Author's Notes:

Warning. Musical number incoming. Took me two days to "perfect" it.

With everypony onboard, Nexus decided to take the time to retire for a while. He told the pilot the coordinates he'd worked out. From the maps he had, the only mountain range that was a part of the Griffon Kingdom was north east of the Crystal Empire. A single string of mountains going north towards the Kingdom. He was exhausted from not having any restful sleep for three days; he had about eight days prior but he was ready to crash. He kicked back in his hammock and let out sigh as Vince walked in.

"What are you doing? Do you take the whole,Evening Guard thing that seriously?" he asked sarcastically.

"You try going almost two weeks with more than a few hours of total sleep. I need something or I'll just go insane."

"I thought you were already there?"

"Fuck off."

"You're nippy today aren't you?"

"Shut it or I'll blast you out of that window. Go interview somepony or something."

"Fine… You sure you're okay?"

"Get out."

"Alrighty, you're fine." Vince said grabbing his typewriter.

Nexus rolled his eyes at his cosine and shut his eyelids hoping to get some much needed shut eye.

This was getting ridiculous. Nexus rolled over and was suddenly awoken by the cracking of a whip and the shouting of a stallion. His eyes shot open and he sat up immediately. Nexus was horrified at what he was seeing. A black silhouette leaned against a pole as a whip, held in a telekinetic grasp, just grazed his skin. Each strike forced him to let out a powerful shout of pain followed by him groaning loudly through his teeth.

"For the final time, dose thou accept thy charges of treason?" the one holding the whip asked him.

"You may fornicate with thy self." a familiar sounding stallion said through his teeth.

"It is your choice."

With that the whipping continued. Goldenchord let out powerful shouts with every lash. Blood mixed with his tears of pain as the guard drug the whip across his forehead. Nexus blinked and the scene changed back to Goldenchord back in his cell. This time instead of just dirt in his fur, it was caked with blood. His back was covered in still bleeding slashes. They glowed light silver as he levitated his quill and scribbled in his log.

"These shadows surround me,"he sang as he wrote. "we only wish to be free. Loving light of creation we miss thee, for none can pray nor sing. Where is thy caring gaze? We yearn for thee to clear this haze. Drag us from this darkened daze, for our faith is without a place. Bring us the breeze so we may fly, show us the way with thy radiant light. Carry us away oh white dove in the sky.

"Hear the prayers, of those who cannot see. Wash away their cares and bring harmony. We shall wait for thee, so long as thy light will never fade. We are fearful to be, trapped here under tyranny. Drag us from this darkened daze, for our faith is without a place. Bring us the breeze so we may fly. Show us the way with thy radiant light. Carry us away oh white dove in the sky.

"We're all alone. Crushed by this umber throne. Don't leave us here alone. Drag us from this darkened daze, sing for our faith now has a place. Bring us the breeze so we may fly, show us the way with thy radiant light. Carry us away oh white dove in the sky."

Nexus wasn't as familiar with the song than he probably should have but he at least knew the song. It was a song that was sung during times of hardship, asking for Faust to help ponies through hardship. Goldenchord scribbled a few more lines, looked back like he was looking right at Nexus, and then slammed the book shut. The scene suddenly turned to a mess. Pieces of everything shot off in sharp barbs rapidly and mixed the the world around them as the sound from it all turned to a loud, sharp screech.

Nexus fell to his knees holding his head as the sudden distortion gave him a throbbing headache. It was a sudden shock that made Nexus' world spin around him. He tried using his usual magical cure, but no relieve came. His magic wasn't working. He tried to end the dream, he cast every spell he could possibly muster to try and break the dream. But when he tried mustering is spells, they were broken before they could even be fully cast.

Silence fell as quickly as the screeching began. Nexus opened his eyes and noticed he now sat in an underground prison mess hall. Well, it wasn't much of anything, He only assumed but it looked close enough. Crystal Ponies ate whatever was in front of them. It looked like bad oatmeal, spots of green and black in the bowl as they were forced to eat without spoons or anything. Nexus watched as a Crystal Pony passed through him and turned him to smoke. His vision blurred as though water was passing over his eyes. He reformed and his vision cleared again to see Goldenchord sitting alone at a table licking his gruel and cringing lightly.

Nexus had noticed something as well; around him all of the ponies had almost no sheen to their coat like a Crystal Pony should have. But only Goldenchord was still shimmering, it was incredibly out of place and he wasn't sure why this was the case. Maybe he hadn't been hurt enough? Goldenchord shook his head and was about to take another agonizing mouth full when a dark blue aura took away his food.

"Hey!" Goldenchord shouted at the guard that stole his only food for the time. "What are you doing!?"

"Quiet, heathen!" the guard said pouring his share on the ground. "Thou knows the rules! Any prayer that isn't to our Lord Sombra is first punished by not receiving rations. Next time the penalty is death by lashing. Is that understood slave?"

"Tiss fully understood." He replied after a moment.

"Good."

The Guards walked off without another word. Goldenchord laid his head down onto the table and let out an angry sigh. A small clank came from the other side of the table and caused both Nexus and Goldenchord to look up. Now sitting opposite Goldenchord was a young, pale green, unicorn filly. She also still had her pearly sheen. Goldenchord seemed to be surprised to see the young girl; perhaps with the same thoughts of Nexus was to why she still had her glow while most others do not.

"Um, can I help you young lady?" Goldenchord asked.

"Are you the one, mister?"

"Pardon?"

"Are you the one who was singing last night?"

"Um, yes little filly."

"I have seen you before. You're Gallant Stride, right?"

Goldenchord actually chuckled at the child. "No sweet heart, that was a character I played a few months ago in an A Cold Winter War. My name's Lunarus Autore Goldenchord."

"That's not impossibly coincidental at all isn't it?" Nexus said to himself.

"Goldenchord? Why is that your name?"

"It was my parent's last name."

"Why was it their name?"

"Because we've always been singers in theaters. Do you always ask this many questions?"

"My mommy said that it's impolite to meet somepony without asking them about themselves."

"Where is your mommy… I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"My name's Purala Innocentia, Mister Goldenchord."

"Well Purala, where is your mommy?"

"She left after she tried to sing me to sleep and I haven't seen her since. Do you know where she is?"

"She's… She was taken someplace that they won't let her go."

"Can you go find her?"

"Purala, I don't think she's coming back… They, took her to another place that I can't go yet."

"W-why not Goldie?" she asked with tears starting to get teary eyed. "You were so brave when you were Gallant. A worrier for those that can't save themselves!"

"Sweetie, that was character. I'm no soldier, I'm a singer."

"A singer?"

"Yes."

"Can you-"

"Alright everypony!" The guard that took Goldenchord's food shouted. "Get back to your cells now! Meal time is over!"

Goldenchord and Purala stopped their conversation instantly and started back towards a dark hallway. A Crystal Pony passed through Nexus and everything went blurry again. The scene suddenly came back into sharp focus back inside of Goldenchord's cell. Nexus leaned out the door and watched as a precession of ponies in rags trudged towards him. He stood in the doorway as ponies moved into their cells when they came to them. Goldenchord neared with Purala close in tow, she was practically hugging his right hind leg as they approached. Just as Goldenchord was about to go into his cell, Purala suddenly darted into his cell and hid behind the corner so that the guards wouldn't see.

Goldenchord moved in and helped the child hide by standing in-between her and the door as she literally clung to his leg this time.

"What are you doing?" Goldenchord asked suddenly stern with the child.

"I don’t like my room, it scares me. It's too dark when they turn the stones off."

"Did your mother ever teach you alight spell to help you with that?"

"I never got good at it. It's never bright enough."

"Well you need to -" the door suddenly shut behind Goldenchord and it caused him to jump. "Great. Alright, you can sleep here for the night. But tomorrow you stay in your room and work on your light spell. Okay?"

The lights suddenly turned off and the little girl started to whimper. "Mister Goldie, can you turn the lights back on?"

"I can't do that. Just concentrate your energy to your horn and try to summon some light."

Nexus' eyes adjusted quickly to the dark and he could see Goldenchord laying on the ground with Purala clinging to his side. She had a look of discomfort on her face as her horn started to glow faintly hut suddenly went out with a pop.

"I can't do it…" she cried. "Help me!"

Goldenchord shushed the little filly and nuzzled her to try and comfort her.

"C-can you sing for me?"

"What?"

"M-mommy always sang to me when I-I couldn't sleep. Could you s-sing that song you sang b-before?"

"Um… Alright…" Goldenchord said trying to comfort her.

He began to sing the main song from A Cold Winter's War, a ballad to Gallant's love interest, but Purala stopped him before the first chores.

"Nooooooo. The one you sang last night."

"Uh, if I sing that I'll be sent to a bad place. A place I can't come back from."

"Please Mister Goldie?" She asked with wide eyes.

"Alright, but don't tell anypony what I'm singing okay? Promise me."

"I promise Mister Goldie."

Goldenchord's horn glowed bright silver. The light filled the cell and reflected tenfold off of the walls and both of their coats. Nexus could feel the floor beneath him start to vibrate as the melody of White Dove started, full orchestra and everything. His voice rang out with the opening bars, but his mouth didn't move. Purala noticed this and looked to Goldenchord with wonder in her eyes.

"How are you doing that?"

"It's what got me my cutie mark. I can vibrate crystals to make music. Anything you want to hear, I can make."

Nexus moved to the door to see if there was a guard coming to kill him, but when he leaned his head out the bars, Goldenchord's song vanished instantly. When he leaned in, the song returned with full force. He repeated this a few more times before understanding. Goldenchord could control the sound he created with exacting power.

"Any song?"

"Anything you want to hear my little filly, I'll make so you can sleep. You remember our promise?"

"Yes Mister Goldenchord. I won't tell anypony you're singing." She said snuggling up to him. "You're really warm."

"Lunar…" a stallion's voice called. "Lunar! Get up!"

Nexus shot up in his hammock and grabbed a figure standing over him about to shake him. He pulled the pony close and drew one of his blades. His vision cleared and his groggy brain started analyzing the situation. Vince stood, well unwillingly crouched, in Nexus' powerful grip with one of his electrified hidden blades pointing in-between his eyes.

"Okay! You're grouchy when woken up! I get it, now let me go!" Vince shouted at him

Nexus released his cosine and sat up in his hammock. "You better have a good reason to wake me up Vincent Autore."

"The chick at the wheel told me to come and get you. She said we're where you want to be."

Nexus looked over to his window to see the Feathered Mountain range sitting behind his window.

"Well then. Time to mount up." Nexus said opening his duffle bag. "Go get Hestaria, Ephialtes, Silver Bit, White Knight and Thunder Clap. They're all coming with me."

"Where?"

"Up that mountain."