Property of the Crystal Empire

by TheMessenger

Mar 16th to Mar 18th

16-MR-1204

Took me awhile to find a new pen. Had to borrow one from Shimmer in the end. Broke my old one when I was rushed away from my last entry. All things considered, however, a broken pen is nothing more than a minor inconvenience, and I really shouldn't be too upset, especially after considering the events from yesterday.

Still, I really liked that pen. It's the last one I originally brought from the Crystal Empire, and I've even thought of turning it into an heirloom. I suppose I should forgive Sparky, given the circumstances. Poor stallion could barely breath after he almost knocked me over in his haste to find help. Don't know if I would've reacted differently.

According to Sparky, Tick had gotten into a fight with the remains of Captain Ironhoof's squad, and not just some small argument or disagreement but an actual outright brawl. Well, turns out Sparky had misspoken in his panic, as no punches had been thrown by the time I arrived at the scene. I do appreciate the urgency, however; I found hooves raised and ready, and I would not call it an exaggeration to say we were just one step away from Sparky's reported battle royal.

Tick, the fool, had been shouting about how Ironhoof was unfit to lead us, that his decisions would lead to many unnecessary deaths. Something about tents too, can't recall off the top of my head right now, I think was too busy trying to bury my face with my hooves. Taking about this sort of thing in a private conversation was questionable, speaking publicly like this to form a mob was undeniable insubordination.

As Tick's contempt grew more vocal, the remaining guards from Canterlot grew more angry. Spurred either by their loyalty to their captain or by a need to release weeks of pent up stress, those guards began to shout back.

I don't know what my plan was. I don't think I even had a plan. I just knew I had to step in before things escalated beyond anypony's control. I pushed through the crowd and confronted Tick, telling him enough was enough. He became furious at me, accused me for being nothing more than Ironhoof's dog. He used a little more colorful language than that but I believe the message is conveyed regardless.

The other guards were also growing more and more restless. Ironhoof's guards began to taunt me as well, and I did my best to ignore them, all of them. I tried again, this time more forcefully by ordering Tick to stand down. Why, oh why, did my voice have to crack then? I silent prayed that the congregation wouldn't just burst out in laughter.

Tick didn't laugh, thankfully. He pushed me instead. I staggered into Ironhoof's guards, who shoved me back into another group of guards who decided to join in all the fun and pushed me as well. And that's when I did something really, really stupid: I turned around and decked the first stallion I saw square in the jaw. I can blame stress and anxiety all I want, but there's really no excuse for my actions. Like a lit match thrown in a barrel full of firecrackers, my single ill fated strike sparked the entire riot, and soon guards were attacking guards indiscriminately.

Really, the less said about that fiasco the better. I remember being knocked over in the back of the head, which probably knocked me out because everything else after is really fuzzy. I remember waking up to the voice of what I thought to be an angel. The truth wasn't really too far off.

Somepony had lifted me onto my feet. I mumbled a weak thanks.

"Don't mention it," Guard-Captain Shining Armor said. Even as he spoke, the scowl he wore did not waver. Guards that had the misfortune of being in the path of his glare immediately shrunk back, ashamed. I did similarly. I had more reason than anypony else to be ashamed.

The voice of the angel rung out again, and I lifted my head toward the source. Princess Cadence marched through the crowd, her soft voice resonating throughout the entire camp, with Shimmer right behind.

Her Majesty asked us what we were all doing. Almost in unison, we turned and looked away. Guilty and shameful, we all turned, trying to avoid her eyes. It's hard to explain the crushing feeling that I felt in my heart when she asked us, when she spoke. Sparky told me he thought he heard his marefriend, in the same voice she had used when he had forgotten about their anniversary. I honestly can't say I can empathize. Truth be told, at the time when he told me, I was a little more interested in learning that the corporal had a special somepony.

Ironhoof was the first to recover. I later learned he tried breaking up the fight as soon as he had heard the ruckus, but it grew too large for him to contain and was quickly overwhelmed. Captain Ironhoof explained there had been a fight among the guards, and he was impossibly sorry for existence of every one of us. It seemed like he had more to say, but Princess Cadence silenced him with a look.

Her appearance softened when she found the Guard-Captain, who quickly looked away. With a sigh and a shake of her head, Princess Cadence continued her stroll between the ranks.

The guilt was agonizing, painful. I had to take responsibility. I had to, I continually told myself. It was my fault fighting broke out. I was the pony who just couldn't maintain control, both over the situation and myself. I just had to step out, explain my actions, and take whatever reparation the princess and my superiors saw fit.

I hesitated. I delayed. I simply stood there, trying to urge myself forward, until some lousy lout pushed me out of the crowd, almost into the princess. At least this time, I managed to squash the desire to strike back.

I felt like melting right then and there as I felt every eye upon me. Shining Armor's, the princess's, Ironhoof, Shimmer's, oh stars above, that look of bewilderment she wore. My training prepared me to remain calm and think rationally under fire, but this sort of pressure was beyond anything I could've imagined.

I swallowed, wiped away the beads of cold sweat, and took a deep breath to calm myself before bowing and screaming apologies, making a fool out of myself once again. Confused, the princess asked for an explanation, which I provide with about five times the appropriate volume. Perhaps I had hoped to deafen everypony to delay my punishment. More likely I was simply just panicky.

I had closed my eyes when I begun the tale of my reckless actions and kept them shut after I had finished. I didn't dare look up into Princess Cadence's eyes or the Guard-Captain's or Shimmer's. I kept mine shut.

Then, another voice sprung up, and I opened my eyes in surprise and in recognition. Tick had stepped forward and was declaring that he was to blame for the fight. He explained that he was the provoker, that he had been trying to start something out of protest before I had even arrived at the scene, that I had only been trying to do my duties and establish order.

Ironhoof was heard next. After digesting Tick's words, the captain gave a command, and suddenly the guards closest to me had grabbed me and pushed me to the ground. I got a mouthful of dirty snow. I heard a yelp and figured the same had been done to Tick.

The captain from Canterlot was speaking again. It was hard to understand him, but according to Sparky, Ironhoof was preparing to have the both of tried and court martialed at once. However, I heard another speaker bark out, and almost immediately, I had been released by my confiners and was allowed to rise to my knees. I was told that it was Shining Armor who, at the princess's gesture, had overridden Ironhoof's command.

I kept my head bowed in fear and respect as the princess passed by, and it was only when she had spoken again did I lift my head. However, Her Majesty had directed her question not at me, but at Tick. She repeated herself when the private took a long moment to answer.

Why, she had asked, had he attempted to raise a rebellion? Did Tick have grievances toward the crown, and could he not have brought them to her attention peacefully? Why did the young soldier seek a means of violence in order to display his dissatisfaction.

Shocked, Tick cried out that he had no problems with the princess or her husband and that his frustration was directed solely at the leadership of Captain Ironhoof. Ignoring the growing redness of the captain's face, Tick explained how he believed Ironhoof was endangering the entire company by delaying further shelter preparations. He felt that as a non-native, Ironhoof did not understand the danger he was exposing us to and was severely underestimating the Arctic tundra blizzards.

Captain Ironhoof, in turn, explained how the best option would be to simply escape the tundra before the blizzard hit, and he felt that setting up and tearing down tents would impede our progress and that the limited number of shelters would mean we'd have to willingly abandon some guards to the elements, which would likely mean their deaths.

Princess Cadence nodded as both sides presented their arguments, then told Ironhoof and the Guard-Captain to begin packing up. If we all were to make it to the nearest settlement before the blizzard trapped us, Princess Cadence reasoned that we didn't have time for pointing hooves or dealing judgment. Silencing Ironhoof with another look, she pardoned everypony before giving Shining Armor the signal for dismissal. Any arguments made involving her injuries or the legitimacy of such pardons she simply ignored.

I had very little time to be grateful as my duties soon consumed me. We've been on the move all day and night yesterday and all day today. We'll be resting tonight, thankfully. I haven't had the chance to talk to Tick yet. I hope he's alright. He was stumbling with his head hung low when we were hurrying through the icy fields. I asked Sparky if Tick had anything to him, but the corporal answered no. Shining Armor talked to him earlier tonight, however, which seemed to cheer him up a bit.

It's great to see the Guard-Captain up and active again, but he seems to be avoiding the princess. Shimmer said that Princess Cadence had been looking for her husband. Shining Armor had apparently ordered a tent to be set up specifically to house the princess. After ordering the tent's disassembly, she sought the Guard-Captain to express her displeasure personally.

She never did find him. An empty space lays next to the princess as she sleeps, and nopony dares fill that vacancy. Shining Armor, meanwhile, rests on the other side of the camp, as far away from the princess as he can without sacrificing heat.

We're all bundled up together to conserve heat, but I don't think it'll be enough. There is a fire lit in the center that would've been extinguished long ago if it hadn't been enchanted, but even then I can barely stop myself from shivering.

Anyways, that's the recap. Shimmer feel asleep hours ago. I'm too tired to continue, will write more tomorrow.

Okay, no, I won't be able to fall asleep tonight until I write this part down first.

We set up our gear together in utter silence, Shimmer and I. I was still suffering from shame for what I had done and, in all honesty, was waiting for Shimmer to berate for my recklessness. I felt like such a fool, displaying such barbarity in front of a lady, like a common thug whose first and only solution to any problem was violence.

She said nothing. She was trying to say something, I think, but she'd always shut her mouth before any words could form. I took the initiative with a timid apology. She didn't hear the first time, so I repeated it.

"What for?" she had asked.

I tried to elaborate, to explain how sorry I was for acting so savagely before her. I told her I would understand if she no longer wished to associate herself with me.

She stared at me for a good long second before wondering if that was it. Her nonchalant reaction confused me, before she continued:

"You were just trying to do your job. Nothing wrong with that."

"I messed up, though," I had said glumly.

"Sure, and what you did was pretty dumb." She giggled, and I smiled despite myself. "But I thought you were pretty brave. You tried standing up against that entire crowd after all. It was stupid, but brave."

Brave. She called me brave. Shimmer thought I was brave. The mare who holds me tightly in her sleep thinks I'm brave.

Oh wait, she also called me stupid. It's true but still a little demoralizing. Guess I didn't notice the first time she said it.

*

17-MR-1204

We preparing to set off again. I've decided to take the last minute to make sure my ink hasn't frozen yet. No fire to greet us this morning, so breakfast was cold. Sun's missing as well. Shining Armor asked me for an estimation on the storm's status, hoping to gauge how much time we had left.

I've never been very good with numbers. I don't think my answer of "not much" was very helpful at all.

Leaving now.

*

Snow's really beginning to pick up. We'll wake up buried if we're not careful.

We're in the right direction of <EXPUNGED> at least, so there's a bit of good news. The princess, Captain Ironhoof, and Guard-Captain Shining Armor have been busy discussing alternative plans. I spent most of the time making sure everypony had a job securing the area but managed to squeeze into the discussions. Trying to escape the tundra is the most optimal action, but it's definitely not our safest bet. The risks are as high as the stakes.

Our other option is to try and find/make shelters and let the blizzard run it's course. There are several problems with that plan, however, the most obvious being the insufficiency of tents. Calculations by the princess based on tent size and average size of a grown pony estimate at least four ponies left out in the cold, and that's considering each tent filled to the very maximum geometrical capacity.

I shouldn't have to explain just how dangerous the tundra blizzards are to any citizen of the Crystal Empire, especially in the spring. Those snowstorms are legendary. Odds were, those four unlucky ponies we'd have to leave out wouldn't survive. That's not an option, not with sacrifices so high and so needless.

The Guard-Captain's famed protection spell isn't designed to keep out particles as small as snowflakes, and it would not provide any protection against the cold temperatures. Besides, the spell takes time to activate and deactivate, time that should be spent on traveling, so that's not much of a solution.

Ideas of using the canvas from the tents to form one giant shelter were also scrapped after some more number crunching. Besides, we didn't exactly have the tools for such a task. Same issue applies to the igloo plan. Yes, there was an igloo plan.

Meeting was adjourned, and Shining Armor hurried off to check on the guards on watch. The princess was too slow, and the Guard-Captain was out of earshot before she had uttered the first syllable. I expected her to send either Ironhoof or I to track Shining Armor down and request his presence. I think Her Majesty was planning to too, but she interrupted her own order and let us go deal with our own devices.

Just assigning patrols, watch shifts, etc. until dinner. Almost out of fuel, had to decide whether the last campfire would be tonight or some other evening. Decided to conserve, so dinner was cold. It might have been more pleasant to go to bed hungry than with a stomach heavy with half frozen food.

Shimmer's been keeping Princess Cadence company, haven't you? She's nodding, partially from exhaustion. The princess is worried. She hides it well from the rest of us, so I have no idea how Shimmer can see through Her Majesty's facade. Mare's intuition, Shimmer told me. Can't argue with that.

It makes sense that the princess would be worried about our current progress, but Shimmer's not completely certain the danger we're facing is the issue, or at least, it's not the entire source of the princess's anxiety. I wonder what else could possibly on Princess Cadence's mind besides the possibility of hypothermia and frostbite, but Shimmer suspects it has to do with the Guard-Captain.

Now that I think about it, the Guard-Captain has been acting rather suspicious, avoiding the princess and such. Is it possible that Shining Armor is a changeling infiltrator and the princess has been trying to corner him in order to perform an identification spell? Best theory I've come up with so far. I'll run it by Shimmer in the morning, when she's awake.

*

18-MR-1204

I've never heard any pony groan so hard and so loudly. She agreed to check and make sure Shining Armor is Shining Armor, but Shimmer made it pretty clear on how little she believed in my theory. The examination will delay our journey, and I'm beginning to think this idea wasn't my best.

Still, better properly paranoid than utterly surprised.

*

I feel like an idiot. No praises of vigilance this time. Shining Armor is still Shining Armor, the tundra is still colder than a frozen ice cube, and I'm still lost to the source of Princess Cadence's worry.

Leaving. Will have plenty of time to ponder trudging through the snow.

*

Another strategical meeting. This time we considered having me scout ahead to determine the distance between us and <EXPUNGED>, possibly even bring back extra supplies. Princess Cadence's participation was overruled before she could even bring it up. Problem was, the weather's gotten too unmanageable for a pegasus of my caliber. A Wonderbolt might have been able but not I, and the clouds were too thick for a scout to see through anyways.

Speaking of which, I can say with confidence that, based on the weather, we went from not much time to little time. Very unspecific, but I can't really trust myself to quantify my predictions, not after what I said on March 7th. Been looking at past entries in order to chart the storm's progression, and I have no idea what compelled me that day to say we had a week before the storm hit full force. I'm beginning to think all pegasus guards should have some experience on weather teams before receiving their armor. Something to run by boot camp and recruitment, I guess.

Ran into the Guard-Captain as he tried to escape after the meeting's end. Delayed him long enough for the princess to arrive, but Shining Armor managed to disentangle himself from me before she could speak. He hesitated when Princess Cadence called his name before disappearing.

Shimmer's description fits best; the princess looked heartbroken. The two apparently had a little heart-to-heart chat in private, and when I asked Shimmer about it, all she told me was "Girl talk."

I asked Shimmer if she wouldn't mind sharing her conversation with the princess in this journal for future readers. Her only condition was that I myself was not allowed to read that entry. I could make no such promise so no gossip here.

We're going to bed early tonight. Don't plan on writing more later tonight. Tomorrow we rise even earlier to make up for lost time.

*

Just awoke from a rather disturbing dream. I was a colt again, playing with my mother in a meadow. She was making a crown made of marigolds, which she set on my head after finishing. Suddenly, Princess Twilight Sparkle flew down, crushing dandelions and daisies and demanding my presence immediately. I followed her into a cave lit by the glow of a dozen crystals. Several life-sized snowponies saluted me as I passed.

The interior was filled with crystals of varies colors. When I turned around, I saw that the young princess had vanished and a mare I've never in my entire life stood in her place. Her coat was golden, her mane was a mix of gold and rubies. Her eyes were green and full of intelligence, like Shimmer's. She was very beautiful.

The mysterious mare wore a white veil. My mother nudged me toward her, handing me a bouquet of white crystal chrysanthemums. As she fixed my golden crown of flowers I looked up, recoiling in horror as my mother was replaced by the horrific face of a changeling.

I stumbled back and ran for the entrance of the cave. A wall of ice blocked my escape. Timidly, I tapped a hoof against the cold barrier, and when I pulled back, my entire limb was encased in a block of ice. The frost spread until I couldn't even move my neck. I opened my mouth to scream and awoke in a cold sweat.

I'm not exactly the kind of pony you'd call superstitious, but the dream bothers me greatly. Could it mean anything?

Going back to sleep. Hopefully, my dreams will be more comforting this time around.

*

Comments

[WickedlyTragic]

Windigos??? Are they being chased by windigos??

[RadBunny]

interesting.....
would be good to note that a snow-cave as an emergency survival shelter is easily obtained, considering how MUCH snow there would be, unless it's hard rock and no drifts whatsosever.

[TheMessenger]

4265540
Snow caves require tools to be built properly, namely ice picks and shovels. It's not recommended to try to dig one out with bare hands unless it's an absolute emergency. Additionally, to build a snow cave large enough to house an entire company would take a lot of much, and separating the group into smaller caves would kill communication.

Still, it's a good idea and not one I had considered beforehand.

[RadBunny]

4265767
Well, it IS an emergency, and it was only 4 individuals that would be without tents =)

[TheMessenger]

4265776

...no drifts whatsoever.

[RadBunny]

4265928
welp.
was nice knowing those 4 then.

[Secret_Brony]

Wow, Flash is dense in this one if he doesn't see the problem with Shining and Cadence. It's not that he's oblivious to love and romance. Its that he's oblivious to the harshness of what happened between the two.

[TheMessenger]

4269500
Brain freeze?

[PresentPerfect]

ohai Sunset :V