The Frozen gate of Tartarus

by Optimistic Pessimist

In the cave of the Frozen Gate

Twilight Sparkle was shivering. She just teleported to the place Princess Celestia mentioned. It was the highest peak of the Balitmare mounts. The air was thin, and the temperature colder then any winter she had ever experienced.

"There's the cave, hopefully it's a little warmer in there." She trotted quickly and rushed inside to escape the wind.

"It's so dark in here." Twilight Sparkle concentrated for a little bit. Her horn lit up with a light pink glow. She looked about the cave and gasped.

The cave was covered from ceiling to floor with brilliant ice crystals. They reflected the light from her horn majestically, and the ice sparkled like a diamond. Light was everywhere, and there was no shadow. Twilight continued into the cave, looking back and forth in awe at the beauty of the ice cave.

She entered into a larger expanse, and she looked up. There was a large flat face of ice, practically frozen into the wall.

She could just barely make out the body of a unicorn frozen in its center.

She rushed quickly towards the ice. "How do I get him out?" She first considered breaking it open. "No, I could probably break the body as well." She thought about a fire spell. "That would take too long, and the fire would die out ten times before he was even half way out." She was dumbfounded. She looked up and put her hoof on the ice face.

A loud splintering crack resounded through the cave. Twilight looked down towards her hoof. Several fractures grew from around it. Twilight lifted her hoof away. Too late she realized, as the ice began to fracture even more. The cracks raced across the ice wall until the ice fell away with a loud crack.

As Twilight put her hoof down, she saw a single unicorn laying on the ground. She quickly rushed over.

"Hello? Wake up! Are you okay?" Twilight tried to shake him, but his body was so cold it felt like fire. Her eyes fell upon a strange chunk of ice that somehow clung to him. She tried to push it off, but it was somehow frozen onto him.

"ugh..." Twilight quickly turned to the unicorn. "Hello? Wake up! Wake up!" Twilight urged the unicorn as much as she could without touching him. His eyes fluttered, and slowly he sat up.

"Where...where am I?" Twilight smiled. At least he didn't speak another language. "Your in a cave, high above the peaks of Equestria." He looked at Twilight strangely. "Equestria? Never heard of it." Twilight suddenly remembered he was pre-Equestrian. "Sorry, I forgot." He got up. "Don't be." Twilight stared after him as he started to walk out of the cave.

"Hey! I need your help! The demons are loose from Tartarus again!" That stopped him. "The demons? Didn't learn their lesson last time? I need to get going." He left Twilight dumbfounded. "H-Hey! Wait up!"

She found him outside sitting in the cold. Twilight stopped at the entrance. She was amazed to find him sitting still, without shivering. She suddenly remembered he was also the master of Ice.

"The earth is so... different. These mountains weren't here before..." He looked around. Twilight cringed as he suddenly he let loose an unearthly howl. Twilight stared into the sky as blue beings flew from all around the mountain towards him. "Windigoes..." She whispered softly to herself. The blue horse-like ghost that fed off the hate between pony kind.

They flocked to him like birds to bread, and they howled joyously. At least, it sounded joyful. The Windigoes turned to Twilight. "No, she freed me. Don't freeze her." He turned to Twilight.

"I am Cyroxim. Who are you?" Twilight stammered as she looked nervously at the Windigoes. "Don't worry. The worst they'll do is give you frost bite." His laugh was a cold one.

"I am Twilight Sparkle. You are the Frozen Gate?" Cyroxim looked surprised. "Frozen Gate?" The Windigoes suddenly began to howl. He listened intently. "Is that what they're calling me?" He stood up. "Is it just me, or is it kind of warm here?" Twilight blinked in surprise. "Are you crazy? It's freezing out here!" Cyroxim simply shrugged. "Then it's just me."

He suddenly jumped off the side to the cliff. "Wha- WHAT?" Twilight rushed out of the cave and looked down. She saw Cyroxim floating gently in a flock of Windigoes. She teleported down.

She reappeared just as he was set down. "What are you, CRAZY? You could've killed yourself!" He looked at the ground. "That's strange." He looked at his hoof. "I usually don't need assistance going down hill." He turned to Twilight. "How long was I frozen?" Twilight shivered in the blizzard. "A little over a century."

He blinked in surprise. "That explains the 'Equestria' you speak of." Twilight lifted some scrolls out of her saddlebag. "That's what Princess Celestia figured." He stopped. "You know Celestia?" Twilight nodded. "Here are some magic scrolls from around your time. She figured you could read them." The gray-blue unicorn took the scrolls with his magic and read it over." He sighed.

"I guess I'm going to have to start from scratch. Weak as I am." He turned and walked away. Twilight stared after him. "Hey! Wait!" Cyroxim turned his head. "Yes, Twilight?" "I'm supposed to travel with you! Princesses orders."

He raised an eyebrow. "Alright then. Just don't keep me waiting." Twilight stared as he suddenly conjured a large slab of ice. He waved at Twilight before sliding down the mountain side.

Twilight stared down after him. Twilight shivered as she conjured a magical board. She hesitantly edged over.

She screamed the entire way down.

Comments

[Optimistic Pessimist]

451833

good catch. Let me change that.

[TimeWarp]

Alright, these first five chapters were good, but they felt a little rushed. I'm hoping to see where this goes.

[animeyasha66]

yay mythology!!!

cant wait for more!

[EvilBob]

Yay iceboarding! Cyroxim coulda been more considerate and added some powder though...