March Of Three Prisoners (A Hearth's Warming Tale)

December 24

"Get out of the way."

"Move it or lose it."

Now it was Raider that acted like Sugar Belle and her friends when he tried to cross the busy street that wound its way down the light side of the cliffs. He was too focused on asking questions about the criminals to care. Night Glider turned around noticing a giant poster hung on the side of what looked like a post office. The poster featured three silhouettes, two of them were mares and the center one was a unicorn stallion; it wasn't much to go off of. The reward read Sixty Thousand Sickles.

"Hey Raider?"

"What?"

"I would've sworn these posters said Forty Thousand earlier, right?"

"They must've, they probably jacked the price up while I was away, they really want these criminals gone." Night Glider remembered what Vinka said about the Summits. They're insane. Raider went back to interrogating ponies some more. "Do y'know about the location of these three criminals?"

"Do I look like I care?" A mare snapped as she galloped down the cliff road.

"Do y'know where the three criminals are by chance?"

He managed to catch the attention of a larger dark grey pegasus who thankfully stopped in his tracks and walked over to the six of them. When they got a closer look at him, they could tell that he was not happy and everypony except for Raider, backed up. He boomed, "If I knew where they were, I would already be lugging a sack full 'f'sickles up t'the local bank. Who do y'think y'are running around here and asking ponies where they think these criminals are? You mind your business and we'll mind ours." He started back up the street.

"Don't y'know who I am?"

"Yes, I do as a matter of fact. You're a bucking Summit who's only worried about those criminals for the money. I can see it in your eyes." Raider was about to object but the stallion sprinted up the mountain road before he had the chance to retort.

"What is your problem?" Twilight scolded him like he was Spike.

"I'm trying to find out if anypony knows about the criminals, that's what my problem is," Raider growled.

"Think about it for a second, if any of these ponies knew about the criminals, they would've alerted the guards already. Is this how you usually get information? What did your boss tell you when you were gone?" Twilight knew full well that they both distrusted each other to the point where they couldn't work together.

Raider shifted his weight nervously making the glass jars in his saddlebag clink together.

"Wait," Sugar Belle looked at the ground.

"What is it?" Raider tried to sound compassionate but he couldn't wipe the frustration off his face.

"We have to go back to get Starlight, she said she would stay by the center pool in Traza Square to wait for you."

"Wait, you mean she's gone? Ugh, how did I not see we were missing a pony? Why didn't any of you tell me that she was gone... are you ponies willing t'work with me t'hunt down these criminals or not?" Raider couldn't contain his anger and he resorted to beating his front two hooves on the ground.

Sugar Belle and her friends backed down again but Twilight got up close to his face. "You and Starlight have been acting strange this entire trip and even though I don't know what's going on, I would like to know, Mr. Raider Ayikal." He flinched at the mention of his full name.

Raider's face twitched, his muzzle scrunched up, his teeth barred, a deep flame danced in his cruel teal eyes, and Twilight Sparkle could tell that Raider was holding back an even hotter anger. I never should've trusted him.He breathed heavily a few times as his ears flattened. Finally he growled low, "This entire trip, Twilight Sparkle. This entire trip y'have been questioning Starlight Glimmer and I about what more we know. I can't speak for Starlight and I can only assume that she's still broken up about what she did, but I, I'm doing the responsible thing around here, I'm trying to capture these criminals and I'd like you t'do the same."

'You didn't answer the question," she snorted.

"What?"

"I said, you didn't an-"

"-I know what you said. Look Twilight, look at the sun setting over there," he pointed to the west, "when that sun sets, half the ponies here are going t'vanish into their homes and the ponies that stay are going t'stay out at night aren't going t'travel alone. These ponies are scared, Twilight, they're scared for their lives. Please Twilight, can you overcome your anxiety and fear about Starlight and I for the sake of these ponies' freedom from fear? At night when I'm on guard duty, I overhear ponies loosing sleep because they're afraid of another nightmare, I hear stories about ponies leaving this city in fear, and I can't help but t'look at all of their faces." His anger subsided. "Twilight, I don't think you can fully understand what's going on here... much like you can't fully understand what your friend Starlight went through. All I'm asking you t'do is t'trust me."

Raider placed a consoling hoof on Twilight, immediately calming her body. Twilight sighed, how could I have been so selfish; I didn't know things were this bad. "I'm sorry, let's just get this over with."

"I'm sure Starlight's still where she said she would be; she probably didn't even know we left." Double Diamond's eyes darkened. "She's incredibly patient."

"What are we waiting for, let's get a move on," Night Glider shouted as she flew up the street. The six of them all rushed up the winding street until they reached a giant tunnel that bore straight through the mountain leading to Traza Square on the other side. Ponies and all kinds of other creatures packed themselves into the tunnel trying to get home before the sun set. Offshooting tunnels lead to homes dug out inside the mountain itself.

It's like running through a giant ant colony, thought Party Favor as they shoved their way through the sea of terrified faces.

Despite what Raider said, these faces look a little extreme, she thought as she passed a mare running in the opposite direction, crying hysterically. The five of them could only imagine what the criminals did during the night that would set such a cold-blooded society on edge.

"Come on, hurry up," screached a griffin mother who tried to gather her little kids up on her back.

"But mommy, it's not my bedtime yet," the oldest kid pouted.

"It doesn't matter, we're all going home, we're all going to sleep." The griffin and her children scampered out of sight, probably headed to the light side of the cliffs. Dozens of other ponies passed by mumbling to each other before they heard more hysterical panicking. This time it came from a mare wrapped tightly in the arms of her stallion.

"Please, I don't want to be out here anymore, no, I don't want t'live here anymore, I want t'go home." She was visibly sobbing and the five of them blushed when he brushed her mane in a vain attempt to calm her scorching nerves. "I don't want to ever go back there; never, never." She clenched her eyes shut and shook as her stallion dragged her along.

"Go back where?" Sugar Belle looked up at Raider who tried to avoid her glance.

"Everypony, get away from the plaza." A bat pony flew just over the heads of everpony else.

"Turn back." A tawny unicorn scrambled past slower ponies.

"I hope Starlight's not caught up in this insanity. They said something about the plaza, is that usual at night nowadays?" Twilight almost regretted asking Raider about her.

"No, this isn't normal. I don't know what's going on but whatever it is, it isn't good." Raider retied his black bandana over his face as if he was walking straight into the middle of a sandstorm. The six exited through the giant ornate doors at the north end of the plaza only to run into a wall of ponies pushing over each other trying to see what was going on. Party Favor and Double Diamond pushed ahead of Raider and squeezed their way through a much annoyed crowd before they were stopped by a line of guards.

"Back away, nopony's allowed past this line."

"What's going on?" Double Diamond asked.

"We are not receiving questions at this time." The guard's eyes were hard to read.

"Let us through," Raider spat. After all, he was a guard himself; a scavenger, scout, and spy, but a guard nonetheless.

"Nopony's allowed past this line."

"I am a part of the guard and I demand to see what's going on."

The guard looked to one of his fellow comrades and whispered just loud enough, "we have some rogues on our hooves." He turned back to face Raider and the group and boomed, "if you do not yield, we will advance."

"I'm standing by what I said."

"Very well then, forward march." The guard ponies snapped into formation, they marched forward into the crowd, and, instead of drawing spears like the royal guards, they drew shimmering black scimitars. All blades were pointed at either Raider or somepony else.

"Stop," a familiar voice screamed. The guards didn't care to look at where the voice came from, they didn't even flinch. They're going to kill us.

A rush of bright green blinded Twilight, Raider, and the others before they heard the voice again. "Don't kill these ponies." It was Vinka from the restaurant. "This is pointless, let them through for Meadow's sake."

"No," mumbled the captain of the guard. "Ready the mounted crossbows," he shouted. Up on the upper part of the plaza, multiple guards rushed behind pillars topped with intricate looking crossbows. The guards all pointed their steel arrows towards Vinka. This is just ridiculous. "Now move out of the way or we will fire," the captain of the guard threatened.

Vinka didn't say or do anything. The captain raised his right front hoof to signal the arrows.

"Load."

Raider blabbered on, "Look it's all just a misunderstanding, I'm willing to be reasonable, I-"

"-Ready."

"Lord Ayikal would be appalled that y'barred one of y'own members from wit-"

"-Aim."

Raider shouted, "I know it's Starlight Glimmer!"

Complete silence permeated the plaza as everypony peered ponderously at every party participating. The guards on the upper level left their weapons while the ones on the main level sheathed their scimitars clearly noticing that something was out of place. Despite the fact that the guards no longer stood their ground, not a single pony dared to move past where they had been standing.

"Out of m'way," Raider spat as he shoved some guards. He followed where the water flowed from the central pool and came across Starlight's mutilated body at the end of the overhang with the ground hundreds of meters below her. There was no doubt in his mind or anypony else's: this had been the work of the the three criminals. That's why everypony had been scrambling through the main tunnel.

But he knew that they attacked her for much more personal reasons. By the Meadow, she was supposed to scare these ponies into submission, not get destroyed by them. This wasn't supposed to happen. Raider was genuinely confused until the answer hit him.

She had no intention of capturing these ponies... these were the ponies that escaped her village over a year ago and now that she's reformed, she didn't want these ponies t'suffer any more because of her. She betrayed me. His anger was in danger of resurfacing again but it didn't matter, he had their cutie marks, he had the upper hoof.

"Raider, is everything alright?" Twilight said softly.

And if it wasn't for Twilight, Starlight would still be her old self and she would've captured those criminals already. Twilight is the real mare behind all of this. "You."

"What?"

"Did you know that Starlight never planned t'capture the criminals?"

"No. Why are you asking this now? We have to get her to a hospital. Help me lift up her body, Raider."

"Not until you promise t'keep your word from earlier today," he snarled.

"Okay." But when Twilight tried to lift her body up over her shoulders, Raider stomped on the body pinning her down.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"What do you-"

"-This mare, I'm sure of it, went out t'find the three criminals and instead of attempting t'capture them, she decided to let them go. It sure looks like that, doesn't it," he spat.

Twilight looked down at her body and pondered. "It does look like it," she sighed, "Starlight's holding back something, she's in pain. But why? Why would she just let them go? She has the power to capture them."

Raider stared at her body for the longest time before whispering, "I don't know."

"I'll carry her to the hospital," declared Vinka who promptly heaved Starlight onto her back; she was much stronger than she looked. Raider, Twilight, and Sugar Belle's friends followed her back through the main tunnel.

"Everypony clear the square, curfew is in effect," the captain of the guard roared. Everypony listened and scattered immediately in all directions except for the stairs leading down into the Tsoy district where the criminals hid among the Muds. Raider knew full well that the criminals staked out there every night.

"Who is it at this hour?" Tzentah Nal, the head of food production in Tanner Cliffs, yelled at the massive doors angled downwards to the storehouse. He saw a shadow of a pony knocking at the doors acting as if somepony actually lived in there. Tzentah approached the shadow cautiously though he guessed who it was. "Who are you?"

The sky blue fur and tan mane of Nohchil Ta came into view. "I'd like t'know the usual."

"It isn't good... as usual. But this time around, she is in town," Tzentah growled.

"I know, I saw her when she was arriving. Lord Ayikal's personal spy tried t'kill me earlier and even though I clearly pinned him, that mare and another purple alicorn who I didn't recognize both used their magic t'defend that slimy creature."

"They didn't know any better."

"I could've killed him and ended this Summit and Mud conflict once and for all. I-"

"-I think it's for the best." Tzentah stroked his beard in thought.

Nohchil was momentarily angered by the comment but said, "How so?"

"The Ayikal ponies will be found out in the end. Come, I want t'show you something." Tzentah lead Nohchil t'the giant double doors at the base of the mountain.

"I thought you said you never wanted me t'go in there."

"This time, it's different," his eyes darkened. "I want you t'know exactly what's going on but I want you t'act wisely like you used to in the past. Nohchil, you are th'leader of the Muds, there's no doubt about that, but you won't stand for anything in the end unless you become th'leader of everypony, even the Summits."

"You can't be-"

"-Shut up and look." Tzentah yanked hard on a stone lever beside the double doors. The angled doors creaked for a few seconds, deafening them and replacing the deafening silence of night before swinging inwards and downwards. Blinding light flooded the night forcing Nohchil to rub his eyes before staring at what lay inside. After blinking a few times, the contents of the storehouse came into focus.

Literally millions of cans of food lined the walls, grain covered the floor in an ocean of golden wealth, tomatoes and grapes hung from the rafters, crates of carrots stacked on top of each other until they reached the ceiling, sacks of potatoes, garlic, onions, turnips, cabbages, cauliflower, radishes, sugar, dough, and apples littered built in racks, and leafy greens lined the top of the storehouse. Nohchil couldn't see a single square centimeter of wall, ceiling, or floor there was so much food.

"I... I... it-"

"-You get it now, don't you. Production hasn't gone down, just our exports. Tanner Cliffs sends less and less t'the village because-"

"-The Summits refuse t'send anymore than the bare minimum." Nohchil was to aghast to grow angry.

"You failed, Nohchil. Remember when Vinka told you about that mare?"

"I remember it like it was yesterday." Nohchil spoke as if he was about to lose it completely.

"You wanted to petition Lord Ayikal t'send food t'the poor villagers in that mare's town and instead of dropping everything t'send this surplus t'those ponies, they held a committee, right?" He didn't look for an answer. "Of course, almost everypony in Tanner Cliffs decided in favor of sending food. But as time went on, the generous spirit in the Summits faded, but they just couldn't dishonor their contract, now could they?"

"Of course not," he said affirmatively at first before loosing conviction, "right?"

"The Summits wanted t'pull some strings without it looking like they would dishonor the contract."

"Why?"

Tzentah looked down before staring Nohchil in the eyes. "Because you foolishly bought into the promise that when the glass was full, it would overflow t'benefit the villagers. But what really happened was when the glass was filled, it magically grew bigger. The thirst of the Summits will never be satisfied, Nohchil, not unless all of us, the Muds and the Summits, hold ourselves accountable for th'contract. Understand?"

He hung his head yet again. "I understand."

"No you don't."

"Okay, I don't... but how did the Summits get away with pulling strings?"

"Ladies and gentlecolts, I am honored to tell you that your patient Starlight can indeed move around and function on her own. I suggest that she rest for another day in the infirmary just to make sure that no hiccups occur with the recovery process. Her magical levels are at a safe and operable level." The doctor nodded before leaving the waiting room. Starlight was helped out of another hall by an annoyed looking nurse. She walked on a crutch but she didn't put too much weight on it at all.

"Starlight, thank Celestia you're okay." Twilight hugged Starlight before noticing Raider's glare. "Why did you leave us, what happened?"

"I stumbled upon the three criminals in the Tsoy district where that one creepy stallion was. He told me that the criminals lived back behind the street in the back alleys."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Twilight asked as Raider grew nervous.

"I didn't want you to suffer fighting these criminals as well." Her lie was masterfully crafted. "That stallion, he's powerful."

"If we can get rid of that evil Nohchil Ta character, then we can get rid of that stallion just as easily. All seven of us are together, we need to end this together, now."

"Okay," huffed Starlight. Raider sighed a sigh of relief.

The seven of them trotted out of Tanner Cliffs Hospital and climbed down the stares southbound to the Tsoy District.

"We have t'avoid the plaza at all costs," announced Raider as they turned to rush down a set of side stairs bypassing the plaza altogether. They went down some stairs, up others, through tunnels, between houses, above viaducts, and over bridges until they entered the Tsoy District from where they came in the first time. Unlike earlier, the place was pitch black and even though the houses on the main road were dark, the seven could feel wide eyes peering out at them. An empty food can rolled around on the street and a dusty yellow banner snapped as wind howled through its holes.

"There's the back alley," whispered Starlight. The seven ponies made a single file line down the alley with Starlight in front and Raider in back. The barrel fire was now but a few glowing coals shivering in the wind. Starlight looked around to see if anypony still lurked around but she couldn't find any signs of life. The lights to the cramped stacked houses were off, the rope ladders swung as the wind picked up speed, empty cider bottles lay smashed on the ground, old food cans stuck crumpled around, and a rusty horseshoe sat where the stallion had been. Are they asleep?

"Knock on one of the doors," whispered Twilight. Starlight gulped and galloped softly to the window finding the stallion that tried to kill her fast asleep. It was surreal watching a stallion who fought so angrily to now sleep so peacefully. She shut her eyes.

"Do it," Raider didn't whisper.

She shook her head.

"Do it now," he yelled.

Her hoof extended to the rickety metal door but she froze stiff as some tears squeezed their way through her clenched eyes. Finally, she punched the door only once... but it was enough. She sprinted away from the door and behind her friends. Sugar Belle rubbed her, getting rid of the fear.

"Who's there?" Boomed the greenish-yellow stallion inside his house. He wasn't expecting an answer because he swung the door open in a flash of fury. His eyes immediately made contact with Starlight Glimmer even though she had tried to hide herself behind Double Diamond and Raider.

Silence followed as the wind grew ever stronger.

"You're supposed to be dead," he shouted.

Twilight spoke first, "Stop, you're outnumbered. We're arresting you for the..." she turned to Raider for assistance, "what did they, I mean, he do? You never told me."

Raider didn't look at Twilight but he heard her question because he shouted, "you are under arrest for the murder of three Muds and, as a rightful punishment, may your souls never tread upon the glory of the Meadow for all eternity."

"Ha. I don't believe in that bucking nonsense." The stallion lit up his horn and fired a beam of magical energy at Raider before Twilight intercepted it with one of her own. He fired again, this time aiming straight for Twilight; their streams of magic collided as they tried to keep up with the other. Twilight's face warped in discomfort while the stallion held a sickly stoic expression, his eyes still fixed solely on Starlight.

All of a sudden, his face tore up in anger as he channeled more energy into his magical stream. Eventually, the stallion was able to outdo Twilight and, with a quick reaction, knocked her back into the same wall Starlight had earlier.

Raider knew that only Starlight could stop this stallion, he was more powerful than Nohchil Ta in the end. "Starlight, you're the only who can capture him."

"I don't want to do this-"

"-Liar!"

"I have to. I remember you."

"Huh?" Twilight sat up.

"Don't act so dense, don't you know who this mare is?" He spat.

"She's Starlight Glimmer, what's your point?" Twilight asked before realizing.

"She enslaved us, all of us; you shouldn't listen to her, everything she has said was a lie, a bucking lie." He tried to stymie the tears.

"Yes, but she's changed, she's changed," urged Twilight.

The stallion grew eerily silent as he narrowed his eyes at Twilight. "If that's true, then you may want to take a look at my flanks." He pointed to that all too familiar symbol: the equal sign. "I escaped that terrible village over a year ago and thank Celestia somepony found me wandering in the desert or else I and my two friends would've died. I remember you four as well," he motioned to Sugar Belle, Party Favor, Night Glider, and Double Diamond, "you can't honestly believe Starlight can you?"

"As a matter of fact, we can," Sugar Belle declared.

"Then why do you all act so surprised when you saw my flank?"

"Well it's because, y'see, when... I-"

"-Surely Starlight told you that us 'criminals' were the three ponies that escaped over a year ago, didn't she?"

Twilight and Sugar Belle and her friends looked over at Starlight as the collective thought resounded in their heads. No.

No, she didn't.

Sugar Belle squeaked first, "Why didn't you tell us the criminals were the ponies who escaped? We could've ended this a long time ago if we would've known that."

The stallion wasn't finished chiding the group. "You see, Starlight's still a liar." The two mares stumbled out of their houses overhearing the fiery conversation.

"I'm sorry-"

"-No your not."

"What else are you hiding?" shouted Twilight.

"I... I... I can't tell you." Starlight shook her head violently.

"Tell me now." Twilight's shouting slipped into madness.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Starlight sobbed, stooping on the ground.

"It doesn't matter," the soft voice of a mare interrupted the pressure. What she said next didn't help. "We just want our cutie marks back." Starlight choked up even more at the mention of this and her words seemed to poke a hole in the stallion's inflated anger. Twilight thought about that one for a while. Why didn't they get their cutie marks when we destroyed the vault?

"We don't have them. We have to arrest you for the murder of those three Muds."

"It wasn't our fault," he screamed as he prepared for another magical onslaught. This time, Twilight was already on top of him. The stallion and the accompanying mares were frozen stiff in mid-charge. Double Diamond tied all three of them up.

"Come on, let's get these ponies to this Lord Ayikal and end this quest." Twilight tried to sigh away her anger.

Starlight asked timidly, "What about their cutie marks?"

"You're not coming along. I thought you changed, Starlight, you're no different than before, keeping a secret that important from us, you should be ashamed of yourself," Twilight spat, disgusted.

"You're not welcome back into our village anymore, Starlight, Hearth's Warming Eve or not," Sugar Belle scoffed in disappointment.

"Come on, let's go Raider." Twilight looked to her right and found Raider missing. "He's gone!" The others gasped in disbelief. "Come on, we don't need him, we have our three prisoners." Sugar Belle and her friends followed Twilight carrying the three prisoners out of the Tsoy District. Thankfully, the three of them didn't resist.

Meanwhile, Starlight wailed in a mix of fury, frustration, and agony as the empty cider bottles rolled around and as the last warm embers glowed before the wind snuffed their spirit.

"Did the ponies you brought along capture the three criminals?" The lumbering Lord Ayikal wheezed.

"Yes, m'lord."

"Do you have their cutie marks?" He said as he stared out a thin window on the non-existent night life below.

"I do."

"Seize them and stuff them in the storehouse beneath the city," spat Lord Ayikal to the guards who were still on edge about Raider pushing through their defense on the plaza. Three guards took the three cutie marks out of Raider's bag, one for each of them. "Wait." The other guards looked confused. "Nevermind. Raider, you should keep these."

"Wait, I can't keep these, I-"

"-I know what you're thinking. If this shifty Twilight Sparkle character manages t'break Starlight Glimmer, that will lead her and the rest of her gang t'you. They'll kill you."

"What should I do?"

"Give them back their cutie marks just before they are... executed. Guards, wake up this forsaken city, tell the populace that the criminals are captured and announce that we will be holding a public execution. After they are destroyed, this city'll finally be free. Oh, and your sixty thousand sickles will be arriving on Tuesday by mail."

"What about him?" One of the guards asked.

"If he dares to show his face, I want his head on a stake." Lord Ayikal heaved himself up on his thrown and boomed, "this meeting is dismissed."

"I'm sorry Tzentah, I-"

"-It's okay. You have t'say the truth about what's going on, Nohchil. They're going t'host a public execution."

"What does it matter, these three criminals?"

"Oh come on, you know. The Summits have been using them as a distraction, an excuse."

"What if Raider's right? What if they are responsible for what they've done?"

"Neither he nor you can possibly know whether they are truly guilty for killing those three Muds. Anypony who claims t'know doesn't know what they're talking about. For those three ponies it's a complete mystery... we can only hope. Face it Nohchil Ta, you failed."

"I-"

"-You're a failure!" Nohchil recoiled in shock before shaking his head and bucking in the air. Nohchil Ta, the victor of the Muds, cried in anger when all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. It's not fair, it's not fair.

"There is one last thing you can do. I'm not sure where she is, but if you can find the leader of th'village, you might be able to set things straight. Don't kill yourself over it."

The Tsoy District, he thought.

"Guards, guards," shouted Double Diamond.

"What is it?"

"We've found the criminals," Twilight declared as she shoved the stallion and the two mares over to a division of scimitar-wielding guards. They nodded before strapping them in even more restraints and hoofcuffs.

"These prisoners are to be executed at eleven o'clock at night tonight." The words fell like an axe. To Twilight, Sugar Belle, and her friends, it didn't feel like a victory at all. They helped Raider bring the criminals to justice at the expense of everything else.

"Let's just go home."

"We can't go back home, remember the rift m-"

"-It's a one-way entrance."

Sugar Belle stood silent as the violent wind blew some of her mane into her face. She looked down at the ground and up at the night sky before saying, "we can't leave without Starlight. We were too harsh to her."

"She lied, Sugar Belle."

"But we don't know why."

Why. The word stuck out like a sore griffin's talon. It held the reason why the villagers were running out of food, why Raider acted so strange, why the criminals were labelled as such, why the Summits and the Muds hated each other, and why this mystical 'Meadow' place is so important. We don't know anything unless we know why.

"You're right. Come on, we've go to hurry; we left her in that bucked up neighborhood with that one creepy stallion.

How could I have been so stupid, I shouldn't have trusted him. Silver tears streamed down Starlight's magenta fur and into the dark red stones below. I can never go home, oh Celestia, what have I done? I'm sorry Twilight. Twilight. Twilight. She cried audibly now. "Twilight." Her face contorted in a dull sort of pain. "Twilight! I'm sorry."

Another pair of hooves echoed nearby. "Why are you crying?" A soft but low voice resounded.

"I..."

"You don't happen t'be the leader of the village down south of here?"

"Not anymore," she sobbed.

"I need your help."

"I'm done giving stallions my help," she screeched like a teenage griffin. "All he's done was threaten me with exposing the fact that he had the criminals' cutie marks. At least until I had already captured them. He didn't care about me or them, he just used me to capture those criminals, that bucker."

"I trust you're referring t'Raidah, right?"

"Yeah. Wait, who are you?" Her voice quieted but her anger didn't.

"Look."

With her sore hooves still recovering from earlier, starlight managed to heave herself up off of the ground and peer into the eyes of none other than Nohchil Ta, the stallion who attacked Raider when they passed by that one red tower. "I'm sorry about earlier, if only I knew the truth about Raider, I would've-"

"-We all would've done something different in our lives if we knew what would happen. I was retarded enough t'think that forging a contract between the Summits and the Muds was a good idea, I was wrong. You might not know it, but after you talked to Vinka about th'upcoming famine in your village, she went strait t'me about th'issue and I told basically all of Tanner Cliffs t'pitch in some surplus food for all of you. I was the pony behind those mysterious caravans. But the Summits, they wanted to remain anonymous s'that nopony from your village would ever find this place. Seems reasonable, right?"

"Sure. But what happened, why did they stop sending food?"

"I'm not entirely sure. They found some excuse, they found some way t'make sending food unfavorable with the public. Now I don't know what Raider's issue is, but he-"

"-Wait."

"What is it?" Nohchil Ta anticipated her answer.

"Why does it matter to Raider that three Muds are killed? He's a Summit."

"I could've guessed that much... but aren't the criminals Muds as well? I don't get it."

"No, the criminals were escaped ponies from my village... which means that the Summits used the escapee's murder of three Muds to convince the Muds to stop sending food to..."

"...To a village that kills locals from Tanner Cliffs. But it backfired."

"How? We didn't get any food."

"True, but the Muds didn't stop producing either. Come on, I have to show you this." Nohchil Ta lead Starlight out of the city entirely and to a far removed section at the hooves of the mountain. Soon enough, the two of them approached the giant metal doors that loomed over the huts of the Muds. Tzentah hobbled up to them as quickly as he could as he took a good long look at Starlight.

"You found her, Nohchil."

"I know, now we can-"

"-But don't be stupid about it," Tzentah said before keeling over in laughter. Nohchil rolled his eyes before refocusing on the doors. He walked up to the lever and pulled down hard causing the doors to groan in protest as the shuddered before swinging open.

"Now Starlight, you'll see the real truth." Starlight's eyes widened in fear, it could be anything.

The doors swung open revealing the gluttony of surplus food. She trotted slowly inside carefully stepping over the threshold, walked down the three flights of stairs that lead from the surface to the bottom of the warehouse, and waded through the sea of grain piled up to her chest. Soaking in the crates, the sacks, the millions of cans, and everything, she couldn't help but to smell all of it at once. The distracting, sweet, and angering smell was so much that she had to cover her muzzle as she walked towards the center of the storehouse, a room just as long as the main tunnel in the city above. Suddenly, she stopped and turned around to look at Nohchil.

Nohchil was about to say something but he shut his trap when he saw the crazed look on her face.

Her muscles tensed up, her teeth clenched together, and tears streamed down her eyes again yet in a much different emotion than before. "I get it now, I bucking get it. Raider and the Summits used those ponies from my village and made them out to be criminals so that the Summits would have an excuse not to send food to my village. They used the story that they killed three Muds to try and convince the Muds not to send any food themselves while still forcing to produce the same amount of food; those bastards just store all of it in here." Another revelation hit her. "That's why they sent guards with the caravans lately, they wanted to make sure that no Muds sent along extra food with the normal amount." Yet another revelation came swinging by. "And they know perfectly well that the Muds can grow food out of seemingly nothing." She sat down on a crate of celery and sobbed some more. "But why?"

"I think I might know why."

She didn't look up at him. "Why?"

"I'm afraid t'say it... but the three ponies who escaped from your village did, in fact, kill three Muds. Surely they told you, did they not?" Nohchil couldn't bring himself to look at her reaction.

"They said it." A long pause followed.

"But?"

"But I didn't listen," she shouted making Nohchil flinch. She wiped at her eyes but her tears kept flowing. "We were supposed to have a happy Hearth's Warming celebration; I don't want to watch three ponies get killed because of what I did to them. Nohchil, I want to save these ponies... but... I can't undo what I've done." It's like what Daze said, I can apologize, but I can't fix this.

"I thought you reconciled what you've done with your friends."

"What does it matter?" She shouted.

"They can do the same." Nohchil Ta looked around as he suddenly knew exactly what to say. "How was it your fault?"

"You know what I did, right?"

"They told me," he snapped shortly. She hung her head again. "But if your friends and your village can forgive you for all th'pain you've caused, than Tanner Cliffs can forgive these three poor ponies for what they've done. Th'merciless will be found out and their voices will shrivel up in comparison to the music that'll be playing in celebration for those three. I don't know what Raidah said t'you, but I say that you should fight for their lives and bring all of this back to your village in victory. Am I wrong, Starlight Glimmer?"

"Yeah right, you don't know if they'll accept," but even before she said this, her tears stopped streaming because she knew there was hope.

"Just like how ponies search for others who are just as generous as Pony Clause, I think they've been looking for an opportunity to redeem themselves this entire time. And yes, I know who the Pony Clause is." He couldn't help but to chuckle though it was soon replaced with embarrassment when he saw that she didn't respond.

"But Raider still has their cutie marks."

Nohchil looked around before declaring, "I'll take care of that. Those prisoners will probably be at the Peak Castle in a matter of minutes, come on let's go."

"How can I trust you?" She growled.

"I don't know," he responded flatly before leaving the room altogether followed by Starlight. She knew exactly what she needed to do now and she knew all of this would make up for how she lied.

Twilight, Sugar Belle, Double Diamond, Party Favor, and Night Glider all booked it down the stairs to the Tsoy District and searched for the one particular alley where the stallion had been. They all look the same, thought Twilight.

"Are you looking for her?" The sultry voice wasn't familiar but the five guessed it was the same stallion that paralyzed Starlight in fear. "She's gone."

"Did you see who took her?" Sugar Belle asked as she tried not to look into his eyes.

He chewed on the question before whispering, "No."

Double Diamond wasn't happy. "If you don't tell us, we'll-"

"Ladies and gentlecolts, the trial of the three criminals will be held at the Peak Castle in ten minutes, it is safe t'come out of your homes. The execution will be open to the public," The guard yelled interrupting the stallion in question as the towns ponies emerged from their humble homes.

The stallion seemed to know what they were thinking. "If I had to take a guess-" he stopped realizing that the five had already left. They sprinted upstairs, through the plaza, up more stairs, underneath tunnels, over viaducts and bridges, between houses and towers, and up even more stairs. The stairs to the very top of the mountain seemed like they would never end.

"Who could live with all of these stairs?" Sugar Belle huffed as she pulled herself up one step at a time.

"Maybe Sombra," but the others didn't get Twilight's joke. "Never mind."

"How do we know Starlight's up here?" Party Favor asked.

"She's either up here or back at the village," remarked Twilight.

"Either that or dead in a ditch." Night Glider's comment would've sounded sarcastic to them at any other time but the fear in her eyes suggested otherwise.

"Look, there's a ton of ponies here," Double Diamond groaned. It's been traffic jam after traffic jam since they arrived. They were able to worm their way through the crowd this time since there were no guards around. Eventually, the five of them made it to the top of the mountain where they couldn't help but to look at the desert around them stretching for kilometers on end. They turned to the south and saw a semicircular rift in the ground that disappeared into the horizon; the village in the middle was barely visible. Another gust of wind reminded them to stay focused.

"We need to find Raider. I'm sure he only left because he knew we would turn those criminals in, he'll know where Starlight went."

"I don't trust him," Sugar Belle said flatly.

"I used to not trust him at all, like you; but Raider said that the fear of the ponies is more important than our distrust of others. We were tasked back at the village to find these criminals and capture them and we did just that, we didn't have to Raider for anything, we were doing him a favor and we succeeded." Twilight's response was met with some cold stares at first, but as the other four thought about it, they, one after another, nodded in agreement.

"Still though, I wish we didn't." Night Glider's spitfire personality was long gone.

"We did the right thing." Double Diamond placed a consoling hoof around her as she closed her eyes.

"There are the prisoners, where is Raider?" Twilight said more to herself as she approached the group of guards leading the prisoners into the main chamber of the castle. The ponies in attendance cheered, the mares danced, and bottle caps of cider flew across the castle courtyard as the prisoners were shoved inside. The five of them couldn't understand, wouldn't understand why there was so much celebration and, in fear, they pushed their way inside only to see that the court proceedings were already taking place.

Raider sat on the west side of the castle along with what must've been his fellow companions and a ton of other ponies, nopony sat on the east side. In the middle of the castle was the fat Lord Ayikal who tried to stifle his laugh when he looked at the prisoners. The ponies on the inside of the castle were much calmer but it wasn't natural, they had to control themselves.

"Today ladies and gentlecolts, we present t'you the three prisoners charged with the cold-blooded murder of three ponies. The witnesses representing the ponies of this fair town will sit on the west side and the witnesses representing these nasty, despicable criminals will sit on the east side." Twilight and the other four climbed up into the west side seats.

Raider spotted them immediately but only whispered when they got close enough. "I'm sorry I had t'leave, I knew Starlight had it under control when I left. I had t'make sure other dissenters wouldn't disrupt this whole process; hopefully you understand."

"Completely."

"First witness please," Lord Ayikal boomed before some stomach issues made him go cross-eyed.

"I can't go in there, there's too many guards in there, I'll get killed."

"They're gonna do the same to me," Starlight pranced around in fear just outside the castle.

"No, they won't dare lay a hoof or claw on you. Lord Ayikal still has t'maintain an image of justice just like how he has t'make it look like he's still sending food t'y'village. When you're in there, make sure you sit on th'east side of the aisle and announce t'th'crowd that you will defend these prisoners." Nohchil paused before whispering, "you look scared."

"I am," she shook.

"I promise I'll take care of Raidah, you take care of the prisoners." Starlight didn't have enough time to respond before Nohchil Ta disappeared into the cheering crowds.

"I don't think anypony in this audience rejects the fact that these prisoners have murdered three Muds almost two weeks ago," a pony who resembled Raider except for his more frail frame tried to put a lid on the case before it even began. Another griffin beside him said basically the same thing, adding only a few technicalities. They went down the line, taking an eternity.

This isn't at all like the courts in the rest of Equestria.

"We don't have t'live in fear anymore, our children can actually play in parks and our wives can go out and shop at night; our lives can be normal again with these ponies dead." A mare's voice resounded in the tentatively silent hall before becoming overpowered by the slam of the main door. All eyes rested on Starlight Glimmer, the mare from the rumors that have floated around for ages, as she walked over to the east side of the aisle. Not a single pony moved.

"What do you have t'say for yourself?" Lord Ayikal boomed as if he was chastising Starlight.

"How? How can you honestly believe that these prisoners didn't kill anypony?" The mare shouted in fear.

Starlight took a deep breath as she noticed the glare of her five former friends across the room, a glare that she felt hid a more powerful sadness. She had to look up before beginning. "These three prisoners killed three ponies, I won't deny it and they won't either." She paused to look around the court trying to fight back the tears again. She sighed as something somewhere in her heart told her what to say. "But please, for the sake of that Meadow I keep hearing about, don't kill these ponies. If we gave them the chance to redeem themselves, they'd do so faster than their next heartbeat. Don't be so cold. Don't be like me, please." A cough echoed from somewhere. "I broke these ponies' minds like I did to four of the ponies sitting on the other side of this room and to many others milling around without food. If anypony should be responsible for the death of three Muds, it should be me.

"Where I come from, we celebrate Hearth's Warming Day. It's a day where ponies give gifts to other ponies expecting nothing in return. These gifts, these presents, they aren't deserved, they aren't earned, they are simply given without any thought. You ponies are enslaved by senseless contracts and rules; if somepony does you wrong, you just throw your hooves up and walk away. But during Hearth's Warming Day, the spirit of generosity causes a pony to keep on giving when everypony else walks away, sometimes for forever. It may not be fair, but it is right.

"When I came back to my village, I was welcomed back as a friend even though I could never fix what I had broken. I hope my former friends over there will do the same thing to me after I lied to them. Hopefully you will send food in abundance despite what those villagers did to you. Hopefully you Summits and the Muds toiling out there will reconcile with each other even though either of you may not deserve it. And most importantly, you must free these prisoners despite the ponies they've killed so that they can live a good life and turn the lives of others around for the better. Celebrate Hearth's Warming Day this year and give, even though you were viciously stolen from. Please."

Dead silence followed.

"Seize her and drag the prisoners outside," shouted the captain of the guard. A guard pushed Starlight out of the side aisle and out of the building before getting knocked to the side by an unseen force. Starlight whipped around to see the face of Nohchil Ta who nodded before following the other guards down the infinitely long stairs. He ran up to Raider who was straggling in the back of the crowd. He must have seen him because Raider delivered a powerful buck to Nohchil's face before he could do anything.

"You," Raider shouted but before he could fight back, one of his comrades pulled him back into the crowd.

Doubling back up the stairs, he managed to pull himself up to Starlight and whisper, "I'll ambush Raider at the prison tower."

"You mean that red tower all the way out there?"

"Yes."

"But what should I do, can't I help you?"

"You go comfort those criminals, the other ponies will march those prisoners from here all the way t'that tower before getting killed. I can get a comfortable head start." Nohchil didn't wait for another response before leaving. Starlight waited for a moment or two before shoving through the crowd to get t'the prisoners.

She ran into the same bull headed guards like before.

"Get back, mare."

"I won't do anything, I just want to talk to the prisoners," she whined.

Another guard turned to the first saying, "just let her go, she went through all the trouble t'talk in their defense." The first guard looked like he wasn't going to listen to him but after a while, he let Starlight go.

Starlight opened her mouth but one of the mares shoved her more important words down her throat. "Thank you for standing up to us, Starlight. You were right, you have changed."

"You didn't fix any of this," the stallion shouted and growled low until he got kicked by one of the guards.

"Hopefully, I can get your cutie marks back."

"You stole them from us, you would know where they are," he shouted quieter in an attempt to get past the guard.

"I don't have them, one of the Summits has them. Do you know who Nohchil Ta is?"

"Of course I know Nohchil Ta, he rescued us from your village. He was the one that tried to stage the revolution over a year ago; don't you remember?" The other mare spoke for the first time.

"I do. I promise, I'll make this all straight."

"Please, Starlight, I want to feel the world with my own colors again. Please, Starlight, help... help..." Starlight couldn't say anything anymore, all she could do was walk right along next to them. The stairs, once annoying, were now painful to walk down especially during her recovery. She looked over at Twilight, Sugar Belle, and the rest of them and she could tell by their eyes that everything had been forgiven; they were the best givers she has ever had the privilege to be friends with. Sugar Belle, Party Favor, Night Glider, and Double Diamond even smiled back... with genuine smiles.

Once the guards and the ponies who had the nerve... and the guts to watch the execution reached the bottom of the cliffs, the march of three prisoners dragged on for what seemed like forever. Starlight just kept walking with one hoof wrapped comfortably around the shoulders of the softest-spoken mare. Hopefully Nohchil Ta can stop this whole thing. Somepony's got to have a change of hearts.

The bleak red tower came into view lit up by wilting golden flames forcing Starlight to remember a question she wanted to ask them for a while. "Do you believe in this Meadow like the others do?"

"Starlight, don't ask questions like that, we're going to live."

Starlight laughed a silently crying laugh before whispering, "whenever you die, today or when you grow old. Do you believe?"

"Do you?"

"Answer my question first."

"I think you know the answer. Ponies just wouldn't work without a constant source of hope."

"You're right." Starlight thought about that answer before getting interrupted by the guards who seized the three of them by the necks and dragged them over two three red pillars made of stone sticking out of the ground. The guards chained their hooves to loops screwed into the pillars and tightened them so that they couldn't move their chests or any part of their body for that matter.

"It's not time yet for the execution," the captain of the guard boomed.

Where are you Nochil Ta, Raider's right over there.

The eyes of the three prisoners looked warmly up at Starlight before freezing up as they looked at the harsher ground. It was then that Starlight thought of the underlying question to her first question... she needed to figure this out for herself. "I've been meaning to ask you another... q... question."

"Yeah?" She squeaked trying to get air past the stone.

"It's an odd question but-"

"-It's fine."

"What would you do if there was only room for one pony left in the Meadow? Who is it that gets to go?" Starlight didn't fully understand what the question had to do with anything but it felt important.

The louder of the two mares said, "A pony who hasn't killed anypony else like we have will probably fill the last spot."

The stallion lashed out, "That's a ridiculous question," but he calmed down quickly, "It could be anypony. I'm sorry for what I've done, if I had the chance to live for a few more hours, I would try... I would see if I could... well... I might..." his voice drifted off into silence. "If I could do something to undo the death, believe me, I would do it. But Starlight, I can't. You can't fix what you've broken."

"Don't say that, I'll get your cutie marks back before you die," she started crying again knowing that this was the end.

"Even if you do, you still hurt a lot of ponies deeper than you could ever imagine."

"But I... I..."

"And that's okay, it's okay," the stallion said. They're comforting me and they're the ones getting killed.

"What about you?" She turned to the quietest mare.

"...If... I was... given the chance to go to the Meadows, I would give it to somepony else. After that, when I'll die, I'll die knowing I gave up my happiness for another pony. And because of it, I'll die happy." She looked at the other two whose mouths hung open, astonished at what she said.

Nohchil please, don't be like Raider.

"It's eleven o'clock, axes ready." Three guards moved into position at the captain's call. The prisoners looked defeated.

...

"Let them go, Raidah." Nohchil Ta charged at the entire company of soldiers followed by a mismatch of different Muds charging behind. He bolted straight at Raider whose block was not powerful enough to deflect his rage. Raider struggled but Nohchil Ta's blunt force pushed him back a few steps before he fell on the gravelly desert ground, the glass jars clinking in worry. He wrestled Raider as the Muds fought some of the guards before he tore off his black bandana and his saddlebag. Nohchil lifted up the three jars filled with a brightly shimmering cutie mark in each. One was a moon surrounded by powerful yet mere pinpoints of stars, another was a peaceful waterfall which contrasted against the dryness of the desert, and the stallion's cutie mark was a singular snowflake, a gift in the desert.

The Muds looked at Nohchil Ta as he smashed the jars on the ground, releasing the cutie marks which flew up in the air before landing on the flanks of the prisoners. The beautiful shape of their manes and the vibrant colors of their coats returned in full glory. Since the Muds were too busy watching the cutie marks, they were easily pushed back and destroyed by the guards. Raider, however, didn't dare get up and fight Nohchil Ta and neither did he to him.

"Aim."

"Thank you, Starlight. Thank you, Thank you."

"Thank you..."

"Thank you, for everything..."

"Thank y-"

Starlight flinched when her voice was cut. Three severed bodies remained tied to their pillars, three brightly colored, uniquely marked, and virtuously lived bodies, home to three beautiful ponies enslaved all their lives to the bitterness of Starlight Glimmer, the very same mare who saved them.

Twilight approached Starlight carefully and noticed that she still stared down at the three ponies long gone. Her mouth smiled and her eyes cried and both were genuine before she turned away and yelled at the now deserted desert in anger.

"Why did they have to die? It's all my fault. I'm all alone." Starlight grit her teeth and inhaled the cruel wind. "Why?" That singular question.

Twilight whispered, "Starlight."

Starlight looked down at her with bloodshot eyes and said nothing.

She whispered, "It's okay." Twilght's note resounded in the desert as she hugged Starlight who, after almost a minute, returned the favor. Sugar Belle, Night Glider, Party Favor, and Double Diamond all looked on with a sad look in their eyes but they weren't quite crying. They didn't want to look back at Raider. Starlight stumbled over to Raider who looked ready to lash out in anger and yet didn't after seeing the look in Starlight's eyes.

"You got what you wanted," she spat through clenched teeth. "Why did you do all this?"

"I... I'm never... telling you," he huffed holding his ribs from Nohchil Ta's attack.

"He's not worth it, Starlight, let's go." Twilight, Starlight, and the other four walked calmly away from Raider and passed the lonely red tower where the guards will no doubt throw the bodies of the three prisoners into. They traveled back over the desert in silence. Starlight closed a part of the rift in silence. The ponies all slept in Starlight's village for the night in silence. No dreams came.

December 25

"Twilight," Starlight mumbled.

"Yes?"

"I feel like a giant weight has been lifted... I feel like I did when I was young, before the hate and before all the death and misery. I'm sorry for everything, I'm thankful for everything, I don't know what to say." Starlight reminisced as the steam from her cup of coffee rose in the mid-morning wind.

Twilight didn't say anything.

The two looked out on the largest caravan the village ponies had ever seen. They saw the Muds now free to do whatever they want generously toiling away in a field in a desert once thought to be unable to grow anything. Growing something from nothing, that's what Nohchil Ta had said to Starlight. Speaking of whom, Nohchil sat next to Daze poking at the ground with a stick not knowing what to do with himself. Closer to Starlight and Twilight was Vinka and her newly freed Mud Chak Ta who arrived early in the morning. Vinka gave her special somepony a full kiss this time knowing that they were now equals.

Everything was set strait again... but if only they survived. If only Nohchil or I could've saved them from death. Starlight quickly squashed the thought. She couldn't hurt herself over things she couldn't control. Sometimes good things just come from sadness and death. Unwarranted things like gifts on Hearth's Warming Day.

The day the three prisoners would live on forever.

Completed 25 December 2015