine room, a frazzled mess. "The engine's fried!" the blonde mare sputtered. "It's going to take a full day of mantenance and who knows how many zaps from Dashie to get Nancy up and running again!"

"Meanwhile, there goes our elk of the hour," Booster said, pointing.

"Hey handsome!" Props shouted like a megaphone. "Where are you going?!"

"Floydien is off to... uh... to... to do hunting!"

Kera's muzzle scrunched. "Hunting?"

"But Mr. Floydien—" Pilate started.

"Boomers, do not stop Floydien!" The sounds of exploding trees echoed across the forest at random intervals, following the elk's exclamations. "Floydien must be Floydien for a while!" More explosions. "With the hunting!"

"Ahhhhh Hell." Josho gulped. "We are really screwed."

"Without Floydien, how are we going to get anywhere?!" Belle exclaimed. "He's the life blood of the Noble Jury!"

"Hey!" Zaid grinned, hooking a forelimb around Props. "It's a good thing I've learned how to control the ship better since Stratopolis, right?"

"... ... ...as I said," Josho grumbled. "We are really screwed."

Fwooosh! Rainbow Dash flew down before the open hangar, startling half the Jurists. "Hey!" She gulped. "You guys okay?!"

"We're fine, Rainbow," Belle said, breathing more calmly. "And you?"

"Tell you what, I freaked the heck out when I saw the ship go down!" She spun, squinting towards the distant brown speck that was shooting lightning randomly in all directions. "Has it finally happened? Has he finally flipped his rocker?!"

"To be honest, he didn't exactly have a firm seat on this plane to begin with," Josho muttered.

"Give Mr. Floydien some credit, Josho," Pilate said. "None of us truly know much about him." He tapped his chin in thought. "Perhaps... something set him off? Something specifically?"

"Hmmmm..." Rainbow Dash twirled about, staring at the manor through the trees.

"Just what could have done such a thing to our poor friend?" Belle remarked.

"I bet we could find out..."

"Got a plan, Dashie?"

"If you call it one." Rainbow pointed. "Booster. Josho. Go keep an eye on Floydien. Don't let him get lost in the forest!"

"Sure thing." Josho gestured at the stallion. "Hop to it, four eyes. You've been drafted."

As both ponies galloped off, Rainbow pointed. "Propsy, see what you can do about the engine."

"Aye, Dashie!"

"We'd look really silly lying on our flanks when Roarke flies Whizzball down here to meet up with us." Rainbow pivoted. "And Belle?"

"What?"

"Fix your mane."

"...what?"

"We're going into town," Rainbow said, hovering off. "Time to pay this 'Sehlp' a visit..."

As Floydien Panteth Before the Water

"NOPE."

FLASH! A tree split down the middle.

"NOPE."

FL-FLASH! A patch of earth exploded into powdery dust.

"NOPE."

FLASH! A cluster of boulders exploded, showering Josho and Booster with pebbles.

"Gaaaugh!" Booster flinched, hiding behind Josho's large girth.

The older stallion side. "Elkmeister, what are you doing?"

Floydien spun about, his muzzle awash in a cold sweat. "Hunting!" Z-ZAP! He fired another beam of magical electricity into the wilderness, sending branches and leaves scattering.

"Uh huh... hunting for what?"

"Floydien doesn't know yet!" P-POW! A tree trunk exploded, its foliage collapsing in a heap behind him. The elk walked numbly through the scattering debris, his red pupils as small as pinpricks. "Boomers should stay away! Not safe in all the bang bang!"

"Yes... b-but what caused you to start in the first place?" Booster stammered, peaking a nervous smile from around Josho's shoulder. He waved. "We're your friends, Mr. Floydien! We've been through thick and thin together!"

Josho motioned with his neck. "What this punk here is beating around the bush to say is that you should spit out what caused you to go ballistic on the nature preserve!"

"NOPE." Fl-Flash! Acorns and pine cones fell like rain around the two flinching stallions. Floydien took his murderous march even deeper into the forest. "NOPE NOPE Nope nope nope..."

Josho stood dead still, his eyebrows straight as razors. He sighed while Booster pawed nervously at a blob of tree-sap sticking to his fetlock. "Nnnnngh..." The obese stallion facehoofed. "I only hope the others are making better progress than we are..."

Rainbow Dash, Bellesmith, and Pilate trotted slowly into the heart of the village. One of several ponies trotted up, carrying a basket over her shoulders.

"Oh! Strangers!" The mare grinned, cheeks warm. "How do you do?"

Rainbow and Belle exchanged glances. "Uhhhh..." Rainbow stepped forward, coiling her wings tightly by her side. "Could be better, actually."

"Awwww... well I hope your day gets better," the mare said. "Need directions?"

"Yes," Pilate nodded. "May I ask who's in charge around these parts?"

"My my, you are from out of town!" The mare cleared her throat. "That, of course, would be the esteemed Duchess Arcanista."

"You don't say?" Rainbow Dash craned her neck to the side. "And where might we go to... y'know... talk it out with this Arcanista?"

The mare pointed towards the ancient, decrepit wall forming a circle around the inner village. "Why, over in the Sehlp Manor, of course!" She giggled. "Along with the rest of the nobles. They treat us earth ponies wonderfully. It's all part of the Val Roan Code, of course."

"Of c-course." Belle smiled. "Thank you, ma'am. You've been very kind."

"What else are we on this earth to do than be kind?" The mare winked. "If you wish to speak with the Duchess herself, I'm sure one of the nobles beyond the Old Gate would be more than happy to arrange a meeting. She's... mmm... not very busy these days."

"I see."

"Say..." The mare leaned forward, eyes bright. "Are you the ponies who were inside that giant, gorgeous airship that crash landed in the forest just now?"

"Uhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash gulped, then smiled. "M-maybe?"

"How wonderful!" The mare smirked. "Welcome to Bountiful. I wish you three a good morning!" Then she and her smile trotted away.

Rainbow Dash watched her leave, an eyebrow heavily arched.

"I really like that name," Pilate said.

"Yeah, well I don't," Rainbow muttered.

"What's the matter, Rainbow?" Bellesmith asked.

"I dunno..." Rainbow shivered slightly as the group trotted through the half-broken arch of the old wall. Foals ran past them, giggling and chasing each other in the crisp sunlight through the lush trees. "I just get this really queer feeling whenever we stroll into a town where everyone smiles at us."

"We were treated like princes and princesses in Abinadi," Pilate said, smirking. "Did that disturb you so much then?"

"That was different. We were focused on bringing Elma closure." She winced slightly. "My bad. Lerris."

"Would you rather we be attacked by changelings or managliders in every town we visited?" Belle nudged Rainbow. "Hmmmm?"

"Mmmrnnngh... sometimes..."

"Awwww..." Belle giggled. "Rainbow..."

"Don't mind me," Rainbow muttered. "With Roarke not around, my cynical side is having to pick up the slack."

"I'm sure she misses you too," Pilate said with a smirk.

"Cut it out, Stripesy."

"What for?"

"You're not allowed to make my heart flutter at the drop of a hoof."

Pilate and Belle chuckled.

"Still..." Belle glanced across the peaceful, provincial town. "This truly is a peaceful place."

"Certainly sounds tranquil," Pilate remarked. "I've never heard this many ponies out and about this early in the morning."

Beyond the walls, the buildings were built taller with firmer foundations. The architecture instantly became wealthier, and there was an even cleaner smell in the air.

"I think this is—like—the rich quarter or something," Rainbow said. "Must be where the nobles live."

"Is it right up near the central manor?" Pilate asked.

"Uh huh."

"That would explain it."

"That's not to say anything bad about the rest of the town!" Belle said, turning to look behind her. "Even outside of the gate, things look prosperous. For a society built from the fringes of a feudal system, they appear to be doing quite well for themselves."

"Then we're struggling with quite the puzzle," Pilate said.

"How's that, beloved?"

"Just what on earth could have possessed Floydien to run the Jury aground from the mere sight of this place?"

Rainbow suddenly jerked to a stop. Her wings flexed and unflexed. "Don't look now..." She pointed. "But I think I found the puzzle's solution just now."

Belle craned her neck to see.

From across the way, a group of deer padded across the town lawn. They were all dressed richly in shiny clothes, and a few equine servants in browner drab followed close behind. A tiny fawn in a pink dress stumbled beside her mother. She turned to glance at the group, her little nose wriggling curiously. Not long after, the mother nuzzled her, ushering her into the store where they were headed. A pair of bucks in uniform trotted across the street, warily eyeing the strangers. Their branching antlers made stately shadows in the golden dawnlight.

Belle's lips parted. She gazed at Rainbow. Rainbow gazed straight back at her.

"What?" Pilate asked, ears twitching. "Are th-they hippos?"

Like Noble Jurists Caught In Headlights

A squirrel clung to an artificial wooden branch, twisting its head until it blinked its beady eyes upside down.

Rainbow Dash stared back, quiet and deadpan.

After a minute, the squirrel's bushy tail twitched. It climbed up the branch, joining several more rodents as they scurried from wooden platform to wooden platform.

Rainbow Dash and her two best friends sat in a garden, over which a filmy net was suspended like a translucent dome. Beneath the net, several trees and flower beds bloomed. A complex series of wooden lattices stretched between the natural horticulture, allowing for an elaborate network of interconnecting bridges for the squirrels to traverse. The small furry mammals were great in number—no less than two hundred in that enclosed garden alone.

"That's... a lot of rats," Rainbow muttered.

"Rainbow!" Bellesmith hissed. "Careful what you say!" She squinted across the garden to where a pair of guards stood, their antlers sharp and shaven in the sunlight. Behind them there stretched a path towards the southwest wing of Bountiful's enormous manor. "The nobles here obviously went through a great deal of toil to set up this terrarium!"

"What for?" Rainbow glanced up. "They're just squirrels."

"They may seem like regular rodents to us, but they could mean a lot to the deer here!" Belle insisted.

"For nut-hunting season, maybe."

"Rainbow Dash," Pilate spoke up. "Belle informs me that one of your best friends had an infant whelp for a best friend. Is this true?"

"Who? You mean Spike? For your information, he's still alive and well back in Ponyville."

"And if a group of ponies from—say—Silvadel were to arrive in Ponyville and see Spike, how would they react?"

"Pffft. They'd probably try to spore the poor guy. I know Sam Rose would."

"And would their abject opinion make Spike any less precious in the eyes of your former colleagues in Equestria?"

"Dude. Pilate." Rainbow Dash gestured towards the tree branches above. "The moment a squirrel can breathe fire and send physical letters across the continent, you lemme know. Cuz then I'd buy a baker's dozen of 'em!"

Pilate sighed, tilting his head towards Belle. "I tried."

"Yeesh..." Rainbow flinched, wingtips fluttering. "I really hope they don't poop on us."

"They're squirrels," Belle remarked. "Not pigeons."

"What are we waiting for, anyways?" Rainbow asked.

"Didn't the servant say that the Duchess of Sehlp was willing to come speak to us?"

"Yeah, but that was—like—twenty minutes ago."

"It can't be easy running a place like Bountiful on your own," Belle said. "I think we're lucky that she's willing to give us any of her time whatsoever."

"It's best to be patient, Rainbow," Pilate said.

"I know that." Rainbow gritted her teeth. "It's just that... every minute we spend here sitting on our flanks, Floydien goes ballistic on the forest outside this smiley town!"

"I'm not hearing any explosions from this distance," Pilate said, lips curved.

"Yeah, well, maybe he switched to decaf since we crashed."

Belle glanced at Pilate. "I must say I'm rather curious as to how this place fits into Floydien's history."

Pilate yawned.

Belle slapped his shoulder. "Beloved?!"

"Hmmm?" He jolted, ears twitching. "Huh? What?"

"You know Floydien better than the rest of us."

"... I do?"

"Certainly! You were the one he rescued—more or less—out of Foxtaur! And you've been the one pony to constantly rein him in whenever things got awkward."

"Just because I can communicate with our pilot doesn't mean he's revealed much of anything to me." Pilate gulped. "With Floydien, it's always been about trust. We've respected his privacy and he's allowed us to occupy his vessel."

"Come to think of it..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her scalp. "Did he ever tell us just where he got the Jury?"

"He built it, if I recall," Pilate said.

"Yeah, but by himself?"

"No, obviously. He had—" Pilate's lips trailed off. He tilted his head upwards. "...Simon."

Belle and Rainbow Dash gazed up at the rodent-populated trees and platforms.

"Belle?"

"Yes, Rainbow?"

"What if Floydien's a fugitive?"

"You mean from Bountiful?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Seems awfully foolish for him to return to the scene of the crime."

"But what if he doesn't remember that crime?" Rainbow gulped. "He lets a heck of a lot of volts of electricity surge through his skull. Plus—you gotta admit—those red eyes of his are kinda vacant."

"He crossed paths with Nightshade, did he not?"

"He most certainly did," Pilate muttered.

"Perhaps it's not his own fault that he couldn't recognize this place until it showed up underneath him," Belle said. "Perhaps all of that... 'glimmer shimmer' was never his to begin with."

"That wouldn't surprise me." Rainbow fidgeted in her seat. "But to come to a head now? And here?"

"If Floydien is somehow connected with the Val Roan High Council—" Pilate began.

"Stop where you're ahead, Stripesey," Rainbow muttered. "Cuz something tells me we'll be eating that manasphere of yours together."

"Shhhh..." Pilate's ears twitched as he tilted his head toward the guards. "Somepony's coming."

"Not somepony, Pilate," Belle said, standing up. "Some-elk."

The three got up to their hooves. In the meantime, the guards stood apart and faced each other. They tilted their heads back in order to not disrupt the pathway leading into the terrarium with their antlers. As they moved, the three Jurists watched a large, hornless deer trot into the domain. Her coat was of a reddish-brown hue, and a pair of soft eyes framed an otherwise coarse face. She wore a gown with purple silk tresses that trailed slightly behind her hooves. A pair of equine maidens trotted behind her, silent as stone.

"To whom do I owe the pleasure?" she said, shuffling to a stop.

Pilate cleared his throat. "Madame, my name is Pilate. This mare beside me is my mate, Bellesmith. The other mare goes by Rainbow Dash."

"Welcome to Bountiful," the elk said. "I am Duchess Arcanista of the House of Sehlp. Please..." She reached a cloven hoof forward. "Consider yourselves guests of our estate."

Pilate stood dead still.

She leaned her head to the side. "Can you not see?"

"I cannot, no." He smiled. "I beg your pardon, cow."

"Whoah!" Rainbow flashed him a shocked expression. "Dude!"

"Rainbow, calm down," Belle hissed.

"But he just called her—"

"Such is the appropriate term for a female elk."

"..." Rainbow blinked. "Oh. I-I knew that."

"But I thought that you could not see," Arcanista remarked.

"And such is true." Pilate's lips curved. "On occasion, I have magic—crafted by my beloved—that aids me in the place of true sight. But, in this case, I listened to the sound of your hoofsteps. Your gait is the same as a friend of ours."

Arcanista leaned back with a deep breath. "You don't say?" She blinked. "Then you are companions to Val Roan nobles?"

"To our knowledge, ma'am, you are the first that we've had the pleasure of meeting," Belle said.

"Indeed." Arcanista's gaze traveled from Pilate's stripes to Belle's stubby horn to Rainbow's flapping wings. "Quite a remarkable group of friends you are. Tell me..." She narrowed her eyes on Rainbow in particular. "Are there others in your party like you."

"Just me, cow... c-cow ma'am..." Rainbow winced. "Uhm... m-madame cow?"

Arcanista chuckled lightly. "Don't be so nervous. I am not like the haughty and unforgiving members of the Royal Cabinet. I extend the same mercy to you as I do to all the residents of Bountiful. Despite my noble standings, I believe it is my task to personally oversee the welfare of all who benefit from my rule."

"That's marvellous, Duchess," Belle said with a smile. "I only wish we could meet more leaders like you in our travels."

"Is that so?" Arcanista stood up and paced towards the three. "It sounds almost as if you're on a very long journey."

"I... suppose you could say that."

"Tell me." The elk's dark eyes narrowed. "Are you the Noble Jury?"

Dead silence, save for the distant barks of squirrels. Both Pilate and Belle tilted their heads in Rainbow's direction.

"Hmmm...?" Rainbow blinked. "Oh—the Jury?! Pffft! Please..." She waved a hoof. "Like we could ever possibly be aligned with such crazy trouble-makers—"

"Scrkkkk! Eagle Eye to Jury! Eagle Eye to Jury! Come in, Rainbow Dash! Are you there?"

Rainbow Dash clenched her eyes tightly shut. She took a long, long breath, then raised the soundstone to her muzzle.

"Yeah...?"

"Good! Just wanted to give you an update!"

Whizzball sliced its way through clouds as it rocketed south.

Roarke gripped the controls, staring thoughtfully through the windshield as she scaled mountains and valleys.

Ebon Mane slept soundly. His head curled against Eagle Eye's neck as his body rose and fell in calm breaths.

"Things couldn't have gone more smoothely!" Eagle grinned, caressing Ebon's head with his free hoof. "Ebon gave the changelings a thorough introduction to one another! Then our three friends at Silver Point took the baton! We even stopped by Amulek to smooth things out and grab a box of cookies for Booster!"

"Uh huh. That's fine, guys."

"No kidding!" Eagle chirped, rattling a cardboard box in his lap. "His mom made them!"

"I said that's fine," Rainbow growled. "Tell Roarke to fly safely and meet us in the town of Bountiful."

"Be sure to tell the rest of the Jurists that they're in for a delicious treat! We haven't had cookies this delicious since Zaid turned the Noble Jury's pantry inside out and accidentally baked—"

"Good bye, EE!" Rainbow slapped the soundstone a few times against a tree until it dimmed. Taking a deep breath, she looked the elk's way.

Arcanista bore a tiny smirk.

"... ... ..." Rainbow folded her forelimbs with a smug grin. "I don't suppose I can convince you that we're all changelings?"

"My guards keep a very close watch of the clouds as much as the forest, winged friend," she said. "I knew from the moment they described your ship that Bountiful was at last welcoming the elusive vigilantes of the Val Roan countryside. I've heard nothing but praise of your exploits across the land, saving township after township from the Cartel's incursion. We've had to deal with the goblin scourge ourselves from time to time, so—in a way—we are kindred spirits."

"The goblins aren't what brought us here, Duchess," Rainbow Dash said.

"No, I imagine gravity did."

"Huh?"

"Believe me, the fact that you are the Noble Jury is the one thing keeping me from seizing all of your assets and holding you responsible for irreporable damage to our forests."

Rainbow winced. "Yeah... uhm..." She gulped. "Your guards have good eyes."

"We trust that your vessel is in trouble," Arcanista said. "If so, we would be more than happy to assist you. We only wish that you could try to steer clear of our trees the next time you make a landing." Arcanista glanced at the other two. "This ecosystem is very fragile, and there is much wildlife that is endangered from goblin interference."

"Including squirrels, I imagine," Belle said.

"Indeed." Arcanista gestured at the branches overhead. "The Val Roan Gray Squirrel is a dying breed, known for their extreme intelligence. An adult squirrel of this species can even learn simple sign language if trained well enough. They're a pride and joy of Bountiful, and it's something that other nobles from far and wide have traveled to witness first-hoof."

"I trust that you keep a close eye on them," Pilate remarked.

"Absolutely." Arcanista nodded. "Without fail. Only once in the entire history of the House of Sehlp has one of our precious rodents gone astray."

Rainbow Dash and Belle exchanged glances. The pegasus hovered closer. "Could this squirrel have been called... Simon?"

Arcanista's features slacked slightly. She took a deep breath, then narrowed her eyes. "Something did bring you here... didn't it?"

Belle bit her lip. "Madame... is a super-intelligent squirrel the only thing missing from Bountiful?"

Silence.

Arcanista exhaled and turned around. "Follow me."

The Jurists exchanged glances.

"Is... s-something wrong?" Rainbow asked.

"That remains to be seen, my friend." Arcanista shuffled out of the terrarium, followed by her guests. "I simply feel that I need some air to process what we are about to discuss..."

Duke Floyd of The City Bountiful

"'Duke Floyd of the House of Sehlp?!'" Rainbow Dash blinked from where she hovered. "With all due respect, madame. Would you mind running that by me again? I've got three legs left to pull."

"It was the name he was born with," Duchess Arcanista said as she strolled along the cobblestone path that surrounded the tall manor. Bellesmith, Pilate, Rainbow, and the Duchess' servants followed close behind. "Since the day of his inheritance, Floyd goverened the village of Bountiful and its surrounding provinces for ten prosperous years. And then, he disappeared."

"And you've been ruling this estate ever since?" Pilate asked.

The Duchess nodded. "As is my noble duty."

"For how long?" Belle asked.

The elk's nostrils flared. "Five years. Going on six."

"Yeesh..." Rainbow glanced at the others. "Just how old is Floydien?"

Arcanista spun and faced the three. "I do not know who this stranger is who bears Floyd's name." Her eyes narrowed. "But if he has made it back to Bountiful, then he is not the same Duke who left."

"Why not?" Belle asked.

Arcanista took a deep breath, staring off into the horizon. "He died."

Belle glanced at Pilate.

Rainbow, however, was leaning forward on flapping wings. "Why... do I get the feeling you're not so certain of this?"

Arcanista's hooves kneaded the path.

"Please." Rainbow smiled hopefully. "We're just trying to connect the dots here. If you are too, then maybe we can help each other, huh?"

"Floyd's death was... the result of several calamitous circumstances, all coming to a head." The elk shuddered in her gown. "I've never been able to feel true closure in his passing. What's more, all connections between the House of Sehlp and the Val Roan High Council certainly haven't recovered, in even five long years."

"Recovered from what?" Pilate asked.

"Madame, if it's not too much for us to ask, perhaps you can tell us what happened."

Arcanista took a deep breath, frowning slightly. "An abridged version will do."

"Hey, that's cool." Rainbow shrugged. "I dig bridges." Belle rolled her eyes.

Arcanista spoke: "When the previous Duke of Sehlp passed away, Floyd was considered too young to properly occupy a seat in the High Council. This, of course, raised no small amount of protest among the populace here in Bountiful. A vote was made to challenge the High Council's legislature—an obscure set of rules that appeared to hold a remarkably striking bias against the first new representative to come from Bountiful in half a century."

"And here we flew over two continents and an ocean in hopes of avoiding evil politics," Pilate said with a smirk.

Belle sighed. "Beloved..."

"Your mate is quite correct," Arcanista said. "As much as I would wish it were otherwise, Val Roa's High Council is anything but a committee of saints. Corruption and greed run deep. If it weren't for the predominating authority of the monarchy, the nation would implode overnight."

"Hah!" Rainbow Dash pointed. "Amen to that, sister!" She smirked down at the others. "I' telling ya! Every kingdom needs a princess!"

"Uhm..." Belle cleared her throat and looked up at Arcanista. "So, Bountiful attempted to challenge the High Council on Floyd's behalf?"

"And, naturally, the Council held up the commission to reexamine the law for months. And when Floyd—young and upset—allowed his furious side to show, the Council took advantage of his actions, deeming him too contemptuous for official representation. Through yet another legistlative loophole, they appointed the duke from a bordering province to act as steward for Bountiful within Val Roa Proper."

"Why not you?"

"They had something to gain in all this," Arcanista said. "With the death of the previous Duke, Val Roa decided to pick Bountiful apart from the outside. The Council would have suceeded if it weren't for the swift actions of Floyd and myself. We took our power inward, lobbying against the influence of the steward, maintaining our trade agreements while staving off aggressive taxation. By the time Floyd finally earned himself a seat in the Council, several years had passed, and Bountiful no longer had the influence it once did. We had been marginalized, stripped clean by interpolitical bureaucracy."

"Yeesh..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her aching skull. "I think I prefer the managliders and battleships..."

"What was it that possessed the Duke to leave?" Pilate asked.

"As the years grew by, Floyd struggled to gain back the glory that once belonged to Bountiful within the kingdom," Arcanista explained. "For months... even years, he remained on the other side of the West Gate. The Council's meddlings made him a virtual stranger to his own subjects. But he was strong... and wise. His loyalty paid out, and soon he was in a place of power that couldn't simply be written away with the stroke of a pen. Naturally, his adversaries within Val Roa decided to cross the line."

"What..." Belle gulped. "Wh-what did they do?"

Arcanista was silent.

The Jurists waited with intense patience.

"They... found a way to manipulate him." Arcanista clenched her jaws. "Virtually overnight, his life was turned upside down. I suspect that someone in the Royal Cabinet intervened on the Council's side."

"You mean someone who worked with the monarchy?" Pilate asked.

Arcanista went on. "Floyd was so distraught from the threats made, that he fled the kingdom. I tried to intervene, to reason with him, but we hadn't crossed paths in months. There was no chance I could catch up to him in time. He abandoned everything here in Bountiful—his possessions, his entire inheritance, even the Noble Crown of Sehlp. He gave up all but one thing—his prized animal, a highly-trained companion he made among the sanctuary here."

"Simon..." Belle said.

Arcanista nodded. "Floyd named the creature himself. He was very good at naming things, he..." Her voice trailed off.

"What... what happened then?" Rainbow asked.

Arcanista sighed. "Duke Floyd's body... was found at the bottom of a ravine west of here, north of the Green Swamps. A Val Roan Royal patrol reported finding his corpse. They say that they found his body riddled with silver bullets—the work of a marauding band of Green Bandits, loyal to the Cartel."

"You sound a heck of a lot angrier then sad," Rainbow said.

"Indeed." Arcanista glanced up, her eyes fiery. "For the Val Roan patrol refused to provide Bountiful with Floyd's body."

"Preposterous!" Belle exclaimed. "He's a Duke from a sovereign province!"

"How in the heck could they get away with that?!"

"They claimed possession of Floyd's will and testament," Arcanista said. "Which purportedly documented his desire to be buried in the high plains of Val Roa Proper."

"Surely you challenged it."

"I attempted to," Arcanista said in an exhausted tone. "But it was clear to me that where Floyd's authority was marginalized, mine was to be virtually nonexistent. I was never allowed to exhume the body. To this day, I still haven't seen the grave."

"Probably because there isn't one," Pilate said.

Arcanista gazed softly at the three. "For years, I accepted Floyd's death as a consequence of Val Roan meddling. Somepony in the High Council decided to do the unthinkable and silence him forever. Since I've become Duchess in his stead, I've been allowed a seat on the Council, but it's a function in name only. The Val Roans seek to make me a puppet, and all of Bountiful in turn."

"You don't have any allies within the kingdom?" Bele asked. "Anypony who could somehow help uncover this conspiracy?"

"You must understand, when Floyd was forced out of the kingdom, I realized the cost of outright challenging a power as supreme as Val Roa's," Arcanista said. "As much as I would like to vindicate the Duke's murder, I've had a duty to the nobles and ponies of Bountiful all the same. If I was to incur the wrath of the Val Roans and suffer the same fate as Floyd, then there's nothing that would stand in the way of a steward or a rival duke from dividing my provinces like piecemeal. For the sake of the peace, I've accepted my fate, and have filled my days these past five years with maintaining harmony in this part of the Continent."

Rainbow Dash squirmed in midair. "Well, jee... I-I'm all for Harmony, but that's one heck of a cost..."

"Indeed." Arcanista hung her head. "My only hope these long, long seasons is that there is some truth that I've yet to understand, and that what I know may in fact still be unraveled further. The possibility that Duke Floyd may still be alive is something that I've held close to my heart for years, but I haven't had any legitimate reason to believe it..." She tilted her face back up, eyes leering. "...until now."

The Jurists gazed back at her.

"This 'Floydien'..." Arcanista took a few bold steps towards the three. "Has he ever spoken of Bountiful or the House of Selhp before?"

"Well... he sp-speaks..." Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck. "But... uhhhhhh... it sure isn't anything you'd understand... or w-want to hear."

Arcanista glared. "Take me to him."

"NOPE!" ZZzzztt! A tree exploded.

"Four hundred and twenty-eight," Josho and Zaid muttered.

"NOPE! Zaaaap! Pebbles scattered through the forest.

"Four hundred and twenty-nine."

"NOPE!" Floydien—frenzied and sweating—spun his antlers once again.

Arcanista stood in his way. She smiled demurely into the sparkling light of his manacharge. "Hello, Floyd."

"...!" Floydien froze in place, grimacing. He panted and panted and gulped.

Josho and Zaid jumped up to their hooves, glancing between the two elk. They turned and looked at Rainbow Dash, who hovered above two reindeer guards in armored uniform.

"Whoah!" Zaid did a double-take. "Just five more and we can deliver presents around the world!"

"Not the time, pal," Rainbow muttered.

"Uhm..." Josho shuffled over and murmured into the pegasus' ear. "Who's Floydien's cross-dressing doppelganger?"

"That is Duchess Arcanista of the House of Selhp."

"Gesundheit." Josho's brow furrowed as the dust from Floydien's manablasts finally settled around them. "But what in the heck is she gonna do with our pilot?"

"Make things a whole lot more interesting. Shhhh." Rainbow motioned them to listen, then craned her neck.

Arcanista took a few courageous steps towards Floydien. "A part of me didn't want to believe that you were still breathing, because I was too afraid to see who... or what you would become, to have survived the calamity of the High Council so." She tilted her head to the side with a soft smile. "But now, I understand that you need me now more than ever. Please, brother, tell me what's happened to you."

Floydien seethed, hissed, and barked: "Frilly boomer! Spit somewhere else! Floydien needs only to dash the shimmer! Yes yes yesss!"

Arcanista's ears drooped. After a few seconds of utter shock, she frowned. "This... is not the work of Val Roa..."

"Nrnnnngh!" Floydien spun and fired an electrical blast at a wall of earth, sending rocky chunks rattling all over.

Instinctively, Rainbow Dash flew forward.

One of the guards held her by her tail.

"Dude!" Rainbow stammered. "She's right in the thick of it—!"

"The Honorable Duchess can handle this," one reindeer said. "More than the rest of us combined."

Rainbow blinked at him, then bit her lip as she watched the exchange from afar.

"Floyd... brother..." Arcanista rested a hoof on his side. "Why so much wrath? So much anger—?"

"Raaaugh!" Floydien shoved her back. "Spit elsewhere!" He heaved and heaved. "So many boomers want Floydien's shimmers! They want Floydien's Nancy Jane! But they never... want... Floydien!"

"These are honorable ponies, Floydien," Arcanista said, gesturing back at Rainbow, Zaid, and Josho. "It's obvious that they care for you. They know as I do that—no matter how lost you may be—Duke Floyd does not exercise his generosity blindly." She stepped closer. "I know you to be a good ruler. A kind ruler."

"Stop... sp-spitting!" He howled in her face. "You shuffle shuffle beyond the glimmer veil! No boomer knows Floydien! Only Floydien knows Floydien! So let me be Floydien!" He twirled once again, antlers brimming with elecricity.

Without warning, Arcanista thrust her head forward. Two fixed points on her skull sparked with energy, surging blue bolts into the husk of a tree and exploding it from deep within.

"Gaaah!" Zaid flinched.

"Holy horse balls..." Josho shuddered.

Floydien blinked. His twitching eyes darted to Arcanista.

She smiled. "Taught me everything you know." She let loose an airy laugh. "See what I said, Floyd? Generous."

"Wait..." Rainbow Dash gawked. "You mean all elks can do the zap-thingy?"

Arcanista turned and gave her a graceful look. "Our ancestors didn't become rulers of Bountiful solely for their good looks..."

"It makes no difference to Floydien," the pilot hissed, backing away from the Duchess. "Floydien has had his fill of stabby stabs! They take the form of every boomer they like! Even boomers that Floydien trusts can become stabby-stabs!" He stomped his hooves. "Floydien does not care for boomer's shimmer! Floydien only needs Nancy Jane and the wind wind!"

"Will you tell me about these 'stabby-stabs?'" Arcanista asked, face awash with concern. "Were they the ones who... turned you into this?"

"No no no!" Floydien shook his head, clenching his teeth. "Enough with the spit! Boomer should shove shove before Floydien gives the boom!"

"Floyd," Arcanista said, staring into his eyes. "Midnite Bastion is alive."

Floydien's features paled. He stared at his sibling with twitching, pinprick eyes. Then—starting with a rising growl—he lunged, thrusting his antlers forward at full-spark. "Hraaa-aaaaaaaaaaaugh!"

FLASSSSH!

Arcanista stood her ground. She aimed her skull against the splashing bolts of electricity. Though she initially absorbed the violent blast, her face strained, and her hooves dug backwards through the disturbed soil.

The guards flinched around the Jurists, reaching for their scimitars.

"Liar!" Floydien hollered. "Lying spit boomer! Floydien will hash hash you to dust dust!"

"This... is... m-more power... th-than I anticipated..." Arcanista stammered amidst her strain. "Brother... you... m-must stop—"

"She's dead! Floydien saw it happen!" he yelled. "All that's left is Nancy Jane! Nancy Jane and no other spit!"

"Duchess Arcanista!" one of the guards yelled, struggling to trot closer.

Several errant beams of electricity splashed past the quadrupeds, setting tree branches and patches of soil on fire.

"What the hell did she say to set him off?!" Josho sputtered.

Zaid ducked low, shivering. "S-something tells me they're not role playing!"

"We gotta put an end to this!" Rainbow grasped Josho. "Hey, slim!"

"What?!"

"You gotta 'port me in there!"

"... ... ...What?!"

"His antlers! They're the only way!"

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh boogers." Josho bit onto Rainbow's tail. "Mrmmmf—holff onff to youff ploff!" Fl-Flash!

Milliseconds later, the two of them materialized in the air above Floydien's backside. A random stream of energy knocked Josho in the side, propelling him into the distance.

"Ungh!" He struck a tree, slumping to the ground. "Ty-typical..."

"Oomf!" Rainbow Dash landed on Floydien's back. Reaching forward, she winced from the spray of electical bolts. Nevertheless, her pendant pulsed, and she lunged with a burst of energy. P-Pop! The antlers came off as Rainbow Dash somersaulted through the still air.

Arcanista stood up, rubbing her aching head. She looked up and immediately shrieked at the sight of Floydien's horn-less skull. "Brother!"

"Boh." THUD! Floydien fell to the ground, fast asleep.

"Uhhhhhh..." Rainbow hovered in the air, grasping the still-smoking antlers. "Uhm..." She glanced at Floydien's slumped figure, then at Arcanista's look of horror. "Eh..." She tossed the antlers behind herself (Cl-Clunk!) and dusted her hooves off. "He'll be fiiiiine."

Home, Where My Love Lies Waiting

Thwisssssssssh!

That night, Whizzball descended over the sleepy rooftops of Bountiful. Columns of chimney smoke painted the sky with dull-gray ribbons against the purplish cosmic haze. As the glossy sphere circled around the House of Sehlp at length, it slowed while the occupants of the miniature transport scanned the forest for the Noble Jury.

"Hmmmm..." Roarke's jaw tensed as her thin blue eyes danced between every tree.

"I don't get it," Eagle Eye murmured. "They landed in this town, didn't they?"

"Keep an eye out," Roarke droned. "Your breeder eyes are better than mine."

"Mmmfnnngh..." Ebon woke up, legs curling as his body made a trilling sound. His head momentarily flashed to a black shell and then back with green flame. "Gnngh... are we th-there yet?"

"Just about, candy cane," Eagle replied. "Just attempting to find out where Floydien landed with our friends."

"They probably wanted to distance themselves from the center of town," Roarke said while quietly circling the ship. "In order to frighten the locals less." Silence. She turned and blinked awkwardly at Eagle. "'Candy cane?'"

"There!" Eagle pointed as the vessel passed over a break in the trees. His eyes twitched. "Great Spark! What happened to it?"

"Looks... looks like they crashed!" Ebon stammered.

"Quick, Roarke! Land us!"

"Hmmm... landing..."

Whizzball softly lowered to the disturbed patch of forest floor, touching down just behind the dormant skystone ship. With a hiss, the doors opened, and all three ponies trotted out. They approached the open hangar of the leaning ship. Eagle's horn shone across the bulkheads like a spotlight. At last, the body of a sleeping earth pony could be seen.

"It's Zaid," Ebon squeaked, shivering slightly.

"Zaid?" Eagle asked. He cleared his throat and trotted closer. "Pssst! Hey! Zaid!"

Roarke strolled casually by the stallion. She slammed him upside the head with a metal-laced hoof.

Wh-Whack!

"Snrrkkkkt!" Zaid hopped in place, eyes wided. "I didn't crap in the robes locker, Khao! I swear!" He blinked, then rubbed his head, wincing. "Owwwwww..."

"Mind telling us what happened here?" Roarke asked.

"I'm doing fine, Roarke, thanks." Zaid hissed, rubbing his skull. "Welcome back to the land of the almost-living."

"It would do you well to answer the question."

"Turns out Floydien has a bit of history in Bountiful," Zaid said. "When he saw this town from above, he had a bit of a panic attack and crash landed us here."

"Floydien?!" Ebon gasped. "You mean... as if he's been here before? But he couldn't remember it?"

"Oh, it's way more cliche than that." Zaid managed a tired smirk. "Looks like the dude's a Duke... a Duke-Dude." He gestured towards the village beyond the trees. "Even has a younger sister who's the current Duchess of this place. Chick's pretty hot, as elk's go. But... y'know... couldn't rock the blond ponytails."

"That... is..." Ebon grimaced. "A lot to take in."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather take it in in the morning," Eagle said, trotting through the hangar and yawning. "There's a cot with my name on it. Ebon's too."

"Better keep your horn on, then," Zaid said. "Power's on the fritz."

"Ungh! You've got to be kidding me!"

"'Fraid not. Booster and Propsy are working around the clock to get the ship in order. That's why I'm not snuggling it up like a bed bug in the engine room right now." Zaid stifled a yawn. "Mmmfff... you know how Props can get when a machine isn't purring right."

"And how," Ebon said, shuddering.

"Where's Rainbow Dash?" Roarke asked.

"Getting some much needed sleep," Zaid grumbled. "Which is what I'd be doing, if only ponies in metal weren't playing the drums on my cranium."

"Duly noted." Roarke trotted ahead, flipping on shoulder-mounted manalights. "I would love to learn more about this Floydien situation come morning."

"That makes the two of us!" Zaid called after her. "Last we've been told, his sorry-flank had been dropped—unconscious—inside uptown Bountiful!"

"Then I relish the chaos that begins in the morning..."

"No... no... no!" Props snarled, tossing a wrench behind her. Cl-Clang! "Re-routing the pneumatic mana-conductor to the lateral energy banks isn't going to work! We need to tackle the central frame and bypass the steam vents in order to reignite the mana-pathways!"

"Where in God's name do you get your terminology from?!" Booster Spice sweated, fetlock-deep in a mess of venting pipes. A mess of flashlights and torches illuminated the otherwise pitch-black engine room. "Nnnngh... I-I would most certainly love to read that manual you've got memorize!"

"It's not about memorizing, it's about nuzzling!"

"Nuzzling machinery?!"

"To Floydien, it's his beloved! To me, it's Handsome's beloved's womb!"

"You do realize you're speaking in the absurd terms of a potential psychopath who brought us back to his hometown without realizing it, right?"

"Yeah, well, that potential psychopath is worth twenty of you and four extra legs, buster brown!"

"Whoah! Easy!" Booster Spice waved his forelimbs. "We're on the same side! I... I-I just can't get on your level with you throwing all these terms—and wrenches—willy nilly!"

"Ohhhhhhhhhh..." Props slumped back, covered in soot and pouting. "How I wish the communications array was working so I could hail Uncky Prowsy and get his advice on this!"

"From the sound of it, that guy could put together a mining drill using two elephants and a rubber hose."

"Yeah! And he'd make it sing, too!" Props giggled. "Oh, hey Roarke-Boarke!"

"Hello." Roarke trotted through the engine room. "Do you need assistance?"

"Thankies all around, Roarkey! But... I think we got it." Props smiled tiredly. "If you see Zaidy-Waidy again, tell him I'm sorry for giving him the snap."

"It's unfortunate that you didn't give him the 'snip' or else all our lives would be easier."

"Heeheehee! It's so good having you back!" Props grinned. "I don't understand you half the time, but I love you all the same!"

"Booster." Roarke nodded. "Still a breeder?"

He gulped. "J-just as much as Zaid is... for now."

"Good." Roarke opened the door to the navigations room and trotted on through. "I do believe I will retire for the evening."

"Uhhhh... we m-might be waking Dashie up in a few hours to give the core a zap again!"

"I'll keep that in mind."

Roarke opened the curtain to the observation room. There, she paused, gazing quietly at the hammock.

Rainbow Dash lay, sleeping soundly in her dangling net. Starlight wafted in through the bubbled windows, illuminating the pegasus' blue coat in a soft sheen. She lay with her hooves curled to her chest, her muzzle moving slowly, pronouncing indecipherable words.

Roarke took a deep breath. She stepped back so that she was just outside the observation room. With a jerk of her neck, a command was issued throughout the rest of her suit. The armor hissed in multiple places as it unfolded slowly from the top to the bottom. Soon, a quadrupedal shell stood in place, which Roarke stepped out of. An array of hydraulic cords detached from the metal plugs in her coat. A noticeably thinner mare trotted free of the armor, proceeding once more into the observation room.

Without saying a word, she climbed up and slithered into the hammock. This, of course, made the bed swing noticeably. Rainbow Dash stirred, on the virge of waking.

"Shhhh... shhhhhh..." Roarke issued, gently stroking the mare's bangs as she nestled up alongside her.

"Mrmmmfff..." Rainbow Dash trilled, face tensing slightly. "Windy," she cooed. "Wings... can't... c-can't find where..."

Roarke leaned in and nuzzled her. "It's okay," she murmured. "Go back to sleep. I'm right here..." Her thin eyes gazed past Rainbow Dash. She fidgeted once, then whispered: "...sugarcube."

A smile flickered across Rainbow's face. Like a happy little foal, she curled up against Roarke, sliding into the mare's embrace.

Roarke wrapped her forelimbs around the mare, holding her close. She exhaled with a shudder, gazing into the starlit trees beyond the observation room's windows. As the night waned on, Rainbow Dash slept soundly.

Roarke didn't.

From the Depths of Ledomare, Pain

He slumped against his restraints, wheezing in pain. All around him, hooves clattered against metal platforms, sending nightmarish reverberations throughout the heart of the large, large complex. Every now and then, he heard large thuds from unseen machinery, punctuated with the anguished shrieks of quadrupeds from all known species and trots of life.

A series of hooves shuffled closer to him.

He opened one blue eye... followed by another. He seethed at the creatures in front of him, ponies with glimmering horns protruding from their skulls.

They gazed at him through sterile goggles, their bodies clad in stained white coats.

"This one is a lot stronger than the others," muttered one stallion.

"Mmmm. Yes. He can't be just any impoverished wretch from the south."

"The exchanged happened close to the Xonan border."

"You think he hails from that putrid place?"

"There are lands beyond. You realize this, right?"

"I've read the reports. If you ask me, nothing's worth exploring with those tattooed abominations in the way."

"Well, there's a silver lining to all this. We might just get an edge over them."

"Heh..."

"What?"

"Just the way you say that." A dry smirk. "Almost as if I don't relish this."

He seethed at them. He struggled at his restraints, causing a steam cable to pop loose from the metal clamps attached to his cloven hooves.

A few ponies hobbled backwards, frightened.

"See wh-what I said?" One gulped. "Strong."

"What is going on over here?" spoke a cold, feminine voice, growing closer. "Why have the experiments in this wing of the facility ceased?"

"Oh! Well..." One pony turned and bowed. "In actuality, we were waiting for you, Madame Nightshade."

"Mmmm..." the mare stood before them, her stub of a horn breaking the sickly blue light wafting through the misty place. "Is that so?"

"We figured that you might find this subject of particular interest."

"Why?" She turned towards him, squinting distastefully. "Is this the... thing that those reptiles handed over to us just southeast of Searo?"

"Yes, Madame. Along with the primary candidate for the skystone package delivery."

"Ah... so this is the pilot of the skystone ship." She trotted closer, observing him as if he was behind a sheet of glass. "He certainly doesn't talk much."

"Don't you even SPIT on me!" he hollered, shaking against his bindings. "By the spear of Val Roa, I'll gut you all!"

Nightshade took a slow step back, brow furrowed. "Hmmm... spoke too soon."

"Madame. The subject..." One pony stood before her. "He possesses an innate natural connection to leylines."

"Is it stronger than unicorn magic?"

"Well... not precisely."

The other pony interjected. "The animal we found aboard his ship—uhh—the small rodent... believe it or not that little creature possessed an even greater potential for mana yield."

"Simon..." He hollered, writhing and snarling. "If you touch him... if you so much as touch him—"

"Is there any way to silence this thing?"

"Sorry, Madame. Unless we conducted the same experiments on him as the others—"

"Then by all means, do begin."

"But ma'am! His... h-his ship! He's the only creature we know to be fully compatible with it! Why, his leylines alone are so finely integrated that—"

"If those lizards gave him to us for so few bits in exchange, then he can't be of any value to anyone." Nightshade pointed. "And do not concern yourselves with the skystone vessel. That's stored away under the Industries' lock and key in Blue Nova. It's up to the Think Tank to come up with a way to integrate the artifact with it."

"The Think Tank?" One pony blinked. "Madame, you mean to say that you've started without us—?"

"Your jobs are here. For what I'm paying you and your beloveds, I do think you can manage carrying the screams with you to bed at night. My employees in Blue Nova? They don't need the distraction."

"Erm... y-yes. But of c-course, Madame."

"Where's Simon?!" he hollered, spitting in her general direction. "He's mine! You hear me?! So is the Noble Jury!"

She turned to glance at him. Her nostrils flared as she adjusted the collar to her blouse. "See what you can do about its tongue while you're at it..."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I have an appointment on my airship." She trotted off. "A holoconversation with Seclorum. For my brother's sake, I have to break radio silence."

"I wish you luck, Madame."

"You're only good to me here." And she was gone.

The ponies exchanged glances. They looked at him, then shrugged. "Well then... let's proceed."

With loud whirring noises, a series of mechanical arms descended from the ceiling. The apparatus twirled, shoving two sparkling prongs towards the top of his skull. He writhed and twitched, trying to turn his head away from the metal needles. Despite his struggles, they approached the base of his antlers. Not long after, one needle twirled, converting into a miniature buzz saw, while the second sparked with bright, glimmering mana.

"Hoo boy..." One pony at the controls muttered while adjusting his goggles. "I can already tell that this one is going to be really loud..."

"Stop... pl-please!" He shook and squirmed. The saw blurred closer, closer, accompanied by sparks and fiery jolts of energy. He could already smell the dust from his antlers being carved into. "Nnnnnngh! Don't! I beg of you! Unnnngh! God! No... don't... M-Midnite! MIDNITE—!"

Floydien sat up straight, drenched in sweat.

"BASTION!" He heaved and heaved, red eyes twitching. With a seething breath, the elk squeaked through clenched teeth. He tilted his head down. "Nancy..." He winced. "Nancy..." Wrought with confusion, he shook his head, bringing a cloven hoof to the top of his skull. He froze in place.

His antlers were gone.

Blinking, Floydien looked straight down. He was lying in the center of an enormous bed. Opposite of where he sat, a pair of multi-paned windows separated the bedroom from an ornate balcony. Velvety drapes hung, splitting the bright morning light as it wafted across the floor, the intricate carpet, and the lush tapestries of the place.

Floydien tilted his head up, looking at the finely-detailed carvings and frescoes in the ceiling. Across the way, a gigantic dresser loomed with several clothes befitting a noblepony, but far too large to fit any of his Jurist friends. His nostrils flared as he turned and glanced at a distant wall. He saw the canvas illustration of a graying buck, a fair-faced cow, and two timid elklings standing in front of them in silken attire.

Floydien blinked at everything.

"... ... ...this is some sissy spit."

Something pale loomed in the corner of his sight. He turned to look. His red eyes turned redder.

A familiar pair of branching antlers rested in the middle of the carpet.

Immediately, he sprung from the bed.

WH-WHAM! He fell dead on his chest.

"Unngh!" He seethed, clawing at the thick rug with cloven hooves. "Nnnngh... st-stab Floydien with... a ch-chainsaw! Rrrgh!" Clamboring, he finally got up on wobbly legs. After a deep breath, he briskly approached the antlers—

Zaaaaaaap! Two beams of blue electricity struck the floor in front of him.

He lurched to a stop, wincing. His eyes immediately darted to the side.

Duchess Arcanista sat on a plush stool in the corner, bearing a soft and patient smile. Two fixed points on her fair skull glowed with magical energy. A richly-woven dress flared around her haunches. "Good morning, brother."

"... ... ..."

She took a deep breath. "If you want your antlers back, you're going to have to talk."

"... ... ..."

Flaring nostrils. "Very well." She leaned forward, forelimbs crossed. "Then at least let me talk."

"... ... ..." He glared at her, then at the antlers, then at her again. A deep-throated growl. "Very well, frilly boomer. Let's spit."

She smiled delicately. "The sweetest thing I've heard in years..."

The Things That Bring You Back

Floydien sat on the balcony of the Sehlp Manor, overlooking the village of Bountiful and the forest beyond. He gazed east towards the mountains, beyond which the fabled heart of Val Roa lay in hiding. He took a deep breath, running a cloven hoof over his skull, shuddering at the lack of antlers.

"They're lying bedside in your room."

Blinking, Floydien turned to look over his shoulder.

Duchess Arcanista stood in the doorfame to the balcony. "It isn't right for me to rob from you, just because I wish to make some sort of a connection." She swallowed a lump down her throat. "If I had treated you more fairly this morning, then perhaps you wouldn't have lost your temper in the way you did."

Floydien marely stared at her.

She clenched her jaw, fidgeting slightly. "This... must be so terribly much for you to take in. I suppose I was... f-foolish to think that you could somehow turn back into my brother overnight. It's just that... after all these years, I've... I-I've felt so alone." She grimaced. "Mother and Father passed away... and then you left for the west. And while I-I never truly blamed you for your actions... a part of me felt somewhat bitter and rejected. As peaceful as this kingdom is, there are truly enemies on all sides... enemies far more cold and and menacing than the Cartel. Having to deal with them all on my own while looking out for Bountiful has... n-not been easy."

Floydien was silent.

"For all of my talk, I think the truth is fairly simple." Arcanista shuddered. "I need you, Floyd. And if it's true that I need you more than you need me, well, who am I to try and change what must be?" She hung her head. With a shuffle of her skirts, she turned and trotted towards the heart of the manor.

"... ... ...Floydien is sorry."

She froze in mid-step. Slowly, she turned around and gazed out onto the balcony. "Hmmm?"

"Floydien made a huge mess mess of regal boomer's house," he muttered. "Floydien simply wanted his shimmer glimmer back. There was no need to get boomer's guards mixed up with stabby stabs." He bit his lip, avoiding her gaze. "Floydien m-may not remember what boomer wants him to, but Floydien does remember good manners." He cleared his throat. "It's what the boomers on board Nancy Jane have taught him, and Floydien cares for those boomers a lot."

Arcanista stepped out onto the balcony again.

Floydien sighed. "Floydien doesn't know what to think beyond that." He gulped. "Just know that he... h-he's sorry for the wreck wreck."

Slowly, Arcanista smiled. "These friends of yours. They didn't own your ship." She shook her head. "They didn't pay you in silver or in gold. And yet you took them on board your 'Nancy Jane' and helped them on their trip east, not knowing what sort of trouble you would get yourself in." She leaned her head to the side. "Why?"

"Hrmmmf... Floydien doesn't know any of that spit."

"Or perhaps, deep down, you truly did," Arcanista said. "You knew that you would be returning home. Or else... you didn't care, because you knew that you would be helping your fellow equines."

Floydien was silent.

"I know you don't sense it, but with each passing minute that I so much as gaze upon you, I see more and more of my dear brother Floyd." She sniffled, eyes moist. "A wrecked manor is a small price for having family again."

He stared down at the floor, his brow furrowed.

Suddenly, the Duchess brightened. "Here... come..." She tugged on his shoulder. "I want to show you something."

"Hmmmff?" Floydien blinked awkwardly. "What?! Why the tug-tug?!"

"You'll see..."

"Nnnngh..." Floydien gritted his teeth, nervously glancing left and right. "Fl-Floydien isn't sure about this." He gulped with rattling antlers. "Floydien's still feeling the sting of the stabby stabs..."

"You will not harm anyone," Arcanista said confidently. She was dressed in a simple gown as she strolled down the road, passing under the arch of the old wall. Accompanied by four reindeer guards, the siblings trotted into the outer circle of Bountiful. "I do not believe for one second that you would even want to. Besides... you're home."

"Mrmmmff... Floydien does not feel as though he is home."

"You keep telling yourself that." Arcanista winked. "In the meantime, allow the sights and smells to make you feel once again."

Almost as if on cue, Floydien's nostrils flared. He sniffed the air, red eyes twitching. "Is that... that...?"

Arcanista nodded with a smile. "The finest baked bread in the whole kingdom." She pointed at a building with a smoldering chimney across the way. "The Dough Family. They've been improving their recipe for the past five generations. Our parents would give us samples with sweet jam for Blizzard's End."

"Blizzard's... End?"

"The most celebrated holiday in the year." Arcanista giggled. "Well, at least around these parts." She pointed. "And over there is Prim Flower's school. She's been teaching for over forty years. Every semester, we pay a visit to bless the children and encourage them in their studies."

"We d-do?"

"Well, we used to..."

Just then, several gasps lit the air. Ponies and deer stopped what they were doing, gazing at the pair with wide eyes.

"The Duchess!"

"And who is that with him?!"

"Could... could it be?"

"I-I don't believe my eyes!"

"Praise God! It really is him!"

The reindeer guards closed in protectively as the villagers of Bountiful flocked over. Equines and quadrupeds from all walks of life dropped whatever they were carrying and crowded together, their faces awash with joy and shock. Dozens of voices mixed in the air while many bowed low in reverance.

"Uhhh... uhhh..." Floydien grimaced, trotting backwards. "Floydien d-doesn't know if he is ready for all this fluff stuff..."

Arcanista steadied him with a calm hoof.

He glanced over.

She smiled. "It'll be okay." She turned and spoke to the crowd. "Ladies and gentlecolts, I know that you are beside yourselves with joy. Please understand: so am I. But you must give your long-lost Duke some space. He's been through a great deal, and now that he's back he deserves the same kindess he's given to us throughout the years, wouldn't you agree?"

"Absolutely, Madme!"

"It is so wonderful to have you back, Duke!"

"We've prayed, my lord. My whole family and I... all these years..."

"Bless you and your antlers, my lord."

"Yes... Floydien... erm... th-thanks you for the holy spit." Floydien awkwardly blinked at Arcanista.

His sister giggled merrily. She looked down to see a filly nuzzling her hoof. She leaned down to rub her cheek against the child's, then lifted her up and hoofed her over to her smiling mother. The pony gave both nobles a teary smile, then trotted over to stand with her gawking family.

"Floydien doesn't understand," the elk murmured aside to his sibling. "Are we... b-better than the peasant boomers?"

"I've never thought about it like that," Arcanista said. "We're not so much better as we are blessed with a power that the earth ponies and other creatures here do not possess." She turned towards him, speaking quietly. "While they can afford humble, quiet lives out here in the country, we cannot. It is our duty to fight for them in the Council, and to spend our years protecting them with every fiber of our being."

"They praise us as gods," Floydien stammered. "The silly boomers..."

"It's not about praise," Arcanista said. "Don't you see? We're family to them." She placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Both of us. And that's what makes everything precious... especially the fact that you've returned."

Floydien said nothing. He merely gazed into the crowd as they beamed back at him.

Rainbow Dash and Roarke sat side-by-side on a gold-thatched roof, almost directly above the crowd of ponies who had congregated around Floydien and Arcanista.

"He's not blowing anyone up," Roarke muttered. "Just how long are we going to play 'sentry' over this town?"

"Call me paranoid," Rainbow said. "I just figured he was going to flip his rocker again. I-I mean, we Jurists knew all along that Floydien was never quite there. I just never imagined he'd get tangled up with something like this."

"You never imagined he had a home?"

"Pffft... Well, when you put it like that."

"Your concern is well respected," Roarke droned. "But we should give the Duchess some credit. She knows how to deal with her brother."

"She didn't know how to deal with him this morning," Rainbow muttered.

"She's obviously breached the wall between them to some extent," Roarke said. "You can pat yourself on the back for that."

"I'd rather you pat my back."

"Mmmm... indeed."

Rainbow giggled.

Roarke raised an eyebrow at her. "What is it?"

"I-I just had a silly thought." Rainbow smirked. "Here's Floydien... arriving in some quaint little place and suddenly rocking their world." She glanced aside at Roarke. "And here we are sitting on our flanks, pissing the time away."

"Yes. And?"

"I dunno—it just makes me wonder if this is what it felt like for the rests of the Jurists while I was visiting around Durandana."

"Believe me." Roarke grunted. "This is not what Durandana felt like at all."

"Well, of course not." Rainbow stuck her tongue out. "You jealous melon fudge, you."

"So you've just noticed that the wind is windy and that water is wet."

Rainbow giggled again. "I dunno which you I like better. The 'denial' Roarke or the 'open-heart' Roarke."

"Wouldn't you rather have both?"

"Heeee... yeah, sure."

Roarke gazed at her. She slowly leaned in, stroking her cheek against Rainbow's neck.

Rainbow's wingfeathers twitched. She smiled while absorbing the full brunt of Roarke's nuzzling. "Wow, you're certainly touchy-feely lately."

"Hmmmm..." Roarke wrested her neck around Rainbow's. "Do you dislike it?"

"Pfft! Of course not."

"Then good." Roarke held Rainbow closer. "I would hate to have to beat you up about it."

Rainbow blinked. "Roarke, is... e-everything okay?"

"Mmmhmmm..."

"Did... like... something happen back in Amulek?"

Roarke's thin blue eyes blinked.

"Something you w-wanted to tell me?"

Roarke gulped. "Yes..." She clenched her moist eyes shut and nuzzled Rainbow softly. "I fell in love with somepony."

Rainbow rolled her eyes and nuzzled her back with a soft smile. Her voice shook slightly, "At this rate, you're going to have to use your metals to fill your teeth 'cuz of all that that sweet sugar, girl."

"Whatever." Roarke gulped. "Just be here."

"B-but I am here, Roarke."

Roarke said nothing.

Rainbow blinked worriedly into the distance. Fighting the sudden urge to shiver, she glanced down at the warm crowd instead, watching as ponies surrounded Floydien, blessing the elk's name.

Prelude to the Council of Sehlp

Th-Thap! Props slapped a half-empty glass of water onto the mess hall table and slumped into a chair. The mare heaved and wheezed, a frazzled, sweaty mess. "Okay. I give up. Nancy Jane's womb wins."

Booster Spice slumped into the chair next to her. "Yeah..." He adjusted his green goggles. "What she said."

"Surely there must be something you're missing," Pilate said from across the table where he sat with Bellesmith. "You've been able to raise the ship before."

"I had handsome to lend me a cloven hoof before!" Props sputtered, fanning herself with a hoof. "Nnngh... whose blood do I have to drink for some magical air conditioning?"

Zaid slid up in a stool, smirking. "Do you accept volunteers?"

"Mehhhhhhhhhh."

Zaid sighed. "Sorry I'm not the elk, blondie. I wish I knew what doo's to hickey inside the cockpit to help you."

"Not your fault, Zaidy Waidy," Props murmured. "This ship was simply built to cater to one soul's antlers and theirs alone."

"They know we're grounded the longer they keep that reindeer, right?" Josho rasped.

"Who are 'they,' Josho?" Belle asked.

"That Duchess chick and her house of silk-threaded bucks, that's who-they."

"Josho, Floydien has flown thousand of miles to reunite with his family," Belle said. "Even if this wasn't an astronomically amazing coincidence, we still owe Floydien some time to catch up with himself!"

"Doesn't seem to me like he wants to find himself."

"I would venture to say that finding out about his true past is certainly worth the risk!"

"Oh yeah?" Josho frowned. "And what about the risk to us?! Or to Val Roa?! Or any other place being touched by Queen Chrysalis' tentacles?!"

Ebon strolled in from the kitchen with little white bowls. "Mother doesn't have tentacles," he said, placing one dish in front of Josho.

"For Ledo's sake!" Josho grumbled. "Stop calling her that!"

Ebon winced slightly. "I... I-I can't help it."

Josho blinked at the dish. "Now, what the hell's this?"

"Canned peach slices..." Ebon sighed. "Sorry, but with the power dead, it's the best I can muster up."

"Well then..." Josho sighed while he nevertheless levitated a slice to his lips. "Hope the deer of Sehlp need more fertilizer..."

"Floydien has put up with a lot throughout this journey, Josho," Pilate said. "He endured several attacks to his ship. The Jury has had to go through repairs on multiple occasions. The elk lost Simon..."

"Yeah?" Josho gulped a fruity morsel down. "And your point?"

"If there's a chance that he can get the cobwebs untangled from his mind, then I think we owe him this visit in order to assist him with it!"

"So, in other words, we're having another extended stay in Craptown, Nowhere. Is that right?"

"Erm... well..."

"Great!" Josho spat. "That's just perfect! First Abinadi! Then Durandana! Now our little Call of Jury Duty Buck Ops all over this friggin' continent. But noooooo! Let's delay our climactic headbutt with Chrysalis even more!"

"Josho..." Belle sighed.

"Oooh! I know! Next, let's stop by Zebramalia and let Pilate reunite with his extended family!" He slapped a table. "An entire culture of cyborg zebras, bumping blindly into each other—except for three times a day when they all have to bow towards a giant light bulb in the east!"

"Ladies and gentlecolts." Zaid yawned, pointing in Josho's direction. "The pupil has become the master!"

"Nopony's giving up on Val Roa, Mister Josho!" Booster Spice exclaimed.

"Well it sure as Hell seems like it!" Josho frowned. "I mean, why did we come to this 'House of Sehlp' manor to begin with?! To pick out curtains?!"

"Floydien just needs—"

"Let Floydien figure Floydien out on Floydien's own time, Ledo spit it!" Josho went cross-eyed. "Ugh! Listen to me! I'm starting to talk like him!" He frowned at Ebon. "What'd you put into these things?"

Ebon grinned plastically at him. "All of my tender love and devotion."

"Crud. It's poison. I knew it."

Props giggled tiredly, her breath muffled against the table top. "I wonder what Uncky Propsy would do at a time like this..."

"Hopefully shave," Zaid muttered.

Fwooosh! Rainbow Dash flew into the room. "Hey guys?"

Everyone looked over.

"Is it good news?" Booster asked. "Cuz we don't have anything."

"Has Floydien delivered a boy or a girl?" Zaid droned.

"We need to meet up," Rainbow said. "Real quick."

"Well, we are here, aren't we?" Belle asked. "Most of us, at least."

"I don't mean here," Rainbow said. She pointed out the nearest porthole. "In the manor. Arcanista wants to see us."

"Truly?" Pilate leaned his head aside. "What's come up?"

"Well, she wants to discuss Val Roa and the West Gate n'stuff."

"Friggin' finally!" Josho scarfed up the rest of his bowl's worth of fruit, gulped it down, and stood up. "Point and click! I'll gallop there in a blink!"

"What's going on, Dashie?" Props asked. "Is it about Floydien?"

"Well, more or less," Rainbow said. She took a deep breath, rubbing her forelimbs together. "You see, by bringing Floydien here, we've flipped the Duchess' life upside down... but—like—in a good way." She gulped and smiled faintly. "Now, I think she's ready to do us a favor in return."

"You mean..." Booster Spice sat up, blinking wide. "She's going to help us find a way into Val Roa?"

"She won't be helping us anywhere if we're a sweaty, nasty mess." She spun around. "So freshen up! Shower up! Throw up! Whatever it takes! I want us all at the meeting and I want it to go awesomely!"

Belle immediately stood up. "I'll go fetch Kera."

"Roarke's already summoning her and Eagle Eye."

"Yes, but can Roarke give Kera a bath?"

"... ... ...go fetch Kera."

"Thanks, Rainbow."

"The rest of you, put on your game faces." Rainbow pointed at her fuzzy muzzle as she grinned. "Because this is what we've been waiting for..."

Alone in strange bedquarters, the elk sat on his haunches before a sun-lit desk. Floydien's eyes squinted as he clasped another letter in his hooves, unfolded the contents from its envelope, and scanned over the words:

"The dusty plains south of the bulwarks received its first rainfall in years. There was a risk of mudslides, so we evacuated the families along the labor quarter. Their houses aren't as sturdy as the apartments of the Val Roan noble districts in the heart of the city, but we think that they'll hold against the ensuing deluge. Still, it doesn't hurt to be careful. This relocation is merely a precautionary measure more than anything. As much as I treasure the ability to save these equine souls, I still feel the pang in my gut that this is a novice task that could just as easily be carried out by lower-ranking officers. I love my father, but I feel as though he is deliberately relegating me to menial duties when—with my talent and skill—I could be very easily be making a difference along the Southern Front, holding the savage and heartless Cartel at Bay. I have always sympathized with the loss of your forbearers, my love, but there are times when I envy the independence and authority you have as a Duke. One would think that all of these years at the military academy would have afforded me just as much control, but—alas—we both know that is not how the Val Roan system chooses to wor—"

Gritting his teeth, Floydien crumpled the paper up and shuffled to the next. His red eyes darted down the sheet.

"...on nights like these, I think of the time we've spent together, and the future we can still have. You're always so thoughtful, so courageous, and yet there's a sadness about you. It's a mystery to someone like me. I'm used to beating disagreeable things in with a mace or a spear, but with you—I've discovered a delicate balance that I'm terribly afraid of shattering. There are times when I wish you would just share more about yourself, but it feels selfish to ask—"

Seething, Floydien fumbled his way to the next sheet.

"...the other day with General Saikano. I do not understand why he is taking sides with the Chancellor of the High Council. So many politics have polluted the military defense system. It's pathetic. What will happen if we are invaded by the Cartel? Or the Lounge? Will we throw quill and ink at them?! And what of the sandstorms from the Grand Choke—"

"Nnnngh..." Floydien snarled, shuffling through sheets, sheets, sheets. "Floydien doesn't know you..."

"...nightmares of my mother's face from inside the house fire. I remember what you told me that evening in the gardens around the Council Chambers. You were always so understanding of my—"

"Floydien... d-doesn't know you!" He shoved all of the papers onto the floor, knocking over a table in the process. Seething, he clutched at his face while bolts of electricity danced between his antlers. "What... d-does Floydien miss...?" He clenched his eyes shut. "...the sp-spit... or the shimmer...?" He shook his head. "The stabby-stabs took everything... but Nancy Jane... Nancy Jane..."

With an iron-wrought frown, he spun around and marched across the room.

"Floydien doesn't know this Midnite Bastion! H-how can he?!" He snarled loudly, bursting through the door. "Who is this boomer who stabs Floydien so—?!" He froze, blinking.

The parlor room was full of Jurists. Kera sat on a plush stool with freshly braided hair. She grinned, waving ecstatically from beside Pilate and Belle. Rainbow Dash hovered in the corner while Roarke and Josho stood beneath a window. Eagle and Ebon smiled at Floydien's entrance. They sat in a pair of chairs next to a tapestry that overshadowed Booster Spice and Zaid. Props leapt up from Zaid's side, bounced across the room, and practically tackled Floydien with a hug.

"Handsommmme!" She sang. "Heeeeeeee-Heeheehee!" She nuzzled his chest with her silky blonde hair, pausing to smile up at him. "How's it hoofin', big guy?!"

Floydien bit his lip.

Props blinked. Her ears drooped with concern.

The Jurists all stared at the elk.

"Erm..." Floydien's nostrils flared as his antlers dimmed. "Boomers are... smelling fresh fresh today."

"I would certainly hope so," Bellesmith exhaled. Pilate chuckled.

"There's a reason for that, big guy," Rainbow said from where she levitated. "We're having a meeting."

"A circle of spit?"

"So to speak, brother."

Floydien looked across the room.

Duchess Arcanista sat daintily on the edge of a regal sofa, wearing elegant silks. A quartet of guards stood around her as she smiled across the way at her sibling. "Come, join me and your friends." Her eyes narrowed. "We are discussing Val Roa."

Floydien gulped. "Yes yes yes..."

The Council of Sehlp Part One

Duchess Arcanista gazed calmly at the Jurists who were gathered in the parlor. With all eyes on her, she took a breath and said, "You've probably been wondering all this time just what kind of a situation has been unfolding within Val Roa. Well, let me tell you plainly. There is a new monarch being crowned soon."

The Jurists broke into curious murmurs. Ebon and Eagle exchanged glances. Josho scratched his chin while Booster Spice blinked.

"A new monarch?" Bellesmith pursed her lips. "Was... was there some sort of coup?"

"Hardly," Arcanista said. "At least, not from what I've been able to observe. But... with the sort of things that the inner workings of Val Roa have proven to be capable of, I wouldn't be surprised." Her nostrils flared, and she continued. "The current ruling house of Val Roa is the Evo family. Within a week, Prince Eine of the House of Evo shall be crowned king. He's reaching the traditional 'Age of Discerning,' you see."

"Which is...?" Pilate asked.

"Twelve winters."

"Whoah!" Kera blinked. "You mean in this part of the world, a twelve year old can run a kingdom?!" She turned and grinned at Bellesmith. "Let's plant a flag somewhere! I want a palace! Plus servants with bowls full of grasshoppers!"

Belle steadied the filly's shoulder and looked across the way at Arcanista. "That is... drastically young to be running a monarchy, wouldn't you think?"

"It's not as though Eine of Evo has a choice," the Duchess said. "His... parents—the King and Queen of Val Roa—died tragically from a fire in the Palace's West Wing."

Eagle gasped, holding a hoof over his muzzle. "By the Sp-Spark! That's horrible!"

"That poor kid," Ebon Mane murmured. "How recently did this happen?"

"About a year ago," Arcanista said. "During which, Val Roa has closed its borders to outsiders."

"Any particular reason why?" Josho asked.

"Naturally, the kingdom is in a state of flux," Arcanista explained. "The Monarchy is stretched to its thinnest, and there's fear that the child prince isn't ready to carry the weight of his duties, even once he reaches the Age of Discerning." She glanced across the crowd. "For the past year, he has been under strict watch of Grand Secretary Sharp Quill."

"Who?"

"The Royal Advisor to the Monarchy," Arcanista said. "When the King and Queen were alive, Sharp Quill was their most trusted ally and servant. Since the tragic deaths, he's acted as a surrogate father to Prince Eine, fostering him into his future role as King."

"Who has held prime executive power, then?" Pilate asked. "This... 'Sharp Quill?'"

Arcanista nodded. "Indeed. With the power invested in him, he has acted as Steward of Val Roa. It's an office that he will inevitably give up when Prince Eine becomes crowned."

"You think he'll be willing to do that?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I mean, sounds like this guy's been close to the throne for a long... long time," Rainbow said. "And—from what I hear—he's had monarchal power for over a year now. Will he give it up so easily to the Prince in about a week from now?"

"He has to," Duchess Arcanista said. "The sovereignty of our nation depends on it."

"Yeah, but will he anyways?" Rainbow asked. Silence. She blinked at the group. "Forgive me for being super pessimistic, it's just that I've seen enough bullcrap in my travels to know that the big guys up on high don't like rolling downhill."

"Sharp Quill doesn't quite have absolute power," Arcanista said. "Not like you think. His strength is held in check by the Military Defense, led by General Saikano, and the High Council, managed by Chancellor Fishberry."

"Yeesh..." Josho muttered, kneading his hooves against the plush carpet. "This kingdom's like a potluck buffet, I swear to Ledo..."

"General Saikano is constantly looking over Sharp Quill's shoulder," Arcanista said. "He's a very powerful figure. Even back when the King and Queen were alive, he controlled every inch of the Val Roan defense forces. Saikano has always been trusted with the army under his command, for the House of Evo has exercised better proficiency in diplomacy and finances than with the finely woven strategies of dealing with the Cartel to the South."

"Sounds like you really dig this Saikano guy!" Props said.

"I have a personal bias, yes." Arcanista nodded. "You see, his daughter was..." She hesitated, glancing over at Floydien. "...was v-very close to the House of Sehlp."

Floydien clenched his jaw and hung his head.

"Who is the other guy you mentioned?" Zaid asked. "Sharkdingle or something..."

"Who? Fishberry?" Arcanista frowned. "A veritable snake in the grass."

"Wuh oh." Props clung to Zaid. "Angry elk time!"

"Forgive me," Arcanista said with a sigh. "But my history with Fishberry runs deep. I refer, of course, to the situation that split myself from my brother in the first place."

"What has he done?" Rainbow asked.

"She has been manipulating the legislature for years and years," Arcanista spat. "Since the King and Queen died, Fishberry has single-hoofedly turned the Council inside-out. Bountiful isn't the only province to suffer from bureaucratic marginalization. Several good states with honorable leaders have found themselves stripped of proper representation. Fishberry knows every loophole of every law there is, and she uses cowardly tactics to drag court procedures and legal reviews on and on into infinity."

"To what end?" Pilate asked. "She seems to be rather busy with herself. But what's her goal?"

"To me, it's rather clear," Arcanista said. "Fishberry is attempting to manipulate the treasury from the inside out, destributing the flow of taxes to favor her province and the states of her closest allies within the Council."

"So, it's simply pure greed?" Belle asked.

"I wouldn't be too sure," Arcanista remarked. "I have a few friends in the field who confirm that there has been no excessive distribution of funds within Fishberry's own province. Could she simply be hoarding silver? Yes... but I think there's something more than that."

"Like what?"

"The money has to go somewhere. And if there's no sign of it entering Fishberry's own personal treasuery, then I can only imagine it's being funneled elsewhere." Arcanista swallowed. "Perhaps somewhere outside the kingdom."

"To where?" Rainbow asked. "Alafreo?"

"The Southern Cartel," Roarke muttered.

Every Jurist glanced at her.

She narrowed her blue eyes. "Think about it. The Green Bandits have been invading townships left and right without fail. Even when we drive them back, they still keep coming. The imps are driven by avarice and greed. If someone was funding them from beyond the borders, it might explain their mercenary tactics."

"That's... that's crazy, though!" Rainbow's voice cracked.

"The thought has not escaped me," Arcanista said. "If nothing else, it may very well be a distraction."

"Distraction from what?"

"It's been months since I last set hoof beyond the West Gate," the Duchess said. "But from what I last witnessed, almost all of the Val Roan Defenses have been strategically placed along the western mountains."

Rainbow shuddered. "Yeah... we know."

"But Saikano only has so many forces. He's executing this defense maneuver in order to appease the Council, but it doesn't change the fact that it's leaving a large strip along the southern border unprotected..." She sighed. "And open to potential invasion."

"Wait..." Rainbow squinted. "Are you trying to suggest that someone within the High Council wants the Southern Cartel to invade Val Roa Proper?"

"That is what I've been fearing," Arcanista said. "With Prince Eine of the House of Evo approaching kinghood, there is very little time left to stage an actual coup that could choke the Monarchy before the crown can switch."

"But... who would do something like that?"

"I suspect Fishberry," Arcanista said. "But... I-I really can't be sure. It could be anyone within the kingdom who's thought up this nefarious plan."

Ebon Mane bit his lip. He looked over at Rainbow.

The pegasus' nostrils flared. "You're right... she could very well be anyone..."

The Council of Sehlp Part Two

"Do forgive me," Duchess Arcanista murmured, leaning forward with a slight shudder. "And correct me if I'm wrong in my attempt to recount that which I have just learned." She gulped hard, then glanced at each of the Jurists in turn while she spoke. "There is a race of equines who can shape-shift, and their Queen—the forbearer responsible for their very existence—has laid claim to Val Roa?"

Several ponies nodded and nodded.

Arcanista's eyes narrowed. "And this Queen can take the form of anyone or anything?"

More nods.

"And she is utilizing the skills of her 'hive' to perform subterfuge within the central kingdom?" She blinked. "With the purpose of sowing memory that she can then feed on?"

"It's... it's just her," Rainbow said.

"Huh?"

"It's Chrysalis and Chrysalis alone," the pegasus reiterated. "She no longer has any control over her broods."

"You're sure of this?"

"Pretty sure," Rainbow said.

Pilate spoke up. "We've already encountered more than one group of changelings formerly loyal to the Queen's cause. Without her influence, they're innocent... practically blank slates."

"Our major concern is that Chrysalis will do something in Val Roa to feed and become strong enough to control her hatchlings once again," Bellesmith said. "Considering how far-spread they are, not to mention how vulnerable to her telepathic connections, you can imagine the great need we have to prevent this sort of a thing from happening once again."

"The dayum metamorph has already laid waste to an entire continent," Josho grumbled. "Hundreds of thousands died thanks to her meddling."

"She even infected an immortal dragon with chaos," Pilate said. "One of the Ancient Divines—dead now, thanks to Chrysalis and her hatchlings."

"Good God..." Arcanista blinked. She turned towards Rainbow Dash. "This war... this Xonan and Ledomaritan conflict: it began without her?"

Rainbow nodded. "At some point, several years ago—we think—Chrysalis sank her teeth in and steered the conflict in the direction she wanted."

"Single-hoofedly making it far bloodier than it needed to be," Pilate remarked.

Josho pointed. "What he said."

"Then..." Arcanista couldn't help but shudder. "If Chrysalis is indeed at work beyond the West Gate—"

"She's got a lot to work with," Roarke said bluntly. "Especially if what you say is true." Her ice-blue eyes narrowed. "Conspiratorial back-stabbing... bureaucratic intrigue... secret murders, secret burials, and secret embezzling."

"You see, what Chrysalis does, is—like..." Rainbow fidgeted from where she hovered. "...t-take a place that's already got a bunch of bad crap going on and magnify it by a gazillion. But she does it slowly, so that you can't tell when the normal evil ends and the changeling influence begins."

Ebon Mane shuddered. Eagle placed a gentle hoof on his shoulder.

Rainbow gulped. "No offence, buddy."

Arcanista blinked. "What bothers him so?" She craned her neck, peering straight at Ebon. "Did changelings affect you terribly, good sir?"

"It's m-more than that..." Ebon stammered. "I... uhm..."

"He is a changeling," Roarke blurted.

Eagle glared at Roarke. He opened his mouth to say something—

"No. It's... it's okay." Ebon smiled weakly. "It was going to come up eventually."

"A changeling in your midst?" Arcanista remarked.

"He's all Jurist!" Eagle exclaimed.

"And our cook," Zaid said with a smirk. "So—yeah—we love the dickens out of 'em." Props giggled.

"I... must admit that I am rather curious," Arcanista said. "If not a bit concerned. Would you mind if...?"

Eagle's brow furrowed. "What?"

"I think she desires a demonstration," Pilate muttered.

"Well, he's not a trick pony!" Eagle grumbled, voice cracking. "We got the Duchess her brother back. Isn't that enough to trust us by—?"

"EE, please," Ebon sighed. "Don't make a show." He smiled faintly, stood up, and concentrated.

"Don't strain s-something, Ebony!" Props squeaked.

Relaxing, Ebon allowed his burgundy coat to vanish with a cascade of green flame. He stood before the Duchess with twitching wings.

Arcanista recoiled slightly. The reindeer guards at her side flinched, their antlers brimming with dim beams of mana.

"Settle your glimmer," Floydien suddenly hissed, startling half of the souls in the room. His red eyes flared briefly. "The boomer is Floydien's friend..." With a sigh, he hung his head, returning once again to his quiet corner of the room. "...plus, sailboat makes good munch munch."

"Do... d-do forgive me," Arcanista remarked. "This is a lot to take in. I was merely startled. I have every faith in your character, Mister...?"

"Mane," the changeling said in a warbling voice. "Ebon Mane." He closed his clear eyes, concentrating. "And I don't blame you for being startled. This is... t-taking some getting used to me as well." At last, his body flickered with green flame. He blinked with violet eyes, tossing a purple mane. "Whoops..." Concentrating again, he exchanged his unicorn horn for a bergundy coat. He turned towards Eagle Eye with a sheepish smile. "Sorry... it's the qu-quickest way I know how to revert back."

Eagle smiled goofily. "I'm not complaining."

"You can turn into anything?" Arcanista asked, leaning forward. "Anyone?"

"No. I... n-not reallly." Ebon leaned into Eagle, shivering slightly. "I-I really don't have a mastery over the shape-shifting. I can take the shape of my close friends here, but only for a sh-short time." He gulped. "This—what you see before you—is the only form I can keep for long."

"Why is that?"

"It's... how I remember myself," Ebon said with a sigh. "My Mother—... Chrysalis, she... she..."

Rainbow Dash hovered forward, clearing her throat as she took the torch from Ebon. "Chrysalis had a strategy that involved planting several amnesiac hatchlings in random or strategic places throughout the world."

"That's... terribly cruel!" Arcanista's brow furrowed. "What the devil for?"

"They could do their job better."

"And what job is that?"

"Assuming the identities of replaced ponies," Rainbow Dash said. "If that's happened in Val Roa, I'm sure the whole kingdom would know about it by now. However, I'm willing to believe that only Chrysalis has been in Val Roa this whole time. She was controlling the changelings in Ledomare, Xona, and Stratopolis from long-distance. Meanwhile, she's stationed herself in Val Roa as a fallback. Once she had fed from the misery caused in the west, she'd use this kingdom as a springboard."

"A springboard for what?"

"To carry her brood past the Grand Choke," Rainbow said. "And—east beyond that—the edge of the world."

"She wishes to rejoin her sister Tchern on the Dark Side of the world," Pilate said. "There's a conflict called the 'Trinary War,' and Chrysalis' ultimate goal is to raise an army empowered enough to turn the tide for dominance of the Plane."

"Wait..." Arcanista's eyes narrowed. "Dark Side... of the world?" She blinked. "Why, whatever do you mean?"

Pilate opened his mouth, lingered, and smiled tiredly. "Perhaps... it's best that we stick to the circumstances at hoof."

"Chrysalis is the sole reason we came to this part of the continent to begin with," Rainbow said. "Otherwise, I..." She faltered, cleared her throat, and said. "We would have gone further south to continue with our journey."

Roarke glanced at Rainbow. She blinked over at Belle and Pilate. The couple had their heads bowed.

"What we want to do... need to do is get inside Val Roa and sniff out Chrysalis so we can end her Reign of Terror once and for all," Rainbow Dash said. "I mean... why not? We've had so many run-ins with her, and after Stratopolis it would be practically criminal to leave her to her own devices."

"And that is the reason why the Noble Jury has remained in this kingdom for so long?" Arcanista smiled slightly. "Because you have been dedicated to finding a way past the West Gate?"

"Oh, we've had a ball! Believe it!" Kera grinned, tattoos flickering briefly with charismatic mana. "Kicking goblin butt?! Saving towns?! Earning flower necklaces?!"

Zaid did a double-take. "When did you earn flower necklaces?!"

"But it's all too easy, y'know?" Kera stuck her nose towards the ceiling. "We want a real challenge! We wanna kick the bugshell butt of the Queen who caused everything to begin with!"

"And by 'everything' she means genocide," Josho said in a dull tone, eyeing the Duchess wearily. "So perhaps you can see why we're so damn itching to get into your Ledo-forsaken kingdom and clean house!"

"Not an easy task, I assure you," Arcanista said.

"Shouldn't it be as simple as..." Booster Spice shrugged, blinking. "...rooting out the most likely candidate within Val Roa?"

"Candidate for what?"

"For being the Changeling Queen!" Booster Spice exclaimed. "Just think—of all the power players in your kingdom, who stands to gain the most from all of this subterfuge and backstabbing?"

Arcanista practically hissed: "Fishberry."

Bellesmith and Rainbow Dash exchanged glances.

"Are you so certain of that?" Roarke spoke up. "You seem rather biased there."

"She's marginalized Bountiful into nothing, disrupted the right to representation, and overseen the drafting of heinous and abominable laws!"

"And she's also responsible for the incarceration and supposed 'murder' of your brother," Roarke droned. "That's a good enough reason to despise her, but would it be a changeling Queen's work?"

Arcanista shivered slightly. She glanced aside at Floydien.

The elk said nothing.

With a sigh, Arcanista hung her head.

"How about this..." Rainbow Dash paced in mid-air. "Who's the most powerful pony in Val Roa?"

"Prince Eine of House of Evo, of course." Arcanista blinked. "Soon to be king."

Rainbow pivoted towards her. "Are you certain of that?"

Arcanista fidgeted. "Grand Secretary Sharp Quill has been acting steward of Val Roa for a long time, but as soon as Eine is crowned the new King, Sharp Quill steps back to assume the role of chief advisor, just like when the previous monarchs were still alive."

"You're talking about the ones who died in a fire?!" Zaid raised an eyebrow. "Yeesh, what an lucky 'unlucky' guy Sharp Quill must be!"

"Are you insinuating that Sharp Quill is directly responsible for the King and Queen's deaths?"

"If it was my mother in diguise..." Ebon Mane shuddered. "I c-certainly wouldn't put it past her."

"She'd be in the right place and the right time to control an entire kingdom during its most turbulent transition in years," Roarke said. "Murder is likely a tiny stepping stone towards achieving that. Who's to know what else Sharp Quill has accomplished?"

"Wait a second..." Booster Spice spoke up. "Didn't the Duchess say that the military's line of defense is broken up towards the south?"

"Yes..." Arcanista nodded. "It would seem as though General Saikano has need of the troops elsewhere."

"And that's a clear advantage to the Cartel if they wanted to invade from the southern border?" Booster blinked at the others through his goggles. "Well, wouldn't that be a stroke of brilliance on Chrysalis' behalf?"

"You... you mean..." Arcanista leaned forward. "General Saikano could be...?"

"From the way it looks," Eagle Eye spoke. "Your kingdom is full of suspects."

"I... I..." Arcanista ran a hoof through her mane, shuddering. "I-I think I may need to lie down..."

"It's not all hopeless!" Props said, blinking. "All we need to do is get in and have a look-see for ourselves!"

"Allow me to guess..." Arcanista gazed at her lethargically. "You've invented a 'changeling-detector' during your travels?"

"Well... it's not quite like that!" Props grinned. "But we do have Ebony!"

"Erm..." Ebon bit his lip.

"Props." Eagle squeezed Ebon's shoulders protectively. "We are not about to use him as a metamorph counter!"

"Well, can he sense Mommy Dearest or can't he?!"

"He can't! And he won't!"

"It could be a viable option, EE," Pilate remarked.

"Says you!"

"Eagle... s-settle down, darling." Ebon gulped. "Please..."

"Look... first thing's first..." Rainbow Dash hovered forward, waving her forelimbs. "We have to get inside that place! And we haven't been lucky on our own! But you, Duchess, you have connections on the inside! You know names! From the sound of it, you might even have a familial acquaintance with Saikano."

"Unless... he's actually a she," Arcanista stammered. "A changeling queen, she."

"Still, can you get us in there?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Can you get us inside?"

The room dropped into a cold hush. Several Jurists leaned forward, anxiously. Kera glanced at everypony with bright, blinking eyes.

"There is a way," Arcanista ultimately said, though with a reserved tone. "But it will be difficult."

"Define 'difficult.'"

"It will require a certain degree of Val Roan subterfuge of our own."

"Well then..." Zaid smirked and cracked the joints in his neck. "If it involves dressing as giant slabs of grilled cheese sandwiches, count me in."

"Zaidy Waidy..."

"Okay. Intermission." Kera hopped off the sofa before Bellesmith could hold her back. "Where's the noble Crapper of Sehlp?"

The Council of Sehlp Part Three

"I haven't attempted crossing the West Gate in several months," Arcanista said. "And I have every reason to believe that even if I tried, I would not be welcomed back into the High Council's hall, regardless of my good intentions."

"Then why bother trying?" Booster Spice remarked.

Arcanista's lips curved slightly. "Because there is a clause, a very specific loophole that I've always considered using if I absolutely needed to be in the 'good' company of my fellow politicians again."

"And don't you think you absolutely need to do that now?!" Rainbow Dash blinked. "We're beggin ya, Duchess. We'll do anything to get inside Val Roa Proper!"

"It will be no simple task," Arcanista said. "And it requires somepony—perhaps someone in this very room—to put on a dramatically convincing act."

"'Act?'" Pilate remarked, ears twitching.

"You mean as in a performance?" Bellesmith inquired.

"Indeed."

"What kind of a performance?"

"According to the 'Ambassadorial Representation Statute' that was written into effect over one hundred years ago, the Val Roan High Council is obligated to push the congressional address of foreign dignitaries to the very top of the regularly scheduled priority list."

"Could you simply that for the thinking impaired?" Zaid asked.

Arcanista smiled. "Generally speaking, a representative of a foreign nation outside of Val Roa's borders is given the chance to speak at an assembly—before any other political venture of the day. This is because Val Roa has established itself as the strongest power on the Continent, and after the defeat of the Southern Cartel decadese ago, the Council deemed it necessary to promote good diplomacy with prospective allies beyond our sphere of influence. As a result, if a representative of a Val Roan province was to arrive with an ambassador from beyond the borders—"

"They'd get first billings at one of the High Council chat sessions," Zaid said, blinking.

"Precisely. What's more—so would the representative responsible for escorting the ambassador into Val Roa Proper," Arcanista said. "So, simply put, if I was to arrive at the West Gate with a foreign dignitary, I would be given a straight and unimpeded path to the Capitol, to appear before the Council."

"You'd finally get a chance to speak to all the seats in the legislature," Bellesmith thought aloud. Her chestnut eyes brightened. "You could actually put Bountiful back on the map!"

"Not to mention call out Fishberry and her lackeys out on their bullcrap," Josho said.

"I... wouldn't pretend to go that far," Arcanista said. "But this would most certainly mean an opportunity of arriving in Val Roa as swiftly as possible."

"You sure it would work, though?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Sounds like there's enough bureaucratic sludge to make any attempt at anything crash and burn."

Arcanista slowly shook her head. "Fishberry's influence is strong, indeed." She frowned briefly. "And I suspect her of many... many terrible dabblings." A clearing of the throat. "However, she's still very much a public figure, and not all Council Members are corrupt in Val Roa. All things considered, the Chancellor will be forced to oblidge by the Ambassadorial Representation Statute." She smiled. "Especially since the law's been both unchallenged and untested for several decades."

"Several decades?" Eagle Eye blinked. "Why?"

"We haven't had many visits from foreign dignitaries," Arcanista explained. "Val Roa is very closed-in."

"Jee..." Josho blinked. "We had no idea."

"Josho..." Belle sighed.

"Sooooooo..." Rainbow Dash scratched her head. "Where do we come in?"

Roarke droned, "She's about to propose that one of us pretend to be a foreign dignitary."

"Huh?"

"The metal one is right," Arcanista said, nodding gently. "And this is where the 'subterfuge' part comes in."

"Wuh oh..." Zaid smirked. "Either I'm gonna hate this part or really really love it."

"All of you are from remarkably distant kingdoms already," Arcanista said. She turned to smile at Booster Spice. "Well, most all of you..."

He smiled sheepishly. "What gave it away? The goggles?"

Arcanista continued. "I don't believe it would be too terribly difficult for one of you to portray an ambassador from such a foreign land. I would support your claims, using my influence as both a Duchess and a Council Representative."

"Hmmm..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin in thought.

"I have no doubt that it would get us past the West Gate," Arcanista said. "Beyond that—if we're lucky—we will get a chance to speak one day inside the Val Roan Council, first thing in the morning. Provided that the 'ambassador' gives a convincing speech, it will be enough to satiate the other Representatives' curiosity. In the meantime—"

"You'll get to give the Council a piece of your mind as well!" Props chirped.

"Even more than that." Arcanista's nostrils flared. "I can shock the entire Council by dropping the largest bomb of all, which would certainly expose those in high places who've been dabbling in a malevolent conspiracy all these years. I may even be able to shake your elusive Queen Chrysalis out of hiding."

"How?" Ebon Mane blinked. "What kind of a bomb are we talking about?"

"Why, the most handsome bomb there ever was!" Props giggled.

Arcanista turned to look at Floydien.

Floydien seemed distracted. Only after a good ten seconds of silence did he actually look up, red eyes blinking. "What what what?"

"Floyd... brother..." Arcanista gulped. "This would be our last and final opportunity to make a difference..."

Floydien blinked again. He frowned. "No."

Arcanista's ears drooped. "But Brother—"

"Butt Brother butt boomerself!" he stood up straight, seething. The guards shifted with unease while he pointed a cloven hoof at her. "Floydien barely knows his own spit anymore! Why should he toss it at stabby stabs from beyond the Gate Gate?"

"I know you're struggling with what you've learned here," Arcanista said. "But... please... you can still make a difference! We both can! Won't you appear before the Council? There are wolves in sheep's clothing who need to be pulled out by the roots and an appearance of a legally diceased Duke would have such an unbelievable impact on—"

"Floydien knows that Floydien is alive, and that's enough for Floydien!" He snarled. "Boomers love to spit and glimmer, but do they ever stop to think that it will just stab back onto themselves in the end?!"

"Mr. Floydien," Pilate spoke up. "You've endured so much, but what the Duchess here is offering is a chance at retribution!" He smiled. "And we've gone to such lengths to track down the Changeling Queen! Right now, you're the key to the next step and—"

"Floydien is set to open nothing but a cloud bank!" He snarled. "Boomers dragged Floydien away from the sky and from Nancy Jane! And for what?! A parade into stabby stabs?!"

"But Floyd—"

"Spit Floydien's name right or don't spit at all!" Growling, the elk spun around and stomped out of the room. "Floydien doesn't need this! Floydien never asked for this!"

The door slammed, sending a cold shudder through everypony in the room.

Rainbow Dash winced. "Well, so much for that."

"I... I am sorry..." Arcanista sighed. "It was terribly presumptuous of me to think that he would be up for such a venture."

"You never know." Eagle Eye shrugged. "Maybe he'll come around!"

"Floydien?" Josho raised an eyebrow. "'Come around?' Hate to break it to you, Princess, but once the space elk's stuck in orbit, there ain't no re-entering the atmosphere."

"Awwwwwww..." Props pouted. "And here I was hoping Handsome would get well enough to sing someday."

"As much as I would love to convince him otherwise, I simply can't force my brother to accept the truth that he's discovered here," Arcanista said in a defeated tone. "I would love for him to break the fetters on his mind someday, but the most I can do is wish him the best." She gulped. "And offer my support as a loving sibling."

"Look, we all know that Floydien is going through a lot right now," Rainbow Dash said. "And—yeah—I'd love to see him get out of his 'boomer' schtick, but let's not get wrapped up in that, okay?" She looked at everypony in the room. "We can still get in with this 'Ambassadorial Representation Statute' thingy, right?"

"Erm..." Bellesmith squirmed in her seat. "Presumably."

"So... one of us just has to put his or her acting lessons to good use."

"It takes more than sheer personality," the Duchess said. "One must be visually convincing as well."

"Huh?"

"To bypass the scrutiny at the West Gate, a 'foreign dignitary' will have to look foreign," she said. "Before we even implement a farcical backstory."

"Well, duh!" Zaid smirked, pointing at Pilate. "Racing Stripes over there!"

Pilate leaned his head aside. "Me?"

"Seems a logical choice, beloved," Belle said with a smile. "After all, I've always secretly admired you for your exotic qualities."

"Ahhh, but of course..." He smirked blindly. "I hear the fever is most incurable."

"I bet nopony will have seen a zebra around Val Roa before!" Props said.

The Duchess sighed through a weary smile. "Except the two provinces who have over the past five centuries."

"H-huh?"

"Limhi and Teancum," Booster Spice spoke up, fidgeting. "Located far to the southeast, sandwiched between the Val Roan Mountains and the arid plains owned by the Cartel."

"Lemme guess..." Props' ears folded. "Zebras?"

"About eighty-seven percent of the population," Arcanista said. "Noble warriors, the whole lot of them. They've fought goblins so much over the past age or so that they have a custom centered around collecting impish bones."

"Brbbrbrbrbbrrr..." Bellesmith shivered. "I'm rather glad they've had no need for the Jury, then."

"I must admit." Roarke's lips curved slightly. "It's the first culture I've learned about that appeals to me."

"They have at least half a dozen representatives on the Council," Arcanista said. "They would see through the blind stallion's disguise in an instance."

"Well..." Pilate shrugged. "So much for my thespian career."

"Then who else is wild and crazy enough to look the part?" Eagle asked.

"We could send in Josho," Zaid said. "Pretend he's from a country where every stallion generates enough gravity to rival the moon."

"Or we could send you, pal," Josho retorted with a grunt. "The world's one and only talking piece of roadkill."

"How about Roarke?" Props asked.

"We want somepony to address the Council," Eagle droned. "Not blow it up."

"Hrmmm..." Roarke folded her forelimbs.

"Uhm..." Rainbow Dash smirked. "Not to soak up the spotlight, but..."

"What, Rainbow?" Belle asked.

The pegasus smiled, pointing back at her flapping wings.

Belle blinked, then slapped her own skull. "Spark, spare me!"

"Of course!" Props hopped up and down. "Dashie could pull it off!" She grinned. "Nopony outside of Durandana has ever seen a mare with wings!"

Roarke stared thoughtfully at Rainbow Dash, blue eyes narrow.

"I know a thing or two about diplomacy," Rainbow said.

Eagle squinted. "You do?"

Rainbow stuck his tongue at him. "Back in Ponyville, we did all sorts of funky things, bending over backwards to spread 'friendship' and whatnot. Why, this one time, there were a bunch of buffalo who went all buffalo on a town of non-buffalo..." She blinked. "...buffalo."

"What came out of that situation?" Zaid asked. "Besides buffalo?"

"You know what? I-I kinda forget at the moment." Rainbow tapped her chin. "All I remember is Pinkie Pie in a saloon dress."

"Uhhhhhh—"

"But even still, I can totally rock the whole 'ambassador' thing!" Rainbow grinned. "And—when we're nestled in the middle of Val Roa and when I'm not talking to the Council, I could take wing and start... y'know... snooping around the place, figuring out just what Fishberry, Sharp Quill, and all the other freakjobs are up to!"

"Yeah!" Props grinned. "As soon as we can get Dashie inside Val Roa, it's game over for those backstabbers!"

Roarke blinked, then glanced quietly towards the floor.

"As much as I admire that idea..." Arcanista stood up and paced towards Rainbow Dash. "I must state a concern."

"Oh? What concern is that?"

"While portraying this 'ambassador,' you would be under intense scrutiny," the Duchess said. "You would be subject to a great deal of questioning, dinner arrangements, the normal pageantry of Val Roan custom."

"Er... yeah! Okay! I can totally do that! Really!"

"No, I'm afraid you don't get the point." Arcanista shook her head. "This will occupy your entire time beyond the West Gate. It will be virtually impossible to find a time and place to sneak out and perform your reconnaisance from the shadows."

"But... b-but..." Rainbow blinked.

Arcanista waved a hoof. "I am in no way attempting to shoot down the idea of bringing you into Val Roa. But, instead of putting you at the front of the convoy, might I suggest we smuggle you in?"

"Smuggle?" Bellesmith blinked.

Roarke looked up. "How do you mean?" she asked in a suspicious tone.

"Rather than play the part of a foreign dignitary, Rainbow Dash could present herself by not presenting herself at all."

"I... don't quite read you, madame," Rainbow Dash said.

"We'll dress you as one of my noble servants," Arcanista said. "So long as you're dressed appropriately and kept at the back of the procession, no one will take any notice of you whatsoever." She smiled. "And they most certainly won't know that you have wings."

Roarke opened her mouth to say something.

"I think that's rather brilliant," Pilate said.

"You know what, that isn't too bad," Josho said.

"Can she really pass as a maid of the House of Sehlp?" Bellesmith asked.

"It should be a simple task," Arcanista said. "So long as she maintains an unassuming air about herself."

"Ewww..." Rainbow Dash winced. "That sounds super-hard, actually."

Props giggled.

"But, still... totally doable." Rainbow Dash smiled. "Yeah, I think I'm game for that."

"We still need to come up with whoever portrays the 'ambassador,'" Booster said.

"Well, it can't be you," Zaid said. "You're about as white bread as it gest around here."

"I'll have you know that I have a very good singing voice."

"Yeah, good thing every pack of Green Bandits we've beaten up didn't need a baritone."

"Grrrrr..."

"Heeheehee..."

"Come on, everyjurist!" Rainbow Dash's voice cracked as she flung her forelimbs at the group. "Let's think! If we can't use Pilate and we can't use Roarke and we can't use me—then who can pass themselves off as a representative from a foreign land?!"

With a pulse of magic, the door opened and Kera came waddling back into the room "Whew! I'll tell you one thing this place has that the Jury doesn't! Decent plumbing!" She hopped up onto a couch, smiling at Bellesmith. "I bet I flushed that thing twenty times just to listen to the sound!"

"I got it!" Zaid smirked. He dashed over, grasped Kera by her midsection, and held the tattooed filly upwards like a lion cub. "Ahem... I present to you Princess Kera Tin Mehjj of the Xonan Empire!"

Kera's emerald eyes blinked as her tiny limbs dangled. "Derp...?"

Every Filly Can Be a Princess

"No." Bellesmith frowned. "Absolutely not!" She frowned harder. "Out of the question!"

"Awwwww..." Zaid looked over, pouting. "Why not? It's the perfect setup!"

"No it isn't!"

"Actually, Belle, it kinda sorta is!" Props said, joining Zaid's side. "She's nothing like what the Val Roans have ever seen before! Plus there's a real 'Xona' out there to world build from! Plus... she's cute as the dickens! Heeheehee! It's totally perfect!"

Belle stomped her hoof. "No it's not!" She pointed. "We are not sending Kera on some super dangerous mission beyond the West Gate!"

"It's not like she's gonna be alone, Ding Dong," Rainbow said. She then turned towards the Duchess. "Would she?"

"Er... no... not at all." Arcanista shook her head. "I would be escorting her. Myself, along with my entire entourage."

Rainbow turned to smile at Belle again. "Plus, I would be there, doing the whole 'unassuming maiden' thing."

"Good luck with that," Roarke droned.

"Yeah, you're cute too. Ahem." Rainbow hovered into the center of the group. "For realsies! Princess of Xona! I totally dig that! I mean, it's not like any of Lasairfion's royal subjects are gonna be flocking over from Xona Proper to contrast our claims with a thorough background check!"

"The Val Roans can't possibly be that stupid, though," Eagle Eye said. He blinked, then glanced across the room. "Can they?"

Booster Spice and Duchess Arcanista fidgeted and looked aside in almost identical motions. "Uhmm... actually..."

"So, it's settled!" Rainbow grinned.

"Ungh!" Belle rolled her eyes. "It is so not settled!"

"Beloved," Pilate calmly spoke. "We don't have many viable options here."

"Oh, and the wisest plan is to leap upon the first idea that involves throwing our darling Kera into harm's way?!"

"No offense, Belle, but she's been through far... far tougher straits than this before," the zebra said. "Even going so far as to join us in direct battle with the Green Bandits."

"Yes, but... b-but she was with us on those occasions!"

"And she'll be with Rainbow Dash on this occasion," Pilate said. "And with Duchess Arcanista."

"And my loyal guard," the elk added with a smile.

"Besides..." Roarke spoke up. "I've taught her to hone her magical abilities quite well these past two months, if I do say so myself." She gazed across the room. "I'm certain, if she wanted to, she could even overpower the Duchess' entourage without thinking twice."

"That is... very reassuring," Arcanista stammered.

"I agree with Rainbow Dash on this," Roarke said.

"Hmmmph!" Belle folded her forelimbs. "You would."

"Uhm... g-guys?" Kera squeaked, legs still dangling. "Do I still need to be up here?"

"Whoops!" Zaid chuckled nervously, finally putting Kera down and patting her on the head. "My bad," he said. "Sorta g-got carried away there. Grilled cheese withdrawal and all."

Props giggled.

"Meh," Kera said.

"Has anypony bothered to ask what the lil' scamp thinks of all this?"

"Of all what?" Kera looked up, rubbing her forelimbs together. "Oh... the whole princess thing? Pfft. Whatever." She shrugged. "If nothing else, it'll mean a change of scenery."

Eagle Eye blinked. "You live on the Noble Jury and you pine for a change in scenery?"

"Yeah. All the goblins we beat up have the same green skin. I want diversity!"

"Pat yourself on the back, Duchess." Josho smirked. "You've got yourself a 'foreign dignitary' for the ages!"

"Uh huh..." The Duchess leaned back, stroking her chin. "I see it will take some work..."

"Like what kind of work?" Kera tilted her chin up, green mane flouncing. "I've got what it takes! Look! I even let Belle brush my mane long, just the stupid way she likes it!"

"Her honesty will be rather striking in a political arena," Pilate said with a smile.

"That's just it, though." Arcanista started pacing. "She needs to convince everyone that she's something she really isn't. That includes Fishberry and her closest allies."

"Pfft!" Kera waved a hoof. "Easy peasy!" She took a deep breath. "I'm Princess Kera Tin Mehjj of the Blue Nova Dynasty, come to Val Roa in order to establish peace between Val Roans, Alafreons, Lounge lizards, and all the llamas in between!"

"See?" Zaid pointed with a grin. "What'd I say? Perfect!"

Kera hopped up on a table and spread her forelimbs up high. "Plus, grasshoppers for everyponnyyy!" She flopped back onto a sofa while Props giggled.

Zaid sighed. "Or perhaps I should just stick to comedy..."

"Kera... darling..." Belle trotted over. "Are you certain that you have it in you to do this?" She knelt down until she was staring at the filly's eye-level. "It will be an arduous journey far away from the Jury that will take Spark-knows-how long and..."

"Belle..." Kera stood up. "I'm fine! Besides, I've been just itching to make a difference ever since the whole Stratopolis thing!"

"But..."

Kera smirked. "Maybe the real issue is... can you let go of me for that long?"

Belle squirmed. She bit her lip and eventually hung her head with a sigh. "...just know that I love you more than life itself."

"Jee..." Kera giggled, then leaned in to nuzzle the mare. "I had no idea."

Belle held Kera close, holding in a whimper. At last, she murmured, "I'm proud of you... for stepping up to do the right thing, especially when I've been so reluctant."

"Yes, well..." Kera leaned back, smirking. "Not all of us have the balls for it."

Belle blinked, then frowned. "You've been hanging around Mr. Josho too long."

"Don't blame me," Josho belched. "I just eat here."

"Ugh..." Eagle Eye face-hoofed. "Old stallion."

"Well, then..." Arcanista smiled calmly. "If it's decided."

"Yup yup yup!" Kera spun around. "So... what do I have to do? I mean..." She giggled. "It's not like I'm gonna be required to wear a bunch of horribly frilly pink girly..."

"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Kera rolled her eyes to the very back of her head. She stood on a stool, surrounded by earth pony mares as they trotted around, fitting her into a silken fuchsia gown. "I change my minddddddddddddddd..."

"Now hold still, Kera, and let the Duchess' servants get your measurements," Belle said from where she stood at the sidelines along with Rainbow, Props, and Arcanista. "After all, if you're to be convincing, then you'll need to look the part as well as act it."

"But why's it gotta have so much... lace?" Kera's tattooed muzzle frowned. "Lasairfion never wore this much stuff!"

"Lasairfion, darling, was caught in a deathly scenario involving a floating city and untold amounts of undead pegasi!" Belle remarked. "She didn't have time for appearance! But you, a foreign diplomat from the Xonan Empire, have plenty of time to spare for this sort of a thing!"

"You... you mean we have to go through an entire wardrobe?!"

Belle couldn't help but smile slightly. "I'm afraid so, darling."

"Ugggggh... I'm gonna throw up all over these girls!" One of the maids giggled in response.

"A floating city full of undead flying ponies..." Arcanista turned towards Rainbow Dash. "I would greatly like to learn more details about my brother's exotic travels."

"I'm afraid we'll have to spend most of the journey to Val Roa teaching Scampy here some regal etiquette."

"That, I'm certain I can tackle," Arcanista said with a smile.

Eagle Eye stepped forward. "Now... uh... be sure to design something with plenty of royal blues and indigoes." He smiled daintily. "The real Xonan aristocracy appears to favor those colors."

Props did a double-take. "EE?! What are you doing here?! This is a maiden's dressing room!"

"Oh please," Rainbow droned. "It's Eagle Eye. The unicorn's practically the most feminine thing in this room."

Belle giggled, as did a few of the maids.

Eagle rolled his eyes. "Seriously, though, you'll want to design a wardrobe that will accentuate her body modification in every way. Also, the gown should be fuller in the back. I mean... it's not like she's intending to show off a royal cutie mark."

"I heard that," Kera grumbled.

"Oh dear..." Arcanista grimaced. "I just thought of something..."

"Yeah?" Rainbow glanced aside. "What?"

"Well, your darling Kera here is the genuine article, to be sure. But still, no self-respecting diplomat, especially one so young, would arrive in Val Roa unattended."

"How do you mean?" Belle asked. "She should have an escort?"

"Most definitely," Arcanista said with a nod. "And, furthermore, it should be somepony of her own flesh and blood."

"So... like... another Xonan?" Props remarked.

Rainbow squinted. "You're certain the Val Roans would see through the disguise otherwise?"

"Pretty sure," Arcanista said. "Besides, it wouldn't be a healthy thing to risk."

"I-I could go along with her!" Belle said. "Just... uhm... p-paint some tattoos across my body and... and..."

"You realize it'd only wear off, right?" Rainbow remarked. "Or else you'd have to paint the stupid lines on yourself every morning."

"Uhm..." Belle fidgeted. "Real tattoos?"

"Hah hah hah hah!" Kera bellowed, almost falling off the stool in her fluffy gown. "You gotta be kidding me!"

"As... noble as that sounds, Ding Dong..." Rainbow smirked. "I don't think we have the time for you to go through something so excrutiating and somehow come out the other end as a sane pony in control of her remaining senses."

"Besides..." Props pointed. "What kind of a Xonan guard would escort her Princess with a broken honker?" She immediately blushed. "Erm... n-no offense."

Belle sighed. "No offense taken, Props. If only there was a way to look Xonan without putting much effort into it..."

Silence.

Everypony glanced at each other. All except for Eagle Eye.

"Ahem." Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "Ya hear that, EE?"

"Huh?" Eagle ripped his eyes from the dress and up at Rainbow. "What?"

"Belle said 'If only there was a way to look Xonan without putting much effort into it.'"

Eagle Eye blinked. "Oh?" Silence. His ears folded as he winced. "Oh..."

Gonna Love the Way You Line

“I... uh...” Ebon Mane gulped, shivering slightly before his reflection. “I-I dunno if I can do this, guys...”

“Sure you can, Ebony!” Props chirped from where she stood before the dressing mirror. “It's not like you're changing your shape or anything!”

“Yeah!” Eagle grinned from the other side of the glass sheet. “It's more like... uhm... changing the texture!”

“I'm afraid I'm not practiced at either one of them,” the changeling muttered.

“Well, you keep that shape, don't you?” Props grinned. “And a most sexy shape it is!”

“Er... thanks. I-I think...”

“That has to take some kind of effort on a regular basis, don't it?”

“Actually, it kind of doesn't,” Ebon said, glancing at both Jurists in turn. “This is as 'natural' as I feel. If anything, reverting to my changeling form is the thing that requires 'effort.'”

“Alright, Ebon, let me put it this way.” Rainbow Dash's reflection hovered down right behind him. “If you don't pull this off, then Kera won't be able to travel with Arcanista to Val Roa proper and we'll never find a way to hunt down Chrysalis and put an end to her diabolical acts for good.”

Ebon gulped. “Well, when you p-put it that way...”

“Rainbow...” Eagle hissed. “No need to put on that kind of pressure!”

“Isn't there?” Rainbow turned and glared into the mirror. “Ebon, would you want to be the sole reason for why changelings are given a bad reputation forever?!”

“Eeep!” The stallion flinched. His coat turned blue while his mane exploded into the colors of the rainbow.

“Ee-heeheehee!” Props giggled.

Rainbow blinked at her double reflections. She slumped in mid hover, sighing. “You're right. This is hopeless.”

“I disagree.” Eagle Eye leaned in. “Ebon, honey, you've seen Kera everyday, right?”

With a flicker of green flame, the stallion reverted back to his burgundy self. “Uh huh...”

“And you sense the way she feels on a regular basis?”

“Sure...”

“And you know how she feels about her foster parents, Bellesmith and Pilate, right?”

“Uhm... I-I suppose so.”

“And you know how you feel about me?” Eagle Eye asked, eyelashes fluttering.

“Mmmm...” Ebon smiled warmly. “Uh huh.”

“Well... try mixing the two.”

Ebon blinked. “Wat.”

“Erm... tr-try... uh... sprinkling a teensy bit of Kera's trust in Belle and Pilate on top of your love for me!” He grinned. “And remember to think optimistically, cuz that's totally a Kera thing.”

“It is?” Props blinked. Eagle frowned at her. “Oh! Uh! Right! It is!”

“Okay...” Ebon took a deep breath, then closed his eyes. “Here goes...” The tips of his mane tingled with emerald energy while his sockets flashed from beneath their lids.

“There ya go, Ebon!” Eagle Eye pumped a hoof, grinning wide. “You got it! You got it!”

POOF! A buxom adult mare with flowing emerald locks stood before them, her shapely flanks accentuated by delicate body lines as she tossed her mane and stared listlessly at the trio.

Props's jaw dropped.

Rainbow blinked. Bonk! She hit her head on the ceiling. “Ow!” She rubbed her head, wincing.

“Erm...” Eagle cleared his throat and waved a lavender hoof. “Dial it back a bit, sweetie.”

“Erm...” Ebon cooed in a feminine voice, then exhaled. His body reformed, returning to his usual stallion physique, only this time covered all over with swirling tattoos. “Uhm... h-how's this?”

“Fabulous!” Eagle grinned. “Is it that hard to maintain?”

“Uhm... I-I guess not too much,” Ebon said. He glanced at the mirror and jolted as some of the tattoos moved on their own. “Then again...”

“I think, with practice, you can pull off a Xonan diplomat, no problem!”

“Uh huh...” Ebon sighed. “I-I'd just better not try 'changing' in front of the other Val Roans.”

“I'm sure there'll be plenty of places to change in the Duchess' wagon!” Props said. “Oh! That reminds me!” She reached behind the mirror, grabbed a spark plug, and slapped it over Ebon's forehead.

“Ow.” Ebon winced, his eyes crossing to look at the “horn.”

“Tadaaaa! Unicorn Ebonyyyyy! Heeheehee!”

“You can't be serious,” Eagle muttered.

“I'm sure somedeer here in Bountiful can carve him a convincing one! Unless of course, Ebony, you think you can morph one of your own?”

“I... I-I don't think I've got that much skill.”

“Can't you turn into—I dunno—Eagle Eye and just give him tattoos?”

Ebon bit his lip, fumbling.

“Eh. I suck at multi-tasking too,” Props said with a shrug.

“Good thing you're our ship's engineer,” Eagle muttered.

“Yup yup yup!” Props spun towards Rainbow. “What do you think, Dashie? This looks passable!”

Silence.

“Dashie?” Props blinked, then reached up to wave her hoof in front of the mare's eyes. “Helloooooo?”

At last, Rainbow snapped out of it. “What? Oh... eheh... s-sorry...”

“Heehee! You okay in there, east horse?”

“I was just thinking...” Rainbow gulped, fanning herself. “It's a good thing I haven't got long to live. Cuz in fifteen years, Mama Bellesmith would probably have been giving me the stink-eye.”

“So... uhm...” Ebon turned towards the others. “Assuming this is enough to work... how are we going to communicate with the Jury from beyond the West Gate?”

Once More With the Royal Treatment

“Here.” Props held out a large blue crystal in her hooves. “I've been saving this for a rainy day. Or—in your case—a rainbow day, heeheehe.”

“Whew...” Rainbow Dash grasped the shard in question. “What is this? Like—the mother of all sound stones?”

“I guess you could say that!” Props smiled as she sat back on the stool besides her communications array. “It should be able to pierce any sort of manafeedback barrier!”

“Like the magical defense surrounding Val Roa?”

“My tech here should be able to detect you in a heartbeat!” Props slapped a hoof across the top of her communications array. “But there are a couple of drawbacks.”

“Like...?”

“The signal of this sound stone will be super... super strong,” Props remarked, blinking. “It'll cancel out any other communication I might be in the middle of.”

“Such as with your Uncle Prowse?”

“Er...” She squirmed. “Yeah.”

“I won't break your system, will I?”

“Pffft! I may be desperate, but I'm not stupid!” Props giggled. “Besides, that's Zaidy Waidy's job.”

“Uh huh...”

“The other issue is that you'll wanna use the sound stone sparingly.”

“Lemme guess. It could give me away.”

“Righterooni!” Props nodded, her eyes bright. “If you use it for any longer than a few minutes, it'll put off a mana signature that could short out other magically-controlled technology within the nearest vicinity.”

“Well, then. I'll try to keep my messages short and sweet.” Rainbow inhaled. “It's what we're going after in the first place in Val Roa,” she said. “A place, a time, and a way of finding Chrysalis.”

“Then the Noble Jury can make its move from the outside!”

“Yeah. What kind of move?”

“I dunno.” Props shrugged. “The kind that involves twirls and curtseys?”

Rainbow smirked. “I haven't really considered just how boring and lonesome this trip is going to be until this conversations, Props.” She sighed. “I dunno whether to thank you or punch you.”

“Lonesome?!” Props grinned wide. “You're gonna be with Kera and Ebony, silly filly!”

“Yeah, well, I bet most of the time I'll be off on a 'one-mare-sneaking-mission.'”

“You mean 'one-maid-sneaking-mission.'”

“Heh. Sure.”

“Speaking of which, how are you going to become dull?”

Rainbow blinked. “Huh?”

“Well...” Props smirked, fidgeting. “Not to state the obvious, but you've always had a way of standing out, Dashie.”

“Jee.” Rainbow smired slyly. “I had no idea you cared, Props...”

“Heeheehee! You know what I mean!”

“Actually, I do.” Rainbow sighed, her ears instantly drooping. “And... well... Arcanista and I already had a candid chat about it...”

“Oh?”

“Wait...” Roarke's blue eyes narrowed. “What do you mean she's altering her appearance?!”

Arcanista gulped from where she stood across from the metal mare in the manor's hallway. An ornate door stood behind her. “It was a mutual agreement that we had made. After all, she'll be portraying one of my maids. On top of that, she'll be slipping past the observation of Val Roan guards to perform reconnaissance on the Val Roan High Council in an attempt to root out Chrysalis.”

“Indeed.” Roarke gritted her teeth. “And what does that have to do with the way she looks?”

“In the same way that we must make young Kera striking, we must make Rainbow Dash unassuming,” the Duchess attempted to explain. “After all, everypony will be less likely to presume that she possesses wings underneath her gown if their eyes aren't looking her way in the first—”

Roarke stomped straight past Arcanista, making the Duchess flinch.

“Wait—!” She stretched a cloven hoof out.

WHAM! Roarke kicked the door to the beauty parlor open. She peered straight in. “Rainbow...?!”

Three servants jolted, shivering slightly from where they crowded around a chair where a blue mare was lying back, her head soaking in a basin. With a rattle of her pendant, Rainbow Dash tilted her up, smiling sheepishly. “Uhhh...” One... two... three locks of dull green mane hair dangled loosely as she threw an uncertain glance across the parlor. “H-hey there... Roarke...”

Roarke merely glared.

Rainbow gulped. “Look... uh...” She darted her eyes towards the bottles of emerald dye, then back at the former bounty hunter. “It'll w-wash out, I promise!” A tail flicked, also vomit-green. “Just... there's no point in outshining the Princess of Xona, you dig?”

“No.” Roarke droned. “I don't dig.”

“Look, it totally makes sense! And it's for the mission, so can't we compromise?” Rainbow smiled awkwardly. “I mean, of all ponies, you should understand the importance of sacrificing something as silly as a manestyle for the greater good!”

“You make a good point,” Roarke said calmly. She turned around. “I think I'll shave my red mane so that I'll sweat less inside Whizzball.”

Rainbow shot up, startling the servants. “You do that and I will murder you in your sleep—” She froze, blushing.

Roarke turned to glance at her. The tiniest of smirks donned her muzzle.

Rainbow sighed, slumping back in the seat with her head tilted back. “... ... ...” She gulped. “I-I'll see what I can do about packing along some extra shampoo to wash it out speedy-quick...”

“Damn straight, you will,” Roarke said. Reindeer guards rushed into the room, a little too late. “That's okay, I was just leaving.” She trotted calmly past them and the Duchess.

Arcanista blinked. She shuffled nervously into the parlor. “Uhm... I've been hesitant to inquire as to the social intricacies of the Jury by large—”

“Best that you let it be,” Rainbow muttered. She tilted her head to glance at the elk out the corner of her eyes. “Any luck with Floydien, by the way?”

Arcanista sighed, her nostrils flaring. “No. And something tells me that I shouldn't force a thing that doesn't wish to happen naturally.”

“Don't fret,” Rainbow said. “I'm sure the two of you will get to have sibling-bonding at some point or another.”

“It's difficult to think that far ahead,” Arcanista muttered as she paced around the work that the servants were doing on Rainbow Dash. “This whole tenuous infiltration of Val Roa is terribly mind-consuming.”

Rainbow smirked slightly. “Living in the moment? Heh... I can totally relate, girl.” She flinched. “Erm... your honor.”

Arcanista bore a calm smile as she pivoted towards the mare. “How do you manage?”

Rainbow took a deep breath. “By not realizing that I have to.”

“How do you mean?”

Rainbow gulped. “These past few months of my life have been full of 'good byes,' even though most of them have just been practice runs.”

“For what?”

“The real, last goodbye,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

“You're... planning on leaving the Noble Jury?” Arcanista blinked. “Your friends?”

“My journey has always been a stupidly epic undertaking,” Rainbow said while Arcanista's gaze loomed above her. Her eyes darted across the ceiling in melancholic traces. “Even before I made the first tag-a-long friend, we all knew that there'd someday come a point where they couldn't follow along. And... and this Grand Choke...” Her words trailed off.

“What's so important a goal that you must leave behind the ponies who mean so much to you?”

“It's too big a thing to describe,” Rainbow muttered. She closed her eyes. “Even to myself. I-I just get all freaked out thinking about it... the end of the world... the dark side... the Midnight Armory...”

“An epic undertaking indeed.”

“You see...” Rainbow reopened her thin eyes with an even thinner smile. “It's easy to think in the now. But... y'know... not everypony is me.” She glanced at Arcanista. “You'll get to hang out with Floydien in the future. You'll bond. I have full faith in that.”

“And as for yourself?” Arcanista asked. “When you've gone far beyond this immediate concern, what will you have the luxury of believing in?”

Rainbow hesitated. Ultimately, she said. “I'll have faith that all of the friends I've made will be living in a land free of conspiracy and strife, because we'll have made it that way by giving Chrysalis the boot.” She gulped. “And they'll be better off.”

“And you? Will you be better off?”

“Knowing that they all will be, I can live with it.” Rainbow sighed. “And I can die with it too...”

Arcanista smiled softly. “I can see how you became the leader of your troop. With loyalty like that, it makes sense that they've all congregated around you.”

“Yeah, and here I thought it was all my good looks.” Rainbow glanced at the servants working on her mane. “So much for that.”

Arcanista chuckled lately.

“Do we have everything prepared for our trip to the West Gate?” Rainbow asked.

“Almost.”

“Oh?”

Arcanista paced. “While your friends have been preparing a Xonan 'Princess' and 'Advisor,' I've summoned the Captain of the Sehlp Guard to arrive.”

“Captain of the Sehlp Guard?”

“Indeed. He's been patrolling the southern lands, on the look-out for Green Bandit incursion. Due to the sensitive nature of this situation, I've requested his security. He'll be escorting the entourage for the duration of our trip into Val Roa.”

“How many reindeer will he be bringing?”

“Just himself.”

Rainbow blinked. “Is... th-that enough for something like this?”

“Hmmmm...” Arcanista bore a confident grin. “In truth, Rainbow Dash, it's overkill.”

Of All Things To Knock Out

“Here it is...” A timid mare held a wadded-up cloth forward in two, trembling hooves. “I... I-I worked on it all n-night!” She immediately bowed as soon as Arcanista took the item. “I can only hope it lives up to your approval, oh Duchess!”

“Hmmmm...” Arcanista leaned back in her plush seat along the far edge of her ornate study. With large-yet-gentle hooves, she unwrapped the cloth, exposing a spiral horn with a distinctively dark burgundy color. “Remarkable,” she said with a smile. “It matches his coat to a T.”

“And if it doesn't,” Josho said, standing beside Eagle Eye and Ebon. “We're all pretty sure he can change the tint of it to match.”

“Old stallion, lay off him, for realsies,” Eagle said. A beat. He glanced curiously at Ebon. “Can... c-can you really do that?”

“Uhm...” Ebon bit his lip. “It doesn't help me at all when I'm blushing.”

“Awwww... you poor thing.”

“Nnnngh...” Josho felt his forehead, teetering. “Ebon, quick, turn green.”

Ebon sighed, rolling his eyes. “Madame...” He stepped forward, approaching the Duchess. “May I?”

“By all means!” She leaned over, holding the horn out. “Try it out.”

“Here.” Josho glowed his horn. “I'll steady it.”

“No, I will!” Eagle exclaimed, likewise summoning a dim light.

“I've got this, princess!”

“Nuts to you! He's my coltfriend!”

“Heh, in that case, you can keep the nuts.”

“Nnnngh...” Ebon growled. “I got it! Thank you.” With a huffing breath, he grasped the faux spear of alicornia and placed it against his forehead.

“Uhm...” Eagle fidgeted. “How are you going to hold it in one pla—?”

“Shhhh...” Ebon clenched his eyes shut. “Concentrating.” He took several breaths. By the fifth inhalation, everyone in the room heard a squishing noise. Eagle and Josho craned their necks to see that the “flesh” along Ebon's brow had thickened slightly, the center of his foread curling around to hold the horn in place. “Hmmmm...” He fluttered his eyes open, glancing at the others. “How's that?”

“Whew...!” Duchess smiled and clapped daintily. “A marvelous trick, Mr. Mane.”

“Not to mention awesome!” Eagle grinned.

“Ugh... speak for yourselves.” Josho held a hoof over his stomach. “For once, I'm glad the cook's leaving us for a spell. I couldn't fill my stomach for a week after seeing that!”

“Oh Josho, get off it,” Eagle groaned.

“I wish I could!”

“It matches your coat perfectly,” Arcanista said. “Now, how about those lines?”

“Already working on it,” Ebon said, his voice a bit tense. After a dull hissing breath, he clenched his teeth and flexed his epidermal muscles. Another squirming sound, and his flesh was covered all over in swirly lines and patterns. “Guh... th-there you go. Yes?”

“Not bad, Sailboat,” Josho said.

“Yeah, Ebon!” Eagle leaned in to nuzzle him. “Hehe! It even matches the way it looked last time!”

Ebon smiled slightly. “It does?”

Eagle blinked. “Erm... well, at least I think so.” He winced a bit. “I-I honestly haven't been able to pay attention the last few times.”

“Ah, well...” Ebon sighed. “Here's hoping the Val Roans at the West Gate and beyond are relatively short-sighted.”

“Compared to Eagle, they're practically blind,” Josho said.

“That may not be too far from the truth,” Arcanista remarked. “But, it's better to be safe than sorry. Keep practicing, Mr. Mane. In the meantime...” She turned towards the peasant mare. “I want to thank you for making such a wonderful rock sculpture at the last second—” She blinked.

“Guh... g-g-guuh... that... duh...” The mare's eyes twitched. She sweated profusely, staring in horror at the metamorph before her.

“Oh dear.” Arcanista bit her lip. “I s-suppose I should have thought about this ahead of time.”

“Hey! It's okay!” Eagle said, waving a hoof at the shivering pony. “He's a good guy! The best guy!”

“But... but h-he just... just...” She pointed at Ebon swirly coat.

The changeling blinked. “Oh! Well... uhm...” He tossed his head forward, popped the horn loose, and held it in an outstretched hoof. “If it freaks you out...” Slspslslsspp! His coat went back to an immaculate burgundy shine. “I can switch right back! See? Ta-daaa!”

“Chuuuuuu...” Eyes rolling back, the mare fell flat on her face.

“Huh...” Josho smirked. “Who'd a thunk one of you to was still a lady-killer?”

“Ohhhhhhh...” Eagle frowned. “Won't you ever lay off?”

“Sure as Hell ain't my job to lay on.”

“You know what I mean!”

The poor dear. Arcanista reached down, caressing the unconscious mare's chin and muzzle. “This is precisely the sort of thing I detest about Val Roa.”

“What's that, Duchess?” Ebon asked.

“Secrecy,” she muttered. “And the consequences of the truth getting out so late.” She sighed. “If it weren't for the sake that I'd compromise the security of everypony and deer in Bountiful...”

“Hey...” Josho shrugged. “All things in moderation, right?”

“Mmmm. Perhaps. Even still.” She sighed. “I've been living in complacency for so long that I fear I'm becoming just like the hypocrites on the High Council.”

“Well, you're doing something about it now, aren't you?” Ebon smiled sweetly. “We all are!”

Arcanista glanced at him. After a few seconds, she smiled. “Hmmmm...” She picked the tiny mare up and motioned for her reindeer guards. “Bring her to one of the bottom story bedrooms. Make sure she's well tended to until she's fully ready to return to her home and carving shop beyond the inner wall.”

“Aye, duchess.”

“And have my clerk come meet with me. I wish to prepare a speech to the villagers of Bountiful. I may not be able to tell them everything, but they at least deserve to understand that an undertaking for the salvation of Val Roa is in effect.”

“Yes, Duchess. Right away, Duchess.”

“You're doing the right thing,” Eagle said. “Not just for your subjects, but for all of us.” He smiled. “I don't know if Rainbow Dash has thanked you yet, but I sure would like you.”

“Yeah,” Josho said, nodding tiredly. “It's really swell.”

“My little ponies.” Arcanista smiled gracefully at them. “If all things go through as planned, then it'll be me thanking you.”

“Heh... then I'll have all the cooks in the world!” Josho said.

“Nnngh...” Eagle Eye face-hoofed. “One track mind, I swear.”

“Yeah, well, be thankful it never jumps yours.”

“Meh.”

“Now, onto the business of Kera and her regal preparations.”

“Shouldn't Rainbow and Bellesmith be here to listen to that?”

“Perhaps so. I'll have them summoned—”

Precisely at that very moment, the door to the study blew down, nearly toppling the reindeer guards carrying the unconscious mare. The thing flew off its hinges, making a dent in the far wall and sending Ebon and Eagle Eye ducking.

“Seriously?!” boomed a deep, deep voice, like bass fiddles being scraped to splinters across the bottom of a deep stone chasm. “I throttle goblin skulls in by the bucketload, and this is the thanks I come back to?! Locked doors?! Where's the Duchess and who in the Hell replaced her?!”

“Jeebus!” Josho wheezed, scrambling on all fours. “Who or what is that?!”

“I-I think I just ruined a noble rug!” Eagle Eye whimpered.

“Constable!” Arcanista called out while Ebon clung to her legs, trembling. “A little less of your rambunctious side, please, we have guests!” She gestured. “The Noble Jury!”

“The Noble Who?!” One large brown hoof slammed into the room after another. Thud! Thud! Th-Thud! “You mean those arse-faced bushwhackers creeping up on my winning streak all across the kingdom?! I've got a bone or two to mangle with them!”

“Old stallion—!” Eagle squeaked, overwhelmed by a hulking shadow.

“It's after the Duchess!” Josho growled, levitating the nearest ceramic lamp. “Hop to!”

“R-right!” Eagle levitated a table like a shield and started charging. “Yaaaaah!”

“Ha HA!” The tall, tall figure grinned, antlers swaying. “Look at the little popcorn farts! Come to hump papa?!”

“Have at you!” Eagle swung the table. It smashed into bits, but the large brown hoof he struck didn't budge. “Awww poop.” THUD! The hoof lifted up, only to come down over his violet tail, pinning him in place. “Ah! No! Nononononono I-I just brushed this morning!”

“Buttmunch!” Josho charged, jumped, and then—FL-FLASH!—materialized above him, swinging the lamp down at full force. “Chew on—”

WHUDDD! A giant, giant hoof shoved him up against the nearest wall, nearly puncturing a tapestry. Leering, a gigantic moose with a scarred face snarled into the obese stallion's muzzle. “I'm sorry, is this the kitchen all of the sudden?! Cuz it looks like I've just come to chew your friggin' hearts out!”

“Who...” Josho wheezed, struggling. “Or what are you?!”

“The name's Jake, asshole!”

Josho opened his mouth, blinked, fidgeted, then opened his mouth once again. “Who in the Hell names a Moose—?”

“Asshole!”

“Constable, please,” Arcanista said in a firm tone. “Some civility would be keen.”

“Hmmm? What?” The enormous moose glanced down, blinking. Instantly his scarred face produced the dumbest of grins. “Why, milady!” He dropped Josho (Thud!) and stepped over Eagle Eye. “What an exquisite pleasure to once again be blessed by your beautiful presence.”

“The feeling is mutual, Constable,” Arcanista said as she held her hoof out over a trembling Ebon. “Though the delivery leaves something to be desired.”

“Why, whatever do you mean, Madame?” He gave her hoof a slobbery kiss and leaned his head back, upsetting a crystal chandelier with his gigantic antlers. “I've killed lots and lots and lots of sniveling goblins for you, Arcanista!”

“Of that, I... h-have not doubt, Constable.”

“Everytime I eviscerated them...” His beady eyes sparkled. “...I told myself 'Oh, how I wish the Duchess was here to bless this moment with her daintiness.'” A deep breath. “And then the screaming returned.” He grinned, twitching once or twice. “Have I mentioned it's nice to be back?”

“And I welcome you. Now, if you would be so kind to return the same gesture to these ponies whom you nearly gave concussions to.”

“Who?! Pffft!” Jake shoved Josho and Eagle Eye aside with a lazy backhoof. “These cracked-shell-hermit-crabs? Ponies with such small pinchers couldn't possibly be from the Noble Jury! Please, let me sit on these sissies and turn them to sissy jelly so I can lube up my mortar canon!”

“Gnngh...” Josho stood up, rubbing his aching head. “Hey...” He turned towards Eagle, wheezing. “Remember when all we met in our travels were hot, horny bird ponies?” He groaned. “I miss those days...”

“Constable, please.” Arcanista sighed. “I'll forever appreciate you for your candid attitude and toughness.” Her eyes were firm. “But this situation calls for some restraint, as does the mission that I'm employing you for.”

“Pffft! Some pretty pink princess road trip?” He rolled his eyes, tugging at the chandelier with his antlers until the crystal array snapped completely loose from the ceiling. “Where's the fun in that?! The explosions?!”

“We'll be heading through the West Gate.”

“Ooooh!” He jumped in place once, shaking the entire manor. A cabinet fell over, its contents shattering in the corner. “The West Gate, huh?! Val Roa Proper?!” He grinned wide. “So there will be explosions!”

“Quite the opposite, Jake,” Arcanista said with a light smile. “I've hired you because you're the one soul in Bountiful who knows enough about explosions to avoid them.”

“Awwwwwww... don't tell me this is some stealth moose shit!” He frowned. “I much prefer punching moose shit!”

“I'm afraid we must be delicate about this, Constable,” she said. “Especially if we're to enter Val Roa without incident.”

“Just tell me one thing, Duchy Baby.” Jake tilted his head at an angle, inadvertently peeling some of the wallpaper loose with his right antler. “What's brought this about? You haven't even approached the West Gate in years.”

Duchess Arcanista took a deep breath. “It's the Duke, Jake,” she said. “These ponies—the Noble Jury—have brought him back to me. And now I am helping them bring salvation to all of Val Roa.” She grinned. “Everyone wins.”

“Wait...” Jake's beady eyes turned even beadier. “You mean... Floyd is back? The old Floyd Toy?”

“Indeed.”

The moose grinned wide. “Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?! Hah hah hah!” He stomped another hoof, making the manor shake again. “Just where is the ol' bastard?! Hah hah!” He snarled. “I wanna kill him.” He grinned wide on a dime. “And then I wanna hug him!” Fiery eyes. “And then kill him again...”

The timid mare came to in the arms of the reindeer guard. She blinked repeatedly, took one loose at the towering moose, then fainted again.

Chronicles of the Bull-Moose Party

He paced across the balcony, one heavy hoof after the other. A purple night's sky hung over the desert's edge. The polished marble rooftops of Val Roa reflected the startlight in a tranquil sheen. From the distance, a coyote howled. It did little good to his nerves.

He chewed on his lower lips, pacing and pacing. At last, he heard a shuffle of hoofsteps. Twirling around, he squinted at the far end of the balcony.

"Midnite...?"

With a dry breath, he leaned forward, summoning a charge of mana through his antlers. The tips glowed like red hot embers, illuminating the marble stairs leading up from the lower floors of the apartment complex.

"Midnite Bastion, is that you?"

"Floyd!" a voice hissed, followed by a charcoal-gray earth pony poking her head up from the edge of the ascending stairs. "Put out that light! You idiot, someone will see us!"

He winced, giving his skull a little shake. The lights died in an instant, returning the balcony to its nocturnal haze.

"This is wrong," the mare muttered. As she trotted up, the starlight revealed a dull orange uniform clinging to her well-toned limbs. "We can't meet up here like we used to, Floyd. The heat is on, and my father has less and less allies to turn to. The last thing he needs is something else to get angry about."

"I had to see you, Bastion," he said, leaning down until his face was low enough to nuzzle her. "Please forgive me..."

"Nnngh..." She grunted and shoved his face away with a frown. "I'll forgive you as soon as you explain yourself, Floyd!" Her face morphed into an expression of concern and worry. "Aren't you in enough hot water as it is? It's no secret that Fishberry's gunning for you."

"I can handle that stuck up fawn," he said with a smirk. "I just... have to lay low for a while."

"What..." She squinted at him. "...do you mean 'lay low?'"

"I..." He grimaced a bit. "I-I have to leave for Bountiful."

"Leave? For how long?"

"I don't know. There's trouble at home. The neighboring provinces have withdrawn their militias from the southern borders, opening us up to rogue bandits from the Cartel." His nostrils flared. "Naturally, the Council isn't going to do anything to help."

"When do you embark?"

"Tomorrow morning."

"Is... is this what you brought me here for?! She gritted her teeth. "You risked ending everything just to tell me that everything is ending?!"

"Midnite, no! It's not ending! Anything but!" He smiled, reaching a hoof to caress her fluffy black mane. "I'm going to come back! I'm going to make all of this work!"

"Nnngh... Floyd, you've..." She pressed a hoof against his limb to shove it away, but relented with a sigh. Leaning in, she stroked her cheek against his caressing touch as a sigh escaped her throat. "Floyd, you've s-said all of those sort of things before."

"And they're still true! I can make this work!"

"Yeah? How?"

"I just have to deal with the Cartel and then come back," he said. "I'll find allies in the Council, I swear it! I just... n-need to look harder."

"Floyd..." She looked up at him, her eyes turning firm again. "My father can't bail you out again."

He shook his head. "And I'm not asking Saikano to! If nothing else, I'll have grathered enough evidence from what's happening in Bountiful to convince the Council that there's a terrible amount of interpolitical horseplay going on!"

"Ugh..." She rolled her eyes. "Always with the racist terminology..."

"Midnite, I'm trying to be serious."

"Heh..." She smirked. "That'll be a first."

"For real. Either I do this or I give up. And after what happened to my parents, after all that's been hoofed down to me, you know very well that I can't let Bountiful wither away."

"If you want my opinion..."

He smiled. "Why not? You're gonna give it either way."

"You should go back there and stay there," she said in a bitter tone. "They need you more than the Council ever could have."

His lips pursed. "Midnite..."

"In fact, you really shouldn't have ever come to Val Roa in the first place!" She stormed off, staring out into the desolate expanse to the east. Stars twinkled along the deathly horizon. "As if my life wasn't complicated enough before... b-before..."

He shuffled over and rested a hoof on her shoulder.

She bit her lip, trembling slightly.

"If Fishberry wants me gone, I can live with that," he said. "If your father banishes me, I can deal. But you, Midnite? If you banish me, I promise, I'll never show up around here again. I'll stay in Bountiful all my life if need be."

She shuddered, "I'll never do that, you stupid elk."

"Then what is it that you want?"

"I... I don't know..." She held a hoof to her face as she clenched her teeth. "Life's... s-so much simpler when all you gotta do is p-punch goblins in the face and leave it at that."

He gazed at her, slowly smiling. He leaned down and nuzzled the side of her face.

She fought back a sob and nuzzled him back, her teary eyes shut. "This place is too twisted... too tw-twisted to afford something so happy, Floyd."

"I know," he said, kissing her tiny head. "But we've been happy, still, haven't we?"

"Y-yes..." She shuddered, glaring into the distance. "That's what burns the most." She clenched her jaw. "It's just too messed up, Floyd. I didn't think it was at once, but now... after everything I've seen..." She gulped. "And after everything you've taught me."

"I'm sorry, Midnite."

"Don't be." She turned and gazed up at him. "I'm a loyal defender of this kingdom. Someday, when I myself become a general, I swear--I will clean up all the scum from offices that pretend to serve the King and Queen. And when that day comes, and all of the garbage is thrown beyond the West Gate along with the Cartel's wretches, we will have order."

"Is that all? Just order?" He smirked.

Midnite's gaze fell. "We... will be a lot older then, Floyd..."

"So?" He grinned. "I'll wait, Midnite."

She looked up at him.

He simply smiled back.

Her face hung between a smile and a frown. "Get out of here, ya silly elk." Her nostrils flared. "Get what you need done."

He stared at her, gazing longlingly. At last, he leaned in and kissed her forehead. Then, on graceful hooves, he twirled and trotted towards the stairs.

Midnite Bastion fidgeted. She took a bold step forward. "I-I'll write you!"

He paused in his steps.

"Just... y'know..." She gulped. "To ch-check up on how Bountiful is fairing. It's the conscientious thing to do."

He turned to look at her. He smiled with a slight nod. "I know you will..."

Floydien's red eyes opened.

"...Nancy Jane."

The elk sat against the bed of his "room" inside the Sehlp Estate. He glanced down at where he slumped on his haunches. The plush rug was covered all over in envelopes and letters and more letters. None of the penstrokes were even remotely recognizable. The more that he stared at them... the longer that he allowed the words and paragraphs and recollections blur together...

"Nnngh..." He rubbed his head, squinting hard. "Maybe..." A loathsome breath. "Maybe the stabby stabs were saving Floydien..."

Silence.

With a breathy sigh, he stood up, turned around, and trotted towards the balcony.

"Well, if it isn't Duke Water On the Brain!" A giant moose stood with a giant moose smile. "Look alive, douchestain!" And he charged forward. "RAAAAAAUGH!"

Floydien's head darted up. "What what what?!" WHUMP! The massive moose's thick antlers slammed into his, shoving him so hard across the room that his hooves dug four deep canals in the rich carpet. "Grnnnngh! What... m-manner of spit is this?!"

"Keep drooling, ya mealy-mouthed bastard!" Jake snarled, locking horns with the large elk. "Somewhere beneath that telethon act is the sissy bull whose balls I used to love kicking in!"

"Grrggnnngh--[bHAAAUGH!" Floydien shoved Jake back.

The moose slid a few frictious feet. "Come on!" he bellowed, rattling the walls of the bedroom. "You call that angry?! Lemme see your war muzzle!"

Wordlessly, Floydien threw his head forward, charging mana through every branch of his antlers. The room lit up with electric blue flame--all of it fountaining towards Jake in a solid robbin.

The moose's beady eyes flinched. "Pixies!"

POWWW! Jake took it in the horns. He fell back on his large brown flanks and slid across the room, colliding so hard with the bedroom wall that he made a butt-shaped dent.

Floydien stood in place, panting, antlers smoking.

"Brbrbrbrbrrbrbb!" Jake shook the cobwebs out. A hairy cleft of hair off his chin had caught fire. "Hah!" He grinned. "Hah hah!" He put the tiny flame out with a thick hoof. "Well met!"

"Who is the dead boomer who wishes to be deader?!" Floydien snarled.

"Y'know..." The moose lumbered up to his hooves, caught between chuckling and coughing. "You might... nnngh... be able to fool your prissy younger sister with all this brain-scrambled-elk bullshit, but I ain't blind!" He stood up finally, squinting airily at the elk. "I know a duke's face when I see it. So, how about opening up, ol' buddy?" He gnashed his teeth. "Just what did fleeing west like a total yellow-dork'd coward get ya? Huh? A lousy airship full of punks who like to take advantage of your idiocy?"

Floydien's red eyes twitched.

The moose bore a wide, slobbery grin. "And did I mention you smell like chocolate that's been pissed in?"

"Nnnngrrghhh!" Floydien charged at full force, antlers brimming. "Boomer will be talking out of boomer's hairy stab hole after this!"

Jake cricked his massive neck and braced himself. "Now we're talkin'!"

Stomp stomp STOMP!

Whuddddd!

The chandelier of the dressing room shook and flickered.

Kera looked straight up at the ceiling, along with the servants fitting her latest lavender gown.

"Huh..." Bellesmith shifted worriedly from where she sat next to Eagle Eye on the side. "Sounds like some horrible wrestling match is happening upstairs."

Eagle Eye muttered. "Seems to be an awful lot of that going around in this manor."

"Oooh!" Kera flounced in her half-stitched gown. "I wanna go up and see!"

"No you don't," Belle muttered, then gestured at the pony servants. "Carry on. And don't forget to lace the hem of her skirt."

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww..." Kera pouted.

Whud! Whuddddd!

CRASSSSSH! Floydien shoved Jake clear through the window. The balcony rang with a splash of glass in every direction.

"Guhhh!" Jake wheezed as he rolled bloodily over the jagged shards. "Sweet kittens! That tickles!"

"Leave Floydien alone or Floydien zap!" the elk shouted.

"Heh, is that so?" Jake sat up, rubbing his chin. He smirked. "My turn." WOOOSH! He threw his neck up.

WHAM! His left antler uppercutted Floydien so hard that the large elk actually flipped back from the blow.

"Aaaaaaaaand--" Jake spun onto his front legs and used his big brown flank like a hairy club. "GROUNDHOG'S DAY!" THWUMP!

The meaty impact knocked Floydien's airborne body clear across the balcony.

Arcanista sat at a desk, daintily sipping from a teacup as she looked over a half-dozen maps depicting the landscape between Bountiful and Val Roa's West Gate.

Floydien's ragdoll body sailed past the window behind her. Half a second later, his body struck the exterior of the mansion, rattling the saucer set on Arcanista's desk.

The Duchess gulped her sip of tea and exhaled. "Hmmm..." Her lips curved as she flipped over to another map. "Good show, Jake. I knew you two would bond well."

The window rattled from the heavy footsteps...

...of the moose approaching the fresh crater that Floydien's dazed figure had made.

"You mad enough yet, Floydy?" Jake cracked the joints in his jaw before smirking. "I promise you it ain't got eggs on my ire!"

"Floydien..." The elk wheezed, rubbing his head. "...is no c-coward..."

"Aren't you?" Jake slammed his hooves into place, striking a battle stance. "You ditched Bountiful... you ditched the pretty Duchess... you even ditched the General's skank back in Val Roa!"

"Floydien..." He looked up, sneering. "D-doesn't know any of these boomers!"

"You even stole a squirrel from the sanctuary!" Jake snorted, his face reddening. "After all I've done to build it too!" He dragged a hoof across the balcony's marble floor. "NOBODY steals a moose's squirrel!"

"His name..." Floydien stood up, eyes flaring. "Was Simon! Floydien's only friend beside beloved Nancy Jane!"

"So you all you got was a lonely chair on board Cloud Suckatron! Tough cookies! That's life, ya daffy duke!" Jake began charging once more. Thud Thud Thud! "Now wake the Hell up, already! This lousy kingdom needs you--"

"It needs spit!" Floydien aimed his antlers straight at the balcony floor in front of Jake. "Now STAB OFF!"

ZAAAAAAAP! The granite exploded from the sheer magnitude of Floydien's magical discharge.

Jake gasped, falling amidst the rubble two whole stories. He landed in a gravel heap at the floor, coughing up dust and sediment. "Grnnnhkkt... hackkt... cucumbers!

Th-Thap! Floydien landed next to him. Wincing, he trotted over and gripped the moose's neck with an angry hoof. "Floydien marched straight into the black glimmer of stabby-stabs! Floydien threw his neck at the jaws of zombie boomers and shimmer sadists!" He shoved Jake's head back and glared. "Floydien made friends when it was the last thing Floydien wanted to do! You call Floydien a coward?! Floydien thinks that it's Sehlp boomers who don't know Floydien!"

The moose grimaced. "That... th-that power! You never blew a mana load like th-that before!"

"And st-stop all this spit about Val Roa and a general's boomerette!" Floydien heaved and panted, backtrotting with a slight grimace. "Floydien only knows Nancy Jane..." He clutched his head, shivering. "Floydien only l-loves Nancy Jane..."

Jake stared, blinking. His muzzle hung open, droolless for once. "...what's been done to you, Floyd?" He narrowed his beady eyes. "What have you become?"

Floydien seethed, saying nothing. He turned and trotted towards the front courtyard of the Manor.

"Gnnngh... mrfff..." Jake finally climbed out of the pile of debris, shaking the loose bricks and dust off. "Oomfa... so you say that you... that Floydien has made new friends, huh?"

Floydien simply kept walking.

Jake smirked. "Well, these 'boomers' happen to need a lot of help right now. Our help."

Floydien stopped in his tracks, heaving.

"And I've volunteered to take the Duchess up on her offer and lead this sissy caravan of princess fluff through the West Gate. But beyond that, I ain't no good! The old Floyd would understand that I'm nothing but a meaty psychopath in Val Roa proper." He squinted. "Maybe this 'Floydien' can respect the fact that the Duchess and I can't do this silly crap on our own!"

Floydien slowly turned around with a dull gaze.

"Maybe Floydien can help out." Jake grinned, offering a hoof out from long distance. "And if he can't remember his old buddies, maybe he can make new ones in the same places!"

"... ... ..." Floydien trotted slowly back. He stood before Jake. He stared the moose eye to eye. He punched him with a savage right hook.

"Guh!" Jake fell back, landing on his massive backside.

"Floydien will think about it!" the elk spat, then stormed off.

Jake sat up, rubbing his chin. He blinked. "Termites!" he grinned. "The bastard's still there! Wooohoo! Yeah!"

It's Such An Awful, Awful Color

"For what it's worth, I think you look marvelous," Arcanista said.

"Mrmmmfff..." Rainbow Dash exhaled heavily out her nostrils. She turned from the mirror, fidgeting in a simple brown dress that hung loosely off her lithe figure. "I feel like I'm going to drown in this thing."

"It couldn't be helped," Arcanista said, trotting across the parlor. "You're a rather small pony."

"So everyone keeps telling me." Rainbow's eyes rolled back as she pawed at a green green mane that was pinned up in an unassuming bun. "So... like... does it at least look awesome?"

"It looks fitting for the task you now have at hoof," Arcanista said with a slight smile.

"So, in other words, it's super crazy lame."

Arcanista chuckled slightly. "Those are your words, not mine."

"Ughh..." Rainbow sighed. She tried sitting down, but the brown skirt bunched up too much. Unable to fly either due to her pinned-down wings, she leaned against the mirror and shuddered. "You know, way back in the day, ponies used to compliment me on how nifty it was to have a mane with so much color. Of course, I paid them no mind, 'cuz having a spiffy hairstyle just wasn't my thing. But now? With all of the colors gone and replaced with green?"

"Lemme guess. You miss the way that it was."

"And I never thought it'd get to me, either," Rainbow muttered. A sigh. "So, it's gonna stay like this for good, huh?"

Arcanista shrugged. "It's only a dye, Miss Dash. A rinse or two with water and you should be back to normal."

"For real?" Rainbow blinked. "You think?"

"Indeed," Arcanista uttered with a nod. "Which means that we had better not run into any errant rain storms along the way."

"Do I have to stay inside the coach the whole way?"

"In order to portray a convincing servant to the House of Sehlp, you'll have to hide just about everything about yourself," she said. "Including your wings."

"Er... yeah..."

"Is that going to be a problem?"

"Well, I... I-I just don't think I've ever been on my hooves for as long as we're planning me to be." Rainbow blinked. "Unless you count the time that I had one of my wings horribly injured and Roarke had to dress me up as a cyborg bounty hunter while her best friend healed me under the watch of a giant necrotic spider mare."

Arcanista stared, eyes twitching. "...I beg your pardon?"

"Er... r-right. I keep forgetting how little you know about the Jury's past."

"Sounds like you could write a book on it."

"Or a dozen." Rainbow did a double-take into the mirror. "Dummy. You already made that joke..."

"Well, in any case, I wouldn't fret too much." Arcanista paced over to Rainbow. "Once we're situated beyond the West Gate, you'll be able to use your wings as much as you like."

"Right..."

"We'll be counting on you to get an eye-in-the-sky on the enemy," Arcanista said. "Whoever or whatever they will be."

"Will I be the only thing flying?"

"Huh?"

"Er... is flying tech a thing in Val Roa?"

"Honestly, no." Arcanista shook her head. "Although we are quite prepared to deal with flying forces in the event of an invasion."

Rainbow shuddered. "I know that only t-too well..."

"Oh?"

"Tell me." Rainbow tilted her head up, gazing intently at the Duchess. "Do the Val Roans have... uhm..."

"Yes...?"

Rainbow gulped. "Some sort of... I-I dunno... magical anti-aircraft barrier?"

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow."

"She's talking about the Soul Sentries," spoke a deep voice, entering the room.

Rainbow jolted, then spun about.

Jake was still shaking flecks of brick and plaster off his antlers. "Hidey ho, puke head!"

"Oh look," Rainbow muttered, eyebrows even. "It's the moose."

"Ballerinas!" Jake smirked as he thump thump thump'd into the room. "So you've heard of me!"

"Yeah..." Rainbow frowned, dragging a hoof across the floor. "And I heard of what you almost did to my friends."

Jake shrugged. "So I was in a bug-crushing mood and they got in the way. Can you forgive a moose for having murdered his way through a sea of goblins to get here?"

"Hello, Constable," Arcanista said. "Did you finish beating up my brother?"

"Actually, he just gave me the licking of a lifetime."

"Oh truly?" Arcanista smiled. "So there's still hope for him."

"I wouldn't shake it unless it squirted on its own, Duchy Baby." Jake's beady eyes narrowed. "A piece of Floyd is still there, but he ain't the same he... ain't he?"

"It's a sheer miracle that he arrived here at all, Constable."

"Yeah. Too bad he's committing the nasty sin of forgeting ass-everything."

"Uhhhh..." Rainbow leaned forward with a scowl. "You said something about 'Soul Sentries?'"

"Easy there, pipsqueak. That dress might go off."

"For real! What the hay is that?!"

"They're deer," Jake said. "But no ordinary noblefolk, but honor-driven freakazonkers who give up everything--family, life, title, emotion--just to hone their skills into one thing."

"And what's that?"

"Zapping the God-forsaken Hell out of the sky! That's what! Yeesh!" Jake rolled his eyes, nearly scraping the ceiling with his antlers. "Were you born under a space rock?!"

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not from around here."

"And in case you haven't noticed, I don't give a mother-fluffing damn!"

"Constable, be kind," Arcanista said. "After all, the three of us will be traveling across country together, plus one 'princess' and pluse one 'Xonan magistrate.'"

"Fine... fine." Jake gave a long, slobbering yawn. "Soul Sentries are--like--the top brassiest of the top brass when it comes to honorable Val Roan defenders. They go through this freaky-deaky ritual thang where they give up their individuality in order to become... like... a walking gun."

"Walking... gun...?"

"And then they're managed by captains of the Defense Ministry to zap any incoming goblin invaders. Or in this case..." She smirked. "A winged pony with boogers for a mane."

Rainbow frowned. "I'll have you know that these souped up 'Soul Sentries' almost brought an end to the Noble Jury!" she spat. "As well as every one of my friends who depends so heavily on magic!"

"Hah! Well, what were you doing flying over the capital?!"

"We werent!" Rainbow snarled. "We were simply trying to fly in over the mountain range! But the crazy energy beams shot us down!"

"No kiddin'?!"

"Dude... like... the barrier of magic surrounds your whole dayum inner kingdom!"

Jake opened his muzzle, but froze. He blinked. "Huh... the whole kingdom, you say?"

"Yeah! Totally!"

Th-Thud! The moose slumped back on his haunches. He inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"Constable?" Arcanista raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you know that you're not telling us?"

'Well, rodeos, Duchy..." Jake's pained muzzle flexed. "You've been stuck here in Bootyful for a long-ass time! You haven't the faintest idea what it's like out there with all of the stuff that's been going on!"

"I imagine that dealing with the goblins has been most harrowing."

"Hell, no!" Jake grinned wide. "That's been super stinkin' fun! I could squish those buggers' eyes out in their sleep!"

"Then what are you referring to?"

"Well, rumor is that the Soul Sentry division of the Ministry has been doubling... quadrupling in size." Jake's hairy brown ears twitched. "I figured it was all on account of the Prince's coronation coming up and all, but that's a bit overkill. I mean... these poor deer saps are giving up their whole lives to become these pew pew rockets... and for what? If I had that many soldiers committed to sky zappage, I'd be preparing for an invasion!" He rubbed his hairy chin cleft. "Or for an invasion."

Rainbow gave him a sharp look. "Did you just say...?"

"I know what it sounds like I said, bird horse." Jake's nostrils flared. "And I'm not liking it any more than you are."

Rainbow fidgeted in her peasant gown. "Maybe... like... you should tell me more about these 'Soul Sentries.'"

"I have a better idea." He glared her way. "You tell us more about them."

"Huh?"

"Just what in the hell did you guy go through up there over the kingdom's border?"

Rainbow sighed long and hard. "I was afraid you were gonna ask that..."

Taking the Fall, Now and Forever

The Noble Jury grinded sideways for twenty agonizing seconds. As soon as it came to a lurching stop on the mountain's edge, Roarke stripped of the last piece of armor and galloped up the inclined crawlspace between the bottom floor and the cockpit.

"Roarke!" Bellesmith shouted from where she still fumbled to get up beside the observation room. "Roarke, wh-where are you going?!"

"I have to see..." Roarke panted and seethed as she peeled her way through the hole in the careening cockpit floor. "I-I have to see if she's alright!"

"Please... I-I'm begging you!" Belle's voice hollered up, hinting of a sob. "Tell me if my beloved's alright!"

Roarke pressed herself against the door to the top deck, but stopped right there. Gnashing her teeth, she cursed under her breath and spun completely around. The metal mare squatted by Pilate's side, inspecting the fumes of burnt mana still wafting from his runic plate. Despite a few pained groans, the zebra was in one piece.

"He's breathing and stable!" Roarke hollered down the ship. She heard bodies clamoring through the bulkheads as the Jurists collected themselves from the awkward landing. Looking over, Roarke could see Floydien's legs start to stir. "Floydien's coming to! The two of you can check on your breeder together!"

"But Roarke! Wait--!"

"I have to check on Rainbow Dash!" Snarling, Roarke kicked and bucked and smashed at the door. At last, they parted ways with a crooked space. Roarke squeezed through, the metal plugs in her limbs rattling. "Nnnngnh-guh!" At last, she collapsed freely onto the top deck. The freezing mountain winds chilled her coarse brown coat. Undaunted, she scrambled back onto all fours and leapt blindly over the side.

Through sheer dumb luck, the ex bounty hunter landed on an even slope of rock. Loose gravel rattled past her at a sharp incline, making the next part tricky and slippery.

"Rainbow!" Roarke nevertheless called out.

As she galloped fearlessly up the mountain side to the point of impact, she could still see the ethereal green aura of the Val Roan mana shield from beyond the desert peaks. Twirling bands of emerald energy shot upwards at random intervals, electrifying the same air that the Searonese pony was breathing.

She felt bolts of mana dancing between her teeth, shocking her to the very core. She ignored the pain and discomfort, galloping faster, only slipping once or twice. Finally, she reached the spot where the nose of the skystone ship made contact with the mountainside. There was a chunk of earth carved in a jagged swath. Loose pebbles lined the metal hull, rattling with each heavy hoofstep the metal mare took.

"Rainbow!" Roarke skidded to a stop, hyperventilating. She scrambled madly, digging at the edges of the wreck so as to peer into the shallow space sunk beneath the ship's weight. "Rainbow, say something! Why'd you go and do it?! So what if we crashed at a sharp angle, you idiot?! We could have put it back together! You didn't have... have..."

At last, she saw it.

From beneath the bow of the ship, a ragged tail of shiny, multicolored hairs stuck out.

Wordlessly, muzzle quivering, Roarke darted over to the far side of the metal hull. What she saw forced her to fall back on her haunches, trembling.

"Searo alive..." She brought a hoof up to her paled face. "No..."

"So, it nullified all of the magic tech on board your vessel..."

Rainbow Dash gazed out the window onto the squirrel sanctuary of the Manor. She took a long, melancholic breath.

"...Ms. Dash?"

The mare winced, instinctively clutching the pendant beneath the collar of her plain servant gown. "Uhm... I..." She turned and glanced aside. "Huh?"

"This 'magic force field,'" Arcanista emphasized. She and Jake stood side by side, staring across the parlor. "It canceled out the mana conduits of the Noble Jury?"

Rainbow gulped. "I... uhm... I-I was out for most of the time after the crash," Rainbow muttered. She gestured limply to her side. "The zebra can explain it better."

Pilate fidgeted in his seat next to Bellesmith atop a lush couch. "Erm... yes, well..." He tilted his head in the Duchess' direction. "Whatever hit us was a great deal more powerful than all of our reconaissance prepared us for. Nopony was to blame, really. We figured at the time that Chrysalis was the one responsible for energizing the anti-magic shield."

"And now?"

"We still believe it, most certainly." Pilate nodded. "We're quite lucky to have come out of it alive."

"Pilate, especially," Belle said.

Pilate sighed. "Floydien and Roarke didn't fair much better either. And let's not forget Rainbow Dash--"

"But it didn't cripple her like it did you and Floydien," Belle said. She glanced up at the Duchess and Constable. "Do you two even know of a technology in the Val Roans' possession that can cause this sort of damage to mana-powered devices?"

"Dandelions!" Jake spat. "That's soul sentry snuff, through and through!"

"So what you're saying is that magically empowered members of the Val Roan populace volunteer to become living anti-air artillery?!" Pilate grimaced. "Who would authorize such an undertaking?!"

"It's... much more complicated than that," the Duchess said. "As if it wasn't already obvious, there's an elitist system at work within the Val Roan populace. The bulk of the power--both politically and economically--is wielded by deer, elk, and gazelle. This is the way it's been for years."

"What... the horns are a means of showing off?" Rainbow muttered.

"It's more about the natural magic Val Roans possess," said Arcanista. "It's a sign of status as well as power. But it comes at a price... the price of honor. It's typical for a member of every family to give up their freedom and become a weapon of the state. This sounds a great deal more intense than it really is. Val Roa, for all of its internal squabblings, is a relatively peaceful kingdom. The Cartel has been our only true enemy in these last few centuries. Aside from dealing with them and a few occasional bumps with the Lounge, there hasn't been much of a need for employing Soul Sentries around the clock."

"Well, things have changed," Rainbow grumbled. "Cuz they totally blitz'd us out of the freakin' sky! And they didn't use a bunch of floozies to do it either! No, this is probably the most calculated attack I've seen since we butted heads with the Xonans!"

"Soul Sentries never attack on their own," Jake said. "And they don't do it without provocation. Some head cheese on the top of the shelf gave the order to form that defensive perimeter, much less the volley of shots that landed you on your rusted asses."

"I beg your pardon?!" Belle scowled. "That volley of shots nearly turned my beloved brain dead and almost crushed Rainbow to a pulp!"

"Shhhh..." Pilate rested a hoof on the mare's shoulder. "It's okay, Belle. He's on our side." Pilate's nostrils flared. "Even if he's a tad abrasive."

"HAH!" Jake grinned wide, drooling. "Only a tad?!"

Arcanista cleared her throat. "I... h-have no doubt that Chrysalis is responsible for this defensive line being bolstered. Both Jake and I agree that it's an unprecedented show of Val Roan force."

"Yeah..." Jake stifled a yawn. "It means that those meditative fart-knockers have been increased by a factor of ten!"

"Meaning..." Belle blinked.

"It has to involve a recruitment of five thousand fresh, new soul sentries. Easily."

"Five... thousand?" Pilate murmured, ears twitching.

"Well, yeah! If they wanna make a defensive line long enough to zap anything flying in north or south of the West Gate!"

"Just... wh-what powers up their horns, anyways?" Rainbow asked. "Are they all just like the Duchess, only more powerful?"

"There's a ritual involved," Arcanista said. "It's very secretive... not to mention sacred by most Val Roan standards. The key ingredient is meditation and focus... achieving a selfless state of mind that eliminates ego and emotion."

"But there's more to that crap. Ohhhh yeah." Jake nodded, his huge antlers kicking up an artificial wind. "Since I was a little poopstain, I've always latched onto the believe that they use desert dust."

"Desert... dust..."

"From the Grand Choke... y'know?" The moose's beady eyes blinked. "They scoop up a whole bunch of that crap and--like--smoke it or some garbage." He grinned with yellow teeth. "That's why they get to do all that anti-magic pew pew stuff, cuz they're channeling the choke... as it were."

"The very notion that the Grand Choke is what empowers Val Roa is what makes the kingdom so intimidating," Arcanista said. "If we didn't have a desolate and inhospitable landscape beyond the eastern border, we would have been conquered by an alliance of the Lounge and Cartel ages ago. Several of our population would have fled to Alafreo and the frozen wastes beyond to find a new home."

"In fact, several did," Jake said, fighting a yawn. "Nnngh... back several centuries, during an even older war with the Cartel. History buffs called them 'Westgaters.' I like to call them 'yellow bellied panty-waists.' When I first heard that Floyd ran off years ago, I thought he was just reenacting history. Heh."

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "Well... that would explain a few things."

"Huh?"

She shook her head with a sigh. "Never mind. Seems like, one way or another, the only way we're going to figure out this soul sentry crap is from the inside."

"Do we even have an idea who commands these deer and elk?" Bellesmith remarked.

"The highest members of the military are the only ones empowered to control the noblest of warriors," Arcanista said.

"So... General Saikano, basically," Rainbow Dash muttered. Her brow furrowed beneath emerald bangs. "Or in other words, Chrysalis."

Arcanista took a deep breath. "Quite possibly."

"Just who is this Chrysalis yahoo, anyways?" Jake glanced around. "Can I punch it?"

"Sorry, pal..." Rainbow smirked. "But that favor goes to me when the time comes."

"Uh huh. And... like... if the guards stop this silly cloud parade at the West Gate, then what?"

"Well..." Rainbow shrugged. "I guess I get to try my punching hoof on you instead."

"... ... ..." Jake blinked. "Cool!"

Onward to Val Roa's West Gate

“All aboard who's farting aboard!” Constable Jake shouted, trotting along the perimeter of Bountiful's old wall with his big moose hooves.

He came around to the front of a two-part wagon. Two elaborate coaches had been hitched together. The front wagon was a large passenger vehicle that had belonged to the House of Sehlp for well over a century. It was crafted out of polished black mahogany, and a curved entrance with purple velvet curtains faced the front. The second wagon was slightly larger, made to house supplies and the “personal effects” of the Duchess and her fellow riders.

“Next destination, the West Gate!” Jake hollered as he hitched himself up to the front of the passenger vehicle. “We ain't stopping for beggars, buzzards, or boogers! Unless any of them have some sugar to give, if you catch the moose's dirty dirft! Ha HA! Porcupines!”

Eagle Eye trotted up to a stop, then glanced aside at Josho. “Y'know...” He smiled. “In a lot of ways, he's just a bigger, slobbier version of you.”

“Shut your whore mouth,” Josho droned, causing Eagle Eye to giggle.

Meanwhile, a few steps away, Bellesmith and Pilate squatted before Kera.

“Remember to speak eloquently. Pace your sentences out and choose each word carefully.”

“Try to avoid slang, or references to the Noble Jury.”

“It's okay to make things up about Xonan culture, but just try to be consistent.”

“Listen to what the Duchess and Rainbow Dash tell you.”

“And absolutely no grasshoppers until we're done with this whole escapade.”

“Guys... guys!” Kera fussed with the folds of her dress and batted their hooves away. “Chill! I got this! Really!”

Belle and Pilate fidgeted.

“We just... h-hope that you have everything in order, Kera,” Belle said.

“This is a most arduous journey,” Pilate added. “If we could go with you, we would.”

“To do what? Smother me some more?! This stupid dress is doing it enough!”

“You look gorgeous, darling,” Belle said with a sweet smile. “You didn't need to dress like a princess to be convincing.”

Kera blinked, her eyes dull. “Really?” she droned. “Really?!”

“Erm... yes... well...” Belle brushed her chestnut bangs back and laughed airily. “I-I suppose I am a little biased.”

Pilate chuckled, then smiled. “We're so proud of you, Kera. You've come a long way, and you've had your ups and downs, but in the end you still amaze us just as much as when Belle and Phoenix first found you.”

“If not more so.”

“Thanks,” Kera said, then stuck her tongue out. “And you're still dorks.”

Silence.

“Hrmmmff...” Kera rolled her eyes and stepped forward. “Let's get it over with.”

Pilate and Belle had to keep from lunging forward. They scooped Kera up in a dear, dear hug, careful not to ruffle her gown. They took turns nuzzling her softly.

At one point, Kera muttered. “You guys remember how I was gone... like... really gone... and I kept calling you 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' like I really meant it?”

“Yes, Kera.”

“We do remember, darling.”

“Yeah, well...” The filly exhaled shudderingly, eyes shut. “I-I really mean it...”

Belle sniffled. “We know, darling.” She caressed the mare's green mane. “We know. And you can tell us all the more when we're together again.”

“Yeesh! Watch it!” Kera suddenly backed up, shaking her emerald bangs loose again. “Don't mess the 'do! You know how long I had this slaved over yesterday?”

Belle rolled her eyes and smiled. “Just remember to keep several ponylengths from 'Servant' Dash at all times! We don't want any Val Roans falsely assuming you're somehow related!”

“Huh...” Pilate muttered. “I never once thought of that.”

“Really, beloved?”

“Really.” Pilate's muzzle tensed. “And now I'm struggling to remember what the color 'green' even looked like.”

“Mmmf... guh...!” Kera struggled to step up through the front of the wagon behind the moose. “Grrrrrrr... is it okay if I rip a hole through this thing with my magic?”

“Here, allow me,” said a calm voice, and then Roarke hoisted Kera up into the wagon.

“Eep!” The filly almost tripped on her skirts. She twirled around and stared down at Roarke. “Jee, thanks, Roarke.”

“Do not mention it.”

“You know, the thing that sucks about this the most is that it'll force us to put off our training sessions.”

“Yes.” Roarke's eyes were thin. “And I'm certain you're most upset about that.”

“Eheheheh...” Kera laughed nervously. “No, for real, I'm gonna miss making rocks explode and being graded on it by a former bounty hunter slash professional killer slash cyborg mountain harem owner!”

“My training will still assist you,” Roarke said. “Only, in a different fashion.”

“But I figured I wasn't allowed to blow stuff up while I'm doing this whole lame 'Princess of Xona schtick.'”

“The key to being powerful is knowing how often to hold back that power.”

“Wow. Deep stuff. Do you really believe that?”

“I'm starting to.” Roarke took a step back. “My plate's full of other beliefs at the moment.” She turned aside as three figures trotted up.

Rainbow Dash came to a stop, fidgeting in her peasant dress. “Muh... guh... this thing itches so bad.”

“I can only imagine.”

“Ahem.” Rainbow turned aside towards a pair of mares in matching gowns. “These two are Mamunia and Jet. They're residents of Bountiful, employed in the Duchess' service. They'll be coming along for the ride and... uhm... helping me look more plain, I guess.” She gestured at Roarke. “Girls, this is Roarke Most Rare, my smexy marefriend and world-renown expert in explosions.”

Both mares giggled and curtsied.

“Pleased to meet you,” one said.

“We're happy to serve the Duchess in this endeavor,” the other remarked, then winked. “The little princess too.”

“Stop your prissying around and get on board, already!” Jake shouted.

“The Constable is a hard moose to disobey,” one servant said and trotted aboard.

“Yeah, if you say so,” Rainbow muttered, lingering behind as the mares went inside the wagon. She looked at Roarke, then squirmed in her gown. “I-I haven't even considered looking sideways at those two. So don't you worry.”

“I'm not,” Roarke droned. “Besides, they're not your type.”

“You mean they can't murder me in my sleep?”

“Precisely.” Roarke nodded. A blink. “That gown looks terrible on you.”

“Believe me. If anypony could volunteer to rip it off me, I'd choose you.”

“I do not in any way envy the task you have ahead of yourself right now,” Roarke said. “It must kill you inside to not be able to fly.”

“I... I-I think we both know that a part of me could do without it altogether,” Rainbow muttered. A gulp. “Then again... I-I think we both know that the better part of me can't and won't stop.”

“I wouldn't love you any other way,” Roarke said.

Silence.

Both mares avoided each others' gaze.

At last, Rainbow stammered, “Shoot... didn't we say everything that needed to be said last night?”

“Yeah...”

“...can we still nuzzle like the world's ending, anyways?”

“Yeah...”

Both mares trotted together, their muzzles making contact. They rubbed cheeks, holding each other close in a veritable death hug.

A few spaces away, Eagle Eye stood, grasping Ebon Mane's hoof in his own.

“Remember,” Eagle spoke. “The key to keeping the 'tattoos' on is to relax. You're not forcing them out of your skin. It's better to think that they belong there in the first place.”

“Right...” Ebon nodded. He gulped. “Sure thing...”

“And you can relax and be your normal burgundy self while inside the wagon or remaining unseen within Val Roa. That way you'll be refreshed to turn 'Xonan' when it's time to make an appearance.”

“Uh huh. I got that, EE.”

“And whatever you do, try not to out-perform Kera. She's the star of the show here, after all. Just sit in the corner and be your quiet, adorable self and—”

“If you're such the expert on being a changeling, maybe you should be going instead of me.”

“Well, I-I think I pretty darn well qualify!” Eagle Eye frowned. “I've cuddled up with one for Spark-knows how long, haven't I?!”

Ebon giggled. He sighed, gazing in the stallion's face. “I'm going to miss you so much while I'm gone.”

“It's okay, Ebon.” Eagle smiled, caressing the stallion's chin. “You won't be alone. Kera and Rainbow will be nearby. They'll keep your beating heart well 'fed.'”

“It's not just hunger, and you know it.” Ebon gulped, leaning forward to nuzzle his coltfriend. “You've always known it.”

Eagle closed his eyes, holding Ebon close. “Can I help it if I wanna protect you? You're so precious to me.”

“Think of it this way,” Ebon murmured in his ear. “What I'm doing here and now, to stop Mother? It's like my turn to protect you.”

Eagle giggled. “I'm afraid I don't get that kind of math, but okay.”

“You'll... uhm...” Ebon leaned back. “You'll keep the kitchen clean while I'm gone?”

“You betcha.”

“And you and Propsy will remember to do at least two meals a day for every Jurist?”

“We've already got an itinerary planned! Don't you worry.”

“And remember, no matter how badly Josho complains... he only gets two servings, understood?” Ebon frowned. “The Noble Jury is a skystone ship, not a pleasure cruiser.”

“I'll put him on the Eagle Eye diet, if I have to.”

“Don't!” Ebon winced. “I want you alive when we meet again!”

Eagle giggled. He stole a pick on Ebon's lips, then went in for the kill, kissing him ardently several times before a lasting nuzzle.

“Okay... scram.” Eagle sniffled, eyes clenched shut. “Before my last look at you is a misty one...”

Ebon backtrotted, lingered, then finally let slip his grip of Eagle's hooves. With a cold shudder, he quickly scampered up the steps and stole his way inside the wagon along with Kera.

Rainbow Dash and Roarke were still holding each other by the time the Duchess arrived.

“Ahem...” Arcanista cleared her throat as she shuffled by them in her regal gown. “Perhaps now is an inopportune time to inform you that most of my maids are celibate.”

Rainbow sighed, leaning back and resting her forehead against Roarke's. She gulped, then murmured, “I gotta go now... 'kay?”

Roarke nodded, eyes shut. “Indeed.”

“Let's not think of this as a rehearsal for you know what.”

Roarke clenched her jaw tight.

Rainbow winced. “I... I-I said too much, didn't I?”

“Get on board the damn wagon before I eviscerate you.”

“Right...” Rainbow finally parted ways, trotting up into the wagon. “Celestia, I'm going to miss that.”

“Rainbow...”

The pegasus paused, clinging to the front of the wagon. She peered down at the metal mare.

Roarke's gaze was as strong as her stance. “I will protect the Jury in all things. That is my promise.”

“... ... ...” Rainbow smiled. “Much appreciated, Roarke. When you join up with us in Val Roa, I'll be happy to take my job back.”

“You know what I mean, Rainbow.” Roarke stared.

Rainbow's lips pursed. She smiled, a very calm expression. Without another word, she turned and shuffled her way into the depths of the wagon.

The Duchess was the last to climb up.

“Are we ready, then, Duchy Baby?” Jake asked.

“So long as your legs can handle the load, Constable.”

“Heh... there hasn't been a load this moose couldn't take! Believe you me!”

“Colorful.” Arcanista turned towards the wagon's entrance. “Then carry on.”

“Not without Floydien, you won't won't.”

The air filled with murmurs. The residents of Bountiful—both noble and not—trotted up with wide eyes. Every Jurist turned to see.

Floydien trotted up to the wagon, his face hung in a frown.

“Brother?” Arcanista stuck her head out, along with Rainbow Dash. “Why have you left the manor?”

“The same reason prissy boomer insists on the trot trot.” His red eyes narrowed. “You have a rendezvous with the stabby stabs.” He took a deep breath. “Floydien thinks her stabby stabs are Floydien's stabby stabs as well.”

“No shit?” Jake gave a slobbering smirk. “Does this mean the panty-waist remembers his glory days?”

“The hairy boomer should shut his hair hole!” Floydien snapped, then glanced up at Arcanista. “Floydien doesn't take kindly to prissy spit, and the shimmer still fog fogs Floydien's antlers. But this mission is still super important to Floydien's boomer buddies. If the stabby stabs believe Floydien to be a Duke, then maybe Floydien can use it to help the boomers get an edge edge.”

“I... I-I dunno, Floydien,” Rainbow muttered.

“In truth, having Floydien present would distract the High Council quite severely,” Arcanista said, stroking her chin. “We'd be presenting 'Princess Kera' as a front, but Fishberry's eyes would be on my brother.”

“Hah!” Jake hollered with a smirk. “Those buggers wouldn't even know what to do with themselves! They'd be too busy with 'Operation Princess Suck-Up' on one hoof while trying to wipe their own dirty flanks with the other!”

“Which would make it even easier for me to slip past their gaze and do some recon,” Rainbow muttered. Her eyes narrowed. “Floydien, are you sure about this?”

“No.” Floydien's nostrils flared. “But Floydien has done some thinking.” He turned to glare at the moose. “If there's any way to stop the stabby stabs' shimmer glimmer once and for all, Floydien doesn't want it all in the hooves of hairy boomer.”

Jake smirked. “Love ya too, douchebagistan.”

“There's only one problem.” Arcanista fidgeted. “Though the guards at the West Gate probably won't recognize the Duke, there's no telling what the reaction to him will be in the streets of Val Roa proper.”

Pilate spoke up. “Certainly there must be a way to mask his presence.”

Rainbow smirked. “I think I've got an idea.”

Belle droned. “Is it stupid?”

“Is your name 'Ding Dong?!'”

“Guhhh...” Floydien wheezed, his eyes dull from the lack of antlers over his head. “This is making Floydien feel sick sick.”

“Suck it up, Gomer.” Jake and the elk were both hitched up to the wagon. “If nothing else, this make the trip faster.”

“Floydien thinks this is going to smell long and fart fart.”

“Only for you, darling.” Jake glanced over his shoulder. “You got his antlers safely locked away?!”

“Yup!” Rainbow's voice cracked. “Nice and hidden, too!”

“Good! Try not to sit on 'em when you're feeling lonely!” Jake cracked the joints in his neck, almost smacking Floydien with his own antlers. “Harmonica!” He grinned. “Wagons hoooo!”

Floydien pushed against the soil with his own hooves, keeping up with Jake's pace. Soon, both were pulling the wagon clear across Bountiful, making for the dirt road leading northeast. The citizens of the village hung every buildingfront, waving and bowing as the Duchess' entourage embarked.

“Good bye, handsome!” Props waved and waved. “So long, Ebony!”

“Bring us back a souvenir!” Zaid hollered, hugging Props' side. “Preferrably a cheesy one!”

“Heeheehee!”

“So long, everypony!”

“Take care!”

“We'll be waiting for your word, Dashie!”

“Remember to keep your mane straight, Kera!”

As the wagons rattled on, the leftover Jurists stood together in a tight cluster.

“So...” Booster Spice sighed. “...how long do you think it'll be before they get sick of the Constable's smell?”

“Don't worry,” Josho muttered. “I'm sure Ebon and can morph into a poutpourri bag when the duty calls.” He heard a dull whimper from Eagle. With a sigh, he wrapped a hoof around the unicorn. “There there, fruit basket...” He led the petite stallion towards the forest where the Noble Jury was still parked. “Let's do something to get your mind off the suddenly empty vacuum in your heart.”

Eagle sniffled. “Oh y-yeah?” He rubbed his fuzzy face. “Like what?”

“Would making me a sandwich be therapeutic?”

“Nnnngh... whatever...”

“That's the spirit!”

Belle sighed, her ears drooped as she gazed longingly on the distant wagon. Pilate leaned in to nuzzle her. “She'll be okay, beloved,” he said. “She said it herself. We've brought her through worse straits, and it's us whom she's saved.”

“I know...” Belle nodded, eyes moist. “I never realized how... helpless I feel without her.”

“Hmmm...” Pilate kissed behind Belle's ear and smiled. “How about we retire to the Jury. We can feel helpless together.”

Belle exhaled through a soft smile. She nuzzled him back as the two trotted off. “Silly zebra...”

As the group slowly retreated, Roarke stood behind. She remained still and resolute as a statue, her mane billowing in the morning wind as her gaze stayed locked on the wagon. Slowly, she closed her eyes, and upon a meditative thought... the metal mare smiled.

“She will make it, I promise each and every one of you.” When those icey blue eyes reopened, they were tearing. “I swear on my life.”

When the Goblins Go to Market

“Runt!”

“Runt!”

“Runt!”

“Runt!”

Jex's face was bloodied and bruised. The imp drooled constantly, his head bobbing with each motion of the goblins dragging him by his arms. He tilted his weary head up, squinting down the line of chanting, yelling figures. Goblins of all shapes and ugly complexions were howling at him, spitting at him, pumping their fists into the air and chanting the same word voer and over again.

“Runt!”

“Runt!”

“Runt!”

“Runt!”

At last, the goblins carrying Jex brought him to the center of a shantytown of rusted buildings and platforms, erected in the center of a gigantic gravel quarry. Hundreds if not thousands of imps had gathered around the scene, cheering with bloodlust as Jex arrived at his destination.

With angry grunts, the imps manhandling him threw him onto the stone floor.

“Oommf!” He winced, coughing up blood and clutching his shattered ribcage. He tried crawling forward, but an imp or two rushed in, giving him a good savage kick in the sides. Yelping, Jex rolled over, facing the blinding sun. To his meager relief, a crooked metal leg blocked the bright light, followed by another arachnid limb of rusted construction.

“Silennnnce!” shouted the voice of a goblin security guard.

The chanting finally... finally died down, and in its place Jex's twitching ears heard the muffled hum of age-old cylinders and gears clicking against one another. A bulbous shadow loomed above him.

“Who...” A deep voice crackled through a worn set of speakers. “Who is this runt that the Green Bandits have dragged in before me?!”

The crowd answered ravenously.

“Jex!”

“Jex!”

“Jex!”

“Jex!”

The battered goblin looked up, ears tearing from the sunlight.

At last, the bulbous shape came into focus; an animated metal spear on six jointed limbs. It teetered above him like a gigantic black widow. With a hiss, the front panel split open. Steam poured out like a suana, and once it dissipated there sat a wrinkly old goblin with multiple grizzled chins and a metal tube connecting from his mouth to the inner workings of the machine. The living torso of fat raised a flabby hand to silence the crowd, then narrowed his mucus-stained eyes on the imp beneath him.

“And Jexxxxx...” Most of his teeth were missing, and more steam poured out from his throat with each wheezing breath. “Would be so kind as to tell the Cartel why you have become a mere runt today?!”

Jex winced. His eyes darted around the crowd. All he saw was barred teeth and clawed fists. At last, with a regretful shudder, he said, “I lost the slaves...”

“You mean you lost my slaves!” The seated goblin's eyes flickered like red embers. “Foolish runt!”

The crowd around them whooped and hollered. On loud, clanking limbs, the half-imp paced around the bruised figure. Gravel and dirt sprayed in Jex's face with each heavy step taken.

“If this was just one mission, then it would be forgiveable. I, after all, am a goblin of mercy. Life gave me a second chance, so why not give all of my dear brothers the same!”

“Haman, please...” Jex sat up, wincing. “If I-I just had more resources! If I had some of the things you plan on giving the Lounge, I—”

“But don't you get it?!” Haman spun, leering. The heavy weight of his walker hovered threateningly above Jex's trembling figure. “I already GAVE YOU. A SECOND. CHANCE. RUNT!”

The crowd's voices lifted again. The bloodthirsty imps banged their wrenches and tools against the floor and walls of the quarry.

“I gave you... more than any Green Bandit has ever been given, and you shat all over it, ya worthless bedstain!” Haman resumed pacing, digging a shallow trench around the imp with his metal legs. “And why? Because of some... meddling 'Noble Jury?'”

“Haman, it's a Skystone ship!” Jex whimpered. “It's more advanced than anything the Lounge has got! Or even Val Roa!”

“Do not pretend to know what Val Roa has or doesn't have,” Haman said as he readjusted the tube running into his mouth. Breathing easier, he pivoted to look at Jex head-on. “Their business is my business. It was your job to find slaves so that we could mine faster and supply the Lounge in time for the upcoming exchange. Now. Where. ARE. THEY?!”

“Haman... B-Boss...” Jex shivered. “I-I can get the slaves! We just need to eliminate the Jury! They are—”

“Nothing but ponies, from what your lackeys told me!” Haman frown, chins wabbling. “They aren't even all deer! It is inconceivable that they could have overpowered the hundreds of imps I gave you to do your task with, skystone or not.”

“Boss, believe me. They're stronger than you think.”

“They obviously must be. So tell me, runt.” Schiiiing! One arm produced a blade that extended to the nape of Jex's chin. “Should I employ them in your place instead?!”

Jex gulped, quivering. Nevertheless, he summoned the strength to speak, his eyes trained on Haman's horrid features. “Boss, even if you wanted to take them down, you're going to need a Bandit who knows them inside and out.” Daringly, he pushed the blade down and leaned forward on his knees. “Send me after them, Boss. I don't even have to lead the team. But if you let me lend my eyes and ears, then I can help more Bandits of the Cartel track them down and kill them, Haman! Then the thorn in our side will be gone and we'll continue with the exchange!”

“Stupid runt. The exchange is going to continue whether or not these pretentious heroes are sent to suck on their dead mothers teats.” Haman reached up and scratched his hairy chins. “However... these 'Jurists' sound stupid enough to challenge us if they catch wind of the Northern Campaign.”

“I won't let that happen, Boss!” Jex said, panting. “Just give me one last chance! I beg you!”

“Hrmmmm.” Haman leaned back in the walker. “Very well... you will continue to be the Cartel's eyes and ears.”

“Ohhhh...” Jex slumped back, exhaling with relief. “Thank you, Boss.”

Whurrrrrr-Cl-Clak! One metal arm latched around his shoulder. “However...” Haman glared. “...you've proven to be useless with your arms and legs.”

“No...” Jex stammered, pupils shrinking. “N-no!” Whurrrrrr! He was hoisted up in the air, then slammed back down. He thrashed and wriggled as two more of the metal legs rushed at him, armed with tasers and buzz saws. “No no no no—Please, God, no—”

His screaming could be just slightly heard over the sound of ripped flesh and crackling bone. Haman squinted through the sprays of hot red blood, unfazed. Twenty seconds later, once the task was done, Haman pivoted in his walker and tossed two limbs into the crowd—a right arm and a left leg. The imps cheered and juggled Jex's dismembered body parts, bouncing them gleefully from one end of the quarry to the next with resounding whoops and whistles.

“There... an fair exchange.” Haman let go of Jex, allowing a pair of guards to drag his writhing, bloodied figure towards a shack across the clearing. “You still have a leg to hop to your commanding imp's comands.” A slobbery smile. “And a hand left to wipe his subordinates' asses.”

The crowd hollered and laughed. As the imps gradually broke up, returning to their tasks all across the quarry, Haman lingered in place, rubbing his chins and thinking.

“Hrmmmm...” He turned and whistled towards the nearest guard.

The imp walked up, holding a rifle. “You called, boss?”

“With the slave shortage, just how behind are we in paying those damned lizards?”

“We need twenty more tons of ore, boss,” the goblin said. “We could reel most of the Bandits back in to work double-time in the mines, but that will deplete our forces by nearly half.”

“And we need them ready for the Northern Campaign.” Haman inhaled, then breathed out a cloud of steam. He blinked. “How many Bandits do we have enlisted from the Northeast Tribe?”

“Easily fifteen hundred strong, boss.”

“Do they have women and children?”

“Oh, absolutely! You know how those Northeasterners love to breed.”

“Hmmmm... indeed.” Haman pivoted about. “I want you to send five companies. Round up all of the families left in their hovels and send them down into the mines.”

“Right now, sir?”

“Don't question me, runt.”

The goblin winced and nodded. “Sure thing, boss.”

“Besides...” Haman shuffled off on rusted limbs. “It's not like their husbands and sons are going to survive the attack anyway. Now go.” He glared, breathing steam. “And send all available forces to track down this 'Jury' and murder them. Meanwhile, I'm going to be talking with our contact. Things are coming down to the wire, and if there's anything I hate it's a last second business deal.”

CLACK! And the plates of his bulbous cockpit slammed shut.

"Wagons east!" they said. "And hoofmaidens!"

"Wagons east!" they said. "And hoofmaidens!"

A great cosmic expanse loomed before her.

She'd seen it before, but she was still breathless.

With nervous shivers, she gazed left and right at the glittering stars.

She passed galaxies, ribbons of nebulous dust, and swirling eddies of dark matter.

At last, she approached a cloud of chaos.

The darkness enveloped her, and it grew even colder.

She reached out with a blind hoof, feeling her panting breaths grow more and more desperate... high-pitched.

She was lost... and yet...

Somewhere beyond the miasma, she could have sworn she saw a light source..

A bright golden beacon that was ever so slightly eclipsed by a plane... a curved solid mass...

“Foal.” Trillions of voice chanted at once.

“Hello?!” she shouted into oblivion.

The darkness parted ways.

The plane loomed closer, along with the bright star obscured behind it.

Somewhere, a pale moon lingered... as if waiting to rise in the sun's place.

“Somepony?! Anypony?!” She hyperventilated, reaching forward... swimming forward. “What are you trying to tell me?!”

The countless voices chanted again, splitting the heavens in two. “Yesterday.”

Before Rainbow, the light beyond the plane obscured.

The image refracted, forming two curved lines facing each other and orbited by tiny circles.

Rainbow clenched her eyes, wincing in pain.

Just then, a warm hoof grasped around hers and yanked her forward.

“Guhhh!” Rainbow plummeted.

“Whoah!” Ebon Mane caught the mare, steadying her inside the rattling stagecoach. “Rainbow! Are... are you okay?”

“H-huh?!” Rainbow stared at him, eyes wide and bright. She looked all around the vehicle's interior.

The two servants, Mamunia and Jet, sat barely inches away. It was very cramped inside the otherwise lush wagon. When Rainbow sat back, she nearly brushed elbows with Kera. To her right, Rainbow could see Arcanista. The Duchess' large elk girth took up nearly a third of the wagon.

“Unsettling dreams?” Arcanista asked.

“I... I...” Rainbow leaned back, wincing. “I don't...” She turned her head to the left and squinted out the front of the wagon.

Through a slight part in the curtains, she could see the rear flanks of Jake and Floydien. A brown dirt road rolled beneath their steady cloven hooves. Rainbow couldn't see the countryside from beyond the veil. However, it took no small effort to spot the Yaerfaerda symbol. The lavender bands loomed slightly to the right of the wagon entrance, which was how Rainbow could tell that their vehicle was heading slightly northeast. As the sweat dried from her brow and her heartrate returned to normal, Rainbow thought she saw a slight pulse to the haunting emblem, but it swiftly returned to its ever-persistent glimmer.

Rainbow sighed, slumping her head.

“You feeling okay, Rainbow Dash?” Ebon asked.

“Mrhmmm... yeah...” Rainbow fidgeted in her plain brown garb. “As okay as I'll ever be.”

“It's long been accepted that persistent nightmares are the sign of stress and anxiety on the mind,” said one servant in a pleasant tone. For the time being, Rainbow couldn't tell whether it was Jet or Mamunia. Both mares looked so similar—especially in their matching gowns. Rainbow figured if that worked with her, then nopony in Val Roa would suspect the pegasus for having an interesting backstory, much less wings. “You must be thinking extensively about the plan you're hatching with the Duchess.”

“Uhhhh...” Rainbow fidgeted, biting her lip as she glanced the Duchess' way. “And just how much do these ponies know?”

Arcanista chuckled slightly. “I trust them with my life, Rainbow. As you should trust them with yours.”

“We'll be more than happy to teach you the humble etiquette of a noble servant,” one of the maids said with a smile. “That way, when we reach the Sandstone District, you'll be able to slip in to the royal quarters unnoticed... so that way you'll have much greater ease in slipping out.” The other maid giggled.

Rainbow smirked slightly. “I'm guessing the likes of you two don't get to go on adventures on this too often.”

“Oh no.” One shook her head. “Jet and I have only ever ventured out of Bountiful six times.”

“And two of those occasions were to gather silken bundles from the neighboring province's manor!”

“Heeheehee! Yeah! But don't worry. We've both been to the Val Roan Capital more than once.”

“Oh yeah?” Ebon leaned his head to the side. “And what's it like?”

One mare cooed. “Ohhhhh... it is so beautiful!”

“Like a sarcophagus full of polished jewels, buried at the edge of the desert!”

“It stands for the beauty and perserverence of civilization!”

“Yes! Hehe! Even on the edge of an inhospitable landscape such as the Grand Choke, ponies and elk and zebras and other creatures can come together to make peace!”

“Yeah, well...” Rainbow slicked back her green-dyed mane. “Hate to break it to ya, Missies, but there's a pretty rotten core to that desert jewel.”

“Don't confuse vigilance for your own cynicism, Ms. Dash,” Arcanista calmly said. “Though there may be much corruption in the Council, the populace is largely innocent. The ponies and deer who dwell beyond the West Gate know very little violence, and they defend timeless ideals of justice and honor with the very extent of their lives.”

“Yeah, even when they gotta shoot down skystone ships to do it,” Rainbow muttered.

“Rainbow, be fair,” Ebon said. “We're doing this to free the Val Roans, not to kick all their teeth in.”

“Wait...” Kera sat up, blinking wide. “You mean this isn't going to end in a drag-out fight with the powers that be?!”

“Sorry to break it to ya, kiddo.” Rainbow smiled slyly as the wagon rattled along. “But if we can somehow accomplish this with the fewest headbutts and explosions possible, then I'm totally game.”

“Awwwwwwwwwww poopstains.” Kera folded her forelimbs with a pout.

“Ahem,” Arcanista cleared her throat, raising a dainty hoof. “Perhaps now would be a good time to start our next lesson on princess etiquette.” Her brow furrowed. “Proper vocabulary.”

“You mean I can't say 'poop?!'” Kera gawked.

“Princesses don't poop, my dear.” Arcanista winked. “They 'make waste.'”

“Arrrgh!” Kera rolled her eyes. “I swear! You're worse than Bellesmith! Why'd I even come on this mission?!”

The two servants giggled.

“I... uh...” Ebon shifted nervously. “I-I'm going to need more than tattoos and a fake horn to rein her in, I think.”

“It's okay...” Rainbow patted his shoulder and whispered into his ear. “Just promise grasshoppers and cloud rides, and you're golden.”

“I dunno if Eagle's told you, but I haven't learned how to sprout wings yet.”

“Coulda surprised me.” Rainbow smirked. “I hear you take him to the clouds every other night.”

Ebon blinked. Instead of blushing, his skin flickered with a brief coat of lavender. “...we really need a bigger airship.”

The Moose and Elk Wagon Show

“Okay... okaaaaaaaaay...” Props twisted and turned a series of valves, her goggled eyes reflecting a lavender pulse from the center of the engine room. “Loooooking gooood...” She blinked, then glanced across the compartment. “How are you doing on your end?!”

“Everything's stable!” Booster Spice said from the instrument panel he was clinging to. “It's now or never!”

“Ya hear that, Zaidy Waidy?!” Props hollered over the intercom. “Give it a go!”

Something cranked through the metal bulkheads. The entire ship shook and vibrated while the whole room flooded with lavender light. Inside the iron cage, the book levitated, brimming with energy. Within seconds, it maintained a steady pulse, and the instrument panels hummed vibrantly.

“That sounds good...” Booster grinned. “That sounds really really good!”

“Zaid? How 'bout it? Are we up-up-and-awaying?!”

“Girl...”

Zaid smirked, his hooves on the Jury's controls as he lifted the vessel above the trees west of Bountiful. “...you don't know the half of it! Never knew I missed the sky until I could see it with my hot, handsome eyes.”

“Remember, you're just Diet Handsome until we get the ship's pilot back!”

“Jee...” Zaid rolled his eyes and smiled. “Thanks for the confidence.”

“Heeheehee!”

“Is the book doing its glowy thingy?”

“Yup yup! Dashie's last zap did the trick! We should have a week's juice in us, so long as we don't overload the steam array!”

“You mean like 'Handsome' did when we first arrived in his home town?”

“Errr... yeah...”

“Don't worry. I doubt we'll be running into the Headquarters of the Herald anytime soon,” Zaid said. A blink. “Though I wouldn't mind being the Duke of Cheese.”

Roarke trotted inside the cockpit from the Jury's top deck. “What's the status report?”

“We're birds again!” Zaid smiled. “Pony birds!”

“I can see that. But is it stable?”

“Blondie says that Rainbow's pendant has given us enough juice to last a week, assuming things don't go wrong.”

“And they always do,” Roarke droned. “So let's not pretend to hope.”

“Awwwwww...” Zaid pouted. “It's too early in the day for you to be harshing my buzz.”

Bellesmith climbed up from the lower decks of the ship. “Is it working?”

“It would seem that way,” Roarke said with a nod. “We're no longer grounded, thanks to Rainbow's energy and Props' engineering.”

“So, girls...” Zaid glanced over his shoulder. “Where to?”

“Are you certain you have a firm grasp over the piloting controls of the Jury?”

“Pfft. Not like I'm flying an elephant here.”

“Where should we take her?” Belle remarked.

“Where else?” Roarke trotted forward and looked over Zaid's shoulder, squinting out the windshield. “Rainbow felt it was best that we check on the border between the Cartel and Val Roa.”

“You mean down south?” Belle blinked. “Where Constable Jake was patrolling?

“Indeed.” Roarke nodded. “And if that's what Rainbow thinks we should do...”

“Setting coordinates!” Zaid grinned, pushing the throttle and turning several nods. “I always liked going south! It sorta feels like flying downhill.”

Belle raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Nah. Just seeing how many stupid things I could say before one of you girls hit me.”

Roarke hit him.

“... ... ...ow?”

Belle giggled.

Roarke's muzzle curved slightly. “Half speed, Zaid. There's no telling at what time Rainbow might call for us via Props' communications array. We need to be ready to fly north at a moment's notice.”

“Aye, ma'am sir... sir ma'am...”

“I'll go inform the others,” Belle said, scurrying down the ladder.

“Might as well.” Roarke took a deep breath. “Without Rainbow Dash, this is... going to be a long flight...”

Forests gave way to rolling emerald plains and lush hilltops. Tall grass swayed on either side of the dirt path, occasionally dotted with trees and thickets. Rivers trickled into lakes at a distance, adding to the glitteringly gorgeous landscape. To the east, hovering like a second horizon, a brown haze of mountains loomed. They parted down the middle—right where the long, long road was leading.

Floydien narrowed his eyes, as if—by squinting—he might somehow be capable of making out the details of Val Roa's West Gate. Alas, there was nothing more to see but the constant line of fine gravel and brown powder that made up the largely abandoned highway beneath him. With a sigh, he continued trudging along, pulling the weight of the double-wagons behind him. His gaze fell to the earth with a dull expression.

At last, the booming voice behind him uttered: “So... why 'Nancy Jane?'”

Floydien grumbled. He tilted his head up. “What does the boomer spit?”

The moose beside him squinted. “This boomer... wants to know what in God's tacky saddle got you to use the name 'Nancy Jane?'”

“Hrmmfff... Nancy is Floydien's beloved,” the elk muttered. “Nancy provides for Floydien and Floydien provides for Nancy. Floydien's boomers as well. Yes yes yessss. We are all glimmer touch in Nancy's womb.”

“That's not the way I heard it!” Jake's slimy nostrils flared as he effortlessly dragged the wagon up a hill, forcing Floydien to fumble and keep up. “I heard that you had gotten soooooo deep in the sack with the General's adopted daughter that you suddenly realized you had to cover your ass! So, when y'all started writing letters to one another, you chose the most bland, boring, unassuming name possible to mask hers!” He cackled loudly. “Porcupines, Floyd Boy! I always knew you were a stupid Duke, but no wonder the jerkwads of the High Council found a way to chase you out of Bountiful!”

“Floydien...” The elk growled long and hard. “...does not remember any of that spit.”

“Oh yeah?!” Jake tilted his head aside, almost smacking Floydien up the head with an antler. “Then why are you bothering to be here in the first place?”

“Because paint bucket boomer and her boomer friends want to make peace peace with the stabby stabs...” Floydien's jaw clenched and unclenched. “And if that means less boomers sucking on the glimmer shimmer, and Floydien is willing to lend hooves and spark spark.”

“And you're certain it has absolutely nothing to do with taking the opportunity to redeem yourself for being a yellow-bellied bastard and ditching everyone who's ever believed in you between Val Roa Proper and Bountiful?”

“For the last time, Floydien does not remember!” The wagon jostled behind him. “Get off Floydien's flank flank! Floydien doesn't even want to be here and yet he is.” He kicked at the earth as he dragged the vehicles along. “Floydien gave up his Nancy Jane and skystone glimmer to be here... to do the anti-stabby thing...”

Silence.

“You know, I met her once,” Jake mused.

“Hrmmff... who?”

“Midnite Bastion.”

Jake winced.

“Honestly, I always figured you could do better. The pony's a freakin' firecracker, for sure, but she's still got that crazy sense of entitlement crap in her head—what... with being Saikano's protege and all. Funny how the girls who are least likely to be princesses act like they totally are...”

“Does the hairy boomer have a point?”

“Let me finish.” Jake squinted. “Midnite was every bit a selfish, manipulative, dominating freakazoid. If she loved you, it's only because a part of her was desperate to stop pissing on everyone who ranked beneath her and instead nuzzle a noble soul for once. And you know what? If that floats y'all's boat, then that's all fine and dandy. Sounds like you burrowed your way through all of her lady gunk and found something worth cherishing, so maybe you're not half the coward I tought you were. Maybe.”

“Rnnnghhhh...” Floydien rolled his eyes.

“I'd give my left testicle to know what it was that finally spooked you into ditching all of us,” the moose said. “But what tickles me funny is that you don't remember Midnite... but you do remember 'Nancy Jane.'”

Floydien said nothing.

“No matter what your Sis thinks, you've changed, pal.” Jake clenched his jaw, staring thinly at the elk. “Somewhere between all the poking and prodding, you squirted out the other side as a different turd. So, I can't help but wonder... what are you really trotting along this journey for?”

Floydien looked at him.

Jake looked back. “You have your 'Nancy Jane.' You have your 'glimmer shimmer.' So... kitten huffers, what's really tugging you along with us?! Huh?! Is it to see Midnite Bastion? Cuz, if that's so, I'm liable to kick your nuts up your throat and leave you hanging off the next tree we find, because that is not what this mission is about, brospunk.”

Floydien took a deep breath. At last, he said, “Hairy boomer calls Floydien a turd?”

“The turdiest of them all.”

Floydien nodded. “And every turd stands to be buried.” He looked forward, glaring into the mountains at a distance. “Floydien has much to bury here. Nancy Jane cannot help with that.”

Jake blinked at him. Slowly, he smiled, then looked ahead. “Yeah, well, when the time comes... I'll gladly provide the shovel.”

“Yes yes yessss.”

Chapter One of the Princess Diaries

“All Val Roan deer and elk possess magical abilities, channeled through their horns. Though Prince Eine of the House of Evo isn't yet a buck, he'll certainly be no exception.” The crimson sheen of a sunset wafted across Arcanista's muzzle with a thin slit from a side window in the wagon. She held a chalice full of clear liquid before her and gave it a tiny zap of electrical energy from a fixed point in her forehead. “Even does and cows—lacking horns—can manifest mana. See?” The liquid inside the chalice lit up with a bright blue glow.

“Cooooooooool...” Kera blinked. She then smiled. “Bet you can't make it explode! Hah!”

Arcanista's lips curved slightly. “That's something I also wish to bring up.” She placed the chalice down and weathered a few bumply jerks in the wagon ride. “I've learned that you have quite the proficiency in your own magical abilities.”

“Dang straight!” Kera tilted her chin up proudly. “Taught by the best! Hugged by the rest!”

“You've even personally dispensed with goblins of the Cartels, yes?”

“I've shoved more imps into a lake than you can shake a cudgel, at!” She blinked, then giggled at herself. “Heehee! Pilate will be so proud of me! I'm saying 'cudgel.'”

“Well, I'm afraid you'll have to restrain from doing so for the next forseeable future.”

“What? Saying 'cudgel?'”

“I mean performing magic, dear.”

Kera's green eyes twitched. “Wh-What?!”

“At least so excessively.”

“But... b-but I'm supposed to be a Xonan monarch!” Kera gaped. “We're supposed to be all about magic!” She blinked, then her tattooed face scrunched. “I think.”

“Truly?”

“Yeah. Mana this and mana that. Fill in the rest with chaos dragons. Question marks. Profit.”

“Well, that may be true back in Xona...” Arcanista's lips curved slightly. “Or in the fictitious version of Xona... but in this particular situation, you will have to be a diplomat first and a Xonan Warrior second.”

“Awwwwwwww... where's the fun in that?”

“Do not worry. There will come a time when Val Rona custom dictates the optional display of your psionic expertise, but—even still—there are certain checks and balances to keep in mind.”

“Such as...?”

“Never... ever perform magic in front of the Prince,” Arcanista said with a firm gaze. “Unless—of course—prompted to, in which case...”

“Blow stuff up?!” Kera grinned.

“...you are cutomarily prohibited from outperforming the Prince at any feat of magic.”

Kera's jaw dropped. “NOW you've gotta be making a manure bag out of me!”

“And less four letter words, dear.”

“That was a six letter word.”

“Horses for courses.” Arcanista's eyes were form. “For this charade to work flawlessly, you must be both discreet and unassuming. It does not help your image to come across as the strong, capable tomcolt you really are.”

“I don't believe this...” Kera turned her neck as far as the neck of her blouse would allow her. “Rainbow?!” She pointed at the Duchess. “Can you believe this?!”

“Hell naw!”

Arcanista sighed. “Miss Dash, you are not helping...”

Ebon Mane asked, “Just what kind of magic can the King... er... Prince soon to be king perform?”

“The House of Evo hasn't been trained in classical magical feats,” Arcanista said. “Not since the family claimed the throne three centuries ago. Dukes and Duchesses—such as Floyd and myself—are traditionally called upon in battle. It would be strategically unsound for the reigning monarch of Val Roa to see action, himself.” She glanced aside at Kera. “Eine won't be expected to do much more than light the torch at his coronation ceremony. So, as expected, no pyrokinesis whatsoever is to be expected from anyone visiting.”

“Ugh!” Kera folded her forelimbs, sulking. “This trip gets lamer and lamer by the minute!”

“Think of it this way.” Rainbow leaned over. “Would you rather be back on the Jury, getting your mane washed and reconditioned by Belle?”

“... ... ... so, when do we cover curtsies and tea time?”

Arcanista smiled while the two maids giggled.

Ebon's “tattooed” face contorted as he read off a sheet of paper in the light of a campfire. “Sala'themurell he'menna'semdel... th-thiulen kr-kr-kraat'zenna threatta, Valr'mulien tr-trenna'demh...”

“No no no no no no...” Kera paced across the dry crunching grass and slapped her tiny hoof over the middle fo the sheet. “Don't read from that! Read from the second part!”

“But...” Ebon Mane leaned back with a frustrated sigh. “I don't get it...!”

The two wagons were parked at a forty-five degree angle to one another, enclosing the campfire where Rainbow, the Duchess, and the two servants sat, eating a humble meal while warming their hooves. Starry night hung over the tranquil little spot in the middle of an enormous field. In the distance, beyond the orange penumbra of the firelight, Floydien and Jake trotted in slow circles, keeping watch on the pitch black horizon and the lone dirt highway cutting from one end of the darklit plain to the other.

“What's not to get?” Kera asked.

“Anything! Everything!” Ebon exhaled heavily. “What am I doing wrong here?”

“You're reading the wrong words.”

“Wrong words?” Ebon blinked. “They're all jibberish to me!”

“Yeah, but the first few lines are my jibberish!” Kera pointed again. “This is Upper Caste Xonan speech! It's for monarchs and kings and queens and the like!”

“Then what am I supposed to say?”

“That!” Kera pointed at the middle-most paragraph. “That's for warriors and politicians and aristocrats!”

“But... isn't it the same language?”

“Yuh huh.”

“So... like... wh-what's the difference?”

“Mmmmm...” Kera's ears twitched as she smoothed out the folds in her dress. “My speech is a lot fancier n'stuff.”

“Fancier?”

“Yeah. It's got—like—a boat load of apostrophes and the letter 'l.'”

“Uhhhm...”

“But don't worry! Yours is cool too! The warrior dialect!” Kera winked. “Lots of hyphens and heavy stresses and stuff! Just pretend you're swinging an invisible sword every time you speak as my royal advisor!”

“Don't you mean 'cudgel?'” Rainbow muttered with a mouthful of oats.

“Stay out of this... uhhhh... 'Equest'mulien trennte!'” Kera stuck her tongue out. “This conversation is for tattoos only!”

“Mrmmmff... good thing I skipped out on that one spring break in Las Pegasus, or else you'd count me in.”

“Whatever.” Kera spun to face Ebon again. “Let's hear it, Ebon! Do your best warrior speech! Rrrrrr! Go go go go!”

“Uhhh...” Ebon cleared his throat and read through the sentence. “'Menthuul renakaan sekuul thriul vemnar threatta sien Kera Xon-Nagu'n...” Ebon accidentally bit his tongue and winced. Seething, he glanced up. “Could you at least tell me what these words mean?!”

Kera shrugged. “I'unno.”

Ebon did a double-take. “Wait... you mean it's real jibberish?”

“Concentrate!” Kera frowned. “Your tattoos...”

The changeling winced. He held his breath, reforming the swirly patterns across his “coat.” “Kera, what's the meaning of this?”

“I never once said I actually spoke pure Xonan.”

“But... but I thought you understood—”

“Sure, when it's written down. And only sometimes.” The filly shrugged. “Speaking, though? Whew boy!” She rolled her eyes with an innocent smile. “That's a whole 'nother story!”

Ebon gulped. “Won't that... uhm... b-be a problem?”

“Pfft. Why's it gotta be a problem?”

“Uhhhh...”

“I just throw together a bunch of words starting with consonants and add 'trentte' and 'dreit' and 'Xon-Nagu'n' at random! So long as you're confident with the bullcrap...” Kera grinned. “Somepony out there's gonna eat it... even after they sniff it!” She winked. “Besides, what do these Val Roan idiots know about the real Xonan anyways?”

A voice cleared.

“My bad, Duchess.”

“Do carry one,” she said in a humored tone.

“So...” Kera cracked the joints in her neck and smirked at the shape-shifter. “You ready to perfect Dyslexia 101 or what?”

Ebon took a deep breath. “...dreit.”

The Reindeer of The West Gate

“Mrmmfff...” Rainbow Dash stirred in her sleep, doing little hoofy-kicks beneath her skirts. “Mrngnhhh...” More hoofy-kicks. “Ssnngh... S'gonna be a long time, Roarke... gotta... gotta catch...”

“Rainbow...” A burgundy hoof shook her. “Rainbow!”

“Muhh?” Rainbow's ruby eyes fluttered open. She squinted across the coach.

Ebon's shadow stood out against the daylight beyond the wagon's entrance. “Time to wake up, Rainbow.”

“Ah... ah jeez...” Rainbow grimaced slightly, smoothing the wrinkles out in her gown. “I wasn't... like... moving in my sleep, was I?”

Ebon's curved ever so slightly. “A little bit.”

“Meh...” Rainbow stood up, cracking the joints in her neck. “I'm sooooooo not used to going this long without flying.” She yawned. “Guess I had to make up for it in my dreams.”

“Shhhhhhhhhhh...” Arcanista quietly insisted.

Rainbow glanced across the way at the Duchess and her two servants. Then she looked at Kera who was peering out the entrance. “Why's it so quiet all of the sudden?” She blinked. “And why's the stagecoach moving so slowly?”

Kera looked back. “Because....” She tugged at the velvet curtain. The bright world came into focus, and Rainbow saw a convergence of dirt highways, filled to the brim with gridlocked wagon traffic. Beyond all of the carts and vehicles, there was a jutting split in the mountainous terrain. A miniature stone fortress flanked a series of checkpoints below the steep cliffs, and several companies of armored reindeer filed up to examine each and every stagecoach that had arrived at the scene.

Above and beyond this, Rainbow saw what could best be describe as an immense stone door, perpetually parted down the center to allow the trickle of stage coaches through in single file. Several intricate engraving were carved into the pale surface of the door, depicting elks and reindeer and other creatures of the cloven-hoof persuasion. These effigies—as immaculate as they were in design—were vastly dwarfed by gigantic stone statues above them, carved into the edges of a steep ravine that led due east through the mountain like a trench. Enormous granite monarchs of ancient Val Roa kept a vigilant watch over the western plains, guarding the interior of their kingdom into eternity.

“Well...” Rainbow blinked. “I can certainly see where the place got its name.”

“This is the moment of truth,” Arcanista said. “If we can make it past this point, then it is smooth sailing. If not, then all of our work has been in vain.”

“Yeesh...” Kera rolled her eyes. “No pressure or nothin'.”

“I am being absolutely serious,” the Duchess insisted. “I do hope you've taken to heart all of the things I've taught you.”

“Yeah yeah...” Kera pivoted towards Ebon with a frown. “And I hope you remember all the things I've shown you!”

Ebon gulped, and his body took on several elaborate tattoos. “Absolutely, my Princess.”

“Excuuuuuuuse me?” Kera held a hoof to her ear. “I can't understand you!”

“Uhm...” Ebon cleared his throat and twisted his muzzle. “Dreit! Benzen feladremma sreen'hm thiul, Kera Tin Mehjj Xon-Nagu'n!”

“Heyyyyyy!” Kera grinned. “Not bad! Not bad!” She turned to smile at Rainbow Dash. “He's pretty good at mush-mouth!”

Rainbow face hoofed. “We are so doomed.”

“Shhhh...” Arcanista rested a hoof on the pegasus' shoulder and smiled. “Let's simply be calm and do our best.” She leaned her muzzle out the front of the wagon. “Carry on, Constable. The rest is in your hooves.”

“Pine cones! Let's go!”

An hour later, as the stagecoach finally approached a guard station, four bored-looking reindeer in armor stepped up, gesturing for the two wagon-pullers to stop. The soldiers' horns sparkled as they trotted apart, forming a half-circle around the cart.

“Alright... alright...” One held a clipboard, clearing his throat as he stood before the stupidly large moose at the front. “Nice wheels. Lemme guess, a southern province?”

“Pffft!” Jake grinned slobberingly. “We ain't hauling dead tourists! I can tell you that!”

Floydien gritted his teeth.

The reindeer guard blinked dully. “Buddy... I've had a long morning. Don't make me give you an even longer afternoon.”

“Don't worry, Sergeant!” Jake winked. “I know the way the military wind blows! Especially when it breaks! Pretty soon you'll be back home from your tour of duty, giving your wife the longest nights imaginable!”

The other three guards chuckled.

The one in front of Jake glared at them.

They cleared their throats and stood by at attention.

With a sigh, the lead guard scribbled on his clipboard. “Alright. Look, there's no traffic going in or out of Val Roa unless you're traders approved by the Safety Commission or are personally hoof-signed a pass by the High Council.”

“And what of foreign dignitaries, bright eyes?”

The reindeer blinked dully. “Huh...?”

“What, were you crapped out last year or something?” Jake coughed. “I'm talking about the Liberal Diplomacy Act, buckaroo! Ahem... 'Diplomats from foreign lands are granted passage in times of peace and in times of war provided they are represented by a Governing Member of a Val Roan Province.'”

The lead guard glanced back at his fellow cohorts. “This hairy lug for real?”

“Uhhhhh...” Another reindeer reached into his saddlebag and dusted off an old, thick manual. “Hmmmm...” He flipped to a page and pointed. “Hey! Here it is! The L.D.A. Last signed three hundred years ago.”

“Jeez,” the lead guard grumbled. “The things they forget to cover in basic...”

“Tell me about it!” Jake grinned.

The guard looked at him.

Jake grinned even still.

The guard took a deep breath. “Protocols?”

“Uhhh... yeah!” The other guard looked up from the manual. “'A visual inspection of the Governing party and the representatives they are accompanying.'”

“Right.” The lead guard pointed at the wagon. “How about it, tiny? Care to introduce us to your passengers?”

“Sir!” Jake frowned as he unhitched himself from the wagon. “I'll have you know that these are no normal passengers!” He side-strafed on thudding hooves. “This wagon belongs to none other than the elegant and all-wise Duchess Arcanista of the House of Sehlp!”

“House of Sehlp...?” the guard blinked.

Another reindeer spoke up. “Bountiful, Sergeant. South Central Province. They're big on textiles and stonecrafting.”

“Ah.” The guard nodded back. “I figured we were dealing with some dandies.”

“You'd better watch your mouth!” Jake frowned as he pulled out a series of wooden steps from beneath the wagon's front. “You're about to speak with royalty from a mysterious, foreign land!”

“Uh huh.” The guard slurred. “Out here, the latrine is about as 'mysterious' as things get.” He turned, blinking at Floydien—who hadn't moved an inch. “What the Hell is your problem?”

Floydien simply glared back.

“What, him?” Jake waved a hoof. “He's just a loyal servant.” He spun a hoof around his antlers. “A little too loyal if you ask me.”

“I wasn't asking you, handsome.” The guard pointed, glaring at Floydien. “I'm asking you. Speak up. Why haven't you moved? Don't you have royalty to present?”

Floydien's red eyes narrowed. “Floydien doesn't move for any boomer.”

Jake rolled his eyes.

“Wait... huh?” The guard tilted his head aside. “'Floydien...?'”

One reindeer leaned into another. “What's a 'floydien?'” he whispered.

The elk frowned. “Floydien says...”

Jake spun and glared at him, teeth gritting.

Floydien looked up at the elk, blinked, then faced the guards. He twisted his muzzle savagely to say, “I... do not get around much with... m-m-myself.” He exhaled as if having run twenty miles in a single sentence. “Yes yes yesssss...”

“Ain't that cute?” Jake spun back towards the guards, grinning. “He only goes where he's told to?”

“I'd say.” The guard grimaced. “The poor elk is slow as rocks.”

“Excuse you, sir!” Jake frowned. “Don't be rude!” He slobbered, “Back home, the word for it is 'retarded.'”

Floydien shot the moose a death-glare.

“Hmmm. But of course.” The guard cleared his throat. “Alright. Let's see your imminences already.”

“Righto.” Jake turned to the cart, but paused. He threw a look back. “You'd better bow, ya hear?”

“Sure. Whatever. Out with them.”

Jake parted the curtains then stepped back. He bowed low, nearly clipping Floydien in the side with his antlers.

Duchess Arcanista stepped down gracefully. Amidst the gray malaise of the highway depot, her coat practically sparkled with cleanliness. Nevertheless, she stepped onto the dirt floor without hesitation, flouncing her skirts behind her. In a solid train, three mares in plain brown drab dutifully followed, standing behind her—including an awkwardly twitching mare with a green mane.

Duchess Arcanista curtsied before the lead guard. “Sergeant, I am Duchess Arcanista of the House of Sehlp, representing the Val Roan Province of Bountiful.” She stood back up, smiling in a gentle fashion. “Please know that I take no offense whatsoeover in this delay. I understand fully the reasoning behind this routine search, and despite the ardent speed with which I desire to enter Val Roa Proper, I will endeavor to cooperate in every way possible.”

“That is very much appreciate, Madame,” the guard said, bowing slightly. “Now... I understand that you have some foreign passengers joining you?”

“Indeed.” Arcanista glanced across the way. “Constable?”

“Ahem...” Jake spoke loud enough for the surrounding herd of wagon trains to hear. “I present to you, Her Royal Highness, the heir to the Throne of the Xonan Empire, Princess Kera Tin Mehjj!”

The guards eyes reflected a silver sheen of light.

Kera descended the steps, one hoof-step at a time, clad in white silken tresses with blue-embossed swirls and sasshes. They perfectly complimented the dull blue lines etched into her peach-colored and freshly bathed coat. A green mane flounced along the edges of where it had been braided atop her dainty head. At last, a unicorn horn glinted in the sunlight, summoning a dim glow from within as several of Kera's facial tattoos flickered to match.

Several breaths gasped in the distance as Kera sashayed about, turned, and faced the guard with a haughty expression. She opened her mouth and liquid gold came out. “Mela'thenellasim runna'galumiel siulen threassa, Valromulien trenna dren'darr...”

Silence. Arcanista and her maidens were bowing. Rainbow jolted, then mimicked their humble movements.

The guards stared at the elaborately-dressed foal, then at each other.

“Uhhh... she doesn't speak deer, does she?”

“I speak many languages,” Kera slurred, speaking in an “accent” so ridiculously thick that it even made Floydien cringe. “But the foremost tongue is that of the great mother serpent, Nagu'n, whose breath fills the warrior leylines of us all.” She glowed her horn with emphasis, allowing her tattoos to shimmer in cascading blue waves from head to tail beneath her gown. “I have come from the faraway Empire of Xona along with my Royal Advisor Ebon Xon-Nagu'n to bless this kingdom and learn of its ancient ways.”

The guards blinked at her dumbly, then at the stagecoach.

Kera's eyes twitched. Stifling a growl, she tilted her head to the wagon. “As I said, I am accompanied by my Royal Advisor—”

“Dr-Dreit!” Ebon stumbled out, breathless. He scampered up to a stop beside her, fidgeting with his simple velvet robes. “Uhhh... uhhhh...” He stood tall with elaborate coat-lines blanketing his flesh. “Thiulen threatta, trennte, N-Nagu'n!” He bit his lip, trying not to shiver.

Rainbow Dash fought the urge to face-hoof.

“Hmmm...” The lead guard smiled. “No offense, Your Highness, but I don't think he should quit his day job.”

The other guards chuckled.

Kera blinked at them, then smiled. “Ohhh, you silly silly deer...” She clenched her teeth. “And your delectable humor.”

“Can't take the Val out of Roans.” The guard smirked before scribbling in his clipboard. “Alright, Princess... just a few routine questions, and we'll have you on your way. It's all part of the edict that allows you passage, after all.”

Kera glanced at Ebon—then did a double-take.

Ebon glanced at her and mouthed, “What?!”

Fast as lightning, Kera telekinetically plucked the chiseled horn out of Ebon's pocket and SLAPPED it square over Ebon's bare forehead.

The guards looked up.

Ebon stood even taller at attention, if that was even possible.

Silence.

Jake's beady eyes darted to and from the different parties. Floydien fidgeted and Rainbow sweated.

“Wait...” The guard squinted, pointing with his clipboard. “Did he always have that horn there?”

“Uhm...” Kera chewed on the edge of her lip.

Arcanista held her breath.

“Hey...” The guard trotted forward. “Hey! Mr. Xonan Advisor fella...” He narrowed his eyes on the glistening “spear” sticking out of his skull. “What's the deal, huh?”

Ebon smiled awkwardly. A bead of sweat or two formed.

“Well?” The guard frowned. “Speak up!”

A Little Piece of the Future

"I... uh... I do not know what you are talking about, good sir," Ebon stammered in his best "accented" voice. "I have always had the horn."

"Is that so?" The guard squinted.

"Have you always had your antlers?"

"Most definitely."

"Are you sure of that too?"

Kera and Rainbow Dash cringed.

The guard fumed. "Okay, Mister Xonan..." His eyes glared. "If that horn of yours is the real thing, then surely you can do some magic with it."

Arcanista's eyes shifted.

Ebon gulped. "Some magic...?"

"That's right, pal."

"As in... pew pew 'magic?'"

"Glad we all speak the same language."

"Dreit..." Ebon gulped dryly. He glanced at Kera, at Jake, then at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash blinked back.

Ebon blinked, then smiled. "My... uh... m-my skills of mana-usage isn't nearly as proficient as Her Eminence whom I look after." He turned to smile at the reindeer guards. "But I have certainly learned my tricks throughout the years."

"Such as...?"

"For instance, I can make a pony's face glow red." He clenched his teeth and aimed his "horn" across the way at Rainbow Dash. "I shall demonstrate on a humble maidservant."

Arcanista and Kera immediately glanced over at Rainbow.

Rainbow blinked.

"Glow..." Ebon hissed in a paranormal voice. "Glooooow... I command thee..."

Rainbow fidgeted, then gasped. "Oh... Ohhhhhh..." She stumbled backwards, almost tripping on her gown. "What... wh-what's this...?" She held a hoof over her collar, pressing against the pedant beneath the stiff fabric. On command, the Element of Loyalty gave off a ruby glow, illuminating her chin and muzzle and fuzzy cheeks with a bright crimson haze. "I-I do believe I am feeling faint! Duaaaaaah!"

The guards flinched.

"God in heaven!" the lead guard winced. "Does... does that hurt?"

"Pffft! You kidding?" Jake grinned. "The Princess' Royal Advisor is a total wuss! The best he can is make a mare really hot, y'know what I'm saying?! Comes in handy on lonely weekends."

Rainbow gazed dazedly over at Mamunia. "H-hey, sugar lumps..." Her red-glowing face wheezed. "Do those four legs go all the way up...?"

Mamunia blushed while Jet giggled. "Oh dear... what a t-terrible spell..."

"Okay... okay," the guard grunted. "That's enough."

"Ahem." Kera turned and gazed calmly at Ebon. "That's enough, my good and faithful servant." Her tongue clicked. "Valadrennul sulien thrielem, rehkuh'man trenna'dunn!"

Ebon Mane tilted his head back while biting his lip. He exhaled, "calming" his nerves with blinking eyes.

Rainbow Dash lowered her hoof, and the glowing stopped. "Unnngh..." She teetered "dizzily," her eyes thin. "My stars and garters! What on earth came over me?" She winked aside at the other servants. "I still believe you are quite lovely, dear."

"The feeling is mutual," Mamunia said. She fidgeted. "I think." Jet giggled again.

"Do us a favor, bucko," the reindeer spoke to Ebon while scribbling on his clipboard. "No more red-zapping ponies for the rest of the passage through the Gate, got it?"

"Dreit, Valrulien trennte."

The guard stared, raising his eyebrow.

"Ahem... yes, sir." Ebon pawed at the ground.

Arcanista spoke up. "We seek audience with the High Council. I understand that this is a time of great transition for our Kingdom, and the Prince's Coronation takes precedent, but Val Roa is still bound to honor the precedents that have been set in stone. As a Duchess and Governing Member of Bountiful, it is my duty to see that this ambassadorial mission goes off unhitched."

"I understand, Madame."

"Then how can you best facilitate our passage into the Capital?"

The lead guard whistled. Another officer galloped up. "Go fetch a dust medallion."

"Aye, sir." The other guard galloped off towards a nearby shard.

"You're giving us a Piece of the Choke?" Arcanista asked.

"Yes." The reindeer nodded. "As you well know, it will withstand any form of magical manipulation, so do inform your 'Xonan' travelling partners."

"We would never think of such an outrageous thing!" Kera exclaimed.

"Even still, a quick brush-up on Val Roan customs might be helpful right about now." The reindeer met Arcanista's gaze. "I don't know when was the last time you visited the city proper, Madame, but security is tense. You are likely to be stopped several times along the way." The other guard ran back up, presenting a circular yellow medallion made out of granular materials. The lead reindeer hoofed it over to the Duchess. "Present them to this, and comply with all requests. The Soul Sentries are in full deployment, and failure to cooperate could prove most detrimental to everypony in your party, including yourself and your moose."

"Platypus," Jake muttered.

"Who do we speak to on the other side of the channel?" Arcanista asked. "The Head of City Ordinances?"

The reindeer nodded. "There should still be a Welcoming Committee. Even in these trying times, we are attempting to conduct business as usual. Once the Prince is coronated, things should be a little less stiff."

"I appreciate your informative answers to all of my questions."

"It's my job, Madame."

"And a very good performance at that."

"Hrmmmm..." The guard checked off a few last things. "Alright. You may go." He looked up at her. "Tell your moose and elk wagon-carriers to follow all commandments given by the channel operators. It would be a very bad idea to cause any more tension than there already is. Most of the Soul Sentry Shouters haven't seen their families or homes in months. It's best not to give them something to shoot at."

"I'll take that into consideratin, Sergeant," Arcanista said with a smile. She turned and curtsied at the small child. "After you, Your Majesty."

"It's about time we got on our way!" Kera trotted up the steps, followed shortly by Ebon. "Vela'numiel srenn'um viulen Nagu'n le'sumniul... let us make like grasshoppers and become scarce!"

"Uhhhhhh..." The guard blinked.

"A delicacy where she comes from," Rainbow said. "Royal Xonan stuff."

"That's enough talking, my fair servant," Arcanista said with a hint of a growl.

"Er... r-right..." Ears drooping, Rainbow stood between Mamunia and Jet while Arcanista ascended the steps into the wagon. The three mares entered last while Jake hitched himself back up.

"Whelp... These bottles of royal Estrogen aren't gonna roll themselves into town on their own, now will they, eh?!" Jake grinned.

"Do yourself a favor..." The guard grimaced. "And get a new face."

"Pffft! That's easy for you to say, you slack-jawed f--"

"Yes yes yes." Floydien instantly began trotting.

"Guh!" Jake struggled to keep up, ultimately leading the wagon along with Floydien towards the long, gaping chasm.

The lead guard took a deep breath. "It's been ages since I last took a break from my shift. I could have sworn that stallion stepped out of the wagon without a horn."

"Yeah, me too..." The other guard trotted up, scratching his head between antlers. He smiled. "For all we know, perhaps these 'Xonans' are a race of shape-shifters."

The lead guard blinked... then squinted. He rubbed his chin in thought.

"... ... ..."

At last, he shook his head.

"Nah."

And he returned to his post.

Only once the wagon was starting to roll down the chasm did Rainbow Dash peek her head out the side window. As the station at the West Gate drew further and further away, she slumped back to her seat with a long exhale.

"All things considered, I'd say that went swimmingly," Arcanista said with a slight smile.

"Almost swimmingly!" Kera frowned. "What's the big idea, Ebon?"

"Yeah, burgundy." Rainbow slurred, fanning herself. "I kinda wanna hug you and punch you all at once. Good save, but dang..."

"I apologize..." Ebon bit his lip. "I... I-I'm not used to being the one with a horn."

"Yeah, that's Eagle's job," Rainbow droned, leaning back and resting her eyes. "On both ends."

"Erm..." Ebon's coat flashed a brief lavender once more. "Honestly, Rainbow... you need to stop saying things like that."

Jet giggled.

Mamunia looked at her. "You're enjoying this whole debacle far too much."

"I cannot help it..." The maid produced a good-natured grin. "And just like the good Duchess said, it still went well."

"Yeah..." Kera grinned. "I rock a mean princess skirt, don't I?"

"And I bet my antlers told them off from the get-go!" Jake's voice cackled from beyond the velvet curtain.

"Silence, Constable," Arcanista said. "The walls of the chasm can carry your voice."

"Yes. Enough spit."

"Pfft! Fine, take your sister's side, but be amnesiac about everything else!"

"Meh meh..."

Rainbow looked up at Arcanista. Her eyes locked on the medallion in her grasp. "So..." She nodded. "That's our key to getting into the capital city, huh?"

"Hmmm... indeed."

Rainbow held a hoof out. "May I...?"

Arcanista reached through the gently rocking cabin.

Rainbow grasped the circular piece of yellow. She turned it over a few times in her grasp.

Arcanista raised an eyebrow. "See something none of us do?"

"This... this is really made out of the Grand Choke...?"

Arcanista nodded. "Same dust that goes into the lungs of the Soul Sentries," she said. "Same earth that locks Val Roa into the edge of civilization as we know it."

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "It seems so... plain."

"Well, what did you expect?"

"I dunno, really." Rainbow Dash hesitantly hoofed it back. "Just thought I might discover something about the place that I'll soon get familiar with." She turned her head and faced out the wagon. The Yaerfaerda symbol glistened faintly in the distance, piercing everything with its dim lavender glow. "Really... really familiar with..."

Val Roa Forsakes, Noble Jury Protects

“Roarke?!”

The metal mare sat, squatting, in the middle of the engine room. Her thin blue eyes reflected the lavender glow of the tome within its iron cage.

Booster Spice stuck his head in further from navigation. “Roarke? There's something you may wanna see here!”

The mare glanced over, blinking. With a firm breath she stood up, shook her metal-plugged joints loose, and briskly trotted after the stallion as he led her towards the front of the ship.

Booster Spice climbed up into the cockpit and Roarke followed after. They both stood up behind the piloting chair.

“What is it?” Roarke asked.

Zaid pointed straight ahead through the windshield. “Check it out for yourself.”

Roarke squinted.

Lying ahead of them, south of the mountains that hugged the edge of the Val Roan central plain, stretched long arid fields of sparse vegetation and dry brush. This far east, the land had transformed into a veritable desert, but the desolation was nothing near the scope to match that of the Grand Choke's legendary descriptions.

But that wasn't what Roarke noticed first-hoof. In several random patches, flames could be seen, spitting smoke and ash into the air. The closer that the Noble Jury hovered, it became obvious that towns were burning, each in a smoldering patch. Bodies below trotted hurriedly between buildings, gathering wagons and piling up loot and storage.

“Are they under attack?” Roarke asked.

“Looks like it!” Booster exclaimed.

Roarke clenched her teeth. “Green Bandits?”

“Not sure, but I wouldn't doubt it.”

“Is it go time?” Zaid asked, gripping the controls. “Please tell me that it's go time.”

“It looks like we're too late to stop what's happened here,” Roarke said.

“But we can still stop it, right?” Booster Spice asked.

“Highly unlikely.” Roarke shook her head. “But we can definitely inflict much pain upon the attacking party.”

“So, why won't we try to stop it?!” Booster exclaimed.

“I didn't say we wouldn't.” Roarke's nostrils flared as she turned to the stallion. “Go fetch Eagle Eye and Josho. I'm taking the Lounge transport. You and Zaid follow up.”

“Yes, ma'am!” Booster scurried back down the passageway.

“Get Props prepared!” Roarke shouted as she opened the doorway to the top deck. “Have Pilate and Belle ready for backup!”

“Can't you at least say 'Go time' though?!” Zaid sputtered.

“Rainbow Dash isn't here.” Roarke paused to glare back at him. “When she is... then we can do with the pointless catch phrases!”

“Awwwwww.”

“Keep the Jury in a low flight!” Roarke pointed before galloping out. “Whatever you do, follow my lead!”

Shooooooooom!

Whizzball descended on a cluster of buildings still spitting ash and flame.

Several zebras looked up, gasping. They dropped what they were doing and hid behind their wagon trains.

The black sphere reflected rows upon rows of bright fires as they sent smoke into the heavens. Not long after landing, the side doors hissed open. Roarke glided out, fully-armored. Eagle Eye and Josho galloped tightly behind her, weapons drawn.

“Stop right there!” Roarke shouted through her crackling helmet. She held a hoof up with a fetlock-mounted mini rocket. “Drop your weapons! All of you!”

“There is no attack... There is no attack!” one zebra shouted.

“Roarke...” Eagle Eye murmured. He leaned in, wincing at the smoke and devastation. “Put your stuff away, for real.” He gulped. “I think whatever happened here happened a long time ago.”

“Yeah...” Josho nodded, clutching his shotgun. “Something's off about this.”

“Please... we s-simply wish to leave this place!” A zebra mare said.

Roarke glanced left. Glanced right. Cl-Clak! She retracted the weapons in her armor and strolled calmly ahead. The zebras shivered more as she drew closer. Nevertheless, she approached the mare who had spoken and stood before her.

“Who set these houses on fire? Was it the Green Bandits?”

The zebra winced, shook her head, and stood up straight. “No.” She gulped. “It was us.”

Josho and Eagle Eye exchanged glances.

Clak-Clak-Clak! Roarke retracted her helmet so she could stare with calm eyes. “You?” she inquired. “For what purpose?”

The zebra mare took a deep breath. “For months, now, our southern farms and water wells have been attacked... over and over and over again!” She frowned. “And despite all of our pleas, there has been no help from the north! No answer whatsoever to our constant entreating!”

“The Val Roans have abandoned us!” one zebra shouted.

“They care only for elk and deer kind!” exclaimed another.

“They would stand by and let our foals die, rather than protect the land that the Council rules!”

“That's awful...” Eagle Eye said. Josho and Roarke glanced at him. He frowned. “Well, it is!”

“We've lost too many loved ones to the Southern Cartel,” the mare said, She brushed back her stiff mane and shuddered. “The goblins took my husband last harvest. I... I know that they're using him as a slave...” She gulped. “Or for food. I've long given up hope of ever seeing him. Everypony here has given up hope... for it's clear to us that Val Roa has given up.”

“So that's it?” Josho asked. “You're just going to burn everything you own and leave?”

“We shouldn't be alive right now,” the mare said. “The goblins have been attacking with such frequency that it's surprising that we're still in one piece.”

“They've retreated?” Roarke asked.

“They h-had no reason to!” the zebra exclaimed. A two story building collapsed behind her, but she didn't flinch. “They had our farms surrounded! Our homesteads within their reach! But at the last second, they pulled back!” She frowned. “Well, they'll be back soon, and no Val Roans will bother to protect us. But we're not about to let the goblins have any piece of us!”

“We're leaving this place,” an old stallion said, his stripes gray and faded. “The homes of our fathers... forefathers?” He slowly shook his sad face. “They mean nothing if our children cannot live there in peace.”

“We'll find another place to dwell,” the mare said. “Alafreo... the southern swamps...” She shuddered. “We'll even work for the Lounge if we have to. But we cannot...” She bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. “We simply c-cannot live here anymore!” She covered her face, sobbing. “Nopony c-can live in Val Roa anymore...”

Roarke took a deep breath. The air thundered with skystone engines. She looked up to see the Jury flying overhead.

“If they've retreated when all that they needed was in their grasp...” Josho thought out loud. “Then the goblins must have been ordered to retreat by a higher authority.”

“And for a bigger cause,” Eagle Eye said. “But what?”

“Invasion,” Roarke muttered. “It's a sure sign.”

“As in Val Roa?!” Eagle Eye balked. “That's suicide! The Soul Sentries Arcanista spoke about would fry the goblins to a crisp! We had to bend over backwards just to get Rainbow, Kera, and Ebon through!”

“You forget...” Roarke turned to glance at Eagle. “There's a Coronation happening soon. The timing simply can't be coincidental.”

“Hmmmff... Never fails,” Josho grumbled.

Eagle looked up. “What's that?”

“The best and worst thing to come out of a huge power shift is another huge power shift.” He glanced aside at the smoke and burning buildings. “Think about it. This 'Prince Eine's fella's parents have kicked the bucket, and he's surrounded by deer and elks and cruddy moose-goons with a whole lotta power. Seems like the perfect time for the Council to take over and kill the monarchy for good.”

“By what?!” Eagle Eye exclaimed. “Calculating an invasion with the Cartel from the inside?!”

“They wouldn't even need to succeed with the attack,” Roarke droned. “Simply give the populace of Val Roan proper an excuse to legitimize the transfer of power to the Council.”

“And all the while...” Eagle Eye gazed with glossy eyes at the devasation. “They ignore the perils of their own subjects... what a waste...”

“Perhaps...” Roarke nodded. “Perhaps not.” She stepped forward, approaching the sobbing mare. Reaching out with a metal hoof, she raised the zebra's chin up.

The mare gazed up at her, eyes quivering.

Roarke squinted. “Do you all have a solid plan for your exodus?”

She nodded, sniffing. “We were... h-hoping to head west and find a province willing to give us shelter before we made our way into the lands beyond Val Roa.”

“Have you ever heard of a place called Bountiful?”

Eagle Eye and Josho did double-takes. “Uhhhh... Roarke...?”

“Bountiful...?” The zebra blinked.

“I think we may have just the place for you to stay.”

“Psssst! Eagle Eye leaned in. “Roarke...!”

Josho cleared his throat and tilted his muzzle towards her ear. “Isn't it rather presumptuous on our part to assume Bountiful can hold this many zebras?”

“What if Arcanista doesn't approve?” Eagle squeaked. “I mean, it's her town!”

“The Duchess is still flesh and blood,” Roarke said. “Which means, with the simple application of miniature explosives and surgical blades, I could very easily recondition her into a duke...” She turned and squinted at the stallions. “...and you two into baronesses.”

“H-hey!” Eagle Eye clapped his hooves together and grinned at the zebras. “Wagons west, everypony! Looks like you all have yourselves an escort!”

The zebras exchanged glances, murmuring with the first sign of enthusiasm in a long while.

“This... won't exactly be easy,” Josho said. “Much less that swift of a task, Roarke.”

“I'm well aware of that,” the metal mare said. “But these zebras won't be safe from the goblins this far south on their own.”

“I thought we were supposed to be on standby for when Rainbow Dash needs us.”

“And we will be.”

“You really think this isn't biting off more than we can chew?”

“Think hard about it.” Roarke leaned her head aside. “Would Rainbow Dash—loyal to the core—do things differently?”

Josho took a deep breath, leaning back. “Nope.” He frowned. “But between you and me, she can be really... really stupid.”

“Hmmmm...” Roarke tapped her chin and gazed up at the smoke. “'Roarke Most Stupid.' Has a nice ring to it.” She rattled her armor for punctuation. “Given the proper accessories...”

“Heh...” Josho shrugged, stifling a belch. “Works for me.” And he began signaling the Noble Jury to hover at a low, protective glide. “One zebra train coming right up...”

Formerly Known as the Deer "Artist"

Petite cloven hooves straightened a bronze-colored vest over his chest. He pulled the sleeves of a white silk shirt tight, allowing the cuffs to flare slightly. Quietly, he drew a blood red bandolier over the right side of his neck and pulled it tight so that it was snug against his chest. At last, fidgeting slightly, he made sure that a pair of medallions were pinned upright across the bandolier. One coin featured the graceful portrait of a doe, the other bore the emblem of a buck with a regal crown set against the base of two wide-branching antlers.

At last, with a deep sigh, a young fawn stared into a mirror with sad eyes. His yellow pupils darted left and right. No matter how long he stared at his own gaze, there was no fire to be kindled. Two ears flicked on either side of a pair of tiny antler stubs.

Inhaling deeply, he bore the best frown he could muster, spun around, and marched firmly down a long... long hallway. The polished granite walls were dotted with tall portraits of deer in various modes of regal dress, defining the eras of their rule. At last, after passing three pairs of guards standing at vigilant attention, the fawn reached a pair of enormous double doors, beyond which he could already hear the muffled signs of a heated conversation. He looked up at one of the many guards that dwarfed him... and nodded.

Obediently, the guard opened one of the two immense doors. He stepped aside, armor rattling, and allowed the silk-clad fawn to step through.

The youth did so, appearing behind a trio of thrones positioned at the far end of a spacious, circular room looking out onto a hazy, desert cityscape. Bronze and amber rooftops glinted in the distance, but that wasn't what caught his attention. The fawn's yellow eyes were set on the dozen elk and deer standing at the far end of the throneroom, debating with stern and frustrated expressions. At the sound of the door opening, they all spun to face him at attention.

The guard bellowed, ”His Majesty, Prince Eine of the House of Evo!”

The adults bowed low, antlers dim.

Prince Eine stood before them, nervously eyeing their antlers. With great concentration, he tensed his face and summoned as bright a glow as he could through the two stubs in his forehead. After a brief strobing, he winced slightly, but maintained a stoic demeanor. “My fellow advisors,” he spoke in a forced baritone, though his youthful pitch broke through with each punctuation. “I would like to address the topic of the outlying provinces.”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty,” one deer spoke up. “Would it not be better to discuss the matter after your coronation?”

“I will be the one to decide the time to discuss matters of national importance,” Eine said. “And I've decided that such a time is now.” He paced before the throne, gazing down at the group with thin eyes. “I have given it much thought, and I believe that too many resources have been put into the interior defense.”

The cabinet members exchanged glances. One cleared his throat and took a few steps forward. “Your Majesty, the High Council has deliberated over this issue time and time again. With the Southern Cartel performing increasingly violent and unpredictable strikes on the bordering provinces, there's no telling when or where an attack from the goblins might come!”

“This is the first time in ages that the Val Roan crown has been prematurely transferred due to the unforeseen death of a monarch,” another advisor said. He bowed low. “God rest his soul—and the Queen's.”

“And your point is...?” Eine glared.

“Your Majesty, the Council sees it fit to protect the coronation ceremony at all costs!” another deer said. “The entire fate of the kingdom rests on the safe transfer of power!”

“You must be crowned king by tradition,” said one advisor. “Or else Val Roan law will not recognize your authority. It has worked this way for eons.”

“I respect that the Council desires my well being,” Prince Eine said, standing in place on the raised steps above the others. “And I understand the importance of the ceremony that I am about to undergo. But I refuse to become ruler of this land if it means the continued suffering of my subjects.” He pointed a hoof. “We shall deliver a message to the Council. I hereby order the Soul Sentries to be positioned along our outlying borders to the south and west.”

“But... Your Majesty...!” One deer fidgeted nervously. “Without the approval of the Council—”

“Am I or am I not heir to the throne of Val Roa?” Eine gritted his teeth. “The Council represents the will and the needs of the provinces at large, but lately they have not been ruling in those same states' interests. As the kingdom's sole monarch, I...” He inhaled sharply, tightening his stance. “I-I order them to relocate our troops.”

“Your Majesty, with all due respect...” A deer bowed low. “That simply c-cannot be done.”

Eine's yellow eyes twitched. “And why not?!”

“Please, Your Highness, do not mistake your cabinet's words for open defiance,” said a gentle, lulling voice. A set of strong hooves trotted over the polished granite floor towards the edge of the throne. An elk came to a stop, his coat a dark mahogany—almost black. With soft purple eyes, he smiled reassuringly in the Prince's direction. “Your advisors, as always, hold your best interests at heart, and they live to serve you ever reverently.”

“I understand that, Secretary Sharp Quill,” Eine said, trying to calm himself. Nevertheless, he frowned. “What I do not understand is why I am being treated like a child when it's perfectly clear that I am putting the issues of Val Roa's citizens into the forefront!”

Sharp Quill glanced over at the other advisors. He smiled, then trotted over to the fawn. “I do believe I can speak for my fellow cabinet members, Your Highness. It is not so much that they are treating you like a child... but rather, they are treating you like a prince.”

Eine squinted. “I... I don't believe I follow...”

“You cannot be blamed,” Sharp Quill said, shaking his head. “The last few months have been terribly taxing on you. They've been taxing on all of us.” Sharp Quill paced down the steps until he stood at level with his associates. “It is easy to forget some of the most basic edicts of Val Roan law. The reason that the High Council has wielded so much authority as of late is because they've had to.” He stopped and swiveled around, purple eyes blinking. “In the event of a Monarch's demise, the crown must be transferred to the heir to the throne. And, as we all know, your ascension is surely nigh... but not yet for a few days.”

“But...” Eine began trembling. “I-I don't see how that—”

“Once you are King, Your Majesty, then the High Council will surely follow your absolute rule,” said one advisor.

Another spoke up. “You must understand. The defense has been so heavily internalized because—more than anything else—it is imperative that you wear the crown when the fated day finally arrives!”

“In just a few nights, you will cease to be Prince, for you will have become King of Val Roa.”

“Any incursion... any act of aggression from either the Lounge or the Cartel must be prevented at all costs!”

“We haven't had a conflict with the naga for centuries!” Eine exclaimed. “And it's obvious to me that the Green Bandits don't want our capital! They want our farmlands! They want to sack and pillage and defile every peaceful thing that my subjects cherish! Don't you see? My Kingdom is under attack and the Council is stubbornly refusing to budge on the matter!”

“Your Majesty, you are the Kingdom,” one advisor said. “If you perish... if we foolishly let something through our defenses to bring harm to you before the coronation, then all would be lost.”

“But... but...”

“And the High Council only wields power because they have to.” Sharp Quill smiled reassuringly. “You see, Your Majesty, they desire nothing less than to have a King to follow without question. But for that to happen—for that time to come—they must make the sacrifices that you're incapable of until the day of ascension.”

“We all are making sacrifices, Your Highness,” another secretary said. “Your royal subjects—everywhere—included.”

“We have no doubt that once you are crowned, the wisdom and integrity passed down by the King and Queen will lead you to do great things for all our provinces,” Sharp Quill said. He smiled gently. “But to allow the risk of perishing before that? It's the worst wound that could be inflicted upon the populace... worst than any bandit raid or naga embezzlement.”

Prince Eine took a deep, deep breath. At last, his ears drooped, and he closed his eyes. “I... I-I understand...”

“Your concern is most admirable, my Prince,” Sharp Quill said, bowing low. “And in just a few days' time, you will have the righteous authority to reposition our defense at will, because you will have been granted that authority by the crown... your crown.” The elk looked up at the richly-dressed fawn. “The same crown as your father before you. And though the King—God rest his soul—ruled with immeasurable empathy, he also knew the fine art of patience.”

Eine slowly nodded. “Of this... I-I am well aware.” He gulped.

An hour later, as the cabinet continued to deliberate in tense, murmuring voices, Eine finally got bored of standing there and listening to them prattle on. He shuffled back down the long, long hallway, his head bowed. He approached the door to his quarters. The guards opened it up for the little deer.

Eine trotted past a large, lush bed and an oak work desk. For the most part, the royal furnishing was very simple, and the room was largely barren. This was the result of several forced “purges,” where the young prince ordered any and all signatures of childhood to be dragged, carried, or swept out of the domain. He surrounded himself with sparse decorations and blank walls. As a result, when the desert sunlight wafted through, it gave everything a bronze shine—like a snapshot from a Val Roan age long dead.

Such amber hues pooled gently over Eine's body as he trotted up to a mirror, gazing at himself. His eyes looked just as melancholic as they did before he entered the throneroom an hour ago. He took a long breath, his nostrils flaring. Slowly, a hoof reached up to the red bandolier, barely touching the medallion that bore the Queen's gently smiling face.

The doors to his bedroom rattled from a knocking hoof.

“The esteemed Secretary Sharp Quill” announced a guard's muffled voice.

“You needn't knock for him,” Eine muttered.

“Your Majesty...?”

The princed sighed, then spoke louder. “Let him enter.”

With a soft creak, the door opened, and the mahogany elk strode in, closing the bedroom behind him. “You did not have to retire so soon. The cabinet appreciates your presence and attentiveness.”

“I don't see why they would,” Eine said in a low voice. “They obviously do not respect the voice of a prince who isn't yet King.”

“Are you certain that you do not speak of the Council, Your Majesty?” Sharp Quill raised an eyebrow. “Everyone is on your side. But I assure you...” He chuckled slightly, smiling. “The cabinet absolutely has your interests in mind...” He held a hoof over his chest. “As I have them in heart.”

“I appreciate your support and your honesty, Secretary.” Eine gulped, the trembles intensifying. “But—”

“It was not my desire to insult you or belittle your authority before the other advisors,” Sharp Quill said, standing immediately behind Eine and the mirror. “I could simply identify a cyclical argument when I hear one. I desired to save you from a long and frustrating argument with the cabinet. Truth is—until you are King—your authority is limited.”

“And I understand that. I respect it.” Eine clenched his teeth. “It's just th-that you're always encouraging me to be strong, S-Secretary, and the moment I try to be assertive... the m-moment I attempt speaking boldly for the fate of my subjects... I... I...”

“My dear Prince...” Sharp Quill rested a hoof on the little fawn's side. “I was your father's most trusted advisor. But above all else, I was his friend. You need not cling to pretense with me.”

Eine clamped his eyes shut, but it would not dam the tears. He grimaced, sniffled, and turned around... surrendering to Sharp Quill's embrace.

The elk sat on his haunches, enfolding the little prince with strong forelimbs.

“Everytime I-I try to be what I-I'm destined to be, it j-just blows up in my f-face!” Eine shuddered, his voice collapsing to a higher, more natural pitch. “I kn-know that I am above the cabinet and the Council... b-but I just don't feel it! How will I be a powerful and respectful King at this rate?! How will I earn the respect of my subjects, Sharp Quill, if I-I don't even feel that respect myself?! How... how?!”

“Shhhhh... you are strong, Your Majesty,” Sharp Quill said, gently carressing the fawn's ears. “And you are wise beyond your years. What you must find... what you must discover is the balance between sincerity and integrity. I have no doubt that you will master that balance of power... but only when the time comes. You are not King yet, but you will wear that crown and you will surpass the legacy of every Monarch who's risen before you.” He leaned back with a fatherly smile. “I made a promise to your mother and father long ago that I would see to your safety and perserverence. I am with you every step of the way.”

Eine nodded, sniffling. He wiped his cheek dry and gazed off into the barren lengths of the room. “I miss them, Sharp Quill. I miss them so much...”

Sharp Quill exhaled heavily. “You... are not alone, my Prince. But remember...” He reached down and straightened the fawn's bandolier, allowing the medallions to glint in the desert light. “...we must let the memory of them empower us. There is a time for tears, and there is a time for might. But—in all things—patience.”

“Yes...” Eine stood straight, smiling faintly. “Yes, indeed.” He breathed evenly. “I... I-I do not know where I would be without you, Secretary.” He looked up, ears twitching. “You have been like a godfather to me.”

“My duty is to Val Roa,” Sharp Quill said, standing up straight. “But my devotion is to you.” He smiled, then bowed low. Shortly after, he turned and trotted back towards the door. “I shall speak with the cabinet. Perhaps I can arrange a meeting between you and the High Council, so that you can declare your intent to redeploy the Soul Sentries along our borders the first moment you become King.”

“That... w-would be greatly appreciated, Secretary.”

“As I'm quite sure.” The elk paused at the door. “Get some rest, Your Majesty. There will be very little time to dry your eyes once the Coronation has come and gone.”

And just like that, Prince Eine was alone. Again.

He shuddered slightly. With slow, lethargic steps, he trotted out onto the balcony overlooking the western rooftops of Val Roa. Tall spires loomed close to the palace, capped off with bronze rooftops that glinted fiery-orange in the sunlight. Down below, domed buildings and circular rotundas dotted the royal district like golden nautilus shells. Further southwest, the city descended into crescent-shaped districts of polished stone and granite. The entire capital looked like a bed of hot coals on the edge of a desolate landscape. The earth underneath was a red-brown, and cactus gardens added patches of green in various spots.

Prince Eine wasn't looking at any of this. He pulled his red bandolier off, staring at the twin medallions that were pinned to the sash. He pivoted them until they no longer glinted... until it looked like both effigies were staring back at him.

“I... I-I never thought it would be this difficult. I'm trying to be strong, but let's face it...” He sighed. “If Sharp Quill wasn't here to help me as he helped you, I would be nowhere.” His eyes watered again. After nuzzling each medallion, he exhaled limply and leaned against the balcony with a sad slump. “Mother... Father... how I wish you could see me now. What I wouldn't give for your blessing...” His misty eyes opened, facing west towards the sloping mountains. “Just... a sign that what I'm doing here in Val Roa is righteous... that there's still hope for me and my subjects...”

Arcanista's wagon emerged from the canal.

Kera stuck her head out, and immediately her green eyes glittered from the dazzling array of copper-tone roofs and walls. “Wowwwwwwwww...”

Ebon poked his head through the velvety curtain and was likewise flabbergasted. “Good heavens...” He gulped. “It's... it's like st-staring into an immaculate wall of cutlery!”

“Snkkkt!” Kera rolled her eyes. “Only somepony like you would use a kitchen analogy!”

“Oh jeez...” Ebon cooed. “Do they have cactus fruit here? I really really hope there's some cactus fruit!”

“Hey Rainbow!” Kera motioned with her horn. “Lookie lookie!”

Rainbow Dash stepped on through, her green mane billowing in the dry wind. “Whoah...” She blinked. “...y'know, without all the goofy buffalo, the desert's actually kind of cool.”

“Don't let it fool you!” Jake throated from in front of them. He tilted his head and antlers back. “It's a dry heat! You'll get parched before you know it!”

“Do not worry,” Arcanista's voice said from inside the wagon. “Representatives and dignitaries receive plenty of refreshments.”

“Uh huh...” Ebon squinted back at her. “And the commonfolk?”

Arcanista smiled back. “It's amazing what a little bit of magic will do.”

“Ugh...” Kera grumbled. “I bet all the grasshoppers on this side of the mountain died out!”

“Uh uh uh...” Arcanista chided. “You're a princess, remember? Not a glutton.”

“Can't I be both?”

Mamunia and Jet merely giggled.

“So, Duke of Puke...” Jake smirked aside at Floydien. “Triggering any happy memories? Unhappy memories? Late night wall-pissing competitions?”

The elk's nostrils flared. Without his antlers, his dull eyes rested on the random balconies looming ahead of their winding path. “Hrmmmm...”

“Well?”

“It doesn't take glimmer or shimmer to know a crudhole when Floydien sees one.”

Jake looked forward, sighing heavily. “Panties. Well, maybe once you get the smell of this place, it'll come to you.”

“Floydien isn't holding Floydien's breath.”

“... ... ...” Rainbow was staring straight ahead.

“Rainbow?” Ebon glanced at her, then shook her shoulder. “Everything alright?”

“Hmmm?” Rainbow blinked, finally breaking her gaze from the solid line of emptiness lingering east of the majestic spires of Val Roa. “Oh. Yeah. Just... having to c-contain my awesomeness until we find a place to hide out,” she muttered.

“Okay, good.” Ebon nodded, glancing ahead. “Cuz sooner than later, you'll be able to give those wings of yours some exercise.”

“Wish I could say the same about you and your cooking hooves.”

“Heh. Maybe if there's a backyard grill at the ambassador's suite.”

“There won't be,” Arcanista said.

“Awwwwww...” Ebon's ears drooped.

“Oh noes!” Kera squeaked, feigning torture. “What has Chrysalis donnnne to this plaaaaaace?”

“Cork it in, scampy.”

“Yes, Rainbow.”

A Beautiful City to be Deceived

The beauty of Val Roa intensified the further the noble caravan penetrated the heart of the city. No street went straight for any distance greater than twenty meters. Every avenue was curved; every alleyway bent. The courtyards and paths were built in a serpentine fashion, constantly accomodating for the curved, asymmetrical foundations of the polished spires towering above. Despite how cramped and claustrophobic the streets felt, they were no less busy and bustling than any other city Rainbow Dash had seen in her travels. Ponies and deer alike trotted from vendor to vendor, from garden to garden. Residents sat out in the open, sharing merry stories, refreshing themselves at breezy cafes that dangled with gardens bespeckled with desert flowers.

There were creatures from all walks of life. Rainbow Dash looked out the windows of the cart, spotting llamas and giraffes... zebras and rams. There were even a few merchant hubs where naga stood, their bodies fully clad in mana-powered Lounge gear. The place was—by and large—the most diversified cultural gathering that the pegasus had seen in the bulk of her travels.

However, it was still rather obvious who the power belonged to. Though a distinct flavor of aristocracy filled every district of the bronze-toned city, the elks and deer were clearly the best-dressed out of all the citizens. Basically any creature with branching antlers were considerably more priviledged than the rest. They congregated on balconies to lush apartments that overlooked the lower halves of the polished amber spires where the sunlight only occasionally reached. Banners billowed from sharp, pointed rooftops, bearing the Val Roan crest which—to very little surprise—illustrated deer antlers silhouetted against a starry desert sky.

“It's a nice place...” Ebon Mane muttered. “Just... a lot nicer than I expected.”

“Hmmph.” Kera folded her forelimbs. “In other words, boring.”

“Well, what did you expect?” Mamunia asked from across the coach.

Ebon shrugged. “Well... I-I mean... with all of the horrible conspiracy stuff we've heard about, I suspected the citizens living here would be less... less...”

“Stuffy?” Rainbow Dash droned.

“Happy.”

“Heh...” Rainbow smirked. “Ebon, they might look happy, but—”

“Oh, they are,” Ebon said. “Trust me.”

She squinted at him. “And how do you know that?”

The shape-shifter simply stared back at her.

She winced. “Er... r-right.” She peeked out the window again. “I always forget you could do that.”

“What'd you bring me on this trip for, then?” He smirked. “My good looks?”

“Nah. Then I would have brought Props.”

Kera giggled.

“Don't let the looks of this city deceive you,” Arcanista said, then faced Ebon. “Or the feeling.” With a soft sigh, she gazed out beyond Jake and Floydien. “While the majority of this town's populace is completely and utterly innocent, there's a tiny oligarchy spinning a web of lies that will only bring this entire kingdom to ruin.” She exhaled out her nostrils. “And Bountiful along with it.”

“Bananas.” Jake grumbled, glancing briefly over his shoulder. “We ain't gonna let that snot hit the shower stall floor, Duchy Baby! Isn't that right, Floydo-Boyo?”

“Don't crowd Floydien.”

“Ain't my fault! Someone built this dayum city after the small intestine!”

“Meh.”

“It's the same crap that's happened in Ledomare and Xona,” Rainbow Dash said.

“How do you mean?” Jet asked, blinking. “Do you mean...”

“This is the perfect nest for Queen Chrysalis to take a nasty dump in,” the mare said. She turned towards Kera and performed a mock bow. “Oh, beg your pardon, 'Princess.'”

“No, carry on!” Kera nodded, smirking. “You've woken me up!”

“It's simple, really.” Rainbow frowned. “Simply evil. Chrysalis sniffs around, finds a kingdom with a lot of deep-seeded problems, and then she goes about exploiting it! Ledomare had a totalitarian military that sent loved ones off to war and experimented on non-ponies. Xona had a bunch of zealots ready and willing to sacrifice their lives for an estranged monarch. Chrysalis replaced some ponies here... added some changelings here... and Bam! Suddenly she was taking all the worst stuff from both kingdoms and—like—accelerating their demise! The war intensified, and she got to feed on the tasty tasty misery that she forced her brood into thinking they needed.”

Ebon Mane shuddered, eyes locked on a wall of the jostling coach.

“And the citizens just...” Mamunia shrugged. “...let all this happen?”

“They were blind to it?” Jet asked.

Rainbow nodded. “Think about it. If there's something already sucky about the nation you live in, and it just happens to get suckier, are you really gonna question it?” She shrugged. “You sure as heck wouldn't think a bunch of bug-eyed shape-shifting ponies are somehow responsible!”

“Mother's so selfish,” Ebon muttered. “All that matters is her sister's war on the dark side. She won't stop until she's strong enough to return there... or at least until she thinks she's strong enough.”

“And just how will she accomplish that?” Arcanista asked. “Isn't her link with all her changelings broken?”

Ebon nodded. “But she could get strong enough to reclaim that link.”

“Really?” Jet gulped. “Become strong how?”

“By feeding,” Ebon said, muttering. “If she can cause a large enough calamity to happen in Val Roa... causing an implosion of the very culture itself...”

“Then she'll be empowered enough to re-establish her mind-link stuff,” Rainbow muttered, staring out the windows. “And the rest of the sun-lit world is once again doomed.”

“And every citizen looks so peaceful,” Mamunia muttered, gazing out the front of the coach. “Like a calm before the storm.”

“Yeah, well...” Rainbow Dash smirked. “We're here to deliver a bit of thunder ourselves.”

Kera looked at Ebon. “Do you sense her?”

“Huh?” Ebon glanced down.

“Queen Chryssie.” Kera's green eyes narrowed. “Your 'Mother.'”

Ebon chewed on the edge of his lip. His “tattoos” almost faded. “I... I-I...”

The elk and four ponies stared at him.

He sighed, ears drooping. “It's hard to say...”

“What's so hard about it?!” Kera squeaked. “Is she here or isn't she?”

“Kera, we're not betting our entire trip on Ebon's ability to sniff out his Mom,” Rainbow droned.

“Why not?!” Kera pointed at his head. “He's got that empathic changeling homing pigeon stuff, right?”

“I feel...” Ebon shuddered. “I feel her presence, yes, but it's... d-different than before.”

“Different in what way?” Arcanista asked.

“She's here in Val Roa, alright,” Ebon said with a nod. “But... the presence is faint.” He gulped. “Almost paper thin.”

“Well, duh.” Kera smiled over at Rainbow. “She's been up against the ropes ever since Rainbow here gave her the zap!”

“No... I-I don't know...” Ebon rubbed his head, wincing. “It's... h-hard to explain. It's almost as if she's not the same.”

Arcanista reached over with her large hoof. “Shhhhh... Just relax, my little pony.” She smiled. “We have more pressing concerns at the moment. Concentrate on being the Xonan Princess' entourage, and things will eventually reveal themselves.”

“Yeah...” Ebon nodded with a sigh. “I-I hope so.”

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was staring once more out the window in the side of the vehicle. At one point, the stagecoach passed a copper-plated tower in the middle of a courtyard. On the top of the platform, three deer sat, their bodies poised meditatively. The stallions' eyes were closed, and their antlers brimmed with a bright emerald glow.

Rainbow leaned forward, squinting.

The bucks continued sitting in total silence. Then, suddenly, one of them opened his glowing eyes, turning to look at the cart.

“Guh!” Rainbow Dash slapped the window shut and scrunched up against a mound of cushions, hugging herself.

Arcanista and her two maids glanced at her.

“What's wrong?” Arcanista asked. “Did you see something?”

Rainbow gulped. “A... a bunch of deer guards with glowy antlers.” She shuddered. “And bright green eyes.”

Arcanista smiled thinly. “Soul sentries.”

Rainbow's eyes twitched. “For real? That's what they look like up close?”

“Undoubtedly they've erected multiple guard stations throughout downtown Val Roa to provide security for the Coronation,” the Duchess said. “It's customary to have a guard in every major intersection to keep a protective watch on the citizenry.”

“Uhhhh...” Rainbow fidgeted. “I saw three guards on this one tower.”

Arcanista's ears folded back. “Three per tower?” She exhaled through her nostrils.

Jake peered back from where he drew the wagon. “That's overkill, even for me.”

Floydien glanced aside. “What what what?”

Jake frowned. “We've crossed at least twelve guard stations since we entered the streets of this place. Never in my long life of goblin clobberin' have I seen that many soul sentries all at once. Val Roa has always had a strong military, but the soul sentry division never had a reason to employ this many dedicated members.”

“It's like the whole city has turned into a military camp,” Arcanista said. “At least by Val Roan standards.”

“What could they be preparing for?” Mamunia fidgeted awkwardly. “A war?”

“Don't be silly!” Jet frowned. “Val Roa has always been peaceful! If nothing else, the kingdom's kept their military engagements outside the West Gate!”

“That could all change,” Rainbow muttered. “Provided a certain changeling queen decides to draw a conflict in.”

“No way!” Jet stammered. “General Saikano wouldn't allow it!”

Rainbow Dash, Ebon Mane, and Duchess Arcanista exchanged glances.

Jet gulped. “R-right?”

Arcanista took a deep breath. “I shudder to think...”

“What's that tower of polish polish up ahead?” Floydien muttered.

“Sternum!” Jake beamed. “The Sandstone District!” He glanced over his shoulder. “Hey Duchy Baby. We're almost there. Boy do I gotta piss like there's no tomorrow.”

“Hmmph. Keep it in the boomer's bag.”

“Easy for you to say, Duke of Dryness!”

“Shhhhhh...” Arcanista leaned forward. “Politeness... serenity... patience.” She smiled. “Bring us in to the palace slowly, Constable. Once a servant of the Council arrives, I shall do all the rest.”

“Hrmmmff... sure thing, Madame. But I'll be watching!”

“Of that, I have no doubt, Constable.” She turned and looked back at Rainbow and her fellow jurists. “We have arrived.”

“Okay, Rainbow!” Kera smirked, straightening her mane and gown. “Time for you to go into unassuming mode!”

“Bleack. I hate unassuming mode.”

“And how do you think I feel?” Kera asked. She looked up at Ebon, rolled her eyes, and picked up the stone shard. “Honestly!” Thwap! She slapped it over his wincing forehead. “What's the deal, here?!”

“S-sorry! I was... d'uhm... d-distracted by all the Val Roa exposition!”

“Don't make me go all Belle on you!”

Roarke Said, "Let My Zebras Go!"

Splintery wood crashed against arid soil.

Roarke and Eagle Eye spun around. They stopped in their tracks and ran in the opposite direction of the slowly trudging exodus of zebras. The Noble Jury and Whizzball loomed overhead, slowly gliding westward as an escort to the solid train of exhausted refugees.

A wagon had collapsed, its occupants spilling out and wincing from the impact. Roarke and Eagle Eye rushed over, helping the various zebras up to their hooves.

“Are you alright?” Roarke asked in a neutral tone. “Is anypony hurt?”

A zebra mare winced, patting Roarke's armored shoulder. “You're too kind. We can manage.”

Roarke's blue eyes narrowed. “I find that hard to accept. Your wagon's veritably decimated.”

“Huh?”

Eagle Eye helped two elderly zebras out of the rear of the craft. “It's smashed to ribbons, girl!” He pulled several planks of wooden debris out from the cart, checking for other survivors. “It'll take an hour to fix this! At least!”

“We have no choice,” the mare said. “My grandparents are far too weak to trot on their own and the other zebras have no room in their wagons.”

“Well, we c-can't just leave you all behind!” Eagle Eye stammered. “The goblins could come swinging by any moment, right?!”

A pair of zebra foals whimpered nervously. The mare stood in front of them, frowning at Eagle Eye. “We are hoping to avoid that at all costs.” She exhaled. “We didn't burn our lifelong homes to dust simply because we were bored of the scenery.”

“Look, I'm not trying to step on anypony's hooves! It's just that... that...” Eagle Eye sighed, then turned towards Roarke. “Help me out here.”

“Ma'am...” Roarke paced around the demolished cart. “How important is the bulk of things inside this vehicle?”

“Well...” The striped mare knelt and held her two foals close. “They're all precious to us, of course. Family heirlooms and the like.” She gulped. “But they don't mean anything if we can't find new farmland to live off of.”

“Then, essentially speaking, you don't need the wagon to survive?”

“Roarke!” Eagle Eye protested. “Weren't you listening earlier?!” He pointed at the two shivering elders. “The grandparents can't trot on their hooves like a bunch of the other zebras!”

“Believe it or not, I'm still employing the 'Most Rare' monicker.” Roarke tilted her head towards the heavens. She eyed Whizzball, then spoke into a fetlock-mounted sound stone. “Come in, breeder. This is Roarke. Respond.”

“Scrkkk!” Zaid's voice crackled to life. “You rang?”

“No, the other breeder.”

Josho's voice warbled through. “Yo.”

“What's your head count on the refugees again?”

“Really? That's all that you called me to ask?”

Roarke frowned. “Would you rather I lasso you down by your balls and ask in person?”

“Ahem. It's... h-hard to stay concentrated and pilot this giant black kidney stone at the same time. But... uhhhh... if I recall, the number we determined was somewhere around one hundred and twenty.”

“And just how many of those consisted of the sick, young, and elderly?”

“What are you even getting at, Roarke?”

“The old stallion has a point.” Eagle Eye trotted up to the mare's side. “What are you getting at?”

“The Jury's committed to escorting these zebras to Bountiful.”

“Right. Nopony's questioning that.”

“But we might inadvertently kill them at this rate,” Roarke said. “A long walk such as this in the dry heat will only bring the elderly to ruin.”

“Then what are you proposing?”

Roarke looked up, up at the Noble Jury. She brought the soundstone to her muzzle again. “Other breeder. Come in.”

“Scrkkkk! Whazzzzzzup?”

“Zaid, bring the Noble Jury down.”

“Uh. Sure. Okay.” A pause. “What for?”

“Oki doki loki!” Props smiled as she bounced her way from cluster to cluster of families huddled inside the ship's hangar bay. The doors to the rear hung wide open, revealing the desert landscape lingering under a blood-red sunset. “Is every zebra comfortable?! Need more blankets?”

“We're quite fine,” spoke a mare, smiling as she sat besides her two foals and grandparents. She bundled a comforter around her and her children. “You've done so much for us. Thank you.”

“Heeeeey! Our pleasure!” Props curtsied. “Never a frowning face on board the Striped Express!”

Across the hangar, a stallion waved his hoof to gather Props' attention.

“Whoopsies! I'm needed!” Props dashed over. “Noble Jury Flight Attendant Propsy, at your service!”

“My uncle is parched,” the zebra said, bowing humbly. “D-do you have some water for his throat?”

“Can doodly-do!” Props saluted.

“Thank you...” The stallion smiled, eyes glossy. “Thank you so very much. You have no idea what this means to us.”

“I'm starting to!” Props winked. “Coming up with the water!” She backtrotted towards the stairwell. “Sorry for all the stale bread! Our... uh... our cook's far away on a death-defying mission of harmony and friendship! So the best we can give all of you at once is our bulk supply! I'm sure there'll be plenty of flavorable stuff once we reach Bountiful!”

The many-many zebras murmured their thanks and appreciation.

Props hummed as she trotted into the stairwell. More zebras were seated on the various platforms between the steps. She stepped over a pair of foals chasing each other, giggling at their cuteness, before pausing at an intercom. “Heeeeey Zaidy Waidy!”

“Scrkkkk! Moshi moshi!”

“How's Nancy handling?”

“Whelp, like a dream! So long as it's a slow and sluggish dream that doesn't make any sudden moves!”

“Are the extra passengers weighing us down that much?”

“Ha! This ship's handled worse, I'm sure! Like—maybe if we were carrying all of the hundred plus zebras, then sure. Ahem. I'm more worried about shorting out the tome inside the energy core.”

“Just keep flying straight and steady!” Props chirped. “We'll get to Bountiful even if we have to crawl!”

“I'm only crawling on all fours for you, Blondie.”

Props' face scrunched up. “But don't we always walk on all fours?”

“Err... you know what I mean.”

“Teeheehee! I never do!” Props smiled. “Anywho, off to get some water for one of the elder zebie-zebies!”

“Goddes, I love it when you talk desert.”

“Uh huh.” And she clicked the intercom off and bounced her way towards the kitchen on the second deck. As she did so, she passed by Booster Spice trotting down the stairwell.

“Hey!” He rushed forward and tapped a striped shoulder. “Hey, Pilate! Have you got a firm trajectory on—?”

The stallion turned and blinked at the goggled pony. “I'm not 'Pilate.'”

Booster Spice winced. “Er... m-my bad! Sorry to bother you.” He turned and cleared his throat, tapping another zebra's shoulder. “Hey. Pilate. Could you check to see if we're—”

“My name's not Pilate.”

“Gosh darn it!” Booster Spice hissed. “Finding the navigator would be so much easier without the sudden penguin convention!”

“Hey! Booster!” called a feminine voice.

Booster glanced down towards the bottom of the stairwell.

Belle waved from where she and Pilate crouched beside an elder zebra, tending to her bruises with a first aid kit.

Booster scampered down, breathless. “Boy am I so glad I found you...”

“Honestly, Mr. Spice?” Belle smiled, wrapping a bandage around the zebra mare's leg. “My beloved is the only one with a metal plate and the O.A.S.I.S. sphere.”

“Yeah, w-well...” Booster's cheeks puffed red. “Easy f-for him to tell the difference! He's blind!”

Pilate chuckled and shook his head.

Booster glanced nervously at him. “What?”

“Nothing...” He waved his fetlock, smirking. “I'm not touching that one.”

“What's the all-important message that needs delivering, Mr. Spice?” Belle asked.

“I-I just wanted to check with our navigator to make sure we're on the right course.”

“Last time I checked with Zaid, we most certainly were.” Pilate nodded. “Why? Is something amiss?”

“I'm spotting lots of dead trees to the south,” Booster Spice said. “But, according to the path you laid out, our route back to Bountiful should be mostly barren.”

Belle blinked at her husband. “Is it possible that we somehow veered off course?”

“I'm certain I gave Zaid explicit instructions,” Pilate remarked. “Or—rather—Roarke on the ground, did.”

“Well, that's just the thing.” Booster Spice gulped. “I think Zaid's following Roarke and the other zebras... on the ground.”

“So... by following the caravan, the Jury has flown off course?” Belle said.

“That's what I'm thinking.”

“Hmmm...” Pilate stood up with Booster's assistance. “Shouldn't be too difficult of a problem to fix. I'll have to communicate with Roarke, though. It'll be up to her to convince the head of the caravan down below to angle the exodus north a bit.”

“Well, the sooner the better.” Booster shuddered. “I still have no clue how the residents of Bountiful are going to react to this... visit we're arranging.” He gulped. “Or the Duchess for that matter.”

“I doubt there'll be an issue,” Pilate said with a smile. “We'll help the refugees build a printing press.”

“Huh?”

The blind zebra blinked. “That way we'll blend in.”

Belle giggled, rolling her eyes. “Oh beloved...”

“Forgive me. I was in the moment.”

“I'll consider it,” Belle said, moving on to check on the next family.

Booster helped Pilate up the stairs so that they could trot towards the cockpit. They passed Props as she scurried down into the hangar with a pitcher of water. Nopony was anywhere near the engine room... nor the door that hung open with a slight crack. As a result, none of the Jurists were within earshot of Props' communication array when a familiar voice began crackling to life.

“Props...? Propsicle? Are you there, lass? I... scrkkkk... I've gotten this bloody thing almost fixed! It's been quite the struggle, but we've nearly crossed the Wastes! Are you there?! Please respond...”

Silence.

The array flickered again.

“Propsicle? Helllllllo?

More silence.

“Scrkkkk... dammit... probably shaggin' that smelly bum's tail off, the silly tart...”

Let's Go In To the Lobby

At the base of an oppulent skyscraper in the heart of Val Roa, Jake and Floydien had parked the double-coaches. They placed down the wooden steps, helping Arcanista, Kera, and the rest disembark from the vehicle, one by one. By the time that Rainbow Dash and the other two servants were getting out, a nimble figure in a fine silk garment hopped over from the building's front entrance, flanked by reindeer guards.

"Greetings and blessings from the heart of Val Roa," spoke a pleasantly-smiling gazelle. She bowed her head, horns flickering dimly. "My name is Nilla, a representative of the Helaman Province." She stood back up, grinning. "As part of the Council's Diplomatic Iniative, I have happily volunteered to act as escort to local and foreign dignitaries visiting this urban paradise on the edge of civilization. Duchess Arcanista of the House of Sehlp, I am honored to be in your presence once more."

"Is that a fact?" Arcanista smiled coyly. "Please do forgive me, Madame Nilla. It has been five years at least..."

The gazelle chuckled amicably. "A lot has happened in so short a period of time. Rest assured that not only do I recognize you, but I am quite fond of the financial agreements you have made to establish lucrative trade between Bountiful and its neighboring provinces."

"Well, that comes as quite the surprise!" Arcanista only grinned wider. "The last three economic proposals I've mailed the Council's Way have been dealt with complete and utter apathy!"

Nilla laughed melodically. "Ah... the wages of bureaucracy!" She smiled. "Well, you are here now in the flesh as much as the spirit. I'm certain that if there are any present concerns, the Council would be more than happy to lend an ear!"

"That sounds quite fine," Arcanista said, nodding. "Maybe less citizens will needlessly die in the interim."

Floydien shifted awkwardly.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat.

"I..." Ebon Mane shuffled forward, boldly stepping between the Duchess and the gazelle. "I... uh... am Ebon Mane, royal escort to Her Highness, Princess Kera Tin Mehjj Xon-Nagu'n."

"Pr-Princess...!" Nilla spun towards Kera and bowed low with extreme gravitas. "Your eminence! Welcome to Val Roa! May your stay here be joyous and productive!"

"A-a-ahem!" Kera tilted her nose up and raised a hoof daintily. "Vele'suthien nmiaol lem'assa kremnen thiulen siel."

Nilla looked up, blinking awkwardly. "I beg your pardon?"

"Ha'kranna siulen threnna dren'dran... erm... gazellian trennte."

Nilla blinked again. "Huh?"

"Err..." Ebon Mane stepped forward. "Her Majesty is very... very exhausted. It's been a long trip from the Xonan Empire. She would very much like to retire in the finest suites you have available here."

"Oh! Absolutely!" Nilla stood up. "And, fortunate for you, we have provided the most handsome quarters in the Sandstone District's very own Plaza Topaz! I would be honored to show you to your rooms."

"It would be an even greater honor if you arranged a meeting between Her Majesty and the High Council," Arcanista said. "The Xonan Princess has travelled a long... long distance to open dialogue between the Xonan and Val Roan nations."

"Oh... Oh, m-most certainly!" Nilla chuckled airily. "I will input a request for speaking with the Council as soon as possible!"

"You will do so right now," Arcanista said, brow furrowed. "It is most unwise to keep a Xonan representative waiting."

"Erm... b-but of course! It's only that... uhm..." Nilla fidgeted.

"There a problem?" Arcanista asked.

"Well, the Council's schedule has simply been so terribly busy as of late! Eh heh heh heh.... I have no doubt that Chancellor Fishberry and the other members of the Top Seat will arrange a presentation to be had for after the coronation..."

"It will have to be before," Arcanista said. "The Chancellor may be a busy deer, but I assure you that Her Majesty is even busier."

"Yes. Yes of course." Nilla chewed on her lip. "Oh d-dear... uhm..." She smiled hopefully. "I-I might be able to arrange it so that the Princess and the Chancellor share the same seat within the Royal Palace on Coronation Day...!"

Kera let loose a lethargic sigh and pivoted towards Ebon with a twirl of her skirt. "Kun'drekkun! Mela drenden ratt'aklen rekkharem thiulen speehn..."

Nilla blinked. "What is she saying...?"

Ebon raised an eyebrow at Kera. "Mekkhar ruhm, Kera Xon-Nagu'n?"

"Dreit."

Ebon cleared his throat and looked plainly at the escort. "Her Eminence states that this was a 'wasted trip,' and she might as well return to... uhm... the Booster Zaid."

"The... Booster Zaid?"

"Yes. Our Xonan battleship along the western border of your country."

Nilla's eyes twitched. "Xonan b-b-battleship?"

"Indeed. One of twelve," Ebon said.

Nilla's jaw dropped.

Ebon shrugged his tattooed limbs. "Well, surely you didn't expect our Empire's Royal Daughter to enter the kingdom unprotected! But, you need not worry. Emperor Pilate, blessed by Nagu'n, has been in control of his murderous temper ever since the annihilation of the Ledomaritans..." He coughed. "Three weeks ago."

"Uhhhhhhhhhhh..."

Ebon spun towards Arcanista. "It's quite evident that we cannot hold an audience with the Council here. I suggest we return the way we came--"

"W-wait!" Nilla flung her hooves forward. "Just a moment! I..." She smiled awkwardly. "I d-do think there may be an opening tomorrow afternoon! During lunch!"

Ebon turned back, pouting. "It would not be polite of us to interrupt the good Council's meal..."

"No! No interrupton whatsoever!" The gazelle smiled, ears flicking. "I-I-I'm sure Fishberry would be more than happy to let the provincial representatives hear everything that the Princess has to say!"

"... ... ..." Ebon turned towards Kera. "Habbak mendun soljin?"

"Hmmmmm..." Kera tapped and tapped her chin. She smiled. "Dreit."

Ebon gestured. "Her Majesty agrees."

"Ah... ah y-yes!" Nilla wheezed, smiling. "I promise you that you will not be disappointed!"

"As for a place to stay--"

"Follow me!" Nilla stumbled towards the front of the skyscraper. "I'll have the Plaza Topaz service assist your servants in gathering the royal belongings!"

"That is quite splendid," Arcanista said.

"Yes yes yes..." Floydien trotted after her.

"Uh uh uh..." Arcanista raised a hoof. She smiled at Floydien and Jake. "I'm quite aware that it's been a long trip, but the wagon-bearers place is down here, guarding the transport."

Floydien blinked crookedly. "Buh...?"

"Never worry. I'll be sure to send some food down to nourish your needy stomachs." Arcanista winked. "Compliments of the House of Sehlp. The Duke wouldn't have it any other way." She trotted off. "God rest his soul..."

Floydien stood dead still.

Rainbow Dash looked back, shrugging beneath the baggage she was carrying. Pretty soon, she and the other maids followed the regal trio, disappearing beyond the extravagant gate to the plaza.

With flaring nostrils, Floydien plopped back on his haunches. "Why does Floydien feel that he's just been used for wiping boomer excrement?"

Jake cleared his throat, leaning in. "So, Mr. Amnesiac, do you doubt any longer that you have a bitchy sibling?"

"Meh."

A New Dashie In the Sky

"And here it is! The Royal Suite!" Nilla hopped part of the way into the front foyer of the apartment. She pivoted around with a bright grin. "I do hope it meets your standards."

"Hmmm..." Arcanista stepped in, smiling at the polished decor and lush cushions that filled the inner lengths of the place. Rich reds and burgundies clung to the eggshell walls in draping fabrics from the front room all the way to the balcony. "Quite immaculate, if I do say so myself." She turned to look past her "servants." "Sir Mane?"

Ebon Mane trotted forward. He gazed from left to right. The lines beneath his neck almost lost cohesion, but he was able to tense his jaw and maintain the tattooed illusion. "More than adequate. Reminds me of many suites we have back west in the Xonan Empire." He pivoted about and bowed towards the smallest member of the group. "Your Highness? Do you approve?"

Kera stepped forward. Halfway into the foyer, her body froze. The filly's jaw dropped as her green eyes reflected the luxurious couches, beds, and reading sofas. "You... you mean we get to st-stay in here?"

"Unless you do not approve--" Ebon began.

"Oh, I approve! I approve! I approve!" Kera galloped forward, skirts flouncing, and jumped up onto an ottoman. "Heeeee!" She bounced up and down. "I love it! I love it! I lo--" She froze in place, her mane settling.

Ebon was wincing while Rainbow Dash dragged a hoof across her face. Past the fidgeting figures of Mamunia and Jet, Nilla stared with a cockeyed expression.

"Er... I-I mean..." Kera cleared her throat, dismounted from the ottoman, and tilted her nose up. "Dem'hulian sethul mennu krem'sen rannagan."

"Uhhhhh..." Ebon leaned over. "Fuku phwee?"

"Dreit."

Ebon looked up at Nilla. "Her Majesty approves."

"Dreit."

"I... I-I gathered," Nilla said with a nervous twitter.

Ebon added, "There is no need for the spilling of heretical blood today."

"Dreit."

"In fact, I don't even think there will be the sacrifice of... uhm... warrior ponies to the chaos dragon... aspect?"

"Dre--"

"WELL!" Arcanista strolled forward. "I am most certainly feeling the exhaustion of a day's worth of travel set in," she said. "I think it's best that my fellow equines and I retire for the evening." She cocked her head to the side. "I trust that a channel of communication will be opened with the Council?"

"And I will not let you down," Nilla said, gulping. "You have my pr-promise!"

"Then you have my gratitude," the Duchess said with a nod. "All our gratitude."

"Oh. That's good! That's very good!" Nilla stepped backwards. "Just... k-keep those battleships in check!

"Dreit dreit."

"A pleasant sleep to each and every one of you," Nilla said. "May the desert stars guide you into your dreams." And with that, she turned her white tail and was gone.

Arcanista tilted her head forward, firing a beam of electrical mana at the door, slamming it shut. Once they were all sealed away inside the apartment, the deer leaned her head back with a long sigh. A beat. She turned and bore a tired smile. "I do believe we are safe... for the time being."

"Pfft! Barely!" Kera rolled her eyes. "If only Ebon wasn't so awkward with his chaperoning!"

The changeling did a double-take. "'Awkward?!'" He frowned. "I wasn't the one who galloped in here like pajamas in bananas!"

"You got it backwards, Einstallion."

"You know what I m-mean!" his voice cracked. "And I totally saved our flanks downstairs when Nilla was dragging her hooves!"

"Yes," Mamunia remarked with a nod. "That was rather peculiar, wasn't it?"

"Not entirely, my dear," Arcanista said, trotting across the room and drawing the curtains in tight from before the dark-lit windows. "If the Council is good at any one particular thing, it's inaction. I've no reason to suspect Nilla of personal ill-will towards us, but she's likely a pawn to the likes of Fishberry all the same. No doubt there are many within the fold who wish to see Bountiful never seize any attention ever again, even if we have every reason to with our fellow 'dignitaries' demanding a royal audience." She cleared her throat. "Dignitaries... who clearly need an extra lesson or two on etiquette."

"Hey! So I saw a bunch of a comfy, bouncy things!" Kera folded her hooves from beneath her skirt and tilted her nose up. "I can't help it! I see luxury and I go crazy!"

"Isn't it comfy enough on board the Jury?!" Ebon exclaimed.

"Yeah, but that's only because Pilate and Belle are so fuzzy to sleep against! And you can't hop on a grown pony's belly and get away with it!" A blink. Kera giggled. "Unless it's Josho! Heeheehee!"

"Everything I did, I did to make sure we weren't lynched on the spot!" Ebon shuddered. He plucked his horn off and relaxed, his flesh turning back to a smooth burgundy. "I-I dunno how I'm even going to get us through the upcoming visit with the Council."

"What do you mean you get us through it?!" Kera frowned. "I'm the princess in the spotlight!"

"Something you hated until two minutes ago!"

"A girl can get used to things!"

"And a girl can blow her nose. What's your point?!"

"Uhm..." Rainbow Dash raised a hoof. "For the record?"

"Go on, dear," Arcanista said.

"I just wanna say that I've done my part of the bargain." She frowned at the other two Jurists. "By staying friggin' quiet while certain other ponies teased their moron glands!"

"But we were just--"

Arcanista stepped up. "I bet you're dying to perform the other task."

"Heh... as if..."

"Then what's stopping you?"

Rainbow blinked. "You mean...?"

Arcanista nodded with a smile. "We're situated. It's dark out. So long as you stay out of view of the Soul Sentries..."

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash beamed. "And here I thought I'd be running up the walls in my sleep! Htttt!" With a grunt she shook, wriggled, and shimmied out of her dress. In a flash, the green mane'd pegasus flapped her wings and hovered in the center of the room. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh yeah..." Her eyes rolled like a mare rolling her first cigarette of the week. "Oh air... how I missed you."

Jet giggled.

"Err..." Rainbow winced, looking the maids' way. "Sorry to... uh... ditch the whole 'servant' thing, especially now that it's time to unpack stuff."

"It's quite alright, Madame," Mamunia said with a smile. "You came here for a purpose, as did we."

"We'll keep your gown nice and straight for when it's time to don the disguise again," added Jet.

"Hopefully it will not come to that." Arcanista opened the door to the balcony. A cold desert wind blew in from the starlit world outside. "Hmmm... rather chilly. I forgot how quickly the desert drops in temperature this far east."

"S'okay! I can deal!" Rainbow zipped to the window. "It'll remind me I'm alive!"

"Just what will you be looking for, Rainbow?" Kera asked.

"Pffft! Duh!" Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Any funny business. Crud that the head hackjobs of this city might be up to beneath the shadows!"

"You know, it may behoove you to at least carry a map."

"Oye. If I had a bit for every time somepony said the word 'behoove' to me."

"You'd still be poorer than any silver-bearer." Arcanista folded up a scrap of paper and handed it to the mare. "Here. This should help you familiarize yourself with the Sandstone District and beyond."

"Thankie-Thankies." Rainbow slid the paper under her pendant. "Though I'm at my best when I wing it."

"Just don't wing it too close to the buildings around here," Ebon said. "That green mane of yours isn't going to hide the fact that you're a winged pegasus."

"Spoken like a true boogerhead." Rainbow Dash stepped off the balcony and teetered backwards, waving. "See ya in the funny papers." Fwooosh! She backflipped, twirled, and glided towards the upper spires of Val Roa as the stars came out.

Kera sighed.

Ebon glanced her way. "Now what?"

"Just thinking..." Kera pouted. "With wings of my own, then I'd be a real princess."

Silence.

Ebon trotted off with a groan. "I need a shower after that sentence..."

Desolate Lives in a Desert City

Rainbow Dash darted skyward in a blue streak, soaring over the star-drenched spiraling towers of Val Roa.

Down below, along the edges of Plaza Topaz, a depot was filled to the brim with wagons and stagecoaches. A miniature courtyard lay in between the many different stations. Dozens of servants pitched tents and set up campfires beside their vehicles where they prepared to stand guard all night long. In front of a pair of ornate wooden coaches, Jake and Floydien mingled. The Constable layed out a sleeping mat, yawning so loud he caused the nearby campfires to flicker from the sound vibrations.

“Duaaaaaaaah.... 'Can't be done,' they said! 'A fatass moose?! Lying on a sleeping mat?!' Shark penis! I wanna see them balk now!”

“Hrmmmff...” Floydien glared across the way with a furrowed brow.

Jake tilted his head aside. “Don't tell me you're still steamed about your sister leaving you to freeze your tail off down here with the likes of me.”

“Floydien is hardly affected.”

“Still, you shoulda predicted that would happen.” Jake winked. “You are trying to be just as incognito as your buddies, after all.”

“So long as Floydien's boomer friends are experiencing comfort, then Floydien is fine.”

“Heh... so there is a feeling elk beneath all of those grumpy shit-smears after all.”

“Floydien doesn't understand the moose's spit.”

“Say... I just gotta ask...” Jake leaned forward, squinting. “Don't you ever sleep?”

Floydien glared. “No. Floydien doesn't.”

“Heh... No wonder your brain is so fartwise.”

“What what what?”

“Whoever it was who took the craddle-prod to your noggin', they certainly did a real number on you. They took away your memories, your smile, now your sleep?”

“Floydien has always been able to manage.”

“Is that so?” Jake produced something between a yawn and a burp. “Then remind me why you're here again?”

“Floydien needs to look after Floydien's friends—”

“Bullcrap. You care only about your stupid space ship.” Jake smiled droolingly. “Something's lured you into this city, and I doubt it's princess potty duty.”

“There's a shape shifting boomer queen with a lot of shimmer glimmer and—”

“Odds are stacked against you if you have any intention of finding Midnite Bastion, buddy.”

Floydien's eyebrow twitched. “That is the least of Floydien's desires.”

“Hey, so maybe you're a changed elk.” Jake shrugged. “You don't exactly want to shag her anymore. I get that.”

Floydien sighed, rolling his dull red eyes.

“But a piece of you is curious. At least admit that.”

Floydien was silent.

“If I lost a huge chunk of my past and suddenly found myself at the threshhold of where I last had it...” Jake flopped onto his massive side, farted, and lay still with a sigh. “...I'd be itching to recover my hoofprints too, even if they didn't mean didley-shit to me.”

“Floydien isn't the boomer charged with searching,” the elk muttered. “Floydien has no wings.”

“So?” Jake yawned while his ears went limp. “Go for a stroll. I won't kill you for it. Just keep your antlers off so nopony recognizes your... hrmmm... Sehlp-ness...”

Floydien's nostrils flared.

“Go on...” Jake drifted off to heavy, heavy sleep. “You know you want to...”

Floydien closed his eyes. His face tensed for a few seconds, and then he squinted one eye open.

Jake was dead still.

Slowly, Floydien stood up, turned around, and shuffled towards the wagons—

“Make one move towards your antlers and I'll introduce them to your colon,” Jake muttered.

With a groan, Floydien stormed angrily off in a random direction.

Jake's lips curved beneath his closed eyes as he nuzzled the sleeping mat.

“Tell the reprentatives from Zoram that we are looking into the issue thoroughly. It was not our intent to ignore their concerns with the taxation of their outlying colonies, but with the Coronation coming up, we have had to put a hold on the bi-annual review of the financial department.”

“Yes, Chancellor,” spoke a young secretary, scribbling onto a piece of parchment. She stood with a pen and paper at the far end of a spacious office overlooking the bronze and copper rooftops of Val Roa's Sandstone District. “And what of the naga ambassadors?”

“Nnngh...” A deer sat at her desk, rubbing her forehead with a weary hoof. A glittering diamond necklace hung around her petite head. “You mean the Lounge representatives are still insisting on holding an audience with the Council?”

“Affirmative.”

“Haven't they got a clue just what kind of a transitionary period we're in right now?”

“Many of the other representatives on the High Seat think that they are attempting to catch us off guard.”

“Our streets are filled to the brim with Soul Sentries. Thanks to Saikano, we couldn't possibly be any more on guard.”

“They're still expecting a response, Chancellor.”

“Set up an appointment tomorrow morning. After sunrise. I know how slow those reptiles are when it's still cold outside. Maybe it'll be my chance to catch them off guard.”

“Very well. Seven o'clock?”

“Better make it seven thirty. If I don't have muffin and milk, I'm liable to kill somedeer.”

A guard trotted up, clearing his throat. “Chancellor Fishberry, Representative Nilla is here to see you.”

“I'm rather busy at the moment...”

“She says she's here per request of a Royal Envoy.” The guard raised an eyebrow. “She mentioned Princess Kera Tin Mehjj of the Xonan Empire.”

Fishberry sat up straight, wiggling her little black nose. “Xonan Empire...?” Her eyes traced the lengths of her office. “I-I've never heard of such a place...”

“The name matches fabled places spoken of by the Lounge and Alafreons, Chancellor,” the secretary said. “Far west, across the Frozen Wastes.”

“Hrmmmm...” Fishberry rubbed her chin. “Still, this is the most inopportune time.”

“Val Roan law dictates that in any situation involving a foreign ambassador, the Council is to—”

“I'm quite aware of the law, secretary.”

“Yes, Chancellor. Of c-course, Chancellor.”

Fishberry motioned with her hoof. “Let Nilla in. She's a good gazelle. I've no reason to doubt her sincerity.”

Within the span of two minutes, the gazelle was making her way down the massive office and towards the ornate wooden desk belonging to the High Council's lead speaker.

“Chancellor, Madame...” Nilla curtsied. “I-I've come to request that the High Council give audience to a group of ambassadors tomorrow.” She looked up. “They come from a great distance, Chancellor—these Xonans—and judging from their disposition it would seem a wise thing for the Val Roans to pay them every bit of attention and respect.”

“Have they threatened you in any way, Nilla?”

“Erm... n-not exactly, Chancellor. But, as you well know, rumor is that the continents to the west have been beset with great turmoil and strife. It's likely that a great war has ended, and if the Xonans are the victors...”

“I see where you're going with this, Nilla.” Chancellor Fishberry nodded. “If it is in Val Roa's best interests, then—by all means—I will arrange for the ambassadors to speak to the Council.”

Nilla exhaled with relief. “That is very good, Chancellor.”

“My my, you seem besides yourself with stress.” Fishberry raised an eyebrow. “Is playing hostess not all it's cracked up to be, representative?”

“I certainly didn't expect foreign royalty to be this exotic.”

“It seems rather sudden and out of place for a Princess...”

“Kera Tin Mehjj...”

“—to visit our esteemed capital.” Fishberry scanned through several scrolls on her desk while talking. “Undoubtely, she had to have been aided by a local escort. Tell me, is there an interior representative assisting in these Xonans' arrival?”

“Yes, Chancellor. There is.”

“A name, Nilla. Give me a name, please.”

Nilla cleared her throat. “Erm... Duchess Arcanista of the House of Sehlp, Chancellor.”

“... ... ...” Fishberry's orange eyes darted up from the scrolls. “Of the Province Bountiful?”

Nilla nodded and nodded.

The secretary fidgeted nervously.

Fishberry exhaled long and hard. “I am not going to get any sleep this week...”

City On the Edge of Annihilation

The polished surfaces of the Val Roan buildings reflected a silver sheen of starlight as night fell. Rainbow Dash hugged the upper exteriors, flying as low to the rooftops as she could in order to maintain a proper height. From her position, she could make out the majority of the city.

The Val Roan Capital gradually rose in both constructed height as well as architectural affluence the further the city spread to the north. Further south, the buildings were shorter—but also denser and more geometrically rigid. Square-shaped apartment complexes bled into one another, with rising and falling terraces connecting and adjoining to create a complicated network of fused living hovels. Several open rooftops were dotted with tents and wooden shacks. In that part of town, it was obvious that multiple citizens lived together in tight spaces, but it was anything but impoverished squalor.

To the southwest, the tight apartments gave way to large courtyards framed by rectangular facilities. Rainbow squinted and saw what appeared to be fenced-in compounds full of military equipment and army supplies. She surmised that that was where the Val Roan Defense Ministry was located. Judging from a faint hint of green luminescence, she imagined that several Soul Sentries were in training there. She made a mental note to keep her distance from the place.

Southeast, several tiny homes dotted the desert landscape. Unlike the apartments to the west, these were remarkably spaced apart. Rainbow Dash saw patches of green earth and cactus gardens. She suspected that some sort of agricultural project was underway in that section of the city. But the further her eyes scanned, she detected large buildings in the distance—including two domed structures flanked by what appeared to be gray cemeteries. She assumed that it was an assortment of temples, or some sort of Val Roan religious center. The landscaping was noticeably beautiful, even under the cold fabric of desert night, and it was evident to her that the district hugged the furthest edge of the city right along the fringes of the Grand Choke.

Shuddering slightly, Rainbow Dash peered north. Presently, she hovered over the Sandstone District, which was just along the edge of Downtown. Just a few blocks away, the buildings scaled the highest, scraping the sky with their bronze-capped spires and obelisks. It was obvious to the pegasus that the structures were polished to carry a dazzling shine under the midday sun, but they held a beautiful mystique with the starlight all the same. Flying past a few towers, Rainbow Dash gazed at a large temple situated towards the northeast. It was an enormous dome framed by six looming towers. At the top of each tower was the bronze effigy of an elk, with golden antlers spreading majestically in the desert air. It didn't take long for Rainbow Dash to guess that this was the location of the High Council. She considered doing a close fly-by, but held it off, instead continuing her scan of the city proper.

Due north, the buildings lowered somewhat in height, replaced instead by an enormity in scale. Beyond the Sandstone District and the High Council building, Rainbow spotted an enormous courtyard stretching the full length of the city. Several glowing spots of green dotted the concrete lengths at regular intervals. It was obvious to the pegasus that this part of town was being heavily guarded, and she maintained a high altitude as she continued her observations.

The courtyard bent around—she discovered—forming a gigantic half-circle. Towards the outer bend, a series of cylindrical buildings rose up out of the earth, growing taller and thinner in the form of multiple smooth spires. In the center of this was a sturdy structure built in an elliptical shape—stretching north and south—and it was flanked by polished ivory balconies that wrapped around each ascending platform. Towards the summit, a balcony encompassed the entire southern end, and there was a ledge that overlooked the courtyard below. Rainbow guessed that this was none other than the spot where the Val Roan Monarchy addressed the masses in attendance. Already she could spot crystalline stones whose purpose was likely to project the sound of one's voice. If the Coronation was soon, then she imagined the courtyard beneath her would be filled to the brim with Val Roan citizenry not long from then.

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings, hovering up high. From there, she had a view of the entire city, which was no easy feat to her strained eyes. This place was easily the largest urban environment she had ever witnessed—aside from Silvadel, but only because that place had been long ruined by the time she arrived. There was no questioning the fact that Val Roa was the most important, populated, and influential place on that entire continent, and she almost understood the goblins and nagas' envy for its glory.

Reaching under her pendant, Rainbow Dash produced the map that the Duchess Arcanista had given her. Holding it still in the cold desert winds, she gave the thing a once-over, comparing the named districts and highlighted zones to the urbanscape she had just naturally observed. She drew a plan up in her mind. Assuming she could go about without being observed, she would examine the High Council Building, the Royal Palace, and the military district—not necessarily in that order. If there was any chance whatsoever of catching Fishberry, Sharp Quill, or Saikano without them knowing about it, then she had to do so with as much swiftness and stealth as possible.

Rainbow Dash put her map away. Once more, she gazed at the town, considering her three options. However, her gaze was distracted, drawn instead towards the east. She blinked, spotting the hazy lavender glow of Yaerfaerda from a nebulous distance.

Her teeth suddenly chattered. She hugged herself in mid-hover, as if suddenly aware of how chilly the desert winds were. Clenching her jaw, she glanced back at the three districts, then back east again. In a fuming breath, she flapped her wings and glided eastward towards the edge of the city, descending sharply as she did so.

Despite the bitter cold of desert night, several deer and ponies were out and about on the terraced rooftops of the residential district. Servants and workers huddled outside of tents, laughing and chatting around well-maintained fire pits. Foals and fawn chased each other around, giggling in the starlight. Along balcony edges, elders sat, smoking pipes and sharing stories and songs of yesteryear.

Slowly, Floydien shuffled through this nocturnal populous. With jaded eyes, he glared past them, making his way gradually southwest. A few Val Roans eyed him curiously—perhaps confused as to why a noble-looking buck would be without his antlers, but they said nothing of it.

In the lower streets, brief strobes of green light emanated from the Soul Sentries as they sat meditatively at their posts. Floydien kept his distance, continuing his unassuming stroll until he winded up as far as he could, standing on a balcony's edge along the southwest fringe of that particular cluster of apartments.

From afar, he stared at the military compounds that comprised the southwest corner of Val Roa, hugging the mountains that barricaded the capital from the rest of the continent. Along the hilly extremities of the valley, he saw the twinkling green line of soul sentries and their barricade. Down below, dim orange torches lined each compound. He saw the dots of soldiers patrolling along the barracks and equipment depots. Antlers glowed in the hush of night, and not a single equine was to be seen. But, then again, the elk's eyes weren't necessarily his strongest suit.

A long, slow breath filtered out of the pilot's lungs. His ears folded back, and he stared down at the balcony's edge with a melancholic pause. Eventually, his muzzle tensed. Frowning, he spun around, marching back the way he came, oblivious to the hushed cheer and merriment of the citizens around him.

On soft feathers, Rainbow Dash descended. She landed on all four hooves. The gravelly earth crunched beneath her, and several pebbles shifted into a thin layer of sand over an arid plateau.

Rainbow exhaled, her moisture forming a fine mist in the air. She trotted limply forward, eyes thin and contemplative.

Before her stretched an infinite, impossibly level horizon of nothing. It was the flattest, plainest, most nondescript landscape she had ever seen. Every star along the vanishing point glimmered with eerie clarity. She suspected that if she looked long enough... hard enough, then she might—for once—make out the gradual curve of the earthen plane. Momentarily, it made some sense why the Yaerfaerda symbol was so faint, for it was so far away that it dipped below the visible terrain.

Rainbow Dash stood along the eastern edge of Val Roa, staring out upon the Grand Choke. She glanced left and right. At regular intervals, several statues had been erected, depicting deer and elk in majestic hoof-kicking poses. Their eastern faces were faded, worn down by the elements—or something else, Rainbow Dash surmised. The antlers of the guardian effigies had crumbled and fallen off in many places over time, but it was obvious that no Val Roan had bothered fixing them over the centuries.

Even further out into the desolation, Rainbow spotted objects planted randomly in the ground. Upon further observation, she discovered that they were weapons, spears, lances and broadswords. Beads and necklaces and other personal effects dangled off the hilts of these objects, and beneath each rusted blade or javelin she saw a smattering of stones heaped together. If Rainbow Dash squinted hard enough, she could see that many other graves were spread out further east, as far as souls had dared to travel to bury the honorable denizens of that city on the edge of annihilation. The greater the distance from the capital's edge to the graves, the more elaborate the setup, until they were far too obscure to observe...

For Rainbow Dash wasn't moving an inch.

She felt a lump in her throat as she stood there, locked in place. Eventually, she reached a hoof down, scooping up a clump of earth. She tilted her fetlock to the side, feeling as the sand and sediment poured off of her, dissolving in the wind. Then, once again, everything was desolation and emptiness.

Beyond it all, like a faraway lighthouse, the lavender candle of Yaerfaerda beckoned.

Rainbow Dash shuddered. It took a great deal of struggle, but she turned around and faced west once again. From there, the spires looked like tiny termite minds, decaying in a barren valley.

Nevertheless, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings, lifting herself off and heading towards the first destination her mind thought of: the Royal Palace.

Behind her, the Grand Choke remained, silent, empty, and waiting.

Just a One Mare Sneaking Mission

When Rainbow Dash descended on the layered heights of the Royal Palace, she realized she had a plethora of places to land. So she didn't. Instead, she lowered herself until she was within spitting range of the polished exterior and she glided across the surface. Gazing left and right, she watched for movement, guards, or any hint of green light altogether. She thanked her lucky stars that there was little to no resistance whatsoever at this height. It occurred to her that the Val Roans simply didn't expect infiltration from the air. But, surely with Queen Chrysalis having infiltrated the interior ministry...

Rainbow shook her head. There was no point putting in too much thought. She had to concentrate on the task at hoof, even if she wasn't entirely sure where her hooves were going to be taking her.

By the third revolution she had made around the uppermost elliptical dome of the palace, she finally decided on the boldest entrance. She landed on the very platform where the Royal Monarchy likely made their public addresses. All four hooves touched down on the cold, polished marble. She trembled slightly, green-dyed tail twitching.

Eyes darted about. The balcony and its adjoining corridors were remarkably dark. A sheen of silver starlight glinted off the polished surfaces, but otherwise everything was dull and dim.

All the better. Rainbow snuck deeper and deeper into the heart of the Palace, darting behind one pillar after another. Despite Rainbow's anxious anticipation, she paced herself, taking her sweet time with each hallway and perpendicular corridor that presented itself.

She didn't hear the first hint of noise until she was about two hallways deep in the upper levels of the Palace. Holding her breath, Rainbow climbed up a pillar and clung to the portion of the ceiling where the column connected. From there she gazed silently and upside down at the source of the noise.

A pair of guards trotted by, their antlers a'glow with innate magic. They tilted their heads left and right in opposite directions, shining their swaths of light across tapestries, portraits, and suits of armor.

Rainbow's ruby eyes narrowed. Nevertheless, she clung to the roof like a fuzzy blue bat, shuffling sideways and around the column just seconds before the antler-light could illuminate her figure.

Once the reindeer had passed, Rainbow breathed easier. She touched down in a nimble crouch, cracked the joints in her neck, then crawled stealthily towards the opposite end of the hallway. There, she approached her first door. She tapped it once... twice... then pushed it gingerly. Peering through, she saw torchlight. Kerosene lamps dotted the interior, illuminating a long and dark corridor flanked by many doors. The air was considerably warmer, although stale. She figured that it led deeper into the heart of the palace.

Undaunted, Rainbow slithered on through and trotted lightly across the velvety carpet. Separated from the desert air, she could hear things with greater clarity. Off in the distance, the muffled voices of servants and guards echoed off the ivory palace walls. She took a moment or two to take a mental measure of the acoustics, and she realized that most of the voices were coming from downstairs, probably wafting up through broad stairwells. When Rainbow drew herself deeper into the palace, she realized her guess was accurate. Vertical chambers led to a large hallway down below. She could even see it from a few open balconies. Judging from the arrangement of tapestries and suits of armor, she guessed that the largest hallway was connecting the heart of the palace to an atrium... or perhaps a Royal Throneroom.

"Seen one kingdom, you've seen them all," she muttered to herself, then continued crawling.

As she came upon a bend in the upper hallways loftily flanking the large corridor, she heard a cluster of shuffling hooves... coming closer.

Gritting her teeth, she darted towards the darkest niche, located behind a pillar furthest from the nearby kerosene lamps. Hiding there, she pressed her back against a column and glanced stealthily around its curved edges as a trio of gabbing servants shuffled by.

"...so faithful to the Prince. You just know he made a promise to the King and Queen, God rest their souls."

"God rest their souls."

"If you ask me, he's the greatest thing that could have happened to the House of Evo. The Prince is wise beyond his years, but without Sharp Quill?"

"You've seen how he fosters the deer. He's like a second father."

"It's his duty."

"Still... doesn't stop it from being downright adorable."

"Heeheehee... if the Prince heard you say that--"

"Oh please. His Majesty isn't King for another three days at least. I can still dote on him."

"I bet if you were beheaded, there'd be a smile on your face."

"But still, where would we all be without Sharp Quill?"

"I don't think I'd notice a difference. The buck never needs his laundry taken care of."

"Such a fastidious elk. I guess it shows in everything he does and sets his mind to."

"Almost makes you wish he could be Steward of Val Roa a little while longer."

"Say nothing of the short! Prince Eine will make a wonderful king!"

"Yes, thanks to Sharp Quill... and his handsome eyes."

"Heeheehee..."

"Have you seen them? The richest purple! So exotic... so mysterious..."

"Oh please, now you're just sounding like a school girl."

"Well, these desert nights are cold..."

"Heehee..."

As they passed by, Rainbow Dash stuck her head out. She squinted across the way at the door where the servant ponies had briefly congregated last. With a smirk, she hoof-stepped across the way and tried pushing the doors open.

They refused to budge.

"Darn it," she murmured to herself. Tapping her chin, she gazed up at the tall, tall doors. To the side was a plaque. She tilted her head, reading it in the dim lantern light.

"Secretary Sharp Quill."

"Well, this is it," she muttered. "I can't very well kick the damn doors down."

Her tail flicked left and right.

Rainbow Dash trotted briskly down the hallway, trying every door she found. At last, a door opened. She carefully peered inside. A lavatory resided, its wash basins illuminated by starlight. A chilly open door loomed just a gallop away.

Rainbow glanced back into the hallway. She counted the number of doors between where she was and Sharp Quill's office. Once she had a mental number, she dashed into the lavatory and leapt out the window. On flapping wings, she traced the balconies back, counting her way back to Sharp Quill's office. Lo and behold, there loomed a spacious balcony in open view.

"Bingo..." Rainbow grinned, then touched down.

A Brief Briefing of the Briefing

Tap tap tap.

Mamunia's eyes fluttered.

Tap tap tap tap tappppp.”

She yawned and turned over in her twin-sized bed.

Silence... then...

RATTLE-RATTLE-RATTLE!

“...!” Mamunia sat up with a gasp, clutching the bedsheets. She looked across the foyer, past where Jet slept in deep slumber.

The windows vibrated to a stand-still. A blue shape hovered immediately outside.

Gritting her teeth, Mamunia slid out of bed, trotted briskly to the window, then opened it up. She immediately shivered from the gust of cold, desert air.

“Guhh!” Jet sat up, blinking blearily. “Mamunia, what...?”

Rainbow Dash touched down, tossing her mane back. She looked at both stunned silent mares. “...wake your Duchess.” Her eyes narrowed. “Now.”

“He was... talking to himself?” Duchess Arcanista leaned forward on the edge of her large, plush bed. “The Secretary Sharp Quill?”

“Not exactly...” Rainbow Dash paced back and forth across the Plaza Topaz luxury suite. Ebon Mane sat up straight and alert on a lush couch. Kera leaned against him, dressed in a fluffy nightie and yawning her tattoos off. “It's more like he was talking to somepony...” Rainbow took a deep breath. “And I think we all know who.”

“Mother?” Ebon murmured. He then winced. “Er... I mean Chrysalis?”

“That's what I'm betting.”

“But...” Arcanista's brow furrowed. “I do not understand. I thought the Jury's prevailing theory is that somepony manipulating the Val Roan government may in fact be Chrysalis.”

“And that's still totally the case,” Rainbow said, scuffling to a stop to face Arcanista directly. “But now I think that Sharp Quill is working for her.”

“The Secretary of the Royal Family is working for the changeling queen?” Ebon Mane murmured. “But why? To what end?”

“Maybe she's promised him power,” Rainbow Dash said. “Maybe he'll get the throne while she gets Val Roa, the soul sentries, and everything else.”

“Mmmm...” Kera cuddled tighter against Ebon, nuzzling his side with a sleepy smile across her exhausted face. “Maybe she just wants a pizza...”

Ebon squinted at her. “Are you sleepy or hungry?”

“Mmmmmm... grasshopper leg toppings...”

“Well, I think this confirms it,” Arcanista said.

“Confirms what?” Rainbow Dash asked, rubbing her eyelids tiredly.

The Duchess smiled smugly. “Fishberry. She just has to be the changeling queen.”

“Mmmnnghhh...” Rainbow lowered her hoof, sighing. “I dunno.”

“Isn't it obvious?” Arcanista leaned her head to the side. “She's infiltrated the mess of bureacracy that the High Council had long become and is polluting it to fit her needs!” She gazed at the others. “Fishberry's! The Queen of Shape Shifters!”

“I still haven't seen Fishberry in person,” Rainbow said. “I've no clue if she's just as suspicious as Sharp Quill.”

“But it certainly fits the description of what your dreaded villain does, yes?”

“Chrysalis likes to manipulate kingdoms by seizing what's most corrupt about them, yes,” Ebon said with a nod. “But she's only ever done it before through her brood.”

“Well, then, could that be the case here?” Arcanista stated.

Rainbow Dash looked over. “Could what be the case?”

Arcanista's eyes narrowed. “Could Sharp Quill be one of her changelings?”

Rainbow Dash blinked. She looked over at Ebon.

Ebon Mane gulped. Gradually, he shook his head. “No. I don't believe that for a second.”

“Isn't that rather short-sighted?”

“Madame, if... if Chrysalis had gained that much power again...” Ebon gulped. “If she could control any changelings since the day Rainbow Dash zapped her with harmony, well...”

“Well what?”

Ebon shuffled to the side. Kera slumped to the couch cushions and squinted up at him, pouting.

“I... I couldn't be trusted,” Ebon said. “Because every changeling on this earth would be vulnerable to her control once again.”

“Pfft. Please.” Kera fought a yawn before curling up nose-to-tail. “You're youuuuuuu...”

“I...” Ebon winced. “I-I don't even know sometimes.” He gulped. “My Mother's done far more malicious and tricky things before.”

“Ebon—” Rainbow began.

“There's no telling what new ways she's conjured up to deceive us—even her own children!”

“Dude... chillax.” Rainbow rested a hoof on his shoulder, smiling. “Her power is long gone! Poof! Out of this world, y'hear?”

Ebon shuddered. “It doesn't matter to her, don't you get it?” He looked up with quivering, vulnerable eyes. “Mother's on a quest, Rainbow.” He gulped. “She won't stop at nothing to reunite with Tchern... and wielding an army strong enough to scale the rest of the plane.”

“If there's anything I can guess about your 'Mother,' Ebony, it's that she's a crafty sonuvagun.” Rainbow turned to look at Arcanista. “She won't pull the same trick twice, especially if she knows that the Jury and I are capable of owning her with harmony, just like we did back in Stratopolis.”

“Are you certain of that?”

“I saw the note that was delivered to Sharp Quill,” Rainbow said. “Nilla spread word of 'Princess Kera's' arrival here in Plaza Topaz to Fishberry. I've every reason to believe that Fishberry is in on this just like Sharp Quill. And, somehow, between the two of them, they know that Princess Kera and Ebon aren't real Xonans.”

“My God...” Arcanista grimaced. “Then we've been discovered. Perhaps we should f-fall back!”

“Not necessarily,” Rainbow Dash said. “I'm willing to bet that as much as Chrysalis has done, she's really not all that much in charge of Val Roa. Not yet.”

Ebon shuddered. “The Coronation.”

“Right.” Rainbow nodded. “She's waiting to play her hoof. Our presence here is a thorn in her pawns' side.”

“Her pawns?”

“Fishberry... Sharp Quill...” Rainbow spun about. “They know that somepony's onto them, but they can't do anything about it or else risk exposing where Chrysalis is hiding. So, as it now stands, we've still got an edge. Now we gotta take advantage of it.”

“How?”

“I saw bits and pieces of the letter that was delivered to Sharp Quill,” Rainbow said. “I've got the feeling he's going to be meeting soon with whoever's working for Chrysalis.”

“Did the letter mention a place?” Arcanista leaned forward. “A time?”

“Uhm... yeah...” Rainbow clenched her teeth, pressing her hooves to her skull. “Someplace called... Sh-Shepherd's Rock...”

Arcanista leaned back, ears folding. “You don't say...”

“And something about 'first shine.'” Rainbow lowered her hooves, blinking. “'Tomorrow at first shine.' Yeah. That!” She nodded. “Sharp Quill even said it out loud in his freaky zombie voice!”

“Heeeee...” Kera cooed in her sleep. “Zombie pizza...”

“But...” Ebon fumbled. “What could that possibly mean?”

“I know,” Arcanista said with a smile. “'First Shine' is a Val Roan idiom for 'Twilight.'”

Rainbow shuddered.

“Something the matter?”

“No, just... j-just go on ahead.” Rainbow cleared her throat. “So, when the stars come out over the desert, I guess?”

“Indeed.”

“And what about 'Shepherd's Rock?' Do you know what that is?”

“It's a sacred place of worship located in the church district,” Arcanista said. “It's a place that many orthodox Val Roans make pilgrimages to. Not lately, of course, with how strictly the West Gate has been guarded. The curious thing is that it's never visited after sunset.”

“Oh?”

Arcanista nodded. “It's believed that God only shines His radiance upon the rock while the Sun still shines upon the land. When night falls, the place is off-limits to all Val Roans, worshippers and apostate alike.”

“Heh...” Rainbow Dash smirked. “So Roarke's right... as always.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Er... nothing.” Rainbow Dash waved a hoof. “So... uh... basically, Sharp Quill's being asked in the letter to meet someplace tomorrow night that nopony else is expected to be.”

“Seems like the perfect spot for an illicit meeting to me.” Arcanista smirked knowingly. “I trust that you will be there.”

“So long as I can trust you guys to continue this Xonan diplomat charade from sun-up to sun-down tomorrow,” Rainbow said. “We mustn't let on that we know they're onto us!”

“Whoever 'they' are,” Ebon droned.

Rainbow pointed. “That... I intend to discover tomorrow.” She smiled tiredly. “At 'first shine.'”

“Then might I suggest that my most loyal servant get a full night's rest,” Arcanista said. “What's left of it, that is.” She glanced at Ebon and Kera. “The same goes for you two. I need my ambassadors fully alert and ready to send the High Council for a spin. Knowing Fishberry... or at least who I believe is Fishberry, she's going to want to get this ordeal over with as quickly and unceremoniously as possible. We cannot give her that satisfaction.”

“Understood, madame,” Ebon said, bowing slightly.

“Hrmmm...” Kera rolled over onto her back, kicking at the air with white-laced hooves. “...just let the steam rise. So much cheese...”

Ebon sighed. He slumped Kera over his back and trotted out of the room. “She... uh... she understands too,” he said with a smile.

Arcanista took a deep breath. “Well, all things considered... I'd say our mission is off to a great start!” She nodded towards the corners of the room. “I'll inform my dear brother and the Constable if you wish to alert the Jury, Rainbow.” Silence. The Duchess blinked and looked at the bed. “Rainbow...?”

“Shnorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...” Rainbow Dash lay draped across the bed covers, mouth open wide and drooling.

“... ... ...” Arcanista blinked. With a slight groan, she stood up and tiredly shuffled across the room. “I wonder if Mamunia and Jet mind sharing their cots...”

The Parting of The Roarke Sea

Stars and desert plains. Desert plains and stars.

Zaid's thin eyes followed a narrow ravine that ran west just south of the Val Roan mountain range. It was the only thing drawing his attention. Several times, his head nodded, and his eyes blinked heavier and heavier. He took deep... deep breaths, lungs expanding and contracting in a desperate attempt to wake himself up from the inside out. To the right, the mountains blotted out the starry sky. To the left, a forest of white, petrified trees lingered.

"This would b-be a lot better if I was flippin' flooring it," he muttered. The stallion yawned, then pried his own eyelids open as far wide as he could manage. "For the love of pixies, how Goddess' name does Floydien manage?"

"How does Handsome manage what?"

"Errrrrr..." Zaid flinched, biting his lip. "N-nothing! I-I-I'm not nodding off while trying to fly an airship full of zebras! Nuh uh!"

Props climbed up the rest of the way into the cockpit and squinted at him. "Zaidy Waidyyyyyy... are you fibbing?"

"Uhhhhh..."

"I can tell when you're lying or not. So? Are you? Fess up?"

"If you can tell, then why do you have to ask me?"

"Your eyes have bags under them!" Props squeaked. "And it isn't even the holiday shopping season yet!"

"Look, flying airships is... like... surprisingly boring." Zaid cracked the joins in his neck and sighed. "I bet it'd be more stimulating if I had some rings to fly through."

"No sudden movements, Zaidy Waidy!" Props said. "Even if we weren't zebra-hauling, we're surviving off of one charge of Dashie's harmony juice! Nancy simply can't handle the adorable, black-and-white striped weight it's gained if we have to putter our way to Bountiful on steam!"

"Yeesh, are you trying to give me a motivational speech or an aneuyrism?"

"Awwwww..." Props leaned against the back of the pilot's seat. "Is this job a lot harder than Zaidy volunteered for?"

"I wouldn't call it hard." Zaid fidgeted, eyes blinking tiredly. "More like casually constipated."

"Floydien's simply made of stern shimmer, that's all."

"And what am I? Molded cheddar?"

"Heehee... you're the most qualified out of all of us, silly willy!"

"Even Roarke?"

"I'm sure she'd ram us into the first thing that looked at her funny."

"Heh... that's reassuring."

"You need something to wake you up? Hmmm?" Props leaned in and nuzzled him from behind. She whispered into his ear. "How far up, huh?"

"Duahhhhh..." Zaid began sweating. "I'm pretty sure I'm awake now. Thanks."

"Ohhhh?" Props nuzzled his neck, giggling. "Are you? Are you really?"

"Guh! Yeesh, Blondie!" Zaid wheezed. "I'm already struggling with one flight stick."

"Heeheeheehee..." Props suddenly froze in place, blinking. "...do you hear that buzzing sound?"

"Give me a second for the blood to rush back to my head, and I will."

"No, for realsies." She stood up straight. "It's getting louder."

"What... could it be from the engine?"

"No." Props shook her head. "It's not the kind of sound Nancy's ever made before."

"Uhhhm... maybe something one of the zebras brought on board?"

She chewed on the edge of her lip. "It's... coming from someplace." She glanced about. "No... a direction."

"You mean... from outside?" Zaid fidgeted, then slapped a hoof over a switch.

Schwissssh! The door to the top deck slid open. The desert chill swept into the cockpit, carrying along with it a dull beating noise, like a cyclone or a distant stampede. Props stepped nervously out onto the upper deck. She found herself gazing off the port side, due south. Her blonde eyes traced the rows and rows of dead, pale trees.

Another set of hoofsteps picked up. Booster Spice came out of the stairwell near the stern. "That noise..."

"You hear it as well?" Props asked.

"It's not natural," Booster muttered. "Nothing in Val Roa makes a noise like that."

"Does it sound like anything you've ever heard before?"

Booster blinked through his goggles. He grimaced. "Oh god..."

"What?"

"Where's the sound stone that connects us with Roarke's party?!" Booster scrambled about. "I gotta speak to her!"

Beneath the slowly hovering body of the Noble Jury, the train of zebras plodded along. The families stuck to their wagons, taking turns drawing them. Exhausted muzzles scanned the western landscape as they continued their nocturnal march.

Eagle Eye yawned heavily. He teetered, his legs bending.

A metal hoof leaned him back into a healthy stance.

Bleary-eyed, the unicorn smiled over his shoulder and nodded his head in thanks.

Roarke said nothing, trotting steadily in her glossy suit. Oddly alert, she scanned the horizon ahead of them, then glanced at the precarious edge of the ravine just to their north. On the other side of the trench, mountains stretched tall, scraping the nebulous constellations. Somewhere beyond those obstructions, Rainbow Dash and her group were sneaking across the lap of luxury, running into Goddess-knows-what.

Roarke's nostrils flared inside her helmet. She didn't hear the sound of Booster Spice's voice until the third or fourth hail.

"Snkkkkt! Roarke?! Roarke! Come in! This is an emergency!"

Eagle turned around in mid-trot. "Huh...? That sounds like Booster."

Roarke winced. She raised her forelimb up and spoke into the glowing rock. "This is Roarke. What seems to be the issue?"

"Snkkkt! Roarke... we have a problem... a super huge problem."

Zebras stopped in mid-march, glancing back and blinking worriedly.

Roarke tilter her helmet up towards the Noble Jury. "Is the harmonic charge to the skystone engine failing?"

"No. This is bigger than that. Do you all hear a loud vibration in the air?"

"A loud vibration...?"

Around that point, a nervous murmur rose across the caravan of zebras. To their left, the branches of the petrified trees started shaking, wobbling.

"It's easier to hear from this height. I think something large is coming."

"What kind of 'something large?'"

"Due south. Over the petrified forest."

Roarke spun. Her helmet reflected the gray bodies of parched trees. "I don't see anything."

"Whatever it is, it's coming fast."

"Through the trees?"

"Over them!"

The zebras shifted and shivered, panicking.

Roarke's brow furrowed under her helmet. "I thought the Val Roans didn't possess flight technology."

"Roarke, use that rare head of yours! Just where is the noise coming from?!"

Roarke's lips pursed. "The Cartel..."

"I see something!" Eagle Eye said, squinting through the trees. "Blurring... spinning..." He blinked, his ears folding back. "Propellors. Lots of them."

Roarke snarled. "Get ready!" Cl-Cl-Clak! Miniature rockets protruded from her suit. "Try and spot some weak points--!"

"We're sitting ducks out here! The Noble Jury's holding too much weight!"

Eagle spun. "He's right, Roarke. With just one Harmonic charge..."

"One single sharp maneuver, and we'll drop like a rock!"

"We gotta hide!" Eagle stammered as the beating in the air grew louder and louder. "The Jury! Every zebra!"

As the plateau filled with shrieks, cries, and murmurs, Roarke looked all around. She glanced at the ravine, then at the trees. She took a deep breath. "Everyone!" she shouted, both into the air and into the sound stone. "Drag the wagons into the trees! Booster, patch me into Zaid!"

"Snkkkkt! Moshi moshi!"

"Breeder, now is not the time to joke!"

"Hey, I didn't make this cockpit smell like pee just cuz it's chic! Talk to me, Roarkie, before I chew my own ears off!"

"How're your flight skills in tight locations?"

"...just how tight?"

"Zaid, listen to me carefully..." Roarke looked up as a dull wind kicked up. "For we haven't much time..."

Run Silent, Run Deep, Run Stupid

Steam vented from various pipes inside the Noble Jury's engine room. Zebra families who were using the compartment as shelter flinched and hugged one another. Booster Spice gritted his teeth, twirling a pair of valves and redirecting the pressure.

“She's not handling the rapid descent too well!” Booster spat. “Tell Zaid to ease up!”

“Zaidy Waidy!” Props slapped a hoof over an intercom while she glanced at the flickering tome in its iron cage. “Don't shove Nancy so hard! We'll be worth nothing if we plunge into the earth!”

“Snkkkt! Gimme a break blondie! Do you want us—”

“—hidden from bird's eye view or don't you?!” Zaid clenched his teeth as he tilted the ship down, descending into the narrow ravine. “Things would be a whole lot easier if I had a clue just how soon this thing is gonna be on top of us!”

“Rest easy, chuckle nuts,” spoke Josho as he climbed up the crawlspace, followed by Bellesmith. He pulled the mare up into the cockpit with a helping hoof. “We've got your eyes on the sky right here.”

“Go take a gander, funny girl!” Zaid stammered.

Belle galloped out onto the top deck, bracing herself against the railing as she stared up at the starry sky. A black shape loomed along the southern horizon. “It's coming in slowly! I'm guessing it'll be over the ravine in a minute and a half!”

“Y'hear that?!” Josho exclaimed, leaning against the back of the pilot's seat. “Take it slow and easy! Leave the panicking to Roarke!”

“Roarke!” Belle shouted into a sound stone as the ship descended tightly into the ravine. “How are you and—”

“—Eagle Eye doing up there?!” crackled the stone on the metal mare's armored fetlock.

“We'll be doing it a lot better and faster without having to explain it,” the metal mare grumbled. She pivoted and motioned towards the thick cluster of wagons being shoved towards the trees. “Quickly! Quickly! Every strong mare and stallion should be the ones pushing! Anypony else, don't bother—just run to the trees!”

“Get beneath the shade!” Eagle Eye exclaimed, horn glowing as he directed the nervous zebras beneath the petrified branches. “Squat down low! No talking for as long as it takes for the thing to pass over us!”

“Are th-they going to find us?!” a young stallion stammered. “Will they gut us alive?!”

“Not if I can help it,” Roarke growled through her helmet. “Hey! You!” She pointed at a stalled wagon at the rear. “What's taking you so long?!”

“The wheel's busted!” a striped mare stammered. “She won't budge!”

“Move! Go into the forest!”

“But—”

“Just move!” Roarke galloped over, pressed her shoulders into the wagon, and fired the thrusters in her rear limbs. “Grnnnnngh!”

“Roarke, w-watch it!” Eagle flinched from the excess fumes.

Fwoooooosh! Roarke successfully shoved the wagon—grinding—across the stone plateau and into the mess of wooden trees. A few branches were clipped, shattering to splinters along the arid floor. Within seconds, Roarke tugged a few zebras along with her and squatted low with Eagle Eye.

“Spark alive,” Eagle muttered. “If I only knew that months later I'd be hiding out like in Foxtaur all over again—”

“Shhhh!” Roarke hissed, then lifted her fetlock. “Zaid!” she whispered hoarsely. “Make your breeder ass invisible!” The air shook and thundered from propeller blades. “Now!”

“Snkkkt! I'm ass-stealthing already!”

“Trust me!” Zaid grumbled, then used both hooves to steer the Noble Jury down... down into the ravine. The sound of rattling rocks and crackling stones echoed on either side of the cockpit.

“Easy...” Belle remarked, head darting left and right as she checked the shallow walls of the ravine across the port and starboard. “Eaaaasy...”

“Like slipping on a condom inside a graveyard,” Josho grumbled. “Swear to Ledo—”

“Shhhh!” Zaid sweated. “Don't be making lame jokes during the one occasion that I can't!”

The air grew thin as everypony clenched their teeth, among other body parts. The Noble Jury drifted slightly to the right, and the skystone grazed a swath of stone, jostling the ship. Belle winced while Josho cursed under his breath.

“IgotitIgotitIgotit,” Zaid said, ears folded back as he eased up on the controls.

“Zaidy Waidy, I love you, but ease up on Nancy,” Props murmured.

The door to the Navigation room opened and Pilate strolled in.

“Word from above!” the blind zebra spoke in a hoarse voice. “We're in as deep as Zaid can take us!”

“You hear that, Roarke?” Booster Spice spoke into his sound stone. “We should be hidden now!”

“Snkkkt. Good. Now, for Searo's sake, shut the buck up.”

“Ahem...” Booster nodded. “Everpony stay silent.”

A dull hush fell over the engine room—the entire ship, for that matter. Zebras sat in tight groups, hugging each other, eyes locked on the bulkheads as their ears twitched to a tense beating noise.

Up beyond the cliffside, huddled together, the families and villagers squatted as low as they could, hiding beneath obscured wagons and petrified branches. They glanced up at the starry sky, waiting in tense silence as the dull bass reverberations intensified.

Eagle Eye clung to his shield, biting his lip. Roarke calmly reached a hoof up and tapped the side of her helmet, changing the field of vision within her visor. The stars' illumination brightened to her gaze, just in time to catch the outline of a dark shape crossing the heavens. The propellers were deaffening at this point, and Roarke counted no less than twelve blades—six per side.

The ship was massive, about the size of four Noble Juries bunched up against each other. It didn't hold a candle to the many battleships that the group had encountered back in Ledomare, but it was startling sight for the airspace over Val Roa. As the thing throttled overhead, roaring along at an eerily slow pace, it filled the sky with thick fumes of smoldering steam.

Slowly, Roarke stood up. This caused Eagle to wince. He stood up to protest, but she gestured for him to remain seated. Slithering forward, Roarke propped herself up against a tree to get a better look. As the thing passed on by, she got a glimpse of its stern, and she spotted multiple cannons looming. Tiny bipedal figures stood alongside the weapons, tweaking them and hammering away at the infernal construction even as it scoured the countryside.

Beneath her helmet, the metal mare's blue eyes narrowed.

Inside the engine room, the bulkheads rattled from the intense vibrations of the ship cruising overhead. The slow pace at which the vessel moved only magnified the tension inside the room. Booster Spice and Props fidgeted as the lights began to flicker.

“M-Mamma...” a little colt stammered.

“Shhh...” A zebra mare nuzzled him close, holding him tight. “Just stay quiet a little longer, precious...”

Pilate gulped. “From the sound of things,” he murmured. “We'll be safe in two minutes. Maybe three.” He held a hoof up. “Just... no sudden movements or noises, and we should be fine—”

“Scrkkkkkt!” Props' communications array squawked, whining against the bulkheads. “Hello?! Hello?! Bloody Hell, lass! Where are ye?! Do I have to set the whole hemisphere on fire to get your attention, Propsicle?!”

The zebras blanched at one another.

Booster Spice flinched so hard, his green goggles flew off.

Props bit her lip with her front row of teeth. “Ffffffffffffffffffffffff—”

Suddenly, the black ship hovered to a stop, lingering just above the canyon. Its weapons pivoted as the imps along the top row scampered left and right, shouting towards one another.

“Uhhhhh...” Eagle shuffled over to Roarke's side. “That's... that's not a good thing...” He gulped. “Tell me that's not a good thing, Roarke.”

Roarke droned, “That's not a good thing, Roarke.”

One Brand of Loyalty or Another

“Roarke, they've stopped,” Eagle Eye hissed, shivering beside the dozens of crouching zebras betwixt the trees. “It looks like they've come to a stop for a reason, Roarke.”

“I'm quite aware of that, breeder!” Roarke gnashed her teeth. Ice blue eyes locked on the flying fortress overhead, she snaked her hoof to her mouth and spoke into the sound stone. “Zaid, report,” she muttered. “What in Searo's womb is going on out there?”

“Snkkkkt... is it just one of life's little ironies that I'm stuck with ponies who are obsessed with uterus metaphors?!”

“I'm serious. What's going on—”

“—over there?!”

Zaid craned his neck to look up through the windshield of the Noble Jury's cockpit. All he could make out was the slicing of propellers against a starry sky. Bellesmith leaned against the back of his seat, chewing on a yellow hoof.

“We're quieter than mice in afterglow, Roarke,” Zaid said. “Even if all of the zebras on board started screaming like Radiohoof fans, I doubt the freaks on that flying battleship would hear us!”

“You're not helping much, ya freakin' cicada,” Josho belched.

“Perhaps it's the sound stone chatter,” Belle remarked, hushedly. “Could they be picking up you and Roarke and the others?”

“I dunno, girl. Not even the Xonans could pick up our sound stone communication back west.” Zaid's eyes narrowed. “But... but if it was something stronger.”

Belle gasped. “Props' array!”

“Ew, Belle. Blondie is a lady. She'd never spread for goblins.”

Thwack! Josho slapped the back of Zaid's head. “She means her communications array, you turd biscuit!”

“Guh...” Zaid rubbed his scalp. “Belle, I need to borrow your husband's plate one of these days.”

“Try calling her!”

“Yeesh. I'm a ladies' stallion all of the sudden.” He squawked into the intercom. “'Yello, Blondie. You there?”

Nothing but static.

“Hey! Reponyzel! Let down your hair and answer me!”

More static.

“She can't hear me for some reason...”

“Probably because Rainbow or somepony else is hailing us through the communications array!” Belle exclaimed, already shimmying down the crawlspace. “And the Cartel's picking us up! I gotta go stop her!”

“Be quick about it!” Zaid squeaked, shivering as he saw the battleship high above pivoting slowly. “I kind of sort of wanna live to get over the hill and then wonder why I didn't die earlier!”

“It's coming about!” one zebra murmured against the tree trunks. “It's going to find us all and kill us!”

“Shhhhh!” Eagle Eye frowned. “We're going to be okay! Just stay quiet!”

“We shouldn't have come this far,” another zebra wept. “We should have just stayed in the village where we were!”

“And what?! Burn alive?! Turn into slaves?!” Eagle hissed. “The Cartel would have found you one way or another! Right here and now, we have a chance!”

“Some chance! It's going to snoop us out!”

“No it's not!” Eagle turned. “Now, listen to me... I want you to lay low and keep quiet. If something goes wrong, the Jury and I will take care of it!”

“How...?!”

“We've been through worst straits before! Come on! Are you zebras?! Or ostriches that someone threw a bunch of black and white paint over?!”

All the while, Roarke was narrowing her eyes on the vessel above. As it gradually lowered towards the canyon, she crept forward, one hoof at a time. A deep breath filtered through the metal mare's nostrils, and she flicked her rear legs. Clak-clak! Tiny compartments opened along her armor's exoskeleton.

Booster Spice and the zebras shuffled nervously, their eyes locked on Props and the communications array.

“Have you any bloody idea how long I've been tryin' to get in contact with ye, lass?! I've used up about half the juice in the Tarkington just shimmering away at this blasted sound stone system! I almost thought it was broken!”

“And I'm really really super sorry about that, Uncky Prowsy!” the mare squeaked. “But now's a really... really bad time to be chatting it up over this thingy!”

“Pffft! And when is it ever a good time, Propsicle?! I swear, you're harder catch up with than half my dead marefriends! Do you wanna meet up in Val Roa or don't you?!”

“Yes, but... it's complicated!” Props yelped. “Rainbow's off in the capital city on a secret sneaking mission, the Noble Jury's in charge of a bunch of innocent zebras, and right now you're giving us away to a flying goblin death machine who's flying directly overhead!”

“Didja say goblin?”

“Yup yup yup!”

“Bugger all! I'd better leave you alone, then! Them freakish imps mean business!”

“And they're about to rub our noses in their business!”

Just then, Belle galloped into the room. “Props! For Sparks' sake! Shut that off! We'll be found!”

“She's just about to, beloved,” Pilate said.

“GAH!” Belle jumped aside, holding a hoof over her heart.

Pilate smiled awkwardly. “My apologies. I know I must sound like a haunting voice coming out of a sea of monochrome.”

“It's... quite alright...” Belle gulped, turning towards the blonde once more. “Propsyyyyyyyy?”

“Right!” Props leaned her muzzle into the microphone. “I gotta shut this off, Uncky Propsy! I got the frequency memorized! I'll call you back when we're safely out of this mess!”

“Smashing! Just know that we're headed over as quickly as we can!”

“'We?'”

“Hellz yeah! Lasairfion's sent her finest! Seclorum rounded up a few elite flank-kickers! And, on top of that, Arcshod and I stumbled upon some ponies who I really think you bloomin' lot will—”

“Yeah yeah that's nice Uncky Prowsy okay thanks bye!” THWAP! Props slapped the array shut. The entire engine room resonated with the bass hum of the apparatus shutting down.

The zebras' eyes scanned the ceiling.

One mare murmured, “Did it work? Are we invisible again?”

Through the silence, they could hear the beating noise of the battleship just lingering overhead.

“If not...” Booster Spice gulped. “...I'll at least get to die the way I've always wanted. Warm, snuggly, and surrounded by black and white fuzz.”

Props bit her lip.

Belle and Pilate hugged each other.

The propellers grew louder... louder.

Zaid gritted his teeth, staring up through the windshield.

The Cartel's airship linger... lingered.... and then...

Fw-Fw-Fw-Fwoosh! The propellers spun faster, elevating it up and beyond earshot of the canyon. Growing distant among the stars, the vessel pivoted about, and continued its chugging parth north, beyond the ravine.

At last, the sound of propellers faded. Zaid sighed with relief, slumping back in his seat. In the corner of the cockpit, Josho finally opened his eyes, blinked at the starry sky beyond the top deck, and slumped back against the bulkheads with a much-needed exhale.

Inside the engine room, the zebras murmured in relief. Families hugged each other while the foals giggled and cheered.

Props wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled back at Booster Spice.

Belle and Pilate shuddered. They smiled and nuzzled one another.

One by one, the crouching zebras stood up and trotted out of the petrified tree line. The air was ripe with cheer and ecstasy.

“Heh... see?!” Eagle Eye grinned. “What'd I tell ya?!” He turned and grinned at the various equines. “Just a little bit of patience and faith, huh?! Never hurt anypony... well aside from members of the Herald.”

Slowly, the Noble Jury rose out of the canyon.

“Well, would you look at that?” Eagle smiled. “She's beautiful even when she doesn't rain death down upon goblins, eh, Roarke?”

Silence.

The stallion blinked. With a flounce of his violet mane, he spun about. “Roarke...?”

There was no sign of the metal mare.

Fidgeting, the stallion raised his sound stone to his lips. “Uhhhhh... Roarke? Where did you go, girl?!”

“Snkkkkt. I'm quite fine, Eagle Eye,” Roarke's voice said, though there was noisy interference in the background. “I'm sorry, but I had to leave you.”

“Roarke?!” Eagle Eye groaned. “The next time you decide to fly on board the Noble Jury, just tell me next time, alright?!”

“Scrkkkt—I'm not on board the Noble Jury.”

Eagle Eye blinked. His ears drooped as his pupils shrank. “Don't tell me...”

“These goblins are headed somewhere with a dark intent...”

Roarke's thrusters cooled down as she clung to the underbelly of the massive, rusted vessel. Above her, a propeller spun massively, chopping the air with its serrated blades.

“...and I owe it to the mission to find out why.”

“Roarke, you're insane! If Rainbow Dash finds out where you are—”

“For all I know, I might run into her.” Roarke took a deep breath. “Eagle Eye, I believe there's a connection between these goblins and what's happening in Val Roa.”

“How do you know that?! They're idiots! They built a giant ugly airship just to get shot down by the Val Roans' soul sentries! You're on a suicide mission!”

“Unless somedeer in Val Roa intends to open the blockade for the Cartel.”

Eagle's eyes blinked, locked on the northern sky.

“But... b-but that's...”

“Scrkkkt—Think about it. It's a gamble we can't afford not to make. I'll be fine. I've held my own against worse odds before.”

“But... but...”

“Rainbow Dash is on her mission, now I'm on mine. She'll have to understand. It's in everypony's best interest.”

“What are we supposed to do in the meantime?!”

“Simple. Head west to Bountiful. Make sure the zebras get there safe. If Rainbow Dash contacts you, do whatever she says. Meanwhile, I'll fill you all in on what I discover about the Cartel.”

“She's... she's not going to like this, you know.”

“Come again?”

“Rainbow Dash.” Eagle Eye gulped and shivered. “She's going to flip her little pony poop over this.”

“I would certainly hope so. She's got her brand of loyalty, and I've got mine.”

“Boy, is that an understatement and a half.”

“I must perform radio silence. Best wishes to the Jury. I'll see you later.”

“Yeah?!” Eagle Eye frowned. “And in how many pieces?!”

“Be calm and dream of Ebon Mane, Eagle Eye. Roarke Out. Scrkkk!”

“Guhhhhhh...” Eagle Eye's whole body deflated. “What is it with bravery and stupidity running hoof and hoof?!”

In Case You Forgot the Name

Even when it was thousands upon countless thousands of miles away, the Yaerfaerda symbol burned with a flickering lavender brilliance. It pierced the mountains and valleys as it receded beyond the curve of the plane.

“FOAL.”

The heavens rippled.

The earth shook.

“YESTERDAY.”

Rainbow Dash twirled amongst the cosmos. A heated wind blew at her from all angles. She could no longer tell east from west.

“What is it?!” she hollered into the desolate constellations beyond. No matter how swiftly she beat her wings, the symbol only grew more and more distant. “What do you want from me?!”

Her voice was gobbled up by an enormous rush of noise and thunder. Explosions rocked in the distances, sundering the horizon in several places.

“Why can't you just tell me?!” she screamed, eyes tearing.

“FOAL.”

Yaerfaerda descended from view. The earth split, and a wave of pale ash bathed the plane.

“YESTERDAY.”

Rainbow Dash screamed as she was overwhelmed by the skin-searing heat cloud.

“Nghh-Aaaaugh!” She sat up in the plush bed, pale and sweating. Her forehead glinted with a slick sheen.

The world flickered red and yellow... or maybe it was just her eyes.

Clenching her teeth, Rainbow Dash held her hooves over her face. She moaned for several long seconds, then sat in place, shivering and heaving.

She tried climbing out of bed, only to collapse with a grunt. Beating her wings, she made her way to the far end of the suite. Dizziness overcame her, and she had to crawl her way up to a table with a basin resting beneath a mirror. Reaching her hooves in, she splashed cold water over her face, then clenched the table—hunched over—as she waited for the dizziness to pass.

Her ears flicked, as if echoing the enormous vibrations of a cosmic cataclysm deep in the ether between worlds. When she opened her eyes, she saw a tiny pinprick of lavender light. Yaefaerda loomed beyond walls, beyond planes, beyond all barriers...

Waiting....

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. She blinked several times. When her eyes came into focus, she became aware of a large brown figure standing gracefully in the mirror's reflection.

Rainbow clenched her jaw tight.

Softly, Duchess Arcanista spoke, “Nightmares?”

Rainbow shuddered. “S-something like that... sure... yeah...”

“Enough to make you dizzy and weak?”

“... ... ...” Rainbow bit her lip.

“You're bleeding.”

“I... I'm...” Rainbow reached a hoof up to her forhead, only to wince from a sharp pain. Two fresh welts lingered under her skin. Seething, she dunked her head in the basin and splashed the red stains away.

Arcanista strolled closer, one hoof at a time. “It won't do to have such conspicuous scars on your head when you play the part of my servant—”

“Mmmff... no... n-no, it'll...” Rainbow sighed as she leaned up again, slicking her bangs back and staring at her sopping wet reflection. “It'll go away soon.”

“It will?”

“Yeah...” Trembling, she rubbed her chin and shuddered. “Always does.”

Arcanista slowly nodded. “You know...” She side-stepped until her eyes met the pegasus'. “You've never quite fully disclosed the nature of your magical predicament to me.”

Rainbow gulped, face dripping with moisture. “And I-I don't have to.”

“Truly? You think so?” Arcanista raised an eyebrow. “Because it won't benefit anypony for you to die on this mission.”

“I won't die on this mission, Your Honor.”

“But you are dying?”

Rainbow Dash took a long, deep breath. “...yes.”

Arcanista's brow furrowed. “Your companions know this?”

Rainbow slowly, hesitantly nodded.

“And yet they've followed you this far.” She leaned back on her haunches, staring at the little pony. “That's a rare kind of devotion. You must love them all quite dearly.”

“Yes, well...” Rainbow Dash clenched her jaw. “They can't follow me forever.”

The Duchess leaned her head curiously to the side.

“Duchess, when all of th-this is said and done, there may come a moment when I'll need you to...” Rainbow's voice trailed off. She tilted her head up with widening eyes.

Morning light drifted through the lush bedroom windows.

She spun and gawked at Arcanista. “Wh-what time is it?!”

Arcanista smiled gently. “Time to get dressed, my little pony.”

“Oh Constable...!”

Floydien looked up from a bowl full of noodles. He blinked, standing up briskly.

From across the sun-lit courtyard beneath the Plaza Topaz, Duchess Arcanista, “Princess Kera Tin Mehjj,” the “Xonan Advisor,” and three plainly-dressed servants could be seen trotting briskly towards the double wagons. The regally-gowned elk approached the tall, hairy moose.

“Nilla here has graciously arranged for us to make our way, unimpeded, to the High Council Building,” the Duchess said. “We have an early speech for the Xonan Monarch to make, and we do not wish to be late.”

“Yes!” The gazelle in question hobbled up with a frazzled expression. “I-I've arranged for an escort!” Nilla stammered, trying to smile evenly. “I've been promised a clear path to the heart of the Sandstone District!”

“Well hot damning dalmatians!” Jake cracked his moose joints and bore a drool-stained grin. “'Bout time we got this diplomatic show on the road! Am I right or am I rotten?!”

“Constable...” Arcanista smirked. “A bit of civility, please.”

“Pfft! You kidding?! My middle name is civil!” Jake winked. “Right next to my other middle name, which is 'Chipmunk Pounder!' Sometimes 'Larry!'” He scooped his hoof up under Nilla's rump. “Hold onto your horns, sassafras!” And he TOSSED her into the wagon.

“Yaaaaaaa—” Nilla collided with something only slightly soft inside. “Ooof!”

Jake turned towards Ebon, but the tattooed stallion was waving his hoof. “I will assist the Princess, th-thank you...” He held Kera's hoof as he helped her up into the wagon. Arcanista climbed in next while Floydien unhitched the coach from the supply cart, joining the others.

At last, the three pony mares climbed in. Last to enter was Rainbow Dash. She lingered on the steps, gazing at the polished lengths of Val Roa. The Capital City was a great deal brighter than she expected during the daytime, and she had to squint from the sheer glare of the sunlight off the bronze and copper surfaces. At last, she spotted the gate leading out of Plaza Topaz. It was flanked by a thick phalanx of deer, all with neutral expressions and flickering green eyes. All of the sudden, no less than four of the Soul Sentries jerked about and stared back at her.

Rainbow Dash winced. She clung to the velvet curtains of the wagon's entrance, shivering for some reason. All it took was one dull glance from Floydien, and she held her breath, ducked inside, and folded the curtains shut behind her. Some moose made an obnoxious crow-caw, and the coach rattled on its way towards the High Council Building.

Metal Mare Solid: The Peace Roarker

Steam billowed across the rusted edges of the goblin battleship. Below, an arid landscape stretched under a pale morning glow. Beads of moisture clung to the stained metal surfaces, eventually evaporating with assistance of the artificial wind being kicked up by the roaring propeller blades.

Slowly, a glossy black helmet rose up into view from beyond the outer railing's edge. Its polished surfaces reflected imp bodies scurrying around on imp legs. The air was ripe with angry barks and venomous curse words as the creatures fussed and struggled with an array of leaking steam pipes.

One metal hoof at a time, Roarke snaked her way up onto the port side of the chugging vessel. Wispy clouds broke upon the distant bow, disentegrating into ethereal ribbons that licked at the goblins' wobbling ears.

“No no no! You turn the wrench clockwise to tighten pipes, ya moron!”

“Since when?!”

“Since Haman said so, that's when!”

“Dammit! It's leaking again!”

“It's all leaking! Be specific!”

“Rrrgh... glob-sucking Hell! We really weren't ready to cast this friggin' thing off!”

“So what?! Anything disagrees with us, we can blow it out of the sky!”

“Even the Jury?!”

“Tchh... Screw the jury! They ain't nothing to goblin flak!”

“I'm telling you... this thing is falling apart!”

“Shut up and stabilize it already!” One goblin snapped at another. Both closely working imps were oblivious to the Searonese stowaway sneaking closely behind... and past them. “So long as we make it to the rendezvous point, it's all frostbeams!”

“Without the lizard's skystone, this is just a hunk'o'junk!”

“Yeah, well, this hunk'o'junk is going to go down in history as the Cartel's penultimate bread winner! Now shut your yap! I'm trying to concentrate!”

Just past the goblin pair, Roarke found a grimy set of stairs leading down into the dark, seedy belly of the craft. She scurried down in a instant like a living shadow.

Noiseless.

Kera stood up on her hindquarters, peaking through the wagon's jostling window.

Through the sun-lit slit, she spotted glowing antlers, along with glowing eyes. The Soul Sentries' vacant faces stared straight ahead as they trotted vigilantly alongside the Duchess' wagon. At the slightest hint of a pedestrian trotting too near to the wagons, the antlers shimmered with emerald embers. A mutual gasp rolled through the cloud, and the gawking onlookers of Val Roa shrunk back to the curved sidewalks.

“Something strike you as curious, Your Majesty?” Nilla remarked with a smile.

Kera squatted back down with a ruffle of her skirts. “Erm...” She chewed on her lip. “Eh... S'lanna... uhm... Xerox melatonin calcucorn...”

Nilla blinked at her, then turned to look at Ebon.

Ebon glanced up, ears twitching.

Nilla stared at him. Arcanista, Rainbow Dash, and the two servants stared at him.

“Oh! Uhm...” The changeling fidgeted, keeping his head straight so that his “horn” wouldn't fall off. “Her Majesty, Princess Kera Tin Mehjj Xon-Nagu'n, is... intrigued by the manner in which you're presently securing the safe passage of her entourage.”

“Well, if she's concerned, she needn't be.” The gazelle smiled. “Soul Sentries are certainly a jarring sight to anypony not native to Val Roa proper. But, rest assured, they're the absolute most trustworthy form of protection she can have on her side.”

Rainbow Dash glanced across the wagon.

“It's simply that they seem so...” Ebon cleared his throat. “...detached.”

“A necessary sacrifice for the duty they have sworn to uphold,” Nilla said. “Their hearts and minds are focused completely on channeling mana to the Val Roan cause.”

“So... they're essentially tools?” Ebon asked. “Living weapons?”

“That's a rather gross analogy, but there is truth to it,” Nilla said. She smiled. “Don't be afraid. So long as they are under the close command of Val Roan officers, they will not cause any undue harm.”

“And what if those officers ask the Soul Sentries to attack the public?” Rainbow Dash's voice cracked.

Nilla gave her a double-take.

Ebon's eyes shifted about, as did Kera's.

Nilla's jaw hung open. “That...” She blinked. “...would be impossible, ma'am.”

Arcanista cleared her throat. “Some creatures are more adept than others at knowing their place.” With that, she glared Rainbow's way.

The pegasus winced, tucking her green-dyed threads deeper beneath her hood. “Yes, Madame. I'm sorry, Madame.” She glanced aside at Mamunia and Jet.

The two servants weren't looking at her.

Exhaling through her nostrils, Rainbow gazed beyond the flanks of Jake and Floydien outside. In the distance, like a fluttering lantern bug, the Yaefaerda symbol danced. She bit her lip.

Steam rose through the grates between rusted bulkheads. Like a lion prowling through the mists, Roarke emerged from the shadows, piercing her way into the foggy haze of the battleship's engine room. To her left and right, gigantic and unsafe pistons undulated within their chassis. Giant levers sliced at the air, and parts of the wall beneath their lumbering metal branches were permanently stained with goblin blood.

Roarke strolled past all of this. She hid once or twice beneath tool benches to avoid a disgruntled group of imps rushing from one station to another in the steamy belly of the hovering beast. Gradually, she made her way to the far end of the engine room. A series of steep steps led up to what turned out to be the navigation room.

Climbing her way into where it was less steamy, Roarke approached a series of tables. She raised a hoof to her helmet, opening the front so that her naked muzzle and eyes were exposed. Squinting, she spotted a series of blueprints. Without much delay, Roarke's expert gaze detected a pattern. The centermost design matched the ship she was on to a T. However, two other blueprints showed radically different models altogether. Every illustrated craft had large crystalline chassis, resembling skystone.

“So there are three of them...”

She clenched her jaw.

“If I'm on one of them... then where are the other two?”

Foosteps... followed by cussing breaths.

Roarke held her breath, ducked back into the steam, and made herself scarce.

Along the top row of the majestic steps leading into the heart of the High Council Building, Chancellor Fishberry stood, adjusting the top of her blouse with fidgeting hooves. Below her, various groups of well-dressed deer and elk strolled up the steps. Some were in pairs, chatting closely. Others lingered in loose clusters, glaring at the others with wrinkled, distrustring expressions. All the while, armored reindeer with dimly glowing antlers stood along the fringes, ever vigilant.

A secretary stood beside Fishberry on the top step before the spacious marble archways that separated the inner Council Building from the sun-glinting vistas of the Val Roan courtyards. She scribbled onto a clipboard while muttering out the side of her muzzle, “Not a very lively crowd this morning, Chancellor.”

“Yes, well, that's what happens when the Council is brought to session two hours earlier than normal.” She sighed. “There hasn't been a foreign dignitary visiting Val Roa's capital in nearly three years. Why now?”

“Perhaps they want a first seat to the coronation.”

“They'll have the first seat on the wagon out of here, if I can have anything to do with it.”

“Rumor is, it's the Princess of a warrior race.” The secretary smiled. “Unicorns with tattoos and a serpent god.”

Fishberry sighed long and hard. “I'll remember to thank Nilla for being 'tight-lipped.'” She grumbled. “As usual...”

“Oooh!” The secretary pointed. “Here they come!”

“Hmmm...” Fishberry bit her lip, frowning. “Looks like the Duchess of Sehlp brought her trusted moose meat.”

“Who's that handsome fellow beside him?”

“Funny...” Fishberry narrowed her orange eyes. “That shade of brown to his coat. Seems awfully familiar...”

“Heh... who ever heard of a buck without antlers. No wonder he's stuck doing something so lowly as wagon duty, eh, Chancellor?”

Fishberry took a deep breath. “That's enough talking. For now...” Her fuzzy features curved into a sickeningly sweet grin as she stood tall. “...nothing but smiles.”

WHAM! A goblin swung his wrench against another imp's skull. As the victim twitched and bled against the bulkheads, the one with the bludgeon leered above him. “I said tighten the rivets on Floor B! Not C! How the Hell else do you think we're gonna get to the meeting in one piece?!”

The throttled imp could only gurgle on his own blood and teeth.

“Nnnngh!” The goblin kicked him in the side, unaware of a dark figure slinking behind him in the steam. “I'm sick and tired of having to draft this worthless peasant scum!” He spat on the bleeding imp's face. “Haman better pull this through, or I swear to God, I'm joining the Lounge!”

Far away, Roarke cleared the stairwell leading to the top deck. There, she lingered, catching a breath of fresh air while her suit vented all of the collected steam.

It was then that she noticed something in the clouds immediately surrounding them. A slight green sheen reflected off the bottoms of the wispy beds.

Daringly, Roarke trotted out onto the open deck, peering over the starboard railing completely.

Down below, she saw a line of dotted figures, each glowing with emerald energy. The crest of the Val Roan mountains were guarded closely by a solid row of encampments, each stationed by a reindeer with vibrant emerald antlers. Within seconds, the goblin battleship would be flying over the Sentries' skulls.

Roarke gritted her teeth, clutching the rusted bar closest to her.

Seconds passed. A minute. Two minutes. Soon enough, it was clear to Roarke that the battleship had passed over the dim green line. Not a single pulse of mana was thrown their way. The battleship flew on, unimpeded.

“Hmmm...” Roarke raised a hoof to her helmet and slapped it shut. Clakka-Clak! “Fascinating...”

And she drifted back into the shadows.

Beware of Passive Aggressive Deer Crossing

Secretary Sharp Quill stood in his office, seated sideways before his desk. He stared straight out the sun-bright balcony, his purple eyes still and unmoving.

Behind him, the door opened slightly ajar. A tiny, petite figure shuffled through. With a pensive gaze, Prince Eine stuck his head through the room. He spotted Sharp Quill's shape from afar. Gulping, the little prince trotted through the door, closed it behind him, and approached the desk.

“Uhm... Sharp Quill?”

The elk did not budge an inch.

“Sharp Quill?” Eine shuffled to a stop. He cleared his throat, raising a cloven hoof. “Secretary...”

“...!” Sharp Quill's head jerked towards the prince.

Eine gasped and hobbled back, trembling.

“... ... ...” Sharp Quill blinked. “...Your Highness.” He stood up from the chair and bowed low. “Please forgive me. I did not realize that I was in your presence, my liege.”

Eine smiled tenderly and nudged Sharp Quill's shoulder with a hoof. “It is quite fine, Secretary. I know how deep you can get in your wise thoughts.”

“I was simply contemplating the best measures for coordinating security with General Saikano during the upcoming Coronation.”

“And I appreciate your forethought.”

“May I ask why you did not bring a servant to announce your presence, Your Highness?”

Eine blinked. He smiled bashfully. “I... I-I never thought I still had to do that with you, Sharp Quill.”

“Mmmm...” Sharp Quill smiled gently. “But of course, fair Prince.” He took a breath. “Your father and mother never cared much for pretense either.”

The fawn's ears pulled back at the mention of them. He bit his lip and gazed aside.

“Does something... trouble you, Your Majesty?”

“I... I-I've been following through with all of the tasks laid out for me in preparation for the coronation,” Eine said. “In fact, I have practiced my words and traditional gestures through and through... to the point of redundancy.”

“Most ceremonial procedures are, dear Prince,” Sharp Quill said with a smile.

“But... but I find myself feeling as if... as if I am wasting time, Secretary.” Eine fidgeted where he stood. “In less than seventy-two hours, I will be King... King of Val Roa.” He shuddered slightly, choosing to stroll towards the balcony looming over the regal spires of the capital's north side. “And with all of the preparation for the coronation procedures, I feel as if something is lacking...”

“In what way?”

“I-I feel as if I should know more,” Eine said, breathily. “I feel as if more is required of me in order to rule in my parents' stead.”

“Wisdom doesn't come overnight, my Prince,” Sharp Quill said, trotting towards him. “It is predominantly learned with experience.”

“Yes, and experience is something my father and mother had plenty of.” Eine frowned, his ears twitching in the desert breeze. “But as for myself? I have been thrust upon this task, and I fear that I do not have the tenacity to bear the weight of what comes with being ruler of this land.”

“That is to be expected, my Liege.” Sharp Quill slowly trotted towards the fawn as he stood on the edge of the balcony. “And... as I stated before... if you feel uncertain as to your own innate strengths...” He reached a hoof out and gently laid it on the fawn's side. “...I will be there with you every step of the way.”

“I'm aware of that, Secretary.”

Sharp Quill smiled. “You can rely on my guidance at any time, so long as I live.”

“But you must understand! I don't want to have to rely on it!”

Sharp Quill raised an eyebrow.

“N-not forever!” Eine twirled about. “I know you have been terribly busy with preparing my Coronation as of late, but would it be possible to find some time to tutor me on the proper procedures for meeting with the High Council?”

“Nothing would please me more, Your Highness,” Sharp Quill said with a smile. He shook his head. “But your Age of Ascension looms, and there simply hasn't been much time. The Royal Archives—”

“I've been reading all of the treatises and rule books that my forbearers bequeathed me,” Eine exclaimed, pacing. “And as much as I've learned, it still isn't enough! I need examples and practice sessions! Or... an actual meeting!” Eine twirled about. “You could set up an appointment with the Council, could you not?”

“Your Highness...”

“Even if for one moment between now and the Coronation?” Eine smiled hopefully. “I wish to show my strong intent to govern reasonably, at least!”

“I would not advise it, my Prince,” Sharp Quill said. “Time is of the essence, and if one simple thing goes wrong with the Coronation, then it could make a disastorous mark on your ascension to power.”

“But—”

“The eyes of all Val Roa is upon you. And that goes without mentioning the neighboring kingdoms who look upon our civilization as an example of monarchal divinity.”

“I... I-I understand that, Secretary. But...”

“It is natural to be concerned about the forthcoming events. But trust me. Everything will be fine.” Sharp Quill smiled, resting a gentle hoof on the Prince's shoulder. “You will make a fine King, Your Majesty, one whom your parents will be proud of. I promised them to look after you, and that goes after your kingdom and your legacy as well.”

Eine blinked. With a sigh, he hung his head. “And I am m-most thankful for that, Secretary.”

“Of that, I have no doubt.” Sharp Quill quietly led Eine back to the door. “Now... why don't you go over those ceremonial gestures one last time. Then perhaps this evening, if I can find the time, I'll go over a rudimentary outline of the traditional Royal Council Review. Would that be most satisfactory?”

“Yes. Indeed.”

“Now I must continue my preparations. You need not worry about the Coronation, Your Highness. I shall make sure that everything goes according to plan.”

Eine smiled, nodding as he backed out of the room. “You are best at planning, Sharp Quill.” He turned to leave, but hesitated slightly. Pivoting, he glanced back into the office.

Sharp Quill sat at the desk, turned towards the balcony... and remained still.

“... ... ...” Gulping a lump down his throat, Eine closed the ornate doors gently behind him.

“You mustn't let the majesty of the West Gate and the surrounding mountains fool you.” Chancellor Fishberry smiled as she trotted along. She and a few other delegates flanked Arcanista's entourage as they strolled down a bricklaid path leading straight through an indoor garden within the Council Building. Water fountains trickled on either side of them while desert scarab beetles clung to the petrified bark of ancient horticulture. “Val Roa is completely open to the the exchange of goods and cultural ideals with our neighboring kingdoms and beyond. It's just that, as of late, we've been preparing for the new King's royal coronation, and... eheheh... I'm certain you can appreciate the need for intense security in that matter.”

Kera trotted at the head of the group, her head tilted up high. “Hmmph.” Her emerald locks flowed from a desert breeze wafting through an open skylight above. “Mala'siutshem rehkkarn'm sala'thulasem nessul thriulem.”

Ebon Mane cleared his throat. “Her Majesty says that a good kingdom is a strong kingdom.” He turned his tattooed face aside, smiling. “Preserving the Monarchy takes precedent.”

“I'm glad that we are in agreement.” Fishberry grinned as she led the grup towards the edge of the garden. “As Chancellor of the Val Roan High Council, it is my task to facilitate political fluidity between the national populace and the Monarchal Family itself. We protect the Prince—soon to be King—by protecting his subjects and their mutual interests.”

Arcanista snorted audibly.

Fishberry's eyes darted over, though she didn't lose her smile. “Are you coming down with something, Duchess? These gardens have been known to agitate the allergies of those who have been away from the Val Roan capital in a while.”

“Oh, don't mind me, Chancellor.” Arcanista smiled back. “I could have sworn for a moment there that I smelled something rotting.”

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth. She glanced aside at Ebon.

Ebon cleared his throat. “Tell us, Chancellor... ehhh... will the Prince be attending this Council Meeting?”

“Oh, I'm afraid not, ambassador.” Fishberry sadly shook her head. “He is far too caught up in his peparations for the upcoming Coronation in two days.”

“That soon?”

“Indeed.” Fishberry nodded. “However, for the banquet to follow today's meeting, I'll be sure to have my trusted secretary record any messages you would like to have delivered personally to His Majesty. I'm sure he would be honored to read them.” She turned and smiled at Kera. “And he would be most honored to have you attend his ceremony as well!”

Kera stared off, her green eyes wide.

Fishberry blinked. “...Your Highness?”

“Duaaaaah...” Kera started to drool, her gazed locked on a large cricket that was hopping from branch to thorny branch amidst the flora beside her.

Ebon Mane gulped and blurted: “Honorable Princess—”

“Uhhh—Dr-Dreit!” Kera jolted in place, clenching her teeth. “I am... uh... Hakuna viktu ka'plah jor'el lok'tar bombad x'hal!” She cleared her throat and struck a haughty pose. “...Xon-Nagu'n.”

Fishberry and her dignitaries stared at Kera, then at Ebon.

Ebon's pupils shrank.

Kera frowned and swatted him with a dainty leg.

“Yes!” Ebon grinned wide, his body stiffening. “Yes. Her Majesty Princess Kera Tin Mehjj accepts your invitation! And she wishes His Highness the Prince the best health and prosperity!” He smiled, twitching. “...blessed by Nagu'n!”

Fishberry leaned back with a tiny smile. “Quite the dense language, this Xonan.” She took a breath. “Where did you say your kingom lies?”

“To the far west,” Ebon said. “Beyond the Frozen Wastes.”

“There's rumor of much strife and hostility in that continent,” Fishberry said. “It must be terribly taxing for a kingdom residing there.”

“Oh, dreit... dreit.”

“I would certainly hope that the Princess' presence here is not compromising your nation's security in a time of dire need.”

“Dre—...” Ebon blinked. “Er... I beg your pardon, Chancellor?”

Arcanista stepped forward. “You rely too much on rumor, Fishberry,” she said. “That 'strife' and 'hostility' you speak of has come to an end.”

“Has it?” Fishberry grinned. “And did you, dear Duchess, summon the Xonans yourself as soon as you caught word of the political stability from beyond the Wastes?”

“No, as a matter of fact, these esteemed ambassadors came upon Bountiful on their own, and the House of Sehlp was the only representative willing to lend them a hoof since they arrived from Alafreo.”

“Is that so?” Fishberry spoke with a smile. “Perhaps, then, Bountiful is eager to make a name for itself in the Council after so many years of silence.”

“The House of Sehlp and its subjects did not choose to be silent,” Arcanista melodically said with a similar smirk. “Bountiful's position on the Council has been reduced to name only, as a result of malicious political strong-legging.”

“If the House of Sehlp perceived such indecent and atrocious acts of political sabotage from within the Council, then perhaps the ruling noble should have considered working in tandem with the representatives of their surrounding provinces in order to have declared a public statement regarding the fact.”

“As Head Chancellor of the High Council yourself, I imagine it would be a terrible blemish on your record if in some fashion you were to acknowledge the existence of Val Roan political intrigue by suggesting that the nobles of Bountiful take such a direct and affirmative action to solve it, Madame.”

Fishberry smiled at Arcanista, ears twitching.

Arcanista smiled back, perfectly still.

Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth. Adjusting the hood of her servant's gown, she leaned to the side and stealthily flicked her green tail again Ebon's fetlocks.

Ebon brightened. “Well, I think we've enjoyed these wonderfully beautiful gardens quite enough!” He turned and bowed towards Kera. “Your Highness. Shall we proceed to the Council Chamber?”

Kera nodded. “Dreit, Ebon Xon-Nagu'n.”

“Ah yes, the Council Chamber.” Arcanista glanced pleasantly across the path. “I trust it's in the same place you kept the last time I was here, Chancellor?”

“Indubitably.” Fishberry nodded. “Even your seat is still there, should you decide to occupy it once again.”

“'Occupy' is such a forceful word.” Arcanista strolled along after Ebon and Kera. “But I suppose it simply comes with making the Council of Val Roa into an Occupation.”

Fishberry blinked. She opened her mouth to say something, but by that time the Duchess was two “Xonans” away. Instead, the Chancellor gnashed her teeth. She got concerned looks from her fellow delegates but shrugged them off. In a sulking gait, she followed the royal entourage into the chamber beyond.

Eine stood on a raised platform, extending a hoof.

A servant squatted before him in his royal quarters, clutching a silk rag in her grasp that she used to polish the Prince's cloven hoof to an immaculate shine.

“A most handsome King you will be for Val Roa, Your Highness.” She smiled, concentrating on her work. “It has been a long time since a deer of your kindly youth and stature led this kingdom to greatness. At least... that's what my mother always taught me when I was a wee fawn. We come from a long line of servants, all happy to serve the Royal Family. While the tragedy you've endured—that we've all endured—was most saddening, I thank God for the opportunity to be alive right now and witness your majestic Ascension.”

Eine nodded, sighing. “I appreciate your kind words...”

“Awwww... why so glum, dear Prince?” She looked up, smiling. “Just think! Everypony you care about will be at the Coronation! And everypony who lives to serve you! Secretary Sharp Quill will be there. The General and his daughter. The members of the High Council. Why... I've heard rumor that some foreign royalty will even be in attendance to witness you wear the crown for the first time!”

“Do you mean the Naga Sultan of the Lounge?” Eine tried not to yawn. “Because Sharp Quill has insisted that they not remain for the festivities.”

“No, Your Highness! I speak of the royal ambassadors who arrived just last night!”

“Royal ambassadors...?”

“Aye!” She switched to polishing the fawn's other hoof. “A most mysterious pair of unicorns from beyond the Wastes! From what I hear, they're attending a banquet in the Sandstone District after making a speech before the High Council!”

“A speech?” Eine blinked. “Concerning what?”

The servant shrugged. “Peace and good will, I would hope.” She giggled slightly. “Too bad, on account of the Coronation and all, you've chosen not to attend. But I don't rightly blame you, Your Majesty. You have a lot to concentrate on at the moment.”

Eine's eyes narrowed. He tilted his head down and gazed at her. “...who said that I had decided not to attend?”

The servant leaned back, flabbergasted. “Uhhh... erm...” She gulped, smiling nervously. “I-I meant no offense, Your Majesty! I only assumed that Sharp Quill insisted that—”

“Is Sharp Quill being coronated the day after tomorrow?”

“I... I-I would say not!”

“And is he Prince—soon to be King—of Val Roa?”

“No sir. That distinction belongs to you.”

“Indeed.” Eine smiled to himself, standing tall on his tiny platform. “And so does the decision.”

“Your Highness...?”

“Fetch a coach. I wish to be escorted to the Sandstone District immediately.”

“Uhhhh...”

“Are you hard of hearing?”

“No, sir! R-right away, sir!” The servant stood up, fumbling. “It's just...”

“Just what?”

“Should I inform Secretary Sharp Quill that you are...?”

Eine tilted his nose up. “The Secretary is extremely busy with planning for the Coronation right now.” He smiled slightly. “It would be most uncouth to disturb him...”

Mom Says "Wash Your Moose Daily!"

Rainbow Dash heard a loud roar rising in intensity. She, Ebon, and Kera all turned their heads towards the right as they followed the other delegates up an ascending, curved hallway. A door, flanked with guards, led towards a balcony that overlooked a spacious chamber lined with similar looking platforms and seats. A dim red haze hung over the interior, and Rainbow spotted hundreds upon hundreds of deer and elk faces from a distance as they sat down to their prospective seats.

“Alas, we have reached our destination.” Chancellor Fishberry turned towards Arcanista and smiled. “Please allow me just a moment to go over the morning itinerary with my clerks and fellow delegates.” She gestured towards the guards. “You will be looked after for your entire stay. When it is time for the Council to convene, I will have my guard usher you in. After the second procedural review, the speaker of the floor will announce Her Majesty's presence and she will be given the platform to speak.” The deer bowed low before Kera, respectfully. “I look forward to your Xonan words of wisdom, Your Highness.”

“The'lussinul malla'kremmnen rekhtar seminulien three,” Kera chirped.

“Her Majesty thanks you for your hospitality,” Ebon Mane said.

“That is much appreciated.” Fishberry stood back up. “It's good to know that someone is.” Smiling, she swiveled her gaze past Arcanista and shuffled her way onto the balcony to confer with her associates.

Arcanista took a deep breath. She glanced aside at Rainbow Dash.

Without speaking, Rainbow Dash side-stepped, fidgeting slightly in her simple gown.

Arcanista spoke aside. “A normal Council meeting lasts two hours. To be safe, I would keep your search to an hour and a half.”

“I'm guessing I should be checking out Fishberry's office,” Rainbow Dash whispered back.

“Is the desert dry?”

“Have you got any idea where her workplace is?”

“I did five years ago,” Arcanista said with a slight sigh. “But I'm sure it's changed several times since.”

“I can cover a place this size in well under an hour and a half, but I can't be detailed about my search.”

“I might have a solution,” Arcanista continued to murmur, her eyes locked on Fishberry as she talked to several of her clerks from the balcony beyond the door. “Head to the third floor, north side.”

“Yeah? What will I find there?”

“The mailroom center. It has the number to every office and who uses it,” Arcanista said. “Find Chancellor Fishberry's name and head there as quick as you can. From there, you're on your own.”

“It's all cool. I'm always on my own.”

“Now to help you disappear.” Arcanista cleared her throat. “Excuse me, madame...”

Nilla glanced over. “Hmmm? Might you refer to me, Duchess?”

“Yes, indeed.” Arcanista took a few graceful steps forward. “Seeing as we will be here a while, I was wondering if it would be alright if I dismissed my servants so that they may run a few errands for me in the Council Archives.”

Nilla looked at the three mares, then back at the noble elk. “Oh, by all means! I'll see that they're properly escorted.” She waved at a pair of guards. The reindeer marched over. “Please, show these fine mares to the Council Archives.”

The two bucks bowed slightly. They made eye contact with Rainbow and the other mares.

Rainbow nodded. Mamunia and Jet trotted forward, and she moved along with them. Glancing back, the disguised pegasus caught sight of Kera.

The little “princess” waved, then resumed waiting for her role in bouncy anticipation. Ebon Mane said nothing.

The guards arrived at the Council Archives with the three “servants” in tow. A huge chamber was filled to the brim with elaborately carved book cases made out of oak and mahogany. Brass-embossed booths and tables made up the central study area while hazy orange sunlight shone kaleisdoscopically through an array of stained glass windows stretched out above.

“I don't think any of those windows will open up for me to fly out,” Rainbow muttered.

“Don't worry,” Jet whispered. “I've got it covered.” She trotted up towards the circular librarians' counter and spoke to a studious-looking deer on the other side. “Pardon me, but where might one find the lavatory facilities?”

The doe adjusted her glasses and pointed across the spacious chamber. “The corridor towards the far left corner, behind the microfilm storage.”

“Much appreciated.” Jet curtsied. She and Mamunia guided Rainbow out of view of the reindeer guards.

“What's with all this film stuff?” Rainbow asked.

“It's a simple matter of animated photography,” Mamunia explained. “All you need is an automated projector and a light source. It's quite a common artform here in Val Roa.”

“And they deliver that micro size?!” Rainbow exclaimed.

“Shhhhh!” Jet insisted.

The three entered the restroom. They strolled in slowly, glancing around. A doe was trotting out, her hooves freshly cleaned.

Once she was gone, the trio breathed easier and quickened their steps. They led Rainbow Dash past several stalls, a washing basin, and finally towards a long rectangular window with translucent gray glass.

“Can this thing open?”

“It can.” Jet reached in. “And it will.” She twirled a knob.

A slit of bright light widened, followed by a gust of desert air. Mamunia stood at the front of the restroom, eyeing the hallway leading in. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash shimmied out of her clothes and tossed her dyed mane back.

“Boggles my mind that they'd have an open window this high up.”

“Who or what do they expect to climb out?” Jet said with a smile.

“Oh... heheh... right.” Rainbow shuddered. “Seems like I keep forgetting how rare winged ponies are.”

“Try not to become any rarer.” Jet took Rainbow's clothes and smiled. “Best of luck.”

“Yeah...” Rainbow adjusted her pendant and nodded. “Same to you.” Her eyes narrowed. “Just how are you going to convince the deer here that you needed to use the bathroom for nearly two hours straight?”

“We've been in the presence of a 'princess' for over two days...” Jet raised an eyebrow, smirking.

“Ah. I see.” Rainbow saluted. “'Dump away,' you fine, fine ladies.” Fwooosh! She dove out.

Rainbow skimmed the northwest curve of the council building, flitting behind every empty bronze balcony she could find in order to remain hidden from sight.

Holding her breath, Rainbow made a mad dash for third floor on the north edge, seeking the mailroom.

Far down below, Floydien paced in tight circles beside the stagecoach.

Jake sat on the lowest steps beneath the council building, yawning wide. “Nnnnhughhhpp... simmer down, sock puke. No amount of restless hoof dragging is gonna make the Council meeting end any faster.”

“There's just so much crud crud at stake,” Floydien grumbled. “All of this is ass over flank stank. The boomers will be found. Their spit isn't enough to cover them from the desert stabs.”

“Hey...” Jake smirked. “You care about your friends. That's charming, especially for a tongue-backwards deertard like you. But, for the love of God, put a cork in it before I pour my moosema in it.”

“Moosema, the boomer spits?”

“Yeah, y'know. Moose smegma! Moosema!”

Floydien sighed. “The hairy livesjust to make Floydien vomit bucket.”

“Come onnnnn! Back when you were just a Duke of Buttiful, you loved that joke!”

Floydien growled. “The only thing Floydien loves is Nancy Jane and this is keeping Floydien from her!”

“Hey! You're the one who volunteered to go on this boat ride, butterscotch!” Jake scratched his chin, beady eyes squinting thoughtfully at the elk. “...unless, it was a different Nancy Jane that you were looking for.”

Floydien stood in place, saying nothing.

“Hey, have your secrets. Like I give a hooter's cooter!” Jake yawned again. “At least it got you to stop... friggin'... pacing...” His eyes blinked in the distance.

“...?” Floydien followed his gaze.

Across the courtyard, the thickest line of guards yet were arriving, all marching tightly around a splendidly ornate coach bearing the Crest of the House of Evo. Crowds of elk, deer, and ponies stood at attention, muttering in excitement and surprise.

“Well, I'll be shoved up a crocodile's butt and forced to cha-cha...” Jake drooled. “Guess who's coming to dinner?”

Floydien gawked in confusion. At last, the coach came to an end, and a tiny deer trotted out, flanked by guards. Everyone within sight instantly bowed, including Jake.

“The boomers must be kidding,” Floydien heard himself sneer. “It's a walking turd with baby eyes!”

Jake forcibly yanked Floydien into a bowing stance.

“Sp-Spit!”

Apocalypse Neigh (for the Deer Hunter)

“All stop!” a goblin shouted to the windy air.

“All stop!”

“Alllllll stop!”

Roarke gripped to the hull of the vessel as she felt the entire battleship lurching to a hovering stand-still. She scurried up the port side of the large six-propeller hovercraft and peered up onto the top deck.

Along the bow, several imps congregated. A tall goblin in particular stared through a spyglass, then pointed down at a looming plateau.

Roarke tilted her head, staring down in the direction the imp had pointed. She saw a camp with several tents, along with banners that bore the Val Roan insignia. A cluster of wagons and catapults had been arranged in a solid line, but it was easily no match for the goblin armaments.

“We can burn them so easily, boss!” one goblin rasped. “Melt them to puss and carry them back in jars to Haman!”

“Silence!” the leader snarled over the sound of steaming motors. “We will do no such thing! Remember, this is part of Haman's plan! Besides, they're giving us a way in.”

“Nnnnrghhh... I don't like all of this beating-around-the-bush business!”

“You don't have to like it. You just have to mind your steam and shut up!” The lead imp marched towards the stern. “We're meeting with our contact! Prepare the skiff!”

“Aye, sir!”

Roarke gritted her teeth beneath her helmet. On flurrying limbs, she climbed across the bow and slid into a porthole of the ship halfway down the port side. Keeping to the shadows, she struggled to make her way to the central hangar compartment before the ship's captain could.

On the third floor to the High Council building was the mail office. Several deer and ponies marched back and forth from desk to desk, hoofing through envelopes and notes before slipping them into appropriate satchels. Servants lined up, dressed in blue uniforms, prepared to take their packages and go about their normal rounds throughout the large complex. The entire office was bustling with noise, murmuring voices, and the shuffling of papers.

Outside one of the windows, a blue figure loomed. Rainbow Dash shrank out of view almost as immediately as she appeared. Seconds later, she peeked inside, ruby eyes blinking. She saw several clerks with their backs to her. Quietly, she pressed her hooves to the glass panes, feeling around, testing. She discovered that each of the wide-paneled windows pulled up and out. So, cautiously, she started pulling on the one in the center. She had it open about twenty percent of the way when she paused, fidgeting.

The pegasus chewed on her lips, gazing directly inside the bustling office. No matter how busy it was inside, she knew that with so many servants working inside it would simply be impossible to slip in unnoticed.

She needed a distraction.

The mare tapped her chin, hovering in place. After a blink, she turned and glanced at her flapping wings.

“... ... ...” She smiled.

One after another, Rainbow Dash opened all of the windows, being very slow and gentle about it. She opened them only about halfway, until five whole windows were spread ajar to the outside world along the third story office.

Then holding her breath, she flapped her wings and zipped out of view.

Inside, one of the servants paused in shuffling through envelopes. She looked up, shivering slightly. “Say...” She turned to the deer next to her. “Is it just me, or did it get really chilly in here?”

FWOOOOOOOOOOOSH! A blue pegasus streaked past the window at the speed of sound. P-POW! A clap of thunder issued right outside, and a tumultuous concussion of air billowed in through the windows.

Suddenly, the entire mailroom was swarming with loose sheets of paper. A veritable blizzard of envelopes, notes, and scrolls fluttered across the compartment from wall to wall.

Servants shrieked and scrambled every which way, fumbling to catch everything and sort it out before the disaster went even further south. Deer and ponies alike shouted at one another in their attempt to avert the sudden, inexplicable crisis.

None of them had the wherewithawal to see a nimble blue pegasus slip through one of the windblow windows and gallop up to a wall where a large directory had been hung. Rainbow Dash's eyes scanned and re-scanned the illustrated layout of the High Council and each of its floors.

“Come on... come on...” She murmured to herself as sheets collapsed and rustled all around her. “Fishberry... Fishberry...” She gnashed her teeth. “...what's the storyyyyyyyy Fishberry?!”

Her gaze swam all over the large, confusing illustration, until it fell upon a room that had been highlighted in gold. She leaned closer, eyes narrowing.

“... ... ... 'Chancellor's Office,'” Rainbow Dash read aloud. “'Room 1025. Tenth Floor. West side!' Awesome!”

She spun around—only to bump heads with a doe. She looked up. The doe looked up.

“Aaaaack!” the servant fell back amidst a sack of papers.

Gritting her teeth, Rainbow Dash dove through the flurry of sheets and disappeared out the window beyond.

“What is it?!” Another deer ran up. “What's the matter!”

“Blue squirrel!” The doe stammered as she was helped up. “I-I swear! I saw a fuzzy blue squirrel just now!”

“Pffft... you've been in middle-management for too long. You're imagining things.”

Roarke gritted her teeth, sweating profusely. The only spot on board the steam-powered goblin skiff that she could hide herself was right between two of the transport's main thrusters. As a result, her suit's temperature heated up by nearly thirty degrees. Nevertheless, she remained still and inconspicuous, riding the craft as it made its speedy descent to the plateau below the battleship.

Soon, the transport touched down, and six goblins walked out onto a platform located at the tiny thing's bow. At the same time, several deer and elk marched forward, coming to a stop on the arid earth.

“Hold it!” The lead goblin raised his hand while his compatriots cocked and aimed their rifles. “That's as close as you get, grazers.”

“Do not pretend to intimidate us, ingrates,” spook a deep, booming voice. “One false move and our catapults will render that float of yours to dust.”

“And then our battleship will turn your camp into a smoking crater!”

“And then you'll be blown out of the sky by our soul sentries,” the voice continued. “Which I command and which has allowed you to come here by my choice alone.”

“Rrrrgh... let's just get this over with,” the goblin grumbled. “Your desert mountains smell like ass.”

“Which makes one wonder why you are so keen on conquering it.”

“Enough of that! Do you have the silver?!”

At this point, Roarke had climbed down from the skiff. On creeping limbs, she shuffled along the west facing of the dirigible, hiding from both the eyes of the goblin battleship above and whoever might be camped just a hundred feet to the north. She craned her neck, looking around the front of the bow.

She saw several reindeer standing and facing the goblins, their antlers glowing with bright green energy. In the middle stood a remarkably tall elk with a stone gray coat. His left eye was cold blue, and the other a sickly gray. From the way the elk glared, it was obvious he favored the blue eye. What was most striking about him was his antlers, or more specifically the lack of them along his left side. Several of the branches had been snapped off, replaced by cold steel prosthetic that glistened with pent-up mana.

“We have the silver,” the buck said in an authoritative tone. “And we are prepared to deliver them.”

“I swear,” the goblin grumbled. “If a 'but' is coming...”

“There's been a development,” the buck said. “Ponies are onto us. Ponies from the west.”

“Hey! You don't say!” The goblin snarled. “I don't suppose they have anything to do with the Noble Jury!”

Roarke jolted.

The buck's gray brow furrowed. “I beg your pardon?”

“The assholes who've been trolling us for the last two months?!” The imp barked, “Our boss Haman's been begging and begging for you punks to give us a hoof! It's making it impossible for us to grab the resources we need for the trade with those damn lizards!”

“Is that a fact...?”

“Yes! So you'd better have that silver or else!”

“You will get the silver,” the elk said. “But there's been a change of plans.”

“Rrrrrgh... what kind of change?”

“We need you to keep the battleship here.”

“Keep it here?!” The other goblins gasped and growled in frustration. “What in the Hell for?! How will we even make the trip back with the silver?!”

“Use this skiff. My soul sentries will ensure a safe passage to the Cartel's land.”

“Are you crazy?! We need that silver for the skystone! You can't expect us just to power up two stinkin' ships!”

“If we're dealing with an incursion from the West, then we need whatever air support we can muster and we need it now.”

“It has its armaments, but it can't turn or bank worth a damn! Unless you're gonna be flocking your targets into us, we can't shoot anything without skystone engines to properly adjust—”

“Let me worry about the fine details. Everything has been planned for by our—” He paused suddenly. “Hold on.” He suddenly turned towards the side, his head bowed slightly.

Roarke blinked at the elk, sweating beneath her helmet.

“... ... ...” The elk stood absolutely still, blinking. His ears twitched. “Indeed,” he muttered at random in a neutral tone. “Absolutely,” he muttered. “Then if she proceeds, then so will I.”

The goblin grumbled, “What in shit's name is he talking about?”

“Silence your tongue, monster,” one of the reindeer guards spat. “Do not question the General!”

Roarke clenched her teeth, observing patiently.

“Yes,” Chancellor Fishberry murmured, staring off into space. Her ears twitched. “Indeed.” Her nostrils flared. “Then I shall proceed.”

Her eyes blinked. Breathing normally, she turned and looked at her clerks.

The clerks glanced back, fidgeting slightly.

Clearing her throat, the Chancellor trotted to the doorframe to her balcony, met eyes with Nilla, and nodded.

Nilla smiled, then turned towards Kera and Arcanista. “You may come and have a seat...”

Ponies and Cliffs They Hang From

Finding the windows to Chancellor Fishberry's office was no trouble. Opening them was even less so. Within a minute, Rainbow Dash was crouching nimbly on the black-and-white tiled floor of the room. She squinted across the dark-lit interior, spotting a desk resting up against the wall. Much like Sharp Quill's, there were parchment and sheets of paper strewn all over.

“These deer aren't very fastidious,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Or else, they're very distracted.”

She trotted across the room, slid aside a stool, and hovered up at the desk's level. Her eyes squinted across the multiple, multiple sheets.

“Nrnnnnghhh... wish sneaking didn't have to involve so much reading.”

She nevertheless raised a hoof to her pendant, giving it a slight rub. A crimson light shone across the sheets as she rummaged through them. She saw mostly memos and notifications related to the Council itself. For the first few layers of material, Rainbow couldn't spot something that resembled the stuff found in Sharp Quill's chamber.

“Your hunch is starting to look less and less hunchy, Arcanista,” Rainbow whispered aloud. “Only thing she seems to be guilty of is being a slob—”

Her words cut off as she glanced to the side. The entire desk was a cluttered mess, save for one corner that was ever-so-slightly cleared off. There, she spotted a drawer with a handle. The wooden finish was marred with hoofmarks, suggesting that someone commonly came into contact with that part of the desk alone.

“Hmmmm...”

Rainbow reached for the drawer and gave the handle a tug. It refused to budge. Hovering closer with her crimson light, she spotted a remarkably polished bolt-lock holding the drawer shut.

“Of course.”

Biting her lip, Rainbow looked around... and around. She spotted a metal paperweight on the desk, and then—across the room—a supply closet. Zipping over, she opened the closet and rummaged through.

“Ah ha!” Grinning, Rainbow Dash hovered back out, gripping a heavy toolbox. “Nnngh!” She placed it down and opened the lid. Immediately, she spotted a hammer. Smirking, she grabbed it in one hoof, flew back to the desk, and picked up the paper weight.

“Once you have the skystone secured, use it to properly fuel your armada,” the general said, pacing before the goblins and their skiff. “Bring the extra reserve here. We'll let you through, just like we did overnight. Assuming there is no trouble in the interim that'll require the vessel you've brought now, then we'll have all three ships at our disposal to bring about fresh change to Val Roa.”

“And just what sort of 'trouble' might you be speaking of?” asked the lead goblin.

While the conversation continued, Roarke slowly snuck her way inside the skiff. It was obvious from the conversation that the miniature transport was not only going to return to the battleship soon, but be used for a trip back into Cartel lands. The metal mare realized that she needed to be on board to see where it all would lead.

“There is reason to believe that foreigners have entered Val Roa Proper.”

“What's that to us?”

“They possess knowledge that could be destructive to our cause. If they were to make a move against us, we'll need more than the Soul Sentries to silence them.”

“You're talking about the Noble Jury, aren't you?”

“Don't concern your crew with the enemy until we tell you to pursue them.”

“Heh. We're not disposable drool-jobs like your sentries, Saikano. These are the imps in Haman's employ, not Val Roan soldiers.”

“If you want to hold any power over Val Roa, then you're going to have to make some concessions. Is that understood?”

“Hmmmf. Whatever. So long as this profits the Cartel in the end. We're already having to enslave our own peasants to get this shit taken care of with the Lounge.”

Roarke glanced at the main conversation, lingered slightly, then snuck on into the skiff's dark interior.

“This is one of the guest balconies, Your Highness,” spoke a servant as she trotted alongside Prince Eine. Together with the royal fawn's entourage, they entered the large round Council Chamber that echoed with Chancellor Fishberry's booming voice. “Wouldn't you rather sit alongside the Chancellor during the deliberation?”

“I appreciate the suggestion,” Eine said in an airy tone. “But it's best that my presence not be announced until it is absolutely necessary.”

“With all due respect, Your Highness, your arrival has not been a secret for minutes now.”

“Even still...” The fawn took a seat, smiling calmly as he stared out upon the sea of delegates' faces. “I could use a moment like this.”

“Your Majesty...?”

“To sit back and observe a Val Roan function with complete objectivity,” Eine said. “If I sat with the likes of Fishberry or Sharp Quill, I just know they're going to give me an ear-full of advice.” He sighed. “As King of Val Roa, I'm going to find myself having to rely less and less on the wisdom of others. If this is the best way for me to 'learn', then so be it.”

The servant bowed. “As you wish, Your Highness.”

“Besides...” He smiled, gazing up at the Chancellor's balcony where several strange guests sat. “It would appear that another member of royalty has already taken the favored spot.”

“Remember...” Arcanista lowered her muzzle close to Kera's head. “Say only what you've rehearsed,” she whispered so that only the filly could hear. “Keep it short, but eloquent. Feel free to inject your play 'accent,' but don't go overboard with it.”

“Yeah.” Ebon leaned in. “None of that silly stuff you said back in the cactus garden.”

Arcanista glared at Ebon.

Ebon bit his lip, shrinking away with drooped ears.

“Do you understand?” Arcanista asked.

“Yeah yeah, I understand,” Kera muttered beneath the sound of Fishberry's prattling on. “This is all just about stalling time, anyways, right?”

“Absolutely,” Arcanista said with a nod. “But the Council Meeting itself is accomplishing that for the most part. The fact that we are all seated here is misdirection enough.”

“Shouldn't I... like...” Kera squirmed in her princess gown. “...m-mention something about the fact that this country is being overtaken by Chrysalis and—”

“Nothing of the sort!” Arcanista whispered hoarsely. “That would be most detrimental!”

“Why?” Kera frowned. “As Noble Jurists, we should be doing everything we can for these deerfolk! The way I see it, calling Chrysalis out is the one way to get her feathers ruffled—”

“We must not draw any more undue attention on ourselves than necessary,” Arcanista said. “It's imperative that we stick to the plan.”

“Right...” Kera nodded with a sigh. “Just... be plain... be simple... be princessy.”

“And if you feel like you're stumbling at all in your speech...” Arcanista nodded towards Ebon. “Allow your 'advisor' to interject as 'interpreter.' It will help us later on during the Council Banquet to make it look like your knowledge of Val Roan basic is limited.”

“Uh huh.”

“Your moment's coming up,” Arcanista said, nudging Kera as Fishberry finished her speech to the sound of applause. “We're counting on you, princess.”

“Break a leg,” Ebon said with a smile.

“Mrnnff...” Kera stood up, cracking the joints in her neck. “I'll break your leg.” She smiled in timely fashion, just as Fishberry turned to look at her.

“And now...” Chancellor Fishberry's voice crackled across the Council's speaker system. “...it is my honorable pleasure to introduce the royal delegate from the Far West of whom I've spoken so much about. Does and bucks of the Val Roan High Council, please lend your ears and antlers to the radiant and honorable Princess Kera Tin Mehjj of the Xonan Empire.”

The Council Chamber roared with pounding hooves and applause.

Gracefully, Kera stepped up to the podium, squinting into the lights, lights, and more lights all shining upon her. She gulped, stood up straight, and took a deep... deep breath—

CL-CLANK!

Rainbow Dash repeatedly hammered the paper weight that was propped up against the bolt lock holding the drawer shut.

“Come on... one or two more should do it...”

CLACK! CL-CLANK! SMACK! And finally—CRACK! The bolt snapped free, tearing the handle off as well.

“Shazam!” She dropped the hammer and paperweight, pulling the drawer wide open. Squinting, she looked inside, finding a cluster of maps and other sheets of paper. Unlike the mess atop the desk, these were neatly folded, and the edges were frayed—suggesting constant handling. “Where's your head at, Fishberry?” She pulled the sheets out and flipped through them. She stopped at one spot, squinting at a title. “'Lemuel Tundra...'” She pursed her lips. “There it is again. Just like in Sharp Quill's office.” She flipped and flipped through the sheets. “But just what is the friggin' connection...?!”

“Is there any message you stupid reindeer want us to give the lizards from the southwest swamps?” asked the lead goblin behind Roarke as she made her way inside the skiff. “You're as much a part of this agreement as Haman is.”

“The less business we have to do with the Lounge, the better,” said Saikano. “Once Val Roa is secured from the inside, and the Cartel has taken their share, we'll catch the naga unaware.”

“You mean to suggest a cowardly backstab when they're most vulnerable?”

“If you would wish to describe it as such, yes.”

Roarke paused, glancing back at the bow of the ship upon hearing that.

“Heheheheh... there's hope for you tree-headed bastards after all.”

“Keep your amusement to yourself. Leave and come back with the skystone. My forces will be waiting to assist you in any way possible.”

“Now that's a friggin' change.” The goblin gestured towards his counterparts. “Take us up, boys! We've got an errand to run. It's a shitty errand, but one we've gotta do! Now move it!”

Holding her breath, Roarke spun around to scurry towards the rear of the cabin and hide. She bumped right into a limping goblin.

“...!” The mare froze in place.

The goblin stared back at her. He leaned on a crutch while a wooden prosthetic with a hook dangled loosely from his shoulder.

“Jex? Jex?!” The goblin leader snarled as he and the others marched into the cabin. “Did you hear me, runt?! Crank up those damn engines already!”

“...” Jex frowned into Roarke's helmet.

The metal mare tightened her muscles as the cabin around her filled with goblin footsteps.

“Come on... come on...” Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth. At last, her eyes brightened. “Bangarang! Coordinates!” Her ruby eyes reflected a trio of numbers scribbled across a small page. “...but to what?” She turned it over. On the other side of the sheet was a tiny map illustrating the arctic regions to the far north. A dark layer occupied the latitude just above the bold “X.” “Is... is that a skystone field?” She chewed on her lip. “What are these ponies doing at the roof of the world?”

Nevertheless, Rainbow Dash was certain she had gotten what she came for. Briskly, she folded up the sheet of paper with the coordinates and slid it tight beneath the loop of her pendant.

“Better bring this to the Duchess. She knows this part of the world way more than I do.” She pulled out the next sheet from the drawer. It bore the illustration of reptilian eels. “These things again? What the buck...”

Just then, the room lit up.

A green light.

“Uhhh...” Rainbow turned and pivoted towards the front door to the office.

It hung wide open, and four reindeer marched in, numbly, their eyes glowing a clear emerald. The sentries stood in place, like a solid phalanx. Behind them, a servant trembled.

“There! In th-there! I knew I heard a noise in the Chancellor's office!”

“Uhhhhhh...” Rainbow Dash hovered in place, twitching. She smiled and waved. “Maid service?”

All four guards' emerald mana flew from their eyes into their antlers before launching across the room at the pegasus.

FL-FLASH!

The Monster That Hides Among Us

Kera cleared her throat, proceeding to speak into the Council seat's microphone with as “thick” an accent she could properly manage. “Ladies and gentlecolts...” She immediately winced. “A-and mostly deer.” Steeling herself, she continued with renewed confidence. “The Xonan Empire extends its hoof in peace and good will. Already, I and my entourage have been treated fairly by the representatives of Val Roa. This pleases me greatly, for there is nothing more that I desire than to make friends in this wonderful kingdom, a kingdom that is on the verge of great change... with a great new leader...”

Across the large chamber, on a much lower balcony, Prince Eine of the House of Evo sat on the edge of his seat. He narrowed his eyes while crossing a pair of cloven hooves beneath his chin. Intently, the soon-to-be-king listened to the “foreign diplomat's” speech.

“Change can only mean good things!” Kera said, relaxing enough to manage a smile as she spoke. Arcanista and Ebon sat quietly behind her as she continued. “Because it means that a kingdom as prosperous as this one is willing to embrace the future. And one can only face tomorrow with confidence if he or she is doing it with the utmost peace, serenity, and harmony...”

FL-FLASH!

FLASSSSH!

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth as she flew across Fishberry's office, kicked off a wall, and backflipped to dodge the multiple blasts of the Soul Sentries.

The servant in the doorway shrieked, squatting low and covering her flinching head. The four guards trotted forward in an icy motion, firing steady beams of emerald energy with alternating antlers.

FL-FL-FL-FL-FLASH!

As Rainbow juked and dove, patches of wall and desk papers exploded behind her. Chunks of black and white tile flew as high as the ceiling, and part of the furniture caught on fire.

“Look...!” Rainbow skidded to a stop, stretched her wing muscles, and launched herself at the soldiers. “I didn't want to have to do this...” She dove at them with a drop kick. “But you left me no choice—!”

ZAAAAAP! Four converging shots slammed her to the wall.

“OOFA!” She bounced off, stumbling. “Unnnngh...” She smelled smoke, then looked behind her shoulder to see flames consuming the ends of her mane. “Gaah! Not the green hair! Not the green hair!” She tried rolling to put it out.

Wordlessly, the soul sentries bowed their heads and fired a wide swath of mana. Flaaaaaash!

Rainbow held her breath, backflipped over the wave of energy. She landed behind a trunk, pivoted, and bucked it with all her might “Gnnnkkt!”

The wooden container slid across the mana-scarred floor and straight towards the guards.

They aimed their antlers at it and—

POWWW! The container exploded, filling the room with shrapnel and debris, blinding the guards.

Undaunted, they marched on through, swinging their antlers left and right through the dust, searching for their target with emerald spotlights.

“... ... ...” Roarke stared at the dismembered goblin's face.

Jex stared back, gnashing his teeth.

As the footsteps of the other imps came closer, Roarke readied herself to lash out at all moving bodies with every weapon in her arsenal.

“Jex?!” The lead goblin snarled. “Have you gone deaf too, you limp boogertard?!”

Jex's nostrils flared. He tilted his head up. “I just had to work out a few kinks! The engine should be starting any second now!”

“It'd better, runt! Or I'm sending you back on septic maintenance!”

Roarke blinked under her helmet.

Jex looked at her, then jabbed his thumb towards a dark niche in the far corner of the cabin.

Wordlessly, Roarke nodded, then dashed behind a large crate. There, she hid while Jex spun an array of valves, powering the thrusters of the skiff back up.

“We all set?!” asked the leader.

“Let her roll!” Jex grunted.

“Take us back to the ship!” the head imp exclaimed. “Then prime this piece of crap for the long haul. Looks like we're taking the silver back ourselves.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Keep your 'ayes' to yourself and just do your damned job, runt.”

Jex held his tongue, priming the engine as the entire skiff lifted up.

Roarke watched from the shadows, breathing easier...

“As Princess of the Xonan Empire, I am quite familiar with the fruits of embracing harmony,” Kera said, coming towards the end of her speech. Her eyes darted left and right as she briefly struggled to remember the words she had committed to. “For far too long, my continent had been embroiled with war, a needless conflict that consumed far more lives than were necessary. Even today, I cannot cease grieving for the brave equines who sacrificed everything so that my subjects would dwell in peace. I come here in hopes of spreading a message: that the cost of war is hardly worth its cause. For if we simply lay down our weapons and speak to each other as civilized beings, so much pain and suffering can be averted. For decades—years before my time—whole generations of Xonans did not believe this. They were stubborn and hardened of heart, and it cost them their mothers, fathers, spouses, and children. Soon, so many Xonans had died that they had forgotten the purpose for our continent's conflict from the get-go, and instead the very act of war blindly necessitated its own barbarism.” She slowly shook herhead. “I would not wish this fate on anypony, including those whom I barely know. That's why I come to you today, to pour out my heart's worth of well wishes, that you may not suffer the same fate as those in other lands, for this kingdom still has hope... a hope for harmony.”

The entire Council broke into obligatory applause.

Fishberry clapped, staring sleepily at the balcony. Nilla's applause was far more ecstatic.

Ebon and Arcanista also clapped their hooves. The Duchess, however, took a moment to glance over her shoulder, ears twitching, as if listening for something beyond the walls.

Hoof after hoof, the four soul sentries marched across the office. Their antlers burned a hot green, parting the dust slowly down the middle. As their soulless eyes scanned the room, they were largely unaware of a nimble figure clinging upside down to the ceiling.

As soon as they passed by, Rainbow Dash dropped down, hung from her forelimbs, and swung her lower body. “Httt!” She slammed her rear hooves into the first flank she saw.

Whump-Whump-Whump! The leftmost guard collided with the others. Three of them fell over like dominoes. The fourth remained standing, swiveling instantly towards Rainbow Dash and firing a pulse of mana from his antlers. FLASH!

Rainbow wasn't quick enough to dodge it. “Guh!” She took the brunt of the blow, slamming back against a wall.

The guard did not let off on his charge. He channeled bolt after electrical bolt of burning energy into the pegasus, marching menacingly towards her.

“Grnnng-Grrhhhhg!” Rainbow Dash thrashed against the wall, eyes clenched shut. Over the next ten seconds, the energy beams lashing all over her converged on the pendant hanging from her neck, as if attracted towards the Element. Slowly, the ruby lightning bolt pulsed as bright as the guard's onslaught, and then brighter. Two bloody knubs protruded from her forehead, and she opened her red-on-yellow eyes with a rising growl. “Rrrrrrrrgh—HAAAUGH!”

Rainbow's body jerked forward, and the emerald energy converted to crimson, shooting its way back into the guard's antlers.

POW! The sentry actually grunted, falling back over his comrades as he twitched in pain.

“Mmmfnnngh...” Rainbow fell on her hooves, shaking her head. Her eyes flickered back to their natural ruby sheen as the wounds in her skull closed up. “Guh... believe it...” She hissed, smiling dazedly. “You don't wanna see me do the antler thing!”

The other three guards struggled to stand up. When they finally recovered long enough to perform a full sweep of the room, Rainbow Dash was gone, and the window to Fishberry's office was cracked open.

With a steamy hum, the goblin skiff cruised to a stop inside the hangar of the looming battleship.

“Stay right here and look after the engine!” the leader grunted at Jex. “I'm fetching resources for the long trip! If this thing collapses on the way back to Haman, it's your head, runt!”

“It won't come to that, I promise you,” Jex grumbled.

“Better pray it won't. I bet your remaining flesh is pretty tasty.” And the other goblins laughed as they marched off.

Jex spat on the metal floor of the transport. Muttering to himself, he wandered over to the controls and gave the valves a few more twists. He glanced into the shadows, then back at his work. “You might want to stretch your legs while you can. It's going to be a long trip back to Cartel Territory.”

“... ... ...” Roarke silently poked her helmet out from the niche.

“That is what you're here to do, yes?” He frowned as he fumbled with his prosthetic to twist several dials. “Spying for the Noble Jury?”

“Some questions have obvious answers,” Roarke crackled through her helmet. “Except for one, chiefly.” She cocked her head to the side. “Why are you doing this for me?”

“What? Helping you hide?”

“Indeed.”

He spun towards her, gnashing his teeth. “Because Haman took my god damn limbs, that's why!”

Roarke looked at Jex, at his prosthetic and crutches, then at him again. She frowned underneath her helmet. “Wuss.”

“And for this purpose as well as for curiosity's sake, I come with peace and with good tidings, in hopes that Val Roa and the Xonan Empire can coexist like brothers and sisters in the near future,” Kera said. As the speakers echoed the last words of her statement, she held her tongue. Her ears twitched, and she fidgeted there on the balcony. Biting her lip, the filly looked over her shoulder.

Arcanista and Ebon looked on, their faces blank.

Kera looked back out onto the sea of faces. She took several long breaths. Finally, with a frown, she stood up tall and added, “Actually... there is something else. Something more. When war ended between Xona and its previous enemies, it was discovered that a third party was responsible for much of the horrible things that made the war last as long as it did. I speak of a monster—a devourer of harmony—that wants nothing more than to spread misery and pain wherever it goes. This is no ordinary monster, but a very old creature, a creature capable of many dark magics, the most powerful of which is shape-shifting.”

Ebon Mane jolted in his seat. He threw a look at Arcanista with his muzzle agape.

Arcanista's eyes narrowed as Kera went on.

A commotion had already risen amongst the crowd, nevertheless Kera continued. “And it is my belief that this shape-shifter, this... changeling queen has arrived here in Val Roa, and wishes to continue her horrible agenda, causing as much suffering as the Xonans have endured. For many months, I have tossed and turned in my sleep, afraid of what this monster might do to lands that are not prepared for it. It is my hope that by visiting all of our sisterly and brotherly kingdoms, we Xonans might finally be able to put a stop to this monster's dastardly plans, and ensure harmony forevermore.”

By now, the entire Council had erupted in gasps, murmurs, and shocked breaths.

Prince Eine leaned back in his chair, his lips pursed in a contemplative expression.

Kera took a deep breath. “And... uh...” She waved with a goofy smile. “That's a wrap, everydeer!” And she hopped down from the podium with a flounce of her skirts.

Representatives, delegates, and provincial leaders stood up on their balcony seats, filling the Council Room with noise and chaos. A veritable thousand worrisome expressions were launched towards Fishberry's seat.

As Kera sauntered over to Duchess Arcanista, Nilla was bouncing around, chewing at her hooves. Ebon Mane dashed up.

“Are you crazy?!” the stallion hissed.

“Maaaaaaaaaybe.” Kera replied, eyelashes fluttering.

“That was the last thing...” He snarled, his coat briefly flashing multiple colors beneath his “tatoos.” “The very last thing you were supposed to do right now! You just gave the whole Noble Jury operation away!”

“Mr. Mane...” Arcanista softly chided.

“What are we going to do?!” Ebon squeaked, his fake horn wobbling. “We gotta book it to Jake and Floydien and hope they can get us out of here before—”

“Shhhhhhh!” Arcanista insisted, holding up a hoof. She stared towards the far side of the balcony. Kera and Ebon turned to follow her gaze.

Chancellor Fishberry was a frazzled mess. Several of her fellow delegates crowded around her, murmuring in a deep panic. She snarled and pushed her way past all of them. She trotted a few steps, stumbled, rubbed her head for no apparent reason, then trotted briskly out into the hallway. A thoroughly confused Nilla bounced after her, but couldn't keep up.

“... ... ...” Arcanista slowly, slowly smiled. “Kera, you magnificent Princess of Scamps, I do believe we've ruffled the right feathers...”

Ebon and Kera exchanged curious glances.

While the rest of the High Council erupted in chaos and confusion, Prince Eine sat still in his seat. He tapped his chin with his hoof, exhaling thoughtfully.

“This... this is so unorthodox!” the servant beside him exclaimed. “Prince Eine, I assure you, the Council never... ever experiences this sort of chaos.” She frowned. “It's all that Xonan's fault! Who does she think she is, coming from a foreign land, trying to sow dissent and distrust!” She turned towards the regal fawn. “Do you honestly believe that nonsense about... a-about some sort of shape-shifting monster?!”

“Mmmmm... not sure if can.” Prince Eine smiled gently. “But it's obvious that she does.”

“I apologize whole-heartedly, Your Highness. Please, allow me to fetch you your coach so that you may depart before this place becomes even more unruly.”

“Thank you, but that won't be necessary.”

“But, your Majesty—!”

“But what?” He stood up and smirked at her. “I do believe I have a banquet to attend.” And he glanced up at Fishberry's balcony, smiling even more.

A Mane That is Really Likeable

There were several taps against the bathroom window.

“... ... ...!” Mamunia spun about, eyes wide. Jet trotted over from the lavatory entrance, muzzle agape. Both servants exchanged glances, then rushed forward, shoving the window open.

Fw-Fwump! A thoroughly frazzled pegasus fell through, rolling onto the floor and shuddering.

“Miss Dash!” one maid exclaimed while the other spun worriedly towards the restroom's entrance. Swiftly, they helped her onto her hooves and led her towards the wash basin. “What h-happened to you?!”

“Ran...” Rainbow stammered, wincing. “Ran into some of those green fart knockers...”

“Beg your pardon?”

“Guh... Soul Sentries,” Rainbow murmured. She felt the note with the written coordinates slipping out from beneath her pendant, so she shoved it back in. “Ran into four of them.”

“You ran into Soul Sentries?!” Jet exclaimed.

“And you survived?!” Mamunia added.

“Heh... guess you two ain't used to awesome.” Rainbow smirked at them wearily. “I totally got what I was looking for.” She gulped. “I-I need to talk to Arcanista P.D.Q.”

“Miss Dash, your forehead!”

“Hmmm?” Rainbow felt her skull, wincing as she felt the bloodstains. “Er... yeah. Almost had a brush-in with my less sexy half.”

“Huh...?”

“Nothing a little rinse won't help.” Rainbow reached forward with a fumbling limb, turning one of the faucets. “How's the situation out there?”

“Rather alarming,” Jet said with a slight shiver. “The reindeer guards who escorted us here have galloped off somewhere.”

“Yes...” Mamunia gulped. “It seems as though something happened on one of the higher floors and it's gotten all of security in a tizzy.”

“Yes, well, that something was me.”

“This isn't good.” Jet bit her lip. “If the Soul Sentries saw you—”

“I'm pretty sure I was too quick for them.”

“Even still. I-I don't think you're safe here anymore.”

“I can't give up my cover now!” Rainbow exclaimed. “We gotta get back to Arcanista with the info I found and—” She paused in scrubbing her forehead with water, blinking. “... ... ...I know what to do.” And she dunked her head completely in the water basin.

Mamunia gasped. “Miss Dash!”

“Don't!” Jet rushed forward. “Your mane—”

“Bllbblbb!” Rainbow raised her head just long enough to wheeze. “I know what I-I'm doing!” She dunked her head again and again, rinsing the faucet through her mane. “One of you know how to make a wicked quick braid?”

“Uhm... yes, but—”

“Get ready to put your slumber party skills to good use! Blblblbbb!”

The Council Meeting had come to an end several minutes ago. However, while the bulk of the crowd had dissipated, wandering off from their respective balcony seats, Arcanista and her two companions were still waiting to disembark.

“I... I-I don't get it,” Ebon Mane stammered, leaning closer towards the Duchess. “Why haven't we been dismissed yet?”

“I sense a heavy commotion,” Arcanista said. “Several guards have rushed down this hallway at least three times since the Meeting culminated.”

“Meaning...?”

“I fear Ms. Dash may have caused quite a stir,” the Duchess remarked. “At least more than she was hoping to.” Her lips tightened. “And seeing as we have 'royalty' in our party...”

“You mean they're forcing us to stay here because of me?” Kera frowned. “Yeesh. Being a princess sucks.”

“Or maybe they're all freaking out because somepony let slip about Mother!” Ebon snarled.

“I didn't say Chrysalis' name once!” Kera upturned her nose. “I generalized!”

“You just filled this whole entire kingdom with Grade A Paranoia!” the stallion hissed.

“Let's not condemn her so heavily, Mr. Mane,” Arcanista said. A slight curve came to her lips. “Her improvisation, although unwarranted, may have given us the precise edge we've always needed. I personally find Chancellor Fishberry's reaction to be most intriguing.”

“Duchess...” Ebon gulped. “Your Honor...” He trotted closer and spoke in a hoarse tone. “The entire time we were with the Chancellor, I did not sense one thing.”

Arcanista turned to squint at him.

“If it was her... if it was my Mother...” He sighed melancholically. “I-I think I would have noticed.”

“... ... ...” Arcanista glanced aside in dull thought.

Just then, Nilla bounced back into the balcony. “I am so terribly sorry, everyone,” she said, trying to look at least half as frazzled as she truly was at the moment. “The guards have to pull one or two more security sweeps, and then they'll let you out.”

“May I ask what is going on?” Ebon remarked.

“They won't give me all of the details,” Nilla said. “Only that Soul Sentries were dispatched towards one of the higher floors for one reason or another.”

Arcanista and Kera exchanged glances.

“But I bring good news!” the gazelle said with a smile. “Or, in this case, good ponies!” And she stepped aside while three ponies in servant gowns and hoods trotted forward.

Kera grinned. “Rainbo—!” She caught herself, flinched, and cleared her throat. “Ahem. Que'stromulian trennte!”

“Her Majesty is glad to see that the servants of the Duchess of Sehlp are in one piece,” Ebon Mane said, then smiled at Nilla. “We appreciate your timely delivery.”

“My pleasure.” Nilla bowed. “It's the least I can—”

“Excuse me,” boomed an authoritative voice.

Everyone pivoted to face a reindeer guard along with several grim-faced officers. They marched in from the hallway and stood before the royal entourage.

“I apologize for the intrusion,” spoke the head guard. “But I am performing a search of each balcony.”

“Is there anything we can do to assist you, officer?” Arcanista spoke in a calm tone.

“You and the esteemed Princess of Xona have nothing to be worried about, Madame,” the guard said. “However...” His eyes scanned the balcony, ultimately settling upon the three hooded mares. “May I ask... are these your servants?”

Arcanista nodded. “That they are.”

He took a deep breath. “May I ask that they briefly lower their hoods?”

Arcanista raised an eyebrow.

“Please, Madame. We have reason to believe that an intruder is on the loose and I must make a thorough search.”

After a firm breath, Arcanista spoke out the side of her muzzle. “You heard the guard, ladies...”

Ebon and Kera bit their lips.

One by one, the three maids lowered their hoods.

The guard's eyes wandered across Mamunia's plain complexion, Jet's simple curls, and Rainbow Dash's prismatic braids. Once his gaze swept back, he nodded. “Right. That will be all.” He turned towards his guards. “The suspect isn't here. Carry on to the next balcony.”

“Aye, sir.”

“Sorry for the disturbance, Madame.” The lead guard bowed out, then trotted briskly after his cohorts as they rushed down the hallway.

Jet and Mamunia exhaled swiftly.

“I'm so sorry about that,” Nilla said with a shudder. “But, in a place like the Sandstone District, these things happen.”

“I remember quite well.” Arcanista smiled. “You needn't apologize.”

“Anything I can do to assist you, Duchess?”

“Yes. We would very much like quick and safe passage to the Banquet Hall.”

“Consider it done!” Nilla bounced out of the room. Suddenly—the gazelle stopped. She spun around and stared at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash stared back, blinking.

“... ... ...” Nilla smiled. “Very... very pretty. It's a shame to hide that under a hood.” And then she was gone.

Ebon had to sit down, rubbing his forehead.

“Rainbowwwwwww...” Kera leaned in. “Why did you lose the boogers in your hair?”

“It... h-had to be done,” the mare stammered, slipping her hood back on. “I ran into a bit more than I could chew at Fishberry's office.”

“You mean...” Arcanista's brow furrowed. “Soul Sentries?”

“But Mamunia and Jet here were able to make quick work out of my... looks.” Rainbow smirked. “And besides...” She reached into the neck of her blouse and pulled out a scrap of paper. “I got something out of it.”

Arcanista took the sheet in her cloven hooves and scanned the numbers on it. “...coordinates.”

“To someplace north, eh?”

“Far north,” Arcanista remarked. “Like...”

“The Lemuel Tundra?”

Arcanista's eyes lifted. “Yes...”

Rainbow grinned. “Now what are the odds that both Fishberry and Sharp Quill would have cryptic notes about the same place in two separate offices?”

“What could be in the Lemuel Tundra?” Ebon Mane remarked.

“That's the golden question,” Rainbow Dash said. “But at least now we have the precise coordinates.”

“Well, I doubt you'll be flying there anytime soon,” Arcanista said. “You've an appointment at Shepherd's Rock tonight at First Shine.”

“Hey...” Rainbow Dash smirked. “Who said anything about me going there?”

“... ... ...” Kera blinked. “Well...” She smiled. “Here's hoping the Jurists are bundled up nice and tight!”

“Haman... he's the boss of the Cartel,” Jex muttered while tending to the various instruments of the goblin skiff's engine. “A big fat freak in a bigger fatter and more freakish walker.”

“Somehow that doesn't surprise me,” Roarke droned, eyeing the battleship's hangar outside the transport.

“He's had his slimy eyes on Val Roa all his freakin' life,” the goblin said, fumbling with his prosthetic as he turned a valve. “Gnnngh.... Same as all the maggoty imps who came before him.” Frowning, he turned and glared at the metal mare. “Only... for once in so many generations... Haman's actually found an edge.”

“Saikano...” Roarke remarked.

“I've no clue what the Val Roan General is getting out of this, or the rest of those deer-humpers in general.” Jex limped towards the other side of the compartment and checked the guages. “But they're promising us free passage into the Capital City. Not only that, but they're providing us enough silver to finish our megaweapons.”

“You mean the three battleships.”

“Pffft. You almost know more than I do.”

“Then why all of the raids on the villages all throughout the kingdom?” Roarke asked. “All the attempted enslavement of Val Roan citizens?”

“The Cartel's never industrialized like Haman has forced us to industrialize.” Jex gritted his teeth. “You think we can build all of this crap all on our own?”

“If you had the balls, you would.”

“Yeah, well, thanks to you stupid Jurists' meddling, we've been forced to tap into our own citizenry.”

Roarke cocked her head to the side. “How do you mean?”

Jex shuddered. “He's already sent droves of imp forces into the northeast swamps to... 'recruit' the families of goblins in the field.” He gulped. “Being sent to the mines is instant suicide. He's killing off women and children just to make sure we meet our quota in time to exchange with the Lounge.”

“For skystone, right?”

“And once all our battleships are packed with that glowy shit...?” Jex turned towards her. “We can finally raze Val Roa to the ground.”

“Especially if the Soul Sentries aren't commanded to stop you.”

“Damn straight.”

Roarke leaned back with a sigh. “But what does Saikano have to gain from this? Even if he sought power after betraying his own kind, he's giving way too much to the goblins.”

“I don't think this will work out for the Cartel,” Jex said, shaking his head.

“What makes you say that?”

“Haman is a fool, and he's being baited.” Jex frowned. “He's thrown so many resources into a flying technology that we've barely mastered. Something tells me that the Val Roans have a plan in store to sabotage us the very moment our usefulness has ended.”

“How so?”

“You think I know everything?!” Jex snarled. “I've dealt with Val Roans all my life. It's a gut feeling, okay?” He limped towards the other side of the compartment, shuddering. “Haman's put all of our strength on the line. All Saikano would need to do is switch those Soul Sentries back on, and these three battleships will be reduced to steam farts.” He gulped. “The Cartel will be bankrupt. Sapped dry. We'll be slim pickings for the Val Roans. Or even worse... the Lounge.”

“If you ask me, that's poetic justice.”

“Yeah yeah... hate on us all you want.” Jex swiveled to face her. “But something tells me you don't want the Val Roans to suffer from this any more than the Cartel. Or else... why the Hell would you even be here.”

Roarke took a deep breath. “Something is happening deep in Val Roa. And I think that the powers that be want as much pain and misery to spread through the land, even if they have to use the Cartel to achieve it.”

“Just what friggin' powers are you talking about, lady?”

“That engine better be up and running, runt!” growled a voice from the hangar, getting closer. “Cuz we're shoving off!”

“Hmmmff...” Jex grumbled. “Better hold that thought. It's time to disembark.”

“Where exactly are we headed?” Roarke asked, slipping back into the shadows.

“Cartel Central,” Jex remarked, pumping several levers as the skiff's engine hummed louder and louder. “You wanna see Haman face to face? Pretty soon, you can trot up and kiss him.”

“I think I'll just settle for plain old assassination...” And Roarke hid in silence as the transport prepared for its long-distance trip.

In Bountiful, Where the Stripes Align

Bountiful had become a black and white sea of zebra fur. By midday, the Noble Jury had returned to the Duchess' home town, bringing along with it a plethora of refugees. Along the edges of the outer township, several tents were pitched beside a smattering of wagons. Local villagers came out of their homes in droves, communing with the influx of foreigners. Within hours, groups of ponies and deer dedicated to the House of Sehlp began dispersing food, blankets, and water.

“It's... it's incredible, Beloved,” Bellesmith remarked from where she stood next to her mate along the crest of a hill overlooking the town. She watched in awe as noble elks wandered outward from the inner wall, bearing gifts and goods. “The entire village is giving from the bottom of their heart.” She smiled. “We didn't even need to ask them once. They just saw who and what we brought from the east and began lending a hoof.”

“Should this truly surprise you?” Pilate smirked. “This far east of Abinadi?”

“Even still, it's not like we told them much or even warned them of this inexplicable burden.”

“I doubt they see it as a burden, Belle,” Pilate said. “More like an opportunity. They are the Duchess' subjects, after all.”

Belle smiled. “I suppose you do have a point there. I'm not entirely sure what I was concerned with...”

“The real worry is dealing with their future,” Pilate said. “As gracious as the residents of Bountiful appear to be, I doubt they could feasibly welcome so many hungry souls into their town even if they tried.” He tilted his head in the mare's direction. “They'll need a place to live. A place suitable for their talents in farming. All they appear to be used to is desert survival, and this place offers a distinctly unique environment.”

Belle took a deep breath. “That's what we're all waiting on Rainbow Dash for,” she said. “A solution to all this mess.”

Just then, a series of hoofsteps pattered up the hill. Belle looked down to see Booster Spice in full sprint.

“Ms. Belle! Mr. Pilate!” He skidded to a stomp, slumped and wheezing for breath. “We've... we've got a signal!”

“Did Miss Props get in contact with her uncle again?” Pilate remarked.

“Even better!” Booster Spice smiled tiredly. “It's Rainbow Dash!”

“...!” Belle spun towards him, mouth agape. “Rainbow's calling us?!”

“She already did!” He nodded. “At least five minutes ago! Come on!” He motioned as he galloped off towards where the Noble Jury was parked. “There may still be a chance to get a word in if we hurry!”

When Belle, Pilate, and Booster burst into the engine room, Props was already squatting before the communications array with the rest of the jurists huddled around.

“Alright, Dashie...” Props scribbled onto a sheet of paper. “I got the coordinates written down. Just what's going on there?”

“A fancy shmancy banquet of some sort. We just got done attending an assembly of the High Council, and now they're treating all of the delegates to a—”

“No, she means the coordinates you just gave us, ya melon fudge!” Josho growled. “What the Hell is going on that far north?!”

“I've no idea, McLardington! That's why I need you guys to find out!”

“Us?” Eagle Eye blinked. “You mean with the Noble Jury?”

“No, with two canoes and an electric fan! What do you think?!”

“Well... uh...” Props squirmed. “That might be a bit of a sticky wicket, Dashie.”

“Huh? Why's that?”

“We really put the Nancy Jane through a workout while you were gone!” Props said. “A bunch of zebras were being kicked out of their homes by the flank buggly goblins and we decided to—”

“We did a bit of zebra hitch hiking, Rainbow!” Zaid spoke up. “And by a bit I really mean that we loaded dozens upon dozens of extra passengers.”

“And it really put some wear and tear on the energy core!” Props chirped. “I can stabilize it, but I'll need to give Nancy a rest for a while! I-I don't think she can withstand a sudden skystone hop to the north!”

“Just how north are we talking about?” Josho remarked.

“Here...” Pilate extended a hoof.

Props handed him the freshly scribbled paper.

With the aid of the O.A.S.I.S. sphere, Pilate scanned the sheet through and through. His gray eyes flickered in time with his runic plate. “That's...” He winced. “...that's nearly to the skystone fields.”

“Oh...” Josho rolled his eyes. “Great.”

“Rainbow Dash...” Pilate trotted closer towards the communications array. “I don't know how or where you found these coordinates, but they're positioned so far north that no conventional vehicle can reach it.”

“When you say 'skystone fields,' Stripesy, do you mean that mess of stuff we flew Stratopolis into together?!”

Pilate nodded. “And if a Sentinel couldn't survive it...”

“The Noble Jury could,” Bellesmith remarked. “Couldn't it?” She blinked at the others. “Because it runs on skystone?”

“It could get there, yup yup yup.” Props nodded. “But it wouldn't be able to stay there for long. All of the feedback of the skystone would rip any living or non-living thing to bacon bits!” Her blue eyes blinked. “It's why Dashie's never flown north to get to the other side of the world, remember?”

“What about Whizzball?” Booster Spice spoke up.

“You really think that could reach the coordinates?” Eagle Eye remarked.

Booster smiled. “Why not? It runs on skystone... even if it is a naga brand.” He glanced at the communications array and spoke louder. “Whizzball is maneuverable enough to make it there and back, Rainbow! I'm sure of it! That way we don't need to put the Noble Jury through any more unneeded exertion!”

“Well, if you think it can work...”

“I'm sorry, Rainbow,” Belle remarked. “I know you were depending on us to lend a hoof at any given moment, but these zebras—”

“Don't you dare apologize, Ding Dong. Helping out the residents of Val Roa is what the Noble Jury is all about.” There was a slight crackled of interference. “Look, I-I can't continue this conversation for too long. Basically, if you guys think Whizzball can check out those coordinates, I think you should leap upon it. So long as you can make the trip as safe as possible!”

“Rainbow...” Josho grumbled. “You still haven't friggin' told us what we're going to find there!”

“Because I don't friggin' know myself, dude!” Rainbow's voice hissed. “For all of my flying around, I've yet to figure out who Chrysalis is over here. But I do get the distinct feeling that at least Chancellor Fishberry and Secretary Sharp Quill are both working for her! When I observed them, they were all acting weird... funky even...”

“Oh gods...” Zaid's eyes widened. “Not funky!”

“What's more, they both had notes lying around about this mysterious place located in the 'Lemuel Tundra.' According to the Duchess, that's where those coordinates lie!”

“What could it be...?” Belle thought out loud. “A storehouse? A weapons arsenal?”

“Maybe where the Queen of Creeps last kept a hive,” Josho muttered. “Like in Stratopolis.”

“Or perhaps...” Eagle Eye gulped. “Where the Queen is herself.”

“Look, guys. Whatever you do, be super careful. Okay? As much as I wanna find out more about what's going on here, I'm not keen on sending you dudes into a suicide mission. Best that you have Roarke lead the Whizzball trip up north if that's what it comes down to.”

Every jurist inside the engine room collectively winced.

“... ... ...guys? You there?”

“Uhhhhh... Rainbow?” Zaid smiled nervously. “About Roarke McBoarke...”

“Huh? What about her?”

“She's kind of...” Zaid fidgeted, glancing at Props and the others. “That is to say, she's a bit indisposed at the—”

“Scrkkkk! Sorry, guys! I gotta jet! I'll try to give you an update after I eavesdrop on our targets at Sheperd's Rock!”

“But Rainbow—!” Belle began.

“Stay awesome! Catch you later!”

“Wait!” Eagle stammered. “Could you at least tell us how—”

The Communications Array powered down.

“... ... ...my Ebon is doing.” Eagle sniffled, hugging himself.

“Relax, cupcake...” Josho patted the stallion's shoulder. “I'm sure by the time you see him again, he'll have lost the ugly tattoos.”

“That's not helping,” Eagle grumbled.

“Couldn't you have been quicker on the draw?!” Belle frowned at Zaid.

“Uhhhh...” The former cultist fidgeted. “About what?”

“About telling her where Roarke was!”

“I didn't see you stepping up to the plate, Miss Funny Girl!”

“Everypony, don't panic,” Pilate said, raising a hoof. “Roarke can take care of herself. What Rainbow Dash doesn't know won't hurt either of them. If need be, we'll prepare a proper explanation for the next time she calls us. Right now, we need to figure out what to do about this new mission.”

“Isn't it obvious?” Booster Spice remarked. “We take the Lounge sphere and we investigate the ever living snuff out of it!”

Zaid snorted. “'Ever living snuff,' dude?”

Booster blushed, glancing down at his squirming hooves. “I-I can have a 'tude too, y'know...”

“Not to make the rest of us sound like panty-girdles, but Dashie is right!” Props blinked at the rest. “Without Roarke, we're kinda sorta limping into unknown territory.”

“So what?” Josho stood up straight. “You got your first volunteer limper right here!”

“You, Mr. Josho?” Belle remarked.

“Dang straight.” He suppressed a burp and cracked the joints in his neck. “I've been needing something to shoot ever since we decided to become boring zebra herders.”

“Mr. Goggles over there is the best at piloting that silly black marble,” Zaid said, pointing at Booster. “But he's not exactly headbutt material.”

“Hrmmph...” Booster folded his forelimbs. “Thanks for your confidence.”

“Seems like a no-brainer to me.” Zaid smirked. “And I'm the expert at no-braining.”

“Heeheee...” Props leaned in and nuzzled him. “Indeed you are, Zaidy Waidy.”

“Well...” Eagle Eye stood up, shuddering. “Guess I know what I'm up to for the next bunch of hours.”

Josho glanced at him. “You sure about this, princess?”

Eagle smiled awkwardly. “Face it, old stallion. You and I make the best team. It'd be criminal not to support Booster on his flight. After all...” He gulped. “We've been through worse.”

“That's some fruity optimism you've go there, gurl. But that remains to be seen.”

“Whatever.” Eagle shrugged. “It'll at least keep my mind off of our missing cook.”

“And it'll keep my stomach occupied as well.” Josho stamped his hooves down. “Let's do this shiet!”

“Uhm...” Booster Spice raised a hoof. “Mind if I use the facilities... and then we can 'do the shiet?'”

“Pfft!” Zaid balked. “Now you're just trying too hard.”

Rainbow Dash hid the soundstone in the depths of her cloak and dress. Fumbling, she turned away from the isolated balcony and trotted back into the well-lit banquet hall. The sound of orchestral violin strings and harps lit her fuzzy ears. She shuffled past droves of deer and elks and ponies as the milled about, drinking champaign and enjoying cocktail snacks.

After a bit of awkward trotting, Rainbow reached the Duchess' side. She spoke without raising her head. “Well, I spoke as much as I could without being seen.”

“Is everything alright?” Arcanista asked between sips of a tiny glass.

“Hmmm? Oh. Totally. I told them about the coordinates n'stuff. Sounds like they're gonna take Whizzball to give it a look-see.”

“No, I mean you look rather unsettled, Ms. Dash,” Arcanista said. “Did the Noble Jury have unfortunate news to share.”

“No, not really.” The pegasus gulped. “Aside from the fact that your home town is presently being used as a zebra refugee center.”

“That...” Arcanista blinked. “...is rather fascinating.” She took another sip. “So long as they don't harass the squirrels, then I approve.”

“You're too kind.” Rainbow sighed. “Still, what I wouldn't do to know what they yabbering about concerning Roarke at the end.”

“Hmmm?”

“Never mind.” Rainbow turned about. “What time is it?”

“Approaching three o'clock.”

“Yeesh. Time flies.” Rainbow shrugged her shoulders. “I'm not exactly party mingle material. Maybe I should make my way to Shepherd's Rock super early.”

“Whatever you do, you must avoid being seen,” Arcanista said. “Mamunia and Jet have already gone to meet with my brother. Perhaps he and Constable Jake can take you back to Plaza Topaz early. There, you can figure out a way to make a strategic exit.”

“Yeah...” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Sounds good. I can't wait to get to the bottom of—” She blinked, freezing suddenly in place. “Wait... where's Kera?”

All Part of Manners and Etiquette

“Do you know what form this beast will take?” asked a worried elk, one of over a dozen delegates trailing the little unicorn filly across the busy banquet hall. “That of a cactus, a stone, or a street lamp?”

“Or perhaps...” A doe stammered, eyes wide. “One of us?”

“Would the monster even know who it was while impersonating another creature, Your Highness?”

Kera gritted her teeth, stumbling towards the balcony in her gown. “Grnnnghhh... Buzz'offien roy'allee, flank'holien trennte...”

“Erm... wh-what did she say?”

“I think Her Majesty is speaking in Xonan.”

“Ah. I see. Now where did her translator go...?”

“LOOK!” Kera spun, frowning. At the jolting expressions of the Val Roan delegates, she leaned back, relaxed herself with a sigh, and spoke more evenly. “Ahem. I am... ehhh... most sorry,” she uttered in a “thick” accent. “I only know enough words for the speech I give to you.” She gestured daintily. “This country... Val Roa... it faces a menace, yes. But Xonans do not know the shape of the menace. Only the menace.” She stood up tall with a proud tilt of her chin. “That is why we must be vagina!”

“Erm...” One buck leaned in, humbly. “Perhaps you mean 'vigilant,' Your Highness?”

“Yes. That too.” Kera rubbed her forehead. “Please. I have talked much and eaten very little. I must—how you say—chill the buck out.”

The delegates smiled. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“We are honored by your presence and your good will towards Val Roa's security.”

“It's been a pleasure speaking with you.”

“Uh huh... dreit dreit dreit...” Kera turned with a twirl of her skirts, glaring off the balcony. “Now friggin' scram, Spark alive...” She blinked at herself, then moaned. “Oh great. Now the inner Belle is coming out.”

“You say that like it's a bad thing,” Ebon Mane stated, trotting up. He panted, breathless. “There you are! I've been looking all over for you!”

“Waited a little longer, and you could have scraped me off the sidewalk below.”

“Kera, what's gotten into you?” Ebon gritted his teeth, trotting over to her side and speaking in a whispery tone. “Can't you stay in one place for more than ten seconds?”

“Not with half of Val Roa's bridge club chasing me in circles across their Capital!”

“Well, what do you expect?!” Ebon shrugged, making sure not to lose his unicorn horn. “You spit it out that there's a Changeling Queen among the populace, and everydeer's bound to jump all over the Xonan Princess with all sorts of panicked questions!”

“You're never gonna let this go, huh?!” Kera spun towards him, frowning. “Look, Ebon, I know it's not what you and the Duchess would have wanted me to do, but—face it—it's got the wheels in everyone's heads turning! You saw how Fishberry stormed off like she'd left her clothes in the washer!”

“We still don't know if that's a good thing or not, though!” Ebon stammered. “Until Rainbow Dash gets to the bottom of who's doing what around here—”

“Uh huh. We gotta play our part!” Kera's eyes were wide. “She's awesome and all, but Rainbow Dash can't do everything on her own! That's why we came here with her, ain't it? We're a team! And, let's face it, things are coming down to the wire. The pressure on us is so thick. So why not shovel some of that pressure back, huh? You feel me?”

“But it's put a big... huge target on us now, Kera!” Ebon exclaimed. He sighed, hung his head, and trotted a little closer. “Look... I'm not here just to play this silly Xonan charade. You need somepony to look out after you. I... I'm committed to making sure that you get back to Bellesmith and Pilate safely.”

“Heh...” Kera smirked up at him. “You do realize that—if push came to shove—it'd totally be me protecting you, right?”

Ebon clenched his jaw tight. “Even still. I gotta get you back safely to the Jury, no matter what it takes.”

“Yeesh, Ebon. Lay it on thick, why don'tcha?” Kera rolled her eyes. “Don't you have enough on your plate as it is? What—with your 'mother' sneaking around this city like a wolf among the trees?” Silence. She turned to glance at him.

He hung his head with a depressed look on his face.

Kera bit her lip. “Look... I... uh...” She squirmed. “I'm guess I'm a bit cranky, is all.” She adjusted her collar. “I'm not—nngh—cut out for all this frilly princess stuff. So maybe I went a bit out of bounds. But it's gonna work out for us in the end! You'll see!”

“I-I know,” Ebon murmured. “I just wish it didn't have to take such a risk.”

“I sure as hay didn't write the rules.”

Silence.

“I-I think I'll feel a bit better if I had some food in my belly,” Kera said. She smiled gently. “And I bet you would feel better if you did what you were good at.”

He tilted his head up. “You want me to fetch you something from the banquet table?”

“If you can't be a cook...” She smirked. “At least be a waiter.”

He smiled calmly. “I'll see what I grab. Stay here, okay?”

“Yeah, I doubt I'll be sprouting wings anytime soon,” Kera muttered, leaning over the balcony.

Ebon trotted briskly away.

Kera sighed... and sighed some more. She rested her chin against the balcony's ledge, staring out at the glinting spiral rooftops of the Sandstone District in the desert sunlight. A warm breeze licked at her emerald bangs and silken tresses.

“I wonder...” She murmured. “...if anypony has ever tried eating the sun.”

“Perhaps only in folklore,” spoke a young voice, almost higher in pitch than hers. “Maybe there's something to that effect in Xonan mythology?”

“Hmmph... How should I know?” Kera glanced aside. She frowned. “And why should you care, kid?” She glared off the balcony once more. “Get lost from kinder-care?”

Prince Eine tilted his head calmly to the side. “Well, admittedly, I'm a stranger to these halls, but I suspect I know my way through them much more efficiently than our esteemed foreign guests.”

“Good.” Kera's nostrils flared. “Then maybe you can plan a route to scram through.”

“I meant no offense whatsoever, Your Highness.” Eine trotted closer. “But I was simply curious about the last topic you broached during your speech before the High Council.”

“Ungh...” Kera rolled her eyes. “You and everybody else...”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Look, can't you take a hint?” Kera spun towards him, frowning. “I'm tired. I'm hungry. All I wanna do is sit somewhere in peace and get something to munch on. Now, I dunno which of the delegates sent you to do Mommy or Daddy's dirty work, but scram!”

Several feet behind Kera's flank, a quartet of guards rattled at attention. Antlers glowing, they marched firmly towards the scene.

Eine raised a cloven hoof, stopping them. The little fawn calmly shook his head. Once the guards drew back, he cleared his throat and faced her. “I wasn't aware, Your Highness, that you had been made exempt from our banquet's offerings. Allow me to rectify that.”

“Heh...” Kera smirked. “You speak big for a lil' pipsqueak.”

He smiled. “And this pipsqueak finds your etiquette amusingly blunt in person.”

“Yeah, well, hunger will do that.”

“Name it, and you'll be eating it within the hour.”

“Mrmmff... name what.”

“A meal, of course.”

Kera turned to squint at him. “You for real?”

“I would certainly hope so.”

“Oh... I-I dunno...” Kera fidgeted in her gown, staring across the bronze rooftops. “Erm... grasshoppers?”

“As you wish.” Eine clapped his hooves. A servant rushed over, and he whispered in her ear.

Kera blinked at him. “Wait... really?”

The servant nodded and trotted off. Eine looked over. “Why not?” He smiled. “Desert grasshoppers are consumed in abundance by the common and aristocratic populace of Val Roa alike. It usually isn't considered a royal treat, but... perhaps in your Empire—”

“Oh! Totally!” Kera nod-nod-nodded. “Xonans scarf that stuff down left and right!”

“Well, consider it my pleasure to allow you to...” He fidgeted. “...scarf as you please.”

“Uhhhh...” Kera blinked. “Yeah, okay.” She nodded, smiling slightly. “Thanks. Thanks a lot.”

“It is no trouble whatsoever.”

“Who are you. Like—the caterer's kid or something?”

“Hmmmm...” He smiled. “Something like that. I will say...” He paced about. “I am immensely curious about this 'metamorph' business.”

“Uhhh... yeah...” Kera gulped.

“But, if you're not in the mood to discuss it—”

“Eh... it's not that.” Kera fumbled with the folds of her dress, glancing off into the city. “What I said in the speech is basically all I know. It wouldn't be right to say more.”

“But you do know more...” Eine cocked his head aside, smiling slightly. “Don't you?”

“Mrmmmff...” Kera's eyes darted left and right. “Ah jeez, what would Duchess Arcanista say...?”

“Duchess who?” Eine blinked, then glanced off towards the distant guards. “Arcanista? Which province is that?” He clenched his teeth. “God help me, if only I had memorized all the names.”

“Why should you?” Kera shrugged. “It's not like all of them visit the Banquet Hall.”

“No, Your Majesty. You don't understand. I'm...” Eine paused, blinking. He leaned back, clearing his throat. “I am... simply hoping that our fine cuisine will make your stay a comfortable and an enjoyable one.”

“Well, shucks, if you've got grasshoppers, that's a good first step.”

“Indeed.” He smiled. “Perhaps you would like a more comfortable place to enjoy your meal?”

“Y'know... to be perfectly honest...” Kera glanced at the bustling chambers behind them. “This place is... getting kinda cramped.”

“I'll have a room arranged for you.” Eine gestured towards the next door facing the balcony. “Would that be acceptable?”

“Heh...” Kera perked up, ears twitching. “Acceptable and a half.”

“Then, perhaps, you might humor a humble fawn with more details concerning this metamorphic menace?”

“Heck. I don't see why not.” Kera trotted alongside him as the guards escorted them into the next chamber. “If you got some dressing to dip the 'hoppers in, I'll even tell you what color the Xonans dye their underwear.”

“Underwear...” The Prince nodded after holding the door open for her. “...how quaint.”

Within a blink, Kera and the Prince's entourage were gone.

Half a minute later, Ebon Mane strolled back, balancing a plate on his head.

“S-sorry I took so long!” he stammered, wobbling left and right. “It took... guh... two minutes alone trying to convince the deer at the Banquet table that I'm a unicorn who can't use his horn.” He came to a stop, resting the plate on his hooves. “You'll like these! They're cheese and spinach encased in baked shells, sprinkled with garlic! I used to make things just like these back at Gray Smoke!” He lifted one with a proud smile. “I can tell you from first-ear experience that they're very crunchy! I figured you would get a kick out of that!”

He looked up. His smile left him as he blinked.

“... ... ...Kera?”

Orthoptera Caelifera, What a Wonderful Phrase

“Don't look now, but here comes the peasant express,” Constable Jake said.

Floydien turned and squinted across the shadow-laden courtyard flanking the High Council building.

Three mares trotted up, wearing identical gowns and hoods. Coming to a stop, the pony in the center peeked her muzzle out. “Okay... we got a lead for the Noble Jury to investigate beyond the West Gate,” Rainbow Dash said. “Now I need to get to Shepherd's Rock somehow.”

“Color wheel boomer...” Floydien blinked. “Your color wheel is color wheeling.”

Rainbow tucked her prismatic strands of hair into the hood. “Look. I'll deal with that later. Can you guys get me to the southern edge of the city?”

“Shepherd's Rock?” Jake cocked his head aside, blinking. “Pomegranates! You'll wanna take the southeast reaches! That way you can trot along the Grand Cleft and make it to the Rock by Sundown.”

“So long as you get me to a southern district—any southern district, then I can just fly the rest of the way.” Rainbow Dash pointed at the darkening horizon to the west. “The sun's going down. By the time we reach there, it should be dark enough for me to fly to the location of the secret meeting without being seen.”

“Ah. Right.” Jake bore a drooling smile. “I forgot that you were a magical sky horse.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Mamunia reached in, tapping the pegasus' shoulder. “We'd better return to the lobby, just in case the Duchess needs us.”

“Yeah. Good call.” Rainbow nodded. He turned towards the two bucks. “You think you guys can return here to the Sandstone District in time to drive Her Majesties back to Plaza Topaz?”

“Damn straight.”

“How will blue boomer return?” Floydien asked.

“Duh. I'll just fly back to the Plaza after listening in on Sharp Quill and company.” She smirked. “There's been no sign of Fishberry since Kera went medieval on the High Council, so you can bet her deer feathers are ruffled. As for Saikano... I can only hope he'll show up too. I wanna get a good angle on that guy.”

“It sounds like much shimmer stab.” Floydien frowned. “Color wheel boomer really should have Floydien join her.”

“Nah...” Rainbow shook her head. “Thanks for the offer, but this is a job for a quick flier like yours truly. Besides, if they caught you there, who knows what could happen. Fishberry might freak out to see the Duke of Sehlp again. Also, there's Saikano.”

Floydien blinked. “What about the boomer?”

“Well I figured that... with his daughter being... with you and...” Rainbow fidgeted.

Floydien's nostrils flared.

Rainbow gulped. “Right. Let's just get this over with, shall we?”

“That's Grade A butt-whomping in my book!” Jake was already hitching himself to the carriage. “Saddle up, pantywaist. More street urchins will hop out of our way if two boneheads are drawing the wagon.”

“Nnnngh...” Floydien nevertheless fitted himself to the carriage beside Jake.

“Good luck!” Jet hissed before she and Mamunia dashed back towards the front entrance under the penumbra of evening.

“So... shit got shaken up in there, eh?” Jake remarked.

“Ohhhhhhh yeah,” Rainbow Dash said, settling inside the wagon and disrobing of her gown. “Ran into a few soul sentries while snooping around Fishberry's office.”

“Porcupine pricks!” Jake gasped, smiling wide. “You for real?!”

“Yup.”

“And you lived?”

“Yup yup.”

“Wow, you're one crap-lucky squirrel!”

“And I don't know whether to be worried or glad.”

“Why do you spit so?” Floydien asked, drawing the cart along with Jake.

“For hours after the Council ended, there's been no word of the 'security breach,'” Rainbow said. “Seems like I had a clean getaway. So clean, that Fishberry's own security doesn't want to admit it.”

“Or just Fishberry.”

Rainbow sighed. “Hopefully things will become clear at Shepherd's Rock.”

“Assuming the jerkensteins still want to meet there,” Jake said. “You've rattled their hornets nest quite a bit.”

“I don't know if I have anything else to stand on. I'm hoping they're just as desperate as I am.”

“What about tiny boomerette?” Floydien asked.

“Who?” Rainbow peeked her head through the wagon's curtains. “Kera?”

“Yes yes yes...”

“I dunno. Last time I saw her, she was blending in with the banquet crowd,” Rainbow said. After a sigh, she smiled. “But Belle and Arcanista have trained her well. I'm certain I'll have no fear of her screwing things up or embarrassing herself.”

“Mrmmmf-schmmmopp-scrrffkkk!” Kera scarfed another grasshopper down her gullet. A combed leg or two spilled out across her tattooed muzzle, and she rubbed it off with a jerking hoof. “Mrmmmfff—mmm-mmm! I didn't realize these suckers could get so juicy this far into the desert!”

Eine sat across a long, long table from her in a cozy little dining room. He blinked at her ravenous antics. “I... I-I wouldn't know,” he said. “I've always found insects completely distasteful.”

“Hah!” Kera paused long enough to breathe and smile. “How ironic.”

“How so?”

She froze in mid-munch, blinking. “Uhhhhhh...” Crunch! She gulped a pulpy morsel down. “Forget I said anything. You wouldn't be able to swallow one of those drones if you tried.”

Eine's eyes narrowed. He smiled. “You possess a fascinating character, Princess Kera...”

“Kera Tin Mehjj.” She smirked aside. “I know. Rolls off the tongue, right?” She lifted a partially bitten specimen and grinned. “Among other things.” She proceeded to gulp it down.

Eine couldn't help it. He looked away with a cold shudder. After several deep breaths, he steeled himself, murmured a few words of courage, then turned to smile at her again.

“I imagine you find Val Roan customs to be fascinating as well,” Eine said. “Not to mention strange and perhaps even bizarre.”

“Eh...” Kera dug through the remaining platter of garnished insects. “It's alright.” A tiny belch escaped her lips, and she slapped a hoof over her silk-laden chest. “Not sure I'd wanna vacation here, but the deer and ponies are super nice. So that's nifty.”

“What a... unique choice of words.”

“Hey, if there's no point in using them, then don't say 'em at all.” She gobbled another grasshopper down, her eyelids fluttering blissfully.

Eine paced around the table slowly. “Your... appreciation for Val Roa is a relief to hear,” the little fawn said. “I imagine it must take a great deal of strength and fortitude to cross the lengths and distances you have to warn a country as foreign as ours about the looming threat.”

“Oh... heh... believe me...” Kera grinned tiredly. “I've traveled a lot.”

“And you must have left a lot behind,” Eine remarked. “A Princess of your standing is a precious asset.”

“Heh... I'm all pony,” Kera said. “Not a single drop of donky blood. I swear.”

“Hmmm?” Eine blinked. “Oh. No no no, I mean that you're—”

“Is that tartar sauce?”

“I... I-I would assume so.”

“Heh...” Kera smirked, reaching across the table. “And you call yourself the caterer's son.”

“Eheheheh...” Eine smiled awkwardly.

“Just how old are you anyways, kid?”

“I... I-I am nearly my thirteenth year.”

“Hah! No kidding!” Kera dipped a grasshopper in the sauce, took a bite, and moaned inwardly. “Hmmmm... heh... funny, that! I hear the Prince of this kingdom is turning thirteen soon.”

“I do believe that's a currently developing event, yes.”

“Well, you sure as heck don't look thirteen.”

“I don't?”

“Mrmmmff... unless 'thirteen' in deer years is—like—eight in pony years!”

“Uhm... I believe the common physiology of deer and elk maintains a predominant growth spurt in their early twenties—”

“I'm just saying. If I had legs as scrawny as yours, I'd be afraid to walk across the street for fear of them snapping like twigs.”

“Yes. Indeed.” Eine breathed deeply. “Your Majesty, if I may be so bold to ask...” He glared. “Are you or are you not the same princess who spoke so eloquently to the High Council earlier this morning?”

“Heh...” Kera smirked, eyes rolling. “Get a load of the horns on you.”

Eine bit his lip. He reached a cloven hoof up, feeling his tiny nubs with a blushing expression.

“Okay... look...” Kera leaned back from the plate and glanced at him slyly. “Between you and me, there's only so much I can stand of this whole... etiquette nonsense.”

“Nonsense?” Eine blinked. “Your Majesty, if we do not behave ourselves as proper representatives of our kingdoms—”

“Lemme tell you a thing or two about my kingdom.” Kera glared. “Xonans love war. We slice up our kids barely weeks after foaling so that their flesh can 'sing songs' to our serpent goddess Nagu'n or whatever. We have a stupid caste system that turns our language into piecemeal diarrhea in order to maintain the social structure of crazy.”

“That sounds...” Eine winced. “...unpleasant.”

“Ain't no romp through the daisies, lemme tell you,” Kera said. “For generations and generations, we lived our lives like stiff-necked jerks, treating each other like garbage and laying all our hate and anger on the Ledomaritans.”

“Are... those the ponies you warred with?”

“Pffft! We would have pathed the streets with their blood if they ever let up with their stupid managliders. All in all, both our kingdom and theirs would have been happy enough to have bled each other to death. But then... well...” Kera stared down at the plate. “That all changed.”

Eine narrowed his eyes. “The beast... the metamorph snuck in.”

“Yuh huh...” Kera slowly nodded. “I know what you're thinking. 'This monster did those losers a favor.'” She sighed. “Truth is, this freakjob only made things worse. She took what was already horrible about both warring nations and cranked it up... way waaaaaaay up. Ponies were being murdered by the second. Entire populations of peasants were sacrificing themselves. And then there was the experimentation on Ledomare's side, plus the assassination of big name officials who were replaced by the monster's drones...” Her words trailed off, and ultimately she muttered, “And she even sent a psychopath to a humble little village that didn't wish anything bad on anypony. Just... Xonans and non-Xonans, living together in harmony... the way the should have.” She gulped. “All of us...”

Eine raised an eyebrow.

Kera's face tigthened into an angry scowl, then softened. At last, she breathily said, “No, the monster didn't do us any good. Exposing her did. And that's when we discovered how truly awful we've been this whole time. There was... j-just no point to the misery and violence. After all, the only thing that profited from that was her. She feeds off it. And with her gone, we realized that we could afford a happier life... a better life.” She glanced over at Eine. “We've since made peace with Ledomare, and our countries are now living under a permanent cease fire. But as awesome as that all is, it doesn't change the fact that the monster escaped, and now we have every reason to believe that something super evil... super cruel is nesting here. In fact, she's been nesting in here the whole time.”

“And so the Xonan Empire sent its only heir to our land to warn us.”

“Heh... I'm not the only one.”

“Oh?” Eine leaned back, blinking. “You have an older sibling?”

“Hmmm? Oh. Yeah. Uhhhhh... Lasairfion.” Kera smiled. “You see, the monster was impersonating her. Snuck alllllll the way in to the Royal Family! Can you believe that?”

Eine shuddered. “That... is most alarming...” He gulped.

“Heh. You're telling me.”

“Has your father or mother estimated the total damages this beast has caused?”

“Heh... nah, you don't get it,” Kera said. “They're not around.”

“The... Emperor and Empress are out of state?”

“No, I mean... they're gone. They're not anywhere.”

“They are... deceased.”

Kera opened her mouth, but paused. Clearing her throat, she glanced down and smoothed the folds of her dress. “Yes. Dead. Both of them.”

Eine exhaled slowly. “I am very sorry to hear that, Your Majesty.”

“Hey. It happens.” Kera smirked. “Good thing Lasairfion's around to pick up the ball.”

Eine bore a gentle smile. “You appear to have your own brand of courageous fortitude.”

“Yeah yeah. I'm not big on the whole princess shtick, but when it comes to Chry—” Kera hissed. “Er... when it comes to this monster, I'm not about to back down from warning the rest of the world. So... yeah... I did the whole speech thing before the High Council today. If you think it sounded all prim proper, then good. That was the point. For some reason, you gotta be stiff as a bored in order to be taken seriously around here. You know what I mean?”

“Hmmmm...” He smiled. “I do believe so.”

“If I had my way, I'd just be running through the streets, screaming at everydeer to run for their lives.”

“Is the danger that imminent?” Eine asked, leaning his head to the side. “From this beast?”

“Dude.” Kera glanced at him. “If you could make yourself into any deer or pony or ostrich that you wanted, what would you become? Who would you become?!” Kera shrugged. “You could be friggin' anybody! And who's to know?!”

“I... shudder at the thought,” Eine said.

“Heck... you know what I think?” Kera grinned.

“You... you h-have an idea who the monster might be?”

“Heh. Yeah! And it's a real doozy too.”

“Go on, Your Majesty.” Eine leaned forward. “I'm all ears.”

She smirked devilishly. “I think it's the Prince!” she whispered hoarsely. “Wouldn't that twist all the right panties?”

Eine exhaled. “I very much doubt it's him.”

“Heh... oh yeah? Why?” Kera lifted another grasshopper. “You his advisor or something?”

Eine opened his mouth, but suddenly his pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. A pale sheen covered his features as his lips trembled.

“Mrmmmff...” Kera bit on a juicy insect. “Well?”

“Erm... n-nonsense...” Eine stammered to say, smiling crookedly. “I'm his caterer-in-training!”

“Hah! Mrmmmff... small world!”

A Nighttime Appointment at Shepherd's Rock

Jake and Floydien came to a stop. Their coach creaked as it settled along the southern fringes of the main city. Low-rise apartment buildings and decrepit streets stretched around them. The moose and elk stared into the desolate hills rolling south from where they were positioned.

After looking all around and finding the coast to be clear, Jake cleared his throat and gave the wagon a little kick.

Rainbow Dash poked her head out. It was dark, and night was about to fall. A purple sky hung over the arid worldscape.

“Okay...” She hopped out, hovering on blue wings. “This shouldn't take too crazy long. Head back to the High Council building. I'll meet with the Duchess and the rest of the group back at Plaza Topaz.”

“Try not to get discovered and tortured violently for your precocious snooping,” Jake said.

“Thank you, Constable Obvious.” She flew off. “Try not to drool.”

“Drool?!” Jake slobbered. He glared aside at the elk. “I do not drool!”

Floydien squinted one eye at the moose. “...literal spit is literal.”

Jake felt his chin, blinking. He grunted as he felt Floydien trotting in a circle, forcing him and the wagon to face north once again.

Rainbow Dash flew south.

She tried not to overshoot her destination. After all, it was getting dark, and every shadow was starting to look the same. The mare mentally retraced the directions Duchess Arcanista had given her. Her head pivoted towards the east, and she scanned the landscape for a flat slab of stone surrounded by altars.

At some point, she got distracted. Rainbow's eyes shot dead east, and she was entranced by the lavender beacon of Yaerfaerda. Perhaps it was her imagination, but it almost felt as if the light was closer.

Gritting her teeth, Rainbow rubbed her clenched eyes and sighed. Refocusing on her flight, she looked straight down—flinching. She at last saw Shepherd's Rock. Any more seconds of flying and she would zoom past it.

Angling her wings, she glided earthward in a spiraling circle. She landed behind a cleft of stone with a soundless shuffle of hooves. There, she spotted some thorny bushes hugging close to the earth, and she found a dark niche within which she as able to hide. Squatting on all fours, she kept her body low to the ground and held her breath. Her ears twitched as she listened to the air, waiting for any sound of trotting hooves.

The sunlight of the day was almost entirely extinguished. In a matter of moments, it would be First Shine.

Her targets would arrive.

“The way I see it, this far out against the Grand Choke, the shapeshifting Queen wants to regain her strength,” Kera said, reclining on a balcony chair overlooking the night-drenched Sandstone District. “If she makes enough misery to feed on, she could get super powerful. Even powerful enough to leap the Grand Choke in a single bound and then lay waste to... I dunno... whoever lives over there.”

“To what end?” Eine asked, sitting across from her on another seat.

“Hmmm?” Kera blinked. “Oh, I totally didn't say it at this morning's speech, did I?”

“Everydeer's been left to guess, Your Highness.”

“Well, from what we Xonans can guess...” Kera stifled a yawn. “The monster is from the dark side of the world.”

“Dark side...?”

“You know, the flat side of this plane that the sun and moon don't illuminate?” Kera smirked. “Turns out the monster is from there. She has—like—a brother who's waaaaay more powerful, and the two of them are waging some sort of undending war against two other armies. Pretty epic stuff.”

Eine blinked. “Cosmologists have theorized about the properties of the dark side, but never once did we think that there were actual inhabitants there.”

“Heheh...” Kera smirked. “Wow, you're rather thoughtful for a catering deer.”

“Yes, well...” Eine squirmed.

“When we snooped the shapeshifter out along the borders of Ledomare and Xona, we sapped her of most her power. So, even though she's escaped, she's super... crazy weak at the moment, which is why we wish to corner her while we can. If we don't put a stop to her now, she may get powerful again, and then she'd be next-to-impossible to deal with.”

“That certainly wouldn't do,” Eine said.

“Nope. It's a good thing that the Duchess Arcanista was nice enough to help me and my entourage enter Val Roa. Otherwise, we'd never have gotten word out about this creep.”

“Yes...” Eine nodded. “Most fortunate indeed.”

“Arcanista needs a break, y'know?”

“In what way?”

“Well, she's a faithful noble who serves Val Roa and its Royal Family! But... like... she's been treated like crap by the High Council for years.”

Eine sat up straight, his eyes firm. “Is that so...?”

“Yeah. Seems that a bunch of delegates within the High Council love to curb-stomp members who don't dance to their tune. Arcanista's one of the unlucky representatives. I mean... heck... she had a brother who was kicked out of Val Roa just for trying to speak out against it!”

“In... what way does the Council do this unruly behavior?”

“Pffft. Heck if I know. It's politics.”

“But...” Eine's brow furrowed. “You're a Princess. Aren't you supposed to be knowledgeable of this sort of subject matter?”

“Hey, all of that is in Lasairfion's court,” Kera said. “At least... that's the best I can figure.” She fidgeted. “I'm just the one sent on missions of good will and peace. A spokespony, ya dig?”

“Erm...”

“Heh... you think the Prince of Val Roa knows anything about what's really going on in this country?” Kera smirked. “If he did, I'm sure he would have put a stop to the nonsense by now! I mean... he's gonna be King in just three... two days, right?”

Eine sighed long and hard, his ears drooping as he gazed aside. “Yes. You... imagine he would be on top of things.”

“But hey. He's just a kid.” Kera shrugged. “If I got to rule Xona in place of my sister... ho ho hoooooo...” She smirked. “I'm already drooling at the possibilities.”

“Surely, Your Highness, you would put the welfare of your subjects above that of your own whim.”

“Heh... you bet!” Kera smiled. “I'd do something about righting all the wrongs that both Xona and Ledomare has done. I'd try and get ponies and deer and turtles and whatever to cooperate better, so that way we don't rub goblins and naga and—heck—even shape-shifters the wrong way.” Her nostrils flared as she gazed off into the distance. “Poverty... hunger... broken families.” She gulped. “I'd do something about all of those nasty things. We live in a world that's got places so peaceful and harmonic that it makes every other kingdom look like a nightmare in comparison. I know that this is true, because I've seen it in the face of an awesome pony who's convinced me that it exists. Everything has a way of getting ugly, but you shouldn't have to lose faith because of it. You... shouldn't let yourself go blind.”

Eine gazed softly at her.

Kera sighed. “But... y'know... there's only so much one can do. And with so little time.” She smirked. “The Duchess and I are here in Val Roa to make a difference. If we can get that one step done right, then we can work on the rest later, right? And with new friends and allies even.”

Eine slowly nodded. “I have no doubt that your heart and integrity are in the right place.” He smiled slightly. “Even if your manners aren't.”

“Jee. Thanks. I'm guessing you're out of grasshoppers.”

“Er...”

“Eh, forget I mentioned anything.” Kera sat up, fidgeting in her gown. “If I stuffed any more down my throat, I'm liable to pop a seam in this darn thing.”

“May I ask one question, Your Highness?”

She giggled. “Just one?”

He smiled gently. “If you were Princess of this land... soon to be Queen... what would you do?”

Kera blinked. “You mean if—like—I was 'Princess Kera of the House of Evo?'”

“Precisely.”

“Well... heh...” She smirked. “I'd read up on the speech that a certain Xonan Princess gave at the High Council meeting today.”

“But of course.”

“Then...” Kera took a deep breath. “Then I would arrange a meeting with everrrrrrydeer I claim to trust. I would stare each and every one of them in the eye and ask them what they will do to make sure we're not being invaded by a shape-shifting menace.”

“And just what would that accomplish?” Eine asked, standing up across from her.

“Isn't it obvious?” Kera shrugged. “If the monster is in this kingdom, what better a form to take than one of the Prince's most trusted advisors? The Military... the Council... the Palace... she could be anywhere! And anyone! And I'd do my darnedest to find out who and why before it's too late!”

“Too... late...?”

“You really think this creep's going to wait to kill me until after I have become Queen?” Kera smirked. “But... heh... that's not my bed to make. I really... really don't envy the Prince right about now. But... then again... what he doesn't know can't hurt him. Or... it totally can, but he won't feel a thing when he does.”

“That's...” Eine gulped, feeling his blood run cold. “...morbid?”

“Right. That's why the Duchess and I are trying to dig out the shape shifter before anything like that can happen. It sure as heck wouldn't be pretty.” Kera paced across the balcony, then stopped dead in her tracks. “Wait a second...” She turned and squinted up at the pinprick-dazzled sky. “What friggin' time is it?”

Rainbow Dash was starting to squirm.

The shroud of night had already fallen. It was obviously well past “First Shine” in every definitive sense of the term. She spent most of the time fussing with her tail hairs, counting the number of strands still unnaturally dyed green despite the midday rinse. Soon it became too dark for Rainbow to distract herself, and she started to panic.

The mare was about to leap out of her hiding and give the place an aerial comb over when—

Hoofsteps.

Rainbow Dash froze. She stuck her tongue against the roof of her mouth while every muscle in her body locked in place. At first, she didn't know where the hoofsteps were coming from... until something strode over her. She stopped breathing momentarily, watching as a tall, tall elk nearly squashed her, walking blindly past the niche where she was hiding. When he was a few strides away, she finally exhaled, then crawled far enough forward to tilt her head and crane her neck past the nearest cleft of stone.

A large buck stood facing the slab of Shepherd's Rock. Rainbow could make out his broad antlers in the starlight. A few outer branches shimmered with a metallic glint. When he spoke, it was with a voice she hadn't heard before.

“Come forth,” he growled in an authoritative tone. “There is much at stake and very little under control. We risk more by waiting in the shadows.”

Rainbow whispered to herself: “Saikano...” At the sound of rustling bushes, she looked aside. Two more bodies approached the flat stone at Shepherd's Rock.

Silent Witnesses to An Evil Trinity

Chancellor Fishberry strolled up, facing across the stone from Saikano. She looked insanely out of place, wearing her noble silks and threads in the center of such a desolate plain. “You've been silent as of late, General. We were starting to wonder if we were alone.”

“I concur.” Secretary Sharp Quill also appeared, his purple eyes producing an eerie sheen in the darkness. “There have been multiple incidents in the capital these past two days.” He kept trotting closer... closer. “If the pressure is up here, I shudder to imagine what slim control you have over the Soul Sentries at best—”

“Do not move any further!” Saikano shouted. “Stay back! Keep your distance!”

The other two stopped dead in their tracks. Soon, the three stood equadistant from one another in a triangular pattern, with Shepherd's Rock acting as the impregnable divide. Rainbow Dash watched in silent curiosity, barely producing a single breath.

“I... did not wish to alarm you,” Sharp Quill said.

“He's right, though,” Fishberry remarked in a dull tone. “We must keep a firm distance. We all know what's at stake if we don't.”

“It... It's just been so difficult as of late,” Sharp Quill muttered.

“You've been around that Prince too long,” Saikano said. “Fathering him has softened you.”

“You would do well to remind yourself that it works the other way around,” Sharp Quill said with sudden menace. “If it weren't for me, Saikano, none of this would be possible.”

“Then perhaps you should be the one in charge of the Sentries!” Saikano growled. “It's trouble enough to maintain the perimeter without having to answer to the Cartel every damn day—”

“Will you two calm yourselves?!” Fishberry insisted. “Don't you see what's happening?! We've been turned against one another! They're attempting to weaken every facet of this initiative. If we cannot cooperate, then the plan cannot go into motion. Then all will be lost.”

Sharp Quill shuddered. His gaze fell. “They... they broke into my office. They did some snooping around.”

Saikano squinted his good blue eye. “Who's 'they?'”

“I am not entirely sure. Maybe it was an entire group. Maybe it was just one infiltrator. But whoever they are...” He motioned his antlers at the doe. “They did the same thing to Fishberry's office.”

Saikano turned to look at her from across the Rock. “Is this true?”

“I'm surprised you didn't sense it,” Fishberry said. “Your Sentries came in to intercept the infiltrator. They did not succeed.”

Saikano sighed. “It's my fault. I had a meeting with the Cartel earlier. If I had been meditating along the perimeter instead—”

“Do not blame yourself,” Fishberry said. “They've been distracting us on all fronts.”

“Do you know who they are?” Saikano asked.

“Not entirely. But I have every reason to believe that they're connected to the governor of Bountiful.”

Rainbow Dash held her breath, ears twitching.

“You mean Duchess Arcanista?” Saikano remarked.

“Affirmative.”

“I've heard news of a royal ambassador whose speech shook up the Council today.”

“That was a member of her entourage.”

“One of the false Xonans?” Sharp Quill remarked. “Those whom you wrote me about?”

“Precisely.” Fishberry nodded. “The child pretending to be a 'Princess' matches the description that given to us.”

“Which description?”

“You know fully well, Sharp Quill,” Fishberry said. “The ones that she gave us.”

Rainbow's lips pursed.

“That's rather coincidental,” Saikano remarked.

“Why is that?”

“Because the chief issue that the Cartel have been yammering about is the interference by the Noble Jury,” he said. “We all know that they've been choking the Green Bandits resources beyond the West Gate.” He turned to stare at the other two figures. “But what if they've spread their operations abroad?”

Sharp Quill's muzzle hung open. “You mean they've split up?”

“Given their past with her, it would make sense,” Fishberry said, glancing at the other two. “They'd be desperate enough to split their numbers.”

“Then that makes them an even greater threat than before,” spoke Sharp Quill. “Think about it. They outnumber us.”

“Not exactly.” Fishberry looked at Saikano. “The General still has his Sentries.”

“If you want me to use them, then I have to be minding the perimeter.” His brow furrowed. “I can't keep playing ambassador to the Cartel.”

“You're the only thing that holds those imps in check.”

“It matters little,” Saikano said. “They're going to double-cross us no matter what. Their ambition is to conquer all of Val Roa.”

“Then what's important is that we let them go as far as we want,” Fishberry said. “And then you can crush them, Saikano.”

“What's the state of the armada as of today?” Sharp Quill asked.

“I ordered one battleship to stay within our borders,” Saikano said. “I sent a skiff back with the payment for the nagas' skystone. Once Haman has made the exchange, they'll send the next two vessels. They should be within Val Roan airspace in time for the Coronation.”

Rainbow's ears folded back as her face paled. She struggled to keep from breathing too hard as her blood ran cold.

“Then, as far as the Cartel is concerned, they're bound to deliver on their end,” Sharp Quill said. “Not even a ship like the Noble Jury would be a match for that much fire power.”

“Still, we need leverage against them for when the day comes that we act on her behalf,” Fishberry said. “This should be our last meeting before the Coronation. I've come up with solution to the false Xonans. At these specific times, I need both of you to be—”

Rainbow Dash suddenly couldn't hear what she was saying. As a matter of fact, she couldn't hear anything. A strong pair of hooves had wrapped around her from behind.

“... ... ...!” The mare sputtered for breath, wrestling with a savage weight against her back. She couldn't see the shadow of her attacker in the darkness of evening. She thrashed left... then right. The pegasus couldn't budge. Whoever had pounced on her, it was someone well-trained and well-prepared for this sort of an assault. As Rainbow felt her lungs quivering from a painful lack of oxygen, the world blurred. She was being suplexed to the ground, and the blow was powerful enough to knock out most living things her size.

Rainbow's whole body sparked with stabbing pain. Somehow, she had remained conscious. The Yaerfaerda symbol spun against the black canvas of her eyelids. She was facing east, being rolled across the stone. She felt the body pressed on top of her... the sound of shackles and tight rope. She was about to be bound.

Gritting her teeth, the mare did something she knew her attacker would not expect. She stretched her pegasus wings out at full length.

“Guh!” a feminine voice grunted, being knocked back.

Rainbow inhaled, standing up. She heard the scuffle of hoofsteps bounding towards her. Nimbly, she flew up into the air, backflipped, and came down upon her attacker.

Only once she had her forelegs thrown around the assailant's neck did she realize that it was no deer—but a pony about her own size. The equine was clad in ink-black cloth from head to tail. Rainbow wasn't the only one sneaking out there that night.

Normally, Rainbow would have yelled something into the attacker's ear in order to intimidate her. However, she didn't dare make a sound for fear of the three conspirators' hearing something. Even then, the pegasus' heart palpitated. She craned her neck towards Shepherd's Rock, desperate to hear what the group was mumbling about Arcanista and the “Xonan” entourage—

Rainbow lingered one second too long, and the pony in her grip bucked its rear legs hard into the mare's lower abdomen. Seconds later, the equine performed a magnificent round-house kick of its front hooves.

Rainbow took the impact in her chest. She lost all the air in her lungs, collapsing immediately. Whoever she was fighting, the pony wanted this battle to be silent too. Rainbow crossed her front legs in time to block the attacker's pounce. Together, the two rolled and wrestled across the stone, almost stumbling out into the open where the meeting was transpiring. Through the fitful struggle, Rainbow caught random words, things like “stage” and “underground” and “Tundra.” She cursed mentally, gnashing her teeth as she writhed and squirmed in the attacker's grip. At last, with a red-and-yellow flicker to her eyes, she thrust her neck up.

Flash! Rainbow's pendant briefly strobed in the desert night. The attacker got a face-full of the blinding harmonic glow. In a mix of shock and pain, she reeled back and shrieked out loud.

The voices at Shepherd's Rock silenced in an instant. Then, seconds later, Fishberry's voice: “Did you hear that?”

Sharp Quill: “Saikano, that sounded like—”

Saikano: “Impossible.”

Fishberry: “Even still—”

Saikano: “Yes yes. I'll go see.”

Rainbow gnashed her teeth, looking left and right. She heard the hoofsteps drawing closer... closer. Out of options, Rainbow hugged her dazed attacker tight and flapped both wings with a thunderous thrust. Fwoossssh! She skyrocketed, ascending into the dark night's sky within the span of a blink.

Shepherd's Rock had become a distant speck. Up high, Rainbow hovered, panting. She gripped the shivering assailant as she squinted down at the desert plain. There was no way of telling if the three figures were still there or not, and Rainbow wasn't about to risk getting within viewing distance to find out.

“Darn it!” her voice cracked. “Darn it darn it darn it darn it darn it!” Gritting her teeth, she frowned at the masked pony in her grasp. “You... ya little ninja turd! Do you have any idea... any idea what you've done?!”

“I've stopped an injustice!” the mare spat. “Whatever you were planning, it won't work!”

“What do you mean what I was planning?!” Rainbow hissed. “Those creeps are working for the Queen of Bad Days and you're babbling to me about 'injustice?!'” The pegasus stared her down menacingly. “You've got ten seconds to tell me who you are before I drop you like a bad habit!”

“Do your worst, monster!” she shouted back. “But as God is my witness, I'll haunt your accursed body from the grave if you so much as try assassinating my father again!”

Rainbow's lips pursed. “Your... father...?” Her eyes blinked, and amidst the starlight she envisioned a branch of antlers laced with metal. “... ... ...Midnite?”

The pony in her grasp stiffened.

Rainbow snaked a hoof up and yanked the equine's mask off. A dark-coated mare with a charcoal-gray mane glared back. “Midnite Bastion...?”

“How the Hell did you know my name...?” the pony growled, her eyes glinting like hard diamonds. “Who are you?!”

“Sister...” Rainbow's jaw tightened. “You're looking at one really...really ticked-off pony...”

Midnight in the Garden of Meh

“Why should I believe a single word you're saying?!” Midnite Bastion growled.

“Uhhhh... okay.” Rainbow frowned. “Here's one reason.” And she let go of the mare.

“Gah!” Midnite fell... the distance of four feet, landing nimbly on her hooves. This is because Rainbow Dash had just lowered the two of them to a plateau several yards south of Shepherd's Rock.

“I totally didn't release you while we were hundreds of feet up!” Rainbow glared from where she hovered. “Believe it or not, I'm not out to murder anypony! Not you. Not your father. Not even the soul sentries or goblins who may be working for him.”

“Bite your tongue!” Midnite hissed, eyes glinting in the starlight. “The General is no Cartel sympathizer!”

“Uhhhh... are you deaf or something?!” Rainbow's voice cracked as she gestured broadly towards the Rock. “He just said out loud that he was in cahoots with them!”

“It's a ploy,” Midnite said, squinting. “A trick to throw off Secretary Sharp Quill and the Chancellor. Those two are the ones who are corrupt in this nation! My father's only playing their game long enough to pull the rug out from under their hooves!”

“Is that a fact?!” Rainbow balked. “Has he told you this himself?!”

“He...” Midnite gnashed her teeth. “...he has not.”

“Why not?! You're his daughter, aren't you?” Rainbow smirked. “Why the mask and dark clothes unless you were sneaking up on the meeting just as much as I was right now.”

“... ... ...” Midnite turned away, fuming.

Rainbow hovered closer. “If you trust dear-old-Daddy so much... why not ask him straight up what he's doing?”

“My father is a master tactician,” Midnite hissed. “It's not my place to question how he goes about defending Val Roa!”

“But you want to, don't you?” Rainbow gestured. “I can't be the only pony who sees how crazy things are with him! With the other two! With everyone!”

“What do you know? You're likely just some agent for the Cartel attempting to undermine this great nation.”

“Yes, because the Green Bandits are keen on hiring winged ponies.”

“I've seen them do stranger things.”

“Oh yeah? And what about your father? Is it natural for him to suddenly stand dead-still, eyes locked on everything and nothing, while he talks to some bodiless soul?”

Midnite Bastion winced visibly.

Rainbow pointed with a smirk. “Ah ha! He has done that, hasn't he? I knew it.” She touched down, staring across from the mare. “It's the same thing with the other two. Something or someone has possessed them... or is commanding them from afar... or has infected them. Whatever. The three most important deer in Val Roa are not their normal selves. Now, you seem like a smart pony. Don't tell me that the way Saikano's been acting lately can be misconstrued with 'normal.'”

“Hmmmmf...” Midnite paced about on scuffling hooves. “What do you know...?”

“I know plenty,” Rainbow Dash said. “Because I've dealt with this menace before. There's a monster loose in Val Roa, a changeling Queen named Chrysalis. She's brought entire nations to their knees by replacing their most important leaders. For the longest time, she's done this by literally replacing them with doppelgangers. But she also knows how to read creatures' minds. Somehow it wouldn't surprise me if she's put a spell on your dad and turned him into a weapon for her own cause.”

“That's impossible.”

“Why's that?”

“My father would have stopped her before she even entered the West Gate!” Midnite spun, snarling. “That's why!”

“Oh really...”

“He's in control of the Soul Sentries! And under his command, they would have—”

“What?!” Rainbow frowned. “They would have caught Chrysalis? Just like they caught me when I snuck into the kingdom to snoop out the changeling Queen?!”

“It's a large nation. My father tries his best—”

“Or maybe he's not commanding the Soul Sentries to defend this nation at all!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Maybe he's controlling them for another purpose... a darker purpose... because he's allied with the same force that's manipulating Sharp Quill and Fishberry!”

“That's preposterous,” Midnite grumbled. “The Soul Sentries are the most trusted line of Val Roan defense!”

“But don't you think it's a bit weird that Saikano's been recruiting so many of them?! Filling them in the streets of this city?! Lining them up along the mountain range surrounding this whole dang kingdom?!”

Midnite's eyes darted about. A sheen of sweat formed on her brow.

“There's more to it, isn't there?” Rainbow squinted. “If you're his daughter, then surely you've seen more. Perhaps on the inside.”

Midnite took a deep breath. “The ritual by which Soul Sentries are made has... changed,” she said.

“In what way?”

“Why should I tell you?”

“Because we both smell something that's fishy,” Rainbow said. “And although we were nearly killing each other a few minutes ago, that automatically puts us on the same side, girl. So 'fess up. What's gone wrong with the Soul Sentry program?!”

Midnite's teeth showed as she grimaced. “There are... hundreds of them added by the hour.” She gulped. “From all over Val Roa. And the ritual goes by so swiftly as well. Usually it takes months... even years of preparation to become a wielder of the Emerald Flame. But lately?” She shook her head. “In the Central Barracks, volunteers are rounded up, and my father just... I-I mean the General simply looks at them and... and...”

Rainbow blinked, ears twitching.

With a disgruntled sigh, Midnite hung her head. “The Coronation.” She seethed. “We need the extra security for the Coronation. That... th-that's why.” She shuddered. “It all makes sense. Surely it does.”

“You don't sound entirely convinced...”

“I believe whole heartedly in my father's cause!” Midnite snapped, frowning at the pegasus. “Some way, some how, he's working to undermine Sharp Quill and Fishberry! I just know it!”

“Uh huh...”

“Do not patronize me!” Midnite dragged a hoof, frowning. “Just who are you to claim otherwise, stranger?!”

“Because I'm not the only one who sees the inherent threat to this kingdom!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Somepony... somedeer that you know is on my side! It's the sole reason why I'm even here!”

“Like who?!”

Rainbow took a deep breath. “Duchess Arcanista of the House of Sehlp.”

“Arcanista...?!” Midnite blinked. “From Bountiful?!” She chuckled bitterly. “Has that noble gotten that desperate?! No doubt she wishes to usurp Chancellor Fishberry from her high seat!”

“Midnite...” Rainbow slowly shook her head. “It's not just Arcanista who brought me here.”

“Oh yeah?!” Midnite leaned forward. “Who else?!”

Floydien's dull red eyes traced the road leading them to the front of Plaza Topaz. He and Jake pulled the wagon while Arcanista talked with the ponies in her carriage.

“I've said it a dozen times, Kera. I'll gladly forgive you for speaking out of line before the Council today. For what it's worth, it's stirred the hornet's nest in all the right places. But when you run off at the Banquet without warning...”

“Hey! All I did was munch on grasshoppers and chat it up with the caterer's son!”

“The caterer's son?!” Ebon Mane remarked.

“Yeah! You know! At the Banquet!” Kera giggled. “The kid was super nice. Kind of a brick short of a load, but he treated me like royalty. So I'm not complaining.”

“Kera...” Ebon sighed. “Don't you get it? It's quite possible that we've made quite a few enemies in Val Roa here today. 'Treating you like royalty' could mean assassination!”

“Pfft. This pipsqueak couldn't assassinate a spider with a wad of tissues.”

“I'm s-serious!” the stallion's voice cracked. “You had me really... really worried all afternoon!”

“Playing the part of the Xonan Princess gives you a lot of authority, Kera,” Arcanista chided. “But it's no excuse to act wildly and without control.”

“Hey! I had everything under control! Besides, if that punk tried to start something, I would have totally tossed him off the balcony with one flash of mana!”

“And that would solve the situation... how?” Ebon muttered.

“Oh hush.” Kera stuck her tongue out. “I don't see what everypony's freaked out about. The heat isn't on us! If anything, the pressure's on Rainbow Dash over at Shuffle Reefer.”

“Shepherd's Rock.”

“Whatever. If anything, all of Chrysalis' hidden eyes are on her, not the 'delegates from Xona.' Heh... I wonder if she made any headway tonight.”

“To be perfectly realistic, Kera, I doubt we'll be seeing her for quite some time,” Arcanista said.

Thwoooosh! Just then, two shadows dropped down from the sky, landing in front of the wagon in the shadow of Plaza Topaz.

Jake and Floydien jerked to a stop. “Cardboard!” the moose exclaimed. His eyes narrowed. “Is that who I sniff it is...?”

Rainbow Dash released her grip of Midnite. The dark mare blinked, muzzle agape.

Floydien looked up. He froze with a blank expression.

“Floyd...?” Midnite gulped, shivering slightly. “You... you're alive...?”

“... ... ...”

Midnite's eyes turned glossy. She took a pensive step forward. “It's... it's me, Floyd...” An awkward smile. “It's your Nancy Jane...”

“... ... ...” Slowly, without saying a word, Floydien started trotting again. He and Jake drew the wagon past Midnite.

Both Rainbow Dash and the General's daughter pivoted, gawking at the moving carriage.

Floydien didn't look back.

Jake, glancing back and forth, raised his head and grinned. “Well... I for one think you still look dayum sexy, M.B.! Love what you've done with your thighs! Penguins!”

Princes, Soldiers, Broken Hearts, Oh My

There was a knock on the door to the Royal Chambers.

Prince Eine stifled a yawn, laying down in bed with a book in his grasp. “You may enter,” he said in as melodic a tone he could muster.

The door opened, revealing a sihlouette with a familiar set of antlers.

“Sharp Quill...” Eine smiled, sitting up. “How nice it is to see you—”

“Do not get out of bed on my account, Your Majesty.” Sharp Quill strolled over while a pair of guards closed the door behind him. The elk stood at the Prince's bedside, smiling gently into the candle light. “It's been a busy day. I simply wished to check up on you before I retired to my studies.”

“You've certainly been working around the clock, Secretary.”

“I wouldn't be caught doing any less,” the elk said. “Your Coronation is in two days, and there's much to prepare for.”

“Well, I do appreciate all of your hard work and consideration, Sharp Quill.”

“What, may I ask, are you reading?”

“Uhm...” Eine shuffled, cradling the book in two tiny hooves. “Simply brushing up on my scientific knowledge.”

Sharp Quill tilted his head, squinting at the tome's title. “'A Biological Review on Val Roan Cryptozoology?'”

“Erm... yes...” Eine bit his lip.

“Hmmmm...” Sharp Quill stifled a chuckling breath. “Is this the sort of research you've yearned to cover in preparation for becoming King.”

“Call it an educational distraction,” Eine said, squirming under the covers. “Did you ever hear about the Mosiah Reports?”

“Should I have?”

“It was an expedition to one of the titular province's subterranean caverns,” Eine said, flipping the pages of the book. “Apparently the researches there encountered a creature that was different each time they caught a glimpse of it in the caves.”

“You don't say...?”

“They described it as a 'sentient and self-sufficient shape-shifter of unprecedented speed and conveyance.'” Eine slowly, slowly tilted his gaze up towards Sharp Quill. “Isn't that strange?”

“... ... ...” Sharp Quill smiled. “Very odd indeed. This world is full of curious surprises.”

“Yeah...” Eine slowly nodded. “I'm starting to believe so as well.”

Sharp Quill cleared his throat before the silence could devour the moment. “Your Highness, I was hoping to ask you something.”

“What is it, Sharp Quill?”

“Is it true that you ventured to the High Council building today?”

Eine bit his tongue.

“I just got done speaking with the Royal Clerk,” Sharp Quill said. “Apparently you took a carriage to the Sandstone District at approximately ten hundred hours.”

“Is... it a crime to observe the operations of this kingdom's legislature up close?” Eine inquired. “Especially with my becoming King soon?”

“I would very much have wished you had asked for my advice on the matter,” Sharp Quill said.

“I did not think you would approve,” Eine said.

Slowly, the elk smiled. “How can I properly assist you in the way your parents always desired me to... if you do not have faith in me, Your Highness?”

Eine stared at him.

Sharp Quill stared back.

Clearing his throat, Eine hugged the book to his chest and stared at the bed covers. “Right. Of c-course, Secretary.”

“Mmmm...” Sharp Quill stepped back. “I suppose it matters little. No harm came to you. Still, I would issue caution. No amount of Soul Sentries can stop a single miscreant from attempting something so close to your Coronation.”

“Is it necessary to be that paranoid, Secretary?”

“Not paranoia, Your Highness, I assure you.” Sharp Quill bowed. “Simply caution.”

Eine was quiet.

“I will leave you to your slumber.” Sharp Quill turned and trotted towards the door. “Pleasant dreams, fair prince.”

Before the elk could leave, Eine sat up straight and spoke aloud. “Oh, Secretary?”

Sharp Quill stopped and swiveled around. “Yes, Your Majesty?”

“I spoke with the Royal Clerk as well,” Eine said. “Just an hour ago.” His yellow eyes narrowed. “Is it true that you departed for the south edge of the City for a two hour space in time this evening?”

Sharp Quill was dead silent, dead still.

“May I ask what for?” Eine inquired.

“... ... ...” Sharp Quill smiled. “I had a meeting with General Saikano and Chancellor Fishberry.”

“Oh?” Eine tilted his head aside. “What for?”

“To discuss security measures, of course.” Sharp Quill nodded. “A busy week indeed, as you can imagine.”

“... ... ...”

“Will that be all, Your Highness?”

“Yes, Sharp Quill.” Eine swallowed. “As always, your loyalty makes me proud.”

“I live to serve, my Prince.” And then the elk was gone.

The door shut coldly, leaving Eine alone in the flicker of candle light. The Prince glanced across the walls of the place in contemplative silence. Slowly, a childish grin spread across his face. He kicked out from the covers, jumped down from the giant bed, and padded across the way to a desk. Once there, he opened a drawer, producing parchment and a royal seal. With elegant handwriting, he began writing a letter, starting with a very elegant name...

Floydien trotted from the supply wagon parked beside the noble carriage. He layed out several brittle branches before Jake. The Constable fumbled with some flint, eventually starting a miniature bonfire that they contained within their part of the Plaza Topaz courtyard. Across the concrete expanse, several similar servants squatted before their own blazes, warming themselves in the hush of cold desert night.

Far away, under the overhang that flanked the Plaza's front lobby, Midnite Bastion sat, breathing calmly. She had stripped of her stealthy black threads to look less conspicuous. Regardless, her petite figure stood out amidst the otherwise barren building exterior before the courtyard. She kept her gaze locked on the elk from afar, her face tense and contemplative. For minutes on end, she shivered.

That is—until a pair of cloven hooves laid a blanket over her figure. “How many years have you served in your father's military? Ten? Twelve?” Arcanista sat beside the mare. “I don't care how tough you may be. It's no excuse to freeze to death.”

Midnite's nostrils flared. “Wouldn't make much of a difference,” she muttered. “I haven't been one to feel much of anything these days.”

Arcanista followed the pony's eyes as they were locked on Floydien. “Is that a fact...?”

“You need not be out here on my account,” Midnite said. “Go back upstairs and retire, Duchess. I can handle myself in the meantime.”

“I'm afraid it's not that simple,” Arcanista said. “We have a great deal to discuss. Sleep is something none of us can afford while we allow this situation to linger.”

“'This situation...'”

“Rainbow Dash wasn't shouting gibberish when you and she bumped into each other hours ago,” Arcanista said. “There is a legitimate danger to this Kingdom, and we all know that your father is involved.”

“That's still under debate.”

“Midnite...” Arcanista's brow furrowed. “He's not been acting natural. None of our suspects have. Either through coercion, conspiracy, or mind control—all three of them have been working towards a malevolent goal and it is our job to stop them. For Val Roa's sake. For Prince Eine's sake.” She inhaled and said, “We need your help. With you on our side, we'll have an edge that was previously out of grasp.”

“Uh huh...” Midnite melancholically followed Floydien's movements. “And just what do you need me to do?”

“First thing's first,” Arcanista said. She stood up and trotted into her line of sight. “You need to let him go.”

Midnite frowned. “Easy for you to friggin' say.” She pointed. “It's like a damned ghost from the past is having a squat right in front of me! And now you're telling me to just ignore him!”

“He seems to have no problem doing the same to you.”

“He's changed!” Midnite's voice cracked. “Just look at his face! And his antlers are gone! And... something's all mutated about his eyes! And... and...”

“It was a shock to my system as well,” Arcanista said. “Believe me. But, despite all of my sincere efforts, I soon realized that there was very little point in trying to bring the brother I know and love back to the surface of the elk he's now become.” The Duchess sighed out her nostrils. “There is a time and a place for reunions. Right now, the kingdom's future is at stake. With Eine's Coronation just two days away, there's no telling when or where our enemy will strike.”

“He should be dead, Arcanista,” Midnite grumbled. “I thought I had gotten him out of my head years ago.” She gulped. “I thought I had gotten him out of my heart.”

“Please do not dwell on him, Midnite,” Arcanista said. “As a soldier, you must understand the importance of keeping your eyes front.”

“Heheh...” Midnite chuckled bitterly. She tossed her mane while shaking her head. “Heh heh heh heh...”

Arcanista raised an eyebrow.

“Just whiffing some fumes from the past,” the mare muttered. She turned to glare at the Duchess. “Face it. You never approved of our relationship. No deer did. My father didn't. My comrades in arms didn't. Now Floyd himself is giving me the cold shoulder. Hell, I think the only soul on this god damn earth who ever approved of our little fling was Jake, and that's pretty friggin' depressing.”

Arcanista sighed. “I'll admit that I... had my reservations.” She cleared her throat. “However, not once did I ever appreciate the calamitous circumstances that split you two in the end. You've always had my sympathies.”

“You've never told me that.”

“You've never asked,” Arcanista said bluntly. “As soon as Floyd left for the west, you, your father, and everything else about Val Roa became a mystery. Bountiful was cut off from the High Council. I always knew that Fishberry was to blame, but...”

“But what...?”

Arcanista paced about, avoiding the mare's gaze. “A part of me wondered if maybe she had some help from someone... or some deer in the military.” Arcanista gulped. “But I was a different elk then. Far less trusting. More bitter.” She glanced briefly over her shoulder. “I think you can guess why.”

Midnite slowly nodded. “Then how come you suddenly trust me now.”

“I heard Rainbow's account of her... physical meeting with you,” the Duchess said. “I'm convinced that you're sincerely concerned about your father. You must understand; we do not wish to undermine the branches of the Val Roan government, but we have legitimate reasons to believe that something is causing those three deer to stage something horrible in time for Eine's Coronation. If you were to help us, Midnite, then we might have the edge we need to uncover this vile plot once and for all.”

“By doing what?!” Midnite Bastion frowned. “Assaulting them? Confronting them?! You're such a tiny group! I don't care how far this 'Xonan Ambassadors' facade will carry you. You guys are vastly outnumbered!”

“No one is weak if they carry a wealth of information.” Arcanista smiled. “Besides, we have... exceptionally talented friends on the outside.”

Midnite sighed, folding her forelimbs. “No matter how many ways you shake this, it looks and sounds like a coup.”

“I know.”

“Your evidence has very little solid ground to stand on.”

“I know...”

“If I respected my father at all, I would report each and every one of you and have you thrown into the stockades.”

“If that's what you truly, adamantly believe.”

“... ... ...” Midnite's eyes lingered across the courtyard. “Tell me one thing, Arcanista.” She bit her lip. “Do... do you know why he's alive? How he got to be this way?”

Arcanista slowly shook her head. “I've only gathered bits and pieces. From what I can tell, he got caught by several unsavory unicorns in the war-torn continent west of us.”

“The same kingdom Rainbow Dash spoke about?” Midnite remarked. “'Xona?'”

“Ledomare, actually. And though they were a wicked and unruly lot already, Queen Chrysalis slithered her way in and multiplied their malevolence by tenfold,” the Duchess explained. “Perhaps if this was another universe where Chrysalis had not sunk her teeth in so deeply, my brother would not have been captured and... undergone his change.” She sighed. “Right now, I have to concentrate on what's right in front of me. It's the least I can do to keep myself from collapsing in tears. Even if I never truly reunite with my 'brother,' at least I'll have the satisfaction of dissolving the machinations partially responsible for his turning.”

Midnite exhaled long and hard, her ears drooping. She muttered as she said, “I might be able to get you in close...”

Arcanista cocked her head curiously to the side. “Close to what?”

“The Soul Sentries,” Midnite said.

“And how would you intend to do that?”

“I'm not sure. I... I would have to talk about it.” She pivoted towards the elk. “To everyone. I... I-I know it's late, but...”

Arcanista raised a hoof, smiling slightly. “Say no more.” She motioned the mare to follow her as she trotted into the front lobby. “For you, Midnite, I would wake the dead if I had to.”

Those Who Are Capable of Change

“Here you go, maggot.” A goblin dropped a rusted platter to the floor, nearling spilling its meaty contents.

Jex glanced over from where he jerked several levers of the skiff's engine. “Breakfast? Already?”

“Pfft. You don't want it, we'll feed it to the rats!”

Jex's pointed ears twitched as he frowned. “I was just wondering what time it was...”

“Don't think about the time, runt.” The goblin pointed while shuffling above deck and into the dim morning light. “Only think about doing your damn job!”

Jex sighed, returning to his work.

“Remember!” The other goblin's voice hollered from the windy world outside. “You're the property of Haman now! From your brain to your balls! So be thankful you've got something to nibble on, ya puissant worm!”

“Yes,” Jex grumbled quietly to himself. “Ecstatic.”

Several seconds passed.

Jex glanced up the steps leading towards the tiny transport's top deck. Clearing his throat, he grabbed a crutch with his good arm and shoved it towards the darkened corner of the compartment.

With a whirr of hydraulics, Roarke poked her helmeted head out and stared at the platter of red meat.

“What is the meaning of this...?”

“God knows how long you've been sneaking around before I found you, pony,” Jex grumbled. “Put some meat in ya. You'll need it in a few hours when you're trying to outrun Haman's bullets.”

“That is not necessary. I am not hungry.” With a metal hoof, she slid the container back. “And do not concern yourself about Haman's weaponry.” Her helmet glinted in cold lantern light. “He'll be dead before he threatens the likes of me.”

“I wouldn't be so casual about Haman's threats,” Jex said, nostrils flaring. “I didn't take him seriously.” He waved a limp metal hook for an arm. “Look what it got me. Or... rather... look what it took away.”

“I do not need to be taking advice from you,” Roarke coldly said. “Eat the food yourself. The more flesh on your bones, the more you can stand up to those asenine misanthropes who constantly malign you.”

“They have every right to shit all over me,” Jex grumbled. His dull eyes reflected off the machinery's condensation. “I'm nothing more than property now. Very lame property at that.”

Roarke was silent for a while. Eventually, she tilted her helmeted head and said. “You are a great deal more than nothing. Giving in to the apathy that your culture has induced will be the one true defeat.”

He turned to squint at her.

She simply stared back. “Are you incapable of comprehending that?”

“I comprehend all that crap just fine.” He squinted. “But why do you give a damn?”

“Elaborate.”

“Every time we've met, you and your Noble Jurists have done nothing but bash my brains in. My fellow Bandits no less. Face it. You hate us.” He frowned. “We're murderers and pillagers and enslavers. For some reason, that just rubs you stupid prissy ponies the wrong way. I'm pretty sure you'd want us to just roll over in a ditch and die.”

“It would simplify things, yes.”

“Heh...” Jex turned back to his engine console. “I rest my pimply case.”

“But, at the same time, I understand what it means to make profit off of the pain and enslavement of others,” Roarke droned. “And I know now that there's a better way. A harmonic way.” She slowly shook her head. “It's never too late to change... not even for the most vilest of souls. And I've been there. I've been that soul. I still am, actually, to a great extent.”

“... ... ...” Jex moaned through an exasperated sigh. “Just shut up and let me get you to Cartel lands, okay?” He twisted a knob and yanked a lever while steam vented. “The last damn thing I need is for a cyborg pony to be preaching to me and my two limbs.”

“Affirmative.” Roarke backed up into the shadows once again. “It's a great deal more complicated than ripping your throat open anyways.”

Silence reined, although Jex found himself going through the engineering motions with greater lethargy, his eyes twitching into the distance as if distracted by something that was previously both elusive and distant. With a defeated breath, he scooped the platter up and shoved some raw meat down his gullet.

“Whoah whoah whoah!” Rainbow Dash flew between Midnite and Ebon Mane. “Nice reflexes, girl, but it's time you put the lamp down.”

Midnite Bastion seethed and seethed, holding the crystalline lamp in both forelimbs like a polearm. Her eyes twitched between Rainbow and the frightened stallion pressed up against a wall of the Plaza Topaz suite. “But... b-but you saw him! J-just now!” She stammered. “His tattoos disappeared!”

“I know...”

“He's one of those ch-changelings you've been telling me about!” Midnite yelped. “He's one of hers.”

“I know.” Rainbow glared. “And—like I've been trying to tell you as well—he's on our side. He's a good guy. One of us.”

“But... b-but...” Midnite gnashed her teeth. “It doesn't m-make any sense!”

“Mother's influence over me has vanished,” Ebon Mane said. He gulped and put on a courageous smile, despite his shivers. “There are hundreds if not thousands like me all across this plane! We're free now! We're trying to stop Chrysalis from enslaving us once more! Or non-shape-shifters, even!”

“That's a rather convenient thing to believe,” Midnite spat. “Isn't it?!”

“Convenient or not, it's the truth,” Rainbow said. Suddenly, her eyes stabbed the mare like daggers. “And I don't care if you have ten years of military training or two hundred. If you don't stop pointing that thing at my friend's neck, I'm going to break every bone in your body and sell the rest of your flesh to the Lounge as jelly.”

“... ... ...” Midnite glared at Rainbow.

Rainbow Dash glared back.

With a cold breath, Midnite slapped the lamp back into the corner of the room. She stood up straight and cleared her throat. “My... apologies f-for overreacting.”

Ebon slumped down from the wall, exhaling with a puff of green flame. “Hey... no harm no f-foul.”

On the far side of the room, Mamunia and Jet stopped flinching. They exhaled with relief.

“... ... ...” Arcanista slapped her hooves together. “Well!” She grinned. “Now that we have that ironed out, who's for breakfast? Hmmm?”

“With all due respect, Madame,” Rainbow spoke up, keeping an eye trained on Midnite. “Although she's now properly filled in, there's still the issue of what to do next.”

“What can be done?” Midnite clenched her teeth. “From the sound of things, you're still too few in number. All you've managed to do here is piss off Chancellor Fishberry. She's already got enough bad blood with Arcanista as it is. Now you had to show up in Val Roa and exacerbate the issue.”

“It was a necessary gamble,” Arcanista said. “There was simply nothing we could do from the outside... not while I was still unofficially banished to my home in Bountiful.”

“And plus, it's not like we're entirely empty-hoofed.” Rainbow smirked. “I learned enough from all my snooping around to figure out that there's something of interest to the far north. I'm secretly kinda hoping it's Chrysalis' lair.”

“Her lair?”

“Yeah. Like... maybe she's controlling your father and the other two from there,” Rainbow said. “I've already radio'd my buddies on the outside. They're sending a party up there to check it out. Hopefully they'll find something really snazzy that will shed some light on this.”

“Just where up north are you talking about?”

“Someplace in the Lemuel Tundra,” Rainbow explained. “I've got the coordinates written down somewhere. Essentially, it's right where the arctic landscape rubs up against the skystone fields. So, like... super far north.”

“Hmmmm...” Midnite Bastion paced around suddenly.

Arcanista raised an eyebrow. “Does that strike a bell for you, Midnite?”

“Actually... it...” Midnite shook her head. “No. That's too weird...”

“Please, tell us,” Ebon said with a slight smile. “We're used to weird.”

Midnite bit her lip. “Months ago... almost a year, to be exact... my father sent an expedition up north.”

“General Saikano did?” Rainbow asked.

“What kind of an expedition?” inquired Arcanista.

“I presumed it was to gather skystone samples,” Midnite said. “You see, for decades, Val Roa has always been relatively weary of the Lounge's possession of skystone. It's been a constant concern that the naga might someday trade with the Cartel, giving them a rare edge in their weaponry.”

“A fear that's suddenly coming true,” Rainbow said. “At least, that's what I could tell from what I overhead.”

“Yes, I heard it too,” Midnite said. “And I still think my father's simply leading Fishberry and Sharp Quill on so that they will overplay their hoof and reveal themselves.”

“That seems rather... convoluted,” Ebon said. “Don't you think?”

“What sense would it make for Saikano to play this deeply into the others' plans?” Arcanista asked. “With the Coronation just two days away, it's putting an awful lot at stake.”

“I know... I know.” Midnite sighed, staring out the window into the dim glow of early morning. “Maybe the General sent the expedition to the Lemuel Tundra in order to extract enough skystone so that we could have a deterrant to any invasion from the south or west.”

“You mean... with some sort of secret weapon or something?” Rainbow remarked. “Have you seen something like this from the inside?”

The mare merely bit her lip.

“Midnite...” Arcanista strolled over. “I know we're asking a lot from you. But you've trusted us this far. Please... anything you have to share with us can be immensely helpful in our quest.” She slowly shook her head. “No harm will have to come to your father... or even Sharp Quill and Fishberry.”

Midnite glanced up. “How so?”

“Er... yeah...” Rainbow smiled awkwardly. “How so?”

“If we can uncover the truth in all of this and reveal it to the public, then perhaps Chrysalis' entire plan can be deconstructed peacefully.” Arcanista looked at the others. “Would you not agree?”

“With all due respect, Duchess...” Rainbow Dash smirked. “I've never encountered a single changeling plot that could be resolved with anything except explosions galore.” She shook her head. “No matter how deep undercover we go, something has gotta buckle at some point or another.”

“She's right, you know,” Ebon said with a nod. “The tenser things get, the more wound up our targets as well. Whatever solution there is for Mother's influence in this kingdom, we have to find it quick.”

“It's simply not going to be pretty,” Rainbow said. “What we need to do is get a jump on all three of the party members involved.”

“What for?!” Midnite grimaced. “To assassinate them?!”

“No. Just to subdue them!” Rainbow glared at her. “Believe it or not, sister, I'm not out to crush skulls in this kingdom!” She sighed. “We're not talking worthless goblins here. I wanna shed as little blood as possible. But nothing is ever easy... especially with those soul sentries out there, aiming their green gunk at us with every turn!”

“Yes... right...” Midnite nodded with a sigh. “The soul sentries...”

“Is there any light you can shed on them?” Ebon asked.

“You inquired if there was some sort of weapon the Val Roans are using as a deterrant.” Midnite shook her head. “The soul sentries are that weapon. They're everything that stands between Val Roa and all potential invaders. It used to be that they were just an elite force of defenders. But now... thanks to my father's work... they are the army in total.”

“Thousands of deer,” Ebon muttered. “All answering mindlessly to a military authority.”

“Sounds familiar to you, Mr. Mane?” Arcanista asked.

The changeling shuddered. “Only the precise way in which my Mother likes to work,” he said, biting his lip.

Rainbow glanced from him to Midnite. “Is what your father's expedition found in Lemuel Tundra essential to controlling the soul sentries?”

“No. I-I mean... I dunno.” Midnite ran a hoof through her mane. “I don't think so, because...” Her words trailed off.

“What?”

Midnite shivered slightly. “I've seen it done. I've seen how he makes recruits into soul sentries. And... and I trust my father and all, but...” She shuddered. “It has always... always frightened me to my core.”

The others stared at her in silence.

The sudden knock on the door sent a mutual jolt through the crowd.

“Uhm...” Mamunia shuffled across the room. “I'll get it.”

Ebon trotted over and squatted behind the sofa as the servant opened the door. Within a minute, she closed it and trotted back into the main suite.

“What's that in your hoof, Mamunia?” the Duchess asked.

“It's... it's a letter, Madame,” Mamunia stated. “An invitation to the Royal Palace.”

“An invitation?” Arcanista blinked. “For whom?”

“It's addressed to Princess Kera Tin Mehjj of the Xonan Empire, Madame.”

Jet looked over her shoulder, suddenly producing a girly gasp. “It's... it's got the Royal seal!” She looked up, eyes bright and sparkly. “From the Prince himself!”

“Wait...” Midnite Bastion pointed with a hoof. “Do you mean to tell me that your little scampy pretender has gotten an invitation to meet with Prince Eine at the Royal Palace?”

“Nyeuuuughhh...” Kera stumbled into the room, her mane a frumpy green clump of bed hair. “Morning everypony. A royal invitation from Prince Eine? Heheh... how lame.” She trotted into the kitchen... but suddenly froze in place, blinking. “Wait.” More blinks. “Wat.”

All's Fuzzy On The Double Fronts

With the throttle of steam engines, the goblin skiff rocketed over a hazy, gray landscape. It passed several unnatural lines of craggy rock, all forming rough barricades that stretched east and west. Rusted metal planks formed platforms that connected the earthen walls together. Here, goblins patrolled with rifles and miniature cannons at their disposal. Upon seeing the arriving skiff, the imps stationed at various equadistant towers gave the airborn vehicle an acknowledging salute before lowering their weapons.

Thus, without much ceremony, the transport cruised on into Cartel airspace. The air grew smokier and mistier while the landscape dropped out below. Gigantic quarries ate into the earth, and their jagged walls echoed with the sounds of countless slaves being forced at whip and gun point to haul minerals up spiraling embankments. Past these quarries, the land rose again, exposing large and widespread plateaus of arid gray rock. Shanty towns stretched as far as the eye could see, featuring tiny ramshackled houses where impoverished goblin families lived—or once lived—by the tens and thousands.

Roarke peered through a tiny porthole, her blue eyes squinting at the polluted sprawl below. In the distance, rising like two mesas from the industrial decay, she saw a pair of enormous skeletal hangars made out of steel mesh. Even from a distance, she could spot the framework of two battleships, much like the one she snuck aboard when she crossed into Val Roa territory to the north.

The mare's nostrils flared. Roarke slid the porthole slat shut with a loud scraping noise. Cast once again in darkness, she turned and peered across the engineering compartment to where Jex stood, adjusting the skiff's steam array.

“We seem to have arrived,” Roarke said. “I can see your boss' airships.”

“Oh, we're not stopping here,” Jex said, grunting as he struggled to pump a lever with one good arm. “Nnngh... We have to swing by and convey the news to Haman.”

“You have no means of long distance communication?”

“Haman prefers to look his subordinates in the face,” Jex explained. “When it comes to news and—most especially—murder.”

“I see.”

“Also, the transfer of silver is going to take place to the southwest.” Jex squinted the mare's way. “The Lounge don't particularly enjoy flying deep into Cartel airspace.”

“I would never have guessed,” Roarke droned.

“I know I'm not in the place to say this, pony, but you're in over your head.” Jex glared. “You're so deep into goblin territory, it'll take a million years to drag your fossil out.”

“Almost gives you the courage to double-cross me, I imagine.”

“... ... ...” Jex turned to his machinery. “I have nothing to profit from it.”

“Is that a fact?”

“Turning in just one stupid horse isn't the same as defeating the entire Noble Jury,” the imp grumbled. “And even if I accomlished that, Haman still wouldn't reward me.”

“Makes one wonder why you ever worked with him to begin with.”

“I was born to the Cartel.” Jex took a deep breath. “I was Haman's property since I could first hold a wrench. You see, we're all slaves, even if it just takes a few pointed guns to finally get around to it.”

“You mean the families you mentioned earlier?” Roarke remarked. “The ones who are being thrown into torturous labor just now?”

“I shouldn't be surprised that Haman's resorted to working them to death,” Jex said. “I suppose I had hoped that we would have nabbed enough Val Roan legs to do the work for us.”

“It's easier to torment when it doesn't involve your own flesh and blood,” Roarke remarked.

Jex clenched his jaw. “Goblins have never cared about being liked.”

“That much is evident.”

“We only wish to get the job done.”

“And just what does all of this kidnapping, extortion, and torture accomplish?”

“Are you kidding?” Jex glanced over with a bitter smirk. “It gives us power... which is something Val Roa doesn't know how to use.”

“And that's why you wish to conquer them?” Roarke asked. “To show the 'proper way' things should be done?”

“There'll be no point if that general you were spying on decides to double-cross us,” Jex grumbled. “I wouldn't put it past Haman to throw us into a trap. The Lounge is hungry for resources, and we've done enough to piss off Val Roa. We're in the worst place if two angry kingdoms were to decide to tear us apart.”

“Forgive me if I don't feel sympathetic.”

“Yeah, well, what are you feeling?” Jex smirked toothily. “Brave? Suicidal?” He gestured outside with his good hand. “You're surrounded by hundreds of thousands of angry imps just like me who would want nothing better to do than to rip you into pieces.”

“Make it a hundred million and maybe it'll be a challenge,” Roarke droned.

Jex sighed. “Do you even hear yourself, pony?” He squinted. “Seriously. What's your plan here?”

“Your boss Haman must not be allowed to power those battleships with skystone,” she said. “The menace that's in Val Roa will use the goblin arsenal to spread death and destruction all across the continent.”

“And then turn on the goblins themselves, r-right?” Jex fidgeted.

“And the Lounge and the Alafreons and the Durandanans, most certainly,” Roarke said with a nod. “Nobody's sacred, as far as Queen Chrysalis is concerned.”

“The Dura-who?”

“We're dealing with an enemy that sees death and suffering as a means to an end. No amount of destruction is too much.” Roarke adjusted the metal casings along her forelimb as she felt the ship decelerating. “If Haman is one of the many pillars supporting Chrysalis' agenda, then he and everything he stands for must be toppled.”

“I see...” Jex nodded.

“It'll make no difference if you expose my position,” Roarke said. “Once this skiff lands, I'll have made so much stealthy distance from here that your superiors would resort to eviscerating you for wasting their time with such nonsense.”

“I doubt that,” Jex said.

“Trust me. You'll have no success in attempting to—”

“No, I mean I'm not telling any imp anything.” Jex's eyes narrowed. “As a matter of fact, I'm inclined to help you.”

“Help me...”

“That's right.”

“Help me do what, pray tell?”

“That depends, pony.” Jex smirked. “What do you intend to do to Haman, and how might I get a few kicks in for insult?”

“I'm not sure you want to get more involved,” Roarke said as she felt the ship's thrusters jolt and pivot. “You've lost enough limbs as it is.”

“Then toss me at Haman if you want to!” He sneered. “I won't rest until I've made that fat freak suffer!”

“Hmmm...” Roarke cracked the joints in her neck. “That could possibly be arranged.”

“It's a trap. It's gotta be!” Ebon Mane exclaimed. He twirled about as he paced across the Plaza Topaz suite. “Kera made her speech less than twenty-four hours ago! Now somepony in charge wants to have a word with her!”

“It's signed by the Prince himself, Mr. Mane,” Arcanista said from where she sat next to Midnite Bastion. “It bears the official Royal Seal.”

“It can still be faked, can't it?”

“Such would take a great deal of difficulty.”

“But we all know who we're dealing with!” Ebon frowned. “Mother has—” He winced, sighed, and restarted. “Queen Chrysalis has enough influence in this town to control the Senate.” He pointed at Midnite Bastion. “And to control the Soul Sentries, it would seem!” He glanced at everyone in the room. “What's to say she isn't in control of the Royal Palace!”

“I presume you're referring to Secretary Sharp Quill,” Arcanista said.

“My father went to meet with him and Fishberry,” Midnite Bastion said. She frowned. “To be perfectly honest, I've never truly trusted them. Even before the Soul Sentry program started being inflated, they were a crafty bunch of deer.”

“Yeah, that's the whole point!” Ebon exclaimed. “Fishy stuff has been going on in this kingdom long before the Noble Jury showed up at the Duchess' doorstep! Heck... we've every reason to believe that Chrysalis was stationed here even when stuff went down in Stratopolis! Who knows what kind of danger they could have cooked up for Kera if she just... waltzes in on the Palace lawn!”

“He's requesting my presence specifically,” Kera murmured, still grasping the envelope in her petite hooves. “To discuss the speech I gave.”

“As Princess of Xona?”

“Righto...”

“It just... screams 'bait.'”

“Or...” Kera glanced up. “What if Prince Eine is really... truly interested in what we've got to say?”

“Prince Eine is constantly under the watch of Secretary Sharp Quill,” Arcanista said. “Whatever opinion he may have on yesterday's events, it stands to reason that it's very much influenced by what the Secretary himself thinks.”

“Or...” Kera smirked. “Cuz he's reined in so tight, maybe this is his opportunity to prove himself!” She waved the envelope around. “Maybe he wants to learn something from the source!”

“You're all here to help out the Prince, right?” Midnite remarked, blinking. “His Coronation is tomorrow evening. If this monster you speak of wishes to control Val Roa, tomorrow's the most pivotal time to move. The Prince will be most vulnerable during the ceremony.”

“Which is why we gotta take this to the head!” Kera's voice cracked. “If Eine wants to see one of us, then who are we to turn that down?! He's the most important pony who deserves to be warned!”

“Fishberry and Sharp Quill will dance around you guys all day,” Midnite said. “But Eine is the very heart of this kingdom.”

“Unless...” Ebon Mane squirmed. “...he's under the influence of Chrysalis too.”

Midnite glanced across the way at him. “... then you guys would be really screwed.”

Ebon winced. He turned and looked towards the far end of the room. “Rainbow, you've been quiet a long time. What do you think?”

Rainbow hovered before the window, and yet she wasn't gazing outside. Instead, she had her body pivoted towards the east end of the suite. Her eyes were squinting at something and nothing at the same time.

“Rainbow Dash...?”

Rainbow took a deep breath. She turned around. “I think she should take the invitation.”

“Yes!” Kera pumped a hoof. “Haha! Finally somepony agrees with me!”

“But...” Ebon gawked. “Rainbow, it's too dangerous! Kera might—”

“—she might accomplish more than the rest of us have in all the time we've been here,” Rainbow said. “If Eine was part of the conspiracy—somehow—then I'm sure what I overheard at Shepherd's Rock last night would have indicated it. As it stands, I'm still pretty sure he's in a huge amount of trouble, and if he's reaching out to us in the midst of all this craziness, we'd be shooting ourselves in the hoof to not reach back. For all we know, this could be our one opportunity to save him.”

“It does seem like the only avenue towards progress that we can take at this moment,” Arcanista said. She smiled slightly. “And this is no doubt a result of Kera's brazen words which she improvised yesterday.”

“Who's got it goin' on?” Kera slumped back, pointing at herself. “This filly's got it going on.”

“Rainbow... please...” Ebon sighed. “You can't honestly think it's a safe thing to send Kera alone to the Palace like this?”

“Of course not.” Rainbow shook her head. “That's why you'll be going with her.”

Ebon blinked. “But... b-but can I?” He glanced across the room. “The Prince only invited her.”

“You're the Xonan Princess' royal advisor.” Arcanista smiled. “It is completely in your right to accompany her to the palace, and it will be up to the Princess herself to dismiss you.”

“So...” Ebon breathed easier. “She doesn't have to go alone?”

“Well there goes the fun of that,” Kera groaned, rolling her eyes.

“Sounds like the best idea to me,” Rainbow said. “Ebon, you and Kera take up the invitation. Find out what the Prince wants.”

“And if he asks us for the real reason why we're all here?”

Rainbow stared at him, then at Kera. “I'd say tell him the truth.” She smirked. “As far as the truth will help him without hurting us.”

“You mean... just tell him who Chrysalis is and what she wants?”

“Right.”

“And what will you and the others be doing while we fritter away at the Palace?” Ebon asked.

“The only thing we should be doing with as little time we have left,” Rainbow said. “While the Jury's investigating the Lemuel Tundra, we owe it to ourselves to figure out what's up with the Soul Sentries. If we count our cards right, we just might be able to find a way to let the rest of our Jurists in to help us.”

“And how do we plan on doing that?” Arcanista asked.

Rainbow said, “Well, it would help to have a way of getting into General Saikano's military compound...” She turned and pivoted towards Midnite Bastion. “...wouldn't it?”

The dark-coated mare bit her lip.

Old Fires Burn Out the Brightest

“Color wheel boomer is out of her shimmering mind!” Floydien spat.

“But Floydien—” Rainbow Dash stammered, clutching the folds of her robe.

“No no no!” Floydien turned his flank to her, pacing across the Plaza Topaz courtyard in the early morning light. “Floydien did not trot all this way just to become skinned pelt pelt!”

“It's just a way for us to get inside Saikano's military compound!” Rainbow exclaimed. “You know what's at stake here! If we don't get in close enough to discover what makes the Soul Sentries tick, then we may never find a way for the Noble Jury to fly beyond the West Gate!”

Floydien turned and glared at her. “This was the charcoal boomer's idea, wasn't it?”

Rainbow turned and glanced over her shoulder. From a distance, Arcanista and Midnite Bastion could be seen inside the lobby, fidgeting anxiously as they looked at the conversation from a distance.

“So what if it is?” Rainbow muttered. She turned back to face Floydien. “She's a contact that we now have from inside Saikano's operations. Nothing more.”

“Bite the boomer's tongue!” Floydien hissed. “Floydien knows exactly what she is.”

“Do ya, pal?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Do you really? Or is it still the same damn mystery to you as it was back in Bountiful?”

“Nnnngh...” Floydien trotted away. “Floydien doesn't need any of this spit spit—”

“Was it really a desire to help us that brought you wagon-dragging into Val Roa?” Rainbow called after him. “Or something else? Somepony else?”

Floydien scuffled to a stop. His shoulders shook angrily.

“Ahem...” Jake plodded up, standing beside Rainbow Dash with a smirk aimed at the elk. “Just what did you go on a long walk for the other night, Floyd-o?” His hairy ears twitched. “If you needed to take a piss, you could have done so on any of the other punks' wagons in this courtyard.”

Rainbow glanced curiously at Jake, then at Floydien.

Floydien sighed long and hard. “... ... ...it is a very stupid plan.”

“Yup,” Jake chirped.

“It would only end up in Floydien losing his head.”

“Yup yup...”

Floydien turned to glare at the moose. “Why is slobbering boomer on their side.”

“Correct me if I'm wrong, but 'their side' is your side, bucko-schmucko!” Jake grinned droolingly. “And you're not gonna exorcize any demons by just sitting on your fatass doing nothing! So how about shoveling some of your own manure for a change!”

Floydien twirled about and trotted towards him, glaring. “And what does Constable boomer plan to be doing with his fatassing of flanks? Yes yes yesss?”

“Hell, I want in on this shit!” He cackled. “I've been playing chauffeur too long! I wanna prove that I polished my antlers for something! Bust some skulls! Skulls some bust! Y'know... the works!”

“Uh uh...” Rainbow waved a forelimb. “This is not about going all Rambrony on the place!” Her eyes narrowed as her wings twitched beneath her garb. “We gotta do this as stealthily as possible! Or else Saikano might sniff us out!”

“Isn't military boomer already sniffing enough with the grabbing of his daughtering?” Floydien remarked.

“She's part of the Val Roan military police,” Rainbow explained. “She's used to moving all over the place within the city, and every deer under Saikano's command is used to it as well.” She smirked. “Trust me, it should be no big whoop that she's turning up at the Main Facility southwest of here.”

“And what of Floydien?” The elk's brow furrowed. “Isn't that enough of the big whoop whoop?”

“That's the whole point!” Rainbow grinned. “It'll throw the Val Roans off their game! Or at least the ones loyal to Fishberry!”

“Fishberry...?”

“If Fishberry and Saikano are as strongly in cahoots as we think they are, then this is going to rock their whole friggin' world.”

“Okay, so the idea is to rattle Saikano's hornet's nest and distract him...?” Jake asked.

“And to get a good look at the Soul Sentries at work,” Rainbow said. “It'll be the last place they'll expect us.”

“And what of Fishberry and Sharp Quill?”

Rainbow sighed. “Sharp Quill is untouchable. Almost.”

“What do you mean, almost?”

Rainbow adjusted her hood as she spoke. “Prince Eine of the House of Evo has cordially invited 'Princess' Kera to visit the Palace.”

“No shit?”

“We're sending Ebon Mane with her for protection. If they can get to Eine and fill him in on what's going on, then that can give us an edge over Sharp Quill before the Coronation even goes down.”

“Heh. That's certainly one way to rattle the Secretary. What of the Chancellor?”

“Arcanista thinks she can keep Fishberry distracted,” Rainbow said. “She's going to go pay her a visit at the High Council Building. No doubt the two have a lot of ice to break after what happened yesterday.”

“Pig blankets!” Jake grinned. “I'm digging this! It's like crawling over to their sides of the chess board and vomiting all over the table!” He turned towards Floydien. “Please tell me you're on board with this, Duke Puke!”

“Rnnnnghhh...” Floydien's ears folded back. “Floydien's going to need his antlers...”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “You can have my wings for all I care! This is the part that tips the iceberg, Floydien! All this time, the big three have had us surrounded! But not anymore!” She slapped one hoof against the other. “It's taken months, but the Noble Jury is about to give Chrysalis the big squeeze. I'm willing to bet that whatever my friends find up in the Lemuel Tundra will be the cherry on top!”

“Floydien has only one question.” His eyes narrowed. “Did the charcoal boomer volunteer this plan willingly?”

Midnite Bastion watched quietly from the lobby entrance.

Arcanista stood right outside. She and Ebon Mane helped Kera into an ornate stagecoach bearing the emblem of the House of Evo. Nilla trotted up, bowed before Arcanista, and followed Ebon into the carriage.

“We will be in touch soon,” Arcanista said, her voice muffled from beyond the lobby's entrance. “If you need me, send a messenger swiftly to the High Council Building. I'll have Mamunia and Jet nearby to deliver any news.”

Ebon waved, and the carriage door closed shut. A quartet of reindeer carried the vehicle off, followed by stalwart guards.

With a sigh, Arcanista turned and trotted towards the front entrance of Plaza Topaz.

Midnite Bastion fidgeted the closer that the elk came. When they were within earshot, she spoke up. “She should be fine. Assuming your concerns over the Soul Sentries are correct, you shouldn't have to worry. Those reindeer are part of the House of Evo's Royal Guard. They are not members of my father's—”

Arcanista trotted past her.

The mare blinked. Frowning, she turned around and barked, “You know, getting that from your brother is fine! I can expect it! But you and I are on the same side so at least give me an inch of respect!”

Her voice echoed across the lobby, causing several servants to glance over.

Arcanista froze in place. She turned around with an icy frown, slowly making her way back towards the mare. Once the Duchess was within hissing distance, she leered over the little pony. “We are both on the Noble Jury's side. That much I will agree on. Because of that, I am willing to overlook just how much I disapprove of this risky plan of yours. But don't pretend to tell me that we are on the same side.” Her voice took on an icy tone. “You stopped being on the House of Sehlp's side long ago.”

“Why?” Midnite frowned. “Because Floyd went nutso and pissed off the wrong deer?!” She stomped her hoof down. “Look, Duchess, I may not be a perfect mare, but the only mistake I ever made with your brother was falling in love with him. More times than I can even count, I warned him that our relationship was only bad news! The way my father felt... the way you felt...” Her nostrils flared. “He simply didn't now when to quit.”

“And your only solution was to fake your own death?” Arcanista's brow furrowed. “Did you not think that would drive him beyond the brink of sanity?”

Midnite sighed. “It wasn't my idea, Arcanista. You have to understand. My father—”

“The way I see it, General Saikano adopted a weapon,” Arcanista sneered. “And the moment Floyd wandered into its sights, I lost a brother forever. And now we're following through with a plan that involves using him as a pathetic prop.” Her nostrils flared as she took a few backsteps. “I'm only agreeing to this because Rainbow Dash has faith in you. It seems like a desperate faith to me, but her courageous zeal has yet to let me down. When this is over and Val Roa is saved, I want nothing more to do with you, and I hope Floyd doesn't either.”

“What Floyd wants or doesn't want is up to him, Duchess.”

“Do not presume to know what his true intentions are, Midnite. You do not get that luxury. Not anymore.”

“Somehow I don't think you know him any better than I do, Arcanista.” Midnite glared, though—from an angle—it looked like a smirk. “So who's the real stranger here?”

Arcanista blanched. With a heavy breath, she twirled around and trotted hurriedly away. Her cloven hooves made cold claps against the lobby's marble floor.

Seething, Midnite turned around. She shivered slightly, then rested her forehead against the wall with a grumbling sigh. “Dammit... dammit to Hell...” She gnashed her teeth, clenching her eyes shut for a few seconds, then trotted off in the opposite direction from the Duchess.

The More Detestable of Two Worlds

The arid valley resonated with tens of thousands of bellowing, chanting imps. Huge crowds of sniveling goblins had shown up in a grotesque cluster, facing west beyond the shanty towns as they banged their weapons and stomped their feet in raucous celebration. They made the thinnest of pathways for a select group of Green Bandits to shuffle through. The crew from the skiff pushed several carts chock-full of extremely expensive silver from the meeting with Saikano up north. In the center of this group was Jex, hobbling with the aid of a rickety crutch. While the massive populace cheered the exchange that was about to go underway, several hundred of them took a moment to jeer and spit at the dismembered imp, relishing in his humiliation. Jex shuddered, nevertheless stumbling forward as he struggled to keep up with his fellow crew members.

Over a hundred meters to the east, the skiff was parked beside a series of rusted metal towers. Almost every imp in the valley had their eyes pointed west towards the misty edge of an expanse of swamp land. As a result, very few had the opportunity to see a cybernetic pony climbing up one of the towers above and behind them. Roarke pressed her body in tight between the red iron crossbeams. Perched there, she stared out upon the crowded valley, her helmet reflecting the gray sheen of an overcast sky.

Eventually, Jex's group came to a stop. The goblin in question had to lean against a stack of decrepit crates, catching his breath. Suddenly, the crowd quieted down, allowing for the sound of clattering metal limbs to tickle Jex's ears. The imp shuddered, a sharp chill running up and down his spine. With chattering teeth, he looked up in time for his body to be encompassed in a bulbous shadow.

What looked like a polished steel egg on spider limbs strolled up to the scene. The mech suit approached the carts full of silver and lurched to a stop. Seconds later—Schlooomp!—the forward panel slid down, venting steam. Haman's fat, fat torso appeared within. As the steam dissipated, every imp could see the glint across his mucus-laced eyes. He spoke with multiple chins wobbling. “Took you long enough. You didn't shag any of the deer before coming back, hmm?”

The crowd immediately surrounding the scene laughed with grunting, sniveling breaths.

Jex gulped and stared down at the gravely earth.

“They wouldn't let us take it back in the battleship, boss,” the leader of the crew said, bowing his head. “They wanted us to leave the vessel in patrol of Southern Val Roa.”

“Lemme guess...” Haman wheezedly inhaled from a long straw and exhaled steam from his crusty nostrils. His mech suit leaned forward with an audible whirr. “Concerns over this... 'Noble Jury?'” He turned and smirked with three chins at Jex. “And just whose fault is that, I wonder...”

Jex clenched his teeth. Around him, the crowd angrily shouted: “RUNT! RUNT! RUNT! RUNT!”

Haman lifted a metal claw from beneath his chassis. “Now now... give the maggot some credit. He and his remaining limbs have been most faithful to me, even as a lowly steam chugger.” Haman's eyes narrowed as his leafy ears twitched. “With luck, he'll be promoted to the task of sterilizing my suit's fecal tubes.”

Laughter. The valley shook. Jex slumped in his place and said nothing.

“Boss...” The goblin standing before Haman gestured. “Is it true that the last two battleships are complete?”

“Just about. Now for the meaty part.”

“Would you let me do the honor and summon the Lounge?”

“Already done, Bandit.” Haman pivoted about while his mechanical legs lifted the egg-shaped chassis higher. “BEHOLD! GOBLINS OF THE CARTEL!” His suit's speakers crackled to a deafening degree while he gestured towards the cloudy sky. “OUR HOUR OF VICTORY IS NIGH! YOU HAVE SWEATED! YOU HAVE TOILED FOR SILVER! BUT NOW... now...” He bore a grotesque smile. “The skies shall rain fire on the weak, the ignorant, the putrid filth who do not deserve the resources in their hooves. And if it takes a few skin-shedding lizards to get there... then so be it.”

The valley broke out into uproarious applause.

Jex tilted about. He squinted towards one of the towers.

From a distance, Roarke shook a metal-cased limb.

Jex twitched and faced west once more.

Thunder rolled overhead.

Curious, Roarke tilted her head up. Her glossy helmet reflected several dark clouds... clouds that were churning and descending upon Haman's position.

“Hmmmm...” Her muffled voice muttered. “A little dramatic, but I approve...”

“Shnorrrrrrrrr!” Josho's mouth hung open in his fat face.

“... ... ...” Booster Spice glared ahead while gripping Whizzball's constrols. Slowly, he pivoted his head and glanced to his right.

“Grkkk-snkkkkt... Shnorrrrrr!” Josho continued to bellow.

Booster sighed. He glanced to his left.

“Mmmm...” Eagle Eye was curled up against him, his dainty eyelids fluttering. “Mmff... d-don't sweat it, Ebon...” His lavender muzzle curled into a smile. “...I'll scrub the stain out...”

Booster clenched his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and glared ahead harder.

“Shnorrr-rrrrrrrkkkk-skkkt-Shnorrrrr!”

“Wuh oh... you dropped the shampoo, Ebon. Ya silly goose. Heeheehee...”

Booster's teeth were grinding to the point of producing sparks. At last, he jerked a hoof up, grabbed a tiny red lever, and gave it a yank.

WREE-WREE-WREE-WREE! The entire cockpit echoed with a blaring siren, accompanied with flashing lights.

Both Eagle and Josho jerked awake on either side of the pony.

“Duaaaaah!” Josho's eyes rolled around. “Anus!”

“We were j-just getting washed up!” Eagle's voice cracked. “Honest!”

“The Hell...?!” Josho squinted at the flashing lights.

“Ahem...” Booster jerked the lever back, silencing the alarm in a blink. “That's more like it.”

“Augh...” Eagle rubbed his ears, wincing. “It's like someone poured hot lava into my skull!”

“You got a death wish, nerdballs?” Josho grumbled.

“Only if I intend to fly into this by myself,” Booster said.

“Into what?”

The pilot pointed straight forward. “Take a look for yourself.”

“Whoah...” Eagle blinked.

Looming beyond the glossy curved windshield of the Lounge sphere was a fluctuating horizon of bright red sparks. The sky above was a turbulent swirl of tempestuous eddies and anvil clouds. Lightning continuously struck the frosted landscape in angry blue forks, permeating the atmosphere with endless thunder and noise.

“Not exactly a honeymoon getaway,” Josho muttered.

“Is this it?” Eagle flashed Booster a curious look. “Are we at the coordinates?”

“Just about,” Booster said. He adjusted his green goggles with a smirk. “There's still some distance yet to cover.”

“Uhhhhhh...” Josho nervously eyed the rattling console equipment as turbulence picked up all around Whizzball. “Just how much distance?”

Booster sighed. “Pretty dang far.” He glanced aside. “I honestly don't think I can even land this thing once we get to our destination.”

“So... what, then?” Eagle Eye's brow furrowed. “We find a spot, get low, and jump out?”

Booster beamed. “Why, what a great idea!” He winked. “Good thing you two are the most nimble out of Jurists.” He looked ahead. “Aside from Rainbow Dash.” He gulped. “And Roarke...”

“Terrific,” Josho grumbled. “I like finding out how suicidal a mission is at the last second.”

“If something was actually built out here, then that's a good sign,” Booster said.

“How so?” Eagle asked.

“It means someone was somehow capable of landing here and taking off again.” Booster's eyes narrowed. “If they can do it, then so can we.”

“Yeah, but what if that someone is a mutated alicorn with shape-shifting powers?” Eagle muttered.

“Well, that's up to you two to discover, isn't it?”

“Look, less sass and more brass!” Josho remarked. “We'll snoop out what we have to. Just make sure you hang out low enough to pick us up once we're done.”

“You shouldn't have to worry about me,” Booster said. He squirmed. “Unless...”

“Yeah, what?!” Josho glared.

Booster bit his lip. “Well, if any single one of those skystone shards down there was to be energized out of nowhere, it could conceivably cause a cascade that would sweep through the entire plateau and inevitably overload the atmosphere with mana and render all flying equipment useless.”

“Great...” Josho sighed. “I love how you give us the worst case scenario first.”

“Oh, that's not the worst case scenario.”

“Buh?”

“Theoretically, a skystone cascade could magnetize all of the metal in Whizzball, splitting it apart in random directions, consequently shredding all organic life to ribbons within four hundred meters of the resulting shrapnel explosion.”

Eagle Eye shivered. “Why isn't Rainbow Dash doing this mission, again?”

“'Cuz I think she's had enough of friggin' caves in weird places,” Josho muttered. “Assuming it is a cave.”

“I seriously doubt it's a summer home.”

“Are we done with this jocular conversation?” Booster asked.

“Oh, by all means, egghead.” Josho gestured with a hoof. “Bring us all to our graves.”

“I thought you'd never ask.” Booster adjusted his goggles one last time, squinted, and pushed at the controls. “Here we go...”

And the vessel descended swiftly into the turbulent air directly above the jagged landscape, piercing past the last layers of arctic snow.

Above the hundreds and hundreds of goblin heads, the cloudy skies turned cloudier. Thunder broiled, echoing with a deep bass roar across the troposphere.

Roarke glanced left and right, watching with pensive curiosity. At last, she heard a loud gasp rip across the crowd. Her head peered towards the southwest.

Something glossy and black descended through the bottom layer of clouds, and it was then that Roarke realized that the inclement weather had merely been a cover. A veritable pearl of onyx black lowered with inky grace. It wasn't alone. Two more spheres just as large also descended. Soon, all three vessels loomed eerily above Haman and his position.

The windy air crackled from thousands of rifles being cocked and primed.

Haman raised a metal limb from beneath his suit, ordering his lackeys to hold their fire.

Jex couldn't help but tremble, his wide eyes plastered towards the three creepy black marbles looming just above.

A full minute passed. Then a noticeable flicker of amber light shot across the trio of naga vessels. With a hiss of steam, the front of the middle sphere rolled back, revealing two dozen suited figures standing on the exposed platform, glowing rifles at the ready. Slowly, the middle craft lowered until it was within a foot of the gravelly floor of the plateau. One lizard crawled out from the rest, his dark threads shimmering from underneath with eerie yellow light. He leapt off the ship's platform, forward-flipped, and landed nimbly on all fours. Six other figures jumped down beside him, immediately standing up with weapons held at the ready. Slowly, the leader also stood, cracking his joints and tail as amber mist vented out from his suit. He strolled forward on his hindquarters, approaching Haman in the center.

From a distance, Roarke flicked her right forelimb. A conical device protruded from the metal sheathe surrounding her fetlock. Clutching the rusted crossbeams of the tower, she dangled upside down, aiming the device at the meeting from a distance. The inside of her helmet crackled as she picked up the sounds and voices of the ensuing conversation.

Haman grinned at the Lounge's representative. “You reptiles do love to make an entrance.”

Without flinching, the naga's helmeted face stared back up at the obese goblin. “Scrkkk—We are not here for inane prattle, imp. If you have silver, then we have skystone.”

“Most certainly! We are both business men! I have the silver right here—”

“And I have the sky full of spheres.” The naga pointed a clawed finger. “No double-crossing, or by Quezaat's honor, my brothers will turn all of your putrid quarries into one giant crater.”

Jex trembled, glancing Haman's way.

“Honestly, friend...” Haman's chins wobbled as he gestured with a metal hook. “After all the progress we've made, you still do not trust the word of the Cartel?”

“Crkkkk—The Lounge has no business fraternizing with a race of creatures who defecate out both ends.” The naga closed his gloved fist. “Give us the silver already. My ears are poisoned with each second I spend listening to your detestable breathing.”

Haman blinked... then frowned. He took a sip from his straw, breathed smoke between himself and his “guest,” then gestured towards the crew from the skiff.

In swift order, the goblins rolled the carts forward, sitting them before the suited lizards.

The lead naga swept his arm forward. Two associates holstered their rifles, crawled forward on four legs, and perched atop the crates. Reaching into their belt pockets, they produced identical sensors and swept them over each bar of silver. Over the course of the next five minutes, they scanned each and every ounce of metal with utmost scrutiny.

Haman fidgeted impatiently in his mech-suit. Every now and then, he glared the lead naga's way.

The lizard kept his mask trained on the head goblin the entire time. He stood still as a statue, unmoving, unflinching, save for the slowly pulsating glow of yellow light beneath his suit-parts.

Haman sighed, clattering a metal claw or two in an anxious manner.

At long last, the two Lounge associates finished their scanning. They stood up, tails slack, and gestured at their leader.

The naga watched their signals, then gestured. At last, he spun around—his most dramatic movement yet—and aimed what looked like a tiny gun at the two lounge spheres flanking his. Instead of firing anything, it simply fired a tiny beam of light with a melodic beeping noise.

With hisses of steam, the two spheres opened, lowering to the earth. The watching goblins cooed with renewed interest as a distinctly yellow glow shone upon their grimy faces. In swift order, dozens of naga wheeled out six carts containing large chunks of bright amber stone.

“They...” Haman's chubby face grimaced. He stared daggers at the Lounge leader. “They're so small.”

“Scrkkk! They are large enough, goblin,” the naaga said. “Assuming you fitted your rusted behemoths with the engineering specifications that we underlined, then they will efficiently empower your ship to lay waste to whatever you deem less perfect than yourselves.”

“Compacted skystone, I take it...” Haman paced slowly around one of the glowing shards on rattling limbs. “Hmmmm... The possibilities here are certainly... tasty.” He grinned droolingly.

“Relish it however you wish.” The naga gestured towards his compatriots, and they began hoisting the silver into the flanking spheres. “It makes very little difference to the Lounge.” He turned and began walking towards his center vessel.

Haman pivoted to face the retreating lizards. “That's it?” He smirked. “No threats? No overly-glorified speeches about goblin double-crossing?”

The naga leader froze. Slowly, he turned around, his helmet flickering yellow from inside. “Scrkkkt... No...” He slowly shook his head. “No speech. No warning. For it is not necessary.”

“Well, a last-second show of confidence is better than none.”

“Rein in your forked tongue, creature,” the reptile said. “We know that you would have our swamplands rendered to burning sludge. But such will not happen. You will collapse and destroy yourselves before you even set out on this 'glorious revolution' of yours.”

Haman chuckled. “Come now. That's a little near-sighted, don't you think—”

“The Lounge does not forget. Our souls are the stewards of history. Imps crawled out of filth and they will return to it. Your lives burn out like shallow candles, and the same can be said of your toilet civilization. A species that seeks power for all its glory without considering its cost is doomed from the very start. Believe me. The Lounge has had brothers who have suffered the consequences of unchecked ambition, and their legacy is forever a blight upon the glory of Quezaat. I don't care what you intend to do with the skystone. In the end, you'll be nothing but a carbon stain on this blighted world, and we'll be a thousand silver bars richer. The Lounge already knows who the victors are, and history will reflect.”

Haman sat in place, wordless. Only glaring.

The imps shuffled awkwardly in the ensuing silence. Jex had his head bowed the whole time.

At last, with a wave of his gloved hand, the naga leader ascended into his sphere, followed by his lackeys. With mutual hisses of steam, the three vessels sealed shut, then slipped icily into the thunderous clouds. Within a minute, the stormfront rolled back, returning the atmosphere to its dull gray malaise.

Taking a deep breath, Haman swiveled in his chassis and spoke towards his subordinates. “Load the damnable crystals up.”

“Y-yes, boss!”

Haman strolled forward, frowning into the distance. “I'll be taking the Gamma Battleship.” He sneered. “By the end of this week... lots and lots of deer are going to die.” SCHLANKKK! His chassis sealed shut.

This Could Not Possibly Go Wrong

Kera sat up in her seat, skirts ruffling. Straining her neck, she finally peered through the window of the rattling coach.

Beyond the antlers of flanking guards, she saw the bronze entrance to the Royal Palace. A pair of golden gates opened, allowing a straight path towards the ivory steps leading towards the first floor of the place.

“Hmmm...” Her ears twitched. “Seems harmless enough.”

“Sit down, Kera,” Ebon muttered. “You'll wrinkle your dress.”

“Hmmmph.” She squatted down in a huff, sticking her tongue out at him across the compartment. “Since when were you the fashion stallion?”

Ebon winced. Maintaining his tattoos, he stared out the window and exhaled slowly.

Kera bit her lip. “Look... I-I'm sorry for giving you a gray carapace or whatnot.” She fiddled with her “dainty” forelimbs. “I imagine this is all pretty sucky for you.”

“I've... been in better places.” He gulped. Then a firm gaze fell on her. “But don't be afraid. I'm here to keep a watchful eye over you.”

Kera stifled a giggle. “Don't you get it already, Ebon? I'm never afraid?”

“I know,” he droned. “That's what scares me.”

“Heeheehee...” She leaned back with a lazy grin. “Don't freak out, buddy-roo. That's for Rainbow Dash and the others to do!”

“I'm still very anxious about what we're doing here...”

“Hey!” Kera shrugged. “We're going to see the Prince! What's the worse he can do? Chop off our heads?”

Ebon winced, grasping his throat. “Must you...?”

“Look, this is practically the safest place we can actually be,” Kera said, gesturing. “And bringing the news to the soon-to-be-King himself? That's like five hundred points right there! Jackpot!”

“I just wonder...” Ebon squinted at her. “What inspired him to invite you to the Palace in the first place?”

“I'unno...” Kera shrugged, stifling a yawn. “If I ran a desert city full of space deer, I'd be bored too.”

“Do you even hear yourself sometimes?”

“Nope!” She smirked as the carriage came to a stop. “Here we go. Be princessy!”

“Er... that's your job.”

“With your coltfriend, you're instantly way better at it than I am.”

“See anything yet?” Jake asked, lips dribbling.

“Just a few more minutes,” Midnite Bastion muttered, squatting behind a cluster of boulders along the southwest edge of the Capital. Down a gravel dirt road meandering south, an iron fence surrounded an enormous compound of steel-reinforced concrete buildings. The mountains that surrounded Val Roa acted as a dull brown backdrop to the remote military installation. From beyond the fence, several armored reindeer could be seen pacing and marching in careful coordination. “Perhaps a half-hour, actually.”

“Why the Hell we waiting that long?!” Jake's hairy brow furrowed. “Pancreas! The Prince will be making a stew out of the Princess and her tattooed bug friend by then!”

Midnite turned and glared at the moose. “...what did Arcanista ever see in you, Constable?”

Jake produced a slobbery smile. “It's my handsome physique.”

“Spit,” Floydien grumbled from a few trots away.

Midnite sighed, then continued peering over the cleft of rocks. “I have the duty rotation memorized. In less than half an hour, a new pair of guards will take up their post here. I happen to know both of them, and they know me.”

“Is that supposed to help us?”

“If this plan is to work, yes.” Midnite nodded. “Otherwise, we're liable to be mana-blasted on sight by a bunch of perfect strangers.”

“What if they just don't like you.”

“Believe me.” Midnite smirked. “I've made good friends with the deer and elk under my father's command.”

“So you haven't gone steady with any of them, you mean.”

Midnite's smirk turned into a frown.

“... ... ...Whelp!” Jake cracked the joints in his thick neck and pivoted about. “Think I'll go check to see if the coast is clear... uhhhh... on this side of the rocks.” He stumbled off, laying low so as to avoid line of sight with the guards.

Midnite slowly sighed out her nostrils.

Seconds passed.

Minutes.

She glanced over her shoulder.

Floydien sat a few paces away, antlers on. He fumbled with a large burlap cloak, attempting to fit it over his shoulders.

“Oh, for crying out loud...” Midnite scurried over, keeping low. “Here,” she grumbled, yanking the article out of his cloven hooves. “It's just a robe, not a suit. Seriously, did you lose your hoof-eye coordination along with your speech patterns?”

“Some boomers stand to lose things,” he grumbled. “Others simply float in their own spit.”

Midnite clenched her teeth, seething a bit. “Looks like you haven't forgotten everything...”

“What means the charcoal boomer?”

She glared up at him. “What this charcoal boomer means is that she can tell when her past lover hates her guts.” Her teeth showed. “And she would really wish for him to drop the tortured victim act and just say it out loud! I mean, for God's sake, Floyd, you barely even look at me!”

“Floydien cannot simply shed the wounds of the stabby-stabs,” he muttered. “Maybe Floydien was a non-Floydien boomer in another life, but that was a shimmer and a half ago.”

“So...” Midnite smirked bitterly, wrapping the robe around the large elk's frame. “What you're basically saying is, after all you supposedly went through, after five long years of wandering aimlessly across the earth, sea, and sky, you don't have any connection to Floyd, the Duke of Sehlp?”

“Yes yes yessss.”

“What a charmingly easy tragedy to endure.” She glanced up. “Tell me. How's Simon?”

Floydien's face instantly paled. His ears drooped as his red eyes darted towards the distant mountains.

Midnite stared up at him. She blinked several times, then hung her head. “Look, Floydien. I'm s-sorry... that was really pushing it. I can tell.”

Floydien exhaled heavily. “The shimmer glimmer never stops hungering.” He gulped. “Floydien has a duty to his friends... his Nancy Jane—”

“Nancy Jane?!” Midnite clenched her teeth, looking up once more. “That didn't exclusively belong to iron and skystone, y'know!” She leaned forward. “Rainbow's told me a lot in the last twenty-four hours. It's almost impossible to believe. All this time, you've been zooming around in a skyship? Battling... flying managliders and making friends with winged ponies?! Arcanista goes on and on about how much you've been tortured, but that sounds like an incredible afterlife to me.”

“Floydien is more alive than dead. Charcoal boomer need not concern herself—”

“Yeah, cuz I ran out of that years ago!” She shuddered, eyes glossy. “Y'know, in a lot of ways, I thought it was just karma. I mean... I always knew my father would do something melodramatic when he finally caught up to... well... us.” She gulped. “But I never thought... th-that is I never meant...” Her words trailed off.

Floydien simply stared at her.

Her voice shook. “You really... truly don't remember? Do you?”

Floydien slowly shook his head. “Duchess boomer has tried. Color Wheel and her friends have tried. Floydien only has one Nancy Jane and that Nancy Jane has only one Floydien.”

“Yeah. So I've gathered.” Midnite chuckled bitterly, then hung her head. “I think, in a lot of ways, it would be easier... y'know?”

“What would be, she spits?”

She sniffled, shoulders shaking. “If you had just stayed gone...”

Without hesitation, Floydien said, “Duke Boomer is still gone.”

“Yeah, well...” She rubbed her muzzle dry. “That doesn't make anything friggin' easier.”

“Perhaps if charcoal boomer concentrated only on the reindeer stabs up ahead—”

“Just answer me one damn thing.” She looked up, frowning. “If the Floyd I knew is gone... like... truly gone...” She shivered. “If something super-evil and cruel way out west ripped his soul completely out of the husk of the elk I once loved, then why—why in God's name are you back?!”

He stared down at her calmly. At last, he said, “Because Floydien wants to know who the Duke boomer was as much as charcoal...”

Midnite stared at him. Several seconds in, she cackled, her face breaking into a painful grin. She glanced off as a tear or two ran down her muzzle. “Who was he...?” She wiped her face again, sighing. “He was... eccentric. Optimistic. Passionate.” She gulped. “He was also a friggin' idiot, sticking his big goofy nose in places where it didn't belong... like the faces of angry High Council Members... or... or the summer home of the Val Roan General's daughter.”

Floydien slowly tilted his head to the side.

She shuffled a bit closer, gazing up at his neutral expression. “He was supposed to be a super smart, responsible Duke. To me, he was like a completely klutzy kid. A trouble-maker. Every hour we spent together, I was trying my damnedest to keep him in line, to remind him just how serious everything was. Little did I know that he was slowly... breaking me... freeing me...” Her lips trembled as she reached a daring hoof towards his robed chest. “Because of him, I learned to live a little more each day, and what I wouldn't give—even in spite of all the crap that went down—for just one chance to tell him... to show him how much I—”

“OKAY!” Fwooooosh! Rainbow flew in between them, smirking. “Those guards are finally switching, Midnite!”

In the span of six milliseconds, Midnite had leapt three meters from Floydien staring in the opposite direction. “Ahem...” She straightened her dark mane. “Erm... great. Stupendous. Let's get this show on the road.”

“Uh uh. Best that we wait a teensy bit longer,” Rainbow said. She pivoted about, smirking at the elk. “Or else they might think we showed up when the shifts rotated on purpose.”

Floydien slowly nodded. “That makes sense to Floydien.”

“Uh. Yeah. Same here,” Midnite muttered.

“You sure they'll let us in?” Rainbow asked. “I mean, we're taking a pretty big risk here.”

“I... uh... I don't think so,” Midnite said, fidgeting where she stood. “If anything, it'll confuse them. The real trouble will come when or if information of our presence reaches our father.”

“Saikano?”

“What am I, suddenly? The daughter of the Lounge?”

“Right... right...” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “So, long story short, we'll have to look in on the whole Soul Sentry program as soon as we get inside...”

“Best not to waste any time,” Midnite said. “The Duchess' Constable is a renown hero around these parts. I'm sure he'll win the trust of most guards within the facility.”

“You mean he'll distract him with his mooseness.”

“Precisely.”

“Good. Whelp, since we're settled here...” Rainbow Dash whipped out her sound stone, gave it a good rub, and spoke into its glowing surface. “Might as well give the Jury the yellow light.”

Floydien frowned. “And find out who's piloting Floydien's Nancy.”

“I'm pretty sure it's still as much Zaid as it was Zaid before, Floydien.”

“Rnnnnghhhh...”

The sound stone flickered and crackled. “Scrkkkkt! Hello?”

Rainbow grinned. “Ding Dong? Heyyyyy! It's the Rainbow Dash show! Starring Rainbow Dash!”

“Rainbow! Hello!” A beat. “By the Spark, you sound chipper.”

“I'll say. Looks like we're about to make some headway.”

“Do tell. We're all ears over here.”

“Very well. Floydien, Jake, and I met—”

“—up with Midnite Bastion!”

Pilate, Bellesmith, Props, and Zaid crowded around on the open hangar of the airship just outside of Bountiful.

Zaid blinked. “...who?!”

“Scrkkk! General Saikano's daughter! Y'know... uhhh... Floydien's significant other from... er... pre-Floydien.”

“Ohhhhhhhhh...” Zaid nodded.

“Is she handsome too?” Props asked.

The others glared her into silence while Rainbow's voice continued:

“Anyways, Midnite knows something's funky about Saikano, as well as Fishberry and Sharp Quill. She's gonna help us sneak into a military compound here in southwest Val Roa where many of the Soul Sentries are being... uh... 'recruited.'”

“Yikey's and a half!” Props exclaimed.

“Sneaking into Saikano's compound?!” Bellesmith wheezed. “Great Spark, Rainbow Dash! That sounds really dangerous!”

“What the devil are you doing that for?” Pilate chimed in.

“Guys! Relax! According to Midnite, Saikano has a big hoof in the mind-zapping process of these guys! You wanna bet that's a big chunk of Chrysalis at work? You all know how she got into the heads of the ponies her brood replaced!”

“Yes, but even still...” Pilate gazed worriedly into nothingness. “If you already know that, then what is the purpose of sneaking into such a shady installation?”

“Think about it, Stripesy. If this is the place where Chrysalis channels her inner fart gas into these creeps, then maybe there's a way to disrupt the manaflow!”

“In other words,” Belle thought aloud, “A chink in the armor.”

Props grinned. “Do I smell a bubble bursting?”

“Guys, this may be our big opportunity. What say you head east towards the perimeter surrounding Val Roa's West Gate—”

“And look for a break in the green fart shield?!” Zaid grinned. “Can do, Rainbow! I already like where this is going!”

“It all depends on what we're able to do in here! So don't count your parasprites before they've barfed! Keep a safe distance from the perimeter... a safe distance. I don't want anypony crashing on account of me failing to deliver!”

“Wait wait wait!” Props blinked. “What about Team Whizzball?!”

“When was the last you heard from them?”

“About an hour ago,” Belle said. “They've made visual contact with the skystone fields. It'll take them three times as long to land as it did to find the place, I'm sure.”

“Try to contact them again. Tell them about the change in plans. If things fall through, I'm guessing there'll be only a tiny window of opportunity for the Noble Jury to pass through the perimeter. They may not be able to join us for the big shindig.”

“Awwwwww...” Props slumped, pouting. “Poopikins.”

“I'm sure Mr. Josho will be let down,” Pilate said with a smirk. “Eagle Eye, on the other hoof, will be properly relieved.”

“Then I guess we'll have done some good for the world.”

“Uhm... Rainbow?” Belle spoke up. “At the risk of sounding like a mother hen—”

“Which you are.” Rainbow's voice crackled as she cleared her throat over the leylines. “Right now, Kera and Ebon are in the safest place they could possibly be.”

“Well, she's not in my arms, so you've lost me, Rainbow...”

“The Palace, ya Ding-Dong! Kera and Ebon got invited to the Palace!”

Zaid whistled. “Snazzy Wazzy! Might we ask what in the Hell for?”

“Prince Eine of the House of Evo wanted to meet with her in person. Seems like Kera's speech shook up the High Council pretty good. Now the most important deer in all of Val Roa wants a word with her. Can you believe that luck?”

“It is most certainly... fortuitous,” Pilate muttered. “And the Duchess?”

“She's off to have a conversation with Fishberry.”

“What for?”

“Just 'cuz. Best to keep our targets on their tippy-hooves as we root out this whole conspiracy from the ground up.”

“Okay, Rainbow, say we do pass through the perimeter!” Zaid exclaimed, his voice echoing off the metal bulkheads of the Jury's hangar compartment. “What then?”

“Head towards the southern mountains! That area is pretty desolate and abandoned. Hundreds of square miles where nopony and nodeer will be bothered to find you. So long as you don't head so far south that you run into the Soul Sentry perimeter again, you should be safe to wait out.”

“Wait out for what? I mean... are there any other nasty-wasties we should be on the look out for?”

“Well...”

“Rainbow, if you know something potentially jaw-dropping, now would be a good time to inform us,” Pilate said.

“If all goes well, and we expose Chrysalis' lackeys for the traitors they are, then we'll have this whole mess wrapped up by sundown. But if it goes into the Coronation tomorrow, then we have a situation on our hooves.”

“What kind of a situation?” Props asked.

“Huge freakin' floating metal situations armed to the teeth with cannons a'plenty.”

“Do you mean...?”

“Goblins, Props. Looks like Saikano's been helping the Green Bandits of the Southern Cartel pay off the Lounge for some skystone. Let's just say, if worse comes to worst, we're gonna need some air superiority within the Val Roan Capital.”

Belle took a deep breath. “Well, that's exactly reassuring, Rainbow Dash...”

“It wasn't exactly my plan to make things down to the wire, Belle, but that's the hoof we've been dealt. We've worked well under even worse pressure before.”

“Rainbow Dash, about the goblins and their... erm... skystone edge.” Pilate cleared his throat. “We're not entirely in the dark.”

“Heh. I guess word travels fast. Whoops! Jake's back. He's giving me the signal. I think it's our time to make our move.”

Belle nudged Pilate. “Erm... Rainbow Dash!” the zebra sputtered. “Hear me out! “

“Sorry, Stripesy! A patrol is headed this way! We gotta move!”

“It's about Roarke! She's—”

“Head for the perimeter! Look for the green mana to fade! I'll contact you soon as I can!” And the signal crackled into obscurity.

Pilate gnashed his teeth. He tilted his head towards the other jurists.

Belle sighed. “Well, she's certainly adorably stupid when she's in superheroine mode.”

“Wouldn't have it any other way,” Pilate sighed. “It doesn't seem fair to Roarke at this rate.”

“You think that's gonna stop the metal mare any?” Zaid remarked.

“I... suppose not...”

Zaid smirked. “Then let's only worry about the ponies who deserve it. Like us!” He stood up, cracking his joints. “Come on, ya melon fudges! We've got a date with disaster!”

“Woohoo!” Props bounced her way towards the engine room. “Team Anxiety, for the win!”

Belle helped Pilate onto his hooves as the couple stood on the end of the hangar door. “Just to think...” Belle murmured aloud. “Our little Kera... the guest of a Prince.”

“You say that as if it's a bad thing.” Pilate smiled. “If you ask me, it sounds like the best progress this mission has had yet.”

“I suppose... still...” She chewed on her lip and glanced awkwardly at him. “You think we should be worried?”

“Only if this Eine possesses a swimming pool full of grasshoppers.”

“True. Very true.” Belle turned and trotted towards the stairwell. “Still, it's a shame to leave a place as peaceful as Bountiful behind.”

“You're telling me you don't miss living upon the precipice of constant death and danger?”

“Yes, but it's so much more fragrant here.”

“Forget about it, Bellesmith.” Pilate felt around, grabbed a lever, and yanked it. “It's zebra town.”

And the hangar doors whirrrrrred shut behind them.

“Guys!” Midnite Bastion trotted up to the huddled group, wincing. “We really gotta make our move now,” she hissed. “The patrol will be on our asses any minute!”

“It's okay.” Rainbow nodded, pocketing the sound stone inside her saddlebag. “I got the briefing over with.”

Floydien squinted. “Floydien thought he heard some remarkable spit right at the end.”

“Huh?”

With a sigh, Floydien stared off into the distance. “Forget it. Let us shuffle shuffle already.”

“Right...” She glanced around. “Does everypony know their places?”

“I can fit all four of them with just my butt!” Jake said with a grin.

Rainbow glared. “I mean do you know your roles.”

“Pffft... how hard can it be?” The moose winked, then shoved Rainbow towards Floydien. “Now get into friggin' 'camouflage.'”

Rainbow Dash took a deep... deep... deeeeep breath. “Duaaaaaaah...” She swiftly ducked under the folds of Floydien's thick burlap robe. “Celestia this is gonna smell.”

"You'd better believe it," Jake burped.

Minutes later, three sets of trotting hoofsteps strolled up to the outer gate of the military compound, accompanied by the rattling of chains.

The two reindeer guards craned their necks to see from their posts. At first, they saw an enormous set of moose antlers. Then, they saw a petite pony-shaped shadow. At last, a slumped figure shuffled between the first two, limping on manacled hooves.

“Halt!” One guard trotted forward, glaring. “Not another step!” Once he came close enough to discern the figures' faces, he scuffled to a stop. His eyes squinted. “Commander? Commander Bastion?”

“Sergeant... so glad to see you.” Midnite Bastion trotted up, noticeably breathless. She saluted as the guard did. “I spent the last thirty-six hours chasing down a suspect who attempted a raid on the Bronze Armory to the southeast. That's when I ran into Constable Jake.”

The two guards exchanged glances, then looked at Midnite, dumbfounded. “The Constable Jake? Goblin-slayer?”

“The one and only!” He gave Floydien's robed flank a heavy kick. “Found this joker trying to make off with a bunch of Grade-A Explosives! Probably wanted to make a big splash on the Coronation! Does he look familiar to you?”

“Uhhhh...” The guard at the gate scratched his muzzle. “Should he?”

“Don't you know?!” Midnite Bastion gawked. “This is none other than the long lost Duke Floyd of the House of Sehlp! Presumed dead for over five years!” She turned back and glared at the elk. “Guess we now know what he was really up to all those seasons that he was presumed dead. Hrmmph... would-be terrorist. How despicable.”

Floydien glared back. “All stabby stabs must die in a thousand fires of death death.”

“You see?” Midnite turned back, sighing. “Raving mad. Such a shame. His sister, the Duchess of Bountiful, would be devastated.”

“This... this is beyond us, Commander,” the guard said. “If this is really who you say he is, the High Council will want to know right away.”

“No.” Midnite Bastion shook her head. “With the Coronation happening tomorrow, it'll take too long for the Council to deal with his most recent treachery.” She smirked. “I intend to take him straight to my father's barracks. Tell me, is the General in?”

“Saikano? Absolutely, Commander.”

“But... uhm... he is rather busy at the moment—”

“Too busy to review a report from his own daughter?” Midnite glared. “It's my job as an agent of Val Roan Internal Security to make sure the news of this suspect's capture is presented to the General right away! This goes above and beyond my reputation as a soldier. Too much delay, and the very security of Val Roa may be at stake!”

“Yes, Commander. We understand, Commander.”

The other guard began opening the gate. “We will escort you there.”

“There is no need.” Midnite glanced back, smirking. “Constable Jake of the Southern Provinces has the suspect under control. Isn't that right, Jake?”

“Mmmhmmm!” Jake gave Floydien's flank another kick. “Shackled like a polar bear in a beef warehouse!”

Floydien shuddered. “Kill... all... stabby stabs...”

“Uhhh...” One guard gulped as they slowly trotted through, escorting the thickly-robed elk. “What about those things?” He pointed at Floydien's antlers. “Are they sufficiently mana-suppressed?”

“Don't worry!” Jake drooled and yanked the antlers off. POP! “There! That'll do the trick!”

“Unnnnngh...” Thud! One guard fainted.

“Sergeant!”

“Hrmmmff...” Midnite rolled her eyes as she passed on through. “Wuss.”

Blunt In All The Right Places

“Noble Jurists, we are leaving!” Zaid hollered out the cockpit as he plopped into the Noble Jury's chair and flipped the console's switches on. He smirked and spoke above the hum of the warming engines. “So long, Bountiful! Next stop, green pew pew land!”

“A little less grim, Zaidy Waidy,” Props said, climbing up the crawlspace and standing behind him. “We gotta make it to Dashie in one piece.”

“Yeah. I think I can do that.” Zaid glanced over his shoulder. “Permission to disembark, Captain, my Captain?!”

Silence.

“... ... ...Hey! Funny girl!”

Bellesmith jolted from where she stood on the top deck. She stuck her head into the cockpit. “Huh...?”

“Are we going or aren't we?”

“Oh. Right. Uhm. Full speed ahead.”

“Belle, if we put the engines into full throttle, we might overload the magical tome!” Props exclaimed.

“Then... take her out nice and slow.” Belle smiled nervously. “Really, everypony. Do I have to give such an obligatory command for everything?”

“Figured you'd have fun doing it,” Zaid said, gripping the controls.

Belle exhaled out her nostrils. “I'm not all too fond of the circumstances that have led me to this place of... command.”

Pilate strolled up to her. “It's quite alright, beloved.” He smirked. “You were always fit to be Rainbow Dash's Number One.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, listen to your hubby,” Zaid said. “He's used to you being on top.”

Pilate twitched. “Erm... uhhh...”

“Zaid,” Belle droned. “Take us out before I cast you out as anchor.”

“Alrighty then!” Sweating, the stallion ascended the vessel, flying it over the dense treetops and the valley beyond. “Perimeter or bust!” He glanced back at Props. “Say goodbye to the nice zebras, Props!”

“'Goodbye to the nice zebras, Props!'”

The denizens of Bountiful collectively gathered and waved below. Not long after, with a rumble of skystone engines, the ship rocketed its way east, on an intercept course for the western edge of the Val Roan mountains.

In a completely different place altogether...

Metal doors slid open with a loud rattling. Floydien glared ahead down a long concrete corridor. He was flanked by a large moose and a not-so-large pony. As soon as Jake and Midnite began moving, Floydien shuffled his hooves to keep up with their pace. Together, the three of them shuffled down a long corridor flanked by supply crates, weapons lockers, and doors that led to a myriad of unseen dead-ends.

From the exterior, the building they had entered resembled a simple barracks. On the inside, it turned out to be something else entirely. The concrete corridor they navigated descended with a shallow grade, leading them gradually underground. It was soon obvious to Floydien that the majority of Saikano's compound was a subterranean facility, far larger on the inside than the surface buildings had suggested. Down here, the might and majesty of the Val Roan economy was put towards a different use, with rigidly geometric corridors of blandly efficient design instead of the bronze grandeur that marked the surface kingdom above.

It was a long trot towards the brig, and Floydien's manacles rattled and clinked the entire way. No one said a word, which made the stroll all the more frigidly awkward.

Midnite was calm and collected the entire time. It was obvious she was used to navigating these corridors. Jake, on the other hoof, was constantly glancing around with beady eyes. Floydien couldn't tell through his peripheral vision whether Jake was nervous or simply curious, not that it mattered. He was quite distracted as it was.

The elk's breaths were growing shallower and shallower. He looked left and right, spotting several guards trotting past them. The eyes of reindeer glared his way, emotionless and cold. He heard strange echoes from the far ends of the labyrinthine corridor. Five minutes in, his heart rate had picked up to an intense degree. He glanced into several of the doorways to his side. In the dim shadows, he spotted stacks of crates and supplies and other random miscellany. Then, in one foggy corridor, he saw several unicorns strapping a pained squirrel to the wall with electrodes. Shrieks echoed with each flash of manafeedback. Hissing into a surgical mask, one Ledomaritan's head swiveled towards him with Nightshade's piercing eyes.

“Spit!” Floydien bucked and seethed, manacles tugging to the breaking point. He flinched in the middle of the hallway, gritting his teeth. “Ashes to the shimmer glimmer! Floydien has had enough, stabby stabs!”

“H-hey!” Midnite stumbled as Floydien's shoulder rammed into her. “Ooof!”

“Grannngh!” Floydien's dim red eyes pulsed. The points on his skull where antlers belonged crackled with electrical energy, sending errant sparks into the cold air as he panted and writhed. “You will not take Floydien's tongue! No no no! You've taken everything else! Choke on the damn damn!”

“Hey!” Jake barked in an authortative voice. “Piss inwards, homeboy!”

A group of guards who had been trailing them the whole time suddenly rushed up. “Is there a problem with the prisoner?”

“Uhhh... uhm...” Midnite Bastion fidgeted.

“I mean it!” Jake growled, forcing Floydien's body still with his meaty weight. “Knock it off!” When Floydien still continued the struggle, the moose leaned in and whispered in the elk's ear. “Duko Puko... Calm your crotchtits, buddy. Whatever horrible place you think this is, it ain't. The only monster here is Saikano. Nothing here's gonna stab you, okay?”

Floydien panted and seethed. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and just as quickly evaporated.

Midnite stared, eyes narrow as her muzzle quivered.

At last, with a tightening of his jaw, Floydien stood up tall. He cleared his throat, stretched his hooves even, and began shuffling forward again.

Jake walked with him. Midnite—still a bit stunned—struggled to keep up. “We... uh...” She glanced behind her shoulder. “We got it under control.”

The guards kept their distance, exchanging blank expressions as they nevertheless followed in a dull march.

Ebon Mane's eyes looked up... up... up. All around him, tall marble columns stretched, blanked by tall granite statues and even taller tapestries—all depicting various forbearers of the Evo Family lineage. A plush red carpet stretched down the immensely long hallway before them. In the distance, ornate family portraits hung under manalight, with brushstrokes so exquisite that it looked like the families depicted could come to life at any moment.

With a ruffle of her skirts, Kera leaned in to whisper to the changeling. “If you're not going to say it, I will...”

“Whoah...” Ebon wheezed.

Kera nodded. “Darn fartin'...”

“What you're looking at...” Nilla spoke as she trotted alongside the two “delegates.” Despite her proud grin, she was nevertheless trembling. “...is hundreds of years of Royal Family Tradition, all exemplified through the most elegant forms of art that the Val Roan populace has ever devised, all to honor the future King as he proceeds with the ruling of his majestic country.”

“Mela'dremn dulien se'blammas rezukken,” Kera ritualistically stammered.

“She says she's quite impressed,” Ebon droned... almost drooled. “And so am I.” He gulped. “Eagle Eye would love this place,” he whispered to himself.

“I must say, it's more than I ever dreamed,” Nilla said.

Ebon gave her a double-take. “You mean to say...” He furrowed his tattooed brow. “That you've never been here before?”

Nilla bore a tearful grin. “I've never had a chance to until now. It is an absolute honor. Oh, what I wouldn't do to simply lay eyes one time on the most majestic and honorable—” She looked ahead, and suddenly her pupils shrank. With a nervous squeak, the gazelle fell to her knees, bowing low... low. “Your Majesty!”

Ebon jolted. “Right here? N-now?!”

Nilla poked her head back up only to nod-nod-nod before bowing once again.

Ebon coughed in Kera's direction.

The filly was already curtseying.

Ebon bowed alongside her. “Prince Eine of the House of Evo, future King of Val Roa,” Ebon chanted in as firm a voice he could muster. “The Royal Xonan Family is blessed and honored by your invitation. I present to you Princess Kera Tin Mehjj of the Xonan Empire.”

Kera put on a delicate smile and purred, “Seludraat m'niulsaan thriul bleen, Eine Xon-Nagu'n.”

“I am blessed by your humble words, but we both know there is no reason for unnecessary pretense.”

“Huh?” Kera glanced up. She stood in a blink, her tattooed muzzle scrunched. “You?!”

Eine stood calmly beneath a statue of his mother and father. The fawn looked like a dinky, anorexic cat in the shadow of the two enormous busts. “Indeed.” He grinned, standing tall and proud with his silk threads and red bandolier. “Me!”

“But... I don't get it!” Kera frowned. “What's the stupid caterer's son doing here in the halls of the Royal Palace?”

“Eep!”

Kera and Ebon looked over.

Nilla was pale as a sheet, her panicked eyes darting back and forth between them and Eine. Her teeth clenched tightly.

“I... I don't understand...” Ebon murmured. “Kera, have you met this deer before?” he whispered.

“Uhhhhh...” Kera's ears twitched, then folded back as she exhaled wheezingly. “Awwwww crapinsky...”

Eine simply smiled and nodded.

There were three knocks on the Chancellor's door.

“Mrmmmff...” She sat slumped at her desk, rubbing her temple with a cloven hoof while pouring over piles of sheets and letters. “...you may enter.”

With a slight creak, the door opened. A reindeer guard entered, clearing his throat. “Chancellor... it's one o'clock. Your guest has arrived.”

“Be specific,” Fishberry muttered. “I'm a busy doe. I have many guests.” At the sound of graceful cloven hoofsteps, she looked up.

Arcanista stood in the front of the room. Smiling.

Fishberry's nostrils flared. “Hang me out to dry,” she muttered to nobody in particular. Standing straight up, she gestured with a hoof. “You may leave us, guards.”

The reindeer drew back, shutting the door behind Arcanista. Slowly, with regal grace, the Duchess strolled across the dimly-lit room. “Somehow, I expected something more lavish.”

“You're always expecting more than there actually is,” Fishberry droned in response. “I imagine you exercise quite the imagination out of Bountiful.”

“Not necessarily. Juggling a lone economy in the wake of crushing sanctions after all these years has wrung whatever mirth I once had dry. But, I suppose one could be dealing with worse.” She shuffled to a stop, staring at a pile of splinters and debris that had been roped off in the dusty corner of the place. The remnants of mana-charred furniture lingered under bands of sunlight squeezing through the office blinds. Arcanista turned and smiled stupidly at the Chancellor. “Redecorating?”

Fishberry only glared.

“You seem a busy politician these days,” Arcanista said. She trotted over towards the desk. “Here we are, less than twenty-four hours from crowning a new King, and you have your muzzle deep in paperwork. Quite the odd timing, wouldn't you agree?”

“I've been busy, Duchess,” Fishberry droned. “On top of having to oversee this Council, I've just recently had to deal with the aftermath a foreign delegate whose words have created civil unrest in my very own kingdom.”

“Well, we can't very well be having that, now can we?” Arcanista smirked. “I mean, it's not as though Val Roa has anything to truly be panicked about.”

“Arcanista, why are you here?!” Fishberry blurted.

“Simple.” Arcanista's lips curved. “I wish to discuss a few matters of political importance with you before the Coronation occupies all our time and interest.”

“Is that so?” Fishberry frowned. “Because, from the way I see it, you've flown in from Bountiful like a bat out of Hell, determined to make a cowardly assault on my authority and the stability of the Council at large. This is nothing short of blatant political sabotage. You knew from the very start that with the Coronation on the horizon, there would be very little I could accomplish to undo the damage these... these seditious statements on 'metamorphic intrusion' and—”

“Enough,” Arcanista growled, the whites of her eyes showing in a flash of anger. Her gaze pierced into the doe across the desk. “No more pretense. No more illusions. No more of this insulting facade, Fishberry. You're doing something very... very wrong here and it has to stop.”

Fishberry glared back at the Duchess. “You can accuse me until your face is blue, Arcanista.” She fumed. “I had nothing to do with your fool of a brother or whatever led to the Duke's banishment—”

“This isn't about that,” Arcanista said, her tone suddenly cold and steady. She slowly shook her head as she spoke. “This isn't about the banal way your Council has marginalized Bountiful's influence. This isn't about the way you've whittled down the House of Sehlp into a flimsy shade of its former authority. This isn't about the hoof you did in fact play in the destruction of my dear brother's image at the hooves of Saikano.” She leaned forward, gaze intense. “This is about a seedy and underhoof coup... a coup that you and a few key figures are currently planning to undertake... tomorrow... when Prince Eine is slated to be crowned King of Val Roa.”

Fishberry sat silent as stone.

Arcanista's nostrils fumed. “Do I have your attention now...?”

At last, Fishberry slurred, “I am deeply considering having your head.”

To that, Arcanista smiled. “Perfect.” She crossed her forelimbs. “Then let us have a long... long talk...” She winked. “Like old friends...”

At last, with a clatter of hooves, Midnite and Jake led Floydien to the brig, deep in the second subterranean layer of Saikano's base. There, a set of guards trotted up, rolling open a jail cell's barred gate. A lone manatorch flickered in the corner, and much dust and grime had settled inside the chamber.

“Here, Commander,” one guard said, opening the gate wide enough for Jake and Midnite to guide the antler-less elk through. “You can keep the suspect here while we attempt to summon the General. Uhm...” The guard fidgeted. “As you can see, it h-hasn't seen or needed much use in a long time...”

“It's sufficient,” Midnite said. She swiveled to her side. “Wouldn't you agree, Constable?”

“Oh, peppermint!” Jake nod-nod-nodded. “Stirdy as a steel trap! He won't be rattling these bars off anytime soon!” the moose slobbered. “Especially without his zapper-nappers!”

“Uh huh...” The guard cleared his throat. “I shall send a messenger as soon as the General is summoned, Commander.”

“There will be need for that, soldier.”

“Sir...?”

Midnite looked up at him. “The suspect is still under my jurisdiction, not to mention my responsibility. I shall go summon the General myself.”

“Sir, yes sir.” The guard bowed. “As you wish, sir.”

“In the meantime, I... will stay here momentarily,” Midnite said. “The Constable and I wish to interrogate him further.”

“Very well.” The guard hoofed her a set of keys. “These control this cell, as well as the rest of the chambers within the brig. Unless you expect there to be other suspects rounded up—”

“I don't.”

“Very well. We are at your beck and call, Commander.” With a lingering glance flung in the elk's direction, the guard and his associates swiftly marched out.

Midnite and the Constable stood at the cell entrance, pretending to have their eyes trained on Floydien in the flickering room's corner. Once the hoofsteps were distant enough, Midnite cleared her voice... followed by a whistle. “Okay! All clear!”

Floydien winced and fidgeted as a sky-blue shape darted out from beneath the folds of his robe. A wheezing and thoroughly sweaty Rainbow Dash hovered alongside the bars, wiping her brow. “Yeesh! It's like clinging to a jacket inside a closet full of wool!”

“Floydien welcomes the color boomer,” the elk grumbled.

Rainbow wiped the condensation off her ruby pendant. “The heck was that earlier?!” She glanced up, squinting. “What with all the thrashing and hyperventilating?”

“Erm...” Midnite bit her lip, glancing Floydien's way.

“Enough spit,” the elk grumbled. “Get with the anti-stabbing already...” He sighed, glaring at the walls of the place. “Floydien is not fond of tomb tomb.”

“Just rest easy, Duke-o.” The moose swiveled towards the two mares. “If you wanted a window, this is friggin' it. Go do your magical sneaky girl thang.” He gave a slobbery smile. “I'll sit here with the Floyd and make sure it looks like I'm kicking the shit out of him if any guards should come look.”

“Buh?” Floydien warbled.

“Right...” Rainbow turned towards Midnite, hovering on fast feathers. “You know the way to your Pop's chop shop?”

“And how...” Midnite Bastion galloped off, waving in mid sprint. “Follow me!”

And the two mares slithered off down the dimly-lit corridor of concrete.

Alliance of Imps and Non Imps

Kera threw a look over her shoulder, fidgeting with each sashaying step that she took through the throne room.

“Is something the matter?” Eine gently asked, glancing back at her.

“Er... no. Not really,” Kera muttered, fussing with her skirts.

“If you wish for me to summon your advisor for our ensuing conversation, I can bring him in from the guest chamber...”

“I'm fine without him. It's just...” She cleared her throat. “Exactly what kind of a conversation are we having, anyways?”

“Personally, I was hoping for a continuation of the one we had yesterday,” the Prince said. “It remained on the forefront of my mind all night, to say the least.”

“Okay, lemme ask one question.” Kera's tattooed brow furrowed. “Why the act, huh?”

He pivoted about and looked at her. “Hmmm?”

“Y'know what I mean!” She frowned. “The whole 'caterer's son' schtick! You were leading me on the whole time! Why?”

“When it was evident to me that you had lowered your facade, I realized I was getting your complete and unmitigated personality.” Eine smiled serenely. “Including the truth that you had to express with such.”

“Buh?”

“Please. If you had known that I was the actual Prince of Val Roa, would you have told me what you did and so liberally?” He raised an eyebrow. “Or would you have put on airs, wedging a blockade to communication between the two of us?”

Kera chewed on the edge of her lip. “Erm...”

“You're not the only monarch who suffers from the need to allow eloquence to take the place of substance,” Eine said. “If nothing else, I considered yesterday a very educational and enriching experience. Besides...” He gestured with a tiny hoof. “I'm still very much intrigued by the knowledge you had to impart. Perhaps you can tell me more.”

“Uhhh...” She gulped. “About what?”

“About this metamorphic conspiracy that you and your fellow Xonans are so adamant about uncovering.”

“Erm... eheheh... uhhh...”

“I mean, it is all true...” He raised an eyebrow. “Isn't it?”

“Oh! Totally!”

“Do I detect some cautious hesitance?”

“Well, I-I mean... what do you wanna know?” She winced. “Er... Your Highness.”

The fawn chuckled slightly. “Well, chiefly, who do you really... truly suspect is this 'changeling monster' in disguise?” He cocked his head to the side. “'Chrysalis'... was it?”

“Uhhhh...”

“Anyone I know, you think?”

“Anypony acting suspicious?” she threw his way. “Or... erm... anydeer?”

Eine took a deep breath. “Quite possibly...” He gulped. “But I didn't want to be drawing conclusions. That's why I'm seeking your wise counsel, just like you gave it yesterday.”

“Right...” Kera fidgeted, trotting past him. “Wise... c-counsel...”

“Are you uncertain about your suspicions?” he asked. “If it's a truly legitimate threat, then it could be of great risk to me and this kingdom. For Val Roa's sake, I would like to investigate as swiftly as possible.”

“About about the Coronation?” Kera turned towards him. “You're getting one heck of a crown slapped onto your noggin' tomorrow. Isn't that gonna throw a wrench into things?”

“It's the least of my concerns if my kingdom is at risk.” He squinted at her sideways. “Are you simply... not certain about your convictions, Your Majesty?”

“No, it's... it's just that...” Kera grimaced. “It's complicated.”

“Do you not have a suspect?”

She gulped and bore a nervous smile. “I have several.”

Loud buzzing sounds echoed across the arid landscape of the Cartel. From a long distance, one could see scores of goblins raising mechanical platforms up vertical shafts that flanked the two enormous battleships inside their skeletal metal hangars. These lifts carried the skystone shards. With careful precision—and shouting various grunting commands at one another—imps in engineering gear rolled the enchanted crystals into place, fusing them to the inner chambers of each flying weapon. Welding instruments flickered and sparkled against an array of flashing red lights. One by one, the twin battleships hummed to life inside their holds, their new energy cores pulsating with intense mana.

Another platform lifted towards one of the battleships. With clattering limbs, Haman could be seen crawling his insectoid mech suit across a catwalk. He gave the vessel inside his hangar an approving glance. Shouting a few words to his subordinates, he then proceeded to walk on board, taking his place deep inside the humming battleship.

All of this, Roarke and Jex observed from hundreds of feet away. They perched on a rusted metal tower, overlooking the hundreds and thousands of bustling, laboring goblins between them and the two enormous hangars.

Cl-Clakkk! Roarke opened her helmet, revealing a pair of squinting blue eyes. “Hrmmm...” She sighed. “Any moment now, and they'll be taking off for the north,” she said. “No doubt to rendezvous with the third battleship and replace its steam power with skystone.”

“Should be within the next hour or two,” Jex said. He leaned on his crutch, wincing. “Looks like Haman's taking the Gamma vessel.”

“Why do you strike me as particularly unenthused about that?”

“It's the ship my crew is assigned to,” Jex grumbled. “I'm not too keen on sharing the same decks as the bastard who sliced me in half.” He shuddered. “I'm not too keen on this mission, period.”

“So you believe me when I say that it's only doomed to fail?” Roarke's eyes narrowed. “And that Saikano and the rest will simply betray the Cartel in the end?”

“All of my life, I fought for something like this to happen,” Jex said, his ears twitching. “For the Green Bandits to make a name for themselves on this continent. Since I was a tiny imp, I dreamed that we'd even rival the Lounge in technological prowess and strength. Val Roa always seemed to stand in the way. It was a pleasure to raid their villages and subjugate their citizens...” His sharp teeth showed. “The way they just loved to flaunt their luxury and prosperity in our faces. God damn dirty silver shuckers...”

Roarke simply raised an eyebrow.

Jex sighed, hangins his head. “But this is not the way. We're going in way over our heads.” He gulped. “This will carve a hole in us so deep that it'll never heal. It all starts with the fall of Haman. The power vacuum will be so great that the entire Cartel will implode. We'll be piecemeal slaves for the lizards to the west.”

“Sounds like poetic justice to me,” Roarke said.

“Oh shove it,” Jex grumbled, glaring up at her. “What do you know about goblin life? About our glorious history?!” He spat. “We weren't always the vermin of this plane, y'know! Somewhere... someplace... there exists texts... records that speak of our history... our prehistory.” He took a deep breath. “We once lived in a place where everything you touched and saw was more precious than silver. At some point, it was taken away from us, and we've lived in want of something better... something greater ever since.”

“Are you asking me to feel sorry for you?”

“No, I'm telling you...” He leaned forward on his crutch, growling. “Unless you have lived through the eye of a storm that's wrecked your civilization to ruins, don't pretend to judge the Cartel or what we're going through!”

Roarke stared lethargically into the distance. “... ... ...not a day goes by when I don't think about what would have happened if I stayed behind.”

Jex blinked at her curiously.

“Thinking about what would have become of my sisters if Roarke Most Rare had replaced Pestiferous in the end...” Her jawline tensed. “Would they have found themselves? Would they still be reduced to committing blind paracide in the name of some long-dead blood pact which never made sense in the first place?” Her nostrils flared. “Alas, I knew at the time where my loyalties lie. And now, standing upon the edge of another implosion, what will I benefit by going forward? Only the best ponies benefit by constantly being on the move. But I think... I know... that I am not the best pony.” She slowly shook her head. “Not yet...”

“Leave this place,” Jex said in a dull tone. “There's nothing to profit from the Cartel. Not in joining us...” He slowly shook his head. “Not in plundering us.”

“I know,” Roarke said. She nodded. “Which is why I can't leave.” She looked over at him. “Not on my own.”

Jex blinked.

Roarke paced across the tower platform, ice blue eyes locked on the hangars from behind. “I must do what's in my power to stop these vessels from reaching their destinations.”

“Lady, you're just one pony.”

“Nonetheless.” Roarke turned and squinted at him. “I didn't come here to sight-see. I'm a pure instrument of death. You knew that the very moment you hid me aboard your transport.”

Jex gulped, then nodded. “Right.” He cleared his throat. “So where do you want me?”

Roarke blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

“There are two of us,” the imp said. He motioned with his one good arm at the closer hangar. “I'm already assigned to the Gamma cruiser. You could sneak aboard the other, do that explosive voodoo that you do so well while I try to pull my weight from my end.”

“You mean sabotage...?”

“If that's what you want to call it, then sure.”

“You do understand the implications of this...”

“Absolutely.”

“Do you?” Roarke trotted towards him, brow furrowed. “Lots and lots of goblins are going to die,” she said. “This is not a presumption. It's a guarantee. You will be conspiring with me to slay your own flesh and blood for the good of this continent.”

Jex breathed and breathed. “Look at us,” he grunted. “Look at me.” He held his prosthetic limb out. “You think I've only been hacked up recently?” He sneered, “My mother was an indentured servant who was bought out by a raiding tribe of rival Bandits. I was born out of rape to rape. I slew my own brother at the age of five with my bare hands. I slaved through mines and septic refineries for years. The most silver I've ever earned has been through trafficking and torturing helpless deer and ponies.” He sighed long and hard, his ears drooping. “I'm already dead. We all are.” He pointed at the hangars. “If there's a chance at stopping these damn things before they perform the will of some crazy monster inside Val Roa, then I'm totally on board. Anything I can do to reboot my sniveling race is the single drop of goodness I can hope to cling to. I can't promise I can kill as much as you, but maybe I can still lend a hand... even if I'm the only goblin left on this earth with one left to give.”

Roarke stared at him. Eventually, she nodded. “Very well, soldier. You're recruited.”

“Don't patronize me,” he grunted. “It's quite likely we'll both end up dead before we accomplish anything.”

“Indeed.” She paced past him. “I didn't have any silver to pay you anyways...”

It Is Easier Eine Than Done

Deep inside the concrete bowels of the Val Roan military installation, Midnite Bastion peered her head around a corner. She saw a pair of reindeer guards trotting evenly down the hallway. Holding her breath, she ducked back behind the wall. She waited in dead silence.

Eventually, the guards found their way into an armory, fiddled with the door, and trotted inside for an inspection.

Seconds later, Midnite peered down the corridor once more. In the cold blue manalight, she found the passageway to be completely empty. Clearing her throat, she crept forward, motioning with a hoof.

On flapping wings, Rainbow Dash hovered alongside her. The two mares briskly rushed down the slightly sloped hallway, making their way towards a thick metal door with a complex locking mechanism.

“A combination?” Rainbow muttered. “Seriously?”

“Relax,” Midnite Bastion said, squatting before the door and rotating several dials in succession. “I have access to every room in this place, including the Wing of Valiance.”

“The what?”

“The section that lies beyond this door,” Midnite said, nodding with her head. “It's where recruits go through their ritualistic meditation to become Soul Sentries.”

“So, we're basically waltzing right into the Soul Sentry nursery.”

“That's a crude way of putting it, but yes.”

“Aren't they—like—gonna detect us or something?”

“Doubtful,” Midnite said, shaking her head as she put in the last few combinations. “It's a long and grueling process. They're not fully equipped to utilize their untapped mana until they're out in the field.”

“Well, that's good to know, at least,” Rainbow said. She looked behind them, checking for guards at the far end of the corridor. “Seriously, though, what's with all the nations on this plane and their having big, heavy duty, super top-secret experimental facilities?”

“I've no idea what you're rambling about...”

“Next time I talk with Luna, I'm gonna ask her if there's a hidden base underneath Canterlot with—like—mysterious doom portals to other worlds or some crap.”

“There!” Midnite stood up from the door and pressed her hoof to a cloven-shape impression. “Step... er... hover away from the door super quick.”

Rainbow did as she was told.

Hisss! Chtung! The barricade whirred open. A carpet of steam rolled out. Immediately, Rainbow shivered from a distinct chill issuing from deep within the Valiance Wing.

“Horseapples... what, do they genetically breed dragons inside that place?”

“One would wish.” Midnite stepped forward, peering left and right. “Okay. The coast is clear.”

“Are they training Soul Sentries right now or what?”

“Yes. I-I think so.”

“You think so?”

“Look... let's just hurry, alright?” Midnite motioned her along. “Come on. There're several observation chambers. Assuming the physicians are understaffed, we might be able to seize a good vantage point.” She glanced back at Rainbow Dash and frowned. “Must you carry that thing around your neck?! I don't want it rattling and giving us away!”

“No. This thing stays on,” Rainbow grumbled. “Why don't you remove your own head while we're at it?”

“Tch...” Midnite galloped ahead of her. “Touche...”

Floydien paced and paced inside his cell.

Jake stood outside the barred door, squinting up the dark chamber that led to the rest of the military facility.

Floydien continued pacing, his hooves making repetitive echoes against the cold, dank walls.

With a deep breath, Jake grunted, “If you want to climb the ceiling, you're gonna have to make a running start.”

Floydien scuffled to a stop, glancing up. “What what what?”

“Will you stop with the drunken ballerina routine, Floydsauce?” Jake grunted. “It's driving me insane. And that is saying something. Pumpkins!”

“Surely the boomers would have returned by now,” the elk muttered. “How long does it take to spy on emerald shimmer glimmer?”

“Even with all the access and authority that Midnite has, it takes a heck of a lot to pierce that deep into a place like this,” Jake said. “And she's got a winged blue squirrel to foalsit on top of that.”

“Grnngh...” Floydien winced. “Don't spit that word.”

“What, 'foalsit?'”

“Slobbery boomer...”

“'Top?'”

“Slobbery boomer must stop spitting for one stabby second!” Floydien rumbled. “Yes yes yesssss...” He rubbed his aching forehead.

“... ... ...” Jake smirked. “Hrmmmph...”

Floydien squinted curiously at him.

“If I didn't know you better, Duke-o, I'd say you were concerned for the love of your past life.”

“Don't be full of gunk gunk,” Floydien grunted. “Floydien simply wants to get out of this dankness as soon as possible.”

“She'll be okay, Floyd,” the moose said. “So will your prancing sky pony friend. It's best to be optimistic, no matter how much it smells.”

“How much... it smells?” Floydien sniffed, then suddenly recoiled from the moose beyond the bars. “Spit!” He held a hoof against his nose, turning green in the face. “Aaaugh! The hairy boomer has no decency!”

“No, I had a great breakfast! A victory breakfast!” He turned and grinned at the vomitous elk inside the cell. “And now you're having it too!”

“Grnnngh... now Floydien wants to see Charcoal Boomer again!” He coughed and wheezed. “Just to up the chucks into her muzzle muzzle!”

“Hah! Damn straight, you do!” Jake tilted his drool-stained chin up with pride. “Yup. I minor'd in Cupid 101 for a reason, boyo...”

Midnite Bastion galloped through a door and swiftly ascended a dimly-lit flight of concrete steps. Rainbow actually had to struggle to keep up with her on flapping wings.

“Yeesh! Not so quick, girl!” Rainbow sputtered, darting around the corner with her eyes locked on the mare's dark tail hairs. “Who taught you to run, a pack of cheetahs?!”

“I've had to train myself all my life to be in peak physical condition,” Midnite muttered, breathing steadily. “Consider it a consequence of competing with a bunch of elks with legs twice my size all throughout foalhood.”

“How'd Saikano stumble upon you anyways?” Rainbow grumbled. “Did an eagle drop you on his skull?”

“Hmm. Cute.”

“I have a hard time believing that you see anything as 'cute.'”

“Well, consider yourself a first.” Midnite came to a sudden stop. The stairwell opened into a wide, dark corridor lined on one side with cold metal doors. “Okay, let me just...”

“What?” Rainbow hovered behind her, panting. “Just what is this place?”

“Shhhh...” Midnite strolled up to one door. She craned her neck, peering through a barred window at the top. Her ears perked up. “Okay. This one's clear.”

“Is it an observation room?”

Midnite opened the door with a pronounced squeak. She gestured. “Inside...”

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “After you.”

“Hmmph...” Midnite blew some bangs out from over her brow. “If you insist.” She trotted briskly inside. Rainbow followed close behind. Soon, they both found themselves inside a tiny room furnished with low stools situated before a series of metal blinds that stretched across the full length of a wall.

“I don't get it...” Rainbow blinked. “What are we looking at? Or better yet... what are we supposed to be looking at?”

“Shhhh...” Midnite raised a hoof. “... ... ...do you hear that?”

Rainbow craned her neck. Indeed—thought it was supremely faint—she detected a dull reverbation, like chanting voices from beyond the wall. “Is... is it a ritual?”

“Most definitely,” Midnite said with a nod.

“You've... uh... you've witnessed this sort of a thing before, right?”

“Yes.” Midnite fidgeted. “Although... it's b-been a while.”

Rainbow flew forward, squinting at the blinds. Through the closed slits, she detected the faintest hint of a bright green light pulsing.

Midnite trotted up. She gestured silently at Rainbow, then reached for a valve. Rotating it, the mare parted the metal blinds. Instantly, the observation room was flooded with bright emerald light, and the sound of muffled voices wafted from a large chamber below.

Rainbow clenched her eyes shut, wincing from the brightness. Nevertheless, she flew up to the ceiling and opened her eyes, getting a good look at the room beyond. After several blinks, her jaw dropped. “Woah... uhhhh...”

Midnite was suddenly shivering. “Good God...”

“Is... uh...” Rainbow leaned towards her in mid hover. “Is that normal?” She gulped. “Tell me that's not normal.”

Midnite slowly shook her head. “I... I don't understand...” She grimaced. “It's not the same! I mean... it is, and yet it isn't. Those... those should be buffering crystals that's harnessing the mana. Not... not...” She gulped. “Just what are those things?”

“I'll tell you what's different.” Rainbow glared aside. “Chrysalis. That's what.”

Midnite turned to gawk at the pegasus. Together, both mares continued staring intently out the slitted window as the ritual continued below them.

“The truth is, Your Majesty, my... uh... my allies and I...” Kera fidgeted at the foot of the Royal throne. “...my smartest subjects accompanying me from Xona, that is...”

“Yes...?” Eine leaned forward.

“Well, we've gone over the observations we've taken of Val Roa, and we've narrowed the suspects down to three.”

“Suspects?” The Prince blinked curiously. “You mean the deer who could be your monster in disguise?”

“Right-o.”

“Wouldn't you think it's appropriate to tell me.”

Kera stared at him for a long time. At last, she sighed. “What the hay.” The filly shrugged. “Those grasshoppers were delicious, after all.”

“You don't think I'm some creature in disguise, do you?”

“That... depends...”

“On what?”

“On how you react to who I think they are.”

“And...?”

Kera pivoted until she was staring at him face to face. “Chancellor Fishberry...”

Eine listened, slowly nodding.

“...General Saikano...”

The Prince was quiet.

Kera rested her tongue against her teeth, then finally let it loose: “...and Secretary Sharp Quill.”

Eine was dead still, but there was a noticeably pale sheen to his visage. “That... is most intriguing.”

“Huh...” Kera blinked. “Not the reaction I was hoping for.”

“And just reaction did you seek?”

“I dunno. Shrieking? Running around and howling in terror?” She pointed. “Peeing in your Royal pantaloons?”

Eine winced. “I like to think that I'm far more composed than that.” He fidgeted. “And I don't wear p-pantaloons...”

“Well?!”

“Hmmm?”

“This isn't freaking you out at all?”

“Your Highness, the degree to which I'm capable of 'freaking out' is pacified by a proper use of logical judgment,” the Prince said. “It is simply... inconceivable that the long-loyal Royal Advisor of my family is actually a traitorous monster in disguise.”

“Yeah! I know!” Kera nod-nod-nodded. “That's what makes it freaky!”

“No, that's what makes it highly improbable,” Eine said. “Sharp Quill has done nothing less but sacrifice every ounce of his strength and intelligence to serve the House of Evo. Even if he was capable of usurping my place on the throne, there's nothing that he would accomplish with such a wildly melodramatic plot.”

“And why's that?”

“Well, the Legislature and the Military simply wouldn't let him accomplish it.”

“Right!” Kera exclaimed. “And with both Fishberry and Saikano in on it, they can make the impossible happen! And it's pretty dang sucky!”

“So now you're claiming that all three suspects are conspiring with one another?”

“Exactly!”

“But only one of them is the shapeshifting monster that you've been warning me about all this time!”

“Yes! Er... no! That is... maybe.” Kera winced. “Fact is, they're all working for Chrysalis! The Changeling Queen! And they're trying to bring you down!”

“If that's the case, why only suspect three deer? And why just those in particular? Just what specific evidence have your Xonan subordinates found to substantiate such claims!”

“Uhhhh...” Kera winced, glancing aside as she fidgeted. “Yeah, about that...”

“Your Majesty...” Eine sighed, trotting around her in loose, pacing steps. “With all due respect, I was initially enthralled by your claims, but now?” He slowly shook his head. “I'm starting to see how swiftly they're falling apart at the seams. For the most part, all you've got to give me is heresy.”

“But it's not! I swear it!”

“On what? I'm certainly not one to question your integrity, but when my kingdom's honor is at stake, I must have a firmer foundation to stand on.”

“Ugh!” Kera rolled her eyes. “You are—like—the most fickle Prince ever! Why'd you even bring me here?!”

“To ascertain the truth, of course. But right now, I'm finding it difficult to digest.”

“Maybe cuz you haven't swallowed it first, ya melon fudge!”

Eine turned, frowning. “You are asking me—without much concrete evidence—to suspect my own advisor, an elk who's been like an uncle to me all my life, of trying to take my kingdom away from me. Sharp Quill has been my anchor... my guiding light of emotional support, even in the depths of my anguish over losing my mother and father.”

“Yeah! But—like—that's how Chrysalis works! She gets at us emotionally! She feeds off of misery and love and sometimes both! I'm willing to bet that all the crud you've been going through has been nothing but food for her!”

“Through Sharp Quill...”

“If need be, yeah!”

“Your Highness, what if you're wrong?” Eine glared. “Can I afford to insult the only soul in all of Val Roa whom I trust completely?”

“What if I'm right?” Kera smirked. “Can you afford to be such a dumbass?”

Eine simply blinked at her, his muzzle agape.

“Hmmm?”

Silence.

“Is that a fact?”

More silence.

“I can't very well do much from here...”

Sharp Quill sat in his office, staring out the balcony with dull, distant eyes.

“... ... ...in that case, I should inform him.”

Silence.

“Very well. But you know that he is in session at the moment.”

With a deep breath, Sharp Quill closed his purple eyes. His forehead tensed beneath his antlers, and his lips moved on their own, as if pronouncing unholy words.

At last, his breath returned, and he murmured to the stale air.

“There is a problem,” the Secretary said. “It's the Duchess.”

Silence.

“No, she's not here. She's with Fishberry.”

More silence.

“I can't listen in. All I know is that she's stirring trouble. Can you send some sentries in to the High Council building?”

Sharp Quill's face winced.

“No, I can't tell you what to do then. Fishberry will likely have a solution, if you would just—”

There was a knock on the door.

Sharp Quill's ears twitched. He stood up straight.

“I must be silent.”

Clearing his throat, he turned around with a pleasant smile.

“You may enter.”

A servant stuck her head in. “Secretary Sharp Quill, sir?”

“Yes? What seems to be the problem?”

“Problem?” The doe shook her head. “No problem, sir. It's just that... well... the Prince has a guest.”

“A guest...?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I wasn't aware of a royal invitation being sent out.”

“I'm sorry, sir. Neither were any of us. But she's speaking with him in the throne room right now.”

“She?” Sharp Quill squinted. “Who, exactly?”

“Uhm... Her Majesty, Princess Kera Tin Mehjj of the Xonan Empire.”

Sharp Quill stared ahead. “... ... ...is that a fact?”

It Must Happen Sooner Than Later

“Alright!” Booster Spice shouted above the rattling of Whizzball's bulkheads. “Things are about to get hairy!”

“Gnnngh!” Josho braced himself against the walls of the cockpit as his body shivered all the way to his chattering teeth. “'About to' he says!”

“Watch it!” Eagle Eye yelped, flincing at the flickering bolts of electrical energy rocketing right past the windshield.

“Yeah, I see them!” Booster growled, holding the flight stick so tight that it almost snapped clean in two. “There's a cave up ahead! It matches Rainbow's coordinates to a T!”

“What now?!” Eagle asked.

“What else?! You drop your flanks down there!” Booster sputtered. “I can't afford another pass!”

“What do you mean by that?!”

“I mean I gotta lift up and let the Lounge tech catch a breather!” Booster exclaimed. “If I stay this low to the skystone, every console is liable to get fried!”

“Guess it's go-time, then.” Josho yanked his shotgun out from behind his seat. “Bring us in nice and slow.”

“Heh...” Booster wheezed. “'Nice and slow' he says.”

“This is no time to get sassy.”

“Alright!” Booster grunted, gesturing towards the sides of the cockpits. “Ready the latches! We're only going to get one clean shot at this!”

“Wait! Wait!” Eagle Eye gnashed his teeth. “Don't open the doors!”

“This is a really bad time to be chickening out, Princess!” Josho exclaimed.

“No—I mean...” The ex-mercenary leaned forward. “Why risk it? Can't you—like—port us down there instead?!”

“Hah! You mean with the skystone turning the atmosphere out there into a mana casserole?!” Josho shook his head. “If I'm lucky, I'd materialize us in the middle of a crystal—or worse—inside several.”

Eagle shuddered. “Forget I said anything...”

“Already forgotten!” Josho gripped the latch of his door. “Alrighty, nerdbritches! Drop it like its hot!”

Booster decelerated the craft with a wild jerk. “Drop yourself!”

“Hnngh!” Josho veritably kicked his door open. The cockpit immediately filled with frost and static electricity.

“Augh!” Booster flinched, nevertheless struggling to maintain a still hover.

Josho jumped down, descending like a fat anvil to the tiny-tiny stretch of flat rock below.

Eagle grunted, only to flounce in place. “Ungh!” He winced, fumbling with a strap. “Darn seatbelt—!” Freeing himself, he plunged limply out his side of the sphere. “Waaaaie!”

Booster gasped, looking down with wide eyes.

Eagle toppled, plummeted, and stopped in a low hover just inches from the stone floor. Josho had caught him in a telekinetic field, along with the young stallion's sword and shield. Setting Eagle down, Josho led him into the cave beyond.

Exhaling with relief, Booster flipped a switch, sealing the doors shut as he rapidly ascended the craft.

Meanwhile, Eagle and Josho galloped into the cave, their ears ringing from the constant thunder and howl of bitter cold winds. Once deep within the earthen chamber, they leaned against the polished stone walls, panting for breath.

“Okay... okay...” Eagle Eye shuddered, brushing his silken mane back. “That was only slightly a kerfluffle.”

“Says the stallion who nearly became Franzington stroganoff.”

“Hush.” Eagle gulped. “Thanks, but—seriously—hush.”

“There'll be time for shutting my trap later.” Josho cracked his neck and channeled a pulse of mana into his horn. He illuminated the stone walls of the cave ahead of him with a pale white light. “Time to go mole on this place.”

“Wow...” Eagle murmured, blinking.

“Hmmm?” Josho trained an ear towards him. “Already? What do your freaky eyes see?”

“Nothing. It's just...” Eagle fidgeted. “...remarkably warm in here.”

“Huh... y'know? You're right.” Josho's eyes twitched as he detected the light from his horn flickering. “Hrmm... maybe it's mana feedback from all the skystone that's—y'know—right on frickin' top of us.”

“Perhaps...” Eagle nervously hovered his sword and shield alongside his flank.

“I don't think any living pony has set hoof this far north.”

“Chrysalis has...” Eagle gulped. “Right?”

“Guess we're about to find out, kiddo.” That said, Josho led the way down the polished tunnel with Eagle trotting quietly, cautiously behind.

Back in Whizzball, Booster Spice was circling the sight from a safer height, nevertheless having to dodge errant bolts of red and yellow lightning at random.

“Okay... okay...” He took several deep breaths. “We're good. We're so good. Yeah...” He fumbled for the communications console. “Just keep telling yourself that, Booster. It's boring back in Amulek anyways.”

With little fuss, he plucked a sound stone from the wall and held its glowing shape to his lips.

“Noble Jury. Noble Jury, come in. This is Booster Spice. I've got an update for you.”

He waited in anxious silence. The speakers crackled... crackled some more... then warbled with Zaid's voice.

“Hidey ho! You're live, Goldie!”

Booster rolled his goggled eyes. “Must you do that? Even now?!”

“Go ahead and fill us in, bro-stuff! How is—”

“—our favorite Ball of Whizz doing?” Zaid smirked, one hoof on a sound stone and the other on the Noble Jury's controls. “And the little Whizzers, to boot?”

Bellesmith, Pilate, and Props stood in the cockpit behind him, leaning forward and listening intently.

“I just dropped Josho and Eagle Eye!”

“Dr-Dropped them?!” Props pulled at her face, hyperventilating. “Oh noes! Are they okay?! Tell me you didn't break EE's mane!”

“Y-yes! They're fine! What I mean to say is that they're at the destination!”

“Did you get a visual of what was actually there?!” Belle asked.

“Affirmative! It's a cave of some sort!”

“Hmmm...” Pilate's lips curved. “A cave? Rainbow should be jealous.”

“Beloved...”

“They've gone inside to investigate, Bellesmith!” Booster's voice said. “I'm circling about in the air, waiting to pick them up. I gotta keep my distance, though!”

“Why? Has Josho's breakfast finally caught up with him?” Zaid asked.

“No! Darn it, Zaid! It's because of the skystone, alright?! You should know this! For God's sake, would it kill ya to pay attention to your marefriend's brain for once?!”

“Uhhh...” Zaid fidgeted. “Maybe?”

“Just try and stay calm, Mr. Spice,” Pilate said. “We can only imagine it's quite the ordeal to maintain Whizzball's momentum over such a place.”

“Yeah. S-sorry for being so snappy. I'm just concerned for EE and Josho, is all.”

“We all are, Mr. Spice,” Pilate calmly added. “Just keep doing what you're good at. We'll stay in touch.”

“What's the situation in Val Roa?”

“Rainbow thinks they can break a gap in the Soul Sentries' shield,” Belle said. “We're headed to the Val Roan mountain range to wait for such an opening.”

“For real?! Why, that's spectacular!”

“But it does mean we'll be on the other side of Deer World by the time you and the other dudes get out of there!” Props exclaimed. She grimaced. “So super sorries, buddy!”

“Hey, we can deal! We'll just—gnngngh!”

Belle gasped. “What is it?!”

“Whew. Skystone discharge. I'm good.”

“You sure of that?”

“You know, maybe it's best we continue this conversation later, okay? I gotta concentrate on this mess.”

Belle nodded, exhaling heavily. “Not a bad idea. We'll figure out a place to rendezvous soon enough.”

“Otherwise, we'll just head back to Bountiful. Sound good?”

“That's perfect, Mr. Spice,” Pilate said. “Noble Jury out.”

“Hang in there, buddy!” Zaid barked.

The communications array went silent.

Zaid glanced over the back of the pilot's seat. “He does know that we're buddies, right?”

“That's not exactly what I would call a pressing concern at the moment,” Pilate muttered.

“Who's pressing?” Zaid shrugged. “I can deal with bro-hoofs just as much as the next stallion.”

“Zaid!” Belle hissed through her teeth. “Look where you're flying!”

“What? It's only air!”

“For realsies, Zaidy Waidy!” Props gripped his shoulder and pointed ahead with the other hoof. “Look!”

“Hmmm?” Zaid glanced ahead. His eyes twitched, and he pulled several levers. “Holy Snoopies!”

The Noble Jury lurched to a hovering stop just a kilometer and half before a winding line of emerald lights dotting a mountainside dead ahead of them.

“Whewwwww...” Zaid grinned, leaning against the dormant controls. “That'll wake your shit right up, boy lemme tell ya!”

“By the Spark...” Belle cooed, chestnut eyes sparkling. “How could something so threatening look so marvelous... so beautiful...?”

“I'm not sure whether I should be envious or not,” Pilate remarked.

“Perhaps it's all for the best, Pilate.” She leaned against him, shuddering. “I'm getting goosebumps.” She gulped. “Memories from a month ago that I'd rather not relive.”

“You're not alone...”

“So what do we do now?” Props chirped. “Play the waiting game until Dashie and her new antler-buddies make the lights go out?”

“Just what kind of a window will we have, anyways?” Zaid asked, eyes glued to the shimmering spectacle stretching before them. “I'm all for being gung-ho and stuff, but I'm not sure how fast I can make Floydien's sweetheart go without making the lavender book go boom.”

“I suppose we'll simply have to play it by ear.”

“Awwwwww...” Props pouted. “But we're always playing it by ear!”

Zaid smirked. “Is that an order, Captain, my Captain?”

“No.” Belle frowned. “My order is to stop calling me Captain!”

“Fine, then. 'Admiral.'”

“Nnnngh...” Belle face hoofed. “Why couldn't I be in charge of a book club instead?”

“Maybe once this is all over, beloved.”

“That's just the problem, Pilate. I can't remember a time in my life when anything was ever 'over.'”

“Would you have it any other way?”

Belle sighed melancholically. “Soon enough, you and I may not have much of a choice.”

Before Pilate could respond to that, the communications array crackled once more to life.

“Hello. Noble Jury. Come in.”

“Huzza-whahhh?” Props' blue eyes blinked. “Is that Booster Spice again?”

Zaid shook her head. “Not if Goldie got a sex changed and turned into a dominatrix overnight.” He brought the nearest sound stone to his muzzle. “Roarke! We're listening! You're loud and clear, girl!”

“Roarke!” Belle beamed, leaning towards the front of the cockpit. “Oh, thank the Spark! It's so good to hear from you! How are you—”

“I must make this quick, Jury. There is a good chance I may not be returning.”

The entire chamber fell dead cold.

“Wh-what...?” Belle's muzzle quivered. “Roarke... please tell me you're just being your normal melodramatic warhorse self...”

“I'm afraid the odds are really... truly stacked up against me.”

Pilate cleared his throat, leaning forward. “In what manner, Roarke? Please speak to us...”

Roarke clung to the edge of a massive goblin warship as it slowly... methodically pulled out of its hangar bay. Hiding in the crook of a lateral propeller strut, she struggled to speak above the sound of uproariously cheering imps in the arid valley of the Cartel below.

“The Lounge just delivered freshly-harvested skystone crystals to the Green Bandits. It was impossible for me to stop the exchange. But now that the two battleships are powered up and undoubtedly heading their way north to Val Roa, I've hitched a ride on one.” She took a deep breath, climbing with her metal limbs. “I shall endeavor to sabotage all I can while they're en route. As you can well imagine, this is no easy task... nor is it a safe one.”

“Roarke, darling, please... just think for a moment!” Bellesmith's pleading voice crackled. “Don't be so rash! There has to be another way!”

“I've learned from the best there is that the most worthwhile actions are accomplished without thinking.” Roarke's nostrils flared in the steamy air. She approached the stern's edge, climbing over the brass railing. “Besides, every second I waste is another mile these vessels cover in their death flight towards Val Roa. Something has to be done to stop them, and I'm that something.”

“Roarke, you're needed here as well! With the Noble Jury! I mean... what about Rainbow Dash's operation?!”

“It's evidently changed, not by any of our choosing, mind you.” Roarke perched on the ship, craning her neck to see where the Gamma vessel was pulling out of its massive hangar far across the way. “I'm not alone in this. I've found an unlikely ally, and we've already drafted a plan to bring these metal monstrosities down. It's not foolproof, but it's the best option we've got.”

“Roarke... I'm begging you... reconsider! Find a way north to rendezvous with us so that we can—”

“I've already reconsidered, Belle.” Roarke shook her head as the wind kicked at her scarlet mane. “There simply is no other way. You do realize that if either of these battleships make it to Val Roa, then they'll be dual menaces that you and the Noble Jury will have to contend with. And that's already on top of one that's presently hovering within Val Roan airspace as we speak.” Roarke slowly shook her head. “The odds are not in our favor as it is. I'm needed here... even if it's the last thing I do.”

“Roarke...”

“Have you been in communication with Rainbow Dash?”

“We... uh... we have, Roarke.”

“Do me a favor. When you speak to her again, tell her...” Roarke inhaled heavily, pausing. At last, she blurted, “Tell her she brought joy to a weapon of destruction. If Harmony smiles upon vigilant souls, then maybe it won't be inclined to frown on mine quite so much anymore.”

“We can be Harmonious t-together, Roarke. All of us.”

“We can... and yet we can't.” Roarke shuddered. “One way or another, this parting was inevitable. She's known it as much as I have. Perhaps... just perhaps it's better this way.” She took a deep breath. “I wish you all peace when it comes time for you to part ways as well.”

The leylines were silent.

That was enough for the metal mare. “This is Roarke signing out. Do not give up.” And she silenced the sound stone with finality.

Silence hung inside the Noble Jury's cockpit.

Zaid stared ahead with glazed eyes. Props was sniffling, rubbing her eyelids dry.

Belle remained clinging to the sound stone. She held a hoof over her muzzle, damming the crest of several sobs in. On quiet hooves, Pilate leaned over and nuzzled her.

Shuddering, Belle rested her neck against his, clenching her eyes shut. “It... it can't be over just like that... c-can it?”

“Who's to say, beloved,” Pilate muttered in a low tone. “It's Roarke, after all. She's ever grim and theatrical.”

“But, she sounded so determined this time.” Belle sniffled, her eyes watering. “I-I mean more than usual.”

“We have to have faith in her,” Pilate said. “She hasn't failed us when we did before.”

“What...” Belle gulped. “Wh-what do I tell Rainbow when she...?”

“I'm afraid I have no easy answer to that, my love.”

Belle sighed, slumping back on her haunches. “Just... I-I just didn't expect this to happen...” She slowly shook her head. “Not this soon...”

Far ahead, the trail of glowing Soul Sentries twinkled like festive lights.

Roarke stood up straight, glaring down the lengths of the battleship's top deck. She spotted the distant bodies of imps as they scurried to their stations. A low bass hum rattled through the ship as the bulkheads glowed through the seam with the tell-tale amber hue of resonating skystone.

At any moment now, the vessel would be throttling its way north on rocketing thrusters.

The Searonese bounty hunter took a deep breath. Tossing her mane back, she reached a hoof to her left shoulder and gave it a light slap. Schwissh! A tiny compartment opened. Roarke reached in, grasping a pair of brass eye-lenses. She raised the thing to her face and—without hesitation—snapped them back into place with a hiss of hydraulic steam. They rotated into focus, one after another.

“I love you,” she droned to the wind. An iron frown. “But some of us were born to fly; others to fall.”

And with that... Clak-Clak-Clak!... her glossy black helmet snapped shut. She slinked forward like a pearlescent shadow.

All Is Well That Plots Well

Floydien slumped down in his cell with a sigh. Sitting on his broad flanks, he lifted his cloven hooves and began fiddling listlessly with the manacles around his forelimbs. Not long after, a bizarre buzzing echoed across the hallway immediately outside the prison. Floydien looked up, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Right outside, Jake twirled around. He squinted at a light on the wall that pulsated in time with each buzz. While Floydien stood up and pressed himself against the bars, the large moose walked over and flipped a switch right beside the flashing light. “Uhhhh... Hell's underbellly. Who might I be speaking to?”

The worn-out intercom crackled, its leylines distorted by years of neglect and improper maintenance. “Constable. You hear this—sckrkkdd—good. We have made—scrkkkdd—with the soul sentries. Scrkkkk—not believe what's going on down here.”

“Whoah whoah whoah!” Jake hissed. “Prostate glands, Midnite! Slow down on the low down, girl! What in the Hell are you What in the Helling about?”

Floydien craned his neck to listen through the bars as the intercom continued:

“Scrkkkk—my father's operation and—scrkkk—not at all right. But we—scrkkk—a weakness in the energy—scrkkkk. We might need your help.”

“Wait, you want us to come over there and help you somehow?” Jake's slobbering face scrunched. “I thought we were doing a two-buck prison show.”

Midnite Bastion frowned into the observation room's intercom. “Yes, I know, but we found what we came here for. If there's any hope of stopping this soul sentry mess in its tracks, then Rainbow and I can't do it alone.”

“Scrkkkk! Then just how do you expect us to get there?!”

“He makes a good point,” Rainbow droned from where she continued to hover at the window. “It's like asking a pair of caterpillars to inch their way into the center of a hornet's nest.”

Midnite bit her lip, then brightened. “The fire alarm!”

Rainbow groaned. “You've got to be kidding me...”

“No, for real!” Midnite exclaimed. “This military complex was built with faulty insulation. A lot of the substance inside the walls are flammable. There've been at least three fires in the last five years alone. There just hasn't been enough funding to change everything out completely.”

“Heh... guess every military can't be Ledomare's.”

“I know this place inside and out, including where all of the manaconduits for the alarm systems are.” Midnite smirked viciously. “If I set one off not too far from here, I can throw the whole installation into a panic. Everyone will be busy trying to move the Soul Sentry recruits to safety. Floydien and Jake could easily make their way undetected to our location.”

“So we could—like—smash the crud we've seen?”

“Righto.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Sounds stupid enough.”

“Hey! It's the best thing I can come up with—”

“No, that means I'm all for it.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeesh... friggin' noob.”

“Oh... uhm...” Midnite blinked, then turned back towards the intercom. “Did you guys hear that?”

“Scrkkkk—you mean the part where she called you a 'noob?'”

“No, the plan, you moose butt!”

“Yup. Sounds risky as Hell. Color me intrigued.”

“Alright. When you hear the alarm go off, run like the wind to Delta Level Three. We'll meet you at the security station and let you both in.”

“Then it's Moose Smash, right?”

“Something to that extent. Over and out.” Midnite Bastion released her grip on the intercom.

So did Jake.

“Well, looks like we've got ourselves a date with disaster, Duke-o,” the moose glubbered.

“Hmmmm...” Floydien took a deep breath. “Seems too light light for bright bright.”

“For once, that one really... truly went over my head, buddy.”

The elk's eyes narrowed. “What is this re-stabbing even going to accomplish? Charcoal boomer's father already has too much power, yes yes yes?”

“I'm pretty sure this is more about giving your fancy airship passage into Val Roa and less about getting back at Midnite's dad. But even still.” Jake smirked as he slid the rusty jail door open. “Would you shy away from accomplishing both in one fart?”

Floydien's ears drooped back as he glanced aside. “Moose boomer is starting to know Floydien too well.”

“I'd make a full-time job of it,” Jake said with a smirk. “If only I wasn't too much in love with kicking the shit out of goblins.” He reached forward, grasping Floydien's antlers. “Here, lemme get you out of them irons.”

“Hrmmmm... Floydien has a bad feeling about this.”

“Now there's the prissy Duke I remember...”

Midnite Bastion trotted over to the long slitted window where Rainbow Dash hovered. “Well, glad we got that worked out.”

“You really think they can get to us without anyone trying to arrest them?” Rainbow asked.

“It's a bit risky. Then again, what wouldn't be at this point?”

“Right...” Rainbow nodded. “So, like...” She pointed out the window. “You've seriously... seriously haven't seen those things before?”

“No. But...” Midnite gulped as she stood by the pegasus' side. “Have you?”

Rainbow slowly shook her head. “No... but believe-you-me when I say that it fits Chrysalis' m/o to a T.”

Outside and down below, reindeer squatted in dense lines. The recruits were garbed in dull gray robes, and their antlers glowed with dim brilliance. Their heads nodded in rhythmic motions, all the while their muzzles let loose a guttural chant that combined into a deep bass hum. The entire chamber below resonated with the concentrated mantra. One by one, green beams of illumination washed over them. When the emerald field made contact with the recruits, they each exhaled dramatically, losing the full volume of their lungs. Within seconds, their eyes glowed bright green, and soon the pulse of their antlers strobed to match it.

As dramatic as this was, it didn't compared to the bizarre sight of the source of the energy that was rapidly converting the recruits into soul sentries. Positioned on brass pedestals spread evenly across the wall of the long chamber were large organic structures—pulsating pupae of grotesque proportions. These enormous cocoons emanated a sickly green light from deep within, and every thirty seconds they would flicker, spreading the light out in a luminescent cloud. The glow swiftly funneled into wavering streams that swept across the seated recruits like loose spider webs in a summer breeze. As soon as they made contact with the reindeer, the recipients reacted immediately, their expressions turning vacant as the glow transferred to their eyes and antlers, converting them completely.

“I thought—like—becoming a soul sentry was supposed to take months of intense training and meditation.” Rainbow Dash turned to squint at Midnite. “Y'know... on account of the 'denial of self and emotions' and all that noise.”

“It's never... ever supposed to happen this quickly,” Midnite said, shaking her head. She pointed and spat, “And it's never involved gigantic green bug turds either!”

“Shhhh! Shhhhh!” Rainbow placed her hooves on Midnite's shoulders, quieting her before the reindeer below could hear. “Well, obviously Chrysalis has found a way to put the ritual into full gear.”

“Please tell me you've seen crud like that before.”

“What? Those cocoon thingies?” Rainbow glanced down, watching as non-soul-sentry guards trotted up and down the line, carefully observing the “ritual” in progress. “No. Never have. But it certainly fits Chrysalis'... uh... insect-ness.”

Midnite shivered, clenching her teeth.

“It's the Noble Jury's understanding that Chrysalis quite literally hatched every single one of her minions. Y'know, like a Queen Bee? So... if you ask me... laying a giant cocoon like some mutant mother hen isn't such a bizarre stretch.”

“Are you trying to tell me that here are changelings inside those things?”

“I... I've no idea,” Rainbow Dash shook her head.

“But I thought you said she lost control of the hive mind!” Midnite squeaked. “Otherwise she'd be using a bunch of shape-shifting drones to try and take over Val Roa like she's done in other kingdoms!”

“Well, maybe she still doesn't have that power and yet she's laying eggs anyways.” Rainbow shrugged. “Only, like, they're hard-boiled, and she's using them to magnify another power of hers.”

“Another power?”

“What we're seeing down here is probably the same sort of thing that Chrysalis is using to control Fishberry, Sharp Quill, and Saikano.” Rainbow pointed. “Only, in this case, she's used it to hijack Val Roa's Soul Sentry program.”

“God in heaven...”

Rainbow glared at her. “You've seriously never seen this sort of crud before?”

Midnite gulped. “I've seen my fair share of Soul Sentry rituals... but nothing like this.”

“Lemme guess. Your father put you on assignment these past few months so you'd constantly be busy or something?”

Midnite sighed, gradually nodding.

“Heh. Looks like Chrysalis has thought of everything.” Rainbow turned to stare down into the chamber. “Except that we'd be in this deep... prepared to kick her operation in the groin.”

“Just what can we do?”

“Exactly what I suggested a few minutes ago.” Rainbow gestured. “We get our flanks down there. We reunite with Floydien and Jake. And—together—we start toppling those dang cocoons over and smashing them.”

“All of them?”

“As many as we can.” Rainbow smirked. “The way I figure it, those thingies are what Chrysalis uses to control the Soul Sentries. And if the so-called ritual is really this paper thin...”

“Then destroying them should free up most of the recruits who were recruited to Chrysalis' cause,” Midnite murmured. “They'd become their former selves, since they didn't go through the actual training in full.”

“Righto.”

“What about Chrysalis' minions?” Midnite remarked. “I mean... uhh... her top minions?”

“You mean Fishberry, Sharp Quill, and Daddy Dearest?”

Midnite merely bit her lip.

Rainbow sighed. “One thing at a time, girl. If what we have here is an opportunity to disrupt the perimeter that's blocking the Noble Jury, then I'm all for it. We're in a race against time, after all. We've got a Coronation and a Goblin Armada to worry about, among other things.”

“Right...” Midnite took a deep breath. “So... the alarms?”

“I thought you'd never ask.” Rainbow flapped her wings and shot towards the door. “Let's get this crap over with.”

Midnite stood in place, staring out the window.

“... ... ...Yoo-hoo. Sexy Sailor Midnite.” Rainbow waved. “We doing this or not?”

“Right...” Midnite nodded, shuddering. “Right... we're doing this.” She marched over.

“Hey...” Rainbow craned her neck. “I know it ain't easy—what, with this being something you and your fellow Val Roans have always believed in. But you know what you've seen! Chrysalis has taken something that was supremely awesome about your culture and completely perverted into something that she—”

“You don't need to give me the motivational speech,” Midnite grumbled, trotting firmly out the door and breaking into a sprint down the hallway. “I know who I should be pissed at.”

Rainbow shrugged and flew swiftly after her. “Well, so long as we got that in common...”

Come On Baby; Twist and Shout

“Steady as she goes!” an imp shouted into the cloudy air. On either side of the battleship's top deck, large propeller blades churned and roared. Artificial winds kicked at the goblin crew members' vests and toolbelts as they rushed from one station to another. “Wait for the Boss' ship to catch up with us! This is Haman's moment of triumph, and we're going to make sure he gets to the deer lands in one piece!”

Goblins shouted in confirmation, continuing to hammer and bang away at rattling consoles. Far beyond the bow, a second ship lurched out of its hangar, slowly approaching the first vessel's rear.

“Prime the skystone engines!” The lead imp pointed, snarling. “Prepare for accelerated speed!” He spat into the windy air. “I swear to God, those stinkin' lizards had better have delivered.”

“Sir!” one goblin shouted, waving from where and three other goblins were crouched. “We have a bit of a problem over here!”

“Grrrr...” The imp extended a sparkling wrench-tool and marched over, looming above the nervous workers. “Not the thing I wanted to hear right now, runt!”

“It's the hydraulic cables for the middle starboard side propeller engine!” an engineer sputtered. “They've been cut!”

“What did you say, runt?!”

“It wasn't m-me, sir! But somebody clearly sliced the cable down the middle! It's a solid burn!”

“Looks like a flame-torch, from the singe marks,” another imp said.

“A flame-torch?!” The lead imp gazed around, blinking rapidly. “But... nobody above deck is assigned one of those!”

“I know what I see, sir.”

“Well, is it a threat to the ship?!”

“We can fix it with enough goblin hands...”

“Or else...?”

“The starboard side could fail, one propeller at a time! We won't even reach stabilization for a proper jump to skystone acceleration!”

“Then get all imps on it!” The leader stood on a platform, pumping a fist in the air and shouting. “Do you hear me?! I need every able-bodied goblin over here this second! Fix the hydraulics on this motor!” He snarled, flexing his fingers as he marched towards a distant stairwell. “Now I need to haul security's ass up here. We've got a saboteur on board...”

Every deckhand rushed over to the propeller, where they gathered around and feverishly worked on the bowels of the rattling machinery.

From across the way, a dark figure strolled out of hiding. One metal hoof at a time, she marched towards the unsuspecting group. A low crimson glow issued across the bulkheads as the energy cores inside her glossy black suit hummed to life...

“I appreciate your forewarning, Commander,” Saikano said, standing before Midnite as the mare continued to salute. “The soul sentry recruits have been relocated to a safe position.”

“That's a relief to know.” Midnite lowered her hoof, exhaling steadily. “I'm sorry for the damage caused to the alarm system.”

“Not as sorry as you're going to be in a moment!” Jake hissed, his beady eyes flashing as he thundered forward on heavy hooves.

“Neutralize.” Saikano didn't move an inch.

Fl-Flaaaaash! Four guards thrusted their antlers forward with a discharge of mana.

The energy blasts flew into Jake's stomach. The moose gritted his teeth, snarling. He stamped his hooves harder against the metal floor, shoving himself against the current of excrutiating energy.

Saikano turned and nodded towards the phalanx behind him. Twelve more reindeer marched forward and aimed their horns.

Midnite closed her eyes.

FL-FLASSSSH!

“Grrrnnng-rrrghhhh!” Jake's drool evaporated as it dribbled out of his quivering lips. He took one last brave step forward before buckling and falling back in a smoking heap. “Graaaugh!” Thud!

The heavy jolt woke Rainbow Dash from her dazed stupor. Hissing in pain, she reached back and rubbed her head. Glancing aside, she gasped at Jake's twitching figure.

“Such a shame,” Saikano droned. “All the goblins he slayed must have twisted something in him.” The General took a deep breath. “There truly was no other way to contain him. He and his companions would simply have escaped out in the open.”

“I know that, General,” Midnite muttered.

At last, the General stepped forward. He squinted as he approached Floydien.

The elk glared back, his jaws shut iron-tight.

Slowly, Saikano turned to look back at Midnight.

The mare bowed her head, biting her lip.

“This... must have been terribly hard for you,” the General said.

“I was s-simply doing my duty, sir.”

“Whatever could have brought this wretch back to Val Roa, I wonder?” Saikano glanced at Floydien once more. “A venture of this sort could only be concocted through madness.”

“Does the charcoal boomer report all duties to her stab-father, Floydien wonders?” Floydien's nostrils flared. “Two faces require four holes on the other end as well, yes yes yes?”

“... ... ...” Saikano turned and marched away. “Ground him.”

FLASH! Two reindeer fired volleys of shimmering energy into Floydien's gut.

“Gaaaugh!” With a pained shriek, Floydien fell to his chest.

“Friggin' stop it!” Rainbow Dash snarled. She tried lifting off, only to be held down by four sets of hooves. She struggled against the guards' grip on her as she spat. “Saikano, call them off! Call everything off!”

“I don't see how I am under any obligation to follow through with your demands,” Saikano droned. He paced over towards one of the large green cocoons and pivoted about. “You purposefully and willfully broke into my facility—”

“A breeding ground for a new kind of drone!” Rainbow hollered. “Chrysalis' drones! We both know who you work for! Why pretend otherwise?!”

“I am tasked with the protection of Val Roa's future, and that includes shielding it from self-righteous terrorists such as—”

“You'll protect Val Roa into the ground!” Rainbow gnashed her teeth. “Don't act so smug! You're not the first one-eyed military psychotic I've seen blinded by his own duty! You're being controlled by something that's going to reduce this kingdom to ashes! Even as we speak, goblin battleships are en route to—”

“Sedition will use whatever excuse necessary to legitimize its heinous tactics.” Saikano strolled forward. “Still, whatever useful information you do have to impart, I'll be sure to extract it through—” His voice cut off. He narrowed his good eye on Rainbow Dash and her wings.

The pegasus stared up at him, seething.

Saikano's ears drooped beneath his metal-extended antlers. Pivoting to the side, he stared blankly into space. His voice droned. “I've found her.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. Weary, Floydien and Jake looked up, eyes thin.

Saikano gnashed his teeth. “No, she wasn't alone.”

Fishberry's pupil's shrunk. Her muzzle hung agape.

“How... How did she even get in there?” The doe's ears flicked as her body remained dead-still. “Can you confirm it's Rainbow Dash?”

Across the office, Arcanista craned her neck to the side. She leaned forward. “Rainbow Dash...?”

“The mane... the wings...” Fishberry stared straight ahead into space. Her voice took on a guttural tone. “It can be no other.”

Arcanista blinked. A tiny gasp escaped her lips. “Oh no...”

“Then there's no question what must be done,” Sharp Quill said, gazing past the pillars that lined the lusciously furnished corridor of the Royal Palace. “Eliminate her. Now.”

“Eliminate her?” Ebon Mane trotted up, craning his tattooed neck to get a better look at the Secretary's blank expression. “Eliminate who?”

“No.” Sharp Quill frowned, glaring straight ahead. “She cannot provide any nourishment. She is too much of a risk. Besides, the Noble Jury is spread abroad.”

Ebon recoiled instantly. “The... Noble Jury?” His coat briefly flickered blue as he inhaled sharply. “Rainbow...”

“Then it shall be done,” Saikano droned. He took a deep breath and nodded his head towards nobody. “And for her companions?”

“General?” Midnite Bastion trotted up.

“I see...” Saikano stood dead still above the mare. “Yes.... Yes... No traces...”

“...Father?”

For the first time in a full minute, Saikano blinked. He turned to pivot his cold gaze on his adopted daughter.

Gulping, Midnight spoke tenderly, “With all due respect, they are of better use to the kingdom alive.”

“They are traitors to the state and they must be punished,” Saikano said.

“But they can be used to root up the other terrorists.” Midnite's eyes narrowed. “As Val Roa's chief protector, you know this. Killing them without questioning them is a substantial risk.”

“There is no time,” Saikano droned. “The Prince's Coronation is tomorrow.”

“I know! So doesn't it make sense to go by standard protocol?”

“This is my decision, not yours.”

“General, this is not how you've always taught me to operate!” Midnite exclaimed. “A good outfit knows how to communicate with one another. Why are the soul sentries being recruited by the hundreds every hour?!” She gestured towards the row of cocoons. “Since when did we utilize bio-organic technology?!”

“You have done a good job, Commander,” Saikano said robotically. “You are relieved. I must do that which I am tasked with. The Coronation is tomorrow.”

Midnite blinked, her eyes quivering. She hung her head with a sigh. “...I'm sorry, father...”

Saikano squinted. “Commander...?”

“You've always been a good general. Loyal, supportive, and fully complicit with your intentions. But, above all that, you have been a wonderful father to me...” She looked up, tearing. “Until now.” And with a grunting breath, she spun her whole body around and kicked his front legs out from underneath.

“Gughhh!” The General fell on his chin.

Even the Jurists were gasping.

Before the flanking reinders could so much as flinch, Midnite had expertly somersaulted behind one of them, slamming both hoves into his spine. As he buckled, Midnite threw his neck into a leg-lock and punched him right in the nerve. Eyes glowing, the pained guard launched an involuntary beam of mana out from his antlers.

P-POW! An electric console above the densest phalanx of soldiers exploded. The reindeer fell to the floor, shrieking from the spray of hot shrapnel.

“Get her—!” One of the soldiers galloped over Rainbow Dash.

Holding her breath, the pegasus used her wings as a spring and flipped off the floor, slamming her rear hooves across two of the deer's faces. She swooped by a line of grunts, knocking them all over like dominoes.

As chaos unfolded, Saikano looked up, hissing through clenched teeth. “Daughter, stop it—!”

“You're not my father!” Midnite hollered, kicking another guard to the floor and appropriating his lance. “I know that now! And until I find him...” She spun with a snarl and slammed the broad-side of the staff across Saikano's face.

The General took the impact at full-force. With a pained yelp—

—Fishberry collapsed against her desk and rattled onto the floor, wheezing in pain as she clutched her skull.

“Chancellor?!” Arcanista stammered, starting to shiver.

Fishberry rolled over. After several more painful spasms—

—Sharp Quill stood back up, his purple eyes flickering a hot an angry green.

“Kill them...” He hissed, teetering left and right as he limped down the hall. “Kill them all. Immediately.”

“What are you talking about?! Who do you want dead?!” Ebon Mane hollered. He stamped his hooves, growling. “Answer me!”

Sharp Quill continued stumbling down the hallway, disappearing around the corner.

Ebon seethed and seethed. Then, with a paling expression, he gasped. “Oh no... Kera.” Panicked, he spun and galloped towards the other end of the corridor.

“Idiot!” an imp growled into the beating air. He fumbled through the mass of his fellow crewmembers' limbs, attempting to fix the damaged conduit. “The manacircuitry runs through there!”

“I'm trying to fix the dayum hydraulic servo!”

“But it's not worth risking the mana-flow! What, were you squirted yesterday?”

“Ugh... friggin' slaves who built this thing should have been shot in the head yesterday instead of today.”

“Heh... talk about a waste of bullets.”

“Just shut up. Let's get this damn thing fixed before the overseer gets back.” He turned to look at a shadow looming closer and darker. “Hey, pass us a wire-cutter, will ya?” He did a double take, eyes bulging. “Holy sh—” POW! His head exploded from a precise manablast.

The other imps gasped under the fresh spray of blood. They all stood up, unholstering steam pistols and sparkling bludgeons. In an instant, they collectively froze in place.

A equine shape in a suit of black armor stood across from them. A tiny manacannon extended—smoking from Roarke's shoulder.

“Who in the blue Hell are you?!” one imp hissed through grimy teeth.

Roarke's helmet tilted forward with a glint of crimson light. Her speakers crackled: “Death.”

Cl-Clack! Three more manacannons popped loose, all firing.

The resulting screams were swept away by the high winds around the battleship.

Noble Jurists Have Left the Building

“Rrrrgh!” With crazed eyes, Midnite Bastion charged a line of reindeer straight on.

The guards backtrotted, firing blast after blast at her with their enchanted antlers.

FLASH! FL-FLASH!

Midnite hopped to the left and right, dodging the energy streams. As they fired low, she flung her body forward in a massive slide. She came to a stop in the middle of the group, spun her legs all around, and tripped three of them. As they fell down, she hopped up, swiping a staff from one guard and using it to block another's attack. After uppercutting him, she pole-vaulted through the group, dodged another blast, spun, and flung the thing like a javelin—grazing a soldier bloodily in the shoulder.

By this time, a thick phalanx had formed protectively besides Saikano's body. They formed two columns, one crouching before the other, and they all launched their mana-charges at once.

Midnite spun about, her pupils shrinking as she witnessed the wall of rippling destruction surging her way.

At the last second, a blue figure flew in front of the mare. Rainbow Dash gripped a dislodged metal ceiling panel in her front hooves, and she held it out like an enormous shield, blocking the converging manablasts. CL-CLAAANG!

“Rainbow...” Midnite wheezed, sweating.

“Grnnngh!” Rainbow gnashed her teeth as her body buckled under the jolting panel in her grasp. “So, lemme get this straight...” She glanced over her shoulder and spat, “You led us down here and gave us all concussions just so you can turn on the bad guy in the end?! Couldn't you have just cut out the stupid part in the middle?!”

“Oh, I'm sorry!” Midnite retorted, frowning. “Maybe you can give me some advice from the last time you had to turn on your very own father!”

Rainbow wheezed, shrugging. “Okay, I'll give you that.” She tilted her head up and shouted. “Hey! Buttwinkle! Time to pull a rabbit out of your hat!”

“Pancreas! I thought you'd never ask!” Deafening hoofsteps echoed across the chamber.

The phalanx of antler-flashing guards looked nervously towards their sides.

Thud Thud Thud! “Might cause underwear stains!” Jake hollered as the hairy hunk of meat charged them, horns first. “From beyond the grave!” WHAMMM!

Floydien winced. His red eyes reflected the bodies of guards as they went flying across the floor like bowling pins. He turned to look as Rainbow flung the smoking panel aside, launched up from the ground, and drop-kicked a pair of guards. “Good job!” The mare breathlessly blocked another guard's attack and head-butted him in the neck. “But let's not have ourselves an endless Celestia-damned fight scene here! Somepony knock out the cocoons before—”

“Spoke too soon!” Midnite yelped, pointing down the hallway as a fresh wave of soldiers bounded in, this time fitted with rattling plates of body armor. “Constable—”

“Haaaaaugh!” The moose galloped across the room, meeting the group head on. With two sweeps of his antlers, he had already smashed several groaning grunts into the walls of the chamber. “Me! Does a body bad! Hah!”

“Fine! You do that!” Swoosh! Rainbow dove towards the base of one glowing cocoon and pressed her body against it. She struggled, kicking against the floor in an effort to use her weight and knock the thing over. “Grnnngh... Midnite! You think you can cover me?!”

“Don't worry!” Midnite bashed one guard in the skull, dodged a beam of mana, and clashed her lance against a set of antlers. “I'm on your side for good!”

“Yeah!” Jake's voice hollered from across the violent echo chamber. “Can't re-bitch the bitch, can you?!”

“Come on... come on...” Rainbow hissed as she struggled against the pulsating pupa. “Oh, what I wouldn't give to be made out of some of your metal sometimes, Roarke...”

Th-Thwppp! Roarke spun, lashing her long metal cable of a tail through a group of imps.

“Aaaaaugh!” One goblin shrieked as the elastic bullwhip lopped his ankle clean off.

Two of his companions huddled behind a metal crate, taking cover as they fired pot shots of hot lead into the windy air.

Roarke dodged one bullet while she deflected another with her metal fetlock. With a flick of the hoof, she popped loose a flame thrower and sent a plume of plasma billowing their way. Fwooomb!

One goblin jumped out of the way. The other wasn't so lucky. “Haaa-aaaaugh!” He stumbled out of hiding, flailing as his flesh roasted in an instant.

As his smoldering corpse fell down, the goblin overseer came charging up the stairs with three heavily-armed imps in tow. “What in Haman's dickhole is going on up here—?!” He froze in place, pupils shrinking at the sight of Roarke.

Roarke crouched into a battle stance besides the damaged propeller.

“Shit!” The overseer's voice cracked as he pointed a trembling finger at the metal mare. “Sh-shoot it to shit!”

All three security officers hoisted tiny miniguns off their backs. Whirrrrrr— The grimy barrels spun, and within milliseconds—RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT!

With a burst of thrusters, Roarke lifted off the battleship's deck. The bullets whizzed straight past her, shredding the last worker to bloody ribbons and filling the propeller engine behind him with smoking holes.

“No no no—Gaaaaugh!” The overseer pulled at his ears. “You stupid ass maggots!”

Th-Thwpp!

He looked up, twitching.

Clank! Roarke fired a grappling claw into the starboard side of the vessel. She swung around on the length of a metal cord, propelling herself by flaring rockets in her rear hooves.

“Kill her! Kill her already!” The overseer unholstered a sparkling pistol, taking aim. His electrical discharges joined the stream of bullets from his companions as they traced after the metal mare.

Roarke was too fast for them. She twirled on the length of the cable, flying overhead. At last, as she started swinging down, she detached the hook completely and dove with a thrust of her remaining jet packs. FWOOOSH! She slammed helmet-first into the chest of one of the gunners.

Whump!

“Aaaaaaaaaa—!” The imp shrieked as his body flew off the deck and fell—CRUNNNCH—directly into the middle port side propeller engine. While his body was grinded to a pulp, the remaining ammunition in his minigun exploded, shattering the motor compartment to ribbons from the inside out.

Shrapnel whizzed by, ripping the throat out from under one of the two gunners. As he fell back, the overseer and the remaining officer stumbled back towards the stairwell, firing like mad into the smoldering haze of the torn engine.

“Aaaaa-aaaagh!” The gunner yelled in panic, the veins popping in his sweat-stained neck. “Die! Die! Die!” Soon, he ran out of bullets, and his minigun barrel spun with impotent dull clicks. He stood in place, panting, wide-eyes peering into the flame and smoke.

Beside him, the overseer panted and panted. He leaned forward finally, squinting.

Th-Thwpp! A black grappling cord flew out from the smog. Th-Thunk! It embedded bloodily into the gunner's shoulder.

“Grkkk!” The gunner jolted in place. His body acted as an anchor while—

Thwisssh! Roarke's suited body soared out of the ashen cloud. When she retracted the full length of the cable, her body slammed the gunner to the ground. The imp struggled with her, trying to swing the minigun like a club.

Clank! Roarke took one hit to the helmet. Her speaker's crackled with an annoyed breath. Overpowering the imp, she shoved the smoking-hot barrel down into his chest, then forced the goblin to pull the trigger. Whirrrrr! Blood and scraps of flesh sprayed between them as she shoved the spinning barrel into his ribcage like a drill. The gunner twitched one or two last times and was still.

The overseer stumbled back, his body shaking to the point that he could no longer hold his weapon straight.

Roarke's blood-stained helmet tilted up to meet his gaze.

“...!” He spun around and ran down the stairwell. “Everyone! Quick! Seal it up!”

Roarke leapt up, fired the jets at her horseshoes, and rocketed down after him.

The goblin scrambled into the lower decks, waving his arms wildly. “Goddammit! Seal up the ship! We've got a hellsteed out ther—”

WHAM! Roarke slammed into his spine. The sheer force of her velocity slid him across the metal floor underneath her hooves, grinding his gargling face to paste.

Several goblins looked up, gasping.

Roarke looked back. She cracked the joints in her neck, then reached for a lever beside her. Sch-Schwisssh! She sealed the stairwell shut above, casting the corridor into darkness. There was a strobe of crimson light, and then rocketflare.

Screaming, the goblins unleashed their weapons, filling the decks with flashing strobes as their numbers were whittled away, one by one.

“Haaaaaugh!” Jake plowed through several more guards, knocking them unconscious with strategic hooves to their chests. “Heheh!” He looked back, wiping the blood from his grinning muzzle. “Anyone besides me having fun yet?!”

A door opened, and three reindeer jumped out, summoning a conjoined blast of mana.

Midnite gasped, shoving her opponents back and pointing. “Constable! Behind you—”

Jake tried turning around.

FLASSSH! He winced... but found he was still standing.

The three guards in front of him stumbled from an electrical blast. Just as they were about to regain their bearings—FLASSSH!—another billowing stream knocked them back on their flanks.

Jake turned around.

Floydien marched forward with smoking antlers, seething. “Do not ask for whom the shimmer stabs!” He pivoted his neck and fired another shot. “It shimmers for you!” FLASSSH!

The guards in front of Midnite were slammed against a wall where they fell into groaning spasms.

The mare slumped, leaning against her lance with a breathless smile. “Nice shot, Floyd.” She instantly winced. “Erm, I-I mean...”

“Hey!” Rainbow's voice barked from further along the corridor. “Space elk!”

Floydien turned, red eyes squinting.

Rainbow gestured at the cocoon she was wrestling with. “How about shooting something a little squishier, huh?”

The elk was already dragging a hoof across the floor. “Color wheel boomer should move her butt butt.”

“You'll get no arguments from me!” Rainbow Dash dove aside. “Zoop!”

“Stupid stabby crater full of deer deer...” Floydien snarled loudly, his eyes bulging as he fired the brightest beam of mana yet. “The ghost of Simon spits 'hello!'”

A stream of electrical beams spun around each other as they traversed the width of the chamber, and pierced straight into the core of the cocoon. There was a brief strobe of green light, and then the shell exploded with green slime and smoldering embers.

Inside the High Council building, Mamunia and Jet sat calmly on a bench outside of Chancellor Fishberry's office. They wearily eyed the green-eyed guards standing emotionlessly on either side of the doe's door.

All of the sudden, the guards twitched, then spasmed. Their knees buckled, and they fell to their haunches, groaning in pain.

“... .... ...!” Jet tapped nervously on Mamunia's shoulder.

The servant glanced over, gasping. She stood up, nervously fiddling with her hood.

The guards clenched their teeth as their eyes flickered with bright pulses of emerald beneath their eyelids.

Frightened, Mamunia and Jet glanced down opposite ends of the curved corridors as they heard the collective groans and collapse of more guards in the distance. Delegates and office clerks murmured in fear.

Panicking, Mamunia opened the door to Fishberry's office and rushed in, followed swiftly by Jet.

“Duchess Arcanista!” she stammered. “Your honor! Chancellor! There's something wrong with—” She froze in place while Jet gasped sharply beside her. “...Chancellor?”

Fishberry lay on the ground, clutching her head and screaming in a high-pitch.

Arcanista gaped at her. She slowly looked towards the two servants.

Mamunia and Jet blinked back at her.

Gulping, Arcanista murmured, “It's happening...”

“Sir! Secretary, sir!” A royal guard rushed down the corridor, breathless. “It's the Soul Sentries, sir! Out in the courtyard! They're all suffering from some sort of acute mana overload! I think we need to relocate the Prince before—” He blinked, mouth agape. “...sir?”

Sharp Quill leaned against a marble pillar, sweating bullets. He opened his sockets, his eyes rolling back as he hissed with a low guttural sound.

“No...” He choked on dry air. “Saikano... you're losing them... th-they're slipping...”

In the streets of Val Roa, citizens stopped in their tracks.

Peddling merchants and chatting aristrocrats ceased talking altogether.

Chauffeurs came to a dead stop, craning their necks while their affluent passengers peered curiously out the stagecoach windows.

On balconies, atop guard towers, and various platforms, dozens of soul sentries were collapsing one by one. Stalwart reindeer guards who had occupied the same posts—motionlessly and soundlessly—for days were now reduced to drooling messes as they clutched their heads and moaned in agony.

Atop the jagged mountains running north and south along the western edge of Val Roa, guard post after guard post dimmed. Reindeer's stumbled out of their towers, falling into sweaty heaps on the arid summits, twitching and spasming.

Rushing out of a supply depot, a pair of Val Roan officers marched towards the fallen line. They stared at the paralyzed grunts as they continued to suffer a collective seizure.

The officers exchanged glances, then glanced due north. One raised a series of binoculars to his squinting eyes. From a distance, he spot a pulsating beam of light, signaling a coded message.

“Station Two-oh-Twelve is experiencing the same thing.” The elk lowered his viewers, trembling. “'All soul sentries down. Unresponsive.'” He looked at his companion. “It's not just us.”

The other officer took a deep breath. “What in God's name is going on here?”

“We need to radio this in.” He glanced south as—one by one—the green lights faded. “And quick.”

Zaid's head nodded... then nodded again. His eyelids fluttered shut—

Whap! A peach hoof slapped across his skull.

“Guh!” Zaid jolted, sitting up straight. “I-I'm just educating myself, Khao!” He blinked tiredly. “Don't you wanna know what a naked elephant looks—”

“No, coco-loco! Look!” Props pointed. “It's fading! It's fading!”

“Well hot damn on a hot damn bagel...”

“What was that?!” Belle climbed up, breathlessly, followed swiftly by Pilate. “The perimeter?”

“See for yourself!” Props stepped aside. Beyond the cockpit, the western mountaintops of Val Roa were growing dim. The green stream of lights faded into the brown earth, dissipating from the inside out like a dying gloworm.

“Beloved...?” Pilate leaned in.

Belle's lips pursed. “It's just like Rainbow Dash said...” She gulped. “That was fast.”

“Almost too fast,” Zaid said. Nevertheless, his hooves gripped the controls tight. “Could it be the real thing?”

“How much more real do you want, Zaidy Waidy?”

“Maybe they're just—I dunno—recharging their antlers?” The pilot gulped. “Did Rainbow Dash even tell us what it'd look like if she succeeded?”

“It's your call, Cap'n!” Props chirped.

Belle took a deep breath. She brushed her bangs back over her shattered horn. “Push on through.”

Zaid smirked. “Pushing, ma'am-sir!” He thrusted both throttles forward. “Like a fat mare foaling!”

FWOOOSH!

Pilate and Props grunted as their bodies were jolted against the bulkheads. The Noble Jury flew forward so swiftly that it buckled from the inside out. Air streamed all across the bow, condensing moisture briefly across the windshield. The ship picked up speed exponentially, zooming towards the western mountains on screaming skystone engines.

“Careful!” Pilate sputtered. “We don't want to overload Rainbow's tome!”

“Pick your poison, Bray Charles!” Zaid spat, gritting his teeth as he clung to the rattling controls. “Either we overload ourselves or they do! In pieces!”

Breathless, Props slid down the crawlspace. “I'll be in the womb!”

“Words to make love to by!” Zaid hollered, leaning back as his eyes squinted at the incoming mountains. “Hang on to your horse holes!”

The air whined around the Nancy Jane. Immediately outside, Bellesmith could see a cone of air forming thickly. She was so mesmerized, that she almost didn't register the crackle of her soundstone.

“Beloved! The stone—”

“Oh Spark!” Belle fumbled with the enchanted rock, gripping it finally in the crook of her yellow hoof. “Roarke? Roarke?! Is that you—?!”

“Roarke?! Ding Dong, it's me!”

Belle gasped. “Rainbow!”

“Any result?!” Noise crackled across the leyline.

Pilate's ears twitched. “Is... is that mana discharge in the background—”

“Rainbow!” Belle hollered. “The perimeter's down!”

“Scrkkk! Good! Just as I hoped! Now's your chance!”

“We're already taking it!” Belle stammered, hugging one forelimb around the edge of a bulkhead. “How much of a window do you think we have?!”

“I dunno! So far, Floydien's taken down only one cocoon!”

“Huh?!” Belle grimaced. “Cocoon—?!”

The sound of energy blasts filtered through the soundstone. “Never mind! A little busy here! Just go! Go! I'll try to—SCRKKK!”

Belle's ears drooped. “Oh blessed Spark, protect them...”

“And protect us.” Pilate hugged Belle from behind, wincing. “O.A.S.I.S. is flashing white light into my nerves.”

“You mean—?”

He nodded. “Just like last time. Somedeer down there is charging up again.”

“Zaid—”

“Waiting on blondie!”

Scrkkk! The intercom buzzed to life. “That's it! I've given Nancy some extra steam thrust! That's all the speed you're gonna get!”

“Hooooo booooy...” Zaid gulped, pressing back in his seat. “Here comes the poopie part...”

“Nnnngh... mmmfnngh...” One of several soul sentries stood up on the mountaintop, his naked eyes blinking blearily. “What... where...?”

“Wake up, soldier!” One officer hollered at him while the other frantically fought with a communications array. “Wake up! You've vowed your life and soul to Val Roa!”

“Huh? But...” The reindeer glanced weakly at other dazed figures much like him. “...my family? Why am I here...?”

“There are intruders incoming!” The officer pointed at the streaking skystone ship barreling in from the west. “Bring it down in the name of your Prince!”

“The... Prince...” The reindeer shook his head, winced, then clenched his eyes shut. “I... we...” When his eyes reopened, it was with a flash of hot emerald. “Yes. As she wishes.”

The other reindeer formed a line, their green energy regained. “As she wishes...” they collectively chanted, forming a solid line and tilting their heads skyward.

The officer blinked at them with momentary confusion. Nevertheless, as sparkling static energy filled the air, he rushed over and forced his fellow elk to shield themselves behind the supply depot.

Aiming their antlers, the soul-sentries summoned a sweeping pulse of mana.

“Zaaaaaaaaid!” Belle squeaked.

“I see them!” The pilot pushed the throttle to the limit. The mountains surged underneath, pulsating with faint green surges. “I don't like it much either!”

“Zaid, just flying by isn't going to be enough!” the mare shouted.

“Ahhhhhh kittens.” Zaid blew out his lips. “I knew you were going to say that.” He jerked hard to the right. “Hold onto somepony you love!”

Belle and Pilate flew towards the wall—then the ceiling, shrieking.

Inside the engine room...

“AAAAAACKIES!” Props flailed as she clung to the iron cage in the center. Her lower body spun like a three-sixty pendulum.

The tome pulsed and pulsed inside its cage.

Th-Th-Th-Thwoosh! The Noble Jury spiraled over the mountaintop like a corkscrew.

Seconds later.

FLASSSSSH! A violent stream of green energy shot after them, followed by several more volleys.

FLASH! FLASH! FL-FLASH!

Each bolt ricocheted off the twirling skystone shard, missing the gondola every time.

Thus. POW! With burst of sonic energy, the Noble Jury skimmed straight over the mountaintops, even knocking a few possessed deer onto their flanks in the process.

“—aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Zaid bellowed. Once the ship had pierced through the perimeter, he flung it upright and heaved breathlessly against the controls. “Aaaah! Aaaaah-haah-haah!” He pounded the dashboard with a sweaty hoof. “Yeah! You want some fries with that, ya tree-headed bitchtards?!” He flung a crazed grin over his shoulder. “Whew! I love this job!”

“Yes...” Belle shuddered, collapsed on the floor in a mane-tousled heap. “...regular nine to five.”

“Hey blondie!” Zaid shouted into the intercom. “You okay in there?!”

“Scrkkk! I can't find my goggles!”

“Stay right there! I'll come down and then we can make love and have a whole friggin' litter of baby bouncing goggles!”

“Heehee! Brkktkkl-urk... bee arr bee... barfing! SCRKKK!”

“Heheheh...” Zaid pumped a hoof in the air. “Wooo! Val Roa or bust!”

Belle helped Pilate into a sitting position. Smiling, she plucked the O.A.S.I.S. sphere up from where it was rolling across the cockpit and snapped it back into place against his choker. “There... are you okay, my love?”

“And a half...” He nodded, panting for breath. He leaned towards the sound of her voice, resting his metal forehead against her stubby horn. After several hyperventilating seconds, the stallion gulped. “Captain?”

“Hmmm?”

He smiled. “Good call.”

Belle smirked. She kissed his forehead and leaned in to nuzzle him as—

FWOOOOSH!

—the Noble Jury soared onward towards Val Roa proper.

You Make Me Dizzy Miss Dashie

“Stop the pony!”

“It's making its way to the engine room!”

“Incoming! I c-can't—Aaaauckkk!”

Roarke's helmet headbutted into a sprawling goblin guard. His body crumpled to the battleship's lower deck with a sickening crack.

A throng of imps lined up and fired their rifles all at once.

Roarke deflected one bullet, dodged the rest, jumped, kicked off the wall, and sailed at the group.

One goblin ran off, shrieking. The other two swung their weapons at her like clubs.

Roarke raised a hoof, snapped one rifle in two, then slammed the first goblin's face with a right hook. Next, she spun, tripping another goblin with her sweeping tail-cable. Just as she prepared to advance, a wall of bullets from further down the hallway made contact with her. Sparks flew from her suit as each projectile made contact. A panel or two of armor sparkled, and she lurched forward, cracks forming across her helmet.

“Scrkkkkt!” Roarke's helmet hissed as she struggled for balance. The metal mare looked up in time to see several goblins charging her way, swinging staves and electrified wrenches.

Roarke blocked one attack. As she deflected the goblin, she popped loose a miniature rocket launcher from her shoulder and fired. A slug fired into belly, propelling his screaming body far across the hallway where he exploded into his yelping comrades. Before Roarke could move, another attacker swung low at her legs, sending jolts of electrical energy surging into her suit from his wrench. She stumbled to the side, her systems failing sporadically as the electricity ran its course. Two more imps came in, slamming her across the helmet and spine.

“Get her!” the imps shouted.

“Kill the bitch!”

“Rip her stinking heart out!”

Roarke collapsed on her armored belly. Her limbs spasmed from within the failing armor pieces. She wheezed and panted inside her helmet as the goblins hammered and impacted her from all sides. Just as vents of steam burst from various parts of her outfit, she looked ahead, spotting a heavy pair of armored doors closing towards a brightly illuminated chamber. The engine room loomed straight ahead, and its seal was closing.

Snarling for strength, Roarke swept her hoof up, tripping one goblin as she reached for a panel on her shoulder and twisted it. A backup energy core in the flank of her armor hummed to life. Mana conduits redirected heat through her suit and erupted at the bottoms of her hooves. Just as they ignited, she hoisted her forelimbs around two gasping goblins.

With a blast of flame and exhaust, Roarke glided down the claustrophobic corridor. She carried two flailing goblins with her, using their bodies as battering rams as she smashed and slammed through throngs of shrieking crew members. Blood and bone kissed the air. At last, with an ashen burst of fire, she squeezed through the tiny space within the closing door. Roarke entered the engine room whole. Her two goblin combatants didn't; their limbs and organs drenched the immediate engineers, paralyzing them in abject terror.

“Grkkk!” Roarke flung her blood-drenched forelimb to the side. Cl-Clak! She produced a manablaster and aimed it at the stunned engineers.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat! A steady stream of bullets poured into her armored body from the side. Roarke toppeled over in a shower of lead and sparks.

Two security guards with miniguns marched down from a higher deck's stairwell, firing relentlessly into the Searonese mare.

She stumbled, quivered, and struggled to get up in her smoking armor pieces. The bullets ricocheted off her helmet, knocking her back so that she toppeled violently into a stack of supply crates. The metal structures imploded and caught aflame from the merciless bullet stream.

Slowly, the two guards closed in on her, punishing her suited body with all the projectiles they could muster. Several feet away, open and exposed, lay the brimming skystone core of the goblin battleship.

“Hrgggh!” Rainbow Dash kicked off the ceiling of the underground corridor and slammed her front limbs against a reindeer's skull. Wham!

As the guard fell dazedly to the floor, Rainbow slumped in place, panting. She looked up through thin ruby eyes. Her vision was becoming hazy. In the foreground, she knew she could make out the surging shadows of Jake, Floydien, and Midnite Bastion. But, from an incalculable distance, a lavender symbol pulsed and shimmered. Gnashing her teeth, Rainbow ignored Yaerfaerda, instead choosing to shout:

“The cocoons! Forget the guards! We gotta smash as many of those as we can and get out of here!”

“This is only a sliver of the soldiers they'll be sending after us!” Midnite hollered, deflecting one guard with a staff before knocking the wind out of his lungs. “We need to make a hasty retreat before they overtake us!”

“Overtake us my fat flank cakes!” Jake shouted, blocking several manablasts with his widespread antlers while Floydien shot crimson blasts past him. “I've got this in the bag like kittens and STDs!”

“This is no joke, Constable!” Midnite shouted, knocking a pair of guards back and blocking their blasts with the polearm. “Grnngh... We're useless if we're stuck down here!”

“Arcanista needs us! All of Val Roa does!” Rainbow shouted. “Floydien, take them out, and let's move!”

“Yes yes yes...” Floydien squatted beside Jake, squinting his eyes as he aimed his antlers forward. “Less spit and more hit!” Fl-Flash! Electrical beams flickered across the tight chamber like red lightning.

Bruised and groaning guards limped out of the way as the mana-blasts found themselves into the first several remaining cocoons. The green shell melted, bursting from the inside with emerald flame.

“Grrrnngnh!” On the floor, several yards away, Saikano groaned and clutched his head. He tilted his face up, seething with flickering eyes. His gaze fell on Floydien, then on Rainbow. Struggling up to his front hooves, he crawled his body over towards a metal panel in the wall. Using his antlers, he yanked the thing open, exposing several buttons and levers. The General slapped a hoof over a quartet of buttons in a specific pattern. Dim lights flickered in response, and then he grasped a lever, yanking it.

Schwissssh! SLAM! A solid metal wall slammed down at the furthest end of the corridor, blocking off the last two cocoons as it separated the end of the chamber from the rest of the hallway.

Midnite gasped. “Oh no!”

“Oh no what?!” Rainbow sputtered, teetering from a dizzy spell. She clutched her head. “Nnngh... Celestia...”

“He's sectioning off the corridor with fire barriers!” Midnite hollered. She smacked another guard aside and galloped across the battle-strewn corridor towards him. “We gotta stop him!”

“No! The cocoons! Take out as many as...” Rainbow's eyes rolled back. She fell to her chest, overcome with nauseous dizziness. “Mmmmf... Celestia, please... not now...”

“The Hell is wrong with femme-fuzz?!” Jake grunted, sweating.

“Floydien!” Midnite hollered in mid-gallop.

“Floydien sees it!” The elk fired at the next cocoon.

Saikano pulled another lever.

Schwissssh! Guards rolled aside—gasping—as another metal wall slammed down, nearly impaling them. It blocked Floydien's last blast before he could incinerate another cocoon.

“Sp-spit!”

“Girl, your dad's really harshing my moose buzz!”

Midnite snarled. “He's not my father!” She charged straight at him.

Saikano made eye contact. With a pulsing green gaze, he sneered, “The only thing a father would feel for you... is shame.” And he pulled the next lever—Schwisssh!—separating them.

Midnite skidded to a stop, her panting muzzle nearly slamming into the barricade. With half of the corridor sectioned off already, the quartet was separated from the bulk of the guards on the other side. She slowly turned around, gawking down the rest of the corridor. Her eyes traveled up to the ceiling. She saw the next seam above them where a wall would come down, sealing them off with no exit.

“Constable!” her voice cracked, just as a hum of mana ran through the ceiling's manaconduits.

Jake was already twirling around. “Politics!” He galloped at full speed, storming over the bodies of Rainbow Dash and multiple guards.

The wall ahead of them slid down. Schwissh— CLANK! The moose caught it with his heavy antlers.

“Rrrrgh-grrrggggggh!” Jake's muzzle contorted in agony as he locked his legs, battling with the servos and gears of the door mechanism. “Aaaaaagh—God... DAMN I gotta get that hernia operation!”

“Nice catch, Constable!” Midnite stammered, galloping past him. “Rainbow, Floydien! There's an exit in the next chamber! We've done all we can here! Let's move before—”

“Color wheel boomer!” Floydien stammered.

“Huh?!” Midnite's gaze spun. She gasped. “Rainbow!”

“Guhhhh...” Rainbow curled up in a fetal position, her pendant flickering as her eyes rolled back in their sockets. “Luna poop... fight through it... fight through it.”

Midnite skidded to a stop beside the mare. “What in the Hell is wrong with her?! Did she get hit?”

“Yes yes yes...” Floydien's nostrils flared as he trotted over, sweating. “Hit in the gut gut with harmony.”

“Huh?” Midnite gawked at him. “Is this something that happens to her normally?”

“There's nothing normal that rides Nancy Jane's backside.” Floydien frowned. “Floydien's surprised it hasn't happened already.”

“Will she be okay?!”

Floydien had no response.

“Rainbow... Rainbow!” Midnite leaned down, breathless. “Can you hear me?! We have to get out of here!”

“Can't... c-can't feel...” Rainbow hissed through her teeth. “Too much... j-just go...” She wheezed, ears folded back. “Yaerfaerda... so bright...”

“Yaerfaerda....?” Midnite made a face.

“I hate to break the already sour mood,” Jake growled. “But I'm rather f-fond of my antlers...” His legs buckled as the wall shoved down against him with a grinding of motors.

Midnite Bastion gulped. “Floydien—”

“Floydien could use a hoof from charcoal boomer.” The elk was already lifting Rainbow up with his muzzle.

Midnite reached in, hoisting the pegasus up and over Floydien's flanks.

“Go go go!” Jake sputtered.

The three scurried out from under the collapsing wall. Once they were clear, the Constable gave a prolonged yell and rolled aside with them. SLAM! The wall impacted the metal floor behind them.

Shuddering, the moose stood back up, wiping his brow beneath aching antlers. “The next time we raid a place, let's choose a sorority slumber party instead.”

“This way, Constable!” Midnite motioned to him and Floydien as she dashed through a side exit in that part of the chamber. “I know a way out of the facility!”

“Well of course you do.”

“Move the boomer's hairy legs!” Floydien snarled, Rainbow flouncing on his backside. “The color wheel is reeling between shimmers!”

Rainbow groaned dizzily as she was draped over his back.

Don't Forget to Clock Yourself Out

After minutes of relentless bullet-firing, the security guards inside the goblin battleship's engine room stopped firing. They panted for breaths, peering past the spinning barrels of their miniguns. Before them, the supply crates in the center of the pulsating chamber lingered in a smoking heap of shrapnel and burning metal strips.

Several blood-stained engineers timidly poked their heads out of hiding, gazing past the glow of the skystone core to see the results of the battle.

“Is... is it dead?” one guard stammered, his pointed ears twitching. “Did we kill the pony?”

From deep within the smoke, a crimson visor flickered.

The guards gasped and reached for their triggers.

Thw-Thwppp! A grappling hook shot out, embedding bloodily into one goblin's chest.

“Srnkkk!” The guard spat blood. As he felt himself being tugged forward, he dropped his minigun and fumbled for a bandolier fitted all over with grenades. Just as he palmed one explosive—Twnnng!—he was yanked screaming into the smoldering haze. Seconds later, a huge explosion rocked that half of the engine room. Imps flinched and dove aside as chunks of burning metal flew across the room.

Leaping out of the blast, Roarke glided across the room and landed in a smoldering slide. Tongues of flame billowed across her armored plates, and her suit was falling apart at the extremities. Nevertheless, with electrical twitches, she managed to pivot aside and fling a chunk of hot metal at the other guard.

“Grkkkkt!” The imp dropped his minigun, clutching at the jagged spear embedded into his neck. Before he could fall down, Roarke had galloped over, yanked the bandolier from off his body, and flung all the grenades across the room so that they rattled to a whirring stop right beside the column of glowing skystone at the engine room's core.

“Aaaaaaaaaugh!” Engineers ran off in all directions, clawing and scrambling at the sealed-off doors.

Ka-POW! The middle of the room erupted in flame. The skystone imploded, sucking flailing bodies towards it before just as swiftly pushing them away in all directions. A vaporous bubble of heated air billowed across the compartment, incinerating goblin flesh and melting instrument panels.

Roarke felt herself slammed up against a bulkhead. Multiple portholes lined up beside her exploded with shards of glass. A vacuum of tight air billowed out of the chamber in multiple horizontal vortices. She shuddered as flecks of debris and body parts zipped past her, sucked out of the portholes. And then—CHUNK! A shard of flickering skystone embedded into the wall next to her like a spear.

She looked aside, peering at it through her cracked helmet. With a trembling hoof, she reached up and yanked the shard out. She examined it, then looked out the fresh fissure the stone had made in the wall. Beyond, she could see billowing white clouds and a reddening sky. Several hundreds of yards away, the other battleship loomed, and it was hovering north at a steady pace.

“Jex... why isn't it at least smoking by now?” she murmured into her venting helmet. After a hiss of steam, the aching metal mare gazed back at the erupting engine room. Red lights were flashing, and detected the hint of a blaring siren beyond all of the unnatural bedlam. The manaconduits were erupting all over the ship now that its central core had been wiped out. There were minutes left at best. Seconds...

Holding her breath, Roarke grabbed a loose length of exposed wiring from a console, snapped it loose, and used it to tie the skystone shard to her left forelimb. The ship shook and rattled with distant explosions all across its metal body. She heard decks collapsing in on itself through the bulkheads as she stepped back from the fissure in the wall and braced herself against the roasting metal floor. Leaning forward, she popped a missile launcher free from her right fetlock's panel. There were only two rockets left. She made good use of one

Pftchoooooo-POW! She fired it at the fissure. The exterior wall of the battleship burst wide open. The air fountaining out of the chamber multiplied, propelling Roarke out before the flames could erupt from the consoles behind her and consume her battered suit.

Fwooooosh! Roarke flew out of the battleship like a living cannon. Just as she felt her body decelerating, she slapped a hoof across a strategic part of her armored chest. Sch-Schwiiink! Two webbed metal wings extended from her side panels, stretching wide. Within seconds, her horseshoes smoked, sputtered, then finally fired a blast of rocket exhaust. She glided forward, sailing for the other battleship right as—

FWOOOMB! The fuel and steam reserves inside the huge dreadnaught behind her erupted at the same time. Half of the ship was instantly incinerated while the other half—doused in flames—plummeted heavily towards the arid mountains below. Loose bulkheads and pieces of propeller engines littered the air, along with an ever-expanding bubble of heated air. Roarke outflew it, veering left and right as she struggled to balance her long glide. At last, with the rocket propulsion in her fetlocks fading, she cut her engines and swiftly sailed down at the top deck of the Gamma vessel, utilizing gravity and inertia to her best advantage.

There was no conceivable way that the goblins on board would not see her incoming. A pair of guards rushed up, aiming their rifles high. However, they did not anticipate the speed of her entry. They gasped and flinched at the last second—

Th-Thwack! Roarke landed several feet past them, grinding to a stop. The tips of her metal wings dribbled with blood. Two seconds after she had made physical contact with the top deck, the two headless guards collapsed in twitching heaps behind her. The mare stood up, retracting her wings as she reared her hooves into a fighting pose—

Ch-Chtung! No less than thirty guards stood in a semi-circle, their rifles and miniguns trained on the single mare. They were not alone. Standing in the center of the group on thick metal legs was Haman in his insectoid mech. The torso of the Cartel's boss leaned back in his steaming apparatus, and he bore a spit-stained frown across his multiple chins. “End of the line for you, pony.” Whirrrrr. He raised one metallic claw, strangling Jex's twitching figure by the neck. “For both of you.”

“... ... ...” Roarke stood absolutely still, her cracked helmet reflecting the multiple gun barrels as well as the faces of Haman and Jex.

“You think I'm stupid, pony?” Haman snarled. “You think the moment I heard the distress calls from my sister ship, I wouldn't suspect a fellow conspirator on board my chief vessel?!” He smirked briefly. “Thankfully, when I sniffed him out, I didn't have to gut any entrails to get the truth out of the runt...”

“Pony...” Jex hissed, sputtering for breath. “He... pr-promised to c-carpet bomb every goblin family home from here to Val Roa...” His pained eyes teared. “I'm sorry. I... I gave in...”

Haman tightened the claw around Jex's throat.

“Grkkkk-tkkkk!” Jex's eyes rolled back, the blood vessels bursting red inside.

“You are going to surrender, pony,” Haman hissed, his stubbled face covered in steam condensation and drool. “And I am going to feast on your organs while you're alive for what you've done.”

“Wake up, pony pony pony!” Jake wheezed in mid gallop. He, Floydien, and Midnite Bastion galloped down a long metal chamber lined with flashing alarm lights and blaring sirens. “We could really use your smexy wings right now!”

“It's no use use,” Floydien grunted. He gave his flank a brief shake, and Rainbow merely groaned in misery. “Color wheel boomer is out for the count!”

“The fight was over anyways!” Midnite spat, leading the group left and right down dark hallways echoing with the military alarm. “But it's okay! I can still get us out of here!”

“Charcoal boomer can?”

“Yes! There's an exit that leads into the mountains! It's a long crawl, but there's a security door I can seal behind us! Then we can lose our pursuers in the wilderness and regroup within the capital!”

“How long of a crawl are we talking about?!” the Constable thundered.

“Look, it's the only option we've got now, okay?!” Midnite frowned. “The front entrance has got to be absolutely crawling with guards at this point! If you want to see your beloved Duchess and friends again, then we need to exit out the rear before the first batallion of soldiers rush in here!”

Fl-Fl-Fl-Flaaaash! Several streams of mana surged past them from behind. One struck the moose in the flank.

“Aaaaaugh!” Jake stumbled to his knees. Floydien helped him up as the moose winced and seethed. “You mean like those ass crackers?!”

“Go go go!” Midnite's voice cracked as they bolted around a corner. “Quickly! The exit's up ahead!”

“Gawd,” Jake grumbled, limping after her as more blasts surged their way. “I would be really pissed if only the last blast hadn't evaporated all of it inside my bladder!”

Before ducking around the corner, Floydien spun around, returned a few bright volleys, and carried Rainbow's twitching figure along with him.

“Grnnngh...” Saikano stood up, pulling himself onto his hooves by the console's levers along the wall. He pressed a button, and all of the barriers flew up at once, exposing the full length of the corridor. Groaning guards were slowly getting up, tending to their bruised and unconscious cohorts.

“General!” one reindeer hobbled over, wincing. “The suspects! They're gone! All four of them!”

“Cover... all exits...” Saikano wheezed, turning around to stare sweatily at the remaining cocoons. “Do not let them escape. The Prince's life depends on it.”

“Word from above is that a full batallion has been sent to intercept them, sir!”

Saikano stood up tall, eyes narrow. “Do you have full control of your senses once again?”

The guard blinked. “Sir?”

“I am not talking to you!” Saikano snarled.

The reindeer backed off, wincing. “S-Sorry... sir...” Nervous, he spun around and tended to his fellow soldiers.

Fuming, Saikano glared off into the distance, eyes flickering green. “Rainbow Dash is unaccounted for. The soldiers are intercepting.”

Silence.

“Yes. I feel my control of the soul sentries returning.”

“Too much has b-been compromised,” Secretary Sharp Quill wheezed, leaning against a marble pillar inside the corridors of the royal palace. “If the Noble Jury has pierced our defenses—”

He was suddenly silent. His brow furrowed.

“Yes. Yes, I see. Then we have no choice but to draw them inward. They have to guard the Coronation at all costs.”

Silence.

Sharp Quill's eyes twitched. “Yes. But of course.” He spun around, beginning to march down the hall. “Secure the Prince at all costs. She...”

“...wouldn't have it any other way,” Fishberry said, standing tall.

“She?” Arcanista blinked.

Mamunia and Jet exchanged nervous glances inside the Chancellor's office. “Who is she talking about, Your Honor?”

The Duchess frowned. “Who else.”

“Traitors...” Fishberry's gaze swam across the room, frowning. “...eliminate all traitors.”

Jet stumbled backwards, gulping. “Duchess...?”

With pounding hooftsteps, six guards galloped into the room. “Chancellor!” The captain stepped towards her, bright-eyed. “Are you alright?”

“No. I am not. There's been an attack.”

“Yes! We know!” The guard gulped. “The Soul Sentries all over the building collapsed briefly! And it's not just happening here. All over the city, there've been reports. And now we're hearing word from General Saikano's compound—”

“It's a breach of security on all fronts.” Fishberry pointed a cloven hoof. “And they are part of it.”

Arcanista's eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”

“Chancellor...?” The guard leaned his head aside.

“They attacked me! Just now!” Fishberry spat, her eyes savage and spiteful. “Arrest them! Arrest them all!”

The captain swiveled, frowning.

“It's a lie!” Arcanista stammered. “I came here to speak with the Chancellor when she spontaneously collapsed! Just like your soul sentries!”

“A likely story.” The captain nodded towards his guards. “Soldiers?”

Arcanista felt hooves grasping her from all sides. “Don't touch me! You have no evidence! I refuse to be accosted without a proper—”

“Duchess!” Jet shrieked. She and Mamunia were being seized from behind. Mamunia put up a fight, stomping on a guard's hoof. Another soldier reached in, striking her savagely across the muzzle. “Mamunia!”

Arcanist sneered. Thrusting her head forward, the Duchess of Sehlp fired twin beams of electrical energy from two nubs in her skull.

“Aaaugh!” The blast knocked the guard who had struck Mamunia back. His body plowed into the soldier grabbing Jet. Freed from their clutches, Jet gasped and flashed the Duchess a frightened look.

Arcanista grunted. “Run.”

Biting her lip, Jet turned and dashed out.

“What are you d-doing?!” Fishberry hollered. “She's getting away—”

Arcanista spun to face her.

Fishberry blinked, her pupils shrinking.

Arcanista smirked. Zaaaaaaaaaaaap! She fired a beam so bright that it danced sparks between Fishberry's ears. The doe fell back in fitful spasms while the guards all converged on Arcanista, plowing her struggling figure to the floor beside Mamunia.

“Hgrnnnghhh...” Arcanista spat, smiling painfully. “...hope you smell your insides, hussy.” And her breath fell short as not one, not two, but three hooves took times punching her into submission.

Panicked delegates and clerks craned their necks to see into Fishberry's office.

Panting and sobbing, Jet scampered past the nervous figures.

She looked back once, tears clouding her eyes. She spurred her hooves on through sheer panic.

Voices shouted down the corridor, growing angry and angrier.

Seething, the servant thrashed her neck back and forth. Layer by layer, she stripped out of her hood and dress, so that soon the unidentifiable pony was scampering naked towards the nearest stairwell, where she made a desperate exit.

“Please... you have to let me in!” Ebon Mane shouted. “The Princess! I have reason to believe that she may be in trouble!”

“Sorry, sir,” one of two guards said, flanking either side of the door to the throne room. “But Prince Eine of the House of Evo has specifically requested that he and his guest not be disturbed during their important meeting—”

“You don't understand! He's in danger too!” Ebon resorted to a vicious frown, stomping his hoof down. “As royal advisor to Her Majesty Princess Kera Tin Mehjj Xon-Nagu'n, I demand that you let me in at once!”

The guards glared at him... then past him. Suddenly, they saluted, eyes bright and vigilant.

“... ... ...?” Ebon slowly turned around.

Secretary Sharp Quill was thundering straight down the hall, flanked by four soul sentries.

“Secretary Sharp Quill, sir!” one guard spoke at attention.

“Is there something we can help you with?” the other exclaimed.

“Let me through,” Sharp Quill grumbled. “The Prince's security is at risk.”

“Sir, we've been given explicit instructions on behalf of Prince Eine himself not to allow any interruption of his—”

Sharp Quill snarled aside, eyes blazing green. “Neutralize.”

Fl-Fl-Flash! The soul sentries fired a steady barrage of emerald energy.

The guards flinched, raising their polearms. P-POW! They grunted as they were knocked violently off their hooves and against the rattling door of the throne room.

Ebon gasped, his fake horn rattling.

Sharp Quill's nostrils flared. He flashed the changeling a vicious look. “...the imposter as well.”

“No...” Ebon's ears drooped. He lunged for the door. “Kera! Kera, run—”

FLASSSH!

Kera spun towards the door of the throne room, skirts flouncing. Her muzzle hung agape. “Ebon...?”

“Huh?” Prince twirled as well. “Did... did you hear that just now?”

WHAM! Sharp Quill kicked the doors open. He stomped in, flanked by reindeer with smoking antlers. Behind him, two guards and a burgundy figure lay in limp heaps.

The filly's tattooed face grimaced. Eine stormed past her.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Eine frowned. His petite figure stood resolutely in the thick shadow of the royal advisor. “Sharp Quill, I demand to know what you are doing here after I specifically ordered—”

“There is no time, my Prince,” Sharp Quill said, taking a deep breath. “There's been a breach to Val Roa's defenses. We are being attacked on all sides.”

“Attacked...?!”

“Your life is in danger. Come with me right away.” Sharp Quill's nostrils flared. “We must take you to the royal bunker.”

“Wait... just wait.” Eine waved a tiny hoof. “What attack?! What's happening to my kingdom?”

“I haven't the time to explain—”

“I think you do.” Eine frowned. “As Prince, soon to be King, it's my responsibility to know what's happening and what can be done to stop—”

“Prince... Your M-Majesty...” Sharp Quill winced, rubbing his head. “Please, you must... gnnnnhhh.”

Kera cocked her head aside, lips pursed.

“Sharp Quill, I am not going anywhere until I have a proper explanation for—”

“Rrrrr-RAAAUGH!” Sharp Quill hoisted Eine's tiny neck up by a cloven hoof and slammed him against a pillar. Wham!

“Grkkkkk!” Eine sputtered, blue in the face.

“Now you listen to me, you sanctimonious ingrate piece of shit!” Sharp Quill's voice warbled as his eyes took on a flaming green glow. “You will go where I tell you and you will go there now! She will not have it any other way! And what she wishes, I will rightfully provide—”

POWWWW Sharp Quill flew back from a vaporous discharge of mana.

“Unnff!” Eine fell to his rear, grasping for breath. His twitching eyes fell on Sharp Quill's sprawling figure. With a gasp, he looked to his right.

Kera crouched low, her horn and tattoos brimming with silver energy. Seething, she looked aside at the soul sentries.

All four reindeer stood in the doorframe, charging their antlers.

“Haaaaaaaaaaaaugh!” Kera raised her hooves and slammed them back down, unleashing a beam of unbridled magic.

Eine's muzzle dropped as his head swiveled to follow the path of the manastream.

WH-WHAM! The sentries were collectively knocked back. Their antler discharges sailed into the roof of the throne room, exploding in sharp bursts of marble.

“Aaaugh!” Eine flinched, curling up into a little fuzzy ball as chunks of plaster descended over his figure. A tattooed hoof reached in and yanked him out of danger. SLAM!

Breathless, Eine limped into Kera's figure, trembling.

“This is bad,” Kera sputtered, her horn smoking as she gazed across the smoking interior. “I mean, it's kind of super awesome on a way, but also super friggin' bad.”

“I... I-I don't understand!” Eine shivered. “Sharp Quill! Why did he—”

“Dude, like, were you listening to anything I was telling you earlier?!”

“Duaaaah...” Eine's beady yellow eyes were centered on Kera's glowing horn. “I am now.”

Wh-Whud! Whud! Another door across the room blew open. Six soul sentries poured in, antlers brimming.

“Come!” Kera's voice squeaked. She tugged at the Prince's limb as she scampered behind the throne, leading him down a narrow passage way. “Come with me!”

“C-c-come with you wh-where?!” he stammered, hobbling weakly after her.

“Anywhere!” she shrieked as bolts of green energy sailed over their galloping figures.

The Soul Sentries gave chase, filling the room with hot burning mana.

Slowly, groaning, Sharp Quill sat up. He stared after the exiting foal and fawn, his brow furrowing angrily.

She's Named "Bastion" For a Reason

FL-FLASH! Floydien shot a volley at the distantly pursuing phalanx of soldiers and ran around another turn in the twisting corridors. Rainbow's limp body shuddered over his backside as he galloped speedily along. “How much further to flee flee!?”

“Here! Here!” Midnite Bastion stammered. At the end of the final corridor, a solid wall lingered as a dead-end. Only, it wasn't a wall. The mare slid on her knees and squatted before the thing. With a slap of her hoof against a console, a tiny compartment open, exposing a series of buttons and levers with blinking lights. “Just give me a minute! I should be able to get this open!”

“Better make it a dayum quick minute!” Jake hollered, turning towards the far end of the corridor from which several loud hoofsteps galloped and echoed. “Cuz we've got a gaggle of Val Really Pissed Off Reindeer!”

“Hairy boomer is reaching.”

“You're one to spit!”

“Yes yes yessss.”

Midnite suddenly shuddered. “Oh no...”

Jake tilted his head down, squinting at her. “Not too fond of those words, Missy Chick Lady.”

Midnite looked up, her muzzle grimacing. “I can open it up.”

“So? Do it!”

“But... the locking mechanism is stupidly simple,” she said, gulping. “As soon as we're on the other side and we've closed this thing, any reindeer with a lick of sense will be able to crack the code.” She fidgeted. “Unless...”

“Yeah...?”

“I can piece together several algorithms that would give the soldiers hours to crack the code, but... I-I can only do that on this side.”

The group huddled in dead silence.

At last, with a determined frown, Midnite Bastion said, “You three go ahead. I'm the only one who can keep the door sealed long enough for you to make a swift getaway.”

“But then you fall into the hooves of the stabby stabs!” Floydien sputtered.

“Yeah, well, many of them are my former comrades in arms,” Midnite said. “I've made this bed. Only fitting that I face it.”

“It's not that simple!” Floydien growled. “They will rip charcoal boomer apart!”

“Maybe so.” Midnite shuddered. “But so long as the three of you get Rainbow Dash to safety and regroup with the Duchess, then all is not lost.” She smiled faintly. “You can still put a stop to Fishberry, Sharp Quill...” She shivered slightly. “...and Saikano.”

Floydien bit his lip. He gazed down the echoing corridor, then at the door right in front of them. Schwisssh! It opened suddenly.

Midnite stepped back, point into the dark, ascending passage. “Go. I mean it. Gallop like you've never galloped before.” She took a deep breath. “Daughter... Guardian... Val Roan? I'm many things, but first and foremost, I'm a soldier. I've trained for worse.”

A large hoof rested on Midnite's shoulder. “You're not alone there.”

Midnite glanced up. “Huh?”

Jake's muzzle was uncharacteristically dry as he said, “There's no friggin' way you can sit there on your pretty little knees, performing a gazillion 'algorithms' or what-shit while a throng of angry reindeer kick your teeth in.”

“Constable, I can manage—”

“Yes. Because you'll have the most asstastic pair of antlers here to hold the mana-peckers off.” Jake looked up and nodded at the elk. “Move along, pantywaist.”

Floydien's muzzle hung open. “Is the hairy boomer serious...?”

Jake shrugged. “Ponky! I've headbutted my way through whole seas of goblins.” A stupid grin. “So what's a bit more weight and horns? Besides, I was never that cutout for sneaking out into the wilderness and shit.” He cracked the joints in his neck, glaring down the corridor behind them. “These punks are asking for a righteous jar of Jake. They'll never know what hit them.”

Shuddering, Midnite nevertheless said, “He's right. I need him.” She looked up at the elk. “Get Rainbow Dash to safety. Get the both of you to safety! Val Roa depends on it!”

Floydien stared at them in silence.

The moose and the mare stared back.

After a while, Floydien's ears twitched. He exhaled slowly, ultimately rasping: “Floydien may or may not have been friend to hairy and charcoal boomers in Floydien's past life... but as for this one? As for Floydien?” He slowly nodded with the vaguest hint of a smile. “Yes yes yes....”

“So long, Floyd...” Midnite winced. Her eyes glazed over as she formed a crooked smile of her own. “Floydien.”

Floydien looked at her. He nodded. He glanced at Jake—who made kissy lips. Rolling his red eyes, the elk turned around with Rainbow Dash and was gone.

Midnite clenched her eyes shut and jerked a lever. Schwisssh! She gasped as she felt the door close between them. Floydien's hoofsteps could no longer be heard.

“Better get to eggheading, pretty bird,” Jake said.

Midnite cleared her throat. With a slight sniffle, she sat up and began plinking and slapping away at the various buttons while the lights of the console flashed green and red alternatively. “Jake...?”

“Make it quick, Bastion,” Jake said, grinding his hooves against the floor as he faced the hallway beyond. “We're about to have some righteously indignant company.”

Midnite's nostrils flared. “Do you think there's a part of him that will ever love me?”

Jake's ears twitched. After a dull exhale, he said in a dull tone: “I friggin' doubt it, Midnite.”

Midnite gazed beyond her hoofwork. “Do you think... there's a part of him that will ever love again?”

“I've got news for you, sweetflank,” Jake said. He glanced briefly over his shoulder as the first of several guards rounded the bend in the distance. “He done found himself another Nancy Jane.”

Midnite's gaze hardened. “Well... then that makes this worth it.”

“What are you waiting for, ya sled-humping fish farts?!” Jake grinned, then cackled as he reared his hooves. “Dinner's served! Now come put your toilet nugget heads on Jake's plate!”

Antlers brimming, the guards thundered down the hall, closing the distance between themselves and a psychotically bellowing moose.

A dull thud reverberated across the steeply ascending chamber.

Floydien paused once, glancing over his shoulder.

His lips parted as he hesitated briefly.

“Nnnngrh...” Rainbow stirred across his shoulder, sweating profusely as her muzzle moved. “Gotta... fl-fly to Ponyville,” she feverishly murmured, clenched eyes squeezing with tears. “Discord... he's got... h-he's got...”

Floydien's red eyes darted towards her. He took a shuddering breath, frowned, and galloped briskly up the passage towards the distant exit.

And the Val Roan countryside beyond.

Who Cares What Myth Buckers Say(?)

“Just tell me one thing, you walking can of horse excrement,” Haman spat, dangling Jex by his scrawny neck. “Did the Lounge send you? Because if the lizards are already double-crossing me, then this country will be bathed in blood so thick that...”

Haman continued his threatening speech, or so Roarke assumed. She didn't really know. The metal mare was too busy observing the situation around her, the dozens of goblins training their weapons on her battle-scarred armor, the scarce amount of space afforded by the top deck of the lurching battleship.

Roarke felt the weight of the final rocket inside its armored chamber along her fetlock's outer plate. She wasn't too far away from the middlemost propeller situated along the vessel's starboard side. A well-placed shot could knock the vessel off-balance, but not destroy it. If nothing else, it'd give her the opportunity to slay five... maybe six imps. But she was still dealing with an entire crew that knew where she was and already had their weapons trained. No matter how she shook it, she was looking at a situation where she would probably slice her way through no more than ten bodies before the minions finally ate through her remaining armor with bullets and flame.

There was only one possible way to take out the ship. She'd fire the rocket close to Haman. It most likely wouldn't even kill the fat goblin, but his subordinates would surely run to his defense. That'd give her the window she needed to dash down to the lower decks and fight her way to the engine room. Once there, she'd have no way of fighting her way out, because the security on the top deck would have closed her in. She'd be able to take out the skystone core—probably—but it would be a one way trip. The resulting mana cascade from a direct strike to the core would take her out, along with the ship, Jex, and every imp on board.

Surely, it would take the heat off of Val Roa, but there would still be one battleship left in the northern skies. And though that last vessel wouldn't possess any of the Lounge's skystone, it would nevertheless present a formidable threat to the Noble Jury within the next thirty-six hours. Whether Roarke fought tooth and hoof or not, this situation was still dire. Her friends were still outnumbered. Rainbow Dash still would be biting off more than she could chew—

“...are you even listening to me?!” Haman spat, his brow furrowing slimily. “Who even sent you on this suicide mission?!”

Roarke's copper lenses retracted beneath her helmet. She exhaled, and at last her voice crackled through the speakers: “Suicide mission...?

The goblins stared back at her. Jex's body twitched, convulsed, and was still.

Roarke was already twisting her hoof in a specific pattern from within her suit. “Pitiful goblins and their one-track mind.” She cocked her head to the side. “Do you know what they call me out west?”

“Ancient history?” Haman said. Several of the nearby goblins chuckled down their iron sights.

“'Roarke Most Rare,'” the metal mare said. “And I intend to live up to that title.” She jerked her hoof one last time with an internal clicking sound. “So long.” CL-CL-CLANK! One by one, her armored plates flew off, hydraulic cables flailing. Her body vented steam in every direction, the steam plugs billowing with thick haze.

Haman's jaw widened. He shouted above the tumult.

Goblins fired madly into the fresh cloud, but there was no sign of Roarke anymore. Some of the bullets ricocheted off the bulkheads, ripping through shrieking imps' legs and shoulders. Within the next blink, a dark brown figure came launching out of the fog. Swoooosh! Roarke sailed forward, naked save for her eye-lenses and two forward leg braces.

Haman's eyes reflected her incoming dive.

Roarke flew—and sailed past him. CL-CLANK! She knocked into his limb with such force that the fat goblin's mech suit dropped Jex altogether.

Gasping, the obese goblin turned to see where she landed.

Roarke rolled across the top deck of the battleship, skidding to a stop behind a stack of crates with Jex in her grasp.

“Turn them to hash!” Haman hollered.

By the end of his exclamation, the phalanx of goblin riflers had already spun and begun firing. The air around the crates heated as the projectiles chipped the containers down inch by inch.

“Hrkkk... guh... hckkkt...” Jex sputtered for breath. His one good hand suddenly grasped a long shard of skystone from the other ship. “Huh?” he wheezed.

“Hold onto this,” Roarke said, setting a grappling hook with her hoof.

“Hold onto...” Jex's bloodshot eyes squinted at her. “...why?” Th-thap! He gasped as he was hoisted by his vest in Roarke's jaws. The metal mare galloped straight for the port side edge of the vessel. “Wait! Wait! NoNoNoNo—Don't!”

But Roarke was already leaping off the vessel, throwing their conjoined bodies as far out into the open air as possible. Bullets whizzed past them, some even shredding through Roarke's scarlet mane. The mare exhaled. As she descended, she twisted her body, hoisting Jex's screaming figure along with her. She plummeted backwards, her copper lenses focusing on the looming battleship above. Aiming one forelimb, she fired a grappling hook at its steel underbelly.

Thwissssssssh—CLANK!

The barb embedded deep into the aircraft. Roarke swung at the full length of her cable—which honestly wasn't very far. She twirled her body around, spreading her legs to gain as much friction against the air as possible. At the end of her swing, she teetered, then swung back, slowed by her body's expert movements. Then, when she and the goblin in her grasp limply dangled from the undercarriage of the battleship, she detached the cable entirely. The two fell like a large stone, plummeting hundreds of feet into the arid mountaintops below.

“What... wh-what are you doing?!” Jex hollered.

“Choosing another option,” Roarke grunted against the billowing wind.

“Are you kidding?!” Jex yelped. “We're going to die! This is so stupid!”

“I know.” Roarke pivoted until she faced the earth screaming at them from below. “Trying on a new color.” With that, she stretched her fetlock straight forward, waited a few seconds, twisted her hoof, and fired the last rocket.

Pftiffffft! The projectile flew ahead of them, disappearing into the brown miasma below.

“Ponnyyyyyy—” Jex wheezed.

“Loosen your limbs.”

“You've gotta be kiddin—”

“Go limp!” And Roarke spun the two around, hugging Jex while her spine faced the earth below.

Jex clenched his eyes shut, burying his face in her fur.

Then...

Ka-POWWW!

A mountaintop beneath them exploded. Dirt and sediment flew up, as did a vaporous cloud of compressed air.

Roarke and Jex's body met the blast wave, slowing their descent ever so slightly. Seconds later, the debris hit, enshrouding them like a plush cushion of heated sand. The two split up, lost in the mess of rubble and dirt.

High above, Haman and the other goblins watched as the mountaintop beneath them exploded, billowed loose rock, then settled with a rough landslide of dust and ash.

The imps scratched their heads, glancing curiously at one another.

At last, several sets of eyes landed on the Cartel's boss.

“Hmmm...” Haman took a deep breath, leaning back in his mech suit. “It's a shame. I truly was hungry.” He inhaled from a nozzle of steam and exhaled billowing fumes. “We've had a shitty setback... but it's nothing compared to what we're going to put those deer through.” He pivoted on clanking limbs and gestured with his fat, flabby arm. “Full speed to the rendezvous point! Once Val Roa is ground to dust, we'll claim all the outlying provinces. Next... the dirty naga.”

Several of the imps shouted and waved their weapons in furious cheer. They rushed to their stations while the battleship churned its way north on heavy propellers.

The vessel roared off over the mountaintops, leaving the debris of its sister ship behind, along with the imploded remnants of a blasted mountain top.

A full minute or two later, a goblin poked out of the fine ash that had slid down part of the north face of the summit. Jex sputtered for breath, his face and neck bleeding in several places. Wincing, he swam his way out of the soft sand with one good arm—still gripping to the glowing skystone. At last, he pulled himself out onto dry ground. He lay against the sloped earth, panting for breath while streams of loose dirt and sand rolled past his figure.

“... … …?”

Jex glanced aside. He saw a metal hoof sticking out of the landslide several yards away.

Hobbling, he crawled and shimmied his way through the mess. Finally, he reached the limb and pulled on it, struggling to grip tightly with his one good hand. At last, he pulled enough of Roarke out of the mess so that her muzzle stuck out, along with her thoroughly scuffed copper lenses.

“Pony... stupid pony...” Jex sneered. “Do you realize how close you came to killing us?!” He gritted his teeth. “To killing me?!”

Silence.

“Pony...?”

More silence.

“Are you alive, pony?”

Roarke did not move.

Squinting, Jex reached over with his one hand. His fingers flexed, unflexed, then reached for the strip of copper lying over her eyesockets.

“... … ...don't even think about it,” Roarke's lips slurred.

Jex leaned back, wincing. He held the skystone to his chest, staring north at the retreating battleship with a shuddering breath. “Well... shit.”

Separate Ways Towards The Same Ends

Midnite entered code after code, resealing the door to the military facility's exit. She shivered the whole time, for just a few feet away—

“Raaaaaugh!” Jake barreled through an entire legion of soldiers. Growling and frothing at the mouth, he swung his antlers left and right, smashing guards against either wall. “That all you got, Prance ticklers?! I've taken down more goblins than your mothers have had enemas just to stand the sight of you! Bring it on! Bring it—”

A buck grabbed around his neck while two others pulled at his front legs. Collectively, the soldiers dragged the moose down to the floor.

A line of guards behind them fired volley after volley of electrical mana into Jake's chest.

“Gaaaaaaugh!” He thrashed and bellowed. “Rrrr-aaaa-haaaaugh!” At last, his eyes rolled back as his nostrils flared at the smell of his own roasting flesh. By the time a proper scar had formed below the neck, he collapsed in a groaning thud, his extremities twitching.

The guards marched forward, rallying around. Several of them shouted Midnite's way.

Calmly, the mare turned around.

A wall of bruised and angry reindeer approached her.

She didn't put up a fight. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath while the first of many cloven hooves flew at her face.

Among the arid mountains west of Val Roa, a single patch of rock pivoted, shifted, and rotated outward. Inside, the metal frame of a passageway could be seen. Floydien emerged with Rainbow Dash on his back.

Gazing around, he gritted his teeth and climbed out the rest of the way.

The sun was setting, and its golden beams split in sporadic patches of black shadow, courtesy of the jutting mountain peaks directly to the west. Floydien trotted forth as if under the shroud of night. The main body of the Val Roan capital glittered in the valley below, a brilliant facade to a dark undercurrent devouring the kingdom from the inside out.

“No... pl-please...” Rainbow Dash hissed, twitching in fitful spasms. “No more... Yaerfaerda...” She wheezed. “I don't want to lose them all over again.”

Floydien took a deep breath. “No no no...” And he began carrying her east down the sloping rock and into the valley abroad, making his way towards the Plaza Topaz spire in the thick of the city.

“Word's coming in from General Saikano in the military training center,” a guard said, his voice carrying across a dimly-lit detention cell deep in the belly of the High Council building. “They've captured two of the four suspects who've infiltrated the compound. He intends to interrogate them to ascertain the reason for their treasonous actions.”

Chancellor Fishberry listened in silence, gazing at the unconscious and bound figures of Duchess Arcanista and her servant Mamunia. The doe's ears twitched as she finally said, “I know.”

The guard squinted at her. “Chancellor...?”

“We won't get to the bottom of this until we question everyone,” Fishberry said. She turned towards the guard. “Prepare to have these two escorted to the military training center for Saikano to process.”

“But Chancellor...” The guard shifted nervously. “This is a representative from the province of Bountiful. Doesn't this fall under the vote of the Council?”

“We're experiencing a crisis of National Security.” Fishberry sneered. “I am the Council.”

The guard took a step back, trembling slightly. “I meant no disrespect, madame. It's just that—”

“Enough.” Fishberry took a deep breath. “Summon an entourage. I shall escort these traitors to the compound myself.” She marched firmly out the room, grumbling. “And if Secretary Sharp Quill sends a messenger here, tell him that I am holding up my end, and he should hold up his.”

“Chancellor?”

“He'll understand.” Fishberry's orange eyes glinted in the manalight as she made an exit. “And so will she.”

Trembling, Jet slipped her way through the elaborately curved streets of Val Roa's Sandstone District. She paused to catch her breath, leaning against a sloped wall of polished brass and bronze. She tilted her naked chin up, her mane disheveled and frayed to a wild degree.

Just around the corner, she heard thundering hoofsteps. Nearby citizens turned from gawking at her to glance at an approaching line of galloping soldiers.

Wincing, Jet dove into a dark niche between two spiraling skyscrapers. She crouched low in the alleyway, peering out while she shivered.

She watched as two full lines of guards galloped by—both Soul Sentries and non. A carriage rolled in the thick of them, and through one window Jet swore she made out the deadpan face of Fishberry. The entire entourage was rolling its way southwest, far beyond the downtown district of Val Roa.

Jet bit her lip. After mustering strength with several deep breaths, she finally dashed back out into the street and galloped desperately for Plaza Topaz beyond the next block of bronze buildings.

Ebon Mane slumped to his knees in the middle of a large dining room. He was a twitching, convulsing mess. Rivulets of flame billowed out of his mouth and eyes as he struggled to keep cohesion.

In the distance, waves of searching guards marched through the hallway, sweeping the palace from top to bottom. Their voices barked orders to one another, echoing closer and closer to Ebon's position.

The changeling reached forward with webbed black forelimbs. He made contact with a chair positioned along the back wall of the slender room. Pulling himself, he jolted to see that he was staring into a random mirror hanging from the wall. In it, he could see the length of the barren dining room table and the various portraits of royal deer strung up beyond. His gaze focused on his own face, the blank eyes and the pale fangs dripping out of his mouth.

Ebon shook, seethed, and concentrated.

Layer by layer, his face rolled over with lavender fuzz. A violet mane dangled off his crow while weak purple eyes gazed back.

Shivering, he reached a hoof forward, pressing it against the glass. After a shuddering sigh, he pulled his limb back and ran it across his own cheek. He knew it wasn't real, but it was enough to stop the quivers. He closed his eyes, inhaled, and gazed once more at the reflection.

“I adore you,” he said in Eagle Eye's voice. “I know you're not here, but your love is enough to give me strength.” He gulped, and the unicorn in the mirror bore a hard frown. “I will make it through this. I won't let Mother win.” He stepped back, standing in the middle of the room. “And you and I will be together again.”

After that was said, the changeling tilted his head back. A large pulse of green flame billowed in the center of the dining room. When he next opened his eyes, he was only mildly surprised to see a random reindeer guard staring back at him from the mirror.

Within seconds, a group of soldiers burst into the room. “You, there!” one shouted. “Why'd you break from your group?! Did you sight the abductor in here?”

The reindeer turned, looking back. His dull eyes blinked.

“Well?!”

“No...” The buck murmured in Ebon's voice. He cleared his throat. “But I was ordered by my Captain to stand guard here while the rest of my company searched the next hallway.”

“Very well then. We'll lend them our eyes!”

“Aye.”

They rushed past him, taking a half-minute to clear the other end of the spacious room. Once they were gone, the reindeer turned to once again peer at the mirror. For a moment there, his coat struggled to ripple back into a lavender sheen. He fought it, gnashing his teeth. When at last he had full control, he reached up and tapped the antlers sticking out of his skull. Upon touch, one fizzled out in an ashen cloud of green flame, but swiftly reformed.

For a brief moment, a smile even flashed across the guard's muzzle. Nevertheless, he steeled himself, pivoted about, and galloped out in the opposite direction that the group had passed through.

“Rainbow? Rainbow Dash?” Bellesmith spoke into the microphone of Props' communications array. “Rainbow, are you there?” She tried different channels, causing the soundstones before her to flicker in various spectral flashes. “Floydien? Floydien?”

Pilate stood behind her, silent, still.

“Rainbow, this is the Noble Jury. Do you have a status report?” Belle bit her lip as she started to shiver from her ears down to her tail. “Rainbow... are... are you even there?”

There was no reply.

Gently, Pilate rested a hoof on the mare's shoulder. Belle placed her own hoof over his as she hung her head, shuddering.

Behind them, the tome flickered inside its cage, steady—but dim.

Place Your Throne In High Places

“This place just keeps going and going,” Josho muttered as the two of them approached the dim light at the top of a sloping ascent. “I'm worried that I've forgotten most of the twists and turns.”

“I haven't,” Eagle Eye said. “I've got an impeccable memory.”

“You would, ya little pecker wood.”

Eagle sighed. “Must you? I mean, I'd understand if this was the Noble Jury's mess hall... but here?” He shuddered, glancing aside at the cave walls plastered all over in black tar and dead changeling shells. “In Slime Central?”

“You've got a better idea for keeping sane?”

“Well, how about a happy little story to pass the time?”

“This one time, on the northern edge of Franzington, I stopped by a bordello and got drunk with—like—six smoking hot mares—”

“Okay, stop it right there.” Eagle Eye grumbled. “I said happy, not nauseating.”

Josho smirked to himself. “...the punchline is that I'm secretly your real dad.”

“That's not even remotely funny.”

“Come onnnnnnnn.” Josho glanced back, wagging his eyebrows. “Part of you had to have tittered inwardly at that.”

“I'm not sure what frightens me more,” Eagle muttered. “The fact that it's remotely possible or that I kind of wish it was true.”

“See? Happy happy!”

“Nnnngh...” Eagle Eye strolled past him, squinting at the next turn. “Hey, I think it opens up here.”

“Feel the warm air?”

“Yes. I do.”

“Maybe the cave's exposed to the skystone fields.”

“Only one way to find out.”

“I'll take point.” Josho strolled ahead of him, levitating his shotgun as he peered left and right. At last, he ascended a final incline of stone, stepping over the crumpled remains of hollowed-out changelings. When finally he was level with the enormous chamber beyond, he stood dead-still, his muzzle agape. “Peaches'n'cream...”

“What?” Eagle Eye scrambled up and stood beside him. “What is it—?” His violet eyes widened.

A large cavern stretched before them. The ceiling was made out of patchwork nodes of skystone that dipped down, glowing with red and yellow energy. Sparks of electricity danced between the bulbous stalactites, gradually forking their way down the furthest wall—where they all converged into what appeared to be round platform constructed out of translucent jade. The green material was translucent, and had the texture of petrified sap.

“It's... organic,” Josho muttered.

“Almost looks like...” Eagle blinked. He turned to look at the discarded shells of dead changelings behind him. Looking back, he fought the urge to vomit. “Changeling blood.”

“I think it's more than that,” Josho said, slowly strolling forward. “It's probably what they build their hives'n'crap with. Maybe the very fabric of their soul-suckingness.”

“The same stuff we saw along the way in?”

“Yes. But... I dunno... fresh.”

“Fresh?”

“I mean, look at the stuff!” Josho pointed. “It's still bright and... gooey... or some crap.”

“Seems like the skystone energy is keeping it fluid.”

“Yeah, but for what?”

Eagle Eye was squinting again. “Is that... no.”

“Hmmm?”

Eagle gritted his teeth. “Something's inside the substance. A body.”

“A body?” Ch-Chtung! Josho cocked his shotgun. “Chrysalis?!”

“No... no no no wait.” Eagle rested a hoof on Josho's shoulder. “I see two of them.”

“Two?”

Eagle nodded. Silently, he strolled forward, levitating his sword and shield alongside. More bolts of electricity forked across the ceiling. The cavern crackled as if with thunder while the two stallions approached the platform. They ascended a patch of rock, brushing past dead changelings and jagged slash marks set within the polished black stone. Coming around towards the broad side of the organic structure, they suddenly froze in place.

There were two deer wedged inside the slimy material—a doe and a buck.

“What... the hell?” Josho slurred.

Eagle flashed Josho a look, then approached the two bodies. They both hung, suspended in the viscous solution, their eyes shut. The doe's legs were curled up towards her grimacing face. The buck's antlers poked out the very edge of the slime, but the rest of his body was just as dormant as the other creature's.

“This whole place...” Josho thought aloud. “...was set up just to keep these two here?” He glanced back at the dead metamorphs once again. “But... what for? It doesn't make any sense.”

“Chrysalis must want something with them.” Eagle Eye reached forward, lightly tapping the edge of the buck's antlers. “Are they even alive—?”

The buck's eyes flew open.

Eagle jumped back with a gasp.

Teeth gnashing, the buck thrashed and writhed in the slimy prison. His mouth opened wide, gargling slime in dull green bubbles.

“Get...” Eagle grimaced. “Get him out!” Schiiing! He slashed his sword into the mess, cutting a deep swath. Josho used the butt of his shotgun as leverage, prying the thing open as Eagle cut his way to the deer.

When at last they had the buck's muzzle free, the creature lunged forward, gasping and sputtering. He vomited a bucketful of viscous ooze, then tilted his face up—seething—to look at Eagle Eye in the face. “Grkkkk... unicornssss...” His eyes flared. “Alafreons?”

“Uhm... n-not exactly.” Eagle Eye chipped chipped away. “Just stay calm. We'll have you out—”

“Snkkkt... no... NO!” The buck writhed and ripped a hoof out. “Her first!” He seized Eagle's shoulder, snarling. “Her first! Damn you!”

“Uhhhhhh...” Eagle glanced aside at Josho.

“I heard 'em!” Josho was already ripping and punching his way into the other half of the slimy structure. Within a minute, he was pulling the doe's dainty body out. Eagle Eye reached in, helping the larger stallion set her on the ground. Suddenly, she writhed on the rocky floor, sputtering up slime and saliva.

“Azira!” The buck wheezed from where he still dangled in the mess of ooze. “Azira, my love! Are you alright?! Speak to me!”

“Grkkkt... hckkkt...” The doe writhed, curling up in a fetal position as she trembled all over. “So... s-so cold...” She wept. “My poor little fawn... wh-what have they done to him?”

Eagle Eye leaned in, burning his horn bright in order to warm the trembling deer. He glanced up at Josho. “I don't understand! What were you both doing here?”

“Just get me out of this! I need to be with her!” the buck stammered. Josho trotted up and gave the buck a telekinetic tug. At last, he and his antlers burst free with a splash of green muck. Josho tried helping him stand, but the deer merely shrugged him off with a grunt. He rushed over and cradled his mate, nuzzling her close. “It's okay, Azira. We've been found, my love. We're no longer prisoners to that monster.”

“So long... been so long...” The doe wept, burying her face in his chest. “What have th-they done with him? I can't bear to think of it...”

The buck clenched his eyes shut. Slowly, with a seething expression, he glared at the two stallions. “Speak the truth, unicorns. Does Prince Eine still live?”

“Prince Eine...?” Eagle murmured.

The deer frowned. “Is my son still alive?! Answer me!”

“Yes! I mean, from what we know—absolutely!” Eagle Eye nodded. “The Prince still lives! But... but wait.” He leaned forward. “Who are...?”

“I am King Lunarius of the House of Evo!” The buck's eyes flickered as his antlers glowed angrily at the very tips. “And I want that bastard Sharp Quill's head on a platter!”

We'll Need A Bigger Lounge Sphere

Booster Spice's goggled face jerked towards the communications console inside Whizzball.

“Scrkkk! We found the K—Scrkkkkk—the Noble Jury to re—Scrkkkkk—enough space in the Lounge—Scrkkk!”

“Eagle Eye?” Booster slapped the console. “EE!” The communications feed fizzled out. The stallion gnashed his teeth. “Blast it!” He gripped the controls again, grumbling. “It's getting worse!”

Outside, through the dashboard, he saw rampant bolts of electrical energy dancing all over the peaks of the skystone shards.

“If I don't pick them up soon, we'll all be trapped here.” He took a shuddering breath. “This really should have been a job for the Noble Jury.”

Nevertheless, steeling himself, he swung the transport around and headed for the location of the cave's front entrance.

“Guess it's do or die,” he muttered to himself. “God help us...”

“Booster?” Eagle shook and slapped his sound stone. “Hello, Booster?!” His lavender face scrunched up. He turned to gawk at Josho. “I can't get through to him!”

“Must be the skystone going apeshit,” Josho grumbled. “We'll be lucky if we get back to the surface in one piece.”

“How are we even going to fit everypony into Whizzball now?!” Eagle exclaimed.

“One thing at a time, Princess.”

“Princess?” stuttered Queen Azira, shivering in the forelimbs of her mate.

“Erm...” Josho waddled over. “Just being figurative, Your Majesty.” He did his best to bow without rolling over. “The only tiara he's ever owned was bought in a giant floating flea market in the sky.”

Eagle Eye frowned. “I did no such thing at Gray Smoke!” He nevertheless glanced down at his fidgeting hooves. “They were being sold at fifty bits apiece...”

“Answer me this,” King Lunarius said with a frown. “Who in God's name are you?”

“Don't fret, Your Deerness,” Josho half-belched. “We're not extortionists or mercenaries. Well, sunshine over there used to be one. A mercenary, I mean. But don't worry. He only killed ponies who deserved it.”

“Old stallion...” Eagle wheezed. “That's not helping things.”

“Well, excuse me!” Josho shrugged. “If Rainbow Dash had truly figured out who was being stashed away here, then maybe she would have sent somepony with better speaking skills!”

“Rainbow... Dash...?” Azira blinked.

“Your Highness...” Eagle Eye trotted over, bowing low. “My uncouth friend and I are members of the Noble Jury. We're a group of travelers and adventurers from the continent west of the Great Wastes. We don't seek profit or political power—but rather harmony for every pony and deer.” He took a deep breath. “We came here because we've all been on a mission to uncover a conspiracy in Val Roa. You two have been presumed dead, and we fear that tomorrow—the day of your son, Prince Eine's Coronation—a group of deer will be attempting to shift the balance of power in your kingdom.”

“Sharp Quill...” Lunarius frowned. “That traitorous bastard is responsible for this. Isn't he?”

Josho squinted. “How do you figure?”

“He's in league with a monster of the most hideous design,” Lunarius said. “A creature who dug up this lair in the heart of the earth! With Sharp Quill's aid, this monster has sent its... its demons to guard us and keep us here as prisoners! I simply cannot believe that after decades of loyal service he has decided that this was somehow the swiftest course to glory!” The King seethed. “And now he seeks to threaten our son?”

“About this monster...” Josho squinted. “Have you ever seen her?”

“Her?”

“Er... or it.”

“I... I'm afraid I haven't,” Lunarius said. “But its presence is undeniable. Sharp Quill has utilized its accursed black magic. And he's kept us here to... practice it on us.”

“In what way?” Eagle asked.

“He's visited us,” Azira added, gulping. “Multiple times. And when he does, he... performs a spell.” She shuddered. “A most painful... excruciating spell.” The doe clenched her eyes shut. “And every t-time he does so, I have these t-terrible visions of my precious Einey. Oh, the poor fawn... he needs his mother at a t-time like this!”

Eagle Eye and Josho exchanged glances.

“Why would Chrysalis keep the King and Queen alive?” Eagle Eye remarked.

“She feeds off of emotions n'crap, right?” Josho muttered. “Maybe keeping them here is what allows her to get an edge over the Prince.”

“Through Sharp Quill?” Eagle Eye tilted his head aside. “What about Saikano and Fishberry?”

“Did I hear you speak of the General and the Chancellor of the High Council?” Lunarius remarked.

“Uhhhhhh—” Eagle Eye shifted.

“I hate to break it to ya, King.” Josho nodded. “But Sharp Quill ain't acting alone. He's got Saikano and Fishberry in cahoots.”

Lunarius nodded, his antlers glowing faintly. “Then it is as I feared. A complete coup.” He spat. “And they're using my son as a device in their traitorous machinations!”

“Your Majesty,” Eagle Eye spoke. “We're familiar with this monster that placed you and the Queen here. We kinda understand a little bit how she works. But we must admit... it's a bit confusing how or why she's decided to keep you two trapped in this place.” Eagle Eye gestured to the walls. “Especially since she's made it so easy for us to find you and get you out—”

Just as he said this, a shrill screeching noise emanated from the far end of the cave.

Azira gasped, immediately shrinking deeper into Lunarius' embrace. “The guardians! They're waking!”

“Uhhhh...” Josho leaned forward. “Who?”

Sparks danced suddenly between the skystone nodes that dotted the ceiling.

“Tell me, mercenaries of the Noble Jury.” Lunarius' eyes narrowed. “How many of you are here to rescue us?”

“Uhhhh... well, there's us two, and then our buddy outside in a hovercraft.”

Lunarius took a deep breath, his ears twitching as more high-pitched shrieks picked up in the distance. “That is most unfortunate. You really should have brought an army.”

Act Two of the Grasshopper Comedy

“Mmmmf... hrnnnnghhh!” Kera shoved and pushed at a stone panel with her glowing horn. As she exposed a long narrow passageway beyond, she was pelted by a wave of foul air. “Eeeungh!” She stumbled backwards, her horn's light dancing all across the grimy stone walls. She spotted a slender trench filled with viscous muck, running the full length of the dark passage. “What the hay did we just stumble into?”

“The... the Val Roan...” Eine leaned against a wall, wheezing for breath. He gulped. “The Val R-Roan sewer system...”

“Like... for all of Val Roa?” Kera asked. “The whole city?”

Eine tiredly nodded. “Yes. The secret royal passage is supposed to lead to all hidden avenues of the city, for the purpose of a departure under emergency circumstances.”

“Well, I can't think of an emergency more emergent than this one!” Kera stammered. “And, lemme guess, you've never been down here before?”

Eine slowly shook his head.

“Well, fluff your nostrils, Your Majesty.” Kera stepped forward, trotting along the edge of the filthy trench. “Looks like you're about to get to know your subjects inside out... or maybe just their insides without.” She trotted ahead for half-a-minute until she realized she was trotting alone. Nervously, she spun around and dashed back, her tattered skirts flouncing. She found the Prince right where she left him. “Uhhhh... maybe you didn't hear me, but that was sewer speak for 'Move your white tail while it's still white.'”

Eine stood where he was, clinging to the wall and glaring into the muck.

Kera sighed. “Look, I'm no fan of the muck myself, but we gotta deal! Would you rather stay behind and wait for Sharp Quill to find you and plant your head on the banquet hall or something?!”

Slowly, Eine's glaring face rose to meet Kera's gaze. “Who are you, really?”

“Huh?” Kera blinked. “Look, dude, haven't we been through all of this already?!”

“I know what we've been through,” Eine said. “And, quite frankly, it's not enough to stand on.” His eyes narrowed. “You're not a Princess, are you?”

Kera was silent.

“Just who... or what are you?”

Kera took a seething breath. “Alright, you wanna know who I am?” She swung a hoof. “I'm just a foal who stumbled into some bad company... and then some really good company... and then some bad company again... but then back into the supremely awesome company.” She stomped her hooves, frowning. “And now I am in some really stinky cruddy company and I would really appreciate it if you moved your royal keister!” She spat. “I don't wanna end up as deer food either, y'know?!”

“The Xonan Empire... the legacy of Lasairfion...” He glared at her. “It was all a grand fabrication, wasn't it?”

Kera sighed long and hard. “Look... I am Xonan. These tattoos aren't exactly painted on.” She looked up at him. “And there is a 'Lasairfion.' I met her myself, only briefly. But about me having a crown and being a Princess'n'such? Yeahhhhhhhhh...” She glanced aside, fidgeting. “Not quite so legit. But, like, was there ever any friggin' doubt?!”

“All this time that we spoke with each other, you were deceiving me with this regal pretense!” Eine snarled. “And now you expect me to follow you through the belly of my city to some unknown destination?!”

“Well, it's not like you were completely honest with me either, bucko!” Kera grumbled in her face. “I'm not the only kid in this world who resorts to candied words and grasshoppers, isn't that right, 'Caterer's Son?'”

“That?!” Eine blinked. “Th-that was to learn more about the threat to my kingdom!”

“And would you have believed any of it if you didn't believe the whole time that I was heir to the Xonan Throne?!”

“You deliberately lied to me!” Eine exclaimed. “To the whole High Council!”

“Yeah, and I hadn't?!” Kera retorted. “Where would you be now, huh? On the receiving end of Sharp Quill's evil jerkness! Or maybe you're forgetting who totally whisked your helpless fanny away from those melon fudges back there?!”

Eine bit his lip gazing away from her. “I don't know what to believe anymore. You lied to me about who you are... about who you were with...”

“But the one thing that's totally true is that a super nasty monster named Queen Chrysalis is trying to snuff you out and tear this kingdom to shreds!” Kera's voice cracked. “Look, my buddies and I could have just flown our way straight into the Grand Choke and ignored the crap going down here in Val Roa, but we couldn't! We've crossed paths with her more than once, and we're... kind of sort of responsible for her losing her old abilities and having to change tactics.” She shuddered. “The Changeling Queen is our responsibility. And right now, right here, you are my responsibility!”

“Your... responsibility?”

“Well, you sure as crap aren't going to defend yourself, are you, Mr. Weak-In-The-Knees?!”

“I...” Eine folded his forelimbs. “I-I have basic combat training!”

Kera tapped his chest.

“Waaaaiiie!” Thud! The Prince fell on his haunches, nearly rolling over into the sewage.

Kera sighed. “Need I say more?”

“Now see here...” Eine struggled to his hooves, frowning. “I may not yet be a prime specimen of peak physical prowess, but I'm still Prince of this land! And there's nothing I desire more than the safety of my kingdom!”

“Then buck-up, follow me, and—best of all—shut your trap!”

“And I refuse to!” He spat, stomping a hoof. “For months, my life has been nothing but a charade! I've been coddled, deceived, and minimized! If not you, then by Sharp Quill and all his servants! I am simply nauseated by the sheer degree to which subjects have been lying to me left and right, telling me that I'm incapable of accomplishing that which this nation requires!”

“And, yeah,that totally sucks!” Kera gestured. “But in case you haven't noticed, I'm the one pony trying to keep you in one piece!”

“Just why should I trust you?! How does that make it any different than what Sharp Quill's been trying to do to me ever since... ever s-since...” He leaned back, seething. His yellow eyes clenched shut as he muttered, “When the King and Queen perished... when my father and mother passed away... I did not have time to grieve. I instantly knew the enormity of the future that lay before me. I've had to bear that burden all this time on my lonesome. I thought Sharp Quill an ally, but all this time—”

“The dude was probably just feeding off your feelings, buddy,” Kera said in a slightly warmer tone. “That's totally a Chrysalis thing. Absorbing your emotions, good or bad.”

“Do you even know what it means to feel so helpless... to have so much weight thrust upon you and not being strong enough... c-courageous enough to handle it?” Eine sniffled, nevertheless shaking his head until he stood tall again. “All I've wanted to do was find my own way to ensure the safety of Val Roa, and it simply burns to find out that I've been deceived yet again at the end of it all. Dearest Kera—if that is truly your real name—I am grateful for what you've done to spare my life, but forgive me if I'm reticent to continue with this ridiculous game any longer. It feels as though, no matter what I do, Val Roa just slips further and further away from my grasp.”

Silence.

Kera trotted towards him. “You asked if I knew what it meant to feel helpless... like I wasn't strong or courageous enough to do anything.” Her nostrils flared. “Well, it so happens I do. Let's be blunt, here. I've lived something of a cruddy life. I've lived it awesomely, for the most part, because I'm me.” She smirked briefly, but soon sighed. “But it still doesn't change the fact that when I thought I had everything good going for me, I had...” She gulped. “I-I had my whole entire life burnt to the ground in the span of hours.” She glared across the corridor lit by her horn. “It took me a long time to deal with the sense of pain and loss that I was forced to carry around. Today, it still stings. All the death I've seen... the l-lives that I could maybe... maybe have saved by just not crossing paths with them...” Her eyes glazed over as she trembled somewhat.

Eine stared at her intently.

At last, with a tight frown, she glared his way once again. “I'm not here to give you a pep talk. What's happened to you really... really sucks, Your Highness, but dwelling on it isn't enough to fix things. The solution isn't always easy, but that's what makes it awesome. My friends and I are here to make a difference in your kingdom. Why? Because we've seen how truly bad stuff can get, and we wanna prevent that. And part of it involves getting you to someplace safe. Maybe you're too ticked off and flankhurt over your situation to see that now, but I don't give a crap. Yeah, I'm sorry for lying to you, but nopony said that what we're trying to do here was gonna be easy. I had to sneak under Chrysalis' radar, not just yours. And now, we both gotta sneak past her together. So could you save the bitter hatred for later?”

“I n-never said it was bitter hatred.”

“Then just what is it, Your Highness?!” Kera growled, stomping a hoof. “What's keeping us stuck here?!”

The sewers fell quiet.

Eine sighed. “Have you... r-really had to deal with something like the loss of my mother and father?” he asked.

“No two losses are the same,” she said, shaking her head. “But I've been through some tough crud.”

“And you've made it through?” Eine leaned his head aside. “To become who and what you are now?”

“Yeah, I guess. What of it?”

He gazed at her. “I wish Sharp Quill could have led me by such an example.” He sighed. “Maybe I would have gained enough confidence to see through his lies sooner.”

“Yeah, well...” Kera shrugged. “That totally sucks, but we're not going to deal with it by just staying here.”

“I know. “ Eine nodded. “I may be unsure about your motivations, but I'm quite impressed by your integrity.”

“Jee, thanks.”

Eine blinked. “What?”

“Even when you compliment somepony, it comes out all stiff and boring.”

“Look, I was simply—”

“Whatever. Are we done huffing sewage?”

“Erm... yes... I-I suppose.” Eine gulped. “Do we have a plan in mind?”

“Yeah.” Kera nodded. “We head towards the Sandstone District.”

“The Sandstone District?” Eine blinked. “Don't we wish to leave Val Roan city limits if Sharp Quill's Soul Sentries are pursuing us?”

“Look, I've got friends at Plaza Topaz,” Kera said. “Duchess Arcanista. Rainbow Dash. Midnite Bastion. I just know that if we meet up with them, then we can use you—like—as a silver bullet against this whole conspiracy! I mean, think about it! Sharp Quill and his freaky pals are stuck in all the high places with their tails up, and then you'd roll up to the High Council and start the hoof-pointing! It'll be a gas!”

“Please...” Eine winced, waving a hoof in front of his nose as he eyed the sewage. “Don't say 'gas.'”

“But first thing's first.” Taking a deep breath, Kera started wriggling backwards through her gown.

Eine recoiled. “What... are you doing?”

Fwoomp! “Aaaaaaaah...” Kera tossed her mane, slipping out of the rumpled dress. “That's more like it!” She tossed the silken ensemble into the trench, then tossed her “regal” accessories into the mix, assisting in the dress' sinkage into the muck. “Couldn't stand another minute in that dang thing. Whew!” She kicked her little hooves. “Now I can really move!”

Eine refused to look at her, visibly wincing.

“Oh come on!” Kera scoffed. “You know darn well I'm not a Princess! What's the big deal?”

“It's just...” He shuddered. “So sudden.”

“A lot of things in life are. You ready to deal?”

He stared at her. The fawn squinted.

Minutes later, a royal vest and bandoleer found their way into the muck, sinking along with the dress. Shivering slightly, Eine trotted after Kera. Together, guided by Kera's glowing horn, the two children navigated their way south through the deep sewers of Val Roa.

On Your Mark, Get Set, Prelude

“We need to leave,” Lunarius said in a firm tone. His eyes glared. “Now.”

“That's... going to be a bit difficult,” Eagle Eye said, wincing. “You see, we didn't think this was going to turn into an escort mission. Our flying machine doesn't exactly have room for five derrieres, royal or not. Waaaie!”

Eagle hung in the grip of Lunarius' angry hooves as the King crossed the cave distance and held the unicorn towards his growling face. “We'll be dead if we stay here and let the Guardians get us!”

“Whoaaaaaaah-there, Bambitron.” Josho telekinetically split the two apart and placed Eagle gently onto his hooves. “First thing's first, we're on your side. Second...” He glared daggers at the royal buck. “You roughhouse the kid again, and I'll shove those antlers of yours someplace so dark that all of Val Roa's candles won't help you find 'em.”

Azira winced.

“Uhhh...” Eagle Eye gulped. “Old stallion—?”

“We came a long-ass way to figure out what Queen Chrysalis had placed here in this horrible arctic anus! I'm not expecting you to kiss our fetlocks right off the bat or anything, but would it kill ya to show a teensy bit of dayum respect?!”

“Queen Chrysalis...” Lunarius murmured. His eyes swept across the lower end of the cave and its slime-encrusted walls “...so that was the beast's name?”

“You've seen her?!” Eagle Eye exclaimed, leaning forward.

“An unfathomably long time ago,” Azira explained, shivering. “Within days of our separation from our beloved son, we were brought here and imprisoned before her presence. She... had a legion of horribly disfigured ponies here: more crustaceans than equines.”

“The minions worked for her,” Lunarius said. “Though it was obvious to us that they didn't exactly desire to do so.”

Josho glanced at Eagle Eye. “Those must be the husks we saw on the way here.”

Eagle Eye shuddered. “It had to have been right after Chrysalis lost control of the Hive Mind.” He glanced up. “She must have dominated control over one fledgling nest.” He gulped. “You're telling us that they didn't follow her willingly?”

“Shortly after obeying her rules, she... sacrificed them,” Lunarius said.

“Sacrificed them?” Josho's eyes narrowed. “In what way?”

“She... eviscerated them,” Azira said, eyes tearing up. “I didn't think it was possible to pity such miserable creatures. But, before our eyes, she slew them one by one and... and...”

“She utilized their inner effluence,” Lunarius said. He gestured at the slimy platform behind them. “It's what she used to craft our prison.”

Eagle Eye held a hoof over his cheeks, grimacing.

“It... must have channeled whatever power she had given to her traitorous conspirators in Val Roa,” Lunarius said. “Because when Sharp Quill later showed up to torment us, it was evident that the substance within the platform only magnified the magic spells he performed on us... leeching us of our thoughts and consciousness.”

“Wait...” Josho leaned forward. “Did you ever see Chrysalis again?”

“How means you?”

“The changeling monster that gooped you two in here!” Josho exclaimed. “Did she ever appear again after Sharp Quill's visits?”

Lunarius blinked. “Nay...” He shook his head. “We've had every reason to assume she's elsewhere in Val Roa, weaving her terrible web of plans.”

“She gave us to Sharp Quill to exploit and dissect from the inside out,” Azira said with a shuddering breath. “And now he's using that to exploit our son.”

Once more, a loud shriek echoed through the cave. The deer and ponies looked around, nervous.

“Alas... there's no time for this!” Lunarius grumbled. “There's no time for anything! Her guardians! They will return!”

“But, I thought you said she turned on all her minions!” Eagle Eye exclaimed.

“Yes...” Lunarius nodded. “And they were merely food for these monstrosities. It doesn't matter where she harvested them from, but they devour mana—especially in imbalanced bursts. And now that you've freed us from the prison keeping our energy at bay—”

Another shriek rolled through the chamber. Sparks danced between the skystone nodes above, a few of the bands dipping low enough to make Josho's and Eagle's manes stick on end.

“They're coming back!” Azira exclaimed. “They hunger! And with the four of us free, it's their first chance to have their fill in ages!”

“But I-I thought you said these things only eat mana!” Eagle Eye exclaimed.

Lunarius' eyes narrowed. “Do you unicorns ever leave your horns at home?”

Eagle glanced at the king's glowing antlers, then at Josho. “Can we commence with the skedaddling already?”

“Right.” Josho was already whipping out the sound stone as he lit a path down the way they came. “Booster! Booster Spice! Now would be a good time to reply, buddy!

“Scrkkkkk!”

“Still no luck?!” Eagle exclaimed.

“If you can't hear your companion via leylines, then that means it's too late,” Azira said, shaking her head. “The monster's guardians are upon us.”

“No offense, Queen, but save your woeful words for when you can put hoof to quill again!” Josho pumped his shotgun and gestured at Eagle Eye. “We're getting your royal butts back to your kid, y'hear?!” He marched down the corridor, frowning. “Nothing's gobbling this old bastard up. Not while I'm still alive to fart! Now move your tails!”

Why It'd Have to Be Eels?

Another shriek reverberated through the cave, followed by the unmistakable scraping of rock. Josho hurried along, training his horn in one direction and the shotgun in another. Squinting, he studied every corner and crevice that his conjured light touched. Once satisfied that the coast was clear, he motioned with a hoof.

“Okay! Move on down! It's a bit of a descent here, so be careful!”

“Don't move so fast, old stallion!” Eagle Eye called ahead, galloping swiftly to make up the distance. “We've got some precious cargo back there!”

“Right! So look after them like all of your accessories, princess!” Josho barked back at him. “Something's awoken, and I'm willing to put my money on the chance that it's faster than us!” He hopped down several rocky platforms. “I've gotta scout ahead! So move it!”

Eagle seethed, fidgeting in place. “Can never have a merry vacation in Fluffland, I swear to the Spark.” He turned and gestured towards the two deer following. “Watch your step, Your Majesties! We're descending into a lower level! The platforms are small and slippery!”

“That's it, my love,” Lunarius said, helping the regal doe down, holding her hoof in his. “Easy... easy.” Pulses of electricity flickered far behind them, issuing out of the chamber from which they came. “You're doing well.”

“I was in that prison for so long,” Azira said, wincing. “It's... h-hard to move.”

“We can make it out, Azira.” Lunarius gazed deeply in her eyes. “Think of our son, love. Think of Eine. He needs us. All of Val Roa needs us.”

Another roar rolled through the chamber. Eagle Eye gasped. From down below, Josho shouted. “Move our asses!”

“Uhm... King Lunarius, sir.” Eagle Eye smiled nervously. “I mean no insult to your grace and poise, but it would be most beneficial if we sped this escape.”

“We must allow my wife to take her time!” Lunarius said with a frown. “There is no sense in escaping if we cannot do so in one piece! So you'll have to be patient!”

Within a second of him saying that, the brightest pulse of energy yet rippled from the chamber above. The red and yellow light of skystone nodes bled down the corridor, illuminating every crevice. Suddenly, the roars grew in volume, coming from various unseen sources beyond the distorted light.

Wincing, Lunarius heaved his wife over his shoulder. “I'm sorry, Azira! But we have to haul tail!”

“Waaaaie!” she yelped, draped over his backside.

“Hnnntt!” Lunarius bounced, hopping down each descending platform like a frenzied mountain goat.

Josho's hollering voice could be heard: “Get a move on!”

“We are! Trust me!” Eagle Eye struggled to keep up with the King. “We are and a half!”

Meanwhile, the cave behind them exploded with electrical energy. Several writhing forms came sliding down, gliding through the air like leathery confetti tape.

Outside, hovering above the skystone fields, Booster Spice felt an intense jolt to the Lounge Sphere. Adjusting his goggles, he leaned forward in the cockpit and stared down through the windshield.

Countless bolts of electricity danced between the jagged crystalline structures. The sudden energy disruption increased exponentially.

“What in God's name are they even doing down there?!” Booster stammered.

Soon enough, the electrical discharge was flying straight up.

“Hoboy—” Booster jerked at the controls, lifting Whizzball up.

It was too late. The bands of energy rippled across the ship, sending it into a crazed spin.

“Gaaaaugh!” He seethed, struggling to keep his grip of the steering mechanism. His body rocked between the adjacent seats and the instrument panels hanging above. Through the corner of his goggled vision, he saw the world spinning, and it was getting harder and harder to tell the chaotic sky from the chaotic surface. “Mmmmff... c-come on...”

He tried uprighting the craft, but just as he got level, he witnessed a layer of energy rising up, encompassing the ship. The console lights flickered, and he heard the skystone engine inside Whizzball stutter and stall.

“Oh no. No no no no...”

Soon enough, everything directly outside his window was ablaze with energy distortion.

“Darn it! Keep 'er together!” He pulled back hard, attempting to ascend. Instead, Whizzball did the opposite, plummeting swifter and swifter towards the jagged landscape below. “Awwwwwww sushi.”

By now, the bedlam inside the caves was deafening. Josho and Eagle Eye no longer needed their horns to light their paths; it was so bright that they could see the tunnel ahead of them as they evened out on a solid floor. With each passing second, the glowing lights behind them intensified.

“They can't be far behind us,” Lunarius said, galloping with Azira on his back. “All of them are alerted!”

“Then you'd best take point!” Josho stepped aside. He looked at Eagle Eye as he backtrotted. “We gotta get the head hauncho of Val Roa out of here!”

Eagle gulped and nodded. “I know.”

“So whatever ugly motha is chasing us, we'd better slow 'em down!”

Schiiing! Eagle Eye unsheathed his sword and shield. “I know.”

Josho stood flank-to-flank with Eagle Eye, squinting into the brightening energy field. “Here they come. Someone or something really wants a manabullet sandwich...” His voice trailed off and his mouth hung open.

Eagle's eyes twitched.

Out from the anomaly, several serpentine bodies emerged, only they weren't slithering on the ground. They swam through the air in rippling motions, their tails thrashing wildly behind them. As they came closer, the two unicorns could see their mouths brimming with fangs. They resembled oceanic eels, only they had sharp needle-like spines sticking out of their backs and bellies at regular intervals. These slender “poles” sparkled with electrical blue bands that jumped from one spoke to another—ultimately ending in the cranium and electrifying the beasts' jagged teeth till they glowed.

Josho exhaled, his lips limp. “Wasn't expectly crap like that.”

Eagle whimpered. “I know.”

All at once, the eels shrieked. Neck crests flared with reptilian scales. Finally, with bolts of skystone energy jumping from their spines to the surface of the cave walls, they accelerated, swarming towards the two unicorns.

Eagle held his shield up while Josho aimed over it. With two successive blasts, he sent one eel reeling. Two more “swam” past its writhing body, viciously propelling themselves at the stallions. Josho stepped back while Eagle lowered his shield and telekinetically swung his sword in a high arc. He lopped off the head of one beast—which caused it to exploded with skystone energy.

“Ooof!” Josho and Eagle Eye were knocked back several feet. By the time they got up, three more eels were diving towards them. Josho got off a good shot, but when the blast punched a hole in the unlucky serpent's hide, that creature also exploded, sending a violent tremor through the cave that caused the stalactites overhead to fall all around the stallions. The two of them had to duck low to avoid the random forks of ensuing electrical discharge.

“Old stallion, I think—”

“Yeah! I get it!” Josho winced, already pulling back. “The less we kill these bastards, the better!”

“Join the King!” Eagle hollered, holding his shield up as he trotted backwards. “Best that I beat these back!”

“Are ya kidding?” With a slight grin, Josho twirled his gun around, reached in, and started swinging it magically so that the butt of the rifle smacked several creatures across their jaws, holding them back. “That's as far as you go, ya ass-munching light-bulb huffers!”

“Don't... m-make them... more mad!” Eagle gnashed his teeth as sparks of energy spat out from all sides of his shield.

“How the Hell did Chrysalis even put these creeps here?!”

“You don't suppose they're chaos monsters, do you?!”

“As in there's chaos metal nearby?!”

“Yeah!”

“I doubt it!” Josho said.

“Why's that?”

“Cuz they're all sparkly and bright, not creepy and necrotic!”

“Since when were you the expert on floating death eels?!”

“Since one morning back in Green Slope when I stupidly decided to step out of an outhouse and begin this dumbass dance!” An errant spark struck Josho in the shoulder. “Aaaugh!”

“Careful!” Eagle hollered.

“You tell them that!” Josho nudged the smaller stallion and the two of them backtrotted more swiftly. “Move! Move! Keep the snake party at bay!”

“Dear Spark, what I wouldn't give for a cave full of fluffy kittens one of these days...”

Last Stands Are Never That Sexy

Panting for breath, King Lunarius of Val Roa galloped out to the opening of the cave. He immediately flinched, Queen Azira jostling on his back.

"Good God!" he hissed, squinting into a mess of skystone structures. Every crystalline shard brimmed with energy, and forks of electricity danced between them at an alarming rate. The sky rolled with endless thunder, and the arctic snowfall melted into warm rain within a hundred feet of the constantly crackling energy field. "This place is practically on fire! A flock of birds couldn't fly in this! How do we expect to get picked up?!"

"My love," Azira wheezed, glaring forlornly back into the cave. "The unicorns..."

"Yes, Azira." Lunarius placed her down and leaned her against the solid stone of the tunnel's entrance. "They're doing a marvelous job of holding back those fiends for us."

"No they're not!" Azira exclaimed. "Lunarius, those creatures outnumber us! They'll be diced to ribbons!"

"They knew the risk when they came here," the King said. "We must come out of this alive so we can rescue our son from Sharp Quill."

"The only reason our son has a chance of surviving is because of their intervention!" Azira frowned. "And we're just going to let them die for a foreign nation's cause?!"

"Azira..." Lunarius tilted her chin up. "I'm your husband, and I am not leaving your side!"

Azira's eyes narrowed. "The King I married is capable of great love... but anger too."

"Believe me." Lunarius gritted his teeth. "Nodeer on this entire continent is as angry as I am."

"Would you wish to prove it?"

Lunarius clenched his jaws tight, staring at her.

"Keep moving!" Josho hollered.

"But we gotta hold them back!" Eagle shouted, warding off energy blast after blast with his shield. "We can't let them out of the cave! All that exposed skystone outside...?!"

"Nuts to that! Booster will be landing any minute!"

"But we haven't heard anything from him!" Eagle swung his sword to knock back another lunging eel. "We gotta keep these creeps from touching the Royal couple!"

Just then, a pair of eels split apart, lunging at Eagle from opposite angles.

Eagle Eye swung his sword, deflecting one. But his shield was too slow to block the other. An electrical spine scraped his shoulder. Blood flew as his insides convulsed with loose energy. "Aaaaaaaaugh!"

"Kiddo!" Josho snarled, galloping straight forward. He summoned a huge pulse of energy through his horn, knocking back four eels with sheer telekinetic might. "Rrrrrgh!" When one eel rebounded, he struck it with the butt of his shotgun like a club. WHACK! "Buck off, ya living pipe cleaners!"

"Gnnngh..." Eagle Eye fell to his haunches, struggling to keep his sword and shield floating. "Seeing... stars..." He sputtered. "C-can't..."

"Just pull yourself together!" Josho squatted beside him. Two more are diving down! Can you launch them up high?!"

"I-I'll try!" Eagle readied himself, gnashed his teeth, and lifted his shield like the loose end of a lever. "Httt!"

Thwack! He uppercutted both attacking reptiles, sending them twirling towards the ceiling.

Josho aimed over Eagle's horn with his shotgun. "Now this might cause quite the headache!" He fired.

"Old stall--"

BLAM! The blast impaled one eel, overloading its nervous system. The creature and its sibling both exploded, taking out a chunk of the ceiling immediately behind them. Shards of rock fell in a straight line, impaling several eels, most of which also exploded. Thus, a violent cascade took place, ripping through the cavern and sending bits of shrapnel flying all over the place.

Eagle erected his shield while Josho did his best to crouch behind him. A flying dagger or two of stone grazed the obese unicorn's skin, and he shuddered with pain. Once the electrical cascade had ended, the cave lingered with smoke and glowing embers. However, the shrieks of eels persisted, and both stallions could hear the crackling of oxygen molecules as even more came lunging down the tunnel.

"We gotta move, Princess," Josho said, tugging at the smaller unicorn. "No arguing!"

"I... w-won't," Eagle wheezed, his shoulder bleeding and throbbing. "Are we going to have a last stand?"

"I've always wanted to have one of those," Josho said, backtrotting swiftly while he dragged Eagle. "Always sounded sexy."

"You suppose the Noble Jury will find us here like this?" Eagle gulped. "Dried out husks like all those dead changelings?"

Josho sighed. "Okay, maybe not so sexy..."

The pile of fallen rocks burst apart as a fresh wave of eels came shimmering through.

"Josho--!" Eagle began.

"I see them!" Josho concentrated hard, raising his shotgun in the air beside him. He fired several blasts from the floating boomstick.

The eels merely dodged and kept on coming, faster and hungrier.

"Can't... h-hold them back!" Josho sputtered. In a burst of energy, he galloped towards the reptilian charge. "Stay behind me, kid!"

"No, Josho!" Eagle cried. "Don't--"

"You wanna dance with the fat horse?!" Josho hollered as he aimed down his sights. "Hope you don't mind if I lead--"

On loud, galloping hooves, King Lunarius came bounding past the two of them, antlers brimming. "Rrrrrrrrrrrgggaaaaaaugh!" He thrusted his head forward, firing a violent wave of mana tendrils.

The buck's energy blast enveloped the entire tunnel, pushing back every single eel. They flailed, shrieked, and collapsed against the stone walls in the distance. Soon enough, the mana beams faded, and the cave became hazy and dim again.

Josho blinked. "Fine, then. You lead."

Lunarius spun around, heaving for breath. "Are you both alright?"

"We are now!" Eagle stammered as Josho helped him up onto all fours. "You took them out, Your Highness!"

"Not for long," Lunarius growled, his antlers still brimming. "They'll be back. And in greater numbers. Now..." He marched forward in a tall stance. "Let us rendezvous with your flying companion."

"You've certainly got my vote, chief!" Josho said.

"Old stallion," Eagle whispered. "It's a monarchy."

"Eh... he knows what I mean."

Immediately outside the cave, Queen Azira spun about at the sound of multiple hooves. She smiled wide. "My love!"

"Sorry that took so long," Lunarius said with a grunt, leading the two hobbling unicorns out of the cave.

"You saved them both!" Azira cooed. "Especially the cute one!"

"Hey, thanks!" Josho spoke ahead of Eagle Eye.

"The entire skystone reserve has run amok," Lunarius said. "Are you certain your companion can land in this?"

"Booster Spice is the best pilot around!" Eagle Eye said, wheezing for breath. "There's... no way that he couldn't... make it work!"

"Look!" Azira pointed. "Above!"

Lunarius squinted. "...is that him now?"

"In a big black ball of metal?" Josho nodded. "You bet!"

"... ... ...are you sure?

Eagle Eye gasped. "By the Spark!"

"Whoah dayum!" Josho gnashed his teeth, because--

Swisssssssssh! Whizzball came hurling down, its skystone engines billowing with smoke and flame. It dove, dove further, and plowed through the summit of several jagged shards. Craaaack! Chunks of skystone and metal hull flew all across the clearing. Whizzball rolled, tumbled, and came to a grinding stop against the stone surface. The bulkheads were exposed, and a savage fissure across the windshield revealed a thoroughly dazed earth pony in goggles lying slumped against his controls, blood trickling down from his twitching ears.

As the debris cloud settled, all four stood up, gaping at the disastrous crash. Before either Josho or Eagle Eye could hear anything, they heard a salvo of shrieks from the tunnel behind them.

Eagle Eye bit his lip.

"Hold them back!" Josho hollered, galloping over to the crumpled Lounge Sphere. "I gotta get him out! If someone could lend me a hoof!"

"Oh, the poor thing!" Azira trotted over, assisting the old stallion in wrenching the loose door off the side. "Nnnngh! Quickly! Surely he can't breathe in there!"

"Soon enough, none of us will be breathing," Lunarius said, standing at Eagle's side and grinding his hooves. "They'll be upon us all in seconds..."

"Ebon..." Eagle Eye gulped, nevertheless lifting his sword and shield as he spotted glowing eyes emerging from the cave. "...wherever you are, I love you... always..."

Hail, Hail, The Gang's All Here

“Rnnngnhhh... guhhh!” Josho strained with the bent doors to the crashed Lounge Sphere. “It's no use! It'd take a creature with the strength of a billion mountains to open this damn thing!”

“Well, we have to do something!” Azira exclaimed, gaping at the bleeding pony inside the craft. “We can't just leave him in there!”

“Josho, is Booster still alive?!” Eagle sputtered above the resounding shrieks of incoming eels.

“Hard to tell!” Josho stammered. He squinted through the crack in the windshield, spotting Booster's spasming figure. Blood soaked his muzzle and neck. “It's not looking good, kiddo.”

“Oh Spark...”

“Maybe...” Josho winced, summoning a bright pulse through his horn. “...if I can j-just pry it open from the inside out...” He gnashed his teeth as the task proved impossible. “Guhh... the mechanisms are all bent inside!”

“It's too late!” Lunarius hollered. “Look! Towards the cave!”

Josho and Queen Azira spun to face the wave of advancing eels. The floating monsters branched out, encircling the survivors positioned around the crash. The energy sparkling off their scales multiplied exponentially, and soon they were closing in from all angles, fangs brimming with electricity.

Lunarius backtrotted, standing close to Azira. The Queen clung to him while the Buck intensified the mana in his horns.

Eagle and Josho positioned themselves flank to flank, raising their weapons.

“Whatever happens, kid,” Josho muttered, “I want you to know I wouldn't have it any other way.”

Eagle nodded.

“I mean that sincerely,” the older unicorn said.

“I believe you, Josho.”

At last, the eels shrieked in a matching tone. A wave of energy collectively rolled through them, so that their rippling scales shook one after another, until all hovered like rigid arrowheads around the group. Then, with a mutual hiss, they all lunged at the bodies of flesh in the center.

Eagle and Azira flinched while Josho and Lunarius crackled their horns.

Suddenly, six of the eels burst into bloody ribbons. A chunk of skystone exploded behind them while chunks of rock showered the mouth of the cave.

The rest of the eels shrieked and scurried backwards.

Gasping, the survivors glanced up into the snowy sky as—

SHOOOOOOM!

—a hauntingly familiar airship roared to a stop overhead. Its slender cigar body glinted with a dull green hull. Skystone engines roared vaporously into the frigid air, defying the intensity of the electrical discharges splashing about below. A pair of onboard cannons smoked from a heated discharge. Along its port side, a curved door slid open to a dark interior. Meanwhile, a thickly accented voice hollered through a crackling speaker.

“Brilliant shot, Zetta! The rest of you, get yer arses out there!” Prowse bellowed. “Reduce them bloody sods to Haggis!”

As if on command, a thick and heavy body leapt out of the skystone ship's side. The unicorn sailed earthward, his scarlet muscles guided by a huge shimmering hammer in his telekinetic grip. “Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaughhh!”

WHAMMM!

The encircling eels flew back from the fresh crater formed. Two of the creatures flopped to the ground, their energy completely sapped from the hammer's concussive blast. Josho, Eagle Eye, and the royal couple leaned against Whizzball, shielding themselves from the ensuing dust.

Slowly, the unicorn looked up, standing strong on three legs and an artificial limb as he sneered into the threatening line of eels. “That's as far as you go,” Crimson said. Tilting his head towards the thundering ship, he hollered: “Brothers of Aurum! Thin them out!”

Eagle peered up, eyes wide as his muzzle quivered. “...Crimson?” He flinched as three more bodies leapt down, landing nimbly at Crimson's side.

“Hrrrrngh!” Phoenix charged up past Crimson, flecks of snow clinging to his sandy goatee. He swung a mace left and right in his mouth, reducing several eels' jaws to gravel. Crimson thundered past him, swinging his hammer once again to drive the creatures back. “Mrmmff! Spark spare me, they're ugly bastards! Tweak!”

“Way ahead of ya, fart face.” Cocking his pistol, the crystal pony marched past Eagle and Josho. Tweak squinted past the brim of his hat as he took pot shots at the various eels floundering in the distance. Blam! Bl-Blam! “Dunno whose brilliant damn idea it was to sick a bunch of elctro-turds on these ponies, but lights out!”

“Heh...” Lucky Strike posed beside his brother, firing a rifle into the mess of shrieking reptiles. “Has anypony told you you're beautiful when you're murdering?”

“Shut your gem hole. I'm married stallion.” Taking a lasting shot, Tweak reloaded his revolver and hollered. “How's that, Crimson?!”

“Raaaaugh!” Slam! “That should give you enough room!”

“Good! Let's do the shit we came here for!” Tweak hollered up to the ship. “Send in the muscle!”

The Tarkington lowered slightly, letting more bodies hop out.

“Hrnngh!” Arcshod landed, his armor rattling across his tattooed figure. Two more Xonans dropped down beside him, followed by a graying unicorn.

“Well, I see we're already too late!” Seclorum wheezed, nevertheless shuffling up to Josho's side with a smile. “Cuz we've got a rotting corpse right here!”

Josho's eyes twitched. “...Secchy?”

“Don't kiss me, old friend,” the stallion said. “Not in front of the Xonans.”

“They're slipping through!” Phoenix hollered from far up ahead.

“Nine o'clock sharp!” Lucky Strike hollered over the sound of his brother's gunshots. “Death snakes of doom incoming!”

Seclorum looked over at Arcshod. “Go get 'em, big guy.”

“Dreit...” Arcshod's eyes glowed, as did the brimming blue tattoos below his armor. “Rrrrr-raaaaaaugh!” He thundered on stomping hooves, meeting the eels head-on. Several of the creatures channeled their electrical beams into him, but he simply weathered the blows, knocking the monsters back towards the cave.

Crimson swung his hammer again, watching breathlessly as several reptiles flew past him from Arcshod's charge. He exhaled through a sweaty smirk. “Glad he's on our side. Haaaugh!” He pummeled a few more charging creatures.

“I'm... confused,” Josho stammered. “And maybe just a little bit hard.”

“Relax, ya shriveled old walrus.” Seclorum nodded at the two Xonans. “Prowse's Brigade has got this.”

The warriors nodded back at Seclorum, then pivoted towards Whizzball. With well-toned muscles, they simultaneously gripped the bent door and pulled at it, all the while prying the inner mechanisms apart with firm telekinesis.

“Rrrrnngh... melakunnen drema salathiul Xon-Nagu'n!”

“Dreit! Rekkar threnna hemndulien threem!”

Crkkkk! Gradually, the door ripped open. Inside, Booster Spice wheezed for breath. His eyes opened weakly as he winced.

“Roarke... I... I-I'm sorry...”

“Worry about her killing you later!” Eagle Eye shouted, squeezing past the two Xonans to reach the earth pony. “Just focus on living through this!”

“I'm... terribly confused,” Lunarius remarked, standing close by Azira's side. “Do you know these ponies?”

“And a half,” Josho said, turning to watch Crimson, Arcshod, and Phoenix's hoofwork. “Though I've got a bunch of questions...”

“Well, tighten them up along with your ass!” Seclorum hollered. “The less time we spend here, the better.” He added his telekinesis to the two Xonans' magic. Once Eagle Eye had unfastened Booster from his seat, the three unicorns gently levitated the stallion out of the crumpled Lounge Sphere. “Friggin' lizard tech. Looks dayum pretty on the outside, but inside it's no match for ol' Aatxe's engineering.”

“You'll hear no argument from me,” Josho said.

“That's a shame. I was really looking forward to punching you too.” Seclorum whistled towards the Tarkington and motioned with his hoof.

The ship lowered, pivoting slightly in order to avoid the jutting shards of skystone all around. The wind whipped from its roaring engines. It didn't touch down all the way, but rather levitated just low enough for those left on board to toss down a length of tethered rope.

The two Xonans grabbed ahold, clinging hard. They shouted a word in their tongue and were raised up, all the while they lifted Booster Spice's injured body along with them in strong telekinesis.

“Delivery's a go!” Lucky Strike shouted, looking back.

“Ya hear that, big lugs?!” Tweak barked, shooting out an eel's eye. “Time to make like a tree and shove up Prowse's butt!”

“Scrkkk! I heard that! Now move yer bloomin' arses!”

“Haaaaugh!” Crimson smashed two more eels and leaned on his hammer. “You heard the mad scientist! Go! Move!”

“Moving!” Phoenix spat, spinning around and galloping back towards Whizzball. “These parties are always being cut short these days!”

“You'd have it any other way?!” Crimson smirked, then whistled at Arcshod. “You too, big guy!”

“Rrrrrrgh...” Arcshod gave the line of eels a bestial growl. With snorting nostrils, he reluctantly spun around and joined Crimson in a hasty retreat.

Once the group had all gathered around the crashed Lounge ship, the unicorns lined up in a circle.

“You four go first!” Seclorum said, horn already glowing. “Seems like you've been through enough.”

“Say, who're the deer?” Phoenix said, standing back with his shattered horn as the other unicorns worked their magic.

“Why, I'm King Lunarius of Val Roa—” he and his spouse gasped as they were lifted off their cloven hooves and levitated towards the Tarkington above.

“Well, consider your royal keisters lucky!” Tweak spat, floating after them along with Lucky Strike. “You're about to have an express ride on the safest, most badass ship in the skies!”

“Dammit, bro!” Lucky Strike frowned. “You promised you'd save the big speech for Prowse!”

“You know, sometimes I think I lie because I don't give a damn about your sissy whining.”

“Meh.”

Soon, Lunarius, Azira, Eagle Eye, Josho, and the crystal siblings joined Booster Spice inside the cramped interior of the Tarkington. Josho slipped, almost falling out. A massive hoof wrapped around his, yanking him back into the vessel.

“Wh-whoah!” Josho wheezed. He stared into a massive, muscular chest, then tilted his head up.

“Are you okay?” Basso asked, staring down at him.

“Oh, sure.” Josho coughed. “Though I feel a tiny bit... tiny.”

Basso looked past him. “Crimson? Seclorum? We'll get you guys next!”

“Hranna thenrum sala krehm!” one of the two Xonans shouted. The pair of warriors stood on either side of Basso, concentrating hard as they lifted the remaining equines up. Eagle Eye and Josho swiftly lended their horns, tugging at the magical field.

Soon enough, Crimson, Phoenix, Arcshod, and Seclorum levitated up to the mouth of the vessel's port side. Behind them, a fresh wave of eels swam out of the cave. With mindless shrieks, they lunged up at the ship.

“Zetta!” Basso hollered over his shoulder. “We've got incoming!”

“Smoke 'em, lassy!”

Eagle glanced over to see a mare seated at a mana-powered console. Zetta's brow furrowed as she channeled magic into a series of levers. “Consider them smoked.” She pumped power into the ship's skystone batteries. “You ponies might want to shield your eyes!”

Vrmmmmmmm-POWWWW! Rotating turrets fired flaming blasts into the oncoming charge. Half of the eels disintegrated while the others scattered in panic.

Meanwhile, with throttling engines, the Tarkington took to the skies, flying away from the battle-strewn cave entrance, accompanied by Prowse's roaring voice.

“Scrkkk—and that, colts and fillies, is a wrap!”

Only the Best Reunions Have Explosions

Schwissssssssh-Schlunk! Basso slid the door to the Tarkington's port side closed, shutting out the frost and blizzardy snow. As the ship ascended, he spun and smiled calmly at the rest of the ponies and deer on board.

“Well, I'd say we did that rather swimmingly.”

“The pilot!” Queen Azira stammered, craning her neck to see across the single cramped corridor of the cigar-shaped vessel. “Is he okay? Please tell me you can help him recover!”

“He'll live,” Lucky Strike said, kneeling with Tweak beside the reclining earth pony. The crystal brothers' glossy limbs glowed with inner magic as they tended to his wounds, bandaging his head before resting it against a crumpled pillow of cargo netting. “Which is a shame. He'll have to experience how pungent it gets in here, stuck with ten stallions with very little room to breathe.”

“Plus one mare.” Tweak smirked. “It's a scientific fact that when Zetta farts, it smells of flowers.”

“Hardy har har,” Zetta muttered, swiveling in her chair to face the console opposite of the weapon controls. She winced slightly from a pulse of mana flickering across her face. “Okay... Prowsy? I think I've mapped us a way out of here! It'll take us due south until we run parallel to the Val Roan perimeter.”

“Bloody well done, lassie!” the pilot hollered back from the cockpit. “I knew I made you diet Propsicle for a reason!”

Zetta rolled her eyes, then smirked aside at Basso. “I swear, I wouldn't be tagging along if the stallion didn't remind me of my father.”

“I'm scared to m-meet him someday,” the large pony said, shuddering.

“This rescue was swift and professional.” King Lunarius took a deep breath. “I cannot thank you ponies enough.”

“Hrmmmff...” Arcshod cracked the joints in his neck, marching across the cramped corridor on heavy hooves. “Ruhm drennden thriul, Valrulien krekke.”

Queen Azira blinked. “Uhm... what did he say?”

“Forgive my buddy back there,” Seclorum said, trotting up with a weathered smile. “He might be in the business of rescuing loyalty, but he'll only bow to a monarch if she's got a long-ass mane and a billion hoofmaidens.” The old soldier bowed. “I am former Prime Enforcer Seclorum. It's an honor to meet you.”

“Do you even know who we are?” Lunarius asked.

“Not quite,” Seclorum replied. “But if Josho is sticking his nose this deep into a shithole to save you two, then that means you've gotta be super high on the Val Roan ladder for the Noble Jury to care.”

“Pffft! Balls to you, ya graying turd,” Josho grumbled. “We've risked our coats for dozens of villages between the pegasus crater and here!”

“Heh... so much for your early retirement, eh?” Seclorum stepped back as he felt a lavender figure brushed past him.

Eagle Eye strolled forward, eyes glistening. “Crimson...?”

Crimson glanced past Phoenix from where he holstered his hammer against a bulkhead. He smiled warmly. “Hey there, EE.” He pivoted about on a whirring mechanical leg. “Wow, is it just me... or have you gotten more ripped since the last time I saw you?”

Eagle chewed on his lip, his ears folding back.

“Heh... it's okay, soldier,” Crimson said with a wink. “I know you're still soft on the inside.”

Eagle lunged forward, hugging Crimson fiercely. The larger stallion raised his good leg, holding Eagle close as the petite unicorn sobbed happily.

“I th-thought I'd never see you again! But you're here!” Eagle squealed, eyes tearing. “Oh, Spark, it's been so long!”

“Heh...” Phoenix sat back on his haunches with a smirk. “Same ol' princess.”

Eagle sniffled, leaning back to rub his cheek dry. He smiled up at Crimson, trembling. “Please... tell me... how's the family?”

“Sitting pretty in Aurum and living the good life,” Crimson said.

“Only mine's sitting prettier,” Tweak spoke from where he knelt, tending to Booster Spice. “Have you even seen Crimson's wife, kid? Whew! Makes Stasia look like a goddamn beauty queen.”

“Hah!” Lucky Strike chuckled. “I'm telling her you said that.”

“Do that and Zetta will be firing you out of the cannon, next.”

“Honestly, I'd be flattered.”

“Just stick to your doctoring, boys,” Zetta droned.

“Awwww...” Lucky Strike gazed at her, making a kissy face. “You're saying you don't want to handle me like a cannonball?”

“Your cannonballs could use a bit of adjusting ever since the Searonese nearly burned them to a crisp in their Hold.”

“Er... right. Ahem. Shutting up now.”

“So...” Eagle blinked at Crimson and Phoenix. “You've moved into Aurum just fine?”

“That we have.” Phoenix nodded. “Crimson's family. My folks.” He grinned. “What's more, a bunch of other Franzington clans headed east across the ravine as well. There's about two pilgrimages across the ruins of Foxtaur every month. Shoot, we're thinking about making a new name for the community!”

“Like Hell we will!” Tweak grumbled. “The name of 'Aurum' is the one thing standing between them and those Spark-forsaken Killas!”

“We can handle them, Tweak,” Crimson said in a droning tone. “If those dogs haven't already figured out who the land belongs to, then they're stupider than the Luxomaritan archives maintain!”

Eagle Eye perked up. “How... h-how is that going, by the way?”

“What, Luxomare?” Seclorum paced through the interior. “There's a brand new peace accord every week! The Council of Ledo is absolute history. Lately, the government's been representing the populous with a vengeance. Not only are we making friendly with the Xonans, but we've started work on... uhh... I guess you could call them 'exchange programs.'”

“Ah...” Josho nodded in the direction of Arcshod and his two fellow warriors. “I'm guessing that's how you got the Marked Brothers over there.”

“What, Arcy? Pffft.” Seclorum leaned over to nudge Arcshod in the side. “Queen Lasairfion personally gave them her royal blessing to assist me and Prowse in this... uh... mission of intense ambassadorial deliverance, if you catch my drift.” The old stallion smirked up at the towering Xonan. “Isn't that right, bud?”

“Dreit.” Arcshod nodded. He leaned forward, concentrating hard as he spoke into Josho's face: “It arrives to help... the fat of bastard...”

Josho gulped. “Well... uh... this fast of bastard is tickled of pink.”

“Then this is a royal mission?” King Lunarius asked. “You've been sent from foreign lands to aid Val Roa in our time of need?”

“Nothing of the sort, laddie.” With a limping gait, Prowse trotted in from the cockpit. The ship coasted south on autopilot as he leaned on his boomstick and bore a red-bearded smile. “We've been summoned by Rainbow Dash, the wee lass of colors who captains my niece's ship, the Noble Jury.” His eyes narrowed atop his thin skull. “Her friend, Bellesmith, summoned us to the blistery north to rescue your hides—royal or not. You see, we're in the business of savin' harmony and slayin' monsters, not necessarily in that order.”

Lunarius nodded, eyes firm. “And my kingdom is under attack by the most vile monster of all.”

“Not for bloody long, it isn't!” Prowse spat. “The Tarkington may be an uglier, cruddier leg of the Noble Jury, but if I know anythin' about hoppin' back from a bad injury, it makes you ten times more pissed off. We're gonna save yer kingdom of prancin' deerfolk if we have to headbutt our way through a mountain of changelings to do it!”

“Uhm...” Eagle Eye fidgeted. “It's only one changeling this time. Chrysalis and... uh... a bunch of mind-controlled deer at her command.”

“What bloomin' difference does it make, ya talkin' pile of knickers?!” Prowse bellowed. “I done gathered up all your wee friends from here to Freshmanton—”

“Franzington.”

“—to end what got started in Stratopolis!” Prowse's eyes narrowed. “And I'll be damned to soot-suckin' for all eternity if I dun do somethin' to honor the price Aatxe paid to make this little vacation possible! Ach!” He spun towards Zetta. “Diet Propsicle! Do the thang and make the skystone burn hotter!”

“Hmmm...” The mare smirked, yanking at a series of levers. “Aye, Cap'n, my Cap'n.”

“And do somethin' about this sod!” Prowse trotted over Booster Spice as he made his way back to the cockpit. “He's leakin' all over me pretty ship!”

Booster shuddered, breathing easier in the bandages being applied. “I... I don't get it...” He gulped. “Are these friends of you guys?”

Josho and Eagle Eye exchanged faces.

At last, Eagle smiled. He looked back at Booster. “More like family.”

Two Victims of The Shimmer Glimmer

“Foal.”

Rainbow Dash gnashed her teeth, spiraling through the cosmos.

”Yesterday.”

Trembling, she squeezed her eyes open.

Urohringr spun beneath her. Around the bent horizon, Yaerfaerda appeared. Its shimmering bands pulsated as the mantra repeated, booming across the celestial expanse.

“Leave me...” She hissed. Her eyes flickered red on yellow. “Leave me alone!”

“Foal.” The east sun rose, blotting out the symbol. As the lavender glare faded, ashen piles of calcified dust appeared in a circle. “Yesterday.”

“I said leave me be!” Rainbow hollered, spinning through the ether. “They're gone! They're all gone! My friends need me now! My friends—”

Out from the middle of the refuse, a serpentine creature appeared, its antlers brimming with chaotic energy. With a demonic cackle, it flew towards Rainbow Dash on an intercept course.

Rainbow flinched. In so doing, she got a good look at her own limbs. One was a lion's paw and the other was a griffon's talon. “No... please...” Blood trickled over her face, covering her eyes from where the horns sprouted from her forehead. “Not now... Not now!”

The chaos lord's mouth opened wide, consuming her in one howling lunge.

“Nnnngh—NO!” Rainbow Dash sat straight up, drenched in sweat and panting.

The dizziness was gone. She sat in the middle of a desert valley. Stars broke out across the darkening sky, and the shimmering vista of Val Roa's capital loomed to the east. Far beyond the edge of the Grand Choke, the Yaerfaerda continuously pulsed, faint but persistent.

Rainbow shuddered, breathing heavily as she stood up on wobbly legs.

“Wait...”

She stared up at the evening sky.

“...how?”

She sensed a body behind her. She twirled with a slight gasp.

Floydien sat on his haunches, gazing due west. His antlers glowed with a gentle aura. His muzzle hung in a melancholic slump.

Rainbow blinked. “Floydien...” She gulped. “Where... where did—?”

“Back at the compound,” the elk calmly replied. “Hairy boomer and charcoal boomer chose to fight back the stabby stabs.” His ears twitched beneath his glowing antlers. “Color Wheel boomer was out and the stabby stabs surrounded. It was the only way.”

Rainbow grimaced. Slowly, she shook her head. A dull roar rose from her chest. “We were so close...” She seethed. “We were so damn close!”

She spun and bucked at a pile of rocks. The stone bits splattered across the valley, echoing in every direction for a hundred meters.

“Rrrrrghh-aaaaaaugh!” Rainbow slumped to her haunches, yanking her hair in frustration.

Floydien said nothing. His eyes fell to the arid soil beneath them.

“What do you want from me...?” Rainbow seethed. She gripped and tugged at the Loyalty pendant, tempted to rip it off completely. “What do you want?! Can't you see I'm trying to do something here?! This is for Harmony! Isn't that what the Austraeoh would do?!”

She screamed in another fit of frustration, ultimately deflating to the earth as her lungs wheezed and trembled. Fighting tears, she clenched her eyes shut. A sniffle escaped her muzzle.

“I... I'm sorry, Floydien,” she murmured. “I am so... so sorry.” Her eyes opened, dull and glossy. “All I am is a tragedy. It touches everypony I'm with, one way or another. They were your friends...” She gulped. “I know they were your friends, even if you refuse to say it.” She shuddered. “And I let them down. I let you down.” She ran a hoof over her flinching eyelids. “All over again...”

Silence.

At last, Floydien spoke. “How does the color wheel boomer do it?”

Rainbow sniffed. Wiping her face, she turned towards him. “H-huh?”

Slowly, he gazed over, his face deadpan. “How does the color wheel boomer remember?”

Rainbow merely blinked at him.

“Floydien began not long ago, born unto shimmer glimmer of stabby stabs. But Floydien's been told...” He clenched his lips momentarily. “Floydien knows that there was shimmering before that. And boomers aplenty. Friendly boomers.” His brow furrowed as he stared west. “Only, Floydien doesn't remember. There's just... too much shimmer glimmer.” His lips pursed. “But Floydien remembers Simon.”

Rainbow Dash sat up straight, listening intently.

“And after Simon bit the dust dust, Floydien came here.” His ears twitched as he thought aloud. “Which is a very odd thing, for Floydien set out west to begin with. Floydien doesn't think that... th-that Floydien had any intention of returning.” He gulped. “But now that Floydien is back... and has met boomers from before the shimmer glimmer...” He winced visibly, hesitating. After a sigh, he gazed directly at Rainbow Dash. “How does color wheel boomer do it? How does she remember?” His nostrils flared. “Because if Floydien could remember, maybe Floydien would have never come back east.”

Rainbow hugged herself, shivering in the cold desert wind. “Floydien, look, I...” She shuddered. “Every time I try to compare what I've been going through to my friends, I fall flat on my face. Destiny... Austraeoh... or whatever has something in store for me.” She trembled, sensing the glow of Yaerfaerda beyond her peripheral vision. “I lost all my friends, Floydien. But yours? They're still—” She winced before she could finish that sentence.

Floydien stared at her. “Sometimes Floydien thinks he didn't grieve for Simon like he was supposed to. Sometimes he thinks he just flew with the boomers east because he wouldn't have to remember.” He bit his lip. “When was it that Floydien failed? He didn't have to fly back. He doesn't have to be here right now.”

“Well, Floydien, lemme ask you this,” Rainbow Dash said, looking squarely at him. “Now that you've seen what you've seen, and witnessed what you've witnessed, would you want to be anywhere else?”

Floydien was silent.

Rainbow gritted her teeth. “I don't know how, but someway we're going to get your friends back, Floydien.” She stood up straight with a steely frown. “We're going to fix Val Roa. We're going to fix everything.”

“Floydien... doesn't know how,” the elk said. “So much has been lost already. What more is there to give?”

“You see, Floydien, sometimes...” She fidgeted, looking behind her at the distant Yaerfaerda symbol. “A lot of times doing what's awesome means doing what you're afraid to do.” She looked back at him. “If you don't trust yourself, that's fine. But you... you c-can count on me.” She frowned. “I promise that I will not let you down.”

Floydien's eyes narrowed. “And does color wheel boomer believe in Floydien?”

Rainbow eventually nodded.

Floydien stood up on wobbly legs. “Yes yes yes... Floydien supposes that is enough.”

Rainbow Dash was about to say something when a loud crackling noise emanated from beneath her loyalty pendant. She gasped. “The Jury!” She reached underneath, pulling loose the sound stone. “Belle?! Pilate?! This is Rainbow Dash! We have a situation—”

“Scrkkk! Rainbow... Rainbow, it's so h-horrible!” a feminine voice wept.

Floydien blinked.

Rainbow's lips pursed. “Jet...? Jet, what's wrong?!”

The voice on the other end needed time to compose herself. “It's the Duchess! Arcanista and Mamunia! Fishberry's.... she's c-captured them!”

Rainbow Dash's blood ran cold.

“I... I-I don't know what to do!” Sniffling and weeping. “I barely got out of the High Council building with my skin intact! I... I'm scared. I'm scared for them, Rainbow Dash.”

“Jet...” Rainbow paced about on blue wings. “Where are you right now?”

“Mmmm... Plaza Topaz. I came here as soon as I could.”

“Stay right there!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Floydien and I are going to meet up with you there as soon as we can!”

“Huh? Why... why j-just the two of you?”

Rainbow glanced aside at Floydien. “A lot of horrible things have happened tonight...”

Concentrate, My Ebon to Your Mane

“We've searched all over the Royal Palace, Secretary,” a guard said. “There's no sign of the Xonan. Or the Prince for that matter.”

Another guard galloped up. “We have one team retracing their steps in the royal chambers. The other team is branching out and searching the courtyards immediately outside the palace.”

Secretary Sharp Quill took a deep breath. He glared ahead as he trotted firmly down an ornate palace hallway. “She's a magically gifted unicorn. Is it possible that she could have teleported the two of them somewhere?”

“Erm...”

“Well?!” Sharp Quill snapped, purple eyes flaring. “Is it possible or isn't it?!”

“Our knowledge of unicorn magic is limited, Secretary, sir. We could be talking ten meters... one hundred meters... it's difficult to say.”

“Have you or have you not pledged your lives to the House of Evo?!” Sharp Quill snarled. “Difficulty is not the issue here! We must find the Prince so that he can be safely crowned King!”

“We understand, sir! And we have all of our guards fanned out, searching for—”

“Nnngh... such a waste of time.” Sharp Quill marched swiftly ahead. “Round up every Soul Sentry in the Capital. Focus their attention on the Palace. I refuse to believe that they both just disappeared!”

“Sir, about the Soul Sentries,” one guard spoke up, struggling to keep up with Sharp Quill. “General Saikano's brigade reports that the perimeter is being drawn in towards the capital and...”

The Secretary and his company of guards vanished down the far end of the hallway. Seconds later, a patch of wall shifted from the rest. Ebon Mane solidified, catching his breath as he reverted to his natural insectoid self. Wheezing, he crawled a few feet down the corridor, recovering from a prolonged period of active camouflage.

Before he had the chance to relax, however, Ebon heard loud hoofsteps coming from around the nearby corner, accompanied by the unmistakable rattle of armor. Looking all around, Ebon discovered a door just five feet away. He dashed towards it and fiddled with the handle. To his joy, it opened to a dark chamber. Without a second's hesitation, he dashed into the enclosure and slammed the door shut.

He heard the rattle of armor come and go. All was silent once again.

With a shuddering breath, Ebon Mane turned around. He stared directly into four sets of glowing green eyes.

“Aaaack!” he jumped back, cowering into a little carapace shell. He clenched his eyes shut, waiting to get the zap. However, nothing happened. More nervous than relieved, Ebon looked up.

Sure enough, four Soul Sentries sat dead-still inside the compartment, facing the door he had just entered through. They appeared to be relaxing, judging by the lazy stances they all took, resting back on their haunches. Their antlers pulsed from side to side, and their ever-luminescent eyes cast a green sheen across the opposite wall.

Blinking, Ebon stood up. He leaned to the left, then to the right.

None of the Soul Sentries even bothered pivoting their necks.

He gulped, raised a webbed hoof, and boldly waved it in front of their eyes.

The four reindeer sat perfectly still, unaffected.

Ebon's fanged muzzle hung open. Before he could articulate his confusion, he heard hoofsteps bounding up from the hallway outside. Shimmying, he rushed towards the far corner of the tight chamber and coated his exoskeleton with a dark sheen, blending with the shadows.

Seconds later, the door opened to the royal hallway. Two royal soldiers peered in.

Immediately, all four Soul Sentries stood up and aimed their antlers threateningly at the intrusion.

“Wh-whoah!” one guard stammered. “Stand down. Authorization Saikano Gamma.”

The Soul Sentries sat back down, their horns no longer brimming with hot mana.

“Mother of God,” the other guard muttered. “I know they represent the best of the best, but that'll never cease to freak me out.”

“Uh huh. Whatever. The Secretary is grilling us all, and we need every able-bodied hoof available in the Palace to search for the Prince.”

“You sure about that?”

“You want to get on Sharp Quill's bad side?”

“No, of course not. But look.” One guard pointed at the Soul Sentries. “Looks like they're in a state of rest. Wouldn't we be overworking them if we pulled these Soul Sentries out now?”

“Hmmm... good point.” The first guard took a deep breath. “Okay. We'll take two of them out; leave the other two to regain their energy.”

“Sounds good to me.”

A soldier trotted in, facing one Soul Sentry after another, staring him down face-to-face. “Follow. Authorization Saikano Alpha,” he repeated.

Two of the Soul Sentries obediently stood up and followed the soldiers out. The door shut behind, leaving Ebon Mane alone with the remaining reindeer.

Exhaling, Ebon returned to natural form with a flicker of green flame. He paced over to the door, pressing his webbed ear against it. The hoofsteps of the royal guard grew more and more distant.

Once the corridor beyond was silent, Ebon turned and faced the two Soul Sentries again.

They looked past him, unaffected by his presence.

Ebon rubbed his chitinous chin in thought. He paused. Then, with a brave flash of green flame, he transformed into Eagle Eye.

The Soul Sentries didn't budge.

Ebon reverted back to his natural shell, panting for breath. Focusing once more, he morphed into his usual burgundy exterior.

The Soul Sentries remained seated.

Back to his black shell, Ebon sat back, gawking at them. “Why do they not even see me?” His glazed eyes darted about. Suddenly, he gasped. “It's... it's because I'm a changeling, isn't it?” He gulped. “After all, how would anyone suspect hive drones making it all this way...?”

Silence.

Ebon Mane shuddered. He looked up at the Soul Sentries. He gazed at their glowing green eyes.

Looking down at his own hoof, he morphed one limb just long enough to cover up to his fetlock. He concentrated on the green flame wafting over him. At last, he relaxed, letting the green flame dissipate.

Gnawing on his lower jaw, he stared up at the Sentries' green eyes once again. On buzzing wings, the changeling lifted up until he was staring face-to-face with the reindeer once again. Breathing heavily to steel himself, he grasped both sides of one reindeer's skull and leaned forward until their foreheads made contact.

“Mother... I know you're here somewhere...” Ebon's limbs tightened as he seethed. “...but if I can't find you, then I'm going to have to make you come to me...”

Seconds went by.

Minutes...

Ebon shuddered, for suddenly his eyes were glowing with the same luminosity as the guard in front of him. He winced as if with a deep pain, but nevertheless kept concentrating, his wings fluttering steadier and steadier as he relaxed his mind, forming an empathetic bond.

The chamber hung in dead silence all around him...

Never Too Late To Begin Again

Jex paced around the mound of soft sand and dirt as well as he could. His crutch of a prosthetic dug into the earth with each turn, and he wrapped his good arm around himself as he shivered from the chill of bitter desert night.

“Okay, so maybe I can guess as to why you let me live,” the imp said. “You're a pony and a Noble Jurist. I suppose there's something beneath your squishy exterior that sympathizes with all walks of life, even life that doesn't have all its legs to walk with. So, seeing an ounce of good in my being, you decided to spare my existence and allow me to live so that I could improve on my state of being.”

“No, don't be ridiculous,” Roarke droned. Seemingly impervious to the cold, she squatted a few feet above him, attaching her scant piece of remaining leg armor to the chunk of skystone pilfered from the crashed battleship. “You are still of utilitarian use to me. Simple as that.”

Jex swiveled to a stop, his jaws chattering. “Oh.” His ears twitched. “Even still...” He glared her way. “I thought the plan was to bring both of Haman's ships down!”

“Indeed.” Roarke nodded. She pressed a button on the side of the armor piece. A panel popped loose, inverting to form a rotating dish that aimed towards the sky. “It was.”

“And yet...” Jex's eyes thinned. “You let one of them go! I mean, from the way you were speaking before the mission, it seemed to me that this was going to be a do-or-die exercise!”

Roarke crawled up to the very top of the blasted mountain and dug the skystone in at the summit. “Your point...?”

“I've seen you in action, pony!” Jex rasped. “You could take on an entire army of reindeer if you wanted to! Your fighting skills know no limits. Perhaps it would have ended with your untimely death, but you could very easily have fought your way into the belly of the second ship and ruptured its core before perishing.”

“Mmmm...” Roarke gave the shard a few flicks. The skystone pulsed with an ethereal amber glow while the tiny dish continued spinning. “Perhaps.”

“So why didn't you?!” Jex exclaimed. “Surely you know what's at stake! You have friends and colleagues in the far north! Now they're at risk of fighting two battleships instead of one! I mean... I can't speak for the pony mind, but isn't that something worth fighting for? Even to the death?!”

Roarke trotted back from the glowing shard. She brushed her hooves off and muttered, “You ask me if perhaps I should have laid my life on the line so that my friends may live. In a brutal world without choices, I would agree with you. But I no longer see the world in the same way Roarke Most Rare did. This it not all one big game that ends in my sacrificing myself. There is always another option. To believe otherwise is to submit to defeat.”

Jex squinted at her. “Since when were you so simple-minded? Life is hardly that fair.”

“Only when we let it come to that. However, now I am convinced that we're put upon this plane to enact a difference, a harmonious difference. And before you attempt to contradict me, keep in mind that I've been taught by the best.”

“Uh huh...”

Roarke tilted her head up, gazing into the cloudy night sky above the arid mountains. “There'll always be something worth fighting for, Jex. Very rarely are you able to find something worth living for. But once you've grasped hold of it, it's fruitless to let go. For a moment there, I had forgotten that lesson.”

Jex was about to retort when he heard strange thunder from up above. He tilted his head up and his ears drooped behind his skull.

The cloudy sky became cloudier. Flashes of yellow and red lightning brimmed. Soon, the thick mists were descending, approaching the gravel-laden summit. Frightened, Jex stumbled back, falling on his rear end.

The skystone shard pulsed from where it had been planted in the earth. Its amber glow intensified.

Suddenly, one after another, black spheres descended from the clouds above, their skystone engines pulsating in sequence with the shard that Roarke had planted.

Soon enough, the mountain was surrounded by no less than twelve looming Lounge aircraft, circling in close orbit, scanning the two lone figures stranded there.

Roarke tilted her head aside. Her muzzle was slightly curved as she said, “It is never too late... to start again.”

Deep in the dim streets of Val Roa, nestled between two spaciously curved towers, and shadowed by looming balconies and bronze-capped ledges...

A square-shaped piece of tile shifted loose from the rest of the panels bordering it. It shook slightly at first, then rattled, then finally lifted up altogether. A pair of green eyes peered out, anointed with a glowing green horn. Kera looked left, then looked right. At last, deciding that the coast was clear, she slid the panel sideways so that it rested on the street's floor just above the hidden lid to the sewers. With meager grunts, she pulled herself out of the hole and rolled to the side, panting and sputtering for breath.

Not long after, she heard desperate and persistent grunts from the hole beside her.

With a groan, Kera rolled her eyes, then sat up straight. She crawled over to the edge of the pit, leaned her horn down, and tugged with as much magic as she could muster.

Prince Eine gasped as he felt his body lifted up and dangled just above street level. He was pulled to the side, and then the magic aura faded. “Ooomf!” he grunted as he crumpled down onto the floor just beside Kera.

“Meh...” Kera wheezed. “At least you're as light as you look.”

“Uhm... I-I have to be at least three years older for the muscle mass to efficiently—”

“Yes... Yes. I know.” Kera rolled her eyes. “Goddess, will you let it rest, already?”

“Sorry...”

“And quit apologizing! You're gonna be king soon! Time to own up to stuff, y'know? Be a buck for crying out loud!”

Eine shuddered, gazing down at the hole to the sewers. “I think it's obvious to both of us that I've got a lot to learn about the true state of my kingdom.” His jaw clenched. “And just how few of my subjects deserve my trust.”

“Don't go all mopey on me,” Kera said. Struggling, she shoved the heavy tile plate back into place and set it even with a pulse of mana. “So maybe Chrysalis has turned a few deer over to the dark side. You've still got a kingdom to run. If not today, then sometime soon. The key part right now is keeping you alive for when it happens.”

“Where are we?”

“Beats the heck out of me,” Kera said, standing up. She stared at the sky and saw slivers of starlight beyond the cylindrical towers. “This whole city of yours was built on crazy. I mean, it's pretty in the daytime and all, but I couldn't make my way from Point A to Point B even if I tried.”

“Then... we're lost?”

“Yes.” Kera grinned. “I couldn't be happier.”

He gazed at her cockeyed. “Huh?”

“The key here is to remain hidden. And that's one thing I'm good at in a city, no matter how strange it may be from the inside out.”

“But... Sharp Quill... the Soul Sentries...” Eine trembled. “They could be looking all over for us!”

“And they will look and they will look and they will rub their hooves to the bone. So long as we lay low, we can choke them out. Leave 'em starved for results.” Kera paced back and forth, peering down the available avenues. “You'll continue to be a no-show, and the public will start to worry. Soon enough, they'll start asking questions. That'll put Chyrsalis' goons up against the wall. And by that time, hopefully, the Noble Jury will have dropped the hammer on them, and you and I will be free to show our faces.”

“You make it all sound so very simple.”

“No.” Kera shook her head. “I make it sound so very stupid. Which is how I know it'll work.”

“Uhhhh...”

“Come on!” Kera tugged him along, keeping their voices low as the two tiny figures darted into a nearby alley. “We've gotta find a place to hide!”

“I-I don't suppose our hiding spot will have couch cushions and running water?”

“Heck, no!”

“Awwww...”

A Fate That Is Most Rare

The first of several Lounge ships descended to the shorn mountaintop, flanked by two other spheres.

Roarke stood up tall, facing the inevitable landing. Jex scrunched over and cowered behind her, eyes plastered to the skystone vessels.

At last, the clamshell front of the vessel slid back. Six figures stood tall, their dark suits venting steam at yellow-glowing joints. In the center stood a particularly tall naga, his glossy visor flickering with an amber strobe. He leaned back on his tail until the sphere came to a complete stop. Then, breathlessly, he leapt down and landed in a nimble squat before the metal mare. He paused to stare at the tiny skystone shard and the dish that had been attached to it before standing up straight. When he spoke through his helmet's crackling speaker, Roarke immediately recognized him as the naga who had stared down Haman earlier at the exchanged.

“Skystone does not simply appear this far south into the central plane,” he hissed, towering above Roarke, along with his companions. “Not unless the material has been excavated, pilfered, or stolen—and in each case it likely belonged to us and us alone.” Cht-Chtung! He extended a manablaster from under his right arm's sleeve. “Explain yourself, pony. I do not grant my attention to just anyone.”

“You're right,” Roarke said. “I did steal this skystone shard.” She gestured calmly at the thing. “I stole it off one of the two goblin battleships Haman equipped with it.” She looked up at him. “Right after I ruptured its engine core and sent it crashing into the mountains.”

The naga leader leaned back. Something clicked from deep within his helmet. At last, he replied, “A single pony, bringing down an entire battleship? Preposterous.”

“Ask your chief navigator to give you a full briefing on the sudden alteration to the landscape just south of here,” Roarke said. “I know you have one such officer per ship who's tasked with performing environmental scans on the topography at regular hourly intervals.”

The leader turned towards a subordinate standing beside him.

The other lizard stood up tall. “She's right, brother. I was performing a scan of the local landscape right before we intercepted the skystone signal. There's a noticeable amount of wreckage ten miles to the south. What's more, this very mountain's configuration no longer matches what we have in our databases.”

The leader turned towards Roarke. “Surely, you had more forces on your side.” He pointed a clawed finger at Jex's emaciated figure. “An inside job, I gather. It takes the merest shove to make goblin kind turn on one another.”

“He was my only ally in this contingency,” Roarke explained. “In truth, if we wanted to, we could have brought down the second battleship as well. However, I chose to contact you instead.”

“For what, pray tell? The naga's head cocked to the side, venting steam from beneath his helmet. “So that we might provide your vagabond limbs with transport to a place of refuge? We are already far from home, cast aloft in a land that despises us. We have no further business here.”

“You have more business here than you pretend to know,” Roarke said. “You've supplied one of the most diabolical warlords in this region with the means to lay waist to an entire culture.”

“Haman is a fool,” the leader hissed. “He will no more succeed than he will grow his own legs back.”

“I never said that he would succeed.” Roarke shook her head. “But what's started here will play into the hooves of an evil force far more destructive than the head of the Cartel. Haman's battleships are just the tip of the iceberg. A changeling Queen named Chrysalis is the one true threat here, and she will use Haman's influence to lacerate a bleeding wound of chaos clear across this continent. It will devour all noble civilizations that cling to this landscape, reindeer and goblin and pony alike. It will even spread in due time to the swamps, where your very brothers will face the consequences of what's begun today.”

“This is all pedantic foolishness,” the leader hissed. He whipped his tail about and used it to latch up the skystone shard. “I only came here to take what is mine. I do not intend to listen to the desperate ramblings of a mad horse.” He signaled to his brethren and the group prepared to leap up onto their sphere.

Roarke leaned forward. “Not even Vaughan?”

Every naga instantly froze. Even those standing on the other hovering spheres noticeably flinched. Slowly, the leader pivoted about to face her.

Roarke's copper lenses pistoned outward. “She who saw one of your brethren at his lowest, and—against all odds—prevented him from bringing great shame to the Lounge all over?”

As the seconds oozed by, the leader marched up to her. He leaned down, peering through his helmet. “You are the Vaughan?” He vented steam, shivering slightly. “You are the one who dragged Razzar out from the abyss so that Quezaat could feast on his foul flesh?

“Granted, I did have some help,” Roarke said. “My true allies await me in Val Roa. They need my help. They need your help.”

“Brother,” one lizard spoke up, fidgeting. “She does match the descriptions of the Vaughan—”

He snarled at them. “Do you think I do not know that?!” He seethed, took a calm breath, then peered down at the metal mare once again. “If this is true—”

“And it is,” Roarke firmly said. “And you have a code of honor to uphold. If my friends and I hadn't interceded, Razzar would have murdered countless innocent souls in his mad quest for unclaimed skystone. He would have left his defiling mark on the face of Quezaat forever. However, that is not the case, is it?”

The leader leaned back. “So now... after all these months... the Vaughan has decided to call upon the code of honor. And to what end?” He growled, “To settle a foreign war in a land that does not concern us? Unacceptable.”

“No, what's unacceptable is your willingness to rob Quezaat of glory altogether,” Roarke said. “For if you stand idly by and let Chrysalis consume Val Roa from the inside out—using goblins or reindeer or ponies—you will only invite doom upon yourself, for Chrysalis will not stop her reign of terror until all of this continent is consumed, from the Grand Choke to Alafreo. The Lounge's swamps have no hope.”

“We pride ourselves in policing these lands quite thoroughly,” the naga said. “We never heard of this Chrysalis.”

“As she would wish it to be.” Roarke paced before the creatures. “Brothers, I do not speak of an egotistical maniac such as Haman who would seek a single hour of glory in spite of all the harm it would do to his own kind. I'm talking about a monster so conniving and diabolical that it has eluded everyone's senses, including my own. If the close brothers of Razzar told you anything upon their return to the Lounge, then surely you must know that this isn't the first time you've brushed with the changeling queen before. She was there, in Stratopolis, when Razzar fell.” She scuffled to a stop, glaring at the leader. “As was I. And I'm trying to help you as much now as I was trying to help you then.”

“Word is that the Vaughan deceived Razzar... infiltrated his ranks... slayed and mutilated naga kind in order to accomplish her tasks.”

“Indeed.” Roarke nodded. “And would you have it any other way?”

“... … ...” The naga leader glanced back at his compatriots.

Jex's gaze darted amongst the masked crowd. He gulped nervously.

“Everything is coming down to the wire, and the continent's fate hangs in the balance,” Roarke said. “Would you intervene for Quezaat's sake? Or let it all go to ruin?” Roarke bore a simple smirk. “The choice—dear brothers—is up to you.”

The leader turned towards her. “You realize, this requires us to break our merchant's code with the Cartel.”

“That's true.”

“Then you acknowledge that, in desiring the harmony of the entire continent, you would willfully endorse the annihilation of a single culture.” The naga hissed, “For that is the only outcome that will result from this. Haman has dug himself a hole that his people will never climb out of.”

“I acknowledge that the Cartel will be irrecoverably changed,” Roarke said. “But that change can only be for the good.”

“How can you say that? You've no clue as to the imps' future. Odds are, another mongrel as bad as Haman or worse will ascend in the vagabond's place!”

“It will not come to that.”

“And what makes you so sure?”

Roarke took a deep breath. Through clenched jaws, she said, “For I will be their leader.”

Jex gave her a double-take, his eyes wide.

The naga exchanged glances while the leader leaned forward. “You? A mere pony?”

“Not just any mere pony,” Roarke said, shaking her head. “But Roarke most Rare... the Vaughan... a mare who understands both peace and violence, and the repercussions of each. So long as the Cartetl are left to their own devices, they will only reap more pain and suffering amongst these lands. Somepony new has to be there to foster their growth, to aim them down a path of true enlightenment and civilized codependency. I understand now that this is my purpose in a land such as this. For beyond the Grand Choke...” She slowly shook her head, exhaling with a shuddering tone. “There is no future for me. The journey ends here. For my friends, I suspect the same, only they must discover it in their own time... after Chrysalis is defeated.”

Jex's mouth hung open. He blinked thoughtfully at Roarke, then at the naga.

The lizards murmured to one another, their helmets clicking and venting with steam.

“So, then...” Roarke reached up and plucked her lenses off, squinting with cold blue eyes. “...are we in agreement?”

Must Have More Head Than Strong

"And without the Constable or Midnite Bastion?” Jet had said. “Your Jurists are so far away. There really is no hope left.”

Rainbow Dash stood dead still while the information boiled inside her heart and mind. She held a hoof over her pendant, her face awash in silence.

Nilla glanced between the two of them, her mouth agape “I... I just wish I understood. What's going on here?! What are you ponies really here for?”

Rainbow's breaths became firmer and firmer. Her brow furrowed as her nostrils flared.

Jet craned her neck. “Rainbow...?” She lightly trotted over. “Rainbow, what do we do now?”

Rainbow gritted her teeth. With a rush of air, her wings spread.

Jet's pupils shrank. “Oh no.”

A loud clap echoed down into the courtyard of Plaza Topaz, followed by a distressed mare's echoing voice. “Rainbow Dash! Don't!”

Several servants peered up, squinting into the glittery haze of night.

Floydien lifted his head, muzzle agape.

A blue streak shot straight north on blazing wings. The elk spotted a brief flicker of ruby light, and then the pegasus disappeared along the city skyline.

Floydien blinked, and his teeth grit. “Awwww spit.”

A cone of air formed around Rainbow Dash's figure. She soared past building faces, rattling windows and tearing flags off their poles. Skimming the rooftops of Val Roa, she made straight for the Royal District, flying faster and faster until the wind heated up with burning friction. Within blocks of the palace, she could already spot wavering rings of emerald light—where thick Soul Sentry battalions continued their desperate search for the two missing monarchs.

“No more hiding,” she sneered, teeth clenched as she stretched both forelimbs forward.

The air around her whistled.

Guards stirred in the streets below, overwhelmed by several successive blasts of thunder.

“You can have the kingdom... the continent... the entire light side for all I care,” Rainbow growled into the mess of turbulence burning all around her. “You cannot have Kera.”

She roared past the final layer of skyscrapers forming the edge of the Sandstone Distict.

Broad courtyards and a thick bronze wall stood between her and her destination. Reindeer marching along the outer edge spotted something incoming and flinched. All of the Soul Sentries instantly turned, their antlers brimming with angry electricity.

“Do you hear me?!” Rainbow Dash roared. Her eyes flickered red-on-yellow as her teeth took on a serrated edge. “You cannot have Belle and Pilate's child—”

A winged body flew into her from the side.

“Ooomf!” Rainbow exhaled as her body ragdolled sharply to the left.

A pegasus was shoving her sharply through the air. The two tumbled, flailed, and went sailing straight through the glass window of a two story storage warehouse.

CRASSSSSH!

Rainbow and her assailant went tumbling down an aisle lined with food crates and wine racks stacked high to the ceiling in preparation for the following day's Coronation. As glass and debris crashed around them, Rainbow Dash swiftly kipped up and spun to face her attacker.

A blue pegasus with rainbow-colored hair stood across from her in the foggy starlight.

“No!” the doppelganger shouted, blue face pale and panicked. “Not like this, Rainbow! You have to hold back—”

Fwoooosh! Frowning, Rainbow Dash soared straight past the figure, making for the smashed window. Suddenly, within a blink, Sivrem lurched in front of her, his massive wings blocking her path.

“Kera is safe, Rainbow Dash—”

“Out of my way!” Rainbow Dash brushed past the creature, only to be tugged with four limbs from behind.

“She's s-safe!” Rayvinne sputtered, hissing into the pegasus' ear. “Flying into the palace and attacking Sharp Quill isn't going to solve anything—!”

“Let me... go!” Rainbow frowned over her shoulder. “And tell Chrysalis—I don't care how many drones she's got loyal to her now! Kera's missing, and I'm going to find her even if I have to bust open all the antlers in Val Roa—!” Rainbow sputtered as she found the two of them encased in lavender telekinesis.

“Hrnnngh!” Wingless, Eagle Eye bodyslammed the mare back to the floor with his magic. He stood up and growled. “Dang it, Rainbow, stand down!”

“Rrrgh!” Rainbow answered with a savage hoof across his cheek.

The changeling stumbled back, head twisted the other way. Two seconds later, Eagle Eye frowned at her, took five bold steps, and morphed into Big Macintosh. WHUDDD! A cedar-thick fetlock was introduced to Rainbow's skull.

The pegasus spun twice from the impact, teetered into a supply aisle, and collapsed under three crashing crates. As the dust settled, the thoroughly-bruised mare cringed and writhed under the splintery debris. Squinting up at the towering stallion, she murmured, “Who are you...?”

Big Macintosh trotted up, then let loose a heavy sigh. His body shrank while his coat darkened into a rich burgundy hue.

Rainbow's mouth hung open. “... no... no friggin' way...”

“I tapped into the mindspace of the Soul Sentries, Rainbow Dash,” Ebon Mane said. “I almost didn't make it out, but I found what I needed to. The spell on the guards is everything we thought it was: a programmed slice of Mother's hive mind and then some.”

“This is some kind of a trick...” Rainbow shook her head.

“It can't connect with all of her drones on its own, but it can be made to control Val Roans. That's how Chrysalis is commanding the Soul Sentries to do her bidding and turn this kingdom into a prison.”

“You're not Ebon Mane. You can't be.” Rainbow frowned. “If you're really him, then prove it—”

“Dammit, Rainbow Dash!” Ebon snarled with Roarke's face before returning back to a frowning stallion. “No! I will not! We simply have no time! And, to be perfectly honest, you're not in the place to demand it! Now listen and listen tight! I can help you find Kera. I can help you find Eine and everybody! But first thing's first.” He marched over and leered over her, eyes wide. “I know where Mother is. And going to the Palace is not going to get her out of hiding.”

Rainbow Dash gazed at him, eyes blinking. With a shuddering exhale, she squirmed underneath the debris. “Okay, I'm listening...”

“Do you have your sound stone with you?”

“Uh... y-yeah. I think so.”

“Good.” Ebon took a deep breath. “Because we're going to need everypony in on this one.”

“Everypony, as in...?”

His burgundy brow furrowed. “Everypony.”

Next Year, Buy Him a Tie

With a cold mechanical hum, the door to the dark chamber opened. Pale blue light wafted across Midnite Bastion's figure.

She winced, lips and ears bleeding. The mare squinted, looking up from where she hung along a sterile wall, her legs and hooves outstretched and braced by dangling shackles.

On shuffling hooves, a tall dark figure strolled in from the light.

Midnite's nostrils flared. With a surly frown, she hung her head.

General Saikano came to a stop in front of her, gazing with perpetual deadpan. In the pale light, his scarred eye carried more warmth than the one that was actually studying the prisoner.

Midnite said nothing.

After a prolonged breath, Saikano calmly said: “Prince Eine of the House of Evo is missing.” He tilted his head forward, his natural and metal antlers forming shadows across the battered pony's features. “I speak, of course, of our Prince, soon to be King.” He clenched his teeth. “The deer whose safety you've pledged your very life to protect. He vanished around the same time you staged this poorly strategized stunt of yours. Perhaps, then, you would know something about his whereabouts?”

Midnite stared at the floor, scowling.

“I can order you to tell me,” Saikano said. “I can interrogate you.” He gulped. “Torture you. But I'm hoping that it won't come to that. I'm hoping you will remember the good soldier that you once were and do your last final duty.”

“... … ...”

Saikano stared at her, then past her. Slowly,he shuffled to the far side of the room. There, a huge, hairy slab of muscle and joints sat—slumped on all four knees. Jake's unconscious body was chained all over: three shackles per limb. On top of that, a massive slab of metal was clamped over his horns, weighing him further down to the floor.

“Constable Jake...” Saikano stretched his neck muscles. “Loyal to the Province Bountiful. Rather colorful history the House of Sehlp has. Almost radical, to put it lightly.” He turned towards Midnite. “If you won't give me an answer, maybe I can find one amongst the citizenry there. Shall I send five battalions? Or ten?”

The mare's ears twitched. Midnite bit her lip, shaking slightly, but ultimately said nothing.

Saikano's good eye narrowed. He shuffled over, slurring, “I brought you out of filthy streets. I brought you out of destitution. I gave you opportunities that no equine this side of the West Gate has ever entertained... and this is your repayment? This is the true shade of your loyalty?”

Midnite closed her eyes, dead silent.

“My power was yours, Midnite,” Saikano said. “Every soldier... every antler... every arrow. I would have utilized an entire army in saving your flesh in a heartbeat. But you did not want my favoritism. I couldn't have felt more proud. But now... all I feel is a broken heart.” He slowly turned around. “You need not worry. When it comes time to eke information out of you, I will send somedeer else.”

“You are not my father...”

His nostrils flared. He spoke without looking back. “That much was always clear.”

“No... you don't get it...”

Slowly, he turned around.

She glared at him, spitting up blood as she hissed, “Whatever you are, whoever you're working for, I'm going to make you bleed in places you never thought possible.” Her ears folded back. “Until you tell me where the real General is.”

Saikano's brow furrowed. “Who did this to you, Midnite?” His lips pursed. “Who turned you against me with this... hallucinogenic mania?”

All she did was sneer at him.

Saikano blinked. His ears twitched, and he found himself shuddering slightly as he turned towards the exit and shuffled his quiet way out.

He ran into a pair of guards trotting up from the far end of the facility.

“General, sir! News from the Capital!”

“... … …” Saikano glared at the metal floor.

One of the reindeer leaned forward. “...sir?”

Saikano flinched. He tilted his head up. “Report.”

“We have a caravan coming from the city, sir.”

Saikano squinted. “Was Sharp Quill successful in finding the Prince's abductor?”

“No, sir. It's Chancellor Fishberry,” the guard explained. “She's accompanying a Soul Sentry detachment. S he wishes to oversee the imprisonment.”

“Imprisonment?” Saikano leaned his head aside. “Imprisonment of who?”

“Uhm... Duchess Arcanista of the House of Sehlp, sir,” the guard said.

“You say that as if I already know of this arrest.”

“Do... do you not, sir?” The guard fidgeted. “You and the Chancellor are constantly in communication. Along with the Secretary at the Royal Palace. We just assumed—”

“You assumed?!” Saikano snarled, but suddenly fell silent. He raised a hoof, glancing at the cloven structure at the end of the limb. With a shuddering sigh, he spoke. “Thank you for the report. I will go and meet with the Chancellor.”

“Do you need more guards stationed here?”

Saikano fumbled for a bit. “No,” he eventually said, then trotted down the narrow hallway. “She isn't going anywhere...”

Treachery, Faith, and the Great Reindeer

General Saikano reached the east wing of the installation in time to spot Chancellor Fishberry's arrival. A thick line of Soul Sentries divided the two figures. Fishberry could be seen gesturing and muttering to the reindeer guards. With a gesture of her hoof, a group of soldiers trotted up and gathered a dormant figure in her midst. Saikano watched as two bound figures—Duchess Arcanista and a pony servant—were placed, shackles and all, on a wheeled slab of metal. With punctuating squeaks, the gurney was rolled west into the heart of the facility, straight past Saikano.

The General studied them emotionlessly, then continued his forward trot. “I trust that you did not harm them?”

“That as far as you go,” was Fishberry's response.

“If you brought them pain, it will make it all the harder for me to interrogate them—”

“I said move no further!” Fishberry snarled from afar, this time raising a hoof. “Cease where you be!”

Saikano scuffled to a stop. His eyes narrowed.

Fishberry frowned. “Yes. Interrogate them. That is what you are good at, is it not?”

“I was not aware that you would be bringing them here.”

“You should be paying attention more,” Fishberry said. “I fear there has been a breach in the Soul Sentry perimeter.”

“I am... nnngh... aware of that.” Saikano rubbed his scalp, wincing. “I've ordered them inward to cover the norther capital. Two of the beacons have been damaged. It has... been a challenge.”

“It matters little. Keep your head in the game,” Fishberry said icily. “We've suffered too many setbacks to fall apart now.”

“Who's falling apart? I'm doing my best down here and...” Saikano nevertheless grimaced. He blinked, and in that blink he saw a charcoal-black coat bleeding in multiple places. “...just what has the Duchess done?”

“Hmmm?”

“Arcanista,” Saikano said. “Of the Province Bountiful. I presume that's who it was.”

Fishberry frowned across the distance between them. “Wasn't it her Constable who attacked this facility? Did you or did you not report that?”

“I'm certain that I did.”

“They are obviously working together. It was an attack on our operation from two fronts. Make that three.” Fishberry's eyes narrowed. “Sharp Quill has lost track of the Prince. Now... everything is in jeopardy. We cannot afford frailty now.”

“No, I suppose not...”

“Have you heard from the allies to the south?”

Saikano glanced behind him. Making sure the coast was clear, he turned back and shook his head at her. “They should be en route. I've instructed the Cartel's forces not to make their strike until two hours after the sunrise.”

“Then there may still be time to salvage this,” Fishberry said. “With the prince missing, we'll have to fall back on our secondary plan.” She frowned into the metal walls of the place. “If we can't appeal to the hearts of this kingdom's populous, then we can make sure to exploit its fear. We can still manifest her will.” She looked up, eyes narrowing. “Nevertheless, I need you to interrogate the Duchess along with your other prisoners. If they have an idea... any idea where the Prince may be located, then that could make a sizable difference here. Proceed with all the skills at your disposal.”

“Interrogate the Duchess...”

“Affirmative.”

Saikano's ears twitched. He heard himself muttering, “Why... must we do that?”

Fishberry's pupils shrank. “Excuse me?”

“Her will...” Saikano's head teetered slightly as he lisped, “Why is it so important...?”

Fishberry's jaw hung open. “I do not believe I am hearing this. Do you even hear yourself?!”

“I... I...”

“Her will is everything!” Fishberry snarled, her whispering voice echoing across the bulkheads. “She is the key to this country's eternal glory!”

“I... I know that, b-but—”

“Do you?!” Fishberry gritted her teeth. “Because, from where I'm looking, you're practically falling apart! This most recent attack has done something to you, Saikano! And I don't like it one bit!”

Saikano winced, teeth showing. “The Soul Sentries...” He shuddered. “I have them in my control. Just... so many...”

“They must be maintained at all costs!” Fishberry frowned. “If you can't interrogate the suspects, have somedeer assigned to the task who can. I can't do it for you! And neither can Sharp Quill!” She huffed, face red. “The Secretary let his guard down, and now the Prince is missing thanks to his ineptitude. I can't have you be failing too!”

“I... w-will not fail...”

“See that you don't! I'm having to summon an emergency meeting of the High Council tomorrow,” the Chancellor said. “It is my hope to have all representatives and dignitaries located within the High Council building precisely when the Cartel arrives. That should maximize the enforcement of her will. And her will is important. You know this.”

Saikano nodded, shuddering. “Right. But of course...”

“When all of this is done, we will be free. We will be liberated,” Fishberry said. “That's what she's promised us! So... hold on just a little bit more. Have faith.”

Saikano hung his head in silence.

Fishberry sighed. “If you have any trouble, just remember, you can contact me at any time. The Secretary as well. So long as we work together, we will not fail. We have too much on our side to collapse at this point.” She pointed before trotting off. “Interrogate the prisoners. Learn what you can. Add that to the collective memory of the Soul Sentries, and we might recover the Prince yet.”

“Chancellor, do you have children?”

Fishberry scuffled to a stop. She glared over her shoulder. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Saikano opened his mouth, hesitated, then ultimately said. “You... you are right.” He gulped. “I must have faith in her. She will liberate us all.”

Fishberry slowly, slowly nodded. She squinted at him, shrugged it off, and trotted for the distant exit.

Saikano stood on his own, a limp expression hanging off his weary muzzle.

Where You Would Least Expect It

“The manasensors are coming up with identical readings along the mountain ranges due east of here,” Zetta said. She turned and looked over her shoulder. “The energy field is dissipating.”

“Lemme guess.” Prowse hobbled down the length of the Tarkington. “They're retreating east?”

“Affirmative.” Zetta nodded, turning back to her manaconsole and twisting a few dials. She studied the data being relayed to her via blinking diodes. “Looks like the Soul Sentries are being herded inward.”

“Hrmmff...” Seclorum frowned, standing beside Arcshod and the other two Xonans. “Dayum cowards.”

“Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves, General,” Crimson said.

“Former General.”

Crimson smirked slyly, levitating a mug of steaming coffee across the cramped confines. “We're at war with Chrysalis, not the unwitting victims of Val Roa.”

“Easy for you to say!” Seclorum spat. “She's controlling all those glowy-eyed deer, isn't she?”

“That remains to be seen,” Crimson said.

Josho spoke up from where he sat, polishing his shotgun. “And even if they are, I doubt they're doing so willingly.” He glanced up. “Imagine how quickly the kingdom will shape up once it realizes its elite soldiers have been working for a giant bug monarch all this time.”

“I still think it'd be easier to punch and explode through the whole lot of them.” Seclorum squinted at Josho. “You used to think the same thing too. What happened to you?”

“You wanna know what I think?” Phoenix remarked.

“Pffft. No.”

Phoenix smiled and spoke up anyway “I think he's been hanging around the little princess too long.”

“I heard that,” Eagle Eye muttered from where he sat with a blanket around his shivering shoulders.

“That's why I said it!”

Eagle sighed. “Now that I did not miss...”

“Are you certain?” Crimson knelt down before the petite unicorn, hoofing him the mug of coffee. “I can imagine a few Franzington locals who miss saying it.”

Eagle Eye took the mug with a thankful smile. “That's all behind me. Believe it.”

“I'm inclined to,” Crimson said. “According to Mr. Booster Spice, you're quite the one-stallion-army these days.”

“I hold my own these days, Crimson,” Eagle said. “But I'm still a team player.” He adjusted the folds of his blanket, fidgeting. “How... uh...”

“Booster Spice? Recovering nicely,” Crimson said. “Tweak and Lucky Strike's home-grown medicinal recipes can do quite the trick.”

“Well, that's good to know. Considering that they're... uhm...”

Crimson chuckled. “They know how to treat non crystal ponies. Don't worry.” He smirked. “Besides, they've had plenty of practice.”

Eagle leaned forward, blinking. “How is that going by the way?”

“What? Aurum? It's doing wonderfully. Didn't I already convey that?”

“I guess you did. It's just...” Eagle sighed, smiling weakly. “You have no idea how wonderful it is to know that sort of information. I mean, I headed east for a reason. I meant it when I said that I needed to find a home for my own. But...”

“You're a concerned soul, EE. It's quite alright,” Crimson said, finally sitting down across from him as the Tarkington's bulkheads shifted and hummed around them. “My family's as healthy and secure as they've ever been. They're practically siblings and cousins to Tweak's clan, now. Between Franzington's military experience and the crystal ponies' tenacity, we've made a truly safe haven for most ponies and non-equines wanting a safe place to live after the Confederacy's balance of power shifted.”

“Are... are things still harrowing in Led—” Eagle winced. “I mean Luxmare?”

Crimson chuckled lightly. “Things couldn't be better. It's like day and night. There's no Council wanting my and Phoenix's heads. But, more importantly, the Confederacy recognizes both Franzington and Aurum as sovereign nations. The days of aggressive annexation is over.”

“That's just... so hard to believe.”

“It took a while, but the sort of things Rainbow Dash and the Jury did along the Eastern front have had a lasting effect on the entire continent.” Crimson smiled. “Zetta and Basso told me all about it in great detail. Rainbow Dash actually took out a giant chaos dragon! I almost wish I was there to see it myself.”

“Yeah, well...” Eagle Eye shuddered. “Not all things went quite so...” He gulped. “...smoothly.”

“But... uhm...” Crimson leaned forward, eyes narrow. “Are you doing well for yourselves? For the most part, I mean.”

“Aside from being split up in half-a-dozen places on the verge of a Val Roan Apocalypse?”

“Eheh...” Crimson shifted his prosthetic limb. “Right. Aside from that. How have you been doing, EE?”

Eagle Eye nodded, gazing deep into the bulkhead. “I'm in a nice place, Crimson. A wonderful place.” He gulped. “It wasn't always a nice place. It took more than a few rough bumps. But...” He sighed, gazing up with glossy eyes. “I'm in love. Tried and true love. All that needs to happen now is for us to find a place to rest our heads and... start a new life together.”

“It was the cook, was it?”

Eagle Eye did a double-take. “Why... yes. Ebon Mane! How did you know?”

“Call it a hunch,” Crimson said with a slight smirk. “You two seem the right... er... size for each other.”

Eagle giggled. “I always knew you had built-in gaydar.”

Crimson shook his head. “Nah, if that was the case, I'd figure you'd fall for Jasper Clark.”

“Heeheehee.”

Crimson took a deep breath. “That... that large dude, Seclorum's friend.”

“Hmmm?” Eagle blinked. “Oh, you mean Josho?”

Crimson's eyes thinned. “He is... treating you right, I hope?”

“Yes, Crimson. Josho hasn't sat on me and crushed me to a gazillion powdery lavender bits.”

“Buh?”

Eagle suppressed another giggling breath. “When you met him, he was fresh off the deck of Prime Enforcer's Shell's battleship. He's a waaaaaaaaaaay different stallion now,” the young unicorn explained, gazing over Crimson's shoulder. “He's saved every Jurist's life in more ways than we can count. And I bet...” He chewed on his lip. “...I know that I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him.” He added in a muttering tone. “I wouldn't even want to be alive.”

Crimson nodded. “I guess I should know better than to assume otherwise by now.”

“It's okay.” Eagle smiled. “You're just concerned for me. I find that touching.”

“You've grown in so many ways, EE. Far be it from me to think that you were the same unicorn I parted ways with months and months ago...” His words trailed off, and he gazed down the length of the Tarkington.

Eagle Eye cocked his head to the side. “What?”

“I... I was tasked with delivering a message. But, seeing how you're doing and where you are in life, I... I'm not sure if I really should.”

“Crimson, so much could change at any moment.” Eagle grimaced briefly. “I... I-I don't even know if fate will let me see Ebon again anytime soon. I... I-I could definitely use whatever good news I can get.” He blinked. “It... is a good message, is it not?”

“Well, I suppose you could say that.”

Eagle Eye stared.

Crimson cleared his throat. He shuffled closer, speaking so that only the two of them could hear. “It wasn't just my family and Phoenix's that moved to Aurum, EE. So many other members of the Franzington Clan made the trip across Foxtaur and the Ravine to dwell in this new promised land. Many of them made the choice after much thought and deliberation. Others... did so with only a little bit of convincing on my part, especially after I... told them how brave a member of their own had been in... in...”

“Crimson,” Eagle Eye whispered. “Is... is my family in Aurum?”

Crimson simply stared at him.

“Are they okay? I mean...” Eagle gazed aside, blinking. His eyes darted back to Crimson. “This message. It's from them, isn't it?”

“It's from your father, EE.”

The unicorn bit his lip, his eyes hardening.

“He... he says that he's sorry,” Crimson remarked. “For... for everything. He... uh...” The stallion brushed his mane back and sighed. “...he extends his hoof... in both respect and reconciliation... if... if you would so choose to take it.”

Eagle's gaze fell to the floor.

Crimson cleared his throat. “I told him not to put his hopes up.”

“And he shouldn't,” Eagle muttered, jaw clenched. “After all he's done to me... after practically disowning me...” He gazed up, eyes thin. “Now he wants different? As if things can just change like that?”

“A lot can change in a short time, EE,” Crimson said. “Be it due to war or to peace. I think the latter has surprised him... shaken him up. He's a changed stallion. I can see it in his eyes. He's unsure of the future... frightened of a world with so much tranquility. I... I believe he's found time to reconsider his attitude about the only son who was willing to stand up to him.”

“... … ...” Eagle shuddered from where he sat.

“It could be a new home, EE,” Crimson said. “But, I can only imagine it'd be a prison all the same, if your heart wasn't in it.”

“My heart belongs to one soul,” Eagle Eye said. “But... I can't imagine... that is... I couldn't think of him.. of us...” He grimaced. “This is just so unexpected. I—”

“A signal!” Zetta suddenly gasped. “We're getting a signal!” She spun. “It's Rainbow Dash's sound stone!”

“Hot damn!” Josho stood up, holstering his weapon. “Now we're getting someplace!”

“She needs everyone around to listen!” Zetta said. “Sounds like we have a new game plan!”

“Better fetch the King and Queen for this,” Seclorum said, trotting across the Tarkington.

Crimson glanced behind his shoulder, then at Eagle Eye. “Uh... EE...?”

“Yeah, I get it.” The unicorn sighed, shrugging off the blanket as he took one sip of the coffee and stood up tall. “Soldier on. I'll deal with all that later...”

Everyone Sees Where This Is Going

Slowly, Duchess Arcanista's eyes fluttered open. She sat in the corner of a dank cell, her limbs shackled to rusted chains. Wearily, she looked to her left. Mamunia was slumped up against the wall, likewise manacled to a set of metal plates in the floor.

Wincing, Arcanista tilted her head the other way. She saw the massive figure of Constable Jake shackled to the floor. Then, standing between them in the shadows, a tall and imposing elk loomed. As the antlers above his brow glowed, the General took a few bold steps forward.

Arcanista gulped dryly. “Saikano, I presume...”

Saikano lifted a canteen of water towards the Duchess' muzzle.

Arcanista hesitated, glaring into the liquid wearily.

“Poisoning you would serve me no purpose,” Saikano said. “I can't get questions out of a corpse.”

“But you can out of raw meat?”

“I would hope it not come to that.”

Silence.

Leaning forward, Arcanista pressed her lips to the canteen. She drank the cool liquid liberally, her ears folding back as her body relaxed slightly in its metal imprisonment.

Meanwhile, Saikano tilted his head aside. “The Chancellor claims that you attacked her. Is this true?”

Arcanista swallowed the liquid down. She looked up at him. “My servant.” She motioned towards Mamunia. “Give her some.”

Saikano gave her a lasting stare. Nevertheless, he trotted over and gently tilted Mamunia's muzzle up. Half-awake, the pony's lips parted, through which Saikano gave her several graceful sips of water. When the gesture was finished, he helped her recline on the floor, then glanced patiently Arcanista's way.

The Duchess took a shuddering breath. “Undoubtedly the Chancellor claims many things. Did I attack her?” She slowly shook her head. “No. But now, seeing where I am, I most certainly wish I did.”

“And why is that?”

“Because she is not herself,” Arcanista remarked. “She's been replaced.”

“Replaced...”

“That's right.”

“And as Duchess of the province Bountiful, you saw it within your responsibility to bring to light this masquerade?” Saikano shuffled over. “By confronting the Chancellor directly in her office?”

“I assumed that a direct verbal confrontation would make her buckle under the pressure,” Arcanista said. “Turns out, I was right. Only partially.”

“Is that a fact?”

“She collapsed,” Arcanista said. “Suffering from some sort of... neurological attack. Her eyes pulsed with a magic unlike any kind of force I've seen wielded by deer-kind. I promise, I didn't lay a hoof on her.”

“But you would desire to?”

“Considering what she's likely instigating against the state and all my fellow subjects—”

“Would you lay a hoof on soul sentries? Soldiers?” Saikano's eyes narrowed. “Guardians of Val Roa?”

“I... don't understand.”

“Would you send your personal Constable to attack my forces?” Saikano stepped aside, gesturing at the unconscious moose. “Like he did hours ago... at approximately the same time that the Chancellor alleged you paid her... an innocent visit?”

Arcanista clamped her jaw shut. Ultimately, she hung her head.

“Maybe now you can understand why I find your tale quite hard to swallow,” Saikano said. “You've already made it clear that you have little to no confidence in the Chancellor's integrity. And, lo and behold, I found a soldier of your employ having infiltrated my facility, having done all sorts of damage to property and physical harm to deer. Can all of this really be legitimized by an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory?”

“It isn't completely unsubstantiated.”

“Where's your evidence, then?”

“Enough pretense, General.” Arcanista frowned. “I know that you're working for a malevolent force in this land.”

“Oh, am I, now?”

“You and Secretary Sharp Quill are conspiring with Chancellor Fishberry to hoof this kingdom over to a veritable monster. I and a few colleagues of mine have been the only creatures standing in the way between Val Roa and certain annihi—” Arcanista stopped in mid-speech, her muzzle hanging agape. She gazed across the way to where Midnite Bastion hung from several dangling shackles. “...Mother of God...” She gawked at Saikano, her muzzle awash in disgust. “Saikano, is that Midnite?”

The General said nothing, staring past her in order to avoid her gaze.

Arcanista clenched her teeth. “You've beaten and shackled your own daughter?!”

“She turned traitorous,” Saikano growled, the tips of his horns shimmering. “She attacked this facility and wreaked havoc.”

“Did she have a reason to?”

“I had no choice—”

“But was she right?!” Arcanista glared. “Did she murder your troops? Was she after your throat, Saikano?!”

“She... tried to undermine...” Saikano's brow began sweating as his pupils shrank. “...undermine the very... structure of our d-defenses...”

“By doing what?!” Arcanista tilted her head aside as she frowned. “I know a thing or two about the mare that my brother once fell in love with, Saikano. She followed in your military hoofsteps where nopony previously could. She mastered every lesson that you taught her.”

“Until today—” he snarled, shaking his head.

“Why would she turn against you unless every fiber in her being—everything that you taught her to be just—had told her that a decisive strike against this facility was absolutely necessary?”

“I... I do not understand her motivations...”

“Why would you let your own soldiers beat her within an inch of her life, Saikano?” Arcanista leaned back in her rattling chains. “And why aren't you seething in rage after being reminded that Duke Floyd and Midnite Bastion had an affair?”

Saikano flashed Arcanista a pale glance.

The Duchess' lips parted. “...you don't remember, do you?” After a sympathetic breath, she murmured, “Fishberry didn't either.”

“... ... ...” Saikano looked at the wall. In a limp shuffle, he trotted over and stood before the shackled mare.

Arcanista stared in silence.

Saikano stared up at Midnite's limp body. His ears twitched, and his good eye glazed over. He leaned forward as much as his antlers could allow, brushing the square of his head against Midnite's slowly heaving chest. “Your brother... the Duke of Sehlp... is he alive?”

The Duchess slowly nodded. “Aye. He is.”

“...would you hurt him if it meant protecting the interests of Val Roa?”

Arcanista sat in silence. After a long breath, she finally blurted, “No.”

Saikano shuddered. His voice wavered slightly. “Why would I do this to my own daughter?” He seethed through his teeth. “Why would I hide secrets from her? Why would I let things come to th-this?”

Shifting in her shackles, Arcanista stared at the trembling buck. At last, she stammered, “Maybe because you're not who you think you are.”

Saikano flashed her a wild look, his antlers losing their glow.

Arcanista gulped. “Tell me, Saikano. What you're sensing right now... what you're feeling... is it love?”

Saikano clenched his teeth. Gradually, the General nodded.

“Then ask yourself this.” Arcanista leaned forward. “Why are you working so closely with Sharp Quill and Fishberry to sow so much misery?”

Saikano's face hung in utter confusion. He turned to look at his daughter once again. “...I do not know...” He stumbled back, shuddering. “I do not understand anything...”

“She's making you do this, isn't she?”

Saikano flashed her another look. “She...?”

“Does she even have a name? A face? An identity?”

“She...” Saikano trotted backwards, teetering slightly. “...she wants what's best for... this continent...”

“And as General of Val Roa, can you afford to defend someone you can't even see?”

“... ... ...”

“Saikano...”

He looked weakly at her, his face soft.

Arcanista smiled gently. “It's not too late for Midnite. It's not too late for any of us.” Her eyes narrowed. “We need every one to stand up against this monster. Even you.”

Saikano exhaled. His gaze fell to the floor of the chamber.

“Can you help us?” Arcanista motioned with her head. “Can you help her?” Her ears folded back. “Please...”

It's All According To the Plan

Inside the Tarkington, King Lunarius' jaw hung low beneath a shocked expression. He exchanged stupified glances with Queen Azira. Together, the two stood on teetering limbs besides Zetta and the Tarkington's communications array.

“Wh-why... that's preposterous!” The King's nostrils flared as he leaned forward. “The Queen and I have experienced some fantastical nonsense, but what you're proclaiming is—without a doubt—the most absolute ridiculous—”

“With all due respect, Your Highness, I didn't inform you of this to get your approval,” Rainbow Dash's voice said. “I am telling you... this is how things are. Ebon Mane knows what he's witnessed. He's tapped into the very mind of the Soul Sentries and he knows who's controlling them.”

“And just how is this 'Ebon Mane' capable of such a feat?!” Lunarius asked.

“...because he is a changeling himself,” Rainbow said.

Several crew members of the Tarkington exchanged wild glances. Arcshod shifted uneasily while Seclorum did a double-take. Phoenix and Crimson exchanged blinking expressions. Meanwhile, Josho silently leaned forward and rested a hoof on Eagle's shoulder.

Rainbow's voice continued. “For all we know, he's the only offspring of Chrysalis located within central Val Roa. I don't think the changeling queen expected one of her own kind to show up here of all places. Because of this, he was able to exploit the one chink in her armor. Now we have the drop on her.”

“And does she suspect a thing?” Queen Azira asked. “Does she know what you've discovered?”

“I don't believe so,” Rainbow Dash's voice said. “Her minions have completely lost track of—”

“—Kera and Prince Eine, even with all of the Soul Sentries on her side!”

Bellesmith, Pilate, Props, and Zaid huddled inside the engineering room of the Noble Jury, listening intently to the communications array.

Rainbow's voice continued. “My friends and I came here to Val Roa in order to put an end to Chrysalis' plans, and we've just now started to make her trip. Now that we've ruined her march, we just gotta lay the hammer down.”

“Rainbow, this is Pilate,” the zebra spoke up. “Just how exactly do we intend to do this?”

“We gotta round up all the suspects,” Rainbow said.

“In what way?” Belle asked.

“Chancellor Fishberry's called an emergency assembly of the High Council tomorrow morning. You can't very well have a coronation when there's no Prince to... erm.... coronate. She's gotta play face, and all of Val Roa will be watching. It will be the perfect opportunity to ruin everything that Chrysalis has worked to accomplish.”

“Uhhhh... aren't you forgetting something, Miss Awesomesauce?” Zaid asked.

“We've got a bunch of death-hugging goblins flying this way!” Props exclaimed. “You said all of Val Roa will be watching at the High Council?! Well the Cartel wants to make the High Council go boom!”

Rainbow's voice lingered slightly. At last, she spoke up. “The goblins can't be allowed to wreak chaos and destruction across the Capital. Exposing Chrysalis' plot is supremely important, but there'll be no point in enlightening King Lunarius' and Queen Azira's subjects if they're all dead.”

“And just what can be done to stop them?!” Zaid exclaimed. “We're talking about one... two... maybe even three hulking battleships! I never thought the number 'three' could be so dayum unsexy, but there you have it!”

“And Uncky Prowsy's ship is so far away!” Props added. “Right now, the Noble Jury is the only thing standing between the Cartel and Val Roa!”

“Yes, Props,” Rainbow's voice gravely said. “I know.”

Zaid and Props paled.

Pilate's ears drooped on either side of his metal head. He took a deep breath and tilted his face towards Belle.

Belle swallowed a lump down her throat and said, “I'm not sure we're physically capable, Rainbow Dash. Even if... even if we gave our all.”

“I'm well aware of that, Belle. That's why I don't want you to try and eliminate them.”

Belle blinked. “Huh?”

“You just need to keep them away from Val Roa... just long enough for us to eliminate Chrysalis and her control over the Soul Sentries. Once the elite reindeer guards are all freed from her possession, then the capital should have the defenses it needs to ward off the goblin attack.”

“A distraction, then?” Pilate said.

“Right. Totally.”

“For how long?” Zaid asked, blinking. “We could become toast three times over while waiting for you to do your Han Soloats thang.”

“I wish I could say, Zaid. No matter how many ways we shake this, we're dealing with a battle on two fronts.”

“Yeah! Heheh...” Zaid went cockeyed. “Only our front has the most incendiary rounds involved!”

“Zaid...” Belle sighed.

“But wait!” Props perked up, smiling. “Roarke's sneaking her way onto the goblin battleships as we speak! For all we know, she's probably taken one... two... or even all three of those big hulking things out by her smexy lonesome!”

“If that was the case, why haven't we heard back from her?” Pilate asked.

“Huh? She's doing what?!”

Both Zaid and Props winced. “Wuh oh...”

“Rainbow Dash...” Belle sniffled, leaning closer towards the communications array. “I... I am so dreadfully sorry that we haven't told you. Things have been going by so swiftly and every chance we've had to talk has been curtailed by one thing or another—”

“What's going on, Ding Dong? Where's Roarke?”

Belle opened her mouth, but hesitated. She felt a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. Shuddering, she leaned over to nuzzle Pilate, then said: “She snuck aboard a single goblin battleship over a day ago, Rainbow Dash. The last we heard from her via soundstone, she was planning a heroic raid on the other two vessels as they launched from Cartel headquarters to the south. She... did not make the situation sound very promising for an escape.”

Silence.

“I'm so sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Belle said. “I feel like I've failed you as a friend. But, with Roarke, there's never... there was never any convincing her otherwise. I'm so very sorry...”

More silence.

The Noble Jurists shifted anxiously where they stood.

Then, at last: “I'm sure we'll be hearing from her soon enough.”

Belle did a double-take. “Rainbow...?!” She gulped. “Did you not hear me? I said that Roarke went on a perilous mission to sabotage the battleships!”

“Oh, I totally heard you, girl.”

“And you know Roarke!” Belle blinked, eyes glossy. “There's very little chance that she will have—”

“You're right, Belle. I do know Roarke. That's why I have every faith that we will be hearing from her soon enough.”

“But... b-but...”

“Don't beat yourself up for not telling me. I understand. Seriously, I do. But I didn't fall in love with that mare because she had a fetish for expiration dates. Or else, if that is the case, then she's been lying to me all this time about the ear-nibbling thing.”

Props giggled while Zaid smirked.

Belle exhaled, smiling awkwardly. “Very well, Rainbow Dash. I... w-won't lose faith either.”

“Don't lose sleep either. Tomorrow morning, everything is—”

“—going to come down to the wire,” Rainbow's voice crackled through the speakers. “And for this to work, we're going to need everypony in their places.”

“And just where do you fancy us bein', lass?” Prowse asked, leaning his good limbs against a bent bulkhead. “What I wouldn't give to blast some goblins out of the sky!”

“From what I hear, you pretty much have a friggin' army on board that flying sausage of yours!”

“Yes!” Seclorum nodded with a smirk. “And, in addition to that, we have a bunch of ponies who aren't Arcshod and his two warrior buddies!”

The three Xonans exchanged blinking expressions. “Mulien trenna dren vemeel?”

“Dreit.” Arcshod nodded.

“Hah hah hah hah...” The two soldiers grinned at the communications array. “Saka vrem theel...”

“Great,” Rainbow said. “We're gonna need them, Crimson, and any other battle-hardened hoof on the ground! With what Ebon and I have planned, there's no telling just when or how the Soul Sentries might go haywire.”

Eagle Eye blinked. “You mean we might actually have to battle those guys?!”

“For a little while, yeah. Sorry, EE.”

Eagle Eye grimaced. “...I think I prefer the electro-death-eels.”

“Close your eyes and listen to the mana explosions,” Josho said, cracking his neck joints. “We've been through it all before.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Rainbow continued. “Once everypony is on place in the ground, then Prowse can lend the Noble Jury all the assistance necessary to—”

Just then, the mana console flickered and flashed brightly, accompanied by an obnoxious buzzing sound.

“The bloody Hell is that?!” Prowse cackled. “The ghost of Aatxe?”

“Don't even joke, ya scrawny blood turd,” Seclorum grumbled.

Basso shuffled up behind Zetta. “What is it, Z? Another signal?”

“Seems to be bouncing piggyback over Rainbow's soundstone enchantment,” Zetta said, fussing with the controls. “I think someone's trying to contact her, not us.”

“You getting any of that, Jury?” Crimson asked.

“Yes!” Bellesmith's voice crackled. “Props' array is picking it up too!”

Phoenix glanced aside at the others. “Who in Spark's name could it be?”

“Somepony who doesn't believe in busy signals,” Tweak said, grumbling.

“Roarke!” Booster Spice spoke up from where he lay, his body bandaged in several places. “Perhaps it's Roarke! She could be signaling us finally!”

Josho turned towards him. “You really want her to find out about Whizzball, don't you?”

Booster instantly paled. “Hang up! Hang up!”

“Hello?!” Zetta raised an ear-piece to her head, squinting. “Who is this? How'd you get this signal?”

“Scrkkkk... Rainbow Dash?” a female voice gracefully came to life. “Rainbow Dash, are you there?”

Eagle Eye gasped. “The Duchess!”

“Who?” Lucky Strike blinked.

“Arcanista?” Rainbow's voice faded in.

“Rainbow, I seem to have caught you at an awkward time.”

“Arcanista! What's going on?! Where are you?!”

“It's quite a lengthy tale. First off, let me ask—are you planning some sort of heroic intervention at the High Council building tomorrow?”

Dead silence.

The crew of the Tarkington exchanged nervous glances.

At last, Rainbow's voice murmured: “Who wants to know...?”

Just then, a deep buck's voice crackled over the airwaves. “The General does, if you must ask.”

Azira gasped.

Lunarius' eyes narrowed. “Saikano...”

“Your Majesty. Somehow I am not surprised.”

Lunarius spat. “You will pay for this travesty, you insipid whelp! Putting my own son in danger—”

“Of that, I have no doubt. But first thing's first. You wish to slay this beast?”

Rainbow's voice responded. “We aim to put a stop to Chrysalis, once and for all, yeah...”

“Then allow me to assist you.”

“This can't be for real,” Josho muttered. “The Duchess has got metal screws in her eyeballs by now or something.”

“Arcanista...?” Rainbow's voice began.

“I would listen to him if I were you, Rainbow,” the Duchess' voice said. “We could debate who's real and who isn't all night, but I feel as though we've done enough of that. Time is of the essence. Do you wish to stop the Changeling Queen or not?”

Silence.

“I'm gonna need Ebon to do some fact checking...”

“Mmmm. No doubt. But make it quick, Rainbow. Thanks to the General, I do believe salvation is finally at hoof...”

The Deer Prince and the Grasshoppers

“Morning!” an imp shouted at the bow to Haman's battleship. He spun around, opening his grimy mouth wide while pointing at the pulsating dawnlight rising in the east. “The Morning sun rises!”

Haman took a long, steamy breath. He spat onto the lid of his walker's metal panel and wheezed, “It's time.” He pivoted and motioned towards a subordinate.

A tall goblin besides Haman marched across the top deck, shouting commands to the workers. “All hands, prepare for battlestations! Set course for the southern edge of the deer capital! Maximum speed!”

“Aye! All skystone engines charged!”

“Weapons are fully modified to channel the skystone energy!”

“Reports coming in from the Alpha Vessel! They're fully rigged with skystone and ready to move out!”

“Affirmative!” The tall goblin spun towards Haman. “On your mark, big boss.”

Haman's mucusy eyes narrowed. “What are you waiting for, runt? Full speed ahead!”

“Full speed ahead!”

Along the port and starboard sides of the ship, the vessel's propeller engines died out, giving way to glaring skystone thrusters. The atmosphere heated up and the bulkheads rattled for a brief instant before giving way to a steady hum. With ripples of vaporous energy, the battleship surged forward. Off the starboard side, several hundreds of yards away, an identical battleship accelerated at a matching velocity.

Thus, in tandem, both goblin vessels roared north, illuminated by the rising sun as they scaled desert valleys and mountains, heading towards a splotch of bronze urbanity in the distance.

“This is it.” Haman produced a wide, slimy smile. “The end of deerkind, and the dawn of goblins.” He spat again. “I already relish the smell of their burning corpses...”

Prince Eine nodded off, his tiny body draped in rags as he curled his body into a stone niche between skyscrapers.

Just then, a series of hooves landed in front of him, scuffling across the concrete.

“Guhh—Aahh!” The fawn sat up, yellow eyes exploding wide.

“Mrmmmf!” Kera spat out a burlap sack and made a tattooed face at the monarch. “Calm down, will ya? It's only me.”

“Mmmmfff...” Eine leaned back, rubbing his face with a cloven hoof. “God in Heaven... I thought a reindeer had found us.”

“Don't be ridiculous.” Kera grinned proudly in the foggy morning light. “You think one of those possessed guards would have brought you food?”

“F-food?” Eine's stomach instantly growled. He stood up straight, nearly salivating. “You mean you found us something to eat?!”

“Did I find us something to eat?!” Kera squee'd. “You wouldn't believe my luck! I snuck up on this dark alleyway and an entire wall was covered with these suckers! Hah! It was like diving into a royal banquet!”

“These... suckers...?” Eine blinked as Kera dumped the contents of her bag right in front of him. He instantly flinched, tilting his disgusted face away from a veritable pile of carapaces and twitching insect limbs. “Good heavens, no!”

“Hey! Come onnnn!” Kera frowned, shoving several of the fat juicy grasshoppers his way. “I figured you'd at least be grateful. Especially after I went through the trouble of biting their heads off for you!” Her cheeks turned a little bit rosy. “Okay, in truth, I enjoyed every bite. But still!”

“That was... abundantly k-kind of you, but I fear that I am incapable of devouring them...”

“What the hay, dude?!” Kera blinked awkwardly. “Back when you were the 'Royal Caterer's Son,' you did nothing but praise grasshoppers! You even claimed to have eaten some of them yourself, haven't you?”

“Well, yes.” Eine gulped. “But they had always been accompanied by an abundance of m-melted choclate.”

“Ugh... fine.” Kera plopped down across from him and unceremoniously threw two grasshoppers into her mouth, chomping away. “Mrmmmff... no wonder your kind becomes hemopheliacs. I mean... mrmmmf... with blood that thin... am I right?”

Eine's face grimaced. Nevertheless, his stomach growled again. Shivering, the little prince reached a hoof out from underneath his raggedy garments and plucked one insect off the floor. Cringeing, he held the thing up to his mouth and bit off a few limbs.

“Hah!” Kera gulped and grinned. “Nice try... but you'll never get to the nourishing pulp that way!”

“Pffft... ffftt...” Eine spat the combed limbs out like hairs stuck on his tongue. “N-nourishing... pulp...?” Suddenly, Kera's hoof lunged forward as if she was delivering his face a right hook. Instead, she shoved the remainder of the grasshopper deep in his gullet. Eine's eyes crossed, and he had no choice but to bite down. His nostrils flared, and he looked ready to vomit. Nevertheless, he soldiered on through, biting the insect's thorax to a fine mush before swallowing the nutrients with a modicum of difficulty. Once finished, he slumped over, his tongue hanging out as he wheezed nauseatingly.

“H-heyyyy!” Kera smiled proudly. “That wasn't so bad, was it?”

“Mrmmff... d-do forgive me...” Eine wiped his chin, shuddering. “I'm afraid that I'm not entirely accustomed to such a... rugged existence.”

“Meh. It's not rugged, dude. If anything, it's rather normal.”

Eine squinted at her. “You consider living on the street and dining on large insects to be normal?”

Kera shrugged. “Hey, I can manage it. And I have for a long time. When the Noble Jury found me, I was pretty darn lucky. Heck, I still am. But I've always sort of known that any little thing would put me back in my place. Voila! Here I am again!” She munched on half of a grasshopper and gulped the morsel down. “Mrmmf... Survival takes effort. Even for a Prince! Or a King. I mean... you gotta struggle to find that sweet spot where you're in charge of an entire kingdom and yet earning their trust all the same. That can't be easy. Heck... can't be much fun either. I bet you don't get out of the palace much.”

Eine shook his head. “Not after my parents passed away.” He gulped. “But I've never questioned it. Besides, the Palace isn't exactly a prison. Between my luxuries and my literature and my resources, I'm quite fortunate to have the entire world at my disposal. I aim to utilize such gifts in ruling my subjects... only, I'm afraid, not much trust or authority has been granted to me.”

“Well, at least you're humble about it all,” Kera said. “All in all, you don't strike me as much of a pushover. So you've got that going for ya.”

“Erm... thank you.” Eine blinked awkwardly. “That's quite the charming compliment... I think.”

“Don't worry, Prince-o.” Kera smirked. “As soon as the Jury sweeps in and mops the floor with Chrysalis' horn, then you'll be sitting tall and proud on your throne once again, steering this whole kingdom to clear blue skies.”

Eine shuddered, staring up at the light cascading down the skyscrapers above them. “I would most certainly hope so.” All of the sudden, his ears twitched to the sound of distant shouts and tremorous mutterings. “Uhm... good Lord...” He grimaced in Kera's direction. “What on earth is all that racket?”

“I dunno.” Kera shrugged. “While I kept searching for grub, I heard the same thing. It's happening practically in every street.”

“Sounds... sounds like the citizenry...” Eine winced. “They sound so angry... and alarmed!” He gawked at her. “What in Heaven's name for?”

“You asking me?” Kera bit another grasshopper in half, shrugged, and said, “I think it's because their Prince was supposed to be coronated this morning. And instead... he's missing.”

Dawn For A New Val Roa

Throughout the streets of Val Roa, elk, deer, ponies, and gazelle poured out of their apartments in droves. As they met with a blockade of eye-shimmering Soul Sentries along the southern edge of the Royal District, the crowd grew more and more restless. Gawking faces turned to frowns and frowns turned to vicious snarls.

The guard thickened along the border to the Royal District. In response, the crowd flowed about, made an about-face, and marched into the Sandstone District. Once there, the citizens gathered thickly around the High Council Building, growing louder and louder in angry outbursts.

“Where is Prince Eine?!”

“Where is our King?!”

“Val Roa is eternal! We will not stand for this!”

“Bring back our King!”

“Long live Val Roa! Long live the House of Evo!”

Guards and Soul Sentries congregated on the steps to the High Council Building, only affording room for the occasional stagecoach full of dignitaries and representatives to pass through. Dukes and Duchesses gazed worriedly out the windows of their wagons, eyeing the ever-growing crowd of unruly Val Roans. As the locals saw more and more Council Members being allowed in, their anger and their ire only increased. Soon, the hulking crowd surged tighter and tighter against the lines of guards, demanding for the truth in loud shouts.

“Where is Prince Eine?!”

“We demand answers!”

“We demand our King!”

“Crown the King! Crown the King!”

“You cannot hold back the glory of Val Roa!”

“Long live King Eine!”

The roaring voices of the crowd formed a repetitive pulse that rolled through the walls and foundation of the High Council Building. Even from her office, Chancellor Fishberry heard it, and she shuddered.

“Madame Chancellor.” A servant bowed at the entrance to her office. Outside, in the hallway, several reindeer guards stood, shifting with unease. “The crowd is swiftly turning into a mob outside. They look like they might turn on the arriving representatives at any second!” The deer gulped, trembling slightly. “Is there anything we can do?”

Fishberry, meanwhile, stared out the thin blinds to her spacious window, gazing wearily at the shifting sea of hooves, muzzles, and antlers. “How could it have gotten so far out of hoof?” she muttered aloud. “She had planned for everything. Everything.” She gulped. “Hadn't she?”

“Chancellor...?”

Shuddering, the doe turned about with a twirl of her gown. “Ahem.” She glared. “The meeting of the High Council shall go as scheduled.”

“But... b-but Madame Chancellor!” The servant trembled. “That meeting doesn't commence for another two hours! I don't know if the crowd outside will wait that long before—”

“If they wish to cherish the laws of Val Roa then they shall abide by them!” Fishberry snapped, trotting forward. “However, I am not inconsiderate of the concerns of the citizenry.” She gestured with a cloven hoof while speaking. “Harness a leyline of sound stones and have our clerks set up a broadcast system immediately outside the High Council Building's steps. You can inform the public—seeing as they're so restless—that they will be able to collectively hear the proceedings of the meeting in due time.”

The servant bowed low. “Aye, Madame. Right away, Madame.”

“We are all on the same side,” Fishberry insisted. “Tell them that Secretary Sharp Quill is scouring the city for the whereabouts of Prince Eine along with the nefarious foreigner who abducted him. He has all of the forces of General Saikano at his disposal. This kingdom will have its king.”

“Aye, Madame Chancellor. I shall make sure of it.”

“See that you do.” Fishberry waved her hoof. “Now, begone.”

The servant rushed out, jittering.

Fishberry leaned forward and closed the door to her office herself. She leaned against it, shuddering. After several seconds, her eyes pulsed green and she stood up with a frown.

“Saikano, for the love of God, have you gathered anything from the prisoners yet?”

Fishberry stood dead-still.

Her muzzle scrunched. “Saikano? Saikano?!”

She gazed for a prolonged time into open space.

Her lips parted. “What in the blazes is going on...?” She snarled. “Saikano...?!”

Just then, her eyes pulsed brighter, and she writhed in pain.

“Auugh!” Clutching her head, Fishberry seethed and snarled at the ceiling. “Not so loud, Sharp Quill! I register you...”

Silence.

Her brow furrowed. “If you must know, I was attempting to contact Saikano. The damned fool has gone silent.”

More silence.

She spun and snarled into the shadows. “What else could I possibly mean?! He has cut himself off from us!”

At the Val Roan Royal Palace, Secretary Sharp Quill was a frazzled, jittery mess. He paced along a sun-kissed balcony overlooking the spires and streets of Val Roa. In the distance, the air thundered from hundreds of thousands of angry, chanting citizens.

“Impossible!” he stammered, his purple eyes twitching as he trotted in a fast, furious circle. “The General is the most loyal elk in the land! He would not abandon us in our time of need! In her time of need!”

He clenched his teeth in the ensuing silence. Gradually, his eyes pulsed green and pulsed again.

“Negative. No luck here. I was hoping Saikano would provide us answers with the prisoners you delivered him. So much of this depended on him!”

He scuffled to a stop, panting for breath.

“Do... do you think that we depended too much on him?” He rubbed his chin, shuddering. “Between the Cartel and the Soul Sentries and the reindeer guard... could it be that we overloaded the elk?” He gnashed his teeth. “Blast! We've failed her, Fishberry! If only we had been wiser! Stronger! If only...” He clutched at his skull, growling. “...if only I had gone north to the Lemuel Tundra to feed her more, then perhaps none of this would have happened!”

“Ahem...”

At the sound of a reindeer guard's voice, Sharp Quill spun, purple eyes flaring. “What?!” His nostrils flared.

The guard nevertheless stared calmly at him. “Secretary Sharp Quill, sir.” He bowed slightly. “Sorry to... intruded, but we have discovered something.”

Sharp Quill gasped, his ears drooping as he twitched slightly. With a dry gulp, he took a pensive step forward. “The... the Prince?”

“We're not quite sure,” the guard said. “But we think we've discovered a secret passage.”

“Secret... passage...?”

“Yes.” The reindeer nodded. “It could have provided the abductress with the means to smuggle the Prince out of the palace.”

Sharp Quill stood up straight, seething. “Well, what are you waiting for?! Show me! Let me see it!” He snarled. “It's already the morning of the Coronation, and we must do everything to find the future King!”

“Understood, sir.” The guard spun about and marched into the heart of the Palace. “Right this way.”

Sharp Quill galloped swiftly after him, leaving the roars of the crowd far behind.

On A Date With Epic Explosions

FWOOOOSH!

The Noble Jury soared eastward, skimming the tallest mountains that bordered the southern edge of the Val Roan Central Basin. The rising sun glinted across its bow, sending shimmering bands of refracted light through the windshield and into the cockpit where Zaid gripped the controls tightly.

“Like combing a bald monkey's head for lice, I swear to Goddess...” The stallion gnashed his teeth, then shouted over his shoulder towards the open door to the top deck. “Any sign of 'em yet?!”

“Negative!” Bellesmith hollered, marching backwards, one hoof at a time as the wind blew at her mane and tail. “Clear gray skies all across the southern horizon!”

“Should I slow down?!” Zaid exclaimed.

“No!” Belle gnashed her teeth. “If we don't maintain this speed and surveillance, we might not intercept them! We have to make them stop before they have a chance to enter Val Roa Proper!”

“Aye, Cap'n my Cap'n!” Zaid exclaimed, continuing to accelerate the craft.

Belle took a deep breath and gestured ahead of her. “Easy does it, beloved. Just a few more steps.”

“Nnngh...” Pilate shuddered, shouldering a cylindrical black cannon across his back. “Roarke certainly crafted this thing to be damned heavy.”

“You can take the mare from the metal but never the metal from the mare.” Belle reached out to steady the zebra. “Okay. Right there.”

“Is this where it's mounted?”

“Affirmative. Allow me.” Belle reached in with her hooves and hoisted half of the cannon off the stallion's backside. Together, they affixed the weapon to a thick metal base mounted against the deck right along the starboard side of the ship. “Okay, it's in place.”

“Roger that.” Pilate tapped a black helmet forward over his metal crown. The Oracular Array slid in place, lighting up with red energy from within. The zebra shuddered slightly as the Lounge Tech once again fused with his O.A.S.I.S. system. “Spark alive, I'll never get used to that.”

“It's my fault, Pilate,” Bellesmith said. “I should have helped you train more.”

“Think nothing of it.” He leaned forward, and—with unnatural sight—he began latching the clamps of the mounted cannon in place. “I can utilize this 'vision' of mine in small bursts. That should allow me to be helpful in bringing you backup manacrystal reserves for ammunition. However, I doubt very much that I'll be of any assistance in aiming these weapons at the enemy.”

“I'm afraid that task will rest on my hooves,” Belle said with a nervous smile. She spoke against the whipping winds, “Though the goal here is to occupy the goblins. Not destroy them.”

“I don't know, beloved.” Pilate's muzzle curved ever so slightly. “I have faith that you could bring one of the battleships down if you wanted to.”

“No joke, Pilate,” Belle said, shuddering. “The only victory here is if the Jury gets out of this in one piece.” She gulped. “And as 'Captain,' I suspect that weight falls on my shoulder.”

“We won't be doing much good at all if we don't get the second cannon attached,” Pilate said.

“Right.” Belle nodded. “After all, we need to cover the port side.”

“How'd Props' installation go of the hard fuel rockets along the bow?”

“I suppose we'll find out when the time comes.”

“How charming.” Pilate finished slapping the clamps in place. “There we go. Give it a whirl, shall you?”

Belle trotted up to the cannon. She stood on her hind-quarters and gripped the handles, swinging and swiveling the long black barrel around. It held tight to the base, all the while aiming perfectly at the southern horizon.

“It's locked in tight!” Belle said with a smile. “Well done, beloved. Shall we fetch the second?”

“We shall.” Pilate winced slightly, but then switched the Oracular Array off, exhaling with relief. “I'm afraid you'll have to lead the way again.”

“Right.” Belle leaned in so he could place a hoof on her shoulder. As the two trotted their way across the windswept deck towards the stern's stairwell, the mare turned to shout at the cockpit. “We've got the starboard cannon attached, Zaid! Proceeding to affix the port side weapon!”

“Righto!” Zaid hollered back from the pilot's seat. “I'll keep my handsome eyes peeled for imps on a wing!”

“Don't forget about Props! You could use all the help we can get!”

Zaid reached a hoof up to slap the intercom panel beside him. “Didja hear that, Blondie?”

“Scrkkkt! Did I hear what?”

“We gotta catch these goblins before they catch us!”

“Scrkkkt! Sensors are doing cartwheels all over the atmosphere, Zaidy Waidy! If there was another skystone ship around here, I'd catch it!”

Zaid bit his lip. “Are you aiming all the doohickeys south?”

“For the most part, yeah, why?”

“Might wanna aim some of then north... y'know... just in case we have missed the huge hulking battleships that could totally destroy us in one hit.”

“I'm pretty sure they're still south of us.”

“What makes you say that, Blondie?”

“Because there's a massive... I dunno... fuzzy blurp thingy to the south, almost as if there's an entire skystone reserve lingering there!”

“But th-that's impossible, right?” Zaid blinked awkwardly. “The skystone fields are to the north of Val Roa!”

“I know! I don't know if I can explain it! Maybe the goblins were mining a bunch of the skystone that they got from the lizards before processing them into usable fuel crystals!”

“Or maybe...” Zaid's brow furrowed. “...it's something else besides the goblins.”

“Huh?”

“Blondie, do you ever wonder why Roarke hasn't contacted us yet?”

“Indeedy weedy. I'm terribly a-scared that she's gotten the zap.” There was a comical gulping sound from the intercom, followed by: “And after all she's done to help us...”

“But what if she isn't done helping us?” Zaid thought out loud. “What if... she's doing everything she can to make a heroic death less deadly even as we speak?”

“Huh...?”

Zaid eventually smirked at the rolling desert beyond the dashboard. “I dunno. I'm just thinking: in the arms of dirty goblins is a totally unsexy place for Roarke to finally kick the bucket. The same can be said about the Noble Jury and those scum-scrapers' crosshairs.”

“Is that your rallying cry?”

“Hell, why not?” Zaid exhaled. “Ebon's been gone for days and the hold is all out of cheese.”

“Scrkkkt! We'll have another feast yet! You'll see!”

“Yeah, and you and I can have a little dessert after.” He winked to the console.

“Scrkkkt! Heehee... not with Uncky Prowsy flying the same skies!”

“Yeah, well, we can elope to the Grand Choke.”

“But wouldn't we die a long, agonizing, starving death?”

“Yup!”

“Okie Dokie Lokie!”

“Heheheh...” Zaid flipped the intercom off and gazed south with a smiling sigh. “Ohhhhhhhh we're so boned.”

FWOOOOOSH! The Noble Jury rocketed eastward.

Turn About Your Own Damn Intruder

“All of you!” Secretary Sharp Quill barked at a line of Soul Sentries that he passed while galloping after the reindeer guard towards the end of the royal hallway. “Follow us! We will need your expertise in investigating this hidden passage!”

All in one accord, the reindeer's eyes pulsed green. They nodded, then marched briskly after the elk.

“How much further?” Sharp Quill asked.

“Just this way!” The guard cut around a corner, leading straight through the heart of the Palace's Royal Chambers. Servants peered out of the various rooms where they'd been sequestered. Their muzzles hung in perplexed, worrisome expressions.

“Get back to your quarters!” Sharp Quill snarled in mid-gallop, his purple eyes bright and fiery. “Your presence here impedes my investigation!”

Shuddering, the maids and butlers nervously complied. Soon, the hallway was full of nothing but the thunderous sound of marching hooves.

“Wait a minute...” Sharp Quill's mouth suddenly hung agape. His ears twitched beneath his antlers as he said, “You're leading me to the Prince's chambers, aren't you?”

“Affirmative!” exclaimed the guard in front of him.

“You mean to say that—all this time—there was an entrance to a hidden passageway inside his very bedroom?”

“That would seem to be the case!” The guard glanced back once as he approached the doors to the Prince's Royal Chambers. “Undoubtedly it was kept a closely guarded secret by the Royal Family.”

“And I was never told about it?” Sharp Quill briefly gnashed his teeth. “How was this kingdom ever supposed to operate smoothely...?”

The guard opened the doors. The Soul Sentries behind Sharp Quill illuminated the bedroom with their emerald aura. “It's located near the Prince's desk, along the southeast side of his chambers—”

“Step aside,” Sharp Quill growled, pushing the guard back as he marched ahead. “I'm no stranger to this part of the Palace. Now, just how small is this...”

The wall was solid, barren, and devoid of any passage.

“...entrance?” Sharp Quill stood dead-still, blinking.

The doors slammed shut behind him.

The elk spun around with a gasp.

Eight Soul Sentries—the ones who had obediently followed the Secretary through the Royal Palace—now stood in a single line before the bedroom's exit. In front of them stood the lone reindeer guard, gazing softly at Sharp Quill's surprised face.

“The masquerade stops here,” the guard said.

Sharp Quill blinked, his muzzle agape. “I've no unearthly idea what you're talking about.”

“No.” The guard shook his head. “You don't.” Then, in an unraveling curtain of flame, he turned into a burgundy-coated Xonan.

Sharp Quill gasped. “You...”

“I know a thing or two about who you think you're serving,” Ebon Mane said. “Trust me.” His nostrils flared with a melancholic breath. “She does not reward the ones whom she pretends to love.”

A low roar issued from Sharp Quill's throat. Standing tall, he faced the Soul Sentries and spat, “Neutralize him! Immediately!”

The Soul Sentries flinched once... twice... but remained still.

Sharp Quill nearly had a spasm. “What?!” He stomped his hoof. “I gave you a direct order!”

Still, the Soul Sentries refused to move.

“Very well then...” Leaning forward, Sharp Quill channeled green energy through his skull. The ends of his antlers pulsed with an emerald aura, and his eyes veritably billowed with jade flame. After half-a-minute of straining, he slumped back on his haunches, wide-eyed and sweating. “This... this makes no sense! Why aren't they obeying me?”

“Because she entrusted too much power in me, said a deep voice from the shadows.

Gasping, Sharp Quill spun about.

A stone gray elk trotted out from the royal lavatory, his good eye narrowing beneath sharp antlers. “As did you. And that's why this plan would never work.”

Sharp Quill gaped at him. “Saikano...” He gnashed his teeth. “You've turned traitorous?!”

“Only a traitor would imprison his surrogate daughter,” the General said. “As you have alienated your surrogate son.” He leaned his head to the side. “Tell me, Secretary, did you feel any qualms whatsoever when you nearly choked the Prince to death?”

Sharp Quill's eyes narrowed. “How did you know about...?” He twitched, then glared at Ebon Mane.

Ebon stared calmly at the elk.

Seething, Sharp Quill turned towards Saikano once again. “You would ally with this freakish invader? After all she's promised us?! Glory?! Power?! Rebirth for Val Roa?!”

“Not all things must be baptized in flames,” Saikano said. “As Val Roa's protector—or at least a fascimile of its protector—I know this by heart.”

“Fascimile of...?” Sharp Quill blinked. “What do you mean by that?”

“I can't expect you to understand, Secretary,” Saikano remarked. “You haven't woken up to the truth yet. You're still as much a prisoner as Fishberry.”

“Enough of this!” Sharp Quill stomped his hooves. “You won't be leaving the Palace alive!”

Saikano shook his head. “The Soul Sentries will not aid you.”

“Why not?!” Sharp Quill frowned. “Because you've mastered them?! Unless you've forgotten, Saikano, Fishberry and I command them too! They won't harm a hair on my body so long as I hold concious dominion!”

“Then we'll have to do something about that, shall we?” Saikano said.

Sharp Quill blinked.

The barest hint of a smile formed on Saikano's calm face.

Sharp Quill took a deep breath. He took one last look at Ebon Mane... ... ... then made a mad dash for the balcony windows on the far side of the bedroom.

Saikano made sure to get out of the Secretary's way, maintaining distance between them.

Sharp Quill was almost to the exit when a hard metal staff slammed across his skull. “Ooomf!” He collapsed against the wall, wincing in pain.

Thw-thw-thwpp! A charcoal-coated mare with half-healed bruises twirled her staff to a stop, bracing it between her raised fetlock and her neck. “Going somewhere, coward?” Midnite Bastion spat. “Not on my watch.”

Sharp Quill gritted his teeth. He kicked off the wall and dashed for a closed door along the edge of the room. Just as he flung it open—

WHAMMM! A thick, hairy hoof flew out and slammed across his chest.

“Guahh!” Sharp Quill stumbled backwards. He looked up, and his pupils shrank.

Constable Jake leered at him with a drooling smile. “Yeah. No.” The moose spun and slammed his massive buttocks into the elk.

WHUD! Sharp Quill flew back with a grunt. He crashed through Prince Eine's desk, shattering it to a dozen splintery bits.

Saikano helplessly shuddered, stumbling back and bracing himself against a table.

Midnite glanced his way with a blank expression.

“Heh... sorry, Blood'n'Guts,” Jake dribbled, trotting over and making sure Sharp Quill was down for the count. “Forgot you were kinda sorta attached at the invisible umbilical.”

“Do not apologize...” Saikano shook the pain off and stood up straight. “We still have much work to do.”

“Fishberry will be starting the High Council Meeting any time now,” Midnite said, hobbling across the chambers with the aid of her staff. “That's halfway across the Capital from here!”

Saikano looked across the room. His good eye pulsed green.

The Soul Sentries jerked towards him immediately, standing at attention.

“I have full control over the Soul Sentries now,” Saikano said.

“Puppies!” Jake glanced up. “You sure about that, Cyclopsy?”

“At least for the time being.” Saikano sighed out his nostrils. “After Rainbow Dash's plan falls through, however, I cannot say.” He gulped. “She will likely regain control.”

“Yes, well, one thing at a time.” Midnite glanced over at Ebon Mane. “Can you access the Soul Sentries' energy field now?”

Ebon nodded, already morphing to his natural, insectoid form. “With Sharp Quill no longer blocking the mental leylines, you bet!”

“Good.” Midnite's eyes narrowed. “It's up to you to find the Prince and your little Xonan.”

After a deep breath, Ebon said, “I'll get right on it.”

While There's Still Time To Hold

Ebon turned towards the others in the Royal Chambers. The emerald glow disappeared from his eyes as he spoke: “The Prince and Kera have been found. I've placed the command for the guards who located them to take the two to the High Council building.”

“They'll be traveling by hoof,” Midnite Bastion said. “If we make for the Sandstone District now, we might be able to arrive in time.”

Jake brandished a sound stone and spoke into it. “Didja hear any of that, Rainbow Dash? Your shape-shifting bug boy found the Prince!”

“And Kera, right?”

“Pffft. Yeah. The little joy squirter's a-okay. The Soul Sentries will be taking them to meet up with Floydien and Arcanista at the High Council Building. There should be no problems now that Sharp Quill's gotten the smack.”

“Good. Head to the High Council Building, but don't reveal yourselves. Not yet. Make sure Arcanista holds back until both Kera and the Tarkington have made their deliveries!”

“What are we, stupid?”

“We only have one shot at this! If we can't ensnare Fishberry while she's addressing the crowd, then half of our plan is screwed!”

“Paladin! We know that, rainbow brite!”

Ebon Mane leaned in. “Rainbow, are you in the spot that I saw in the soul sentries' vision?”

“Yes, Ebon. Chrysalis will have no place to hide.”

“Do you... uh...” Ebon fidgeted. “Do you need my help?”

“Yes, Ebon. I can't do this without you.”

“R-right!” Ebon nodded. “I'll be there in an instant!”

“Know your places, everypony! If all goes according to plan, then we should have Chrysalis bound by the hour.”

“And then we'll help the Noble Jury with the goblins, r-right?” Ebon stammered.

“That's the plan, Ebon. Now get your shell over here.”

“Yes'm!” Ebon galloped towards the far end of the chambers.

Midnite Bastion was already opening the window for him. She glanced his way. “Can you make it?”

“I can now,” Ebon said. Concentrating, he morphed into Fawful and spread a pair of brilliant wings. The changeling looked at her and spoke in a soft tone. “Will you be alright?”

Midnite blinked. “Why wouldn't I be?”

“Erm...” Fawful shifted awkwardly, glancing back at General Saikano, then at the soldier once again. “Never mind. Best of luck!” And the metamorph flew off, sailing towards the lower buildings to the northeast.

Midnite Bastion bit her lip. She leaned back on her haunches, exhaling.

From a distance, Saikano gazed at her. His nostrils flared as he looked towards Jake. “We must make haste. I sense Fishberry's about to make her speech.”

“Right.” Jake spoke one last time into the stone. “Rainbow, we're ass-hauling.”

“Yup. Scrkkk!” And the sound stone went silent.

Jake trotted towards Sharp Quill's body. “Wanna lend a hoof?”

“You know that I can't,” Saikano said, shuddering.

“Ah. Right.” Grunting, the moose heaved Sharp Quill's unconscious figure over his heavy flank. “Well, we'd better do this or we're doo-doo.”

“Indeed.” Saikano nevertheless hung his gaze. “The Soul Sentries will follow your commands along the way to the courtyard.”

“You coming, bucko?” Jake said, knocking the doors open with his wide antlers while the guards made room for him. “We'll get there faster with an extra set of hooves.”

“I will...” Saikano glanced up at Midnite, then shuddered. “I will be there swiftly.”

“Hrmmmf...” Jake coughed and marched out with Sharp Quill in tow. “Just remember, this ain't no honeymoon vacation.”

As the moose left, Midnite trotted loosely after him.

“We'd better go. Jake's right. There's no time to waste.”

“Will you be okay?” Saikano asked.

Midnite shuffled to a stop, wincing.

Saikano's brow furrowed. “I know you can't predict the future. But... with what we know... with what Rainbow has planned...” He inhaled deeply. “Will you be alright?”

Midnite closed her eyes. After a sigh, she muttered, “After you've done what you need to do, what happens next?”

“Chrysalis might regain control over the Soul Sentries,” Saikano said. “That's why it's so important that the Tarkington arrives as quickly as possible. But, even with their contribution, we'll depend on your expert fighting skills—”

“That's not what I meant.” Midnite Bastion turned towards him, eyes glossy. “What happens to my... I mean...” She gnashed her teeth, hesitated, then finally muttered. “There'll be no trace left, will there? You... he'll be gone completely...”

Saikano shifted where he stood. “I... like to think that I will not entirely vanish.” He gulped hard. “What I'm doing here has purpose. It's for the good of this nation. I have to believe that I will be rewarded for that, even if it's just with the faintest form of consciousness.” He clenched his jaws. “But... I have no guarantee.”

“Then why are you doing this?” Midnite asked, trembling slightly. “If it's all a great huge uncertainty for you, then why pay the ultimate sacrifice?”

“Because I know what I'm sacrificing it all for.” He reached out with his hoof, but hesitated. However, when Midnite didn't flinch, he allowed himself to brush back her dark bangs. “He may never have shown it. Perhaps out of regimental duty or for the sake of embodying some sort of traditional strength, he's held his tongue. But deep inside... in his heart... he loves you more than life itself. And I have no doubt that he would give himself too.”

“If... h-he has anything at all to give...” Midnite said, muzzle quivering.

Saikano slowly shook his head. “I cannot confirm that for you, Midnite. I... s-simply do not have that knowledge. She did not give it to me.”

Midnite looked up, eyes glossy. “I would do anything... anything.” She gulped. “Just for the chance to tell him how much he means to me... one last time.”

Saikano slowly nodded. “Maybe you will get that chance. I assure you...” His voice wavered, “...nothing would make him happier than to hear it.”

Midnite stared at him, muzzle agape.

Saikano took a deep breath. “We must go. Nothing will come of this if we do not make haste.”

“Right...”

“Follow me, soldier.” Saikano trotted firmly into the hallway outside. “While I still have it within me to know the way...”

Midnite obediently followed.

Where Were You When Everything Imploded?

Fishberry marched firmly through the hallways of the High Council Building, flanked by guards and their glowing antlers. As she strolled towards the upper level and made her way for the Chancellor's seat, she passed by wave after wave of gawking servants and delegates.

She made eye contact with none of them, breathing firmly as she approached her destination. Through the walls of the large structure, a loud hissing noise perpetuated: the sound of hundreds of thousands of anxious, stirring citizens. This roar was mimicked by the grand murmur of delegates and representatives from within the great hollow of the High Council chamber itself.

Undaunted, Fishberry took one last turn, and stepped onto the balcony overlooking the myriad of patiently waiting officials.

The gates along the southern end of the Royal District flew open.

Thick lines of Soul Sentries galloped straight out. The eye-glowing reindeer formed a tight circle, and in the center of the group was a stagecoach being led by General Saikano and Constable Jake.

Citizens gasped from afar, watching as the procession made its was speedily towards the Soundstone District. Those who saw the normally elusive General stammered in shock to see him actually, physically pulling a stagecoach. He and the moose stopped for nodeer, instead bulleting their way towards the High Council Building towards the southeast.

Inside the stagecoach, armed with a sparkling, electrified staff, Midnite Bastion carefully watched after Sharp Quill's dormant body. He stirred slightly, a wincing expression spreading across his muzzle. Midnite kept the end of the staff trained on him. Meanwhile, she glanced nervously through the window of the stagecoach, watching as the spires of the glimmering Sandstone District approached very swiftly.

Shooom!

The Tarkington rocketed its way east, dipping low as it skimmed a series of looming mountains.

“That was it!” Booster Spice stammered, leaning over the back of Prowse's sweat inside the vessel's cramped cockpit. He pointed with a bandaged limb. “We just passed the West Gate! Where are all the Soul Sentries?!”

“Pulled back into Val Roa Proper,” Prowse said. “If we're to believe your sky-vomit-haired lass.”

“Wow...” Booster cooed, blinking in awe at the spires of the city looming in the distance. “I had no clue it would be this beautiful...”

“Well, let's fix to keep it beautiful, aye?” Prowse pulled back at the controls with his good limb. “Elevatin' us to get a good lay of the land! Ya think you might know what the High Council Building looks like, boyo?”

“Uhm...” Boster shifted nervously. “Imagine a giant crystalline doughnut with bronze sprinkles.”

“Err....”

“... … ...” Booster blinked. “...a big orange bowl of haggis?”

“Bloody brilliant!” Prowse grinned wickedly, jerking right on the flight stick. “I think I see it already!”

Booster shouted over his shoulder as the ship teetered towards starboard. “Everypony, get ready for the dropoff!”

Prince Eine and Kera panted and panted. They galloped as quickly as their little hooves could carry them, escorted by shimmering Soul Sentries through the streets of Val Roa.

Several citizens split apart, pausing in their protests and demonstrations to gawk at the inexplicable procession. Not many of the ponies or deer could recognize Eine, but that didn't stop them from giving the Soul Sentries ample room to make their march.

At one point, Eine stumbled, falling onto his knees with a wincing expression.

Kera gritted her teeth, turning around and firing a pulse of magic.

Eine gasped as he was essentially mana-kicked in the rear. He stumbled forward, and Kera gave him a tug with her hoof. Together, the two approached the westernmost steps of the High Council building as the crowd dissipated, staring curiously at them.

From atop the steps, a group of figures didn't move. Nilla chewed on her lip, glancing nervously aside at Mamunia who was leaning exhaustedly against Jet. Both servants craned their necks to see Kera's approach. They looked towards the top of the steps.

Two hooded, cloaked figures stepped out from beneath the immediate ring of marble pillars. Peering out from under their disguises, Floydien and Arcanista exchanged glances. They nodded, then pulled their hoods down before simultaneously twirling towards the front steps and firing broad bands of electrical energy. Floydien's blast was four times as bright as Arcanista's.

As planned, the mana display disrupted the crowd, forcing several deer, elk, and gazelle to split apart and make room across the steps.

A group of guards, however, immediately charged up. “Stop! In the name of the Prince!” Three deer formed a solid line, aiming their glowing antlers at the Duke and Duchess. “What is the meaning of this?! Lower your antlers right this second—”

With thundering hooves, every Soul Sentry in the vicinity rushed up and formed a solid barrier, blocking the gasping guards from their targets.

“What... wh-what's going on?! Warriors, stand down! The Chancellor is about to give her—” A loud gasp ran through the crowd. The guards gawked at a tiny fawn and a little filly as they rushed up the steps, joining the cloaked figures. “My God... is... is that...?” One guard narrowed his eyes. “...the Prince?”

The masses gathered at the base of the steps suddenly stirred with shock and excitement all at once.

Chancellor Fishberry approached the edge of the balcony where an assortment of sound stones loomed before her. She gazed out into the circular arena of seats and platforms where countless Val Roan representatives waited, restless.

The entire chamber shook and thundered with pounding hooves and manic voices.

At last, Fishberry raised her hoof. The Council Building silenced to a tense hush almost immediately. Taking a deep breath, Fishberry spoke.

“My loyal delegates of Val Roa. You have come here with hope that I might dissuade your fears. Unfortunately, that is not a joyous task that I can perform for you this morning. I'm afraid that—as suspected—Prince Eine of the House of Evo has vanished, and both him and his fawnnapper are at large.”

Almost immediately, the Council erupted into panicked murmurs and angry roars.

Fishberry spoke loudly, her broadcasted voice crackling above the tumult. “But this kingdom is not built upon sand, but rather the rock sound mind and unfaltering tradition! We have endured trials far worse than this! I have every bit of faith that the Prince can be found. But until he is, it is up to us—the esteemed representatives of the High Council—to establish a temporary executive power until the moment that the Prince is discovered and brought back to the throne for his coronation.”

Everyone in the chamber exchanged nervous glances, eyes wide and bright.

“So, if you would hear me out...” Fishberry leaned forward. Though she spoke firmly, her eyes nevertheless glanced up at the ceiling, as if gazing at the sky through the structure she was in. “...here are my humble proposals...”

“Boss! Boss!” An imp ran up the metal top deck of the Gamma battleship. He stood breathless before Haman and saluted. “There's a bogey! Dead ahead! Twelve o'clock!”

“A bogey?” Haman hissed from his teetering mech walker.

“A skystone craft, sir! Armed with what appears to be manacannons!”

“... … ...” Haman's slime-encrusted eyes narrowed. At last, he barked towards his workhands. “All stop!”

“All stop!”

“Allll stopppp!”

The air shifted as the massive battleship lurched to a cold, limp glide. Off its port side, the other vessel likewise stalled.

Soon, both ships hovered listlessly in the air. Due north, a final line of mountains loomed, beyond which lay the glittering urban vistas of Val Roa.

But that wasn't all. A dark metal body floated directly between the two battleships and their destination. It glimmered with an enormous chunk of crimson skystone looming directly above the vessel's gondola.

“Frostbeams...” one crew member cooed.

“Look at the size of that skystone!”

“It's like a piece of the north's edge was carved out and given wings!”

“Silence...” Haman sneered, walking forward on metal crab limbs. “Silence!” The imps around him shuddered as he stood on the battleship's bow and extended a spy-glass from his walker's chassis. Cl-Clank! He gripped the thing and stared out at the horizon. “... … …bringing a puny ship like that to our moment of glory...” He lowered the glass and snarled. “Whoever they are, they're dead meat.” He pivoted and shouted towards his subordinates. “Ready the frag cannons!”

“Aye, boss!”

“Ready the cannons!”

“Ready the cannons!”

Goblins scurried about, shouting orders to one another as the metal parts along the top deck rattled and rang.

Haman's eyes squinted. “Who dares stand in our way?” Slowly, menacingly, he smiled. “We'll sprinkle their ashes upon the threshhold of our moment of glory...”

Zaid bit his lip, staring straight out the cockpit. He gripped the controls with two shivering forelimbs, then glanced over his shoulder.

Bellesmith and Pilate stood on the top deck of the Noble Jury. Slowly, the zebra reached a hoof up to his visor and gave it a tap. The Oracular Array glowed red, and he instantly shivered.

Leaning against the starboard mounted cannon, Belle took a shuddering breath and spoke into a sound stone. “Props, are all engines powered up?”

“Scrkkk! Yuppers! As primed as they'll ever be!”

“And the book?”

“Churning lavender! The color and smell of victory!”

“Very well. Stand by for my command.” Bellesmith lowered the sound stone. After a deep sigh, she murmured aside. “Beloved...?”

“Yes, Belle?”

She gulped without looking at him. “I love you.”

Pilate clenched his teeth. “Don't panic. I'll love you even more tomorrow.”

The slightest of smiles crossed Bellesmith's muzzle, morphing gradually into a devilish smirk. “Zaid?”

“Cap'n, my Cap'n?”

“Prepare to do as we planned.”

“Does that include or not include the pissing-in-my-chair part?”

“Feel free to improvise.” Belle gripped the cannon and swiveled it forward. “Whatever the case, Noble Jurists. here is where we make our stand.” Her nostrils flared. “Even if it be our last...”

The Battle For Val Roa Begins

“Boss, they're just hovering there!” one goblin exclaimed.

“Hmmmm...” Haman rubbed his greasy chins with gnarled fingers. “They came here to stall us, and yet they're not making the first move.” His yellow teeth showed. “I do believe that means they have next to nothing to bring to the table.”

“Boss...?”

“Flag our sister ship,” Haman sound firmly. “Tell them to fire a low volley, about five hundred feet short of the target.” As the imp started signaling the next vessel, Haman pivoted in his mech suit and pointed at a line of goblins. “Aim at the actual vessel! Prepare to fire on my mark!”

“Aye!”

Goblins rushed back and forth between their stations, arming the cannons and channeling mana from the skystone engines deep within the battleship's hull.

“Uhhhhhhh...” Zaid gulped and looked over his shoulder. “I think one of them is about to fire on us! You see how those cannons are glowing?”

“Props!” Belle shouted into a sound stone. “Ready a burst of skystone energy! We're going to make a mad dash forward!”

“Scrkkk! Okie dokie lokie!”

“Just say the word, Cap'n,” Zaid said, gripping the controls.

P-Pow! A burning volley soared in from the lead ship, hurling their way.

“Consider it said!” Belle hollered, then leaned back towards Pilate. “Hang on—”

Fwoooosh! The Noble Jury soared straight forward, diving low to outfly the descending energy projectiles.

Pilate and Belle clung to their cannons on opposite ends of the windblown top deck.

“Zaid!” Belle hollered, her mane billowing in the turbulent air. “Once we've passed both vessels, prepare for a sharp ascent! We'll come around and bombard them from up top—”

POW! The second ship fired a volley. The air whistled as the second shot sailed directly at them.

Pilate gnashed his teeth. “Sounds like it's coming close—”

“They anticipated our move!” Belle immediately yelled to the cockpit. “Zaid! Spin us top side!”

“Awwwwwwwww snap.” Zaid yanked the controls aside.

Just as the Noble Jury began to twirl, Belle shouted into her soundstone. “Props! We need a mana overcharge! Pronto—”

The second blast made contact with the Noble Jury, striking the skystone shard above the gondola. The air ahead and below the two goblin vessels filled with flame and shrapnel, followed by a resounding explosion. The sky rolled with vaporous ripples and shockwaves.

Several of the goblins on both ships jumped and cheered. Others spat into the air below the battleship and chuckled in bloodlust.

“Direct hit, boss!” one imp said, grinning back at Haman. “They didn't even stand a chance!”

“Hrmmm...” Haman nodded with a drooling grin. “So much for the self-righteous Noble Jury.” He sipped from a steamy tube inside his suit, then wheezed, “Ready the skystone engine and resume course to Val Roa!” His eyes narrowed. “Nobody stops the deer apocalypse on my watch...”

“We will establish a cabinet of executive stewards, whose purpose will be to maintain peace and order while the search for the Prince continues,” Fishberry said. “And, in the event that the worst case scenario has indeed transpired, and Val Roa has lost its future king...”

The entire High Council chamber hung on the edge of their seats, voiceless and breathless.

Fishberry took a deep breath and spoke: “Then I suggest we elect a prime executive representative to act as the leader of Val Roa for the next foreseeable future. Personally, I would like to recommend Secretary Sharp Quill, whose experience is second to none. He has been dedicated and loyal to the Royal Family for his entire life. Who better than him to usher Val Roa into the future? For, whether we desire it or not, the fallacies of ancient tradition have finally consumed the heart of this great kingdom. A monarchical dynasty has always been far too fragile and tenuous to rely on with full faith. If the Royal Line didn't end today, it would certainly perish the next generation or the generation after that. I do believe it is time we put the future of Val Roa ahead of our own insecurities and move towards a complete democracy, with Sharp Quill as our primary steward.”

The second half of Fishberry's latest dialogue was impossible to hear over the tumultuous reaction of the crowd. Elks and reindeer were standing in their seats, loudly voicing their mixed shock and disapproval. Entire clusters of representatives bickered and argued with one another, with barely anyone paying sole attention to Fishberry.

She didn't appear to mind. Quietly, she tilted her head up, glancing at a clock above her balcony, then waited patiently for the most recent round of squabbling to end.

“Any minute now,” she murmured to herself, away from the sound stones. “This will all turn to dust...”

“Prostate!” Constable Jake spat, teeth clenched. As he and Saikano pulled the carriage towards the front steps of the High Council Building, he nervously eyed the thick crowd filling the courtyard. “I don't think the Tarkington has even arrived yet!”

Midnite Bastion stuck her head out of the window of the stagecoach. “Kera and Eine have to be here by now. Maybe if we contacted the Duchess?”

“It's a damn shame to have to drag our hooves and delay the inevitable!” Jake said.

“Then let's not.” Saikano motioned with his antlers. “There is a side entrance to the High Council. Rainbow Dash doesn't want us announcing our presence early, anyway. So perhaps we should enter from the side and meet up with Arcanista stealthily.”

“Good idea! I'm on board!” Midnite exclaimed. “Constable?”

“Hell, so long as antlers get to fly at the end of all this!” Jake pulled to the left and Saikano matched his movements. “I can totally do the sneaky deer thang, but only for so long!”

“Just a little bit longer, Jake.” Midnite gave Saikano one last glance. Shuddering, she slipped back inside the stagecoach to check on Sharp Quill's unconscious form. Meanwhile, the Soul Sentries galloping around the wagon followed as they took an abrupt detour, circumventing the thick crowd.

“Skystone engines primed and ready, Boss!” an imp shouted across the Gamma battleship's top deck.

“Very well.” Haman shuffled slowly towards the bow, pointing a grimy finger at the haze of urbanity beyond the nearest ridge of arid mountains. “Full speed! Let's snuff out the sun for these foppish fawns once and for all—”

Kapowww! A stream of mana flew into a propeller, causing it to explode with chunks of hot burning metal.

“Gaaaugh!” Several imps fell across the deck, some clutching at their bleeding limbs.

Haman spun, gawking as a stream of mana-blasts ricocheted across the deck, flew through the air, and bounced off the bulkheads of the battleship flanking them. Another explosion caused a cluster of imps to fly in opposite directions.

Milliseconds later—

FWOOOSH! The shadow of the Noble Jury glided overhead. The smaller, swifter vessel tore its way westward, bending back for a return strafe.

“How in the Hell...?!” An imp spun towards Haman and spoke above the sounds of pained moaning. “Boss, the Noble Jury wasn't blown up!”

“I can see that...” Haman snarled. “And I see you being impaled on one of my legs if you don't take the appropriate countermeasures!”

Paling, the subordinate spun and hollered at the recovering crew members. “Aim high! Fire anything and everything!” He pointed a clawed finger. “Bring those pony bastards down!”

“That barely scratched them!” Zaid shouted, struggling against the g-forces as he climbed the Noble Jury high, high up. “If anything, it made them mad!”

“That's the whole point!” Belle said, hooking one forelimb around Pilate as she gripped the starboard side turret with her other hoof. “We can't very well blow them out of the skies! Not without some help from Rainbow and the others!” She tilted her head aside. “You okay, Beloved?”

“For the m-most part!”

As the Noble Jury briefly evened out, Belle spoke into her sound stone: “Good job, Props! That mana overload shielded the skystone impeccably!”

“Scrkkk! Not sure Nancy Jane's got another pulse like that in her! The book nearly shorted out from that one!”

Echoing blasts filled the air.

“Incoming!” Zaid shouted as the atmosphere heated up.

“Just give us fuel for now, Props!” Belle shouted, already pivoting her cannon to intercept the incoming projectiles. “We've got speed and dexterity on our side! Let's all become a gnat they can't swat!”

“Right! Make us analogous to a fragile little bug!” Zaid gulped. “Quite the motivation—”

“Just loopty-loop, Mr. Zaid!” Pilate growled.

“Alrighty!” Zaid swiveled the controls, pulling the ship into a ferocious dive. “Loopty-looping!”

Let Slip the Belles of War

“I don't get it... wasn't that—?” Eine began.

“The Duchess. Totally.” Kera nodded as the two were escorted by Soul Sentries through the winding hallways of the High Council Building. “She and Floydien have to be somewhere else.”

“Like where?”

“If you ask me...” Kera gestured for Eine to step onto a balcony within the main chamber. “...they're preparing to lay the hammer down.”

“If you say so...” Prince Eine winced as he stepped out onto the balcony seat. Kera and several soul sentries stood behind him.

Nodeer seemed to notice the little fawn and tattooed filly. Everyone was too busy shouting, arguing, and clamoring passionately. Meanwhile, Chancellor Fishberry loomed from her seat high above and across the way. As she continued to speak, the irascible crowd rambled louder and louder, voicing their combined confusion and disapproval.

“My God...” Prince Eine stammered, gritting his teeth. “It's almost louder in here than it is outside!”

“Uhhh...” Kera stirred, glancing all around as she chewed on her bottom lip. “Something tells me this is just how she wants it.”

“How could you say that?! Look at my poor subjects!” Eine's yellow eyes burned with a flash of anger. “She's driving them mad with her speech!”

“Don't you get it? That's the whole point!” Kera exclaimed. “Chrysalis doesn't want control! She wants chaos! And misery!”

“And now she's using Fishberry to do it,” Eine said, shuddering. He glanced aside at the filly. “And the goblins—?”

“They won't reach this place if the Jurists have anything to do with it.”

Eine panted, his brow forming sweat bulbs. “I... I must do something!” He gulped hard. “If I could just get the Council to notice my presence—”

“It's not our move to make, dude.”

“But—”

“Just wait for our backup!” Kera exclaimed. “Rainbow Dash has a plan in motion! She's awesome, and we should trust her!”

Eine looked over Kera's flank.

Kera turned to glance as well. The Soul Sentries had retreated. The two watched as the last of the reindeer guard marched away.

“Where are they going?” Eine exclaimed.

Kera took a breath. “Where they will be far away from this crowd.” She looked forward as the chamber grew louder and louder. “Something tells me, soon enough, we won't be able to trust them.”

POW! Flak exploded in the desert air, sending steaming shrapnel in every direction.

The Noble Jury bobbed and weaved, barely dodging the explosive bursts.

POW! P-POW!

Zaid gnashed his teeth, pulling hard to the right and bringing the ship into a sharp spiral. “It's no use!” he shouted over his shoulder as more thunderous bursts echoed all around. “They have too many cannons between the two of them! No amount of fast flying is going to stop the two of you from becoming pincushions!”

“Nnngh!” Pilate clung to the port-side cannon as a close blast sent a heat wave rippling past his twitching ears. “And if we abandon our posts, we've got nothing to hit them with!”

“Like balls, we don't!” Zaid shouted, pointing past the cockpit windows. “We've got these two rockets! Let's charge them head-on and give their battleships a C-Section courtesy of Roarke Most Rawr!”

POW! Chunks of goblin metal scraped against the skystone overhead.

“Ungh!” Belle jolted, clinging to her rocket. “Not an option! If we charge them straightaway, we'll be right in their line of sight! We'll be dead before we get them in our sights!”

“Our only advantage seems to be maneuverability, for what it's worth!” Pilate shouted. “If only we could get the Jury to spin harder!”

Belle gasped. She craned her neck to look at the bow. “...that's it!” She hollered at the cockpit. “Zaid! On my mark, fire the starboard-side rocket!”

“You mean the one on the right... right?!”

“Yes! For Spark's sake, yes!”

“Just what the Hell are we targeting?!”

“Nothing!”

Zaid spun to look over his shoulder. “Excuse me?!”

Belle struggled to shout above the rupturing flak in the air. “Patch yourself through to Props in the engine room! I want you to get her to stall the engine for five seconds! Time it for right when you fire the rocket!”

Zaid blinked, then grinned. “Ohhhhhh Cap'n, if you're planning what I think you're planning, this is gonna make it hard for me to sit straight.”

“Just follow my orders!” Bellesmith shouted. “You can make a plaque over them later! Now talk to Props!”

“Boss!” a goblin said, peering through a spyglass. “I've got a fix on their trajectory!”

“And?” Haman grumbled.

The imp turned and pointed off the hulking bow of the Gamma ship. “If we fire seventy degrees eastward, we should be able to get a solid hit!”

“Right, then.” Haman sneered. “Aim all cannons! Prep the ammunition!” He scuttled forward on his mechanical limbs. “Your luck's run out, you squirrely bastards.”

“Prepare to fire!”

“On your mark!”

“Three... two... one... fire!”

“Now, Mr. Zaid!” Belle hollered.

Zaid punched his hoof over the cockpit's intercom. “Flaccid time, blondie!”

“Scrkkk! Stalling!”

Pilate's ears twitched as the skystone engines throughout the ship died. The vessel lurched noticeably, slowing to an icy glide.

Belle's voice cracked. “Fire the starboard side rocket!”

“It's away!” Zaid yanked the appropriate lever.

Pfftchooooom! The mounted rocket fired off with a blast of fiery propulsion. As a direct result, the dormant ship twirled clockwise, pivoting south from where it was at a standstill.

Belle and Pilate clung hard to their cannons, their lower limbs flailing.

Zaid braced himself against the cockpit as the Noble Jury twirled about, facing the two battleships due south. “They're in s-sight!” he sputtered.

“Full speed!” Belle spat.

“You hear that Blondie?!”

“Okie Dokie Lokie!” The skystone shard flared, and suddenly the entire Jury thrusted forward, accelerating like a gigantic missile.

Haman blinked. The goblins around him gawked as their full volley exploded several hundred yards east of the target... the target that was now soaring their way.

“They... they turned about!” An imp spun, staring at his superior with twitching eyes. “Nothing can turn about that fast!”

“Well?!” Haman snarled, pointing a grimy finger. “Blast them out of the sky!”

“Boss, we're...”

“What?!”

“We're still reloading the cannons...”

“... … ...” Haman looked up, his slimy face pale.

Ch-Chtung! Belle cocked and loaded her mana cannon. “Ready, beloved?”

Pilate swiveled his barrel at the ready. “More than I've ever been.”

“Aaaaaaaaand...” Zaid shouted through clenched teeth. “...contact!”

“FIRE!” Belle hollered, firing stream after stream of flaming hot energy onto the westernmost battleship.

Pilate let out a shout for good measure. His helm rattled as he fired as well as he could at the bulkheads of the Gamma ship rippling by underneath the Jury.

Explosions rippled left and right beneath the Noble Jury's gliding hull, as if the ship was surfing a veritable wave of shrapnel and fire.

When Supremely Noble Tactics Run Out

Eine and Kera shifted nervously from the balcony where they stood. The Council Chamber only grew louder and louder as chaos filled the indoor arena.

High up above, Chancellor Fishberry spoke into the sound stones, undaunted. “So long as we work together in the spirit of Val Roan courage, we can make this future happen! Do not let the structure of the past define our ambition! Our destiny extends beyond tradition and blind fealty!” She allowed the echoes of her voice to be absorbed into the crowd. As the audience only grew more upset and enraged, she tilted her head, glancing up through the rooftop of the place. Her eyes flickered a bright emerald before she muttered to herself: “Where are they? The battleships should be here by now...”

Two balconies below where Fishberry stood, a pair of cloaked figures were nestled in the shadows. Silently, Arcanista and Floydien exchanged glances. A communal nod was shared between them.

“Any moment now,” the Duchess said.

“Yes yes yes.”

Almost as if on queu, a soundstone positioned underneath Arcanista's cloak crackled to life. “We're here! Took us for bloody ever, but we're here!”

Grinning, Arcanista raised the sound stone to her lips and spoke into it. “Marvelous, Mr. Prowse. Touch down and lead the two to the Seventh Level! Saikano should be waiting there with Sharp Quill!”

“I bet it's louder than shagging cats in there!”

Arcanista took a deep breath, gazing up at Fishberry's balcony. “It's about to get even louder...”

Immediately outside the large round structure of the High Council Building, a thick sea of protesting Val Roans were being shoved aside in opposite directions by emotionless Soul Sentries. They approached the possessed guards as closely as they could, frowning and snarling unceasingly.

“What's going on in there?!”

“What is the meaning of this?!”

“We have a right to know what Fishberry is doing to our kingdom!”

“Where is the Prince?!”

“Where is our future King?!”

Without saying a word, the Soul Sentries continued marching in opposite directions. Soon, a solid divide formed in the crowd, leading up to the front steps of the High Council Building.

“Will you please... say something?!” Deer and elk frowned at the deadpan Sentries. “We want answers! We want justice! We want—” Their words trailed off as a thick, long shadow crossed over them all. The crowd gazed up, mutually breathless.

Fwoooosh! The Tarkington roared in, thruster engines smoking as it halted in mid-air, levitated for a bit, then slowly lowered to the cleared courtyard. Citizens who were previously clambering to push against the Soul Sentries now found themselves hobbling backwards, stunned beyond compare.

Within seconds, a metal panel along the port side slid open. Crimson and Phoenix hopped out, immediately followed by Arcshod and his two Xonan warriors.

“Okay, ponies!” Seclorum shouted as he, Josho, and Eagle Eye stood in the door frame. “You know your positions! Lay back and wait for the Soul Sentries to be commanded into a circle, then surround them!”

“Over twenty years of fighting with you and at last we're shooting fish in a barrel,” Josho said with a smirk, cocking his shotgun.

“Nothing of the sort, old stallion!” Eagle Eye exclaimed as he hopped down. “The goal is to keep them alive until well-after Chrysalis is defeated! They're as precious as the citizenry, after all!”

“Feh.” Josho glanced over at Seclorum. “I almost wanna stay on board with Prowse. Now there be some real explosions.”

“Stick to Rainbow's plan.” Seclorum gestured to Tweak and Lucky Strike as the two hopped out. “You boys got the manashards?”

Lucky shook a bag full of black crystals. “You bet!”

Tweak glared beyond the brim of his hat. “Who you calling 'boy,' gramps?”

“Enough dawdling!” Crimson hollered past Phoenix's shoulder as he levitated his hammer. “EE! Josho! Deliver the goods!”

“Righto! Delivering!” Eagle motioned to Josho. “Move your blubber, brother!”

“Excuse me!” one elk peered out through the line of Soul Sentries, frowning. “What in God's name is going on here—” His pupils dilated as he and every other deer, pony, and gazelle in the crowd gasped.

King Lunarius and Azira had hopped out of the Tarkington. The royal buck turned towards the citizens, glaring. “I'm winning back my kingdom. That's what!” He guided Azira along as they bounded after Josho and Eagle Eye. “Come, my love.”

“Is he in there?!” Azira stammered in mid-gallop. “Our precious little Einey?”

“Yes...” Lunarius' eyes narrowed. “...and so is the God-forsaken monster responsible for all this.”

“Right this way, your Highnesses!” Eagle Eye shouted as he and Josho led them beyond the huge marble pillars of the building's entrance.

At last, Seclorum hopped out of the ship and slapped his hoof against the bulkhead. “You're all clear, Prowse! Now go! Make Aatxe proud!”

“You're damned right we will!” Prowse's voice echoed from deep within the vessel. “Basso, shut the door and get to battlestations! Zetta, scan the air's leylines and find out where the Jury is! Booster?!”

“Y-yes, sir?”

“...now might be a good time to pray to your darling horse god!”

“Er... r-right, sir.”

Swisch! The door slid shut. With rockets thundering, the Tarkington lifted up, pivoted southwest, and roared past the spiraling rooftops of Val Roa's Sandstone district.

BOOM! P-POW! KABLAM!

The last of the Noble Jury's mana blasts ricocheted off the two goblin battleships.

Thwoooosh! The skystone vessel flew past the battered vessels, curving westward with a trail of crimson energy.

Atop the Gamma ship's top deck, Haman and several other imps struggled to stand upright. A few wounded goblins moaned constantly, their pained voices mingling with the ashen smoke billowing from a dozen different spots along the hull.

“Nrnnghh...” Haman gritted his teeth, flexing a limb that sparkled from shrapnel impact. “Damage report...”

“Several deep impacts along the port side hull, Boss!” an imp shouted. “Minor damage to the steam stabilizers! We... we seem to have lost four of our crew in the last salvo—”

“Never mind who dies! I could wipe my ass with the dead!” Haman raised the goblin up by a metal claw around his throat. “Are we still airborne?!”

“Snrkkkt... y-yes, sir! Of c-course... sir...!” The imp flailed in his grasp.

“Boss!” another goblin shouted from where he stood on a clean spot along the portside deck. “Signals coming in from the other ship! They've lost two of their propellors! Their maneuverability is significantly weakened!”

“Grnngh...” Haman dropped the choking imp to the deck and marched over him on metal claws. “Enough of this. Out of the way!” He knocked aside several gunners from a portside cannon. “Bring us about! Forty-five degrees to the west!”

“Aye! Bringing us about!”

Steam vents billowed on either side of the goblin leader's mech suit as he squatted his walker behind a cannon, aiming it at the distant red speck of the Noble Jury.

“I think they're coming about, boss!”

“Let them come.” Haman spat and leaned far enough forward so that his flesh-and-blood hands gripped the cannon's triggering mechanisms. “Load this thing up with three missiles... then back the hell up! I need space to concentrate...”

Ch-Chtung! “Loaded, boss!”

“Let her rip!”

“I will, thank you...” Haman's filmy eyes narrowed as he focused on the distant, incoming shape of the Noble Jury. “Mmmmmm... you think what you're doing here is righteous... you think that helping deerblood will earn you a place in the stars.” He gritted his teeth. “I will drown out the sky with your screams. I was born to murder. What were you foaled for?” He locked on the ship... then deliberately aimed his cannon a bit to the left. “Dodge this, you puissant waste of hooves.”

P-POW! Almost as quickly as he had fired the first missile, he pivoted the cannon far to the extreme right and fired again. POW!

“Hooooooooo boy!” Zaid's eyes reflected a plume of flame from beyond the windshield. He turned and shouted over his shoulder. “Incoming projectile! Coming towards our right side!”

“Good eye, Zaid!” Belle exclaimed. “Veer us hard to port!”

“Righto! Veering—” Just as the stallion began turning the ship, he gasped, for a second projectile was screaming savagely towards them from the left. “Bad day!”

“Center us!” Belle hollered. “Fly on through!”

Pilate suddenly gasped. “Beloved, I don't think—”

Haman grinned.

He pivoted the cannon dead center.

“Go prance in Hell.” P-POW!

And the last missile sailed forward, approaching the Noble Jury dead-on.

SHOOM! One rocket soared past their starboard side.

SH-SHOOM! The second missle grazed the ship's port.

And then, straight ahead.

“Uhhh...” Zaid gulped as the entire cockpit lit up with red flame. “...guys?”

Bellesmith's voice cracked. “Pull up! Pull up!”

“Grnngh!” Zaid yanked back at the controls—

KAPOW! The front belly of the Noble Jury exploded. The observation room and its windows shattered in every direction with Alafreon glass. Burning shreds of hammock rope flew into the wind along with two decks' worth of shrapnel.

As soon as the ship lifted, it plunged, sailing awkwardly past the two battleships and its cheering goblin crew members.

Amidst all the flame and smoke, Zaid regained consciousness. He looked behind him. Through the former entrance to the vertical stairwell, he saw flames and patches of exposed daylight.

“Blondie...” He stammered. The world outside the cockpit went dark. He looked ahead to see the summit of a mountain surging into view. “Awwww poop.”

It Doesn't Get Closer Than That

The goblins across the Gamma ship's top deck cheered wildly. Haman leaned back from the cannon, swiveling around on his creaking metal limbs to spot the Noble Jury's fatal plunge into the mountains below. Slowly, his stubbled cheeks curved into a greasy smile.

“Great shot, boss!” a goblin subordinate hollered. “Shall we finish them off?”

“We've wasted enough time on these pesky ponies as it is,” the Cartel leader said. “It'll be their suicide if they try charging us again.” He strolled towards the bow, pointing at the northern horizon. “Resume course to the deer capital. Have the gunners blast the Jury out of the sky if they attempt anything more foolish.”

“What of our sister ship, sir?” another imp asked. “With two propellers gone, it'll take them longer to stabilize long enough to engage their skystone engines.”

“We can't wait for anything anymore,” Haman growled. “They'll just have to take up the rear.” He pointed with a greasy set of fingers. “Full speed ahead!”

“Aye!”

“You heard the boss! Maximum speed!”

“Full speed to Val Roa!”

As the Gamma ship above accelerated with a burst of yellow skystone energy, far below the Noble Jury was plunging into the mountains. Chunks and slivers of metal peeled off its bow as it descended rapidly.

Inside the cockpit, Zaid was virtually wrestling with the controls, fighting to lift the smoldering vessel upwards.

“Come on, hot stuff!” The ex-cultist gnashed his teeth, flipping several switches and venting steam in order to give the ship some much-needed lift. “If not for me, try and survive for your elk husband! Grnnngh... his dry lips are puckering for y-you!” While pulling up, he glanced over his shoulder and yelped, “Bellesmith?! Pilate?! Guys?!”

He barely heard a yelling voice from beyond the wind and smoke.

“Dammit!” He slapped a hoof over the intercom, fighting g-forces throughout the maniacal plunge. “Blondie! Blondie! Please, for the love of ricotta, tell me you're not a sexy puddle of guts somewhere!”

“Scrkkkt... Kaff! Kaff! Guh... Zaidy Waidy!”

“Oh, thank Goddess!” Zaid exhaled, then blinked. “Wait... are you a sexy puddle of guts with an intact voice box?”

“Zaid, I think something hit us! There's smoke everywhere!”

“Is the book in one piece?”

“Yup yup yup! And still glowing! Now can you please pull us out of this crazy death plunge?!”

“Uhhh...” Zaid winced, struggling with the flight stick. “That's a little hard to do! We just lost two and a half decks towards the bow!”

“Pffft! We did not!“

“Err... yes we did...”

Waving away smoke fumes, Props crawled across the engine compartment and opened the door to the navigation room. “Zaidy Waidy, I'm standing right here, and I'm telling you! The Navigation room is in one p—”

She finally unlocked the door and swung it open to debris-strewn wind and passing mountaintops.

“Poopy!” she shrieked into the billowing gale. Dodging chunks of shrapnel and shredded books, she kicked the door halfway shut and scrambled back to the opposite end of the engine room. “Poopy poopy poopy poopy poopy!”

“Scrkkk! We weren't hit in the middle of the ship, Blondie. I'm sure the lavatory is still in one piece.”

“Enough toilet talk!” Props hopped up and grabbed a wall-mounted lever with all fours. “Nnngh!” Schlunkkk! She yanked the thing, then somersaulted to the starboard side of the ship, twirling several steam valves. “I'm venting as much steam as I can through the exterior reserves! Cut the engine and throw Nancy into a glide! What's left of her!”

“Cut the engine?! Are you crazy?! I mean, I love you, babe, but that's crazier than normal!”

“If you leave the engine on, the skystone will overpower the ship and thrust us into the mountain! I know how much you love thrusting, but this means super mega nasty death this time!”

Props gave a few more levers a final yank. “Now cut it! Cut it like it hurts!”

Zaid exhaled out his nostrils. “Cutting...” He twisted two dials.

After a flickering pulse, the skystone above the gondola stopped glowing entirely. Steam pipes wheezed all along the bulkhead, giving the plunging ship the tiniest of lift.

The ship immediately tilted forward. Zaid realized that—with most of the lower bow gone—there were no steam thrusters there to evenly levitate the vessel.

“Crud!” He gnashed his teeth. “'Throw Nancy into a glide,' she says!” Thinking quick, he yanked hard to the side and punched a button, firing a steam valve along the upper starboard side.

Th-Thwisssh! The ship spun counter-clockwise. Within seconds, its rear became its front, and the lower steam vents tilted the accelerating stern upwards so that it coasted towards the peak of the looming mountain.

“Come on... come on...” Zaid twirled his pilot's seat around by ninety degrees. Craning his neck, he squinted out the open door to the cockpit, staring past the skystone's support beams and the tail of the vessel. Reaching his hoof back, he twitched the flight stick left and right, steering in reverse as he aimed the stern towards the top of the arid topography. “This is the very definition of... nghhh... ass backwards!

At last, the lower hull of the ship's stern struck the mountain.

WHUDDD!

Zaid jolted, as did every instrument panel on board the ship.

“Gnnngh!” Zaid panted, sweated. “Good morning to you too, gravity!” He yanked hard on the stick with both hooves. “Guhhhhhh...!”

Scrkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk! The Noble Jury rode up the edge of the mountain, spitting sparks and chunks of burning metal everywhere. The pressure grew too great, and the very door to the hangar split down the middle. CRKKK Half of the slats flew off, sailing up and smashing to bits against the skystone shard. A chunk or two embedded into the doorframe to the cockpit—TH-THUNK!—showering Zaid with hot dust pellets.

“Gah! Goddess!” He nevertheless held the stick steady as the ship grinded up, up, and up towards the very ledge of the mountain's summit.

Fwooosh! The battered vessel plunged completely off the side of the mountain.

Holding his breath, Zaid spun towards the cockpit and slammed his hoof over the starboard button once more.

Thwish! The ship twirled counter-clockwise, tilting forward into a deadly free-fall. A wide ravine loomed beneath the Jury.

Zaid hollered into the intercom. “Now, Blondie! Gun it!”

He could hear Props' breathless exertions on the other end. The cockpit flickered with light, and soon a crimson beacon shimmered all over the aircraft, lighting up the stone walls hurling towards opposite ends of Zaid's vision.

SHOOOM! The Noble Jury sailed forward like a rocket. Zaid steered back, threading the ship through the canyon, then lifting up majestically before it could splatter into the walls on the opposite end. Smoking and leaking in dozens of places, the ship nevertheless ascended to a manageable altitude, limping its way northward on weak pulses of skystone and steam.

Zaid panted and panted and swallowed a lump down his throat.

“Are we dead yet?” Props' squeaky voice asked.

“I'll get back to you on that.” Zaid twirled around, staring nervously out onto the deck of the ship. “... … ....guys?”

There was no sign of the Ledomaritan couple. During the entire time Zaid fought gravity and death backwards, he hadn't seen an inch of them either.

He bit his lip, starting to squirm. “... … ...”

Just then, there was a grunting noise. Zaid saw a striped figure shuffling onto the top deck from the port side, trotting in reverse. Pilate was struggling to lift a weight along with him.

Zaid gasped. He looked through the windshield, spotting an even horizon. Slapping the autopilot on, he bolted out of his seat and galloped out onto the top deck. “Sexy newspaper!”

“H-Help... me...” Pilate seethed, tugging on Belle's limp figure.

“Holy crap grenades!” Zaid reached in, and the two stallions resumed pulling the mare from where she dangled over the port side. “Ooomf!” He struggled for breath, squatting on the deck along with Pilate and Belle. “How long were you holding onto her?”

“I... I don't know,” Pilate wheezed. “Since we got hit?”

“Friggin' insane...” Zaid smiled weakly, but immediately winced. “Is... is she okay...?”

Belle gasped for breath, her eyes bright in the middle of a pale expression. Coming back to reality, she glanced back and forth at the two stallions cradling her.

Pilate switched off his Ocular Array and slipped it off his crown, revealing a dull smile. “Does that answer your question, Mr. Zaid?”

“How... how bad...?” Bellesmith stammered.

“Well...” Zaid grimaced. “Aside from missing one third of the Jury and half of our steam reserves, I'd say we're d-doing pretty okay!”

“The... the goblins...” Belle gulped. “We're sitting ducks.”

“I... uh... I'd be m-more worried about Floydien at this point.”

Gulping, Belle raised a hoof and caressed Pilate's cheek. “Beloved...”

“I'm here, Belle.”

She smiled, breathing evenly. “Always having to be the hero.”

“Well, Rainbow Dash isn't here.” He winked blindly, nuzzling her hoof. “Nor does she love you half as much.”

Belle's cheeks went rosy. “Just don't let her hear that.”

“Hmmf... as if I'm inclined to care.”

P-POW! A burst of flak thundered off the starboard side. Zaid gasped, spinning to see the shadow of the battleship with two damaged propellers crossing over them.

“Wuh oh...” Zaid gulped. “Someone doesn't care for mushy scenes.”

“Where'd the other ship go?” Belle asked, struggling to stand up.

“I dunno. I bet they're headed for Val Roa.”

Pilate helped Belle to her hooves while more explosions rattled all around the ship, filling the air with bedlam. “First, let's work out a way to avoid that ship's fire,” the mare said. “Second, set a course for Val Roa as well.”

“Cap'n, when you give an order... you give an order.” Zaid rushed into the cockpit.

“Uhm...” Pilate shifted in place. “Bad news, beloved.”

“Really?” She tossed her mane back, wincing as the explosions popped closer and closer. “You mean aside from the fact that we lost half the ship and our meanest enemy yet is about to turn Val Roa into a casserole?”

Pilate gulped. “I... uh... may have lost the starboard side cannon while leaping to grab you a few minutes ago.”

“It's okay, Pilate,” Belle said, brushing his limbs with hers. “We'll make it through. Somehow.”

“Indeed.” He smirked slightly, sliding his Ocular Array back down and lighting it up. He didn't shudder this time. “Employing the most heinously stupid tactics, I presume.”

“I wouldn't have it any other way.” Belle gestured towards the remaining cannon. “Help me with this.”

“Yes.” Pilate shuffled after her. “Let's make Rainbow Dash proud.”

“Mmmm... I was going to say Kera, but certainly.”

Meanwhile, Zaid accelerated the ship, outrunning the bursts of burning flak.

Always On the Edge of Something

A door opened to a narrow, curved hallway inside the High Council building. Josho and Eagle Eye rushed through, checking every corner. At last, they stumbled upon two figures and jerked to a halt, raising their weapons.

“At ease, my little ponies,” Midnite Bastion said, waving a hoof from where she stood next to Saikano and Constable Jake.

“'Little?'” Josho raised an eyebrow. “Sister, have you eaten more than a bowl of crackers lately?”

“I think she was talking to me, old stallion,” Eagle Eye said.

“Pfft! Since when were you jealous of a mare's attention?”

“Oh for the love of—”

“Penises!” Jake barked, drooling. “Make way for the King and Queen already, ya butt sponges!'

“Er, right...” Eagle Eye blushed adorably. “That.”

“Shuffling...” Josho stepped to the right while Eagle Eye stepped to the left. King Lunarius and Queen Azira marched on through.

Upon coming face-to-face with Saikano, Lunarius scuffled to a stop, his eyes narrowing.

Saikano stared back, his good eye calm and unflinching.

Lunarius squinted. “Saikano...”

“My King.”

“So you say.” The monarch's nostrils flared as his brow furrowed beneath his antlers. “Sharp Quill?”

Saikano stepped aside and pointed at an unconscious figure lying on the floor beside the nearest doorframe, twitching. “Practically harmless at this point.”

“Indeed.” Lunarius tilted his head slightly. “And what makes me so sure that you won't betray us once again before all is said and done?”

“Because I have nothing to gain from it.” Saikano took a deep breath. “We've never had anything to gain from her will.” He sighed. “It took me a long time to break through the veil and understand that.”

“Are you so sure of that?”

Saikano looked over at Midnite. The mare avoided his gaze, shuddering. The General looked back at the King. “Quite certain.”

Lunarius stared at the elk before gradually nodding. As he stepped aside, Queen Azira trotted forward, lips pursed. “General, if I'm to understand everything about what's going to happen, then that means—”

“My life is to serve the Royal House,” Saikano said, bowing slightly. “Nothing more.”

Azira smiled softly. “I just want you to know that... I am in awe of what's being done here today. And, for what it's worth, I understand the need to do anything for one's own child.”

Midnite bit her lip.

Saikano looked at the Queen—and past her—as he gently spoke: “An honor, Your Majesty. You will be seeing your Princely Fawn again soon.”

She exhaled quietly, then leaned in to give the General the lightest of nuzzles... before trotting past him.

Saikano's gaze lowered. With a slight shudder, he glanced aside at Jake... then nodded.

Jake nodded back. He kicked the door behind him with three taps of his massive hoof. The panel open, and there Floydien stood on the other side, lowering his hood.

“Time for the shimmer reveal, boomers?”

“You bet your handsome ass,” the moose said. “Let's roll.”

Eagle Eye whipped out a sound stone and spoke into it. “Rainbow Dash! This is EE! The King and Queen are in place!”

Constable Jake once more heaved Sharp Quill's body over his shoulder while Midnite Bastion opened a door to an adjacent hallway for him.

“They'll be in good hooves with Arcanista and Floydien!” Eagle followed Josho as the group made a rush for the ascending corridors beyond. “We're en route to trap Fishberry!”

“Good work, EE. Crimson says he and Seclorum and the gang are in position outside the High Council Building.”

“All according to plan?”

“Yeah! Crazy, huh?”

“Have... h-have you heard from the Jury?”

“Not a word since they engaged the Cartel.”

Eagle winced in mid gallop. “Rainbow... Rainbow, d-don't you think we—?”

“We need to keep our heads in the game, Eagle Eye.”

“B-but—”

“EE... it's gonna work. Okay? Why else would we be on this continent if not to save the day?”

Eagle Eye sighed, smiling weakly. “That's stupid, Rainbow.”

“Yup. Proceed with the plans. Standing by. Scrkkk!”

As Chancellor Fishberry reached another leg of her controversial speech, Arcanista and Floydien trotted out towards the edge of the balcony located a few floors beneath her lofty seat.

Eine's ears twitched. “Look!” He pointed. “Arcanista and her brother!” He glanced back at Kera. “They're finally showing their heads! What do you suppose that means?”

Kera took a deep breath. “It means it's about to begin.” Slowly, she smirked. “Rainbow's plan is finally in motion.”

“You know...” Eine frowned. “As Prince of Val Roa, I would have greatly appreciated it if you had informed me exactly what this 'plan' is.”

Kera opened her mouth, but hesitated. Her soft green eyes fell on the fawn. At last, after a dry gulp, she said, “Just sit back and enjoy the show, kid.”

“Huh...?”

“Trust me,” she said, smiling.

Confused, blinking, the Prince nevertheless tilted his head up, eyes glued on the two balconies in question.

The southern neighborhoods of Val Roa were far from the riotous commotion in the Sandstone District. Still, a anxious hum hung over the crowd. Deer and ponies and other creatures gathered on apartment balconies and rooftops, chattering wild rumors with one another. Every other word was about “Fishberry” or “Prince Eine” or “the Council.” Many frowning faces were had, and no small amount of gnashing teeth.

Just then, a dark shadow loomed over the edge of the apartments. Several deer pivoted about, gazing south. Their heads tilted up, and a heavy shudder rippled through the urban crowd.

High above, a hulking battleship hovered on six beating propellers. Amber light streamed through the metal bulkhead seams, and several enormous cannons pointed straight down and over the edge of the deathly decks, locking rigidly in place. The murderous barrels glowed with fiery energy.

One by one, the citizens of Val Roa shrieked and bellowed in terror. They galloped off in random directions, sprawling for cover as the shadow grew larger and larger.

The imps lowered the Gamma ship so that the cannons were within range of the helpless apartments.

“Good to go, Boss!” a goblin hollered across the deck of grinning cohorts. “And, as promised, the capital's guard is putting up no resistance!”

“Of course they aren't.” Haman took a sip from the steamy straw and exhaled smoke. “They've already embraced their end.” Cracking his neck joints, he pointed a few dirty fingers forward. “What are you waiting for? Fire.”

“Firing!” The subordinate signaled to the frontmost cannon.

The gunners nodded, pivoted, aimed, and—

POWWW!

A rocket-propelled explosive shot out, then plummeted towards the rooftops below, zeroing on screaming, flinching families.

P-POWW! It exploded a hundred harmless meters above the target, lighting up the urbanscape while cascading thunder in every direction.

The Val Roans glanced up, shivering, surprised to still be alive.

Haman's filmy eyes twitched. While the goblins around him muttered, he leaned forward in his mech suit. “Wh-what...?!”

P-P-POW! A stream of manablasts ripped across the Gamma ship's top deck, incinerating two goblins instantly and sending chunks of metal flying into the air. The other deckhands flinched, shrieking in horror as—

SHOOOOOOOM! A slender green skystone ship roared past them, coming around for another turn, cannons firing at the goblin dreadnought.

K-Kapow! A propeller blew out while Haman and the others flinched from the blow. He stared up at the swerving vessel, hissing in anger.

“Nice shot, Mr. Basso!” Booster Spice cheered, wincing slightly from his bandaged wounds. “I especially like how you were able to hit their ship in the same pass too!”

Basso glanced over his shoulder from the portside gun controls. “I... d-didn't really mean to blow up so many of them in one hit.”

Booster's jaw dropped. “Are you kidding...?”

Basso shrugged, accidentally knocking a metal instrument panel loose with his massive shoulder. “Sometimes I wonder myself.”

“Brother, why didn't you stay home and stick to—I dunno—gardening or something?”

“Hey! Four eyes!” Prowse hollered from the cockpit. “Enough gabbin' and get yer bloody arse on the other cannon!”

“Er...” Booster Spice coughed and limped over to the portside controls. “Right on it!”

Zetta craned her neck from the station where she was sitting. “Prowse! They're coming about to face us!”

“Why, of course they are!” The gangly stallion slapped the accelerator with his prosthetic leg, decelerating so that the goblin battleship came into focus. “Now they've got somethin' else to shoot at, by all.”

Holding Aces Until The Last Second

“How many God damn shit eating airships do they have?!” Haman bellowed, his voice rolling across the Gamma vessel's bulkheads.

While the Tarkington spun circles around them, a goblin crew member ran up from below deck. “Boss, sir!” He saluted. “We just ran a scan after the last volley! Sensors detect four skystone signatures in total! Ours. Our sister ship. This bogey.”

“And who's the fourth?!” Haman's eyes narrowed, and then he gasped, his multiple chins wobbling. “The Jury...” He turned and glared at the arid mountains to the south. “Nrrnnngh...” Two of his metal claws bent deck panels loose in frustration. “They're still in one piece?!”

“What should we do, sir?”

“Call in the other ship!” Haman yelled. “They've managed to split us up! We can't have that!” He pointed at the capital looming just beneath them. “Fire all weapons at the buildings below! No more distractions!”

“But sir, they'll strike us while we're aiming at the structures!”

“We came here to do one thing and we're not doing it!” Haman charged forward, knocking the gasping imp aside as he shouted at his gunners. “Load all cannons! Reduce Val Roa to rubble!”

“Hold...” Zetta held a speaker tighter to her ear. “There's a crackle in their leylines. They're charging their weapons.” Her eyes narrowed, then twitched at the blinking lights of her console. She spun towards the Tarkington's cockpit. “All cannons are charged! Incendiary capsules!”

“They must be t-targeting the city again!” Booster exclaimed.

“These sodders just won't quit.” Prowse hollered over his shoulder while spinning over the bronze rooftops. “Basso! Load in the Brass Belch!”

“Ah!” Basso ditched his cannon and trotted towards a netted cargo of missiles. “So we get to use that after all!”

Booster adjusted his fractured goggles. “Use what?”

“A wee somethin' I thought up while on the way over the Wastelands!” Prowse said. “Might wanna lend the big bloke a hoof.”

“Uhhhh...” Booster watched as Basso heaved the massive tube over his flank and effortlessly carried it across the slender interior. “I think he's got it.”

“It's full of highly flammable manapellets,” Prowse explained while Basso loaded the missile into a long horizontal metal chamber. “Crimson and Seclorum were nice enough to enchant the stuff. It should seak any heat source within proximity of the outburst.”

“Fifteen seconds until the enemies weapons are fully primed!” Zetta shouted.

Ch-Chtung! Basso jerked the chamber close with a huge, twisting lever. “Loaded!”

“Well?!” Prowse lined the Tarkington up with the battleship and hollered. “Let 'er belch!”

Basso slapped a red switch. Whap!

POW! The Tarkington fired the missile out from its port side. Miniature rockets burst, propelling the cylinder over the rooftops of Val Roa and towards the waiting battleship.

An imp on board the vessel lowered his spyglass and glanced at Haman. “They've fired a missile, Boss!”

“Pffft. You call that a missile?” Haman frowned. “We can absorb worse than that.” He tilted towards the gunners. “Are the cannons loaded?”

The goblins slapped the last armaments into place and saluted. “All clear!”

“Then fire already—”

KABLAAM! The Tarkington's missile exploded fifty meters in front of them.

All of the goblins looked up.

“What the...?” Haman blinked.

“Sir, the missile exploded before—”

“I can see that, but why...?” His pupils shrank. “Ohhhhhh ass.”

The exploding missile had lingered in the air as a smoky cloud of dark black haze. In swift order, however, the north edge of the haze glowed with ethereal blue magic, then swarmed southward like a thick swarm of mosquitoes. Showering sparks, the pellets split off into separate streams, stretching like tentacles towards each of the propeller engines of the goblin battleship.

The vessel shook, losing stabilization. Imps were thrown left and right as the propellers struggled to shake off the clumps of metallic debris.

“Friggin'... horse magic...!” Haman spat.

“We're losing our targets!” several imps hollered.

“How could possibly lose the target?!” Haman frowned, clamping his metal limbs hard into the hull. “It's the damned ground!” He gestured with a flesh hand. “Just fire at will!”

“Aye, sir!” One cannon along the port side pivoted towards the buildings below, charging up.

Almost immediately, an errant cloud of metallic pellets sailed off a propeller and gathered around the end of the barrel.

Haman's jaw dropped. “Wait, no—”

POWWWW! When the cannon was triggered, it backfired, sending a plume of flame and shrapnel erupting into the dop deck, consuming four goblins immediately. Haman and the others sprawled for cover while the black pellets swirled and gathered around erupting heat, pushing the loose flame downwards so that it spread violently across the top deck of shrieking imps.

“Whewwwwww boyo!” Prowse grinned, spitting across his red beard as he ascended the Tarkington for a better view of the carnage across the top of the vessel. “If that won't give them the runs tomorrow morning, I dunno what will!”

“Is that it?!” Booster gasped. “Are they going down?”

“Ach! Far from it, laddie!” Prowse flipped several switches and brought the ship into a gentle dive. “We'd have to fire five times our total armament to bring somethin' that bloody big down! But, if nothing else, we gave them somethin' to piss themselves over!”

“Increased signal from the south!” Zetta exclaimed, flipping switches across her console. “The second goblin ship is inbound!”

“The second one's here already?!” Basso exhaled, eyes wide.

Zetta looked at the others. “I'm detecting the Noble Jury too. Their skystone signal's still there, but all other mana signatures are faint.”

Booster gulped a lump down his throat, clinging to his gun turret. “Rainbow Dash, I really hope the others are doing better than we are...”

“I know that these... m-may seem like trying times...” Chancellor Fishberry was sweating profusely by now. Her eyes darted constantly between the sea of angry delegates' faces and the solid rooftop above the meeting chamber. “...but... the... darkness is at its most... bleak... right b-before the sunrise...” She gulped, wincing as each word dribbled out before the soundstones. “...but we will prevail, for the spirit of Val Roa... lives in each one of us...”

Far down below, Eine was trying his darn best not to vomit. “She's resorting to the basest of political rhetoric now! The situation's hopeless for her!” He turned to gawk at Kera. “What is the Duchess waiting for?”

“If I didn't know better?” Kera said. “I'd say she was milking this until the most awesome moment.”

“And what would you know about the spirit of Val Roa, monster?” Arcanista's voice rolled suddenly across the hundreds of seats and balconies.

Kera smirked. “There it is.” Eine propped himself up on the edge and craned his neck to see better.

Just a few levels lower and to the left of Fishberry's balcony, a tall elk lowered her hood. Her angry face pierced through the dim air of the place, landing on Fishberry's brow. “That is right. I called you a monster. For that is what you are. You and General Saikano and Secretary Sharp Quill!” The Council fell into stunned silence as the representative from Bountiful continued speaking. “Monsters who have taken this kingdom hostage, and alienated its own Prince!”

Murmurs arose from every seat.

Nevertheless, Fishberry frowned. “How dare you!” She pointed a cloven hoof. “You attacked me in my own office, you traitorous sociopath! Guards!”

“The guards will no longer answer to your venomous commands and you know that!” Arcanista hissed. Floydien trotted up and stood valiantly alongside her. “Nor will they follow Sharp Quill. This facade ends today.”

“But... h-how did you get out of...?!” Fishberry blinked, then her eyes flickered green. “...Saikano.”

“How ironic, that the first courageous soul to refuse Chrysalis' maniacal plan is one of her own servants.” Arcanista turned towards the crowd and spoke boldly. “Just the day before yesterday, you heard the cautionary words of Princess Kera Tin Mehjj of the Xonan Empire! She told each and every one of you that a terrible monster had infiltrated the heart of Val Roa! Well, she very nearly paid the price for proclaiming such a truth... when Secretary Sharp Quill forcefully attempted to imprison both her and Prince Eine of the House of Evo yesterday!”

The crowd erupted in panicked and shocked exclamations.

“That is absurd!” Fishberry snarled. “You... y-you've always been desperate for power in this Council!” With a furious frown, she spat, “Are you so heartless that you would exploit a terrible tragedy such as the disappearance of our future king?!”

Floydien glanced down at Kera's balcony. His red eyes narrowed calmly.

The petite Xonan blinked. With an understanding gasp, she stood up straight and shot a beam of glowing magic into the air. “Prince Eine hasn't disappeared! He's alive!” She reached over and fiercely nudged the fawn's shoulder.

Eine winced, but swiftly steeled himself with a tight frown. “It's true...” Clearing his throat, he spoke boldly to the Council. “It is true! Secretary Sharp Quill attacked Kera and myself without provocation!”

Every head spun towards the lower end of the chamber. A few does and cows fainted while bucks stammered in awe. Fishberry was white as a sheet.

“He was not himself!” Eine clenched his jaws. “Sharp Quill is an imposter! He and Fishberry have been leading both myself and this Kingdom astray! But thanks to the swift courage of Kera, Duchess Arcanista, and their Noble companions, my life has been spared so that I might intervene on Val Roa's behalf!”

“But... but...” Fishberry shook her head, grimacing. “Your Majesty...” Her eyes narrowed. “Sharp Quill has pledged his life to the Royal House!” She gulped. “He's been this kingdom's most righteous steward ever since the untimely death of the King and Queen!”

Arcanista and Floydien exchanged glances. Within the next breath, they stepped aside, and two powerful figures occupied the balcony in their wake.

“That is impossible...” King Lunarius frowned as he stood closely alongside Queen Azira. “...for your King and Queen live!” He spat above the noise of resounding gasps. “And we are your prisoners no longer, creature!”

The entire Council was livid. The elks and deer within couldn't figure out whether to shriek, bow, faint, or all three at once.

Fishberry barely had a breath to keep her standing. Her eyes flickered again, and she muttered quietly, “We've... we've failed her...”

Some Reunions Are Happier Than Others

P-POW!

“Guh!” Zaid struggled to veer the Noble Jury left and right as it skimmed the arid hilltops south of Val Roa. Cannon blasts erupted on either side while what was left of the skystone craft attempted to outfly the second goblin battleship's armaments. “I don't suppose you guys can... I dunno... return fire or something?!”

“They're well out of range!” Pilate exclaimed from the soot-covered top deck.

“We'd have better luck if we were flying over them!” Bellesmith added.

“Well, I doubt that's gonna be happening anytime soon!” Zaid reached a hoof to the intercom. “Blondie!”

“Mareshi mareshi!”

“Think you can give us a bit of lift?!”

“I'm doing all I can to keep us speedy enough to dodge those goblin airblasts! No point in lifting unless you've got support!”

“Yeah, okay, I get it!” Zaid gnashed his teeth. “I'll just try and find us a canyon so we can lose the creeps and give you enough energy to—”

“Wait!” Belle hollered. “They're flying off!”

“Pfft!” Zaid rolled his eyes. “They are not.” A hulking metal object soared high overhead, speeding its way north. “Holy cheeseballs. They totally are.”

“Did I hear that the baddie bads are splitting for the hills?!”

“Not the hills, Blondie. Val Roa.”

“Oh noes! Whatever for?!”

“Well, that was their mission to begin with,” Pilate said. “I'm just surprised they've not finished us off. We're still a liable threat.”

“Maybe Rainbow Dash is shaking things in the capital!” Zaid said.

“I doubt the Cartel would be able to sense that.” Belle squinted, staring off the ship's deck. Suddenly, she gasped. “The Tarkington!”

“They won't stand a chance on their own,” Pilate said, shaking his helmeted head. “You can see what the goblin attack has done to us.”

Belle chewed on her lip. With a renewed frown, she galloped into the cockpit. “Props!” she spoke firmly into the intercom. “How's the book?”

“A lot fainter than when we first arrived here, but it's still ticking! Er... flickering!” A thoughtful pause. “Tickflickering?”

“How much time do you need to prepare for us a swift thrust in the engines?”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“On just how thwist you want the thrusts to be!”

Smiling, Zaid opened his mouth—

Belle shoved a hoof into his face and spoke further into the intercom. “This may very well be the Noble Jury's last run, Props. We need you to give her all she got.”

“Hmmmmm... good thing I haven't run out of okies, dokies, or lokies....”

“Mother...?” Eine's yellow eyes were sparkling. “F-Father...?”

Kera glanced at him, then at the balcony above. She smirked.

While the stunned Council looked on in dumb silence, King Lunarius continued his bold speech. “Sharp Quill kept us alive only to torture us... physically and emotionally...” The regal buck spat. “Locked up in a frozen prison to the far north! We've been disgraced, maligned, and robbed of everything we hold dear! And to what end?! To threaten our very own Prince and steer this kingdom into the bedrock?!” His angry eyes narrowed. “It takes a chaotic mind to sow chaos, but you—you're not even remotely there yourself, are you?! That's why you and your accomplices needed the Queen and I intact, so you could gain strength from us while you struggled to keep your infernal conspiracy from falling apart!”

“This...” Fishberry trotted backwards, shaking her head. “This wasn't suppose to happen...” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “Her plans...!”

“What's the matter, Chancellor?!” Lunarius snarled. “Has everything stopped making sense to you?! Was your feeble mind promised more than this for your treachery?!”

At that very same time, Queen Azira's eyes fell towards one particular balcony far below. Her gaze met Eine's, and she smiled with an emotional outburst. “Einey!”

“M-mother!” Eine sobbed, pressing himself up to the edge of the balcony. “Mother, Father! God be praised! You are alive!”

Kera suddenly fidgeted. She looked all over the balcony, then at the seats behind her. Flashing mana into her horn, she tugged and tore at the chairs. “Nnnnnngh!” Crk-kk! She ripped the furniture loose, floating all four up into the air. Then, with careful precision, she levitated them in a straight line extending out from the edge of the balcony.

Without thinking twice, Eine hopped onto the first chair, then bounded onto the second. Kera bounced up and landed on the floating platforms behind him. Straining a bit, Kera utilized expert telekinesis, rotating the chairs around and ahead of them so that it created a progressively extending bridge in time with the speed of their galloping procession. In such a way, she drew an ascending path from the lower balcony to the higher one where Arcanista, Floydien, and—most importantly—the Royal Couple waited. By the time Kera had rotated the chairs up to the seat's edge, the whole Council was applauding. Eine performed a lasting leap, and Queen Azura caught him. The sobbing fawn buried his smiling face into her chest while the Queen held him close with loving forelimbs. Kera hopped onto the edge of the balcony in time to spot King Lunarius kneeling down to join the embrace, holding his wife and son close as the family reunited. As the chairs fell behind her, she teetered a bit, leaning towards the edge with flailing forelimbs.

Floydien caught her, hoisting her onto an even floor. The elk blew out the side of his mouth, gazing emotionlessly at the warm reunion. “Hrmmff... tattooed boomer knows how to deliver.”

“Should have given me another day or two,” Kera said, still catching her breath. She wiped sweat from beneath her smoking horn. “He may seem golden crispy, but he could still stand to burn the 'sissy' off the far corners.”

Sniffling, Eine leaned back, grinning at the King and Queen. “I... I would have become King...” He gulped. “I would have done everything to make you both proud of me.” He shuddered. “You do realize that, I-I hope.”

“Our precious Einey...” Azura ran a hoof across his moist face, smiling tearfully. “We are proud.”

“Your patience and wisdom have preserved you, my son,” Lunarius said, his eyes firm and piercing. “Consider this as God's gift. I know I do.”

“Fishberry!” Arcanista hollered.

All eyes darted towards the upper balcony.

The doe swiftly galloped towards the door leading towards the rest of the High Council Building.

“Do you run, monster?!” Lunarius bellowed.

Without saying a word, the Chancellor flung the door open.

“... ... ...” Saikano stood, glaring at her.

“Augh!” Fishberry hobbled backwards, pupils shrunk in the middle of a pale face. “General...?!” Her gaze flashed across, Josho, Midnite Bastion, and Eagle Eye. Then her eyes fell towards the side.

Sharp Quill lay in a twitching, groaning heap.

Fishberry's lungs emptied. “Oh no.”

A large moose marched in, thundering past Saikano. “Oh yes.” Jake swung his hoof.

WHAM!

“Guh!” Fishberry fell back, collapsing across the seats as the whole Council gasped.

“Whoah!” Kera winced, shuddering beside Floydien and Arcanista.

“This is it,” the Duchess said, gulping.

“Yes yes yessssss...”

All Hail the Queen of Nothing

Explosions ricocheted off the green hull of the Tarkington.

Gritting his teeth, Prowse spun the slender vessel around in a sharp turn, dipping up and down to avoid patches of flak. He was only marginally successful. One explosion landed too close, and it sent bursts of sparks flying through the ship.

A panel beside Basso caught aflame. The stallion shrieked in alarm. Booster Spice and Zetta rushed towards him with extinguishers, attempting to put out the blaze.

Panting for breath, Prowse wrenched his eyes off the struggle inside the ship. The Tarkington's windshield turned around just in time for the pilot to catch a second hulking battleship arriving from the southern horizon, approaching the edge of the city with all cannons armed.

“Oh... bloody friggin' perfect,” the old stallion spat.

Outside the High Council Building, Val Roan Citizens flinched from the echoing thuds of explosions coming from the south. Ponies and deer alike glanced at each other uncertainly, their eyes no longer plastered to the strange scene taking place on the front steps of the enormous building.

The bulk of the city's guard had arrived. Hundreds upon hundreds of Soul Sentries gathered along the front steps of the large structure in the heart of the Sandstone District. While the motionless figures with glowing eyes congregated tightly, they were patrolled by an able-bodied group of ponies running circles around them.

“For the last time! Back off!” Phoenix hollered at the mass of citizenry gathered nearby. “You don't want to be around for when things get hairy! And believe me! It's gonna get really... really hairy!”

“Give it a rest, Phoenix,” Crimson said.

“You kidding?!” Phoenix gestured madly. “None of us wanna deal with the collateral—”

Seclorum trotted by, gowling, “If we keep our heads cool and trust the plan, then we won't have to worry about that.”

“Especially with these crystals Prowse cooked up for us!” Tweak said, helping Lucky Strike set up a bunch of miniature launchers, armed with black shards. “Still, what I wouldn't give to be down south, wiping goblins out of the sky's ass.”

“We're needed here, Tweak,” Crimson said, eyeing the soul sentries. “Stick to the plan. Rainbow Dash hasn't failed us before.”

“Dreit...” Arcshod nevertheless shuddered, turning to glance at the High Council Building.

“Unnngh...” Fishberry writhed on the floor, her eyes flickering beneath thin lids.

Saikano strolled onto the balcony while Josho and Eagle Eye dragged Sharp Quill's body in through the doorway. Once they were on the platform, Jake blocked the nearest exit with his massive body.

“Saikano...” Fishberry coughed, sputtered. “You traitor.” She gnashed her teeth. “Do you realize what you've done?”

“Yes.” He nodded gravely, his one eye narrowing. “And, more importantly, I know what I am about to do.”

Fishberry twitched. “You c-can't be serious...”

“It was never going to work, Fishberry.” Saikano shook his head. “Her plan? There were far too many holes in it. The conspiracy was an act of desperation from the start. The only reason we were so keen to manifest her will was because she had purposefully blinded us.”

“It's you who's blinded!” Fishberry spat, eyes flickering a bright green. “We spread you too thin! Gave you too much responsibility! Now it's driven you mad!”

“Mad...?” Saikano gazed back at Midnite Bastion. The mare bit her lip as the elk said, “I was given a moment of clarity, Fishberry. Nothing more.” His nostrils flared. “And it's as venomous as it's blissful, for there's no changing what I must do.”

“What... what you must do...?!” Fishberry's muzzle quivered.

“General,” Josho grunted. “At the risk of sounding like a huge, soulless asshole—now's a very good time to... y'know...”

“I concur.” Saikano nodded. “Step away from the Chancellor and the Secretary.”

Josho hobbled backwards while Eagle Eye—wincing—made a dramatic leap so that he stood at the obese stallion's side.

Saikano moved towards where Sharp Quill lay beside the Constable. At the last second, however, he paused. The Council murmured in uncertainty as he turned to gaze at Midnite.

The mare shivered, her eyes glossy and wet.

He reached over and tilted her chin up.

She grimaced immediately, but nevertheless met his gaze for the first time in hours.

“Do not despair, Midnite. You may find him yet.”

Her voice cracked. “How can I? It... it's not possible...”

“For as long as I can remember, all I knew was how to sow misery.” Saikano's eye went soft. “But you showed me differently. For all I feel now, and all I will ever feel, is love.”

Midnite inhaled sharply, a tear running down her face.

The General smiled. “I cherish you, my daughter.” Then, a stern flash of fury. “Be brave, and always fight darkness.” Then, in a single stride, he marched over and grasped Sharp Quill with his naked hooves.

The Secretary awoke at last, his eyes burning with emerald agony. Bubbling blisters rippled across his skin, turning black and blacker. “Aaaaaugh!”

“Saikano!” Fishberry hollered, struggling to scoot off the balcony's edge, but failing. “You fool! We must never... ever make contact with—”

Saikano was too busy growling in fury. “Rrrrrrrrghhhh—” His antlers melted while his bad eye ripped open, burning like a thin crevice above bright green magma. While his forelimbs congealed into Sharp Quill's twitching flesh, he nevertheless spun the two bodies around and bounded straight towards Fishberry like an unstoppable boulder. “—RAAAAAAUGH!”

Fishberry shrieked, and then she was gone. All three bodies converged, oozing into a turbulent pile of obsidian sludge.

Josho and Eagle Eye winced. Midnite Bastion trotted back, shading her eyes as the organic anomaly pulsed with blinding green flame.

Down below, Kera shook her head. “Can't friggin' believe it,” she murmured, smirking slightly. “All this time. Chrysalis wasn't waiting in the shadows after all.” She glanced up at Floydien. “Who figured it out? Ebon?”

Floydien nodded, his red eyes narrowing. “Why shimmer from one place when you can glimmer in three?”

“Behold!” Arcanista shouted before the Council. “The monster's true form!” She pointed while the huddled Royal Family looked on. “Drained of all her strength and all her minions, our secret enemy thought she could control Val Roa from the highest places the Kingdom could afford! She imagined she could use Prince Eine as a puppet by extension, but the Prince was too wise for her. The monster's mission was an act of desperation and panic, after all, and it was always doomed from the start! With help from brave outsiders named the Noble Jury, her plan has been torn apart at the seams, exploited for all its foolish weak points! And now, she stands before us, as weak and bereft of strength as she was when she first nested in this kingdom and sought to undermine the monarchy!”

At last, the bubbling puddle of black flesh congealed into a single shape. A tall, lanky equine emerged from the ashen remains of Fishberry, Sharp Quill, and Saikano. A jagged horn crowned an angular skull attached to a thin neck that was attached to an even more gangly body. Porous holes dotted pronounced fetlocks sculpted out of a glossy carapace. A raggedy mane of translucent green threads dangled from the creature's emaciated skull. With a frail gasp, the creature lurched forward, leaning weakly against the edge of the balcony while Josho, Eagle, and Midnite readied themselves into fighting poses.

“Chrysalis!” Arcanista boomed, pointing. “Queen of the Changelings...” Her eyes narrowed. “Queen of nothing.”

A pair of slitted eyes opened, twitching fearfully. Chrysalis' fangs bit into her black muzzle as she shivered, gazing at the sea of disgusted eyes down below.

“Pill bugs!” Jake cackled. “Now that is one ugly bitch.”

Chrysalis spun about like a jerking tarantula, causing the nearby Juries to flinch. The hollow alicorn's head twitched and jerked with rapid movements, her slitted eyes reflecting the faces gawking up at her.

“No sudden movements, sunshine,” Josho said, aiming his shotgun.

“By the power invested in me by the Val Roan Defense Ministry...” Midnite Bastion sniffled, then scowled with an iron-wrought glare. “...I am putting you under arrest, Monster.”

“... ... ...” Chrysalis frowned. “Hrshhhhhh!” Her horn pulsed at every jagged angle.

“Uhhhh...” Eagle Eye gulped. “The Queen of all the world's shape-shifters is glowinnnnng!”

“At ease, Princess—”

“HAAAAUGH!” Chyrsalis aimed her horn... at the ceiling. POW! She blasted a wide hole, spread her wings, and flew away.

“Dammit dammit dammit!” Josho fired several times with his shotgun. BLAM! BL-BLAM!

It was too late. The Queen was gone.

The crowd erupted in a wave of shouts and nervous shrieks. The Royal family held each other tightly while Floydien and Arcanista exchanged glances.

“Uhhhhh...” Jake fidgeted, wiping the drool off his muzzle. “That was supposed to happen, right?”

“EE?” Josho looked over his shoulder.

“On it!” Eagle Eye lifted a sound stone to his muzzle. “Crimson! Crimson!”

Outside, the large stallion leaned against his hammer, holding up the crackling sound stone.

“Scrkkkk! This is EE! Chrysalis has formed just like Ebon said she would! She blasted a hole in the ceiling and made a run for it! Do you have a visual?!”

POWWW! The sky thundered with a loud burst of mana. The gathered crowd gasped.

“Shit, almighty!” Tweak hollered as he and Lucky Strike spun to see a black figure bursting out of the roof of the High Council Building and coasting towards the northern horizon. “Someone get the license plate off the back of that grasshopper?!”

“Is that it?!” Phoenix sputtered.

“Shhhh!” Seclorum raised a hoof as he and Arcshod glared after the figure. “Seems to be heading northeast.”

“Copy that, Eagle Eye!” Crimson nodded, speaking into the sound stone. “We see Chrysalis. And guess what? She's heading due northeast!”

“Just like Rainbow Dash predicted.”

“Exactly.” Crimson smirked, giving the sound stone a tiny shake. “Hey, you hear that, Rainbow Dash?! She's headed right for you!”

“Scrkkkk!” Silence—at least at first—and then: “...awesome.”

Awesome Ways to Catch a Queen

Gossamer wings spread majestically wide, Queen Chrysalis flew northeast, skimming the shorter and shorter buildings of Val Roa's warehousing district. She took one glance back at the High Council Building and the distant air battle beyond. Hissing, she looked forward again, narrowing her pale eyes.

“This is far from over.” The mutated alicorn's jagged horn glowed from top to bottom with emerald fury. Her eyes pulsed with a matching aura. “I'll rip this city apart like shredded meat.”

With that said, she fired a pulse of energy into the sky. The green beam exploded, splitting apart in a thousand different directions before descending on the Capital like a translucent umbrella.

“Prowse, look!” Basso exclaimed.

The pilot in question was doing his best to avoid cannon blasts from two hulking battleships. “A little busy to be doing anything but pissin' right now, boyo!”

“No, he's right!” Booster Spice said, pointing past Zetta. “Something's happening to the city!”

Prowse flung a sweaty glance beyond the windshield, catching a haze of green light cascading over the urbanscape like a blanket. “Well, now that's just brilliant,” he grumbled.

Citizens of Val Roa stirred nervously across the Sandstone District. They watched as the emerald aura descended, finally collapsing over them and through them. Though several bucks and does gasped, they appeared completely unaffected.

The Soul Sentries, however...

Fl-Flash! Their antlers brimmed with a conjoined pulse. With identical movements, they stood up straight, spun about, and faced the helpless crowd in a solid line.

“M'beraat rekkhar threatta Xon-Nagu'n!” one of the Xonan warriors proclaimed, pointing.

“Sabbatical's over, kindergarteners!” Seclorum shouted to the other heroes gathered nearby the High Council Building. “Queen Arachnobitch has reattached the strings!”

“Everypony remain calm!” Crimson hollered. “We're prepared for this! And Rainbow Dash has got our backs!” He pointed at Tweak and Lucky Strike. “Now! Launch it now!”

The Soul Sentries clenched their jaws and aimed their fiery antlers at the crowd.

“You heard the stallion, bro!” Tweak shouted.

“Launching—!” Lucky Strike catapulted the first of several black crystals into thea ir.

Tweak cocked his rifle, aimed, and fired at the glittering projectiles while they were over the heads of the Soul Sentries.

P-Pow! They exploded with bursts of mana, shooting energy outward in all directions.

Within a blink, a third of the Soul Sentries that the group had gathered before the steps of the High Council Building had collapsed with groaning breaths. The crystalline discharge had shorted out their leylines, leaving them partially disconnected from their nefarious source of control.

“Did that do it?!” Phoenix stammered.

“Partially!” Seclorum said. “A good chunk of them are still able to give us the zap!”

“Tweak?!” Crimson exclaimed.

“Workin' on it!” Tweak shouted, giving Lucky Strike a nudge. “Ready when you are!”

“And it's away!” Lucky catapulted a second volley into the air.

Tweak aimed and fired, causing the crystals to explode and short-out another cluster of Soul Sentries. The remaining reindeer with glowing eyes marched forward, firing blasts of mana at will. Flash! Fl-Flash!

Bursts of concrete and bronze caught aflame. Citizens shrieked, galloping away for their lives.

“This is it!” Crimson levitated his hammer out, brow furrowed. “We've gotta hold them off!” He craned his neck to look at the rest. “Remember! The goal is to maintain them! No killing Val Roans on our watch!”

“You think they're gonna respect us the same?!” Phoenix's squeaked.

“I didn't give you permission to bitch, soldier.”

“R-right...” Phoenix cracked the joints in his neck and charged forward, clamping his teeth around his mace. “Rrrrrgh!”

“Ohhh I feel the gray hairs multiplying.” Seclorum's horn glowed as he rushed the Council Building's front steps. “Move your tattoos, big guy!”

“Dreit!” Archsod thundered forward, flanked by his likewise burly companions. “Hala'gennar Xon-Nagu'n!”

“Raaaaaaaaugh!”

With swinging weapons and bursts of telekinesis,the warriors met the Soul Sentries head on, knocking reindeer aside while deflecting blasts of emerald energy. The entire Sandstone District erupted with noise while pained bodies fell left and right, their connections with Chrysalis strained by the second.

“Duchess! Duchess!” Nilla bounded up through the hallways of the High Council Building, flanked by Mamunia and Jet. The gazelle skidded to a stop in the doorway to Arcanista's balcony, gazing at her with wide-eyes. “The Soul Sentries! They... th-they're attacking Val Roans!”

Queen Azira gasped, holding Eine close. King Lunarius gazed firmly in the Duchess' direction. “It is as you predicted...”

Taking a deep breath, Arcanista trotted towards Nilla and the two ponies. “Are the ones in the Sandstone District being contained?”

“Yes!” Jet exclaimed with a little hop. “The Tarkington's ponies are holding them back!”

“But they can't for long.” Mamunia shook her head. “What about all the reindeer under her control throughout the rest of the city?”

“The stabby stabs will likely be drawn to Tarkington boomers,” Floydien grumbled. “They'll choke them with shimmer glimmer.”

“Then what do we do?!” Kera's voice cracked. “The Jury and the Tarkington are busy trying to take on those crummy goblins!”

“And someone has to take down that foul monster who just escaped,” Lunarius grumbled.

“We all must have faith in the plan,” Arcanista said calmly. She turned to gaze at the hole through which Chrysalis had exited. “It's all in one pony's hooves now...”

Queen Chrysalis glided lower and lower, her dark flank to the chaotic city southward. Despite her easy escape flight, she was panting nervously, fangs showing as she sweated and strained like a frenzied addict.

“Must... m-must find the crystals,” she hissed, shaking her head as she made for a warehouse located along the fringes of the Grand Choke. “Must g-get a recharge...” She gulped dryly. “I can still salvage this...” Her fangs glistened. “I can still sow enough misery to make this all work!”

She descended swiftly, approaching the side door to the warehouse. With a heavy grunt, she fired a beam of magic that blasted the door open.

Then, just as soon as she entered the concrete structure's spacious room, Queen Chrysalis skidded to a stop, gasping.

Rainbow Dash stood in the very corner, her legs crossed casually. Every shelf inside the warehouse was empty, leaving the spacious storage room dull and barren. She made eye contact with the mutated alicorn, and her glinting eyes matched the sheen of her pendant.

“Hey there. It's about time.”

“... ... ...” Queen Chrysalis stood in place, shivering.

Silence.

The door behind her swung gradually shut, forcing the metamorph to flinch.

Rainbow gestured towards the center of the room. “Have a seat.”

There Is No Easy Way Out

“Guh!” Basso grunted, nearly toppling back from his gun turret controls. He threw a nervous look over his shoulder. “Is the hull still in one piece?!”

“Barely!” Zetta's voice cracked as she looked into the cockpit. “Prowse, sir, if we take too many more hits, we're done for!”

“Aatxe's ship ain't no wee mosquito!” Prowse hollered, gripping the controls of the Tarkington tight. “She can take it! We've just gotta get a jump on these goblin sods!”

“Prowse, we've been circling them for five minutes straight!” Booster Spice hollered. He climbed towards the front of the narrow ship. “We haven't gotten the jump on anyone! Take it from somepony who's flown with the Jury through thick and thin! We gotta try a different tactic!”

“Nnngh... like wh-what?!”

Booster glanced back down the full length of the ship. “The last few armaments—do we have the means of dropping them straight down?”

“Negative! This bloody ship wasn't built with a bomb bay!”

“Well, I have an idea! If we could just ascend to a higher level and fly over them—” Booster's speech was interrupted by a savage blast of energy impacting their starboard side. Bursts of flame erupted across the ship, filling the Tarkington with steam.

“Aaaugh!” Zetta fell from her shattered console, sprawled across the floor and twitching.

Basso wheezed and hacked for breath. “Zetta!”

Reeling from the blow, the Tarkington veered towards its billowing starboard. It descended at a sharp angle, colliding with the south face of a spiraling Val Roan tower.

Scrkkkkkttt! The ship grazed the edge of the skyscraper, spilling glass and flecks of bronze metal to the alleyways below. Citizens fled for cover, dodging chunks of debris.

After the long grind, the Tarkington hovered off, limply drifting its way between buildings.

The two massive goblin battleships loomed high above. Atop Haman's Gamma vessel, the Cartel leader spotted the Tarkington's plight.

“Their stabilizers have been heavily damaged!” a lackey shouted. “This is our opportunity to take them out, boss!”

“Blow them out of the sky,” Haman slurred, grinning. “And take out that entire apartment complex behind them.”

“Aye, sir!” The goblin twirled towards the remaining gunners. “All hands, target the eleven o'clock position and fire—”

“Incoming!” an imp shouted. “Incoming, six o'clock low!”

Goblins muttered and gasped. Haman spun in his creaking suit, eyes thin and slitted. “...what?!”

Fwooooosh! The Noble Jury ascended like an arrow, approaching the twin battleships.

“Turn your heads and cough, salad tossers!” Zaid shouted at the targets beyond the cracked windshield.

“Mr. Zaid!” Bellesmith hollered as she and Pilate gripped the port side turret immediately outside the cockpit. “Fire!”

Zaid's hoof slammed over the red button besides the pilot's seat.

The second rocketed strapped to the bow discharged, sailing forward on a plume of ignited fuel. It raced its way skyward, veering slightly before impacting the left rear side of the Gamma ship's hull.

KAPOWWW! A good chunk of the ship's rear was obliterated in an instant.

Haman fell back with a grunt as he was showered with shrapnel, flame, and a spray of goblin body parts.

When the smoke cleared and the screams persisted, Haman could see from his overturned suit that two of the three lateral propellers had been completely blown. With a chaotic groan, the Gamma ship veered hard to port, lurching in mid-air. Before the engineers on board could stabilize it, the vessel collided with the starboard side of the other battleship.

Crkkkkk!

Both ships locked together, leaning into each other's weight in mid-air. The other ship struggled to compensate, and the two massive dreadnoughts spun a slow, lumbering ballet just south of the Val Roan towers.

While the Tarkington flew off to recover—FWOOOOSH!—the Noble Jury roared upwards at a sharp angle, jerking left as it ascended above the two locked battleships. The vessel tilted in its sharp ascent, with the port side tilting to face the Cartel's damaged vessels.

This, of course, gave Pilate and Belle full view of the top decks and the goblins scrambling atop them.

“Spark have mercy,” Belle shuddered.

“You said it, beloved.” Gnashing his teeth, Pilate pulled the trigger. FL-FL-FL-FLASH! A murderous stream of mana-blasts rolled across the top deck, trailing flame and burning plasma all across the industrial death machines that Haman had toiled so hard to put together. Imps shrieked and dove for cover—those who survived the onslaught, at least.

As the Noble Jury finished its violent run, it flew west in a sharp curve, leaving the smoldering mid-air mess behind. The two battleships were far too damaged to resume its bombardment on the south edge of the Capital anytime soon. This, of course, led to a large salvo of cheers from the Val Roan citizens watching from a distance.

Sputtering smoke and losing strips of metallic debris, the Noble Jury and the Tarkington nevertheless stabilized, closed in formation, and came back around for a return flight, their eyes on the lumbering goblin targets.

“It would seem, for lack of a better term, that you're totally screwed,” Rainbow Dash said, pacing before Queen Chrysalis across the warehouse. “All these months, years... decades? You planned so hard to conquer the light side of the world. You tried exploiting the war between Ledomare and Xona. You failed. You tried taking over one of the ancient Sentinels. You failed. And here, in Val Roa, you've tried to pull the rug out from underneath the Monarchy, and still... you just can't seem to get the job done, even with all experience and wisdom of a giant freaky mutant alicorn bug pony thingy...”

“You cannot hold me hostage here, my little pony,” Chrysalis' warbling voice hissed across the way. Her eyes narrowed beneath a mess of translucent mane hair. “At any moment, I could—”

“What?” Rainbow's ruby glare glinted. “Overpower me? Queeny, you've been powerless ever since I gave your Hive Mind the Harmonic zap back in Stratopolis. Your drones left you, abandoned you all over the world, from east to west, north to south. Don't pretend to have an edge in this situation... or any kind of advantage whatsoever. You see, the Noble Jurists have gotten a naked peek into your life as of late, and it's pathetic. You don't even have the power to turn into any sort of beastly thing that could overpower me. You can't outfly me—even in your best condition, that wouldn't have remotely been an option.”

She paced closer, her eyes trained on the changeling Queen.

“Without the ability to control your Hive, you became desperate. Instead of flying back to the Dark Side of the Plane and reuniting with Tchern, you decided—against all odds—to go forward with your nefarious plans in Val Roa. And since you couldn't rely on a changeling army, you did the next best thing. You split yourself into three parts and you assumed the positions of the most powerful members of the Val Roan government. It was a pretty nifty plan, save for one thing. You were friggin' starving, which is why you had to preserve the King and Queen and use them for 'fuel' while you attempted to sow the seeds of chaos here in the Capital. And if that failed, you still had the Night Crystals that you had brought over from the Dark Side, containing the scrumptious soul energy of the victims you and your sister had leeched while engaged in the Trinary War.”

Fidgeting, Chrysalis' eyes darted nervously towards the empty warehouse shelves.

“Oh, don't bother.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “They're gone. They're waaaay gone. And, I wonder, just how long can you last without them... or without the ability to feed on any soul whatsoever... especially since you've trained your body for so long to suckle on pain and misery as opposed to love. There's nothing more pathetic than a starved pony who's dependent on the unhealthiest of crap. What will it look like when you die of malnourishment, Queen Chrysalis? Will you roll up like a giant cockroach? Will you turn to ash? Will it be friggin' painful as balls?”

Chrysalis jerked towards her, her eyes flickering green and desperate.

Rainbow Dash frown, teeth clenched. “Give. The Soul Sentries. Up.” Her brow furrowed. “Now.”

All Clear, Rainbow, Let's Blow This

“Graaaaugh!” Crimson slammed his hammer down, shattering concrete. The blast sent several possessed reindeer flying backwards. As soon as those Soul Sentries collapsed, another wave came charging, blasting bright energy beams from their antlers.

Crimson flinched, only to be protected at the last second by a solid wall of quivering telekinesis. Arcshod and his two Xonan companions had rushed in, horns glowing. Spinning about, Crimson gestured towards Tweak and Lucky Strike.

The two brothers ran into position. Swiftly, they prepped another crystal, launched it, and exploded the nullifying material above the nearest throng of mind-controlled guardians.

Several of the Soul Sentries fell to their haunches, shuddering. However, within seconds, fresh screams from the Val Roan citizenry announced more guards marching up from the streets west and north of the Sandstone District. As elk and deer galloped every which way, blasts of energy came barreling inward from all angles.

The warriors attempted dodging, but the blasts were just too numerous and thick. Lucky Strike yelped as an energy blast knocked him to his flank. Tweak slid to his side, twirling his revolver and firing at the Soul Sentries, ricocheting his bullets off their antlers as he struggled with his free hoof to revive his sibling.

“Gaaaugh!” Phoenix flew back from a blast, clutching his side and wincing. “This is getting slightly less sexy!”

“We have to hold!” Seclorum hollered, firing telekinetic blasts into the phalanx of eye-glowing targets. “Everything depends on us keeping our shit together!”

“A little easier said than done, chief!” Tweak bellowed, reloading his gun.

“Haaaaugh!” Crimson charged alongside Arcshod, knocking several reindeer back. He spat into a shoulder-mounted sound stone. “Things are getting pretty hairy out here!”

“Scrkkk! We could use all the help we can get!” Crimson's voice crackled out of the sound stone in Eagle Eye's possession.

“We read you loud and clear!” Eagle Eye shouted as he and Josho galloped swiftly down a curved hallway inside the High Council Building. “We just need to buy Rainbow a bit more time!”

“Wanna bet she's having a bubble bath with the Queen as we speak?” Josho grumbled.

“You know, old stallion...” Eagle Eye frowned. “There's a time and a place for saying stupid, worthless stuff. And right now...”

The two emerged upon the front steps of the building. The entire courtyard below was a battlefield, with stomping guards firing waves of emerald fury at the weak and battle-wary Tarkington crew members. Citizens fled, shrieking loudly, while bruised and twitching bodies lay on the concrete. As they gawked, Tweak was dragging Lucky Strike to safety and Seclorum was being thrown onto his flank by a violent charge of green energy.

Eagle Eye bit his lip. “You know what? Never mind.” He gulped. “Go right ahead.”

“It's like an orgy of vomit and diarrhea at a castration convention,” Josho wheezed.

“Much better.” Shivering, Eagle Eye unsheathed his sword and shield. Schiiing! “Okay... lots of stuff to juggle here. Exactly how do we deal with it?”

“Like this...” Floydien suddenly galloped up from behind, charged between the two Jurists, and launched a heavy barrage of manabolts. “Hraaaaaaaaaaaugh!”

The sea of Soul Sentries parted like butter, with reindeer collapsing into an unconscious stupor. Gaining a second wind, Arcshod and Crimson and the others began pressing the attack once more.

Floydien marched forward, continuing to fire beams of energy at the unsuspecting Sentries. Behind him, Josho and Eagle Eye exchanged glances.

“Beats having a cheerleader anyday,” Eagle exhaled.

“You're welcome to knit his fatass a pleated skirt.' Josho took a breath and held his hoof over the lavender stallion's shoulder. “And on that note...”

Fl-FLASH!

The two teleported, materializing in the center of the crowd. Josho squatted besides Tweak, offering the crystal pony cover while Lucky Strike was revived. Meanwhile, Eagle Eye picked Phoenix back onto his hooves and rejoined Crimson. Together, all three Franzington mercenaries went charging into the fray, yelling at the top of their lungs, and meeting bright antlers with their masterfully swung weapons.

“You don't understand, my little pony,” Queen Chrysalis hissed. “This city is still mine. Everypony you pretend to care for is still at my mercy.”

Rainbow narrowed her eyes. “Mercy...?”

“Yes.” The mutant alicorn smiled a fanged smile. “I can still spare your friends. You and your... Jurists can still flee this land.” She shook her head. “You needn't fall victim to the pain and suffering I've planned for Val Roa.”

“That's not how it works, Sunshine,” Rainbow Dash said in a firm tone. “We didn't come out all this way to have a vacation. Val Roa was saved the very moment we entered its airspace. It's a pity you can't seem to figure that out.”

“Saved?!” Queen Chrysalis snickered, then broke into fitful laughter. She stomped her forelimbs and waved a glowing horn. “Look around you! You haven't saved anything! Between the goblins and the soul sentries, you don't have a—”

“Oh, you're going to relinquish your control over the Soul Sentries,” Rainbow Dash said, nodding. “And, together with the reindeer guardians, we're going to finish the Cartel's charge once and for all. I'm sorry, Queenie, but this just isn't in your court. Give them up. Now.”

“You're in no place to bargain...” Chrysalis' angry eyes flared green. “What are you?! A chaotic demon exiled from Equestria! If nothing else, you've only contributed to my plan! I hope you're happy with your Harmonic destiny, 'Austraeoh!'” Chrysalis laughed louder and louder. “I hope you're happy inhaling the ashes of all your friends—”

“Scrkkkk...” Rainbow's sound stone crackled. “Rainbow Dash.”

“Hold on.” Rainbow casually interrupted Chrysalis' monologue, waving a hoof. “I gotta get this.”

“... … ...” Chrysalis blinked awkwardly.

Rainbow raised the sound stone to her muzzle. “Roarke? Is that you, girl?”

“Rainbow. You are alive.”

Rainbow smirked. “You're alive as well. Still sexy, I bet?”

The voice on the other end nevertheless continued. “I regret being late, but I had to assemble everyone to make sure they were in place.”

“Let me guess...” Rainbow Dash leaned back. “Alafreons? Lounge? Durandanans?”

“... … ...the Lounge.”

“Ah! But of course.” Rainbow chuckled, smiling into the far corner of the warehouse. “In any case, an inexplicably overwhelming force of good guys whom you've brought here to completely outnumber Chrysalis' creeps?”

“Affirmative. You know me too well.”

“I didn't choose to love you just because you smelled like gingerbread.”

“Please, Rainbow Dash. Not in front of the lizards.”

“Sure thing, Roarke. Chat with you when this is all over.”

“And I will be wreaking bloody vengeance on the hearts of all goblin kind.”

“Heheh... sounds cool. Tee Tee Why Ell, Roarkey.” And Rainbow Dash hung up the sound stone. She gazed across the warehouse.

Chrysalis gawked at her.

“I'm sorry.” Rainbow Dash casually blinked. “Something about me being happy over chaos and the dead ashes of friends?” She rubbed one fuzzy ear, wincing. “Couldn't hear you over the sound of my not giving a damn.”

“N-Nagu'n!” Arcshod suddenly gasped, his eyes quivering.

Seclorum looked up, and his jaw dropped. “Eyes above!”

“Hrnnngh!” Phoenix slammed two reindeer back and stood, panting, gripping the handle of his mace in his teeth. “Grrfff... what's so crazy that I'd have to take my eyes off these green-farting punks?!” That said, he tilted his eyes skyward, and dropped the weapon from his jaws. “Holy cow...

FW-FW-FWOOOSH! Storm clouds parted as soon as they had formed over the Val Roan skyline. One by one, gigantic glossy spheres spilled out of the gray haze. A veritable armada of Lounge vessels descended upon the city. Their shiny black hulls opened up, and several suited naga charged out, armed with glowing manarifles and flickering bullwhips. Shouting crackling commands to one another, they filled the streets and courtyards of Val Roa, subduing the Soul Sentries and forming barricades around the citizenry.

High above, a single sphere lowered, inside of which stood Roarke, Jex, and the leader of the Lounge armada.

“Protect Val Roa's citizens!” Roarke hollered into a communication device. “Neutralize the Soul Sentries. But do not slay them! Is that understood?!” She craned her neck, glaring at the flashes of manalight issuing out from every crevice of the city. “We have numbers on our side! In the name of honor, Quezaat, or whatever you're willing to shed your skin for, do not kill. Simply protect!” Her icy blue eyes narrowed. “Do not pretend to think that I am not watching each and every one of you...”

The Lounge leader behind her nodded his helmeted head. “You command well... for a pony.”

“And you smell scrumptious, for a crocodile,” Roarke grunted back. “Try testing my patience when we're through with this initiative.”

“Hrmmm...” The naga folded his gloved arms.

Jex shuddered, leaning on Roarke's side with his good limbs. “I can't believe it! We might actually save the day!”

Roarke furmed. “Yet another irrational belief if I ever heard one.”

“Huh?”

Roarke turned to glare at him. “We are merely providing cover. Saving the day?” She slowly shook her head. “That's Rainbow's job.” She turned, gazing northeast. The faintest curve crossed the metal mare's muzzle. “That is always... Rainbow's job.”

The Price of Love and Harmony

“All power to the starboard engines!” Haman howled and spat from his reeling mech walker. “Detach us from the other hull already, you worthless runts!” He pointed a flesh hand, ordering various goblins around the teetering deck of the Gamma ship as it locked up with its sister vessel. “I can't believe you're all letting a bunch of piss-purple ponies wreck everything that I've worked to—”

“Boss! Boss!” a goblin howled, pointing skyward.

“What is it now?!” Haman spun about. His eyes twitched.

The northern skies of Val Roa were filled with glossy black lounge spheres. Manablasts flickered through the streets as the reptilian agents neutralized the pockets of scattered Soul Sentries.

Many of the goblins slumped in place, gawking at the sight.

“Several of them are approaching, sir,” another goblin stammered.

Haman gritted his teeth. “Word to the wise...” He inhaled steam and growled. “Never make deals with a race that sheds its skin...”

“You tried taking over this kingdom by stealing away the King and Queen, but the Noble Jury won them back,” Rainbow Dash said, trotting slowly towards Chrysalis. “You tried dominating Val Roa through Prince Eine, but we saved him. Last but not least, you tried dominating the capital with Soul Sentries, but you failed. You couldn't even control your three pawns; Saikano betrayed Fishberry and Sharp Quill for the sake of Harmony. So what makes you think that you'll have any hope of controlling the Soul Sentries forever? Not that it matters. The Jurists and the Lounge have got them outnumbered and beat. All that's left is to pull them out from under your spell. Face it, Chryssi. You lost. You lost all the way back in Ledomare at the death of Nevlamas. You know all that suffering you've wanted to feed on? Well, I've got news for you.” She scuffled to a stop, her eyes glaring with a glint that matched her pendant. “Ledomare has become Luxmare, and it's made peace with Xona. The entire Continent is experiencing an unprecedented period of Harmony. If anything, the battles you and I endured have only worked to facilitate the swift end of pain and anguish in every landscape you've ever graced. In other words, for being such a huge fan of chaos and misery, you're pretty lame at what you do. And now... there's nowhere left to hide.”

“I... I don't understand...” Chrysalis shivered, her translucent wings twitching. “I... I thought of everything.” She gnashed her fanged jaws. “Everything!”

“But did you feel everything...?”

Chrysalis turned to glance at the source of a soft voice.

Rippling from head to hoof with green flame, a burgundy shape trotted out of camouflaged hiding. With sad eyes, Ebon Mane gazed at the decrepit alicorn. “Hello mother...” He gulped. “We meet at last.”

“... … ...” Chrysalis stared at him, slowly shaking her head. “I... I don't know...”

Ebon sighed. “Somehow, that doesn't surprise me.” His ears drooped. “All these years... decades... centuries... you've been so terribly desperate to gain power. And to do what? To... reinforce a war on the Dark Side that has no hope of ending?”

“My sister...” Chrysalis snarled. “Tchern needs me! She will not defeat both the Sarosians and the Night Shard unless my brood can return with sustenance—

“What brood?!” Ebon stomped his hoof. “Mother, all of your children have scattered! They've tasted of freedom, and they want nothing to do with you!” His eyes watered. “They don't want a Queen who hatches them only to sow misery without considering their feelings!”

“Their feelings are my feelings!” Chrysalis snarled. “Their strength my strength! The Trinary War—”

“—is a lost cause!” Ebon Mane shouted. “Your ancient siblings couldn't bless that side of the plane back when they first arrived here, and that was with all of your powers of Harmony combined! So what makes you think that just you and Tchern alone can do anything to salvage it?! And when you've got control of the Midnight Armory, then what?! All you know is pain and misery because you've chosen to make that your focus! There will only ever be another war if that is all you know and deal with!”

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes on the drone. “How is it that you know so much, child?” Her black brow furrowed. “The link with my mind was broken...”

With a plume of flame, Ebon morphed to his natural state. His glossy eyes blinked as the changeling said, “I reformed it. Using the Soul Sentries, I connected to you, and I learned everything I needed to know—about you, your past, and your... your p-pain.”

“Why...?” Chrysalis leaned her head to the side, glaring. “Why, of all the hundreds of thousands of hatchlings I've brought into this world—why did you come all this way to meet with me?”

Ebon took a deep breath. On porous hooves, he crossed the distance between them.

Rainbow Dash jolted, wings spread—but stopped herself at the last second. She watched, her face blanching with the first sign of anxiety since the face-off began.

With soft steps, Ebon Mane reached the brood mother. He reached a hoof up and clasped her fetlock with his. A smile crossed his fanged muzzle. “I came because I love you, mother.” He placed her large hoof over his small chest. “And I hope... I believe that deep down there is still the alicorn of Harmony who came to this world with the desire to bless and restore that which was shattered.”

Chrysalis gazed down at him, her muzzle agape. Her wings fluttered as she murmured, “I... I've failed Tchern so much. She needs my help. She... she needs...”

“She needs more than either you or I can give her,” Ebon said in a melancholic tone. “The alicorn has made her home in darkness.” He leaned his head to the side. “Why else would you be forced to flee to this side of the plane unless a part of you couldn't stand such bleakness?”

Chrysalis clenched her jaws, quivering.

Ebon smiled, reforming into a burgundy earth pony. “You don't have to be the same monster Tchern is. There's another way to use your gifts, Mother. There always is.”

Chrysalis shook her head. After a heavy breath, she murmured, “It's... too late. Far too late. I... I can't...”

“Yes you can,” Rainbow Dash spoke up. “Before the Jury and the Tarkington arrived in Val Roa, I made a deal with Lunarius.”

Chrysalis looked across the room at her.

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “You will not be executed. Give up control of the Soul Sentries, and you will be shown mercy.”

“I...” Chrysalis leaned her head to the side. “I will be free?”

“Pffft. Don't be stupid,” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. “Your beetle-shell ass is going to jail. But, your life will be spared, and so will the lives of any of your children if they happen to show up in this kingdom. For their sake—if not for your own—I suggest you accept Lunarius' mercy.”

“I... I've done so many terrible things—”

“In all my travels, I've met the worst of the worst that this plane has to offer. I'm sorry to burst your bubble, Queenie, but you ain't it.” Rainbow's gaze narrowed. “You want the Midnight Armory to be saved? Give up the worthless fight while you still can, and let Harmony take its course.”

“You... you mean you?” Chrysalis stammered.

Rainbow slowly nodded. “Tchern isn't the only pony whose fate's been sealed since day one.” She exhaled through her nostrils. “I'm the Austraeoh. More than anyone, I know a thing or two about sacrifice. It isn't easy trusting the course of destiny, but it's all for the best.” Rainbow stood up tall, wings spread. “You can still do what's best, too, Chrysalis.”

“You can be a blessing to this landscape, Mother,” Ebon Mane said, squeezing the alicorn's hoof. “The Val Roans can benefit from your gifts.”

“I... I don't know how...” Chrysalis seethed, clenching her eyes tight. “All I know... all I've done... I've done for Tchern... for this war...”

“Let it go, Mother,” Ebon insisted, his gaze earnest. “You were meant to be a creature of love. The same goes for your whole hive. Stop poisoning yourself and everypon around you...”

“I...” Chrysalis shook, shuddered. “I can't...” Her horn glowed a bright green... brighter. “Don't... don't trust...”

“You can do it.” Ebon sniffled. “I know you can. Just—”

Chrysalis yanked his grip loose and raised both hooves violently.

Rainbow gasped, flapping her wings. “Ebon, move—!”

But she didn't bother to strike either of them. Instead, she brought both hooves to her glowing, crooked horn. “Rrrrrrnnnngh...” With a bellowing scream, she pulled with all her might, yanking the thing clean off at the top of her skull. SNAPPPP! “Aaaaaaaaugh!” She wailed in pain as streams of ethereal green light poured out of her quivering shell of a body. She fell hard to the floor of the warehouse, twitching as a pool of emerald blood formed around her skull and upper body.

“Mother—!” Ebon shrieked, but was pulled back in Rainbow's strong forelimbs. The pegasus held him back as both watched beams of jade energy billowing out of her form... then dissipating in faint misty trails.

“Guh!” Jex winced, rubbing his eyes as a bright flash of emerald light emanated from the northeast end of the Capital. “Was that one of your guys?”

“Negative,” the Lounge leader said, shaking his helmeted head. “It doesn't match the signature of our weaponry.”

“Well, something happened!” Jex turned towards Roarke. “Certainly you saw it.”

“... … ...” Roarke was leaning over the edge of the floating Lounge sphere they were on.

Down in the streets below, the Soul Sentries were collapsing simultaneously. With collective groans, the reindeer fell to their haunches, clutching their skulls. All the while, any trace of glowing green light faded from their eyes and antlers.

“Wait!” Roarke held a hoof up as her ice blue eyes squinted. “Your brothers! Call them off!”

“I beg your pardon?”

“They've been neutralized! Tell your soldiers to cease with their attacks.”

“Surely you jest.”

Roarke turned to glare at him.

“... … ...” The Lounge Leader swiftly raised a communicator to his helmet. “Brothers, in Quezaat's name, lay down your arms.”

Crimson twirled his hammer, readying another swing. Upon hearing Eagle Eye's gasp, he froze in place, sweating and heaving. He and Phoenix stood flank-to-flank with Eagle and Josho, gazing at the circling waves of reindeer guards around them.

One by one, the soldiers were crumbling to their knees, exhaling in collective groans. The emerald aura dissipated among them, replaced instead by soulful, blinking eyes.

Seclorum and Arcshod calmed down, as did the Xonan warriors.

Tweak helped Lucky Strike to his hooves—wincing—as they gazed voicelessly at the suddenly silenced battle in the middle of the Sandstone District's courtyards.

One by one, the citizens of Val Roa came out of the woodwork, gawking at the inexplicable peace of the moment. Floydien trotted down the steps of the High Council Building, glaring across the scene.

“The shimmer glimmer,” he murmured. “It has gone away...”

Josho glanced across the thick of sweaty fighters.

Eagle Eye shuddered, his lavender muzzle forming a weary smile. “Rainbow Dash... Ebon...” His eyes watered. “They did it...”

A Little Love Goes Long Distances

Slowly, one by one, the Soul Sentries stood up in the streets and courtyards of Val Roa. They shook their heads, wincing through receding waves of pain.

Several suited naga trained their weapons on the reindeer, but they did not fire. As the spheres floated low over the spiraling rooftops, all eyes fell on the recovering guards. Josho flinched slightly as one buck stumbled wearily towards the group. Eagle Eye trotted forward and supported his weight. The lavender stallion stared into the guard's thin eyes.

“Sir?” Eagle blinked. “Are... are you alright?”

“Guh... my head...” The reindeer blinked, squinting towards the crowd. “Mother? Father? Where are...?” He gazed at the citizens gawking at him fearfully. “Why is everyone looking at me this way?”

“You mean, you don't remember?” Eagle Eye asked. The air of the streets was quiet enough to hear a pin drop from several blocks away. “You enlisted in the Soul Sentry division of your kingdom's defense force.”

“I... I did...?” The guard gazed incredulously at the pony. “I... I remember reporting to Saikano's base of operations, but... becoming a soul sentry?”

“Where's my family?!” another guard shouted, gathering strength as he stomped his hooves. “I never asked for any of this! What's going on here?!”

“They... they brought us to a room...” one buck stammered. “The General was there. We... we were asked to stare at a glowing green beacon...”

Suddenly, members of the crowd shouted in surprise. “Sam!” Two does ran past the line of Lounge members. “Sam! Is it really you?!”

The buck standing before Eagle turned about, his eyes widening. “Amy? Faith?!” Eagle made room as the reindeer limped past him and collapsed in the embrace of the two females. They nuzzled each other closely, sharing tears and happy shudders. “Is everything okay?! Why is everyone so frightened?!”

“You... you became a Soul Sentry months ago, Sam,” one doe sniffled. “No one understood why. Not even Mother and Father.”

“You just up and left, never to return,” the other stammered. “Weeks later, we got a letter from the Defense Ministry, stating that you had given up your life to defend the Crown. It broke our hearts. But... but you're really back! Aren't you?!”

“I...” The buck shuddered, smiling painfully. “Yes. Yes, I think I really am, Sis...”

They hugged again. Meanwhile, more and more members of the crowd came trotting through, reuniting with the former Soul Sentries. The air filled with warmth and cheer, swiftly drowning out the sullen atmosphere that had so tensely filled it just minutes ago.

Seclorum leaned back on his haunches, folding his forelimbs with a smirk.

Phoenix and Crimson exchanged glances. “Guess it wasn't that much of a loss cause after all,” Phoenix stated, still trying to catch his breath.

“Only because we all got here in time,” Crimson replied. He then gestured at the bipedal reptiles as they finally lowered their manarifles. “Same can be said for the happy brigade here.”

“Yeah... who exactly brought them, anyways?” Lucky Strike wheezed.

“Who the Hell cares?” Tweak grumbled. “They trained their weapons on the right punks, didn't they?”

“Malaseethrem vaal kremdem siulen threem,” Arcshod muttered, looking past his two companions.

Seclorum nodded. “The big guy has a point.” He looked Josho, Eagle Eye, and Floydien. “What now?”

“Grkkk...” Chrysalis leaned back on her haunches, hissing in pain as her body settled into deep, even breaths. The bloody gash in the center of her skull closed up as metamorphic flames cauterized the wound from where the horn had been torn clean off. Her eyes opened thinly, though they were weak and bereft of the threatening glow that they had previously possessed.

Ebon shook and squirmed. Finally, with a watchful glare, Rainbow Dash let the stallion go. He galloped forward, sliding to a squatting stop right in front of the injured alicorn.

“Mother... Mother!” Ebon Mane choked on a sob, clasping her forelimb with his. “Why did you do that?! Your... your horn! Your magic! You didn't have to—”

“Yes...” Chrysalis shuddered, fangs shuddering. “I did.” She tilted her head up, breathing easier. “Rainbow Dash is right.” She gulped. “You're right. My desperation is no excuse. It all has to end.”

“Don't say that. Please!” Ebon leaned forward, nuzzling her carapace. “There's still hope for you! There's got to be!”

Chrysalis' eyes narrowed. “I... I have shattered everything, child...” She shuddered from her fresh wound. “I can no longer wield empathy. I am now as dependent on base elements as the common mule,” she spat. “I may not even live forever anymore...”

“I don't care. You still have the power to change!” Sniffling, Ebon stared up at her with piercing eyes. “Please. Don't give up.”

She gazed at him weakly. “Why... why do you believe in me so much? You cannot trust me...”

Ebon smiled weakly. “I can still hope for you. When all was hopeless for me, ponies gave their all to keep me from fading away. They believed in me when I felt there was nothing... when I felt like nothing.” He stood up tall to be more even with her eyes. “This doesn't have to be the end, Mother. This can be a beginning... a glorious beginning. Will you let us? Will you let me help you?”

Chrysalis clenched her jaws tight. Her dull eyes moistened. “After all this time... after all the pain and death I've caused...” She grimaced. “After having to butcher myself to stop it all...” A shudder ran through her. “Why is it now that I can almost sense it? I... I can almost taste it, and yet... yet...”

Ebon smiled as tears ran down his burgundy muzzle. He rubbed his cheek against hers, murmuring: “There are far richer, deeper ways of being nourished with love.”

“I'm afraid I'll never learn how...”

“Let me teach you,” Ebon said. “There's so much worth living for, Mother. I can show you the healthy way... the Harmonic way.”

Chrysalis gazed at him. Slowly, weakly, she brought a hoof around and draped it over his back.

He sobbed tearfully and clung to her, morphing back to his glossy black shape.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had pulled out her sound stone. “Arcanista...” She spoke into the device. “Duchess, speak to me.” She gulped, keeping a wary eye trained on Chrysalis. “Are all the Soul Sentries down?”

“Snkkkt. That indeed they are, Rainbow Dash. What's more, every guard is reverting back to their normal self. They are no longer even remotely possessed.”

Rainbow's nostrils flared. She gave the sound stone a shake and spoke again. “Eagle Eye. You hear that? Is it the same where you are?”

“Scrkkk. Absolutely, Rainbow Dash. No more glowing eyes. Is Ebon Mane okay?”

“Yes, he's fine.” Rainbow took a breath, then smirked. “And so is his mother...”

“Huh? Wait, do you mean—”

Just then, the door burst open. Rainbow turned to see several naga rushing in, rifles armed. As the sight of Chrysalis, they all aimed at once.

“No! No!” Rainbow Dash hollered, flying between the suited lizards and their weaponry. “She is a prisoner of King Lunarius! You will not kill her!”

The Lounge members fidgeted, until one spoke up. “The mare with rainbow hair...”

Another naga nodded. “She is attached to the Vaughan. Remember her instructions?

“Affirmative.”

The lizards stood down, unholstering their weapons. “We await your command, as courtesy of the Vaughan's authority.”

Rainbow blinked, pronouncing that name mutely with blue lips. She then blinked knowingly. “Heh... good touch, girl.”

“Rainbow...?” Ebon spoke up meekly from where he sat beside Chrysalis' figure. “The Jury...”

Rainbow nodded. She turned swiftly towards the naga. “How much air support did you bring?”

“Our armada is two dozen strong.”

“Buck yeah...” Rainbow Dash spread her wings and blurred towards the warehouse's doorframe. “You guys stay here. Keep a trained eye on these two. The big one goes nowhere, and nothing bad happens to either of them. Got it?”

“Affirmative, rainbow one.”

“Ebon...?” Rainbow turned to look at him.

“Go, Rainbow.” He motioned along with a porous forelimb. “I... I will stay here with her.”

Rainbow hovered in place, blinking. Gradually, a smile spread across her lips.

Ebon's gossamer wings twitched. “It... it worked, didn't it?” He gave a fanged grin. “It all worked out in the end.”

Rainbow took a deep breath, her frown reforming. “Almost all of it.” FWOOOOSH! That said, she burst out of the warehouse, spread her wings wide, and rocketed south over the bronze rooftops of Val Roa.

That Which We Are Here For

“Scrrkkk! Roarke!”

Roarke raised the soundstone to her muzzle. “Rainbow.”

Jex squinted in time to see a prismatic figure streaking south over the Val Roan skyline. A ruby pulse of light emanated from beneath the distant pegasus' throat.

“If your scaled buddies are still in the partying mood, there's Haman to deal with in the south.”

“Affirmative.” Roarke glanced aside at the naga leader standing beside her. “By chance, would you approve of helping us dispense with the Cartel?”

“As Quezaat is my witness, nothing would bring us greater glory.” He raised a gloved set of claws and hissed into his helmet. “Brothers! Let us purge these skies of filth, once and for all!”

The other lizards grunted in one accord as the sphere and several of its sister ships rotated south, glinting in the sunlight.

“Why haven't we uncoupled yet?!” Haman growled as the Gamma ship still lurched in place, locked with the other vessel in midair.

“There's been significant damage to the port side hull, Boss!” an engineer shouted up from the lower decks. “The bulkheads have hooked together! It will take several minutes to dislodge!”

“Sir!” another imp shouted, holding a spyglass in one hand and pointing north with the other. “All Lounge spheres have redirected course!”

“What?!”

“They're headed this way, sir! All of them!”

“All of them?!” Haman's plump face paled.

The Cartel's crew stared north, quivering in fear. A veritable flock of black spheres soared towards that location.

Haman took a deep breath. He glanced at the other ship stuck against theirs, then at the series of port side cannons. Snarling, he pointed with his flesh hand. “Aim the cannons at the other ship's deck and fire!”

“S-sir?”

“If the hull won't get unstuck, then we'll blast them apart. The skystone will take us far away before the Lounge can intercept us.”

“But... but Boss!” One crew member shivered in place. “There are dozens of goblins on board that ship! Our brothers—”

Haman clamped a metal claw around the gasping imp's neck. “Did I or did I not give you a message?!” Hyperventilating, Haman merely flung the goblin behind him and bounded forward. “Damn you cowardly runts! I'll do it myself!” He stood in the middle of the deck and stretched his metal limbs out as far as he could. This way, he was able to commandeer two cannons—both of which he swiveled towards the deck of the adjacent ship. “Prepare to engage the skystone engines on my mark!”

The engineers working to uncouple the vessels from the other ship looked up. They shrieked in horror and scrambled in every direction.

Glaring, Haman triggered the cannons without remorse, rendering both flesh and metal to ribbons.

P-P-POWWW!

The members of the Cartel flinched all across the gamma Ship as the sister vessel imploded from an enormous plume of flame. Then, with a sickening groan of shattered metal, what was left of the blasted battleship peeled off the Gamma ship, its hulking weight drifting towards the Val Roan apartments below.

“Whoahhhh!” Zaid gasped, his blinking eyes reflecting a bright plume of flame. “Hold your sky horses, blood Goddess!”

Belle stuck her head into the Noble Jury's cockpit. “What in Spark's name is going on now?”

“See for yourself!” Zaid pointed out the windshield.

Belle gasped. “Good heavens! Did the goblins do that to their own ship?”

“What is it, Belle?” Pilate asked, leaning towards the cockpit's door frame.

“Beloved, it would appear that the goblins are panicking at the Lounge's approach,” Belle said. “They just shot their own kind out of the sky.”

“Scrkkk! Hey hey, guys guys!” Props' voice crackled over the intercom. “I just detected a huge surge of skystone energy! Did we take down one of the baddy-bads?”

“Not exactly, Blondie!” Zaid said, gazing at the half-ruptured battleship as it plunged towards the city below. “I think this battle just got ten times uglier.”

Belle gasped. “Oh no...”

Pilate's metal brow furrowed beneath his Ocular Array. “Where's the vessel falling?”

“Those apartments,” Belle murmured. “Who knows how many Val Roans could be huddled inside... hundreds... thousands...”

Zaid switched frequencies on the intercom, eyeing the slender bullet-shape of the Tarkington in the distance. “Hey! Uncle to sexy-legs! Do you see what we're seeing?!”

“Scrkkk! Aye. But our steering is off. We can't get our arses over there in time.”

“In time for what?!” Zaid cackled.

“Why, it's our fault we let the battle get this close to the bloody city to begin with! If I had my way, I'd shove that battleship out of the way, by all!”

Zaid bit his lip. He turned and looked over his shoulder at Belle.

Belle's muzzle had paled. She stared forward through the cockpit window. At last, she felt a gentle zebra hoof on her shoulder, and she exhaled. With steely eyes, she reached forward and spoke into the intercom. “Props, we're going to need full power to the skystone engine... even if it causes the book to short out.”

“Are we doing what I think we're doing?”

“The Val Roans are not going to taste any death today,” Belle said. “Not if we have anything to do with it.”

“Mr. Zaid,” Pilate said. “You think you can pull this off?”

Zaid was already jerking at the controls, bringing the battered ship around. “I was born to pull this off. Blondie! We're gonna need a steam burst on this too!”

“Okie Dokie Lokie! I'll keep you guys informed about the status of the tome!”

Belle and Pilate braced themselves as the ship dramatically spun around, aiming its bow towards the side of the smoldering, drifting battleship. The target was within a hundred feet of the fragile rooftops below.

“Beloved,” Belle murmured, pausing to gulp. “If this doesn't work—”

“We're the Noble Jury, Belle,” Pilate said. “It's going to work.” He drew in close, nuzzling her. “Why else would we be placed here?”

Belle shuddered. “It's just that... I-I want so badly to see Kera again. Rainbow...”

“Shhh...” He smiled, resting his cheek against hers. “Don't panic.”

She shut her eyes, bracing herself.

The zebra tilted his head towards the pilot's seat. “Mr. Zaid...?”

“Hope you emptied your stripes,” Zaid said, already tightening his muscles as he steered the Noble Jury towards the bow of the collapsing Cartel ship.

FWOOOOSH! Several Val Roans craned their necks to spot the shattered shape of the Noble Jury rocketing towards the falling battleship. Multiple Lounge ships soared in the same direction, but their skystone engines weren't carrying them half as quickly towards the dramatic scene.

Among the crowd, Floydien stepped forward, his red eyes narrowing.

“Nancy...”

Last Flight Of The Noble Jury

Rainbow's eyes twitched, spotting the crimson glint of the Noble Jury's skystone from a distance. Her heart fell as she saw the vessel plunging, diving to meet the collapse of the smoldering goblin battleship. In a blur, she brought her sound stone to her lips and sputtered: “Jury, this is Rainbow Dash! You there?”

Silence, save the biting chill of the wind in Rainbow's ears.

She gnashed her teeth, flapping her wings harder. “Belle! Come on, Ding-Dong, answer me!” Her breaths came in frantic little spurts. “Pilate? Props?” She gulped. “Zaid? Gimme something, guys!”

The leyline airwaves crackled, but all Rainbow got was static.

“Darn it...” She seethed, nostrils flaring as she accelerated to her feathers' breaking point. Skyscrapers and towers whizzed by underneath her. “What are you guys doing? Don't be idiots at the last second! Don't be—”

“Crkkk! Rainbow?”

With a gasp, Rainbow hollered into the soundstone. “Jury! This is Rainbow! What are—?”

“Sorry, Rainbow. It's Booster. On board the Tarkington.”

“Booster?!” Rainbow wheezed. “What the heck is up with the Jury?! Why are they flying towards the battleship?!”

“Because the Tarkington's too far away, and there's only one possible chance at steering that mess away from the citizens below.”

Rainbow blinked, the edges of her eyes tearing.

“They... they knew the risk, Rainbow. We all did.”

Rainbow frowned, snarling into the whipping winds. “Like Hell. More like we knew how to be awesome.” She gestured towards the Lounge Spheres trailing after her and burst forward with a clap of rippling thunder.

The entire cockpit rattled as Zaid soared directly towards the crooked hull of the battleship's port side. The goblin ship was thirty seconds away from cruising into the apartments below. Bursts of leaking skystone billowed out from its exposed bulkheads.

“We're almost there,” Zaid sputtered.

“Easy... easy...” Bellesmith droned.

“Mr. Zaid, you must slow down,” Pilate insisted. “We're attempting to steer the ship away, not impale it.”

“Hey, I gave up suicide runs when I ditched the Herald,” Zaid said. He then gulped. “Or so I thought...”

“Zaid—” Belle grunted.

“Right.” Zaid sputtered into the intercom. “Ease us down, Blondie! All forward steam thingamabobbers, if you can handle it!”

“Okie dokie lokie! Firing the forward thingamabobbers!”

The lavender tome pulsed and fluctuated like a strobe light.

Bursts of steam hissed and whistled out of multiple, ruptured consoles.

Her coat slick with sweat, Props nevertheless fought the blistering heat, reaching deep into a mess of pipework to twirl a bunch of valves and dials. Her goggles fogged up instantly, so—with a grunt—she tossed the article away completely in order to better see what she was doing.

A wall of metal instruments exploded behind her, forcing the mare to grunt with surprise.

“Scrkkk! You okay down there, Blondie?!”

“Yup yup yup!” She nevertheless grimaced, casting a forlorn look through the shattered doorway ahead of her. Where the Navigation room had once been, she instead saw apartment rooftops and scurrying citizens. Then, at last, there was a plume of smoke, followed by a pulsating skystone aura and the looming, battered bulkheads of the goblin battleship.

“We could really use the air brakes right around now!”

“You got it, Zaidy Waidy!” Props stretched, stretched, and finally reached a lever past a bent array of pipes. She pulled the thing, issuing a loud clatter through the groaning steamworks. The entire ship lurched backwards. “That should do it! Tugboat party time!”

“Goddess I love that girl,” Zaid hissed out the side of his muzzle, gripping the controls of the ship with two tight hooves. “This is it.” His eyes narrowed. “Come on.”

Belle and Pilate embraced each other as the ship cruised ever so slowly forward, fighting huge tufts of steam jetting out its bow.

The burning hull of the Cartel's descending battleship loomed closer... closer...

Down below, Val Roans were frantically evacuating the buildings where they had previously huddled to avoid the air battle overhead. Bucks, does, and fawns gaped at the burning sky, gasping in fright as they galloped north in desperate streams. It was far too late for a proper escape. Chunks of shrapnel fell in hot rain around them as the air filled with a pungent fume of skystone exhaust.

The battleship loomed closer, scraping the rooftop of the tallest apartment structure. Lengths of bronze metal buckled, threatening to peel off and collapse on the deer within seconds. Citizens yelped, cowering in the darkening shadow.

Just then, the Noble Jury swooped in with a pulse of bright skystone, illuminating the hazy urbanscape. Its bow came into contact with the battleship, producing a thunderous thud that rippled across every elk's ears. The Val Roans looked up, blinking in surprise. With rapid speed, the battleship was lifted up in time to clear the apartment complex, although several more bronze towers loomed to the immediate south.

“Steady... steady,” Belle insisted.

“Blondie!” Zaid spoke above the rattling bulkheads. “Fire up the skstyone! Now!”

“Firing!”

Pilate tilted his head about as the vessel filled with a deep hum. The ship shook, its consoles buckling and sparking under the pressure. A deep crimson light permeated every niche as the ponies felt their manes rising on end with static electricity.

At last, the windshield before the cockpit cracked down the center, spiderwebbing in a dozen fractured directions. Zaid had to crane his neck to see the result of his piloting maneuvers. Through the glass fissures, he saw the nose of the Noble Jury breaking, collapsing, and yet the ship pressed on, shoving defiantly against the hull of the Cartel's burning metal behemoth.

“Aaaaaaaand sexy times!”

Belle, Pilate, and Zaid gasped as the Noble Jury surged forward.

FWOOOSH! The skystone's magical leylines aligned, covering both the Jury and the goblin dreadnought in a bright red aura. Swiftly, both vessels cruised above and beyond the looming towers that lined the southern edge of the Val Roan capital.

Citizens, who just seconds before were embracing their grim fate, now stood tall on their hooves, sobbing and giggling with relief. A loud cheer filled the air as the smoke and flames dissipated in the wake of the two ships' exit. Families hugged each other and parents nuzzled their fawns as they gazed with thankful expressions at the departing sight.

“Bloody Hell...” Prowse gasped, looking out the far edge of his cockpit as he struggled to steer the Tarkington around in a wide turn. “They did it! Those crazy sodders actually did it!”

“Woohoo!” Booster Spice pumped his forelimb, grinning wide. “Way to go, Jurists! Yeah!”

“H-hey!” Basso stepped up, smiling. “Not a bad way to end the day, huh?”

“Uhm...” Zetta's teeth chattered as she grimaced at a flashing array of lights on her console. The stallions turned to glance at her. “I'm... I'm detecting a violent eruption of mana.” She turned to look forlornly at the other three. “The Cartel's engine is losing cohesion.”

“Wait.” Basso blinked. “Does that mean it's gonna—?”

Zetta bit her lip, nodding furiously.

With an iron frown, Prowse reached for his communicator—but Booster had already grabbed it in a bandaged hoof.

“Guys! Get out of there!”

“The goblins' skystone is about to blow! Move! Fly!”

Zaid yanked at the controls. “Don't have to tell me twice—!”

Pilate gasped, clutching Belle as the whole ship rocked. “Mr. Zaid—!”

“Hold on to your plots!” Zaid spat.

Belle shrieked as the ship lurched upwards. The engines were still fully accelerating, forcing the vessel to scraaaaaaaaape along the battered hull of the goblins' battleship. Seconds later, they smashed through a dormant propeller engine, sending chunks of metal scattering across the bow. The Noble Jury plowed on through, charging through a smoky sky as it finally cleared the warship. However, just as it was soaring over the descending vessel—

KAPOWWW! The Cartel's engines exploded, surging a blast wave in every direction, ripe with shrapnel and destructive skystone discharge.

“Gaaaaugh!” Zaid clenched his eyes shut. Two and a half seconds later, he reopened them, surprised to see that the vessel was still in one piece. What's more, the arid landscape was rolling swiftly underneath the Jury at a steadily increasing pace. “What... what in the blue Hell?”

“How are we still in one p-piece?!” Belle exclaimed.

“Everypony, I'm hearing something,” Pilate stammered, ears twitching. “The engine's making a sound it's never made before.”

“Blondie?!”

“Scrkkkt! Did we clear it?”

“We sure did!”

“Good! Cuz we've got something of a nasty booboo down here!”

“Oh yeah?” Zaid gulped, struggling to keep the wayward flight steady. “Just how nasty?”

“The book's shorted out! But its last pulse of energy is still lodged in the skystone!”

“What does that mean, Props?” Belle hollered. “Do we have enough energy to land?”

“No, you don't understand! It's too much energy! The shard carrying us is gonna overload! Any second, and it'll—”

FLASSSSSH! With a blinding pulse of scarlet light, the skystone crystal above the metal gondola caught aflame. Plasma leaked from every jagged crevice as the Noble Jury accelerated at blinding speed, cruising due south at a screaming velocity.

Rainbow saw the bright flash from a distance. She had been just seconds away from matching the Jury's speed, but now it warped completely out of reach. Her jaw dropped as she watched the crumbling vessel's wild trajectory.

The Noble Jury rocketed south. Its wild path was gradually descending, and Rainbow guessed it would be barely a minute or two before it crashed violently into rising mountains to the south.

Something pulsed deep within Rainbow's eyes, a red-on-yellow glint of righteous anger. Her pendant flashed, and she carried herself southward with a valiant shout. The Lounge Spheres attempted to catch up, but something suddenly and violently exploded in front of them, knocking the naga's armada collectively back.

POWWWW!

Haman spun around as his fellow crew members flinched all across their battleship. High above, a prismatic halo of light erupted in every direction, carrying with it an enormous salvo of deaffening noise that shook the very mountains of Val Roa.

“Was...” One imp gulped. “...was that our sister ship?”

Haman's greasy eyes narrowed. A bullet of spectral energy soared outward from the explosion's epicentered, carried southward on furious blue wings.

“No,” he said. “But whatever it was, we'd best get out of here.” His brow furrowed. “Now.”

Always Goes Sideways With The Ship

“He-e-e-e-e-e-ey gu-u-u-u-u-u-uys?!” Zaid's bellowing voice shook while he gripped the rattling controls of the ship. “Guhhh... do any of you remember that one time when I said 'Wow, this is super not-good! I can't imagine it ever getting more super not-good than this!”

“NO!” Both Pilate and Bellesmith hollered at the same time, bracing themselves against the bulkheads.

“Really? None of you guys can remember?” Zaid gulped. “Because, if I did say that, I was totally and hilariously wrong!”

The Noble Jury grazed the top of a jutting earthen peak. The whole ship jolted while strips of metal flew off, sailing violently into the smoldering trail of fumes behind them.

“I dunno about you, but I think we're all about to lose a lot of weight!” Zaid wheezed.

“Can you pull us up any more?!” Belle exclaimed.

“Cap'n, my Cap'n, we're not falling!” Zaid shouted back. “The damn thing's just falling sideways!”

“There's nothing to filter the skystone acceleration!” Pilate loudly said, wincing as the ship rocked and jolted again. “We're being pushed forward and only forward!”

“Scrkkkt! Sticky-wicky business, my little ponies!”

Zaid's twitching gaze flew to the intercom. “Blondie?!”

“The engine controls are all blowing apart! I can barely contain the steam and—” There was the crackling sound of explosive air bursts. “Gaaah! Ow ow ow ow owieeee—Scrkkk!” Props' voice cut out.

“Blondie!” Zaid shouted, still struggling with the controls.

“Somepony has to go down there!” Belle said. She instantly paled at her own words. With a deep breath, she tightened her muscles and spun around. “I'll go assist her!”

“Assist her?!” Pilate cackled. “Assist her with what?!”

“Props and I might just be able to get us enough lift to crash-land the Jury safely!” Belle said. She skirted by him and stuck her muzzle into the windy deck. “Stay right here!”

“Belle, no!” Pilate reached blindly for her.

She paused, swiveled around, and grasped his fetlock in hers.

Pilate gritted his teeth, wincing.

With a warm breath, Belle leaned in, nuzzled the stallion,and kissed his nose. She leaned back. “Don't panic, beloved.” She bore a rosy smile amidst the plunging chaos. “The Spark won't fail us now.”

“But Belle, what if—” He squirmed, then blurted: “I love you.”

“I'll be back to return the sentiment.” Belle climbed out.

“Belle—”

“Remain here with Zaid! We're gonna get through this!”

Pilate clung to the bulkhead beside him, shivering.

“She'd better be quick about it,” Zaid grumbled, his eyes locked on a steep line of mountains looming directly in front of them, and growing closer.

Rainbow Dash clenched her eyes shut. The force of wind against her muzzle was so intense that she could barely see anything besides a foggy blur anyways. Instead, she trailed the smell of acrid smoke from the burning stern of the runaway ship.

In tiny, lightning-quick blinks, she determined just where the plunging Jury was in relation to her. Then, wings beating to the breaking point, she propelled herself forward, a cone of air formed tightly around her cranium.

Ravines and mountainous summits surged underneath, sending bursts of thunderous percussion into the pegasus' ears. Her insides tore from the sheer tension in her muscles, and she had to urge herself forward with a deep, warbling yell.

Meters per second, the mare slowly... tortuously approached the rear of the disintegrating ship.

Grunting, Belle pulled herself towards the stern. Her body heaved with each lunging stretch of her front limbs. She couldn't bother to inhale too much, or else her body wouldn't cling so tightly to the ship's top deck. The wind threatened to hurl her off into the murderous stone desert at any moment.

With gnashing teeth, she pulled herself to the first skystone support strut, and then the second. Chunks of glowing crystalline matter shattered above her. She pressed herself hard to the deck as enchanted shrapnel rained across the hull on either side.

Wincing, she looked up. Her chestnut eyes twitched.

From a distance, she spotted a ruby pulse of Harmonic light, approaching closer and closer with a prismatic streak for a tail.

“... … ...” Bellesmith smiled for the first time in as long as she could remember. With a sudden burst of strength, she courageously flung herself forward. “Haaaaugh!” The daredevilish plunge sent her sailing towards the entrance of the rear stairwell. She caught the edge with one outstretched hoof. Her body dangled like a yellow windsock, and she may have sobbed a bit. However, with a strong grunt, she pulled herself through the frame, then dove down the careening stairwell. Heaving and shuddering in pain, Belle nevertheless crawled to the bottom deck and grasped the valve of the engine room door, twisting it with all her might.

Rainbow Dash drew closer and closer to the Jury. Here, the smoke billowing out of the ruptured hangar was so thick and pungent that it was near-impossible to breathe. Rainbow Dash's face darkened bluer, and she felt her vision blocking out along the extremities. Her wings had become numb, and the fluid in her ears had detected an imbalance.

She was decelerating; the Noble Jury cruised away.

The pegasus somehow found the breath to whimper. Just then, her eyes twitched at a sign of movement.

The top piece of the stern's upper railing was cracking apart. With a sickening snap, a metallic plank three times the size of her body ripped off the hull and sailed at her like a tossed scythe.

Rainbow gnashed her teeth, flipped, dodged the metal debris with inches to spare, and slapped her hooves down. She made contact with the back of the plank—and then she kicked off with all her might, aided by a burst of Harmonic energy from deep within her pendant.

Rainbow burst through the smoke, her body whipped by one or two tongues of flame.

But her hoof made contact. She gripped tight to the back of the Noble Jury, refusing to let go. Then, catching a breath beyond the edge of the trailing fumes, she flexed her muscles and slowly pulled herself onto the deck.

Letting Go Is The Noble Thing

With a loud creak, Bellesmith finally swung the door to the engine room open. She winced and ducked a scalding wave of steam jetting overhead. Crawling across the rattling floor, she coughed and sputtered, “Props! Propsy?! Tell me where you are, girl!”

The ship shook and buckled all around. Pipes burst as the lights flickered.

Belle nevertheless pulled herself deeper into the chaos. “Props?!”

At last, a dainty voice wheezed from the opposite end. “Mareco!”

Belle spun towards the sound. She scurried, dove past a series of falling pipes, and braced herself against a collapsed bulkhead. “Props?”

“Phweee!” The mare smiled crookedly, struggling beneath a rattling slab of metal. “This thing weighs more than Zaidy Waidy!'

Belle blinked. She waved a chiding hoof. “You know, Props, if we all survive this—”

A burst of sparks announced an exploding console overhead.

“Can we neigh about it later?” Props squeaked. “Nancy's womb is having a c-section!”

“Right!” Belle gripped the metal slab with both hooves. “On three... lift with me!”

“Okay!”

“One... two... three...”

Both mares grunted, pushing the heavy beam. Slowly, they rolled it over so it was no longer pinning Props to the floor.

“Guh!” Belle heaved for breath. She leaned down, dragging a hoof across one of Props' lower fetlocks. “Is everything okay? Can you feel your legs—?”

One hoof jerked, bucking Belle in the lower abdomen.

“Aaugh!” Belle winced, then frowned. “Props?!”

“Sorriez!” Props stifled a giggle. “I'm super ticklish!”

“Rainbow's nearly here!” Belle yanked Props up to her hooves. “We gotta get back to the top deck!”

“Rainbow?!” Props gasped, teetering.

The two shook as the vessel buckled around them again. “Yes!” Belle exclaimed. “And if she's here, then that means—”

Props gasped, gazing at the dim iron cage. “The book!”

“Huh?!” Belle spun, her eyes widening at the dead tome. “Oh no!”

“That's—like—super super important, right?!” Props stammered.

Another line of pipes burst overhead, fogging up the room even thicker. Belle gritted her teeth. “Props, help me!” She galloped over and started yanking at the lid to the bent cage. “We gotta get it out!”

“But we're gonna crash!” Props rushed over, squirming anxiously. “Are you crazy?!”

“No!” Belle gritted her teeth. “I'm Eljunbyro!” She pulled at the cage door with all her might, her eyes locked on the dormant runes of the tome inside. “Now help me!”

“Okay okay!” Props scrambled around for a crowbar or a lever or a tool of any sort.

“Spark help us,” Pilate stammered, clinging to the inner frame of the cockpit. “They're certainly taking their sweet time...”

“I know I've dreamed and dreamed for months,” Zaid said, wrestling with the controls. “But now would be a very bad time for both our mates to begin lezzing out!”

A deep growl issued out of Pilate's throat. “Mr. Zaid, I can officially state with utmost confidence that my patience for you has finally run—”

FWOOSH! A blue figure landed between them from the windy chaos outside.

Pilate gasped. “Rainbow!”

The breathless mare spun to look at him. “How'd you know?”

Pilate smiled weakly. “I can recognize your scent anywhere.”

Rainbow blinked, took a single sniff of her left leg, then shrugged it off. “Look. I'm getting you guys out of here. Where are the girls?”

“Below deck!” Pilate stammered. “Please, Rainbow, get them first!”

“And leave you guys in the cockpit?! But I'm already here!”

“It's okay!” Zaid sputtered. “I can keep us flying upright for a little longer!” SNAP! The controls finally snapped off, hanging loosely in his grip. The stallion blinked. “...then again.”

“I can only do two at a time anyhow!” She yanked Zaid out of the seat by his mane and then hooked her forelimbs around both ponies' sides. “Less thinking and more doing! Hold on!”

“But Rainbow—!” Pilate sputtered.

“Rrrrr-HAAUGH!” Rainbow shot out of the cockpit like a bullet. Carrying both stallions with her, she spiraled towards the skystone above, twirled, and kicked off it with her hooves.

Zaid and Pilate winced as the desert world and amber sky twirled around them. Suddenly they were plunging, diving into the Noble Jury's shadow. Zaid's eyes reflected streaking mountain peaks and crags of rock.

“Coming in a bit fast!” Zaid sputtered.

“No easy way t-to do this!” Rainbow squealed, fighting the wind as she plunged with the weight of all three.

“Look for a deep ravine!” Pilate shouted against the hot air currents. “Any sediment should have collected where the wind's blocked—”

“He's right!” Zaid yelled. “There are some sand dunes at three o'clock—!”

“I see 'em!” Rainbow gnashed her teeth. “Hold your breath guys! Even after we've landed!”

“Huh?!” Zaid gasped.

“Do what she says, Zaid!” Pilate bellowed. “This isn't going to be very—”

“Nnngh!” Rainbow spun her body back, descending in an upright position. She dropped both stallions, and their bodies went plunging into the soft mounds of orange sand. A second later, Rainbow skirted several meters ahead and landed. Her body squatted low, her legs bending, coiling, then—“Grraaugh!” The earth exploded in a crater around her, shooting sand outward for hundreds of feet as she propelled herself once more for the sky in a streak of prismatic fury.

Zaid and Pilate winced as they were thoroughly doused with sediment. Seconds later, they swam out of the fresh rim of dunes, struggling to breathe. Zaid squinted upwards, watching as the Noble Jury hurled itself towards a line of mountains. A spectral comet billowed directly after it.

“Please...” Pilate wheezed, his ears shaking the sand off. “...save her, Rainbow Dash.” He gulped. “You always do.”

Zaid bit his lip. He glanced at his hooves, discovering that he was still clutching the dislodged controls to the Noble Jury. “Hoo boy...”

Rainbow Dash flew and flew.

The Noble Jury came within screaming distance.

The sky darkened as she sensed mountains occupying the horizon directly ahead.

As she fought once more against the laws of physics, she sensed a slight flicker to her left.

She nervously glanced east as time slowed down around her.

The Yaerfaerda beacon flickered at a monumental distance, its lavender light pulsating steadily.

“... … ...” For the first time since Rainbow Dash perceived the otherworldly symbol, she smiled while observing it. With a devilish smirk, she beat her wings, reveling in the harmonic resonance issuing out from her pendant. In no time whatsoever, she was once again catching up to the battered hull of the Noble Jury.

“I got something!” Props hobbled over, waving a metal pole in her grasp. “I've got something!” A burst of steam shot at her skull, and she flinched. “Aaackies!”

“Hoof it over!” Sweating, Belle motioned for the metal rod. Once she had it, she slid it between the metal bars of the cage's lid and pressed against it with her whole weight. “Rrrghhh... gnnngh!” The metal door bent ever so slightly, though the bar began to buckle. “Almost... g-got it...” She panted and winced. “Can't... c-can't let Rainbow down! She needs this!”

SWOOSH! “I need what?”

Props spun, her muzzle exploding in a joyful grin. “Dashie!”

Tossing her mane back, Rainbow trotted forward. “Belle, we need to—OOF!”

“Heeeeee!” Props squeezed Rainbow in a dear hug. “You came back for ussss!”

“Snkkkt!” Rainbow winced, shoving the blonde mare off. “Sometime when we're not about to die, okay?!”

“Awwwww... but it's so cool that way!”

Rainbow ignored her, trotting up behind Belle. “Belle. Belle. Come on! I'm your guys' ticket out of here!”

“I'm sorry, Rainbow!” Belle heaved and hissed, fighting to pry the cage open. “I let the book go dormant! It's all we've got to go on when it comes to Austraeoh! But don't worry! I can get it out!”

“Belle...”

“We can figure out the n-next step!” Belle shivered all over, struggling with the bar. “We can help you! We all can! We—”

A gentle blue hoof squeezed Belle's shoulder.

The mare spun about, her chestnut eyes twitching to a stop, meeting Rainbow's gaze.

The pegasus smiled warmly. “Let it go, Belle.”

The mare winced. “But... b-but...”

“I don't need the book to know where my path lies.” Rainbow inhaled deeply. “I've always known. And so do you and Pilate.”

Belle panted and panted, her eyes glossy.

“You have to let it go,” Rainbow said. “You have to let me go.”

Belle's eyes welled-up with tears. She dropped the bar with a clatter and plunged forward.

Rainbow caught her in a close hug. The mare sobbed quietly into her chest while the pegasus stroked her head and mane. All the while, the Noble Jury collapsed around them, its lights finally dying out.

“Uhhhhh...” Props squirmed in the shadows. “Guys?”

“Shhhh...” Rainbow leaned back from Belle. As she did so, her ruby pendant lit up the lengths of the ship for one last time. “Don't worry.” She winked into the rosy aura. “I've got this.”

Belle bore a bitter sweet smile as she allowed Rainbow to wrap a forelimb around her.

Rainbow snaked her other hoof around Props. Then, turning one final time from the tome, the pegasus kicked off, threading her way through the doorway and out through the smoldering hangar beyond.

Pilate leaned on Zaid as both stallions hobbled up to the top of a craggy hill. Zaid gazed south, craning his neck. When he spotted a pulse of ruby light, he smiled and squeezed Pilate's shoulder.

The zebra could only tilt his ears in the direction of the southern horizon as several large explosions ricocheted across the skies.

Rainbow descended gently on their location, carrying Belle and Props with them. As she came to a gentle stop, both mares stumbled over and embraced their respective beloveds. Then, with forlorn breaths, those who could see spun to look south.

Rainbow pivoted about, squinting breathlessly.

All was still and plain.

And then...

A brilliant plume of crimson fire and heated sand filled the sky, blanketing the horizon with glass and glitter. Then, at last, the haze of debris settled, leaving a black mark against the northern faces of the rising mountains. The thunder dissipated, gobbled up by the spacious volume of the Val Roan desert.

The Noble Jury was no more.

Necessary Things To Do For Tomorrow

“Boss!” An imp ran up from the lower decks of the Gamma ship. “We've got the skystone engines online!”

“Then what are you waiting for?!” Haman snarled, heaving in his metal walker.

“We... er... we have to ascend in order to clear the mountains, sir.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Haman spat, his teeth showing. He leaned forward in his steamy seat. “We need the forward momentum to evade the Lounge!”

“But sir, if we don't engage the skystone engines, then we'll never—”

“Engage them now, damn you!” Haman shook a metal claw. “No mountain is going to stand in the way of—”

“Incoming!” several goblins yelled as they ran for the stairwell leading below deck.

“Huh?!” Haman spun about, frowning. “Who is it? The Lounge—?!” His eyes blinked as a slender shadow passed over his obese features. He looked up, his glossy eyes reflecting the dull green hull of the Tarkington.

The vessel briefly blotted out the sun. When the goblins' vision came into focus, they spotted the port side doors of the Tarkington hanging wide open. Basso and Booster Spice were both manually heaving a pair of large shells out of the ship with their bare hooves. Just as quickly as the Tarkington passed over, it cruised off for the far horizon. The pair of explosive shells, however, fell true.

KA-POWWW! The front starboard propellers disintegrated instantly. A veritable layer of metal melted while goblin bodies flew. The rest of the imps rushed towards the far end of the ship, clinging for dear life as the battleship made its deathly plunge for the earth. Haman lost his mechanical footing, and his mech suit rolled wildly across the ash and flames of the top deck like a huge cracked egg.

“Ha ha ha!” Prowse howled as he steered the Tarkington about in a wide arc. “Suckle on the teats of sweat sassy death, ya bloody sods!” He spat. “That's for denting up Aatxe's ship!”

“Mr. Prowse,” Zetta spoke, trying to remain calm as she gripped the ship's mana array. “If you swear by him one more time, you may very well cause the world to implode.”

“So long as them imps fall into the earth's bumhole first!” Prowse smirked over his shoulder. “Way to go, laddies! You're my first choice if ever I reform a caber tossin' team!”

“Yes, well...” Booster Spice dusted his hooves off and smirked out the windy doorframe. “Only if there are less explosives involved. Right, big guy?”

Basso was too busy wincing. “I certainly hope we didn't hurt them too badly.”

Booster grimaced. “Are you for real?” FWOOOSH! “Whoah!”

Booster and Basso winced as a trio of black spheres soared past them, immediately circling the Haman's battleship as it descended.

Zetta gulped. “What do you suppose they want?”

“What else?” Prowse grunted, frowning. “To finish the bloody day.”

Down below, the Gamma ship struck sea level, where it unceremoniously scraped to a smoldering stop deep inside a canyon pass. The starboard side was covered in flames, but for the most part the ship was still mostly intact. Even from a high elevation, imps and soot-stained goblins could be seen hobbling out of the wreckage.

Roarke's cold blue eyes reflected Haman's figure as he struggled to get up on gyrating metal limbs. “Alright...” She took a deep breath, clinging to the front lip of the open sphere along with Jex as the vessel circled and circled over the wreck. “Bring us down, slowly.” She glanced aside at the Lounge leader. “Stay elevated, and prepare to fire at the battleship upon my signal.”

“Right...” The leader nodded, his visor trained on Haman's figure as he sneered into his helmet. “We shall remove this filth once and for all.” He waved a gloved set of claws at his subordinates. “All cannons... aim at the Cartel's leader—”

“No.” Roarke glared aside. “Leave the one called Haman be. His fate is mine.”

“Really?” The leader cocked his metal head aside. “Must you truly be the one to kill him?”

“Yes.” Roarke frowned. “I must.” Suddenly, she snaked a hoof around Jex's waist.

The imp gasped as she dove clear off the front of the Lounge ship, carrying the breathless imp with him.

“Rnngh... mrmmffhglllrkkk-kkt—tkkkt!” Haman spat and bled as he struggled to heave his suit upright. One metal claw at a time, he pulled himself off the hull of the burning ship. All around him, imps were scattered, sprawled across the arid stone and wheezing for breath. “Mrmmghht... help me...” He snarled, his suit venting steam in several places. “H-help me, you insufferable runts!”

No goblin made a move towards him. Instead, the crew of the Gamma ship gasped and jolted back upon seeing Roarke land in an agile roll. The metal mare stood up, tall, her forelimbs and flanks armed with a bare assortment of Lounge tech. She set Jex up on his prosthetic leg. Somewhat dizzy, the former Cartel thug teetered while Roarke trotted forward, icily glaring Haman's way.

Several imps instinctively trained their weapons on her.

“Do it and you'll die faster than you can scream,” Roarke hissed, not slowing her marching gait for even a blink. “And my brothers in the sky will see to it that there are no ashes left to bury.”

The goblins still kept their weapons aimed at her, though many of them visibly shivered.

“You've failed in every endeavor... lost on every front... collapsed upon every stride...” Roarke droned as she trotted straight through the nervous gauntlet. “Are there those among you who still think it is our fault?” She finally came to a stop, shaking her head. “No. My business is not with ending the Cartel.” She pointed a hoof. “It's with ending him.”

By this time, Haman had finally stood up. He grimaced at the sound of his name, then swiveled about in his battered, creaking walker to face her.

“Leave us be,” Roarke muttered to the imps on either side of her. Slowly, she trotted up the burning hull of the downed ship. “I am about to give each and every one of you a better future.”

For Every Storm There's a Calm

The heart of the Val Roan Capital was the perfect portrait of tranquility. Deer, ponies, and other creatures filled the streets of the Sandstone District, murmuring in warm wonderment as families continued to reunite with long-estranged Soul Sentries. Hundreds if not thousands of citizens gawked at the desert skies, at the levitating black spheres and sudden absence of two murderous warships.

While the locals milled about, the warriors from the Tarkington paced anxiously. Seclorum sat squat on the bottom steps of the High Council building, glancing aside at Arcshod and the other two Xonans. Phoenix leaned tiredly against his mace while Tweak bandaged the last of Lucky Strike's crystalline scrapes. Crimson trotted in nervous circles while Josho and Eagle Eye kept their eyes trained northeast.

“Chrysalis is... uh...” Josho scratched his head. “She's maintained n'all, right?”

“Rainbow Dash wouldn't let us down,” Eagle Eye murmured. “Besides, you saw what happened to the Soul Sentries.”

“Still.” Josho shrugged. “What if it's all a ruse on behalf of the Changeling Queen?”

“I doubt it.” Eagle smiled tenderly. “I can't imagine Ebon Mane would have let her get away with it.”

“Heh...” Josho smirked. “So long as somepony's capable of reaching out to that bug bitch.”

“One hundred and thirty-two,” Crimson muttered.

Josho and Eagle blinked at him. “Huh?”

Crimson sighed. “Nothing.” He swiveled about. “I presume that we accomplished what we came out here to do?”

“It would seem that way, Mane McMuscles,” Josho droned.

“Is it just me?” Phoenix leaned into the conversation. “Or did it all seem a bit... I dunno... easy?”

“Is that so friggin' wrong?” Seclorum grunted. “It's about damn time something went our way.”

“Without too grave of a cost, you mean,” Crimson said.

“Yeah...” Phoenix nodded, sighing. “But, for all we know, Rainbow Dash could be duking it out to the death with the goblin market or some-crap.”

“You'd think we'd hear something from her by now,” Tweak said from where he sat.

Lucky Strike spoke up, “But with these space lizards here—how could we possibly lose?”

“You can still win the battle and lose more than you'd want to,” Eagle said, once again his eyes locked northeast. “I... just wanna know what Ebon's up to.”

“Keeping Queen Crusty-Pants at bay.” Josho patted Eagle's shoulder. “Just have a little patience. We'll find out what's up soon enough.”

“Heh...” Seclorum smirked at his old friend. “You really are a different stallion these days, Josho.”

“Yeah, well, maybe I just got tired of outgalloping my age.” Josho cracked a few joints in his neck. “I've flown over battles, oceans, and pegasus sex craters. Now I've got a big flippin' death desert staring me in the face.”

“Think it's finally time to holster the shotgun for good?” Seclorum asked.

“I'll be holstering something, alright. Just don't think it's the cannon you're expecting.”

“Please, old stallion,” Eagle Eye grumbled. “Not in front of my former soldiers.”

Crimson and Phoenix could only chuckle.

“Portapotty!” Constable Jake's voice wafted down towards them, along with his foul breath. The large moose descended the steps, smirking at the battle-strewn courtyard beneath everyone's hooves. “Looks like I missed one Hell of a party!”

“Spark alive!” Lucky Strike wheezed, shuddering. “It's a talking mountain with wool!”

“You're cute too, bunny boy.” Jake looked at Josho and Eagle Eye. He opened his mouth again to speak, but stopped. The moose glanced to his right.

Tweak stared back, squinting from beneath the brim of his hat. “... … ...”

Jake blinked, shook it off, then gazed at his friends again. “Figured you could lead this crowd by example.”

“Erm...” Eagle Eye squirmed. “In what way?”

“I mean bow your stinkin' heads, ya pisstakers!” Jake cleared his throat and boomed before the crowd. “All Hail, King Lunarius of the House of Evo!”

Several loud gasps rippled through the crowd. Deer and ponies dropped instantly, lowering their antlers and manes. Josho, Eagle Eye, Crimson, Phoenix and the rest followed suit, remaining as respectful as they could.

Lunarius kept a tall, proud pose as he descended the steps. His broad antlers scattered the sunlight as he tilted his head about, rolling his gaze across the humble masses. Shortly after him, a fair doe and a tiny fawn trotted down.

“His glorious wife, Queen Azira of the House of Evo!” The Constable broke a tiny smile across his slobbery face. “And their wise and totally-not-kidnapped-or-dead son, Prince Eine of the House of Evo!” It was his turn to bow, and he did so with a surprising amount of grace.

Eine glanced about, breathless. His amber eyes sparkled to see everyone alive and well, including the Soul Sentries, whose faces registered emotion and reverence.

When, at last, the royal family had reached the edge of the Courtyard, King Lunarius cleared his throat and spoke firmly: “Citizens of Val Roa, you may rise.”

Everyone stood up, smiling wide. Some murmured in awe; others sobbed in joy and contentment. Every warm set of eyes within the Capital fell upon their benevolent rulers.

“The Queen and I have been gone for far too long,” Lunarius said, drawing a hush from the crowd as he spoke with boundless authority. “As a consequence of diabolical meddling, we were forcibly separated from the kingdom that we've been sworn to protect! But—as it would so happen—God has not short of miracles in our absence. Someway, somehow, Providence delivered us a cabal of heroes—the Noble Jury—and it is because of their intervention that this City survives the plot of its aggressors without a scratch on it!”

Up above, Duchess Arcanista emerged atop the High Council Building's steps, accompanied by Kera, Nilla, Mamunia, and Jet. The servants gazed in awe at the gathered crowd. When they turned to look at the Duchess, Arcanista's eyes were welling with tears.

“The monster that sought to enslave this city and spread suffering and misery has been neutralized, Lunarius continued. “She is now a prisoner of the state, and she owes her fealty—as well as her very life—to us. If the very devil can be pacified, then what's to stop the glory of Val Roa from shining everlastingly?! From this day forth, may we never risk losing our kingdom to oblivion! We've always stood upon the desolate dunes of the Grand Choke, representing civilization's endearing spirit within this continent. Now it is up to us to make sure our future never sees a day nearly as dark as this one, for our children's sake... and their children's children's...”

Midnite Bastion emerged behind Arcanista and the others. She stared at the Royal Family and the loudly cheering crowds gathered below. A deep sigh ran through her figure. She looked aside, and her gaze narrowed.

Floydien stood along the fringes of the courtyard. He was the only creature not staring at the King, Queen, or Prince. His antlers framed a head that was locked upon the southern cityscape.

Chewing on the edge of her lip, Midnite galloped swiftly down the steps.

Arcanista's head jerked aside, spotting the mare as she reunited with the Duchess' sibling.

Midnite Bastion came to a stop, pausing with a nervous fidget. At last, she cleared her throat, trotting closer to the elk's flanks. “Floyd...?” She winced slightly, then spoke louder. “Floydien?”

The elk continued to gaze south.

So, calmly, she sat beside him, speaking below the roaring noise of the cheering Val Roans.

“What is it? What's wrong?” She shuddered, forcing a smile across her dark muzzle. “We... uh... we won, didn't we?”

Floydien's brow furrowed. At last, the pilot muttered, “Floydien has been here before...”

Midnite blinked.

“...only, Floydien wonders...” His ears flickered as his red eyes turned moist. “...is Nancy truly gone from Floydien's life for good?”

A sad sigh escaped Midnite's lips. She sniffled, the murmured, “I'm so sorry, Floydien.” She fought a lump in her throat. “It was I who left you.”

His eyes fell to the concrete below upon hearing that.

“I... I sent you away,” she murmured. “I supported the lie of my death... out of loyalty to my father.” She quivered, tears flowing. “A father who is no longer here... who never r-really was...” She shuddered, rubbing her face with a forelimb. “I don't blame you for leaving. I... I never could, Floydien, I...”

He slowly turned to gaze at her.

After a few quiet sobs, she found the peace to mutter, “I envied you, y'know. I refused to believe you were dead. Deep down, I figured, you were just off... being yourself. Or finding a new self. And... and I envied that. That freedom... that lack of attachment that you were supposedly enjoying. But now... now that all that's ever meant anything to me is gone, I...” She shook her head, fighting another wave of sobs. “I don't want that freedom! It's... it's too bizarre. Too crazy. I... I don't know where to go...” She whimpered. “I don't know what to do...”

She hung her head, quivering where she sat.

To her surprise, a strong hoof rested on her shoulder, gentle and warm.

She looked up, muzzle shaking.

Floydien gazed at her. Deadpan. “Then there are two boomers that are now Floydien...” He slowly nodded. “Yes yes yes...?”

Midnite stared at him. She smiled as a tear rolled down her cheek. Exhaling, she leaned against his large side, shutting her eyes as she fought more pent-up sobs.

Floydien kept a forelimb draped over her as he weathered her shakes. Meanwhile, he gazed south, staring calmly at the desert skies beyond the bronze summits of Val Roa.

For Every Honor, There's a Burden

“There are two hundred and two imps total,” Jex said, hobbling past a line of squatting figures under the shadow of Lounge Spheres. “I've counted them all.”

The Lounge's leader tilted his helmeted head down to look at the paraplegic goblin. “And they all have surrendered?”

“Yes. Unanimously.” Jex exhaled. “They didn't even need to vote. Besides...” He gazed at the smoldering wreckage of the Gamma ship. “Their armada is destroyed. Their Boss is dead...”

“Then it was the defeat that pacified them...” the naga said.

Jex scuffled to a stop, his ears pointed back as he frowned. “No. Don't you see?” He swiveled on his crutch to face that suited creature. “We've needed this. It's something we've required for a long time.”

“Forgive me if I do not share your optimism,” the Lounge leader said. Steam vented from his helmet as his voice crackled, “By the glory of Quezaat, we have observed your kind for centuries. You've only ever been heading towards complete ruin.”

“But this is different.” Jex's eyes narrowed. “She is different. She can help us all change.”

“The Vaughan's words are certainly noble and poetic, but—”

“Goblins are drawn towards a spirit of growth and industrialism,” Jex said. “Over the years, we've allowed ourselves to forget what we're capable of, but instead obsess over what others have been able to accomplish. We've let greed and envy control us. But now...?” He shook his head. “I think we're ready to stop murdering and enslaving. There are deeper mines in this world to scour.”

The naga tilted his helmeted head to the side. “And just what makes you think the Cartel's capable of change?”

“Because she's capable of change.” The imp bore a bittersweet smile. “And so am I.”

The Lounge leaned back, folding his sleeved limbs. “I still can't guarantee that my brothers and I won't be compelled to annihilate your putrid race in the future.”

“When that future comes, I assure you, we'll be as honorable as the Val Roans.” Jex's eyes narrowed. “And you don't attack them do you?”

“Negative.” The naga's helmet vented more steam. “Granted, the Cartel's uglier.”

Jex's razor sharp teeth showed through a grin. “We'll work on that too.”

“And you think the Vaughan will help?”

“No. But maybe the Val Roans might.”

“I do not envy the struggle that's ahead of you,” said the naga. “As far as the Lounge is concerned: keep your dirty claws off the skystone and we'll keep our aggression to the southern swamps.”

“Someday, these claws will be clean.”

“Quezaat willing, my heart and flesh will be long consumed by then.”

Just then, the air rolled with steam thrusters and skystone energy.

Several of the seated goblins looked up, squinting. Naga soldiers twirled about, raising their firearms with caution.

Slowly, engines rumbling, the Tarkington lowered to the floor. Its port side window flew open, and Rainbow Dash hopped out, hovering alongside the hull. Her ruby eyes reflected dozens upon dozens of defeated imp faces, along with the smoldering wreckage behind them.

“It seems as though your marefriend has control of things here!” Booster Spice shouted above the noise of the ship's engines. “Though, I'm not sure I like the look of these Lounge guys...”

“Booster, you should be more familiar with the Lounge than we are,” Rainbow said. “You think they'll go back on their word once they've promised fealty to a pony?”

Booster shook his head. “No, I imagine not. Sorry... still a bit shaken up...”

“You're not alone, buddy.”

“Rainbow...” Bellesmith stood inside the ship, sticking close to Pilate. “As much as I would like to check up on Roarke, erm...” The mare bit her lip.

Pilate spoke up. “We've no doubt she's handled herself magnificently. But, if it's all the same to you, our little Kera is waiting for us inside the Capital...”

“Right.” Rainbow Dash nodded, her eyes scanning the nearby ridge of stone. “Go to her. We'll meet up and talk this whole thing out.”

Belle exhaled shudderingly. “Rainbow...”

The pegasus twirled about, blinking.

Belle bit her lip as tears welled up in her eyes. “If... if it weren't for you... a thousand times over...”

“Hey... hey...” Rainbow breathed calmly, leaning in to nuzzle both Belle and Pilate at the same time. “No crying. Only living. Got it?”

Belle smiled, sniffling and nodding.

“We got it, Rainbow,” Pilate said with a calm grin. He reached out, felt the air, and eventually patted her shoulder. “See you in Val Roa.”

“Yeah...” Rainbow's eyes briefly darted towards the faint image of Yaerfaerda in the distance. “See ya soon...”

The Tarkington pulled back. Rainbow caught a brief glimpse of Props' and Zaid's sad faces before the door shut. Then, with billowing thrusters, the green ship needled its way north. A blockade of black spheres moved aside to give the heroic vessel proper airspace for travel.

After a deep breath, Rainbow Dash touched down and trotted across the wreck-strewn scene. She glanced at the patrolling naga to her left. They each stood tall and proud, watching her approach through their helmets. Rainbow looked to her right, spotting over two hundred goblins seated in surrendering poses. The imps tilted their heads down, melancholic and somber.

As Rainbow Dash began scaling a hill, she spotted a one-legged figure to her left. She froze in place, pivoted, and squinted at the character.

Jex gulped, shivering slightly on his haunches.

Rainbow took a deep breath. “She spared you,” the mare said in a dull tone. “How nifty.”

Jex shuddered. “She saved me.” He shook his head. “Even when I didn't deserve it.”

“Yeah...” Rainbow's eyes traced the horizon, and at last she spotted a squat brown figure seated on her haunches with her flank to her. “...she'll do that.”

The Lounge leader strolled up, clenching his gloved fists. “In truth, we only agreed to this juncture this because of the Vaughan's commitment.”

“Oh yeah?”

“She's assured us that once she's taken command of the Cartel in the South, she will institute a new industrialization program that will eliminate all unwanted goblin aggression.”

Rainbow stood still. Gradually, her fuzzy blue ears folded back. She swallowed a lump down her throat and eventually murmured, “She has, has she?”

“She may be unpredictable and conniving, but she is a pony of honor. We are forever in her debt for sparing Quezaat the disgrace of Razzar.” The naga gestured with gloved claws. “For that, it is an honor to have worked with you to spare our Val Roan neighbors from destruction.”

Rainbow finally exhaled. “This continent... will only benefit from her awesomeness.” She cleared her throat. “Now... if you'll excuse me...” She trotted lonesomely up the hill.

Jex and the naga leader looked on.

“I am confused. She is not happy for her?”

“Grmmf...” Jex grumbled. “You really are cold-blooded...”

The Rainbow Never Ends, My Love

The battle was over, and both the Lounge and Cartel were far away. It was so quiet atop the desert ridge that Rainbow Dash heard nothing but her own rattling breaths. She came to a stop, hooves squirming in the hard gravel-laden dirt.

Before her, Roarke sat, gazing south like a statue.

Silence reigned.

Then Roarke spoke up, calmly: “Haman, the leader of the Cartel, is dead.” Her voice was dull, thin. "There are times when I wonder if I'll ever be finished killing. But, then again, I know my place."

Rainbow said nothing.

The metal mare continued: “It was simply a matter of timing. I assumed that murdering him and his comrades down south would have been a task so complicated that it would have consumed my life in the process. Alas, I had simply forgotten several things that I've learned as of late. Martyrdom is noble, yes, but not entirely fruitful. It's much better to live... to continue inspiring beyond a mere idea. I'd like to think that Imre would respect my decisions as of late. But, as we both well-know, she never did quite defeat her demons in the end.”

Rainbow gulped and said, “You're staying with the Cartel?”

Roarke's brown shoulders went slack. Slowly, scarlet mane billowing in the dry wind, she turned and stared coolly at Rainbow Dash. “But of course,” she said. “Just as you are leaving.”

Rainbow gritted her teeth.

Roarke continued: “It wouldn't be... very loyal of me to leave this place to ruin. Nor would it be generous.” She slowly shook her head. “Not after all we've done to change the place.”

“Roarke, their big bad boss is dead. They can—”

“They need guidance, Rainbow,” Roarke said. “Just like I once did.” A gentle pause, then, even gentler: “But no longer.”

Rainbow trotted closer with trembling muscles. “But, does it really h-have to be you? I mean... Arcanista and Constable Jake has dealt with those creeps for years! With the way things have turned out in Val Roa, I'm sure they'll hold a lot more power than they used to! With... with enough influence—”

“The Noble Jury may have solved a lot of problems,” Roarke said. “But we invented several of those same problems. We picked the fights, and just because the battle is over, it doesn't mean the war is. As Searo is my witness... as Harmony is my witness, I mustn't abandon what's begun here.” The metal mare sighed. “I turned my back on my own kind because I knew that they had no hope. That isn't the case now.”

“Roarke, I—”

“If you love Belle and Pilate enough to give them up, then you can do the same with me.”

Rainbow's ruby pupils shrunk. Her muzzle hung open. For several seconds, she appeared upon the cusp of a retort. Instead, with a wavering voice, she murmured, “When did it happen?” She sniffled. “You... learned to let go before I did. But wh-when?”

Roarke's ears folded back as her ice blue eyes grew misty. “...when I saw your future, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “A future I could never be a part of.”

“Rainbow!”

Roarke skidded to a stop along the bitterly cold mountainside. She stared at the crashed hull of the Noble Jury, still steaming with emerald vapors from the combined volley of the Val Roan perimeter defense. Hyperventilating, the metal mare scrambled madly, digging at the edges of the vessel so as to peer into the shallow space sunk beneath the ship's weight. “Rainbow, say something! Why'd you go and do it?! So what if we crashed at a sharp angle, you idiot?! We could have put it back together! You didn't have... have...”

At last, she saw it.

From beneath the bow of the ship, a ragged tail of shiny, multicolored hairs stuck out.

Wordlessly, muzzle quivering, Roarke darted over to the far side of the metal hull. What she saw forced her to fall back on her haunches, trembling.

“Sear alive...” She brought a hoof up to her paled face. “No...”

“I've... never truly tasted the bitter sting of loss,” Roarke murmured. By this point, Rainbow Dash had squatted down beside her. Both mares sat side by side, gazing south into the dusty horizon. “The fall of Searo's Hold was more liberating than anything. And Imre...” Her facial features stretched briefly as she gazed into the desert desolation.

Rainbow simply gazed at her.

Nostrils flaring, Roarke continued. “She never truly latched onto hope. As a result, I never felt like I had played a part in her deliverance. Even if I whisked her away to the furthest corner of this plane, she'd still be a prisoner to her father. But...” She looked up again. “But you?”

Rainbow listened intently.

Roarke said, “You saved my life, Rainbow. You spared me from dishonor, annihilation, and ruin. I... cannot begin to describe the depths of my dedication to you... and to what you stand for.” Her muzzle hung open, and at last she muttered, “I could only pull the strings loose and watch... watch as your own destiny showed me just how powerless I truly am.”

Roarke trembled more than she ever had in her life.

She squatted low, crawling towards the bottom of the wrecked Noble Jury.

Before her, she spotted the crumpled neck, spine, and forelimbs of a blue pegasus. The skin twitched and spasmed. A set of feathers flexed and unflexed like a crushed dragonfly.

The hulking weight of the Noble Jury was too great... too massive for anything of Rainbow's size to survive. It didn't take a genius bounty hunter to figure that out.

Roarke nevertheless huddled in place, trembling, her ice blue eyes tracing and retracing the crippled contours of Rainbow's once-healthy figure.

“R-Roarke?!” Bellesmith's voice called out from somewhere above. “Roarke, is everything okay out there?!”

Roarke clenched her eyes shut. She shook... she seethed. At last, with a determined frown, she reopened her eyes. Hot tears collected around the tender sockets, but they didn't stop the metal mare from reaching in, stretching, struggling to slither her hoof between the hull of the ship and Rainbow's shattered figure.

At last, after much strain and gnashing of teeth, Roarke plucked something loose. She fell back, clutching something golden and glistening to her chest. She shuddered, staring at the loose Loyalty Pendant. Its ruby lightning bolt pulsed, then remained bright and steady. Roarke hadn't even begun staring at it when she heard a low growling noise, followed shortly by an unsettling creakkkk!

She looked up with a gasp.

The Noble Jury was shaking, shifting. At last, with a flash of blue feathers, the skystone vessel tipped upwards by several degrees. Just as quickly, the metal weight slouched loudly back on its side, but not without a quivering blue figure darting out.

Th-Thud! On four squriming hooves, Rainbow Dash perched before Roarke, her body hunched over and spasming. A series of sickening snaps and cracks popped all along her spine... but it didn't end there.

“Grnnngh—hckkkt... frmmmm-guaaahahk!” Rainbow Dash bowed her head low. Her tail flicked as the hairs stripped off one by one, replaced by a leathery tail. Her fetlocks grew coarse fur, the blue hue replaced with coarse browns and grays.

Roarke's muzzle trembled. She clung tighter to the pendant. “Rainbow...?”

A pair of eyes suddenly flicked her way—red on yellow with a piercing glow. Trickling blood framed her deep sockets while a pair of horns grew out of the pegasus' head. Then, with a carnivore's shriek, the chaotic beast lunged at her.

Roarke gasped, flexing a metal fetlock.

THWACK! Rainbow's unshorn hooves clamped over Roarke's figure, preventing the ex-bounty hunter from readying any of her weapons. She slammed the pony down into the earth, forcing the two to slide down the mountainous incline. Rainbow's muzzle hung wide open, her equine molars slowly being replaced by serrated fangs. The horns on her forehead grew longer, thicker, and the fresh blood from the transformation splattered all across Roarke's brow.

The mare struggled with the creature's grasp. She realized she had dropped the pendant entirely. Flashing a look to her left, she spotted the ruby lightning bolt resting a few inches away.

“RAAA-AAACHKKKSSSH!“ Rainbow's maw enlarged impossibly, her breath reeking of sulfur. Her feathers began falling off, replaced with webbed flesh and bone spikes.

Gnashing her teeth, Roarke thrust her head aside, picked the Element up in her mouth, and wrenched a hoof free. She spat the necklace into her fetlock, then slapped the thing firmly around Rainbow's neck.

The creature froze in mid-lunge, her jaws just centimeters from closing around Roarke's skull. A flash of ruby light billowed across those mutant eyes, and soon all traces of yellow drained away. Rainbow Dash stumbled backwards, shedding hair with each dizzying step. She whimpered and hissed in pain as the horns along her skull disintegrated, spilling like ash before the wind. At last, her wings coiled tightly by her side, the feathers mostly spared from the near-transformation.

Roarke sat up, watching with nervous shivers.

Rainbow hugged herself, trembled, and fell to her belly. Gravity took over, and she tumbled down the cold mountainside.

Roarke reached out and caught her. Rainbow had never felt so small and frail to the metal mare, and all she did in the pony's embrace was shiver and sob quietly. Roarke bit her lip, closing her eyes as she held the pegasus close. She reached in, tightened the pendant completely shut, then nuzzled her gently, keeping her warm in the frigid cold winds. When the Jurists finally got out of the stranded vessel, what they found were two marefriends, hugging closely, with Roarke's eyes locked on the jagged horizon blocking her view of the east sky.

“I could follow you. The whole Jury could follow you.” Roarke slowly shook her head. “But we can never truly fix you. That's something that was determined long before you even took flight. And you know it.”

Rainbow stared at the southern horizon beyond them, listening to Roarke's words in somber silence.

“You mean something to this world, Rainbow,” Roarke said. “Maybe even to this universe. Why else would something so harmonic be entombed in chaos? You're built to go places that the rest of us would die trying. And while we would gladly do just that... what good would it accomplish?” Roarke raised a hoof towards the landscape around them. “How would Val Roa adjust without us? How would Durandana persist without the Sword of Solstice? And how would Luxmare enjoy peace without the likes of Seclorum and Arcshod to see to its future?”

Rainbow Dash was silent. At last, she swallowed and said, “I... I was kinda sorta hoping that... I could find a place where the world could have peace... a-and I could have it too.” She looked at Roarke with a vulnerable smile.

Roarke stared at her. “You will have peace, Rainbow Dash.” Then, she slowly shook her head. “But that's not here. Leave Val Roa to us. Let us be loyal to you by being loyal to each other. Let us live... in the most awesome way that we can live... as you've taught us to. Nopony but you can survive the Grand Choke... the Dark Side... the Midnight Armory and beyond...”

Rainbow shuddered. “And if I don't...?”

Roarke bore a bittersweet smile. She ran a hoof up and caressed the pegasus' face. “The rainbow never ends.” A shuddering breath. “Where you come from, there is no horizon.”

Rainbow couldn't see her at this point. Her vision had fogged to terribly. Sniffling, she ran a hoof across her face, collecting the tears. “I... I just wanna know...” She hiccuped. “Was it ever real? You and me, I mean. What we had....”

Roarke suddenly grasped the other mare's hoof. She squeezed the tears away between them as she drew Rainbow's hoof over her chest. “I can no longer remember a time when anything wasn't real,” the metal mare said with a smile. “I'll always be grateful for what we have. Now and forever.”

Rainbow stared at her. Through her. In a cracking voice, she quietly sobbed: “I think I can b-be at peace with that...”

Roarke smiled back. She pressed her hoof against the back of Rainbow's head.

Rainbow surrendered, burying her face in Roarke's chest as she cried through a cracked smile. Meanwhile, Roarke gently stroked her neck and back, leaning down until her brown muzzle rested gently atop Rainbow's crown, nuzzling her through her silk mane.

The two lingered there in each other's embrace until they had grown quieter than the desolation itself.

Proving That You Really Mean It

A slender green shape along the southern horizon grew thicker and thicker, accompanied by the gentle roar of persistent thrusters.

“Well, then...” Seclorum stood up in the courtyard before the High Council Building, shading his squinting eyes with a raised forelimb. “Prowse made it. Looks like we're getting a ride back after all.”

“Then I am to guess that the rest of the Noble Jurists are in one piece?” Arcanista said.

“I suppose we're about to find out,” Josho remarked.

“I would most certainly hope so,” replied the Duchess. “Then we can certifiably say that this has been a very good day.”

“I can already say that it has been a glorious day,” remarked Prince Eine. He trotted casually up the steps while all eyes locked on him. “A great evil has been defeated. This kingdom's future has been restored. My life...” He pivoted about, staring up the steps with warm, soft eyes. “...my life has been spared...”

Kera dug the edge of her hoof into her ear, fidgeting. She eventually blinked down the prince's way. “Uhhh... huh?”

“You've restored my family, Kera.”

“Oh. Yeah. Sure, I guess...”

“You... you don't know just how much this means to me,” the fawn said. His amber eyes grew moist as he stood on her step, breathing evenly. “For so many weeks, I spent the nights sobbing in despair, believing that I would never again hear the wise words of my father or nestle myself in the loving limbs of my mother. But you...” He smiled gently, sniffling a bit. “...you believed in more. You believed in me. I owe it all to you, Kera.” He slowly leaned in, lips pursed. “Almost... almost enough to—”

“Geeugh!” Kera shoved his face back, sticking her tongue out. “Go drool on somepony else, ya friggin' pansy!”

The fawn nearly lost his hoofing. Arcanista steadied his gasping figure. A line of reindeer guards down below flinched, including the King and Queen, but Eine swiftly waved them back.

“Yeesh, so what if your Mom and Dad were presumed dead all this time? Grow a spine, will ya?” Kera upturned her nose. “I mean... meh... reuniting with ones' parents ain't nothing to wet the bed over, ya big baby.”

The Tarkington landed in the courtyard. Its doors opened. Bellesmith and Pilate stuck their heads out. “Kera!” Belle shouted.

Kera spun, her green eyes sparkling big and bright as she cooed: “Belle! Pilate!” The little filly pranced gaily down the steps, galloped across the courtyard, and threw herself into the ponies' embrace, nuzzling their chests while her emerald tail flicked. “Squeeeeee!”

Belle and Pilate wrapped their arms around the little pony, holding her tight and covering her with kisses and tears. From afar, Eagle Eye cupped a pair of hooves over his mouth, smiling tearfully. Josho rolled his eyes, nevertheless smirking.

Eine's jaw dropped. He spun with a perplexed face, gesturing at the scene and gawking. Arcanista struggled to keep her smile contained. She simply gave the Prince a delicate pat on the shoulder; nodeer protested.

Belle choked back a sob, nuzzling the filly cheek to cheek. “Oh, bless the Spark! For a moment there, I thought I would never get to see you again!”

“You're such a blessing to us, Kera,” Pilate stammered. “We'll never send you away again!”

“Heeeeeeee...” Kera suddenly blinked at herself. Clearing her throat, she leaned back and stood tall and proud. “I mean... you took care of the goblins down south, right?”

“Well, Roarke intervened at the end, from what we've learned,” Belle said. “And without the Tarkington—”

“But you totally kicked imp butt, right?”

Belle bit her lip. Pilate leaned in, smiling. “We most certainly roasted a great deal of goblin buttockses.”

“Heeeeeee!” Kera cooed, once again leaning forward to nuzzle the pair. “Of course you didddddd!”

Prowse trotted towards the doorframe, leaning on his prosthetic. “Feh. Flood the dayum city with your mush, why don'tcha?” He scanned the horizon until he spotted a red-eyed elk. “Propsicle, lassy.” He gestured at the two passengers. “There be your destiny. Hop to it.”

Sad-faced, Props gulped, then hopped out of the Tarkington. She was accompanied by a strangely somber Zaid. Both ponies trotted their way across the courtyard, through the onlooking crowd.

Midnite Bastion looked over. She tapped Floydien's side. Floydien pivoted about, his red eyes narrowing.

Props bit her lip, scuffling to a stop. “Uhm... Handsome? It's so nice to see ya... though it would have been nicer to see ya in the pilot's seat again.”

Floydien tilted his head to the side. “What does the blonde boomer mean?”

“Well... erm...” Props fidgeted, then slapped Zaid's flank with a swish of her tail.

“Ahem.” Zaid cleared his throat and took a step ahead. “She put up a darn good fight, Floydien. Hell, she'd probably would have put up an even better fight if she was under your reins, but we all did the best we could. We're alive now thanks to Cap'n Belle's quick thinking, Rainbow Dash's sexy flying skills...”

Props glanced aside at him.

Zaid produced a brief smirk. “Okay... and maybe I had something to do with the 'staying alive' part too. But... in the end... well...”

He held out a pair of broken controls in his hooves.

“...she gave her all, but she is no more. The Noble Jury is gone, Floydien. I'm sorry.”

“We're sorry, handsome,” Props said with a sad pout. “Only this and a few slivers of skystone are all that remain. Uncky Prowsy has got the red bits stowed away in the Tarkington, but... the cockpit's gone. The womb's gone. The hangar bay, the observation room, the entire gondola...” She sniffled, brushing back her blonde bangs. “...Everypony's alive, but we still lost someone special to all of us.”

“But she was even more special to you,” Zaid said. “Please forgive us. We tried our best.”

Floydien stretched a hoof out. Zaid gave him the controls. The elk raised them in his grip, staring calmly, deadpan.

Midnite Bastion bit her lip.

“Handsome...?” Props trembled. “What... what are you thinking right now?”

Floydien's nostrils flared. He looked at the flight controls, then up at Props and Zaid. His gaze wandered beyond them, ultimately spotting where Belle, Pilate, and Kera huddled together in a dear hug.

“Floydien's lost Nancy Jane before,” the elk muttered. “Whether it was from shimmer glimmer or stabby stabs, it doesn't matter.” His gaze softened. “Her womb may be gone, but she's already given birth-birth.” He held the controls back out to Zaid. “Nancy Jane boomers live on. Floydien thinks that is enough, yes yes yes?”

Zaid took the controls back. He smirked. “Ehh...” He tossed the item blindly over his head. Jet flinched while Mamunia awkwardly caught the thing like a bouquet. “...if you're getting sappy, then I just about give up, elkster.”

“Not sap,” Floydien murmured. “Something else. Nancy never leaked it. But boomers do. Floydien glad that they are still in one piece piece, as he should be.” He glance aside at Midnite with the barest hint of a smirk. “As he is.”

Midnite bore a bittersweet smile.

Across the way, Booster Spice peered his head out the side of the Tarkington. He spotted a group of figures trotting their way from the northeast, and he immediately winced. “Wuh oh...” He backed up behind Zetta and Basso. “...I think things are about to get really sticky...”

Curious, most of the ponies and deer gathered turned to look. Several citizens gasped and backed up while guards tightened their stances. Tweak cocked his weapon while Arcshod and his fellow warriors formed a thick line.

“No... no no!” Ebon Mane trotted briskly forward from the slowly moving group, waving his forelimbs. “It's alright! She's weak, now. She... she c-couldn't hurt anyone even if she still wanted to.” He bore a smile. “And she doesn't...”

“Ebon...” Eagle Eye dropped his sword and shield. He trotted, pranced, then galloped towards the other stallion.

Ebon turned towards him. He barely had time to smile before Ebon scooped him up into a spinning hug. Both stallions nuzzled each other, then kissed passionately. At last, Eagle leaned his forehead against Ebon's skull, careful not to stab him with his horn.

“I felt... I was afraid I'd never see you again,” he said, his voice wavering.

“Shhh... don't be scared.” Ebon nuzzled him close, then smiled warmly. “Everything is okay now.”

“But... but—”

“I don't blame you for not trusting her, but mother's changed. Or at least, she's starting to. It's over, EE,” Ebon softly said. “The chaos ended in Ledomare and Xona... now it's ending here.” He turned to gesture. “Look...”

Nervously, Eagle Eye turned to look.

Josho squinted his eyes while Crimson and Phoenix stood at the ready, leaning on their weapons.

King Lunarius turned to look. Azira and Eine stood by his side while a thick line of reindeer guards formed a cautious circle around them.

Constable Jake descended the stone steps and stood in time to greet the naga and reindeer who were leading a limping, wincing Chyrsalis to the site. “Whew... for once in my life, I've met someone uglier than me!” the moose said. His beady eyes narrowed. “We don't have to beat your skull in anymore, do we?”

“No, mortal,” Queen Chrysalis muttered, her skull and carapace stained in dried green blood. “You most certainly don't.”

“Awwwww...” Jake bore a drooling pout. “I really am missing all the action.” He sensed movement from behind, and he shuffled backwards in time for King Lunarius to step up.

“Is it true?” The monarch narrowed his eyes. “Have you surrendered, vile creature?”

All sense of anger drained from the alicorn's face. The changeling queen bowed her head. “I do, King Lunarius.”

“And... you agree to the terms set before you by the Noble Jurist known as Rainbow Dash?”

Chrysalis took a deep breath. Her voice shook slightly. She tilted her head up until she met Ebon's gaze. At last, she had the strength to respond, “I am at your mercy.” Her legs wobbled as she crouched her body in a humble bow. “My strength... and all of my wisdom shall now serve you, oh King... my King.”

Azira stepped up, resting a hoof on Lunarius' shoulder. That seemed to calm the elk. Nevertheless, he channeled mana into his antlers, allowing the branches to shimmer with authoritative power. “I have bestowed my grace upon you in the spirit of the same Harmonic graces that have spared my kingdom. But it does not change the fact that you have committed unpardonable crimes against this great nation. If you choose to live and serve me, you shall do so under lock and key. Your days as a ruling monarch of metamorphs is over. Do you understand this?”

“All power I had to resist you—I have done away with, sire.” Chrysalis tilted her head up, a strangely easy feat without the weight of her empowering horn. “My cause was hopeless long before I resorted to conspiring against you and your kingdom. It... simply took a sincere message to make me realize this. Otherwise everything—including myself—would be consumed in my desperate madness.”

Ebon bit his lip while Eagle Eye held him closely.

Lunarius trained a weary eye on the mutant alicorn. “And how do I know that this is not some mere trick of deceit?” He shifted where he stood. “How do I know that—even now—you are not planning to betray us at some point in the near or distant future, now that we have granted you our protection?”

Chrysalis took a deep breath. Her eyes wandered across the scene until she spotted Prince Eine. Right then, the words came out: “Form a team of guardians and warriors. Send them northeast, ten miles, to the mountainous fringes bordering the edge of the Choke.”

“To what end?”

“Allow me to finish, sire,” Chrysalis said. She stood up tall while the naga kept their guns trained on her. “Between the clefts of two mountains about ten and a half miles along the range, you will find a cave. It is not a natural cave, but rather a niche burrowed years ago by my broodlings—children who are no longer under my control.”

“And just what will my subjects find in such a place of hiding?”

“Proof, Your Majesty,” Chrysalis said. “Proof of my everlasting fealty for you, your family, and your kingdom.” She exhaled. “Starting on this very day.” She gazed past the King until she spotted Midnite Bastion. Her green eyes went soft. “Have her lead the expedition.”

Midnite blinked, glancing aside at Floydien.

“Once she has reported to you... you will know,” Chrysalis said. “And I will await your mercy...”

Loyalty Is Always Its Own Reward

“One thing I don't understand is why we couldn't take one of the Lounge spheres,” Josho grumbled, wiping sweat from his brow as he scaled yet another ridge of arid rock. The sun was just then setting, casting the northeast mountains into dark brown shadow. The stars peeked into existence, one by one, but the obese unicorn wasn't about to relish the sights. “Or we could have—y'know—hitched a ride on that skinny redbeard's sky schlong.”

“This close to the Grand Choke?!” Jake shouted over his shoulder from where he took up the center of the expedition. “Periwinkle! They'd crash and burn within seconds of reaching the mountains, ya talking blimp!”

“Well forgive me for thinking aloud!” Josho grumbled.

“Need I remind you that it was your decision to join us on this excursion?” Jake grinned to himself as he caught up with multiple reindeer guards who made up the hiking group. “Though, I wouldn't blame you. It's a good first step in squeezing that fat out of your ass, Mr. Ex-Juror!”

“I only volunteered because I happen to have experience in spelunking through changeling holes.” Josho's eyes narrowed. “And don't call me 'Ex-Juror.'”

“Why not? Your ship blew up, didn't it?”

“If you worked with a team as long as I have, you'd learn to realize that heroism is more than hull-deep.”

“Yeesh. They should have sent a poet.”

“Quiet!” Midnite Bastion growled from the head of the group. “Both of you!” Her eyes narrowed as she rounded the last crest of rock. Mountains loomed to her left and a flat endless plain loomed to her right. “I think I see something.”

The group approach a solid swath of stone, stretching diagonally northeast at the base of a tall mountain. Dead ahead, the rock loomed dark, lost in absolute shadow.

Midnite squinted. Gritting her teeth, she shouted over her shoulder, “Everydeer! Channel your magic!”

The reindeer came to a stop, forming a solid line. Holding their breaths, they filtered mana into their antlers. The natural branches lit up with glowing energy. Josho tilted his head forward and contributed to the aura with his own horn.

Soon, a pale white spotlight formed across the rock, straight ahead of them. In the center of the dark patch was a large hole—too perfectly round to be natural. The interior of the cave was polished smooth, as if burned with an acidic compound.

“This is it alright,” Josho said.

“Well, she wasn't lying about the hole,” Jake said. “But for all we know, it could be a trap inside.”

“The fact is, we don't know what could be inside,” Josho remarked. “Best to let me go in first.”

“I think I do know what's inside,” Midnite remarked. “But I could be wrong. Either way...” She turned back and glared at the group. “...I'm going in first.”

King Lunarius stood up from his throne while Queen Azira and Prince Eine looked on. “...then, if I am to understand things correctly...” He paced forward across the brightly-lit throne room while hundreds of servants, politicians, and citizens looked on. “...while the Duchess Arcanista of the House of Sehlp was the... brains of this operation, so to speak, you, my little pony, was the heart of it, through and through.” His eyes narrowed. “As the uncontested 'leader' of the Noble Jury, do you deny this?”

Eagle Eye, Ebon Mane, Bellesmith, Pilate, Kera, Floydien, Arcanista, Props, Zaid, and Booster Spice stood in a line before the throne. Meanwhile a second row was formed behind them, consisting of Prowse, Seclorum, Zetta, Basso, Crimson, Phoenix, Arcshod, the two Xonans, Tweak, Lucky Strike, Mamunia, and Jet. Roarke stood along the fringes, along with the Lounge leader, three other suited naga, and a very nervous Jex. Nilla stood amidst the crowd, gazing upon the scnee. However, in front of all the members of the Noble Jury and the Tarkington, a prismatic pegasus stood, occupying the absolute center of attention.

“I don't deny that all of my friends joined me in my flight—and that the only real reason they headed east to begin with was because I was making that journey myself.” Rainbow Dash stood tall, her pendant glistening in the torchlight. “They all had their reasons, and I respected each and every one of them. But... to put things simply...” She took a deep breath. “Yes. When it came to decision-making, everypony looked up to me. There is nothing to deny.”

“So, then it was by your authority that the Noble Jury conspired to infiltrate Val Roa, deceive the High Council, and work your way into Prince Eine's confidence?” Lunarius glared. “And breaking into the military compound to undermine the Soul Sentries that were sworn to protect this kingdom... was that authorized by you as well?”

The crowd stirred nervously.

Rainbow kept her jaws tight. “Yes, Your Majesty. I sanctioned everything. If you're looking for a pony to blame, she stands before you.”

Silence.

Slowly, Lunarius' smiled. “I do not look for a pony to blame, Ms. Dash. I look for one to congratulate.”

The crowd filled with smiles and amiable murmurs.

Queen Azira and Prince Eine exchanged gentle grins.

Eagle Eye exhaled with relief while taking the moment to nuzzle Ebon. Pilate and Belle held hooves with Kera nestled snugly between them.

Clearing his throat, Lunarius paced before the two lines of heroes. “You have accomplished much in the face of fear and paranoia. I understand that—in the absence of myself and my Queen—this kingdom had bottled up, closing its borders and ignoring the plight of many outlying provinces. I intend to undo all that which the great deceiver has done.” He turned to face Arcanista. “Starting with the province of Bountiful, whose ruling members have been needlessly ostracized from their representative seats within the High Council. I think I echo everydeer's sentiments when I say: 'Long Live the House of Sehlp.'”

The throneroom broke into applause, with hundreds of subjects pounding their hooves against the floor.

Arcanista smiled, misty-eyed. She exchanged tearful smiles with Mamunia and Jet, then leaned over to nuzzle Floydien. The elk said nothing, his gaze situated on a blank area in a distant part of the throneroom.

The applause died down in time for Lunarius to speak up yet again. “No more shall I allow this kingdom to turn a blind eye to my royal subjects in need, no matter how grave the crisis. I shall forthwith send companies of my finest representatives out into the furthest reaches of Val Roa to assess the needs of the citizenry, starting with the exodus of zebras in Bountiful...” He came to a stop, smiling gently at Booster Spice. “...and with the humble miners of Amulek, who have waited far too long for support from the Capital.”

Booster Spice bit his lip, smiling blissfully. Zaid reached over to nudge him, and the stallion chuckled while applause echoed once more across the chamber.

“It goes without saying that each hero who partook in today's triumph shall be rewarded handsomely,” Lunarius said. “To the selfless crew of the Noble Jury... and to the valiant ponies of the Tarkington... I extend my blessings, my respect, and even my fortune—should you desire it. You're restored more than my kingdom and my throne.” He paced over and lifted the hoof of Queen Azira, gazing into her eyes. “...you've restored my family.” He trotted over and nuzzled Eine's forehead. “And our future.”

Eine sniffled, struggling to hold his tears in while he relished the comforting embrace of his father.

At last, in the ensuing silence, Lunarius swiveled around, trotting forward and approaching Rainbow Dash. “But you... winged one with the colors of the sky...” He smiled. “To you, this kingdom—this family—owes the most. Name any title, and it's yours. Name any price... and I will pay it.” He stood before her, towering and proud. “You've had the ability to go anywhere, fly anywhere, and yet you chose to bless this kingdom with your heroism. Rainbow Dash of Equestria...” He bowed low, eyes shut. “...Val Roa accepts you in open arms.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. She sensed several members of the crowd following the King's lead, bowing in reverence. Before it could carry on much longer, she cleared her throat and said, “I am honored, Your Majesty. Like... more than you'll ever know. And I'm glad that you're willing to extend your blessings to my friend n'all. But... I-I'm afraid I cannot accept any of the things you're offering me.”

Azira and Eine exchanged curious expressions.

As a low murmur filled the room, Lunarius stood up, blinking awkwardly. “Why... what would make you say that, heroic one?”

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. Her wings fluttered slightly. “Simply because I will not be staying in Val Roa, Your Highness.” She gulped. “I will be flying east...”

Instantly, the room filled with gasps and whispers.

Nilla's jaw dropped while Mamunia and Jet exchanged surprised glances. Eagle Eye and Ebon Mane quivered where they stood. Arcanista's lips pursed while Props and Zaid trembled.

Belle and Pilate, meanwhile, hung their heads. Kera's gaze darted about in confusion. She almost trembled herself—until her gaze fell upon Roarke. The metal mare wasn't shaking one bit, and for some reason that was enough to pacify the little Xonan, though a noticeable lump had formed in her throat.

Midnite Bastion scurried swiftly up the subterranean incline.

“Not so fast, girlie!” Jake belched from below. “At least let the guards' light catch up to ya!”

“Mr. Drool Farm has a point!” Josho said, galloping to catch up with the earth pony. “Last time I was in a cave like this, I bumped into stuff I didn't want to! I'm not just saying this because I'm fat, but slow the buck down!”

“No can do...” Midnite sweated as she clambered over rock and shoal. “Nnngh... if what I think is in here is truly in here, then... th-then I gotta...” She slipped. “Gaaugh!”

Josho caught her in a wave of telekinesis. “Yeesh... and here I thought I left the real sissy back in the Palace.” He smirked as he levitated her onto even rock. “Now will you take my advice, lady?”

“How... deep... would she have dug into this mountain anyway?” Midnite wheezed.

“Shhh...” Josho pulled her up one last cleft of rock and pointed ahead. “...deep enough.”

Midnite peered down the even tunnel. A gasp escaped her lips, for a dim green glow was emanating from beyond. “Is... is that...?”

“We're about to find out.” Josho levitated his shotgun and pumped it. “Bucks, after me. Moose? Take up the rear.”

“I am the rear,” Jake grunted, ushering the other soldiers along. With a cacophonous percussion of hooves, every guard took their place, then shuffled forward in a thick line. Midnite Bastion formed up along with them, glaring into the cavern ahead.

At last, the group pierced their way into the heart of the chamber. They instantly relaxed, standing loosely as their lungs emptied in awe.

“Sonuvagun...” Josho blinked, lowering his shotgun. “...maybe things were that easy.”

Midnite pattered past him, her jaw dropped.

Situated at the end of the cavern were three spheres of hardened green slime. Suspended within the globules were three elks—two bucks and a cow. Despite their frozen state, they all looked to be in good health.

“What are you waiting for?!” Midnite Bastion spun about, her eyes wild and feverish. “Carve them out!”

Minutes later, the soldiers had done just that. Fishberry was the first to take a long, wheezing gasp of pure air. She winced, curling up into a fuzzy ball while Jake dragged her away from the slime-coated pedestal.

“Fishberry!” the Constable spoke, shaking her gently. “Chancellor Fishberry! What is the last thing that you remember?”

“Nnnngh... guh...” She winced, coughing up slime. “...smelling good,” she whimpered.

Across the way, several reindeer guard helped Sharp Quill to his hooves.

“Secretary?” Josho trotted up to him. “How do you feel?”

“Never mind that...” The elk sputtered, his purple eyes thin as he gazed across the chamber. “The Prince... is he okay?”

“Who, that dinky little fawn?” Josho asked.

“Rrrrgh!” Sharp Quill dashed towards Josho, having to be restrained by the guards. “I should cut your tongue out for calling the Royal Prince that, you miserable overweight bag of phlegm!”

“Heheh...” Josho turned to smirk across the way. “Guess this is the real deal, guys.”

“Just why would the Queen of Changelings preserve them?” Constable Jake remarked. “I don't get it.”

“Same reason she kept the King and Queen alive,” Josho remarked. “To feed off their emotions and get a true gauge for how to impersonate them.”

“Wait...” Sharp Quill blinked awkwardly. “King Lunarius... Queen Azira...” His eyes grew misty. “They're alive?”

“Yes, and so is your precious godchild, the Prince. Don't worry.” Josho waved a hoof. “It's all sunshine and rainbows for Val Roa from now on.” He looked across the way. “Midnite? How's the weather on your own, girl?”

“Midnite?” Jake voiced.

The mare didn't respond. She tore and ripped at the last of the mold that was holding Saikano in place. Wheezing, the large elk stumbled out of his prison, only to be caught by Midnite's tiny figure.

“Nnnngh!” Struggling, the mare nevertheless lowered the elk gently to the stone floor.

“Gnngh... attack... under attack...” He opened his good eye, blinking wearily. “The Soul Sentries... wh-where?”

The buck gasped, feeling the warm embrace of his adopted daughter, nuzzling him deeply in the neck. He raised a shaking hoof, feeling her mane and coat.

“Midnite...?” He gulped. “I... I do not understand... how...?”

“I love you...” She whimpered, drying her tears against his warm coat as she choked back a sob. “I love you... I love you I love you...”

“Midnite...”

“You don't even have to say it back.” She gulped. “Just know that I know... and that I love you so much, father...”

Saikano blinked. Gently, he raised his hoof and patted her back before holding her close. “I... feel as though I missed a lot...”

She sniffled, then leaned back with a tear-stained smile. “...and I feel as though I haven't.”

I Establish My Denouement Before Breakfast

“Your Majesty,” a guard spoke in reverence, bowing low. “It is still incredibly early, and you have been through so much. I am certain the expedition will understand if you and the Queen wish to rest some more—”

“I will be the one to decide when I shouldn't be vigilant,” Lunarius said, his eyes nevertheless blinking blearily. “And that will be never.” He commanded the guard to rise and gestured down the long, palace corridor. “Let me meet with him now, for I must ascertain his health.”

“Very well, sir. This way.” The guard joined several other armored reindeer as they marched down the long hallway. At last, they entered the throne room which—just hours before—had been filled to capacity with members of the Val Roan elite. The King came to a stop, his muzzle agape.

In the center of the room, Secretary Sharp Quill stood, accompanied by Constable Jake. He pivoted about, and—upon first sight of the King—he attempted to bow low. However, he lost his hoofing, and he stumbled forward with a breathy cry.

Lunarius galloped forward and caught the elk. “Sharp Quill...”

“My Liege,” Sharp Quill wheezed.

“Are you malnourished?” Lunarius exclaimed, his usually stern expression replaced with concern and bewilderment. “You should eat!” He shouted towards a group of gawking servants at the far end of the chamber. “Prepare an ample breakfast! Swiftly!”

“I... I-I wished only to see you, Your Majesty.” Sharp Quill tilted his weak gaze up. “Only to know that... that the Royal Family was indeed safe.” He gulped hard. “Despite my failure...”

“No, old friend.” Lunarius squeezed the elk's shoulders. “No failure whatsoever. None of us foresaw how truly cunning and deceitful this foe would be.”

“Please...” Sharp Quill gritted his teeth. “Please tell me that you executed this beast...”

Lunarius took a sharp breath. “We have not.”

“But... why?!” Sharp Quill grimaced. “This... this shape-shifter has brought ruin to our kingdom! Even harmed your son!”

“There was no ruin brought to either my kingdom or the Prince,” Lunarius said. “And we owe thanks to a group of valiant heroes who are more than experienced in dealing with this monstrosity. It was the request of their leader, Rainbow Dash, that the creature's life be spared—so long as she cooperated.”

“Co... cooperated?”

“And she has.” Lunarius smiled. “She provided us the means of locating you, old friend.” His facial expression went tight again. “Only after depriving herself of the power necessarily to enact her fiendish plans.”

“Your Majesty... I mean no offense...” Sharp Quill gulped. “B-but... but you can't honestly expect to let her go free!”

“Not even remotely,” Lunarius said in a firm tone, helping the Secretary up to his hooves. “She is to be detained in the deepest dungeon of Val Roa. There, she's agreed to stay, and also provide us with the knowledge she's attained from a hive mind she once extended abroad. For the first time in millennia, Val Roa will achieve full clarity about the kingdoms beyond the seas and even the Grand Choke.”

“But... but how can you be so sure?” Sharp Quill stammered. “After all that she's done.”

“Well, you, for one, can be of great help to me, old friend.” Lunarius smiled. “You've had some... unique experience with this creature, I suspect.”

Sharp Quill shuddered. “And how...”

“Then, if you are willing, I would like to give you full authority in the imprisonment and interrogation of our former captor.”

Sharp Quill gazed at him with narrow eyes. “You know that my first act would be to execute her, yes?”

Lunarius shook his head as he led Sharp Quill into the adjacent hallway. “Oh, I doubt that very much, Sharp Quill.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I think you'll learn—from our other guests...” The King smiled. “...that there are greater solutions in this world than death. The Cartel? No... they proved incapable of diplomacy. But this creature... this Chrysalis? She has a heart, and—what's more—a humble willingness to serve us. What would we gain by destroying her when—instead—she can serve us... and the world in turn?”

“Forgive me for saying so, Your Majesty, but I've served as your adviser for a long time. And—quite frankly—I find that this doesn't sound like you.”

“A lot has happened while you were asleep, old friend,” Lunarius said. “And in that time, Val Roa has learned to embrace a new form of salvation.”

“And that is...?”

“Harmony, Sharp Quill. And—God willing—it has the power to transform continents. Now... in speaking of transformations... let's see about getting your health back on the right track. Servants? About that breakfast...”

Chancellor Fishberry stood in her office, staring blankly at her desk and the window beyond it.

She took a long, deep breath, her ears folding back.

She heard a set of shuffling steps from behind, and she turned around to look in the dull gray morning light.

“Apparently the office switched five times since the real you sat in your chair,” spoke an elk in the doorway. “For once, that's a luxury that neither you or I have been able to afford.”

Fishberry's lips pursed as she squinted. “Arcanista? Duchess Arcanista?”

Arcanista strolled forward, her muzzle calm despite an inherent lack of sleep. “You look better than I imagined you would.”

Fishberry frowned. “Hrmmfff...” She pivoted back towards the desk. “I heard you were a key member in the 'Salvation of Val Roa,' as everydeer is already starting to call it.” She sighed, running her hoof over the wooden finish. “Did you come here to gloat?”

“No.” Arcanista took her head as she paced forward. “I came here to see how you were doing, assess the damage, and discover the future of the High Council's Chancellor seat.” A tiny smile formed across her muzzle. “And then I might gloat.”

Fishberry shuddered. “You should see the way everydeer looks at me. They can't seem to get it out of their heads that I'm the real Chancellor and that the pretender is now deep in a dungeon. And while it's all well-and-good for the Secretary to resume his position or for the General to regain the respect of his troops, my last real contribution to this kingdom was at least forty-two sessions ago. Laws have been ratified. Trade agreements have been rearrange...” She sighed heavily. “I'm so behind. Even if I could become Chancellor again, I wouldn't know where to begin.” She gulped hard. “They're going to choose someone else. I just know it.”

“Indeed.” Arcanista nodded. “They most definitely might.”

“Why would you—?” Fishberry's eyes twitched. She spun about, mouth agape. “Oh God. Don't tell me.” She squinted. “It's you, isn't it?”

Arcanista chuckled. “Oh no... no. That position would necessitate my abandonment of the citizens of Bountiful—which I simply cannot do. You of all elks should know, Fishberry, that the one thing I've ever wanted was a true representative seat in the Council.” Her eyes flared momentarily. “As the House of Sehlp has long deserved.”

Fishberry merely frown. “Bah... your brother...” She shook her head, grumbling to the shadows. “That damnable Duke was always too mischievous for his own good. Floyd was always sticking his antlers where they didn't belong. And as for the General's adopted daughter... heheh... well, we both know what else he stuck.”

“He's alive, you know.”

Fishberry gave Arcanista a double-take.

The Duchess' muzzle tightened. “You... are surprised to hear that?”

“And you're surprised that I'm surprised.” Fishberry blinked. “Duchess, I am no friend to the House of Sehlp, but when the Duke vanished—I was just as shocked and dismayed as you were.” She gulped. “You mean to say that Floyd is one piece?”

Arcanista sighed. “Half a piece. And... you truly do not know who extorted him into departing from Val Roa?”

“I...” Fishberry shuddered. “I may have once suspected deer or elk capable of stooping to something so low.” She gulped. “But that was then. This is now.” She hung her head. “I've no power to do much of anything anymore.”

“Well... power, you may not have. But you are certainly gifted.” Arcanista trotted over and rested a hoof on the other elk's shoulder. “If we were to combine our talents, we might be able to scoop out corruption from this kingdom once and for all.”

Fishberry gazed warily at her. “You would... enlist my assistance?”

“Why wouldn't I?” Arcanista smiled. “Regardless of our pasts, we both had a common enemy. Now we both have a common victory, and it is right within our grasp. Let us not let the Fall of Chrysalis go to waste. The High Council has been shaken at its core, and those who have been embezzling in the royal funds during the 'supposed deaths' of the King and Queen are likely to be panicking now that there's no young and impressionable Prince to manipulate. If we act soon, we can catch and uproot those who deserve their seats even less than the monsters that tried to undermine them. Now, what do you think of that invitation?”

Fishberry stared at her. Eventually, her ears twitched, and she broke into a meager smile. “A curious challenge indeed, Duchess. When would we begin?”

“Soon.” Arcanista winked. “Very soon.” She trotted off. “But, if you'll excuse me, I have a... breakfast to attend first.”

A Most Noble Breakfast, Part One

Morning sunlight broke through the elaborate bronze pillars that made up the Val Roan Royal dining balcony. Here, a massively long oaken table stretched, its top surface full of every pastry, baked good, fruit, potato, scrambled eggs imaginable. The aroma of freshly fried breakfast filled the sunny domain, and around the elaborate table were seated every member of the Noble Jury and the Tarkington.

None of them were eating.

Several ponies yawned. Several others blinked wearily. The ones who were fully awake merely squirmed in place, as if the ample meal was simply too much for them to dig in.

Basso blinked towards the spacious cityscape beyond the pillars while Zetta leaned against him. Zaid leaned forward, examining several different plates of cheese while Prowse gave him the evil eye across the way and Props merely smiled. Bellesmith and Pilate sat quietly while Kera—between them—kept glancing towards the far ends of the hall. More than once, her gaze fell upon Roarke, who sat at one end of the table in total silence, her eyes cool and distant.

At last, Arcanista's hoofsteps broke the silence of the scene. She arrived with Mamunia and Jet. Upon seeing the dormant faces of the ponies, she shuffled to a stop, blinking. “...well, this is most certainly... festive.”

“It's quite an elaborate meal!” Ebon Mane said, a hopeful smile flickering across his burgundy muzzle. “I can tell it took them a long time to make!”

“They're royalty, Ebon,” Eagle said. “They whipped it together overnight.”

Ebon bit his lip. “Well... it would have taken me forever to make it.”

“I'm so used to sailboat butt's cookings that I'm afraid my body will reject anything else,” Josho muttered.

“Then is that why you haven't taken a bite yet?” Arcanista asked, strolling over to where Floydien and Midnite sat. She smiled and curtsied. “Brother...”

“Pigeon-hoofed boomer...”

“Cute.”

Midnite giggled.

“Well, nice to know that somepony is in a good mood,” Arcanista said.

“He's alive...” Midnite exhaled through a drunken smile. She gazed across the table. “He's alive and in one piece. I... I simply cannot believe it. Queen Chrysalis was right.”

“Mother's made a promise,” Ebon said. “Is it really that hard to believe that she's given up on her dastardly ways?”

“Uhhhh... yeah, kid,” Seclorum rasped from across the table. He glanced aside at Arcshod. “I'm almost tempted to stick around with the world's biggest stick and see if candy will burst out of her the moment she makes a move.”

“Come on!” Eagle Eye frowned. “Give her the benefit of a doubt!”

Crimson waved a hoof. “Now... let's not get too excited. The Val Roans made us a wonderful meal here. We can choose to argue over things later.”

“It's good to know that you're thankful,” Arcanista said, taking a seat and scooting in besides her maidservants. “But actually eating would be a finer gesture.”

“Uhhhh huh...” Tweak stealthily slid several biscuits into his hat and planted it atop his crystalline head. “First thing's first.” Lucky Strike snickered, and the older sibling kicked his leg beneath the table before continuing. “What happens once we're all gone? I mean, assuming everything goes as planned.”

“It's noble that you'd express such concern for Val Roa in the long run,” Midnite said.

“Hey...” Zaid smirked, kicking back with a lazy grin. 'When the shoe fits, babe.”

“We came a long way to make sure that this kingdom didn't kick the bucket,” remarked Phoenix. “It... it only seemed fitting.”

“That's what I said!” Zaid said. Props slapped his shoulder. “Ow! Okay... that one was just to wake me up.”

Props giggled and turned to look Midnite's way. “We've learned long... long ago that flying somewhere is one thing. Making sure that the place you leave is in good spirits is another.”

Kera shuddered. “We've... not b-been so lucky in the past.”

Belle and Pilate hung their heads.

Roarke gazed on in silence, her brown ears twitching.

Arcanista took a firm breath. “Val Roa is headed for a glorious future. Of this, I am sure.”

“Belaseenu'm cranadrem viulen hreem?” Arcshod muttered, eyes narrow.

Seclorum cleared his throat. “Uhhh... are you really certain of that?”

Arcanista merely nodded. “Bountiful is having its seat in the Council reinstated. I just got done talking with Fishberry. Together, the Chancellor and I are setting aside our differences and preparing a commission to locate and root out sources of embezzlement within the Council. With the Constable's help, we'll be eliminating all seeds of corruption within Val Roa.”

“By the Spark,” Belle remarked. “That sounds... drastic.”

“It's been a long time coming,” Arcanista said. “Much like it was in Ledomare and Xona, discord and disharmony had been nestled deep within our culture, and it took a malevolent force from outside to exploit it and balloon it into something far worse.”

“But now that Chrysalis is defeated, all of those dark pockets are laid to bear,” Midnite said. She smiled up at Floydien, then gazed warmly at the rest of the table. “In a way, I suppose you could say that Chrysalis was the best thing to happen to Val Roa.”

“You mean the bloody defeat of that pisstaker,” Prowse's voice growled. He pointed with his good hoof. “Lest we forget that it took a lot of dead goblins to make this cheery little morning meal possible. Not that I sympathize with the little buggers, but no victory is ever that squeaky clean, now is it?”

The table hung in silence. Everyone looked at their food as if it was miles away.

Roarke spoke suddenly—which caused the whole table to flinch. “Chrysalis was the best thing to happen to the Cartel too.” All eyes rested on her as she stared back. “Val Roa didn't need a change. It simply needed a savior. But the Cartel?” She slowly shook her head. “It's been destined for ruin for a long time. You can't rearrange that without bloody scars. The goblins from the south will be reeling from what happened yesterday for a long time. But they will climb back from their loss, and they will find themselves in a better, healthier place.”

“Because of you, Roarke,” Pilate said. “Yes?”

The metal mare nodded. “I was instrumental in both their downfall and their rescue. The Lounge are still here, minding the southern edge of the Capital because of an agreement that I made. It would be pointless to let the imps down now. I owe it to them... and to myself to see that they find a better future. I would like to think that my experience at Searo's Hold will be instrumental in this process.”

“Then...” Kera bit her lip. “You're heading south to the Cartel?” Belle rested a hoof on the tiny Xonan's shoulder. “Will we ever see you again?”

“That depends,” Roarke droned. She looked up across the table at the filly. “Will your eyes be open when I visit every month to check up on Belle and Pilate?”

Kera blinked... then smiled.

“Wait wait wait!” Props leaned forward, her jaw agape. “You guys are staying?”

“Erm...” Belle glanced aside at Pilate, smiling bashfully.

Pilate reached over and rested his hoof on Belle's side. “I suppose the truth would come out eventually. And... well...”

“We didn't want to discuss it aloud,” Belle said. “Not yet. Not until... well...”

“Well what?” Props squeaked.

“Don't you think something is missing?” Eagle Eye remarked.

Just then—with the flapping of wings—Rainbow Dash soared in from the balcony, breathless. “Whew! Sorry... sorry, guys. I sh-should have been here earlier, I know. But I'm here now.” She shuffled up in s chair next to Roarke, shuddering. “It's just that somepony didn't wake me,” she grumbled, giving the back of Roarke's chair a heavy swat.

Roarke droned, “Somepony deserved it after all she did yesterday.”

“Deserved what?” Booster Spice asked.

“I... uh...” Rainbow blushed, her ears drooping. “I overslept.”

Booster's goggles nearly fell off. “You overslept?!”

“Yup.”

“On the morning of the biggest, most amazing celebration breakfast in all of Val Roa?! You overslept?!”

“Yuh huh.”

“The hay's gotten into you?!” Booster Spice cackled.

“Look...” Rainbow spoke above the sound of Props giggling. “I had a super heavy dream last night.”

“Did you, now?” Zaid smirked. “Just how heavy was it?”

“You tell me,” Rainbow took a sip of orange juice. “Your Mom was in it.”

Phoenix spat. Crimson chuckled while Lucky Strike and Tweak leaned against each other, cackling.

“Heeheehee!” Props slapped the back of Zaid's back. “You got serrrrrved!”

“Ughhh... be still my shattering ego.” Zaid rolled his eyes. Then gestured a the table. “Why don't you serve me some cheese and grits?”

“Sure thing, Zaidy Waidy!”

“Mrmmff...” Zaid hid his blushing muzzle into his glass. “My mother was a saint. A skinny saint.”

“Hmmph...” Prowse managed a red-bearded smirk. “I'm likin' this breakfast.”

“Then eat something!” Arcanista exclaimed. “All of you!”

“Yeah, what gives?” Rainbow bit into a biscuit, her blue cheeks bulging. “Mrmmf... dig in!”

And just like that, the audible mirth and levity of the balcony lifted by several decibels. Belle prepared a plate for Kera. Basso dug into the scrambled eggs and sausages. Midnite held a piece of toast up to Floydien, and the elk rolled his eyes before taking a bite. The two Xonan warriors delicately nibbled on hard-boiled eggs.

At the end of the table, Rainbow spotted the warm gazes of Belle and Pilate. She smiled at them, winked at Kera, then glanced aside at Roarke.

Roarke glanced back.

The two mares smiled, and enjoyed their breakfast liberally.

A Most Noble Breakfast, Part Two

“Say...” Kera looked around the large, festive breakfast table. “Is anypony else getting a strange case of deja vu?”

“Enope!” Zaid smiled, munched on some cheese and grits, then looked across the way at Bellesmith. “So... you guys are thinking about staying, huh?”

“I think he means right here in Val Roa,” Props added with a wink.

“Oh great, she's speaking for me,” Zaid droned, rolling his eyes. “Next thing you know, I'll be making midnight runs to the market for ice cream and pickles.”

Props giggled. “Heeheeheehee—” She froze in place, blinking. “Wait.”

Pilate chuckled and spoke up, “Well, all this time we've been journeying, Belle and I have been hoping for a safe place where we could settle down and engage in our intellectual pursuits.”

“In other words,” Rainbow Dash spoke up in between deep bites of toast and jam. “I promised them aaaages ago that they'd find some place peaceful to crash.”

“But, at the same time, we promised to be by your side through thick and thin,” Belle said in a motherly tone.

“Right, but, as we all know...” Rainbow's voice trailed off.

Roarke cleared her throat and leaned forward in her seat. “I think Val Roa is a fine choice. The scholars here could benefit from Ledomaritan concepts of mana and technology. What's more, I'm certain their archives of science and art will expand your minds just the same.”

“Why thank you, Roarke.” Belle smiled. “Funny you should say that. I had a long talk with Nilla—”

“From the Sandstone District?” Mamunia spoke up.

“Mmmhmmm.” Belle sipped on some orange juice, nodded, and said, “It would seem as if the local Academy of Arts and Sciences is intrigued beyond measure to have foreigners such as myself and Pilate make contributions.”

“Like what kind of contributions?” Zaid asked, his mouth ful.

“Well, with the right components, Belle here could teach the local elk and deer how to build a sequencing device that can fuse with their unique leylines.”

“And, what's more, I'll teach sequencing in a fair and balanced way that does not enforce the cruel tactics I was forced to endure back at Blue Shelf!” Belle smiled brightly. “We can achieve what Ledomare always wanted to do, only with greater success and less painful side effects!”

“Ewww...” Kera made a face.

Props cocked her head aside. “What's the matter, cutesy?”

Kera glanced up at Belle. “So, in a way, you're about to accomplish the life's dream of Madame Nightshade?”

“Ah...” Pilate raised a hoof, smiling. “But she will be able to perfect sequencing so that it's used for good, without exploiting other souls.”

“Including those of kids,” Rainbow said.

“Exactly!” Belle winked.

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh...” Kera nodded. “Well, in that case, knock yourself out!”

“Hehehe! I think I will!”

“Actually, pass the fried grasshoppers, then knock yourself out!”

“Erm... right...” Belle held the basket over. “I'm... rather surprised they're serving these here.”

“Mmmmm...” Kera bore a smug grin as she picked a few tasty morsels off the plate. “A certain... caterer's son worked this out for me, I bet.”

“Really?” Props leaned her muzzle on her forelimb, smiling. “And does this caterer's son deserve a princess' kiss?”

“Sure thing—wait!” Kera dropped her grasshoppers in mid-bite and grimaced wildly. “Ewww! Cut it out! For real!”

“Heeheehee!” Props sighed happily, tossing her blonde mane back. “Ohhhhhhhhh I'm gonna miss that.”

Both Pilate and Belle tilted their heads in Props' direction.

“You... you won't be staying here in Val Roa?” Belle asked, blinking.

“Oh... uhm... well...” Props fidgeted, squirming in her seat. “That is to say... uh...”

“Like bloody hell, they're not,” Prowse belched from where he sat besides the mare. “Not like I fancy yankin' the tears out of your eyes, but now that all this madness is over, I'm makin' sure Propsicle is someplace safe! Well... at least, safer. And, besides, I miss the lass.”

“And... erm...” Rainbow nervously eyed Prowse, then stared at Props. “You're totally cool with this, Props?”

“Actually, uhm...” Props smiled bashfully. “I made the suggestion myself. Uncky Prowsy is lucky to have the Tarkington and all, but I've always known him to be a merchant first and an explorer second.”

“Damn girl talked me out of going on a crazy quest to find out what makes the Lounge tick,” Prowse said. “And besides, there's bound to have been a huge stinkin' vacuum left in Gray Smoke ever since I bugger'd off! 'Bout time I flew back and sunk my teeth back into that succulent financial fruit!”

“Can't imagine it'll be easy going back to a relatively normal life after all of this adventure,” Pilate said.

“Hah! You think I'm hangin' the Tarkington?” Prowse grinned. He glanced across the table. “Me and a certain somepony else were given this with Aatxe's dying request! May he rest in soot!”

“Damn straight.” Seclorum smirked. “Ever since the Frozen Sea lost its flurries when Stratopolis went down, it's been an open passageway for flight, trade, you name it. Lots of idiots don't have a darn clue what Alafreo is, or how to even get there.”

“Seeking to capitalize, huh?” Belle asked with a smirk.

“Just seeking to keep green-as-shit travellers from sinking their dayum necks in the ocean!” He glanced at the large tattooed figure beside him. “Ain't that right, buddy?”

“Mrmmfmfff...” Arcshod munched his way through eggs and sausage. “...dreit.”

“The way we figure it,” Prowse spoke. “Secchy and his mates patrol the sea while I hold the fort back in Gray Smoke. Between the post-war economy and the new avenue for exploration, we're bound to make the eastern edge of the continent a safer place for everypony!”

“Good,” Roarke droned. “Because if you had traveled south into the Lounge swamps like originally planned, you would be deader than rusted nails.”

Half of the table chuckled good-naturedly.

“And I wanna be there to help Uncky Prowsy set up shop again!” Props said with a cheery smile. “And maybe I can finally work on a few inventions I've been mulling over since I was yanked all the way to Blue Nova!”

“You've been working on inventions?” Rainbow asked.

“Yup yup yup!”

“Like what?”

Props grinned. “Ever wondered if cheese could grill itself?”

“Uhhhhhhhh...”

“Well, someday soon, you won't have to anymore!” Props pumped her hoof in the air. “I'm gonna have a go at culinary tools!” She giggle-snorted. “If there's anything I've learned over the past few months, it's that serving ponies food is a lot more fun than serving them missles!”

“Now that I can get behind,” Ebon Mane said. “Though... dare I ask who's the inspiration behind the self-grilling cheese?”

“Uhhhhh...” Zaid coughed, his cheeks turning slightly rosy. “Maybe the stallion who's agreed to join her on her merchant's venture.”

“Is that a fact?” Belle grinned wide. “Are you finally kicking the wayward life of an aerial vagabond?”

“Hey...” Zaid shrugged. “I've been through waaaaaay more stuff than I've ever signed on for.”

“Still, do you think a place like Gray Smoke could contain you, Mr. Zaid?” Pilate asked.

“Meh...” Zaid shrugged again. “If I can be an ex-cultist and an ex-juror, then why not try on being an ex-bum?”

“Here here...” Rainbow said, stifling a chuckle.

“Besides...” Zaid turned to nuzzle Props. “...I couldn't think of a friskier kitten to settle with.”

“D'awwwwwww... heeheehee...” Props giggled.

Prowse leaned in, muttering in Zaid's ear. “Remember, boyo, though that kitten may be declawed, I still have me plenty of shears. Ya get me.”

“A-a-ahem...” Zaid wiped the sweat from his brow, smiling dead ahead. “And have I mentioned how thrilled I am to be moving in with Props' lovable uncle?” his voice cracked.

The table chuckled again.

“Zaid...” Eagle Eye shook his head. “Settling for a normal life in the clouds. I can't believe it.”

“Yes yes yes...” Floydien muttered. “Every boomer will be forced to punch stone stone from now on. Not quite the same, Floydien thinks.”

And once more, the table burst into laughter.

Author's Note

A Most Noble Breakfast, Part Three

“I suppose it goes without saying that the Val Roans are... hesitant to fully trust Mother,” Ebon Mane said. “They've agreed to keep her alive and imprisoned mostly out of their agreement with Rainbow Dash, as well as to pursue a Harmonic solution to all of this. But...” Ebon slowly shook his head. “You all don't need me to tell you that she's got a lot to make up for.”

Most ponies at the table nodded gravely.

“So, to play it safe, EE and I have been informed by the King's guards that Mother will be transferred to a far-off facility that will be patrolled heavily by Val Roan soldiers... at least until a time comes that good behavior and trust allows her back into the grace of the Royal Family.”

“So she won't be staying here?” Crimson asked.

Ebon Mane shook his head. “Well... she will for a little while. This decision is still new, and they have to come up with the resources and strategy for turning the facility into an alicorn prison.”

“Not like Chrysalis can do much of anything to break out, right?” Tweak muttered.

“Right,” Eagle Eye said with a nod. “But you really can't blame the Royal Family for not wanting her immediately nearby.”

“Just where do the Val Roans plan to relocate her?” Pilate asked. “I wasn't aware they had much in the way of 'far-off facilities.'”

“We don't,” Midnite Bastion said, speaking up. “But, believe me, we've scoured the list of geographical resources at our disposal.” She glanced across the table at everypony else. “According to those who work in the military, there's a very prospective location far north, along the arctic line.”

“Oh?” Belle leaned her head aside curiously. “Where at, exactly?”

“The name escapes me,” Midnite said. “But apparently the location has been on loan to a group of studious llamas conducting science experiments. The researchers will be paid handsomely to take their materials elsewhere so that the mountainous promontory can be converted into a prison facility.”

Rainbow Dash spat out some of her orange juice. She rubbed her muzzle and glanced across the table. “Wait... do you mean friggin' Ether Point?”

“Er... yes! Yes, indeed.” Midnite smiled. “I do believe that's the name of the facility.”

Zaid chuckled, shaking his head.

Kera blinked. “I don't get it.”

“They're handing out goldfish memories to every filly these days,” Josho grumbled, picking at his scrambled eggs.

“Heh...” Rainbow Dash leaned back in her chair, grinning. “I know a certain dude named 'Winree' who'll be glad to sell that place in a heartbeat.”

“It doesn't sound very hospitable of a location,” Roarke droned. “Granted, I suspect that is the entire point.”

“The location doesn't exactly matter where Mother is concerned,” Ebon said.

“You're sure of that, Ebony?” Props asked. “I mean, can she even feed off feelings anymore?”

“Changeling boomerette did snap off her horn horn,” Floydien muttered.

“Right.” Ebon smiled. “Which is why I'll be experimenting with all sorts of edible foodstuffs to discover just what her palate is. It shouldn't be so hard, since I'll be taste-testing everything myself. One way or another, my Mother and I will discover her new sustenance together.”

“Wait...” Props' jaw hung wide. “Does... does that mean?”

“Yes,” Eagle Eye spoke up, nodding. “He'll be going to Ether Pointe with the Val Roans in charge of watching over Chrysalis.” After a deep breath, the lavender unicorn wrapped a hoof around Ebon's shoulder and smiled. “And I will be going with him.”

Crimson and Phoenix exchanged glances.

“That's...” Josho blinked. “...kind of a sucky end of the line, Princess, don't ya think?”

“Sucky?” Eagle Eye's muzzle scrunched. “With the love of my life there right beside me?”

“Yeah, but...” Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head. “...it's so cold and lifeless and remote!”

“We'll have each other, won't we?” Ebon stifled a giggle, leaning in to nuzzle Eagle Eye. “I'm sure we'll find ways to warm each other up.”

“Uh huh...” Tweak dropped his utensils. “There goes my appetite.” Lucky Strike chuckled beside him.

“Really, though,” Eagle Eye said. “If Ebon has hope for his mother, then so do I. I've every reason to believe we won't be stationed there forever.”

“And we'll find plenty of reasons to visit the Capital!” Ebon said, grinning at Pilate, Belle, and Kera. “It'll be like we're in the next town! We'll come to see you guys as often as we can!”

“That's wonderful, Ebon,” Belle said. She bit her lip, then leaned over to nuzzle Pilate as she smile the two stallions' way. “We're happy for you two, Eagle Eye. Really...” She sniffled, exhaling through a placid grin. “We are.”

“All I've wanted in life was to find a place to settle, where I could feel needed, and be with somepony who needed me.” Eagle's gaze drifted until it fell upon Crimson's face. He smiled. “The 'where' doesn't really matter as much as the 'who.' In a way, I think I've always known that.”

“... … ...” Crimson smirked.

“That's pretty darn sweet, EE,” Phoenix said. “Best of luck to you guys in that place.”

“We'll need it,” Ebon said. “I feel that Mother has changed for the better... but...” He sighed. “She'll need as much healing as her hive. It will take some time, to say the least.”

“But the secrets she can share with Val Roa are priceless,” Midnite said. “We've always wanted to expand our knowledge beyond the mountains of this continent. But... we've always been so isolationist.”

“Perhaps it's best that you stay that way,” Roarke said. “Knowledge can be dangerous. But so long as you're exploring with your minds and not with your might—”

“But it kinda feels like we're all splitting!” Kera said, pouting. “Roarke to the south, Props to the west, and Eagle and Ebon to the north. Why's it gotta be that way?”

“Ohhhhh, darling.” Belle leaned down to nuzzle her. “It truly is all for the best. We all have our places to fill, and it's not like we'll never see each other again!”

“Speak for yourself,” Josho grumbled, leaning back in his chair. “To be perfectly frank, I'm kind of empty-headed at the moment.

“Really?” Zaid glanced up. “Maybe try switching your head with your belly.”

“Very cute, saddle stain.” Josho belched. “But for real. I got on board this train, thinking it might never stop. And—for better or for worse—I'm still friggin' alive. Not exactly what I expected, to be honest.”

“You're complaining about not being dead?” Booster Spice asked, making a face.

“You ever complain about still being a virgin?”

Booster blinked... blushed deeply... then hid his face in his morning meal.

“Heh... what can I say?” Josho shrugged and smirked. “It's a gift.”

“Old stallion,” Eagle Eye murmured. “You could... y'know...” He bit his smiling lips. “...come and join us in the station at Ether Point.”

“Hah! You realize that's like asking your grandpa to sneak in on your very own funeral?!” Josho shook his head, smirking. “Besides, that cold would shatter my balls off in a heartbeat. Nah... if I'm gonna retire, it's gotta be someplace warmer... saner.”

“Who says it's gotta be retirement, old friend?” Seclorum asked with a smirk. He exchanged brief glances with Prowse. “You could join us in Gray Smoke. So long as you don't get sick of flying over the ocean, it should be quite exciting on board the Tarkington! Hell, it might feel like old times!”

“Secchy, buddy, I know you and I haven't had much chances to gab as of late, but if there's one thing you should learn about me these days...” Josho's brow furrowed. “I'm sick to death of old times.” He scratched his stubbled chins. “I've ridden this far on the Jury cuz I wanted to get Ledomare waaaaay behind me. And now that I can't go no further... mmmphhh... I honestly don't know what I'm good for anymore. And, as silly as it sounds, I don't think I wanna spend the last decade or two of my life playing shuffleboard with a bunch of magic reindeer.”

“Then perhaps you should use your talents to improve the world beyond your original scope.”

Josho blinked towards the end of the table. “Buh?”

Roarke continued speaking: “I have an enormous task ahead of me with the Cartel. I have the gift of experience, of tenacity, and even a fair amount of wisdom.” She leaned back in her chair. “However, the one thing that I lack is magic. I'm certain that a stallion of your age and caliber could have much to share with a race of imps who were bred for violence. With enough time and diligence, your contributions might even shape their civilization into something that respects everlasting peace as much as you do.”

“Wait wait wait... hold the sound stone.” Josho shuffled up in his chair, leaning forward. “Are you—Roarke—asking this 'breeder' for help in corralling an entire civilization of goblins?”

“... … ...” Roarke's nostrils flared. “Yes. I knew I would need some assistance from Val Roa eventually, and your Ledomaritan experience would be crucial. And... besides...”

“Yeah, what?”

Roarke squirmed in her seat, avoiding his gaze. “I... could most definitely use the company.”

“... … ...” Josho smirked. “Well...” He glanced at Eagle Eye. “I've had my try with a goddaughter...” He slicked his mane back and glanced back at Roarke. “...guess it wouldn't hurt to try on having a godson.”

“You won't get far with that absurd philosophy,” Roarke grumbled. “I'll tell you that.”

“Heheheh...” Josho chuckled. “I'm liking this idea already. It's stupid.”

“Yeah, well...” Rainbow smirked.

Kera piped up. “That's how you'll know it works!”

“Hear hear!” And the Jurists raised their glasses around the table.

I Shall Call The Pebble "Dare"

By noon, several ponies were strolling leisurely along the balconies of the Val Roan Royal Palace. The Jurists all clung together, with Rainbow Dash hovering a little bit above the group.

“So, according to Props' Uncle, he'll be flying by Amulek on the way back west to the Frozen Sea,,” Booster Spice said. His goggles glinted in the bright sunlight, and he smiled. “I can't wait to tell Merigold all about the King and Queen's proposition.”

“After all of the gorgeous tech that you've gotten your hooves on!” Props stammered, occasionally leaning on Zaid in mid-trot. “You're going to give it all up to go live in that tiny mining town again?”

“Yes, well...” Booster bit his lip, squirming slightly. “I have my obligations back in Amulek, but—first chance I get—I'd love to make the pilgrimage back to Val Roa proper and see if... well...”

“Well what?” Zaid asked.

“If Bellesmith and Pilate have made any progress with their technological exploits.”

“Well of course they will have!” Kera stuck her tongue out. “Belle and Pilate are awesome!”

“Won't get any argument from me,” Rainbow Dash said.

“It would be a blessing and an honor, Mr. Spice,” Pilate said.

“You've got a genius mind that won't quit,” Belle added. “I'm certain you could assist us wonderfully.”

“Spark knows we'll be having trouble and a half trying to explain the O.A.S.I.S. Sphere to the locals,” Pilate muttered. “Not to mention our side project of integrating the runic neural matrix with the Ocular Array.”

“That, I should be able to assist with,” Roarke spoke up, trotting closest to Rainbow. “It's Lounge technology, and odds are I'll be meeting with the naga quite regularly while I attempt to build the Cartel out of the ashes.”

“Will you even have time, Roarke?” Belle asked, chestnut eyes blinking. “I mean, that's quite gracious of you, but won't it be enough trouble dealing with the goblins?”

“The imps will have to learn to integrate themselves with Val Roans, instead of conflicting with them.” Roarke took a calm breath as the wind kicked at her scarlet bangs. “That will necessitate several trips for... erm... diplomatic reasons.”

Props smirked. “Or how about just for loneliness' sake?”

“I stand by what I said,” Roarke said, causing Belle, Pilate, and Kera to chuckle. “Besides, I'm certain Josho will miss the fine cuisine.”

“What'll it matter?” Josho muttered. “Ebon will be far off in Ether Point, cooking for a former changeling queen.”

“Not forever!” Ebon exclaimed. “At least... I-I hope not...” Eagle Eye gave him a loving pat on the shoulder.

“What of the boomers that joined blonde boomer's uncle on the flight flight?” Floydien asked.

“Hmm?” Eagle Eye blinked across the group. “Oh, you mean Crimson, Phoenix, and the rest?”

“Secchy told me they're heading back west on the Tarkington,” Josho muttered. “Their work here is done, ain't that right, Princess?”

“Yup. Hey...” Eagle smiled. “I wonder if they'll swing by Abinadi and say 'Hi' to Elma.”

“Heeheehee!” Props grinned. “I'll make sure that we do! I'm sure she'll be overjoyed to hear about what happened with the Changeling Queen!”

“Erm...” Ebon fidgeted. “Just... be a dear, Propsy, and leave out the whole 'Mother violently ripping off her horn and bleeding all over the place' part.”

“Okie dokie lokie!”

Midnite giggled. “Seems like you all had this a long time coming!”

Pilate pivoted about to gaze in her general direction. “How do you mean, Ms. Bastion?”

“Oh... uhm...” Midnite glanced nervously at Floydien, then at the others. “Only that you all seem to have everything so squared away... almost as if you were planning for this moment.”

Belle and Pilate were silent.

Ebon and Eagle Eye hung their heads.

“It's not exactly... erm... a new song and d-dance,” Zaid stammered.

“Yeah, we've kinda done this before.” Kera gulped hard, but smiled on the other end of the expression. “Only, this time, we're totally cool.”

“Yeah...” Rainbow Dash sighed. “What she said.” She glanced softly at Roarke.

“I... almost wish I had joined you guys much sooner,” Booster said. “I mean... I don't envy the sort of horrible things you all spoke of in the past, but... but being with you guys?” He sighed pleasantly. “As God is my witness, it's the single most spectacular moment of my life.”

Belle smiled. “We were more than glad to have you on board, Mr. Spice... as long as the Noble Jury lasted.”

“And Nancy lasted a long time,” Floydien muttered. “Yes yes yessss.” A moment of silence. He glanced aside at Midnite. “As long as we live, inside our shimmer glimmer, Floydien thinks.”

Midnite bit her lip, smiling tearfully.

“What of you, Ms. Bastion?” Belle asked. “What's next in your life?”

“Oh... me?” The group had come to a stop at the edge of a balcony at this point. The sunlight warmed them while brief gusts of wind brought pleasant chills. “I... I'm not sure, actually.”

“Your Daddy's alive!” Props exclaimed, grinning wide. “That's gotta be a good thing!”

“Right. And... as wonderful as it is to know that he's around, it's... strange.” Midnite gulped. “Though I've no doubt he'd sacrifice everything for me in an instant, he's... st-still not the same General who helped us all just recently...”

Ebon slowly nodded. “I think Mother had realized the war was lost a long, long time ago. She tried to carry on the masquerade, but she simply couldn't.” His eyes narrowed. “But know this: what she felt for you... what he felt was merely a piece borrowed from the heart of your father. I think, in a lot of ways, it was you and your trusting relationship with General Saikano that truly saved the day.”

“You... you really think that?”

“That's the whole point,” Eagle said with a smile. “Chrysalis was starved of misery and pain. Detached from the Hive Mind, she could only do that which was natural to her kind... and that was bask in joy and Harmony.” He glanced across the balcony. “Isn't that right, Rainbow?”

Rainbow hovered in silence, staring east. Beyond the buildings and bronze skyscrapers, the Grand Choke loomed. The Yaerfaerda pulsed at a distance, the brightest it had ever been. The lavender nearly burned itself into Rainbow's retinae.

“Hey, speedy,” Josho droned. “Princess dropped the 'H' word. That's your dayum cue, ain't it?”

Rainbow looked over. Her lips parted, but she hesitated.

Belle, Pilate, Kera, Roarke, Eagle Eye, Ebon Mane, Props, Zaid, Josho, Floydien, Booster Spice, and Midnite Bastion all stared back.

Rainbow's ears folded. At last, her voice cracked, “The last time I left my cl-closest friends... they were nothing but a circle of dead ashes. But now...” She shuddered. “I see that the circle is breaking. But... but it's a good thing.” Her eyes were glossy above a timid smile. “I'd rather the circle be broken than dead. It makes me think that—someday, somehow—it will all be rejoined. Sorta like...” She shuddered, sniffling. “Sorta like Urohringer, y'know?” She gulped. “Maybe... maybe that's the p-point of all this. The whole point in the end...”

Eagle Eye fought the tears as he said, “You... you don't have to leave right away, right? You could... you c-could stay for a while.”

“Y-yeah!” Ebon leaned against Eagle Eye, trying not to shiver. “You could hang out for a while. Help us get Mother situated. Assist Belle and Pilate with their lectures.”

“Wear out Roarke's leg muscles,” Zaid added. Whap! He barely cringed. “I'm not even going to ask who did it that time...”

“I... I...” Rainbow fidgeted in midair. She glanced at Roarke, and her pupils shrank. At last, she smiled warmly. “I have to do this. I... I really can't wait. After all—I may seem fine now—but we all know that just waiting in place only delays the inevitable.” She rubbed her forelimbs together. “The chaos will consume me if I don't reach more beacons. And... y'know... I'm not just doing this because I'm a coward who wants to live. Nothing would be awesomer than staying here with all of you guys... with my friends. But... but if I don't do this...”

“Every little boomer we ever make won't have a future,” Floydien spoke up. “Because the world will have fallen into dark dark.”

The group was dead silent.

“Right...” Rainbow shuddered. “What he said. There's always been crazy business with this plane. So long as I'm Austraeoh... so long as Axan flies around out there, stalking me... so long as I've got beacons of light blinking at me from beyond the horizon... I gotta make my way to the Midnight Armory.”

Kera shivered in Belle's embrace as she said, “Do... do any of the prophecies say that you'll live to come back?”

Zaid bit his lip and glanced aside.

Roarke merely looked at Rainbow Dash.

“Well, kiddo, unfortunately the only book that could have given me a clue was torn to bits with the Jury,” Rainbow said. “But... I-I think that's kind of a good thing. An important thing.” She smiled devilishly. “It means I've got nothing to hold me back. There's no doubt to weigh me down. The sky's the limit, y'know?”

Kera bit her lip. “You really think so?”

“I think...” Rainbow flapped her wings and pivoted once more to gaze at the Grand Choke. She took a deep breath. “...I think I've got a lot of prep-work to do.” Her eyes narrowed. “And ponies to talk to.”

Midnite Bastion nodded. “And I know just the ones, too.”

A Tomb For the Unknown Five

A pair of regal doors opened to a richly fragrant reading room. Rainbow Dash trotted timidly forward, escorted by reindeer guards. Candlelight flickered off her Loyalty pendant as she looked around, blinking. At last, her eyes made contact with the placid expression of Queen Azira, and the mare bowed low.

“You may stand and come forth, Rainbow Dash,” the Queen of Val Roa said with a smile. “You are most welcome here.” She waved at the guards.

The two reindeer bowed, then trotted out of the room, closing the doors behind them. Gulping, Rainbow Dash stood straight up and trotted ahead.

“Uhm... n-nice place?” She smiled sheepishly.

“Rainbow Dash...” Azira smiled down at the petite pegasus. “If what the Duchess tells me is true, you've battled legions of soldiers, monsters, and even a chaotic leviathan with wings. Why would the presence of a mere doe make you nervous?”

“Well... erm... Your Majesty, you're no 'mere doe.'”

“Your reverence for royalty is admirable, and most appreciated.” Azira stifled a slight laugh. “But you and your friends have rescued my family from the jaws of death. My very own son owes his life to you. Please, there is no need for such pretense between myself and the Hero of Val Roa.”

“Heh... 'Hero of Val Roa...”” Rainbow Dash smirked coyly. “I like the sound of that.”

“Now that is more like it.” Azira closed the distance between them. “I understand that you wish to...” Her voice cut off, and she battled a worried expression. “That you wish to scale the Grand Choke, is that correct?”

Rainbow Dash silently nodded.

“When Arcanista first informed me of this, I was... perplexed, to say the least.” Azira raised a hoof, wincing. “To leave your friends, your trophies, your very legacy behind—”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, the only reason I ever got this far to Val Roa in the first place is because I started this journey ages ago.” Rainbow Dash gulped. “I have to go East. I... I don't know if I even have the time to explain it in full.”

“A journey of self-exploration, I gather?”

Rainbow shuddered. “I wish it was that simple...”

“I see...” Azira slowly nodded. “Need I remind you that the feat is quite implausible?”

“Yes, well, I—” Rainbow blinked, then glanced up at her. “'Implausible?'”

“Indeed.”

Rainbow fidgeted. “But... but that's not—”

“I didn't say 'impossible,' no.” Azira softly smiled. “The Grand Choke is many things: desolate, deadly, and dangerous. It is not, however, completely impermeable.”

“Does... does that mean that someone has crossed it?”

“Val Roa stands on the edge of the desert as a Bastion for civilization on purpose,” Azira said. “We have full knowledge that a culture dwells on the other side.”

“But...” Rainbow leaned forward, muzzle agape. “...someone has crossed it?”

Azira took a deep, deep breath. “At great... ghastly cost...”

Two reindeer with glowing antlers led the Queen and Rainbow Dash down a dank series of twisting stairs. The two descended deep into the bowels beneath the Palace while Azira's voice echoed off the cold wet stone.

“As the sole surviving Matriarch of the House of Evo, I have taken on the responsibility of chronicling Val Roan History. It is not a difficult task. Our libraries are vast and our archives well-preserved. However, some bits of knowledge are relegated to the few.”

“And now I'm about to learn some of those secrets, huh?” Rainbow murmured.

“Indeed.” Azira nodded as she followed her guards down a last flight of stairs and towards an ornate room at the far end of a basement corridor. “We preserve some facts in secrecy because of how delicate they are. In addition, if the general populace knew about the world beyond the Grand Choke, we fear that many adventurous citizens would attempt making the trip east.” Azira stopped, swiveling about to face Rainbow. “The voyage would surely kill each and every one of them.”

“But... couldn't somedeer make it through?” Rainbow asked. “If they truly tried?”

“To what purpose?” Azira gravely shook her head. “The purpose of Val Roa lies here, between these mountains. If it is the will of the rest of the world to come to us, then so be it. But I'll be damned before I allow any of God's creation to commit suicide out of boundless curiosity.”

“But... uh... you'll let me make the trip.”

“You've more than earned your own right.” Azira smiled gently. “And surely the fact that you've survived all of your previous trials is a sign from God that you're more than capable for the path ahead of you.”

“Heh... thanks for the confidence boost.”

“I am not the one worthy of thanks,” Azira said. “What I share with you, I do not do so easily.” She shuddered as she turned and trotted towards the door “I mean it when I say that I do not wish misery and pain upon you.”

“Well, of course not, Your Highn—”

“Shhhh.” Azira closed her eyes and bowed suddenly, facing the door.

The two guards closed their eyes and performed the same gesture. Rainbow hovered in place, glancing curiously at them. She opened her mouth to say something... but decided to wait instead.

At last, Azira quietly murmured, “Do pardon us, Rainbow Dash. This place is... considered holy by the House of Evo.” She slowly stood up, two points in her skull glowing. “It was blessed with the grace of God long ago... to ease the souls of wayward wanderers into passing.”

“Wayward... wanderers...?”

With glowing mana, Azira undid a locking mechanism and opened the door with a liberal flurry of dust. She looked over her shoulder. “Please... follow me...” The Queen trotted into a dark, dark chamber.

Rainbow glanced at the guards. The reindeer stood in place and said nothing. Nervous, Rainbow flapped her wings and glided through the thin door. She hovered in pure darkness for a while. Then—there was a flash of cold blue light. Rainbow winced, squinting. As her vision normalized, she spotted Azira trotting gently around a circular chamber, lighting crystal after crystal along a center dais. Along the far edge of the room, five tombs were arranged equadistantly. They were stone rectangular solids, but the very tops of each slab was adorned with a marble effigy of an equine figure lying on its back.

“They...” Rainbow gawked. “They are ponies.”

“Indeed,” Azira said, gravely nodding. “They were.” She trotted past each tomb, one by one, brushing a soft hoof across their dust-laden surfaces. “Over five centuries ago, they appeared. The House of Evo had barely formed, and yet there are relatives of myself and my husband who wrote about their arrival.”

“Their arrival...?”

Azira's eyes narrowed in the blue manalight. “They emerged from the stone plains of the Grand Choke, just a mile south of Shepherd's Rock. In fact, it was a group of priests and priestesses who first stumbled upon them. Many Val Roans thought that their arrival was a sign from God, but such a notion made little sense. If it was a sign, then it was a dreadful one, for all five equines were emaciated beyond compare. Our ancestors took them to their finest hospitals at the time in a desperate attempt to nurse them back to health. It was of little use. Three of the travelers died within the span of a day. The other two survived for a few weeks, and just one of them was coherent enough to speak with King Cecil and Queen Miriam of the House of Hayes.”

Rainbow hovered in a light circle, her jaw agape as she stared at each individual effigy. The stone faces looked so calm and yet to majestic in their carved glory.

“The one traveler who spoke with our ancestors referred to herself as Terra,” Azira explained. She pivoted and pointed at the petite carving of an earth pony across the chamber. “Her tomb is the gold-embossed one there.”

Rainbow hovered above it, gazing at the delicate marble bust. A silver medallion—corroded from age—rested in between the figure's crossed forelimbs.

“According to Terra, the five ponies were the last surviving members of an expedition that numbered as much as two hundred,” Azira said. “They had set out upon a journey of exploration sanctioned by their royal government. The purpose of the voyage was to find out what lay beyond the wasteland that bordered their kingdom... and return only after they had met and communed with five separate nations.” Azira took a deep breath. “As you can tell... they only ever got to meet with one, and it was not a journey they were capable of returning from.”

“The... desert killed them off?” Rainbow's voice cracked. “Nearly two hundred ponies... all claimed by the Grand Choke?”

Azira shook her head. “The desert wasn't what killed them. The ocean did.”

Rainbow spun to look at her.

Azira squinted. “You have a... look of understanding in your eyes, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “You've heard of this ocean?”

“I... uh...” Rainbow fidgeted in midair. “Yeah. I think I have. But...” She turned to gaze at the sculpture of Terra once again. “...I know it doesn't make any sense.” She gulped. “I mean, I've spoken with immortals who have seen the edge of the world, so they totally had to have crossed the Grand Choke at one point. But... yeah... I seem to faintly recall an ocean being mentioned.”

“It is far more perilous than the desert,” Azira said. “According to Terra, the Ocean was where all magic failed them. The expedition did not discover this until they were miles and miles deep into the western waves. They had been commissioned a ship that utilized magic as its primary propulsion. When they attempted to unfurl sails and utilize the wind... the elements turned against them.”

“In... what way?”

“The seas churned and raged as if they had a mind of their own,” Azira said. “Their ship was dashed to bits. Half of the crew died instantly. The remaining equines survived by creating rafts out of the vessel's debris. But they were in store for weeks of drifting and starvation.”

Rainbow noticed something in the blue glint of the manalight. She hovered over to the nearest tomb, where she saw a horn adorning the forehead of one sculpture. “Hey... this one's a unicorn!”

“Indeed.” Azira nodded. “Two of the five who arrived were magic users... although not anymore.”

“Wh-what happened to them?”

“They perished before Terra did,” Azira said. “According to legend, they ranted and raved incoherently upon arriving in Val Roa. Something in the Grand Choke stripped them of their leyline connections, and it opened a gateway between their minds and something beyond.”

“'Something beyond?'” Rainbow glanced aside as she flew past the tombs. “What do you mean?”

“Val Roans have always understood that there's a tenuous balance at play in this world,” Azira explained. “Our plane exists by the grace of God alone. Beyond the heavens, there lingers something too dark and ghastly to comprehend.”

Rainbow clenched her jaw tight. “Chaos.”

“Indeed. And from the testimony of Terra, we Val Roans firmly believe that the Grand Choke is a place that is—for whatever reason—exposed to the blight that surrounds this plane. Because of this, no life can ever be foaled in the desert... or in the ocean beyond. Magic simply refuses to work, even the most basic and primal of empowerment. Because of this, the unicorns were exposed to the dark elements, and it drove them mad. Terra—and her other surviving companion, also an earth pony—were the least afflicted. For that reason, they lived the longest... though I doubt they were happy to.”

Rainbow Dash drifted past a statue. She gazed at the pony's face, mane, and wings—she did a double-take. “Oh jeez!” She gasped, fluttering closer with wide eyes. “Omigosh omigosh omigosh!” She turned towards the Queen, muzzle agape. “This one's a pegasus! I mean... was a pegasus... I-I mean... holy cow, a pegasus!”

Azira nodded, trotting over. “Terra said his name was Eddings. When the five arrived near Shepherd's Rock, they had to carry him; he was so frail.”

“Did... d-did he have anything to friggin' say?” Rainbow asked.

Azira took a deep breath. “He was the first of the five to perish.”

Rainbow clenched her jaw shut.

“Terra... did not have much to say about him. In fact, when asked, she could barely even talk about the other travelers at all. I mentioned that half of the crew perished when their ship was shattered by the ocean waves. Well, when they arrived upon the desert shore west of their venture, the surviving number had already been reduced by half. Another twenty died in the first week of trekking west. They had no food and no means of growing anything in the Grand Choke. It would appear as though they... resorted to feasting on the dead.”

Rainbow Dash stared blankly at the pegasus statue. She glanced over at the unicorns, then at her own wings. “If the unicorns couldn't use their magic in the Choke... then... then Eddings—”

“If any of the pegasi in the group could fly, I'm certain they would have made an attempt far sooner to save the surviving expedition,” Azira said. “The fact of the matter, Rainbow, is that the Grand Choke saps all magic, including whatever essence grants you and other pegasi the ability to fly. Nodeer knows exactly when or where this... this field sets in. But if you truly... truly desire to set hoof across the desolation, at some point you will have to sacrifice your wings.” Azira exhaled through a shudder. “And there is no telling just how terribly the elements might pull at your strained mind. Eddings was even worse off than his unicorn and earth pony counterparts.”

“Right...” Rainbow slowly nodded. “I can see that.” Rainbow pivoted to face the Queen. “But at least I'm in a place to know what's ahead of me.”

“Is that truly the case?” Azira asked. “No amount of knowledge I grant you can stop the Choke's effect from taking hold.”

“Just what is on the other side?” Rainbow asked. “Is it a large continent? A small one? Did the kingdom have a name?”

“Terra spoke of a vast nation that loomed east of several small islands,” Azira said. “But you must understand, Rainbow Dash, that was half a millennium ago. Whatever name the monarchy may have gone by at the time would likely have no bearing whatsoever anymore. Kingdoms have risen and fallen ten times over. Why, our western neighbors didn't earn the name “Alafreo” until three generations ago.”

“But Val Roa has lasted all this time.”

“Only because we've kept our ambition in check.” Azira smiled faintly. “Patience is a virtue, and it's allowed us to preserve the legacy of Terra so long that it might—in some fashion—help you.”

“I hope...” Rainbow fluttered over to the earth pony's tomb. “...though I'm starting to wonder exactly how.” Her eyes once again narrowed on the medallion in the stone effigy's gasp. She looked closer, observing what looked to be a silver-embossed snowflake with the mark of a four-clawed hand in the center. “Just what is this medal thingy that Terra's... er... statue is holding onto?”

“According to records, it's the mark of the deity that Terra and her fellow travelers believed in,” Azira said. “The Goddess Verlaxion, whose icy breath forged the mountains of her homeland.”

Rainbow spun to face Azira, her muzzle agape. “Verlax...”

“Verlaxion,” Azira corrected.

“No.” Rainbow shook her head. “Verlax. The Queen of Frost.”

Azira cocked her head to the side. “You've... heard of her?”

“Yeah. And she's no Goddess. She's a Divine.”

“There's a difference?”

“Well... I'm not one to step on the hooves of another pony's deity, but the Divines are totally a bunch of dragon matriarchs. I know, cuz I've butted heads with two of them already.”

“Dragon... matriarchs...?”

“Yeah, y'know... dragon brood queens.”

Azira stared blankly at Rainbow.

“Dragons...?” Rainbow gestured with her forelimbs. “Giant, scaled, super-smart, winged reptiles who breathe fire and hoarde gold? Super big and dangerous and immortal?”

“... … …”

“Okay then...” Rainbow Dash exhaled, staring once again at the medallion. “Consider yourselves lucky that dragons don't ever visit Val Roa, I guess.”

“What... do you know of this Verlax, Rainbow Dash?”

“Only what Luna, my Alicorn Princess, has told me,” Rainbow muttered. “Her element is frost, and she hangs out someplace east of here. On top of that, she... isn't exactly trustworthy.”

“Well, that's not very promising, is it?”

“Believe me.” Rainbow sighed. “I've dealt with worse Divines.” She gulped. “At least I think that I have.”

“Rainbow, my husband and I have many... many resources at our disposal.” Azira trotted closer. “We can supply you with many things in order to make the trip more bearable. However... nothing we can do, say, or promise will change the fact that—while possible to scale the Grand Choke—a journey such as this could very easily kill you. We would not wish this upon the Hero of Val Roa. But, at the same time, it is not our place to stop you. We simply... do not wish for you to suffer the same fate as Terra, Eddings, and her companions.”

“One thing you don't know about me, Your Highness, is that I've been dead before,” Rainbow said, ears twitching. “And if fate wanted me to bite it, I get the feeling it would have taken me at least a dozen times by now.”

“Is that enough assurance for you to carry on?”

“Yes... and no.” Rainbow turned around. “Thank you for everything, Your Majesty. I'm totally down with using whatever stuff you have to supply me with.”

Azira bore a bittersweet smile. “Then I shall work with the Duchess to facilitate such.”

“But...” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. “I still need more to go on. What you've just shown me is helpful and all... but I'll have to rely on the testimony of somepony who's actually crossed the Choke and lived to tell about it.”

Azira's face blanched in confusion. “Is there truly such a pony?”

“Well, maybe not a pony per se...” Rainbow gazed once more at Terra's sculpture. She shivered slightly. “...but a monster.”

Just a Date With the Devil

“Is everything okay, Rainbow?”

Rainbow stared ahead, blinking. After a few seconds, she looked aside in mid-trot. “Hmmm?”

Ebon Mane gazed at her worriedly. “You... you really seem preoccupied. I... I-I mean...” He winced slightly. “I suppose you have every reason to be. Not... not like there's a problem with that or—”

“Ebon, it's okay,” Rainbow said, smiling. “I had a long talk with the Queen yesterday Morning. I feel that what I'm doing here is the next best thing.”

“Yeah. Yeah okay...” Ebon gazed ahead as the two were escorted by six armed reindeer guards down a long darkly-lit basement deep beneath the Val Roan Military Compound. “I mean... I'm sure it will be the next best thing. Even if it isn't all good, it can st-still be for the best. But... th-that's probably because you're so good at making the best of things and... and...”

“Ebon...” Rainbow flapped her wings, hovering so that she could spare a leg and press it to his shoulder. “I can handle whatever happens next. But are you okay?”

“Me? Oh... yes! Yeah! I'm... uh... I'm fine...” He tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. “I mean... aside from my only flesh-and-blood connection in this world being a former megalomaniacal bug vampire of emotion who's now imprisoned deep within the bowels of an angry kingdom...”

“Nopony should have to see someone they care about imprisoned,” Rainbow said. “It's gotta suck, I bet.”

“Sometimes...” Ebon shuddered. “Sometimes I think I'm the only one in this world who loves her... like truly loves her.” He bit his lip, gazing down at the floor passing beneath them. “It kind of makes me feel alone.”

“You've got Eagle Eye, haven't you?”

“Yes...” He smiled, his eyes flickering with warm green light. “Yes I do.” Nevertheless, he sighed. “But, with Mother's empathy gone, I... find it hard to read her. And not even EE can change the fact that... that...”

“That what?”

Ebon sniffled. “...I'm not even sure if she's capable of loving me back.”

The two reached a heavily armored door flanked by guards. Nevertheless, Rainbow pivoted about and placed both of her hooves on Ebon's shoulders. “Give it time, Ebon. You've only had the luxury of chatting with Chrysalis for a few days. Meanwhile, she's kinda sorta eons old.”

“Yeah...” Ebon shuddered, then bore an awkward smile. “It'll make getting her a birthday cake super awkward.”

“Considering you're all headed to Ether Point soon?” Rainbow winked. “I'd settle for ice cream.”

Ebon smiled. Then, with a bittersweet sigh, he turned towards the guards on either side of the door... and nodded.

They nodded back. Then, with glowing antlers, they powered the mechanisms within the doorframe. The heavy metal panels slid open with a grating noise. Inside, a dimly-lit chamber lay, with a barred cell at the very end.

“You... you want some company?” Ebon asked. “I might be able to persuade Mother to... to...”

“No.” Rainbow shook her head. “I have to talk to her alone.” With a flick of her colorful tail, she trotted ahead. “I... gotta start getting used to doing things alone.”

“Uhm... okay...” Ebon waved pensively as Rainbow trotted ahead. “Best of luck in learning what you need to learn. And remember, Rainbow...” He smiled as the doors behind her closed. “...she's changed now. Don't be afraid.”

THUD! The doors closed loudly.

Rainbow stood in the dimly lit dungeon, her breath forming tiny vapors.

“Luna's nipple, it's cold in here,” she whispered to herself.

“As it should be, Rainbow Dash,” a voice drifted out from beyond the glinting bars ahead of the pegasus. “Without the ability to shape-shift, my body reverts to its original state. A low temperature is the best way to regulate a changeling's metabolism.”

Eyes narrow, Rainbow trotted ahead. Slowly, the jagged features of a decrepit, horn-less alicorn formed beyond the bars, seated on a pile of velvet mattresses with her dark flank against the wall.

“How did you know it was me?” Rainbow asked. “I thought your empathic abilities and everything else went 'bye-bye' when you snapped your horn off.”

“But I still know you, Rainbow Dash,” Chrysalis calmly said. “Perhaps more than your friends know you. Why else would you be here?”

Rainbow frowned. “I'm here because the Val Roans have been an isolationist society for centuries. They know nothing about the outside world... not yet, at least. You, on the other hoof, have flown all across the world within the span of a mortal lifetime. Maybe two.”

“Yes, and?”

“I would like to know what you know about the rest of the world between here and the eastern edge.” Rainbow cleared her throat. “If... if you don't mind sharing, that is.”

“You mean you wish to know about how I scaled the Grand Choke.”

Rainbow's ears flattened. She merely nodded.

With a pained breath, Chrysalis slowly stood up. She winced from her fresh wounds, and only when she trotted closer into the torchlight did Rainbow see several bandages wrapped around the top of her forehead. The alicorn's long translucent mane had been completely lopped off, which made her skull and neck seem even ganglier than before.

Misty vapor lingered between them as Chrysalis produced the breaths to speak: “Many have attempted to travel the Grand Choke. I know this. My broodlings have transmitted countless tales to my consciousness of ponies who have attempted the sojourn from both the western desert and the eastern shores. In all cases, none were ever heard of again.” The former Queen's eyes narrowed. “Am I to understand that Val Roa has in its possession the relics of a successful group of travelers?”

Rainbow cocked her head aside. “How would you know that?”

“I didn't,” Chrysalis said. “But Sharp Quill did.” She paced slowly, her porous hooves scuffling across the concrete floor on her side of the bars. “He also knew less savory facts that—no doubt—Queen Azira failed to mention.”

“What?” Rainbow watched her, standing still. “That Terra, Eddings, and the other ancient ponies from the west cannibalized on their fellow companions?”

Chrysalis stopped, swiveling to blink at Rainbow. “So Azira did tell you.”

“Why do you find that so surprising?” Rainbow asked. “I may be a stranger from Equestria, but she's placed her trust in me.”

“A very curious thing.”

“Or maybe you're just not used to trust,” Rainbow said. “Or at least trust that comes out of choice and respect.”

“I hadn't guessed that you had actually come to lecture to me, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow motioned towards the large doors behind her with her head. “Out there is a little lost changeling who loves you.” Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “I mean truly... truly loves you. And as much as I wanna find out how I can make it across the Grand Choke, there's a part of me that wants to make sure that his adoration won't go unanswered once I'm gone.”

“I cannot pretend to explain why Ebon Mane worships me so,” Chrysalis said, shuddering slightly. “Only that he was once a drone...”

“Is that so?” Rainbow smirked. “Then why did you refer to him by his chosen name?”

“... … ...” Chrysalis fidgeted. “He... appreciates being called that...”

Rainbow took a deep breath. “So... maybe there is some hope for you yet.” She sat back on her haunches. “Now... is there any hope for me?”

“I doubt it will be of any surprise to you,” Chrysalis said. “You cannot cross the Grand Choke—alone or with the company of others—so long as you lack the one thing that I possess.”

Rainbow swallowed hard. “Immortality.”

“Indeed.” Chrysalis nodded gravely.

Rainbow bowed her head. “...then it really is impossible.”

“Not necessarily.”

Rainbow looked up.

“Alicorn magic, as it turns out, is the one thing strong enough to preserve life in a place that is defined by total desolation.” Chrysalis cocked her head aside while pointing at Rainbow. “And you are not entirely devoid of alicorn magic, now are you?”

Rainbow raised a hoof to her pendant. “My Element...”

“A blessing... and a curse...” Chrysalis stood up straight, her brow furrowed. “I sensed both of them in you on each occasion you brushed paths with my broodlings. As you carved a path eastward, I felt it like a knife being dragged across my collective consciousness.” She raised a hoof towards the ceiling. “There was a time, Rainbow Dash, when I felt this entire world like a firm mattress being stretched and shaken all around me. My mind was a fabric that I shared with this entire sun-lit plane. And only the dark side was a mystery that blinded me...” She hung her head. “...that blinded me to my sister.”

Rainbow leaned closer to the bars. “Is that why you went after me, then? Because I stood out like a hot knife or some-such?”

“Partially. More than anything, I knew that a living juxtaposition of both chaos and harmony possessed an unprecedented purpose, and intercepting that could affect the outcome of thousands... millions. My broodlings had to feed, and using you to alter the landscape and provide them nourishment was just too tempting of an opportunity to pass up.”

“Only... you bucked up,” Rainbow said, smirking slightly. “You tried to get me to sow chaos. And, though a lot of bad stuff happened, the world behind me is a lot better off than it was before. Did you ever expect that?”

“If I was wiser, perhaps I would have.” Chrysalis shuddered. “I... I'm old, Rainbow Dash. Older than you can possibly comprehend.” She gulped, then continued in a humbler voice. “Old enough to forget that Tchern is not my only sister.”

Rainbow blinked.

“Celestia and Luna... they gave everything to protect you. And yet, instead of choosing to die a peaceful and harmonic death in Equestria, you chose adventure. You chose danger. You chose... change.” Chrysalis met Rainbow's gaze. “This world is dying, Rainbow. Even in all of my selfish pursuits, I knew it. I thought that by reinforcing Tchern and finishing the Trinary War, I might shift the balance of power so that we might take control and save both sides of the plane before it was too late. But that goal was flimsy, nebulous at best. It didn't work for the alicorn hosts when they first arrived, and we numbered in the thousands then. What are a few paltry survivors meant to accomplish in the long run?”

Rainbow Dash gulped, then quietly said, “We'll find a solution, Chrysalis. Between Celestia, Luna, Axan—whoever... this part of Urohringr won't bite the dust.”

“You are the solution, Rainbow Dash,” Chrysalis said firmly. “Only when you defeated me did I finally realize this.” She took a deep breath. “Yes, you could very well make it past the Grand Choke. Or, you may not. Either way... it's what lies ahead that concerns me more than anything. What stands between the Grand Choke and the Eastern Edge is more dangerous, conniving, and malevolent than a thousand Grand Chokes piled together.”

Rainbow's hairs stood on end, though she nevertheless muttered, “Verlax.”

Chrysalis nodded. “Verlax.”

Here's Some Ret For Your Con

“Spike.,” Princess Celestia said. “Take a note, please.”

The baby dragon dutifully produced a pen and parchment. While the alicorn Matriarch spoke, he carefully wrote her words down. Several curious ponies listened as Celestia's voice majestically filled the air of Ponyville.

“I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue her study the magic of friendship. She must report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville.”

A lavender mare gasped. Within seconds, several more ponies flocked to her, hugging her and smiling.

The residents of Ponyville cheered and reared their hooves in celebration. Along the fringe of the crowd, a lone stallion trotted, craning his neck to see what all of the commotion was about. At last, with much effort, he squeezed his way between two other ponies and stared at the group hug taking place right before Celestia.

“Oh thank you, Princess Celestia!” a glossy-eyed unicorn said, her face awash in a deep, loving smile. “I'll study harder than ever before!”

Her new friends giggled and nuzzled her harder. One was a petite pegasus with blue coat and a rainbow mane.

The stallion blinked from afar. A brief flicker of green flame rippled across his eyes. Gazing left and right, he slowly backed out of the crowd... and made himself scarce.

The entire stadium erupted in cheers.

A mare in the audience looked all around, gawking at the throngs of Cloudsdalians clapping their hooves and flapping their wings in jubilation. Down below, she watched as the last young flier lifted back up to the misty stage. A white unicorn and and three unconscious Wonderbolts dangled from the pegasus' heroic limbs. Several other pegasi flew in, relieving the flier of the weight of those she was carrying. When the blue mare touched down on the stadium's platform, she looked up, gaping in shock at the thunderous applause that she was receiving.

“I did it...” The pegasus could be heard as she smiled incredulously at herself. “I did it!”

The unicorn dangling in front of her spoke in an emotional tone, “You sure did! Oh thank you, Rainbow Dash! You saved my life!”

The pegasus blinked. “Oh yeah. I did that too.” She smiled victoriously and pumped her forelimb in the air. “Best day ever!”

Another loud cheer rippled through the crowd as confetti and streamers flew.

The mare in the crowd kept gazing at the young pegasus, watching in green-eyed silence as she eventually won the award for Best Young Flier, congratulated personally by Princess Celestia herself.

A well-dressed stallion in a top-hat stood inside Canterlot Palace, sipping on a container of punch while a bustling crowd of ponies filled the Gala around him.

“So, as you can see,” a mare in a yellow and red dress pontificated before him. “Scientific studies clearly prove that life on the dark side of the plane is impossible to survive.” The mare fluffed her indigo mane. “The only harmony in this world extends from the glory of Princess Celestia. It would seem logical that no civilization exists beyond the boundaries of the outlying Equestrian wilderness.”

“Hmmm...” The stallion smiled, a slight flicker of green lustre highlighting his pupils. “A most interesting conclusion. But, tell me...” He sipped on his straw and leaned back. “If Equestria was the only nation of sentient equines on the entire plane, then wouldn't that seem like an awful waste of space—?

WHAMMM! A grinning blue pegasus in a rainbow dress headbutted him from behind.

“Waaaaaaaa-aaaaieee!” the stallion flailed, his monocle and top hat falling off as his body sailed across the banquet hall. Elegant ponies gawked at his awkward flight.

However, before he could crash hard into the tile floor, a slick blue figure blurred across the hallway and skidded to a stop directly beneath the stallion, catching him safely in outstretched wings.

“Ooomf!” He winced, struggling to maintain his physical form as he shivered atop her.

The mare smirked at him, then glared devilishly across the banquet hall. She noticed several uniformed Wonderbolts with their flanks to the scene, completely oblivious. An angry quiver ran through her hooves. Then, with a frustrated buck of her legs, she shook the stallion off her back.

“Ugh!” He fell on his back, legs sticking up into the air. He craned his neck to see the mare trotting off with a flounce of rainbow skirts. “.... … ...”

"Everypony just chillax and keep on with your awesome lives," Rainbow Dash eventually said. Her smile was a hollow thing, as dull and gray as the day that hung over the center of Ponyville. She trotted slowly across the grass, putting more and more distance between herself and the concrete vault formed over the chaos rift in the heart of the town. “The Princesses are giving their all to keep this place up and running. Don't forget to thank them, and don't forget to—"

Cheerilee burst through the crowd, giving Rainbow Dash a deep hug. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash. You and only you..."

Rainbow Dash winced. She rested in Cheerilee's embrace, speaking while all sad eyes rested on her. “I haven't... I haven't done anything, not yet, at least. I just need to catch a heavy wind and—”

"We know, Rainbow Dash," Cheerilee said as she trotted back and nodded. "And we understand. That's why we put something together."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Who's we?" She looked down to see several schoolfoals trotting up, in the center of which was Apple Bloom.

"We know that yer goin' far, far away, Rainbow Dash. So we all put our bits and minds together and came up with this little scrapbook. T'ain't much, but we think it will help you feel like yer back home, no matter where you might be."

Rainbow took the book from the filly. No sooner had she opened it that she winced and slapped the green tome shut. Forcing a fragile smile, the pegasus said, “That's... that's really, really nice of you dudes. Thanks. I mean it. I'll keep this thing with me as long as I can."

From beyond the crowd, a mare stood, gazing at a distance. It was difficult to stand still, for the air was thick with anguish and melancholy. Nevertheless, the drone fought her way through the waves of empathic intensity, watching for what would happen next with green-eyed diligence.

“When I sensed the spirit of chaos being snuffed out in the west, I sought an answer... an explanation,” Queen Chrysalis said, her vaporous breath wafting through the prison bars. “I did everything I could to figure out what had happened. Ultimately, I knew that I would have to wait to commune with the thoughts and sensations picked up by my drones in Equestria.”

“Did...” Rainbow blinked, her trembling motions having calmed. “...did they somehow outfly me?”

“No. But their memories attempted to,” the mutant alicorn replied. “My Hive Mind was a powerful thing... but it still met resistance with space, time, and energy. As a matter of fact, if you hadn't been detained in the dragon lands west of Ledomare, I might never have found the opportunity to intercept you in the first place.”

Rainbow gulped. “Silvadel...”

“When at last the information my hatchlings uncovered reached me, I discovered that the chaos in Equestria hadn't entirely been snuffed out. It had simply been... stifled. Reduced. And, what's more, it was now trapped in a vessel... a vessel that was heading in my direction.” Her fangs glistened in the cold torchlight. “A vessel that I assumed could have been bent to manifest my own will...”

“How...” Rainbow cocked her head aside. “...how did you know that I was headed east?” Her eyes narrowed. “I mean—all the way east?”

“I very easily might not have,” Chrysalis said. “Fortunately, I had trained my children well. One drone was capable of testing the waters, so to speak. Once the collective memories had reached it, the hatchling was in the right time and place to speak directly with you... and read your emotions.”

“This...” Rainbow gulped. “This wasn't in Equestria, was it?”

“No.” The Queen shook her head. “But it was close.”

“The Grand Choke, they call it,” Red Turnip said, staring across the campfire at the other ponies gathered in the middle of a forest. “All ponies living west of it know that it was once the home to an ancient race of equines. What ponies east of the Grand Choke name the place, nopony knows, because no single living thing has been known to cross it. It is a grand desert, full of indescribably large creatures and beasts that could swallow a grown stallion whole.”

Rainbow Dash and the stallions of Windthrow sat in a circle with their meals, listening to the speaking equine. In the distance, Gold Petals quietly and dutifully examined their supplies, remaining silent in her unassuming masculine garb.

“But what could be worth guarding in that arid wasteland?” Red Turnip thought aloud. “Could it be treasure? A magical tome with the key to immortal life? Every adventurer who's attempted piercing that landscape has not come back alive. Those who are wiser and wish to keep their lives intact know to travel far south and skirt the edges of the Grand Choke to get to the Great Sea beyond. But with each passing day, the borders of the Grand Choke stretch wider and wider. If somepony doesn't go into the heart of that desert and steal what dark essence empowers it, then maybe...” He squinted across the way, his eyes making contact with Rainbow Dash. “...in the far distant future—even these lands will be covered in arid blight.”

The petite pegasus blinked. Against the dark fabric of night, she smirked devilishly, and the tips of her feathers fluttered with many a tantalizingly brave thought.

Red Turnip smirked back as he reveled in the waves of courageous emotion. As the firelight between them flickered, it highlighted a green tint to his pupils that was there and gone again.

Ironhoof grumbled, “That is the most epic sample of balderdash I've had the poor fortune of being exposed to.”

The air filled with chuckles.

Red Turnip cleared his throat and spoke, “That's because you don't know how to stretch your ears to something worth being awestruck about,” he dared in a raspy voice. “I've been to the edge of the Grand Choke.” He made eye contact with Rainbow again. “It is not a pleasant place...”

Rainbow Dash's hooves scuffled against the dungeon floor as she got up and paced around.

Queen Chrysalis craned her neck, watching in curious silence.

Rainbow trotted in furious circles, then shuffled to a stop. Her wings stretched and relaxed, and eventually she muttered, “There is no way to pass the Grand Choke from the south, is there?”

“If my children had suggested otherwise, would you have sought such a fictitous passage out?” Chrysalis asked.

Rainbow gritted her teeth. At last, she muttered, “No.”

“And why do you think that is?”

“Because I'm stupid,” she muttered.

“Or, perhaps, the anomalous friction between chaos and harmony within you has empowered you to do only that which is most dangerous, most courageous, most daring.” Chrysalis' eyes narrowed. “There's a reason why I concluded that you could be of use to me, Rainbow Dash. You're a very powerful pony. You're the last Element that exists from the Harmonic land of Equestria. You seek death, and yet—in everything you do—you spread life. That makes you the quintessential wildcard. When projected memories of your exploits reached me via the Hive Mind, I knew that I had to draw you towards Xona.”

“And draw me, you did...” Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. She turned towards her, and for once she couldn't decide whether to smile or scowl. In a way, she did both. “Ironhoof was right... that was the most epic sample of balderdash I could have been exposed to.”

“And yet, you were exposed. And here you are.”

“Is anything that the drone said even remotely true?” Rainbow asked. “About... giant creatures... and a dark essence? Within the Grand Choke, I mean”

Chrysalis was silent.

Rainbow slowly raised an eyebrow.

“That hatchling only knew a fraction of what I knew, Rainbow Dash,” Chrysalis said. “When I crossed the Grand Choke, it was as swiftly as possible, for—even in that place of oblivion—I feared that Verlax would be on my tail. And if she caught up with me, all of the Hive would be at risk of being devoured completely. When I arrived in Val Roa, I had to hatch four times as many broodlings as I had ever laid before, because the entire nest was nearly wiped out, consumed with the journey.” She gulped. “Consumed by me.”

Rainbow Dash tried not to shudder. She failed.

“I believed whole-heartedly in the quest to reinforce my sister Tchern's army,” Chrysalis said. “And that hope alone was what carried me across the Grand Choke.” The Queen slowly shook her head. “I cannot fathom what—besides sheer luck or the grace of Harmony—could help you survive your trip through the Choke and past the gaze of Verlaxion in Rohbredden beyond.”

Rainbow exhaled. “Neither do I...” Her gaze hardened. “...but I know a good place to start.”

Oh Grow Up, Dash Oh-Seven

“There are very few deer who are blessed to receive the bounty that you are getting, Rainbow Dash,” Duchess Arcanista said. She turned around and trotted across the warehouse with a silk bag before laying it down on a table full of supplies. “Nevertheless, when I spoke with the King and Queen, they emptied these from the royal storehouse without a moment's hesitation.”

She unwrapped the silk bag, revealing what appeared to be three columns of dark-gray wafers. There must have been approximately thirty-six bite-sized pieces total—or at least two bite-sized.

“They are called Heaven Slices,” Arcanista explained. “And they are constructed through carefully guarded magic spells, the likes of which Val Roan scholars have honed and perfected throughout the last eight centuries.”

“Awesome.” Rainbow nodded from where she hovered across the table. “What are they made of?”

“It's... difficult to explain,” the Duchess said, fidgeting slightly. “They aren't baked and they aren't cooked. They're processed through multiple, multiple transfusions of magic. But, if you must know, they were extracted from various reserves of corn, bread, and beans. They're unbelievably rich with carbohydrates, fiber, protein—”

Rainbow Dash flashed Arcanista a glaring look. “Protein?”

Arcanista smiled gently. “Soy, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “Meat has not been known to survive the transfusion process.”

“I'm guessing a lot of magic went into this magic food, huh?”

“About five years per slice.”

Rainbow's ears folded. “Dang...” She gulped, glancing down at the morsels once more. “So, like, what's the big deal?”

“They're designed to contain significant amounts of nourishment in decidedly small servings,” Arcanista explained. “Through careful arcane spells, the material is compressed and preserved. Once introduced to a consumer's body, the food can provide enough energy to last the eater for two days. Their chief purpose throughout the last thousand years has been to sustain soul sentries on patrol in the wilderness. But, as you can imagine, with the false Saikano accelerating the soul sentry induction, an alternate form of sustenance had to have been utilized.” She gestured at the wafers once again. “These are extremely rare in supply. They stay guarded deep in the royal warehouses and are distributed on very seldom occasions.”

“Lucky me, I guess.” Rainbow reached out and lifted a few of them in her hoof. “So... if I eat one of these...”

“It could keep you from feeling hungry for two days in the Grand Choke,” Arcanista said. “Maybe three. As wonderful as these slices may seem, Rainbow Dash, I would advise you to exercise restraint and limit your intake so that you might make the best of your journey.”

“Yeah. I got that part,” Rainbow said, nodding. “What if—like—I said 'buck it' and ate more than one at a time? Just for the heck of it?”

Arcanista calmly said, “Your nervous system would overload and you would die of heart failure.”

Rainbow blinked, immediately dropping the wafers back. “Right. Got it.”

“Careful...” Arcanista delicately scooped the slices back together. “If you so much as crack one of them, they'll lose their potency.”

“Which means...?”

“The magic will leak out into the open air, and the morsel will be as nourishing as a piece of burnt toast.”

“Guess that's going deep inside the saddelbag,” Rainbow said. “What are these things called again?”

“Heaven Slices. An ancient Val Roan delicacy.”

“Heh...” Rainbow smirked. “I guess 'lambucks bread' was taken.” She cocked her head to the side. “And what about staying hydrated?”

Arcanista nodded. She trotted back to a supply shelf and came back with a clear glass tube filled with a bubbling liquid.

“Seltzer water?” Rainbow asked.

“Not quite,” Arcanista said. “It's a magical elixir called 'Nebulum.' Unlike the Heaven Slices, Nebulum can't be so easily contained. What's more, it's not swallowed... but rather it's inhaled.”

“For real?”

Arcanista turned the cylinder over in her hooves. She pointed out at a black-cap at the end with a turndial and a swivel-lid apparatus. “You hold this piece under your muzzle, then rotate the dial one full turn, all the while inhaling.” She gestured. “The vapor enters your lungs, then gets magically absorbed into your body, hydrating you.”

“I'm guessing this is also something I could overdose on if I'm not friggin' careful.”

“Right.” Arcanista nodded. “But it's not quite as potent as the Heaven Slices, which is why you'll be encouraged to carry two cylinders.” She placed the container down on the table. “On top of a regular bottle of canteen. Though you may not be eating or drinking with the aid of water, you'll surely need some for the trip through the desert.”

“Well, as much as I can carry.” Rainbow looked across the table. “I see the King and Queen have supplied me with blankets, wool, a hatchet—good; I've been needing another one of those.”

“Although there's been no record of vegetation in the Grand Choke, there's no telling what... or who you would be having to defend yourself against,” Arcanista said.

Rainbow gave her a double-take. “You mean... there are ponies out there?”

“Deer, most likely.”

“You're pulling my tail...”

“There's no guaranteeing that any of them are alive, Rainbow.” Arcanista bit her lip. Then, with a sigh, the elk ultimately said, “It's... not something that Val Roans enjoy speaking of. I, myself, am far more accustomed to life in Bountiful, so it's doubly strange to me—”

“What is?”

“There's a custom,” Arcanista said. “A funeral rite, I suppose. Many veteran soldiers and Soul Sentries of the Val Roan Defense Force make what's called a 'Final March.'”

Rainbow blinked. “Out into the Grand Choke?”

“It's meant to be an act of pride and defiance,” Arcanista explained. “These old soldiers—at the end of their lives—are ready to show that they have no fear left, and they are ready to meet God. So, typically, they start out from Shepherd's Rock, say parting words with their families, then begin their lonesome trot east. When they finally feel their death coming, they lay their shields behind them and then face the desert, so that they're always on guard for the kingdom... even well into eternity.”

“No kidding...” Rainbow exhaled. “That's kind of cool, in a depressingly creepy way.”

“Several don't make it past a mile into the Grand Choke,” Arcanista said. “It's not uncommon for Val Roan citizens to go out and tend to the first line of bodies, keeping them in as pristine a condition as is manageable. When I was very young, my father took Floyd and I to pay our respects. I could... never get over how well-preserved the soldiers appeared to be. And yet, in some way, I can understand the gesture of pride and loyalty.”

“Well, I'm not going out there to die,” Rainbow said. “Still, thanks for the heads up. That would be a very strange thing to run into if I wasn't prepared for it.”

“You're quite welcome.”

Rainbow looked across the table between them. She pointed at a round diode, surrounded by several slender rods in a straight line. “What's this thingy?”

Arcanista smiled. “Give it a press.”

“Give what a press?”

“The button, in the very center.”

Rainbow Dash did just that. Cl-Clakka! The rods magically expanded, forming a pony-sized rectangular frame. “Whoah! Jeez!”

“Wonderfully quick, isn't it?” Arcanista remarked.

“Just what the heck is it?” Rainbow glanced at the diode that now rested along the inner frame.

“You should be able to stretch some of your blankets around it,” Arcanista said. “The material is quite durable, and should be able to give you proper shade in the brightest daylight... not to mention protection from the elements.”

“Like... a sandstorm?”

“Precisely.” Arcanista nodded. “You almost sound like you've crossed a desert before.”

“I have,” Rainbow muttered, pressing the diode again. Sure enough, the apparatus collapsed, although much slower than it expanded. “And I would have given anything to have had an instant-tent-machine like this thingy.”

“Granted, it's quite small,” Arcanista said. “But it should do the trick.”

“Well, it should. But will it?” Rainbow looked up at the elk. “What... what are the odds that this... all of this...” Rainbow gestured at everything on the table. “The Nebulum and the Heaven Slices included... what assurance do I have that they'll still work for me?” Rainbow bit her lip. “I mean... y'know... it's the Grand Choke. Could all of this magic stuff still survive the trip?”

Arcanista's eyes fell to the floor. After a somber breath, she said, “There's no easy way to tell, Rainbow Dash. We would hope that the magic inside the sustenance—at least—is well preserved enough to last you at least halfway. But, there's no denying the fact that at some point or another the Grand Choke will dissolve the enchantment from the inside out. Nothing can change how perilous this journey will be for you.”

“Chrysalis certainly made me understand that,” the pegasus said, nodding. “But, a little bit of everything is certainly a heck of a lot better than nothing.”

“Also, for what it's worth, the metal frame is manually operational as well.” Arcanista shuddered. “I... I just wish I could make things easier for you. After all, you've done so much for me, the House of Sehlp, Floydien...” Her eyes grew a bit misty. “...for this entire kingdom, Rainbow Dash. Do you have any idea...?”

“Hey...” Rainbow drifted over, resting a hoof on the elk's shoulder. “You pointed the Noble Jury in the right direction, and if it weren't for you, we'd still be under Chrysalis' hoof right now. So... spread the love around a bit, will ya?”

“Yes...” Arcanista exhaled. “Yes, indeed.” She blinked, then smiled. “And I think I know how and where to start.”

Rainbow blinked curiously.

But Arcanista was already trotting back to the far edge of the warehouse. When she came back, she was smiling. “You don't necessarily have me to thank for this. As a matter of fact, it was Mamunia and Jet who came up with the idea. They... th-they put their seamstress skills to good use, and they did the best that they could to restore it from its wear and tear. All in all, I believe we can all thank God that you had left it in the stagecoach at Plaza Topaz—and not in the Noble Jury—when the moment of truth arrived.”

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash blinked curiously. Her breath left her as her eyes reflected royal velvets of midnight blue. “Ah... right...” She smiled gently, taking the familiar satchel from Arcanista's grasp. “...so we meet again.”

The Things That You Leave Behind

“Pleasant memories?” Duchess Arcanista asked.

Rainbow Dash turned a pair of dust-stained goggles in her forelimbs. The initials “S.L.” glistened in the red afternoon sunlight.

“Hrmmm...” The pegasus exhaled out her nostrils, smiling faintly. “More pleasant than otherwise.” She folded the article over and slid it back into the midnight blue saddlebag. Her hoof brushed pat the rough green surface of a thick book, and she fidgeted slightly before closing the pack completely. “It's a reminder that there are lives somewhere.” She gulped. “Aging. Learning. Enjoying peace.”

Arcanista nodded. The two stood on a balcony overlooking the lengths of the royal palace. The bronze towers of the Val Roan Capital loomed in the distance. “What you do, Rainbow Dash, is as much for them as for everypony else.”

Rainbow sighed, resting the satchel down beside an even bigger pack full of new belongings. “I know.”

“Your journey, I believe, is as much preserving your old friends as it is your new friends.”

Rainbow gulped. “I know.” She ran a hoof through her mane. “And now the new is old.” She gazed east at the dead horizon of arid mystery. “Everything... just gets old.”

“May I ask something?”

“Shoot...”

Arcanista faced Rainbow directly. “Do you think you will ever care to come back?”

Rainbow blinked, then squinted curiously at the Duchess. “Huh?”

Arcanista simply smiled. “The plane may be flat, but—presuming you can cross one edge—you can surely cross the opposite side as well.”

“I... I-I...” Rainbow winced. “Your Honor, I... don't even know if I can make it past the Grand Choke.” She shuddered. “And then there's all this heavy Verlaxion stuff. And just how does a pony scale the edge of the world anyway?”

“You'll find a way,” Arcanista said. “If anypony can do it, you can.”

“I dunno, Duchess...”

“I believe in you. Your friends believe in you. A... questionably insightful Divine named Axan appears to hold much confidence in you...”

“Hmmmph... Axan.” Rainbow shrugged her blue shoulders and gazed at the distant twinkling Yaefaerda symbol once more. “Laziest Divine ever, I swear to Celestia...”

Arcanista chuckled. “Well, she did save your life on more than one occasion.”

“Only after crushing me to a pulp.”

“Yet you pressed on to find friends.”

“Yeah.” Rainbow's eyes fell. “I did.”

Arcanista lowered her head to meet Rainbow's gaze once again. “You'll live to make even more.”

Rainbow bit her lip.

Arcanista winked. “And perhaps, when your journey is through, you'll come back to visit Val Roa.” She chuckled lightly. “And all the lands you've ever graced along the way.”

“I don't even know if it's possible to go past the Midnight Armory,” Rainbow said. “I mean... that was my goal. For all I know, it's Austraeoh's goal. There... just doesn't seem to be a future beyond it.”

“A future? For who?”

“Who else?” Rainbow muttered.

Arcanista leaned back, shaking her head. “I do not believe that for even one second. Despite every form of adversity you've ever faced, you come out triumphant. And though you've been forced to use brute force, it's always Harmony that wins out in the end.” The Duchess smiled at her proudly. “No, I do believe that this entire plane is ripe with righteousness because of the path you've spun across it, Rainbow Dash. Once your epic sojourn is at a close, I believe whole-heartedly that every land, every nation, every kingdom will be ten times more peaceful than when you first graced their skies. So...” She chuckled again. “What's to stop you from swinging back by and visiting us again?”

Rainbow exhaled through a bittersweet smile. “Death.” Her ears folded back. “I can't escape it forever.”

Arcanista cocked her head to the side. “And are you so certain you can outfly Life as well?”

Rainbow had no response to that.

Silence reined, during which the sun continued its descent in the west, casting a crimson sheen over the bronze lengths of the city.

“I'm not exactly thrilled for what happens tomorrow,” Rainbow eventually muttered.

Arcanista glanced aside. “Are you so certain it must be tomorrow?”

Rainbow slowly nodded.

“Where is it written that you can't spend a week or two with the ones you've gotten to know?”

“Every moment I delay my departure, the more the chaos inside me will gnaw at the pendant,” Rainbow muttered. “I've had a lucky two months, but the dizzy spells are happening more and more frequently. I even had one while speaking with Chrysalis yesterday.”

“Are you certain that wasn't just the sheer presence of the mutant alicorn herself?”

“I've faced zombie hordes in a storm-drenched flying city and trembled less,” Rainbow said. “This is all a matter of timing. I gotta catch up with the next beacon.”

“'Yaerfaerda,' I do believe the Jurists call it.”

“Righto.”

“And do you think it's out there?” Arcanista asked. “In the Grand Choke, that is?”

“I know it is, Duchess.”

“Or could it be beyond it?”

“Either way, there's only one direction I have to go,” the pegasus said. “I know it. My friends know it. So...” She shuddered. “Tomorrow, I set out.”

“Indeed.” Arcanista smiled. “Well, from what I understand, most of the Jurists have been commiserating in the Royal Lobby as of late. I'm certain you can catch quite a few of your friends now... before it gets too dark, that is.”

“Yeah...” Rainbow exhaled softly. A smile crossed her fuzzy blue muzzle. “That sounds nice...”

“Indeed.”

Rainbow looked aside at the elk. “What about you, Your Honor?”

“Hmmm? What about me?”

“Have you and your brother—erm... the Duke, I mean. Have you and Duke Floyd worked things out?”

“Ohhhhhh Floyd...” Arcanista leaned back, sighing. “In truth, Rainbow, I don't think I'll ever reach through what he's become.”

“No?”

Arcanista slowly shook her head. “I've come to accept the fact that Bountiful must look up to me. Now that I've got Fishberry willing to work by my side, all of the previous issues with the High Council no longer stack up to much. Which is just as well. I'm meant to lead by example, not wallow in discontent.”

“And what about Floydien?”

Arcanista shrugged. “His future is his own. Once more, he's been relishing in solitude. Apparently, the Lounge—under the command of your beloved Roarke—have scrounged up as much of the shattered skystone from the Noble Jury's crash site as is feasible. Floydien's reportedly been stowed away in the Royal warehouses, studying the material closely.”

“To what end?”

“I cannot pretend to say. We've had our parting words already, just in case.”

Rainbow blinked. “Just in case what?”

Arcanista cleared her throat. “It doesn't matter...” She paced across the balcony. “A word of advice—from one lady of importance to another...” She turned to glance at the pegasus. “Use every opportunity you can, Rainbow Dash, to be at peace with yourself.” She lingered for a moment, then added: “Even if that means being at peace with not being at peace.”

Rainbow blinked.

“Your friends may not be able to follow you, but their love will.” The Duchess smiled. “That's more precious than any keepsake or memory, hmm?” She curtsied and trotted off. “I will see you in the morning... along with the Sun.”

Rainbow nodded. As she waved, a delicate voice drifted out of her muzzle. “One last time...”

Tearing Down the Very Last Bastion

“Midnite, please...” Saikano winced slightly, waving a hoof as he nearly bumped into her while trotting across the office of his apartment. “Would you... would you at least slow down?”

“I've got everything gathered just where you need it,” the pony said, dwarfed by the elk's shadow in the soft lantern light as she darted from pack to pack, rummaging through the contents and sealing them tight. “An hour before you go to inspect the caravan, I'll have a pair of servants carry them down to the wagon hold.”

“That's very nice of you, Midnite, But if you would just—”

“I've got your notebooks packed, along with your winter uniform for the trek uphill to Ether Point. Oh!” She spun about, grinning brilliantly. “And I even packed your saber! You know, the one with the silver hilt that you used to charge the insurgents of Teancum Hill...”

“Midnite...”

“I-I even polished it! That way it'll reflect the sunlight and act as a beacon across the thickest blizzard.”

“Soldier.” Saikano briefly scowled. “At ease.”

Midnite bit her lip, immediately freezing where she stood. When she realized how rigid her limbs had become, she obediently—and nervously—let her limbs go slack, 'resting' where she lingered between her adoptive father and the entrance to the apartment.

Saikano took a deep breath. He adjusted his eyepatch, shuffled forward, and rested a warm hoof on the mare's shoulder. “Midnite Bastion...”

She gulped. “Y-yes, father?”

He peered at her with his good eye. “What are you still doing here?”

Midnite blinked. Her muzzle parted. “I... I-I only wished to help you prepare for your sojourn tomorrow. After all, you're in charge of escorting the prisoner to her new holding cell in the northern mountains and—”

“No, Midnite.” Saikano tilted his head to the side. “What I mean is: what are you still doing in this Palace? This Capital? This Kingdom?”

Midnite leaned back. “...Father?”

“You've done your duty for King and Country,” the elder elk said. “Not just recently, but your entire life.”

“I... I did everything for the safety of the Defense Ministry and—”

“No, Midnite.” He tilted her chin up. “That's not why you did what you did. That's not why you and I are standing here, talking to each other...”

She exhaled. Her lips quivered slightly as her eyes turned glossy. “I did it because I loved you. And... and I couldn't settle for anything less...” She sniffled. “Not even having a false you... no matter how... how much he...” She clenched her teeth, then avoided his gaze, shaking.

Saikano slowly nodded. “He could tell you in a few days what I never managed to say in decades.”

Midnite clenched her eyes shut tight.

“Midnite, when I first found you...” Saikano hesitated slightly, then continued. “I had every reason to escort you at the nearest foster home... to leave you in the capable hooves of the Val Roan Civil Services. But when I took the time to gaze upon you—a mere foal lost in the ruins of a town besieged by Green Bandits—I felt something. I.. I didn't quite understand it at the time. And it's not like I had any excuses. I still had both eyes then; my senses were intact. But the one thing I knew with absolute clarity was that I had to give you a safe and wholesome life. But... but for years I interpreted that as a regimental existence. And now... now I fear that what I shaped you into was something ideal... but not wholesome.”

“Father, I've been proud to serve under you all my life—”

“I know, Midnite—”

She took a bold step forward, shivering. “And I don't care if the position hasn't been filled by a pony before; I have what it takes to get promoted to a Val Roan general today! Even if it takes all my life, I'll make it there! I promise you!”

“I know that you have what it takes, soldier,” Saikano said with a weary sigh. “You have the intelligence, the tenacity, the intestinal fortitude.” He gazed upon her. “But do you have the desire, young one?”

Midnite merely blinked at him.

“I just spent the last several months... suspended in the filth of a metamorphic beast...” Saikano scowled briefly. “A creature whom the King has decided to spare for some infernal reason. I've wanted nothing more than to behead that Chrysalis. In many ways, I still desire it. But... but I realize now that I'm ignorant of something special... something beautiful that happened in my absence.” His good eye blinked. “A force of good came into this Kingdom, fully anticipating the evil that sought to undermine all that our fore-bearers had built here, and in the end these heroes chose mercy over annihilation. For that reason, Queen Chrysalis has been given a new lease on existence, and there's finally hope that the Southern Cartel will give up its viiolent ways.” He looked directly at her. “And you, my beloved daughter, was the spear of that heroic push.”

“Father—”

“You challenged every adversity that lay in your path. You utilized every lesson I ever taught you... even going so far as to value them above the facsimile that had taken place of me. I... I don't know of another soldier more dedicated... more trustworthy...”

Midnite gulped. “What are you getting at, Father?”

“Chiefly this...” He caressed her chin. “No promotion could ever possibly give you what you deserve. For so many years, I guided you along the only path I ever knew, but you're not me.”

“I've never minded, Father,” Midnite said. “Not once.”

“Are you certain of that?” Saikano squinted. “Even when I encroached upon your freedoms? When I stripped you of choice... and threatened those whom you secretly loved?”

Midnite closed her eyes. She took a deep breath. “The Duke of Bountiful...” She bit her lip, then muttered louder, “Floyd was a phase.”

“No, he was a slice of life,” Saikano said. “One I should never have robbed you of.” Saikano fought a wavery tone in his voice. “I... was cognizant in Chrysalis' prison, Midnite. I had time to dwell on life... death... and my love for you. And I've come to realize... th-that I built too many walls around my beloved daughter's world. Like the mountains that surround this Kingdom. A true defender is bound to her keep, yes, but for that to become a prison...”

“I know the power of sacrifice, Father.”

“But do you know the benefit?” Saikano smiled. “This Kingdom has been saved, and it's all thanks to you and the way you assisted the heroes from the west. I couldn't possibly be prouder of you... and I would hate myself forever if I only punished you instead of giving you the freedom of choice that you deserve... for yourself.”

“Freedom...?” Midnite blinked.

Saikano nodded.

“I... I-I don't understand, father...” Midnite gulped. “What is it do you want from me?”

He leaned in and kissed her softly on the forehead before stroking her bangs. “To live, Midnite Bastion. I want you to live.” He smiled painfully. “When I tell you 'at ease,' soldier, I mean it.”

Midnite's legs were weak at this point, as were her eyelids. Tears squeezed out as she murmured, “I... I-I don't think I know how to outside of how you've taught me...”

“You can find out. And I know who can show you.” Saikano continued to smile. “I... ruined his life, Midnite.”

“Father—”

“I did.” He clenched his jaw shut. “I falsified records. I cheated the system. And, worst of all, I lied and used my own daughter against him. And... and I drove him to madness.” He shook his head. “Who knows how much the House of Sehlp suffered. But that isn't of any concern to me. I only regret... h-how much I made you suffer.”

Midnite closed her eyes, shivering all over.

Saikano leaned forward. “Do you still love him?”

She sniffled. “Y-yes...” She wiped her muzzle dry. “...but I don't know if he even has room for me in his life anymore.”

Saikano patted her shoulder. “Then go to him. Find out. Discover. Explore.”

“But... but father...” Midnite squeaked. “What of you?”

“I can live now as well...” He smiled. “My pride for you knows no boundaries, so why should my body or spirit?” He winked. “If that's the part of me that Chrysalis' double used to reach in and find his own goodness of being, then perhaps it's what I should be dwelling on from now on.” He shrugged. “Or else, what would we have fought for?”

Midnite stared up at him. She bore a fragile smile, then fell forward, nuzzling the fuzz of his chest.

Saikano flinched just slightly, as if hugging his own foster child was a strange, alien thing. Nevertheless, with relative ease, he reached a forelimb out and held her close.

“I love you, Father,” Midnite murmured. “Forever and always. I-I won't let you down.”

He stroked his hoof through her mane and nodded into the lantern light. “You never have...”

One More Night; One More Sigh

“Heeheehee!” Props giggled. “And do you remember that time when I surprised all of those goblins with the big flippin' rocket launcher?!”

Ebon Mane and Eagle Eye laughed.

“I-I'm rather fond of the time we dunked so many of the bandits in a lake,” Booster Spice said with a slight smirk.

Roarke droned, “It was certainly a more pleasant fate than what Haman put them through.”

“That's the whole point!” Props giggled and brushed her mane back. “The Jury had a way of—like—being so badflank but in a really... uhhh... fluffy way!”

“If you ask me, I've always been awesome at kicking butt and taking names,” Rainbow said with a grin. “Only, y'know, without putting the names on gravestones.”

“Though that took some effort,” Roarke added.

“Yeah, well...” Rainbow stuck her tongue out. “You're one to talk.”

The metal mare nodded. “Fair enough.”

Bellesmith stroked Kera's mane while the filly cuddled up against her in the lounge, fast asleep. “I was a great deal more fond of the quiet stops we made. Well... while they remained quiet, at least.”

“Like when we went shopping in Gray Smoke?” Eagle Eye grinned.

“Indubitably.”

“I don't know...” Pilate shrugged. “I had my most tranquil moments reading Floydien's collection of various tomes within the navigation room.”

“Awwww...” Belle leaned over to nudge him. “So sorry that had to go down in flames, darling.”

“Well, better the manuscripts than us, Beloved.”

“Very true.”

“We had a good many meals together, didn't we?” Josho muttered. “I mean, between Gray Smoke, Lerris, the sex crater, and here.”

“Well, I did do my best,” Ebon Mane said, fidgeting.

“I bet it's the only reason you stuck around, eh, old stallion?” Eagle Eye winked.

“Well, that, and hoof-holding a sissy.”

“Oh go soak your head.”

“I just might have to.” Josho glanced over at Roarke. “How I'm gonna stay hygienic where we're going, I'll have no darn clue.”

“So long as you stay clear of the goblin cesspools, there'll be hope for you, Josho,” Roarke said.

“And where's that, pray tell?”

“I suppose we'll discover on our own,” the metal mare remarked. “Think of it as an adventure within an adventure.”

“Oh, wonderful.” Josho sighed. “Better pack tons and tons of shotgun shells.”

“Hey!” Zaid sat on the edge of his couch, smirking. “Remember that time when you guys hit me?”

Dead silence.

Ebon Mane and Eagle Eye squirmed.

Josho and Roarke looked off in separate directions.

Rainbow Dash and Booster Spice fidgeted.

Kera yawned, stretched, and rolled over with a soft trilling sound, her tiny forelimbs hooked over her fuzzy chest. Belle gazed at her, then looked across the lounge. “Uhm... well... I think... erm...”

“The hour grows late,” Pilate firmly said.

“Yeah...” Rainbow nodded, shuddering slightly. “Imagine that.”

“How late is it?” Booster asked, blinking behind his goggles. “Feels like we've been sitting here for ages.”

“I think we could all use a good night's sleep,” Ebon said. His burgundy face stretched as he added, “It would be best to... be fully awake tomorrow.”

“For your journey, right?” Props asked.

Ebon opened his mouth, hesitated, then eventually blurted. “But of course.”

“Yeah...” Props squirmed, glancing down at the floor. “Uncky Prowsy's got a lot of ponies to drop off across the ocean. And if we want to manage a stop over in Abinadi first...”

“We'll squeeze it in,” Zaid said, winking as he stretched a forelimb around Props' neck. “I mean, we'll need some sort of relief, right? All of those dang ponies squeezed into a single vessel.”

“I won't be on board for long,” Booster said with a slight chuckle. “After all, Amulek isn't too far off by airship flight and...” His words trailed off, giving way to impenetrable silence.

At last, Josho belched and spoke up:

“Alright, buck it. I'm hitting the sack.” He sauntered across the lounge. “Swear to Ledo—I can't believe I watched you all drink all that cider while just standing by and doing nothing.”

“You should be proud, Josho.” Eagle smiled. “I know I am.”

“You want us to walk you to your room?” Ebon asked.

“If it makes you feel all sparkly inside, sure. Whatever.” Josho motioned along. “See you in the morning, Roarke,” he said without looking. “The rest of you as well...”

“A pleasure, Mr. Josho,” Pilate said, getting up with Belle while the mare laid Kera's slumbering figure over his striped flanks. “Zaid? Props?”

“Yeah, we'd better call it a night as well.” Zaid helped Props up and nuzzled her before smiling at the others. “I'll be needing lots of rest lately. Especially if I'm becoming a grease monkey's assistant.”

“Heehee...” Props smiled from ear to fuzzy ear. “Is that what you're gonna call yourself now?”

“Well, it's true, ain't it?”

“Make it simpler,” Props said, giving him a peck on the cheek. “Try 'grease lemur.'”

“Meh. It's taken.” Zaid and Props trotted off. “Anypony going by the west wing?”

“Not me,” Belle said.

“Oh! That's where I'm staying!” Booster Spice hopped up and trotted up to join them. “Guess we should plan for the journey ahead.”

“Sure, why not,” Zaid said, yawning. “Better pack extra spectacles.”

“So long! Good night!” Props sing-songed. “Don't let the desert bugs bite!”

“Fairwell,” Eagle Eye said, waving as he, Ebon, and Josho trotted in another direction. “We'll... we'll see you in the m-morning.”

“Yes, EE,” Belle said with a nod. She and Pilate turned towards Rainbow Dash.

“... … ...” Rainbow Dash hovered in place, gazing at them.

Belle smiled delicately. A sniffle escaped her nostrils, and she opened her mouth to say something. Looking past Rainbow—however—Belle silenced herself. She reached to her side, squeezing Pilate's shoulder and pivoting him towards the exit.

The zebra's ears twitched curiously.

“Best to put Kera to bed,” Belle droned. “Have a blessed evening.”

Rainbow blinked, arching an eyebrow. She felt a gentle hoof tugging at her tail. Her ears folded back, and she touched down before turning around to look at Roarke.

“Where are you headed off to, Rainbow?” Roarke gently asked.

Rainbow gazed at the Searonese mare, her muzzle agape. At last, she murmured in a soft voice. “Where would you want me to go, Roarke?”

Roarke said nothing. She bore a gentle smile as she leaned forward, rubbing her cheek softly against Rainbow's. Wordlessly, she took Rainbow by the hoof and led her out of the lounge, grabbing Rainbow's things along the way.

That Which Carries You To Yourself

With bright flashes of blue mana, Floydien welded yet another plank of metal to a central chassis. Once the task was done, he cut the power tool off and leaned back, pivoting the swinging visor away from his red eyes. He carefully studied the underbelly of a tiny gondola in the center of a royal warehouse. The vehicle was compact, cylindrical, with whalebone “hoops” rising up from the bottom platform and arching over the length of the slender structure. Each hoop was adorned with tiny glowing skystone shards, all placed at equidistant points in a beautifully geometric fashion.

“So this is what you've been working on these past few days?”

“... … ...” Floydien turned and looked over his flank.

Midnite Bastion stood at the entrance to the warehouse. Cold night hung outside, with stars brimming in the bitter desert chill. “Wouldn't your friends enjoy your company? You won't have much more of an opportunity to speak with them. The whole group, I mean...”

Floydien's nostrils flared. He placed his visor down and trotted over towards the rear of the small gondola, where a tiny interior cabin loomed. “There isn't much spit left for Floydien to give that the boomers haven't heard before.”

“But it doesn't have to be all in the words, Floyd,” Midnite said. She gulped, trembling slightly in the brisk wind blowing in from outside. “It's the gesture that matters.”

“The boomers know what to expect and what not to expect,” the elk muttered, shoving several supply trunks into the rear compartment and examining the welded bulkheads. “Floydien wouldn't be Floydien if he obsessed with anything less.”

Midnite nodded, teeth chattering. “You're right, I suppose. Who am I to say what they should or shouldn't expect from you...”

“Silly charcoal boomer,” the elk grunted. “Shuffle over to where it's less freeze freeze.”

Clearing her throat, Midnite Bastion obliged. Up close, she took the opportunity to admire Floydien's hoofwork. “Good God... where'd you get all that skystone?”

“When Nancy Jane blesses, Floydien receives.”

“Wait...” Midnite stroked a hoof along the support strut of one of the many hooped metal bands, studded with crimson shards. “...are these the skystone bits salvaged from the Noble Jury?”

“Yes yes yes.” Floydien nodded. “When built in close proximity, even tiny samples provide lift.” The elk tapped the hull with his hoof. “A small place for flank flank, it has to be, of course. But the shimmer glimmer is enough for lift.”

Midnite stared at him. “Floydien, I have to ask. About the Noble Jury...”

“Go ahead and spit with it.”

Her dark brow furrowed. “You really built that thing, didn't you? I mean... it wasn't stolen from the Cartel or the Lounge after all?”

His nostrils flared. “Far off boomers had the material, but not the heart fuzz to give it life.” He stroked a hoof across the metal plates. “Floydien needed to breathe it into being. He... didn't want to go West alone after all.”

Midnite smiled delicately. “You really did love Nancy Jane, didn't you?”

Floydien gazed off into the distance. “Yes yes...” He murmured. “...Floydien did.”

Silence.

Midnite's hoof stroked along the edge of the vessel until it met with Floydien's limb. “You're leaving again, aren't you?” she asked. “Only... with this vessel instead?”

Floydien took a deep breath. “A larger vessel of shimmer glimmer, Floydien will need, but only when Floydien finds the time to make it.”

Midnite gulped. “Does the Duchess know?”

Floydien opened his mouth, hesitating. At last, he muttered, “The boomer might.” His nostrils flared. “In a way, Floydien thinks, she's always known.”

“She'll be sad to see you go.”

“Boomer will be even sadder to see Floydien go nowhere.”

Midnite's gaze fell. “Well... I guess it all depends...” She fidgeted. “What's carrying you this time? And is it strong enough to rebuild Nancy Jane?”

He gazed sideways at her. “What means the charcoal boomer?”

“I... I don't know. Not yet at least.”

Floydien arched an eyebrow.

Midnite looked up, her eyes teary. “Floydien wants to find himself, yes?”

He gazed at her. Eventually, he nodded. “Yes yes yessss...” He then shook his head. “Floydien found many things last time. Boomers... glimmer... sparks...” His muzzle hung open with a shuddering breath. “But Floydien still lingers on the horizon. Color wheel boomer showed him many of the hues, and Floydien is glad. But Floydien would be disloyal to Floydien if he kept in one place, pretending that... th-that Floydien is here.” He shook his head. “No no no... Floydien is everywhere... moving. To find him... Floydien must become him again...”

Midnite sniffled. A whimpering voice came out of her muzzle. “Midnite Bastion w-wants to f-find Midnite too...”

Silence.

Gently, Floydien tilted Midnite's chin up.

She gazed at him, biting her lip.

Floydien's red eyes narrowed. “Can charcoal boomer maintain a mana engine...?”

She gulped. “Yeah... y-yeah, I think I can...”

The edges of Floydien's lips curved. “Then maybe Nancy Jane can help Floydien and Midnite find Floydien and Midnite together...”

Midnite blinked at him. Wiping her tears dry, she smiled... then smiled harder, teeth showing.

“Yes yes...” The elk trotted firmly past her, eyes on the gondola. “Floydien needs a spanner and some rivets.”

“Right...” Midnite rushed across the warehouse, her heart beating wildly. “What else does Floydien need?”

“Spit,” he muttered, fishing through a large tool crate. “And lots of it.”

Midnite giggled, her every step a flighty one. “Can do!”

Floydien continued to rummage through the tool box. He lingered momentarily, glancing over his shoulder. As Midnite started talking at length about one thing or another, he focused once again on his work.

A tiny smile lingered across his muzzle.

The Last Whispers That We Share

It took several minutes, but Rainbow Dash's panting breaths finally calmed down, though her heart continued to beat a million miles per minute. She gulped, clenched her jaw shut, and closed her eyes as she allowed the blood to rush back to her extremities. A tranquil smile crossed her muzzle, or at least something closely resembling it.

Meanwhile, Roarke crawled up through the bedsheets and gently held Rainbow from behind, spooning her. She reached a hoof over, brushing Rainbow's sweat-slick bangs back while desert starlight glinted off the mares' glossy coats from beyond the royal suite's balcony windows.

“That most certainly trumps the hammock, does it not?” Roarke quietly mused.

“Hmmmph...” Rainbow's ears twitched as she snuggled back into Roarke's embrace. “Rest in peace, hammock,” she murmured through a drunken smile.

Roarke chuckled lightly.

Rainbow's eyes fluttered open. She stared past a bedside chair where two bags were placed: Luna's and Arcanista's. “Can't believe there was a time when I never thought I would hear that...”

“Hmmm...?” Roarke nuzzled her ear, her mane, and then her other ear, planting feather-soft kisses in between. “Hear what?”

“Laughter,” Rainbow muttered. “Coming from you.”

“Nor did I expect such provocative introspection coming from you.”

“Hmmmff...” Rainbow stuck her tongue out in the twilight. “You've got the worst pillow talk ever.” Her wings twitched against Roarke's strong chest. “Has anypony ever told you that?”

Roarke hugged her tighter, resting her chin on Rainbow's shoulder. “One and only.”

Rainbow took a shuddering breath, her hooves curling up against the plush mattress.

Roarke kissed Rainbow's neck again. “Have you got the feeling back in your hooves, yet?”

“Mmmmm...” Rainbow trilled gently.

Roarke craned her neck. “What was that?”

“Hrfff...” Rainbow's forelimbs curled tighter. “Hold... h-hold me...?”

Roarke gazed at her. She smiled, then pivoted the pegasus around.

Rainbow rolled over until she faced the metal mare. She was shivering at this point, causing the pendant around her neck to rattle.

That didn't stop Roarke from pulling her close, resting Rainbow's fuzzy head in the crook of her neck. Her metal plugs glistened in the starlight as she wrapped her strong forelimbs around the pony. “Is that good?”

Rainbow murmured into Roarke's fuzzy chest. “Mmm... b-better than good...”

“I've been many things in my life, Rainbow Dash,” Roarke said, gazing out the window past her. She stroked the mare's prismatic mane in the dim light. “'Wise,' 'rare', 'noble'...”

Rainbow pressed her ear to Roarke's belly, quietly relishing in the warm, persistent hum of her deep implants.

“...you allowed me to be delicate.” Roarke's lips pursed. Her ears twitched for a few silent seconds, and she murmured, “Soft... gentle.” She gulped. “These last few months will never leave me.”

“Yeah...” Rainbow swallowed a lump down her throat. “They were... pr-pretty rad...”

Roarke blinked. “...that's one way of putting them.”

“Roarke...”

“That observation room inside the Jury... it was our special place. It... it was rapturous sharing the sunrise with you every morning, Rainbow. I... certainly hope it wasn't stealing your thunder, so to speak...”

“Roarke... pl-please...”

“Hmmm?”

Rainbow sniffled. She pressed against Roarke's chest, putting enough space between them so she could stare into her muzzle. “Promise me something... Roarke...”

“Anything, Rainbow.”

“Promise... pr-promise me...” Rainbow's muzzle twisted. Her ruby eyes were thin slits in a glossy sea. “Promise m-me that you will find somepony else...”

Roarke stared in silence.

“Please.” Rainbow sniffled again, shaking her head as the tears flowed. “Do it. Promise me. Find somepony. Anypony.”

The metal mare sighed, caressing the pegasus' cheek. “Rainbow—”

Rainbow snatched it, muzzle quivering. “Don't be alone, Roarke!” She choked on a sob. “D-don't be alone b-because of me! I mean... I-I've got nothing but the journey ahead, but you?” She shuddered. “You've got everything. You should have everything—”

“Shhhhh...” Roarke held Rainbow close, nuzzling the top of her head. “It's okay—”

“No it's n-not!” Rainbow sobbed, burying her face in Roarke's chest as her wings coiled tightly at her sides. “It's not okay! N-none of it is okay! Please... please d-don't live and die alone! Maybe it's all I-I've got to look forward to, but not for you Roarke! N-not for you!”

Roarke kissed the top of Rainbow's head, nuzzling her ear as she spoke in a low, warm voice. “I promise you, Rainbow Dash...” She shut her eyes, speaking through a gentle smile. “I promise you that I won't become nothing.”

Rainbow shook and shivered, hiccuping on tears and whimpers.

“I promise you that I will be happy.” Roarke stroked the small of Rainbow's back between her wings. “I promise that I shall pursue happiness with every fiber of my being.” She kissed and nuzzled her again. “For you have shown me the way, Rainbow. You are the light to my path, and I will never... ever go blind again...”

The pegasus merely quivered, clenching her eyes shut as the sobs squeaked out harder, faster.

“I am so... so very happy that I met you,” Roarke said. “Now and for the rest of time, Rainbow Dash... my Rainbow Dash...”

“Ghh... hckk...” Rainbow gnashed her teeth, shaking all over. “I... I don't want to gooooo...”

Roarke closed her eyes, holding Rainbow close.

“I don't want to g-go, Roarke,” Rainbow sobbed. “I hate it. I hate it. I don't want t-to do it. I don't wanna. I don't wanna. I don't wanna...” Her voice shook off into several wavering decibels.

Roarke took a deep breath, squeezing Rainbow tighter. “I know,” she said quietly. “I know, Rainbow...”

“Mmmm... gffff... nothing...” Rainbow hiccuped again. “...n-nothing will be better... more b-beautiful... more awesome th-than this... than you...”

Roarke tilted Rainbow's head up, kissing her tear-stained cheeks. She looked the pegasus dead-on. “Maybe... maybe not... but I love you too much to let you stay and die... and you love me too much to stay and die on me...”

“Roarke...” Rainbow bit her lip, sniffling. “I... I-I...”

“There's something beyond the horizon that belongs to you... that belongs to all of us. I can't grab it. None of us can. None of us... but you.” Roarke gripped the sides of Rainbow's muzzle firmly. “And when you find that light... when you've become one with Harmony... will you finally look back at this and realize it was worth it...” She smiled as a tear streaked down her own cheek. “Just as I look back on when I first met you and realize that everything... everything was worth this moment.” Roarke swallowed. “And I will always love you, Rainbow Dash. Always. Even more than I love you right now.”

Rainbow tried to smile. Instead, her face melted even more. Roarke hugged her again, allowing the mare to bury her face in her chest.

“Thank you, Roarke...” Rainbow shuddered between quiet sobs. “...for everything...” She squeaked through chattering teeth. “I... I didn't think I would ever be happy again...”

Roarke clenched her jaw shut, nestling her chin in Rainbow's mane as she gently rocked the pegasus. “As you will be yet again,” she quietly murmured. “Even more so...” A shudder. “I believe in you, Rainbow Dash...” Her eyes fluttered shut. “I believe in you... I believe in you I believe in you I believe in you...”

As the night wore on, and Rainbow's sobs in tow, Roarke held her close, until the sheer exhaustion of the moment consumed both mares, and they drifted to sleep in each other's embrace.

For Every New Soul, A Horizon

There was a gentle knocking on the door.

A minute passed.

Bleary eyed, Bellesmith shuffled across the royal suite and opened it. “Mrmmff...” She rubbed a tired eye with her hoof and squinted out into the palace hallway. “Grnnff—yessss?”

A deer in servant garb bowed low. “I'm sorry for the intrusion at so late an hour, Madame, but I have a message.”

“Hmrfff... a message?” Belle squinted.

“Yes. Addressed to... erm...” The servant squirmed slightly. “'Striped Boomer.' I was told to deliver it swiftly at this hour to this location.”

Belle's muzzle hung agape. Blinking, she pivoted towards the center of the room. “Pilatttte?”

“Just a moment, beloved...”

“Is it grasshopper tiara time again?”

“Go back to sleep, Kera.”

“Phweeeee.” (Fwump!)

At last, a blind zebra wandered to the doorframe, feeling around with his hoof. Belle gripped his fetlock and steadied him. “There's a letter for you.”

“Is there, now?” The stallion teetered, his gray eyes staring into nothingness. “From who, pray tell?”

“I... I think it's Floydien, honey.”

Pilate jolted in place. “Mr Floydien?” He reached a hoof out, flailing. “Finally, after all these days, he wishes to communicate?”

“Erm...” Belle snatched the envelope from the deer's hoof and gave it to the zebra. “Much thanks.”

The servant bowed again. “Madame.” Then he took his leave down the hallway.

Belle closed the door while Pilate channeled mana into the O.A.S.I.S. Sphere. “Well?” She shuffled over to his side, fidgeting in anticipation. “What does it say, darling?”

“Just a moment...” Pilate laid the sheet out onto an oaken tabletop and levitated the sphere by his side. “I'm clearing the leylines as we speak.”

“Right. Of c-course.” Belle nevertheless bit her lip.

At last, the sphere flickered a beam of laser-light across the sheet. Pilate's metal brow furrowed, and his lips moved, quietly enunciating the syllables as they flickered through his mind. At last, his ears twitched, and he gasped. “Blessed Spark...!”

“What?” Belle jolted in place. “What is it?”

Slowly, Pilate sighed. “Ohhh, Mr. Floydien...” He bore a bittersweet smile. “...would we expect any less of you?”

Belle squinted quizzically.

Pilate stood at the far end of the lush chamber, his mane still frayed from a hasty awakening. As O.A.S.I.S. scanned the letter in his grasp yet again, he spoke the last few words aloud: “'...and when it comes time to change the shimmer glimmer, Floydien will find a way, for the way is laid open for Floydien and Nancy Jane. Perhaps the sister boomer will understand. Perhaps she won't. Either way, Floydien is Floydien, and Floydien thanks her for finding Floydien. Much thank thanks. End of spit.”

Clearing his throat, the zebra tilted his head up.

“And... and that's all there is. He... uh... he addressed it to you, but he sent it to me first. Perhaps to deliver it... like I am now...”

Arcanista sat on a couch, garbed in bed robes. Mamunia and Jet sat on either side of them, their jaws agape. They turned to gawk at the Duchess.

In the corner of the suite, Constable Jake stood, ever awake and vigilant. The moose's beady eyes blinked. “Sonuvabitch...” His expression hung between a frown and a smirk. “I should have wrangled that bastard down and chained his hooves to the Palace Foundations when I could!”

“This... this is unbelievable!” Mamunia stammered.

“Can you believe it?!” Jet added.

Arcanista gazed forward in dull silence.

“Duchess?” Pilate cocked his head aside. “Your Honor? Did... did you get all that?” Silence. He gulped and murmured, “What are you thinking, Madame Arcanista?”

“... … ...” Slowly, Arcanista smiled. “I'm thinking... that I got a second chance to find my dearest brother. And now...” A shuddering breath; a tear rolled down her cheek. “...he's getting a second chance to find himself too.”

“Want I should chase his magic ass down?” Jake offered. “I'm sure Rainbow's metal friend could curry favor with the space lizards and their metal balls.”

“No...” Arcanista shook her head, sniffling. “No, Constable.” She waved a hoof. “Let Floyd be. After all, life has thrown enough fetters his way.” She wiped her cheek dry and gazed out the window as the faintest hint of dawn light appeared over the mountains. “Whatever he becomes... whatever he's transcended to be... I shall always love him. Only now...” She smiled delicately. “...I have the luxury of realizing that he knows that.”

Floydien blinked into the high winds. He turned and squinted at the Grand Choke, spotting a sliver of bright gold light from beyond.

“I think I finally got the engine purring like a kitten!” Midnite Bastion shouted, bracing herself within the rear cabin's doorframe. “All of the skystone shards are pulsating as one! That's the way it's supposed to work, right?”

“... … ...”

“Uh... Floyd?”

The elk shrugged his shoulders, his limbs loose and light. “Yes yes yesss...” He faced forward. “Charcoal boomer has gotten the glimmer shimmer perfect.”

Midnite climbed forward across the tiny gondola, her dark body clad in thick leathers and furs to ward off the atmospheric chill. “What is it, Floyd? What were you looking at?”

“Floydien never did like the morning sun,” he grunted, flipping several switches of the open cockpit as he gripped the controls before a sparse windshield. “Far too punishing on his eyes.”

Midnite smirked. “Then why did you fly towards it for so long?”

“Because Nancy Jane boomers wanted to teach Floydien new spit, and they did.” He pulled a lever, venting steam. “Now that Nancy Jane has turned around, it's all very swift swift.”

Midnite rested a hoof on Floydien's shoulder. “It will all turn out alright, Floyd,” the mare said. “This is going to be the journey of a lifetime. Somehow, I just know it.”

“Yes yes yesss.” Floydien opened his mouth, lingered, then exhaled. “I know it too.”

Midnite Bastion smiled. She took a moment to nuzzle his shoulder.

“Bah!” Floydien instantly grunted. “The charcoal boomer should buckle herself!”

“Er... right...” She stifled a giggle and strapped into a chair right by his side. “Ready when you are!”

“Very well.” Floydien smirked devilishly, aiming the vessel for the dim west horizon. “Let's see what Nancy is made of...” The tips of his antlers burned like sparkling embers...

In a streak of crimson light, the levitating cylinder accelerated, soaring its way westward with a roar of steam and skystone. It soared out of Val Roan airspace, disappearing instantly, like a red-eyed blink.

“EE?”

“Mmmm...?”

“Did... did you get a wink of sleep?”

“Mmm-mmm...”

“Yeah...” Ebon Mane sighed, his gossamer wings twitching slightly. “...me neither.”

The two stallions laid in bed together. Ebon's petite, chitinous body lay nestled against Eagle Eye's chest, nuzzling his dark cheek against the nape of the unicorn's neck.

Eagle Eye laid back, stroking Ebon's back as he gazed sideways out the window.

“Sun's coming up,” Eagle Eye murmured.

“I know...”

“That means... that m-means we're all going to be saying good bye soon...”

Ebon Mane gulped, the changeling's fangs glistening with the hint of dawnlight. “I know...”

“We'll likely never fall asleep at this point.”

Ebon tilted his head up, glossy eyes blinking. “Want that I should turn into... y'know... something more cuddable?” The metamorph smiled. “I still remember tons from when I tapped into the soul sentries! Perhaps a woolie lamb... or a super fluffy cub!”

“Pfft... Ebon...”

“Oooh! Props is super cuddly! Heehee... she and I used to share the couch in Prowse's shop when it got super chilly in Gray Smoke—”

“Shhhhhh...” Eagle Eye leaned forward and kissed the shell of Ebon's forehead. “Please... stay like this.”

“But... but why?”

“Because it's you...” Eagle Eye stuck a tongue out, then smiled. “And I happen to have this totally crazy crush on you.”

Ebon blinked. With a sigh, he leaned down, nuzzling his muzzle against Eagle's lavender chest. “You're too friggin' good to me...”

“Hard not to be. You're a darn good cook.”

“Heheh...”

“Heeeeee...”

Silence.

Ebon sighed. “Thank you, EE.”

“Hmmm?” Eagle tilted his head up again.

“For... for giving me so much,” Ebon murmured. “Not just for me... but for Mother.”

“Why wouldn't I?”

“I know it's going to be uncomfortable up there in Ether Point.” Ebon gulped. “Who knows how long we'll be there?”

Eagle shrugged. “I'm with you for the long haul, sweetheart. So what's a cold winter honeymoon?”

Ebon Mane giggled, then sighed.

Eagle raised an eyebrow. “Was that a happy titter or a sad one?”

“Mmmm... perhaps both.”

“What for?”

“It's just that... that...”

“Yes?”

Ebon sighed, deflating against Eagle's chest. “No matter how we shake it, we're so pressed for time. We... we really can't afford to do much.”

“Define 'much.'”

“You know...” Ebon sniffled, his porous hooves curling tighter against Eagle's chest. “...the sort of thing that comes before a honeymoon.”

Eagle blinked.

“Err... th-that came out of nowhere, didn't it?” Ebon muttered. “I... I'm sorry. I... I-I shouldn't have blurted it like that.”

Eagle gently tilted Ebon's chin up.

Ebon looked into the stallion's eyes.

“I'm not sorry.” Eagle Eye smiled. “And you know what? I think I just might have a solution in mind.”

Ebon blinked. “You d-do?” Almost instantly, his dragonfly wings fluttered above them. “Like what?”

Good Bye, Fare Thee Well, Amen

Crystalline ringlets dangled from the robed priest's antlers as he looked up from the tome in his hoofed grasp. “Since the dawn of Creation, the souls of this plane have sought refuge with one another in order to triumph against adversity. Through loyal union, they add warmth and happiness to the order of our world. It is my joyful duty, as a servant of God, to oversee the marriage of two more souls, namely the couple who stands before us today.” A soft smile spread across his aged muzzle. “Ebon Mane and Eagle Eye of the Western Lands...”

Eagle and Ebon stood before the priest, smiling, hoof-in-hoof. The three resided in the shadow of Shepherd's Rock in the noonday sun, south of Val Roa Proper and its bronze skyline, right upon the western cusp of the Grand Choke.

“Though many trials lay behind them, their struggle is not yet over,” the priest spoke loudly, his eyes darting occasionally across the tome in his grasp. “For what lay ahead will be the true test of their souls: love, adoration, commitment—in all things dark and bright. The whim of the world threatens to toss brutal and bitter elements their way, but there is hope, for God's strength conquers all, and He manifests itself in each and every one of us. Only together—in the bonds of matrimony—does that power become stronger, and more righteously tenacious.”

Close beside Eagle and Ebon, two other ponies stood. Josho was positioned near Eagle Eye, fidgeting as he craned an ear to the priest's words. Across the way, closer to Ebon, Props stood—or at least tried to. The blonde mare bit her lip, squirming inside and out. She glanced past the changeling and into the crowd, cheeks rosy as she stifled an inner squeal.

Zaid waved back, winking and mouthing an encouraging word or two. He stood next to Prowse, Booster Spice, and the crew members of the Tarkington: Crimson, Phoenix, Seclorum, Arcshod, Tweak, Lucky Strike, Basso, Zetta, and the two Xonan warriors. Glancing aside, Zaid wagged his eyebrows at Prowse, but winced, immediately regretting it. Clearing his throat, Prowse nevertheless donated a red-bearded smile of pride in his niece's direction. He shifted his weight on his prosthetic, glancing briefly over his shoulder.

Rainbow Dash stood side by side with Roarke. Luna's satchel and Arcanista's pack lay against a rock far behind her. Rainbow smiled calmly while Roarke watched in quiet deadpan. Close to the two mares, Bellesmith, Pilate, and Kera stood. Pilate craned an ear towards the proceedings while Belle leaned against him, a tight smile plastered across her yellow muzzle. She sniffled once or twice, fighting to keep her eyes from tearing as she gazed lovingly at Eagle Eye and Ebon Mane. In the meantime, Kera yawned for the umpteenth time and glanced wearily across the arid landscape.

King Lunarius, Queen Azira, and Prince Eine stood not too far away; they were protectively surrounded by armored guards while a royal stagecoach rested a few steps away. Secretary Sharp Quill and General Saikano stood there as well, with the latter occasionally glancing back to check on a contingent of Val Roan soldiers who diligently monitored the ceremonial event. Within a whisper's distance was Arcanista, along with Mamunia and Jet. Chancellor Fishberry accompanied the Duchess, joined by Nilla and a few more servants. They quietly watched the proceedings while Constable Jake stood in the background, leaning lazily against another stagecoach with a dumb smirk on his drooling face. At some point, Prince Eine spotted Kera's green eyes, and he waved a tiny hoof her way, smiling.

Kera rolled her eyes and immediately looked to her far right. Beyond the dormant body of the Tarkington, Several Lounge Spheres hovered at a distance, with one positioned low enough for the suited beings on board to observe the event at length. The leader of the naga leaned against the rim of the open deck, his helmeted head cocked to the side. Jex rested his weight on his crutches, his lips pursed as the imp observed with intense—yet quiet—curiosity.

“As the years go by, their love will have every opportunity to grow stronger,” the priest continued as everyone gathered together listened. “For God created His children to progress into better beings, and in marriage that task is manifested with tenfold vigor. Against love, there can be no killing agent, no bitter poison, for love is the one eternal thing that outlasts the cold chaos of the universe, that will forever prove to the spirits of this realm and beyond that what beats inside each and every one of us is immortal from the start, endowing us with the desire to achieve perfection... and to enjoy the unfathomable bliss that waits beyond it.”

Ebon Mane sighed, leaning his soft mane against Eagle Eye's shoulder. Eagle nuzzled the top of his head, biting his lip as his eyes turned glossy.

Rainbow Dash leaned in to whisper in Roarke's ear. “You know... they scored a pretty good preacher deer.”

“Mmmhmmm...” Roarke merely nodded.

“Not too shabby... for insanely last-second nuptials, I mean.”

Roarke took a shuddering breath. “It wouldn't be right if they didn't do it awkwardly,” the metal mare said in a wavering tone.

Rainbow Dash blinked at her. “Are... are you getting emotional?”

Roake opened her mouth—

“Shhhhhhhh!” Belle hissed, teeth showing.

Rainbow Dash and Roarke jerked in place, standing tall and silent.

Belle dabbed her eyes and smiled. Pilate squeezed her shoulder as the priest continued:

“Who here guides Eagle Eye through this gateway in his life?”

Dead silence.

The priest glanced aside.

Eagle Eye whispered. “Old Stallion. That's you.“

Josho jolted. “Erm...” The obese stallion cleared his throat and tilted his chin up with a modicum of dignity. “Yes... uh... by God and God's Godhood, th-that would be me.” As a few breaths snickered, he frowned into the group. “Hey! Come on! I got only five minutes of preparation!”

Eagle hid his face while Ebon giggled.

The priest chuckled lightly. The, nodding his antler'd head, he calmly spoke Josho's way: “As witness to this matrimony, do you vouch for Eagle Eye's honesty and commitment to his partner?”

“Ahem. You're damn right I do,” Josho belched.

Several voices in the crowd chuckled once more.

Eagle Eye sighed, then winked at Josho. He glanced behind him, lavender cheeks growing more lavender as he smiled at two soldiers in the crowd.

Crimson and Phoenix grinned ecstatically. Crimson saluted while Phoenix silently pumped a hoof in the air.

With a noticeably amused smile on his face, the priest nevertheless pivoted to look the other way. “And who is here who guides Ebon Mane through this gateway in his life?”

“Ooh! Me!” Props waved her hoof wildly, blonde mane flouncing. “Me me meeee!”

Rainbow Dash and Bellesmith giggled. Prowse facehoof'd while Zaid grinned wide. “She does, alright! She told me so this morning!” the ex-cultist barked, summoning more chuckles.

The laughter quieted in time for the priest to say, “As witness to this matrimony, do you vouch for Ebon Mane's honesty and commitment to his partner?”

Props opened her mouth, lingering for the briefest of moments. As she lowered her hoof, she blinked then murmured whole-heartedly: “Nothing in the whole wide world would give me greater pleasure...”

Ebon gaped at her. Slowly he smiled, fighting more tears. Props stuck her tongue out and winked before gazing with a sniffly smirk.

The priest looked towards the couple in the shadow of Shepherd's Rock. “Your friends bear witness to your sincerity. Do you have the courage to cross through the gate and enter the rest of your lives?”

“I do,” Eagle Eye said firmly.

Ebon nodded, shivering slightly. “So do I.”

The priest flipped a page in his tome and tilted his muzzle up. “The couple may now be presented the symbols of their union.”

Josho nodded. His horn glowed as he levitated... a tiny iron wingnut.

“Erm...” Props blushed, fumbling to hold out an identical wingnut in her hoof. As she and Josho approached the couple and held out the “rings,” she giggled nervously. “Sorries. They were the best I could come up with at the last second. Squee...”

Ebon took the ring from her. “They're wonderful, Propsy. Thanks so much.”

“My pleasure, Ebony.” She looked across the way at Josho.

With a sigh, the aging stallion levitated the ring into Eagle's magical grasp. “Gotta say, princess, I'm super proud that you didn't whip out some puffy white gown for this.”

Eagle took a calm breath and whispered back. “Face it... this is as pretty as it gets.” With a warm sigh, he turned toward the priest.

The reindeer nodded. “You may now present each other with your tokens.”

Eagle Eye turned towards Ebon. With a cheekish smile, he leaned forward.

Ebon Mane slid his makeshift ring onto the unicorn's horn. When it was Eagle's turn, Ebon fidgeted. Holding his breath, he summoned green flames and produced a horn in the center of his own forehead. Not long after, Eagle slipped the ring onto Ebon's forehead as well. Once done, both stallions turned to face the priest once more while Josho and Props watched closely.

“Before the grace of God, and with the witness of all of His Creation,” the priest said, “I pronounce this couple eternally wed.” He closed his tome and nodded with an elegant smile. “Now, you may seal your union with a gesture of your love.”

Eagle Eye and Ebon Mane turned towards one another. They shared a lasting breath, then leaned forward, locking muzzles in a prolonged kiss. The air turned thunderous as ponies, elk, and reindeer clapped their hooves against the ground, making the desert stone around Shepherd's Rock shake.

Bellesmith and Pilate cheered. Rainbow pumped her hooves in the air while Roarke and Kera smirked. Arcanista sighed happily, glancing across the way at the smiles adorning the faces of the Royal Family.

“Eee-heee-heee!” Props, no longer capable of containing her excitement, hopped ecstatic little circles around the kissing stallions. “They're hitched they're hitched they're hitched! Woohooo!”

“Woooo! Yeah!” Phoenix hollered into the air. “Way to go Princess!”

“Heh heh heh...” Crimson chuckled, leaning on his metal leg. “I have to say, Phoenix...” He exhaled, his eyes glossy. “...I almost think the whole sojourn through Foxtaur was worth this moment alone.”

“Yeah...” Phoenix nodded with a calm smile. “...and it makes those moments when Zenith and I dipped sleeping EE's hoof in warm water all the more awkward.”

“Ohhhhhhh how I wish I could still demote you,” Crimson moaned.

“How I wish you could too.”

After a veritable half-minute, Ebon Mane and Eagle Eye parted their muzzles. Ebon grinned tearfully. Eagle rubbed the changeling's burgundy cheek dry before turning to smile at the crowd. As the applause doubled, he reached a forelimb over, holding Ebon close while he waved with the other forelimb. Neither stallion could resist a triumphant wink or two.

“Hmmmph...” Tweak folded his crystalline forelimbs. “Somehow... not quite the 'gesture of their love' that I was expecting.”

“Oh please, brother.” Lucky Strike leaned in, motioning with his head. “There are space lizards present.”

“Heh... yeah. That would shed their skins super fast.” As a shadow crossed over them, Tweak tilted his head up. “Wuh oh.”

“What's the matter?” Lucky asked blinking.

“Serious time,” Seclorum said, silencing the immediate group beside him.

The applause quieted as King Lunarius trotted the long distance to Shepherd's Rock. Queen Azira and Prince Eine followed close behind as the ruler of Val Roa stood before the two ponies.

“Eagle Eye and Ebon Mane,” Lunarius spoke boldly.

Ebon Mane and Eagle Eye bowed low, then stood side by side, hooves held as they gazed up at the majestic patriarch.

“As witness to this union, I am glad to say that I am happy for the two of you.” The King's eyes narrowed as he smiled. “I have every faith in your eternal commitment to one another. May it warm you in the heights of Ether Point and beyond.”

The two stallions bowed again. “We are proud to serve You in Your Kingdom, Your Majesty,” Eagle Eye said. “For now and forever.”

“Erm...” Ebon fumbled for words. “Wh-what he said!” He smiled sheepishly while a few more chuckles lit the air.

Lunarius' lips curved. “Despite the... last second nature of these proceedings, I was prepared with a Royal Offering.” He turned to look over his shoulder. “My love...?”

Queen Azira curtsied, then turned to pat a hoof on Eine's shoulder. “Go ahead, my little prince.” She winked. “The King's blessing is yours as well.”

Eine took a shuddering breath. With all eyes on him, the fawn trotted forward, balancing a tiny box on his shoulder. He stood before the two stallions and held the container out, opening it. “Please, friends, take these—one for each of you,” the Prince said. “As a sign of the House of Evo's resolute faith in your inseparable union.”

Eagle's lips pursed as he reached forward. He grasped a pendant at the end of a necklace that represented a right pair of antlers. In the meantime, Ebon held a necklace with a golden pair of left antlers. Looking at one another, the stallions giggled and held the two halves together, forming a singular elk crest.

“You are both honorable citizens of the Val Roan Kingdom,” Eine said. “Now and forever.”

“We are honored, Your Majesty,” Ebon said.

“Likewise,” Eagle added, immediately wrapping the pendant over his neck so that it dangled close to his fuzzy chest. “And flattered. Eheeheee...”

“Certainly beats a tiara anyday, huh?” Josho remarked.

“You better believe it,” Eagle said, leaning aside to nuzzle Ebon once the changeling had also fitted his necklace.

Props wandered over to Zaid's side, rubbing cheeks with him as they both turned to watch Lunarius. In the meantime, the King of Val Roa had trotted up to the priest's side next to Shepherd's Rock. Clearing his throat, he spoke with a booming voice to all in attendance.

“This is no ordinary wedding. It is a mark of triumph—a beacon of light at the end of so much chaotic darkness. May the union that's happened here today solidify the peace that this Kingdom has afforded after so much confusion, ignorance, and adversity. If it weren't for these two souls—and all of the other foreign heroes who accompanied them—Val Roa would not stand today. We owe them our gratitude, our respect, and our admiration...” The King turned to look in the direction of the Lounge Spheres. “...and to their allies as well, with whom Val Roa pledges to seek peace and tranquil coexistence, in order to usher in a truly prosperous future for this continent and abroad.”

On board the lowest sphere, Jex turned and looked up. The Lounge leader met Lunarius' gaze, and he bowed his helmeted head slightly.

Lunarius nodded back, then turned once again to stare at the crowd at large. “I've attended this ceremony with pride, but I did not arrive to give one blessing and one blessing alone. Since the day my Queen and I were rescued from our enemy's horrid lair, I've come to realize that one soul and one soul has been chiefly responsible for delivering the Noble Jury's and the Tarkington's righteous intervention with heroic resolve.” His piercing eyes singled out a petite figure amongst the crowd. “Rainbow Dash of Equestria, please come forward.”

Rainbow Dash blinked, her ruby eyes twitching. She glanced left and right.

Pilate and Kera nodded emphatically. Belle leaned forwards, pleasantly whispering: “Go on. Go on!”

Rainbow hesitated, until she felt Roarke's hoof squeezing her shoulder. Taking a firm breath, Rainbow Dash flew forward on steady wings.

Ebon Mane and Eagle Eye stepped back, as did Josho. Rainbow landed before the King, then bowed low.

Not long into the gesture, she was interrupted by the King's hoof placed against her chin. With gentle pressure, he tilted her head up to face him.

“You know very well that we are beyond humility,” he said with a smile.

“Eheh...” Rainbow gulped. “It doesn't hurt to be careful.”

“And was it caution that helped you save my Kingdom, do you think?”

Rainbow blinked. “Naw...” She turned to smirk over her shoulder. “...it was awesomeness.”

Several Jurists giggled and chuckled, waving back.

“Rainbow Dash...”

She turned to look at the King again. Her ruby pendant reflected a glittery object in his extended grasp.

“This... is a Dagger of Evo,” Lunarius said, holding forth a gold blade in a silver sheathe. The small, slender length was emblazoned with antler motifs, the branching tips studded with tiny bronze spheres. “In the grand history of our royal lineage, there have only ever been nine of them, given out to the most exceptional and loyal of warriors.” He held it out further. “You, Rainbow Dash, are now the recipient of the Eighth Dagger.”

Rainbow Dash took it, lips pursed as she gazed at her fragmented reflection in the immaculate metal shine.

“It represents our trust, our respect, and our everlasting exaltation,” Lunarius said. “Wherever you may happen to go, whatever you may happen to do, you shall forever and always be an honorary citizen of Val Roa's topmost Elite.” He bowed. “You are our representative as much as Equestria's, from here to eternity.”

“I...” Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth. “I'm super jazzed to have this. Like... totally.” She swallowed a lump down her throat and gazed up at the Royal Family. “But you should all know by now where I am going. I... I-I can't promise that I'll be able to hang onto something this awesome forever.” Her nostrils flared. “Much less for too many years, at least...”

“It matters not, Rainbow,” Queen Azira said, reaching forward to rest her hoof on the mare's shoulder. “In life and in death, you deserve to bear this token on your person.” She smiled delicately. “For you have brought Harmony to our land, and all of history deserves to know, wherever you may be, that you have been and shall always be a harbinger of salvation.”

Rainbow's jaw hung open. She lowered her gaze—but somehow couldn't bear to look at her reflection again. Instead, sniffling, she turned to look at her friends.

Pilate and Belle nodded, smiling proudly. Roarke quietly bowed her head.

Rainbow bore a fragile smile. She cleared her throat, drying her eyes with several blinks. “Yeah, well...” She tucked the item under a blue wing and turned to gaze up at the Royal Family once again. “...I-I promise not to use it for picking my teeth or anything. Eheh...” She winked. “Of course, if I'm ever to run into... oh, I dunno... a horribly evil frost dragon who needs to be defeated for the sake of Harmony and I've got nothing else to stab her with—”

Queen Azira chuckled. “You have our blessing in that regards as well, Rainbow Dash.” She smiled. “Though, let us hope that it does not come to that.”

“R-right.” Rainbow gulped. “Me too.”

At this point, Secretary Sharp Quill had trotted over. He leaned in to speak quietly with the King. “Your Majesty,” the elk said. “I am sorry to bother you, but if the ceremonies are done here, there is much work to be done in the Capital.”

Lunarius nodded. “But of course, and do not be hesitant to remind me, old friend. You are—after all—the godfather to our child.”

“With honor, Your Majesty.” Sharp Quill nodded. He turned to leave—but hesitated, fumbling slightly in place. At last, he turned to face Rainbow Dash, his purple eyes weak and quivering. After a gulp, the Secretary humbly spoke: “And to you, Rainbow Dash, a safe and prosperous journey. I... I am blessed by your very existence.”

Rainbow blinked. “Thanks. I'm... uh... fuzzy in all the right places right now.” She smiled sheepishly, ears twitching.

Sharp Quill returned an identically awkward grin. Then, with gentle grace, he escorted the Queen towards the royal stagecoach. The citizens all bowed as Lunarius also made his way.

“Come, my son,” he said. When there was no immediate reply, the King's hooves scuffled to a stop, and he turned to squint into the crowd. “Prince Eine...?”

Tiny hooves scraped over the desert ground in the direction of the Jurists.

Roarke and Belle looked over. They immediately scurried out of the way, with Belle tugging on a quietly confused Pilate. Soon, Kera stood all alone, though she evidently didn't know why. She looked every which way—until she saw Prince Eine's steady approach. Almost immediately, the tattooed filly looked in the opposite direction, her frowning cheeks slightly puffing.

“Uhm... I-I have to stay inside the Palace for the next few days,” Eine said, kneading the dusty earth with a tiny forelimb. “I don't think I'll be able to see you and your foster parents for a while.”

“Yeah. So?” Kera muttered to the desert sky. “You're—like—the Prince of Val Roa and stuff. You've got your royal duties.”

“Oh, it's more than that.” The fawn beamed, his breath wavering as he stifled a joyful squeak. “Father's promised to let me sit in on every meeting with the Cabinet! For once, I'm going to witness the proper way to run this kingdom! Just like I always wanted!”

“Well... yay for you.”

“I... I just want to say that nothing will ever match how much I learned in the short time that you and I spent fleeing the Soul Sentries together,” the Prince said. “For so long, I thought I was just a dainty weakling. But, because of you, I-I now feel self-assured enough to grow up into the Monarch I was always meant to be!”

“Not bad,” Pilate muttered from afar. “For a pretend Princess.”

“Beloved, hush!” Belle protested with a playful shove. The zebra only smirked harder.

“Hmmph...” Kera's nostrils flared. “Yeah, well, you're still a dainty weakling,” the filly muttered. “But thanks anyways.” She suddenly felt a bronze medallion placed in her hooves. “Uhhhh...” She blinked at it, then at the fawn. “The heck is this? You and the King are just tossing tokens away this afternoon, aren't ya?”

“Hehehehe...” Eine shook his head. “It's nothing quite so formal, but I think you'll appreciate it nonetheless.” He pointed. “It's free access to the Royal Catering service.”

“Yeah, so?” Kera scrunched her nose. She heard a voice clearing, and she turned to look across the way.

Ebon gazed straight at her, pointing at his muzzle while his burgundy lips pronounced a plural, three syllable noun. Eagle Eye stifled a giggle beside him.

Kera squinted... and then her green eyes went wide. “Oh! Ohhhh...” She fidgeted. “Uh... thanks. I'm... sure I'll have my fill all because of you.”

“I'm glad you approve,” Eine said, nodding. “And maybe, after the first wave of initial business is taken care of, you'll consider visiting the Palace again.” He cleared his throat. “With Pilate and Bellesmith too, of course.”

“Sure, whatever...”

“After all...” Eine's yellow eyes sparkled. “I was really hoping that all of the recent changes—though obviously for the better—wouldn't spell an absolute swan song for our friendship.”

There was the loud sound of water spitting.

Kera and Eine turned around.

Zaid wiped his lips, hoofing a dribbling canteen back to Props right beside him. Sputtering, he waved his forelimb and wheezed, “It's all good! Snkkkt! Please! Carry on!”

“Mmmm...” Kera folded her forelimbs. “Yeah. Okay. See you next time, I guess.”

Eine smiled. Then, forcing a solemn expression across his soft face, the Prince bowed low before turning to gallop past Lunarius' side. Lunarius watched the fawn join Queen Azira and Secretary Sharp Quill at the regal stagecoach. Blinking, the King turned towards the Jurists... and smiled before joining his family inside the vehicle. Saikano shouted a few commands, and a company of royal guards swarmed around the wagon in tight formation. Then, after a lasting holler, they marched forward, escorting the House of Evo north—and deep into the bronze heart of Val Roa.

Arcanista and Constable Jake looked on in silence.

Kera gazed at the settling cloud of dust, feeling the weight of the medallion in her grasp. A cold wind blew at her green bangs, and she shuddered slightly.

“Everything alright, darling?” Bellesmith asked, craning her neck.

“Er... yeah... totally...” Kera grumbled before tucking the medallion away. “Why wouldn't it be?”

Roarke unemotionally droned, “She's disappointed that the little royal breeder didn't kiss her fetlock.”

“Snrkkkk!” Kera's eyes crossed. She turned to face Roarke, stamping her hoof. “I am not!”

“Heehee! Kera's right!” Props stuck a tongue out, jubilantly. “She'd much prefer on the cheek!”

“Backwards or forwards?” Zaid added, causing Prowse to groan.

“Grrrrrr—” Kera shook and shook... until she felt a striped forelimb resting on her shoulder, steadying her.

“There'll be a time for that,” Pilate said in a serious tone. At that precise moment, deer and ponies were trotting off in various criss-crossing directions, retiring from the arid plateau around Shepherd's Rock. “Alas, for now...”

As the zebra's words trailed off, the Noble Jurists came together. First to meet face to face were Duchess Arcanista and the newly-weds.

“I'm glad that we stayed long enough to see this unexpected ceremony come to fruition,” the Duchess said with a graceful smile. “Though I didn't have much of an opportunity to speak with you two gentlecolts in person, I think I speak for all of Bountiful when I say that your cherishing love has been felt from sea to sea.”

“And now the mountains are gonna feel it,” Josho dripped, strolling past the group. He fluffed Eagle's mane in passing. “I bet one million bits every ounce of snow will fall loose.”

“Nnnngh... old stallion, quit it!”

“Your own dayum fault for not wearing a veil.”

“Heheheh...” Ebon Mane smiled at the Duchess, leaning his cheek on Eagle's shoulder. “It won't exactly be the most exciting honeymoon. We've got days and days ahead of us, riding with Saikano's company.” He swallowed. “And then I'll be tending to Mother most delicately at Ether Point.”

“I have every bit of faith that she'll behave,” the Duchess said. “The fact that she so swiftly relinquished her powers is evidence enough of her ardent humility.”

“Yes, well, my only regret is that she couldn't be here to witness what's happened at Shepherd's Rock this afternoon,” Ebon said.

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash smirked, turning to glance at Roarke, Pilate, and Belle. “Has a changeling ever married before? I mean a changeling changeling?”

“There's a first time for everything,” Pilate remarked.

“Chrysalis is being detained at the military compound until we and Saikano pick her up, Ebon,” Eagle said, giving his husband a peck on the cheek. “I'm totally sure she would have been here if she wanted.”

“Yeah...” Ebon blinked. His tail flicked, and he smiled weakly—albeit rosily. “Yeah, maybe so...”

Duchess Arcanista heard hoofsteps on either side of her. She side-trotted in time for Mamunia and Jet to shuffle forward. The two servants got finished drying their eyes in time to stand before the stallions, fidgeting.

“Uhm...”

“Uhhh...”

“We just... erm...”

“We just wanted to say...”

Then, almost in perfect cadence, both mares gushed ridiculously.

“You two are the most adorable couple everrrrrrr!”

Before Ebon and Eagle could react, Props burst through between them, wrapping her forelimbs around each stallion. “I know, righttttttt?” She pulled the two in so she could nuzzle both their cheeks at once. “Heeeeeee!”

“Propsssssyyy!” Ebon protested, eyes crossed. “Not so hardddd!”

“Tell me about it, bro.” Zaid trotted to a stop, folding his forelimbs. “She's super rough, ain't she?”

Props froze in mid-squee, glaring daggers at the stallion.

“Erm...” Zaid gulped, backtrotting. “...maybe I should just make my exit early...”

“What a bloody blessing that would be,” Prowse muttered, trotting forward. He cleared his throat before bowing the Duchess' way. “Leaving so soon, your Honor?”

“I'm afraid we have to,” Arcanista said, nodding. “I've been far away from Bountiful for too long. While there is much to do here in the Council, I would be doing the House of Sehlp a dishonor if I ignored the needs of my subjects back at home.”

“I imagine that's even tougher now,” Booster Spice said. “I mean... with you being down one Duke and all.”

Arcanista took a deep breath. “Indeed. Albeit, Floyd always knew his place.” She smiled delicately. “It's about time I came to learn the place that he has chosen as well.”

“I'm sorry, Duchess,” Pilate said, his ears folding back slightly. “I wish there was a... warmer method that Mr. Floydien could have utilized in parting ways with you.”

“With us as well,” Belle added.

“Yeah...” Props sniffled, hanging her head while Zaid patted her shoulder. “I'm going to miss Handsome super-super hard. After all those warm days spent in his beloved Nancy's steamy womb...”

Prowse did a double-take. “Buh?”

“Heh... for once, I'll have something to explain to you, Uncle Red Whiskers,” Zaid said with a smirk. He turned towards Arcanista. “Best luck to you in Bountiful, Duchess. We sorta... uhhhh... left a lot of black and white stripes at your doorstop.”

Kera giggled.

“Mmmm... indeed.” Arcanista smiled. “But it's a task we shall take on with great fervor.” She looked aside. “Isn't that right, Chancellor?”

Everypony turned to look.

Fishberry trembled slightly, tilting her head up. “I... uhm... I figure that I could assist the Duchess in finding a new home for the zebras of the southern provinces.”

“So long as they don't crap on my bed mat!” hollered Jake's voice from a distance.

Lucky Strike winced. “What's up with that guy, anyways?”

“You really don't know when to shut up, do you, brother?” Tweak grumbled. Lucky merely shrugged.

Fishberry continued: “If Val Roa's to have a promising future, it's going to need leaders who will care for its well-being more than their own interests. Seeing as I've quite a few lessons in humility to learn... I figure a place named 'Bountiful' is a good place to start.” She smiled slightly.

“We wish you the best of luck, Chancellor,” Bellesmith said, bowing. “And with the Council as well.”

“Oh, trust me...” Fishberry nodded. “It's in much better hooves now.”

Nilla trotted up, smiling. “And the Chancellor is in mine!” She turned to wink at the elk. “I've volunteered to act as the chief clerk of the House of Sehlp, responsible for carrying missives to and from Val Roa proper!”

“Well, good for you!” Kera said. “Guess it'll be super exciting leaving a big city for once. Trust me.” The filly winked. “I know!”

“You've... all been such a great inspiration to me,” Nilla said, her eyes watering slightly as she smiled. “To think that so few heroes could make so many massive changes...”

Seclorum smirked. “Especially when the 'so few' are 'very massive.'” He nudged Arcshod. “Right, buddy?”

“Mmmm...” The Xonan nodded. “Dreit.” His two companions chuckled, causing him to smirk.

“She's right in every aspect,” Arcanista said, her gaze wandering across the faces in the group. “I know many of you thank me for getting you into the city, but I... can't even begin to express my gratitude for restoring my country... my household... and m-my brother's legacy.” At last, her eyes fell upon Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow smiled back. She paused to paw at the earth, blushing slightly.

Arcanista took a deep breath. Her voice wavered slightly. “He believed in you. I hope you realize that.” She gulped. “Because of you, he now has the courage to go anywhere he wants... and with whomever he wants.” She dried her eyes in a blink. “I never thought that either he or I would have had a second chance at life... and love.”

“Yeah, well...” Rainbow looked up. “...I don't think he flew us all the way out here just on my account. He... he loved you, Arcanista.” Her jaw clenched firmly. “If there wasn't a part of him deep inside that did, he wouldn't have tried from the beginning to preserve himself.”

“That's a delightful thought to cherish,” the Duchess said. “And I hope you hold onto many of your own.”

“Heh... uhhh...” Rainbow glanced briefly at the warm bodies in her peripheral. “...I'll need it.” She sensed the Duchess' shadow over her. She looked up.

Arcanista's eyes were firm. “You will make it, Rainbow Dash. If there's anypony who's ever lived, you are the one soul to make the impossible happen. Floydien believed in you, and so do I. You will reach grand places... and pierce beyond.”

“Thanks, Duchess,” Rainbow Dash said quietly. “I'll remember that.”

“I'm glad.” Arcanista exhaled, her face momentarily soft... fragile. Then, with a tilt of her head, she smiled down at Kera. “And you, my little princess...” She knelt low enough to smile at eye-level with the Xonan filly. “...if ever you need more fabulous dresses, come back to Bountiful anytime. I'm certain Mamunia and Jet can fashion you something thrice as beautiful as they've prepared before.”

“Jee, thanks, Duchess,” the filly muttered, eyes rolling. “But what would I need another dress for?”

“Oh, you never know. A formal dance. A ball...” Arcanista stood up, wincing. “...perhaps even a more pressing engagement.”

Belle held a hoof over her smiling muzzle.

Kera blinked. “What's she mean?” She looked up at the various Jurists. “For real, what does she mean by that?”

While Ebon giggled, Eagle Eye leaned forward. “Uhm... Your Honor? I don't suppose that the same invitation might also extend to—”

“You and your husband are welcome anytime as well, Eagle Eye.” Arcanista curtsied. “I'm certain Mamunia and Jet would be pleased.”

“Eheheheh...” Eagle leaned back while Josho groaned. “Just checking.”

Mamunia and Jet looked up at Rainbow Dash.

“It was a pleasure associating with you, Miss Dash,” Mamunia said.

Jet spoke up: “Though we may not have expected much thrill and suspense in our lives... well...”

“It was still quite... fun adventuring with you,” Mamunia added. “For the most part.”

“Back at ya, ladies,” Rainbow Dash winked. “Try wearing something not plain and brown for once.”

“Heh... no promises.” The servants trotted off, escorting Fishberry and Nilla to the stagecoach where the Constable stood.

Arcanista backtrotted, paused, and performed a lasting bow. “Jurists... ever noble to the end. How could you be otherwise?”

The gathered ponies waved and bowed in return.

Arcanista turned around and trotted her way to the stagecoach.

“Ready to go, Duchy Arky?” Jake drooled.

“But of course, Constable.”

“You know...” The moose's eyes thinned as he smiled. “...since Midnite went off with that prissy panty-waisted brother of yours—”

“Just pull the wagon, Jake,” Arcanista droned, stepping into the coach. “There is much work to be done.”

“Porno! Wouldn't have it any other way, your elkness!” The moose slapped the stagecoach door shut and swiveled his antlers in the group's direction. “Hrmmf! What are you punks looking at?”

“So long, Constable,” Ebon Mane said, waving his hoof.

“Thanks for everything!” Belle exclaimed.

“Rainbow Dash!” Jake stood tall and proud, beady eyes straight. “If you're going to starve to death out in the Choke, at least make sure your death pose looks smextastical for the next changeling queen who decides to buzz the desert landscape a hundred years from now!”

“Get yourself a damn napkin already, ya crazy garbage cow!” Rainbow hollered back. “Luna Poop...” She waved. “Just make sure Arcanista and Fishberry get to Bountiful in one piece, okay?”

“Mrmmmff... if I'm lucky, I'll get to kill a few imps along the way.” He blinked, spotting Roarke's glare from afar. “Oh. Yeah. The sun's already set on that noise, huh? BAH!” He slobbered, spinning around and rigging himself to the front of the wagon. “Guess I'll have to pick up squirrel-whispering again. Wagonssss wesssst! Pimps! My testicles are full of dust from just saying that...”

“So long!”

“Byyyyye!”

“Good luck with the zebras!”

“Grfff...” Constable Jake grunted, pulling the wagon swiftly west as he carried the House of Sehlps party's back home “No more good-bye's! It's five hundred and twenty miles to Bountiful, daisy-munchers! Knock 'em out!” And with a final roll of his rasping voice, the stagecoach dwindled in the distance, making a solid bee-line for the West Gate.

Ebon Mane and Eagle Eye stopped waving, watching the vehicle become a tiny speck as they shared a mutual sigh.

Kera bit her lip, leaning into Belle as the older mare gently stroked her green mane.

Vrmmmm—VRSHHHH! Skystone engines suddenly came to life, rolling thunderously across the arid landscape.

The group turned about, facing the Tarkington.

The lights flickered on across the dull green hull of the craft. After a few seconds, Basso trotted into view from inside the open door along the port side. He winced slightly from all the eyes plastered on him.

“Uhm...” He pointed at the engine. “I did just as you told me, Prowse. I... I hope nopony minds...”

“Right...” Prowse nodded. “Good work, boyo.” He cracked the joints in his neck. “About time we got this show on the road.”

“Awwwww...” Belle chuckled breathily. “You didn't want to stay a little longer?”

“For what?!” Prowse gnashed his teeth. “Caber tossin'?! I've got me a bunch of loyal blokes here who are needin' to see their families again!”

“Prowse's right,” Crimson said, nodding. “My beloved's likely prepared to kill me ten times over by now.”

“I've got you beat by twenty times over!” Tweak said, plopping his hat back on and bearing a crystal smirk. “And—what's worse—my little lady's got two scampy tykes just ready to help her with shovel and pitchfork!”

Lucky Strike grinned cheesily. “I've got no wife or foals!”

“Mrmmfff...” Tweak began shuffling towards the Tarkington. “We're using you as bait to trap the Killas back in Aurum, I swear.”

“Heheheh...” Lucky Strike sighed, then glanced aside at Phoenix. “Guess you and I are sharing hammocks on the way back home again.”

“Brrrr...” Phoenix shuddered. “Like sleeping with a gravestone, I swear to the Spark...”

“Better say your good-byes while you still can, ya fluffers!” Tweak hollered back, twirling and holstering his gun before hopping into the Tarkington besides Basso. “Aatxe's ship doesn't run on sap, y'know!”

Zetta turned about. “Uhm...” She smiled bashfully, tucking her mane back behind her ears. “I know I wasn't around much for anything... but...” She looked over at Rainbow Dash, grinning. “It was an absolute blessing to see you again, Rainbow.” She winked. “And to help you save the day once more.”

Rainbow smirked. “I wouldn't have it any other way.” She gestured. “You go on home and live a long, healthy life with your family.”

“I'll be sure to, thanks to Queen Lux.” She giggled inwardly. “And thanks to you as well. I mean... what are the odds? Running into you more than once in a single lifetime of miracles!”

“How about three times?” Rainbow muttered.

Zetta blinked. “Huh?”

“Nothing...” Rainbow waved. “Go run to Basso.”

“Uhm...” Zetta blushed noticeably. “I-I just might... eheh...” Then, with a final twirl of her mane, she trotted off. “Bye!”

As the mare made her exit, Crimson and Phoenix shuffled along the line of Jurists, shaking hooves and saying parting words. When the two ex-mercenaries reached Belle and Pilate, they lingered slightly.

“So I see you've got a little family thing going here,” Crimson said with a smirk.

“Indeed we do, Mr. Crimson,” Pilate said, smiling back. “Do you approve?”

“You know I do, Pilate,” Crimson replied softly. “A thousand times over.” He exhaled, shuddering slightly. “How I wish things could have been much... much smoother for you ponies from the start.”

“It's all for the best,” Belle said. She giggled slightly. “Even better than best.”

“Don't live with regret, Mr. Crimson,” Pilate said, shaking his head. “We don't.”

“No...” Crimson slowly shook his head, smiling placidly. “I suppose you don't.” He looked down at Kera. “You take care of them, okay? They didn't survive a burning forest and two epic free-falls just to stub their toes on a trouble-maker, now!”

“Eh... I'm not so bad once you get used to me,” Kera said. Suddenly, the filly blinked. “Wait...” She craned her neck towards the two adults standing above her. “Two epic free-falls?”

“Erm...” Pilate shuffled. “I only remember one...”

“You were tossed over the side of something twice, Beloved,” Bellesmith murmured.

“Are you certain? I only remember that one time on the Steel Wing.”

Belle blinked. “Wait... perhaps you're right. It was I who fell in Blue Nova... or maybe that was in Deep Ridge...”

“You and I plummeted west of Blue Nova,” Phoenix said. “In the forests, remember?”

“Ohhhhhh yeahhhhh... with the prison transport.”

“Yeah. With the explosions.”

“Nightshade and I hoofglided.” Kera frowned, her ears folding. “It was not as awesome as I thought...”

“Come to think of it, Eagle Eye and I fell too,” Crimson said. “And that fat stallion he was stuck with also....”

“Whatever the case.” Pilate smirked. “We all did our time with gravity. I think it's time to retire to solid ground.”

“Hey... I'm totally cool with that!” Phoenix turned to look at Belle. He smiled tranquilly. “It makes me so incredibly happy that you're in a good place, Belle.”

“I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you, Phoenix.”

“Please...” The bearded stallion bowed low, smiling with glazed eyes. “I'm the one who owes you everything. Don't pretend it's even remotely otherwise. My parents and I... my family...” He slowly shook his head, sighing. “Things are just so peaceful in Aurum. I wish the same for you and your beloveds.”

“Consider it fulfilled.” Belle leaned forward and hugged Phoenix close.

Phoenix exhaled calmly. Once the embrace was over, he reached in and shook hooves with Pilate. Crimson also got a chance to shake a hoof or two. As the two soldiers turned about, they bumped into Roarke—smiled awkwardly—and shuffled straight past her to the petite blue pegasus hovering at her side.

“Rainbow... is there ever an adventure where you're not soaking up the spotlight?”

“Helps to match the color of the sky.” Rainbow winked. “That way, you're awesome everywhere the sun shines.”

“I'll have to remember that one,” Crimson said, nodding. “Once I get back to Aurum, I'm thinking of taking up writing. A lot of ponies deserve to know what you've done across these lands.”

“Yeah, well...” Rainbow saluted. “I hope you're right-hoof'd.”

Roarke coughed loudly.

“Snkkkt!” Phoenix held a hoof over his muzzle.

Rainbow winced. “Uhhhh... erm...”

“Heh... it's quite fine...” Crimson shifted his weight on his prosthetic. He smirked up at Rainbow Dash. “Even if I wanted to hit you, I'd miss by a mile.”

Rainbow giggled, then nodded with a warm-eyed gaze. “It was super cool of you to show up at our doorstep again, Crimson. Thanks for laying the hammer down right when we needed it. The King may have given me some cool, shiny loot...” She pointed. “But it's you and Prowse and Seclorum who deserve the medals.”

“Seeing you manifest Harmony in a broken land is rewarding enough,” Crimson said. He bowed slightly. “And to think we got to witness it more than once in our lives...”

“Yeah... uh... what he said,” Phoenix remarked, pointing at his superior. “Also, thanks for all the laughs.”

“Yeah, well, thanks for sporting a goatee so you looked less like a foalnapper.”

Phoenix opened his mouth, blinked, then shrugged. “Well... she used to be funny.” He turned around—but froze on the spot.

“... ... ...?” Crimson turned to look as well.

Eagle Eye stood between them and the Tarkington, fidgeting. Every time he tried to look up, he only squirmed harder. The edges of his violet eyes grew progressively moist.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and hovered away, joined by Roarke and the others.

Crimson and Phoenix trotted forward to their former comrade-in-arms, with the larger stallion reaching Eagle first.

“Heya, kid,” Crimson said.

“H-hey...” Eagle Eye wheezed. He cleared his dainty throat and spoke in a slightly firmer tone. “Every t-time I think it's our last good bye...”

Crimson smirked. “Never the last,” he said. “Some way, some how...” He nodded, winking. “...we'll cross paths again.”

“Yeah...” Phoenix added in a wispy tone. “Val Roa could make a killer summer retreat...”

“Heheh... just don't swing your wagon too far north. There's a crater there and... uh...” Eagle Eye tried to wink. “I don't think Mrs. Crimson would like it.”

“I bet my folks would,” Phoenix said. He attempted laughter, but it died out far too swiftly.

Eagle Eye bit his lip. A tear ran down his cheek. “Crimson, I...”

“Hey... hey now...” Crimson trotted over and placed his good hoof on the petite unicorn's shoulder. “This is a happy day, EE. A wonderful day. This is the beginning of the rest of your life.” He smirked. “The life you always wanted... that you fought for.”

“I... I know...” Eagle squeaked, sniffling. “But now that I'm on this side... I-I'm afraid that I might not have what it t-takes to carry it onwards...”

“I know you do, kiddo,” Crimson said. “You carried more than enough weight in your time.”

“Yeah, princess...” Phoenix added with a wink. “You carried us.”

Eagle sniffed, blinking towards the other stallion. “Zenith too?”

“Even Zenith,” Phoenix said, nodding. “Though the creep could never admit it.”

“Yeah... he was a smelly fuzzhead.”

“Heheheh...” Crimson chuckled, nodding.

Eagle sighed. “Rest in peace, Zenith.”

All three soldiers were briefly silent.

At last, Eagle's gaze raised towards Crimson. “I... I've been thinking about what you said to me, Crimson.” He gulped. “You know... about my father...”

Crimson slowly nodded.

“And... and I don't think it's any surprise that I won't be heading back to Franzington anytime soon,” Eagle said. “Or Aurum for that matter.”

“Right.” Crimson nodded yet again. “Understood.”

“But...” Eagle looked over his shoulder as Ebon Mane stepped up. “I want you to tell him this.” He leaned over to nuzzle his husband, then gazed seriously at the two ex-mercenaries. “Tell him that when the day comes that Ebon and I come back to visit... it will be our decision made on our time. But... th-that shouldn't change the fact that... that since day one...” Eagle Eye shuddered, another tear falling loose. “I've never... ever stopped loving him and Mom.” He swallowed hard, then found the strength to firmly say, “But now it's time that I take care of my family.”

“We'll tell him, EE,” Crimson said.

“Yeah...” Phoenix breathed, nodding. “Every word.”

Ebon smiled at the stallions, his eyes glossy.

Phoenix reached in, and he and Eagle Eye shook hooves. Crimson did the same—only Eagle Eye leaned in, falling into Crimson's warm hug. Crimson patted Eagle's back as the unicorn quietly wept over the larger pony's shoulder.

“We made it... we made it, Crimson...!” Eagle clenched his eyes shut, smiling as he whimpered. “We totally... actually made it!”

“Yeah...” Crimson shuddered, clenching his jaw shut as he glanced over at Phoenix. “We d-did, didn't we?”

Phoenix leaned in, and all three soldiers held each other in a gently-rocking embrace. After a good minute, the trio parted for the last time. Crimson and Phoenix saluted, with Eagle Eye dutifully returning the gesture. Both Franzington stallions turned and trotted off for the Tarkington. Meanwhile, Ebon Mane trotted back in, kissing Eagle Eye on the cheek and waving towards the pair.

“Thank you... thank you for everything...”

“Don't mention it!” Phoenix called back, waving a hoof as he smirked into the air. “Just remember to tell him 'no' when he asks to spritz his sleeping bag with lavender perfume!” He squinted up at the desert sky and grumbled. “Dang this dry air! Can't wait to go home...”

“What for?” Crimson muttered over his shoulder as he boarded the Tarkington. “So you can get more bugs in your beard?”

“Oh hush.” Phoenix hopped into the ship right after him.

Around that same time, several feet over, Seclorum trotted alongside Josho. The two old friends sighed as yet another bitter wind blew at their graying manes.

“...and if they don't walk in line, then threaten 'em. Give them the same gruff that we gave those punks in the lower barrens,” Seclorum said.

“Secchy, how many darn times do I have to tell you?” Josho grumbled. “Those days of old Ledomaritan tactics are way the buck behind me.”

“Nah, you're thinking of Blue Briar. I'm talking about the rattlesnake campaign. Remember? Those yokels were hogging up all the well water?”

“Ohhhhhh...” Josho chuckled. “Though... I'm not sure threatening to piss into the goblins' reservoir is gonna convince the imps not to drink. They've been consuming that dirty stuff for years.”

“Well, then there's still hope for you, old friend!” Seclorum turned to smirk at the obese stallion as the two shuffled to a stop. “For once, you'll be in company with a bunch of idiots who'll withstand your farts!”

“Well... almost company,” Josho muttered.

Seclorum squinted, leaning his head to look past the other unicorn's shoulder. He spotted Roarke standing beside Rainbow Dash. “You sure she won't... you know... murder you in your sleep? She's Searonese, after all.”

“She's had plenty of opportunities all these months on board the Jury,” Josho said. “And Ledo knows I gave her twice as many reasons.”

“Just answer me one thing, old friend.” Seclorum leaned back, gazing quizzically. “What in Spark's name got you to last so long with a bunch of random, freaky whippersnappers?”

“Well, for one, they didn't rob me of the prettiest wench in every brothel like you.”

“Eheheheheheh...”

“And for another...” Josho exhaled quietly through his nostrils. “...they got me sober,” he eventually muttered. “In more ways than one.”

“Or perhaps just one?”

“Hrmmm...” Josho kicked at the ground. “...I never thought I'd ever find a place where I could settle. Hell... I still don't think I ever will, especially not with this new job of babysitting bipedal freakshits alongside a cyber-broad. But... for a while there... I had the next best thing.”

“And what did you think?”

“Aside from a few explosions every now and then, it was boring as balls.”

“Heheheheh...”

“But... hey... the food was great.”

“Yeah. And the booze?”

“Also behind me, buddy. I even sipped water while everypony else was saluting with cider.”

“Now I know why I don't have to feel so down in the muzzle for saying 'goodbye,'” Seclorum said, waving. “Cuz you're already dead.”

“Meh.” Josho nodded as the other old stallion trotted off. “Smell you never, mop-head.”

“Yeah. Uh huh.” Seclorum brushed past Arcshod and his two companions. “Glad I got that over with.”

“Pfft! One last thing!” Josho barked.

“Ughhh... I knew it.” Seclorum twirled about, eyelashes fluttering. “Yes, darling?”

“Did you ever see this coming, Secchy?” Josho smirked. “A day where I ride off to a glorious unknown future, and meanwhile you're settling down with a bunch of tattooed warmongerers?”

Arcshod blinked curiously.

“Are ya kidding?” Seclorum waved a hoof. “At least these guys don't eat the whole pantry clean! Come on, fellas. We gotta start planning how to make the Frozen Wastes less Wasteful.”

While the two Xonans followed Seclorum into the Tarkington, Arcshod lingered slightly. He squinted Josho's way and spoke in a booming voice: “Ba'renna sela'theem thriulen trenna dren, Ledomulien psy'co.”

“Gesundheit.”

At precisely that time, Prowse trotted in a circle, making the rounds. “All board! The Tarkington Express waits for nopony!” He squinted across the crowd. “Oh, for bloody heaven's sake, Propsicle! Get a move on—!”

“Oh go stuff your rasberry toilet beard, ya overgrown praying mantis!” Zaid promptly gargled, bearing an icy frown. “Give us a minute or I swear to Goddess I'll give you a year of pain!”

Prowse opened his mouth, but only a tiny squeak came out. Ears folded, he backed up and waited besides the humming engines of the Tarkington.

Clearing his throat, Zaid turned and resumed holding a hoof around Props shoulder and grinning at his friends. “Well... uhm... so... we uh... uhm...”

Booster Spice stepped forward. “I'll be sure to tell Merigold back at Amulek about all that's happened here,” the stallion said.

“Er... yeah!” Zaid cleared his throat, trembling slightly. “You go first, buddy.”

Booster smiled sheepishly at him, then turned to gaze at the rest of the Jurists. “I... I-I'll be sure to tell everypony I ever see about what's happened! And... and wh-when I come back to Val Roa to assist you and your husband, Ms. Belle, I'll make sure there's a record of the Noble Jury kept in the Royal Archives!”

“That would be splending, Booster,” Belle said.

“Yeah.” Rainbow nodded, floating alongside Roarke. “Totally awesome.”

“Very nice of you, Booster,” Ebon remarked with a grin. “Eagle and I look forward to seeing you again sometime soon.”

“Well... uhm...” Booster fidgeted, backtrotting so that he stood behind Props and Zaid. “That's about it. I... I guess it's just as well I got that over with. I mean... I-I wasn't with you guys for very long, and... and I-I know that I didn't contribute much—”

A throng of voices loudly objected as the group closed in, taking turns shaking his hoof and hugging him.

“Pffft! You kidding?”

“Don't be like that, duuuude!”

“You're a stand up kind of a stallion!”

“Nancy's womb would have dried up without you to help me! Heehee!”

Roarke leaned in, grasping Booster's hoof as she said, “Each and every one of us benefited from your continuous assistance. If there's one thing I've come to respect above all else, it's unwavering loyalty.”

Booster looked at her, his jaw agape. He smiled, a thin fog overcoming his green goggles. “That... that means a lot, coming from you, Ms. Roarke.”

“Yeah,” Zaid said with a smirk. “Especially since she hasn't killed him for wrecking Whizzball.”

“Heeheehee!”

“You kidding?” Josho grumbled. “I'm still mulling over murder for nearly getting stranded in the skystone fields!”

“Joshoooo...” Eagle sighed.

Booster chuckled. “I... I-I mean it.” He looked up, smiling sweetly. “Having you swing through Amulek is the best thing that could have happened in my life. I've always wanted to help as many ponies as possible, and now I could...” He turned to look up at Rainbow, smiling with a shuddering breath. “...and now I did.” He bowed low. “Thanks.”

“Anytime, bro,” Rainbow said. “Anytime.” She smiled—but upon hearing the shuffle of hooves, she looked down and went immediately deadpan.

Props stood between the Tarkington and the Jurists, her blonde head hung. Her shoulders shook as she sat there for a few tense, quiet seconds.

Ebon bit his lip, eyes glossy. Eagle Eye held him close.

“I... I uh...” Props sighed. “...buck it. I can only do this one way, anyhow—”

“Oh goddess—” Zaid grabbed his ears. “Brace yourselves—!”

Fwoosh! Props rushed forward, nuzzling cheeks with Bellesmith. “Sooooo pretty!” Fwooosh! She ran her hoof through Pilate's mane. “So stripesssy!”

Eagle giggled—nearly reeling as it was his turn to be plastered in peach-coated nuzzles.

“So lavenderyyyyyy!” Props rushed over and pressed her ear to Josho's chest. “So heavyyyyy!” She cartwheeled over and ran her chin across several of Roarke's steam plugs. “So cyberneticallyyyyyyy!” He twirled about, blue eyes ablaze with mania.

“Ah jeez...!” Kera reeled back, hiding behind Belle's legs.

Props skidded to a stop before the filly. She blinked, her bottom lip extended as she pouted with a little puppy dog sound.

Belle chuckled, nudging the tattooe foal.

“Nnnngh...” Kera sighed and sauntered forward. “Oh alright—”

“SOOOOOOOO FUZZZZZZZYYY!” Props nuzzled and nuzzled and nuzzled Kera, ruffling her green mane while smiling with red cheeks. “Heeheeheeheee!” She smiled at the foal, face to face. “Remember what Belle toldja!”

“Twenty times each emerald lock right before and after bed... yeah I get it.” Kera rolled her eyes, then smirked. “Thanks for being a pretty cool girl to hang out with, Props.”

“Really?” Props leaned back, blinking. “It was already steamy and hot inside Nancy's womb!”

“Ughhhh...” Kera tried not to laugh; she failed. “Heehee—you know what I mean.”

“So long as one of us does!” Props stood up tall, smirking at Belle. “Your family is so... sooooo adorbs!”

“Why, thank you, Props,” Belle said with a smile. “I'm starting to think that myself.”

“Best of luck to you and your endeavors, Props,” Pilate said, extending a blind hoof. “We owe a lot to Mr. Floydien, but even he couldn't have gotten us anywhere if it weren't for you and your versatile talents.”

“Heehee! I know!” The blonde mare reached out and shook Pilate's forelimb. “My versatility was a match for his handsomnimity... handsometrility...” She blinked, cross-eyed, then glanced back at Zaid. “Handsometastrophe?”

“Good enough.” Zaid winked.

“Woohoo!” Props blinked, the shifted nervously. “Uhm... Belle?”

“It was such a pleasure having another feminine soul on board to relax and chat with, Props,” Belle said with a nodding smile. “Rainbow Dash is my best friend—but Spark help her when it came to needing help with straightening my mane in the back.”

“Oh, so is that what we did?” Props giggle-snorted. “And here I thought we were checking each other for steam lice!”

“Steam... lice...?” Belle blinked.

“Uhm... by the way...” Props leaned forward, fidgeting yet again. “There's been something I've been wanting to say to you, Belle, but I-I didn't wanna come across as a rude bottle of soot...”

Belle pursed her lips. “What's that, Props?”

The mare bit her lip. Eyes on Pilate, she leaned in and hoarsely whispered into Belle's ear. “I don't think your husband can see very well...”

“Heheheheheheh...—” Belle stopped laughing. She blinked deadpan. As Props turned away, she gazed stupidly into the horizon, her lips trailing with soundless words.

Slowly, one shuffling step after another, Props came to a stop in front of Ebon. She stood there, biting her lip.

Ebon gazed at her lovingly... waiting...

“I... I-I feel like I'm running out of hugging buddies.” Props sniffled, her voice squeaking. “I-I just didn't feel it until just now.”

“I think we can hand the title over to Zaid for the time being, Propsy,” Ebon said in a wavering tone. “But... if ever you come back by here again...” He sniffled, his eyes wet. “I-I'll be sure to come out of retirement.”

“Can... c-can you do something for me real quick-like?” Props asked in a foalish voice.

“Anything, Props.”

She bit her lip. “Can I see the real Ebony?” Her eyes sparkled. “Pleeeeeease?”

Ebon Mane blinked. He smiled, pulled the wingnut off of his “horn” and temporarily hoofed it to Eagle Eye. Then, with a flicker of green flame, he returned to his chitinous self, suddenly smaller and lighter than all the rests of the Jurists.

Props trotted over. In one swift stride, she scooped the changeling up and held him like a giant puppy, nuzzling her cheek into the small of his neck. “Chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!”

“Ugh...” Josho held a hoof over his flabby chest. “...there it is. Friggin' A...”

“Heh...” Rainbow smirked aside at Roarke. “The nuzzle to end all nuzzles.”

“If I'd seen you like this when we first met at Gray Smoke... heehee...” Props leaned back, staring at Ebon with glossy eyes. “...I would have hugged you nonstop and never let go!”

“Yes... but...” The changeling's glossy eyes blinked. “You did that anyways, Propsy.”

“Oh yeah! I did! Heeeheeheee!” Props snorted, then gazed silently at the metamorph. She shuddered. “Thankies thankies for being best friendies...”

Ebon leaned in, kissing her cheek before saying, “In dark soot or high winds...”

“Take care of yourself, Ebony,” Props said. She sniffled slightly as she backtrotted. “And take care of EE! When I come back to visit someday...” She pointed at the two stallions. “...I wanna see tons and tons of adorable lavender-and-burgundy babies!”

“Uhhhhhhhh...” Eagle Eye looked at Ebon.

“Uhhhmmm...” Ebon Mane looked at Eagle, then back at Props. “...we'll try... our b-best?”

“And leave nature to the resssst!” Props cavorted about, then skidded to a stop in Rainbow's shadow. She looked up, then grinned sweetly. “And you, Dashie... try and be alive while you stay alive, okie dokie lokie?”

“I'm sure I'll have plenty of times to test that, Props,” Rainbow said, waving. “Best of luck back in Sugarc—I mean...” She gnashed her teeth. “Celestia dang it!”

“Huh?” Props leaned her head aside. “What was that, Dashie?”

“Er... best of luck back in Gray Smoke!” Rainbow exclaimed, waving again. “If your tail ever twitches, watch your head!”

“Heeheehee!” Props giggled, hugging herself. “You were always so mysterious, silly!”

“And you were always so...” Rainbow blinked, then burped out the side of her mouth. “Sexy.” She winced, glancing down at Roarke. “N-no offense.”

“None taken,” Roarke said, fanning herself. “She really, truly is.”

“Yeah...” Rainbow exhaled. She jerked, then gawked at Roarke. “Wait? How long have you been—?”

“Ah-ah-ah-ahemmm.” Zaid rested his hoof around Props' shoulder as the two stood beside Booster Spice. “Well, I'd like to say it's been fun... what, between all the bruises and welts and all...”

“Yeah?” Josho leaned his head aside, glaring. “And?”

“... ... ...” Zaid smirked devilishly. “It's been really... really friggin' fun.”

“Those were some marvelous flying skills you showed at the last second, Mr. Zaid,” Pilate said. “The Jury wouldn't have lasted as long either here or in Stratopolis if it weren't for you.”

“Not to mention all of his assistance in the Sacred Hold,” Roarke droned.

“H-Heyyyyy!” Zaid pointed at Roarke, grinning from ear to ear. “Sexy Senpai noticed me! Alright!” He held a hoof above Booster. “Up top!”

Booster lunged—

“Too slow!” Zaid lowered his hoof. (WHUMP!) He trotted over Booster's body and smirked down at Kera. “But, most of all, I wanna say 'thank you' to this little bottle of stinky scamp-stylze right here. Way to go, kid.”

Kera blinked. “What for? What did I ever do?”

“You triumphed,” Zaid said in a steady tone. “Before the rest of us knew that we could... or should. If I hadn't had a reason to go chasing after your fluffy green tail, I'd just be a lazy, pathetic footnote in Khao's biopick.”

“Yeah...” Eagle Eye giggled. “Instead you're now a lazy, pathetic footnote in Props'!”

Zaid pointed. “And don't you forget it, sister!” Zaid stood up, pacing back to his beloved's side. “I don't care if I'm scraping soot out the crack of hippopotamus buttcheeks up in Gray Smoke! So long as I got blondeness to frolic home to!” He nuzzled his noses against Props'. “Am I right or am I right?”

“Heeee! Righter than Richard Neighxon!” Props chirped.

“Ha HA!” Zaid smirked proudly. “She's learning quick!”

“You were more of a blessing than you realized, Mr. Zaid,” Belle said. “If nothing else, you gave us something to smile about.”

“Pffft. Yeah, well, Mr. Bug Cook over there gave me grilled cheese, so let's consider everything even!”

“Wait...” Josho blinked. “Wasn't it in the sex crater that you—”

“Aw shut up. Point is, I was a bum before I met you guys.” Zaid looked up at Rainbow Dash. His lips pursed, and quietly he said, “And now I think I know what it means to matter at something.” He gulped. “Like... really matter.”

Rainbow smiled. “I needed a slap or two in the right direction myself, if I recall.”

“Don't I flippin' know it.” Josho rubbed his fetlock. “My hoof still stings. Yeesh, with an iron chin like that, it's a wonder you haven't given Mrs. Robo-Smex a second hysterectomy by now!”

“Uhhhh—” Roarke's mouth hung open.

“Whelp! On that note!” Zaid trotted off towards the Tarkington. “Come on, blondies, we've got blonding to do!”

“Heh... yeah, sure...” Booster Spice smiled and trotted along.

“About bloody time,” Prowse said, then smirked Rainbow's way. “Don't think that we're turnin' arses'n'runnin'. If Val Roa rings its bell, you can bet yer shinin' lights we'll come back to defend yer friends in a heartbeat.”

“Somehow, I don't think it'll come to that.” Rainbow waved. “Thanks again for everything, Prowse. Aatxe would be proud of what you and Seclorum have made of his ship.”

Prowse took a deep breath, nodding. “Well, bollocks, that's enough to live off of for a while.” Nostrils flaring, he turned about. “Alright, lads and lassies!” He hopped aboard the vessel and crawled his way towards the cockpit. “Enough fartin' and more flyin'!”

Booster Spice, Zaid, and Props stood in the doorframe, waving.

“God speed to all of you!” Booster said.

“Cheese and grits!” Zaid winked, then leaned aside. “Say goodbye, Props!”

“'Goodbye, Props!' Eeeh hee hee he—”

SLAM! The door shut. With thundering thrusters, the Tarkington lifted off. The Jurists and several other onlookers stepped back, guarding themselves against the artificial winds as the slender vessel pivoted west, activated its skystone engines, and bulleted towards the horizon in an olive streak. It disappeared just a few blinks later, leaving a low bass howl of cycloning air.

Then all was silent once again, enshrouding the remaining members in awkward stillness.

Before anypony could say anything, General Saikano cleared his voice from a distance and called out. “I do believe that we need to get moving. I've... delayed the caravan as long as I've been able to. Trust me, I wish I could do so more.”

Ebon Mane turned back into his burgundy form, just in time to bite his lip sorrowfully. Eagle Eye rested a hoof on his shoulder.

Rainbow Dash flew over. “Uhhh... thanks for hanging out so long, Saikano.” She smiled sheepishly. “I know how important it is to get Chrysalis to Ether Point as swiftly as possible.”

“It's the least I could do,” Saikano said. “I feel like I've gained many allies today.” His lips lingered. He cleared his throat again and softly said, “And yet I've lost a daughter...”

Rainbow Dash stopped flapping her wings. With a rattle of her pendant, she landed, then trotted over to stand before the general. She grasped one of his hooves in her own. “Please, believe me, a pony who's seen what an obsessive career can do to a stallion who pretends to raise a kid.” She titled her gaze up at him. “You've won Midnite's love and respect... forever and ever.” Her eyes narrowed. “What she did for this kingdom, she did for you. Not 'cuz she wanted to spite you... but because she loved you and wanted the best for all that you've put your hard work to. And now that she's free to be where she wants to be, I have every confidence she knows you love her too.”

Saikano's good eye quivered. He took a few breaths before managing: “You truly are the embodiment of Harmony... aren't you?”

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. “I try not to brag about it...”

“Yeah,” Belle spoke up. “Except when it comes time to save entire kingdoms.” Pilate and Kera chuckled.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeah... well...” Rainbow smirked at the General. “Just know that your daughter had loads of fun helping me, and we owe it all to her.”

“Yes... yes, indeed...” He bore a weary smile. Then, turning about, he trotted towards the carriage next to where several soldiers stood at ease. He opened the vehicle, then slowly turned to look at the newlyweds.

Eagle Eye and Ebon Mane quietly shuffled about. A loud sniffling lit the air, and they looked Bellesmith's way.

The mare held a hoof over her muzzle, staring straight into the desert floor as tears leaked out of her eyes. Pilate leaned over to nuzzle her... but he stepped aside upon hearing a light step of hoofsteps. Belle gazed up, her wet eyes reflecting a lavender shade with a lavender smile. Choking on a sob, she flew forward, flinging her arms around Eagle Eye's neck.

Eagle Eye squeezed her back, nuzzling her cheek and mane. The tiny soldier and the chestnut mare cuddled for a melancholic minute. When they parted ways, they leaned their foreheads together—horn to stub.

“You're so precious,” Belle whimpered. “And sweet... and so very valiant.”

“Not as much as you, Belle,” Eagle Eye whispered back. He caressed her cheek and smiled. “You've got a beautiful family.”

Belle sniffled and managed a tiny smile. “So... d-do you...”

Eagle Eye leaned back, smiling delicately. He pivoted about and leaned into Pilate, hugging him just as tightly. “You take care of her, okay?” The ex-mercenary swallowed and whispered, “We all know you can. You're the strongest of us all, Pilate. Just your integrity alone has saved us more times than we can pretend to know...”

“Hmmm... is that so?” Pilate smirked over the stallion's shoulder as he patted his back. “Sounds like something we can discuss over tea sometime.”

“Yes... heehee...” Eagle leaned back, wiping his cheek dry. “Lots and lots of tea.” As he knelt down to give Kera a hug, it was Ebon's turn to trot forward.

The cook gave Belle a dear hug, then gazed at her with a prolonged smile. “If it weren't for ponies like you, I'd never catch my bearings. Thanks for giving me the most beautiful blueprint of all.”

“And thanks for nourishing us, Ebon...” Belle kissed his cheek and smiled. “In more ways than one.”

“I-I'll be thinking up grasshopper recipes while keeping warm in Ether Point!” Ebon grinned, then looked down at Kera. “Ya hear that, Kera?”

“Snkkkt...” Kera wheezed, squirming in Eagle's tight embrace. “Y-yessss...”

Ebon trotted over and shook Pilate's hoof. “Pilate... I... I just...”

“It's been a blessing and an honor, Ebon,” Pilate said. “You are truly a shining example to your own kind.”

Ebon blinked. “Wowsers!” He chuckled breathily, stroking his own bangs. “I-I was going to say the same to you!”

“Oh, were you now?” Pilate's lips curved. “I look forward to these future tea conversations more and more.”

“Yes... yes...” Ebon giggled. “Good thing I stayed aboard the Jury and not Jasper—or else you would have had some major brain competition!”

“I think I enjoyed the exercise my heart went through all the more,” Pilate said. He tilted his head in both stallions' direction. “May the Spark bless you both in everything you do, in this life and the next.”

“Thank you, Pilate,” Eagle Eye said, standing tall and proud next to his husband. He turned towards the side. “Roarke?”

The metal mare titled her brow forward. “Breeders...”

Ebon groaned.

“Unnngh...” Eagle Eye sighed. “Are you ever going to stop doing that?”

The edge of Roarke's lips curved. “Would you ever miss it?”

Ebon shuddered at the sight of the brown-fuzz'd smile. “Some changes are creepier than others.” A lavender hoof swatted his mane. “Erm! I mean!” He waved with a nervous smile. “I look forward to our future chats, Roarke Most Rawr! I-I mean—”

“I get it... I get it,” Roarke said, chuckling lightly. “We may have started off on the wrong hoof, Ebon, but that was the old me.” She took a calm breath. “Save the trembling for the cold weather, friends. I'll do my best to not stink of imps when we meet again.”

“Yeah...” Eagle Eye smiled. “Yeah, okay.” He looked over at Rainbow Dash, and instantly his ears folded back. “Uhm...” He gulped. “And of course... uhm...”

“I'll save you the trouble.” Rainbow flapped her wings once and glided over, giving the unicorn a warm hug.

Eagle gasped, then deflated as he surrendered to her embrace. He nuzzled her mane, fighting back a shudder or two.

“The first moment I saw you,” Rainbow murmured. “Something about the way you looked... the very color of your friggin' coat... it freaked me out something terrible.” The mare leaned back, gulping. She gazed into his eyes. “But, now I realize, that it was a good scare, y'know?”

Eagle Eye sniffled, stroking her cheek. “You saved my life, Rainbow Dash. You gave me... life.” He broke into a fragile smile. “Thank you.”

“And thank you too.”

“For what?” he asked.

“For constantly being what I could never exactly be.” Her ruby eyes hardened. “Righteous. I... I would have gotten lost without the likes of you.”

Eagle bit his lip. Slowly, he nodded with a weak smile, then—after a lingering touch of hoof-to-hoof—he backed away from Rainbow Dash.

Ebon Mane stepped forward. “You... you realize that you're pretty much a savior to all changeling kind, right?”

“Yup.” Rainbow tilted her chin up with a smug grin. “I know.”

“But...” Ebon squeaked. “To me... you're my friend.” He reached a hoof forward. “I... I think that's the best thing I can share with Mother... th-that I had something so special with you—.”

Rainbow gripped his hoof and looked into his eyes. “Share with her your feelings... in a way that she could never get it by mind-zapping or leeching. Teach her, Ebon,” Rainbow said. “I know you can. You've taught me enough as it is.”

Ebon nodded. He trotted backwards, then turned to smile at Eagle Eye. But after a prolonged stare, he blinked.

Eagle Eye was gazing numbly across the way.

Josho stood at a distance, his normally round face long and melancholic.

Ebon stroked a hoof lovingly across Eagle's shoulder, brushing off with a loving pat. That seemed to be what did it. Eagle felt urged forward. It began as a trot, rolled into a shuffle, and melted into a full-on gallop. When he arrived, Josho embraced him with two strong forelimbs, holding the sobbing stallion close.

Pilate cocked his head to the side while Belle gazed quietly with her tears. Kera and Rainbow Dash looked on.

Eagle Eye buried his face in Josho's shoulder while the larger pony held him close. After a good long minute of this, Eagle seethed, leaning back and muttering: “No. No. We'll see each other soon.” He sobbed and sniffled. “Neither one of us will be too far away. We'll... we'll...”

“It's fine, kid,” Josho droned. “Get it out.”

Eagle clenched his eyes shut, crying quietly as he leaned his face against Josho's chest. The stallion held a forelimb around him, rocking him lightly.

Roarke ice blue eyes reflected the embrace from afar. Ebon watched, trembling, trying to contain his own breaths.

After his tears were spent, Eagle stepped back. He gulped hard, then frowned. “You be careful, okay?” He pointed. “Whatever Roarke says, you do it, old stallion.”

“I will.”

“Don't go... nnngh... t-teleporting like a meatheaded freak into goblin gang fights or strange tunnels full of electric eels or... or...” Eagle choked on another sob. “Or anything st-stupid...” He covered his face. “I'm... I-I'm sorry. I'm so predictably lame. You're stronger than I am.”

“It's okay...”

“I do this... I always d-do this...”

“Eagle, it's okay.” Josho furrowed his brow. “...I'm a dumbass. But don't you worry. I'll live to gross you out again. Sooner than you think.”

“Okay... okay...” Eagle nodded, shuddering. At last, he brove a weak smile. “You know, I told Crimson that my home is here...”

“I heard, kiddo.”

Eagle slowly shook his head. “But I don't think that's true. My home is where Ebon is...” He bit his lip, the blurted, “And where you are.”

“Funny that we both decided to stop moving at the same time.” Josho smirked. “You know, it may have been Rainbow Dash who got my ass this far...” His eyes narrowed. “But it was you who saved me.”

Eagle took a deep, deep breath, then exhaled. “... ... ...I love you, Josho.”

Josho nodded, then reached forward to pat Eagle's shoulder. Hard. “Love you too, son.”

Eagle sharply inhaled as he froze in place. Josho nochalantly trotted past him to stand by Roarke's side. Numb, Eagle turned towards Ebon, smiling, face practically melting.

“Ohhhhhh...” Ebon leaned in, letting Ebon rest his muzzle in the crook of his shoulder. “Now you've gone and done it.” He turned to smile sweetly at Josho. “This is gonna be a chariot ride and half.”

“You're welcome, ya cricket.”

Ebon smirked. “How are you ever gonna get your fill without me, a kitchen away, chopping your vegetables?”

“Eh... I think I'm done being fat, sailboat,” Josho said, glancing aside at Roarke. “Time to dish out what I can, y'know?”

“Best wishes to you,” Ebon said. “To you both.”

“Until next time, Ebon... Eagle,” Roarke said, nodding. “I look forward to your progress with your mother.”

“Well... pffft... best not to let you down then.” Ebon smirked, then nuzzled Ebon gently. The other stallion nodded, and the two newlyweds trotted off to their wagon while Saikano held the door open for them.

Ebon Mane stepped in first, his burgundy figure disappearing within. Eagle Eye took a dainty step in. After Saikano had closed the door, he leaned out the stagecoach's open window, tossing his silken violet mane so he could see everypony clearly. “So long, everypony.” He swallowed a lump down his throat and bore a soft smile, waving his hoof. “...it's been very... pretty.”

Saikano shouted a command to his troops. The reindeer stood at attention, pivoted southwest towards the distant military compound, and trotted at a brisk pace. The stagecoach rolled off along with them, carrying the lavender smile away, until it vanished like a shadow beyond the nearby ridge.

It was growing eerily quiet besides Shepherd's rock. With Saikano's company gone, most of the reindeer and citizens of Val Roa had vanished, having trotted back into the main Capital. The six ponies stood amidst the dust and shadows of the waning afternoon, listening to the distant hum of looming Lounge spheres.

“Well... uhm...” Pilate cleared his throat, attempting to pacify the tense quiet. He wasn't all that successful. “I suppose... uhm... all things considered...”

Kera leaned her head to the side. “Rainbow...?”

“... ... ...” Rainbow Dash was staring east the whole time, her ears folded back in a painful manner.

The Yaerfaerda symbol glowed the brightest that she had seen it, pulsing with lavender streams of energy, almost as if it was sailing towards her, though she knew that wasn't the case. She felt her hooves squirming, as if she was about to tip over... tip forward.

“I do believe that we have made our reptilian allies wait long enough,” Roarke icily murmured.

Rainbow fought the lump down her throat. “Right.” She swiveled about, facing all five of her remaining friends with a devilish smirk. “Guess the Southern Cartel's not going to jump-start themselves on their own.”

“Indeed.” Roarke motioned towards the spheres looming in the south. “Shall we...?”

“What?” Josho raised an eyebrow as the group began trotting past Shepherd's Rock and towards the black vehicles. “You mean there's no luncheon?”

“Luncheon?!” Kera blinked, then giggled. “What the heck do you mean, old timer?!”

“Well...” Josho grumbled. “This was a Ledo-dayum wedding, wasn't it?”

“I do believe that ship has sailed, Mr. Josho,” Belle eloquently said. “With a sailboat, even.” She sighed.

“Uhm...” Pilate cleared his throat. “Beloved?”

“Hmmm?” Belle looked aside at him, noticing that the zebra had slowed his pace. She blinked, then tugged on Kera's tail, forcing the filly to slow as well. At last, Josho hung back, gazing with a deadpan expression as the two mares ahead of the group moved side by side.

Roarke and Rainbow Dash began the long trot towards the waiting naga and their vessels.

“So...” Rainbow muttered.

“Mmmmm...” Roarke nodded.

“You suppose they'll let you—the Vaughan—rebuild a lot of your old tech?” Rainbow asked with a hopeful smirk.

“The whole point of this venture is making it so that I won't have to use my weapons,” Roarke said. “This mission of mine and Josho's is one of peace and harmony, after all.”

“Oh.” Rainbow gulped. “Right. Right...”

Silence.

Roarke fidgeted in mid-step. “But... yes... I would very much enjoy having an arsenal of Lounge weapons attached to me.”

“Heeheehee...” Rainbow giggled... then sighed... then quietly spoke: “We... k-kinda said all that was needed to be said last night?”

“Mmmm... indeed...” Roarke nodded. “Some of us even squealed it.”

“Ugh...”

“Heaved and screamed it, might I add—”

“Okay... okay!” Rainbow's voice cracked. “For crying out loud, metal mouth, we've got a filly present!”

Kera squeaked from a distance. “I get it! It's like wrestling!”

“Kera!” Belle's voice gasped while both Pilate and Josho chuckled. “Honestly, darling!”

“Hmmm...” Roarke stopped and turned to face Rainbow with a smirk. “I taught my apprentice well.”

“Yeah, or you taught her wrong!” Rainbow hissed back.

“Heheheh...” Roarke chuckled.

“Heeheehee!” Rainbow giggled. She giggled harder, her head and body shaking. But then those giggles quickly morphed into heaves, then gasps as she clenched her tearing eyes shut, leaning forward.

Without a word, Roarke snaked a hoof forward, scooping Rainbow into her embrace, stroking the back of her mane.

Rainbow whimpered once... sniffled twice... then exhaled calmly. After a few seconds, she lifted her face with a weak smile. “Roarke. About... about what I said last night. I... I didn't want to come across as possessive or anything.” She winced. “I mean... what you do or don't do with your life is—”

“I'm happy Rainbow Dash,” Roarke said. “And you know why?”

“... ... ...?” Rainbow gazed intently at her.

Roarke stroked the pegasus' face. “I know where my place is.” She leaned in, whispering. “You think I've committed to salvaging the Cartel?” She shook her head. “That's a lie. An utter fabrication.”

Rainbow gaped. “It... it is...?”

“Mmmhmmm.” Roarke leaned back. “Oh, I will be guiding the goblins to a Harmonic future, for certain. But the reason I'm really here?” She stroked Rainbow's mane again. “It's too look after your friends... your family... and mine.”

Rainbow clenched her jaw shut. “Belle... Pilate... Kera...”

“I will keep Eljunbyro safe, Rainbow Dash,” Roarke said. “I will preserve them for as long as I live. Your love is my love... and they will see nothing but joy and prosperity for long as we share the same breaths.” Roarke grinned. “That is my loyalty to you... and to them.”

Rainbow sighed, her eyes tearing. “Somehow, I had no doubt.”

“Sure you did,” Roarke droned. “You just had to beat it out of me in the middle of an ancient forest one day.”

“Nnnngh...” Rainbow hung her head. “...is that always going to be my lasting impression on you?”

“What? That you beat me?”

“Mmmmyeah...”

Roarke tilted Rainbow's head up.

Rainbow looked, quivering slightly.

Roarke leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. She whispered, “You won me, Rainbow Dash. And then you gave me the greatest prize there is.” She kissed her forehead next... then drifted away. “Now... go win even more.”

Rainbow bit her lip. A tear rolled down her cheek as she smiled, then pronounced two silent words, nodding. An even bigger smile hung off her fuzzy face.

Roarke stared and stared at her... then turned to face the others. She gazed at Belle and Pilate.

Belle smiled. She held Pilate close, nuzzling him as her gaze remain locked on Roarke. She mouthed “Thank you” more than once, her eyes turning glossy and glossier.

Roarke nodded back. She then trotted over and knelt before Kera.

Kera did her best to stand tall and proud, but she was undeniably trembling.

“I can only protect you half of the time,” Roarke said in a dull tone.

Kera sniffled. Nevertheless, she clenched her jaw and stood tall. “I won't let you down, Roarke.”

“Is that all...?”

Kera blinked. She produced a little squeak, the blurted, “I... I'm trying, Roarke. I really am...” Her ears folded back as her tattooed facial muscles flexed. “I don't think anypony can ever be as t-tough as you.”

“And that is a good thing.” Roarke caressed Kera's chin, a gesture that almost made the filly gasp. “In this life, I've had many sisters,” Roarke said. “Only one can I say I'm truly proud of.”

Kera gulped. “Th-then why don't you c-come back sometime soon and say it?”

“Depends...” Roarke stood up. “I'd better catch you exercising your magic when I do.”

Kera clenched her eyes shut, holding the tears in.

Roarke trotted back the way she came, brushing past Josho. “Come along, Josho. We have many goblins to smack.”

“Yes ma'am.” Josho smirked. He shrugged his shoulders and passed by Rainbow and the others.

Pilate tilted his head up. “Don't you wish to say good bye, Mr. Josho?”

The fat stallion belched over his shoulder, “I already did, ya fecking zebra!”

“Huh?” Pilate blinked. A few seconds later, he sniffed the air... then sniffed again. “...gah!”

“Aaaaugh!” Belle grimaced, waving a hoof back and forth across her muzzle.

“Snkkkt...” Rainbow held a hoof against her nostrils, wincing. “Crkk...heeheehee!”

“Hahahahahah!” Kera laughed, wiping a tear off her lined muzzle. She smirked. “It's like the Val Roan sewers all over again!”

“Mmmff...” Belle rolled her eyes and smirked. “Never change, Mr. Josho.”

“Sorry...” Josho hopped up onto the lowest Lounge Sphere, standing next to Jex. “...but I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you.” He shuddered. “One of these days.” He turned to look at the imp. “Why, hello there.”

“Erm...” Jex shifted nervously. “Hello.”

“Have I tried killing you before?”

“Uhm...” Jex gulped. “Maybe?”

“Well...” Josho cracked the joints in his neck. “...that's as good a start to a friendship as any in my book.”

Roarke hopped up with the help of the Lounge leader. “That's a pretty moldy book.”

“Erm... alright, then,” Jex said, shuddering.

“Take care, Josho,” Rainbow Dash said, smiling up at him. “Look on the bright side: maybe the goblins will name their new nation after you.”

“Don't kid yourself. We're headed to a total dump,” Josho grumbled. “But... I started this adventure by stumbling out of an outhouse... guess it sorta fits that I dive right back into a cesspool.” He stifled a burp and glanced aside. “Let's get this shit on the road, eh?”

“Curious,” the Lounge leader crackled through his helmet. “Are all warm-blooded partings this lengthy?”

“Only the cool ones,” Roarke said.

“A most curious sentiment, coming form the Vaughan.”

“No... that name was a farce,” Roarke droned. She gazed at the four ponies below, her eyes settling upon a ruby pendant and the adorable face lingering above it. “I think 'Roarke Most Awesome' will suffice from now on.”

Rainbow smiled softly.

“Very well, Roarke Most Awesome.” The Lounge leader gestured towards his brethren. The other naga nodded with their helmets and rushed to their stations. Their superior looked at the metal mare. “Are you ready to change this world?”

“I was foaled ready,” Roarke said. “Only now... I feel it.” She slowly, calmly raised a hoof up.

Rainbow Dash did the same.

Black metal separated the two. Schwissssh! There was a flicker of ice blue eyes, and Roarke and Josho were gone.

The sphere rose into the sky, swiftly joined by its glossy black companions. Twirling about, the vessels glowed with amber skystone, then shot southward, departing like wayward thoughts.

“... ... ...” Rainbow's smile faded. She stared into the desolate mountains, the colors of her mane disturbed by a persistent wind.

The silence in the valley was deaffening. The shadows cooled, stretching across the dead stone in tapering bands.

Pilate, Belle, and Kera looked on, silent and still.

Rainbow Dash took a long breath... and then a longer one. “Well...” She gulped. “Uhm... I...” She fidgeted where she stood, not turning around to face them. Not ready to.

“Yeah...” Belle bit her lip. “It... that is...”

“Your stuff,” Kera hoarsely blurted.

“Right...” Rainbow blinked. “R-right!” She blinked again, rubbing her muzzle dry before turning swiftly around. She trotted past the three before they could even swivel to face her. Slowly, the group shuffled behind Rainbow Dash, following her as she returned to a lone stone besides Shepherd's Rock. With quiet, diligent grace, Rainbow slipped the midnight blue satchel onto her petite figure, tightening it and shaking the weight until it distributed evenly on either side of her flank.

Belle and Pilate hesitated... but eventually grasped Arcanista's pack. They raised it high, waiting.

Rainbow finished fidgeting with Princess Luna's saddlebags. She paused, then looked over her shoulder. A faint smile traced her lips. She hobbled backwards, squatting slightly.

Belle and Pilate placed the pack of things onto Rainbow's backside so that it rested neatly between the bags of Princess Luna's satchel. Kera reached in, tightening the straps in place, careful not to pull on them too hard.

A few murmuring breaths hummed between them, until Rainbow Dash gently nodded. The three ponies shuffled backwards, fidgeting slightly.

Rainbow took a deep breath, tilting her head up until a lavender symbol raised in the center of her vision. Before the dead horizon, the plateau jutted up, forming a sharp rise higher than the rest of the landscape... a perfect vantage point.

Gulping, Rainbow Dash slowly trotted forward...

And Bellesmith, Pilate, and Kera patiently... dutifully followed.

Be At Peace, Eljunbyro, and Live

Rainbow Dash reached the arid peak sooner than she expected. A cold shudder rolled through her before there was even a wind. Perhaps this is what finally halted her hooves in place. She lingered there on the stone plateau of Val Roa, staring out across the Grand Choke, her eyes stabbed ever persistently-by the distant beacon.

Nevertheless, she glared against the lavender shine. She felt the muscles in her body tightening, like the joints of a falcon ready to spring. It all seemed so terribly simple, and familiar, almost hautingly so. When the other hoofsteps scuffled up behind her, they felt strangely alien. It formed a lump in Rainbow's throat, and the only way to chase it away was with a courageous smirk that she bore on her blue muzzle as she wrenched her gaze from the Yaerfaerda symbol and turned one last time to gaze at her friends.

“Y'know, the first time I ever crossed a desert, I slammed into a railroad sign and got surrounded by buffalo. Pffft... can you believe that?”

Bellesmith, Pilate, and Kera trotted up the rest of the hill's height.

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Deserts are stupid. If anything, the dry air will just let me fly over it faster. Good thing I'm not leaping off at a swamp... or a beach... or—”

Without saying a word, Pilate and Belle cleared the distance, wrapping their arms around Rainbow Dash and nuzzling her tight.

Rainbow's muzzle hung open. Her ears folded back, and she clenched her eyes shut before the first tears could fall. With a shuddering breath, she leaned into her best friends' embrace.

Belle sniffled, nuzzling Rainbow close, careful not to stab her with her stub of a horn—always careful. Pilate bit his lip as he reached a hoof up and caressed the mare's mane.

The three remained locked together, their bodies slowly rocking in the desert breeze.

Kera watched from a few feet away, biting her lip.

It was Belle who spoke first, sending a shiver through Rainbow's body. “When I first saw you,” she murmured. “I thought you were the most adorable thing ever...” She sniffled and leaned back, her chestnut eyes brimming with tears. Nevertheless, she cracked a sweet smile across her yellow face. “...months and months later, and you're even more adorable than I imagined.”

“There was a time when I would have bucked somepony's teeth in for saying that,” Rainbow muttered. “But now...” She looked at both ponies. Her teeth chattered before she found the strength to say, “I... I-I wonder why I never planned to settle down before. Getting hitched and just... nestling up with somepony always seemed so silly.” Rainbow gulped. “Marriage seems like such an awesome thing. You both are just so... so...”

“We owe everything to you, Rainbow,” Pilate said. Despite the wavering tone in his voice, the blind zebra stood tall, bearing a sharp grin. “You rescued us out of the depths of Ledomaritan squalor...”

“Heh...” Rainbow cleared her throat, smirking. “The Palace of Val Roa is certainly a step up from a log cabin in Blue Shelf, huh?”

“A step and a half...” Belle shuddered, biting her lip.

“You... uh...” Rainbow grinned. “You remember that one time I made you put on the beret?”

“I-I remember...” Belle nodded, sniffling. “I remember everything, Rainbow Dash. You're a p-part of me. You'll always....” Her voice squeaked off. She shook her head as tears filled her eyes.

Rainbow Dash crossed the distance between them one last time. She leaned in to nuzzle her dearly, murmuring. “All that stuff in your head... all of me that they put there? Don't let it consume you. Only dwell on the happy stuff, okay?”

“I don't...” Belle shuddered. “I-I don't know how you do it...”

“By not thinking,” Rainbow muttered. “Thinking is stupid. Just live... live and feel.” Rainbow leaned back, caressing the mare's chin. “Thanks... like, for real.” She took a deep, deep breath. “I didn't think I could ever have friends again.” She turned towards Pilate, quivering. “Didn't think my life could be so awesome twice...”

“Don't ever give up, Rainbow,” Pilate firmly said. “Regardless of what the book or the Herald or any of that elaborate nonsense could have said...” The zebra smiled. “It's you and only you we have faith in. You'll make it to the Midnight Armory. And from then...” He sighed. “...a glorious future, by the Spark.”

“Hmmm...” Rainbow smiled. “Ever optimistic... friggin' Stripesy...” Rainbow heard a shuddering breath. She looked down.

Kera avoided her gaze, staring towards the south as she shiver.

Rainbow Dash trotted over, squatting before the filly. “And you, ya little scamp. Try to be easy on Val Roa, y'hear? After what went down in Blue Nova, I'm not sure another city could handle your sass.”

“Mrmmmff.... what's it matter...?” Kera tried to frown, but the tear rolling down her tattooed cheeks betrayed her resolve. “What's any of it matter?”

Rainbow ruffled the filly's mane. “Rule Number One—stop friggin' asking that. Rule Number Two—you're too awesome to care.” Rainbow winked. “The Kera I know wouldn't bother with the details.”

“Yeah, well, the Rainbow Dash I know wouldn't give up so easily.”

“I ain't giving up, kid,” Rainbow Dash said, taking a deep breath. “There... there isn't anything in this world I'd rather not do.”

Kera looked up at her finally, her lip quivering. “Then why are you doing it...?” The filly's face melted as more and more tears flowed. “Why leave?” She sniffled, shaking all over. “Stay with us... pl-please... stay with us...”

Belle held a muzzle over her chin while Pilate leaned in to comfort her.

“... … ...” Rainbow stared at Kera as the little filly doubled-over in sobs. She finally reached a hoof up and rested it on the foal's shoulder. “Kid, I... I've danced this same sorta dance before. And the last time I was kneeling before a scrappy little pony I respected, I said things... so many things... all but one. And I'm not gonna make that same mistake again. So... here it goes...”

Rainbow Dash gulped hard, resting both hooves on the filly's shoulders.

“I love ya, kiddo.”

Kera collapsed entirely, whimpering as she rested her fuzzy head against Rainbow's chest.

Rainbow gently wrapped her forelimbs around the child.

“I love you so much. You make me happy... you fill me with so much darn pride. And I...” She gnashed her teeth, nevertheless leaned in to nuzzle the foal's neck. “...I care for you too much to just give up and die on ya. I have to carry on... I have to believe in myself and buck this chaos crud in the teeth. Not because I love myself, but because I love my friends... I love you...” She looked up, eyes glossy. “I love every single one of you...”

Belle and Pilate rushed over and sank, enfolding their arms around Rainbow and Kera. All four huddled together, a bastion against the winds, serenaded by sighs and sniffles. Rainbow rubbed her cheek against Belle and Pilate before leaning back to grace Kera's forehead one last time. At last, she opened her mouth with a shuddering breath.

“You're going to have to be the one who takes care of them, Kera,” Rainbow murmured. “I'm gone. Roarke—for all her strength and awesomeness—is far away. So it's up to you, got it? Don't let me down.”

“I-I won't, Rainbow Dash,” Kera stammered. She backtrotted and leaned against Pilate while Belle reached down to caress her. “I'll... I'll make you proud.”

“I'm already friggin' proud. Make them proud. Make yourself proud.” Rainbow stood up, wings flexing as she faced them and the melting crimson landscape to the west. “I just... I just can't get over how awesome you all are...” Rainbow bit her lip. “...and how dang cool it is that you've got yourself a radical place right here in Val Roa.”

“We're where we want to be, Rainbow Dash,” Pilate said. “All thanks to you.”

“Thank you, Rainbow Dash,” Belle stammered.

“We'll live and we'll do wonderful things.” Pilate gulped. “Now... you do the same thing...”

“Please...”

Rainbow blinked, her wingtips fluttering as she delicately smiled. “I already am...” A warm, warm breath funneled through her. Then, with a nervous lip-bite, she reached a hoof back and fiddled with her saddlebag. Her ruby eyes turned aside and gazed at Bellesmith. “Ding Dong...?”

Belle struggled to keep her composure. “Yes, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow shuffled over, shivering slightly. “Belle...?”

Belle's muzzle hung open. “Yes...?”

Rainbow stood before her, trembling at this point. Finally, with a soft breath, she leaned forward and nuzzled the mare's head. Then, as her muzzle lingered besides the pony's ear, she murmured, “Always hold on.”

Belle felt a dull weight in her hooves.

Rainbow clenched her jaw, spun around, galloped east, and took off.

Fwooosh!

Kera leaned forward, stumbling slightly. With a quivering lip, she watched as the blue speck grew more and more distant over the desolate landscape of the Grand Choke. With a curious shudder, she turned to look at Belle.

Pilate was shuffling over. “Belle...?” He leaned in towards her. “Bellesmith, darling, what is it?”

Belle breathed evenly. A tear ran down her muzzle as she held a familiar green book in her grasp. “Memories, beloved,” she said. With a soft sigh, she hugged the book to her chest while leaning her head against his striped shoulder. “Nothing more.” And as Kera trotted over to nuzzle her leg, the mare smiled into the east winds.

Into the Emptiness, A Silent Rainbow

Rainbow Dash didn't see them until the sun approached the horizon behind her. As the evening wore on, the crimson light stretched their shadows into dark bands across the arid brown landscape blurring below.

For the first time in hours, Rainbow Dash lowered her gaze. She squinted through the lenses of her goggles, ruby eyes blinking inquisitively at the various obstructions. At last, with a snort of dull breath, she angled her wings out, allowing her body to fly lower and lower, decelerating into a smooth glide. The earth here was barren, hard, and sterile. The stone was composed of a dull dead brown, with no shine or grit or even a hint of dust.

And yet, placed sporadically about the dead surfaces of the Choke were heaps of tattered detritus. Hunched figures sat in the dessert, their bodies propped against shields and heaps of armor. Skeletal frames lingered in silence with curled limbs and crookedly leaning skulls.

Rainbow Dash slid her goggles up momentarily. She glanced at the remains of each vigilant reindeer as she glided on by. Scraps of worn leather clung to their bones, but their faces were completely indistinguishable; the flesh had worn thin from the decay of time. Nevertheless, their antlers stretched prominently, standing out in the desert air and marring the otherwise immaculate desolation.

As the minutes wore on, Rainbow spotted less and less of the decrepit Val Roans. She knew that she had been flying for hours before spotting them. So, in her head, she contemplated just how long it must have taken for such weak warriors—upon the twilight of their years—to have made those final sojourns into the Grand Choke by hoof. She knew that they had trekked alone, but she couldn't imagine for how long and with what little strength.

What's more, she pondered what could have motivated them to trot onwards, even after spotting so many of their own ancient brethren deceased and propped up along their path.

Clenching her teeth, Rainbow Dash slid her goggles back over her eyes. With a flap of her wings, she ascended to a greater height, then continued her swift flight deep into the Grand Choke.

The Sun had set.

The world had gone cold and dark with the veil of night, yet Rainbow Dash kept flying on.

She knew that she should have camped already. She had been bequeathed tools by Arcanista for magically sparking a fire. Nevertheless, when the last rays of light had filtered into black behind her, and the grayness settled over the desert like a cold satin sheet, she flapped her wings with stubborn diligence, battling the cold temperatures as she scaled the surface of an unseen desert.

The mare had slid her goggles up to her brow, though there was no firm way to tell. All before her was pitifully black. Even the stars hid away, as if the Grand Choke consumed their twinkling shine before they could enter the atmosphere. Before Rainbow Dash, a solid wall of ethereal emptiness loomed. She squinted hard and harder, seeing—or perhaps imagining—where the dividing line loomed between sky and not-sky.

In truth, it wasn't entirely empty. To Rainbow's mixed joy and regret, the shimmering beacon of Yaerfaerda loomed ahead of her. It shone with bright lavender intensity, but the light was Rainbow's and Rainbow's alone. In no way did the beacon illuminate the flat plains of the Grand Choke below, nor did it highlight any of the thick clouds above. It simply hovered directly ahead like a ghostly lantern, ever-present and ever-distant all at once.

Rainbow Dash shuddered. She brought a hoof to her pendant, giving it a little rub. A scarlet glow pulsed to life, illuminating her forelimbs and the furthest edges of her flapping blue wings. She felt like she had just lit a red candle at the bottom of a deep, dark well. All was cold and fleeting and gone; the darkness returned just as swiftly as the glow ended. Rainbow Dash flew alone with her shuddering breaths, navigating an abysmal blackness.

By the time her teeth chattered, the pegasus caved in, and she descended gently towards the stone floor, readying for a bitter night's sleep.

A rectangular rag of dry roots caught flame from the sparks of Rainbow's flint and tinder. Rainbow Dash placed the tools down and leaned forward, breathing gently onto the patch of flammable Val Roan material. She had several more tiny strips of the carefully processed material to ignite during her trip. They would last her a limited number of evenings, so she knew that she had to use them sparingly, assuming she would be able to use all of them whatsoever.

Soon, the tiny fire blazed before her like a strip of hot coals. It was enough to warm her in the dark heart of that desolate valley.

Exhaling with a quiet sigh, Rainbow shuffled backwards, folding her limbs behind her like a fuzzy blue cat. With a stretch of her wings, she rolled a blanket over her figure. She had extended the canvas tent, undoing a flap of it so that the rectangular structure encased her like a burlap doghouse. Between the insulated materials and the flickering, Rainbow Dash felt properly warmed—even toasty.

She didn't smile.

After several minutes of staring into the flame, the pegasus fumbled through her belongings parked closely by her side. She pulled out a single wafer from the collection of Heaven Slices. Her ruby eyes narrowed on the little gray morsel as she turned it about before the firelight. The edible substance was shiny, pristine. There was no hint of dissolving or decay. Rainbow Dash figured that she wasn't too terribly deep into the body of the Grand Choke yet. The enchanted substance hadn't yet suffered the region's leech of magic.

It mattered little. Rainbow Dash wasn't hungry. Still, she knew better than to cast aside one of the few things that could keep her alive. So, after a bit of hesitance, she raised the morsel to her blue muzzle and gave it a light nibble. At first, it tasted a bit like cornbread. The tiniest hint of sweetness lingered beyond a crumbly veil of stale mush. With only half of the waver consumed, Rainbow felt like her belly was about to burst. She grimaced slightly, and—try as she might—she couldn't finish the rest of the morsel. Rather than let it dissolve into waste now that she had pierced its magical enchantment with her teeth, she plopped what was left of it into the tiny fire—hoping it might make the blaze last longer.

With a sigh, Rainbow rested her fuzzy chin on her forelimbs. She gazed into the fire... then past it. A pale halo of light surrounded her atop the dead stone floor. Beyond the penumbra of the flame, all was pitch black darkness. No sounds issued from the Grand Choke—not even the slightest howl of wind. Rainbow Dash could very well have been stuck in the center of the earth, for all she knew... or cared.

The fire was becoming too bright, and Rainbow refused to stare at the Yaerfaerda symbol. So, instead, her gaze tilted towards the north, her eyes flying figure-eights across the impenetrable blackness. Sooner than later, her mind projected thoughts and fantasies against that obsidian canvas. Sooner than she had hoped, those thoughts coalesced into dreams, and those dreams into memories.

She instantly winced. With a shudder, the mare closed her eyes, but that made it even worse. As the memories doubled.. quadrupled, she heard voices carried along with them—all warm and merry and friendly... and altogether recent.

Sniffling, Rainbow Dash stared into the flame. It was bright and it hurt her eyes, but it was still distracting. The warmth brought a glaze to her eyes, melting the tears before they could fall. Eventually, it was pure exhaustion—and not sleepiness—that finally dragged her under. She curled up in the blanket, nestled herself under the rectangular tent, and descended into slumber before her sighs could catch up.

Morning was a pale, glossy thing. It came over the eastern horizon with snail-like grace. When Rainbow's eyelashes fluttered to the dawn's rays, they stirred her muscles from the inside out. She stretched, cracking her joints as she inhaled and exhaled the puffy smoke from the worn-out strip of Val Roan roots. At last, she shimmied out of the blanket and rolled over, delighting in the bitter chill of the desert morning.

She rolled over, lying on her back and exposing her fuzzy belly to the hazy sky. A tired breath wafted out of her muzzle, and she stared upside down at the stone-horizon.

For the briefest of moments, Rainbow's lips curved as she gently inhaled and exhaled.

And then her thoughts caught up with her. The smile died before it had even grown solid.

Rainbow's ears folded back. She sighed slowly, a prolonged breath, like she was deflating all of the previous night's slumber in one pitiful squeak. Then—slowly, with limbs and lungs groaning—she stood up, trotted out of the tent, and stamped the last smoldering ashes of the fire out.

Seizing the Choke by the Haft

One scuffling hoof after another, Rainbow Dash trotted forward, then squatted low. Her ruby eyes narrowed as her blue muzzle scrunched up. She tilted her head left, then right, staring straight forward with intense scrutiny.

The vacant hollow of a sideways reindeer skull gaped back at her. The long-decayed corpse had fallen over on its side. There it lay crookedly in the center of the Grand Choke... for an untold number of decades or even centuries.

Rainbow's nostrils flared. Quietly, she shuffled forward, gripping the corpse and pivoting it upright. Once the antlers pointed skyward, she reached over and gripped a rusted shield, sliding it up so that it was braced against the jagged vertebrae of the dead sentinel. At last, with the task done, Rainbow backtrotted, staring quietly and unemotionally at the deceased Val Roan.

The soldier now sat like a lone bulwark, staunchly facing the eastern dawn. A brief wind blew at the scene, fluttering loose scraps of flesh inside its jaws and nostrils, then settling with a dusty hush.

Rainbow took a deep breath... then gazed beyond the shield holding the corpse in place.

A dim, dull horizon spelled the western half of the world.

Rainbow sighed through her nostrils. Quietly, she slid her goggles down over her eyes, turned a dial, and tinted the lenses. Then, with nimble grace, she turned around and faced the blinding sunrise. Spreading her wings, she galloped forward, leapt into the skies, and abandoned the soldier entirely.

Hours passed.

Rainbow veered north and south, casually transforming her eastward glide with latitudinal curves. She squinted through her darkened goggles, attempting to chase the clouds down—just to see how permeable they were.

When she successfully found one, she'd slow her flight and glide directly over the misty beds, dragging her hooves across the wispy material. The clouds responded to her pegasus essence, and she found that she could spring her body off the clouds as though they were wooden platforms.

This brought a strange breath of comfort to her, a second wind that was all too quickly shattered the very moment she gazed down at the blurring landscape.

The entire world was nothing more than a ginormous polished sheet of brown malaise. It was as if she was staring down at a silk-smooth bowl of honey-glazed oatmeal. There were no ravines, no fissures, no dips or rises in the endless plateau of stone, stone, and more stone. The Grand Choke simply was, stretching perfectly mundane and unchanging in every perceivable direction. Occasionally, there would be a wandering cloud of dense dust, but Rainbow couldn't even begin to guess where they originated from.

More times than she'd care to count, the pegasus' eyes locked on the horizon ahead of her, desperate to spot a mountain, a peak, any indication whatsoever of an earthen structure that rose above sea level. And in every instance, she was let down. She even ascended to a high altitude—flying as high as the atmosphere would let her breathe—and still she was disappointed. Eventually, she had to glide down to a more survivable level, gathering her wits with each wing flap.

Rainbow Dash had learned enough to realize that the plane everypony lived on was on was bent... at least somewhat. After all, if it once joined with eleven more parts to form Urohringr, then surely the world had some curvature in order to make a whole circle. Then again, over the eons during which the plane flew alone and dormant, there was no telling just what the forces of gravity would have done to such an intensely large super-structure. However, Rainbow was no egghead, and she could only make vacant guesses at best.

Sighing, she stared straight ahead. Yaerfaerda consistently lingered directly ahead of her. Rainbow noticed that when she ascended to a high level—the lavender glowing beacon ascended as well. It was then that she realized that the symbol couldn't possibly have stood for an exact location or destination. If that was the case—Rainbow reasoned—then surely it would be constantly situated below the horizon, especially with how grand and spacious the Grand Choke was unveiling itself to be with each hour spent flying, speeding, throttling east.

Rainbow sighed. For all she knew, Yaerfaerda was something magical... something alive. It taunted and haunted her, just like every other ruby-flame'd piece of the machine world's essence that spelled the fate of Austraeoh, or attempted to. She wondered briefly if Commander Hurricane had lived long enough to be plagued by a similar, lingering streak of alien light, forever receding from her, frustrating her. But, then again, Commander Hurricane was surrounded by her own subordinates and fellow soldiers when she died.

A shudder ran through Rainbow's body. Gritting her teeth, she flew down and glided just above the immaculate desolation of the Choke, keeping her belly a few dangerous inches above the hard stone, forcing her thoughts to focus on her motor skills—and nothing else.

Carefully, with gentle hooves, Rainbow Dash twisted the nozzle to the bubbling canister of Nebulum. She hung her muzzle above the end of the tube. As the apparatus spat out a fine hydrated mist, she inhaled it as instructed by Duchess Arcanist.

The pegasus' eyes fluttered shut. She shuddered slightly, overwhelmed by the intense need to cough. Nevertheless, she sat still, holding her breath as her lungs were thoroughly doused. Within seconds, the enchanted substance spread through her body, and she felt an overwhelming sense of comfort. To her surprise, her body was completely refreshed, as if she had just galloped twenty miles before drinking an entire bathtub of apple juice.

She opened her eyes, and just as swiftly that comfort dissipated. A dead landscape stretched before her, growing dull and dim. She turned her head and glanced over her shoulder.

A blood red sun sank towards the horizon, melting into the polished vanishing line.

Rainbow exhaled heavily. She looked at her canister with a dull expression. Then, with dutiful motions, she strapped it back to the side of Arcanista's pack and slid the bulky material back onto her flank. Spreading her wings, she took off and glided east for at least another hour... maybe two... however long it would take for the world to grow cold from an absent sun.

Rainbow Dash could see the stars that evening. She couldn't tell if it was because the clouds had broken overhead, or if her eyes were just adjusting to the environment. It didn't matter. She stared into the flame in front of her rectangular tent. The dancing bands of light were the only things that came close to distracting her. The warmth was a delightful respite from the desert chill, but there was no escape from the cold, no matter how tightly Rainbow curled underneath her blankets.

She exhaled, and her breath made the tongues of flame rise and fall. Her eyes blinked, and she looked deeper into the burning aura... and beyond it.

At some point, her eyes blurred. The fog was a very welcoming thing. It had no form to it, and yet was constantly shifting. She could almost let her mind wander into oblivion, a place where no thoughts or memories could blossom.

It didn't last very long. In a blink, Rainbow Dash returned to the present, to the flame and the cold and the bitter hush of a dead world stretching all around her. Soon, it was all pierced by a panting breath, growing higher and squeakier in pitch.

Rainbow knew the dam would burst eventually. She just didn't expect it to be the second night. Even still, there was no fighting it. The mare curled her forelimbs to her chest, burying her face in her blanket as wave after wave of tears fell from her eyes. The current rolled rapidly, and soon she was crying, sobbing, hiccuping with little spasms of lonely wails.

She could only wish that the outburst alone would wear her out. In reality, she lingered there, dull and drowsy, for another three waking hours, until sheer boredom and ennui finally put her out, and she carried her tears with her into a fitful night's sleep.

This Time She's A Bit Prepared

Day carried with it the same dreary desolation. Rainbow Dash had perfected the fine art of flying with her eyes shut. This afternoon was no different... though it was getting difficult to discern the morning from the afternoon. If it weren't for the fact that there was constantly a lavender signal forever lingering in front of her—even with her eyes shut—then Rainbow Dash figured that she could very easily have gotten turned around and accidentally flown in the wrong destination. East and West were virtually indistinguishable; the landscape was simply that dull and uniform.

When Rainbow closed her eyes, all she felt was the drift of the wind through her feathers. She occasionally tilted up and down in her flight, causing the Yaerfaerda symbol to bob and dance in her blind vision, like a spotlight against the black veil of her eyelids. Somehow it felt that when she stared directly at it—eyes open or shut—the fine lines and “etchings” of the design were less clear. Like a faint light from beyond a doorframe, she had to tilt her head perpendicular to the beacon in order to detect it better. It was things like this that made Rainbow convinced that the symbol was playing tricks with her.

She was so fixated on this empty glide that she didn't hear the roaring noise until it was consuming the entire atmosphere in front of her. Curious, Rainbow finally opened her eyes. At first, she thought she was staring at a mass of undulating dog hair. Her heart skipped a beat, so she slid her goggles up over her brow and blinked several times before squinting.

The entire world before her was a mud-brown wall of mush. She had to tilt her head back in dramatic fashion in order to realize that there was—in fact—an extremely high peak to the phenomenon. Soon, the air filled with gritty sediment, and a rusty musk filled her nostrils.

Rainbow's muzzle scrunched. She had lived long enough—and flown long enough—to know a dust storm when she saw one. Memories from Silvadel washed over her. She looked up to see that there were a few sparse clouds in the sky, but the mare knew that they wouldn't last long against the turbulent onslaught. She could already judge from the speed of the storm's approach that the front was flowing its way westward—and swiftly too.

Rainbow Dash wanted to be well-prepared for when it hit. So, without wasting any time, she plunged down towards the surface of the Grand Choke and set hoof on polished stone. Here, she stripped of her packs and reached into Arcanista's bag. She removed the bundled tent, rubbed her hoof over the crystal, and caused the rectangular structure to expand within a blink. Then—as swiftly as she could—she pulled out twelve metal pegs and a mallet. At the base of the tent's fabric were twelve holes—three per side—through which the pegs could slide.

One by one, she drew the pegs through, then hammered them as hard as she could against the ground. The stone was dense—like steel. However, with enough force and repetition, Rainbow was gradually able to stick each peg in place, one after another. This task exhausted her thoroughly, and took the better part of forty minutes.

The storm was bearing down on her. Rainbow grimaced, cursing under her panting breaths. She was already feeling the knifing stabs of dusty gusts by the time she had gotten two of the tent's four sides hammered down. There was no pretending to be safe; she had to get the tent's foundation in place before the full brunt of the storm hit.

By the time she started working on the third side, it was getting hard to breathe. Rainbow wheezed, reaching into the tent and fumbling for Arcanista's pack. Inside, she found one of her blankets, then wrapped it tightly around her head and neck. Using the thing like a mask, she squinted through her goggles as she trotted out in the storm, hammering one peg after another. Then, when there was only one flap left, she squatted low and crawled under the remaining side.

At this point, the storm was deafening—like a gurgling howl full of gravel and flame. Rainbow struggled to keep the last flap down, forcing all dust and ash to remain outside. She laid her packs down on top of it to act as an anchor, then slid them aside as she hammered the last three pegs—which was no easy task for the pegasus to do inside her tiny, tiny canvas and burlap compartment. Her only light was the dim haze of the sun's glow bleeding through the fabric, but even that faded as the minutes wore on. The cloud consumed the Choke beyond, and drowned out the tiny tent where the mare huddled.

At last, Rainbow was done with her task. She fell back in a sweaty heap. Fumbling, she yanked both the blanket and the mask off her skull. Rainbow was a sweating, hyperventilating mess. She laid back, her fuzzy blue body occupying the full length of the tent. Her vision blacked out and returned as her heart rate resumed its normal pace. By the time she had caught her breath, she lay there on the stone floor, her eyes searching the dark outlines of her tent as she struggled against the persistent throb in her forelimbs from hammering the pegs non-stop for a full hour.

But, she had made it. The storm outside grew louder and louder, making the canvas walls of the tent ripple and roll. However, the Val Roan fabric remained in one piece, and there was no sign of tear anywhere... at least not yet.

Rainbow took a deep breath. She rubbed a hoof across her pendant, summoning a ruby glow that illuminated the tiny hovel with a crimson hue. In a situation that didn't involve a horrifying sandstorm looming right outside, this might almost be a cozy way to spend the night. All Rainbow Dash could think about was how dangerous it would be to start a fire in such an enclosed space. She could only hope that the blankets in her possession were enough to insulate her for the long wait—however long a duration that may be.

So, with a long-winded sigh, Rainbow Dash turned on her side, gazed lethargically at the flapping canvas of the tent...

And did nothing.

Are You Now Rainbow Dash, Austraeoh?

Minutes wore on...

And minutes into hours... ...

Rainbow Dash only wished she could have kept her eyes shut the entire time. However, in the darkness—with her lids tightly clenched—was where tears were born the swiftest. So, with a prolonged sigh, she forced her eyes open, staring lethargically at the tent around her.

The mare rolled onto her back more than once, curling her hooves to her chest and staring up at the flapping material of the tent. There was no silence whatsoever; the dust storm outside was a veritable cavalcade of every kind of banshee shriek known to comprehension. A long time ago—at the start of her journey, perhaps—she might have been frightened by those indistinguishable noises. But Rainbow Dash had since encountered so many perils that mere phantoms had long lost their eerie charm.

Sorrow was one thing. Boredom was another. Rainbow Dash squirmed and shuffled about. There was no room to walk in the tent, but that didn't stop her from twirling little canine circles, seeing how fast she could spin, hoping beyond hope that the sheer exhaustion would finally put her to sleep. It didn't.

With a moan, she tried burying herself beneath all of her blankets at once. All it did was make her hot and uncomfortable, so she kicked the fabric off and squatted like an alert cat, ears twitching to the continuous cacophony of rolling winds.

She pulled everything out of her two backpacks, then put them in, then pulled them out again. She inspected and reinspected Arcanista's Heaven Slices—but did not nibble on any of the pieces. She wasn't hungry, or at least that's what she told herself. A lingering thirst tugged at her tongue, and she was sorely tempted to take a sip from her canteen. Rainbow reminded herself rather quickly—though—that the water was better saved for emergency, first aid, or hygiene. If she was thirsty, there was always the Nebulum, but that was only required in a necessity.

Ultimately, the mare resorted to lying on her chest, etching little lines in the stone with her hatchet. She knew that there was no point in the gesture; it was not like another living soul would venture by that lone tiny patch of rock in centuries. Also, there was the very real possibility of dulling the blade. Regardless, Rainbow continued, her eyes thin and lethargic as she sketched her name and—over the stretch of several hours—eleven more.

When she was putting the finishing touches on the last name, the sunlight had finally completely died out. She had to rub her pendant in order to produce the light necessary to see what she was doing. However, when she had run out of names, she illuminated nothing but pure emptiness, and this added to the coalescing sighs.

At last, as the night brought with it a bitter chill, permeating the sandstorm and the canvas that was protecting Rainbow Dash, she lay on her back, gazing straight up at everything and nothing. Every now and then she would raise her hoof, rub the pendant, and produce a crimson halo of light against the rippling fabric. She repeated this process, minute by minute, hour by hour, until her thoughts became one with the motion, and she literally thought of nothing else.

And once that emptiness had slithered its way into her skull, then—and only then—did drowsiness finally settle in. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes to the storm, the shadows... and the tears being birthed thereupon.

Rainbow Dash was falling... cascading down a sleeted sheet of ice.

She woke up with a shriek, her eyes rolling back. Her limbs reached out—numbly thrashing—and grazed tent fabric and burlap.

Wheezing, she rolled over, and her entire world spun a million miles per hour like a hellish centrifuge.

The mare instantly clutched her skull, gnashing her teeth. The dizzy spell had ripped her out of sleep with merciless speed. Rainbow knew that—somewhere—a bed of hard stone was holding her in place, but she couldn't feel it. She couldn't feel anything. A freezing abyss consumed her, faster and faster by the millisecond. She plunged into the maddening black chasm, whimpering and struggling for an even breath.

She barely found the strength to open her eyes. The fuzzy dim visage of at tent spun pirouettes before her. Red and yellow... yellow and red. Her hooves flung to her pendant, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out if she was trying to keep it on or pull it off.

Her heart slammed against her chest, and at any moment she was certain it would stop completely. Squeaking murmurs lit the air, punctuation to a hyperventilating horror. Rainbow Dash saw blue limbs clambering—clawing. Her body slinked forward, carried on panic and fuzz. She tugged and yanked at the tent fabric without realizing it. Sand and sediment rolled inside in sheeted brown vomits. She wanted to stop herself, to stop everything, but it wouldn't happen. Hooves gripped the nearest tent peg, tugging, twisting. It popped loose, and an entrance formed in the side of the tent. Blinding light and dust. Rainbow sobbed as she crawled into it, through it, drowning and sputtering...

And then she could breathe. In a blinded world of blazing brightness, she rolled over, sobbing and spitting and gasping. Every inch of her coat tingled under the warm rays of a morning sun. Her eyes flickered back to their ruby brilliance, just in time to squint at a grayish sky. The storm had passed over, clearing, leaving dunes of dusty residue all around her lone tent in the middle of nothingness.

Rainbow panted and panted, stretched out beneath the baking sun. The dizziness still plagued her, so that it was hard to get her mind centered—to ascertain whether her body had just attempted to save her or end her. The confusion was too much, compounded with her ache and exhaustion. She rolled two hooves over her face, bathing her fetlocks in tears. The names etched into the stone formed bloody scars against her eyelids, and she rolled over, sobbing into the dust and grit, curling and uncurling until her body became a limp blue noodle.

And—just as the dizziness began to clear—so did her resolve, and unconsciousness blissfully consumed her yet again.

Once Burnt, Twice the East Horse

Slowly, one lid after another, Rainbow opened her eyes.

The sky had glazed over into a dull brown. The desert felt stale, cool, and calm.

Wincing, the mare sat up. The dizziness was gone—as were the aching throbs in her skull. All she felt was a terrible stiffness all over her body. She realized she had collapsed there, lying on her back, muzzle tilted up towards the desert sun. She reached up and ran a hoof across her muzzle—instantly wincing from a burning sensation.

Rainbow let out a long, tired groan. She pivoted about and faced the tent.

It was still intact; just one side of it lay partially open. Dust and sediment had collected across the burlap edges, but most of the sand had remained outside. In fact, as Rainbow Dash looked around her, she saw occasional beds of dull brown sand having coalesced where the raging storm had last deposited them. It was violently jarring to see the immaculate face of the Grand Choke pockmarked so, but Rainbow hadn't the energy to shiver.

She stood up—again, wincing. As she stretched her limbs, she attempted to make an assessment of the time. Twirling about, she spotted the Yaerfaerda symbol lingering above the darker horizon. She realized that she must have been unconscious for over twelve hours.

A sigh ran through her. Rainbow brushed her mane back—again wincing from making brief contact with her sunburnt ears. She looked towards the western horizon. Thick clouds lingered, signifying the distant storm that rampaged its way opposite of where she was headed. The dense sky refracted the sun's rays, filling the atmosphere with a haunting orange glow that cooled into sickly vomit brown above her head.

In a few hours, it would be dark, and incredibly cold.

Rainbow Dash was sick of staying in one place.

Against her proper judgment, she pulled out the metal pegs, collapsed the tent, and gathered her things.

Rainbow Dash flew high through the troposphere. Night had fallen, and all she had to glide by was the luminescent cosmos. Her goggled eyes gazed east, and the frigid air of the desert was actually a welcome respite to her stinging skin. Occasionally she'd fly upside down upon hitting a draft, making sure her whole body was soothed by the bitter gales.

The starlight cast a sheen on random cloudbeds. The mists appeared before Rainbow Dash like silver spheres afloat in a black river. With expert pegasus precision, she spread her limbs out and scooped up as many beds as she could. When—at last—she had gathered enough of them, she squeezed the cloud, causing the moisture to condense and form into a singular sheet of rain. This, Rainbow flew through, delighting in the bone-chilling kiss of water. It soothed her aching limbs—at least for another hour, and then she continued her eastward plunge.

The next morning, Rainbow Dash lay on her side, propping her backpacks in front of her so that they formed a shadow in the rising sunlight. She inhaled a whiff of Nebulum and nibbled on a Heaven's Slice. It was hardly an enjoyable breakfast. The breaded mush rolled around her mouth with the grace of cardboard.

The mare sighed, her ears twitching—but still feeling somewhat singed. She sat up and craned her neck around the edge of her backpack, squinting.

The Yaerfaerda symbol hovered in the center of the burning horizon. Rainbow wasn't certain how she could tell the difference between it and purely blinding light. It was then that Rainbow realized that—had she indeed lost all of her senses—there would still be a part of Austraeoh that would be forced to know where the Yaerfaerda beacon was at all times.

This wasn't entirely a cheerful consolation.

Sighing, Rainbow nibbled on the last of her Heaven's Slice. When she felt appropriately full, she gathered her things, flapped her wings, and took off for the sky once more.

When night fell again, exhaustion had finally caught up with the mare. Undaunted, she glided on, following the lavender beacon that was ever receding.

Several times, the mare's eyelids succumbed to their weight, and she nodded off. All it took was a fresh gust of air, and she gasped, “waking up” in mid-flight while her heart pumped a mile per minute.

Regardless of the apparent danger in this, she still kept herself aloft. The silence consumed her, drawing her forward to find a break in it. She'd fly through any cloudbank she could find, wetting her ears so that the wind blowing past her burnt lobes made a whistling sound. If she concentrated really hard, it almost sounded like music.

Rainbow's eyes fogged. She mentally cursed at herself, rubbing her eyes and frowning. Cloud-level was not a good place to cry, and she knew it. The mare adjusted and readjusted her goggles several times—until Scootaloo's article had completely fogged, rendering them momentarily useless.

And yet, that wasn't what made Rainbow Dash retire for the evening. But, rather, the starlight had caught something down below. At first, Rainbow guessed that it was simply her imagination. And yet, as she tilted her head in order to catch the world below in her peripheral vision, she became aware of a strange... formation along the stone floor of the Choke. Silver etchings were highlighted by the starlight, and Rainbow was almost certain that she spotted winding, serpentine formations.

By this time, the act of yawning trumped the act of discovery. Disgruntled and exhausted, Rainbow Dash gave in, drifting down to the desert floor and laying her packs by her side. She threw a blanket over her aching body and turned over so that she slumped limply on the side of her figure that wasn't burnt. The mare was too lazy to pitch a tent, much less a fire. She was unconscious before she could count the twentieth strobe of Yaerfaerda since landing.

Rainbow awoke fitfully. Nightmarish visions combined an ash-dirtied village with a flaming airship. She shot up with a gasp, her bloodshot eyes quivering. After several seconds of catching her breath, she gnashed her teeth and collapsed into her blankets again. Sometime overnight, with enough tossing and turning, the sheets had become a mattress instead of a duvet. The mare was thankful that massive storms carried the dust of the Choke to far off locations, or else her skin would have been rubbed raw by dawn.

Rainbow gazed towards the sunrise, and only then did she remember the odd sight she had seen—or thought she had seen the evening before. On crackling joints, she stood up, taking one nervous step after another. She ascended a curved rise in stone, then looked out upon the east.

What she saw made her blink hard.

It was a canyon... or rather canyons. As the cloud of sleep dissipated from Rainbow's head, her eyes took in more and more of what lay before her. Within four hundred meters, the perfect, polished, and unblemished stone surface of the Grand Choke gave way, dropping into one of many enormous chasms that sliced into the earth, descending into incomprehensible depths. Rainbow became aware of a loud roaring sound, and she briefly looked left in right in search of the shadow of dragon wings. Instead—she realized—she was listening to the incessant noise of wind howling through the gargantuan ravines. It was both alarming and exciting.

That was the first time Rainbow felt awake in days.

In the Desert, Something Deep Lingers

Rainbow Dash wasted no time exploring.

As soon as she fitted her packs back on her flank, she took off and soared directly for the edge of the canyon. She stared earthward, squinting as she passed over the edge of the ravine. With startling magnificence, the stone surface of the Grand Choke cut straight down at an unimaginably steep level. Because it was so early in the day, there was no way the sun's rays could reach the inner chasms below. As a result, Rainbow Dash couldn't guess their actual depth.

Curious, she nevertheless flew eastward in a lazy glide, ascending with flapping wings in order to get a finer survey of the natural phenomenon. And yet, the more she observed, the less natural it all seemed. The world below had been sliced thoroughly into sharp swaths, bending and twisting every which way. It was almost as if a gigantic, continental razor had etched serpentine grooves into the world's stone skin at random.

Rainbow flew, bending north slightly as she climbed to an even higher altitude. Gazing northeast, she saw the canyons rivering off, disappearing beyond the vanishing point. She couldn't tell where the canyons ended, although—from what she observed—it was as though they all started suddenly at that very specific longitudinal line.

Her eyes grazed the winding the canyons as the next two hours passed. The very edges of the ravines—the top lips, so to speak—were jutting at near-perfect right angles. Rainbow Dash had never seen anything like it—not in Equestria nor in any of the lands looming east. As the third and fourth hour limped by, she grew increasingly eager to see what loomed below in those dark, dark chasms.

At last, it approached the noonday hour. The sun passed slowly overhead, and Rainbow watched as the light bled deeply into each crevices. Lips pursed, she descended, coasting the mouths of the ravines. She hovered in place above one particular narrow trench, watching as the light spread down... and deeper and deeper.

Noon came, and Rainbow still couldn't spot the canyon floor. To her estimation, light traveled down a visible two hundred meters before her eyes could discern no more. What struck her as strange was that the canyon walls were almost perfectly vertical, with immaculately smooth surfaces.

The mare chewed on her lip. She glanced east at the sea of canyons, then up at the bright sun. Within another hour, the light would had shifted west so that she'd have next to no visibility within the ravine. So, taking a deep breath, she fearlessly dove earthward, plunging into the ravine altogether.

As soon as she passed the top edge of the canyon walls, she felt encumbered by a wave of bitterly cold air. It was soothing for the first thirty seconds, but soon turned deathly and chilling as she was surrounded in ominous shadow. She passed the light's edge, spreading her wings in order to slow her descent. Here, she drifted downward slowly, eyes narrow. As her vision adjusted to the depths, she found that there was—indeed—a bottom to the canyon. Rather anticlimactically, however, it was filled with rising and falling dunes of sand.

Nevertheless, Rainbow Dash touched down on pensive hooves. The sediment was remarkably compact to the touch. Only a few gritty bits crumbled off. Otherwise, it almost felt like perching on the stone skin of the Grand Choke itself.

Rainbow rubbed a hoof across her pendant. A ruby glow illuminated the smooth, shiny walls claustrophobically stretching above her. Within the crimson halo, Rainbow Dash knelt low and brushed her hoof across the beds of sand. She collected some of the material in the crook of her forelimb and lifted it to her eyes, studying the shiny specks within.

She exhaled, tilting her head to look straight up.

The world appeared before her like a worming slit of narrow light.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, reveling briefly in the dead silence of where she stood. That far deep, away from the light and the wind and the heat, it almost felt like the last week had been nothing but an absurd dream. If there was a way to slap a lid over the ravine's top and seal her there, she might almost be game.

Nevertheless, a lavender pulse dragged her out of the moment. With a dull sigh, she fluttered her eyes back open, glancing up.

The slit of light was a lot darker. Rainbow knew it wasn't just her imagination. Several thick clouds had formed overhead.

Curious, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings and began the grueling ascent back to the canyon's surface. The faster she climbed, the dim light remained the same, instead of blinding her. With a worrisome breath, she reached the chasm's lip and peered out into the surface world.

Her heart nearly stopped, and she had to struggle to squint into the bitter winds.

Another sand storm was rushing in—and fast. What's more, it was powered by at least two howling cyclones that shredded at the stone earth with violent abandon. Rainbow watched as the cyclones rolled westward—until they crossed over one or more canyons. They then made erratic turns, nearly breaking up, but ultimately coalescing and becoming stronger.

Rainbow bit her lip. She figured that flying back into the depths of the canyon would be her best bet, but she didn't want to risk anything. So, with a swift breath, she kicked off the earth, barreled north, and flew rapidly in hopes of circumventing the westward blowing cyclones.

The air grew more and more turbulent, and soon Rainbow Dash realized the deathly swiftness of the storm she was attempting to outrun. However, just as she contemplated ascending above the dust clouds, a wall of brown sediment consumed the horizon in front of her.

Rainbow gasped, hovering to a swift stop as her wings fought against the winds to keep her steady. Her expert weather senses hadn't anticipated this, but she could now tell that a concave wind formation was sweeping her way, and if she wasn't careful she'd be caught up in the storm by three sides. Rainbow's experience with dust clouds told her that there was no sense in outrunning them.

So, with literally no more options available, she gnashed her teeth and flew straight down, descending rapidly into the dim, dark chasms right as the howl of murderous gales whistled into her ears.

All Else Fails? Thread the Needle.

All Else Fails? Thread the Needle.

Rainbow Dash didn't start to panic until she found that none of the twisting ravines were winding their way northeast. As she glided through the narrow chasms, they took her further and further west, with a left turn for every right turn, keeping her along a straight path. She had hoped to bend east and fly under the cyclones before they consumed the air above and within the ravines altogether. However, as the seconds roared into frantic minutes, she found herself subjected to louder and louder gales.

At one point, Rainbow Dash reached a chasm so thin that she could stretch her legs out on either side and wedge herself in place. Wincing, she stared straight up through her goggles. The slit of light that spelled the sky had almost vanished entirely, leaving her with a brown malaise of swirling sediment—growing denser and denser as the winds carried it deep down into the very canyon where she was entrenched.

The dust and sand below her kicked up, blowing into her face. The pegasus wheezed, coughed. She held a hoof over mouth and struggled to hold her breath. Muscles aching, she squeezed through the ultra-thin chasm and glided ahead—more like threw herself ahead. She felt her blood pulsing through her head, but there was no way she could hear the pulse above the audible mayhem all around her.

At last, the canyon walls pivoted eastward. Rainbow Dash knew this because she saw the Yaerfaerda symbol blinking wildly ahead of her. At first, this summoned a gasp of joy from deep within her being. It was short-lived, however, for only a few dozen meters into the flight she ran into a dead end.

Rainbow Dash hovered at a stop, clenching her teeth. By now, the cyclonic winds had rushed completely into the chasm, picking up and swirling about every speck of dust. Rainbow grunted as she was thrown left... thrown right... then tugged forward. With each random motion of her windblown body, she bumped and collided with the stone walls of the rigid ravine all the harder. At last, with desperation, she planted her blank against the dead end, attempting to brace her limbs against the walls of the canyon. All this did was pin her deeper under a piling mountain of sand—the same sand that lifted from the wind's twirling force and repeatedly enveloped her upper body and face.

If it weren't for Scootaloo's goggles, Rainbow Dash would be blind by now. However, that was the least of her concerns. There was little to no opportunities to breathe; the sand lifted so consistently and violently against her muzzle that Rainbow Dash could scarcely manage a single inhale.

As a result, she doubled over, wheezing and sputtering as the sand roared up, around, and through her. The flesh on her body began to chaff, agitated by the murderous grit of the sandstorm billowing across her coat. The pain increased exponentially, starting low at first, but then growing more and more excruciating with each second Rainbow Dash was refused an even breath.

She tried covering her muzzle with her hooves, but this did little to ease her. The world was growing heavier, foggier. The pegasus' extremities were growing numb; she could barely feel the edge of her twitching ears. At last, as the darkness spread through the corner of her vision, she stared straight up.

It was then that Rainbow Dash glimpsed—through the swirling mists of brown sediment—the very heart of the cyclone. It twirled and writhed directly above her and the chasm, undulating with earthen colors streaking by in counter clockwise madness. From the violent speeds with which the mud-brown currents spun, Rainbow guessed that it would tear steel itself asunder.

For the first time in days, Rainbow Dash felt something rip through her chest—something exciting. If she wasn't being pounded by sand at every blink, she might even have smiled. Instead, she yelled... and yelled louder, throwing herself skyward as she fearlessly flew into the heart of the maelstrom.

Rainbow Dash ascended, wings slicing through the edge of the vertical passageway of twirling sediment. She climbed through the currents, screaming into the tunnel of death, even as the dust filled her muzzle and nostrils.

When the winds finally caught her, she spat into them, fighting and thrashing as her wings threatened to rip off at any second. With much struggle, she finally jerked herself forward, kicked against a quivering cloud of dirtied mist, and shot upwards like a bullet. All of the sudden, she could hear her own ghastly wails—for she had successfully pierced her way through the summit of the clouds.

There was no victory to enjoy. The very moment she flew up through the cyclone, her body went flailing in a random direction. The strength had been utterly sapped from her bones, and she twirled multiple times before finally descending in an eastward lunge, plowing through painful waves of dense clouds as the rough surface of the stone earth soared into her vision.

Rainbow Dash was unconscious before she could register the pain of impact.

Hello There, Desolation, My Only Friend

Rainbow Dash didn't know how long she had been awake. All she knew was pain.

She lay in the warm sun, her body bathed in sand and grit.

Eventually, after much stirring, she moved her limbs. Her legs and wings appeared to be intact. Fighting a stiff ache, she shuffled forward in the first direction she could. Only after tilting her head up did she notice Yaerfaerda, and she pivoted her weary figure in its direction.

She opened her eyes, spotting a dull sky of brown hues wafting overhead. Maybe it was evening... or morning. Maybe it didn't matter.

With a groan, Rainbow Dash reached back and fiddled through Arcanista's pack. She tried pulling out the canvas tent, but only fumbled ineffectually. At last, sighing, she simply yanked the blanket out and threw it over herself, collapsing back to the stone and lying dead still.

Night stretched over the Grand Choke like a dark ceiling.

Rainbow Dash started trotting an hour ago. She stumbled eastward, limping. Her hooves pulled her forward, but did little more to ease the passage. She winced from her bruises, wavering left and right.

She tilted her bleary eyes up. Something bright loomed in the sky, drowning out the stars with its light.

With a parched breath, Rainbow slithered to a stop. She sat in place, lungs heaving and muscles aching. Raising her hoof, she stroked her fetlock across her pendant. The lightning bolt glowed as she tilted her neck up, aiming it at the bright orb in the sky.

Moonlight glinted off the golden bands surrounding the Element. It brought a glittering shine to the center of the Choke.

Rainbow sat and sat some more.

Nothing happened.

She blinked. She ran her hoof over the pendant once more. The lighting bolt glowed, then dimmed.

All was silent, save for the howling winds blowing in and out of the narrow chasms all around her.

Rainbow Dash panted and panted. She lay back completely, spreading her limbs as she arched her body up, practically thrusting the pendant towards the sky.

All was empty and dead.

Rainbow squinted at the moon. She bit her lip, pondering that perhaps it hadn't completely waxed yet. So, with a shudder, she pressed onwards, shuffling east, though she hung her head the whole time.

Rainbow Dash sat on the edge of a canyon, squinting against the morning light. She held a Heaven's Slice to her muzzle, nibbling on it with dull motions of her teeth. Her eyes swam circles around the distant Yaerfaerda symbol.

Dirt and sand clung to her feathers, but she didn't make any attempt to shake the sediment loose.

She smelled like sweat and mud, but her canteen was half-full and her nostrils burnt around the edges. She continued sitting in place, anchored by her sighs and the dull taste of the Val Roan delicacy.

She considered inhaling some Nebulum, but changed her mind. She had to preserve her precious resources... although she was starting to wonder why.

It was night again.

Rainbow Dash sat on a cloud.

She held her breath, tilting her neck up at the bright moon in the sky.

Her pendant stopped glittering.

Panting for breath, she reached a hoof up and brushed it again.

The ruby bolt glowed, shone, and dimmed once more.

Rainbow cursed under her breath, giving the Element another brush.

All the while, the moon lingered above, cool and bright, reflecting the pegasus' tear-streaked cheeks.

Rainbow Dash glided east, her goggles reflecting the rising sun.

She clenched her jaw, watching as the etched canyons finally coalesced into large valleys and dipping ravines. And—just like that—the Grand Choke finally ceased being an immaculate plateau of untouched stone. The entire plain dissipated, replaced by craggy hills and jagged peaks of stone.

The horizon had become uneven. Everything was erratic and unpredictable. Rainbow's eyes caught multiple layers of geological strata—shimmering in the rising sunlight.

She was so concentrated on the jarring change to the landscape that she didn't notice she was descending. Suddenly, the mare saw the tops of small mountains slicing at her belly. She gasped, flapping her wings harder to ascend the summits.

She rose into the sky, but with great difficulty. Rainbow's sweaty brow furrowed as she flapped her wings harder. Perhaps it was her imagination, but it seemed as though it was taking twice as much effort to keep herself aloft.

She shuddered slightly, panting for breath. Clenching her jaw, she ascended high enough to throw her body into an easy glide, allowing the winds to carry her aloft as she scaled ravine after ravine, chasing Yaerfaerda.

Rainbow Dash tilted her head up.

The moon loomed in the sky once more.

Under the cool kiss of night, she held her breath and lifted herself up towards the clouds.

The ascent was slow and cumbersome. She nearly threw her lungs out with the sheer effort of flapping her wings. At last, however, she reached the clouds. Her eyes caught the misty beds glimmering in silver reflections of the lunar orb. Exhaling in relief, she touched down.

And her body plunged through the clouds.

Rainbow gasped, falling, flailing. She flapped her wings, angled herself out, and glided back to an even level.

The mare's heart pulsed through her neck and veins. Wincing, she flapped her wings again, pulling herself up onto another cloud bed. She touched down slowly this time, keeping her wings spread and her muscles poised.

Sure enough, as soon as her hooves made contact, they sank through the wispy material.

Rainbow's eyes narrowed. She levitated in place, swirling her fetlock through the cloud. The vaporous bits of water parted ways, dissipating upon her pegasus touch. Try as she might, she couldn't grip a single strip of the foggy material. It simply refused to obey her hoof motions.

Fidgeting, Rainbow chose instead to glide towards the nearest mountain summit. She landed awkwardly, but managed to keep from slipping downhill.

With a wheezing breath, she tilted her neck up, aiming her pendant at the moon once again. She swore it was the brightest she had seen the heavenly body in over a month.

And yet, as she stroked the ruby lightning pendant and activated it's glow, there was no connection whatsoever. No silver glow of enchantment. No ethereal voice rolling off her fuzzy earlobes.

Rainbow breathed heavily... and then she started to hyperventilate. She gnashed her teeth, rubbing the pendant harder and harder. For hours, she struggled to form a connection, hissing under her breath with each concentrated effort.

At last, with aching muscles, she gave up, slumping to the rock bed beneath her and trying to collect her thoughts.

It was no use. Her mind was racing a million miles per second. She darted her eyes between the moon, the desert, and Yaerfaerda.

She bit her lip, feeling a lump form in her throat. Exhausted and drained, she closed her eyes, but Yaerfaerda still haunted her.

Sniffling, the pegasus fought hot tears, and it was the effort alone that finally lulled her to sleep.

Rainbow Dash woke to a hissing noise.

The pony's first thought was of changelings... chaos dragons... quarry eels.

In a frantic burst, the mare awoke. She jerked to her hooves, staring fitfully across the dawn-drenched valleys of the Grand Choke.

The hissing continued, growing louder, sharper in pitch.

Panicking, the mare spun around.

The hissing was behind her now.

She twirled and looked east.

The hissing now came from the west.

Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed. Then, with a nervous breath, she turned to look at her packs.

Steam was venting out of Arcanista's satchel.

Rainbow's heart skipped a beat. Instantly, she stripped of her packs and squatted atop the jagged summit. She fumbled through Arcanista's bag, opening it up and pulling contents out. At last, she winced, eyes quivering.

The Heaven's Slices were dissolving at a rapid pace. One by one, they vented their enchanted essence, turning charcoal black until only five or four of them were left.

What It All Takes From You

There was no time to even panic.

Rainbow Dash hoisted the Slices out of the bag. Doing that caused three of them to burst into ashen dust within seconds. The pegasus hissed under her breath, cradling the dissolving foodstuffs in the crook of her hooves. She gnashed her teeth, fidgeting in place. At last, holding her breath, she dragged a hoof over her pendant.

The lightning bolt glowed with brilliant crimson.

Rainbow lifted the Heaven Slices up to the pendant, exposing them to the ruby light. She clenched her teeth, brow furrowed as she kept her eyes trained on the breaded bits.

Slowly, with more or less grace, the pieces of enchanted food stopped falling apart, stopped crumbling, stopped spitting mist into the air. They soon lay dormant in her grasp, their enchantments preserved by the sudden application of Harmonic energy.

Rainbow Dash breathed easier. Her whole body slumped and her wings drooped. Nevertheless, minutes later, she swallowed a lump down her throat and attempted to assess the damage.

Ten slices had easily bitten the dust. She was down to eight pieces, and at least half of them were moldy and decrepit at best. There was no telling just how much nourishment they could provide her now, if any.

The pegasus bit her lip. With a slight shudder, she wrapped the edible substance back up and sat there for a prolonged time, staring into the desert vistas.

Hours—and miles—later...

Rainbow Dash sat at the crest of a jagged stone hill. She raised one of the cylinders to her muzzle, twisted the knob, and inhaled some Nebulum.

The mare blinked, then examined the item from the side.

Perhaps it was just her imagination, but the substance didn't feel all too refreshing that time. She wondered if her supply of Nebulum was starting to get depleted. She was almost certain she had been frugal with her use of it.

Then it occurred to her that perhaps the enchantment was starting to fade on the source of liquid as well. If that was the case, then the Heaven Slices would be the least of her worries. If Rainbow Dash couldn't stay hydrated...

Rainbow Dash shook the sensation off. Sliding the cylinders back into her backpacks, she took several steps forward and spread her wings in order to resume flying.

But, suddenly, she didn't move.

She stood dead in place, eyes glazed and mane disheveled.

For minutes, she remained there, unmoving and unflinching.

Then, with a nervous twitch, she turned around.

She faced west.

A hazy cloud hung over the dim horizon. Craggy bits of stone rose up and down across the sundered valley. The vanishing line loomed with a cool layer of shadowed blues and grays. It looked terribly calm and welcoming.

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. She took one step... then two... the a dozen. Her trot turned into a gallop and her gallop into a spring. Then, just as she reached the crest of the hill she had last scaled, she flexed her muscles in preparation of a massive leap, wings spread.

But then... her legs went stiff, as did her wings. Instead of taking off for the west, she skidded to a stop, dragging tiny lines in the dusty earth.

She slumped back on her flanks, panting, sweating. Her pained eyes fogged over as she slowly, gradually recoiled from the west. Then, fighting deep quivers, she slid her goggles back on, turned around, and faced Yaerfaerda.

Rainbow Dash held her breath. She trotted slowly, gradually building up speed. When she finally lifted off, it was like a loose leaf falling in reverse. She ascended skyward in jagged motions, eventually climbing altitude just to scale the mountains—but nothing more.

Rainbow Dash flew east.

There was no joy in the action. No rhyme or reason. Only movement.

And she moved east, scaling dead landscape after dead landscape.

Her dead eyes gazed down at the serrated hilltops and summits slicing the atmosphere. She occasionally bobbed and weaved around tall peaks, but otherwise invested no flare into her flight.

As the sun set behind her, Yaerfaerda appeared to grow brighter in contrast. Rainbow Dash had no choice but to stare at it. She was looking at the beacon, and yet she wasn't. It didn't matter; her body was being propelled in the lavender shine's direction whether she desired it or not. There was no simple way to explain it, and she had nopony to explain it to.

As the lights above the world went out, the world blurred on beneath her. She knew it without looking at it. She saw it in her dreams: brown and arid lengths of stone rolling and undulating and shifting. Maybe she was moving several dozen miles per hour, or maybe the Plane was just shifting below. It mattered little. Nothing mattered—nothing but the movement.

Eyes open, eyes closed, in her waking sighs, in her sleeping shudders—Yaerfaerda persisted. Yaerfaerda loomed. Yaerfaerda would never go away.

That night, Rainbow Dash suffered another dizzy spell.

She had retired on a hillside to eat another Heaven's Slice when the shivers overwhelmed her.

They weren't quite so violent this time, but they did manage to incapacitate her. Rainbow seethed, rolling onto her side as she battled a world spinning wildly around her.

Something howled in the distance, like a coyote or a falcon. Rainbow knew better: it was simply her squealing voice echoing off the edges of the valley. Refusing to register the haunting noise, she clamped her hooves over her muzzle and surrendered to the waves of nausea overwhelming her figure.

Eventually, the shivers faded, but Rainbow Dash wished they hadn't. No longer dizzy or afflicted, Rainbow Dash was cognizant enough to dwell on where she was... and where she wasn't.

She didn't even fight the tears this time. They overcame her, ripping straight through her gut and coming out through her limbs with massive trembles. She sobbed. She wailed. She bawled harder than she ever did as a little foal.

And no amount of clenching her eyes shut or hugging herself could chase the tears away. So, she didn't bother. When morning came, she lay limp, exhausted by her own sobs, but tortuously incapable of sleep.

A Fool Who Plays It Cool

Rainbow flew east... or else the east sailed towards her.

She blinked wearily against the wind. A full night of tossing and turning had worn her muscles to stiff rubber bands. She didn't wear her goggles, in hope that the bare elements would wake her.

She was wrong.

More than once, she nearly plummeted, falling asleep in mid-air. She hissed through her teeth, flapping her wings harder and harder in order to remain aloft. She felt as though it was taking four times as much strength to ascend than the last few days previous. She chalked it to her weak strength, or at least she wanted to.

Her stomach growled. She was hungry, famished. But there were so few bits of Heaven's Slices left, and she wasn't about to consume them all too quickly.

So, with a wheezing breath, she pressed eastward, piercing the heights above the craggy canyons and their valleys.

Rainbow lay on her back, staring up at the night's sky.

She brought a hoof up to her neck for the umpteenth time, rubbing it across her Loyalty pendant.

The ruby lightning bolt glowed, shimmered, and went dead.

Nothing else happened.

The pegasus' bleary eyes remained locked on the moon shimmering overhead.

Her nostrils flared.

Again, she raised her hoof to her pendant and gave it a stroke.

Light glowed, dimmed, and all was dark again.

The moon lingered, silent, waning.

Rainbow shuddered in a cold breeze.

She refused to think, refused to move.

Without wasting a second, she reached her hoof back up and stroked her pendant, eyes on the moon.

Rainbow Dash veered north and south in her flight. She wasn't doing it for the thrill, or to get a better view of the landscape. The winds were getting stronger—that, or Rainbow's wing muscles were getting weaker.

But nothing made sense. She had eaten a Heaven's Slice that morning. She should have had the strength to keep aloft, but the effort was making her sweat profusely. So, more often than not, she simply glided through the air, which left her aerial movements highly susceptible to the wind.

The mare winced, flicking her tail left and right in order to steady herself. She knew that she was losing her eastward velocity, but anything beat trotting across the Choke by hoof.

Rainbow clenched her teeth. Taking a deep breath, she flapped her wings for the first time in hours, ascending herself into the upper atmosphere—straining the entire time. At last, once she felt that she was high enough, she relaxed her wings, gliding into the wind currents in anticipation of descending slowly over the course of the rest of the day.

That night, Rainbow Dash refused to look at the moon.

Instead, she curled over on her side, hugging herself under several blankets.

Her eyes hurt from tearing up, and the salt formed a layer of dry grit against her muzzle.

She gave up on trying to stop crying ages ago.

Besides, it didn't hurt until she started imagining their smiling faces.

Clenching her eyes shut, Rainbow Dash pulled the blankets over her, desperate to shut out the cold, howling world.

She failed.

Persist, With Or Without the Wind

It was midday.

The sun was high, hot, and baking.

Mountains loomed against the Grand Choke's horizon, thick, dark, and oppressive.

Rainbow Dash was gliding eastward, thoughtless and soundless.

She breathed in and out, navigating the arid landscape with ruby eyes and dull blinks. All of the sudden, she dipped. Rainbow Dash winced, squinting curiously. She looked all around, ears perked and twitching. She sensed no shift in the wind, no air distortion responsible for the sudden turbulence. It was almost as if—

Rainbow dipped again, savagely so. She gasped, flapping her wings wildly. They provided no lift, and she plummeted harder.

The mare yelped in surprise. She fell towards a cloud, flailing her limbs towards it. She plunged through the mists like a fuzzy blue anvil.

Her heart beat a million miles per second. Nevertheless, she kept her cool, taking a deep breath as her body twirled about. Her eyes faced the surface of the earth sailing up at her. With expert muscles, she stretched a hoof against the forces of gravity and rubbed her pendant.

A flicker of ruby light emanated from her neck. Suddenly, her wings sliced through the air—but barely. It was just the lift Rainbow needed, and she utilized it.

The wind whistled past her as she flew up, barrel-rolled, then glided swiftly—yet smoothly—towards the desert floor.

She could only wish her landing was just as graceful. Her hooves grazed the dusty ground, but failed to slow her in time. She rolled forward, somersaulted, and tumbled for a full five seconds. At last, her body slid to a stop, forming a dusty trail of dirt and sediment behind her.

The mare coughed and sputtered, wincing painfully. After a full minute, she finally stood up. With a grimacing expression, she shook the dust out of her mane and looked back at her wings.

Rainbow flexed her feathers. She could move them normally. Her muscles weren't stiff that day; she hadn't lost the ability to flap her wings. And yet, try as she try to catch air with the appendages, they consistently failed her.

Her breaths grew frantic. She galloped forward, performed a running start, and jumped high—wings spread. They refused to even glide, and within a second she collapsed again, grunting in pain.

With a shudder, she stood up, gazing thinly at the wasteland all around her. She brought a hoof to her neck and rubbed the pendant. This time, the ruby glow lasted less than five seconds—the shortest she had ever witnessed it. She fought a lump forming in her throat, standing in place as she let the gravity of the situation set in.

Minutes passed... an entire hour... during which Rainbow Dash stood in dumb, silent shock.

Nostrils flaring, she turned and looked west.

A dim horizon of uneven stone stretched behind her.

Her ears folded. The lump in her throat melted away, replaced by a furious frown across her face.

Cracking her joints, Rainbow Dash turned east... and began trotting.

Her lone body formed a blue dot across the desolate brown skin of the Grand Choke. In the distance—forming shadows against the sky—several eastern mountains rose to savage heights.

Rainbow continued trotting.

Mountains Beyond Mountains, There's No End

Rainbow couldn't remember the last time her hooves ached so much.

She clenched her teeth to the point of breaking, her upper body quivering as the mare pulled... tugged... and flexed her forelimb muscles. At last, with much strain, she pulled her body up onto the next ascending crag of rock above her. Once she was level with the cliff, she planted her wingtips against the stone surface for extra leverage. Finally, with a dull groan, she rolled herself up and onto even flooring.

The mare lay on her back, heaving and panting for breath. It was awkward and uncomfortable to lie there with the backpacks between her and the rocky surfaces. The contents of her satchels knifed into her flesh, but it was still the most comfort she had experienced in hours.

At last, her lungs wheezed less frantically. The mare sat up with a shudder to her shoulders. Gulping, she glanced down the way she had climbed.

The ascent had been mercilessly steep. It didn't appear that way from the valley when she had originally chosen this part of the mountain to climb. And yet, upon scaling the cliff-faces, she discovered the hard way just how jagged the southwestern edge of the ridge was. Staring down, she saw several meters of stone hidden behind the shadow of a morning sunrise. It wasn't the satisfying sight of accomplishment that she was hoping for.

Gulping a dry lump down her throat, Rainbow turned to the east and looked up, squinting.

It was impossible to see the mountain peak. A fine layer of mists had gathered over fifty meters above her. All was gray and ghastly, and the only thing Rainbow knew for certain was just how terribly steep the path was ahead.

So, with a prolonged sigh, she stood up, winced from her aching muscles, and proceeded to hug the southwestern face once again... climbing and clawing her way up towards the nearest cliff—even if she couldn't see it yet.

Rainbow Dash had found level hoofing—but it was of very little consolation. A thin shelf of undulating stone wrapped around the south end of the mountain at that level. The only way to reach the next cliff-face within sight was to hug the wall and slide along—her body upright—at a migraine-inducing five inches per minute. Rainbow grunted, rubbing her belly against the uneven wall until her flesh was red and raw. Despite the pain, there was no other way to proceed—not unless she wished to lose half a day's worth of progress by backtracking.

The winds did not sympathize with her. Wicked gales shook and shocked her several times. They nearly tore her mane hairs from their roots; they did an even worse number on her nerves. Several times, Rainbow Dash felt like spreading her wings and just falling back into the wind current. On each time, she had to suppress that pegasus instinct, knowing that the wings wouldn't do her any good in that part of the Choke.

With panting breaths, Rainbow stopped to rest her muscles. She stared straight down, spotting nothing but a dipping crevice of rock filled with mist and shadow. There was no telling just how far she'd have to slip between the parallel mountain faces before she'd be reduced to a fine red puddle. Her nostrils flared as she paused and looked at her wingtips. The feathers had been worn away, their ends grimy and threadbare with the quills exposed. It was a direct consequence of Rainbow constantly having to use her wings like fifth and sixth limbs.

It mattered little. It was not as though Rainbow Dash was going to start flying again anytime soon.

If ever.

Biting her lip, Rainbow relished the brief, delicious anger rolling through her. She scuffled her lower limbs from side to side, resumed hugging the mountain, and strafed her way icily across the south face of the mountain. She may or may not have been making progress. The mare didn't care.

At least she was moving.

Rainbow Dash reached a wide plateau looming beneath the mountain's summit. This meant an even stretch of earth leading smoothly eastward.

She didn't care. The pegasus was freezing to death.

Night had fallen, and with it came agonizing high altitude chills. For some reason, Rainbow's pegasus senses weren't withstanding the cold like they normally did. She had one good idea why.

Rainbow needed to build a fire. But, what was more, she needed shelter. With the way in which the wind kept blowing, she was almost certain it would ruin any camp she might try to make—or any blaze that she might kindle.

Frantically—as shivers overwhelmed her—she flashed her eyes left and right. The mare didn't stop galloping, not for one second. The important thing was to keep moving, to keep her blood rushing. If Rainbow had to do pony hippity-hops in place while spinning in circles, she was both able and willing. It didn't matter how stupid it looked, and Rainbow realized that things must have looked very... very stupid.

Minutes wore on.

The sky grew darker.

The stars were beacons of doom—flickering to life one by one like coyote eyes beyond the deathly black veil of emptiness. Rainbow refused to look at them, and she hissed under her teeth at the first hint of moonlight. The night was her enemy—as was time. She couldn't out run it. She couldn't fly past it. She could barely stand.

Wheezing, Rainbow Dash skirted past a cluster of stones. She felt a dip in the wind, and this brought her momentarily relief—until she nearly plunged off a sheer drop.

With a gasp, the mare caught her hoofing—a difficult task with cold, numb limbs. She looked down to see a black swath of earth, darker than the sky above. She realized that she was standing on the edge of a deep, deep ravine. A steep canyon loomed on the east side of the mountain that she had spent the entire day previous scaling. This might have proven to be a difficult thing to traverse by sunrise—assuming Rainbow had a hope of surviving long enough to see it.

Shuddering, she spun about. Eyes peering. All she could see was rock and darkness—a solid opaqueness in every direction. In desperation, she brought a hoof up—a hoof that she could no longer feel—and rubbed it across where she knew her Loyalty Pendant to be. A pulse of ruby light winked, pitifully short. But in that brief blink of scarlet illumination, Rainbow spotted a hollow in a nearby wall of stone facing east, as if it was carved by daggers of sunlight.

Without a second thought, Rainbow galloped straight for it. She had barely pierced the mouth of the cave before her muzzle slammed painfully into a concave wall. She grimaced, almost grateful for the pain bringing nerves back to life in her extremities. It was a shallow enclosure, but she knew it would do. So, squatting down, she opened her satchels—practically tearing them apart—and reached in for Val Roan flint and tender. She ignored a disintegrating Heaven's Slice, steaming into the starlight, and instead she yanked out several toiletry items. Wadding them up, she cast a few sparks on them and gave her pendant a rub, hoping that somehow the Harmonic Energy might be enough to contain the blossoming flames.

It worked... or at least Rainbow dreamt such. The cave warmed up, gradually, and Rainbow's hooves began to tingle. She squatted before the miniature blaze, stretching her forelimbs out as shivers overtook her. Only once she could sense her chattering teeth again did she realize just how exhausted she was... how aching... how hungry...

There was no fighting the pitiful squeak from her lips. The mare's eyes rolled back as she teetered between warmth and blissful oblivion. Her head swayed left... swayed right... and then her ears folded back, carrying her skull with them. She collapsed on her back, rolled to her side, and quivered before the advancing waves of darkness. The last thing she remembered hearing was a frightened sob, and it repulsed her so much that she was almost glad to experience nothing but pure darkness upon contemplation.

Rainbow Dash spread her wings, exhaled, and flew daringly into the void.

And the cold lingered on.

Echoes In the Well of Silence

Rainbow Dash was trotting before she had even woken up. Her bleary eyes rolled back, and she winced from the stiffness in her limbs.

The mare looked down. Dull gray stone rolled under her at an even pace. She must have descended from the mountain sometime during the night. She simply didn't remember when it was that she embarked... or if she was even cognizant of doing so.

She tried tilting her head up only once, but regretted it. The sunlight was too painful on her tired eyes. She considered sitting down, but something told her that her limbs might ache even more if she stopped.

So, with a brief groan, she fought the urge to retire... and simply kept trotting...

At some point, she couldn't see the stone in front of her.

Rainbow Dash didn't understand why, until she realized that night had fallen again.

She tilted her head up, instantly cracking the stiff joints in her neck.

Stars and more stars.

A quarter moon lingered along the western horizon, splitting the black canvas of the night.

Rainbow felt thirsty. Her ears itched.

She trotted on.

Rainbow sat on a cliff, overlooking a sea of mountains.

She held a piece of Heaven's Slice in her scuffed, bruised hoof... but she didn't eat it.

The mare couldn't remember how long she had fasted at this point. Her exhaustion had risen to such a level that she almost didn't register the pain of hunger anymore.

There was no telling how long she might last without eating, but there was even less knowing how many mountains lingered between her and Yaerfaerda.

She rubbed her pendant, gave the remaining slices a burst of Harmonic energy, and slid them back in her pack.

She laid back on her flank, shuddering, eyes darting between wispy clouds.

By the time her stomach felt hot, she rolled over, picked up her things, and lurched eastward.

Fine fissures ran through the stone earth. Rainbow Dash followed one. She made a game out of keeping her left hooves on one side of the crack and her right limbs on the other.

Every now and then, she'd feel a gust of cold wind and she'd look up with a startled gasp.

Yaerfaerda lingered towards the right of her vision. The fissures had carried her slightly north.

Sighing, Rainbow gave up on the lines and stumbled towards a series of jagged mountains.

Rainbow lay on her side, curled up besides the jutting edge of a plateau's cliff.

Her pack lay beside her, nestled against her limp tail.

She had rolled a blanket out, but hadn't bothered to cover herself with it.

Perhaps it was night, or perhaps it wasn't.

Rainbow Dash was too worn out to feel hot or cold.

She hugged her limbs to her chest, staring into the plains of desolation. Her eyes sloped over the rising peaks beyond.

She said nothing... dreamt nothing...

There was no more sleep. Only lingering.

Time passed, and dust followed along with it.

Rainbow Dash turned the nozzle on a cylinder of Nebulum.

Nothing happened.

She stared dully at it for several minutes, trying to register the significance of its dormancy.

She turned the container's nozzle again.

It had nothing to release.

Rainbow gave the glass jar a firm shake. She put her ear to it. Then, sighing, she tossed the item ineffectually behind her and reached into her bag for the remaining tube.

....clank!

Rainbow gasped, spinning around with wide eyes. She hadn't expected to hear the impact of the container at such a distance. She found herself staring west into a gigantic canyon stretching north and south behind her. Had she just scaled it?

As she continued contemplating this, Rainbow heard the impact again, this time reverberating off of every stone crag and chiseled cliff face in the entire ravine. The canyon was so steep and immense that its echoes magnified the smallest thing by tenfold.

Rainbow sat in place for a full minute, holding her breath as she listened to the Nebulum container's continued echo. It rose like thunder, sounding off louder... then growing faint once more.

At last, she was left with just her quivering pulse.

Biting her lip, Rainbow Dash reached out, grabbed a rock, and heaved it off the cliff. The stone fell out of view. After a moment of silence, it struck something. The canyon sang with a gunshot, growing faint, loud again, then dissipating like an invisible banshee.

Rainbow Dash stared. She hyperventilated. Then, teeth gnashing, she snarled like a canine and stood up, facing the west with a hideous frown.

She screamed.

She screamed loud and long.

The entire landscape vibrated with the resulting echoes. Pebbles rolled off their ancient perches and fell for the first time in centuries. Dust blew, twirled, then settled again.

The reverberations lasted for a blissfully agonizing two minutes.

As soon as they were done, Rainbow Dash took a deep breath and howled again, this time high-pitched and haunting.

A flock of banshees flew unseen circles through the depths of the canyon. They rose up into the wispy yellow sky before Rainbow Dash had any opportunity to see them.

Her ears folded back. She cracked a grin, chuckling, laughing. Then—as her muzzle went tight—she pulled at her facial features, then collapsed on her side as her body let out another scream, wailing this time. She was halfway through the exhale when her lungs caved in, and the shout turned into a sob. Rainbow curled up into a little ball, wheezing as the echoes returned, surrounding her, filling her ears like a busy room full of ponies.

She clenched her tearing eyes shut, drowning in the beautiful noise. Beneath her lids, she saw brief bursts of color:warm, lively, and loving. She hugged herself tighter, teeth gritting as she endured the all-too-fleeting moment. Then, with terrible swiftness, the noise ended. All was silent and cold as ash, and Rainbow Dash could hear her weeping breaths again.

Exhaustion took her before she could be an audience for long.

There's Nothing Quite Like a Friend

The mountains broke into small and smaller hills. In place of craggy rock, fields of dust and sediment crowded the ravines. Dry wind gales blew gritty clouds across the arid surface of the Choke, refracting the sunlight and giving the world an ethereal ghostliness.

The ravines grew shallower. The exposed rock was smoother, rounder, more polished by the elements. All was silent, save for the persistent howl of desert winds.

Off into the east—as the landscape dipped—a baking sun slowly rose, cooking the worldscape through in through. Vapors rose off the vanishing point, distorting the geography and causing phantom plateaus to hover at a distance.

All was dead, continually desolate.

Yaerfaerda shimmered beyond it all, persistent, bright, and unwavering.

Rainbow Dash scaled the first of several blistery sand dunes. The shifting ground was hot to the touch—but not quite searing. It was the right degree of heated torture to make the pegasus wince, but not scald her. She shuddered briefly, but trotted on, shuffling up to the top of the dune only to see several more gritty beds rolling between herself and the next island of solid rock in the middle of a yellow sea.

Her gait was strangely steady that day, solid and sure. She made a slow bee-line for the next stone summit, her eyes locked on a delicious patch of shade hugging the west side of a jutting promontory of rock. She figured that—by the time she reached it—the sun would have scaled the sky so as to eliminate the shade. Still, undaunted, she shuffled forward.

The mare sweated and wheezed, but she forced herself to conserve the last container of Nebulum.

Nostrils flaring, she reached the top of another dune... and lingered.

Quietly, fidgeting, she turned and looked past her flank.

The west horizon was a gray slab of distant mountains and lingering dust clouds.

Rainbow gulped. She continued trotting forward.

Several more minutes passed.

She reached another dune. Yet again, she stopped—heaving—and glanced back.

The west loomed, cold and silent.

Rainbow clenched her jaw. Her ears twitched as she faced forward. A dull expression hung off her fuzzy face, and she trotted slowly, her eyes staring far ahead.

She was about ten steps forward when her lips began moving.

“Mmmm... mrmmmm...”

She sniffed. She cleared her throat and cracked the joints in her neck.

“... … …maybe if you weren't so quiet...”

Rainbow descended the east side of the dune, approaching another swath of shifting sands.

She murmured, “There's nothing to worry about. I've still got another container.”

Wind blew at her mane. She squinted her eyes, rubbed her face, and trotted sideways into the downdraft.

“Nnngh... those are fine too. The Element's keeping them together. Don't worry. I'm cool. I'm cool...”

She sighed, reaching another dune and climbing up the sandy face of it.

“Just... cool. I got this. Don't you sweat. Well... you know what I mean...”

Rainbow Dash skirted the stone edge of a rock cropping as the sun slowly set behind her.

“Don't know how you guys do it,” the pegasus stammered, teetering slightly as she narrowly surveyed the uneven terrain ahead. “Feels like friggin' anvils are hanging off my fetlocks—I swear to Celestia.”

Dead silence.

Rainbow's hooves clopped over dull stone.

“But I do get plenty of exercise!” Rainbow wheezed. “You think I'd have kicked so much flank with friggin' noodles for legs? I... I'm just all the more awesome with my wings, y'know?”

More silence.

“Mrmmmf... yeah... yeah, go figure.” Rainbow sighed, grumbling slightly as she trotted around a column of rocks. “Guess you had a lot worse to deal with. My bad.”

Her tail flicked for the first time in hours.

“Pffft... please. We all find different ways to do cool stuff. Don't sell yourself short. So what's a horn?”

The mare exhaled heavily.

“Magic is soooo yesterday... heh...”

Rainbow Dash sat beside the fireplace, huddled under a blanket as she held the last pieces of Heaven's Slices to her glowing pendant.

“It's okay! I told you, I got this!”

She squinted down at her task, giving her finicky pendant several more rubs in order to maintain the Harmonic glow.

“See? Like cake.” Rainbow shuddered. “Ugh... why'd you even make me say 'cake?'”

Her ears twitched.

The edge of her muzzle curved. “Heh... well, can you blame her, dude?”

She took a deep breath. Once she was satisfied with her work, she folded the rag around the Slices and slid them back into her satchel.

“And don't you start,” she muttered. “This is about as tough as it gets, girl.”

She stood up and trotted towards the fire. All of the sudden, she paused, and flicked her tail again.

“Ugh... I know, right?” She smirked yet again, leaning down to fan the flames in front of her dust-covered tent. “At least in Foxtaur, there was plenty of wood about. I remember when I once went to Appleloosa, I had no clue how the buffalo kept their fires going. Now I think I know how. They cheated.”

Silence.

“Snkkkkt...” A very strange, high-pitched thing came out of Rainbow's mouth. “Heeheeheeehee!” She hugged herself, careful not to fall into the fire from her relentless giggles. “Ah jeez! Cut it out! You're so stupid.” She lifted her grinning muzzle. “Somepony hit him already!”

Her giggles descended into chuckles, and then into breathy sighs.

“Guh... Luna poop... it never fails.”

With a yawn, she trotted away from the fire. Entering her tent, she turned around three times and then collapsed gently on a mess of blankets. “Just keep it down, will ya? I've got lots of ground to travel tomorrow,” Rainbow muttered. “And I gotta keep my wings in one piece for when I reach the far side.”

Silence.

She gulped. “Well, just tell her to calm down, Pilate. Get her to... I dunno... brush Kera's mane or something. She digs that. She really does.”

She stared into the darkness. Despite the chill of night, she cooed, lowering her fuzzy head to the blankets.

“Mmmmm...” Her lips curved as a sleepy smile crossed her face. “I love you guys...” Her glazed eyes reflected the fire, then shut. “...you're all too good to me.”

A shudder ran through her body. Tiny tears squeezed out from beneath her eyelids.

“See you in the morning...”

Except Maybe A Hoof to Hold

“You're friggin' kidding me,” Rainbow Dash spoke clearly and distinctly. “You mean to say you've never had oats alfredo?!”

Her hooves trotted over sand and gravel.

“It's not simply an Equestrian delicacy! At least, I'm pretty sure it isn't!” Rainbow Dash smirked, tilting her head towards the south in order to protect her face from westward winds carrying dirt and grit. “All you need is the right ingredients and just the right amount of spices!”

She stumbled once, bracing herself against a heated gust of air. Curtains of sediment flew over the dunes, pelting her. She had thrown a blanket over her flank, shoulder, and satchels—like a poncho. After the downdraft was over, she continued eastward, scaling a dune as she trotted lonesomely across the rolling, yellow landscape.

“Well, no, I've never made it myself, Ebon. But I've seen it done! Can't you just... I dunno... hijack my head with your changeling powers and figure it out?”

She slid momentarily, but caught her weight, allowing her body to shift smoothly down the east face of the dune. Once she reached an even plain of gravel, she caught her breath and shuffled on ahead.

“Yeah. Sure. Another time. But don't you let me forget.” Her teeth showed beneath grinning lips. “Josho's starving, I'm sure.”

Rainbow Dash traversed a winding ravine. Deep in the cleft of rocks, she was protected from the elements. Waves of sand and dust blew a dozen feet above her, sending a persistent ghostly howl through the echoing trench.

“And the way she talks... that squeaky pitch in her voice. Y'know... melodic and not annoying? You've got the same tone.”

Rainbow turned right and then left to follow the serpentine curvature of the stone walls.

“Pffft! Yeah! Heheh...” Her lips curved. “About the only thing you don't do like her is bounce around every time you need to move from Point A to Point B.”

Rainbow's ears twitched as she trotted forward.

“I'm not kidding! You two could practically be twins! If... y'know... if you had a bit more pink in you.” Rainbow Dash stifled a giggle. “It's the strangest thing, cuz I never once thought Pinkie as... uhhh... I-I mean I never once looked at her and thought... th-thought...”

The gulped, a few beads of sweat forming along her temple.

“You know what? Let's talk about something else. How about you, Zaid? You got anything?”

Dead silence.

“Mrmmf...” Rainbow rolled his eyes. “Eagle Eye, you know what to do.”

Grunting, Rainbow Dash pulled herself up over a jagged ridge of gravel-laden rocks. She almost slipped on the loose material. With the use of her wings, she was able to brace herself and roll onto an even cliff-face.

She wheezed for breath, wincing from the stabbing press of her belongings into her flank. Staring up at the fading yellow sky, she waved a hoof and wheezed.

“Just... just a moment, Pilate. Please... if you don't... kaff kaff... mind...” She winced, rolling over and lying on her blue tummy. “Frickin' zebra...”

She remained still, allowing the blood to circulate through her worn body. The mare's eyes closed as she relished in the brief bout of comfortable coolness that segued the blistering day into chilling night.

Eventually, a bitter wind blew at her ears. They folded back as a grimace stretched across her face.

When she opened her eyes, they were pooled with tears. She winced... then winced harder.

“Ahem...” Swallowing a lump down her throat, she blinked her eyes dry. “I... I-I'm sorry...” She slowly pushed herself up, one wobbly leg after another. “You... uh... you don't have to be quiet...”

She sniffled, waving a hoof as she scooted awkwardly onto all fours.

“Just... j-just tell me more about... uh... smart stuff...” She bit her lip. “No. No, on second thought, let... let me t-tell you about something smart I once did.” Rainbow froze in place, eyes twirling about. Her muzzle hung blankly. “...dang it... uhm...” Holding her breath, she shuffled forward at a sluggish pace, rounding the crest of jagged stone jutting out of the sandy desert. “...okay... uh... this one time... uhhh... I saved my friend Rarity and three Wonderbolts all in one fell swoop.” A nervous chuckle. “Okay, so maybe the only thing smart about it was how I chose not to let them go kersplat against the surface of Equestria while I was doing my super awesome air show...”

“...and so I told her I was game. I mean... a race? Pffft... please...” Rainbow Dash laid out her blankets beneath the sand-stained tent and curled up next to a fire. Starlight bathed her as she curled up against the threadbare fabric. “I could outrun hawks and prairie falcons in my sleep. Still can. Just... y'know... need a good headwind.”

She sighed out her nostrils, then closed her eyes.

Seconds later, she blinked at the night-drenched desert.

“Hmmm? Well, of course I won. Well... I'm pretty sure I won. I mean, I vaguely recall seeing my shoulder roll over the finishing line while I was... errrr... punching and kicking her at the end there... eheheh...”

She slicked her mane back and rolled up to face the stars.

“Yeah. Okay. I was a poor sport. But, y'know, she wasn't exactly a saint either. We wanted so... so badly to prove that we were the better, faster pony that we almost friggin' ruined the Running of the Leaves. But in the end, we realized it didn't matter. None of it mattered. None of the glares... none of the name-calling... none of the anger...”

Her voice trailed off. She stared blankly into darkness until the barest hint of a smile trailed along her muzzle.

“You could have outrun us both. Why? Because you're so hardcore, Roarke. You don't let silly stuff like feelings and ego faze you. Well... you used to be unfazed. Heheh... but... but I guess that all changed, huh?”

She fluffed her mane and tilted her head about coyly.

“Well... I like to think that the nasty parts went away, while only the good ones stayed. I mean... I-I can at least be proud of that, can't I?”

Silence.

Rainbow giggled, rolling over to her side as she curled up under the blanket.

“Yeah... yeah, I know. Her too. Though she'd never admit it. I always found that stubbornness so silly. So... sexy. So...”

Rainbow's smile hung precariously off a panting breath. Eventually, it bent, warped, ripping apart into a pained grimace.

She clenched her eyes shut before the tears could flow freely.

“I love you...”

She sniffled, her voice squeaking inwardly.

“I... love you...” She hugged herself, shivering under the blanket. “I love you... I love you... I l-love you...” She shook so hard that the only solution was covering her face with a pair of limbs. Only then could she collapse completely.

Rainbow's sobs formed a tiny, echoing bubble in the middle of oblivion.

Keep Moving Until You Find It

Yaerfaerda loomed above a dipping horizon.

Sand dunes cascaded into a flat bed of salt flats and fractured earth.

Fissures ran in every direction while gusts of sand blew across the unfeeling landscape.

The sun baked, relentless in its punishment.

“It's hard to explain. Red from yellow. Blue from green. I'm sure there's part of you that remembers it all, Stripesy. The crimson shine of an apple. The vibrant emerald of lush grass. The sky has this blue hue to it that you can just dive into. Well, maybe not you, cuz you don't have wings. And—er—not here, I guess, cuz the sky over this place sucks dragon toes. When you think about it, colors are all in the words. I mean... I should know a thing or two about colors. I carry a bunch of them wherever I go. My old friends used to think it was super cool. I never got it. I'm awesome cuz of all the things I do. And what a pony does is what makes her... y'know? I'm not pretty. I never have been. Just... not pretty. Not pretty... not pretty... not pretty...”

The moon cast a silver sheen across the dusty swaths of stone.

Stars rolled slowly over the heavens.

Yaerfaerda blinked along the horizon, ever-waking.

“You are both so adorable together. I mean it. You really are. Just... don't get too wrapped up in the whole Chrysalis business. I mean, I know she's your Mom and all, Ebon, but she's made plenty of mistakes in the past. It's okay to forgive her, but don't live her life. Live your life. You've earned it. I don't want to... to know that you've thrown it all away for a defeated supervillain. I mean, no offense, but that's kind of what she is. Reformed or not, just... just be careful, okay? I dig you two stallions too much. You deserve... to live and... and love. And b-be loved. Please... just be loved...”

There were lights.

And then there weren't lights.

The world flickered between supremely hot and supremely cold.

Rainbow took breaks every now and then, eyes shut, limbs quivering.

She nibbled on her Heaven's Slices, the corners first.

She turned the nozzle of the Nebulum container barely a quarter of the way.

She was proud of herself for conserving as well as she could.

She was proud of all the distance she traveled... even if she couldn't quite make out what she was passing anymore.

She was proud... so long as she kept her eyes closed most of the time.

It didn't matter much... Yaerfaerda never went away.

And Rainbow Dash never died.

“I... I don't know what... what he wants... I really don't, Kera. But... he seems mostly harmless. Besides... you could totally kick his flank if you wanted to. Just... just give him space, cuz he's not gonna give it to ya. Guys... deer or ponies... they're easy to dance around. But don't ignore 'em. They're like sick puppies that need love. Or at least that's something Rarity used to tell me. She never ended up with anypony. She never... never was gonna... I-I mean all of the dress making. What stallion is going to wear that many frills? Sewing herself into a hole, really. She should have... g-gone into the wagon building business. Stallions... love to collect wagons. He may not be a pony, but if you showed up on this wicked ride... he'd be starry-eyed for a week. You wanna bet? Just don't let Roarke build it, or else it might explode in his face. Then who... who's... wh-who's gonna make you grasshoppers. Hmm... don't get it. Never... n-never did...”

Roaring.

“Just... so gooey... and icky...”

Roaring... crashing...

“And all the parts that would twitch in your mouth. Ewwwww. Gross city. Gross...”

Roaring... crashing... echoing...

Rainbow smelled salt in the air.

“...Kera?”

More roars.

“... … ...Kera?”

There was another gust of salt air.

Rainbow finally opened her puffy eyes. She stood on the crumbling edge of a sandy dune, staring out with a bleached face and chapped lips. Blinking, she squinted harder and harder.

The horizon gave way, dipping into a wide blue haze.

“I... I don't...” Rainbow slowly shook her head. “...Ding Dong? You seeing this? Almost like...”

The horizon undulated. White foam formed along the front, collapsed in on itself, and receded.

Rainbow Dash gasped, ears twitching. “...Luna Poop.”

And, just like that, an ocean.

You Are Rarely Ever The First

Rainbow's ruby eyes twitched.

Panting, she tilted her head to the left.

The seashore stretched in a straight line, slicing due north with no sign of deviation.

With a shudder, she turned and tilted her head to the right.

Ocean waves crashed evenly against the Grand Choke, stretching south as far as Rainbow's vision could see.

It was as though the world had received a surgical incision, cutting the desert off completely so that the Grand Choke dipped neatly into a churning blue pool that stretched far and wide. If Rainbow didn't know any better, this could just as well have been the edge of the world. Everything about the dividing line between the sand and the waters was perfect—almost too perfect. She felt a cold shudder in her veins, making her shiver for the first time in countless days and nights.

But as her mind struggled to come to grips with the dip in the continent before her, something deep inside bubbled to the surface, exploding out her muzzle in a fractured giggle.

“Mmmmfff... heh...” Rainbow grinned, eyes twitching. “Heheheheheh... it's... it's so...” She gulped dryly. “Like the lake beds beneath Cloudsdale. So blue. So dang blue, Ding Dong. I could almost... almost...”

She trotted forward.

She galloped.

She sprinted.

“Just one dip!” Rainbow Dash squeaked, her body drawn forward by a cheekish smile. “Just one dip! Omigoshomigoshomigosh! I bet it's absolutely cool to the—”

The sand and stone gave out from beneath her.

Rainbow plunged.

“...!”

She flailed, toppeled over in mid-air, and landed hard on her side. Whump!

“Ooomf!” Rainbow winced, bouncing once, then sliding across a sheet of compact dirt. “Mmmmnngh... guh...” Hissing through her teeth, she weathered the throbbing pain in her body and sat up. “What... wh-what the McFuzz?!” She reached under her satchels and rubbed her flank. “Grnnngh... friggin' Choke. You didn't see that, Belle. Pilate—don't even start...” She frowned and looked behind her. “Totally meant to... to...” Her lips pursed.

Rainbow spotted a burrow in the east side of the desert hill. Right where the ground had given way beneath her was a wide enclosure—a cave of sorts—that stretched east and west for thirty feet. But that wasn't what surprised her...

Framing the cave were several vertical planks of wood... planks that had been hammered in place.

“... … ...” Rainbow blinked, and in that blink she spotted objects in her peripheral. She jerked a glance to her side.

Several rigid structures jutted out of the earth, partially buried by years and years of shifting sands—both the desert's and the beach's. Rainbow saw columns made out of piled stone and mortar, along with the shattered remnants of a bricklaid barrier of sorts. Between her and the enclosure, an uneven surface of random tools and debris stretched. They looked as though they had just been left there by an unknown count of souls, and yet every metal item was clearly worn and rusted by time. For all Rainbow knew, they could have been abandoned for months or centuries.

The mare's lips pursed. Grimacing slightly, she stood up, then trotted the length of the sundered stone along the beach.

“It... it couldn't be an accident... could it...?” Rainbow shook the sand out of her hair—a rather futile act, for the sweltering winds only blew more grit into her mane. “Looks... looks really friggin' old, Pilate. Like... older than starlight.” She blinked, tracing her hoof along a leaning plank of wood in the sand. “Still solid. Like a piece of oak. But... but from where?”

She turned about, staring both north and south at the stretching shoreline. There were no trees to be seen—or vegetation of any sort.

“Chrysalis?” Rainbow shook her head. “They wouldn't build anything like this. The Queen would just... vomit her bug-gunk all over stuff and call it a day.” Gulping, she trotted over to a pile of debris and pawed at the mess like a pensive feline. “None of that would last, would it, Ebon? None of it would... would...”

Her hoof contacted a handle. She pulled at the thing, tugging it out of the dirt. Rainbow unearthed a rust-metal tool with jagged teeth. From the curved shape of the handle, it looked like it was made to fit a fetlock thicker than hers. She glanced at her forelimb, squinted, then envisioned something longer and cloven.

“Well? How 'bout it, Floydien?”

Silence—save for the crashing of waves.

Rainbow Dash wriggled her muzzle. She turned west, facing the cleft of rock where the Choke cut off above the sandy beach. The enclosure loomed, its dark interior both curious and inviting.

“Cool... I mean... it still is cool, isn't it?” She shuffled towards the shadowed wooden frame. “I mean... you get it, right, Kera? This... this is something and a half...”

At last, Rainbow approached the barrier that stretched before the lip of the cave. The air was dry, musky, but most definitely refreshing as the temperature dropped all around her. The entrance was lopsided, affording a narrow space between leaning planks of dry, sun-baked wood. A fallen door acted as a sand-covered threshold as Rainbow stepped through.

Her ears twitched. She looked around, her vision adjusting to the sudden dimness. Aside from nightfall, it had been days if not weeks since she last experienced anything quite this dark. At last, she saw a bowed ceiling of craggy yellow earth stretching forward, sloping as it reached the end of the cave about fifty feet from the entrance. It was a great deal more spacious inside the cave than she had imagined, and from the multiple hatch-marks in the wall, she could only guess that most of it was chiseled into being. Rainbow couldn't guess just how many years such a task could have taken—much less decades.

Curious, the mare trotted forward into the claustrophobic coolness. Thin beams of bright gold sunlight bled through the slits between the wooden planks that guarded the mouth of the cave. The lines bent over several dust-laden structures across the hovel, giving the chamber depth and substance. Rainbow spotted several wooden workbenches covered with metal tools, nick-nacks, and straps of leather. A line of sleeping mats lay against the southern wall—all abandoned.

Towards the back of the cave, Rainbow spotted a six-by-twelve foot patch of dark sediment. She suddenly realized that it was a deposit of soil. Spurred on by a desperate breath, she galloped towards the mess, only to skid to an abrupt stop.

There were indeed scraps of vegetation, but they were all thin, papery, and petrified. Rainbow spotted a few gnarled roots of dead material, but nothing more—certainly not anything edible.

Sighing, she turned around and looked towards a line of wooden crates and metal lockers. She saw several wagon-wheels lying against one another, forming a splintery column. Squinting her eyes, she counted a total of sixteen.

“Hrmmm... four wagons? What do you think, Roarke?”

Her nostrils flared.

“They... they couldn't have landed, could they?” She shuffled along the wall of tables, glancing at one pile of mixed tools after another. “Azira spoke of visitors. The tomb. Those ponies were... were...”

She came to a stop, eyes blinking.

At first, she thought she was staring at a bush, or maybe a lopped-off portion of a tree. Several sharp branches stretched up in the dim penumbra of sunlight.

It took careful examination to realize they were—in fact—antlers.

A skeletal figure lay on the ground before her, curled up, its porous body clad in the tattered remnants of a uniform. Along the flank, she saw a very familiar banner, bespeckled with faded coppers and purples. It depicted a threadbare series of branches amidst desert stars.

Her nostrils flared. “Of course, Belle,” she murmured. “Val Roa.”

Bad Memories: It's What's For Dinner

Rainbow Dash stared down the hollow nostrils of the deer skull. There was no hint of flesh or muscle; all had decayed, save for the calcified interior of the ill-fated guardian of Val Roa.

She shuddered, tilting her head aside and squinting. In the dim light peeking through the slits of the wooden entrance, she tried to determine where the deer had been positioned and what he had been doing. Such was a nigh-impossible task, but Rainbow allowed her imagination to run wild anyways.

The figure was lying on its side. Due to the antlers, its head had been slightly propped up, but Rainbow could tell that the guard had been preoccupied with something physically assailing him. His forelimbs were wrapped around his lower body—as if he was hugging himself.

“Clutching his belly, perhaps?” Rainbow's fuzzy nose wriggled. “Could use a scan, there, Pilate. If only...” Her words trailed off, and her ears folded back in brief melancholy. A few blinks later, she leaned in close, nearly brushing her face against the skeletal remains.

There were several hollow strips situated within the deer's leg bones. Overall, Rainbow observed, the skeleton looked brittle and frail.

“Must have been super old when he died.” She gulped. “But... starvation?”

She tapped her chin in thought. The crashing of waves persisted outside while Rainbow tilted her head about, ultimately facing the desk immediately nearby the collapsed skeleton. She noticed a stool resting on its side beneath the furniture's splintery edge. Trotting up, she carefully studied a fine bed of dust and sand lying over the desktop.

Taking a deep, deep breath, Rainbow exhaled forcibly. She blew off a fine layer of dust, exposing a square-shaped lump. Tentatively, she reached forward, pulling at the lump. She felt a leather binding, and her ears heard the rustle of age-old paper sheets.

She twitched slightly. “A book...” Her eyes blinked. “A journal.”

The pegasus struggled to maintain her enthusiasm. There was no telling how old—or brittle—the contents were. With icily slow grace and precision, she pulled the front lip of the book open.

The first one hundred pages clung together like honey'd leaves.

Rainbow winced. She fidgeted, contemplated it, but ultimately decided not to try and pry the pages apart. She figured that just the slightest tug would rip them to shreds, rendering the tome utterly useless. So, instead, she flipped the clumped-together pages to the left and scanned her eyes over the first page she could see.

This proved fruitless. Every single page was obscured by grime and mildew. Any part that wasn't consumed was eaten through by the hard grit of sand and time.

Rainbow sighed, nevertheless flipping forward as slowly and gracefully as she could.

“I know, I know,” she murmured aloud. “It's a total travesty. Kera, hug Mommy, will ya?” She turned another page. “At this rate, I swear she's gonna—”

Rainbow spotted legible words.

“...collapse.” Rainbow blinked. With a jittery hoof, she stroked her pendant, summoning a ruby glow that she swiftly shone across the decrepit page.

Indeed, a series of ink stains formed legible sentences. Rainbow's vision flew to the very top of it.

“'Day Two Hundred and Twelve...'” Her blood ran cold. “Luna Poop, how... h-how long have I been out here, Roarke...?”

She stood in dead silence for a prolonged period of time.

Hesitantly, she returned to reading: “'...have resolved ourselves to guarding this makeshift bastion. We lost too many on the trip here, and so many of our brothers are dead, their bodies lost to the elements of the desert. The Grand Choke consumed us so swiftly that there was no point in giving them a dedicated burial, or else we would all surely perish in the heat and sand. If we were to make a return trip now, with so many of our rations utterly vanished, we wouldn't even make it one quarter of the way back to the...'”

Rainbow's brow furrowed. The entry had been consumed by a splotch of sand and mildew, making the words illegible. She flipped a few more pages until she found another entry.

“'Day Two Hundred and Forty. Work on the raft continues, albeit slowly. We simply lack the materials to make something that will stay afloat. It's pressing enough that we fashioned half of the wagons into the walls of this fort. I've tried to convince my brothers-in-arms that we must abandon the settlement completely, but they are stubborn... and growing weak. I understand it's a noble thing to want to maintain this bastion, but if we stay any longer on this shore we will surely die. The only way to go is forward, across the ocean. I think I might be able to make a crude sail out of our burlap materials. While magic may have abandoned us, surely the elements won't. I must find a way to convince them of this...'”

Rainbow stopped reading. A sour lump had formed in her throat.

Sighing, she flipped ahead. Suddenly, she encountered nothing but blank pages. There wasn't enough ink for the throes of time to blemish.

With a blink, she flipped back, found some scribbled pages, then skipped towards the second-to-last entry.

“'Day Four Hundred and Eleven,'” Rainbow's voice cracked. “'Sunlight. Sweltering. Never quiet. I miss you, Thelma. I'm alone out here, but I hear my brothers' voices in the surf. They scream at me with each swallow that I take. I'm a sinner, and I am damned, but I must stay here. I must guard my post. It's my charge. My only purpose. Aside from my love for you. I love you so much, Thelma. Forever and always.'”

Rainbow shivered. She didn't want to, but—with shaking hooves—she peeled the last page open, her ruby eyes ran over the page. There was no date listed—simply a series of crooked, meandering sentences:

“'Please, God, forgive me. Forgive me, God. Have mercy on my soul. I am so wicked. So wicked. So very wicked, God, forgive me. Forgive me, please, I beg you, God.'”

Her lips pursed. She leaned back, and in so doing she became aware of deeper shadows in the cave. Immediately, Rainbow swiveled her head to the left, gazing into the far corner of the cave. One hoof at another, she trotted towards the furthest wall.

There, in the corner, beyond the decayed garden, rested several jagged branches—antlers. As Rainbow rounded a final piece of wooden furniture, she expected to see the bodies of the other guards lying side by side. To her numb surprise, she saw the antlers lying against each other, like twigs lopped off of a tree.

Her eyes searched for the matching skulls, but to no avail. She did see bones—but they were all piled lazily into the corner with no rhyme or reason. What's more—upon closer examination—many of them were broken, severed, and covered all over with jagged lines and fissures.

Rainbow's vision twitched. She gaped, staring closer.

She saw more and more scrapes, scars, and hacked lines across the bones' surfaces. The calcified strips were all over the place, with several rib-bones spilling off a crookedly leaning table where an assortment of sharp, rusted tools lay glinting in the slitted sunlight.

Rainbow grimaced hard. She backtrotted—only to trip on a petrified legbone. Panting—hyperventilating—she turned completely around and galloped out of the hovel.

She burst out onto the sunlit world. Light overwhelmed her, blinding her. She bumped into a collapsed wall or two, then fell chest-forward in the hot sand, wheezing for breath. Her pained voice squeaked and she clutched her stomach as she curled up, retching and spitting up bile.

The roaring surf consumed her whimpers.

It Came Upon a Midnight Dash

Rainbow Dash drifted forward, legs dangling.

She had no power over it. She had no power over anything.

The concave world rolled beneath her, its continents and oceans undulating through the darkness.

She gazed dully ahead, her sunburnt features struggling to come up with words.

Whimpers lit the wind.

Her hooves brushed against jagged twigs.

She looked down to see that she was gliding along a forest of petrified antlers.

Far below, through the mess of bones and rib cages, she saw five equine figures doubled over, weeping.

Just then, the air shook.

"Foal."

Thunder.

"Yesterday."

With the voice, the figures disintegrated, blowing away in clouds of ash.

Rainbow's breath sucked in. She looked forward, eyes tearing.

Yaerfaerda occupied the entire eastern horizon.

"FOAL."

The seas evaporated.

"YESTERDAY."

The stars fell.

Rainbow opened her mouth to scream, but only a pitiful ringing sound came out.

Rainbow Dash's soaked ears rang, deafened by moisture.

Warm waters crashed against her body, coalescing around her fuzzy head and thoroughly soaking her mane. Just as quickly, the waters receded.

She stirred, curling tighter into a little blue ball with a foalish trilling sound.

Within seconds, the water returned, splashing against her yet again.

Rainbow's face grimaced. She was only aware of the extreme dizziness once it began clearing from her mind. She opened her eyes with a gasp, spotting a mess of dark sand and grit.

Rainbow Dash sat up, shivering.

Night had fallen, bringing with it the rising tide. If Rainbow Dash had slept any longer, she was certain the dreaded ocean would have swept her away entirely.

Breathless, she crab-walked away from the pounding surf. She bumped into a wooden partition, and it was then that she remembered the discovery she had made inside the earthen burrow. Just like that, a disgusting sensation returned to her gut, and she clutched her stomach in time to withstand the first few waves of nausea.

Almost wretching, the mare hopped to her hooves with a burst of strength. She shuffled aimlessly in a direction—any direction—and found it taking her south along the sandy shore where the Grand Choke dipped into the expansive ocean.

The uneven sand felt strangely painful beneath the petite pegasus' hooves. Her pack and satchel felt heavy—at least heavier than normal. With animalistic grunts, she peeled the bags off, tossing them angrily to the soft earth as she continued trotting off in an unspecified direction.

She came to a stop minutes later, frozen on the eastern crest of a slope sand dune.

Nostrils flaring, she pivoted about, squinting eastward.

Yaerfaerda loomed at a great distance, hovering above the quivering horizon. The lavender beacon cast no reflection against the waves. It made no movement—neither rising nor dipping. As long as Rainbow Dash breathed, the beacon levitated far ahead of her, unwavering.

The mare's nostrils flared. Eventually, she plopped herself down on the edge of the dark-lit dune. She hugged herself, rocking back and forth, her vision growing foggier and foggier as the tears returned to her eyes.

By that time, the moon had become a thin crescent. The stars overhead shone brighter than ever, giving the atmosphere an ethereal hue that reflected off the dark waves with a silver sheen.

Rainbow Dash shuddered. She bit her lip, fought it, but ultimately had to say it.

"I love you... I need you..." She sniffled. "...but I left you guys weeks ago. Just... j-just like I left them months ago." Tears ran down her muzzle, and she shivered. "Belle... Pilate... Kera... Roarke..." She shook her head, clenching her eyes shut as the words finally burst out. "I g-gotta let you go. I... I-I love you guys t-too much to fall apart on you. I'm all th-that's left of the journey. I'm all th-that's left of Harmony..."

She covered her face, sobbing into the ocean winds.

"Please... please don't hate me. I would never d-do anything to ruin what we are. I would n-never... never..." She whimpered, her crying voice soft and squeaking. "I will live on. Some way... some how... I will reach the Armory. I will make awesomeness happen. I will... Celestia help me, I will... I will I will I will I will..."

The stars glittered silently, their lights eventually dying out one by one with the advent of morning, much like Rainbow's soft cries.

Time to Shove Off This Earth

In the early dawnlight, Rainbow's hooves made tiny tracks in the sand. Eventually, she came to a stop.

Rainbow stood higher on the shore, just above the dark layer of wetness that showed where the tied had dragged the ocean's surf overnight. Before her was a square-shaped patch of disturbed sediment, with bits of wood and fabric sticking out.

Face scrunched, Rainbow squatted low and poked her hoof at the mess. She poked at it again, this time reaching forward and lifting. Sand shifted and rolled aside as she pulled up a corner of burlap, beneath which were several gnarled planks of wood lying side by side. As she lifted the burlap even more, she exposed thick bands of rope fastening the planks together. Some of the cords were threadbare, and there were several ugly notches in the planks that had expanded due to the pressure of time, but there was no denying it...

It was a raft.

Rainbow pivoted about, staring back at the location of the cave several meters away. Her two satchels lay in the sand between her, along with the pegasus-shaped impression where she had collapsed overnight.

A brisk morning wind blew at her bangs.

She closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths, spreading her wings into the salty air.

When her eyes reopened, she bore a daring frown. She trotted—then galloped forward, scooping up her satchels and heading straight for the cave.

Cl-Clunk!

Rainbow kicked a table over, spilling all of its old, rusted tools across the floor. She rummaged through the Val Roan mess, picking blades that still looked sturdy enough to be useful and tossing away decrepit items. She managed to find two hammers, several pegs, a mostly intact saw, and a set of shears that could still open and shut.

With glaring eyes, she turned and looked across the domain. She spotted another table with a wooden crate. Fibrous cords were spilling out of the container, and they looked thin enough for the sheers to cut through. She rushed over and threw the crate to the floor. As it crashed open, she pulled at the rope, looping as much as she could around one of her fetlocks.

Rainbow squatted immediately outside the cave. She had severed a tabletop from its legs and was using it as a base, upon which she laid out all the tools she could find, along with a spool of old rope. At this point, she was rummaging through her own packs. Out of Luna's satchel, she removed her trusty hatchet and her hammer. Out of Arcanista's bag, she pulled out the tent, her blankets, and a small shiny object.

The mare froze in place, pausing to stare at the slender dagger in her grasp. King Lunarius' ornate gift glittered in the sunlight. Rainbow Dash imagined that it was very sharp when unsheathed, and it could invariably help her with the task at hoof.

Nevertheless, with a shuddering breath, she slid the heirloom into Luna's saddlebag, and resumed her task. Once she had everything in place, she strapped Scootaloo's goggles to her head, grabbed a hatchet, and trotted firmly towards the cave's entrance.

Thud!

Yet another worn log of wood fell to the sand.

Rainbow dropped the hatchet, panting and wheezing for breath. Once her aching muscles had calmed, she bundled the rope and tied it around the former wagon-piece that the Val Roans had erected before the mouth of the cave. Like half-a-dozen logs before it, she fastened the rope to its middle, bit around the other end of the cord, and began pulling with all her might.

“Rrrghh... nnnngh...!”

With her hooves making hard trenches through the sand, she finally dragged the log away from the entrance. Slowly, she tugged it downhill and southward, pulling it so that it rested alongside the bundle of other logs she had gathered besides the partially-finished raft.

The sun had gone down, bathing the shore in darkness.

Rainbow had grabbed an ancient torch from the Val Roans' cave. Utilizing torn bed fabric and scraps of dead vegetation from the ill-fated deer's burrow, she had fueled a fire that burned at the end of the stick planted into the sand beside her.

Operating by the firelight, Rainbow clenched an old rusted saw in her teeth and continued slicing off ends of the wooden planks, making them even enough to match the logs that had been fastened together. Working through the night, she arranged these planks so that they made a smooth hull that hugged the belly of the raft, producing something sturdy and buoyant.

When all the parts were in place, she fastened them tighter with the surviving spools of rope. She didn't pause to inhale Nebulum, much less sleep. Rainbow's exhaustion only spurred her on, and she toiled with wild abandon.

The next morning afforded her some rest, but she still wasn't wasting any time. Rainbow squatted on the edge of a sand-dune, not far from the raft. Using a needle and thread that Arcanista had given her, she worked hard at crafting a sail out of various materials. The Val Roans' bed fabric, her own blankets, and even the material of Arcanista's saddlebag—Rainbow Dash had utilized everything. She had even skeletonized the tent the Duchess had given her, for its tough fabric formed the very center of the sail.

This left Rainbow Dash with her necklace, her goggles, and the contents of Luna's saddlebag as her only possessions. In a way, it felt almost like going back in time, which was a sensation that came the closest to making the pegasus smile.

Dutifully, she continued her work, sewing one piece of fabric to another, making whole that which had been abandoned to despair eons ago.

Limbs sore, Rainbow Dash lay back in the sand, eyeing the mast and rudder she had just finished constructing before sundown.

Night fell, bringing along with it the bitter chill that infected every breath of the salty sea air. Rainbow Dash exhaled softly, gazing up at the stars.

She wasn't resting. She was waiting. Rest would come later, when there was nothing else to do—she imagined—other than surrender herself to the whim of the elements.

The only thing that ended the Val Roan expedition was fear, and Rainbow Dash was beyond that. If she was going to die, then it was going to be a death that she would be proud of.

The crashing waves grew closer and closer, yet softer in their undulating pitch. Rainbow knew that the tide was rising, and that meant that soon... very, very soon...

She would be leaving the miserable earth behind.

The Blue Pegasus and the Sea

The straps of Luna's saddlebag chaffed against Rainbow Dash's flank. Nevertheless, for the twentieth minute in a row, she struggled and strained to shove the raft forward. The pegasus wasn't using her bare hooves, but instead was utilizing a splintery wooden pole that she had wedged directly between the sand and the bottom of the refurbished dinghy. Grunting, sweating up a storm, she continued inching the raft forward and down the sloped dune. This task was made all the more difficult by the complete absence of sunlight. The moon had slipped away into darkness, and the stars weren't bright enough to illuminate what she was doing. So, every and then, Rainbow would stroke her hoof across her ruby pendant and produce a five-second glow to see her progress—if there was any.

The tide was lapping up against the crest of the sand dune. This much she knew. She could hear the frothing waters in between each heavy heartbeat. Gradually, the splashes became more pronounced, crashing against the wooden corners of the precariously leaning raft. She was getting closer to her objective; what she needed was a little more strength.

So, fighting soreness and exhaustion, Rainbow decided to fall back into the sand. She stuck her wings out at the last second, propping her body up by the featherips. Relying on her back muscles, she anchored her body in place while she used all four limbs in the act of prying the raft out of place.

To her surprise, that did the trick. She heard a flurry of collapsing sand, and the pole dug freely through the shore. Gasping, Rainbow flung a hoof up to her pendant—just as she heard a splashing sound. She saw the raft and all its contents gliding away on the shallow surf.

With a grunt, Rainbow jumped to her hooves, galloped forward, and leapt blindly off the edge of the dune. Her hooves struck a water-stained deck—then slipped. She rolled over and stopped herself from plunging off the side of the raft. Muscles aching, she nevertheless stood up, grabbed another pole she had positioned atop the deck, and pressed it deep into the surf. It made contact with the wet sand beneath the tide, and she shoved against it, pushing the raft outward, forward, and deeper into the lapping waves.

“Come on... come on, ya stupid piece of plywood,” Rainbow grunted.

The surf grew louder and louder around her. The tell-tale rocking motions of the sea consumed the craft. Within five minutes, she could no longer make contact with the sandy bed beneath the waves.

“Okay... yes... that's it...” She dropped the pole, trotted around the mast, and made for the “stern” of the tiny raft. However, as she reached the end, the dinghy hit its first swell. “Gaah!” Rainbow tripped, rolled over, and slipped off the craft's edge. Her lower body was soaked while her upper body still clung to the craft's edge. There, she struggled amidst the darkness not to drown as the raft dragged her through another swell, splashing her all over with cold salt water.

Gnashing her teeth, Rainbow Dash nevertheless found the strength to pull herself on board. She kept one leg submerged in the waters, kicking it left and right until she was able to paddle the vessel around.

At last, two waves later, she had aligned herself with the Yaerfaerda symbol. The lavender emblem bobbed up and down dramatically—to a frightening degree.

Rainbow nevertheless faced the swelling ocean with great zeal.

“Okay... now then...”

Fwiff! She spread her wings wide, her flank to the stern of the ship.

“The magic is gone... but not physics...” Rainbow snarled. She gave her pendant one final stroke, and in the ruby strobe she saw rolling waves of angry water churning straight for her. “...you can't take everything from me, ya stupid drink.” Spitting, she began buzzing her wings at a rapid pace. “I've faced bigger, uglier bullies than you and lived to eat pancakes and syrup!”

Another swell came. Rainbow Dash was ready for it. She beat her wings harder and harder until they were a dark blue blur in starlight.

“Grrrnnnngh...” She gripped the raft hard, angling her flank so that her buzzing wings gradually propelled the craft forward. “Five hundred points to you, Scoots. Friggin' little scamp. You taught me well—” She clenched every muscle as she hit the oncoming swell.

Water exploded over the front of the craft, spraying over and between the wooden planks Rainbow had so carefully tightened together. The pegasus was thoroughly doused, and she could sense troughs splattering on both the starboard and port side. She let loose a slight shriek, but swiftly regained composure, flapping her wings harder and shifting her weight. Within seconds, she had cleared the swell, and the raft glided smoothly into darkness.

“Come on...” Rainbow panted and panted, her mane and face thoroughly soaked. The organs in her body shifted as Yaerfaerda flew up, then shot back down. “Just a few more—”

Another splash doused her before she was done saying that. She felt a heavy wall of water coalescing to her left. Grunting, she angled her flank towards starboard, flapping her wings with renewed vigor. The craft rolled towards the port, rolled off the rising wave, and went right—evening out.

Rainbow wheezed, sputtering for breath as moisture dripped off her nose. Suddenly, gravity shifted, and she felt the entire craft plummeting. Just as soon as the fall ended, she rose. Yaerfaerda sank—to the point that she had to look at it through the wooden deck. Rainbow clenched her teeth as she felt her body tugging back. She had to cling to the splintery craft in order to keep from falling off. At one point, she swore that she was ascending at a forty-five degree angle—the crest was so huge.

“This is it... this is it!” She sped her wings up, flapping her feathers with the same kind of strength she had once used to outfly a chaos dragon. “Rrrr-gggraaaaugh!”

And that was when she hit it.

The splash of water sounded like a gunshot. Starlight glittered through a murderous field of droplets cascading all around her. But soon Rainbow Dash cleared it—overshooting gravity itself. She gasped, then flailed—briefly airborne—as the entire craft fell from where it had scaled the swell's crest.

Whump! “Ooof!” Rainbow Dash gasped as she landed and rolled across the deck of the raft. She came to a stop against the mast, hissing in pain. As her senses recollected, she was remarkably alarmed at how... calm everything felt. She stood up—shivering—and pivoted about.

At last, she saw the Yaerfaerda symbol, and—to her relief—it was staying relatively even with the horizon. A thin veil of undulating darkness marked where the sea separated itself from the sky. After all of Rainbow's work, she had escaped the swelling shore, and was now making her way out onto open waters.

She shuddered, falling back on her haunches for a brief respite. It didn't last long, for soon she had situated herself at the stern of the craft, using her wings to continually push the craft forward. She found that she could flap her feathers in alternating bursts and still keep the vessel appropriately accelerated. Somehow the pony knew that this technique couldn't help her forever, but it was a good start.

Rainbow hadn't realized just how much time had passed when—all of the sudden—a thin sliver of golden light appeared along the vanishing point. The light bled into a platinum sheen, eventually bringing with it dawn's blinding beacon. The sensation was very crisp, clean, and warming. Rainbow couldn't remember the last time she actually felt like basking in a sunrise, so she rested by the mast, taking a brief yet blissful opportunity to relax.

By the time the entire sun was visible above the ocean waves, Rainbow figured it was time. She licked her hoof and raised it in the air. Blinking, she got a fix on the wind's direction, then dashed over towards the mast. She tugged at a simple rope system and—in swift order—had unfurled her patchwork sail. The mare trotted around the edge of the raft, feeling for the tug of wind against the sail. Once it had caught fully, she tied a length of rope attached to the corner of the sail around one of several rusted pegs hammered into the edge of the craft. Then she rushed towards the stern, careful to grab a long, distended wooden plank she had carved out of a Val Roan wagonpiece.

She affixed this to a wooden notch and stuck the long end of the “rudder” into the waves. Using sheer hoofpower, she guided the raft along. She found that the craft didn't match the same speed she was able to achieve by flapping her wings, but at least this way she was capable of traveling long distances without wearing herself out. It was an awkward task, and Rainbow Dash found herself messing up more than once. The first day was filled with rushing back to the edges of the craft and re-tying the sail-and-rope to various parts, all the while getting a feel for how Rainbow's imperfect vessel wanted to operate. But, for better or for worse, Rainbow had a functioning means of transportation, and she scaled so many waves that she figured she could take on the rest with her eyes closed.

With a calm breath, Rainbow Dash turned and looked over her shoulder. The terrestrial Grand Choke was now a thick brown line with rust-red peaks growing further and further in the distance. Everything else was blue and nebulous. If Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and relished in the wind, it almost felt like flying.

Eventually, exhaustion set over. Once Rainbow Dash was comfortable with the direction she had pointed the raft in, she trotted over to mid-deck, erected a wooden lean-to with a pole, and took an hour or two to collapse under a blissful shade.

A Ship By No Other Name

Rainbow Dash sweated. There was not a single minute of the day when she did not sweat. Even when she was beneath the blissful shade of the lean-to, she struggled just to keep from fainting due to the heat of the sun-baked ocean.

At the moment, she was preoccupying herself with a delicate task. She squatted over, teeth clenching the handle of her hatchet as she continued etching the finishing touches of a small circle into the raft's starboardmost plank of wood. This figure alone was taking the better part of an hour, and previous eight figures had consumed two full days.

With gentle persistence, however, she was at last finished with the final “O.” Spitting the hatchet back into her saddlebag, she stepped back and admired her task, having to cock her head upside down in order to better read it from the center of the raft: “Scootaloo.”

The mare smiled tiredly.

A spray of salt water kissed her flanks.

She turned and looked ahead, squinting.

Foamy waves undulated wildly ahead of her. She was approaching another oceanic swell.

Sighing slightly to herself, Rainbow Dash trotted briskly to the back of the raft, dipped the rudder in, and steered the vessel slightly towards port, preparing to round the crest of the incoming waves at an angle.

The sun set in the west, opposite of the Yaerfaerda symbol. Both beacons bobbed on either side of the watery world like lanterns situated on an epic sea saw.

Rainbow Dash clung to the mast while this recent bout of turbulence passed over. The sensation only gave her slight nausea; Rainbow was remarkably in control of her faculties. Mentally, the mare chalked it up to years of flying every stomach-churning aerial maneuver in comprehension.

It still didn't make the moment pass by any more swiftly. The pegasus remained hooked to the mast, shuddering as she watched the waves bob and weave around her. All the while, the persistent scent of salt and moisture filled her nostrils, making it hard to shut the moment out of her beleaguered mind.

By nightfall, the ocean had calmed somewhat.

Rainbow Dash lay on her back, dipping a lazy hoof into the rippling waters. She hadn't seen a single hint of marine life since she shoved off the Grand Choke's dry surface—so she had little worry of sharks or other predators.

It only made the moment all the more dull.

She inhaled and exhaled, her eyes darting around the stars above. She locked her eyes on the center of the cosmos, and—with great audacity—began counting the twinkling specks outward in a spiral. She'd get further and further in the count, but would ultimately blink one time too many, lose her place, and have to start over again. The largest number she got was two hundred and fourteen, and when she lost that she simply gave up, accepting that she had counted enough.

Relaxing her mind, Rainbow Dash focused on the silver haze the stars produced when she allowed her eyes to shut part of the way. Without even a crescent moon to illuminate her oceanic sojourn, the world took on an eerie, dim glow. She started pondering about life on the dark side of the plane—if this was the kind of existence they had to look forward to, day after sunless day. Was it so incredibly bleak and desolate that they still had to fight over something? Was the Trinary War capable of illuminating the bastions of the Midnight Armory?

Rainbow Dash's eyes flickered open. She imagined torchlight shining off of Chrysalis' glossy exoskeleton. Only in quiet, subdued moments like this did Rainbow Dash reawaken to just how incredibly quickly the mutant alicorn had chosen to surrender. Perhaps it wasn't all a victory for Harmony. Perhaps Chrysalis had simply remembered enough about the Dark Side to realize just how hopeless that half of the world was.

It was the Changeling Queen's past, and it all but consumed her. What could Rainbow Dash expect, knowing that the Dark Side was her only absolute future?

The mare shuddered. She ran a hoof up to her neck, feeling along the golden lengths of the pendant.

She had far more “futures” than just one, and all of them equally bleak. To keep from dwelling on it, Rainbow Dash tried recounting the cosmos, and somewhere amidst the taxing task, she fell blissfully asleep.

Three morsels.

There were only three Heaven Slices left, and even that was a generous estimate. Their edges had gone black due to disintegration and decay. Rainbow Dash had tried her best to restore them with doses of Harmony from her pendant, but there was no real way to tell how many nutrients they still contained until she ate them. However, she was afraid to eat them too liberally—or else they might lose their enchanted cohesion altogether.

It didn't change the fact that Rainbow Dash's stomach practically screamed in hunger. On this occasion, she had gone for a full two days without eating. She figured that—now that she had the raft riding the winds over the ocean—she might not have to exert herself quite so much. She was only partially right. Now, as the sun rose, it was getting increasingly hard to keep her eyes open, much less her limbs moving. In just a matter of hours, the world would start getting roasting hot all around her, and she knew that there was only one true way to weather it.

So, with a nervous shudder, she folded the last two bits away and started nibbling on the smallest, brownest Heaven Slice in her hooves. The taste—if you could even call it that—was beyond bland. Rainbow Dash feared that it was too late to properly utilize the gift that the Val Roans had given her.

With a despondent look in her eyes, she pivoted about and glanced at the slender jar poking out of her satchel. There was barely any mist left inside the jar of Nebulum, and Rainbow feared that the next time she turned the nozzle may be her last.

The ocean swelled around her, churning as she glided ever eastward, into the great blue oblivion.

My Kingdom For A Cruise Liner

"Mmmm... nngnhhfff..."

Rainbow Dash lay on her side, forelimbs twitching. Her eyelids fluttered as her muzzle scrunched and unscrunched.

"Grffff... wnnaa... mhhf? Guh!" She sat up with a gasp. "What?!"

Darkness surrounded her, full of the echoes of churning waves. A celestial canopy of glittering stars hung overhead.

Rainbow Dash panted and panted. "Who? I... I thought..."

She brought a hoof up and ran it through her bangs. Her mane felt ice-cold to the touch. Something fluttered through her starving gut, and she couldn't explain it.

Just then, something moved out of the corner of her vision.

She turned to look, body stiff and rigid.

Yaerfaerda bobbed up and down in time with the undulating sea. Its lavender colors pierced Rainbow's mind across the dull night.

Rainbow's nostrils flared. With a melancholic sigh, she sank back to the surface of the raft. She curled up into a little blue ball, resting the edge of her cold pendant against her crossed forelimbs. As she started to shiver, her ruby eyes stared off into nothingness, framing a confused and exhausted face.

Squinting in the bright daylight, Rainbow Dash unscrewed her canteen. After taking a deep breath, she turned the container over directly above her gaping maw.

Nothing happened.

So she gave the canteen the tiniest of shakes.

Two droplets struck her tongue, and that was it.

Seething, Rainbow reluctantly screwed the container shut. She stared at the empty thing in her grasp, then glanced forlornly at the salt water lapping all around the raft.

With a quiet shudder, she trotted over to the bag that was tied to the mast. Pilfering through it, she brushed past the bag with the two and a half remaining Heaven Slices and pulled out the container of Nebulum. Leaning back, she held the jar up to the light. There was barely enough mist inside the enchanted container to refract the suns' rays. If she didn't know better, she would have guessed the jar was empty too.

The day broiled around her, levitating waves of heat off the ocean waters so that they thoroughly baked Rainbow from all angles. Her mouth was like a piece of the Grand Choke that had followed her, and it felt just as sandy beneath her tongue too.

So, with anxious shudders, Rainbow began twisting the nozzle of the container.

She stopped halfway—though—then released her grip of the jar altogether. Her heart ached at the mere thought of it, but she courageously put the container back into the bag anyways.

She was uncomfortably thirsty... but she wasn't dying.

"Not yet," Rainbow muttered.

And once the bag had been tied back shut, Rainbow crawled back under the lean-to, collapsed on her side, and proceeded to do nothing.

As the day wore on...

That night, there was no sleeping.

The wind had grown incredibly unpredictable—or at least that's what Rainbow Dash had assumed at first. The raft kept being yanked north and south—but never east. Rainbow lost count of the number of times she had to untie/reattach the rope so that the sail was repositioned to better catch the wild gales.

No amount of concentrated effort could keep pushing the raft east. Rainbow tested this—continuously through the night—with no small amount of cussing under her breath. The task of re-casting the sail was incredibly frustrating, with Rainbow having to summon tiny spurts of magic from her pendant in order to illuminate the raft around her.

When at last she felt as though she had gotten the raft pointed appropriately towards Yaerfaerda again, she couldn't help but notice that her velocity was practically nil. Instead of churning through the waves—or even coasting over the swells—it felt as though the Scootaloo was only drifting along at a glacial pace.

Rainbow Dash grumbled. Gnashing her teeth, she pulled the sail down, tied the rope around the mast, and planted her flank on the stern.

"That's it... friggin' useless strip of tree bark, I swear." Frowning, she gripped the raft in all fours and beat her wings. "There's always one way to move a Scootaloo."

And, just like that, the craft began cruising forward, propelled by Rainbow's sheer wind powers.

"Hah! How do you like that, ya stubborn melon fudge?!"

By sunrise, Rainbow's wings were too sore to even move.

The pegasus whimpered, collapsing on her chest as her strength finally gave out. To her utter frustration, the raft came to a near-complete stop, barely moving fast enough to form a wake behind it.

With a frustrated groan, Rainbow covered her eyes. Her tail dipped lazily in the water, relishing in the last touch of cool liquid before the sun's baking arch cooked everything all around her once again.

At last, Rainbow tilted her head up. She looked defeatedly at the mast and its deflated sail.

Despite her misgivings, she got up on wobbly legs, ignored the pain in her wing-muscles, and trotted up to the mast. Unfurling the sail, she stretched it out and tied its rope to an outer peg in the raft. Standing back, she stood in place and... simply stared at the contraption refusing to work.

Rainbow felt a wind. She knew that there was a breeze rolling past her. But—despite what she sensed—there wasn't even the slightest ripple to the patchwork fabric.

Frowning, the pegasus stood up on her rear hooves, took a deep breath, and literally blew on the sail.

A three square inch stretch of fabric undulated and rolled back, then was still once again.

Rainbow plopped back down onto her hooves. She exhaled heavily. "I don't get it. I just don't... get it..." She turned and looked at the water surrounding her. The entire world was an endlessly shifting plane of blue waves. "...what is it that makes this place tick?" She gulped. "Or untick?"

A streak of lavender flickered.

Rainbow jerked and looked east.

Yaerfaerda hovered in place, just above the horizon, bright and steady.

Rainbow blinked. She cocked her head aside and gave the symbol the stinkeye.

It continued lingering in the same spot along the blue line, as constant and shimmering as ever.

"... ... ..." Rainbow sighed. Her wings were still too sore to continue giving the raft thrust, and the rest of her body was beyond exhausted. Nevertheless, there she was, stuck in an aquatic desert where magic and the elements were swiftly crumbling all around her.

It was precisely around that point when the pegasus began anxiously pacing in tiny circles.

Where Do We Go From Here

When Rainbow Dash's strength returned, she resumed her winged thrust of the raft, propelling the vessel over waves and ocean swells. This venture lasted barely two hours, and Rainbow had to rest again. It was more than being thirsty and famished; the pegasus simply wasn't used to propelling that much weight with her wings. If she was just moving herself, she was certain she could carry her body eastward for days—or at least that's what she told herself.

The truth was, the craft had too much weight to bear. On top of that, it almost felt as though the ocean itself was resisting her. Rainbow Dash expected the vessel to glide easily along the watery crests, but instead it was if the elements were creating an unbearable friction that made it thrice as hard to push the raft along.

Even bleaker things happened as the day unfolded. The wind that had no effect on the sail had gradually vanished, giving the air an unnatural stillness that shook Rainbow to the core. Whenever her hooves dipped into the waves, the water somehow felt... less wet. Rainbow had no way to explain it. As the sun set, she splashed her upper body with the liquid in an attempt to cool herself, but she sensed nothing but a thin veil of beaded moisture—and then nothing. She couldn't fathom that the water had instantly evaporated. Instead, it was as though the liquid was reacting to her body and her raft as if it was all slathered with a fine layer of oil.

Sleep was impossible that night. Even as exhausted as she was, Rainbow Dash could only lie on her side and stare blankly into the distance. Yaerfaerda taunted her relentlessly, marking a point on the horizon that refused to move. By the halfway point of the evening, the lavender beacon was icy still, and it occurred to Rainbow that the ocean had reached a point where all the waves had virtually disappeared.

When morning came, the light of the day confirmed this. The ocean had turned into a virtually flat plane. Even when Rainbow Dash slapped her hoof into the sea around her, the ripples barely lasted twenty seconds before disappearing completely.

The only thing more potent than Rainbow's exhaustion was the panic that set in. She slapped her flank against the stern of the raft and began beating her wings again. For the next hour, she pushed the vessel along—though she couldn't tell if she was making progress or not. The Scootaloo left virtually no wake behind it, and the cloudless sky remained as bright and blue as ever.

Rainbow shuddered and wheezed under the heat of it all. In desperation, she reached into her pack and took a hearty inhale of Nebulum. The container made a dull, hollow sound as she snapped the nozzle back into place. Shivering, Rainbow realized that she may have consumed the enchanted nutrient for the last time. Rather dwell on that reality, she stuck the thing back into the bag and flung herself back to her post.

The rest of the day was spent in agonizing phases of wing-flapping and not-wing-flapping. With each hour-long session of propelling the craft, Rainbow felt the task growing more and more impossible. Her wingtips had grown threadbare; her muscles torn and weeping. By the afternoon, she had collapsed across the surface of the raft, wheezing and whimpering for breath.

Rainbow looked up, squinting at the desolate sky. The blueness that once enticed the daredevil flier was not a constant source of torment, with a burning sun that roasted her by the hour. Seething, Rainbow slouched towards her lean-ton for some shade and relaxation, though she only expected to get only one of those.

It was around the time she made it to the lip of the wooden partition that she heard a disgusting crack from the center of the raft. Freezing in place, Rainbow spun around. She looked all over the vessel, eyes swimming across the metal pegs, the rope, and the satchel Arcanista had given her.

Right then, Rainbow heard yet another crack. Anxiously, her ruby eyes traveled up... and widened. The sail had collapsed slightly. The reason for this was that the mast was leaning at a thirty-five degree angle. And the reason for that was a hideous fracture that had formed down the length of the wooden pole, gradually splitting the decrepit Val Roan wood in two.

Rainbow literally squeaked in panic. She spun around in circles, then—holding her breath—she dashed over towards where the rope rigging the sail was strung around a metal pole. But loosening this had no effect. The mast continued cracking, leaning, with a huge fissure splitting down its center.

So, in desperation, Rainbow rushed up to the fractured pole, standing her body up and pressing her back against it, hoping that she could overpower the careening weight.

“Rnnngh... come on... don't do this to me now... I need you...!”

There was no wind, and even if there was, it didn't work the way wind should. The mast was useless. The sail even more so.

“I need you... I need you... I need you...” Rainbow hissed. Gnashing her teeth, she threw her weight through her shoulder. “Nnnnghh-ghhhh!”

Gradually, the mast leaned back into a straight position, perpendicular to the surface of the raft. Rainbow Dash flung her head back, looking up at the gap between the split edges filling back up.

“Okay... okayokayokay.” Rainbow gulped. “I just... j-just gotta find out a way to keep you tied together until I can figure out a better—”

A lavender streak.

The world spun around Rainbow.

The pegasus jolted in confusion. She wasn't certain what had caused the universe to undulate beneath her, but she swiftly fell down—losing grasp of all her strength.

“Unf!” The mare sprawled out across the deck, wincing. Her body tingled as dizziness came over her. She tried pressing a hoof against the planks, only for her forelimb to dip into pure water. Rainbow stared wearily into the sea's surface, and as the ripples quickly dissipated, she saw a reflection of red-on-yellow eyes. “... … ...oh no.”

Crkkkk! The mast crackled above her, casting a shadow over her limp figure.

“Mrmmmff...” Rainbow's head spun. She squirmed through nauseating dizziness in time to see the mast's slender shadow stretching over her, closer and closer. “No... no no no...” She wheezed. “Please, Celestia, no!”

Crkk-kkkk! The mast ripped savagely down the middle. The sail rippled and spun as the heavy pole fell down over Rainbow.

“Grnngh—!” She dove savagely to the side.

SMASH! The mast struck the raft, hard.

Rainbow felt the world spinning—for real this time. Yaerfaerda spun loops around her amidst nightmarish sprays of water. Her shivering body dipped in and out of the waves as a saltine estuary bubbled across the fractured deck. The logs of the Scootaloo were spreading apart, the twine fastening them growing loose by the twirling second.

“Mrmmmf... gotta... gotta stop...” Rainbow whimpered. Her eyes flickered again, and all she could do in the dizzy spell was grab the nearest solid object and cling for dear life. “...stop... friggin' stop spinning... just...”

The lavender beacon formed a halo, occupying every horizon. Rainbow felt ensnared by it, and it choked the breath out of her lungs. With red-on-yellow eyes rolling back, her exhausted body gave in, surrendering to unconsciousness.

The light of the morning was dim and sickly when Rainbow Dash finally awoke.

She shivered—but not because of a dizzy spell. Rainbow realized she was freezing, and the reason for this was that her lower body had been dangling underwater all night.

So—wincing—she pulled herself forward. Her body rolled onto a dry surface, which was how Rainbow knew that her raft wasn't completely obliterated. She lay on her back, panting and panting, afraid to assess the damage around her.

Nevertheless, once the final wave of dizziness had completely dissipated, the pegasus sat up, clutching the pendant around her neck as she turned and peered around. A ruby glow pierced the gray haze of morning, revealing shredded bits of wood poking in discordant directions.

Rainbow Dash visibly blanched. She wasn't shocked by the fact that the mast was gone. She wasn't horrified at the fact that only half of her raft was still remaining. It didn't even faze her that she had been adrift for hours on end, and quite possibly she may have drifted as much west as east.

What Rainbow realized was that—with the mast having collapsed—Arcanista's satchel had been washed away, vanished completely over night.

The Heaven Slices and Nebulum were gone.

For What It Is Ever Worth

Rainbow squeaked like a distressed filly.

She trotted forward, only to stumble, her front left hoof splashing deep into seawater. The raft had split from the collapsing mast, and several logs spread apart to expose the depths below. Thrashing about, Rainbow rolled onto a dry surface again.

She hyperventilated, her wide eyes darting all around the surface of the raft in the dim morning light. Gnashing her teeth, she lifted every loose piece of debris, including the shattered remnants of her lean-to.

“No... oh no...”

She fumbled and felt around and searched every square surface of the craft.

“No... please... no no no no no no no!”

Seething, Rainbow Dash spun about, staring at every horizon. Her dizzy spell had lasted an untold amount of hours, but the ocean around her was dead-still. There was no reason to believe that she had drifted toofar. Plus, Arcanista's bag wasn't completely full of junk. For all Rainbow knew, it could very well have been buoyant... or at least neutrally buoyant.

Nostrils flaring, Rainbow Dash flapped her wings. She leapt—only to fall flat on her chest.

“Ooomf! Nnngrh...” She snarled, angry at her own forgetfulness. “Darn it!”

Hopping back onto her hooves, she flapped her wings... then flapped them harder. It was no use. Her body refused to fly.

So, panicking, she fumbled with her bagstraps until she untied Luna's satchel. Shrugging it off her flank, she positioned it neatly in the center of the remaining raft, took a deep breath, then dove straight into the placid waters around her.

Splassssh!

Rainbow Dash plunged into the depths. She was blind. To her aching shock, there was no seeing further than a few feet ahead of her muzzle. The morning light just wasn't bright enough to pierce the depths. What's more, the salt water stung her eyes. After a meager bit of thrashing about, she kicked her way back up to the surface.

“Scrkk-gaahgh! Sptt!” Rainbow pony-paddled around the raft, slapping her forelimb across the bent wooden logs. She dragged Luna's satchel to the edge, rummaged around inside, then grabbed Scootaloo's goggles. Tossing the satchel safely back into the center, she fitted the eyepiece around her skull, took another deep breath, then dove again.

Rainbow sank through the murky depths. There were no fish, no detritus, no hints of anything but bubbles and dense lifeless water. Thinking fast, her lungs aching with each prolonged second, she ran a hoof over her pendant so that her ruby pendant would glow. But nothing happened—short of a tiny strobe of scarlet light, that is. There was no helpful searchlight to expose the depths of the ocean. And even if Rainbow could illuminate even a fraction of the expanse, how was she to find Arcanista's satchel amidst all of that? There was no telling how far the satchel could have sunk. It could be on the ocean floor for all Rainbow knew.

That didn't stop her from trying.

Splashing and sputtering, Rainbow surfaced and resurfaced constantly, floundering about, peering through her goggles as she swam tiny, frantic circles through the upper layers of the salt water desert that she was stranded in. She paddled and swam and kicked until every limb was sore—including her wings. Her body was thoroughly soaked, and she could feel her lungs struggling to give her the regular supply of oxygen. Having fasted as much as she did over the past few days, Rainbow simply lacked the strength to dive any further—even if she was lucky enough to find Arcanista's satchel. And would she even be able to salvage the Nebulum and Heaven's Slices? The only thing keeping their enchantment even remotely intact was direct exposure to the harmonic energies in Rainbow's Element. But on their own, sunk in the sea, and exposed to the elements?

Rainbow Dash splashed to the surface one more time. She shivered in the cold currents, gazing at the undulating expanse all around her. She knew that there was no point in pursuing what was lost any further. So, cussing under her breath, she twirled about.

She couldn't see the raft.

“... … …!!!” Rainbow spun and spun, wings and legs thrashing. She let loose several inarticulate bursts of fright.

Then—past a wave of water formed by her own struggles—Rainbow finally saw the tell-tale sign of drifting wood. In her frantic, blind searches, she had inadvertently put over forty feet of distance between herself and the Scootaloo.

So, with steady motions, she stroked and swam towards it.

But—after a solid minute of kicking—the raft didn't appear to be coming any closer.

Rainbow's eyes twitched beneath her goggles. Gritting her teeth, she pivoted her body sideways and kick-stroked with both her front and rear limbs. She felt the water gliding past her, but it was doing so at a snail's pace. Horror gripped Rainbow's heart as she realized that the same mechanics of the Choke that made it impossible to fly or cast a sail was now flustering her attempts to swim normally. Nevertheless, she persisted, kicking and stroking faster as she attempted to return to the one and only source of buoyancy.

For what felt like a half-hour, Rainbow stroked and stroked. She inched towards her destination, her limbs numb. The sun rose, glaring into her eyes. A foggy condensation formed across her goggles and her mouth quivered from the bitter taste of salt water. There was barely even a tingle left in her senses by the time Rainbow reached spitting distance of the raft.

“Nnnngh!” She flung a hoof out.

It splashed ineffectually into the water, just inches shy of the raft.

“Rrrr-raaaugh!” She lashed again, dunking her body in the effort. She sputtered up to the surface, wheezing for breath as she fought to stay afloat. “Mrmmmf—Celestia!”

The pegasus lunged again, once more coming short. Her body grew cold. Gravity tugged at her harder and harder, as if a whirlpool was trying to drag her under. Then, with a calm breath, she pivoted about and tilted her head forward. Her teeth gripped to an edge of the raft, and she pulled the rest of her body forward. At last, she was within grabbing distance, and she rolled onto the dry wood.

“Grkkkg... spkkt—augh! Kaff! Kaff!” Rainbow crawled, squirmed, and inched her way to the center of the raft. There, she curled up with her back to Luna's satchel, dripping all over with ocean water. Rainbow Dash was a shivering, numb, soaked mess.

But she was alive... for what it was worth.

A lump formed in her throat—the first thing she felt since the anguished act of swimming took it out of her. She was aware of how terribly empty her stomach was—and how dry the back of her mouth. Now she was stuck on the raft, with nowhere to swim or fly, and a dead ocean stretching on all sides.

The pegasus never thought she'd miss the stale-tasting enchanted gift of the Val Roans as much as she did then. She was too exhausted to cry, and yet too panicked to fall asleep. So she did the next best thing.

She covered her wet face with her forelimbs, rolled over, and waited for the Sun to roast her pathetic body.

You Need Ponies For a Conga

For hours and hours, Rainbow Dash crawled from one wooden log to the next, carefully tying the warped pieces of the raft together with whatever scant length of rope or twine that she could find. This proved to be a supremely difficult task, especially with how bulky and cumbersome the pegasus' hatchet was in her teethed grip. Nevertheless, she refused to stop. Staying still meant feeling hungry, and feeling hungry meant acknowledging her situation, and acknowledging her situation meant collapsing into despair.

Nevertheless, after a great deal of labor and strain, she had no choice but to rest. Rainbow Dash plopped down, legs limp and folded beneath her heaving body. She slid the hatchet back into her satchel, then lay her head on the sturdier half of the raft, gazing weakly out at the placid waters of the dead ocean. Her vision fogged, and she had to blink several times in order to maintain focus.

It felt as though someone was dragging a serrated blade across the middle of her gut. She held a hoof over her fuzzy tummy, wincing as the waves of pain rolled through her hard and harder. Her body was too weak to even manage a hungry growl. Her tongue swished around in her mouth, a dry piece of meat that suddenly felt very... very succulent.

Rainbow sniffled. She gazed woefully at the lengths of lumber still waiting to be fastened together. As weak as she was—if she didn't attempt to mend the damage the mast had done—there was no telling how quickly the vessel might fall apart and sink like a dead weight. However, the task was proving far too taxing with her hatchet, so Rainbow Dash considered an alternative.

Reaching into her saddlebag was a painful gesture in and of itself. With her lean-to mostly demolished, there was next to nothing to give the pony shade, and her body had been thoroughly baked by the hot sun. Nevertheless, she reached into Luna's satchel, fished around, and finally pulled out what she was looking for. However, when she had the Dagger of Evo in her grasp, she stopped moving altogether, instead choosing to stare at the intricate weapon.

Antler motifs swirled around the Val Roan royal crest. The sheathe glistened in the hot sun, completely unblemished despite its centuries of antiquity. Beads of sweat ran down Rainbow's hoof and rolled across the immaculate metal.

Rainbow bit her chapped lip. In a calm breath, she unsheathed the thing. Razor-sharp metal lit the air, glinting brighter than the exterior had just moments ago. Rainbow raised the thing to eye level. She turned the blade over, examining its pointed tip and supple “teeth.” Every tiny notch was perfectly engineered. There was no doubt the thing could cut through bone if it needed to.

The mare clenched her teeth. Seconds passed... minutes... and still she held the thing at face level. A bloodshot pair of ruby eyes reflected off the blade, framed by bruised, sunburnt flesh and fuzz. Her heart beat slowly, lazily, growing slower and calmer. Then—with a sour gulp in her throat—she tilted the blade down... closer to the nape of her neck.

In a scarlet flash, the dagger reflected the Element of Loyalty.

Rainbow's ears drooped. She blew out her nostrils and shut her eyes. Her body shook... shivered... and within seconds she heard the metal scrape from sheathing the dagger back safe, secure. It was then that she collapsed, quivering all over. It was the closest she could come to crying, now that her dehydrated body had been long robbed of tears.

There was a flash of lavender, streaking.

The mare opened her eyes with a gasp. She rolled over, gazing east. Her jaw dropped.

Yaerfaerda lingered—of course. It always loomed due east. Only... this time... there was something different. Something that hovered between Rainbow Dash and her elusive destination. The oceanfront of the Grand Choke—usually a bright and desolate splotch of water—was suddenly marred by a dark grayness that hovered perpetually between the sea and the sky. Rainbow Dash spotted thick clouds, swirling eddies, and a thick, dismal haze.

The longer Rainbow stared, the more she felt the waters around her rocking and undulating. The raft began rising and falling in gentle, persistent motions. A swiftly rising turbulence rose through the sea from all angles. A storm was on the horizon, wild and rampaging, and it was approaching rapidly.

“Hrmmmf... heh...” Rainbow blew out her burnt lips, forming the tiniest of smirks. She threw the Dagger of Evo into Luna's satchel with finality. “That's more like it...”

When There Is No Silver Bullet

The ocean was a churning maelstrom of black, thrashing waters. Noise and chaos circled the Scootaloo, and the only thing to pierce the vortex was the occasional flicker of forked lightning. In such hellish flashes, Rainbow saw surging waves coming in to engulf the raft—or at least she thought she had seen them. She was far too busy being tossed left and right across the dilapidated vessel.

“Mmmmf! Grnnngh!” Rainbow gnashed her teeth as her body slammed once more against a swath of shifting logs. In anticipation of the violent storm, she had strapped Luna's satchel to her flanks, and had even gone as far as to tie a length of rope around her hoof, attaching herself to the heart of the wooden raft. The latter action turned out to be a life-saver, for on more than a dozen occasions the undulating ocean had threatened to toss her clear into the drink. “Grkkk... oommf!”

Lightning flashed again, this time in hot blue horizontal branches that illuminated the bulbous black clouds dipping overhead. It was not a rain storm. The weather of the Grand Choke had decided to skip straight on to the cyclones and electrical surges. Nevertheless, the wind spat out wave after wave of shredded ocean water, thoroughly dousing Rainbow Dash's weary, sunburnt body. Beads of moisture ran down her face and collected in her mouth, bringing with it a sour taste that was hardly of any relief to her dehydrated condition.

And just when Rainbow Dash felt certain that the storm had tossed the worst at her, another crest would hit, and the raft reeled so hard that it nearly toppled over completely... only to come crashing back down with an inarticulate splash of salt water and wooden splinters.

Rainbow grunted, grimacing at the sound of splitting logs. With each consecutive wave, she felt the wooden beams pulling more and more loosely apart, and she scrambled all over the surviving craft, using her hooves and wingtips to fasten the rope and twine back in place. This turned out to be a near impossible task, not just because of the extreme turbulence but mostly due to the water that further saturated her scant materials to work with.

“Come on... come onnn!” Rainbow attempted to yell, but her weakened lungs produced as squeak at best. “Celestia!” she sputtered, reeling as more and more sprays of ocean water pelted her in mid-task. “Gimme something to work with, dang you!”

Another streak of lightning. This one streaked past the bobbing image of Yaerfaerda, nearly blinding Rainbow altogether. In the ensuing thunder, she felt the craft rising higher and higher—much more sharply than in any crest previous.

Panicked, Rainbow paused in what she was doing. She twirled East, ran a hoof over her pendant, and tilted her pendant up.

She saw the wave and immediately wished she hadn't. In the brief ruby haze afforded her, it looked almost as if she was sliding up a forty-five degree hillside of pure water. As the raft tilted back more and more, her mind and body knew that there was no chance in Tartarus of clearing the thing. Already she could hear the groan of shifting wooden beams, and so she did that which was simultaneously the smartest and dumbest thing. She dove clear off the raft's side, satchel and all.

Within a second of splashing into the water, she felt the weight of the raft turning over and collapsing behind her. The rope fastened to her forelimb yanked her back violently, and she screamed air bubbles at the excruciating tug on her shoulder's socket. Rainbow somersaulted underwater more times than she wished to count. Her body felt a plummeting sensation, then yanked to another painful stop. Weight and gravity shifted, and she realized she was in a brief bout of calm.

Her twitching eyes looked up through the drink. She spotted tiny, muddled flashes of blue light, along with the looming glow of Yaerfaerda. A half-square shadow hovered between here and the lightning, and she kicked her limbs, swimming straight for it.

“Gkkk-srpkkkkt!” Seconds later, she burst through the ocean's surface. Her anchored limb was numb with pain, so she flung her other foreleg out—catching three loose beams of wood that were spreading disastrously apart. Hyperventilating, she threw herself atop the scant remains of the raft and viciously pulled the planks together. She was halfway through fastening the beams when another wave hit, knocking her over completely. “Ooof!”

Rainbow fell on her back, sprawled out with wings spread and twitching. All of her strength had been sapped in the last murderous impact, and she simply laid there, her spine practically glued to the Scootaloo as she gazed thinly up at the bubbling stormclouds overhead.

Rainbow heaved and shivered. More waves kept coming—each of them far more treacherous and deadlier than the last. She could have been bracing herself. She could have been holding her breath, preparing for another dive as the raft threatened to topple over again and disintegrate, plank by plank. But, instead, she remained still, limp, and immobile.

And then lightning flashed again, bringing with it a flicker of red scales.

Rainbow Dash blinked. Her eyes narrowed.

Another flash: Rainbow saw clouds, clouds, and more clouds. But they were clearing, opening up above her in a wing-shaped hole. As the thunder coalesced, she briefly heard the sound of beating air, and then the clouds closed up behind the mysterious mass, sealing her once again in the hellish seascape.

No amount of lightning could blot out the iron frown forming across the mare's muzzle.

“Well?!”

She hollered against the thunder.

“Well?!?!”

The thunder split in two as she stood up and cracked her voice against the heavens.

“What are you waiting for?!?!”

Waves slammed into the raft. Rainbow fell on her side. She felt a pained gash forming in her side, spilling blood. She growled past it, sputtering past the spray of stinging water.

“Is this what you wanted?!?!” She braced herself against the collapsing raft, only to stomach the next hollering words. “Is this what everyone wanted?!?!” Her angry scowl sliced the storm in every darting direction. “Commander Hurricane couldn't even make it this far, and she didn't even have you to crush her to a pulp!! What in Luna's poop are you hiding from now?!?!”

Lightning illuminated the naked heavens. It was only Rainbow Dash and the storm. It always was.

“Grnnngh!” Rainbow shouldered another churning wave of water splashing all over her. Like a chunk of granite bluffs, she took it, and hollered into the maelstrom. “Come and finish what you started!! Or are you too much of a coward, Axan?!?!” She stood up, leaning her battered body on a broken spoke of waterlogged wood. “Come on!! I'm right here!! Come and get me, ya stinkin' fire lizard!! Nothing's stopping you!!”

Lightning and the storm. There was nothing to yell at but the chaos beyond the darkness.

“What are you waiting for?!?!” Rainbow screamed until there was no breath left. “Bring it—!!”

When the next wave hit, it knocked the wind completely out of Rainbow's lungs. She fell to her side, but there was no energy left to whimper. She simply clung to the wood, riding the tossed raft as it swam sporadic circles across the churning waters. And yet—for minutes on end—as her consciousness dangled by a thread, she continued glaring at the empty heavens, a daredevilish snarl plastered to her face.

And soon enough, all went blacker than the night itself.

Tomorrow Never Knows, My Little Austraeoh

The first thing Rainbow Dash awoke to was a flash of lavender light, or perhaps she had never fallen asleep to begin with. Her head dangled back, her mane dipping into swirling eddies of salt water. Her limp body dangled off the edge of something—presumably her raft, or at least what was left of it. Rainbow sensed her spine dipping below the rest of her body, and she guessed that the logs of the vessel had spread far enough apart that the whole thing threatened to collapse and sink beneath her at any moment. Perhaps the only thing keeping the mess together was Rainbow's battered limbs. She couldn't tell... she could hardly even think.

Rainbow gazed up at the sky. Dark clouds hung overhead, and a gray mist permeated the air. All was moist and humid. The atmosphere was no less sweltering, but the lingering vapor from the previous night's storm brought with it a strangely cooling sensation. It only served to torture Rainbow Dash all the more, especially since she couldn't move, squirm or even roll over.

Again, lavender streaked in the mare's peripheral. She tried tilting her head back, but her insides spun. It was then that she realized that she was suffering yet another dizzy spell—on top of all her previous torment. With a miserable little trilling sound, the pegasus went limp once more. Her head rolled back, as did her eyes.

Blearily, she stared across the turbulent seas. The ocean of the Grand Choke formed an upside down blue horizon before her. Sunlight refracted across the dull clouds, breaking through little clusters that christened the rolling waves like golden tresses. Rainbow Dash knew that just hours ago, this same ocean was tearing her raft apart, bruising and battering her, and yet—for a brief gasp in time—it was all so morbidly calming.

Maybe that's what dragged the whimper from her lips.

“You know... for a long t-time... I regretted that you didn't end me...”

She wheezed, fought through another wave of dizziness, and pursed her chapped lips.

“...it was all over. You m-made sure of that. I... I c-couldn't... grkkk... couldn't understand why you let me continue. There was no point in continuing. Every pony I've ever called a friend knew that... or else th-they were dead...”

Yaerfaerda appeared. Either it was circling Rainbow Dash, or her raft was slowly bending in a large circle. It didn't matter; the lavender light haunted her either way. It appeared remarkably high along the horizon. She was too tired to do anything but whisper.

“...but now... even now... mmmffnngh...”

She clenched her eyes shut. After another dizzy spell, tears squeezed out, and her tender little voice limped on.

“...I c-couldn't imagine it any other way. All of the blood... all of the tears... mmfhhgg... the laughs and the hugs and... and so many delicious meals we had together...”

Her ears twitched as the moist wind fluttered against her bangs.

“...loving each other... yelling at each other... but simply being together... I had it all once... but then I had it all again...”

Her burnt and chapped facial muscles quivered.

“...I never thought I could experience that once more. Even with all the fights... even with all the explosions... even... mmmff... even w-with Lerris...”

Her eyes reopened, glazed and glistening.

“It was... so... so very awesome...”

Rainbow Dash sniffled.

“...not even Hurricane had it this awesome. Just so... s-so...”

She seethed and squeaked and finally cracked.

“Thank you...”

A tear ran down her muzzle as she exhaled, her body growing even more limp. The dizziness cleared from the sheer force of her exhale.

“...thank you... thank you for... f-for giving me tomorrow...”

Yaerfaerda glided along the horizon, faster and faster, forming a streak... a halo around the dying pegasus.

“...I think...”

Rainbow whimpered.

“Yeah, I-I think...”

She sighed heavily, her delirious face forming a tired smile.

“... … ...I think I'm ready for the sunset.”

The clouds grew heavier, the ocean deeper.

Rainbow rolled on until she was a hazy blue dot in the immensity of it all, swallowed up in chaos.

She greeted it with a smirk, as always.

All Looking At The Same Rainbow

“... … … … Rainbow?”

Just When You Least Expect It

Crashing.

Her blue ears fluttered.

Roaring and crashing.

She stirred, her bruised limbs shifting against the wooden planks of the raft.

A rush of noise, undulating... then low and deep.

Rainbow Dash's brow furrowed.

It was a sound like a horn. A bass salvo of noise that crackled off into the distance like scattering cannonballs.

And, at last, her eyes opened.

At first, she saw nothing but darkness and chaos. Night had fallen, and the sea was churning heavier than ever.

It had to have been another storm, but the water wasn't spraying on her at random. What's more, the waves...

“Grmffnngh... mmff...” She stirred, wincing as she attempted to sit up—but failed. She slumped back down with a heavy exhale. Once her lungs emptied, she remembered why her ears tickled in the first place. “Where...” She squinted, tilting her weary head around like a drowsy feline. “Who...?”

Water rolled and roared somewhere in the depths. Rainbow became aware of a bitter, chilling wind. It fluttered at her bangs, soothing her burns and scrapes.

Wincing, she tilted her head up more—an act that took a great deal of feeble strength to accomplish.

At last, her eyes started to adjust to the darkness. She saw a layer of blackness lingering over an even blacker plane of shifting shadows and shapes. The ocean was moving, billowing, and crashing—but to where?

She blinked, sitting in numb confusion. The noise circled all around her, and she glanced left and right, trying to make sense of it.

It was then that Rainbow made the most startling realization of all.

“Yaerfaerda...!”

The symbol was gone. The lavender symbol had vanished completely from the ocean, and there was no telling which horizon she was looking at.

“But... b-but...”

Another loud roar.

Rainbow Dash looked up, and she gasped.

Yaerfaerda was floating—up high—a few hundred feet above her head. It was moving... and yet it wasn't. The glowing sight stayed in place, but Rainbow sensed that there was some sort of movement going about.

It was then that she realized that she was doing the moving.

Panting, Rainbow sat up straight, wincing through the pain of her stiff legs. The source of the roaring and crashing became evident to her. Somewhere between her and the area below Yaerfaerda, the ocean water was coming to a climax—churning and colliding against... something.

Alarmed, she reached a hoof up to her pendant in order to summon an emergency swath of light. At the last second, she faltered—for she realized she didn't need to.

Her eyes made out several columns. Thick metal spires emerged from the ocean—no more than ten of them—and they all rose vertically into the air, like iron bastions standing resolute against the might of the Grand Choke. Waves upon waves of salt water were crashing up against these beams. What's more, the liquid surrounding the site was swirling in a counter-clockwise fashion, carrying the remnants of the raft—and Rainbow Dash—along with it.

“A whirlpool...”

Rainbow gritted her teeth, steadying herself for fear of falling into the maelstrom at any moment. Panting, she tilted her head up, attempting to see how high the metal beams rose, and where they ended.

Just as she looked—something spectacular happened. Beams of energy shot out from an immense, circular circumference. Rainbow couldn't help but let loose a tiny shriek in her nervous condition. The bolts of lightning were ruby in color—a familiar shade of red—and they reflected off an immaculate shell of gold surfaces. In a blink, she saw dormant cogs and pendulums and gears clinging to the side of a massive tower. Just as the lightning cleared she heard an enormous salvo of bass noise, rumbling off into the distance like thunder. Then, just as swiftly as the phenomenon began, all was silent save for the crashing of waves.

Rainbow Dash panted and panted, gazing in a dumb stupor. Sure enough, she didn't have to wait for long. The bolts of lightning erupted from the heart of the tower once more, shooting off into every direction while illuminating the lofty collage of ancient machinery. Rainbow saw every splashing waves of the spiraling whirlpool, and then all was as dark as it was before.

Meanwhile, Yaerfaerda lingered above—hovering above the unexpected tower... or perhaps inside the tower.

“...the Machine Layer.” Rainbow gulped a lump down her throat. “It's here. It's... it's...”

Gravity shifted.

Rainbow gasped, clinging to the raft as she felt her whole body leaning precariously forward. The derelict vessel skimmed the crest of the circling waves at increasing degrees. The pegasus swiftly put two and two together. The Scootaloo was caught in the vortex, and soon enough the whirlpool would be slamming the vessel—along with her—into those immovable beams of metal.

In the next flash of unnatural lightning, Rainbow's face twisted into a retching grimace, and it was difficult to hear herself beneath the bass thunder.

“Hoboy.”

This Will Earn You Sea Legs

“Mmmf... guh!”

Rainbow Dash squeaked, nearly falling completely forward. She stopped sitting on the raft, for now she was clinging to it, like a tree frog might stick to the bark of a tree. The vessel glided faster and faster, descending down the whirling vortex of water. The winds of the Grand Choke blew straight through her, rattling her bones against her fatigued muscles as she approached the bottom of the whirlpool.

Lightning flickered overhead. During the ensuing boom of thunder, Rainbow found herself attempting to climb up the careening body of her raft. Every now and then she'd nearly slip, and her hoof would go flailing into the watery currents hurling around her. The touch of ocean-to-flesh felt like sandpaper due to the pure friction, and she winced with whatever spare senses she had to feel pain with.

“Grnngh... Celestia...!” With wide eyes, she looked down at her imminent demise.

The crashing waves were white with continuous froth, filling the bottom of the whirlpool with a ghastly foam that clung to the multiple beams of shiny gold metal. The lower Rainbow rode the raft, the harder it was to contemplate just how swiftly the currents were raging at the bottom. Velocity like that would render her vessel to powdery dust, much less splinters.

Something slapped against the back of Rainbow's neck. She winced in pain, then glanced behind her. In the next flash of lightning, she saw the rope and twine that bound the raft splitting apart, unraveling as the logs began to separate. The twine slapped her as they split and ripped asunder.

The next salvo of thunder was deafening, not as if Rainbow could tell above the noise of hundreds of millions of gallons of water being hurled against the metal spokes holding the inexplicable tower in place. She tried using her limbs to pull the split logs together, but was rewarded with knifing splashes of water against her legs and flank.

“Guhh! Augh!” Rainbow seethed. With her raft splitting apart and very little to rest her body against, she had no recourse but to lean back—body rigid and straight—with her weight pressed tightly against a single wooden beam. She panted and panted, her heart thudding through her chest.

As lightning flashed again, she tilted her head up, meekly staring at the sky.

Swirling mists swam in a clockwise ballet over the site. In the eye of the tempest, Yaerfaerda loomed, the brightest Rainbow had ever seen it. With each shuddering breath, Rainbow could swear that it was just a sneeze away.

“... … ...”

The mare frowned, her muscles tightening sternly. Even as her threadbare raft was falling apart at the seams, she leaned forward and slapped a hoof over her pendant. After giving it a firm rub, she followed the beams of ruby light issuing outward from her Element.

For the first time, she could see the metal beams of the tower in full detail. They were octagonal solids, with wide faces that were notched continuously from top to bottom. Each notch was thin, but deep, perfect enough for one thing.

And just as the last two logs began to sink, Rainbow Dash scurried up, perched herself on the very end of one, and lunged forward.

“Hnngh...!”

Motionlessness... … …

Slap! Her hoof clamped tightly within a single notch. Gasping, she winced as her body swung, stretched the tendons of her weary muscles, but eventually dangled to a stand-still. Then, with gnashing teeth, she reached another limb up and found a solid hoof-hold.

“Grnnngh... mmff... unf!”

At last, Rainbow clung to the metal beam. She stretched her wings forward, using the tips to grip the edge for whatever leverage they could give her. Panting for breath, she braved a look down into the churning mess of ocean water.

More ruby lightning flashed high above, and in the scarlet penumbra she saw wooden planks dissolving into brittle detritus, then disappearing beneath the foam below.

“Bon Voyage Scamps...”

The mare was utterly alone now.

Alone with the summit of Yaerfaerda.

Rainbow reached a hoof to her sides and tightened the straps of Luna's saddle bag. She inhaled, exhaled, and repeated. With slow, precise movements of her battered body, she climbed the notched pillar, inching her way nervously towards the bulbous summit of the machine tower.

Rainbow Dash and the Ancient Tower

Climbing the tower was no easy feat. As if the constant roar of swirling waves beneath and around her wasn't enough, Rainbow had to pause every half-minute and cling tight to the pillar she was climbing, for fear of being thrown off by the deep bass vibrations of the structure's persistent salvos. The pegasus clenched her teeth, fearful that the bolts of ruby electricity surging outward in all directions would somehow find her body and fry her to a crisp. The higher she climbed, the more she dreaded this eventuality. As far as the mare could tell, the beams of energy issued from the center frame of the tower's summit, which meant that she would inevitably cross the stream and expose her body to the deathly discharge.

The alternative wasn't any better, however. Rainbow had seen what the crashing waves had done to her raft. She wouldn't last ten seconds swimming in those waters—even if they weren't subject to the whims of a deathly whirlpool. For all intents and purposes, Rainbow was stuck on the tower in the middle of nowhere.

But she wasn't alone. Yaerfaerda lingered, shimmering right above, beckoning.

Rainbow Dash continued climbing. Her ears folded back in time to withstand the excruciatingly loud bass noise. Around ten minutes in, she reached the base of the tower's upper body. She saw chains, pulleys, and levers dangling in the wet mist. A fine condensation coated the metal, making it difficult to grip the notches of the pillar without slipping.

It was here—upon the lip of the tower's curved edge—that Rainbow hesitated, for she wasn't sure exactly where the electrical charges were coming from. Then, as if to answer her question, several beams of ruby light fired outward, dragging scarlet branches through the swirling clouds above. Through several well-timed blinks, Rainbow carefully studied the phenomenon. It was then that she discovered a pattern: all parts of the tower's metal surface spat out lightning, save for a few key spots spaced equidistant from one another. One such spot was above Rainbow and slightly to the left.

Gritting her teeth, Rainbow reached up past the spot where the pillar met the head of the tower. She found the open teeth of a dormant cog. Grunting—straining through stiff muscles—she managed to get a hoof-hold. She then shuffled sideways, very slowly, inching her way towards the closest spot along the tower's circumference where the lightning didn't touch. Every thirty seconds or so, she had to pause, for the phenomenon blinded her and made it difficult to judge where she was going. Rainbow ultimately resorted to closing her eyes in time with the flickering discharge. This way, she was better able to gauge the lengths of the structure ahead of her.

As her eyes narrowed and her sight improved, Rainbow sensed a recess—a cavity. There was an opening in the face of the Tower, pointing out across the oceanic expanse. What's more, something shimmered from within: a lavender light. Rainbow tilted her head as she dangled, and she realized that Yaerfaerda was positioned at an angle to her, lingering only slightly ahead.

It was inside the tower.

Thunder rolled, and as the noise crackled off into the distance, Rainbow could have sworn she heard a lingering breath amidst the rumbling—a voice that wasn't hers. It produced three syllables, raising the hairs on the back of her neck.

She looked behind her, gasping. All her twitching eyes saw was more and more ocean. Lightning issued outward in all directions, slicing the clouds in ruby streams, then fading.

Clenching her teeth, Rainbow looked straight up, and climbed with explosive fervor. The final stretch was very painful. Her weary muscles were stretched to the breaking point, and she was certain that—hadn't her destination been a few feet above her—she might ultimately have lost her grip and plunged deep into the churning waves below.

At last, her hooves clasped onto a deep ledge. She felt a smooth, polished surface—almost cold to the touch. The mare almost slipped from the beads of moisture clinging to the metal, but she was finally able to pull herself up and onto the platform. As soon as gravity was on her side, she rolled over, collapsing onto her back.

There, she lingered, her tail and left hind leg dangling in the salty air. She stared up at a golden ceiling that hung remarkably low. Her weary eyes studied the framed entrance above her, judging that it was barely seven feet by seven feet in dimension. She felt a current of moist air being funneled through the enclosure, which was how Rainbow figured that the Tower itself was hollow. As she laid there, collecting her breath, she saw lavender light reflecting off every golden surface, forming a bright sheen across the inner walls of the structure.

After several minutes, Rainbow was done lingering. Her joints cracked as she rolled over, quivered, but eventually stood up. Without meaning to, she faced out the entrance, gazing at leagues upon leagues of rolling, churning waves. It was a sheer miracle that the raft had carried her sleeping body so safely to the crest of the whirlpool. After another wave of lightning shot out—this time issuing away from her perspective—she realized that every square inch of the ocean within eyesight was part of the same whirlpool; every cloud part of the same cyclone. For all she knew, this was the heart of the Grand Choke, the reason for all magic being reduced to madness.

There was no telling how old this Tower was. Perhaps it was older than Val Roa and Rohbredden, older than legend. Quite likely, it was as old as Urohringr itself. The pegasus could only guess how long that structure had been lingering there, a ghostly bastion in desolate waters, stirring the elements to a continuous boil.

“… … … … … … … … Rainbow Dash?”

She gasped, spinning around. Her eyes squinted.

A golden corridor led straight forward into blinding lavender light, and at the center of the flickering aura was Yaerfaerda. The curved lines shimmered, fluctuating, like arms beckoning for an embrace. The six spheres approached her and receded away at the same time.

Rainbow stood in place, shivering. Her ears tickled from a trailing whisper. She glanced left and right, almost certain another body was casting shadows besides her own. Then, taking a deep breath, she shuffled forward, one wobbling step after another, approaching the beacon that had haunted her for months and months on end. Her pendant glistened, reflecting everything with the same immaculate shine as the ancient metal surrounding her.

As she trotted forward, the air current grew gentler... yet cooler. The salty smell faded, replaced by a charming fragrance that soothed her dry nostrils and chapped lips. In fact, Rainbow felt incredibly soothed all over, as if she had just trotted out of a luxurious bath. She was so overwhelmed by this calmness that she barely took notice of how quiet everything had gotten. The roar of the waves dwindled, and the thunderous salvos from the electrified tower faded into sleepy obscurity.

Rainbow blinked calmly. Her hooves took on quiet echoes as they shuffled over polished marble tiles. Soon, she was brushing past milky white curtains that fluttered in a gentle breeze. At last, after passing a series of granite pillars, she stood upon the balcony's edge, gazing out at a moon-lit countryside looming far below. A hazy sheet of rolling plains and quiet trees stirred under sleepy night. The stars formed a glittering spectacle of violet hues above, and the many platforms of a towering city below mimicked the cosmos with hundreds upon hundreds of distant torches and dimly-lit candles.

The mare's lips pursed. Her nose tickled from the scent of flowers and fragrant bathwash. Rainbow's hooves traced the edges of a silk robe, and she felt her mane dangling in a delicate braid.

“What...?”

She stared east, her eyes tracing the peaks of many mountains beyond the edge of the wide emerald valley. Columns of steam and smoke blotted out a swath of constellations, denoting industry.

“...the hay?”

Rainbow Dash instantly shivered. Her twitching vision traced the horizon again in search of Yaerfaerda, but she could no longer locate it. With a nervous jolt, her hooves shot up to her neck. Her pendant was still there, and for the first time in as long as she could remember, that brought her relief.

“And have you found peace, yet, oh blessed child?”

Rainbow gasped.

She spun around.

The first thing she saw was a pair of eyes—piercing aqua blue, like pearls. Then a regal smile framed an alabaster face as the figure trotted gracefully towards her, wings spread in the aura of a majestically glowing horn.

“You are neither here nor there, Austraeoh,” spoke the alicorn, perching next to her on the balcony. “But, it doesn't truly matter to you anymore, does it?” She smiled with boundless pride.

Rainbow Dash's muzzle hung open, quivering. “Whitemane...?” she mewled.

The Rebirth of Endurance Into Purpose

“The wind has carried you far, Austraeoh,” Queen Whitemane said, trotting gracefully across the balcony's edge. “You have arrived.”

“I...” Rainbow retched, eyes bulging. “Arrived?!?” She gawked at the sleepy landscape looming below. “But... it... you...!” She shook, shivered, and her voice cracked, “This is Verdestone! How in the buck could I have arrived here?!?”

“Your fearlessness and determination is unmatched,” the alicorn continued, staring nonchalantly towards the hazy spires of Darkstine beyond the eastern mountains. “Out of all the souls who have been capable, you have made it the farthest. You truly are the Austraeoh.”

“Dang it!” Rainbow stomped her hooves. “Listen to me, you overgrown snowy melon fudge!” She barked, “How did all of this happen?! How am I all the way back here again?!?”

“You've allowed your endurance to be reborn,” Whitemane calmly said. Her wings folded by her sides. “Eljunbyro has helped you find your speed. Now, that swiftness shall carry you through the next phase of your journey, from discovery into purpose.”

Rainbow Dash snarled. She was about to shout something else—when her body froze. She blinked, face scrunching. “Wait...” She raised a dainty hoof from beneath her robe, pointing. “Whitemane, didn't you once tell me that you were done giving me messages?” The pegasus blinked. “Yeah... back in Blue Shelf, when I found the ruby flame inside the buried spire, you came to me in a vision... and t-told me that the spell you put on me had faded. That was the last time we ever 'talked.'” She gulped a lump down her throat. “Then... how come you're showing up again... and now?”

Slowly, the alicorn turned around to gaze at her.

Rainbow's ears folded back. “None of this is real,” she droned.

“You are real,” the Queen said. “And in the deepest recesses of your mind, in the quietest pocket of your heart, Whitemane still lingers, watching over you.” A calm smile. “We felt that taking her form would instill... confidence.”

“Who... what are you?” Rainbow asked, softly shuffling closer to the large white equine. “Is this some sort of message left inside that tower I just found? Are you the angels that Khao and the Herald spoke of?”

Whitemane simply stared with a persistent smile.

“Are you the ponies...” Rainbow winced slightly. “...the creatures who built Urohringr? Or the ones who tore it apart?!” She stared up at Whitemane's face, eyes glossy with wonder. “Please. I have to know. These towers... these beacons of flame and this whole Yaerfaerda nonsense...” She shuddered. “It all keeps extending my life, staving off the chaos inside me. I... I-I feel...” The mare sighed, plopping back on her haunches as she gazed dully into the Emeraldine valley below. “I feel yanked around like a dead weight on a chain.”

A gentle hoof brushed the bottom of Rainbow's chin.

The pegasus looked up, sniffling.

Whitemane smiled. “We are that which waits. And you?” Her blue eyes sparkled. “You are that which restores.”

“But... b-but why?!” Rainbow stammered. “Is it in my blood, like Commander Hurricane?” She seethed. “I only wanted to reach the Midnight Armory because it was so friggin' impossible to do! Is it all really... j-just some bogus destiny nonsense?!”

“The wind and the will are easily confused with one another,” Whitemane said. “In some ways, they are both different and yet the same, much like you.”

“Much... like m-me?”

Whitemane caressed Rainbow's cheek. “Your journey is a perilous one. But is it always a lonely one?”

Rainbow bowed her head. Tears collected in the corners of her eyes as she gazed down at the balcony's edge.

The alicorn waited patiently.

“I... I've had to leave so much behind... so v-very much...” Rainbow sniffled, reaching a forelimb up to rub her cheek dry. “It didn't make sense, and yet... it did? I dunno. I...” Rainbow squeaked, tears doubling. “I miss my friends.” She clenched her eyes shut as she endured the crest of a sob. “All my friends.”

Whitemane quietly spoke: “For every sacrifice, there is a gift. The Austraeoh's journey is hers and hers alone... but she doesn't have to be alone for the entirety of it, now does she?”

Rainbow's eyes fluttered open. She shook her head, gazing back up at Whitemane. “I... I-I don't understand...”

“This world has aged in such a curious way,” Whitemane said. “To be whole once again with Urohringr, it must operate by its own rules as much as the ones imparted it.”

“To... be whole again...?” Rainbow's muzzle hung agape. “Is that what the purpose is?” She leaned forward. “To reform Urohringr?”

“You are the purpose, Austraeoh,” Whitemane said. “Endurance has been reborn, and you are a product of Eljunbyro as much as yourself. There is no holding back the wind's might any longer. Much like Urohringr, that which empowers Austraeoh desires to be whole. Even now, it struggles against that which has constrained it for so long.”

“Rainbow Dash... … ...”

The pegasus twirled about, panting. Her eyes darted in every direction for the source of that last whisper. It rang with the same tone that haunted her in the Grand Choke, a voice which woke her from fitful slumber. Slowly—trembling—she turned to squint at Whitemane once more.

“What's happening to me...?”

“You are receiving,” Whitemane said. “And someday, sooner than later, you will once again be giving. You will not reach that destination alone.” She stood up tall, staring down at Rainbow. “But, then again, you've never truly been.”

Rainbow blinked. A flicker of lavender appeared in her peripheral. She looked east, past the spires of Darkstine, and there Yaefaerda loomed—but something was happening to it. It was fluctuating, melting, being drained of all its color.

“Now, Austraeoh, it is time,” Whitemane said.

Rainbow flashed her a confused look. “Time?!” Her teeth chattered. “Time for what?!”

Whitemane leaned forward, her blue eyes ablaze.

“Time for you to foal yesterday.”

FLASH!

Sudden Destinations Are The Best Destinations

...and she didn't fall.

Rainbow's jaw dropped. She stared down at the ocean, watching in blissful shock as the waves drew further and further away. The pegasus was ascending. What's more, her muscles didn't ache from the whole ordeal. If she didn't know better, she'd wager that all of her strength and health had completely returned.

It was due to this numb state of shock that the following outburst startled her so.

“Rainbow! Wait! What about me?!” The voice then shrieked in distress.

Rainbow twirled about, gliding backwards on outstretched wings.

The Tower had sunk beneath the waves. In Rainbow's exhausted vision, she almost thought she could see a flailing figure amidst the collecting foam. Something shrieked, shimmered, and then vanished beneath the waves.

Rainbow bit her lip, drifting limply through the tempestuous winds. Lighting brimmed overhead, and as the flash faded, she sensed a lavender streak beneath her ascending figure.

“Aaaah! Celestia! What's happening?!? I don't understand!”

Rainbow yelped. She twirled in every direction. Just then—with a monster-like groan—the thunderclouds overhead released their moisture. Rainbow felt rain for the first time in weeks, and it was drenching, a veritable wall of water dousing her feathers and weighing her down.

The pegasus struggled to keep aloft. On one hand, she didn't want to plummet into the ocean waves. On the other, she was worried about ascending into the clouds and being fried alive by lightning. All around her, the world pulsed and strobed. Furious thunder only served to deafen her with each drowning minute that lurched by. Not since battling a chaos dragon did Rainbow feel so tiny and helpless.

“Rainbow! Look!”

Wet and hyperventilating, Rainbow's eyes scoured the horizon. Through the thickening monsoon, she saw the distant, bobbing white speck of Yaerfaerda.

“Land! It's land, Rainbow!”

The pegasus blinked. Her head tilted lower.

In the subsequent flashes of lightning, she saw a dark line of sand to the east, flanked by the unmistakable shudder of windswept palm trees. It was a pitifully tiny sneeze of land at best: an island on the border of chaos. Unless her expert eyes were deceiving her, the distance to shore had to have been over five hundred meters.

“Go, Rainbow Dash! Fly!”

Rainbow's lungs heaved. Every breath filled her nostrils with rainwater, and she had to spit the moisture out of her muzzle. “Mfrnnngh... guhhh!” She flapped her sopping wet feathers, fighting against the storm.

The horizon rocked. Yaerfaerda streaked left and right with each tug of her wing muscles.

“You can make it! I know you can!”

Rainbow snarled. Her tail whipped wetly behind her as she thrust forward. The fluid in her ears went wild, and she knew she was plummeting. Soon, her hooves skimmed the turbulent waters, but with several savage flaps of her wings she managed to pull herself up again, gliding ever desperately east.

“Just a little further, Rainbow Dash! You can do it! Come on...”

Rainbow was whimpering at this point. Her vision twitched, drowned by rain and blinded by lightning. It wasn't until the dark waves beneath here were replaced with dark sand that she finally gave in with a gasp.

The mare fell.

When she hit the earth, the impact rocked through her, sending a deliciously numbing jolt through her spine. Rainbow rolled—she didn't know how many times—and came to a rough stop, her wincing muzzle digging up a haphazard trench of wet sand.

“Yes! We made it! Oh my gosh, I-I can't believe how close that was!”

The voice hovered over Rainbow Dash. The pegasus blinked, sensing a streak of lavender through the sand ahead of her, then tracing along her forelimbs... and through them.

“What?! But... but that doesn't make any sense! Rainbow, are you okay? Rainbow?!”

The rain and the noise was too much. Rainbow's eyes rolled back in her head, and the wet world turned black all around her.

“Oh no, Rainbow! Stay with me, please!”

She fell unconscious.

“Stay with—!”

The Elements, Back Where You Began

Rainbow Dash had gotten so used to the sound of crashing waves that it was barely a catalyst for waking her. Nevertheless, with twitching ears, she stirred and shifted where she lay. The mare grumbled, her body curling and uncurling as she stretched her crackling muscles.

The whole world felt warm... a soothing kind of warm. Rainbow felt heat radiating off the sandy grit all around her. What's more—beyond the crashing surf—she heard the unmistakable sound of seagulls.

Her ruby eyes squinted open. The pegasus raised her head, squinting into the distance.

A curved beach stretched on either side of her. Gentle waves lapped up and down the surface, having been dragged down after the receding tide. Rainbow saw crabs and sandpipers scurrying in and out of hiding. Just a few meters away, blades of grass formed—dense and green and alive. Behind them, a throng of palm trees stretched, growing thicker and thicker to where they occupied the heart of a thoroughly forested island.

The mare blinked. Her face muscles twitched, feeling sand and gunk clinging to her fuzzy coat. She reached a hoof up and rubbed her muzzle, then rubbed it again. Rainbow's nostrils flared, and she tilted her head up, squinting into the distance.

A tiny white speck hovered beyond the trees and through them. Yaerfaerda shimmered as persistently as ever, casting a white light that shone through the sunny morning sky.

And that was when the voice kissed the air behind Rainbow Dash.

“Oh good. You're awake. Whew... thank Celestia.”

Rainbow Dash slowly turned around. Then—not so slowly—her eyes went wide.

She wasn't gazing at the former location of the ill-fated machine tower. She wasn't staring at the flock of birds wafting innocently through the sky. She wasn't even admiring how curiously vibrant and bright the Grand Choke's ocean inexplicably appeared on such a crystal-clear morning.

Rainbow was, instead, staring at the unicorn standing beside her in the shade of a spread palm tree.

“Maybe you can clue me in on all this.” The pony pressed her lavender hoof to the threaded bark, only for the limb to pass straight through the matter altogether. She pulled her hoof out and leaned back, a confused look plastered across her scrunched face. “I don't seem to be my normal self.” She turned and trotted briskly across the sand, though her hooves didn't make a single imprint. “How'd we even get here, anyways? Did Discord teleport us or something? Unngh... and here I thought his silly games would be over with once we found the Elements he'd hidden.” She came to a stop, blinking down at Rainbow with bright violet eyes. “I don't suppose you know where the girls are, huh?”

Rainbow simply gawked, breathless.

“What's wrong? Is everything okay?” Twilight Sparkle leaned her head innocently to the side. After a breath of silence, she arched an eyebrow. “Yeesh, Rainbow, you don't look so good.”

Rainbow Dash Continues Her Flight East

The desert sky greeted her like a dim torch. Gray beams of light shone across innumerable sheets of stone as Rainbow Dash glided towards the desolate horizon. She felt a cold gust of air rippling across her tail, and she knew the final throes of the afternoon were over.

Somehow, she expected the world to be blurring beneath her faster. With a shudder, she twisted her neck muscles to look behind.

The pegasus stopped herself at the last second. She clenched her jaw tight, fighting hyperventilating sniffles as she beat her wings harder, propelling herself towards the shimmering beacon of Yaerfaerda in the distance.

For the first hour, she was able to fight the tears. But as the minutes wore on, a combination of the cold winds and the lingering sound of friendly voices in her head squeezed the moisture from her eyes.

So, without hesitation, she reached into her saddlebag, pulled out a pair of worn goggles, and slapped them over her face. Now, all she reflected was the same horizon that consumed her, and she glided on, undaunted, chasing the lavender light with courageous zeal.

Get Over Yourself and Live Again

"I had a brother once. A loving, endearing soul. He cared very deeply for the deer and ponies of Bountiful. He fought for their rights to representation every month of every year. He fought so hard that he had to leave the home he loved for a kingdom wrought with bureaucratic dissent. After much struggle and labor, he finally achieved something. The ponies of the kingdom were starting to listen to him. It was just a matter of time before he allowed Bountiful to catch the attention of the Monarchy itself.

"But then something dastardly happened. Members of the cabinet conspired against my brother, and they used someone he cared for to get to him. During his stay in Val Roa, my brother fell in love with someone named Midnite Bastion, a member of the royal guard. Their love was sincere, legitimate, and tender. But it was also forbidden. Val Roan law decreed that there was to be no fraternizing between members of the legislature and those serving in other branches. It was a very petty and obscure law, but it was something my brother's enemies could very well have used against him. And it's not as though he wanted to break the law. He was short on friends in Val Roa, and Midnite Bastion entered his life almost by accident. It was as though they were meant for each other. Even today, I remember how much his face would light up when talking to me about her.

"But that joy would end up being his undoing. Even today, I was never made privy to all of the details. All I know is that my brother fled Val Roa, rambling about how 'they' had 'seized her,' and that the lives of several innocent family members were in jeopardy because of him. I had barely gotten a chance to talk with him when he had seized one of the squirrels from the terrarium here in Bountiful and fled into the west. When I was told that he had been murdered by goblins, my heart shattered. But when I realized that the Val Roan ministry was hiding his body, I knew in my heart that he was not dead... or at least not by the fate that so many politicians claimed to be true.

"So I searched for him. With no one in Val Roa that I could trust, I turned to travelers, merchants, mercenaries, and bounty hunters. I sent several parties west in search of my beloved sibling. All they could scrounge up was rumor of a handsome elk having crossed paths with the Lounge. The reptiles in the southwest swamps were besides themselves with anger. They sought a creature with antlers, for he had stolen a large supply of skystone from their ranks... enough skystone to travel into the north and excavate even more. When I learned about this enchanted substance, I ultimately discovered that its only purpose was to allow someone to travel a great distance at alarming speed. That's when I accepted, with a heavy heart, that my brother was gone for good. It wasn't death or disease that claimed him, but heartache."

Duchess Arcanista took a deep breath.

"And now," she said. "Even with him standing in front of me, I realize that he is as far as the west is from the east. I look at him... I stare into his dim blue eyes... and I still can't believe that he's here." She gulped. "Because he would believe the same thing. This room... this manor... this town... it's all alien to him. After all these years, to finally come so close to brushing ears with my beloved sibling once again, and yet to know he's universes away..."

She paused, her eyes moist. She bowed her head to the lusch carpet.

Floydien continued glaring at her, unmoving.

She shuddered, then murmured, "I had hoped you would say something. Correct me. Interrupt me. You used to be so talkative, brother. You loved to laugh... to smile." She sniffed and raised her head. "This used to be your room. This is where you slept, wrote, plotted your duties for Bountiful. I had hoped it might trigger something inside you... a memory... a recollection... anything."

"Is the boomer done now?" Floydien grumbled. "Floydien must get to Nancy Jane."

"Heh..." Arcanista cracked a bitter smile. "You really love your 'Nancy Jane,' don't you, Floydien?"

"Nancy Jane is Floydien's only beloved," the elk said. "The safest glimmer from the stabby-stabs. Elegant boomer wouldn't understand, and she should give Floydien his shimmer back."

"Floyd, 'Nancy Jane' is Midnite Bastion."

"Enough with the spit!" Floydien grumbled. "Boomer is full of hack hack!"

Arcanista clasped a stack of letters from the table next to her and then tossed them beside the antlers. "Look for yourself, Floyd." She pointed. "It was the name you invented for her!" Her brow furrowed. "You called her that in every letter for fear that the Val Roans would catch the two of you!"

He blinked back at her. With neutral curiosity, he tilted his neck and gazed down at the sheets. On the top line of every single missive, it was addressed to "Nancy Jane."

"Well, they did, Floyd," she said, clenching her teeth. "They got to her. And you were so distraught, you fled west... for her safety. Well, she's alive, Floyd. And what's more, the Val Roan government is so corrupt that living beyond the West Gate has gotten more dangerous for her and her family than ever before. Leaving when you did may have been the solution for the time, but the problem still remains. And it's worse than ever."

"... ... ..." Floydien looked up at the Duchess.

"Your friends are virtuous ponies," she said. "And I can tell that they want to save Val Roa from something so terrible that even my worst nightmares couldn't conceive of it. The fact that you are here is no small coincidence. This opportunity is a God-send, Floyd. My heart rejoices that you're standing here in this room with me. But I need you to return... and I mean really return." She swallowed. "Whatever happened to you out west... you need to come back now, dear brother. I need you. Your friends need you." She pointed at the letters. "And the real Nancy Jane needs you."

Floydien blinked.

"So..." Arcanista stood up from the corner. She smiled delicately. "What do you say...?"

"Again!" Props shouted.

Rainbow Dash grunted. A bolt of ruby energy shot out from her pendant and illuminated the tome inside the engine room's cage.

As the book's runes flickered, Props shouted into a sound stone. "Okay, Zaidy Waidy! Pump it!"

A clattering noise rolled through the bulkheads. The engines revved, revved, and then puttered dead.

"Cruddicles!" Props flashed Rainbow a look. "Again!"

Rainbow took a deep breath, concentrated, and fired a steady beam of harmonic energy.

The book floated, pulsating.

Props hollered into the sound stone again. "Once more, Zaid!"

Again, the ship rattled, wheezed, and died.

"I'm sorry, Blondie! It just isn't the same without Floydien here! I can't make this thing purr like the big rusted kitten it wants to be!"

"Unnngh..." Props slumped back against the table of her communications array. "Why does Handsome have to pick this week to undergo kaizo character development?!"

"I think I'm pretty together!"

"Wrong handsome!" she shouted and slapped the sound stone silent against the table. She looked over with glossy goggles. "You can give it a rest now, Dashie. We're dead in the water."

"Guh..." Rainbow stopped illuminating the book with her pendant. She drifted backwards, falling into Roarke's forelimbs. "Whew... that doesn't get any easier."

"Are you alright?" Roarke asked.

"Heh..." Rainbow nuzzled one of her fetlocks, smiling tiredly. "I am now. Funny how this ship works. It depends on an elk, a blond, and a chaos-poisoned pegasus. It used to depend on a psychokinetic squirrel! Wanna bet that before we reach Val Roa we'll enlist a cyborg penguin in our ranks?"

"I... wouldn't know anything about that."

"Yeah. Ebon wouldn't have enough fish to feed it anyways."

Roarke's arms squeezed tighter around Rainbow.

The mare blinked. "Uhhh... Roarke?"

Roarke hugged her tightly, resting her muzzle in the depths of her colorful hair.

Rainbow smiled crookedly, eyes darting up. "Everything okay back there?"

"Mmmmm..." Roarke's nostrils flared.

Silence.

Rainbow reached a hoof up and brushed the mare's hoof. "Y'know... I missed you while you were off in Amulek too."

"Yeah..." Roarke bit her lip, continuing to hold Rainbow tight.

"If you're trying to suplex me, you're doing it wrong."

"So maybe I am...."

Rainbow blinked. She was about to say something else when the door behind them squeaked loudly. Both mares looked as Booster Spice galloped in—breathless—from the stairwell.

"Rainbow Dash! We need you!"

"Story of my life."

"Well... a-actually..." The stallion gulped. "The House of Sehlp needs you!"

"What for?" Roarke asked, blue eyes narrow.

"It's the Duchess!" Booster winced. "Two of her guards came running to the jury! There's... uh... th-there's a bit of a problem."

"HRAAAAAAUGH!" Floydien hollered, equipped with one antler. The crooked thing swiveled on his head as he galloped across the chamber, firing bolts of electricity everywhere.

A flock of guards braced themselves, absorbing part of the blast into their horns. But even with the elk half-equipped, the force was simply too much for the group to brace themselves against. They flew back, knocking over a quadruped suit of armor and tearing a tapestry from the wall.

"Give it BACK!" Floydien hollered. "Give Floydien back the rest of his shimmer so he can return to Nancy!"

Behind a corner inside the manor, Duchess Arcanista huddled along with a group of uniformed reindeer.

"Madame! You must get to the safe room!" one guard shouted.

Another hollered, "He's run amok! If he gets ahold of that other antler—"

"I will not run from my brother!" she shouted, holding onto the offending body part.

"But he attacked you—"

"He's confused!" Arcanista yelled. "He's only lashing out because he's starting to remember! I just know it!"

Zaaaaaaap!

"Pathetic sissy boomers!" Floydien hollered as she kicked a wine cabinet over and marched over it, setting fire to the rugs beneath with energy bolts. "Give Floydien back his branch branch!"

"We're no mach for him, Madame!" another guard spat. "Bountiful can't afford to lose both heirs in a single morning!"

"That's why I called for help!" Shivering, Arcanista peered around the corner as Floydien's menacing march brought him closer, closer. "Please, God, let them help us..."

Floydien approached the end of the hall. He tilted his head at a savage angle, charging up the lopsided antler and illuminating the walls of the manor with his wrath.

Cl-Clank! A pair of windows swung open from the outside. A blue body streaked in.

Floydien spun, eyes twitching red and blue.

"Floydiennnn!" Rainbow soared straight at him.

He clamped all four hooves against the floor. WHAP! She barreled into him, shoving against his antler. His hooves scraaaaaaaaaped across the floor, knocking aside the groaning bodies of guards as Rainbow shoved, shoved, shoved him all the way back from which he marched.

Snarling, he channeled a pulse of electricity into his antler.

Rainbow grumbled, absorbing several of the blue bolts into her pendant.

Fwooosh! Roarke rocketed through the window and landed heavily besides Arcanista. She retracted her helmet and shouted, "Rainbow!"

"Stand back!"

Roarke was already charging. "But—"

"Stand back!" Rainbow screamed above the chaos. "I've got this!"

Roarke slid to a stop, gritting her teeth.

"Color... wheel boomer... is picking the wrong fight!" Floydien sneered.

"Oh... go sit on it!" Rainbow summoned a heavy yell, then bravely gripped the antler with both hooves. Twirling backwards, she bicycle-kicked the elk across his chin.

Pop! The antler came loose with a discharge of static energy.

"Guaaugh!" Floydien stumbled to his knees.

Rainbow landed in a slide. Exhaling, she tossed the antler hard over her shoulder.

Roarke caught it effortlessly. She stood at a nervous distance, watching the exchange.

Floydien stood back up, wheezing. "Stupid boomer... stop stealing Floydien's shimmer glimmer!"

"Floydien, we're Noble Jurists!" Rainbow snarled. "We don't attack innocent lives! Especially when they've extended us a hoof of peace! That includes moronic elks such as you!"

"They want to steal Floydien away from Nancy Jane!" Floydien growled. "They're just as bad as the stabby-stabs—"

"They're on our side, you red-nosed idiot!"

"Color Wheel boomer has no idea what she's spitting about!" Floydien heaved and heaved, his muzzle covered in sweat. "The stabby-stabs took Floydien's love away. They filled his head with glimmer! Floydien yelled and screamed and the boomers looked on! This place-place is full of pain! Floydien has had enough of pain!" He slammed his hooves down, snarling. "So stop pretending that you can spit Floydien's head right!"

Rainbow frowned. She reared her hoof back and savagely slammed Floydien across the face. The elk slumped into a wall, wheezing and trembling.

Arcanista and her guard winced. Roarke blinked.

Rainbow hovered over the cowering elk. "Get over yourself!" She seethed. "So you got experimented on?! Poked and prodded?! Turned inside out?! Well get in line, mister!" She held a hoof over her chest. "Not a night goes by that I don't have bad dreams over what Shell and the scientists at Blue Shelf made me do! I'm only alive because I had to become a murderous monster against my friggin' will! And that ain't the half of it! All of my best friends were ripped from my life, and my home became a dayum grave! Each day I'm dying a little bit more, and not all the hidden flame in the world is enough to stop the inevitable!"

She spun and pointed at the far end of the wrecked hall as the guards started getting up to their hooves.

"Over there you have a sister who loves you... who adores you... who looks past all of your stupid bullcrap and wants to help you! Don't you see where you are, Floydien?! You're home! You're in the place where you belong! What I wouldn't give to have that luxury! You think I'd be crapping all over it like you are right now?!"

"It's... it's too much..." Floydien hissed, his ears drooped as he dared to look up at the pegasus. "They took everything fr-from Floydien." He gulped. "They g-gave him pain and shimmer thought... and th-that was better... s-so much better than the pain that's here." His blue eyes moistened. "The pain of losing Nancy..." He closed his eyes, seething. "Nancy... Nancy... you're.... y-you're..."

"Floydien, losing somepony you love with all your heart sucks. I know." She flew down and landed beside him, gazing with sympathetic eyes. "But you have to trust me, Floydien. You can find love again. You can move on." She bit her lip. "You can learn to be happy again... if you j-just stop punishing yourself."

Roarke's lips pursed. She found herself clutching the antler tighter with metal hooves as she looked on.

Floydien shivered, eyes darting between Rainbow and Arcanista in the distance.

Rainbow's nostrils flared. Frowning, she spun around and marched off. Halfway down the hall, however, she stopped. "You've done so much to help the Noble Jury, Floydien." She glanced over her shoulder. "And now that we have the opportunity to help you back... well... I advise you not to spit in our faces... or your sister's either." She flapped her wings and soared out the window while the guards watched.

Floydien gazed thoughtfully from afar. He heard a shuffling set of hoosteps and looked up.

Roarke stood above him, leering. She dropped the antler down within his reach.

He glanced at it.

"Rainbow Dash is far too virtuous to kill you." The metal mare leaned forward, glaring. "But I am not Rainbow Dash."

Floydien bit his lip.

"Keep that in mind when you decide to redecorate again." Turning, she rocketed out of the manor after the pegasus.

Floydien simply sat where he was. He looked at the antler, but he made no attempts to grab it. Slowly, he closed his eyes, and breathed even breaths.

And the Wind Never Stops Blowing

“I guess I'm not exactly voicing the minority when I say that I'm not the biggest fan of this 'Jake' character,” Rainbow Dash said as she stood before the Jurists who had assembled overnight in the skystone ship's mess hall. “But I can see a loyal soul from a mile away. He's dedicated to doing whatever he can to serve the Duchess, and I respect that.”

“Yes, well...” Josho grumbled. “He didn't nearly sit on you.”

Eagle Eye smirked across the table. “So, for the first time in your life, somepony tried to return you the favor, old stallion?”

“Go shove it in your fuzzhole.”

Zaid and Props chuckled.

“Anyways...” Rainbow Dash glared, then continued. “What I'm getting at is that Jake left a certain situation hanging down south along the border between Val Roa and the Cartel.”

“What kind of a situation?” Bellesmith asked.

“He was investigating several bands of Green Bandits who were performing hit-and-run tactics along the tiny farmlands that bordered the mountains. For all of his destructability and bravado, Constable Jake couldn't round up every single imp. They weren't acting like normal terrorists of the Cartel, either.”

“You mean they weren't taking prisoners and causing explosions left and right?” Ebon remarked, blinking.

“It almost seemed like they were gathering reconnaissance for something,” Rainbow Dash murmured. “But Jake is more meat than brains. He couldn't find the time or energy to figure out their plot. He just squashed any imp he could find and then answered the Duchess' call as soon as he got it.”

“So... in other words... there's some sort of suspicious activity going on along the southern border,” Eagle Eye remarked.

“Yeah. And when it comes to goblins, it can't be very snazzy.”

“Well, what are we supposed to do about it?” Josho belched.

“I'll leave that to you guys,” Rainbow said. “For our mission in Val Roa to work, I'm going to need the Jury to fly in as soon as we figure out a way to disable the defensive line of these 'Soul Sentries.'”

“That is, of course, presuming the Noble Jury has a target it can immediately take out once we're in Val Roa proper,” Pilate said.

“Let me worry about figuring out who's who in the Chrysalis department,” Rainbow said. “In the meantime, there's no telling what the goblins are up to down south.”

“You wish us to go check it out?” Booster Spice asked.

“Above all, we have to remember that we're here to help out the ponies of this kingdom,” Rainbow said. “I don't think it'd hurt to give the place a look-see.”

Zaid and Props exchanged glances, then nodded in Rainbow's direction.

“Okay, Rainbow, we'll swing by,” Zaid said.

“And I'll keep an ear out for Uncky Prowsy!” Props chirped. “Oh... and for you as well! Super Maneguffin Sound Stone and all! Heeheehee!”

Rainbow smirked proudly. “Y'know... how fitting,” she said.

“What?” Booster Spice blinked.

“With Floydien gone, it's you two running the Jury's operations in his stead.”

“Just what is Mr. Floydien's situation?” Pilate asked.

Rainbow sighed. “I... it's h-hard to say.” She fidgeted. “The Duchess threw a lot of stuff on him all at once. At first, I figured it was something he deserved to be reacquainted with. But now?”

Belle shrugged. “Floydien has never struck me as one who's keen to adapt.”

“The poor bucker needs time to adjust to all the crap that's been shoveled his way,” Josho said. “If you ask me, I'd say let the elk have his time out. Ledo knows he's done cockpit duty nonstop for months and months.”

“Yeah! Handsome is home!” Props exclaimed. “Let him take a breather while we do the dirty work!”

“I doubt that he'd ever express his appreciation,” Bellesmith said. A subtle smile. “But I'm certain he's pleased to have our assistance.”

“Yeah, well, if anything... it's the Duchess we're relying on now,” Rainbow said. “She and Jake know how to get us beyond the West Gate. And it's thanks to them that we were able to use Kera as a front so I can investigate from the inside.”

“How is our little princess doing, anyway?” Zaid asked.

Everypony looked across the table. A tiny filly with curlers in her hair sat in Bellesmith's grasp, exhausted from a full day of beauty parloring. Belle shrugged with a shy smirk.

“Eh... yeah, well...” Zaid grinned at the rest of the room. “So long as she does the sleeping beauty thing before she spits drivel at the High Council.”

“I will look after her, Belle,” Ebon Mane said, his eyes firm and sincere. “No harm will come to her. I promise.”

“Why, thank you, Ebon,” Bellesmith said, gently stroking Kera's sleepy ears. “I'd much rather have you defend her in a tense situation than the moose.”

“You can be of more use than that, too, Ebon,” Rainbow said.

Ebon turned to blink at her. “I-I can?”

Rainbow nodded. “Once we're in the capital, there's no telling from where Chrysalis might show up. But you... you have an innate sensitivity to where your 'Mother' may be hiding.”

Ebon bit his lip, cowering with slumped shoulders. “I... uh... I-I wouldn't exactly call that sense 'reliable,'” he said. “I think you'll have better luck finding her on your own.”

“Nevertheless, be ready for anything,” Rainbow said. “Ever since Stratopolis, Chrysalis has been alone and on the run. We need to corner her now that she's most vulnerable and stop her before she has the chance to regain control over her hive and rejoin Tchern on the dark side.”

“And then what?” Josho asked.

Rainbow gave him a double-take. “Huh?”

“You heard me.” Josho's eyes narrowed. “What do we do once we've cornered the Queen of Nasties?”

Silence.

Booster Spice bit his lip, glancing worriedly at Rainbow and the others.

Rainbow took a deep breath. “Whatever it takes,” she said. “Ledomaritans... Xonans... I've had to kill more often than I'm proud of.” A lump formed in her throat, but she carried on with a frown. “If I can assure harmony the harmonious way, I would. But Chrysalis has shown that she doesn't leave us much of a choice. In my head, she's a monster... just like Nevlamas.” Her eyes narrowed. “And I have no qualms about taking monsters down.”

Josho clenched his jaw. Bellesmith and Pilate nodded silently. Ebon stared through the table while Eagle placed a gentle hoof on his shoulder.

“Well... uh...” Rainbow fidgeted with her green mane. “That about covers things. Tomorrow, Ebon, Kera, and I go on our journey with the Duchess. You guys check out the southern border, then wait for me to contact you. Best case scenario, we'll find a way to open the barrier and bring the Jury in to help eliminate Chrysalis once and for all. More than likely, though, I'm gonna need you guys to do some stuff on the outside while I work Val Roa from the inside out.”

“Like what kind of stuff?” Eagle Eye asked.

“It's a mystery to me too,” Rainbow said. “We'll all know when the time comes.” On shuffling hooves, she made her way towards the hallway. “As for now, I suggest we all get a good night's sleep... and prepare for tomorrow.”

With that, the Noble Jury stood up and went their separate ways. Props and Zaid trotted towards the engine room while Ebon and Eagle Eye lingered along the edge of the hallway, talking with one another.

By the doorway to the kitchen, Roarke stood in silence. Her blue eyes trailed Rainbow's retiring figure. Then, with a thoughtful sigh, she stared out the nearest porthole.

Rainbow Dash hung her “servant gown” from a railing inside the observation room. She stepped back, glancing at the plain brown dress. She shivered, sighed, and tossed her geen mane back. With tired hooves, she approached one of the hammocks.

A shuffling sound stole her attention.

Rainbow spun around. She blinked. “...I... f-for a moment there, I figured you wanted to be alone tonight.”

Roarke stood in the doorway. She gulped and said, “I was thinking the same thing about you.”

Rainbow bit her lip. “I... horseapples, I'm really sorry, Roarke.” She ran a hoof across her emerald-dyed bangs and sighed. “All of this Bountiful business... between communicating with the Duchess and trying to get a hoof on where Floydien's head is at and then preparing for the trip to the West Gate...”

“You do not have to explain, Rainbow Dash.”

“No. I think I do.” She frowned. “I've been distant, Roarke. Real distant.”

“You've been very busy.”

“Still, it's totally not fair to you.” Rainbow smiled faintly and took a step forward. “And all this time you've been—”

Roarke flinched, taking a step back.

Rainbow stopped in place, blinking. Her lips pursed.

Roarke avoided her gaze. She gulped and said, “I'm the one who hasn't been fair to you, Rainbow...”

“Roarke...?” Rainbow blinked.

With a sigh, the metal mare stepped forward, closing the gap between them. “The last two days, I've been... keeping everypony and everything at a distance, most especially you.”

“It...” Rainbow blinked again. “Is it my m-mane...?”

Roarke's lips curved ever so slightly. “No, it is not your mane.” She reached a hoof forward, caressing the mare's cheek, then her shoulder. With a distant look in her thin blue eyes, Roarke murmured, “I've been distracted ever since our trip to Ether Point, and during the subsequent trip with Eagle and Ebon to Amulek...” She sighed. “I f-feel as though I have been keeping something from you.”

“Does this have anything to do with the changelings?”

“Somewhat. Rainbow...” Roarke fidgeted, then blurted, “Who is the orange pony with the freckles?”

Rainbow stared steadily at her. Her lips parted, but she took a while to mutter: “One of the changelings...?”

Roarke nodded. “Everytime I came in contact with one of them, she would appear.”

Rainbow's ears drooped. She sat back on her haunches, her gaze falling to the metal bulkheads.

“Rainbow, please understand, I am not angry or jealous, I am simply—”

“She's dead, Roarke,” Rainbow droned in a dull voice. “They're all dead.”

Roarke leaned her head to the side. “But you still love her, don't you?”

Rainbow squinted. “I thought you just said you weren't 'jealous.'”

“Rainbow, there's a piece of you that still resonates with something indefinable,” Roarke said. “Something so grand and all-encompassing that even a changeling with the faintest exposure to you knows of it. And I...” Roarke shuddered. She sat down across from Rainbow, staring at her with soft eyes. “I need to know if what you and I have is something that belongs to us... to you and me, not you and them.”

“And if you had never known Imre, would you have opened your heart up to me?” Rainbow slurred.

Roarke's brow furrowed. “Imre didn't beat me up in the middle of a forest. Imre didn't turn my life upside down and show me the folly of my ways. Imre didn't introduce me to a better calling and virtuous warriors-at-heart to share it with—”

“Okay... okay...” Rainbow waved her forelimbs. “I get it.” She sighed, hugging herself. “I... I-I'm sorry for getting all defensive. It w-wasn't right of me to bring Imre into this conversation...”

“It's a question of who you're defending.” Roarke leaned her head aside. “It's been nearly two years since their deaths... but you're still loyal to them. You still act as if they're standing in the room with you.”

“Look, I can't friggin' help it, okay?!” Rainbow suddenly snarled. “They made me who I am! They gave me purpose! Before my friends, I was just a punk with a big mouth trying to be awesome! But afterwards...” Her voice trailed off.

Roarke stared quietly.

Rainbow sighed. She sniffled once. “Applejack,” she murmured. “Her name was 'Applejack.' And since you're dying to know...” She looked up with a sad gaze. “Yes... I loved her and... I always shall.”

Roarke was silent.

“But that's... something that I can never change, Roarke...” Rainbow seethed. “Until the day I die, she will be a part of me, even if I was never a part of her. And... you know what? It's nearly killed me dozens upon hundreds of times before! Every cave that I flew into... every chaos monster that I threw myself against... every minotaur that I locked horns with... all before ever meeting you... or even Bellesmith or Pilate for that matter!”

Rainbow stood up and began pacing.

“I let my pain and heartsickness get the better part of me! So what if the Midnight Armory is a gazillion miles away on the other side of the world?! I may never get there! I knew that from the beginning! It didn't matter then! And even after all the crazy east-horse stuff I've learned from Luna and Whitemane and Chrysalis, I'm still clueless as to what the whole point is! Except for one thing!”

She spun, gnashing her teeth.

“I had always preferred death in action than just sitting in one place and wallowing in my own heartache! And for the longest time, I stuck to this sort of... suicidal soaring. I never thought I could have the joy of friendship and love again. But then I met Belle and Pilate...” She gulped. “And... and then I met you.”

Roarke bit her lip.

Rainbow trotted up. With a sniffling breath, she leaned her face up against Roarke's chest. “And for the first time in ages, it was okay to let my guard down... and t-to be cherished by another pony.” She gazed up, her ruby eyes glossy. “I didn't tell you about Applejack because I didn't have to... and I shouldn't have to. She's a chapter of my life that's come and gone. For months, I've needed to move on, drawn towards something besides just the next dawn. And you, Roarke... you've been that new horizon. I wish you could... understand just how much you mean to me.” She gulped. “How much you've given me to live for...”

Roarke's next breath was a long once. As soon as the color was flushed from her cheeks, she muttered in a neutral tone. “You may think you're dying, Rainbow, but I for one have witnessed your tenacity. I suspect that you have many 'chapters' left.”

Rainbow's muzzle hung slightly. “What... wh-what are you saying, Roarke?”

“I know what you're doing is important, Rainbow,” Roarke said. “I wish I could follow you, but we both know that I can't.”

Rainbow gulped. “It's okay, Roarke. Kera won't be 'Princess' forever. I-I'll snoop out Chrysalis and get this Val Roa thing over with before you can blink.”

Roarke stared. “I wasn't talking about Val Roa.”

Rainbow's face instantly paled.

Roarke caressed her mane. “You know that I would trace your footsteps until the end of the world and beyond. But... I'm not all that certain that I could.”

“Roarke, I... I-I mean you... and the Jury—”

“Not all of us are bound by death,” Roarke said. “Nor can we all spring up once more from it. You've done a very good job of leading us, but I think it's afforded you blindness.”

“Blindness?”

“Much like how you refused to look into the past at the start of your journey, I think you're currently hesitant to look into the future.” Roarke took a deep breath. “And it's an immediate future, Rainbow.”

Rainbow's jaw tightened. She gazed down at the floor. “I... I don't know how to bring any of you beyond the Choke, Roarke,” she muttered. “I don't th-think even I can survive it.”

“You can't bring any of us past it, Rainbow,” Roarke said. She nevertheless reached forward and caressed the mare's chin. “Just as you couldn't bring any of your friends with you beyond Equestria. But you had to keep flying. And as their love and friendship gave you the fuel to surpass that chapter of your life...” Roarke smiled gently. “I am certain that our love will carry you past the next.”

Rainbow's nostrils flared. She glared off past the windows. “I... I could stop...”

“You can't,” Roarke said.

Sniffling, Rainbow rubbed her tearing eyes. “I... I'll even clip my wings.” Her voice cracked, “Rip the damn things off and stay here... right here.”

“You won't.” Roarke closed the distance and hugged her. “The world is dying, Rainbow. There are bigger things than us at play, and I know you enough... love you enough to understand that such a thing doesn't sit right with you.”

“Stop... j-just stop talking...” Rainbow squeaked, burying her face in Roarke's shoulder. “If you know me so well, then you h-have to hate me.”

“Not even if Searo came back to life and paid me.” Roarke nuzzled the top of Rainbow's head, holding her close. “You're the greatest thing to have ever happened to me, Rainbow. But even with all of my love and devotion, I cannot be the one mare in this world who is loyal to everything all at once. I can only hope to follow in your hoofsteps, so that if the time should come that destiny calls on me as it has you, I can perhaps make as big of a sacrifice.”

“Everything I-I've ever done is sacrifice,” Rainbow quietly wept. “First my friends... Applejack... now Belle and Pilate... now you?”

“And would you rather have never cherished any of us at all?”

Rainbow whimpered. “No...” She shivered in Roarke's grasp. “Not for a moment...”

Roarke held her close and kissed the top of her head. “Then let's enjoy every moment we have left.” She shut her eyes while stroking Rainbow's back. “The last wingpony you deserve is regret.”

No Doubt Fond of Shrimp Cocktails

Rainbow Dash trotted into the dark-lit chambers on light hooves.

She looked to her left. The pegasus saw two desks flanked by bookcases and cabinets. Several niches filled with parchment lined the wall. Scrolls lay in stacks alongside maps and volumes upon volumes of regal lawbooks.

She looked to her right. She saw a table, two wardrobes, and a king-sized bed. A tiny alcove led to what she guessed was a personal bathroom. There was very little furnishing in the room. Everything was simple, plain, utilitarian.

“Certainly not a weekend retreat,” she muttered to herself. Her muzzle scrunched and unscrunched. She felt the urge to sneeze.

Blinking into the darkness, Rainbow Dash trotted over to the bed. She flapped her wings, hovering above the thing. Eyes thin, she brought a hoof up and lightly tapped her pendant. In the faint crimson glow, she saw layers upon layers of dust blowing across the unwrinkled duvet from her feathers.

“Hasn't been slept in for ages...”

Her ears twitched. She looked behind her.

The desk lay open. Several sheets of paper lingered on the top.

Zipping over, the green-mane'd mare loomed above the parchments. She reached a hoof out, but hesitated, not wanting to disturb anything. There was no telling just how observant the Secretary could have been. So, carefully, she glanced at the paper, then lifted just the very corner of it to see what was underneath. She saw what looked like a map of ice-capped mountains, beyond which were jagged illustrations that almost resembled glowing rocks.

“Is that... skystone?”

Lips pursed, Rainbow craned her neck and examined some of the books lying on the desk's edge. There she saw several titles that caught her eye: Geographical History of Northern Val Roa, A Laydeer's Guide to Provincial Regions, and The Lemuel Tundra.

“There's a Coronation around the corner, Sharp Quill,” she muttered aloud. “Sorta last second for a Geography Bee, ya think?”

Rainbow Dash's head scanned the lengths of the desk. On the right side, she saw something peculiar: the leaflet of a scroll that dangled off the edge of the table. She could have sworn she caught the illustration of something in the ruby light of her pendant. So, she gave the Element a tighter rub, intensifying the glow. She had to turn her head around at an awkward angle, but she finally made out what looked to be a series of sharp fangs. As the image came into greater focus, she spotted what looked like a reptilian eel, along with a measurement scale that put it at over three dozen feet long. Scribbled alongside the illustration were diagrams and calculations, all labeled with the words: “Average Temperature For Proper Enforcement.”

“What... in the h-hay...?” Rainbow's muzzle twisted.

The doorknob to the room turned.

“... ... ...!” Rainbow Dash jolted. She clamped both hooves over her pendant. The mare darted towards the bed, but the frame was flat to the ground. “Darnit!” The door was opening. The cool desert wind funneled through the room. Without a second thought, she soared into the private bathroom, pivoting her body sideways so as to squeeze through the open door without disturbing it. There, she huddled in a large, ornate tub, shivering from the cold porcelain touch.

She heard several heavy hoofsteps—much like Floydien's. An elk's.

Clamping her jaw tight, Rainbow Dash tilted her head aside, craning her ears towards the doorframe. She heard... ... ... nothing. The pegasus' pulse throbbed in her neck. She was afraid to flick a single hair of her tail, for fear of disturbing the otherwise dead silence permeating the entire chambers.

And yet, that silence... that stillness persisted. It was practically numbing. On a dare, Rainbow Dash cat-crawled out of the tub, squatted up to the door, and peeked out.

At first, she saw nothing. All was darkness and shadow. But then—she saw an even darker shape sihlouetted against the blackness.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, looking out the door with greater courage.

The elk stood absolutely still, legs locked, antlers poised. He appeared unaffected by the darkness. His body barely moved... even just to make breathing motions. This went on for an eerie two minutes or so. When—at last—his ears twitched, it positively startled the mare. She held her breath, listening in.

“Mmmm... yes.” The buck muttered, “But of course.” He pivoted rigidly to the left, like a living gear.

Rainbow jerked back, careful not to make any rapid sound or movement. Still, she continued to watch.

The elk turned towards the desk. He made three steps. Stopped. Sidestepped. Then sat down before the desk.

“Should I wait?”

Dead silence.

“No. No, I haven't.”

Even more silence.

“Alright. If you insist.”

And he continued sitting there, engulfed in darkness, eyes locked on the pitch-black wall above the desk.

Rainbow's muzzle hung open. She looked at the far end of the quarters. There was nopony in there save for herself and the elk. Craning her neck, she attempted to see if there was something on him that was glowing... strobing... flickering—any indication whatsoever of a sound stone or a different kind of magically—imbued communications device. Alas, she couldn't find anything, no matter how far she leaned to—

Fwump! Rainbow slipped on the tile and fell on her chest. “Ooof!”

Cl-Clump! His massive hooves shifted against the marble floor. “Who goes there?!”

Rainbow clenched her teeth shut. Her eyes darted towards the desert sky beyond the balcony's edge.

“... ... ...yes. Yes I shall.” He stood up. He marched over towards the room.

Rainbow waited one second too many. He was practically there. The tips of his antlers strobed. She backed up, hissing beneath her breath, looking at the bathtub, the sink, the closet. Everything was too thin, too shallow, too open to hide. At last, the Secretary's massive hoof wrapped around the edge of the door and started pulllllling it open—

Knock knock knock.

The elk stopped in place, as did Rainbow's heart.

Knock knock knock.

“This must be it.” The hoof retreated, as did his voice. “What you told me to wait for.”

Rainbow hissed through clenched teeth. As the bloodrush in her head settled, she heard the creak of the door opening inside the chamber. There was a slight sliver of lanternlight, and she heard a servant's voice clearing. She leaned in to get a better listen.

“...job to deliver this to you. It comes directly from the office of Chancellor Fishberry of the Val Roan High Council.”

“Very well, sir. Thank you for delivering this to me.”

“Is there anything I can do for you, my lord?”

“No. That will be all. Thank you.”

The door closed shut.

At first, Rainbow flinched, expecting the Secretary to come marching back towards her and the bathroom. Instead, he just lingered there, gripping an envelope. His antlers glowed brighter. Within seconds, he had shredded the letter open, unfolding the scrap within and scanning its contents with purple eyes. Rainbow got the first clear sight of his muzzle, and it was the utter definition of emotionless. Just seconds ago, Sharp Quill's voice was rich in emotion, even when speaking to an ordinary messenger.

It was next to impossible to guage just what the elk was gaining from what he was reading. Thankfully, Rainbow didn't have to wait until his unusual habits resumed.

“Yes.”

His ears twitched.

“Absolutely.”

His ears twitched again.

“This cannot be a coincidence. They are false. Someone has found out.”

More silence. He continued standing dead-still, like a statue. He lingered for far longer than a grown elk needed to for reading such a small letter.

“And what of the Tundra?”

Silence.

“Yes. Of course. I'll speak with them. They will know what you want.”

Rainbow Dash bit her lip. She needed to see what was written on that letter. Glancing left and right, she saw several bars of soap lying on the bathtub's edge. The mare took a deep breath, for she already knew what she was about to do. It was delightfully stupid.

Sharp Quill continued rambling: “There's already a meeting being planned. It must not interfere.”

Rainbow Dash grabbed a bar of soap and winded up for a heavy pitch.

“Yes. Of course. You know about that too—”

“Nnngh!” Rainbow Dash tossed the bar as heavily as she could towards the balcony's edge.

The Secretary spun, antlers glowing brightly in the direction of the balcony. “Who goes there?!” he growled, suddenly emoting. His nostrils flared, but he remained in place. Once more, his purple eyes fell upon the parchment. Once more, he droned in a neutral tone: “Too frayed. Starting to lose concentration.”

Rainbow swiftly grabbed two bars this time and threw them both at once. They landed on separate parts of the balcony, sending a resounding echo across the adjacent room.

“I know you're there!” Sharp Quill hollered again, dragging his hoof across the floor as he snorted. “Show yourself!”

Silence.

In an angry fit, he marched over to the desk, slapped the note down, and thundered over towards the balcony's edge. “Whoever you are, this is trespassing! Don't make me summon the Soul Sentries—!”

Rainbow Dash wasn't listening at this point. Instead—light as a feather—she was soaring out of the bathroom and darting towards the table. She cupped her hooves around her pendant, creating just enough light to scan the letter. It was upside down. Cussing inwardly, she pivoted around, head dangling, and read as many words off the page as she could with darting, ruby eyes.

All she made out were: “Nilla informed... ... ... false Xonans... ... ... made it across the Wastes... ... ... meet at Shepherd's Rock... Tomorrow at first shine...”

Rainbow held her breath. That was enough. She turned around—

Sharp Quill was marching back. He came up to the desk, pausing. “... ... ...” He looked left, he looked right. “No. Not an intruder. A draft? Things are fading. Perhaps you will strengthen us at first shine tomorrow.”

Rainbow Dash held her breath. She hugged the ceiling directly above him, legs locked. Her tail dangled, and it took all her strength to keep it from brushing against his branching antlers. Slowly—like a blue lady bug—she scurried across the top of the room. Only when she was a safe distance away did she kick off, twirl about, and soar clear off the balcony.

Sharp Quill's ears twitched. He turned around, gazing at nothing but starlight. His muzzle scrunched, and he slowly peered back into the darkness.

“Yes. Of course.”

He nodded.

“Of course I shall feed them...”

Just the Blind Leading the Blunt

“I've already got her prepped and ready to go!” Booster Spice said with a grin, trotting around the glossy shell of Whizzball inside the Noble Jury's hangar. “Ironically, I was running a diagnostic on this thing right after we dropped off the zebras here in Bountiful! So it's guaranteed to be in tip-top shape!” He smiled proudly. “And I've gotten rather expert at piloting the naga technology, if I do say so myself. That means, for the next twenty-four hours or so, we should be flying smoothely! Heck... the two of you can even sleep during most of the trip!”

“Twenty-four hours trapped inside a cramped ship with two nerds,” Josho muttered, slugging his gun and ammo.

“Hey!” Eagle Eye frowned as he caught up with him. “How am I a nerd?”

“...is that a three-hundred page catalogue on Val Roan dress fashion that I see in your bag?”

The tips to Eagle Eye's ears turned pink. “M-maybe...”

“I rest my big fat round case.”

Booster Spice chewed his lip. “At leat I'm a h-helpful nerd, r-right?”

“It sounds like a most arduous journey,” Bellesmith said, standing in the doorway to the lower stairwell along with Pilate. “Are we certain we can't send the Noble Jury up there instead?”

“You heard Team Blonde,” Josho remarked. “If the Noble Jury does something now to lose the burn in its engines, then we're all screwed, and so is the rest of the Val Roa.”

“You need to wait for Rainbow Dash's call,” Booster Spice remarked. “The moment she needs help, the Noble Jury needs to be nearby to help her, Floydien, and the rest out.”

“Presuming they succeed in punching a hole through the Soul Sentry shield, of course,” Belle remarked.

“All in due time, beloved.” Pilate smiled. “And I'm sure these three stallions can handle the trip. They've been through worse.”

Eagle threw his bag into the side of the sphere. “You ever been prisoners to talking foxes?”

Booster gulped. “Er... no?”

“Be glad you're you.”

Josho chuckled. “Ohhhhhh I'm going to have something to write home about over this.”

“A twenty-four hour ride stuck inside a cramped ball with the old stallion?” Eagle Eye remarked. “Booster, I hope none of the consoles are sparking or anything, because the three of us are liable to get roasted alive.”

“I'm more concerned about what waits for us at these coordinates,” Booster remarked. “If it's something some changeling conspiracy arranged, then it certainly cannot be pretty.”

“You have your sound stones, yes?” Belle asked.

“Yes, Belle.” Eagle nodded, tapping the shard on his forelimb. “They're all keyed in to the Lounge sphere's communications system. If you just have Props ping Whizzball with that fancy array of hers, then we should be able to talk to you guys at all times.”

“Listen to you,” Josho belched. “The Princess of Gizmos.”

“Wouldn't that be on my tiara?” Booster said with a smile.

“Ugh...” Josho rolled his eyes as he slipped into his seat. “Worst threesome ever.”

“You'd better go now before night falls.” Belle sighed, her ears drooping. “Please take care of yourselves. The Jury feels empty enough as it is.”

Eagle Eye bit his lip. In three bounding strides, he rushed over and gave the mare a deep hug.

Belle nuzzled the side of his head. “Ebon will be alright,” she whispered in his ear. “At the end of all of this, we'll be together,” she said. “In Val Roa.”

“I could be inside a raggedy thrift store for all I care,” Ebon whimpered. “So long as Ebon and you guys are there.”

“One step at a time, EE,” Belle said, leaning back to smile at him. “Be brave, like Rainbow Dash.”

Eagle Eye smiled at that.

“She really means 'be stupid,'” Josho's voice rang from a distance.

Eagle Eye frowned. Rolling his eyes, he trudged back towards Whizzball. “Booster, you'd better sit between the old stallion and I. That way we don't try to murder each other.”

“Erm... I-I figured I would do that because I'll be in the pilot's seat.”

“That too.”

Booster gulped and waved at the couple. “Happy trails!”

“Likewise.” Belle glanced aside. “Pilate, would you do the honor?”

“Gladly.” The zebra reached aside and yanked a lever. “Until next time!”

Wree! Wree! Wree! Wree! The warning alarm bellowed.

Belle muttered. “Wrong lever, beloved.”

“Erm...” Pilate winced, thrusting the lever back. The alarm silenced instantly. He felt around, grabbed the next lever, and yanked it.

Whurrrrrr-Chtunggg! The hangar doors opened.

“If you don't hear from us in twenty four hours!” Eagle Eye shouted through the noise of the closing side panels. “That means we crashed and Josho was forced to eat us!”

“Hah!” the obese unicorn cackled. “More like ten hours—!”

Whizzball sealed itself up. The glossy surface rippled as it spun around, then hovered out the rear hangar. For a few seconds, it puttered slowly over the rooftops of Bountiful and the many zebra tents. Then, with a burst of amber skystone, it rocketed north, disappearing into the soft red clouds above.

Bellesmith sighed, leaning over and resting her head against Pilate's shoulder. “Why do I feel as if this is a preview...”

“Hmm? A preview to what, Belle?”

She bit her lip. “Every one of us... splitting apart... one by one...” Her nostrils flared. “Even if we do succeed in Val Roa, how much of us will actually stay together?”

Pilate shrugged. “Eagle Eye's been searching for a home to call his own. Now he has a beloved of his own to share such a future with. Josho seems keen to live just about anywhere. The same could be said with Zaid, unless his attachment to Props proves permanent.”

“Wouldn't Props wish to join Prowse on the Tarkington?” Belle remarked. “And I imagine Booster would be going back to Amulek and Roarke would—” Her words trailed off.

Pilate tilted his head towards her.

Belle sighed. “It would be very nice if we all could stay in contact somehow.” She gulped. “At the very least.” Silence. “But... but dwelling on it is only keeping my mind off the fact that you and I... that you and I and Kera will have to be saying goodbye to one pony in particular...”

Pilate slowly nodded.

Bellle looked at him, eyes misty. “Do... do you think Roarke would try going with her? I mean... even if Rainbow Dash attempted talking her out of it, Roarke doesn't exactly have a heavy sense of self-preservation. Besides, the two of them are just so... so...”

“That is something for them to work out together. But Roarke is no fool, beloved. She knows just as well as you and I do that there's only one pony who can make the kind of trip that Rainbow Dash is on and survive.”

Belle bit her lip.

“But, enough of that for the time being. How about something else for your mind to dwell on?”

“Oh y-yeah...?” Belle sniffled, rubbing her eyes dry. “Like what?”

“Well, with our Searonese veteran infiltrating the Cartel and our best combat experts heading north... on top of our team leader and head pilot being stuck in Val Roa Proper, it seems as if we've gotten a shortage of alpha members.”

“Meaning...?”

“Somepony new has to take charge,” Pilate said. He yanked the lever again, pulling the Noble Jury's hangar doors shut. “Especially now that 'Operation Zebra Salvation' has culminated.”

“Well, I can think of some candidates.” Belle smiled. “After all, we still have our chief engineer and a backup pilot and...” She leaned in to nuzzle him. “A very very handsome navigator.”

“Yes, but that leaves us all predisposed with our multifaceted tasks. I do believe we need a pony of great intelligence and tenacity to manage the group in the event that we need to answer Rainbow's call.”

Belle blinked at him.

“You, beloved.”

“Me?”

“You're the best you you could ever be, you.”

“Pilate, to be perfectly honest, I've felt like a fifth wheel ever since I whisked Kera and Phoenix out of Blue Nova.”

“Well, it seems to me as though this is the perfect opportunity that's been waiting for you,” Pilate said with a smirk. “So, what's our orders, Captain, my captain?”

Belle smirked bitterly. “I think a crew vote is in order.”

“Done and done.” Pilate smiled back. “They all agree with me.”

“Y-you mean you went behind my back and spoke with them before about—”

“Indeed.”

Belle took a deep breath, trotting up the stairs. “Spark alive, Pilate! You've certainly found your way amidst the shadows of this ship.”

He chuckled as he trotted after her. “Just the blind leading the blunt.”

Knowing Who You Think You Know

“Alright, then...” Eine paced across the throne room, his yellow eyes narrowing. “Assuming the worst-case scenario is true, and my most trusted advisor is a traitor, then what exactly are you and your fellow allies intending to do about it?”

“Well, stop him, duh.” Kera rolled her eyes.

“By eliminating him?”

“Huh?”

Eine's breath took on a sharp tone. “Do you intend to kill Secretary Sharp Quill?”

“What?! No!” Kera immediately squirmed in her dress. “Er... we m-might kinda sorta kick his flank really hard, but—”

“Just who is the savage here, I wonder?”

“Look. If Sharp Quill is working for Chrysalis, then it couldn't possibly be by choice. I mean... she's a freakin' meanie! Not to mention ugly as butts.”

“Wait...” Eine blinked. “So you're saying that Sharp Quill is a victim here? A prisoner to Chrysalis' will?”

“Yes! A gazillion times, yes!” Kera smirked. “Don't you get it, Your Majesty? We're trying to save a whole bunch of deer here! We didn't come to Val Roa with a plan to split it apart! That's what Chrysalis is trying to do! She's got all the right deer doing all the wrong things and we're wishing to put a stop to it!”

“And after all is said and done...” Eine took a deep breath. “What then? Do the Xonans become stewards of Val Roa and start ruling my nation by proxy?”

“No?” Kera grimaced. “Heck no, dude! For serious...” She frowned. “Who in the heck has gotten you so paranoid about—like—everything?”

“Ever since the death of my mother and father, Sharp Quill has constantly been educating me on the evil tactics of foreign nations. He tells me to be constantly vigilant, guarding myself against outside incursion and... the will... of deviants...” His words trailed off a shuddering expression as his pupils shrank.

Kera simply stared at him with a dumb grin.

Blinking, Prince Eine plopped back on his petite haunches, sitting at the foot of the steps beneath the throne. “... ... ... butts.”

In the hallway outside the throne room, Ebon Mane paced and paced.

After several minutes and no word from Kera, he scuffled to a stop, sighing bitterly. He turned and glared at the door to the throne room. A pair of guards stood at attention, gazing steadily ahead and past him... perhaps even through him.

“I don't suppose His Majesty is due for a royal bathroom break anytime soon?” Ebon droned.

The guards continued their wordless stance.

“Nnnngh...” Ebon facehoofed, careful not to pop his fake horn loose. “I wish they had sent the Constable with us,” he muttered, turning around. “What I wouldn't give for some antlers to bore a hole in the wall and hear what she's saying to him.”

“A curiosity we both share, I'm sure,” Secretary Sharp Quill said.

“Oomf!” Ebon bumped into the elk's chest. He looked up... up... and jumped back with a slight yelp.

“... ... ...” Sharp Quill's purple eyes narrowed. “I don't believe I've had the pleasure of an introduction,” the Secretary said. “Nor the pleasure of having participated in your invite.”

“Uhhh... uhm...” Ebon shivered, struggling to maintain his tattoos.

“A member of the Xonan entourage, if I'm not mistaken?” Sharp Quill slowly trotted forward. “You seem rather anxious, good sir. Am I to imagine you've been separated from the Monarch you've been charged with accompanying?”

“I...” Ebon took a deep breath. Clearing his throat, he stood up straight. “I am responsible for looking after Princess Kera Tin Mehjj throughout the course of her ambassadorial duties, yes.”

“How quaint.”

“I'm also her protector and interpetor and advisor—”

“A quality we both share.” Sharp Quill said with a nod. He paced behind Ebon as he continued speaking. “I'm certain you believe me when I say that there is absolutely nothing we both wouldn't do when it came to the security of the soul whom we profess fealty to.”

“Er... yes...” Ebon nodded, gulping. “Absolutely.”

“So, then, it begs the question.” Sharp Quill came around, lowering his muzzle so that he glared into Ebon Mane's face. “Why was one of us not allowed the right to perform our role?”

“Uhm... I beg your pardon, Secretary?”

“If Prince Eine of Val Roa truly sought audience with your Princess, then I should have been notified of it. As an advisor to your own monarch, it would have been the respectable thing for the Xonan delegates to have made sure that the entire Royal Palace was informed of your arrival.”

Ebon's eyes darted aside. Fumbling, he eventually said, “My duties require me to be at my Princess' beck and call at any time.”

“As well as you should.”

“It's a relationship built on trust and respect, without which I cannot function as a Xonan advisor.” He slowly looked up, staring into Sharp Quill's face. “Tell me, Secretary, which of those two things do you find yourself lacking—that the honorable Prince of Val Roa would have to resort to inviting a guest without your knowledge?”

Sharp Quill blinked, his ears twitching.

Metal rattled quietly. One of the guards had fidgeted for the first time in hours. Silence swiftly resumed.

Ebon Mane smiled. “Perhaps you should humbly ask him...” His eyes narrowed. “...after he's done speaking with my Princess, whom I can't allow to be insulted by any kind of blatant interruption.” He nodded. “No offense intended, Secretary.”

Sharp Quill leaned back. His nostrils flared, but he nevertheless hummed in a calm voice: “No offense taken, Advisor.”

“I really th-think you should leave,” Chancellor Fishberry grumbled from her side of the desk.

“Sending me away won't stop anything,” Arcanista said, her eyes heavy and firm. She stood in the center of Fishberry's office, staring down the frazzled doe. “What's begun here in Val Roa is a veritable monsoon of distrust. Yesterday, Princess Kera sparked an insatiable fire in the hearts of all representatives who have been dancing mindlessly to your tune for years, Chancellor. And when the citizens of this kingdom want answers, they're going to need the truth... not more of your superficial nonsense.”

“You're the one making things up, Duchess!” Fishberry snarled. “You're the deceiver here!”

“Am I?” Arcanista trotted closer, leaning against the desk with two hooves. “Is that why you're afraid? Because you think that I somehow have the power to take the masses away from you? Chancellor, I'm only one Duchess. You have a third of the Val Roan Government under your hoof. You could make me disappear in a blink. You have made me disappear before!”

“Just leave already—!”

“Perhaps what really bites you is the fact that I'm onto something! And if I can see through your paper-thin masquerade, then just how swiftly will the public disentegrate your shroud from the inside out?!”

“There is n-nothing to fear!” Fishberry began breathing rapidly. She shuffled papers across the desk and then re-shuffled them with absurd precision. “I am in c-control!”

“Really?!” Arcanista gestured. “Look at you! You're a mess! You're coming apart at the seams!”

“I have b-been...” Fishberry winced, sweating. “...head of the High Council for y-years...”

“What were you promised, Fishberry?” Arcanista frowned. “What's in it for you with whoever you're working for? Power? You have power!” Her eyes narrowed. “Or perhaps it's something a bit more... magical?”

“That's it!” Fishberry shot up to her hooves, awkwardly knocking her chair over. “I'm calling security—Gnnghh...” She suddenly clutched her head, wincing. “What...?” She blinked, staring off into the distance. Seconds later, she growled. “Then just forget him and burst your way into the throne room for all I care!”

Arcanista blinked. “Throne room...?”

“Just leave me be!” Fishberry grunted to the walls. “Isn't it enough that she's requiring more from the installation—” Her eyes crossed, and she pressed her hooves to her skull. “Grnngh... for God's sakes, not now!”

“You're even crazier than I thought...” Arcanista murmured. “For years, I've dreamt of this moment, of forcing you into your own corner, making you face what you've done to me and my brother.” She slowly shook her head. “But I didn't expect this...”

“Your...” Fishberry glanced up, sweating. “Your brother?”

“Duke Floyd of the House of Sehlp.” Arcanista barred her teeth. “The representative from Bountiful whom you extorted.”

“Another one of your lies, Duchess?” Fishberry growled. “I've had about all I can take of—” Her forehead furrowed, and she grunted in pain. “Arrghh...” Seething, she hissed to the walls again. “Dammit, I said not now! The mare who accompanied the Xonans is here...”

Arcanista's jaw hung agape. “You... really don't remember, do you?”

“I think...” Fishberry wheezed as she limped around the table, her eyes thick and pulsating. “...you should be leaving n-now...”

Arcanista slowly backed up. “And I think you're not the same Fishberry I've always hated...”

Rainbow Dash fidgeted in midair, glancing back and forth down a long, dim hallway. Shuddering, she turned and hissed over her shoulder. “Is it ready yet?”

“For the eleventh time, stop asking me that!” Midnite grumbled, her hooves digging deep into a wall console full of dusty mana conduits. “This stuff is more tangled up than I remembered!”

“Who in the hay did you guys have contracted to build this place? Ostriches?”

“No.” Midnite shook her head. “The denizens of Jared Province live too far away to ever lend their engineering skills, however feeble.”

“Gotcha.” Rainbow suddenly blinked cross-eyed. “Wait... I-I was only joking. You mean Val Roa actually has a village full of sentient—?”

“There!” Midnite pulled a mess of cables out. Turning over her shoulder, she grinned. “Showtime.” Snap! She snapped the cables apart with a mess of sparks.

WRII! WRII! WRII!

WRII! WRII! WRII!

Inside the ritual chamber, several guards jolted. They looked past the green glowing cocoons at a series of red lights strobing across the ceiling.

Half of the recruits fumbled, their foreheads tensing in pain and confusion as their antlers began dimming.

“A fire!” one guard shouted. “From the sound of it, Level Three Threat!”

“We can't interrupt the ritual now!”

“We can and will!” An elk marched firmly across the room. “There're too many sentries in here to lose! We have to evacuate!”

“God in Heaven...”

The elk slapped a hoof over an intercom. “Priority alert! Priority alert!”

WRII! WRII! WRII!

Inside the prison wing, Floydien and Jake craned their necks towards the speakers.

“Scrkkk—Priority alert! Evacuate the compound! Sentries must be preserved at all costs! Repeat! Protect and evacuate the sentries! Level Three Threat detected!”

Floydien shuddered. “Now that is some really loud spit.”

“We can try licking it up later!” Jake began galloping towards the distant hallway. “Let's make like a tree and metaphorically skedaddle!”

“Wait wait wait!” Floydien hissed, stomping his hooves. “Give Floydien back his glimmer shimmer!”

Jake skidded to a stop, grinning slimily. “Hah... silly moose-me.” He trotted back, opened a locker, and produced a pair of antlers. “And here I thought I'd keep one as a memento.” He tossed them Floydien's way.

The elk caught them. “Hrmmm...” He fitted the antlers on, one at a time. “Floydien supposes hairy boomer's flank is large enough for two suppositories.”

“Hey, you're getting healthier by the hour!”

“Watch your spit.” Floydien's eyes flickered bright red as sparks danced between his fitted antlers. “Bring on the trot trot.”

“Peaches!” Jake led the way, galloping down the blaring hallway while Floydien followed swiftly behind.

WRII! WRII! WRII!

Single file, the robed recruits were marched up out of their chambers and led towards a nebulous destination above ground. Vigilant reindeer guards walked up and down the line, shouting orders above the deafening siren.

The facility was so chaotic and bustling that very few noticed the two large quadrupeds snaking their way along the furthest corridors. With very little trouble, Jake and Floydien made their way to their destination.

“Alright!” Jake hollered while the sirens blared around them. “Let's hope the little ladies have a textbook plan to sink this ship!”

“What what what?!”

“I said, let's hope the little ladies have a textb—”

“What what what?!”

“You know what? Forget it. Just stand there and be pretty.” Jake approached a door with a large security lock. “Hello?!” He knocked several times with his heavy hoof. “Is there anymare in there?”

Schwisssh! The door opened from the inside. Jake's knocking hoof was suddenly colliding with Rainbow's head.

B-Bonk! “Oww!” Rainbow's voice cracked as she hovered backwards, clutching her fuzzy blue skull.

“Whoops!” Jake slobbered. “Still, nice firm coconut ya got there!”

“Nnnngh...” Rainbow frowned, but nevertheless motioned for them to follow. “Come on! Midnite's got a way for us to enter the chamber from the side! Then we've got some cocoons to crush!”

“Cocoons?!” Jake grinned, galloping forward. “That's my absolute favorite thing to smash!”

“No kidding...?”

“Yeah. My village was raided by a rampaging gang of butterflies.”

“For real?”

“No ya dingy wing horse! Pencils, if you weren't so adorbs...”

“Mehhh...”

Floydien fidgeted, standing dead-still. He glared off into the distance, eyes blinking contemplatively.

“Hey! Floydien!” Rainbow motioned. “It's the main event! Step to it!”

With nostrils flaring, Floydien marched after her. “Yes yes yes...” Nevertheless, he glanced worriedly about as he traversed the corridor.

Within a minute, the group reunited with Midnite.

The mare stood before a metal door, tapping her hoof anxiously. “Took you long enough!” she stammered, ears twitching to the muffled sounds of the siren just beyond the door. “Are we ready to do this?”

“Just point and click, toots!” Jake said, cracking his neck joints as he arrived alongside Rainbow Dash. Floydien covered the rear. “I've been wanting to kick something hard ever since we came down here!”

“Well, you'll have your chance,” Midnite said. “If we run into any guards, I'll take care of them. You big guys just focus on smashing the big pulsating green things. Rainbow's on distraction duty.” She looked up and nodded. “Right, Rainbow?”

“Right!” Rainbow blurred up to the door. “I go in first. The rest of you, follow me. Okay?”

“Uh huh.” Midnite motioned to the door. “On three. One... Two...”

“Three!” Rainbow and Midnite simultaneously bucked the door down...

...rattling it off its hinges. The four were instantly drowned in noise and static mana.

Squinting into the green anomaly, Rainbow Dash flew out first. Most of the recruits had been herded out of the room. Only a few soul sentries remained, but they were too far away in the enormous chamber to possibly reach them.

“Peace of cake!” Rainbow hollered, grinning ecstatically. “You know what to do, guys! Just take out as many as you can—”

“Uhhhhh... Color Wheel Boomer?”

“What is it, Floydien—” Rainbow turned around, gasping. “Luna Poop!”

An entire phalanx of reindeer guards stood waiting. Not a single one of them was trying to evacuate. Instead, they crouched low, aiming their glowing antlers at the group of four who had just entered the room. “Hold it right there!” the commanding guard shouted.

“Fat chance of that, sunflower!” Jake stormed into the room, dragging a hoof. “Bring it on!”

“Jake... n-no...” Rainbow shivered, hovering low. “This... this is too many.” She gulped. “But... but I don't get how—”

“Who cares!” Jake snorted. “He who bleeds last wins!”

“A noble concept, Constable,” spoke a calm voice from the side. A mighty elk strolled in, glaring at the group with one good eye. “But unsurprisingly fitting, considering whose company you've joined.”

Rainbow's eyes twitched. “Saikano...”

The General craned his neck. “I take it she's told you all about me.”

Rainbow blinked. “Who...?” Wham! A dark pair of forelimbs slammed across the back of her skull. Rainbow's ruby eyes rolled back as she fell to the ground, landing before Midnite Bastion as the mare placed her throbbing hooves down.

“Awww hell...” Jake grimaced.

Floydien glanced at Rainbow, then glared across the way at Midnite.

The mare sighed, rubbing her forelimbs. She stepped over Rainbow Dash's limp body and gazed up at Saikano with a melancholic expression. “Greetings, General,” Midnite said, standing up straight and performing a salute. “Commander Bastion reporting for duty. I bring you traitors to the state.”

Saikano slowly nodded. “Good soldier.”

Yes, It's That Kind of Hunt

Errant beams of yellow and red plasma erupted from the jagged peaks of the skystone fields.

Booster Spice gnashed his teeth, yanking the controls left and right in a desperate bid to keep Whizzball straight and centered. With each adjustment he made, a gust of wind blew at the glossy sphere from a random angle, upsetting his already tenuous balance. The stallion sweated nervously, so much so that he had to lift his goggles several times to wipe his brow.

“What in God's name is taking them so long...?” He shuddered, leaning tensely forward in the pilot's seat. “That cave can't go on forever.”

As his eyes once again fell upon the fluctuating landscape below, he heard a buzzing from his communications panel. He slapped a hoof over it.

“Yes!” Booster barked. “Josho? EE?! What have you found?”

“Scrkkk! Sorry to disappoint you, Booster. It's Bellesmith.”

“Belle!” Booster smiled despite his strain. “Boy, it's good to hear a friendly voice!”

“I'm sorry to interrupt your operation. I'm calling to let you know—”

“—that we've made it through the perimeter!” Belle said, squatting at the Noble Jury's communications array while Props tweaked the steam valves situated around the engine room's tome. “Rainbow Dash's team successfully distracted the soul sentries long enough for us to pass on through! We're making our way towards Val Roa proper as we speak!”

“Well that's—scrkkkk—hear, Belle! Then I—scrkkkk!—joining Rainbow with—scrkkk—time for the Coronation?

Belle blinked awkwardly.

“Ooooh...” Props glanced over, blue eyes narrow. “That doesn't sound too good.”

“Booster, you're breaking up!” Belle stood before the array. “What's your situation? Is everything okay?”

“Scrkkkk—hear you, Belle, there's—Scrkkkk—with the manaconduits of Whizzball. I'm—scrkkkk—elevation, but I want to stay low—scrkkk—when Josho and Eagle Eye try to—scrkkkk!”

“Booster, just... just look out for yourself and the others, okay?!” Belle spoke loudly into the rippling static. “Get the three of you—”

“—scrkkkk—safely! We'll rendezvous in—scrkkkk-scrkkkk!”

Booster winced, shaking his head. “Belle... Belle!” He leaned his muzzle close to the communications system. “I don't know if you can hear me, but you're impossible to make out! I will be flying here until I get a clear sign of Josho and Eagle Eye! And then I'll be flying us waaaaaay far away from here. Something's making the skystone fields fluctuate with extra energy, and I don't know how much longer Whizzball can take!”

Silence.

“Hello?!”

The communications console had gone dead.

With a sigh, Booster leaned back, hanging onto the controls. “I don't know how much longer I can take...”

The communications array inside the Noble Jury had gone silent. Belle leaned back with a heavy sigh. “We just lost him.”

“Lost him or...” Props gulped, her ears deflating. “Lost lost him?”

Belle shook her head. “Who's to know?” She glanced up. “Booster is resilient enough to fly Whizzball through anything, but from the sound of things, he's all alone up in there.”

“You mean Josho and Adoraface...?”

“Are still investigating the site.” Bell nodded. “Yes.”

“Ohhhhh...” Props pouted, nibbling on the end of a wrench. “Nnnngh...” She opened her mouth again and pointed with the instrument. “I engineered the leylines of our communications system myself. The only thing I can imagine that would disrupt it that badly is a fluctuation of skystone energy!”

“Well, that would make sense, wouldn't it?”

“Yes, but if I only knew what was causing it.”

“Causing what, exactly?”

“Natural skystone deposits tend to fluctuate when they're being harvested.” Props thought out loud. “That, or being drained of energy.”

“You mean, while still situated within their natural reserves?”

“Yup yup yup!”

“But...” Belle blinked. “Who or what could be draining the skystone fields from within?”

“Good question. But what matters is that all three of our guy-friends could soon become die-friends.” Props pouted. “Exposure to that much constant fluctuation can roast the flesh inside out!”

“Spark...” Belle grimaced. “Well, we can't be having that!”

“If the Noble Jury was where Whizzball was, it could withstand the fluctuations better.”

“Yes, but we can't very well go back there now, can we?” Belle stood up and began pacing. “Rainbow Dash needs us in Val Roa. We're all that stands between this nation and the Cartel's battleships. And besides!” Belle spun about. “The perimeter reactivated! The soul sentries would simply blast us out of the sky if we were to fly back the way which we came!”

“Hmmmmm...”

“Nnnngh...” Belle ran a hoof through her dark brown mane. “Just when I thought I was starting to enjoy this whole captain nonsense...” She gulped. “What I wouldn't do for an ace in the hole.”

Props blinked. Props smiled. “I think I might have one for you!”

“Hmmm?” Belle looked up.

“Scooch over, girlfriend!” Props chirped as she slid up to the communications array, spinning several knobs and charging the soundstones. “I've got a call to make!”

Josho's heavy hoofsteps clopped over dank stone. Water splashed, running down into unseen crevices on either side of the rocky platform beneath him. He swung his head left and right in a gentle sweep, illuminating the smooth sloping ceiling above. After several moments of fruitless illumination, his nostrils flared.

Behind him, Eagle Eye's voice echoed. “See anything yet?”

“You're the one with the good vision,” Josho grumbled. “Assuming you're not busy adding pink drapes to this place with your mind.”

Eagle sighed, stepping up beside the larger stallion. His own horn glowed in a thinner, brighter beam. “I can't get over how smooth the rocks are.”

“I know,” Josho droned. “Isn't it a tragedy?”

“I'm serious, old stallion!” Eagle frowned. “It doesn't look natural!”

“I'm certain Rainbow didn't send us here to survey just any hole in the ground.” Josho hopped a thin ravine and landed on a plateau of flat rock across the way. “Something's gotta be here, alright. The entire floor has been level for us the whole way to this point, and it's been gradually ascending.” He sniffed a few times. “Not to mention it's perfectly breathable down here.”

“Speak for yourself.” Eagle hopped over to join him, his muzzle twisted in a wretching expression. “Just what is that stench?”

“Unpleasant, that's for sure,” Josho said. “I could do without it.” A beat. His muzzle curved slightly, “And considering whom that's coming from—”

“Heh...” Eagle managed a tiny smirk. “I was about to say the same thing.”

“Beat you to it, sunshine.” Josho tilted his head curiously as the two trotted down a narrowing corridor of dull blue stone. “Although, if you ask me, things are getting a bit...”

“Fouler?”

“Well, yes. But warmer too.” Josho flashed his horn's light straight up. “Could we be getting so high up we're reaching the... err... roots of the skystone?”

“I don't know how that works, to be perfectly honest,” Eagle Eye said, trotting alongside Josho. “But my guess is, if we got too close, we wouldn't be in the mood to chat about it.”

“Hmmm... perhaps not—”

There was a sickeningly loud crunch between them.

The two unicorns froze in place.

Eagle glanced aside at the older pony. “What... the Spark was that?”

“I... uh...” Josho took a deep breath. “I think I just stepped in something.”

“What exactly?”

“Shine the light, genius.”

Eagle gulped. He tilted his horn down while Josho lifted his hoof.

They caught the fragments of a glossy black shell. Part of it clung to Josho's fetlock with sticky residue. The rest shattered, flaking off into brittle obsidian bits.

“Well, if that's not a turn off, I don't know what is,” Josho muttered.

“What is that?” Eagle grimaced. “A skull?”

“I'm pretty sure are bones are white on the inside.”

“Some kind of... egg, then?”

“No, not quite...” Josho blinked. “Come to think of it, there's something familiar about the texture.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and this stench...” Josho sniffed the air again. “I've smelled it before.”

“Oh y-yeah? Where?”

Josho looked aside. “Stratopolis.”

Eagle Eye shuddered. “Well...” He trotted forward, shining his light around. “...I sure don't like the sound of that.” A gaping changeling's face flashed before his eyes. “GAAH!” He hopped back.

Josho instantly stomped a hoof forward, standing protectively in front of Eagle as he aimed his shotgun level with the changeling.

But the metamorph's skull didn't move. The creature hung there, its eyesockets dim and porous. Dozens of deep fissures ran through its exoskeleton. The webbed spines along its neck and back had whittled away to fibrous silks, dangling in the windless air.

“Why... why...” Eagle Eye shuddered, peaking out from behind the obese stallion, his shield raised. “Why isn't it m-moving?”

“I think because it's dead, princess,” Josho said.

“Dead?”

“Yup.”

“Are you sure?”

Josho gave the skull the lightest of taps with his shotgun barrel. With a grotesque ripping sound, the head rolled right off and fell to the floor, exploding in viscous green pus.

Josho glanced aside. “Pretty sure.”

Eagle Eye was already heaving over, vomiting onto a patch of stone. “Grkkkksllghhtt!”

Josho clenched his teeth. He pivoted about, shining his horn's light across a rock wall covered with hardened black matter. Petrified mucus formed hexagonal structures, within which the empty shells of battered and crushed changelings lingered, their mandables gaping wide in frozen death screams.

“They're all dead,” Josho muttered. “Abandoned here to rot, it seems.” He peered down a corridor as he saw row after row of necrotic hives, all populated with decrepit shells. “The cave must be full of them.”

“Gnnnrkklt... mmmuuuuuu...” Eagle clutched his stomach, shuddering.

Josho sighed, glaring down at the unicorn. “Oh gimme a break. They're just friggin' bug ponies.”

“Oh y-yeah?!” Eagle spat, wiping the bile off his muzzle as he frowned back at him. “Well I happen to be deeply in love with one of those 'friggin' bug ponies!', thank you very much!”

“Oh. Right.” Josho nodded. “That noise.” He stepped forward. “Seriously, how do you both do it? Do you just hang some fly paper on the ceiling and hope that he buzzes by?”

“Old stallionnnnn...” Eagle growled, hobbling after him in a teetering fashion. “What do I have to say to convince you that there are more than one way to love a soul other than pure unbridled—?”

“Shhhh...” Josho pointed at a swath of organic matter. “Bring your horn over, Your Horniness.”

“I swear,” Eagle grumbled. “If we get out of this alive, I'm going to—” He stopped in mid-threat, his eyes set on a patch of razor sharp claw marks set in the petrified muck. “Well, that's unsettling.”

“It might be something unsettling that brought an end to this hive,” Josho said. “And if we're not careful, it might bring an end to us.”

Eagle gulped, looking all around as he shone his light past the dangling insectoid bodies. “So... then what's left for us to see here? We found a hive. That most definitely links Sharp Quill and Fishberry to Chrysalis.”

“I don't think we're quite done here.” Josho motioned ahead. “Check it out?”

Eagle leaned in, squinting. “...is that a light source?”

“Yuppers.” Josho nodded. “And it's getting even warmer as we move towards it.”

With a deep breath, Eagle said, “Well, I don't think anything else could possibly gross me out further.”

“I swear, I live just to see you eat all your words.”

“And throw them back out.”

“Exactly.”

“After you, old stallion.”

“You're the one with the shield.”

“You're the one with the fat ass.”

“Well put.” Josho cocked his shotgun and moved ahead across the necrotic mess. “I'll take point.”

Eagle followed close behind. “Check your corners.”

“Go to hell.”

Your Xonans Are In Another Castle

“Nnnngh...” Ebon Mane stirred.

Wincing, one limp hoof at a time, he pushed himself up onto all fours. He reopened his eyes with a dazed expression. Unconscious Soul Sentries laid before him amidst a liberal spray of granite chunks.

“Guh...” Rubbing his “tattooed” head, he tilted his chin up and gazed at the throne room. He gasped.

The doorway had utterly collapsed, spilling wreckage into the spacious hallway that led down the center of the regal palace. One by one, the Soul Sentries began to stir.

Ebon bit his lip. Hobbling backwards with a slight shiver. He heard hoofsteps galloping at a distance.

“The Prince! He's been kidnapped!” a servant's voice shouted. “The Xonan Empress! She took him!”

“Where were they located last?!” asked a royal guard.

“They were last seen in the throneroom, fleeing into the inner palace! The Royal Quarters! At least that's what Secretary Sharp Quill said!”

“Head into the courtyard! Gather all the servants outside while we perform a full sweep of the palace!”

“Understood! Please find him in one piece and make those foreign invaders suffer!”

“Oh they will, alright. Soldiers! After me!”

Ebon gritted his teeth. He looked at the collapsed Sentries as they started sitting up, eyes flickering. Ebon glanced down the hallway from which the galloping hooves emanated, then down the opposite end. It was too far of a sprint towards the nearest corner to avoid anyone's line of sight.

A determined frown crossed the stallion's muzzle. One by one, his tattoos vanished, and he plucked the fake horn from his skull, flicking it to the ground. In a burst of speed, he galloped towards the nearest set of marble columns in the lush hallway.

“Find her!” Voices echoed up and down the spiraling marble stairwells of the Val Roan Royal Palace. “She's kidnapped the Prince!”

“Quickly! They should be headed towards the Royal Quarters!”

Kera winced from the guards' shouts echoing from a distance. She sprinted down a hallway lined with doors to luxurious chambers and sitting rooms. She paused only to glance into each compartment, causing the Prince stumbling after her to stumble and wheeze for breath.

“Why do... th-they think that you've k-kidnapped me?!” Eine stammered.

“Because I kinda sorta have!”

“What?!”

“Look, you wanna be re-strangled by your buddy, the Juice Deer?!” Kera scowled, yanking Eine again as she sprinted towards the next line of doors. “Believe me, he didn't give me much of an option! It was either zap him or watch you become Prince Asthma of the House of Dead.”

“How did you l-learn...” Eine yelped, stumbling after her and trembling. “...t-to use magic like that?”

“I was trained by a killer cyborg pony in a giant crater full of hippy pegasi and flying manta rays.”

“...what?!”

“Look, it doesn't matter! You wanna live, stay with me?!”

“But... th-they think that y-you're trying to harm me!” Eine stammered while the sound of hoofsteps rose sharply behind him. “Perhaps if we just stopped and tried explaining things—”

“Explain what?!” Kera glanced at him, frowning. “That their Royal Advisor is controlled by a shape-shifting bug monster who wants to have you missing in action when your Coronation happens?!”

“Missing in action?!”

“You heard him! He was going to hide you away somewhere against your will!” Kera peeked into the next room. “He must sense that my allies are catching up to his dirty business and now they wanna steal you away somewhere.”

Inside the room, a group of hoofmaidens shrieked in alarm.

Kera gnashed her teeth, slamming the door shut with a burst of telekinesis. She zapped each door hinge, melting the braces for good measure.

“Well that was kind of h-harsh,” Eine rasped.

“Look, you wanna get out of here with your life intact or don't you?!”

“But it's my guards we're running away from!”

“Yeah, and who you think is in charge of the guards?!” Kera glared. “You saw how those Soul Sentries were following Sharp Quill's every command!”

Eine bit his lip, sweating.

“How can we get out of here?!” she asked loudly.

“We can't.”

Kera's ears drooped. “Please don't let that be the answer. I'm not in the mood of testing my brain electricity against a crapton of well-trained reindeer guards.”

“I-I mean there's no official way,” Eine said. He pointed behind them with a weak hoof. “All ways through the main corridors are blocked, and we can't go back to the throne room...”

Kera leaned forward, tattoo brow furrowed. “...but?”

“There's... uhm...” Eine fidgeted. “Another way.”

“Where?”

“But I've never used it befo—”

She shouted in his face. “WHERE?!”

He leaned back, shivering. “In my quarters! In the wall beside the wardrobe! If you let me, I'll show you!”

“Wait...” Kera leaned back. “Do you mean—?”

“A panel to a secret passage. Only members of the Royal family know about it.”

“Does Sharp Quill know?!”

“Uhhhm... I-I doubt it! My parents did, but the King and Queen are dead now.”

“Wonderful!” Kera barked, galloping down the hallway. “We'll make our exit that way!” When she found she was alone, she dashed back, groaning. “Honestly! Will you move your royal caboose?!”

“Guh!” Eine flinched, poked by her horn. “Must we go so fast?!”

“Would you rather die super slow?”

“... ... ...the room should be two hallways on the right.”

“Awesomesauce! Go go go go!”

“I don't understand!” Nilla stammered, being shoved along by a line of Soul Sentries. She wasn't alone. Several fumbling servants, cooks, and gardeners marched along with the gazelle, forced down a hallway leading towards the royal courtyard. “Why would the Princess of Xona seek to kidnap Prince Eine?!”

The Soul Sentries said nothing. They merely marched in a solid phalanx, sweeping up the hallway's space with their wide antlers.

“Did she hurt him somehow?! I mean, she's just a filly!” Nilla exclaimed. “And whatever happened to Mr. Mane, her royal advisor!”

Once more, the Sentries were silent.

Nilla frowned, being shoved along. “Will somedeer please answer me?!”

A guard marched out of a room, joining the march. “Keep the noise down, servant. The Soul Sentries need concentration to perform their duty.”

“But nothing about this is—”

“I will not repeat myself,” the guard said, casting her an iron frown. “Obey the Soul Sentries.” He then met up with another cluster of royal guards and proceeded to flush out a supply room.

Nilla gnashed her teeth. “Doesn't any of this strike anybody as completely absurd?!”

Her cries were drowned out as she was pushed out of the hallway and into the adjacent corridor. The Soul Sentries marched on, leaving the passageway completely abandoned—or so they thought.

Several seconds after they departed, a tiny section of marble column shifted. The texture rippled with green flame, morphing into a petite changeling. “Mmmmfff...” Ebon collapsed on his knees, shivering. His insectoid eyes flickered, then clenched shut. “Mmmm... Eagle... EE...” He whimpered, fangs clicking. “Give me strength. Just... j-just have to hold out long enough...”

He stood up, heaving for strong breaths.

At last, with gossamer wings buzzing, he lifted off the ground and went zipping around the nearest corner. Looking around, he found the coast to be clear. Holding his breath, he once again coated his body with a marble-tinted shade, then proceeded to hover across the wall, piercing his way deeper into the palace.

“Nnnngh... guhhhhh!” Kera pushed a wall panel as hard as she could with her little hooves. Her gown was a frazzled mess at that point, and the lengths of her green mane had become undone. Nevertheless, after much strain, she finally slid the dusty patch of wall wide enough to allow room for two foal-sized bodies to fit through. All was dark and dismal in the hidden chamber beyond. “Ahhhhhh yeah. That should do.”

She leaned back, her ears twitching to a persistent wheezing sound. She looked aside at Eine, who was collapsed against his desk, struggling for breath.

“Really?” She raised an eyebrow. “You're out of breath already?!”

“Must we... r-run around... so sw-swiftly?!” he gurgled, eyes thin and weak.

“Don't most fawns your age get more meat on their bones?”

“Young deer aren't like unicorns.” Eine gulped. “While our cerebral strengths are keen, our physical abilities t-take a great deal longer to mature.”

“Whelp, sucks to be you.” And Kera bucked him in the white tail.

“Waaah!” Wide-eyed, Eine plunged through the hole in the wall. Thud!

“I'm committed to getting you out of here alive!” Kera slid in after him. “Nopony ever said anything about your pride!” Her horn shimmered as she slid the door shut, sealing the passage behind them. “You know which way we go from here, Your Highness?”

“Uhm... n-no,” he whimpered. “I've actually never had to use these tunnels before!”

“Whelp, Prince Eine, congratulations. You're about to experience your very first adventure.”

Thud! With that, she and the Prince were hidden from the rest of the Palace. Within a minute, guards came pouring into the room, looking all over the quarters. They would not have any luck.

Night Eventually Brings a New Dawn

Rainbow Dash stuck her head around the edge of the gate to the outer courtyard of Plaza Topaz. She looked left and right. Several servants and riders sat at campfires situated alongside their masters' carriages and stagecoaches. But there were no signs of guards or Soul Sentries.

"Seems like all of the hardcore security's elsewhere right now," Rainbow Dash muttered.

Floydien trotted up, squinting over her petite figure. "Floydien thinks he heard the stabby stabs heading north."

"To the Palace?" Rainbow's face scrunched in thought. "Well, I suppose they'd be wanting to buffer the Royal Quarters with the Coronation happening tomorrow and all. But... we both know that the real chaos is happening south at Saikano's base."

"Perhaps there is more foul foul than could be smelled before."

Rainbow took a shuddering breath. "Think you can blend in here?"

"Floydien is one with the haze malaise." He squinted down at her. "What of color wheel?"

"I don't think Jet would have signaled us unless she was somewhere safe." Rainbow tilted her head up. "I'm flying up to the room's balcony. Stay here. I'll let you know what she tells me in person."

"Yes yes yes."

Rainbow was thirty feet in the air when she paused to look down. "And Floydien?"

He looked up at her.

"We're going to find a way to get everypony out of this mess. I promise."

"Floydien understands."

Rainbow sighed. "Swear to Celestia, I dunno how to read you at times."

"Floydien is a book that doesn't glow."

"No. I guess not," Rainbow muttered, soaring the rest of the way towards the summit of the Plaza Topaz building above.

Inside the luxurious suite, the windows shook and rattled.

At last, one unlatched, then opened. A petite blue pegasus slid through, closing the pane behind her. She froze in place atop the velvety carpet, her eyes darting around. The interior was very dark, full of haunting shadows and stillness.

"Jet...?"

No response.

Rainbow Dash crept forward, tilting her head left and right as she peered behind every piece of furniture.

"Jet... ... ...?" Her ears perked up as she shuffled across the room in a slow gait. "It's Rainbow Dash. I know things are super bleak right now, but you gotta trust me when I say that I've been through worse straits. One way or another, we're gonna get this to work out. But I need you to work with me. Please, stop hiding. Tell me where you are. It's okay, girl."

She heard a shuffling of limbs.

Rainbow looked over.

A familiar brown earth pony sat, scrunched up in a fuzzy ball beneath a polished white table against the wall.

Rainbow trotted up. "Jet!" She smiled warmly. "It's okay! You don't have to..."

Jet gnashed her teeth, eyes flaring.

Rainbow froze in place.

Jet's eyes calmed. Gulping, she shivered slightly and motioned her head towards the front door of the hotel suite. Within seconds, there was a large knocking at the frame.

Rainbow's brow furrowed. Squatting low, she crawled over to Jet's side.

In a whispery tone, Jet whimpered, "They've been knocking constantly for the past forty-minutes." She gulped. "They won't go away."

"How many...?" Rainbow murmured.

Jet shook her head with a distressed expression. "I... I don't know." She sniffled, eyes tearing up. "But they won't go away."

Rainbow's nostrils flared. "Go into the washroom."

"Rainbow...?"

"I promise." She turned to gaze firmly at her. "Whatever happens, I won't let them get that far into the suite. So long as you stay there, you will be safe."

Jet bit her lip.

"Go!" Rainbow hissed, then approached the door like a stalking panther.

Stifling a cry, Jet got up on stiff legs and stumbled into the adjacent room. There, she cracked the door slightly ajar and peered out, eyes wide.

Rainbow slinked her way towards the door. She heard the knocking two times at regular intervals. Tightening her muscles, she held her breath, eyes glued to the doorknob.

Seconds passed.

Rainbow's muscles unclenched.

Just as she mentally timed it, the stranger on the far side knocked again.

Fwooosh! Rainbow dove, opened the door, grabbed the figure beyond all in one fell swoop. Grunting, she flung the figure's weight into the hotel room and bucked the door shut behind them.

"Unngh!" a gazelle grunted daintily as she collapsed against a table.

Wham! Rainbow was suddenly shoving her weight down against the creature, snarling into her face. "What do you want?!"

"Oh God!" Nilla whimpered, crossing her forelimbs as she flinched from the pegasus' snarling voice. "The Duchess! I came to see the Duchess! That's all!"

"Is that so...?"

"Whoever you are, I have wealthy pearls on me! You can have them!" Nilla squinted at the pegasus' outstretched wings. "Wait... you... your voice...!" Her eyes blinked in the darkness. "I know you!"

"Who sent you here?!" Rainbow hollered.

"Nodeer sent me!"

"But you said you wanted to see the Duchess!" Rainbow gnashed her teeth. "Haven't you heard?! Arcanista's been arrested! Fishberry thinks she's an enemy of the state!"

"And I didn't want to believe it myself! But today's been chock full of horrible, unbelievable things! I was hoping that someone... somebody was still around who could make sense of it!" Nilla gulped. "Who could help me make sense of it!"

"Of what exactly?!" Rainbow snarled. "What exactly does anyone or anything in Val Roa owe you?!"

"Just tell me..." Nilla bit her lip, shaking. "Are... are you her? The blue coated maidservant?"

"What of it...?"

Nilla glanced at Rainbow's wings, then at her angry face again. "Because... because if Arcanista trusted you, then I do too." She shuddered. "There's so much going wrong right now. I-I don't know who to trust!" Her eyes widened. "Oh God... could this be all about that shape-shifting monster that the Princess talked about?!"

"... ... ..." Rainbow Dash hovered back, letting Nilla go with a slumped gasp. "There's more going on in this city than I had anticipated. I fear now that I may be too late."

"To... to stop something horrible, r-right?" Nilla stood up slowly. "Because... b-because I think it's already happening!"

"How so?"

"You... you mean you haven't heard?" Nilla gaped. "The whole City is a'buzz with it! I'm surprised any of us were allowed to leave the Palace! But I'm guessing we were only distractions at this point. I mean, they did search and interrogate each and every one of us on the Palace Grounds over five times."

"What do you mean...?" Rainbow flashed a look out the window, towards the northern lights of the Royal Quarter. She gawked at Nilla once again. "What's happening at the Palace?"

Nilla grimaced. "It's... it's the Princess. Princess Kera Tin Mehjj of Xona." She gulped. "She and the Prince are missing."

"Missing?"

"According to Sharp Quill, she... sh-she..."

"What?!"

"... ... ...she kidnapped Prince Eine... soon to be King of Val Roa." Nilla's eyes watered. "Attacked Sharp Quill and a legion of guards in the throne room and everything. They... they're unaccounted for as we speak. Xona's Princess... Val Roa's King... Val Roa's future..."

The door at the back of the room creaked as Jet shuffled through, jaw agape.

Nilla hung her head, fighting sobs. "It... it just doesn't make any sense! Why would Kera do this? What would she have to gain? I tried cooperating with Sharp Quill's Soul Sentries, but none of the guards would answer my questions. Nodeer has seen much of the Secretary himself. And now Fishberry's arresting the Duchess and... and there're rumors of an attack in the military district..." Nilla slumped onto her haunches. "Please, God, help us. Help us all. What's going on around here?"

Jet trotted over, resting a hoof on the gazelle's shoulder. She turned and gaped at Rainbow Dash. "The Duchess is gone... and now the Prince?" She sniffled. "And without the Constable or Midnite Bastion? Your Jurists are so far away..." She hung her head. "There really is no hope left..."

Rainbow Dash held a hoof over her pendant, her face awash in silence.

"... ... ...!!!" Ebon Mane tossed his head back, gasping. "Aaaugh!" His eyes burned hot green.

The Soul Sentry in front of him grimaced, stumbling back. With the spell broken over his mind, he collapsed into a fit of shivers, murmuring indecipherable words.

Ebon fell back against the wall of the claustrophobic chamber. He hugged himself, wincing as his coat took on ten different colors all at once before finally falling back onto a glossy black carapace. The changeling seethed and seethed, his body steaming all over from discharged of metamorphic energy.

"Mother..." He twitched, spasmed, and exhaled. "At last..." He stood up straight, glaring into the shadows as his emerald eyes narrowed, billowing with righteous flame. "...I know where you are."

Cherish That Feeling Of Sweet Release

“Nnnngh...” Chancellor Fishberry stumbled, raising a cloven hoof against the nearby wall to brace herself. Her eyes flickered green once or twice and then went dull. She teetered inside her office, positively breathless. “Sharp Quill... Saikano...” She gulped dryly, her ears drooping. “Why have you l-left me? She needs you... she needs us.”

A deer trotted in from the curved hallway immediately outside. “Chancellor, the delegates have all gathered. We are ready to begin with the meeting.”

“So alone.” Fishberry shuddered, teeth chattering. “I just feel... so alone...”

“Chancellor?” the deer cocked his head curiously.

“Ahem.” Fishberry stood up straight, taking a deep breath to steel herself. “Yes. Of course. The meeting.”

“I shall summon an escort for you, Madame.” The deer bowed and swiftly darted out of the office.

Fishberry didn't wait. In a proud gait, she trotted slowly out of the room. “In an hour or two, it will no longer matter.” She gazed behind her, squinting at the gray haze wafting through the window blinds. “All will turn to dust from the goblins, and she will eke glory from the ashes.”

The barest hint of a smile crossed her muzzle, and then she was gone.

“God almighty...” Eine's jaw hung open as he peered around the corner of an alleyway and out into the Val Roan streets. Sunlight glinted off the hooves, antlers, and muzzles of the hundreds upon thousands of angry deer, elk, and ponies marching thickly around the High Council Building and beyond. “Somedeer should do something to pacify this crowd! It's hardly conducive to a peaceful atmosphere!”

“Hey!” Gnashing her teeth, Kera summoned magic and gave the Prince a telekinetic tug, pulling him back into the shadowed alcove. “If you want to get smothered by a mob, do it on somepony else's watch! Now get your fluffy royal fanny back where it's safe from everyone's eyeballs!”

“But... but...” Prince Eine turned to gawk at her in the shade. “Can't you hear them?! They're all chanting! Calling for me! If we simply give myself over to them—”

“—you'll become food for Queen Chrysalis and all her minions!” Kera frowned. “Who—might I remind you—have their sneaky eyes everywhere.”

“But... but with the sheer force of this crowd—”

“They still can't do jack when measured up against the Soul Sentries!” Kera squinted. “You know this! I mean, come on!”

Eine sighed, his ears drooping as he fiddled with the raggedy cloak around his tiny figure. “Please, Kera, do not think that I'm ungrateful for all that you've done to protect me.” He gulped, gazing up at her with glistening amber eyes. “I've just struggled with my own incompetence long enough. These citizens need me, and it absolutely burns my heart to just stand idly by and watch them become engulfed in chaos!”

“Yeah, well, that chaos won't last forever.” Kera smirked. “Not so long as my friends have something to do with it!”

“But none of your friends are Princes of the House of Evo.” His brow furrowed. “How will they sway enough influence to salvage this situation from the likes of Chrysalis?”

“Hey! The Jurists have tackled worse things before! So, y'know, have a little faith!” Kera guided him down towards the far end of the dark alleyway. “They'll pull through! And soon, you'll be sitting on your throne with a fancy new crown without the likes of Sharp Quill, Fishberry, or Saikano to hold you back!”

Eine shuddered. “Yes. That is true, I suppose.” He bit his lip. “I just hate all of this unheroic hiding.”

“Hey. Take it from a most rare mentor of mine.” Kera winked with a smile. “So long as you can do the smart thing and keep yourself alive, there's absolutely nothing cowardly about it.”

They rounded a corner and stumbled into the emerald spotlight of six towering Soul Sentries.

“Halt!” One growled, and the reindeer's ethereal voice took on a breathy tone. “Kera Tin Mehjj, stop where you are—”

“Buck it—Runnnnn!” Kera's voice cracked. “Run for your friggin' life!” The filly—wide eyed—gave Eine a mighty shove and the two tiny figures went clamoring down a narrow corridor. The skyscraper walls echoed from the massive hooves of the reindeer phalanx charging after them.

Eine gasped, sputtering for breath. “How did they find us—?!”

“I've no clue!” Kera panted and seethed, her eyes locked on the sun-lit end of the alleyway up ahead. “They must have started a security sweep of the side streets and—” She glanced aside, sneering. “I told you to run not prance!”

“I'm sorry!” Eine hissed back, his body bounding forward in four-legged hops. “But this is how deer run!”

“Maybe if they hot air balloons up their butts, but these are soul sentries! I need you to gallop, ya melon fudge!”

“I'm sorry!” Eine growled, stumbling to propel himself faster. “Maybe you'll want me to reinvent the wheel while I'm at it—”

Just then, a solid wall of Soul Sentries appeared at the end of the alleyway.

Eine skidded to a stop, trembling.

Kera grinded her hooves. She spun around. The guards behind them were approaching fast. Soon, the entire alleyway lit up from a thick emerald haze. The two children were surrounded.

“Kera...” Eine gulped. He shivered heavily as he huddled beside her. “Perhaps some negotiation is in order?”

“Yeah...” Kera nodded, clenching her teeth while her horn surged with energy. An otherworldly wind picked up inside the narrow niche. “I'm going to have a candid talk with these poop-smearers' brain stems...”

“No! Don't!” Eine squeaked. “There has to be another way!”

“Kera...” one guard hissed, his eyes pulsating with green energy.

“As soon as the bodies go flying...” Kera gave Eine a little shove with her rear hoof. “...you go running.”

“But Kera—”

“Head for Plaza Topaz! Ask for Duchess Arcanista—”

“I... I-I think they want to speak with us!” Eine stammered. He gulped. “You specifically!”

“That's crazy! They're walking weapons! How could they possibly want to—?”

“Kera.” One reindeer guard stepped ahead while the others stayed behind. He had to speak loudly in order to be heard above the distant chants of the angry citizenry. “It is Ebon. Ebon Mane. We need to take you somewhere safe.”

Kera went cross-eyed. “Buh?”

“And then we'll need you at the High Council Building,” the reindeer said. “For what Rainbow Dash is staging, we're going to need every available hoof.”

“Wait just a second...”

“Especially Prince Eine. Good job keeping him safe, Kera.”

“Just wait!” Kera glared and glared some more. Her horn glowed slightly less as she peered her eyes at the speaking Soul Sentry. “You're trying to tell me that you are Ebon Mane?”

“Not in the flesh.” The reindeer shook his head. “I've commandeered the leyline controlling these soul sentries. I've every reason to believe I can tap into those abroad as well. Saikano's joined our side and we've captured Secretary Sharp Quill.”

Kera gasped. “Sharp Quill...?!”

“We haven't much time before the goblins attempt to fire bomb us from the southern skies, so we need you to—”

“Hold up! Just... j-just hold your horses!” Kera gritted her teeth, eyes glancing at every possessed deer's face. “This is crazier than an outhouse rat. Why should I believe a single dang bit of any of this?”

The reindeer shifted in place. Finally, after a firm breath, it spoke in Ebon Mane's tone of voice: “Ever since we left Durandana, you have wet your cot over four consecutive times.”

Kera winced terribly. “Yeah, okay—”

“It got to the point that Pilate and Belle seriously considered steering the Noble Jury back to Abinadi just to see if Boxer's Alafreons had mastered the manufacturing of plastic sheets—”

“OKAY! I get it! You're... you... s-somehow...” Kera shuddered. A beat. She glanced aside.

Eine was staring at her through one squinting eye.

“Look, I lived on my own for a long time, alright?” Kera gulped, fidgeting. “So... like... what was the point in being housebroken when you didn't have a house?”

Eine smiled crookedly. “I'm somewhat relieved that you didn't stay long enough in the Palace to spend an evening in the royal guest chambers—”

“Look, shut up. You know nothing.” Kera sniffled, squirming in place. “Not like you smelled anything at daybreak this morning anyways.”

Eine did a double-take. “Huh?”

“Look, can we go now?!” Kera grumbled at the reindeer guards.

One nodded. “Follow these soldiers, Kera,” Ebon's voice said. “We must bring Prince Eine to the High Council Building right away...”

Burning the Fat from the Muscle

Bellesmith and Pilate trotted up the edge of an arid hill. The two paused, leaning against one another. Not long after, Zaid and Props rounded the same crest, staring south with forlorn expressions.

Chunks of skystone lay everywhere in an elaborate mess of crimson debris. There was next to nothing left of the Noble Jury's gondola. It was as if the mountain above had pulverized the metal to pure dust. An enormous dark splotch of burnt ash forever blemished the stone cliff face looming above the ponies.

“Pizz fah wizz...” Props cooed, misty eyed as she stripped her goggles off and held them to her fuzzy chest.

Zaid gulped, glancing at the broken controls in his grip. “Hrmmm...” He looked up at the smattering of skystone. “You don't suppose the cheese survived, do ya?”

Props sighed. Without looking, she raised her hoof.

“Thanks, Blondie.” Zaid swung his own skull into her limb. Whack! “Owie...” He rubbed his head, wincing. “Still, how are we gonna get anywhere at this point?”

They all heard a shrill whistle, then looked straight up.

Rainbow Dash was floating high above, facing north as she waved her forelimbs dramatically. She then backed up, smirking, as a thunderous vibration filled the air.

Thwooosh! With thrusters roaring, the Tarkington descended, making a soft landing just below the hill where the four were standing. The green ship was battered and burnt in dozens of places, and its descent was performed with a slight curve, but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed.

As soon as the thing landed, Rainbow flitted around to the port side in time for the door to slide open. Four crew members peered their heads out.

“Ah, so Rainbow Dash got to you first.” Booster Spice smiled wearily, adjusting his goggles. “I guess that explains the whole 'miraculously alive' part.”

“Booster!” Belle beamed, eyes glimmering. “You're in one piece!”

“Spark be praised,” Pilate said with a warm exhale.

“Uncky Prowsyyyyy!” Props squealed, her mane billowing as she kicked her hooves. “Zaidy—!”

“Right...” The stallion hunched over, giving her a boost with his spine.

Props bounced off him and went sailing like a blonde missile into the Tarkington's cabin.

Booster and Zetta gasped, diving for cover. Props pinballed off an awkwardly blinking Basso, then plowed into Prowse's thin, gangly figure.

“Whoahhhhh now!” Prowse chuckled, rubbing his good hoof through her golden locks. “Dun ya forget, lass, I'm an old fart!”

“But the funnest of the fartiest!” Props squealed as she nuzzled-nuzzled her fluffy head against his bearded muzzle. “Heeeeeeeee! We made it! We made it! We maaaaade it!”

“Heh... one thing at a time, Propsicle.”

“The Capital is safe now,” Zetta said. “But... the Cartel's being dealt with as we speak.”

“What do you mean 'as we speak?'” Rainbow asked.

Zetta bit her lip.

With a blink, Rainbow's vision narrowed. “Where's Roarke...?”

In the middle of the Val Roan desert lay a crashed hunk of burning metal where a brown mare approached several dozen bipedal creatures. Roarke's glare fell on Haman's sweaty brow in an icy glint as she trotted along, one hoof at a time. Jex watched from a distance, shivering in the shadow of orbiting Lounge spheres.

“Grnkkk...” Haman spat blood as he glanced aside at his subordinates. “What are you doing?! Don't just stand there!” His teeth showed as he howled: “Kill her! Kill the pony!”

A few goblins flinched. A few more twitched where they stood. But, for the most part, no member of the Cartel made a single move. Even as two dozen more limped out of the lower decks to gawk at the scene, they made no attempt to assist the rotund abomination inside his teetering suit.

“What... wh-what are you doing?!” Haman sputtered as he lurched backwards in his damaged mech. “Didn't you hear me?! I gave you an order! Skin this bitch alive!”

“All you're good for is yelling,” Roarke droned. Her teeth showed as she hissed, “You are hollow, just like your suit.”

Haman panted and wheezed, his chins covered in slobber as he backed up against a smoldering chunk of metal. “Have you all gone mad?! I'm your boss! I told you to kill her! Now do it!” His wildly darting eyes settled on Jex, and he sneered. “You. You're responsible for this madness somehow! This... this is a conspiracy! A coup!”

“No conspiracy.” Roarke slowly shook her head, approaching him. “No coup.” A calm breath. “This is the day you cease to exist. I am going to kill you.”

“Rrrrrkkk—!” Eyes flaring, Haman pounded forward in his suit. Clamp-Clamp-Clamp! “Raaaaaaugh!”

Roarke effortlessly twirled to the side, allowing Haman to charge on by. Once she had stumbled past her, she twirled and took aim at one of his surviving metal legs. A panel of Lounge metal that was clasped to her fetlock extended a glowing barrel, hummed, and—ZAAAP!

CRACK! One of the rear crab legs to Haman's suit melted clean through. “Aaaugh!” He teetered awkwardly on three metal limbs. Swinging his chassis around, he wheezed steam and gnashed his teeth in her direction. “Raaaaaugh!” He ran at her, hobbling sideways. When he came within striking distance, he leaned back against two legs while swinging a barely-rotating buzz saw with his third. Swooosh!

Roarke dodged, ducked, and easily side-stepped the throws. With a twirl, she flung her other fetlock out, swinging a swath of hot Lounge metal. CL-CLANG! Her superheated weapon bent Haman's leg, embedding the limp buzz-saw into the earth. Clack!

“Gaaaugh!” Haman tugged and yanked at the embedded limb, struggling to dislodge himself.

Roarke took a calm breath, extended a tiny grenade launcher from her shoulder, and fired a doughnut-sized explosive. The thing flew true, attaching to the underside of Haman's chassis. It blinked once, flashed, then—POWWW!

Two of Haman's remaining metal legs were instantly severed. He yelled as his chassis fell back, rolling left and right on the dusty earth like a lopsided egg. “Mrmmffg... hauckkkt!”

Roarke marched towards him while every imp watched. “Killer of children... enslaver of innocents...” Schiiiing! A glistening blade extended from a metal sleeve along her right forelimb. “Let me teach you what violence should be used for.”

With a grunt, she hopped onto his chassis, mounting him. Schlunkkk! She lopped off the last remaining metal limb, issuing sparks in every direction. “You should use it when harmony itself isn't enough to cut it!” She sliced deep into his metal suit, exposing wires and manacrystals. “When you must defend peace and liberty at all costs!” Then, leaning in, she sliced several of the metal tubes surrounding him, leaking steam all around the goblin's twitching torso, so that he sputtered and wheezed for want of a breath. “And... when there's absolutely no option left...”

She retracted the blade, then yanked his spasming face towards her muzzle, so that the two glared eye to eye.

“... you murder to rid the world of insufferable monsters who won't abide by change.” Her ice blue eyes glinted. “But this isn't murder. This is taking out the garbage.”

“Please...” Haman sputtered, his eyes twitching about. “I... I deserve another ch-chance!” He glanced past her. “Tell her, dammit! You stupid runts! Tell her not to kill m-me!” He looked at her, drooling and hiccuping. “I... I can change...”

Roarke gazed at him calmly. She reached a hoof out... and yanked one of the suit's steam-tubes loose before shoving it deep into his throat.

“Grkkk—!” His body jerked.

She hissed into his fat face. “You can burn.”

As she dismounted the suit, Haman's torso shook and quivered. His voice made horrible gargling noises as steam billowed out his mouth, nostrils, and every orifice. At last, his eyes turned blood red, enlarged, then burst completely as dense boiling fumes billowed out. He let loose a breathless scream, quivering for one last time, then lay still as his skin burst at multiple seams, exhaling misty red steam in a constant jet.

Jex took a long, deep breath. His battered body relaxed, as if a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. Upon hearing a loud voice, he turned to gaze at the center of the scene.

“Look at me...” Roarke snarled. When only half of the imps complied, she shouted it this time: “Look at me!”

The Green Bandits of the Cartel stared at the metal mare.

She stood tall, muzzle tight and firm. “You are all dying. Slowly, one by one, you are killing yourselves with your putrid ways. All these years, Haman and despots like him have taught you that pain, slavery, and greed are the only means to power. Well, there is something greater than power—and that's tranquility. Power only leads to annihilation—the consumption of all you are and endeavor to be. With a tranquil existence, you can live long enough to discover what you mean to this world, to this universe.” She swallowed. “And to each other.”

The mare trotted towards the smoldering husk of Haman and pointed at the metal-wrapped corpse.

“Your Boss did not care for your race, nor was he even remotely prepared to secure your future! He only wanted to gain power as swiftly and as violently as possible! It didn't matter how much silver he spent or how many goblin children he enslaved—he himself was a slave to selfish, mindless ambition! And look at what it got him!” She pointed up at the Lounge spheres. “Look at what it nearly got each and every one of you!”

The members of the Cartel hung their heads, shuddering.

Roarke glared. “You are all pathetic wastes.” A deep inhale. “But you don't have to be. This world was given your hands and arms for a reason, and it's something far stronger, far nobler than raping and pillaging. Monstrous beasts have convinced you for far too terribly long that power means exploiting the pacifism in others. Just because you're strong and technologically gifted doesn't mean you have to be senseless carnivores. There's a place in this world for violence, but it's in taming the elements... and in securing for all of us—goblins and deer and ponies alike—a civilization where violence doesn't have to be used.”

She paced before the group, her gaze bouncing across each one of their forlorn faces.

“It's never too late to start again. But you've been misguided for so long, that you need a guide... someone loyal enough to tell you...” She paused, taking a breath as she pointed at Haman's corpse again. “To show you that there's a better way! A nobler way!” Her eyes narrowed. “I am going to be your Boss from now on. The Cartel shall be my Cartel. And as the goddess Searo is my witness, your days of decay shall end. I'll show you how to make metal out of filth... and to make serenity with the sword.”

The imps stared up at her, their ears folding back as they gazed in wonderment.

“Today is the beginning of a bright and furious crucible...” Roarke took a deep breath. “Now, who among you are willing to change? And who among you wish to burn?”

The Superior Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

“It is common knowledge that Verlax is a powerful being,” Queen Chrysalis said. “All across the East Edge, she is worshipped as a Goddess. Only few know that she is—in fact—a dragon Divine.”

“Immortals know, right?” Rainbow spoke from across the bars. “Like you, Luna, Celestia...?”

“Indeed.” Chrysalis calmly gazed at the pegasus from her prison. “But for the mortals who have lived and died in the eastern continent and the outlying archipelagos these last few eons, she is known as 'Verlaxion.' The very name demands respects and reverence.”

“And fear?”

“They do not fear Verlaxion,” Chrysalis explained. “They admire her. They adore her. She is, after all, the being who divinely intervened and saved the landscape when it was blighted by everlasting frost. Through sheer willpower, she tamed the elements and united the six tribes of Rohbredden.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Rohbredden?”

“It is the central kingdom of the East Edge. Many of the islands bordering the fringes of Rohbredden are populated by various civilized cultures, but it is the Six Tribes who wield central power. They consist of six individual races, united by their love and worship of Verlaxion.” Chrysalis waved her hoof as she listed them off: “Earth ponies, unicorns, pegasi, griffons, wyverns, and sirens. Together, they uphold the Council of Six, a representative power that answers to Verlax and acts as a bridge between the Divine and... mortalkind.”

“Does... Verlax even talk to the Rohbredden... Rohbreddeners... Rohbreddenites...” Rainbow's eyes crossed. “Rohbies?”

“A mortal would be lucky enough to even see her,” Chrysalis remarked. “Verlax... is a mysterious entity, but only because she chooses to be that way.” The changeling queen's wingtips fluttered. “She may be the Divine of Frost, but her true gift is subterfuge. There is no way to ever ascertain her true form at any given time.”

“Wow...” Rainbow blinked. “That means a lot, coming from an uber metamorph, I bet.”

“One cannot simply grasp the Divines,” Chrysalis said. “When the alicorns discovered this plane, we discovered the Dragon Matriarchs as well. Despite what Luna or Celestia might believe, there truly is no concrete evidence to prove which is the older, them or us. Thankfully, we all had a common goal in the beginning: the preservation of order over chaos. To that extent, we never clashed or warred. But we did remain strangers to one another for a long time. That is how I was able to take advantage of Nevlamas in her invalidic state.” She took a heavy breath. “Verlax, for all I know, could be in a worse condition... or she could be healthier than all of her sisters combined.

“Did you ever... get a look at her?”

Chrysalis was silent.

Rainbow cocked her head to the side. “Well?”

“You... might be wondering why I never chose Rohbredden as a staging point for my broodlings' invasion...”

Rainbow leaned back on her haunches, shivering slightly. “I'm starting to wonder now, yeah...”

“Well, in truth, my little pony, I had planned to do just that.” Chrysalis glare through the bars. Vaporous air drifted between them as she spoke. “But the very moment I sent my drones deep into the interior of Rohbredden... they were discovered.”

Rainbow Dash blinked.

“Nevlamas may have been the Divine of magic, but her sibling—Verlax—is indescribably powerful... and conniving.” Chrysalis paced about, her eyes distant with a tinge of fear. “She wields sorcery that is older than anything I've ever witnessed. It allows her to take forms... to see into the constructs of matter and energy. It's part of how she's able to manipulate temperature and the elements. All of these things she uses to her advantage—not to dominate the world, but to preserve herself... as well as her control over the Six Tribes.” Chrysalis' hooves scuffed to a stop as she turned to look across the bars at Rainbow. “I've every reason to believe that she was the one to blight the land and the islands surrounding it with impenetrable cold. Then, in the Six Tribes' time of need, she appeared before them as a savior, controlling the very same blizzards that had assailed them in the first place.”

“I bet you must have been proud of her in a way,” Rainbow said. “Goddess, Divine, Queen...” She shrugged. “You're all just charlatans on a crazy epic scale.”

“Only... Verlax has one thing that I don't have... and—in fact—never did have.”

“And what's that?”

Chrysalis shuddered, her fangs glinting in the cold torchlight. “Control.” She gazed at the floor. “If she wanted to... I've every reason to believe that Verlax could dominate the entire light side of the plane if she simply chose to scale the Grand Choke and launch and unstoppable invasion.”

Rainbow bit her lip. Eventually, she squeaked, “But she won't.”

Chrysalis shook her head. “But she won't. And that's what I truly find intimidating about her. With all of that power...” She glanced over at Rainbow Dash again. “...there is something she desires more. It's... it's almost as if she's waiting for it to come her way.”

Rainbow felt her trembles increasing. “You don't say...” She ran a hoof across her forehead. With a stifled groan, she muttered, “What... uhm... wh-whatever happened to your drones?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“The hatchlings that you sent in to investigate Rohbredden. I mean... that was waaaaay back when you still had possession of your Hive Mind. Couldn't you—like—see through their eyes? Hear through the ears n'stuff?”

“Indeed.” Chrysalis nodded. “They are not sensations I care to relive.”

“So you do have a heart.”

“I have a spine,” Chrysalis hissed. “But only when I care to manifest it.”

“Humor me...”

Chrysalis clenched her jaws. She closed her eyes, the lids twitching... quivering.

Rainbow looked on.

At last, Chrysalis spoke, “One by one... the drones all vanished. I felt... chills... like frozen knives were being funneled through my leylines. I... felt each death, Rainbow Dash, like broken bones surrounding my heart.” She took a shuddering breath. “And in the faint traces of memory, I remember my children all being taken to one place... the black pinnacle of Obsidian Hope.”

“Obsidian What-now?”

“I know. A very obtuse name, isn't it?” Chrysalis opened her eyes again, and they were glossy. “It was contrived by the Six Tribes to describe the tall onyx mountain upon which 'Verlaxion's' fortress lays. My final memories of my unfortunate children is of them being flown to the bulwarks of that lofty palace by griffon and wyvern soldiers. There, alone with the blood-freezing frost of Obsidian Hope, they met their fates. Verlax dispensed with each of them personally, and I cut myself off from the drones before she could trace their leylines back to me. It... was no simple task. I barely made it to the edge of the Grand Choke with the surviving broodlings who followed me from Tchern's nest on the dark side. And that was how I left the East Edge... decades ago.” She exhaled bitterly. “Starving and on the run. The Grand Choke—for all its desolation—was almost a blessing for me.”

Rainbow found herself panting and panting. At last, she threw a sweaty glance beyond the wall. Yaerfaerda was pulsing wildly.

Chrysalis continued speaking. “My last contact was three years ago... as recent as my infiltration of the Xonan Empire. A single drone—a starving child—had holed itself away. He had found a place to live, deep in the jungles of a lone island, hidden away amidst the western archipelagos. And—even still—cast off from all civilization and sentient eyes... Verlax found my child. I awoke one morning to a vision of a seashore covered in frozen daggers of ice... and then all was green and running...” Her jaw tensed. “His screams still haunt me in the silence of a place like this.”

Rainbow Dash was shivering uncontrollably at this point. With a meager whimper, she fell over to her side, hugging her forelimbs to her chest.

Chrysalis blinked... then blinked again. She craned her neck, staring down at Rainbow through the bars.

Rainbow seethed through her teeth, fighting dizziness as she struggled to stay alive.

“...I wonder, Rainbow,” Chrysalis calmly muttered. “Does she seek you as well? Or is it something else... something grander... greater... and darker than all of the evils this plane and the surrounding chaos has spawned over time?”

“You... sh-should know...” Rainbow hissed, her whole world spinning. Her eyes rolled back, flickering yellow in brief spurts. “You... were w-waiting for me t-too...” She gnashed her teeth, scraping at the dungeon floor with her hooves. “Grnnngh... waiting... to sp-spring a trap...”

“And yet, the ultimate trap was sprung for me,” Chrysalis said. “You may just be tenacious enough to survive Verlax...” The Changeling's eyes narrowed. “Provided you can survive yourself.”

“What... hckkkt...” Rainbow clenched her teeth together. “...do you m-mean...?”

“The alicorn magic in that amulet might preserve your body. But your mind... your spirit...” She slowly shook her head. “It is a tender morsel to be preyed upon by the elements of the Grand Choke. Or—should I say—the lack of elements.”

“Grnnkkt... ch-chaos...”

Chrysalis gravely nodded. “Something lurks deep inside of you, Rainbow Dash. It was something that I once thought I could take advantage of. But then you snuffed it out... and ever since then, I've been tracking you.” She shook her head. “I can't taste of that discordant beacon any longer... but in a way, I'm almost glad for it. Do you truly believe that you're experiencing anguish now? It will be nothing compared for what you'll endure in the desert and the ocean east of here.”

Rainbow Dash breathed in and out firmly, pacing her lungs. Slowly, she stopped shivering, and the world centered itself around her skull.

“I cannot even pretend to know what will happen to you on the dark side,” Chrysalis said. “When all is unfathomable emptiness, and a thin veil of twilight between you and the void.” She leaned back. “One thing is for certain, if you make it that far, you will shine like a blazing fire to the likes of Tchern and her nest.”

Slowly, nostrils flaring, Rainbow looked up. She swiped the sweat from her brow and glared at Chrysalis with ruby eyes. “...when did you first ever see me?”

The Brood Queen merely stared at her.

“For real...” Rainbow pulled herself up by the bars and pressed her angry muzzle against the edge of the cell. “...when did I first show up on your Hive Mind. Your drones were everywhere... are everywhere. So, how 'bout it, Queenie? If Verlax can track everypony down so easily... when did you start?”

Chrysalis hesitated before finally muttering: “Earlier than you think...”

All Good Things, Coming to End

“Did you really... honestly spend six whole hours shopping for coats and scarves today?” Josho asked.

Ebon Mane giggled while Eagle Eye blushed. The group of Jurists sat in a luxurious lounge besides a balcony overlooking the night-drenched capital. Specks of starlight blossomed across the veil of night in the distance. “Look, Ebon and I are going to be living someplace really... really cold for a while,” Eagle said. “I wanted to be prepared for the long haul up at Ether Point.”

“Yeah! Heehee!” Ebon smiled rosily. “With six different wardrobes!”

“Oh Eagle...” Bellesmith smiled coyly from where she sat beside Pilate and Kera. “I do hope the two of you come to visit often. I'm going to miss you being you.”

Eagle pouted, his lavender cheeks growing red. “So... s-so what if I like winter gear?” He shuddered while Ebon nuzzled him. “All the cloaks, gloves, and furs?” He shrugged. “It's one of the few occasions I have to truly... truly accessorize.”

“Heeheehee!” Props giggled, winking at the others. “I guess if EE stayed here in the desert, he would have built up a collection of multi-colored pith helmets!”

Eagle bit his lip. “...who says I haven't thought of it?”

“More power to you both,” Zaid said, sitting beside Props. “Living in a place that cold would drive me mad.”

“It won't be that bad,” Ebon Mane said with a shrug. “When we're not keeping watch over Mother, we'll be certain to improve the facility in any way we can. According to the llamas' latest report, they dug pretty deep into the mountain, creating a supply station. We could dig further, providing Val Roa with a spacious interior for storing tools on future expeditions.”

“Assuming King Lunarius ever decides to fund a project that utilizes skystone deposits, then that just might be feasible,” Roarke said.

Booster Spice squinted. “Wouldn't that create a conflict with the Lounge?”

Roarke calmly replied from where she stood along the fringes of the room. “I'll be an intercessor, if need be.”

“Roarke Most Rare,” Pilate remarked with a grin. “Ever the wise ambassador.”

“Feh... so long as somepony else is,” Kera muttered.

Belle glanced aside at her. “No longer fond of the royal princess treatment? You do realize that you've earned enough favor with the Val Roan Monarchy to practically become the real thing.”

“Yeah!” Props waved her hooves in the air. “'Duchess Kera Tin Mehjj of Xona!'” She giggled. “Has a nice ring to it, ya think?”

“Yeah, if you like cracked dumbbells,” Josho belched.

“Ugggh...” Kera shuddered from head to tail. “No thank you.”

“Awwwwwww...” Props cooed. “But you make for such a cute, tattooed dollll!”

“It's not the dresses n'junk,” Kera muttered. “I'm just sick and tired of that little fawn leaning on me all the time.”

“Who, Prince Eine?” Pilate grinned. “He does seem rather fond of you.”

“And, judging from the King's rugged looks...” Belle leaned in to nuzzle the filly. “I'm certain he'll grow into quite the handsome buck someday.”

“Ewww! Quit it!” Kera batted Belle's cheek away like a fussing feline, shivering all over as she stuck her tongue out. “I swear, I'd be better off living with the turtles!”

“Uh oh!” Props giggled again. “Somepony has a secret crush!”

“I do not!” Kera stomped her hoof, though she couldn't stop the redness spreading between her muzzle-lines.

“Hrmmmph...” Roarke folded her forelimbs as she sat back on her haunches. “...breeders.”

“Yeah!” Kera mimicked the Searonese mare's pose. “What she said!”

“Perhaps it's a good thing Roarke's taking an extended leave,” Pilate remarked. “Or else Kera might find it fashionable to start replacing her organs with mana-devices.”

“Hey!” Kera grinned wide. “That would be cool!”

Roarke's blue eyes squinted. “Would you be so kind as to procure the alcohol for dipping the bone saws in, child?”

Kera nearly wretched. “Uhhhh... on second thought...” She swiveled towards Belle. “Up for shopping for dresses sometime soon?”

Belle laughed merrily. The chuckles echoed across the room as Zaid, Props, Ebon and Eagle Eye joined in.

This was what Rainbow Dash trotted in on. The petite pegasus stood upon the edge of the lounge, gazing at all of the chatting, laughing ponies sitting together. She placed down Luna's satchel as well as the bag of items Arcanista had just given her. Free of the weight, she leaned against a bronze pillar. A heavy sigh escaped her lips, meanwhile her ruby eyes darted from face to warm face.

Soon, Rainbow's vision fogged. Her ears folded back as a misty cloud spread across her eyes. She sniffled more than once, shivering slightly.

At last—after glancing and past Roarke—she clenched her jaw tight. The pony inhaled deeply, flexed her wing muscles, then trotted straight forward, sporting a devilish smirk.

“Why the hay is everypony sitting around doing nothing?!” her voice cracked. “Did Zaid finally eat up all the grilled cheese?”

Booster turned and grinned. “Hey! Rainbow!”

“Rainbow Dash!” Kera trotted over on rapid legs and gave Rainbow's chest a gleeful nuzzle. “Where've you been all day?”

“Where else, squirt?” Rainbow reached a hoof down and ruffled the filly's emerald mane. “Learning some awesome stuff about the Grand Choke.”

“Awesome?” Kera leaned back, blinking. “How?”

“'Cuz I'll be the first and only pegasus to scale it.” Rainbow winked. “That's how.” She flapped her wings and hovered in the center of the group. “When I'm done with this part of the world, they're gonna be calling it the 'Grand Chump,' I swear to Luna!”

“Hahaha!” Zaid slapped his knee. “You and only you, Rainbow!”

“Arcanista hooked you up, I take it?” Josho asked.

“And how!” Rainbow winked. “Or, if I felt stupid, I could eat myself to death with a bunch of uber bread crumbs. But that'd be pretty anticlimactic, don't you think?”

“I'd say!” Props said. “Have a squat, Dashie!”

“First thing's first...” Rainbow gestured wildly with her hooves. “Where's the cider?”

“The servants brought some about an hour ago,” Pilate said, gesturing in the general direction of a table in front of him and Belle. “We didn't bother partaking yet because... well...”

“That's okay, Stripesy.” Rainbow winked, nevertheless dashing forward and lifting a pitcher. “I wouldn't drink without me either.” A slight giggle, and then she pivoted about. “Say... where's Floydien and Midnite?”

“Beats me,” Booster Spice said, shrugging. “Floydien's been out and about on his own all over the place.”

“Midnite's probably visiting her father,” Ebon Mane spoke up. “Saikano's volunteered to accompany us and Mother on the way to settling at Ether Point.”

“Should be one heck of a cold trip,” Eagle Eye added, resting a forelimb around Ebon's side. “Nothing a good bit of snuggling inside our tents can't fix.”

“EE...” Ebon blushed, fidgeting in protest. “Must you...?”

“Yes.” Eagle nuzzled Ebon's cheek, smirking. “I must.”

“Hmmff...” Josho smirked, leaning against a pillar. “That's the Princess I raised...”

“Don't give yourself too much credit, old stallion.”

“Whelp...” Rainbow Dash poured herself a cup of cider and raised the glass. “Guess it's Floydien's and Midnite's loss, eh? Let's drink to the stars.”

“Sure thing!” Props lunged for her own glass.

“Uhm...” Booster Spice blinked under his goggles. “Why the stars?”

“Because there're so dang many of them, ya fuzzhead!” Rainbow stuck her tongue out. In her peripheral vision, she spotted an ice-cold pair of blue eyes staring her way. She gave Roarke a distant smirk, then raised her glass. “So... y'know... to skies red and gold... the evenings and dawns that brought us together more times than they spread us apart.”

“To the Noble Jury!” Zaid shouted, raising his glass.

Belle and Pilate joined in, followed by Eagle Eye, Ebon Mane, and the rest. “To the Noble Jury.” And they all took liberal sips.

Roarke took a deep breath, gazing melancholically beyond the star-kissed balcony. “Amen...”

Noble Hope for a Troubled Land

Morning sunlight swam over swaths of emerald fir trees in undulating golden bands. Perched on a lone tree branch overlooking a tiny valley nestled between two steep mountains, a sparrow sang cheerfully into the crisp air. Stretching its wings in the early dawn, the bird lifted up from the branch and flittered lazily downwind. Its feathery body drifted left and right as it gently descended into the fertile landscape below. A gust of wind lifted it slightly, and it relished in the sensation with a melodic series of chirps.

Three seconds later, the sparrow exploded in two from a well-aimed silver bullet piercing its torso. Clumps of blood and feathers fell loosely to the earth, littering the rooftops of a multi-tiered village built on uneven clefts of earth. The remnants of a head and beak landed lifelessly on the gravel-laden edge of a dirt road. A tiny, four-toed foot with leathery green skin reached over and nudged the bloody bird meat. The foot belonged to a tiny bipedal imp with long leafy ears. He spat at the dead bird parts and smiled with pointed yellow teeth before twirling a smoking pistol and holstering it in a leather strap hanging off his scarred torso. Bringing two filthy fingers to his mouth, the goblin whistled shrilly and waved wildly.

As he walked away, dozens upon dozens of similarly decrepit imps appeared in the distance, armed with elongated tasers that they used to poke, prod, and torment a solid train of miserable giraffes, their hooves bound in chained fetters. The tall quadrupeds were being forced to march down a path from the tallest point in their village to the arid plain below. All around them, goblins whooped and hollered, tossing burning debris into windows and setting fire to the village from the inside out. Storefronts burst into flames while apartments collapsed into burning embers. Plumes of smoke rose in steady columns, all the while mothers and calves screamed as the sadistic imps chased them down, electrocuting them with the tasers and throwing rusted bindings onto their hooves. As the bloody hour limped on, more and more giraffes were rounded up, shoved into the increasingly bustling cluster of prisoners at the bottom of the narrow valley.

Bruised and bleeding, several of the villagers looked up at the tallest hill. A shadow swathed over the giraffes' forlorn faces, a shadow that belonged to the wrought-iron turret of a silver-embossed tank. The menacing vehicle billowed steam from every crevice. Several goblins perched on the top of it, munching into the spoils pilfered from the villagers' storehouse as they laughed and spat at the prisoners below. Several imps caught a glimpse of the giraffes looking up and made "throat-slitting" gestures with their four-fingered hands.

One giraffe in particular frowned up at the tank, hissing in indignance. However, he took one too many moments to stand in place, and a goblin below him gave him his due punishment. Bzzzzt! "Gaaaugh!" He stumbled forward, instantly losing his balance. Several goblins whooped and laughed as the electrocuted prisoner rolled down hill, tripping half-a-dozen other yelping villagers in the progress. "Ooomf!" He finally slammed to a stop, his two stubby antlers brushing into the dirt.

"Papa!" a tiny calf yelped from where he was being shoved along with his mother several steps above. "Papa—are you hurt?!"

"Shut up, ya freak!" A goblin butted the child's chin with his staff and aimed the electrical end at his gasping mother. "I'm needing a new bedspread! So don't tempt me!"

Below, the father strained to get up. Cl-Clank! The mane down his back billowed from a giant metal claw landing just inches from his muzzle. The giraffe gasped, trembled, his eyes wandering up... up... up a metal leg attached to a metal chassis.

A large iron walker leered above the collapsed prisoner. The thing stood taller than two giraffes positioned on top of one another, and it had two mechanical arms rigged with every crude weapon of savagery imaginable. It rotated its right limb into a blood-stained drill while the domed compartment rolled open with a hiss. Inside, a gray-haired goblin sat amidst a mess of knobs, levers, and controls. Puffing on a ragged cigar, he exhaled, glaring down at the fallen giraffe. "You want that I should turn this one's skull to oatmeal, boss?"

"No. Get him back on his hooves," said a voice from the distance. "We've had our fun. Time to set these stupid peasants straight."

"Heh..." The pilot smirked and yanked at the walker's controls. "Amen to that."

The giraffe gasped as he was hoisted violently onto his feet with a large metal claw. He was shoved into the manacled crowd, where his wife and son rushed over to nuzzle his quivering figure. As he peered across the lowest level of the valley, he saw three more walkers marching loudly through the clusters of bound villagers with obnoxious metal clanking. They trained heavy calibre machine guns on crowd, leaving deep claw-marks in the once-fertile soil.

Loud echoes rang through the valley as more and more buildings burst into flames. A dull hush fell through the crowd, punctuated by the occasionally weeping mother or child. As the ashes of devastation fell onto every creature's head, a particularly tall goblin stepped forward, his dirty-torso clad in a leather jacket bejeweled with equine molars of varying species. He whistled to a bunch of lackeys who rushed over, sliding one of several large crates into place. Clearing his throat, the goblin stepped up onto the wooden container so that he was almost at eye-level with the helpless giraffes.

"Esteemed and most civil giraffes of Zeezrom!" the impish leader shouted, his green pointed ears twitching in the smoldery air. "I am Jex of the Southern Cartel! And your silver belongs to the Green Bandits!" With grinning yellow fangs, he pointed up at the upper tiers of the burning village. "Your storehouses belong to the Green Bandits!" He pointed at several plumes of smoke rising in the distance. "Your crops belong to the Green Bandits!" His red eyes narrowed menacingly. "And if you're foolish enough to try galloping away from my brothers on your godawfully goofy legs..." He pointed up at the tank looming above the entire village. "Your charred leather husks will belong to the Green Bandits! Courtesy of Big Bertha up there! Just one single mortar blast, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand—" Jex formed a "gun" with both hands and squinted down the "sight," aiming at the shivering families. "Powwwww!" He smirked. "And my buddies and I get to dine on giraffe chili tonight!"

Several weeping voices lifted into the burning air. Families huddled in frightened clusters, clutching each other as long as they could afford to.

"Do you get the picture?!" Jax folded his grubby hands behind his back and snarled, "Zeezrom is no more! And you know why?! Because Val Roa has abandoned you!" He chuckled, red eyes flaring. "That's right! Val Roa! The once-mighty kingdom that once gave you so much has turned its back on everything it's ever promised! It's withdrawn into itself like the nation of selfish cowards it is, ignoring all of its puppet allies to the west and south! And when this happened, did you turn to the Southern Cartel to protect you?! Did you come to the Southern Cartel with all of your bartering and trading needs?!" He gritted his teeth, suddenly howling, "Well you should have!" The goblin leader gave the crate he was standing on a savage kick. "What?! Are we not good enough?! Strong enough?! Powerful enough?! Did you not see the holes we punched through the forests with our bombs and incendiary weaponry?! We could have protected you! We could have shared silver, goods, and songs! But nooooo... you had to make this hard on yourselves, oh putrid peasants of Zeezrom! And just like every other village who's defied us, it's time that we set an example!" That uttered, Jex turned and whistled loudly behind him.

Six goblins were already hoisting a large iron box over. Sweating and grunting, they dropped the black container down beside Jex's crate with an immense thud.

Jex turned, grinning crookedly at the giraffes. He pointed down at the box. "You know what this is?!" He hopped down, squatting atop the box in question. "This... is your reward for being a bunch of thankless, selfish ingrates!" He yanked at a lever, and a flat black metal slid over—Schlunk!—revealing an instrument panel with numerous moving parts and keyholes. "My fellow Bandits and I have packed this with enough explosions to carve your mountain a new butthole! Now, we could have used this thing with your most dedicated miners to help us all access more silver from the quarry, but that's not going to happen now, isn't it? No... thanks to your obstinance, we've got no choice but to turn your village of Zeezrom into the Southern Cartel's most favorite geographical feature." He slapped a switch on the thing and stood up straight. "A crater." He grinned. "And I just set it to thirty minutes."

A woeful moan rang across the huddled villagers. A few giraffes tried running away, only to be violently shocked by the armed goblins surrounding them. Families were shoved to the ground and spat on as the imps cheered their boss on.

"That's right! Yeah!" Jex hopped down from the black bomb and paced before the manacled giraffes. "Death! Fire! Explosions! The goblin way! It'll be the end for most of you... but not all of you. After all..." He picked his nose, examined his stained finger, and flicked the filth away. "...we could always use the extra muscle." After that, he whistled shrilly.

Several goblins marched into the crowd, tasers at the ready. One by one, they reached in and yanked the calves out—and only the calves. Mothers and fathers shouted, rushing forward to stop the imps. They were rewarded with savage electrocutions at the end of the staves. Soon, the entire plain erupted with shrieks and screams as the children were separated from their families, dragged out and forced to squat in a tight circle between two of the metal walkers and their trained guns.

"Yeah, yeah... let it out..." Jex rolled his red eyes. "Lord knows those vocal cords are stretched out enough as it is."

"Papa!" a little calf shrieked, its teary eyes locked on the giraffe who had fallen earlier. "Help! Don't leave me!"

"Let him go!" the father snarled, bravely charging out of the group and knocking two goblins aside. "You can't have him!"

"We've got a runner, boss—"

"Do we, now?" Jex unholstered his pistol, twirled it, and fired from the hip. "How cute." Pow!

The bullet flew through the giraffe's lower fetlock. He instantly fell to the ground, grunting in pain.

"Papaaaa!" the colt howled, being yanked backwards by hissing goblins.

"Rnnngh—Haaugh!" The villager writhed on the ground, leaking blood over the metal-raked soil. He squinted across the way, seething. "Son... don't... don't you d-dare take him..."

"What, you want him to die here with the rest of you?!" Jex strolled over casually, shrugging. "Well, if you aren't father of the month!" He grunted and kicked the giraffe at the base of his throat.

"Grnkkkttt!"

"Papa, n-no!" The colt sobbed and whimpered. "Stop it!"

"What?" Jex spun and stared wide-eyed at the chin. "Is... is this your 'Papa?'"

"Please—"

"Is he really?!" Jex motioned to the nearest goblin—who handed him one of the sparkling staves. "Is this your Papa?!" He growled and proceeded to stab and electrocute the twitching villager repeatedly. "I couldn't tell from you shrieking it every five goddamn seconds!" Bzztt-Bzzzt-Bzzt!

"Grngll-Aaaugh—Mmffgngh!" the giraffe shook and convulsed.

"Noo-oooo!" the colt collapsed to his knees, sobbing pitifully into the dirt.

"Nnngh!" Jex shoved the taser down. Panting, he marched over and gripped the colt's quivering jaw between four gnarled fingers. "And you... are property of the Green Bandits now, so suck it up you sniveling little turd." He spat into the colt's face and then slapped him savagely across the muzzle.

"Ungh!" the colt fell hard to the ground, his bruised body mirroring his father's across the way.

Goblins laughed across the burning village. Even the walkers paused in their metal pacing to leer at the scene.

"Don't you see?!" Jex spun, snarling. "It's over! Zeezrom's fate was sealed the very moment that Val Roa stopped massaging your buttocks!" He jabbed a grimy thumb towards himself. "Your children belong to Jex now! And on their backsides we'll build a new... Northern Cartel! None of you—especially not your burning corpses—can ever hope to stop the goblin march!"

Silence hung over the distraught village.

"Mrrmmmf... J-Jury..."

Jex's long, feathery ears twitched.

Several goblins exchanged curious glances.

The leader spun, glaring down at the still-twitching father. "The Hell did you just say?"

"The Jury..." Spitting up blood, the giraffe squinted up with one good eye and sputtered, "They're out there... and they will st-stop you..." He gnashed his teeth. "They've stopped bigger monsters than you before." A vomitous gulp. "Your d-days are numbered, imp..."

Jex stared. Jex blinked. Suddenly, spittle flew from his mouth as he smirked. "Pffft!" He held a hand over his razor-sharp jaws. "HAH!... Ha ha ha ha! Haaaaah hah hah hah hah!"

In a growing circle, the goblins around him tilted their heads up, laughing and guffawing into the smokey air. The pilots of the walkers rolled against the instruments while the imps perched atop the tank above exchanged amused glances.

The prisoners looked at each other, shivering with further unease.

"Haaaah hah hah hah!" Jex bent over, hands on his knees. "The Jury?! Heeh heeh haaah! The JURY?!" With a running start, he kicked the giraffe in the chin.

"Grkkk!" the creatured rolled over, summoning another shriek from his son across the way.

Th-Thap! Jex perched on the quadruped's side, snarling viciously. "These last two months, all I hear is the 'Jury this' and the 'Jury that'. Well, I'm sick of it!" He leaned down, growling into the giraffe's battered face. "Give it up, peasant! It's all a laughably stupid myth! A group of altruistic foreigners, flying around in their magical sky ship, saving the countryside one village at a time?!" He spat. "It's just a pathetic lie you freaks have been telling yourself when instead you should have been bowing down to the Cartel! Val Roa abandoned you months ago! We are your bosses now! This whole continent should stop believing in silly phantoms already!"

"They'll be the end of creeps like you..." The giraffe wheezed, then smirked. "You'll s-see..."

Jex recoiled, grimacing. Gradually, his face formed a frown. "That's it..." Chiiiiing! He unsheathed a machete from his vest and pressed its tip right beneath the giraffe's chin. "You... You don't even get the luxury of blowing up, you snotfaced little farttard!"

"Papa!" the colt howled across the way.

"It'll be okay, son," the father said, closing his eyes. "Just look away..."

"Please! Don't! Don't kill him!"

"Look away, son, it'll be over soon—"

"Heh, you wish." Jex licked his lips and raised the blade high. "I'm gonna make the brat drink every quart of you once you're drained, punk—"

An imp walked up, clearing his throat. "Uhhhh... boss?"

Jex clenched his eyes shut. With a prolonged sigh, he turned around with a thin, exasperated glare. "What is it? Don't you know there's nothing I love more about giraffes than slitting their throats?"

"Uhm..." The imp stepped aside, and four more goblins trotted forward. They ushered a pair of cloaked quadrupeds forward, their hooves bound in chains. "We found these two huddled inside one of the storehouses with the last of the villagers."

Jex stood up, leaning against his machete. "Ponies?" He stared quizzically at the figures' short height. "The hell are ponies doing out here this far west from Val Roa proper?"

"They claim to have been staying at an inn overnight, boss." One imp shrugged. "Zeezrom was the halfway point of their pilgrimage."

"Pilgrimage?" Jex's brow furrowed. "And why aren't they disrobed?"

"Wearing the cloaks is part of their religion, they said," one imp tried to explain. "The 'way of Mintian Monks'... or something or rather."

"'Mintian Monks?'" Jex groaned and face-palmed. "You friggin' idiots! Get with the program! Out here, we use religion for toilet paper!" He marched forward with a frown. "Get this crap off right now—"

Jex's hand yanked a hood down one figure, exposing a mare with chestnut hair and a stubby horn in the center of her skull.

"Unicorn!" Several imps shrieked.

The Green Bandits all trained their weapons at once. Cl-Clakkk! Even the metal walkers pivoted along their swiveling chassis and aimed dual cannons.

"WAIT!" Jex held his fist up, silencing the company of imps. As the seconds oozed by, everyone could hear his sickly voice chuckling. "Heh heh heh heh..." He pointed at the mare's stub. "For real—you're all afraid of that?! Looks like these 'Mintian Monks' dig cranial circumcision, if you catch my drift..."

The imps all chuckled nervously, gradually relaxing and lowering their weapons. The giraffes blinked at one another, holding their breaths.

Bellesmith stared calmly at him. Gradually, her lips curved. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you."

"Hahaha—Oh really?!" Chiiiing! Jex tilted her chin up with his machete as he sneered, "And just how is a horn like that gonna stop me?"

Belle's teeth showed. "It's not my horn you should be worried about."

A half-second later, a tattooed filly galloped out from beneath Belle's cloak and thrusted her skull forward. "Rrrrrrrrrrrgg—" Kera's body shimmered all over in pulsating patterns. "HAAAAAAAUGH!" Her horn pulsed with unbridled magic.

Jex, eight other imps, and a mess of crates were instantly sent sailing. Their bodies soared over the giraffes' ducking heads, colliding with the splintery surface of a storehouse behind them. Th-Th-Thud!

"Beloved!" Belle hollered, halfway through shrugging her cloak off to revealed a sheathed staff hanging along her flank. "Now!"

Beside her, the pony disrobed to reveal a metal plate above a body of stripes. The Oracular Array flashed red over Pilate's eyes as the O.A.S.I.S. sphere detached from his choker. The orb darted between him and Bellesmith, zapping the chains of their manacles loose. A half-second later, both ponies extended their staves, gripped them in their muzzles, and dove at the nearest imps.

The goblins were still reeling from Kera's blast. Off balance, they took the metal blows to the head, neck, and chest with no contest. As the imps' bodies fell meatedly to the floor, Pilate added insult to injury by kicking a crate with a grunt, sending it sliding so that it tripped the closest metal walker. With a creaking groan, the metal monstrosity fell forward hard, its inner pilot rattling against the bulkheads.

As the vehicle struggled to get back up, the other three pivoted and aimed their whirring arm-cannons at the three ponies.

"Okay, Kera!" Pilate shouted, backtrotting.

"Reel it in, darling!" Belle added.

"Here goes...!" Kera clenched her teeth as her horn pulsed.

A vaporous bubble of air retreated inward, surrounding the three. Within seconds, the three walkers fired their large guns. Pow! P-Pow! The flaming ordinance flew in—only to ricochet uselessly off the translucent shield that the Xonan foal had constructed.

"Gnnngh!" Kera winced.

"Can you handle it?!" Belle exclaimed.

"Just... t-tickles..." Kera smirked sweatily. "That's all."

"Marvelous!" Pilate shouted, backtrotting with a rattle of the Oracular Array. "Form a barricade! Protect the citizens!"

"None of the shells are getting through!" Belle looked over her shoulder at the cowering group. "But there're still the calves across the way!"

"Right!" Pilate stood beside Kera and held up his forelimb. "Booster!" he shouted into a glowing sound-stone strapped to his fetlock. "We've got this side of the field! Time to bring her in!"

"Snkkkt! Already on approach, Stripes!"

"Here they come!" Kera squeaked, squinting skyward.

At this point, a line of goblins had recovered. They formed an angry phalanx, aiming over two-dozen riffles at the warbling shield. Just then, they heard a sharp whistling sound. Nervously, they all glanced about, oblivious to the pitch-black orb descending from the heavens like a meteorite.

Whuddd! All of the imps were knocked skyward in a line like bowling pins. Seconds later, the Lounge Sphere lifted back up and hovered over a cluster of recovering goblins. The twin doors swiveled open, revealing three ponies inside.

"Ding Ding Ding!" Booster Spice smirked beneath his green shades. "Whizball disembarking for Zeezrom!" He yanked at the ship's controls, pivoting the vessel around. "Next stop, Concussion City!"

"Cram it, nerd," Josho grumbled, pumping his shotgun. "Just because you fly the thing doesn't make you cool."

"Awwww..."

"Save it for the Bandits, old Stallion," Eagle Eye said, sliding out the door. "Ready?"

"After you, princess." With a wheezing grunt, Josho plummeted out of Whizzball's side.

One imp whimpered, twitching, fumbling to get up—WHAM!—his green face turned blue from Josho landing full-force on his spine. The stallion marched into the crowd, firing blast after manablast with his rifle. Imp bodies went sprawling to the earth, clutching their bloody limbs. As for those who managed to dodge the blasts—

WHANG! A telekinetically tossed shield slammed across their skulls, eventually returning to Eagle Eye's side. The petite unicorn landed in a slide across the dirt. He turned and glared across the field.

A company of goblins rushed him, shrieking, their sparkling staves raised.

Eagle Eye's nostrils flaired. Opposite his shield, he raised a metal rod that extended into a double-sided metal blade with mechanicaly teeth. Clak-Clak-Clak! Whirrrr! With a grunt, he rushed into the group, lopping their staves in half with his blade while colliding skulls together with his shield.

From across the way, Kera watched the two stallions neutralizing the army of bandits beneath Whizzball. "They're doing it! They're kicking their butts!" She looked back at her foster parents. "Now's your chance!"

"Beloved?" Bellesmith breathed.

"After you." Pilate smirked under his helm.

Both ponies galloped forward, emerging from Kera's shield. They zig-zagged in a serpentine fashion, dodging bullets, taser fire, and the occasional mortar that the goblins launched across the noisy battlefield. Undaunted, they made their way towards where the giraffe calves had been rounded up. Halfway through the sprint, a loud mortar whistled its way towards the pair.

Pilate gasped, his helm flashing bright read. "Behind us!" he shouted. "Seven o'clock!"

"I see it!" Belle was already diving sideways into him, shoving the two away from the impact. BLAM! Dirt and burning soil flew high into the air as the two crawled the rest of the way towards the timid children. "It's okay!" Belle panted, smiling. "We're the Jury! We've come to save you!"

"The J-Jury?" a colt stammered, wide-eyed.

"Is it really you?!" a long-neck filly murmured.

"Yes!" Belle nodded, leaning in to cuddle them close. "At least for the time being." She growled over her shoulder. "Piiiiiiiiilate?"

"Right..." The zebra slumped up against a crate, ducking bullet fire. "Booster!" he sputtered into his sound stone. "We could use some cover!"

"On it!" the goggled stallion spoke into the Lounge Sphere's intercom high above the battle. Yanking at the controls, he brought it around into a sharp, descending turn. Just as one of the walkers approached Pilate's and Belle's position and began to fire, Booster thrusted hard at the controls, bringing the spherical ship into a steep dive.

CLANG! He knocked the walker off balance so that it fired into a series of crates, exploding them to high heaven.

"That'll bend their ears!" Booster cackled. At the sound of whirring machinery, he glanced out the peripheral of his windshield and gulped. "Wuh oh..."

"Climb! Climb!" Pilate's voice crackled over the intercom. "You got their attention! Just as planned!"

"Easy for y-you to say!" Booster grunted as he ascended rapidly.

POW! POW! The two walkers still on their metal legs fired an array of explosive projectiles at the Lounge Sphere. Booster did his best to dodge and weave around the blasts without completely flying away from the scene.

As more and more patches of flak exploded over the village's rooftops, Jex and his fellow minions got up on aching legs. The Bandit boss took one look at the ensuing battle and gnashed his teeth. "By the Nine Hells..." He yanked his companions aside. "Get your green butts in gear!" Running behind several burning buildings, he pointed to the very top of the multi-tiered village. "Bertha! We get to her—we end this whole damn thing!"

"But boss! What about the explosive?!"

"It doesn't matter!" He managed a smirk despite his sweat and bruises. "That thing's already set to go off! What these yahoos don't realize is we already won!"

KABLAAM! A storehouse exploded not too far from Josho. The stallion grunted, pausing to duck the ensuing bits of shrapnel flying past him. "Rrrgh... I'd love this if it didn't suck so much!"

"Having a problem, grandpa?!" Eagle Eye exclaimed, blocking taser fire with is shield as he slid to a stop beside the obese stallion.

"Yeah!" Josho fired over Eagle's head, exploding weapons in the imps' bloody grasp. As the goblins fell—howling in pain—he reloaded his rifle with more manacrystals. "I thought we'd be doing this after breakfast!"

"These giraffes won't be eating anything ever again if we don't finish this as planned!"

"Tell that to nerdenstein up there!" Josho pointed at the Whizzball's erratic movements. "Not that I sympathize with the guy, but he's making love to mortar fire up there somethin' awful!"

"That about does it!" Eagle Eye shouted into a soundstone affixed to his shoulder. "Rainbow! The walkers are distracted! Time to drop in the pain!"

"Well it's about friggin' time! Where are they at?!"

Eagle craned his neck over a shattered crate. "Two standing on the north end!" Sweating, he squinted his expert eyes and shouted, "Two more getting up! They're gonna blindside Belle and Pilate!"

"Not if we've got anything to say about it. Eyes to the sky, Jurists!"

Across the field, huddled by the calves, Pilate gripped Bellesmith's shoulder. "Shhh! This is it!"

The soundstone on Pilate's fetlock hissed: "Dropping the pain!" As the broadcast faded, the group heard a sharp whistle from overhead. The giraffe calves looked up—only to have their eyes covered by Pilate's and Belle's hooves.

"Don't watch this part."

Thwoooooooooosh! A black body fell, then slammed into the earth with an enormous thudddd. The goblins stumbled on their feet from the sheer reverberation of the landing. As the dust settled, they looked into a shallow crater to see a quadruped clad all over in black armor. Slowly, Roarke's head tilted up, clad in a glossy black helmet. She glared across the field. Seconds later, every crevice in her suit lit up with deep amber light—and then she was rocketing violently across the charred grass.

A walker finally stood up, only for Roarke to clip its leg out from underneath. The driver inside yelped as the thing stumbled forward on one metal "knee." As he looked up, he shrieked to find a miniature rocket flying into his windshield. KABLAAM! The chassis exploded, sending his smoke-trailing body flying across the field.

Roarke lowered a smoking fetlock. A taser blast flew at her from behind. She dodged it blindly, reverse somersaulted, and came down with a smashing leg-drop into a cluster of armed goblins. "Raaaaaaaugh! WHUD! Without taking a second breath, she leapt mercilessly into the sea of shrieking imps, knocking their bodies skyward one at a time.

The giraffes couldn't help themselves. They stood up from behind Kera's magic field and cheered, whistling and hollering. Amidst her sweat and strain, Kera smirked. "Go get 'em, teach!"

"Nnnnngh!" Roarke's voice rang from inside her helmet as she barreled through Bandit after Bandit. At last, she had to duck from a full line of gunners firing at her figure. Firing rockets from her legbraces, the metal leapt high over the group and shook her flank in midair. Th-Thwpppp! A long metal prehensile tail flew down and wrapped tightly around a fat goblin's leg. He shrieked as he was yanked up from where he stood.

When Roarke landed, she spun and flung the weight of the imp's body into a line of charging imps. As their bodies fell, she slammed several of them at once, knocking their lungs empty with the bruised goblin at the end of her "tail." More goblins closed in, so Roarke galloped, leapt sideways, and clasped onto a flagpole on the edge of the village. Firing her rockets, she spun around from her grip, swinging the shrieking goblin like a mace in a full circle. In just three revolutions, every goblin was knocked to the floor. Roarke finally detached her tail—sending the victim flying over treetops as she landed, unlocked several chambers along her suit's shoulders, and fired two dozen electrical needles into the collapsed group, shocking the Bandits unconscious.

Across the way, one of the three walkers had recovered and was aiming dual cannons straight at Roarke's black figure. The goblin driver inside cussed beneath his breath as he locked onto her. Right as his finger hovered over the trigger, a petite blue body suddenly landed against his windshield. Cl-Clamp! "What th-the—?!"'

A blue hoof reached up and touched a lighting-bolt pendant clinging to the pony's neck. The air sang with a high-pitched whine as Rainbow's necklace overloaded.

The goblin inside shielded himself and shrieked.

FLASSSSSSSSSSH! Rainbow's pendant fired a steady beam of harmonic energy into the chassis, lighting the walker's cockpit up from the inside. Backflipping, her voice cracked into the air. "Roarke! All yours!"

The metal mare spun around. Half-a-second later, her rear rockets fired. PHOOOM! She flew like a missile, her armored suit plowing straight through the walker's chassis. CRASSSH! She emerged on the other side, body-dropping the unconscious goblin pilot to the ground. Sliding to a stop, she looked up at Rainbow with a glinting helmet. "Seriously? You had already finished him off."

"Pffft.. don't complain, girl." Rainbow backstroked in midair with a wink. "You enjoyed that."

"... you are not wrong."

POW! Mortarfire exploded right behind them.

"Luna poop!" Rainbow wheezed, suddenly twirling to avoid machine gun fire from the remaining two walkers. "Let's celebrate later, huh?"

"We always do..." Roarke galloped beneath Rainbow's rapid flight.

Back-stepping on clanking legs, the two mechs nervously fired at the two approaching ponies. The goblin pilots inside hyperventilated with panic. With a prismatic blur, Rainbow Dash streaked back and forth across their field of vision. Desperate, the Bandits tilted their chassis up, firing into the sky. Whizzball and the pegasus were just too quick for either of them to hit. Whatever the case, neither of the pilots were ready for when Roarke ran between them, pivoted, and fired a series of metal coils into both walkers' legs.

Seconds later, Roarke dug her rear hooves into the ground. Steel pegs extended deep into the earth, rooting her iron-wrought body into place. With a deep growl, Roarke yanked back with her forelimbs.

The walkers stumbled backwards, falling onto their rear chassis. Rainbow flew down and perched on the right arm-cannon of one of the walkers. "Roarke! Scalpel, if you will!"

Roarke aimed a forelimb, rotated the exterior around until it aimed a glave, and fired. Pow!

In one fell swoop, the projectile lopped the metal gun off. CRACK! Rainbow hoisted it over her shoulder and flew skyward. She immediately descended on the second mech as it still wildly fired at her. "Rrrrrrghhh!" She twirled, dodged the blasts, and shoved the cannon deep into the metal chassis. CRUNCH! Holding her breath, she flew back and bucked the stubby end of the gun with both hooves. KAPOWWW! The cannon discharged, sending the contents of the cockpit—and its pilot—flying across the earth.

The last mech, armless, tried getting up out of Roarke's coiled grip. A metal shield flew in, telekinetically pried the cockpit open, and exposed the gasping pilot for Josho to march up and slam with the butt of his rifle. Just like that, the battle quieted. Josho and Eagle Eye marched up, sweaty and breathless—but altogether unscathed.

"Well, that was fairly textbook," Josho said. "Though I've never read a damned textbook in my life."

"Yeah..." Eagle Eye took a deep breath and collapsed his mechanical sword. "...unless it was a book about farts."

"Why I oughta—" Josho blinked. "Eh, you're right."

"Walkers are down, Ding Dong!" Rainbow shouted across the field strewn with groaning goblin bodies. "I think we can breathe now!"

"Rainbow!" Belle and Pilate waved wildly, pointing uphill. "Look out!"

"Huh?" Rainbow blinked, her mane blowing in the morning wind. She raised a fetlock with a glowing soundstone to her fuzzy muzzle. "The buck's wrong with you guys?"

POWWWW! A hole exploded in the building directly behind them, showering the group with splinters.

"Whoah dayum!" Josho wheezed.

"Nnnngh!" Eagle Eye hissed, using his magic to shield the group.

Booster Spice's voice crackled over the sound stone, "I think she was trying to warn you about the very real tank with very real armaments on the very real hill above us!"

"Tank?" Rainbow blinked, knocking clumps of wood and sawdust off her head. "What tank?!"

P-POWWWWW! A shell hit, even closer this time. The Jurists spotted a flash of light from the turret up above. Jex perched atop the treads, pointing and shouting at the group below.

"That tank," Roarke hissed beneath her helmet. "The one your changeling friends reported on when they flew back to us yesterday."

"Oh... right..." Rainbow chuckled as the group dove for cover. "I-I forgot about it."

"You forgot about the tank?!" Eagle wheezed.

"Hey! I was too busy being awesome for a moment there!"

"Rainbow..." Roarke sighed.

Rainbow stuck her tongue out. "You were too!"

"Hmmmm... true enough."

"Rainbow!" Pilate's voice crackled through the sound stones. "If we don't stop that metal monstrosity, there won't be anything left of Zeezrom for the villagers to stay alive for! Also, I won't be able to disarm the Green Bandits' bomb!"

Rainbow's eyes went wide as saucers. "There's a bomb too?!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Eagle Eye yelped. He pointed across the field. "It's right there! Can you not see—"

Rainbow grinned dumbly at the unicorn.

"Darn it, Rainbow!" Eagle Eye stomped his hooves. "Cut it out!"

"Th-that was pretty funny," Josho chuckled.

"No it was not!" Eagle protested.

"Ahem. Yeah yeah..." As another shell exploded—even closer—Rainbow spoke into her sound stone. "Props? You know that thing that we talked about?"

"Snkkkt! You mean that thing where we do the thing to save you guys from the thing?"

"Yeah. That thing. Do that thing now."

"Okie Dokie Lokie! You heard her handsome! No, not you, the other handsome—Snkkkkt!"

Rainbow tilted her head up. "Keep out of range, Booster! You're no match for those shells!"

"And you are?!"

"Don't worry about us! Backup's coming!" Rainbow dropped the stone and glanced at the others. "Ya hear that? Backup's coming."

"You're certain she has enough fuel for this maneuver?" Roarke asked.

"Pffft. Puh-lease." Rainbow waved a hoof. "I gave the book enough for her to do twenty laps around this town in a blink." POWWWW! Another shell went off, bathing them in soil. Rainbow blinked through the dust with a calm smirk. "...anyday now."

High above, Jex shouted at the goblins operating the tank. Under his command, the vehicle grinded its way down the multi-tiered, village, drawing closer to its target. "Blow 'em out of the ground!" he hollered, spitting blood and gritting his teeth. "I wanna snuggle up in pony flesh tonight!" He pointed with a taser at the center of the group. "Ready... Aim... FIRE!"

The shell flew true, screaming its way down toward where Rainbow Dash and her friends were huddled. Out of nowhere, a branch of sparkling mana intercepted the shell and exploded it in midair.

Jex gasped, looking upwards from the tank turret. "What in the name of holy buttjuice?!" His pointed ears drooped as a shadow bathed him and his comerades.

FWOOOOSH! With a bright crimson streak, the Noble Jury dove into the narrow valley, its skystone engines reverberating across the nearby mountainsides. Through the cockpit's windows, Zaid could be seen gripping the controls. He threw a devilish grin over his shoulder—at Floydien who was standing on the port side, his antlers brimming with bright energy.

"Next loogey you grimy boomers launch will be your last!" Floydien spat. "Cult boomer! Fly Nancy closer so Floydien can zap them with the horn-horns!"

"Hell yeah! Reindeer games!" Zaid shouted into the intercom, "Fire the lateral steam ports, Blondie! Time to go all ballerina on these butt muffins!"

"Ooh! I love pirouettes!"

Swisssssssh! The ship rotated clockwise, giving Floydien a better look at the tank below.

"Um... b-boss?" One of the goblins peered out of the tank's interior, shivering.

"Don't stop for nothing!" Jex growled, stomping his head back inside. "Fire! Turn the village to dust!"

The tank's turret glowed red hot.

Up above, Ebon Mane peered over the Jury's edge with a pair of binoculars. "There, Floydien!" He pointed. "It's charging up! T-Minus three seconds—!"

"No no no..." Floydien's red eyes flickered—along with his antlers. "Suck on a glimmer spoon!" He lunged his skull forward, firing a swath of manastream.

The energy bolts flew right in front of the turret just as it fired. POWWW! The shell exploded just as it exited the tank's cannon, sending the vehicle off balance.

"Aaaaugh! Dammit!" Jex and his fellow goblins struggled to cling onto the tank as it rolled awkwardly down hill, smashing through a hill of compost and garbage.

Down below, Roarke and Rainbow Dash tensed.

"Woo! This is it!" Rainbow shouted aside. "They're distacted! Josho! EE! Free the villagers!" She flapped her wings and shouted into her sound stone. "Pilate! Do whatever voodoo you do! And quick!

"Affirmative."

"Roarke?"

"Already with you, Rainbow." Roarke's leg-braces began hissing with exhaust.

"You're smirking under that helmet. I just know it."

"Keep... wishing..." Thoooosh! Roarke rocketed skyward, joining Rainbow as the two mares zoomed towards the tank, spinning wild circles around it and knocking down goblins on the vehicle's side that tried shooting at them.

"You heard Dash!" Eagle began sprinting towards the group along with Josho. "Let's set these giraffes free!" As the two stallions reached Kera, Eagle patted her head. "You did great, Kera! Now go help your mom and dad!"

"Okay!" Kera exhaled, dropped her magic field, and galloped across the way. Giraffe fillies and colts ran the opposite way, reuniting tearfully with their families as Josho and Eagle Eye sliced their bindings apart, one by one. At last, Kera slid to a stop beside the black bomb along with Pilate and Belle. "I'm here!"

"Good, child," Pilate murmured. "Keep her steady." He knelt down, commanding the O.A.S.I.S. sphere to hover above the container's instrument panel while Kera stabilized it. "Alright..." The runes on his brow flickered as he registered what the beam from O.A.S.I.S. was scannning. "Seems to be set for twenty-four minutes from now..."

"The holes are color coded, beloved," Belle panted. "The first two red and the second two yellow."

"Hmmmm... typical goblin design. Should be just as sensitive as the ones before."

"Can we just smash it like that one time?" Kera murmured.

"Darling, just because that worked before—" Belle sighed.

"But it was so much fun!"

"It wasn't for the ponies of Mosiah whom we almost gave heart attacks," Pilate murmured. "Alright, Belle, as rehearsed—start by unscrewing the upper left and upper right portions of the faceplate..."

"Okay..." Belle reached in with a thin tool.

"Easy... easy..."

A shell exploded in midair above them.

"This would be a great deal easier without Mr. Floydien's fireworks," Pilate grumbled.

"Come onnnnnn..." Kera grinned. "The goblins first mistake was not knowing that explosions is our business!"

Up above, the Noble Jury swam a tight circle around the Tank, with the magically-imbued elk firing manastreams at the goblin vehicle constantly, forcing it on a path away from the villagers below.

"Keep it up, Floydien!" Ebon shouted as he peered through the binoculars. "At this rate, they're going to steer into the mountain!"

"No retreating while Floydien is spitting up the sky!"

"Watch it, fella! Or else you'll hit Rainbow and Roarke—"

"Bite your tongue, sailboat!"

"Unnngh..." Ebon rolled his eyes. "I only cook here..."

"Just a little more, buckeye!" Rainbow shouted during one of her blurred fly-by's. "We're making them madder!"

Zaid leaned his head out the cockpit. "Sooner than later, they're gonna wanna swat the mosquito!"

"That's the idea, dude! Is Props ready?!"

"And how!"

Meanwhile, atop the tank, Jex was at his wit's end. "Damn it! We're getting nowhere with that damnable flying crapstain!" He leaned down and hollered into the vehicle's interior. "Eyes to the sky! TAKE 'EM OUT!"

"Y-yes, boss!"

With a metal whine, the smoking turret tilted up, up, up—facing the jury.

Ebon's eyes widened. "Finally!" He shouted towards the rest of the ship. "They're aiming at us! Now, Propsy! Now!"

"You're up, Blondie!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand..." Props replaced Floydien, hoisting a thick metal launcher over her shoulder. "...happy happy fun time!" BLAM! She fired a bright orange missile. The thing whizzed through the air and contacted the tank's raised turret directly. SPLUTT! A fine orange paste coated every inch of the cannon, blocking up the turret's hollow. "Courtesy of Props and Prowse Enterprises!"

Jex blinked at the blocked-up turret. "Uhhhh..." He gulped. "...did you follow my last command?"

"Y-Yes, boss! Is there a problem?"

The turret glowed bright red from the inside out. Rainbow and Roarke flew up and away, out of range. The Jury also swung itself towards the far end of the village.

Jex whimpered before diving off the tank. "...poop."

KA-BLAAAAM! The tank exploded in three different directions. The rest of its ordinance erupted, sending chunks of metal streaming sky high and littering the peaks of the looming mountains.

Down below, Eagle Eye shielded the villagers of Zeezrom while Josho rushed them under the cover of a barn. They gazed aside as the remnants of the tank fell randomly across the surrounding forest.

Meanwhile, at the bomb, Belle and Pilate finally uncovered the outer shell, exposing the flickering round core within.

"Alright! It's finally detached!" Belle said, snipping the last of three or four wires. "That gives it a minute tops!"

"You hear that, Rainbow?!" Pilate shouted.

"Darn right, I did!" FWOOOSH! Rainbow flew down and grasped the glowing explosive. "Booster!" She shouted into Pilate's soundstone. "Time to live up to your name!"

"Roger that!" Whizzball soared down from above.

"Be c-careful, Rainbow!" Belle entreated.

Rainbow winked at the mare with a devilish smirk. "I never am." She looked over her shoulder. "Kera! Clean up!"

"Righto!"

"Everypony on the Jury! Make this quick!" As Josho and Eagle Eye galloped over, Kera began floating the goblin bodies together in a large cluster. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash launched herself up—gripping the explosive. She passed by Roarke on the way down. "Bread and butter!"

"Just come back safe..."

"Awww... you do care!" She shouted at Whizzball as it flew up with her. "Alley oop!"

"I got you, Rainbow!" Booster slid the sphere underneath her.

Rainbow's hooves made contact. She hugged the pulsating core to her chest as the Lounge Sphere ascended rapidly, pushing the two upward... upward... through the clouds and the misty sky above. At last, Rainbow's legs uncoiled, and she launched off the craft, cruising skyward as fast as her wings could glide her. The blue tint of the sky dimmed around the mare, reflecting off her rattling pendant. When—at last—she could ascend no further, she grunted and tossed the bomb's core high into the cold, frigid atmosphere.

"Aaaaaaaaaand—grand finale!" She was plummeting before her exclamation was finished, and with good timing too.

The resulting explosion lit up the countryside for dozens of miles. A shockwave flew down, chasing Rainbow Dash but not quite outpacing her descent. She laughed along the way down, grinning as she twirled, uprighted herself, and "surfed" the blast, letting it carry her the rest of the way towards the Jury.

A hundred feet above Zeezrom, Zaid held the Jury at a still hover. Whizzball was just sliding into its rear hangar while Roarke, Josho, Eagle and the others got situated on the top deck. Belle held Kera close, who was straining to contain a levitating sphere of telekinesis beneath them—chock full of bruised and beaten Bandit bodies.

"Here comes the blast!" Ebon shouted, clinging to Eagle.

"Steady, Nancy, steady," Floydien grumbled out the side of her muzzle.

"Silly handsome!" Props sing-songed. "She can take it!" PHWOOOOM! The ship rocked and rocked as the blast wave surged past the vessel. Props' goggled eyes blinked beneath her windblown mane. "...see?! Heeheee!"

Belle spoke over Kera's shoulder. "You got it, darling?"

"Nnnngh..." Kera gritted her teeth. "Uh huh..." She nodded shakily.

"Concentrate, child." Roarke trotted up. Cl-Cl-Clak! Her helmet retracted into her collar, and she shook loose a full mane of scarlet hair. "Be calm and think inwardly," she said, her ice-blue eyes squinting in the dawnlight. "Just like I taught you."

"Okay... okay..." Kera slowly smiled. "I think I got it!"

"Of course you do, Kera," Pilate said, patting her shoulder. "Where's Booster?"

The stallion galloped up from the stairwell, lifting his goggles and panting. "I'm here!" He gulped. "Same thing as before?"

Th-Thap! Rainbow landed. "Absolutely! Quick as lightning! In and out!" She pointed. "Like we were never here!"

"Yes yes yes..." Floydien pivoted. "Where's the lake?"

"Nnngh..." Pilate seethed as he detached the ocular array. Belle nuzzled him as he stared off with clear eyes. "Should be four miles south. A single burst will do it."

"Ya hear that, Zaidy Waidy?!"

"On it!" Zaid bellowed, pivoting the controls of the ship. "Whew-wee! I'm getting the hang of this!"

"Don't count your spit so soon, boomer."

"Props—" Josho spoke.

"Right!" Props galloped downstairs. "Boosting! Gimme a help, Greenie!"

"B-but...!" Booster Spice galloped after her. "I just got here!"

"Everypony hold on!" Ebon Mane exclaimed. He looked up and smiled as Eagle Eye trotted over. "Well, that was quick."

"Mmmhmmm.." Eagle kissed him on the lips and nuzzled him close. "You did good."

"You did even better," Ebon said, then grimaced. "Bleachk! You're all sweaty!"

"I dunno." Eagle giggled. "I'm starting to like it."

"I know you are."

"Ughh..." Josho rolled his eyes and trotted over to a railing. "Somepony make me hurl before I hurl!"

"Snkkkkt! Hold onto your flankies!" Props voice shouted.

"This is it!" Rainbow gripped the deck beside Roarke.

The skystone above pulsed bright... brighter... and then flashed with crimson energy. In a heartbeat, the vessel was hurling itself south, speeding away from Zeezrom and gliding over the treetops.

"Nnngh!" Kera gnashed her teeth. "Wh-why do the bursts h-have to be so... bursty?!"

"Just a few seconds more, Kera!" Belle held the filly close. "You got this!"

"Not like anypony will be devastated if you drop 'em early!" Josho grumbled.

"Josho..."

"What?! For real!"

"We're slowing down!" Roarke shouted.

"Get ready," Belle said.

At last, the ship coasted to a stop above a deep, glittering lake.

"Aaaaaaaaaand..." Kera grinned maniacally as her horn stopped glowing. "Bon voyage, ya melon fudges!"

Her magic field disappeared completely, dropping the legion of Goblin Bandits into the drink. They gasped in midair—as if awoken by the sheer tug of gravity—and each imp shrieked as they plummeted. With several loud percussions, they all splashed into the waters, coming up to bob helplessly at the surface.

"You wanna do the speech this time?" Roarke droned.

"Pffft. Please..." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I suck at these things. You do it, Miss Gravel voice."

"Hrmmm... if you insist..."

"I never get to do them," Ebon pouted.

Roarke trotted past them. "The day you learn to grow an extra pair, then maybe you can."

"Hrmmm..."

At last, Roarke over the ship's port side, snarling at the sputtering, water-treading miscreants below. "Now listen up and listen up good! This is not the Southern Cartel's territory! We've told your brothers and sisters across the countryside, and they all learned the truth the hard way! This is not your land to claim! And these are not your creatures to torment! When Val Roa closed its borders, it was not the open invitation you thought it was! And those of you who think differently will face the same wrath that you met today! Tell all of your fellow Bandits—Zeezrom is off limits! Mosiah is off limits! Amulek is off limits! All of this land from Val Roa to Alafreo is sovereign territory! And if you have a problem with that... you have a problem with the Noble Jury..." Her eyes narrowed as she hissed, "And the Jury's vigil never sleeps..."

"You're dead! You hear me?!" Jex shook his fist while almost-drowning. "You have no idea the connections I have! The Jury is done for! You hear me?!"

"We'll have to deliberate on that!" Rainbow Dash grinned. "In the meantime, you have to not become water balloons!" She motioned to Zaid and then waved at the sputtering Bandits as the ship took off. "Let's see who has better luck than the other!"

"Yeah!" Kera stuck her tongue out. "And you smell!"

FWOOOSH!

The Noble Jury rocketed away, abandoning the goblins in their peril.

Jex frowned, bobbing up and down in the lake water. The imps all around him yelped and shrieked in fright. He snarled, punching his way through the group as he led the long, arduous swim to shore.

"Hrmmmf..." Roarke sighed, her mane billowing in the breeze as she glared at Rainbow. "Always with the last word."

"Heh..." Rainbow shrugged. "I couldn't help myself, sorry. Beside, a spotlight would only blind you, girl."

Roarke stared back. Slowly, she smiled and leaned in to nuzzle Rainbow's neck. "You truly amuse me..."

"Thanks for keeping it Rated PG around Kera's ears."

Kera's face scrunched up. "PG?"

"Yeah. 'Pony Godly." Rainbow ruffled the child's mane. "Way to go. All of you." She trotted down the deck as Booster and Props galloped back up. "We're getting better and better at this team thing."

"Except when you forgot about the tank," Josho grumbled.

"I didn't forget the tank!" Rainbow paused, fidgeting. "I just... got momentarily invested in something else."

Booster smirked. "I always wondered why I was asked to design her new suit so tight."

Roarke slapped his head from behind. "Don't give yourself that much credit, breeder."

"Owie..."

"Nancy should have enough steam steam to make it past the next ridge," Floydien said, taking Zaid's place in the cockpit. "And then, recharge the glimmer."

"Say..." Zaid stumbled out, scratching his head as he stood by Props' side. "Why do we gotta turn all of these into unsung hit-and-runs anyway?"

"'Cuz that's what makes it all work, Zaid," Belle said. "The Jury has to be a name, as quick and hard to grasp as divine intervention itself."

"It's the only way to fill in the gap that Val Roa's left," Pilate said.

"Yeah..." Rainbow sighed, head hanging. "Until we can figure out why Val Roa's walled up to us and everypony else."

"Don't think about it!" Floydien shouted from the cockpit. "I'm still buffing Nancy's hull from the last time! That sort of glimmer shimmer could burn her inside out!"

A cold shudder ran through half the Jury's bodies.

"Perhaps..." Roarke fidgeted. "...a respite is in order?"

Rainbow looked across the deck. "Pilate. Where'd our changeling buddies want us to rendezvous again?"

"Northeast of Silver Point."

"Woo!" Booster pumped his hoof in the air. "I haven't been home in a while!"

"Live with it," Josho grumbled. He smirked towards the rest and motioned with his hoof. "Let's go downstairs and eat already! The feast's on me!"

"The feast's always on you," Ebon Mane rolled his eyes as he trudged downstairs. Eagle Eye giggled, which led the rest of the Jury to laugh.

FWOOOSH! The crimson streak of the Jury soared overhead. Down in the village of Zeezrom, every giraffe stood out in the open, jumping up and down and cheering for joy. One by one, they gathered together with buckets, easily putting out the flames that the goblins hard started.

In one corner of the village, an injured father recovered, being nuzzled by his wife while their little colt jumped into his forelimbs. He smiled as the calf leaned up and rubbed his tiny antlers against his shoulders. The little giraffe glanced up into the sky, his glossy eyes reflecting the scarlet streak that the mysterious skystone ship made against the eastern horizon.

"Th-thank you..."

And his teary eyes closed above a peaceful smile.

The Owner Of a Loyal Heart

"I think I've gotten through to them," Ebon Mane said with a nervous smile. "I didn't think it would be that simple to appeal to their feelings, but they were very willing to listen to me! They're all so... gentle and receptive... moldable. Like children, in a way."

"Unnngh..." Eagle Eye shivered on the mountain's edge. "Please don't say that. I feel like a creeper now."

Ebon giggled and playfully shoved Eagle's shoulder. "I-I'm serious, though!" He smiled at Rainbow, Eagle, Josho, and Roarke in dark of evening. "Chrysalis' influence over them is practically nil. There's no telling what a horrible fiasco it would have been if a far meaner, more desperate group would have gotten to them first. They're that trusting."

"Yeesh..." Rainbow winced. "There's a scary thought."

"I didn't even think about that," Josho said. He turned and glanced at the others. "If we were two weeks late at arriving here, they would have all begun spitting, twitching, and joking about eating pony flesh."

"Yeah..." Eagle grimaced. "C-can we get off the llama dome, now?"

"Not so fast." Rainbow turned to Ebon. "You must need more time with them. Hearing that you gotten through to the hatchlings is great and all, but how do we know they're ready to move on?"

"Where would they even move on to?" Roarke remarked.

"That's just the thing..." Ebon glanced down at his squirming hooves. "I kinda sorta... l-let slip that we've got some of their 'siblings' in Amulek."

"The three surviving changelings?" Eagle asked.

"I've talked with that trio on several occasions," Ebon said. "I like to think I know them a bit... at least enough to have formed a good bond between us. These changelings here..." Ebon's gaze turned to Rainbow. "They need to connect with other shape-shifters who can guide them and mold them. Considering my responsibilities to the Noble Jury, I really don't think I can guide them every step of the way. They need more guidance than I can provide."

"You think the changelings in Amulek are up to the task?" Josho asked.

"I know it," Ebon said. "And, if not, I would be more than happy to bridge the gap between them... to help them click together."

"To play 'changeling ambassador!'" Eagle grinned. "Spark be blessed! I knew there was a reason I fell in love with you!"

Ebon blushed. "And h-here I thought it was my wicked skills at making a skillet lunch."

"I said I fell in love with you. Not Josho."

"Heeheehee!"

"I feel as though we're forgetting one key thing," Roarke said.

The others looked at her.

"What's that?" Rainbow asked.

"What would the ponies of Amulek think?" the mare asked, her helmet flickering. "The non-changeling ponies?"

"She has a point," Josho muttered. "I mean—are these changeling moving into that place permanently? Do they get their own zipcode?"

"The mountains out there are vast!" Ebon exclaimed. "Not to mention the forests! I'm sure these changelings would have no problem—"

"That is beyond question," Roarke said. "But what of the miners? Perhaps they might feel unease with so many shape-shifters looming invisibly over them."

"It'll be fine," Rainbow said. "Let's go on with this plan. Let's bring the changelings to Amulek."

"No offense, Rainbow..." Josho squinted at her. "But how in the frig do you know that? They were liable to lynch the poor suckers just two months ago!"

"I've see first-hoof their intense respect for the changelings," Rainbow said. "I've even got dragged into a humbling conversation with Drakshaa." She smiled calmly. "Believe me, it will work out. Merigold's fold will be cool with it."

"If you say so," Eagle remarked. "So... then... are we backtracking?"

"Hmmm?"

"Well, we just came from Amulek... now we're going back to Amulek!" Eagle shuddered as he glanced at the frosted buildings of Ether Point. "Not that I prefer it here, but..."

"...we're never getting our flanks down to the House of Selhp at this point," Josho said. "Are we changing the plan this quickly?"

Rainbow opened her mouth—

"Actually, I-I had an idea about that," Ebon said. "We've got Whizzball, right?"

"And how."

"Well, the changelings are super fast! I mean, they impersonated Rainbow Dash for a super-long time! Why not send some of us back to Amulek in Whizzbal while the rest of us continue to explore this possible path into Val Roa?"

"Darn it..." Rainbow smirked. "Aren't you supposed to be good at making waffles? Stop being smarter than the rest of us!"

"Uhm..." Ebon fidgeted. "Sorry?"

"You cool with this idea, Rainbow?" Josho asked.

"Well, we could fit three in Whizzball," Rainbow said. "Seems like a no-brainer for Ebon to go."

"In that case, I volunteer!" Ebon slapped his hoof down.

"So do I..." Eagle wrapped his hoof around Ebon's shoulder. "No offense, Rainbow. I wanna know more about Val Roa and all... but..."

"Hey..." Rainbow shrugged with a smirk. "You two never did get your honeymoon."

Ebon and Eagle blushed.

"I guess Booster's going to be working overtime," Rainbow said.

"Huh?"

"Well, seems like the obvious choice to me," she said. "He'll fly you guys in Whizzball. Think of it as a fun road trip—plus shape-shifters. Boom. Bam. Changeling ambassador time at Booster's hometown! I'm sure he can't complain."

"Except that Booster Spice was essential to getting us this intel on the Duchess of Sehlp," Roarke said. "His skills would be of greater use helping us get into Val Roa."

"Well, darn it!" Rainbow shrugged her wings. "Who in the hay is going to fly Eagle and Ebon back to Amulek? You?"

"Precisely."

Rainbow blinked. "Wat."

"I am the most qualified pilot," Roarke said. "Plus, in the event that there's some unforeseen circumstance—"

"And there almost always is," Josho muttered, summoning a chuckle from Eagle.

"—I will be right there to administer my services," Roarke said. Her helmet flickered. "And by services I mean 'death missiles.'"

"Butttttttt of course," Ebon said.

"You certain you're up for it, Roarke?" Eagle asked. "It'll be you squished in between two coltfriends for several hours."

Josho opened his mouth.

"Don't." Eagle pointed at him.

Josho simply sat back, smirking.

"I don't see what the great challenge is," Roarke remarked. "I've certainly endured the company of breeders before."

"Yeah, but, not in chains?"

"... life is full of surprises, I'm sure."

"Roarke..." Rainbow sighed. "This is nice of you to offer, but, we could totally use you in our search for the Duchess. Heck, probably more than we need Booster."

"You will do well on your own. Besides, if these changelings are to be properly cared for, then they need a mare such as myself to escort them safely to where Ebon intends to assist them."

"Yeah, but... w-we won't see each other for days and—!"

"Rainbow..." Roarke leaned forward. "You're always asking me to be loyal. Let me be that which you wish me to be. Let me love you."

Rainbow stared at her. Her cheeks turned rosy. "So!" She turned, grinning stupidly at the rest of the ponies. "It's decided! You three get the Whizzball!"

"Uhm..." Ebon blinked. "Yay?"

"Helllllo!" Winree slid over on skating metal braces. "So... uh... what's the game plan, non-woolies? How're you guys doing?"

"Oh... I'm just chillaxing over here," Josho said in the center of the group. "Being straight."

"Good! Now... uhm... not to sound demanding or anything, because it's not as though we did anything—heheheheh—to help you round up these bug buddies aside from opening the door to them with our llama hooves, but..." Winree squirmed, his grin twitching. "About the matter of munchies... pr-provided they might... uh... exist somewhere on your floating barge of giggles and coos?"

"That depends," Ebon said with a smile. "How do you like grilled cheese—?"

"I'LL TAKE IT!" Winree's voice cracked. "We'll take anything that's grilled! Nnnngh... I mean..." He grinned, shivering. "In exchange f-for some beautiful borealis pictures?"

Over to the side, Rainbow stepped closer to Roarke. "You know, this is pretty boss of you... volunteering to escort the changelings back to their brethren and all."

"It's simply a matter of practicality. We can't all be in two places at once. And you needn't worry about me, Rainbow," Roarke said. "We'll rendezvous again shortly, I'm sure."

"I'm not worried... I just..." Rainbow bit her tip. "Guess I'm a bit selfish."

"Do tell."

"These past two months..." The pegasus fidgeted. "I-I suppose I kinda sorta got used to being around you everyday. That's all."

"Yes, well, it'll give you something to dream pleasantly about over the next few nights."

"Meh."

"Hmmm?"

"You're cruel."

"In all the best ways, I'm sure."

Rainbow Dash leaned forward, rubbing her cheek against the cold helmet. She shivered with a giggle. "Nuzzling you is weird with this new helmet thing."

"Very well, then." Cl-Clakka! The metal mare retracted the helm, exposing a fuzzy brown smile. "One for the road...?"

Always Taking a Leap of Faith

Rainbow Dash blinked.

She was standing, her forelimbs pressed to an empty gold pedestal in the center of a dimly lit room of metal. All around her, the eight entrances of the Tower opened to crashing waves of seawater beneath a tempestuous night's sky. Out one entrance—directly across the pedestal from her—Yaerfaerda loomed, but it was different than before.

Rainbow had to squint.

Yaerfaerda now resembled a tiny speck. What's more, the distant beacon was pure white. All the lavender was gone.

She was so fixated on this that she didn't notice what was happening to her surroundings until somepony alerted her.

“Rainbow! Look!”

Rainbow gasped, spinning about.

All around her, ruby light was funneling through the grooves between each gold plate, illuminating the ancient metal from within. A loud groan issued through the structure, and soon every gear, pulley, lever, and cog inside the place came to life. What's more, Rainbow felt gravity shifting, and soon water splashed wildly past the gaping entrances on all sides.

“It's sinking! Rainbow, we have to get out of here!”

Panting, Rainbow galloped ahead, having to duck in order to narrowly avoid pendulums swinging past her skull. The deep bass salvos of the tower had been utterly replaced with a dull hum, but it didn't matter for long. Soon everything was completely replaced with the penetrating roar of rushing water. It had risen high enough for Rainbow's hooves to splash through by the time she reached the end of one of the entrances.

She teetered on the edge, gasping as she stared straight down. The tower descended swiftly, its support structures vanishing, and soon the fountaining seawater would be up to her knees. Nothing but turbulent seas surrounded her. The electrical bolts left the metallic surface of the tower completely, filling the clouds overhead so that they brimmed with constant lightning. The hellish ocean's surface glowed with a sheen of reflective ruby light.

Out of options, Rainbow stared down into the churning waves. She gnashed her teeth, trembled, yet prepared for the inevitable dive—

“Rainbow, are you crazy?! You'll drown!”

The pegasus' eyes twitched. She jerked back, trembling.

“You have to fly, Rainbow!”

“But...” Rainbow whimpered, muscles spasming as her tail dipped into the rising waters. “But I-I can't...”

“There's no time! Now fly!”

Water lapped at the edges of Rainbow's feathers. Growling, she lunged forward, flapping her wings...