Failure, Eternally Retold, Part Three: Morality

Kai struggled to pick himself up after sleeping through the night. Seafoam had been right; he needed more rest to recover. He had to push quite hard just to stand, but he kept himself silent this time. He needed to make sure he didn't give away their position. The only noise he made was the popping of his joints and some mild groaning.

"Good morning," offered Twilight, nodding. "Sleep well?"

"Sleeping is easy," yawned Kai. "Waking up is hell." He looked around the camp. Twilight had woken up and folded her blanket. Nik was still asleep. It was just before dawn, as the eastern sky was beginning to shift in colour. "Where's Fluttershy?"

"I was hoping you would know," answered Twilight. "She was gone when I woke up."

"I went to pick up breakfast," came her answer. She stepped out from behind a nearby boulder, a small bag of apples under her wing. "We still have a ways to go, so when I woke up early, it figured I could check in with the local farm animals, maybe provide a little help to them. All I asked in return was a few apples, they gave me a whole bag." She reached into the bag and tossed one to Twilight, and another to Kai. "I didn't mean to worry you."

"You should have left a note or something," groused Twilight. "We were worried sick."

"As long as you weren't spotted or recognized, we should be fine," disagreed Kai, biting into his apple. "It does mean we should move, but at least we have a good start to our day."

"I was thinking about that," smiled Fluttershy, sitting down between them. "If the spire is close enough, do you think we could manage to go there and back again in a day?"

Kai shrugged. "Maybe? I guess if the whole exchange is short, we should be just fine coming back. Of course, you also wanted to ask if they knew anything about our final destination, so I'm not sure how long that would take."

Fluttershy swallowed her bite of apple. "Then it's settled. You and I will go to the spire, and Twilight and Nik can spend the day resting so we can move faster tomorrow."

Twilight coughed a bit, regained her composure, and swallowed the chunk of apple she had nearly choked on. "You're going in alone?"

"I thought that it would be too big a risk to bring Nik to the spire, especially if the cloaked ponies made it there before we did, like they did with Seafoam. It's just not safe."

Kai nodded. "That's sound logic. However, I have a bit of an issue with that. What if you end up hurt? What if the cloaked ponies find Nik and Twilight here? There are a lot of variables unaccounted for. I should go on my own."

"If the ponies find Twilight and Nik, there's not much I can do to protect them," lamented Fluttershy. "I won't make much of a difference. But I can't let you go to the spire alone."

Twilight raised her eyebrow. "Why not? It would solve his issue, and having you well-rested sounds like a good plan to me."

"I made a promise to you, Kai," said Fluttershy, placing her hoof on his shoulder. "If ever you were hurt, I want to be there to pull you to safety. I don't want to lose you again."

Kai took a deep breath. "You're sure?"

She nodded.

"Okay. But you have to follow my instructions. If I tell you we need to go, we go. Clear?"

She nodded again.

"Good." He leaned over and hugged her. "The last thing I want is to see you hurt." Taking the last bite of his apple, he stood up again, stretching his wings out and tossing his cloak to the ground. "They're not a big fan of clothes," he explained. "Whenever you're ready, the sooner we make our way out, the sooner we make it back."

Fluttershy quickly finished her breakfast and gave the bag to Twilight. "Ready when you are."

With a nod, they turned northwest and took off into the air, with Kai leading them. Once they were at a cruising speed and altitude, he waved his hoof, summoning her up next to him. "I have a few things I need to tell you about before we make it to the spire," he shouted over the wind. "First and foremost, don't ever lie to them. They can sense it. Even the slightest of doubts, they can pick up on. That said, don't just go volunteering information. If they ask, tell the truth, but not necessarily the whole truth. Understand?"

"What if they ask where Nik is?"

"He's in a safe location, being handled by ponies who want to protect the world from further harm."

"And they'll buy that?"

"They'll sense that I'm telling the truth, at the very least. Can you answer questions in that manner?"

"I can try."

They continued flying for another kilometre or two, making swift progress. Finally, they were close enough to see the spire. It was a massive, shining pillar in the middle of a sea of sand, with waves of burning heat distorting everything around it. On occasion, large bursts of fire shot up out of the ground, the air itself igniting with the concentrated power of the sun. As they flew closer, Fluttershy thought she saw puddles on the ground, but they turned out to be plates of glass made from burnt sand. They further served to reflect and refract the sunlight, creating even more bursts of flame. It was simultaneously beautiful and terrifying, and it made her question whether or not she really wanted to be there.

They began their descent into a small area seemingly protected from the flames, surrounding the base of the spire. It was significantly less hot down here, and there were several ponies, all of slightly different hues, but with every centimetre of their coats and manes bleached to just off white. The biggest distinguishing factor for them was the colour of their eyes.

"Welcome to the Solar Spire, my newest acolytes," smiled a unicorn stallion, approaching them. "I see you have yet to be cleansed of that which makes you impure. Come, let us correct your colour."