On the frozen island, the Titan Airship's repairs were finally complete. Fredricson admired his work with a bold smile, glad to not be hinder by the hellish weather of this place. Thinking about it now, it was rather strange that this entire island was abandoned and constantly covered in an endless blizzard. The front side of it was frozen, overcasting an ocean so warm and untethered by the ice. The resources on this island would have been enough for a city full of life and yet nothing could be found here.
The ship's engines rumbled to life as it began to lift off the ground. "Now all I need to do is get back to the mainland. Better call for Starswirl to join us." He stopped, noticing the old wizard wasn't resting with Lady Cat and the siren sisters. "Where did he wander off to?" The earth pony turned back to the fortress, seeing the footprints in the snow. "Older than me by several millennia, but sometimes he has too much of a child's curiosity."
Following the tracks deep into the remains of the fortress, his voice echoed through the halls. "Starswirl, are you in here? We're ready to go home." When he didn't get an answer, he went further inside. Reaching past several destroyed rooms, some had just collapsed from the ice, others were clearly torn through. Whether it was by raiders or the icy monster that froze this place, he didn't care. Both were gone long ago.
Finally, he reached a room with a giant hole in the floor. Looking down, he could see the tracks leading into the abyss. "Starswirl?!" he called down, hoping his friend would reply.
"Down here!" The old wizard answered. "Bring a notepad and a bag... I might have some evidence for Rex."
Fred nodded, rushing back out and gathering up his supplies before returning. Starswirl had cleared the area of snow and was using a spell to illuminate the area, giving them enough light to see. He could have summoned the items himself but didn't want to push his weakened state after the near-fatal fight with Thule. Plus, he was still unsure if the tentacle beast ever left at all.
Accepting the advice of Lord Red, Starswirl was using his simplest of spells to maintain a light for him and the captain to see. Smiling upon Fred's return, he guided the earth pony inside the abyss and into the basement of the fortress. Once in place, he told him to mark down every word. "This place is quite strange. From the surface, it seemed like the only thing that destroyed this fortress was the ice... But on closer inspection, fire consumed it too. And the way the debris is scattered, it's not natural to just one form of destruction."
"You're saying both fire and ice collided in this place."
"I know it did." Starswirl broke off a shard of debris, showing him the crystalline structures. "Burned and frozen, back and forth. It's the only explanation for this kind of damage. There are also traces of both types of magic in the air, though very faint and old. Also, sound magic that's just as if not fainter."
Fred took a breath and wrote the information down. "How old exactly?"
"About three thousand years... No, five thousands years ago. At least long before the defeat of Ixion, but not before the slaying of Calavoss." He pointed at a small piece of stone, broken and chipped in a peculiar shape. "That was an ancient spell circle... A very specific spell. If I'm not mistaken, this fortress was used by a cult... of sirens."
"Just like the sisters."
"Yes..." Starswirl rubbed his beard. "We both know the tale of this place..." He held up his hands to the area. "Adagio, Aria, Sonata... The oldest of their family died guarding this place." He shined the light over the scene, answering the obvious now. This is the last battleground of Indigo Frost.
Fred turned back to the airship and wondered out loud. "Is that why they brought us here?"
"Don't know, but this might be why Frost is after them... To hide the evidence..." Starswirl turned away and marched deep into the abyss, leading the captain to a certain spot.
"What do you mean? What evidence-" Fred was stopped as the light of the spell revealed something he didn't expect at all. The sheer size of it left him gasping, but the truth hidden behind the reveal was far more shocking. "It can't be..."
"But it is..." Starswirl stopped under the shadow of a massive skeleton overcasting a gravestone. The head was missing, but the detailing of the bone shape was as clear as day. "The corpse... of a wendigo."
Fred sketched out the whole scene as quickly as he could but the details were so particular. All he could do was write in bold letters at the bottom of the image the name of the species. "Is this connected to the wendigo that Rex has been fighting."
"Utterly so." Starswirl directed the captain's sight to the neck and the missing head. "I found the jawbone at the entrance of the abyss but no skull at all. He took it and wears it even now..."
"So what that old siren said was true."
"However, the attire of Lord Frost is not the real reason for being here." He broke off a piece of the neck bone and placed it inside the bag. Placing the bag onto of the gravestone he directed Fred to write down the name on the grave.
"In honor..." The captain's eyes widened upon reading, unable to finish.
"In honor of my father and mother." Starswirl turned away regarding the grave's words. "This is the tomb of Lord Frost's father, the real Indigo Frost... and his mother." His hands tightened, remembering the details of the story and realizing the truth was in front of them the whole time. "His mother was the former queen of the sirens."
"Frost... is half siren." Fred couldn't believe the words that left his lips, but the evidence was right there.
"Yes, it seems so." Starswirl frowned in disappointment. "C. C. Frost, I believe that what Aitym called him. He is a half breed between a siren and a wendigo... It would explain his unique nature and powers." Stopping for a moment he cleared his voice upon realizing something even worse. "The hatred between these two races has burned for five thousand years."
"Wait, does that mean?"
"This is where it all started." Starswirl stepped back, seeing the full picture now. "His plans began here."
"Not exactly!" A new voice echoed behind them that stopped them clear in their tracks. It wasn't the rotting voice of Thule, nor the icy voice of the wendigo but a new voice altogether. "This was the start of the war. However, his hatred wasn't fully forged until long after his parents rotted away!" Both captain and wizard spun around and in defense only for their weapons to be stopped and magic faded. The shine was taken away and cast over a new figure. It was a pink pony, whose species was unknown, in the finest of green business suit.
"Oh, this island is full of surprises." Starswirl smiled at the visage in front of them.
"Welcome the Island of Lost Souls. Birthplace of the halfbreed, an much later, his hellish declaration. All of it right above my laboratory." The pink pony laughed as he approached them. "Now that you know the truth, I suggest you leave my island."
"Your island?" The captain pointed back to the grave.
"Not quite," Starswirl corrected him. "Before Crisis Blue claimed this place for his siren fortress it was ruled over by another." He held out his hand to the earth pony to calm his breath. "Somepony who would never openly threaten his father' oldest friend." Holds his other hand to the pink pony and offers a handshake. "I never thought our first meeting with be like this."
"Nor did I, Starswirl." The pink pony returned the favor.
Fred was lost for a moment, watching them shake hands and the tension in the air fade. He threw up his hands and demanded answers for all these confusions. "Wait, another pair of father and son. Who is this?!"
"The lover of Blood Diamond, a rival of Princess Luna and mentor to a multitude of mind bending masters... Self-proclaim god of the mindscape and the son of the great the Gods of Corruption and Balance, Hollow Prince."
The alicorn citadel was a buzz of all the things that happened in Giant Blue Hourglass. From Pegasus Isles being ripped apart in a multitude of floating islands to the sheer abandonment of the Batpony Canyons. Combining this with the old news and rumors of Princess Platinum's return and reclaiming of her old lands. All this information left the immortal alicorns rushing around their infinite fortress with a mix of stress and happiness. Some wanted the mortals to grow stronger from these disasters and wars, while others wanted nothing more than these pitful lower races to hide back in the caves they crawled out of.
Golden Williams was very much on the fence, taking neither side. His soul was so simple and innocent-minded. Sure, he knew and understood when the mortals needed to be put in their place. He never stopped his brother and father's wars turned killing competition. Frankly, he found their way of handling it far too barbaric, if only they were more like his younger sister. Despite being the oldest sibling, first born, Golden Williams didn't have the heart to step up to the plate and commit a few genocides.
His father seemingly expected this path for him, calling it a weakness, and yet still kept his son at the family dinner table. In fact, he treated Blood Diamond with harsher punishments. Perhaps his father deemed him from the beginning to be a politician and nothing more? Whatever the case, Golden Williams was the most well-versed in mortal affairs, through words alone. And it was for this reason that Topaz Silk called upon him on this day.
He arrived at her legendary church, just outside of the Crystal Empire. She was kneeling the center of the altar, praying and humming her beautiful tune. Above her was the visage of the lord they all worshipped, the giant centipede god of Corruption and Balance. Golden Williams had to admit, that seeing the pure and unrefined mixed with the distort and the ugly always sent shivers down his spine. He knew that one day, he and his family would face their god's kindness and wrath. All knew that was the day, that all alicorns would perish within planetary teeth. This was shown most blatantly with a visage of the earth itself being a tiny spec inside the statue's jaws.
Golden Williams kneeled down beside Topaz Silk and sang with her. The crystal ponies listening to the union of the two alicorn voices saw it as a great blessing for all to witness. Even the guards were enamored by the sounds. They stood still, not daring to interrupt the ritual, but couldn't hide their tears. It was truly a divine experience to behold.
Eventually, the song ended and the two alicorns bowed in respect to each other before they both stood apart from the rest of the worshipers."Topaz Silk, you summoned me."
"Yes I did, dear nephew," she replied and led him to the confessional. It was a place of solitude and peace of mind. Once they were separated from the mortals that served them so loyally she spoke more bluntly. "Your father... has asked for a genocide."
"Oh? Who was the unfortunate soul to gain his attention this time?" Golden Williams laughed assuming that he was to send this message to his brother, Blood Diamond, or even Princess Luna.
"No, he wants you to decide the fate of the Earth Ponies." Topaz Silk replied grimly.
Golden Williams was left with wide eyes. "Why? I am not a killer!" He threw up his hands in confusion. "Send Blood Diamond, or anypony else. Why does my father want me to do it? He's never asked of it before. Me, to stain my hands with blood."
"Again, you misunderstand." Topaz Silk cleared her throat and tried to make this plain and simple as possible. "You will not kill a single soul by your hands. Instead, you are given one command." She pulled out a giant silver and gold arrowhead. "Over ten thousand years ago, this belonged to the buffalo race." The alicorn mare placed it firmly in his hands. "You are to offer it to the earth ponies and they must surrender it back to the buffalos they once slaughtered in the thousands years under Ixion's command."
Golden Williams looked at the arrowhead and shook his head. "That won't work, the earth ponies and buffalo despise each other. They don't see eye to eye at all and never will. There is no way they will agree to this treaty."
"That is why, my dear nephew, I asked for you, the politician among the family. You understand the mortal mind better than any immortal. Use this power to your advantage." Topaz Silk pulled his hands closer, pleading with him to save the two species. "Mend their wounds before the end of May... or Emerald Teal will wipe both species off the map in a single strike."
Golden Williams swallowed hard but nodded his head in understanding. He took the giant arrowhead and tucked it away safely. "I'll do what I can... But why me... why now?"
Topaz's horn glowed and a series of images floated around her. "As you know, at the end of last year, the unicorn, Princess Platinum posed as your father and forged a war with the alicorns." She held up the image of that event and the crystals that were used for faking the message. "Not long after that, the wendigo declared his own war with the alicorns." She showed the image of C. C. Frost. "Just hours ago, we got a possible confirmation as to why these two were making such big moves from Lord Starswirl." Continuing with more images of the old wizard. "But before even those recent things we both know of the destruction of the Giant Blue Hourglass." The final images was of the floating islands, the canyon and the many other ponies being displaced. "All of these events are directly connected."
"Wait, hold on a second. Are you suggesting that... all these events are leading to something?" Golden Williams asked, his eyes widened as he pieced everything together.
Topaz smiled and nodded her head. "Your father believe there is a plot to destroy the all pony races. The unicorns, the pegasi, the batponies, soon enough the earth ponies, the crystal ponies, and ending with us, the alicorns. He cautions every one of us to be more vigilant and aware of the reality heading toward us." She closed her eyes, her frown fading into rage as the images around her vanished. "And I must agree with him... the time of balance might come to an end if this... corruption reaches us."
Golden William closed his eyes and accepted what needed to be done. Even his pure mind couldn't deny this dire truth. "Father has deemed to cut things from the root if it can't be stopped." He took the giant arrowhead and turned away to leave the confessional. "Then so be it... I will attempt to save the earth ponies from their prejudices... Or proclaim their destruction by my father's ending strike."
Yet this place is far from the only place buzzing with crazy news. The entire Earth Pony Conglamerate lit up with the grandest reveal at the same time. Words and proclaims that left everypony breathless, including and especailly Twilight Sparkle. Her jaw dropped as the voice echoed over the lands from the very fortress they had been walking around the whole time.
"A Tournament of Darkness! Yes, you heard that right?!" The voice boomed as the visage of Carnival Carnage appeared over the entire massive country. The black and white earth pony rolled around, dressed in the most extravagant and insane clown attire. "In honor of my lord, great wendigo... Frost!" His voice echoed even louder than ever as his twisted hands reached out of everything in sight. "I come here to speak and unveil his will. However, my words are far from alone, as the former family of fame, Puddinghead, stands with me?!"
"This can't be serious..." Silver Pear tried to speak some sense for his species. However, Cold Blue stepped between him and the visage.
"No, this is real..." The siren's eyes turned away from the insult, standing beside Twilight. "The clown priest is a direct line to the wendigo that Rex fought enough times." He placed his hand on the shoulder of the alicorn to simmer her rage. "Carnage and the Puddingheads are working together."
"No, Pinkie would never side with such blatant evil..." Twilight tried to listen, but those words made no sense. "She's full of such joy and laughter... We couldn't even find her in this timeline, but there is no I could believe she is such a blind soul in this place. It makes no sense."
"You're right, it doesn't make any sense," Cold Blue agreed. "Reality rarely ever makes sense."
Carnival Carnage's twisted form slowly rolled out of the way upon somepony else moving on screen. This one left Twilight and Starlight confused, even while the rest of the earth ponies came to attention to the sight of a crippled earth pony, wrinkled, weak but very much alive. The siren beside her confirmed the identity, "Counselor Gravyback, Puddinghead's son... I never considered making contact with him, because all rumors said he was dead."
Despite his words, the weak form showed all the life it could. Weakly reaching out to the microphone with agonizing effort. The clown's smile grew, as he offered the fragile young earth pony the spot to speak his words.
"My friends, my brothers, my family." His voice was strained, full of suffering, but there was no denying his will. "I know this seems a cruel turn of fate, that the family, once famous for the many levels of peace would take this stance... But this is where the truth lies. Lord Frost has shown the alicorns to be false gods, devils not worth our worship... Why not turn our gaze away and bow under his grace?" His head fell as he coughed up blood, spilling all over the ground, but he continued onward. "My family was destroyed... slowly, all of us decayed away and they did nothing to save us." His words were clear and true, even as the drool spilled over his shirt. "And so to show our valor to a greater lord, we offer up our strongest soul!"
That blood laced word had the complete opposite effect on the ponies around Twilight than she ever expected. Instead of turning away in shame, the earth ponies raised their fists and roared in defiance. Even Silver Pear was shocked by his species' reaction. He turned his head, seeing even once wearing his clan's cutie mark were vapid with excitement.
"My father was an inspiration to all of us! Servantus Gravestone!" The name alone brought the earth ponies into a more vicious frenzy. Their roars grew louder as the visage of another earth pony appeared behind the weak and sickly one. "A martyr, a sacrifice, a merciful hero that was willing to give his life for the dream... where all ponies could leave free from false gods!" Gravyback proclaimed, his body shaking as his life was fading fast. This forced Blue Bull to pull him away from the visage and the scene of his roaring fans.
Carnival Carnage's twisted figure stepped forward to continue the conversation. "Yes, all those things and more await us in the future." His words were a crescendo of twisted sounds, the laughter of all the earth ponies in his grasp. "My Lord Frost's newest recruits, the ifrits, Sage, and Vanity will be passing out booklets. All can sign up. All can serve our species will in defying the alicorns!"
The cheers were too loud for Twilight to accept such levels of stupidity. Cold Blue could sense the simmering rage turning into something worse as the dark magic in her blood began to bloom. Shown through the red maroon smoke peppering her tears ducks. He wrapped his cloak around her and turned to Silver Pear and Starlight. "Stay out of trouble. We deliver this message to Starswirl and Clover."
Starlight nodded, knowing not to press her teacher through this any longer. She covertly cast an illusion and time stop spell over their spot to hide them leaving through a puddle "Got it, we'll hold down the fort." She waved them off and turned her gaze back to the crowd and their wild cheers.
"So, how about we find these ifrits along the way?" Silver Pear offered his hand, hoping that she was strong enough to deal with the insanity of his species.
"Obviously." Starlight replied, taking his offer.
Nearby, Hermes, and Red Steel were taken off guard by the news. They had just learned of the infamous Dark Tournament and they sought a reprieve from their worries, a moment to savor before the inevitable chaos. Their eyes lit up and their stomachs growled upon arriving at their next destination.
The hum of laughter and the clinking of glasses filled the air as they entered the bar. Dimly lit with flickering candles and rustic wooden beams, The Gilded Strawberry exuded an inviting charm. A myriad of patrons occupied the tables; ranging from boisterous adventurers trading tales of valor to quiet figures nursing their drinks in solitude. Hermes appreciated the cacophony as a reminder of life's lighter moments, while Red Steel's serious demeanor hinted at the weight of the upcoming battles.
As they approached the front, an elegant barmaid greeted them, "Hello! Welcome to The Gilded Strawberry, home of the world's finest food and drinks!" She bowed her head in appreciation. "What you want to burn your throat with-" She stopped upon realizing one of them was a buffalo. Stepping back, she quickly turned away from there as if she didn't see them at all, leaving Hermes confused and Red Steel rolling his eyes. The griffin raised his hand to get her attention only for her to continue ignoring them.
"You two are bold ones!" With that, a glass flew by and barely missed the rude bartender's face. "How dare you ignore my new friends?!" A dark brown mare walked over with a wilted golden mane and thick glasses, wearing a disheveled yet expensive suit. In her right hand was a bottle of the hardest vodka in the building. "Cups, wench!"
"Sure, boss." She rushed back over with a bottle and a few cups. Still refusing to serve the buffalo, but also never looking directly into the glasses of the older mare.
"Thank you, dear!" She poured the drink and handed it out.
"Uh... we didn't order anything." Hermes so shared about this stranger. Yet the always silent Red Steel took the bottle and poured them some drinks, offering some to the mare.
"On the house! Now drink up! To an old friend..." She winked at the tall buffalo. Shockingly, he turned away to hide his blush.
"Well, thank you, miss?" He sipped the drink. "My name is Hermes. Its rare to find another one of Red Steel's friends."
She tipped her hat. "My name is Smart Cookie." Despite her horrible balance in this drunken state, her eyes never fell in sharpness. "Hermes! Red Steel!" She slurred, an exuberant grin spreading across her face, wrapping her arms around them. "You're just in time for my... my strategic plan!" She waved his arm widely, nearly spilling her drink.
"Strategic, you say?" Hermes raised an eyebrow. "And what might that be?"
Smart Cookie leaned in conspiratorially, her voice dropping to a confident whisper, though it was more of a drunken mumble. "A secret plan!" She fumbled through her pockets until she pulled out a picture of another mare. "You strong warriors can help me."
Red Steel looked over the picture and slowly widened his eyes. His mouth moved, but no words escaped. Eyes narrowed and he attempted to rip the image out of her hand.
She swatted him away. "You know better than anypony that this bitch had this coming for a long time!" She reached up and yanked at his horns, giggling, and drooling. "You hate her more than me, right, Red Steel?"
He pushed her back and glared at her. The strong buffalo stood up and turned toward the exit. His mouth moved again, even more than ever before, words barely audible echoed under his breath. Anger growing stronger inside him. Hermes could see this as clear as day and attempted to temper it by massaging his shoulder.
"Whatever you're asking, keep us out of it, old friend of Red Steel." He gave the mare a stern look. "It's been nice to meet you, Ms. Cookie, but we need to go now." He turned to follow his friend out the door, only for her knife to stop them.
"No, you two will be perfect for my plan... to kill Cenior Puddinghead." Both the griffin and buffalo froze in place. It felt like the air had suddenly left their lungs. The room itself seemed to grow colder. Their blood ran cold as they turned back toward her, faces ashen. "Yeah, I want to murder her and that crazy son too."
