Chapter 19 C: Wings clipped
"This is great! This is just great!" Sombra shouted, passing around in a cell. "We trade one fate for another; how are we suppose to get out of this?"
"We are innocent are we not?" Luna said, looking outside the window in her cell. "The evidence will come up soon. All we can do now is rest and be patient."
"What of Chrysalis? She is still ill from the curse. She needs medical attention, not prison treatment."
"You realize who I am right?" Chrysalis asked weakly from her cell. "Sombra, worry about yourself and not me, you have no reason to worry anyways."
"You know I can't do that." Sombra said, looking towards her in worry.
"In all the stories I've heard and read, never once did it say that Sombra had a heart." Cadence said, bearing a smile. "Perhaps Celestia was right about you, but when did you start to care about others rather than yourself."
"When I meet my wife all those years ago…" Sombra said with remorse. "Now the only thing left of her is my daughter, enslaved by a tyrant who calls himself a king."
"We have all lost something that we once held dear, but talking about the past will not fix it." Enderpearl commented. "If you want results you are going to have to look forward. Celestia was called to see the gryphon king alone for a reason, if anyone can get us out, she will."
"That's the smartest thing you've said in a while, did you read a book or something?" Blueblood asked in a teasing tone.
"I have my moments of wisdom. Tell me though, since when is it smart to upset a mare?"
"Will you let that go already, it's not like I did anything criminal."
"Did you even apologize?"
"I would...If i knew what to apologize for."
"Well until you find out I would watch yourself, I hear she can make some fantastic clothing out of anything really." Enderpearl warned.
"And what is that suppose to mean?" Blueblood asked, sweating a bit.
"It means Rarity will turn you into a hat if you're not careful." Rainbow remarked.
"Blueblood is going to be a hat?! Oooo, can I wear him when you're done Rarity." Pinkie asked.
Rarity was too busy fixing up her cell to even hear the conversation. Somehow, she brought her fainting couch with her and snuck it in.
"I don't think she heard you, Pinkie." Applejack said. "We might as well rest...if we can that is."
"At least this is better then sleeping outside." Fluttershy said, laying on her mattress.
"I beg to differ." Discord objected bluntly, keeping his head down because he was too big to fit in the cell.
Celestia waited before an empty chair as about twelve guards stood around her. If you could describe the room in three words: Stones and torches. The floors, the walls, all made of stone. There was wood to spice it up, but only just. The small crackling sounds from the large fire pit in the middle of the room helped ease up the tension during the silence. There was no cheering or saluting when the king appeared, just the sound of him walking down the thrones steps to Celestia herself and signalling the guards to leave.
"Do you know who I am?" The dark gray gryphon asked.
"King Thoren. Why would I forget?" Celestia asked.
Thoren stroked his white beard before responding.
"I will make this simple for you to understand. You were brought in because of crimes against our people, but that is only part of the reason. The war we had was long ago and many have forgotten or moved on, but it doesn't make what I have to say any easier. Saberclaw, the one that was slain by your hoof, was my ancestor. My family has demanded your death for centuries and now you stand before me. I am no fool, I cannot best you in combat, my age forbids it and your deeds do not reflect that of a killer.
This, among other reasons, is why I don't believe you destroyed the city of Talos. For my people's sake, I can not let you leave until you have been proven innocent. You must forgive the guards for the rough treatment they gave to you and your friends, but they still hold grudges even to this day. If you are proven innocent like I believe, you are to gather supplies and leave before it is too late. The Fallen Dawn still exists and they will stop at nothing to behead you and your allies. Until you are freed, you are to remain under my protection at all times. Now walk with me."
Thoren waited for Celestia to walk past him before catching up to her and passing next to her. They both remained silent as they walked slowly along the hall, looking out the windows overlooking the city from the top of the mountain.
"What really happened in those final moments with Saberclaw. I want to know your side of the story." Thoren asked.
Celestia took a deep breath and sighed softly, remembering other times of darkness.
"He impaled himself on my spear, I couldn't stop him in time and by the time I realized what had happened the battle had concluded. He was a great warrior but he was also...angry at us. He claimed he wanted our land but for him to slaughter so many...there had to be another reason."
"I see...but I have more questions. Why did you simply watch as your nation fell? Why did you let the sun fall? Why did you let Dark Fire take over?"
"I couldn't do it anymore...it was too much."
"He was Night Shadow was he not. The same one that stood against Herus?" Thoren asked rhetorically. "If so, how could he have changed so much and why was his existence kept secret for so long?"
"That is what miasma can do to the living. It turns them into destroyers and murderers. I kept Night Shadow a secret because I was afraid that they would find out the truth."
"The truth of what?"
"The truth about who he is...and who his parents were."
"His parents? Can you please explain?"
"I was there when he was born. I knew his parents very well...they were...different from the world. They believed they could change it for the better and bring hope back to this world. one year later...he was taken by Herus and was turned into a soldier. I was there when they took him...I did everything I could."
"The prophecy states a hero would have been born from immortals and his mother would have been a virtuous ruler. Was that true about him...or was he not the one from the prophecy?" Thoren asked.
"His parents...were alicorns. One of royalty and the other of poverty. Their marriage was kept secret from their parents, fearing of rejection from them. Despite this, they remained loyal to the end."
"But if he had alicorn parents, then why is he a unicorn?"
"They placed a spell on him when he was young to make him mortal so none would find out. If Herus had taken him when he was an alicorn he would have been killed before he could've even speak."
"But who were his parents and what were they like?"
"I'm sorry, but I have already said too much."
"Celestia...the war with the alicorns are over and a new one has started because of Night Shadow. If we are going to defeat him, we need to know who he is. Why are you hiding things from those that suffer exactly like you do? What makes him so different from all the other threats you have faced?!" Thoren started to shout. "What power does he have over you to make you give up when you could have stopped him years ago! WHY ARE YOU HIDING THINGS FROM US?!"
"Because…"
Celestia paused in the middle of her sentence, hesitating to give an answer.
"Tell me...you can't keep this secret forever." Thoren whispered.
Just before Celestia could respond, a large light flashed in the distance. Seconds later, fire abruptly started in the forest miles away in the same location Celestia and her group came from.
"What is that?!" Thoren shouted out.
Celestia looked at the fire and turned to the gryphon king.
"Prepare your army and keep your people indoors, what you are about to face is nothing like you have ever seen before."
"What do you mean?" The king asked.
"Risen…"
After thirty minutes the flames died down in the forest, but the worst was yet to come. Undead minions emerged from the darkness of the forest in vast numbers, ranging from undead ponies to risen atrocities and abominations from the creator himself. Desolent stayed back and simply watched as his small army marched into the open field, confident nothing would stop them in their tracks.
"They sent out one squad to investigate! Only a small squad of only five gryphons to investigate what I had done! No matter...after this they all see what I'm capable of once I send out their very own race to destroy them. I'm going to dethrone their king right before their eyes and laugh as I spill his blood onto the floor!"
Desolent laughed softly to himself before extending his hoof.
"I might have assisted you in the past, but now it is time for you to prove yourself without my guidance. Take the city...and erase them from the face of the map!"
The undead charged forward towards the mountain and began to ascend to the top quickly. During this, the gryphons on the city walls readied their bows and lit the tips of their arrows with enchanted blue fire.
"Hold until you have a clear shot, every arrow counts. If we are to survive we cannot allow one filthy beast to breach our defences." General Ulfar commanded. "The king and his people are counting on you, do not fail, do not falter, protect the mountain we call home!"
The moment one undead came into view, the general dropped his wing.
"NOW!"
At that moment, a flurry of hundreds of arrows flew down the mountain, striking everything in their path. The screeches of the undead pierced the ears of the archers every time one was struck, leaving a reminder of what is to come if they could not stop the threat. Arrow after arrow was shot, undead after undead was slain, but yet more would come to take their place.
"There's to many of them to hold back with arrows alone! Ready the traps and prepare to face them up close!" Ulfar commanded before looking down at the gryphons behind the wall. "DRAW YOUR WEAPONS AND BRACE YOURSELF! ARCHERS, AWAIT MY COMMAND!"
The archers on the walls threw their bows down to those on the ground as the braced themselves against the large wells they drew fire from. Those that picked up the bows flared out their wings and drew an arrow, ready for the next command.
"Remember your training! Remember your family! REMEMBER WHY WE FIGHT! ATTACK!"
The gryphons on the wall pushed the wells over the wall, igniting the side of the mountain in blue flames. In addition, they threw down large boulders and barrels filled with flammable explosive powder onto the undead below. In the same moment, the cities gates opened, signalling the archers below to take flight while the warriors dashed forward with spears and swords. The gryphons now had control of the air as they bombarded the undead from above, igniting the barrels with their arrows to cause an explosion of great proportions. Those with swords and spears mopped up what was left behind by the archers in a bold but heroic effort.
The battle lasted for only an hour before the undead were mysteriously called off, resulting in the gryphons to cheer in victory.
"It would seem you are still not ready to face them alone…" Desolent commented as he heard the faint cheers from a distant. "I shouldn't have underestimated them…or overestimated my creations." Desolent chuckled as he bore a smirk. "They have proven themselves, so they shall live another day. I will return however, and we shall see how sweet your victory is then."
Desolent vanished in a blink of an eye as the undead reseeded back into the forest, leaving those that fell behind. From that day forth, he would send out small armies to attack the city, training his minions to fight without his commands. unknowing to him, however, these attacks trained the gryphons to be prepared and on edge at all times. They sharpened their skills and tactics, losing less and less lives each day until none were lost at all. The attacks were more of a training session to them rather than a serious threat but Desolent didn't care. He actually found entertainment in the fact that he was giving them false hope when he could wipe them out himself if he wished. In fact, while the capital was distracted, Desolent took over other cities along the east and increased his army while the king rested easily.
Eventually, Nightmare Twilight moved her army into the Gryphon kingdom from the west and attacked the capital herself at one point, except she was only interested in testing out her strength. She summoned the ghosts and spirits of those that were both wandering the earth and damned to hell with her miasmic powers. This gave her creations a black, transparent appearance that was both frightening and threatening. In a nutshell, she was capable of summoning shades of fallen warriors and magicians to fight for her, no matter what time period they were from. In the end, she backed off from the capital, satisfied with her powers and discoveries.
Despite all of this, there was still no evidence to either convict Celestia and her friends, or prove them innocent, thus they were still prisoners. They were eventually put under house arrest in the gryphon king's palace where they lived like civilians but were still prisoners in the peoples eyes. Everything was well, despite the setbacks, and it would have seemed they would soon be able to unite the gryphons to Celestia's cause. But in the end...nothing is as good at it seems.
Present day
"Ulfar has not returned in some time...I wonder what has happened to him." Thoren asked himself, passing around the fire in the throne room. "I don't like this...he left without giving me a reason why or without telling me where he was going. He took some of my best guards with him to."
"Why are you worrying about it so much. He's only one gryphon that could easily be replaced."
Thoren looked up to see one of his personal guards lounging in his throne, trimming his claws with a sharpened knife. His upper half represented the king's looks but it was darker, almost the color of black. His wings however, were just a dark as the night, but instead of black feathers they were white. Finally, his bottom half represented a dark gray lion.
"Get off my throne, Malcar."
"Why, it's the only chair in here. It's not like-
"Now!"
Malcar snarled as he got up and walked down the steps, yawning as he did.
"This is getting boring, when is the next attack going to be?"
"Is that all you think about?" Thoren asked, continuing to pace around.
"I'm a warrior, I live to fight! You think I want to wait around and do nothing while the enemy prepares its next move?! When are we going to counter attack?! We can't just-
Thoren raised his talon in the air, silencing the soldier as Celestia and Nightmare Moon stepped into the room. Quickly followed were five guards and a white gryphon with black feathers on his wings, practically being the opposite of Malcar in every way.
"We wish to speak to you in private." Celestia said.
"Preferably without others hearing." Nightmare added.
"What for? Why should a pony have authority over-
"That's enough Malcar." Thoren said in a serious tone. "Guards, await outside of the chambers, I will be fine alone."
"You can't be serious? You're placing ponies above your own guards?!"
"Malcar...thats an order."
The dark gryphon rolled his eyes as he left the room with the others except the white gryphon, who waited silently as he looked at Thoren.
"I'll be fine, Arch...go with the others."
The gryphon nodded in silence before turning to leave. Once the doors shut behind Celestia and Nightmare, Thoren sighed deeply in frustration.
"I might be old, that that gives Malcar no right to act like that."
"Why did you call one of the gryphons Arch?" Nightmare asked.
"His name, or at least what we call him, is Archangel. He doesn't speak and his family perished in a fire one unfortunate night. He does, however, posses incredible skills with a bow that was crafted by what I believe was his father. Some believe it was given to him by the gods because of it's craftsmen ship."
"And the other one?" Celestia asked.
"Malcar...feisty, but overconfident at times. He has a lust for power that worries me and the will to prove himself over and over to those he is loyal to. He's very young to be in the position of command that he is in, yet he desires more."
"He sounds like he's plotting to overthrow you." Nightmare stated.
"Overthrow me?"
"You have no heir, no successor to the throne. If he unites the guards close to him for his cause, you could be facing a civil war. If he wins, there is no one else to succeed but him."
Celestia looked to Nightmare.
"Nightmare, you can't just judge someo-
"No Celestia, she is right...to a degree." Thoren said, looking towards them. "He is plotting against me as we speak. The poor guy thinks I'm clueless but I know exactly what he is going to do."
Celestia was deeply confused just as much as Nightmare.
"Are you...sane?" Nightmare asked.
"I might be old...but that doesn't mean I don't have the strength to fight every now and then. I want to teach him several things. For instance, just because you're mumbling under your breath doesn't mean I can't hear you." Thoren said with a smirk. "You realise that gryphon tradition is different from ponies right? The way power is displayed and earned is when they can defeat their superior. Not to be compared to wolves, we are more civilized when we challenge each other."
"Won't he try to kill you?" Celestia asked.
"Not sure yet...doesn't really matter either. Now, why have you come here?"
"We need to leave, we have stayed here long enough." Nightmare stated.
"What for, you are protected here."
"We fear we have endangered your people with our presence and we believe with our departure that the threat to your nation will leave with us." Celestia said with concern. "I, personally, have been the cause of too much pain and suffering because of my presence and I would hate for the same to happen to your nation."
"To add to this, we have heard that almost all of the Gryphon Kingdom is under foreign control by Desolent or Nightmare Twilight." Nightmare said. "We must leave to the northern island of the snow wolves to unite them to our cause and hopefully draw away attention from your lands."
"With this said, we ask you to join us in our cause to stop this evil from persisting any further. With our combined efforts, we can put an end to this before it is too late for the world." Celestia finished.
"I appreciate your concern...but it is no longer needed." The king stated happily.
"Thoren, are you even hearing what we are trying to say?" Nightmare asked.
"We have to leave, prisoners or not we cannot stay here." Celestia added.
"Let me be more clear. You don't have to leave because the threats have retreated from our lands. They have given up."
"What do you mean they gave up?" Nightmare asked in frustration.
"I sent troops out to retake the land that was stolen from us, which is why I haven't been able to counterattack the forces here. However, there doesn't seem to be an opposition anymore. We have won and there's no need to run anymore."
Celestia slowly walked to the window overlooking the city, worried beyond believe.
"How long ago did you get this message." Celestia asked.
"About four days ago...is there something wrong?"
Celestia remained silent as Nightmare walked next to her slowly. At that moment, Celestia closed her eyes and allowed magic to flow to her horn. It wasn't long before her horn started to glow red, making her fears a reality.
"They're coming...I know it."
"Can you be sure?"
"Sense them yourself if you don't believe me."'
Nightmare did the same, feeling the same dark magic approaching.
"How long…"
"Ten minutes."
Nightmares eyes widened as she froze in place.
"How did we not-
"Warn the others, we have to go now!" Celestia ordered.
Nightmare dashed off into the hallway while Celestia continued to look out the window.
"Celestia...you're frightening me a bit here. Tell me what you're seeing?" Thoren asked.
Celestia turned to the king with a grim look.
"Evacuate the city...the capital has fallen."
Nightmare ran down the hallways of the palace until she reached the room where the others were staying, practically bashing down the door
"We need to go now!" Nightmare yelled.
Enderpearl looked right at Nightmare and then went back to sleep while Sombra, Pinkie, and practically everyone else continued to play cards.
"You have any kings?" Cadence asked.
Everyone shook their heads.
"Wait, Wait! I have one!" Pinkie shouted, picking up Sombra.
"PUT ME DOWN YOU CRAZY-
Pinkie slammed him onto the table on his back, almost breaking it in half.
"Do I win?!" She asked, wagging her tail insanely.
"Ummm, no Pinkie. You didn't." Rainbow sighed in frustration.
"Awwwwwwwww."
"Ok, do you have an queens."
Once again, everyone shook their heads.
"WAIT, I HA-
Chrysalis eyes widened.
"DON'T EVEN THINK AB-
Chrysalis was next to be thrown onto the table, who actually landed on Sombra face down. The two looked at each other and blushed until the table collapsed, sending cards everywhere. It was then Nightmare teleported in the middle of the room, completely pissed.
"I SAID NOW!"
Everyone suddenly got up and saluted her, shouting out hail Nightmare.
"No that's not…*sigh*...get your stuff together, we have to go as soon as possible."
They all stood there confused.
"But...we don't have any stuff, miss Nightmare." Fluttershy whispered.
"Oh...right."
Celestia stood on the wall next to Thoren as they evacuated everyone they could from the city, but there was just too many of them. Eventually, after several minutes had passed, the guards closed the gates, preventing anyone from leaving. Only ten percent of the city was evacuated.
"Do you think it made a difference…" Thoren asked.
"Every life makes a difference." Celestia stated, watching out into the forest as a massive army emerged from the darkness of the forest they once came from.
A crystal pony watched the city with binoculars as the army suddenly stopped behind him. He smirked with excitement as he took out his rifle and loaded it with anti-infantry rounds.
"City is in sight, commander, permission to start bombardment."
"You are cleared, Crystal Shield, fire when ready." Flash Sentry responded.
"With pleasure."
The crystal pony activated his intercom.
"Prepare for some fireworks boys, bring in the toys."
Moments later, hundreds of huge artillery cannons rolled into view on four massive trends. Each cannon was over one-hundred feet long, not counting the vehicle itself.
"Prepare to fire."
The cannons slowly aimed at the city and were soon loaded up with massive shells. Meanwhile, Celestia watched in complete horror, knowing what was to come.
"Even to this day, Herus still tortures us all." Celestia whispered. "EVERYONE TAKE COVER!"
"Fire."
The cannons shoot out what looked like pillars of flames and smoke and seconds later, the shells hit the city, obliterating everything they landed on.
"WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE THINGS!" Thoren screamed out before a shell exploded several hundred yards behind him, forcing him to fall on the ground.
Celestia heard the screams of pain all around her, forcing her to remember the horrors of war once again.
"I can't let them do this!" Celestia shouted, flaring out her wings and glowing bright white.
"NO, IF YOU REVEAL YOURSELF NOW THEY WILL HUNT YOU DOWN!"
"THEY HAVE BEEN HUNTING ME DOWN FROM THE START, WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE!" Celestia yelled.
More artillery shells crashed around them, destroying building after building and claiming dozens of lives with each explosion.
"BECAUSE IF YOU ATTACK THEM, HERE AND NOW, THEY WILL TEAR APART MY NATION UNTIL THEY FIND YOU! AND THEY WILL SPARE NO ONE UNTIL THEY DO SO! THEY WILL KNOW EXACTLY WHERE TO GO AND LOOK IF YOU DO! YOU ARE THE LAST HOPE FOR OUR WORLD, DON'T THROW IT AWAY TO SAVE ONE CITY!"
Celestia rose in anger as she tried to calm down, but as more lives were taken, the more her anger grew.
"I know it's hard to see suffering and pain! But this isn't the way to stop it from happening!"
"There is no escape now, we have to fight!"
"There is one way and It's through the mountain! There's nothing left for you here! Go to the north, find help and take whatever you need! We will hold them off as long as we can!" Thoren shouted.
"But you will-
"I SAID GO!"
Celestia shed tears once again as she vanished, realising she had failed once again. Thoren reached behind his back and drew a large sword, bringing it close to his beak and closing his eyes as his two personal guards landed next to him.
"Malcar, Archangel! Defend the alicorns with your lives, my time on this world has come to an end.
Both the guards were shocked at his command, but they followed without objection. Thoren pointed his sword towards the opposing army and faired his wings.
"TONIGHT, WE WILL ALL BECOME TRUE WARRIORS! CHARGE!"
All the gryphons took flight and flew down the mountain towards the army with absolute courage, intimidating the army with their bold nature.
"What the heck are they doing?!" Flash Sentry asked in confusion and shock, observing the charge with his sniper rifle.
"Their charging at us? Are they idiots!" Shining Armor asked in amazement.
Flash activated his intercom and shouted into the speaker.
"ATTACK!"
Thousands upon thousands of ponies rushed out into the field filled with snow before rain began to fall from the sky heavily. As soon as lightning flashed in the background, the ponies drew their weapons and fired into the massive gryphon army, lighting up the battlefield in red lights. Within seconds, many gryphons had been shot down before they could even reach their opponents, but the gryphons had numbers on their side. Once the gryphons finally reached the ponies, it became a blood bath.
"The gryphons are gaining the advantage, what are we going to do?" Shining asked.
"KEEP PUSHING, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO! NOW SHUTUP AND DO SOMETHING USEFUL!" Flash yelled, throwing him the sniper rifle.
"I-I don't know how to use this!"
"OH YOU'RE WORTHLESS!"
Flash took off into the air until he reached the cloud layer, flying right through the storm clouds. Above the clouds were thousands of ponies either readying their wings or strapping on jetbacks. They loaded their weapons and prepared for the order.
"I'll let Shining handle the easy job while I get my hooves dirty." Flash said, looking towards the army in the clouds. "Alright maggots, were about to drop into the city and exterminate the reserve forces and civilians while the other fight on the main battlefield. Any questions!"
"Yeah, wh-
The pony was abruptly shot in the face by Flash's laser pistol.
"Any more questions!"
They all remained silent.
"Good! Now lets clip the wings off these gryphons! Crystal Shield, we're ready, stop the bombardment.
The ponies dropped out of the clouds and soon landed into the destroyed city, blasting at everything they that moved. Some threw bombs into the homes and others lit homes on fire with flame throwers, not caring about age or gender. They sought out to destroy, truly becoming what Death Fire had desired...ruthless and heartless monsters.
Celestia appeared in the throne room where the others waited for her in terror.
"What is going on out there?!" Luna asked before a rocket blasted a huge hole in the wall next to them.
"Do I really have to explain!" Celestia said, getting back onto her hooves.
"Wait!"
The group turned to see Malcar and Archangel fly in and land next to them.
"I know the quickest way, follow me!" Malcar yelled, flying down the hallway.
The other followed quickly, running past many obstacles and debris until they ran past the large horizontal window that overlooked the burning city.
"How far is it!" Celestia asked.
"Half a mile, so kick it into full gear!"
As they continued to run the ceiling caved in, forcing everyone to hit the floor abruptly. Sombra looked outside the window and saw several large, missiles coming straight at them.
"CELESTIA!"
Celestia looked out the window, freezing up at the sight until Archangel slid in front of her and drew back his bow, conjuring several golden arrows before he shot them at the missles. Moments later, the missiles exploded and sent out metallic fragments towards the group until Chrysalis stopped them with her magic.
"Get going!" Chrysalis ordered.
They got back up to their hooves and dashed for it yet again, reaching the back entrance of the palace and entering outside. Once they were several yards away, a huge artillery shell blasted through the palace and exploded violently, launching everyone forward into the ground. Once the recovered, several ponies had landed around them and began to fire. This time Celestia was ready and deflected the lasers away from the group while Sombra and Enderpearl fired back with high powered beams of magic.
As Fluttershy struggled to get up, a pony soldier landed before her and almost fired until Malcar drew his large hammer and smashed a pony right threw a window of a house. Discord quickly picked her up and continued to run towards the exit as the others continued forward.
"It's up there, run for it!" Malcar shouted, pointing towards a large cave as he smashed another pony with his hammer.
Archangel landed next to Malcar, pulling back his bow and picking off more ponies while the others entered the cave.
"You need to come with us! You will die if you don't!" Celestia said, blocking off lasers as she stood next to the gryphons.
"I'm fine! Just worry about your own self for once!" Malcar yelled, dropping his hammer and grabbing his crossbow on his back.
"Celestia, lets go!" Luna yelled, grabbing her older sister by the tail and pulling.
Just then, another huge shell blasted the top of the cave, sending down an avalanche of rocks that was about to block off the exit.
"GOD *# & CELESTIA, DO I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING MYSELF!"
Malcar abruptly picked up Celestia and threw her towards the inside the caves entrance just as the avalanche was about to block off the exit.
"We will see each other again! Don't you worry abou-
The group suddenly saw Malcar shot in the back several times just before the avalanche closed off the exit, silencing the battle completely from inside.
"Well...what now?" Cadence asked.
"Now…?" Discord said, snapping his fingers to generate light. "Now we press forward."