//------------------------------// // Frozen in Place // Story: Shards // by Phoenix Frost //------------------------------// Twilight paced back and forth in the throne room of her massive castle, her hoofsteps echoing off the walls and large set of purple crystal doors just behind her. Behind her were the two royal pegasi guards she had taken with her to pull the chariot back to Canterlot. They had the standard look to them: white coats, blue manes, and golden armor. She couldn't leave them out in the raging blizzard just outside; they'd freeze to the ground. Granted, the chariot would likely be buried a few inches in snow by the time Sunset came through the portal to join her, at the rate it was coming down. The draft was absolutely horrible, as well. Despite popular belief, crystal structures don't have very good insulation. She didn't know how the Crystal Empire citizens put up with it, living in the arctic and all. Every so often, Twilight would stop her pacing to look back at the portal, making sure it was still active. Each time, nothing changed but the colors in the swirling vortex leading to the human world. The book she used to make contact with Sunset was sitting pretty in the little stand used to power the whole thing. The only foreseeable thing that could cause the portal deactivate would be if the frost came over one of the Tesla coils on the side, yet Twilight still found it necessary to check. Her patience was wearing a bit thin, too. She hadn't received a response, so she wasn't even sure if Sunset was making her way to her, and Twilight could feel the cold freezing her blood solid. She stuck it out as long as she could, though. Wouldn't be very friendly to leave and keep Sunset stuck in a frozen wasteland, barely able to adjust to having hooves again, let alone use magic. After a few more rounds of pacing and deep thought, Twilight was alerted to a static-like sound coming from the portal, a prismatic array of colors catching her eye. With an excited look up, Twilight watched as the tan-coated pony with a red and yellow mane passed into her world, initially standing on her hind hooves before fell down to all fours. She wasn't used to using four limbs to support her body, so Sunset immediately collapsed on her fore-hooves and face-planted on the cold, hard, crystal floor. With of the few spins of her eyes, she held a hoof up so Twilight could guide her to a stand, which the lavender alicorn did gladly. Sunset Shimmer gave her friend a smile. "Thanks, Twilight," she said as a sudden chill ran down her, well, everything. "By Celestia, it's cold." She sat down and wrapped herself in her front hooves, shivering all the while. Twilight snickered, "I told you to bring a jacket." "You try finding a jacket that fits on ponies in another dimension!" Sunset argued. Both of them gave a laugh and Twilight helped Sunset up again. "Let's get going," Twilight insisted. "It's a long trip back to Canterlot and you've already seen what I've been putting up with." With a nod, Sunset followed her steadily back to the exit. Walking really helped her regain control, given that walking on four hooves was easier than on two feet and that she just needed a little momentum to make it feel natural again. The Royal guards stood away from the doors as Twilight and Sunset each magically flung one inward. A pile of snow flooded into the castle and over everypony's hooves, sending shivers right up their spines. Sunset jumped back onto solid ground and shivered like she'd never shivered before. "C'mon, we don't have much time to lose," Twilight urged. "The storm's not stopping and it's only been getting worse." The pegasi headed out and did their best to pull the chariot out of the snow bank, Twilight and Sunset following and closing the doors behind them. The alicorn kindly lifted the chariot clean out of the snow, shaking the crystal out of the wheels and cleaning out the creases on the sides that gave the model a winged look. She dumped all the snow out from the back of the chariot, careful not to bury anypony, and set it back down gently on the ground. While the royal pegasi strapped up, Twilight lead Sunset into the bed of the chariot. Both of them had to shield their faces from the millions of snowflakes blowing directly into their faces until they decided to just turn their backs to the front and sit down. "We're ready!" Twilight alerted the chariot pullers. Without hesitation, the pegasi sprinted along the cold ground, picking up speed until they had enough to rise into the heavens, near blinded by the snowfall. Twilight had figured she'd use the time to fill Sunset in on the current events, specifically why such a harsh blizzard had swept over all of Equestria. It took over half the ride to Canterlot, but it took their minds off the cold, at least for a little while. "Ok," Sunset began. "So Magmare came back from thousands of years being trapped in the Earth's core..." "Uh-huh," Twilight said. "Frostborn beat Magmare." "Yes." "Frostborn tried to freeze over the planet." "Mmhm." "Nearly did." "You got it." "You made friends with the changelings and learned how to steal magic." "Surprisingly, yes." "And you beat Frostborn, splitting his soul in two, and sentencing him back to the poles." "Ding ding ding," Twilight congratulated. "Well that explains what happened, but why is it still happening?" Sunset asked. "When Magmare was defeated, all the fire that she summoned disappeared. Why is Frostborn's magic staying?" "I don't know," Twilight admitted. "I've been looking into it, but I can't find a plausible solution." "Do you think it could be Windegos?" Sunset offered. "I don't think so. Windegos only come out when there's conflict to feed off of. Even though the fighting's stopped and I blasted away Frostborn, it's not going away. One thing's for sure, though. There's something out there keeping this storm alive, and it's holding a grudge against us." One of the royal pegasi called to the girls in the back. "We're coming up on Canterlot, girls." "Thanks," Twilight called back. She lowered her voice to a near mumble. "Finally, we can get some warmth." Looking up, the two passengers watched as they passed under the edge on the storm and into a sunlit clearing with a beautiful architectural design with pristine, white walls topped with vibrant gold-tiled roofs. Both girls stood up and stretched out their legs just as they heard five female voices shouting Twilight's name in excitement. Every one of Twilight's closest friends was there: Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. Spike, too of course, but he wasn't in a hurry to make himself the center of attention. "And company," Twilight said, wrapping her hoof around Sunset's neck. The faces of her friends, with the exception of Spike, grew noticeably uncomfortable. Maybe expecting such a warm welcome for someone who was last seen stealing a vital piece of an anti-evil rainbow laser and Equestria's practically one method of defense was a little much to ask. "Don't worry girls, she's friendly," Twilight assured her friends. Their expressions didn't change much. "Yeeeaah," Rainbow Dash began. "I wanna believe you Twilight, but she's still kinda iffy to us." "Why?" Twilight asked. "I told you all the story about how she helped us defeat the sirens in the other world. I think she's trustworthy. "Uh, listen Twilight," Applejack stepped in. "We've been talkin' while you were gone, and we're just trying to keep a lookout for trouble. Sunset here went crazy at Canterlot High cause she had some magic under her belt. Now she's back in Equestria and she got some again." Applejack pointed her hoof to Sunset's horn. "Last time we gave a reformed pony some time to run free, mah orchard was dun flooded by high noon." Sunset shifted her hooves a little and ducked down behind the front of the chariot in embarrassment, and Twilight took immediate notice. Twilight did the talking for her, "Trust me, I wouldn't have brought Sunset back here if I didn't think she was completely on our side." The alicorn glanced down at her friend in the chariot and gave a smile. "C'mon, I'll let you talk with these girls for a while. It'll give you some time to build up some confidence." Sunset Shimmer smiled back up to her. "Thanks, Twilight." Now if you'll excuse me," Twilight said. "I have something I've been meaning to look at. You girls should chat, get to know each other a little better. If you need me, I'll be in the royal library." Twilight left the chariot and made her way through a crowd of ponies gathered in the courtyard, out of sight. It wasn't easy, moving through the entire population of Equestria all gathered in one place, but she pulled it off. Sunset watched her friend trail off, but was quickly reminded that she had friends to make, again. About a half hour passed since Twilight left Sunset Shimmer in the hooves of her friends. She'd cooped herself up in the dimly lit Canterlot Royal library, searching through the Star Swirl the Bearded section. He'd always have an answer for something bizarre in the world. Perhaps the answer to why this blizzard was so persistent was hidden in his archives. She'd spent so much time searching, but found nothing. No scroll nor book had anything to do with strange behavior of inclement weather of any variety. Just complex spells and studies in astronomy, oddly enough. Twilight heard footsteps outside the library entrance, and a mare's shadow overlapped the small patch of light seeping onto the room. "Twilight?" the mare called out, her voice easily recognized as Sunset's. "You in here?" "I'm here," Twilight replied, not taking her eyes off her reading. Sunset followed the sound of her voice to find the purple alicorn hidden away in the corner, lying down beside the bookcase. "How was your time with the girls?" Twilight asked. Sunset took a seat next to her, smiling as an indication that things had gone well. "It was fun actually. I kinda forgot what kind of crazy things go on in Equestria, what with the same things around at school all the time." "With a few exceptions," Twilight reminded her. Sunset chuckled, "Yeah. With a few exceptions." "So what did you talk about?" Twilight asked, still not taking her eyes off the book. "Well I figured since you've already touched up with them on the big things, I just kinda skimmed through my memory for some little stories. Like there was this one time when we went to the carnival and Pinkie Pie got a bunch of cotton candy stuck in her hair. I don't know how it got in there, but we spent almost a whole hour trying to get it out just because we couldn't tell what was hair and what was candy." Sunset looked away and snickered under her breath, "What a field day that was." "It sounds like you bonded well." "I'd definitely say so. I can actually talk straight to them now." She redirected her attention to Twilight and her reading. "What are you reading, anyway? "Going through Star Swirl's records and studies. I figured he'd have something to help us solve this blizzard mystery." "Any luck so far?" Sunset asked. "Not yet, but here's something I found interesting." Twilight drew a hardback book out from under the bookshelf, where she had been storing it. The cover was brown and bore the words Astronomical Studies in gold font. "I was always least interested in Star Swirls' fascination in the stars and their magic, but I understood that was a foundation for the majority of his work." Twilight flipped open the book around halfway, scanning the pages at she went along. Eventually she found a page with a picture of a constellation outlined to resemble an alicorn standing on it's hind hooves, flailing it's forehooves in the air. "The Celestial Thinning," Twilight read the title aloud. She continued to read the notes the old wizard left behind. "After careful look at the consistency of magical energy in Equestria, I've detected a pattern in the strength of this magic that causes it to change, depending on the period of time. Magic works on a schedule that causes it to both increase and decrease given the moment in time in the cycle. The difference between the seasonal shifts and magical shifts, I've noticed, is the instead on an annual cycle, the magical calender renews once every five years. On the first day of this penta-annual calender, the night sky reveals an unusual formation in the stars, a unique constellation. This alicorn-like arrangement of the stars is only visible on this night, and is accompanied by the strongest magic accessible by ponies. This moment is referred to the Celestial Thinning, where it is theorized that the barrier between our world and one beyond it is at it's thinnest, and the magical energy can easily pass through the barrier. I know not what lies in this alternate dimension, but it's presence is strong and should not be trifled with." "So what does this mean?" Sunset asked. "Is the Celestial Thinning happening sometime soon?" "If my math is right, the Thinning should be here in only three days, which means that the magical energy flowing through the land is not at it's near peak. The influence on this blizzard must be from the magical energy flow, and if Star Swirl's right, whatever's waiting beyond that barrier." "Hey, Twilight!" called a new voice from the library entrance. The two bookworms looked back to see Rainbow Dash peeking her head out from behind the wall. "Princess Celestia wanted me to fetch you. Well, she wanted to see Sunset, mostly, but I assume you're coming with her." "Um, be right there," Twilight replied. "We were in the middle of something." "Hey, don't shoot the messenger. I'll just tell her you're on your way." With that, Dash pulled back around the corner, leaving behind only the gust that came from her burst down the hallway to flip open a few books on the outermost shelves. Twilight closed up the book and levitated it back up to the top shelf. Sunset spoke up in worry, "You don't think Princess Celestia's going to be too unforgiving with me, right?" "I doubt it. Times are tough right now, but I don't think Princess Celestia is going to be quick to banish an old student of her's, even if she did wreak a little havoc and try to invade Canterlot." They shared a small chuckle. "Besides, she can trust her star pupil to bring somepony back to their senses." "Why does everything you say sound so braggy?" Sunset asked sarcastically. They laughed again in unison. "C'mon, we should get going. This library is good at catching a draft." It was still hard to believe that nopony outside had come indoors to shrink the crowd size. The entire walk back was free of ponies. Not much a complaint, given that it was still kinda cramped in the library alone, but someone had to use their heads. Perhaps they were afraid they would get separated from their families. About halfway back, a dumb question sparked in Sunset's head. "Wait, can't we just teleport back?" She and Twilight stopped in their tracks and smacked themselves upside the head. "Don't bring this up to Princess Celestia, ok?" Twilight pleaded. "What, so I can tell her I forgot too?" Twilight lowered her hoof from her face, revealing the sheepish smile behind it. "Let's just go back." "Yeah, that's probably best." Their horns glowed in vibrant shades of purple and green, and in a flash, Sunset and Twilight found themselves standing before the chariot they had arrived in. Standing between them and the chariot was Princess Celestia herself with her back to her former students, talking with Twilight's friends as they awaited their arrival. "Princess Celestia," Twilight announced, Celestia turning around at the mention of her name. "Sunset Shimmer, as you requested her." The unicorn and solar alicorn met each other with smiles, though one was sincere and one was nervous. "Oh, it's been long indeed," Celestia opened up. "Hasn't it Sunset Shimmer?" Sunset leaned over to Twilight and whispered in her ear, "Is she being serious or no?" Celestia chuckled. "Yes, I'm being serious. Twilight has told me many good things about you. Some bad, but mostly good." "With all due respect, Princess, I'm kinda concerned with the jokes." "Fine, then," she sighed. "A time to joke is so rare for the regal types." She coughed to herself. "Well, if you insist. It's my pleasure to welcome you back with open hooves." Twilight kicked Sunset subtly in the back hoof, causing her to stumble towards Celestia. Sunset found herself face to breastplate with Celestia and blushed a little at how uncomfortably close she'd gotten. Celestia took the chance to wrap her neck and forehoof around the dazed mare, who wasn't sure what to think of it anymore. "I'm glad to have you back with us," Celestia whispered to Sunset. Sunset Shimmer gave a cautious hug back, but still tried to accept it. Celestia let her go before the awkwardness became a little too much for her. Sunset backed away slowly with her hoof rubbing the back of her head. "Hehe, thanks." "There it is, girls," Adagio announced, pointing up to the white, summery city built on the cliff edge. The sirens hovered at the mountain's base, staying out of the blizzard by staying under the overhangs of the city. All three sirens looked back down at their jewels embedded in their chests, grinning maniacally. just begging to be refilled with the sweet warmth of energy once more. "Adagio," Aria said. "Why don't you start us off?" "I'd love to." Before they began, the eager sirens held themselves back to take in the sight of Canterlot with the knowledge that their ticket to dominance was just above their heads. Adagio took a deep breath, feeling that last bit of magic left over from the spell she used earlier. It wasn't as much as before, but it was still something she hadn't tasted in a while, and what a delectable taste it was. "Would you look at at that, girls? We're finally back in the saddle and we're getting spoon fed a limitless supply of magic right from the start." "Never thought a return would be this easy," Aria agreed. "I can't wait! I'm so excited to sing again!" "Quiet, Sonata," Adagio insisted. "Let's make our entrance a little more surprising." The yellow siren inhaled until her lungs were filled to the brim, and she exhaled singing in a beautiful melody she knew by heart. Aaaaaahaahaaah Aaaaahaaaah The trio or fish-horse hybrids elegantly soared to the height of Canterlot, Adagio leading them with her beautiful song that would soon reach the ears of the ponies just above. She could feel something wrong, though. As she sung she just felt weaker. Maybe it was just the cold and flying upward tiring her out. Either way, she was getting to the top if it killed her. Twilight could felt a little twitch in her ear. She heard them alright, though faintly over the sound of her chattering friends, and she was well aware of what was coming, even if she didn't want to believe it. "Everypony be quiet!" Twilight ordered the others around her. They all stopped and looked around, keeping an ear open for whatever the lavender alicorn had detected. "Do you hear that?" A gust of wind rolled by, muting much of the subtle noises in the area. In a short time, the wind subsided and the noise was replaced with the sensational voice of Adagio herself. Aaaahaaaahaaaaah The trio of sirens revealed themselves from below the courtyard balcony looking over the western mountains. Simultaneously, the mermare-like beasts ascended into the air above the crowd in their full glory with wicked smiles drawn across their faces. Sunset Shimmer's eyes gaped open. "Everypony cover your ears!" she exclaimed. She threw herself down on her flank and planted both hooves on her floppy little ears. It hadn't been as effective as she'd hoped. Adagio's voice was still booming enough to be clearly heard even with one's ears covered, which meant that even the most oblivious thing in the area had no excuse to miss the quick voice crack in one of her breaths. Aaaaaaahaaaaaaaah Adagio stopped at her falter and her eyes opened in shock. How? She had the magic, at least she thought she did. The yellow siren looked down at her magic gem once more and suddenly felt a near painful chill run down her spine. Sunset took her hooves off her ears and eyeballed the powerless siren. She hovered defenseless alongside her companions, stunned at the unfortunate timing that she'd had. Aria nonchalantly glanced over to her. "Adagio, what happened?" she asked. Adagio's face was stricken with fear. "No magic," she choked, a little louder than she meant to. As in loud enough for the suspicious ponies below to hear. Sunset sighed in relief but quickly reminded herself of the potential danger these three were capable of. "Princess Celestia!" she called. The princess turned her head towards the fiery-maned unicorn, awaiting her suggestion. "Can you shoot them down? We can't let these three run loose around Equestria." Celestia nodded and returned her attention to the dazed sirens in the sky above her with a charged horn. "Um, Adagio," Aria said with a nudge. Adagio shook her head to pull herself out of oblivion, but just a few seconds too late. A bright yellow bolt of light made impact with her forehead and numbed Adagio's body for a moment, and the siren plummeted down to the icy ground below. Aria and Sonata tried to scramble, but Sunset and Twilight unleashed some barrages of their own, both sirens taking a few hits before falling down to meet Adagio on the frozen wastes. Adagio Dazzle felt that bitter coldness rush over scaly body one last time as the limp bodies of her friends came crashing down beside her. Her eyes felt heavy, and it was hard not to shut them with the jolts of pain striking her back as she rested it on the frozen ground. Quite suddenly she felt the chill start to subside, and it began to feel easy to close her eyes. As if going to sleep, Adagio let her eyelids fold over her eyeballs with a slow exhale. Her world turned black just as an impossibly deep, yet strangely familiar voice echoed in her head. "Rest, frail child. Rest well."