private Sombra's Shadow

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Pucksterv, @@Randimaxis, When Applejack spoke with such urgency, Jay followed, hurriedly. She wondered what was up as she trotted alongside Trivy. When they reached the spot, the conversation which followed meant nothing to Jay; neither did Trivy's despairing exclamation as she hurled herself at the prone figure on the ground. What did was the fact that the stallion lying sick on the ground moved Jay's sense of pity. She remembered what she had told Trivy; that she liked to perform healing magic, and she knew that if there was only one small chance that she could help this Harcourt, even tho he was a stranger to her, she would cuz he was Trivy's friend and to Jay, any friend of Trivy's was therefore a friend of hers.

 

Jay walked over to where Harcourt lay and knelt besides him and Trivy. Her horn glowed with a blue haze of magic, loaded with unused potential, and with all her strength, Jay concentrated her full power at the stallion, thinking only to heal him and bring him back from the brink. Her magic, so far unfocussed, now was fully aimed at just one goal; to heal Harcourt, both for his own sake and her friend Trivy's.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Pucksterv  @Pripyat Pony

 

 

 

He knew this place.

 

It had been somewhere he'd found during his first 'official' runaway attempt, as a colt.  He'd made his way out the front doors like a fool, and had left the warmth of his Mother and Father for the cold of the night.  He had taken one of the old, overgrown mountain paths and had stumbled across Blackwater Ridge in all it's hushed reverence.

 

It was the family cemetery plot; there were gravestones all over the area, surrounded by a very old-looking wrought iron fence, the kind with cruelly sharp spines lining the top.  The metal had blackened with age; it had been around for a long time - the oldest grave here was his ancestor, Serious Black, who'd first bought the property and had come here to make his fortune.

 

His grave had a small, yet exquisitely carved black marble statue of a dour-looking yet strong Earth Pony stallion.  Harcourt had been here a number of times since he'd discovered it - it was his refuge from the hassles of living life.  He came here to unwind, to refocus, or just to cry sometimes.  During those times, he'd spent many an hour telling the little statue all his troubles and issues and worries... it was his therapist, his friend, his confidant.  

 

But it had never spoken to him before.  

 

"What is worth fighting for?"  The voice was unmistakable; it was the voice of Luther Blackwater.

 

"I... I don't..."  He looked down at himself idly, and saw that he was nothing more than a skeleton, bare of any sign of skin or muscle; for some reason, it didn't surprise him.  He had a feeling this was coming, and it was a bit of a relief to see that it was nearing the end at last.

 

"No.  You KNOW; say it.  What is worth fighting for?"

 

He thought hard, scratching his bare skull with a skeletal foreleg.  After a moment, he began to speak a slow, almost monotone list.

 

"Love... family... friends... freedom... justice..."

 

"What about yourself?"

 

Harcourt hung his head.  "No... I'm not worth fighting for.  I'm a fool.  An ass.  An example of what NOT to become."

 

"How?"

 

He looked at the statue incredulously.  "Didn't you SEE all of that back there?  Back in reality?  The death, the destruction, the tears, the hopelessness?  Didn't you SEE all the suffering there is out there!?"

 

The statue gave a hard stare at Skelecort; it may have been a likeness of his ancestor, but the expression was purely his Father's.

 

"I did.  I saw you survive.  I saw you fight.  I saw you spend year after year, defending the weak and supporting the strong.  I saw you giving hope to those who had none, even at your own expense.  I've seen you do what was not asked of you, but expected of you, and you've done it even when nopony else appreciated it.  I saw you push until there was no push left... and then push some more."

 

"But I'm so TIRED of pushing!"

 

"So is everypony else.  But they keep fighting."

 

Harcourt drooped his head.  "They have something left to fight for, Father... everything else I have ever cared for has died or left me... I have nothing... nothing more to give to this damned war..."

 

The statue sighed heavily.  "Harcourt... my son... do you not see that whatever you give ALWAYS comes back tenfold?  You gave your all for your group, did you not?"

 

"Barely sixteen in all."

 

"Where there would have been NONE.  Your efforts saved lives.  You gave your all for our family name, did you not?"

 

Harcourt nearly wailed.  "But they have OUR HOME, FATHER!"

 

"But your name means something to all those you've ever known, and it always will.  You gave your all for Trivia Hecate, did you not?"

 

He shuddered; he'd been poking around in the ruins of the Hall of Records in Canterlot when he'd found Trivy's birth certificate.  He'd spent almost a whole hour, trying to decide whether to bring it back to her or not; he eventually sided against it, and left it in the ruins.  He wished he had it now.  He'd known her true name for years... and she had died none the wiser.

 

"I..."

 

At this, the statue simply said, "You ARE worthy of life, Harcourt - or nopony would ever have faith in YOU."

 

He sat there a moment pondering the statue's words in his Father's voice.

 

"... faith?  Is... is that really all I need?"

 

The statue nodded.  "Belief can move mountains.  It can wash old blood clean.  It can give you limitless power, and it can outshine the brightest star.  And it all starts with you, Harcourt."

 

 

======================================================================

 

 

At first, nothing happened.

 

Then, slowly, the flush of fever began to creep out of his muzzle and chest.  His temperature begin to drop, and as they watched, his breathing became less labored, though each breath still rattled like a loose windowpane in a windstorm.

 

Jay's magic was slowly, but noticeably, healing Harcourt.  Though it would take more effort, there looked as though there might be some hope for the old stallion, after all... but was it too little, too late?

 

He looked frightfully lank and his lips were dry as a bone, cracked and bleeding slightly.  He looked like Tartarus, warmed over... and he seemed as if he was just barely balancing on the brink of death already.  

 

All Jay could do was keep trying.

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Randimaxis, @@Pucksterv, Jay set her teeth and carried on with the healing magic. She took all the strength her body had and concentrated it all into healing magic aimed at Harcourt. Tears leaked from Jay's blue eyes with the effort, but she was determined to succeed, to heal this poor stallion who had obviously risked all to get here. The strain on her face was obvious to anypony watching, but Jay refused to give up.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Pripyat Pony

[Stardust* 3,302]

@@Randimaxis,@,

 

Stardust heard Lilith's words... but how could they be true... Without a word she nodded and spread her wings and jumped into the air. She flew to the cottage and burst through the door. "EVERY PONY GATHER WHAT YOU CAN AND MOVE NOW!!!" She shouted while running through the home. She could hear some ponies mumbling and she let out another shout. "DON'T ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!" She made her way to gather the rest of the ponies and push them outside. She then made her way back to Spike.

 

"Spike, I know you are hurting right now but please, we need your help to get these ponies to safety. Lilith knows where to take them in order for them to be safe while we make our way, but we have to leave now. Please, if any sense of generosity from Rarity has seeped into your bones you have got to help these ponies, I don't care about anypony else right now, not you not me, not Lilith, nopony, only these innocent ponies that need our help right now. Please, use your crystal dragons to carry the older ones and the younger ones. The rest should be able to keep up."  

[-Octavia- 1,176]

Dust clung to her hoof with resentment, not wishing to part with those memories it had relegated itself to hiding from innocent eyes. Images that could spark within one a yearning for those once cherished experiences, candles of hope long extinguished. Immortalized in a frame of tarnished silver resided a family of griffons, wearing expressions of decades past, wholly undisturbed by the evil now gripping the heart of the world; a family neither born nor raised in darkness, whose existence centered around its own purity rather than fear, and whose hearts beat not only for each other, but for every soul outside of those four walls.

 

The argument outside registered dimly in Aria's awareness as she stared through the picture with an unfocused gaze. More prominent than either was the weight of responsibility once again closing in upon her. From the Rangers to the dragon, everyone desperately rallied in the face of Death with either this resistance or that, but it was not a force in which she could see herself taking part. Always the soloist stuck in the mind, she did little to reach out, and even less to resist. She was merely an ice floe at the whim of the tides, each wave steadily seeking to erode even the core of her. Even so, as she regarded the family, she could not help but hold onto some sort of hope that she might find hers in this most unlikely of groups, and give her something grand for which she could live. It was a nice sentiment that she held for all of five seconds before an explosion resounded through the room.

 

Dammit, Star, you could stand to be more subtle sometimes.

 

Mastering her initial alarm, Aria took up the rear of the group, confused as to where exactly they were to be herded. All she had to go on was what she could discern from Star's outburst: we've been found. Was the Resistance so close, then, as to allow a retreat on foot? She spared glances at the young and old alike and grew somewhat disheartened as Star frantically spoke with Spike in tones not able to be heard over the general commotion.

 

Death definitely felt a lot closer than the Resistance.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Stardust* @-Octavia-

The group, as one, began making like ants and became a mass of busy motion; gathering children, corralling teens and waking the sleeping and old to prepare for an immediate bug-out.

Bright Wind flew up to match Sword's pace. "Is it true, hon?" He hefted a large sigh.

"Yes - I saw 'em with my own eyes, dear. They'll be here within the hour; we need to NOT be. You make sure the others make it out safely - with all this commotion, it'll be a wonder if nopony is trampl-"

"And what about YOU, hon?"

"I'm... I'm staying with the Ranger; she's got the best head for this, and I'm certain she knows what to do."

Bright's eyes narrowed. "Now LOOK, you - I haven't spent the last thirty years loving you so you can go and get yourself killed, you hear me? I want you to come with ME, hon - we've got no busine-"

He turned to face his loving wife, a small grin on his face. "Dear... my plan is to get back as quickly and safely as possible; no need for BOTH of us to stick with those in charge, right? Think of it as 'personal guard duty' for me, and 'colt corralling' for you... got enough on my noggin as it is, but knowing you're safe is one less thing."

She eyed him for a moment, and he smiled back broadly this time. "Besides - ANY event that ends with me in your embrace later is ALWAYS worthwhile!"

She sighed - he'd always been a flatterer to her - and gave him a long, warm kiss before breaking it off and heading to the group.

"If it was ANYPONY but you," she grinned over her flank, "they'd get themselves strung-up for not listening. But you? You NEVER listen... just be careful, hon. Come back to me."

Sword watched her go for a moment (she's STILL got it, alright - I could watch her fly away from me for ages), then turned and made his way back out toward the treeline, meaning to position himself to see how close the armies were and seeking Lilith Crow.

Chase Fortune was with the other teens; Heavy Heart simply sat staring at him, but Oboe Reed was a bit different...

"No no no no no! You are NOT gonna do this NOW, Chase! We gotta stick TOGETHER - Star said that-"

"FORGET THAT!" Chase yelled at her. "I got to ride a DRAGON, Reed! A real one! And if there was ever a helping hoof needed, it would be NOW! So that's what I'M gonna do!"

Heart sighed. "You're GONNA get killed, y'know."

Chase gave her a glare that made her sigh again, more heavily this time, but got her protests quiet. Oboe came almost muzzle to muzzle with him, and her voice was low and serious. "Chase, WE need you... don't you see that?"

He fixed her with a stare of his own. "You two were collected from wanders across Equestria - I, on the other hoof, was BORN among the group. You don't NEED me... and I NEED to help!" He took off, leaving his two friends behind to help protect ALL of them - or so he aimed to attempt.

"Chase!"

It was no use; he'd made up his mind, and turned and dashed toward Lilith - the only one he believed knew what she was doing at ALL times. Of course, she'd basically confessed to being a spy for Sombra... and Chase wasn't sure HOW to take that... but he'd seen that look in her eye when she'd spoken up - he felt there was not the slightest hint of relapse in those eyes.

Those oh-so-lovely bedroom eyes...

Kitchen Sink, however, did her best to get the others gathered towards the rear of the cottage. She even had to push Ever Ready along, away from the griffon-watching she'd been doing and back to the group. Once there, she looked to the large purple dragon standing there.

Spike had already summoned his crystal companions again, and the five dragons began to start gently seating ponies on their backs. Pegasi among the group simply kept to their wings; there needed to be as much available space on a dragon's back as possible for others. He now stood there, allowing them to climb up onto him even as he fretted over what could be done.

The griffons here'll get a faceful of Sombra; hopefully, they'll just get harassed a little, then the army'll keep searching... but if not...

He tried not to think of the implications of such - he was still holding out hope beyond hope for lovely Rarity, and he didn't want a THING to distract him from that hope.

I wish you were here, Twilight - things were so much better when I was just an assistant - not a warrior.

@Pripyat Pony @Pucksterv

To Trivy, it seemed like Harcourt had dragged himself through the very fires of Tartarus to get here... and had just barely made it. He looked so awful, from his lank and frayed mane to his dry and cracked lips, to the sunburn peeling from his reddened muzzle, to the dark, worrisome circles under each eye. He looked as though he'd aged a decade since she'd last laid eyes on him... and he'd been old when they'd first met.

It brought up the question of why he'd been allowed to GET this bad; shouldn't at least Winter have noticed?

There was a slight, quick gasp of air from Harcourt, and the stallion began to breathe easier. The blisters slowly sank back into his skin, the cuts sealed themselves, and the bruises faded away from sight. Jay's healing magic was not only helping his illness... it was completely revitalizing him!

Healing magics had been a commonplace thing in old Equestria, but this? This was of a FAR higher caliber than any of the other ponies here had EVER seen - and Jay had never even known she had this potential, all this time. While Jinx had stolen her body, she'd also stolen her life, her chances, and her future... even the blank spot on her adult flank was a testament to how badly the intruding entity had damaged her life.

However, this was about to change...

Jay was concentrating on Harcourt's form so thoroughly and completely that she didn't even notice that, drowned out by the glow from her horn, she couldn't see a similar light shining from behind her, the sides of her flank glowing with energy as she did her utmost best to heal the haggard-looking stallion, even as he began to look as though he would leap up at any moment.

Was she about to earn her cutie mark?

[That One Techpriest You Used To Know 2,286]

@@Stardust*, @@-Octavia-, @@Randimaxis,

 

Lilith had scaled one of the large pine trees nearby, and was surveying the land.

 

There they were, alright, moving not as fast as they thought in their direction, but their very presence raised many questions in her mind. How did they land? This wasn't nearly enough ponies for a proper invasion force, so why was the detachment here? Why haven't they been confronted?

 

With a sigh, she slid down the tree carefully, turning to Stardust and the other ponies nearby- Aria, Chase, and Sword, Sorrow's End, and Bubble Pops.

 

"Alright. How this is going to work. We are going to go due west as fast and as quietly as possible. We need to leave nothing that could be seen as tracks of any sort, which will make moving these ten ponies rather difficult. I'm going to be spending most of the time above your heads, scouting ahead and making sure that the army doesn't change direction. Once we're about ten miles out, we'll stop for a short camp- less than six hours, just long enough for a short meal and a bit of sleep- and then we'll discuss our options from there. We'll leave as soon Spike departs with the older ponies and the pegasi."

 

Turning to Sword, she said, "Sword, you're going to be up top with me. I need someone to watch my back with both keen eyes, a trustworthy demeanour, and can fly silent, and you meet all requirements. Chase, Aria, you two need to take the rear. Make sure we leave no trace- hoofprints are scuffled out, leaves undisturbed, everything. We can't let them track us at all. Sorrow, Bubble, you'll take up the middle of the group to carry the excess supplies that will help us for long-term survival if it comes to that. Stardust, you need to pay special attention at the welfare of the group. I know that this is a given, but you need to ensure that nobody gets lost, as could happen in the woods at night very easily. You shouldn't have to worry about wild animals, at this time of year the only Timber Wolves that are active are the ones trained by Duodecim Stormwing, and thank Celestia if you encounter him." She sighed a bit. "If there is anything like wild animals, an obstacle that cannot be crossed or anything of the like, let loose a whistle of some description- I'll be able to tell the difference between a bird and your call. I'll be there immediately."

 

"Any questions, comments, or concerns?"

[Randimaxis 8,652]

 

 

"Yeah - why'd ya pick ME for this?"  Pops grumbled, but young Chase gave him a nudge, and he sighed.  "Okay, okay... I suppose I CAN do it - alright, I'm your pone, Miss Crow."  He didn't look happy about it... but he seemed resigned to the task and began gathering up what he'd need to carry.

 

Sorrows, on the other hoof, had gotten to the task as soon as Lilith had finished telling her the job; she had a large load already, and was securing a few more items to her legs.  Though her burn scars were evident, she never even twitched once in pain as she tightened a strap or tied a knot. 

 

From the group heading towards the dragons came a yell:  "Haw haw haw!  Betcha wish you had ol' 'Cort's cart NOW, don'cha Bubs!?"  It was Snake Charmer; the two always bickered - this was just his way of saying good bye to his frenemy.

 

Bubble Pops' head jerked over to look at Charmer, and he yelled back, "Don't worry; I told that purple dragon ta DROP ya when he gets high enough, Snakey!"

 

Pleasantries exchanged, the two went back to work, each quietly worried about the other... and themselves.

 

Chase took his assignment without even the slightest protest.  He foraged a bit for a nice, sturdy pine sapling and took a fresh branch from it, making a broom to cover tracks with.  He considered the idea that he may have offended a Ranger by harming a tree... he still was kind of muddy as to what they DID in the forests; no clue if this was, like, sarced and stuff.  So he gave Lilith an awkward grin and swept the makeshift broom back and forth a bit, demonstrating its' purpose.

 

@-Octavia-

 

He also took a moment to give Aria yet another glance; he was trying to be cool about it and not ogle her, but hormones do funny things to a young stallion.  Thankfully, he kept those things to himself for the time being.

 

But that exquisite frame, so lithe and smooth...

 

Each time he caught himself staring, he blushed a bright crimson and got busy 'practice sweeping', as it were.  All the millions of fantasies he'd gone through, where he and Aria belonged to an adventuring troupe of minstrels, travelling Equestria and performing by day... but being star-crossed lovers as vigilantes of the night, stakling the rooftops of Baltimare with her bounding along with him, laughing as they threw caution to the wi-

 

OOP.  Stop STARING, idiot!  Sweep sweep sweep sweep... sweep sweep sweep sweep...

 

He was apparently quite determined to master the art.

 

Sword, after hearing the situation from Lilith, nodded in agreement.  He reached into his satchel and pulled out his sword belt, slinging it into place around his back and fastening it in front.  He then pulled the old yet well-cared-for tool from its' holster.  He swung it around in a slow circle, then suddenly performed a complex double-figure-eight slice, taking wing at the end of it and  moving into position flanking Lilith.

 

"Ma'am, I'd be honored to have your back."

 

He gave her an honest-to-Celestia Cloudsdale salute, ready for action.

 

The other ponies seemed to all be onboard the dragons and ready for flight... all except for Kitchen Sink; there was no sign of her.

 

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

 

Lilith's thought that the advance troop seemed small was more accurate than she knew...

 

On the other end of town, at the docks that Winter and Harcourt had left from, the fog rolled in tightly and thick.  Smoothly flowing over the surface of the water came what looked to be small mounds of dirt, floating in the water.  They drifted along, borne on a thick fogbank.  

 

Thick... and unnatural.  

 

When the first of the humps reached the beachhead, it ground to a halt.  Then, after a few seconds, a tarp pulled away, revealing a simple rowboat underneath - and three Darkmane soldiers.  They slipped out of the floating transport and made their way quietly

up to the shore, covered by the layer of pea-soup-thick fog as they moved in silence.

 

Every other mound followed suit, releasing its' nasty surprise onto the shores of the little village.  Occasionally, one of the boats would produce a unicorn, their horns glowing softly as they kept up the fog blanket.  They weren't here for any other purpose than to dispatch as many ponies as possible - and certain ones had pay bonuses for killing.  

 

The groups slowly merged into one large blot of silent shadow, creeping toward the town like dark lava - intent on burning the refugees/Resistance members right off the face of the map.

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Randimaxis, @@Pucksterv, Jay gave everything that she had to give to heal Harcourt. She was concentrating so hard, that even when her healing was done and the big stallion was restored by her magic, she didn't notice the glow emitting from her flanks til she sat back. Then she let out a gasp and stared at her flank in wonder. All the time she had been enslaved by Jinx, she had had the false cutie mark of the yinyang; when Jinx had left her mind, that had disappeared to leave Jay a blank flank. She had never thought that she would ever learn her special talent and would remain a blank flank for the rest of her life. Now, she gazed in wonder at her flank as a cutie mark formed there.

 

The cutie mark showed a healing symbol, the exact same shade of mint as the green parts of her mane and tail, with a golden phoenix feather entwined in the symbol. Jay watched, unable to look away, as the glow faded and then stood up, facing Trivy and Harcourt.

 

"It... it finally happened," she said, softly, still amazed. "Just as Twilight said... I found my destiny here."

[Pucksterv 4,508]

@@Randimaxis, @@Pripyat Pony, 

 

"It... it finally happened," she said, softly, still amazed. "Just as Twilight said... I found my destiny here."

 

Suddenly, the unsuspecting unicorn was grabbed in a tight hug by a mare in tears.

 

''Thank you thank you Jay.'' Trivy said with severe gratitude. ''You really are a true friend.''

Because she knew how insecure Jay was about her magic. She knew she had taken a risk even though she said she had always been better at healing magic.

 

She glanced at the fading light from her flank. ''You've earned it''

 

''That something you dont see everyday.'' Summer said a bit overwhelmed by everything that had happened while his sister stood next to him, jaw dropped.

 

Trivy looked back at Harcourt and the griffon she had noticed before who was sitting at this side. She sat down as well as she laid her hoof on Harcourt's.

 

''I thought you drowned.'' Winter said smiling surprised.

 

''So did I.'' Trivia sighed happily as she looked at the old stallion.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Pucksterv

@Pripyat Pony

@-Octavia-

@Stardust*

 

(I've been waiting for this moment for a LONG time...)

 

 

  Life, such as it is, can be a bitter, hateful and selfish creature.

 

  In Harcourt's experience, it had taken EVERYTHING from him: 

 

  His family has been slaughtered down to the last member - himself.  His home was now in Darkmane hooves, and there was no telling what it had become in the absence of a Blackwater... or even if it still stood.  His friends, one by one, seemed to keep disappearing right in front of his eyes.  His name, all but stricken from the records and relieved of all title and domain, regardless of the fact that the Blackwaters had fought hard to earn them.  His sanity, slipping from his mind like a grease-covered snake, trying desperately to maintain hold.

 

  Life had taken ALL of these things from the last remaining Blackwater, and he had suffered for it.  The pain had nearly overwhelmed him a number of times, and yet he had continued to struggle and fight and push, regardless of life's cracking of the whip, demanding more and more of his time, effort, and flesh in exchange for the tiniest grain of reason to hold onto.

 

  Such as it was, life was a bully.  In separating him from Trivy, it had slapped Harcourt down, beaten him within an inch of his existence... it had walked all over him, even dancing a little jig of smugness as it slid a heel over his face.  Then, it simply left his very soul to bleed out in the gutter, still strapped to that thrice-damned cart.

 

  Sometimes, you wonder if the matter is worth facing.  You fight and struggle, but the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against you from the very beginning, and dear, sweet life usually takes no taste as scrumptious, as delicious as the one it gets from the bitter tears of defeat, rolling down the shamed cheek of the unforgiven as their lives slip away, meaning unrealized, answers unknown.

 

 

  But sometimes... only sometimes... life gives something back.

 

 

  When Harcourt's eyes opened, the first thing they saw was...

 

  "... Trivia?"

 

  His voice was soft, a squeak from the middle of his barrel where an ancient-seeming hinge had ground against the rust on his heart.  In that single word was the projected fear and hope of what implications thundered through the stratosphere of his fatescape, cirrus clouds of futures, once thought dissipated, now forming a cumulonimbus above that thundered with possibilities re-awakened.

 

  "... Tri... vi... a?"

 

  The word sounded stilted, as if he was stuck in a miasma of disbelief.  Then, the cloud-cover broke, and the ray that shone down from above lit on the elder pony's very soul... and set it instantly ablaze.

 

  "TRIVIA!!!!!"

 

  He leapt up like a spring foal, grabbed Trivy by her sides and lifting her into the air as if she was the most glorious thing he'd ever seen, his eyes devouring her ravenously as his mind tried to understand what he was seeing; regardless, he whooped out a bray of loud, almost insane laughter as he spun her around, standing on his hindlegs to do it.

 

  After a few circles, he set her down but couldn't let go of her; he grabbed her in a tight embrace, squeezing for all of a few seconds before stepping back to look at her, then bursting out laughing and doing the entire rigamarole all over again.

 

  I will never lose faith again, on my honor as a Blackwater... thank you, Father.

 

  After the third time, he finally let go of her and just stared and stared as if he expected her to vanish in a puff of smoke.

 

  "You're alive!  You're ALIVE!  I want to know how oh yes I do but it still stands that you're ALIVE!"

 

  He turned to Winter - "She's ALIVE!" - and the griffon felt her eyes bug out as squeezed her in a hug too.  He glanced around at the others; wiser ponies took a tentative step back.  

 

  "Mercy lives.  By Luna's Tiara, how is it possible?"  He then noticed Jay, and gave her a curious, but smiling look.  "Already replaced me, have you?  Ha-HA!  And who is your kind friend?  'Twas it she who was responsible for your release?"

 

  He was upon Jay in a moment, sweeping up her hoof into his and, bowing, kissing it lightly.  "An endless stream of sincerest thanks will flow forever from my heart if YOU are the one who brought her back to me - and I shall owe you my life."

 

  It was as if someone had partially turned back time for the stallion; the gray stripes in his mane looked a bit darker, the light in his eye more steady, the grizzled look - but a bit less grizzed.  Though it was not five minutes ago that he was being dragged across the threshold into the afterlife by the reaper itself... and now, he looked as though he might have actually handled a dragon or two.

 

  Trivy had NEVER seen Harcourt this spry; to be honest, Harcourt himself hadn't felt like this in a long time.  

 

   A long, long time.

 

 

(I'll answer the other part later; this drained me.)

[Stardust* 3,302]

@@Randimaxis,@, @@-Octavia-,  

 

Stardust was pulling up the rear of the group making sure to keep an eye and continuously  count the number of ponies on the ground. Moving to and fro flying forward a ways then over and then falling back again. Making sure that nopony was to fall out of line or out of sight. We must be getting closer. She thought. 

 

Again she flew forward, 1...2...4....8....okay. She spread her wings to slow her down and resume her position. Each time she counted Aria her mind would race for a moment, of their recent conversations, right before she grew very silent. What was she going to tell me in that kitchen? Why was she so hesitant? she snapped out of it and back to her objective. The trees seemed to fly by as the group ran deeper into the forest. This was the quickest the group has ever traveled, and a large part is due to those dragons of Spike's they truly were amazing. With each beat of her wings they grew closer and closer to the home of the Rangers. From there, they would travel across the ocean. Back to Baltamare. 

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Pucksterv, @@Randimaxis, Jay had never been happier in her entire life. She gladly hugged Trivy, and received Harcourt's thanks, tears of joy running unheeded down her face. Despite her tiredness from the prolonged healing magic she had performed, Jay felt as this was the best day she'd ever had. She had gained her cutie mark, filled the blank space on her flank which had taunted her for years, and also, gotten a new friend in Harcourt. Even tho they all faced a big struggle ahead, somehow right now, nothing seemed to be too difficult.

[That One Techpriest You Used To Know 2,286]

@@Stardust*, @@Randimaxis, @@-Octavia-,

 

Lilith whistled as night settled in, carefully lowering herself from a nearby tree before approaching the group. "There is a Ranger's hideout nearby. It is abandoned, at least for now- chances are their occupants are currently attempting to examine and report the threat of the approaching force. As this is an emergency, I'm sure they won't mind us using it." She squinted- the new moon shedding almost no light for her to see by- before carefully feeling around. Her hoof brushed against a crevice in the ground and she smiled carefully, gently removing a small cover of rock and revealing a dusty wooden ladder. "Go on down. There should be spare blankets and a fireplace down there. Be careful if you light one though, the process we use to prevent smoke from rising causes the air to get warmer and smokier than usual when around a fire, so be prepared for that. Stay in the main area and don't poke around. I'm going to stick around to see if I can draw the attention of any passing rangers and get directions to the Sanctuary. They're bound to have a major meeting tomorrow. And, for goodness sakes, don't yell. While you can talk normally, the stone will echo around and it will be exceedingly obvious to everyone around you if you raise your voice above it's normal volume."

 

After assisting everyone into the small cavern below, she carefully sharpened a pair of sticks and used them to form a + on the wall- a symbol that there were non-Ranger occupants within- before quietly returning to the trees, closing her eyes and focusing her ears to hear anything moving nearby. The Rangers would be moving as fast as they would dare towards the Sanctuary, meaning that if she just focused...

[Stardust* 3,302]

@,@@Randimaxis, @@-Octavia-,  

 

Stardust watched as Lilith moved the group into a safe place. Taking the time to make sure that everypony was secure and safe. Also making sure that the hideout had the correct markings that only another Ranger would be aware of. 

 

She kept her eyes out while this was going on. Trying to see if anything was happening. As the last one of the group was placed with the others she met with Spike, Aria, and Psych. "Okay, soon as Lilith gives the okay we will take off across the bay. We need to get to Baltamare as soon as possible. We really can't wait any longer, especially with the troops on their way, the sooner we are gone the safer the others will be." Her eyes turned up to Lilith as she lay motionless on the branch listening for any sign of motion in the forest.