> Magic Paint Brushes 3: This Ice Life...
>  by Ugly-Duckling123
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prolouge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Up upon the Crystal Mountains in the Frozen North, there stood a palace. It was a rather strange palace, for where it was quite ordinary with it's foyer, it's multiple floors, and it's ball rooms with magnificent chandeliers, the whole thing was made of ice.

Not one single thing in the palace other than the one living there was  anything other than frozen water.

Now you may wonder 'Why anyone would' or 'How could anyone live in a place like that?'

Well to put it simply... He's magic and never feels the cold because he's the one who creates it. And hates anyone/thing that stops his cold from spreading.

For the last 3000 years right in the middle of winter, when Old Stallion Winter's magic is at it's peak, those foul, horrible, found-under-hoof, riff-raff ponies down bellow, celebrate 'Hearth Warming' stamping out his wonderful cold with the warmth they have in their (blah...) hearts for each other.

"Well this year... That is all about to change..."

(insert evil chuckle/laugh here)
> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sarah was in the living room decorating the tree for Christmas.

It already had all the lights, the tinsel, and the angel on the top on it, now Sarah was placing the ornaments on there as she sang one of her favorite carols.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
Someone yelled loudly behind her making the teenager spin around to see her boyfriend all wrapped up in his winter getup, in his hand a bag with wrapped gifts sticking out of the top, and a smile on his face.

After shutting the front door the boy came over placed the gift bag down opened his arms and rushed straight for the girl who screamed and tried to get out of the way of Eric.

"Don't you dear hug me until you've warmed up a bit..." she said ducking out of the way.

"But Princess I need hugs to warm me up..." Eric said pouting "I need your warm heart to bring back some warmth to mine so it can heat the rest of me up."

"Go stand in the fire if you want to warm up then knave..." Sarah said ducking out of the way again but not making it causing her to scream when Eric wrapped his cold arms around her, getting Midnight's attention who instantly ran in to see who was harming her mistress.

But when she saw it was only her mate and she was laughing and not panicking at all, Midnight just rolled her eyes and returned to the kitchen and her nap.

"Real good show of loyalty there girl..." Sarah called to her dog as she tried to prise apart Eric's fingers and get out of his hold. "Eric do you think you can let me go?"

"Oh but please..."   Eric whined slightly snuggling into Sarah slightly a smirk on his face. "You're all nice and warm."

"And you'll be out cold if you don't release your princess right this instant..." Sarah said firmly as she stopped moving.

"Ok ok..." Eric said letting go and backing off having seen how dangerous a mad Sarah could be and making a note to himself not to get on her bad side.

"Thank you," she said after sorting out her Christmas outfit out, dusting off the pleated red and green knee length skirt, the faux fur lined half-way-up-the-leg boots, and the snowflake covered (making it look like it was covered in frost) knitted jumper she had been sent by her grandmother.

"So what's in the bag?" Sarah asked coming over to the bag Eric had in his hand when he came in and peeking inside.

"Your Christmas present my dear," Eric said as he hung up his coat smiling.

"Oooo..." Sarah said looking to Eric sneakily before turning back to the present, and trying to pick at the paper to see what it was.

"Don't even think of it Sarah," Eric said, his back to her as he took off his snow boots, and hat and scarf.

"Think of what?" Sarah asked innocently.

"Trying to have a sneak peek at your gift." Eric said firmly.

"Wha..." Sarah said looking around "I can't believe that after all we've been through... you don't trust me..." she said pouting as he turned around and looking upset.

"I do trust you Sarah," Eric said going over to the present and pushing it under the tree. "I just don't trust you with the present."

"Can you at least give me a hint on what it is?" Sarah asked giving him her 'Will get me anything when it comes to Eric' look twirling her hair around her finger.

"Nope," he said stunning her shocked that it didn't work.

"Humph..." she said and walking into the kitchen to answer the phone that was ringing.

"Hello?" she said into it. 

'Hey cuz, it you're most wonderful loving cousin here,' Jack's voice spoke out to her. 

"Well I wouldn't go as far as that Jack..." Sarah said rolling her eyes and sitting down. "So what do you want this time..." she asked.

'Why do you think I'd want something just because I'm calling you?' he asked back.

"Because that's the only reason you call this house anymore since you got that new apartment for you and Suzy." Sarah said answering the question "How is she by the way?" 

'Who Suzy? She's fine,' Jack said 'Been a bit tired lately and angry with me every now and again though.'

"Sounds fine to me," Sarah said laughing when a 'HEY!' came back down the phone.

"Can we just get to why you're calling, I've still got the tree to finish decorating and begin on the cookies." Sarah said.

'Well you know that Christmas is a time for family dear sweet cousin?' Jack said sweetly.

"Yes..." Sarah said worried.

Just then the door bell rang Eric calling he'll get it.

'Well...' Jack said down the phone as the door opened "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" his voice now screamed down the hall getting Sarah to get up and rush to the hallway seeing Jack and Suzy at the door.
Jack in not that much winter clothing where as Suzy was bundled up looking like a bowling ball, and still shivering, though that might be fright against the snow never seeing it before where she lived when she was a Changeling in Equestria.

Hanging up the phone, Sarah went to welcome her cousin and his girlfriend.

"Hey you two..." she said smiling as the door shut. "Do my parents know you're here for the holidays?" she asked first after fighting off Jack who gave the same excuse as Eric did about needing to warm up.

"Not as of yet," Jack said smiling petting Midnight "But then this wouldn't be a surprise visit would it?" 

"Not to be the Negative Knave," Eric said as he came in with hot-chocolates for everyone. "But I don't think this is just a normal friendly reunion."

"Must there have to be something wrong for one cousin to see another?" Jack asked snatching the first cup and leaning back in to the sofa.

"One cousin to see another... No," Sarah said taking the second one and thanking Eric "You to see me, now we've all learnt each other’s secrets about connecting to Da Vinci’s art supplies... Yes."

"Fine..." Jack said sitting up, and looking into his cup to see if it could tell him what to say, when a hand touched his arm.

"Want me to Jack?" Suzy asked with a gentle smile getting Jack to nod smiling gratefully. 

"We're not sure what it is..." Suzy began "But we think there may be something going on in Equestria.”

> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What do you mean ‘There may be something going on in Equestria?’ ” Sarah and Eric asked wide eyes shocked.

“Well... Last week, the two of us were visiting Arachnie and the others,” Suzy said speaking of her old Changeling brothers and sisters. “And around Hearths Warming, should be the best time of the year for Changelings behind Hearts and Hooves day,” she continued “But they said there’s not as much love in the air this Hearths Warming, and it’s colder than normal, even in the Badlands where it’s never cold.”

“So deciding that this was a too big case to carry for just the two of us,” Jack said speaking up. “We decided to come here and get the gang back together. You know...” he said with a grin on his face and his eyes shifting a bit, nervously. That only being picked up by Sarah.

“You sure there’s nothing else going on, Jack?” she asked crossing her arms.

“If there is I’ll tell you when I’m sure and we’re with the others cuz...” Jack said quickly whipping out his pencil and gently grabbed Suzy before vanishing in a flash of light.


“So much for baking cookies then,” Sarah said heading for the kitchen to place their cups in the dishwasher.

“Meh... you can do that when we get back,” Eric said pulling out his paint brush “Besides I’m sure Pinkie would be honored to let you bake some stuff with her.”

Smiling, Sarah took hold of the brush together the two Warriors of Harmony were also gone in a flash of light.






In Equestria, the winter holiday season was underway.

Trees were up everywhere, ponies were rushing around buying and delivering presents, schools were rehearsing for the reenactment of the first Hearths Warming, and there was snow everywhere.

On top of the hill overlooking Ponyville, after a couple of flashes of light (one a bit more delayed than the other) stood Eric, Sarah, Jack, and Suzy all in their ‘Equestria outfits’. Two in rainbow colored outfits, one in a midnight blue one looking almost like the other girl but different, and the last one... Well he was a total mess with what he looked like, but then again he was the Student of Discord.

“Whoa...” Sarah said instantly wrapping her arms around herself and shivering, “I sure wish these things came with winter coats.”

Suddenly just like that, and a sparkle of light coming from her charm bracelet everyone was now in thick coats, and the girls now wearing thick warm tights under their skirts to keep warm.

“Huh,” Jack said taking his coat off and looking at it. “No offense cuz,” he said snapping his fingers and poofing it away “But I don’t do winter outfits.”

“Well then remember that when you get stuck with a cold when we get home then Jack Frost,” Eric said sheathing his sword and began to slowly descend the hill not taking more than three steps before a snowball hit him in the back of the head.

Quickly he turned back to Jack who was whistling innocently looking to the sky.

“What?” he asked “I didn’t do it? Somepony’s throwing stuff. We going down to the village or what?” he said as he began to lead the way down, Suzy next to him.

Quickly Eric reached down to pick up a clump of snow and was about to set aim and fire when Sarah stopped him with a hand to the shoulder.

“Just leave it Eric,” she said quietly. “Besides you deserve it.” She said once Eric dropped the ball of snow. 

“What?” he asked “How did I deserve being hit with a snowball?” 

“You know how he doesn’t like that name,” his girlfriend said looking over to her cousin. “Besides we’re not here to have fun. We’re here to see what so wrong they needed to come to us and ruin our holiday.” 

“As usual you’re right princess,” Eric said sighing as they too now began to descend the hill and follow the others. 
***
After a few minutes and some almost slipping ups and falling overs, save from Jack who was floating the way down, the four of them came to the edge of Ponyville and met by a rush of pink. 

“HEY EVERYPONY!” the pink party pony of Ponyville, Pinkie Pie said smiling widely, dressed in a cute pair of yellow ear muffs, snow boots and a snowflake covered blue scarf.

“HEY PINKIE PIE!” the four cried together laughing slightly that they all thought of the same gag.

“So what brings you to Equestria?” she asked bouncing around them “Oh! Did you come for Hearths Warming? I bet you did. You came for Hearths Warming didn’t you? Well you’re a couple of days early...” she said whipping out a calendar out of nowhere “But that doesn’t matter,” she said throwing it away “That just means more time to play with you. Come on lets go meet the others.” 

Just before she zoomed off Jack grabbed her tale and lifted her up.

“Actually Pinkie Pie,” he said looking into her eyes, both of them upside down “you mind if we go see the Princesses first? Suzy and I have reason to believe they might need to be told something first.”

“Okie dokie lokie” Pinkie said beaming wide and after being placed down said. “Twilight’s in her library, Cadence is last known to be in the Crystal Empire, and Celestia and Luna are up in Canterlot.”

“To Canterlot then,” Jack said Pinkie Promising Pinkie to come straight back so they can spend some time together.



*Canterlot Castle, Dining Room*

“So sister,” Luna said to Celestia smiling as she helped herself to a cookie “What do you want for Hearts Warming this year?” 

“Another year of my ponies having safe happy holidays,” her older sister said. 

“I mean something I can give you in a box Tia,” Luna said rolling her eyes but agreeing that that would be a nice gift too.

Suddenly there was a flash of light from the other side of the door, a ’CRASH’, a 'BANG', a 'WALLOP', and suddenly the dining room doors were flung open and there stood their friends Eric, Sarah, Jack and Suzy. On either side of them stood a guard their eyes narrowed and aiming for Jack who was smirking a ‘I totally just did something’ smirk.

"Princess," the guard on the right said stepping forward "We found these four trying to sneak into the palace and then this one..." he said nodding to Jack who was now sucking on a silly straw out of a glass of  chocolate milk, looking around innocently at all the decorations "Made the floors all into ice meaning two thirds of the guards now need to be tended to..." he said more to Jack who wasn't listening.

"Thank you guards," Celestia said kindly. "My sister and I will take it from here. Please go tend to your fellow soldiers."

With that the guards bowed and left.



It wasn't even five seconds until Discord zapped up laughing as loud as he could rolling around on the floor.

"Oh that was just hilarious..." he finally calmed down enough to said high-fiving his favorite student.

"Hello Discord..." the other three guests dragged on ignoring him as he gave Jack a gold star for his work, turning to the Princess'.

"Hello friends," Luna said kindly also ignoring the two beings of chaos "Might we ask why you've come to visit?"

Suzy stepped forward. "We... Jack and me..." she explained "Believe there might be some sort of danger coming to Equestria this Hearths Warming."

That got the two princesses to look confused and lord of Chaos to go silent and have a worried face.

Then turning to Jack asked him "You sure..?" 

"Not sure..." Jack answered "But more that then any other way..." 

"Err... mind explaining... cuz?" Sarah said getting the two beings of chaos to look at the others confused faces.

"I'll do the explaining Sarah," Discord said for Jack, then turning to the princess' added "But you might want to call your Elements of Harmony here. I think they might need to know what's going on too."

Sensing that Discord was being serious (which meant there had to be something wrong) Celestia wrote a note to Twilight with a Post Script of using a teleportation spell to get here. 

A few minutes later everyone was in the library sat around Discord reclining on beanbag chairs and wondering what was wrong.

"First question..." he said  trying to work out where to begin. "Do you know what caused the blizzards back when and before the first Hearths Warming?" he asked the ponies.

"It was the Windegos wasn't it?" Twilight asked confused.

"The what?" Eric and Sarah said together. 

"Winter spirits that feed off of fighting and hatred," Twilight explained "The more hate the spirit feels the colder things become." 

"The first Hearths Warming was when the three clans the Pegasi, the Unicorns and the Earth Ponies, went in search of a new land 'cause they brought the Windegos to their homes 'cause they were always fighting," Applejack continued.

"But as soon as they all got there," Pinkie Pie carried on "The leaders brought the Windegos and the cold to the new land eventually making them into pony-cicles." 

"The cold was about to reach the first hoof followers of the leaders, when they all looked past their differences and lit the fire Heart of Friendship, getting rid of those horrible creatures," Rarity followed up.

"Eventually the warmth of the fire reached the leaders and said to of melted their cold hearts," Fluttershy continued bravely.

"And with that the six of them decided to split up the land and that land became Equestria," Rainbow finished.

"O...K..." Sarah and Eric said together trying to get this new info into their heads and turning, with the others to Discord to ask why he asked the question.

"Well..." he began "Windegos are actually like ants," he explained "They only follow orders, collect the food they find, and bring it back to their leader."

"So there's something more dangerous than these 'Windegos'?" Sarah asked catching on.  

"Not something," Jack said getting everyone's attention "Someone. Old Stallion Winter." 

It was a random hardly ever heard ten seconds of silence before Rainbow Dash burst out laughing.

"Oh come on you two..." she said calming down wiping a tear from her eye. "That's just an old pony's tale."

"And how many OTHER old pony tales have be just that Rainbow?" Jack asked sternly getting up to be taller than her.

"Wait Old Stallion Winter?" Sarah said confused "As in Old Man Winter back on Earth? The guy that was said to bring winter before Jack Frost took over?" 

"Yeah," Jack said turning to his cousin. "And I'm afraid to say, he's just as mean and cold and vile and everything else the stories back home about our Winter is said to of been."

"And you know this... How exactly?" Eric asked his friend.

Taking a deep breath, Jack asked with out looking to anyone in particular "Where do you think I get the powers to control ice and snow from?" receiving slight gasps from everyone but Discord.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ok what did you do?" Sarah said coming back around first looking to her cousin disappointingly. 

"Whatja mean 'What did I do'?" Jack asked jumping up and taking refuge in the rafters to get away from everyone's eyes. "Why do I always get blamed for everything that always happens."

Sarah and Eric were both about to answer when they both shook their heads saying to themselves this wasn't the time and looked up again.

"What Sarah means, Jack, is what made Winter... I don't know... curse you with this power." Eric asked careful not to seem like he was judging him.

"Hey this power is NOT a curse alright?" Jack said annoyed, still not coming down. "As we saw when we met Suzy it was a big help in beating Sombra and Chrysalis. Also how am I meant to create snowmen in an instant to blow up, every time I get angry at something when there no snow on the ground for my chaos magic to use?" 

"Well if this guys as bad as you say he is mate," Applejack called up "I'd hardly think of it as a gift either.

"Why are you all so bothered by this?" Jack said over-exaggeratingly crossing his arms and turning away.

"Because you're our friend Jack," Fluttershy's quiet voice called up after a few seconds of unsure silence. "And we'd like to know what happened to know if you're alright."

"Well I clearly am Flutters," Jack muttered "But thanks."

After a bit longer everyone was about to leave to give Jack some time to 'cool off' when he began telling them of his encounter.

"This pencil I have," he began to explain pulling it out "Was a Christmas present from my grandparents," Jack said cutting of for a second "Before you ask Christmas is Earths name for Hearth Warming. Anyway... The reason I got it, was because my parents had asked them to see if they can find me anything that will get and keep my mind off Emma. 

It had been a few year's, but I hadn't gotten over it yet, and every year on that day No matter what else was going on, the weather, the cold, the murder-on-the-loose warnings... I always returned to the pond where she..." he said tears coming into his voice as he paused and a deep breath was taken. "And leave her something as a gift because it was her birthday when we lost her."

There were a few murmurs at that but everyone stayed quiet.

"What I liked to leave her the most, Nan and Granddad caught on, were pictures I drew of the big events of the year." Jack said "Like this one time in the summer of 2008 an ice cream truck mysteriously broke down right outside my house, and all the power to the guys freezers went out meaning that unless he could find someone to give all his ice cream to that would mean £30 of ice cream going to waste."

"Mysteriously huh?" Sarah and Eric said together know how tricky Jack could be with stuff like this.

"Anyway..." he carried on before anything else was said. "They agreed to give me this pencil and a new sketch pad so I can continue doing that, Nan telling me that it was magic. But I didn't believe her.

'That was until I had finished with my 'This Year's Best Thing's' gallery and I was about to give them to Emma, when the pencil began to feel warm in my hand and next thing I knew I was in Whitetail Wood, somehow landing in the middle of a herd of Windego's all glaring at me hunger in their eyes but not moving other than to stomp the ground, Winter over by the pond, using it as a window to watch if his powers of cold and hate were doing what they were meant to do.

After a bit and a few fails to get up because every time I did a Windego tried to attack me," Jack explained "Winter made them part and came up to me to see what it was that had disturbed him and his 'minions'....
****
"And just what might you be..." Winter asked looking down his nose to the thing infront of him. A thing he has never seen before, but he could sense strong powers within him.

"Well Sir," Jack said still on the ground "I might be a bird, I might be a plane, I might be a dog, or a cat, or a lion or anything else anyone can think of. But right now, other than getting very claustrophobic to you lot all around me," he said looking around at the Windegos "I'm a human who has just lost my way. So if you would be so kind as to point me out of here..." he said once again trying  to get up and once again failing, this time being stopped by Winters hoof on his chest.

"Hmm a cheeky one I see, well you can't really be that much use wherever you came from if you treat others like that," Winter said leaning forward "Now can you?" 

Feeling that he could have some fun with this guy Jack replied.

"Sorry what was that? Your breath's so bad it made my ears numb."

"Why you impudent little..." Winter said stepping off him and with his magic flung Jack across the field of snow, making him land in a drift head first.

Getting up as fast as he could while holding his head and shaking off the dizziness, Jack jumped and began to climb the trees to stay out of harms way until he recovered, and thought up a plan.

"How did you even get here boy..." Winter asked angered that his prey was hiding. 

"Oh come on old chum..." Jack said in an Old English accent fiddling with a pretend monocle as he walked along a branch out of the shadows. "Surely everyone here, wherever here is knows the law of 'A magician never reveals his secrets.' 

"So you're a magician ay..." Winter asked looking up at the bratty kid on the branch. "Well then lets see if you can magically get rid of my magical frostbite, that will leave you shivering for hours and turn your skin blue..." 

With that Winter began his spell just as Jack was trying to think up of some way to bat this guy around the head and run away.

Then, just like that, a baseball bat poofed out of thin air right before him. 

***
"That was when I found out about my chaos powers," Jack said smiling not caring if anyone was paying attention anymore. He had held this to his chest for six years, it was time for it to be taken off.

***
"Now..." Winter's voice rang out getting Jack to look at the winged unicorn a very loaded amount of ice blue magic at the tip of his horn "Prepare to die!" 

"You prepare to die!" Jack said grabbing the bat and taking up position. 

With that Winter shot out his magic and fired it towards the boy who managed to hit it straight back. 

"What?" Winter cried out angered turning back to the boy and firing again.

This time Jack missed the magic blast by jumping into the air and returning back where he was as if he hadn't moved at all, grinning madly.

With each shot, Winter fired, somehow, Jack missed it, meaning the 'Alicorn of Winter' got more and more mad rousing up the Windego's until it was starting to snow and harsh winds began to blow around the enclosed wood.

Because he was loosing focus on Winter's shots, because he was so cold, Jack wasn't paying attention when he landed back down again and slipped on the ice that was forming over the branch making him fall to the ground.

"Ha!" Winter cried smiling, not caring if the boy was hurt. "That I believe will sort him out. But just to be sure..." he said grabbing the boy around the neck with his magic, who tried to escape. "Now lets see you get out of this..." Winter said as he began to slowly to turn Jack into ice.

The ice was just getting to Jack's chest where his heart was, when suddenly the Windego's began to panic and call out to their leader telling him it was time to go.

"NO!" he said looking over his shoulders slowing down the magic because he didn't want to miss any fun "We are NOT leaving until this BOY is finished with. Do I make myself clear!" 

After getting terrified nods, from the Windego's, Winter turned back to Jack, whose breathing had began to quicken as his heart tried to get the blood to the fingertips, and toes and everywhere else to warm them up again.

As the ice reached Jack's heart however something weird began to happen. 

Instead of continuing, and covering the whole boy in ice, a light began to shine off of Jack's chest just above his heart inside of which he held everyone he loved and who loved him, those who were still around, and those are gone. Each one giving him warmth and strength to fight off Winter's cold.

After a few moments he stopped shivering and his breathing returned to normal.

Confused, Winter began to pulse more power into the ice coating Jack but again nothing happened. 

Blinking his eyes open, Jack looked down to see where he was and that Winter was distracted by way he wasn't freezing like he should.

Slowly lifting up his hand, Jack snapped his fingers and poofed out of Winter's hold and away from them into the trees.

Before Winter could set out to find him however the whole wood was lit up with a bright light and a warmth that nothing there could stand, banishing all the Windego's and making Winter scream out in pain.

"I WILL GET TO YOU YOU BRAT!" he cried firing his words to Jack "YOU CROSS MY PATH AGAIN AND YOU WILL REGRET IT!"

***
"And with that he was gone," Jack said "After he left I staggered out to see what it was that saved me and..." 

"And..." Celestia asked though having an idea "No one will judge you by what you'll say Jack."

Smiling Jack continued "They said they were the spirits of the Founders of Equestria. Sworn to scour the land every year banishing Winter and the Windego's from the places they go. So one good thing is they'll hopefully never be able to return to Whitetail." he said getting off topic. 

"But back to the story... Working together they got as much ice off and out of me as they could, but Clover the Clever said that Winters powers were so great at the end, that even with the warmth my heart was giving off, a piece of ice got lodged there and is impossible to get out, by anyone." he said sadly before someone suggested to give them a shot at it.

"The good news is the 'power' part of it only shows when I'm in Equestria. Where as the 'Can't feel the cold' part is with me always..." he said to calm everyone down "And that is how I came to have the powers over ice and snow." he said getting up and bowing. "Now, if you don't mind I think I need some alone time by my pond."

With that Jack snapped his fingers and was gone.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the library, everyone was speechless, shocked from the story Jack had just told.

Not only did he cross paths with Old Stallion Winter, but he also fought him, got given powers over ice and snow by him, and met the spirits of the  Founders of Equestria.

After a few minutes to let the Six, Sarah, Eric, and Suzy time to get this into their heads, Discord spoke up.

"So believe that there's an Old Stallion Winter now Rainbow?" he asked looking towards a starstruck Rainbow Dash, her eyes wide open.

"No," she answered after a bit "I bet he just made that up to scare us or something."

"He was not lying," Suzy, Sarah and Applejack said together just above a whisper worried looks to their faces.

"Oh come on..." Rainbow said turning to the girls.

"No!" Sarah said firmly "Yes Jack holds the record on being on Santa's naughty list, with his pranks, and tricks, and lies..." she began counting off her fingers "But at least one thing he doesn't lie about, is anything that comes when it comes to Emma. Yeah I don't believe the second half all that much, but the first half is 100% real. And as he said... How else would he of gotten the powers of ice and snow if Discord doesn't have that power and he's a Student of Chaos?"




Over in Whitetail Wood, for the first time since he had froze the pond, Jack unfroze it and was looking onto the conversation that was playing out back in Canterlot.

Sighing not wanting to hear anymore, he shut it off and re-froze the water.

Looking around, he  looked for something to do to let his feelings out before he went back to the others looking to the rainbow icicles each one a different length meaning when he hit them a different note would play out.

Thinking up a neat idea, Jack formed some iced instruments and using his chaos powers asked the wind to play them for him.

Then after making up an audience of snowbabies and changing into an appropriate outfit and giving a spotlight  to himself and a snapping up a mike before himself... he began to start the music and sing a song he had loved since the moment he had first heard it.

The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the king

He began quietly at first looking around his winter wonderland.

The Wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn't keep it in heaven knows I tried

Don't let them in, don't let them see
Be the good boy you always have to be

Conceal don't feel
Don't let them know...
Well now they know...

Jack smiled as the babies began to cheer for him and his wonderful voice.

Let it go let it go
Can't hold it back anymore
Let it go let it go
Turn away and slam the door

I don't care what they're going to say
Let the storm rage on
The cold never bothered me anyway

As the first instrumental came in Jack unhooked the mike stepping forward a bit looking out to the audience.

It's funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can't get to me at all

It's time to see what I can do to test the limits and break through
No right no wrong no rules for me....
I'm free...

Taking a bold move because of the timing in the music Jack leaped into the air and flew over to crowd to enhance the next couple of lines.

Let it go let it go
I'm one with the wind and sky
Let it go let it go
You'll never see me cry

Here I stand and here I'll stay
Let the storm rage on...

The second instrumental began, and Jack started to make snowponies and snowflakes in midair, to the cheers of the babies then as it came to the end held the mike to his mouth again.

My power flurries through the air into the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
My one thought crystallizes like an ice blast

Coming back to the stage.

I'm never going back
The past is in the past...

He cried ripping off his outfit revealing his Student of Discord one.

Let it go, let it go
And I'll rise like a break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
The perfect boy is gone

And with a flick of his wrist turned this outfit into his Warrior of Harmony one smirking just a bit.

Here I'll stand
In the light of day...
Let the storm rage on....
The cold never bothered me anyway.

And like that the spot light went out and the wood was filled with cheers of fanning snowbabies all climbing over each other trying to get to Jack to congratulate him.

"Thank you..." Jack said the lights coming back "Thank you, it was an honor to sing for you tonight. Please, please no pictures."

After a bit Jack made all but one of the snowbabies disappear so he'd have some company.

He was about to go into the cabin for some hot coco when a slow solo mocking applauding rang around the wood.

Trying not to show he was afraid, because he had a very good idea on who it was, Jack pulled out his sword and span to see who the unwanted guest he had in his wood was.



  
After a few more arguments and trying to get Rainbow to see reason, alarms began to ring out making very one jump and Fluttershy zip under a table to be safe.

Quickly Discord zapped up his movie screen and set it to where the alarms were coming from, Whitetail Wood.

Where stood Jack in his Warrior of Harmony outfit facing an Alicorn who's mane and tail were as white as snow, his eyes ice blue, the tips of his horn and wings violet.

"Now believe that there is an Old Stallion Winter, Cloud-Butt?" Eric asked pointing to Rainbow  who's eyes were wide open in shock.




Over in Whitetail Wood, Jack was glaring at the Alicorn before him waiting for him to make the first move.

"Ah so the magician returns ay..?" Winter asked as he began to circle the boy examining him. "Hmm... I would of thought you'd of grown a bit more then this since the last time we met."

"What do you want Winter?" Jack asked sword out before him eyes following the stallion, while the snowbaby was clinging onto his leg scared.

"Oh my boy..." Winter said chuckling "I would of thought that you at least would know what I would want... I want this land to suffer in eternal winter to pay for each of those 3000 years of that blasted holiday ruining my MASTER PIECES!" he screamed returning to the front of Jack.

"But it turns out," he said looking toward Jack "That I need all of my magic over winter, to even begin that. So if you'd be ever so kind as to hand over that little speck of my magic you took away from me when we first met... I'll just be on my way."

"Ok a few things Winter..." Jack said lowering his sword and leaning against it.
"One, I didn't take anything from you, you gave it to me when you lodged it in my heart when you were trying to freeze me.
Two, I've kind of grown to enjoy these powers over ice and snow so I hardly think I'm going to hand it back to you for you to use them harshly on the ponies of Equestia," he continued firmly.
"And three, The Founders say you lodged it into my heart so much it can't come out anyway. So sorry about and all that and everything old chum..." Jack said mocking an Old English accent "But that was going to be an impossible task to do anyway."

With that Jack bent down picked out the snowbaby and turned his back to Winter walking away.

"You want this to go the hard way?" Winter hissed "Fine we'll do this the hard way..."

If Jack hadn't suspected this, and dodge out the way, he would be frozen to one of the trees.
Thankfully he was suspecting it and after he dodged shot a string of icicles right back, anger and frustration on his face.

"What kind of guy shoots someone who's back's turned? Huh?" Jack cried as he jumped out the way of another attack from Winter, the baby still in his arms, shifting his sword to his staff.

"The smart kind, Boy," Winter said forming an ice shield to block the cold wind attack coming from the boy.

"Rather the cowardly kind," Jack retaliated, setting the baby down and jumping into the air, bringing his staff down in both hands releasing a large amount of ice and snow only to be met by the same but stronger attack by Winter, pushing him back a bit slamming him into a tree and making him fall to the ground.

"Ha! Give up, boy," Winter said gloatingly. "I have more experience, I have more power, I have been doing this job since before you were even born!" he said stepping closer to Jack with each statement.

"What you have... Is a big fat mouth that needs to be shut off," Jack said groaning as his got back up a new look of anger on his face his eyes narrowing turning from brown to blue because of the amount of winter magic he was using. "Here let me help with that..." he said swiping his staff at the Alicorn who dodged the attack and fired a few shards of ice towards the boy pinning him to a tree.



In the library, everyone was on the edged of their seats hoping with all their hearts that Jack would succeed, but having a feeling that he won't make it.

"We really need to rethink the laws about fights here in Equestria Sister," Luna whispered to Celestia who nodded.

"Why doesn't he just snap his fingers and get out of there?" Suzy asked afraid.

"Jack's... One of those people who keeps fighting until the very end," Sarah explained "No matter what the outcome is, or how bad he'll be in the end."



Back in the woods Jack was trying to get down from the tree but was stopped when an icicle began to grow towards his neck, Winter controlling it "How about we try this again..." he said from where he was. "Hand over that piece of winter's magic you stole from me... and in return I will not kill you." he said giving the boy time to think.

Panting a bit Jack was about to tell Winter that that task can't be done when he saw the snowbaby bouncing around getting his attention and giving him an idea.

"Ok... alright," he said quietly "You got me... I'll give you back your magic... But you have to find me first." he said grinning, snapping his fingers bringing back the snowbabies then using his new Changeling powers shifted into one too, jumping down and running to join his 'brothers' disappearing into the middle of the clan.

Knowing it will take forever to go through these horrible little beings, Winter just scream to the sky in anger and in a flurry of snow spread his wings and took off back to his palace.
***
After a bit, to make sure it was fine, Jack shifted back to normal and made all but that one baby go again.

Kneeling down, Jack spread his arms silently requesting for a hug, which the baby gratefully gave him.

"Thanks little guy," Jack said standing up clothes shifting back to his Student of Chaos outfit, and eyes turning back to brown. "Now I'm guessing everypony saw all that just happened," he said looking into the trees trying to find those cameras Discord is said to have. "But I think we should head back and tell them what just happened."
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in Canterlot, the ponies hurriedly got rid of the screen just before Jack came back into the room arms crossed, a slightly 'Are you kidding' look on his face.

"So how much did you see?" he asked getting to the point the snowbaby by his feet.

"The alarms went off just before you started fighting that big mean-meanie-pants," Pinkie said snuggling up to the snowbaby nearly making it's small head pop off.

'That's something then,' Jack thought.

"Well then incase you still don't believe or worked it out..." he said looking towards Rainbow Dash "That was Old Stallion Winter. And I'm guessing you heard what it is he wants so I wont repeat it, so I think I'll just go see the nurse or whatever and ask her to tend to my injuries." he said whistling towards the snowbaby who was happy to get away from the crazy pink pony, and followed her papa out of the room.

"Huh..." Sarah spoke up first turning to Suzy "How did you get him to do that?"

"Do what?" Twilight asked confused.

"Well back before we all came here last time," Eric said knowing Jack slightly more than Sarah because they went to school together "Jack hardly ever claimed he was hurt or that he needed to see the nurse, because he wanted to be seen as the big, strong, never got hurt sort of boy."

"Um..." Suzy said avoiding everyone's eyes her hands over her stomach, blushing.

"Humph sneaky Suzy..." Sarah said after observing Suzy's actions getting her to look up scared "Not that I approve of it that much... But if it means he goes for help when he needs it..."

All the girls around the room were blushing as they realized what Sarah and Suzy were talking about.

"I'm sorry I'm confused," Eric said next to Discord who was holding a box of popcorn smirking, both being ignored by the girls all asking Suzy questions.

"Oh come on Eric..." Discord said throwing an arm over the boys shoulder "Surly you've heard about 'the birds and the bees' or 'twitter-pating' or 'bed time fun'..."

"Thank you for placing all of those images into my mind Discord," Eric said after a bit after working it out "They're really things I wanted to see..." he said shuddering slightly.

"You're welcome," Discord said grinning.

"So getting back to Winter..." Eric said loudly after a few minutes getting the girls attentions "What are we going to do when he comes to fight Jack for that last piece of magic?"

"We're not going to let him do that," Sarah said firmly turning to Suzy. "As soon as Jack's well enough again Suz... You and him go back home, and let me and Eric sort stuff out here."

"But we're Warriors too aren't we?" Suzy asked "Shouldn't we be here and help protect Equestria too?"

"The best way you can do that Suzy," Twilight said coming forward to stand next to Sarah understanding her plan "Is to get Jack out of here so Winter can't find him and get his magic back so he can freeze everything."

At once the doors flung open and the snowbaby came running in up to everyone, and back out a worried look on her face.

Pulling out his sword, Eric lead the way Sarah, Suzy and Discord right behind him, the six after them and the Princess' at the back.



The further through the castle they went, the colder the air became and the louder the ghostly wails echoing off the walls became.

At last they reached the infirmary where everything was covered in snow and Jack was once again pinned to something with an icicle to his throat being held there by the pony before him who was in a winter coat shielding their identity from those at the door.

However, on hearing the 'BANG' of the doors, the pony spun around.

"Identify yourself," Eric said firmly sword turned into a shield.

"Who I am, does not matter," the pony said darkly his voice as cold as the wind that was blowing around the room. "What does matter, is that I've come for one thing and one thing only... Jackson Jones."

That got some of the ponies to wonder who it is their dealing with because only a hooful of ponies know who Jack was (let alone what his full name was).

Eric didn't waste a second, changing the shield back to a sword, and began swinging it at the pony, who dodged every swipe.

After a few blows the pony used his magic and threw Eric across the room, fixing him to the wall with ice too.

Next one to charge at the pony was Suzy after poofing up an axe. But as she got there a familiar sent reached her nose causing her to come to a stop.

Looking into the pony's eyes she gasped slightly but before she could do anything the pony grinned and shot a lime green shot of magic towards her while she was distracted.

"SUZY!" everyone cried snapping the Changeling out of her state just in time to dodge the attack.

Growling as she looked back up, Suzy's eyes had turned to green and her fangs began to show.

Picking up her axe she began to charge at the pony screaming a battle cry that sounded like nails on a chalk board.

Getting into a fighting stance the pony lit their horn and just as Suzy was about to attack... Transported themselves and Jack who had been struggling all the time the pony was distracted with the others to get down, away in a lime green light.
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"NO!" Suzy screamed looking around and swinging the axe cursing in Changelingese meaning she was really ticked off.

After a bit she just sank to the ground tears running down her face.

"You... Alright Suzy?" Fluttershy asked carefully coming up to Suzy and checking she was alright.

"No..." the old Changeling said sniffing hugging the snowbaby who had come to comfort her as well.

"You know who that pony was, don't you?" Applejack asked as she helped to get Eric down.

"Yes," she said growling slightly "And by Insectava's rule... He will pay for taking Jack away from me..."




*




Up on the highest Crystal Mountain, Jack was staring up at the ice palace with wonder and amazement.

"Hey get moving..." the pony who had just taken him from his friends said pushing Jack towards the stairs.

"Yeah like I'm going anywhere you tell me to go," Jack said hands tied behind his back and turning to look the pony in the eye.

Smiling, the pony's eyes began to glow green and Jack began to feel sleepy but only half his brain went to sleep (the sane half since the chaos half was too busy thinking up of pranks and ways to escape to pay attention to the pony in front of him).

"Now I repeat..." the pony said "Get moving."

Now knowing who this pony was, Jack tried to make it seem like he was hypnotized when he said "Yes Scarab," and slowly began to climb the stairs. With each step trying to think of ways to get out of here.




*




"Wait Scarab..." Rainbow Dash asked after hearing Suzy's story "As in that lone Changeling from last time who didn't accept you for not wanting to be Queen?"

"No..." Suzy dragged on "I mean the sweet, kind, friendly Scarab who wouldn't hurt a fly... OF COURSE I MEAN THAT ONE YOU USELESS PEGASUS!"

"Whoa ok alright I was just making sure, no need to blow your top," Rainbow said backing off a bit.

"Um... Suzy?" Sarah said wondering remembering what Jack had said on the phone before they came here. "How long ago was the last time Jack got hurt back home?"

"A couple of weeks," Suzy said chomping on one of the giant cookies she asked Discord to zap up because she was hungry. "He was showing off some tricks at the skate park on his board and fell off it and sprained his ankle. Why?"

"I think... You might be pregnant..." Sarah said carefully stunning everyone.

"Well that will be a nice Christmas present for Jack then wont it?" Discord said cheerfully "Congratulations my dear..." he said making a giant cake appear out of thin air and a rainbow spin around it in front of everyone

"Alright," Eric said pushing the background and cake out of the way. "Let's get back to trying to work out how to rescue Jack shall we?"

"Well first thing we need to know to do that, is where they could be," Twilight said getting out a map of Equestria.

"Oh that's easy..." Discord said enjoying some of the cake with Pinkie. "All you have to do is head to the Crystal Mountains and look for the palace he made when he came here 5000 years ago," he said receiving silence from the room. Looking up he asked "What?"

"You know about this guy?" Applejack asked the question the six were all thinking since Sarah, Eric, Suzy and the Princess' know already.

"Well how else was I suppose to be able to tell you what's going on when you lot came here?" he asked zapping up a very old school year book.

After flicking through the dusty pages, he found what he was looking for.

"Here we are..." he said showing everyone a very younger Discord, a centaur will bull horns and red skin, a being with dragon wings and tail who had a medallion around his neck, and a looking the same if just a tiny bit younger Winter.

"The four of us, Winter, Tirek, Scorpan and me," Discord began "Were the best of friends way back when this picture was taken of one of the last few weeks of school.
We were... Not the best behaved students for our teachers, meaning we kept getting detentions which is how we met and got to know each other.
Anyway, as the year was coming to a close we were all wondering on what we could do.
One day me and Winter were out exploring, Tirek and Scorpan were being shunned by their father again, when we found the gate way between our world and this one," he carried on clicking the button on the slide projector that had some how appeared and taken over the book and following Discords story.

"Being the young fools we were, we decided to see what it was like on the other side.
We came up on the top of the Crystal Mountains, went exploring for a few hours... caused some havoc... you get the idea... Anyway when we wanted to go back home however... We couldn't find the gate.

Long story short, we had an argument, split up, I went off to find somewhere warmer, and Winter built this..." Discord said clicking the last slide up showing everyone a magnificent two floor ice palace with a balcony on it.

"So that's where you'll find Jack," he said packing everything up, and zapping up rescue/survival packs giving thick hooded coat and snow boots for everyone, except himself and the princesses "Good luck."

"Whoa whoa whoa..." Eric said stepping forward "Aren't you coming as well Discord?" he asked "You know to rescue your Student of Chaos and all that."

"Nope," Discord said firmly.

"But we would need someone to lead us up that mountain," Suzy said backing Eric up not noticing the snowbaby climbing into her bag.

"No you wont, 'cause I'll place you right at the base of the staircase," he said back quickly snapping his talons before anyone else said anything and zapped them away.



The next thing everyone knew, they were on the top of the highest Crystal Mountain looking up at the palace.

"Sweet Celestia..." Rarity said gawking at it.

"Now that's ice..." Eric muttered remembering all the tricks Jack did last time with ice and snow and how it wondered him.

"Well come on," Suzy said firmly gripping her axe "We didn't come here to look at it..." she said stepping forward placing a foot onto the bottom step.

Suddenly a few piles of snow moved revealing a very big, very annoyed that his nap had been disturbed snowman.

Jumping back just in time but landing in the snow, Suzy tried to find a way past the snowman, getting an idea. "Ok..." she said being helped back up by Sarah. "Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Eric and Pinkie, you guys distract Him," she said nodding to the snowman "And lead him away from the staircase so the rest of up can get in. But don't be killed by him."

"The rest of us go in and find Jack, when we do we'll come out either from the door, or the balcony to meet back up so we can go home." she said quietly so the snowman couldn't hear her.

Nodding those going into the castle slowly stepped back keeping their eyes on the snowman and to the sides.

"Hey Snowman..." Rainbow called out getting the beings attention throwing a snowball at him which had little effect except making him mad and making him form icy armor all over himself, that image being very familiar to the 'going inside' ponies who weren't running away too preoccupied with that then to look.

Quickly, Suzy, Sarah, Rarity, Fluttershy and Twilight, began to carefully rush up the stairs through the doors.

***
Inside everyone was amazed by what they saw. Everything was made of ice. The walls, the furniture, the artwork, there was even a fountain in the back of the foray the was frozen into place.

"Ok... so where do we start?" Sarah asked after a bit walking forwards not looking where she was going stepping on something that made alarms sound and mechanizes to come out.

Quickly Suzy held up her hands and made a bubble of protection around the everyone her Changeling speed beating Twilight and Sarah's reaction time by a long way.

After the last shot was done, and ten seconds more just in case, Suzy dropped the bubble.

"We can start by not drawing attention to ourselves by tripping the traps," she said glaring slightly. "And then..." she said pausing to get a feel of the place "We go that way, to find Jack," she said pointing to the left "and that way to find Scarab and I'm guessing Winter too I can't feel him so it's just a hunch."

"Ok, Suzy, Rarity and Fluttershy you go find Jack," Sarah said deciding the best splitting up forms. "While Twilight and me go and find Scarab and Winter."

"Be sure to leave me something of Scarab to beat up once this is all over," Suzy said before they split up grinning slightly an angry look on her face.
***
In the throne room Winter was looking through the mirror on the wall and smiled.

"So they are here," he said "I thought the boys snowman was just getting bored, oh well... Let the game begin. Scarab you know what to do."  he said to the Changeling to the side of the hall.

Nodding and bowing, Scarab silently left to play out Winters plan to get Jack to hand over the magic he stole...

Capture his friends, use them like hostages, and get him to corporate. By any means necessary...
> Chapter 7 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

One step at a time the girls going for Jack took great care so not to set off any more traps.

"This place is amazing..." Rarity said for the umpteenth time looking all around her at how marvelous the palace was, never knowing how wonderful ice could be, coming to a stop to look at a picture. Then the next thing she knows the wall spins around and she was hit over the head with something, knocking her out.

"Can we admire it AFTER we get Jack back Rarity?" Suzy asked getting really annoyed the Unicorn cared more about the palace than Jack.

Getting no answer, Suzy and Fluttershy looked behind themselves and saw the fashionestia was not there.



Down the other path Sarah and Twilight were also taking care of where they trod.

"Wait..." Twilight said not having sensed anything for twenty paces meaning there was an undetectable trap close by.
Looking through her bag Discord gave her, she found nothing useful for detecting traps only a tub of itching powder, and a small fan.
"What good can these do?" she asked out loud expecting an answer from Sarah.

But Sarah wasn't there.
****
While Twilight had been going through her rucksack, Sarah thought she heard something a few paces back and went to see what it was, coming to a door she was sure was not there before.

Silently wishing up a bow and a few arrows, to which her bracelet granted, Sarah slowly walked in, always looking around her to try and find what was in there with her, but could not find anything.

After getting to the middle of the room and thinking there was nothing there, Sarah turned back to see the door was gone.

Rushing forward Sarah started to bang on the wall and call out for Twilight to get her to come and help her back out. 

"Oh what memories this brings right Sarah Jones?" Scarabs voice rang out around the room a cruel laugh joining it.

"You get your butt out here bug so I can squish you and get my cousin back!" Sarah screamed reloading her bow after firing the first one into the shadows where a pair of green eyes were looking at her from.

"You should really be more careful with that toy of yours," Scarab said coming out his eyes glowing, and fangs dripping with paralyzing venom "Someone could get seriously hurt. You should also not make promises you can't keep..." he said grinning as binds suddenly came out behind him and wrapped themselves around Sarah making her fall to the floor, always struggling but the more she moved the tighter the binds became.

"Like I said... What memories..." Scarab said with a smile after hitting her with a sleep spell knocking her out.



Back with Suzy and Fluttershy, they were heading back the way they came to try and find their easily distracted friend, trying not to show the other one that they were afraid.

When they had been walking for five minutes Suzy said to stop.

"W... Why?" Fluttershy said timidly, her sensitive ears picking something up back the way they came so she went to see what it was, suddenly the floor gave way making her fall into a room below it her scream being cut off by the floor fixing itself the second she fell in.

"If we haven't found her yet," Suzy said taking off her bag to sit against the wall to rest, "Then something must of happened to her."
Getting no reply, Suzy looked up even more worried than before after seeing Fluttershy was missing no too.

Hugging her bag to herself trying to stay calm, Suzy jumped when she felt it move and could hear a high voice saying 'Choking... Not breathing...'

Loosening the hug on the bag Suzy was about to open it when the top flipped open and inside was the snowbaby her big eyes and smile looking up at the Changeling with excitement and happiness.



Outside Pinkie and Rainbow Dash were making the best out of their speeds and running around and bringing down snow packed  clouds to create a blizzard to blind it, while AJ and Eric were attacking it's legs Eric finally managing to cut one leg off.

But before they could do any celebrating or go inside to help the others, just like those dumb broomsticks from 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' Eric thought a new leg grew off the snowman, and a new snowman grew out of the leg.

"OH COME ON!" Rainbow screamed annoyed and tired enough as it is.

"Well it probably doesn't help that you're making it snow Cloud-Butt," Eric said after dodging an arm sweep from one of the snowmen.

"Do you want them to find us?" Rainbow's voice asked.

"More than I would for there to be even more of them," Eric said clapping his hand over his mouth realizing he had just cursed them to now have to deal with a fleet of snowmen, who were all popping up out of the ground sinister smiles on their faces and ice armor glinting in the sun.

"Well done Knave," Applejack said who was next to him trying to block out her ears to the curses he was saying on how stupid he was.

"Hey it's not so bad..." Pinkie said coming over too hearing what Eric said about the snow and stopping the ring she was making. "I bet they're all just cranky because they all lost their hats. Or because we're trespassing..." she said giving them her wild ideas as she set her bag down and pulled out fifty each-one-slightly-different-yet-exactly-the-same smart looking top hats and zipped around placing a hat on each snowman, who right away calmed down and smiled when they felt something being placed on their heads.

Once the last one had a hat, the duplicates all roared in gratitude to the pink pony and burst into snowflakes taking their hats with them. Only leaving the one who was guarding the door who was still smiling.

"You know, you amaze me sometimes Pinks," Applejack said to Pinkie who was now also hugging the snowman who was hugging her back.

Eric was smiling now too, glad that this was over. But if it was... then why was it still snowing? Looking up he was shocked to see no blue cloud butted big headed loud mouth Pegasus.

"Err... anyone take note of where Rainbow went?" he asked the girls who just now noticed their friend was gone too.
****
(Rainbow POV a bit earlier)

"OH COME ON!" Rainbow screamed annoyed and tired enough as it is that the snowman just fixed himself just like that.

"Well it probably doesn't help that you're making it snow Cloud-Butt," Eric's voice called out after a 'THUMP' of one of the snowmen's arms

"Do you want them to find us?" Rainbow's asked flying higher to get to the right height so she could do a Sonic Rainboom and blast these over grown popicles to bits.

But just as she was about to call out a warning to her friends she felt the air around her becoming colder and the  next thing she knew a Windego came zooming towards her and while she was distracted by this one another came up behind, shooting ice into the back of the Pegasus' head knocking her out and to fall for a third one to collect and take to their master.



Back with Twilight, after remembering a trick Pinkie Pie had taught her about how powder and dust could make sensor beams show up, Twilight made it through the lazier grid and was continuing on towards where Scarab and possible Winter should be, going a bit faster, yet still being careful. 

Finally coming to a double door, Twilight paused, took a deep breath and lighting her horn was about to open the doors when they opened themselves making her jump back slightly surprised.

"Now why so surprised my dear?" Winter's voice called out confirming that he was here, making Twilight step forward, still on high alert. "What kind of gentle-colt would I be... If I did not open doors for lovely mares like yourself?"

"What kind of gentle-colt are you anyway?" Twilight asked coming to the center of the room always looking around her not finding any mention of the Alicorn who she was meant to be talking too.
"You want to coat the world in eternal winter, you want to hurt the lives of so many ponies just to have things Your way."

Although he still did not come out, Winter lost his 'gentle-colt' act "Well why can't I have things MY way Princess?" he asked sounding like a child. "Before your ancestors came along, I could do what EVER I wanted during winter in this pathetic world me and Discord came across when we came here oh so long ago.
But ever since those stupid ponies found out that was something more powerful than hate and ignited that STUPID Heart now I'm just pushed aside 'Oh there's nothing to be afraid of there's no such thing as 'Old Stallion Winter' '
Well after today Princess of Friendship, they wont be able to say that ANYMORE"

All through that speech, Twilight had been looking around the room trying to detect where  Winter was speaking finally looking up to see him in a royal box looking down into the room, and sicking three Windegos at her freezing her in place and knocking her out.



Back outside Pinkie had just finished giving the snowman a 'You're welcome' hug when she started to go bouncing all around the mountain peek, causing an avalanche on one of the lower mountains all together at last coming right back to where she began.

"Oh dear, oh my..." she said pacing "I thought it was only to do with running from Blizzard..."

"Err... want to enlighten us Pinks?" Applejack asked, making it towards the steps.

"I think the others are in trouble," Pinkie said looking up.

"Well then lets go rescue the," Applejack said reaching out to step onto the steps to be stopped by 'Blizzard' who was now blocking their way and shaking his head.
"Hey come on, we beat you fair and square," Applejack said annoyed her tail was being frozen off out here, "Let us in..."

Now things had calmed down Eric was getting a second look at the snowman, at last recognizing it as the same one or at least the same form made one that Jack made and sent to attack Sombra and Chrysalis.

"AJ just come back a bit, slowly always keeping your eyes locked on him..." Eric said staying back and sheathing his sword to show he also meant no harm, remembering what Jack said about snow.

One minute it can be calm and soft and quiet begging for you to play with it. The next it can be ferocious, loud. So cold it stings your face as you try to make your way through it, giving you frostbite and hypothermia.

Doing what she was told, Applejack stepped back until she were with the others.

Seeing his papa's friends who were still out here had stopped trying to get past him, and getting a nod from the boy, Blizzard shrank down to a snowman no bigger than a pony and smiled as he began to lead them away from the palace back down the mountain.

Looking to each other, those who were left shrugged and began to follow the little snowman always on guard for anything tricky.

And speaking of little snowmen...



Suzy was still staring at the snowbaby who was in her bag.

'Hi' it said, jumping out and onto her tummy.

"Please don't do that," Suzy said lifting the snowbaby off her stomach and rubbing it to make it feel better again.

'Why?' the baby asked tilting it's head.

"Because it hurt," was all Suzy said.

'Oh... Ok I promise I wont jump on you any more,' the baby said.

Wait... Said...

"Err.... you mind if I as a question?" Suzy asked repositioning herself, now having the baby on her lap, getting a nod and a happy smile from it. "How are you talking? Or... Or how am I understanding you?"

'It's because I'm two hours old - snowmen grow really fast,' she said puffing out her chest 'And can un-der-stand me because you have some of my papa's chaos magic. Only ponies or people with it can hear us.'

"Can you track Jack better than I can since you're part of his magic?" Suzy asked getting an idea, and a nod from the baby.

Jumping down the baby waited until Suzy was back on her feet and had her bag back on her back, before leading her to a blank looking wall, skipping all the way.

'In there,' it said bouncing happily that she could help.

Not understanding the snowbaby, Suzy closed her eyes and using both her Changeling senses and chaos magic, could detect that there was something off about this wall.

'Jack?' she called out through her mind.



"So where we going Blizzy?" Pinkie asked the snowman who was leading them into a cave a safe distance away from the palace.

'To somewhere safe, while I show you what my papa has told me to say to you,' Blizzard said forgetting that no one can hear him.

"So Jack IS in there then?" Pinkie asked amazed and happy, getting everyone to stare at her "What?"

"Did... Did you just hear AND talk back to the snowman Pinkie?" Applejack asked just to be sure she heard right.

"Well how else would I of heard him say that Jack has something to show us which is why he's leading us away from the palace?" Pinkie asked in her 'It's so obvious voice'.

'But only those with chaos magic can hear us...' Blizzard said tilting his head to the pink pony liking her, even if he didn't understand her.

"Well I can do some very chaotic stuff I'm told," Pinkie said still smiling "One time I found the Magic Mirror Pool and made copies of myself to have more time with my friends but that turned out to be a complete disaster!"

"Wait the what?" Eric asked confused.

"A few months before Twilight became a princess," Applejack explained as Pinkie and Blizzard were off discussing other things on their own, "Pinkie thought it would be a good idea to make copies of herself to as she said have more time with her friends by sending them to the friend she would be skipping out on."

"But... if she sends duplicates, it wont be her spending time with her friends," Eric said piecing it together.

"That's the lesson she learnt after that big dilemma," AJ said nodding "Which included ruining my family's barn raising, Fluttershy's animal picnic to be ruined, Rainbow to not want to have any cider for a week just in case she got double vision and saw more than one Pinkie again, Rarity's store to look like it had a hurricane go through it, and all of Ponyville to want to go to Twilight and demand she'd do something about it."

"Esh... glad I wasn't there for that then," Eric said more to himself then turned to the two before him and got their attention.

"Ok so what is it that Jack wants to show us so bad?" he asked the snowman.

'Papa says that Winter has found out...'

"That you six," Pinkie translated word for word.

'Are the decedents of...'

"Oh my goddie goodie goodness!" Pinkie said getting more bouncy than ever and bouncing off the walls  only stopping when, after a few failed tries, Applejack caught her with her lasso and brought her back and asked her what Blizzard said.

"Well..."



'Suzy?' Jack's voice said back in the girls head sounding surprised that she was there.

Looking around to see if anything was coming, and that it wasn't just an illusion of a stiff wall, Suzy poofed up a sledge hammer and then after telling Jack to get back, used all her Changeling strength, to whack it against the wall making a hole for her to crawl through and be reunited with her boyfriend, not minding that his hands were behind his back in hard-ice gloves that were connected to the wall, meaning he can't snap his fingers or hug her back.

"You could of just poofed the wall away you know," Jack said smiling.

"Hey I panicked," Suzy said looking at the gloves "Beside what would be the fun in that?" she said going to touch them when Jack saw this and cried.

"DON'T DO THAT!" and span so he was facing her a worried look on his face.

"Well then how else are you going to get out of here,"  Suzy asked reaching for them again only for him to dodge her again.

"I don't want you to touch them because Winter put a spell on them, that they will harm anyone who touches them," Jack explained eyes wide trying get her to understand. "And the only one who can get them off is a true Alicorn, so even if you changed into one Suz, it still wont work."

"But..." Suzy said tears coming to her eyes.

"Hey we'll find a way out of here," Jack said smiling and scooting over after telling her to fix the wall just in case something was out there. "Though we might want to find it soon..." he said getting Suzy to look up confused, the snowbaby on her knee.

"Why's that?" she asked sniffing.

"There's a reason, why after so long, Winter is finally deciding to strike back and ruin Hearths Warming and Equestria for everyone," he began as he said what he found out while he was in the throne room after he came here, the two rejects thinking he was hypnotized.

***
As the doors opened Jack still in his slow pace walked forward trying to resist the urge to scowl at Winter who was looking just so proud on that throne of ice.

"Jackson Jones, Sire," Scarab said bowing after presenting the boy to Winter.

"Ah... so that's the pests name is it?" Winter asked not caring in the slightest. "Now Scarab you told me when we met a few months ago, that this boy once made a snow monster that fought against you old queen and Sombra correct?"

"Yes sir."

Then looking to the boy said to make another one, while making it attack anypony or one it sees and bring them to him.

"Why would you want that Sir?" Scarab asked confused.

"Because... that will mean that, since Jackson will be here, the six decedents of the Founders you also spoke to me about that that much power will stupidly come here to rescue him," Winter said Jack being sure to log this into the snowman's brain to pass the note on telling it to attack, but not harm, and make sure they don't get inside.
"And with the decedents of the founders out of the way, and the true ones no longer around since their souls can now rest because they made it up by showing everpony how to be kind to each other this time of year... There will no one left to stop me!"
***

"After the snowman was ready and sent to the front door to wait for you," Jack was saying "I was brought here, I think there may be a second reason why they want you ponies that's connected to me, probably something to do with the piece of Winter's magic I have."

Suzy was amazed, by this. Then got to thinking.



"Whoa whoa whoa...." Eric said going over what Pinkie just said Blizzard had said to her, "He's saying... you six... are the decedents of those founders Jack said he met when he first came here?"

"Er... duh..." Pinkie said rolling her eyes. "I mean how else could we be who and what we are?"

"Ok you've lost me Pinkie" Applejack said.

"No I haven't. You're right there," Pinkie said.

"Never mind," AJ said "Just get to explaining how were connected to the founders please..."

"Well... Rarity is descended from Princess Platinum, who although it was only for her people showed great Generosity, then according to history after the Three Tribes came together showed everyone it by, as Amethyst and Fireopal said wanting those tunnels underneath Canterlot to be made.
Rainbow Dash is descended from Commander Hurricane, who like Platinum, until the Tribes joined up only showed Loyalty to her people, but then showed it to everyone by demanding less food to be given and to help the Earth Ponies in growing their food by controlling the weather better.
I'm descended from Chancellor Pudding-Head," that name getting Eric to raise an eyebrow. "Who only wanted her people to, like me, have the best of times in the worst of times by showing them Laughter.
You AJ are descended from Smart Cookie, who was Honest with Private Pansy and Clover the Clever, when she admitted her feelings to them when they were stuck in the cave.
Fluttershy is descended from Private Pansy, the only Pegasus back then to show any Kindness to anything and everything, even if it wasn't from her own tribe.
And Twilight is descended from Clover the Clever who by using her Magic and with the help of her 'NEW FRIENDS' " she said hinting Applejack at something, "Lit the very first Heart of Friendship and drove the Windego's away."

"Ok got that in my head now..." Eric said coming to first. "So what now? I mean we can't really just walk up and let you two be caught too meaning now there's no way to stop him can we?"

"We need to somehow get back to Celestia, Luna and Discord and tell them what's happened here," Applejack said going through her bag to see if there was anything they can use to get home but there's was nothing in there.

"Oh let me do it AJ" Pinkie said gently pushing the apple farmer to the side and then looking into the bag and calling out "Ah there it is," she said now putting her arm into it and reaching in as far as she can go, a determined look on her face, which turned into a smile as she pulled out...

"A snowglobe?"

"Oh AJ, AJ, AJ," Pinkie said shaking her head disappointingly. "You must remember things are not always as they seem. Especially when it comes to Chaos Magic. Canterlot," she said to the ball of glass as she shook it an image of Canterlot appearing in the dome.

Then after checking everyone was ready threw it at the wall where a swirling, multicolored portal appeared.

Eric and Applejack took a step back cautious of this thing in front of them, but Pinkie and Blizzard just jumped right in.
Feeling that they should trust Pinkie, AJ and Eric took deep breaths and jumped into it too.



Back in the room with Jack and Suzy, Suzy began to speak up.

"Hey Jack..." she said a thinking face on her "You... you remember when we got our powers mixed..."

"Yeah?"

"Well do you think that meant you gave me all your powers," Suzy asked slightly worried. "Your chaos power, and your winter magic? It's just," she carried on beginning her explanation "I've never felt cold ever anyway, one of the powers to being a Changeling, but when we're home I do because of the 'Equestria magic not working here' thing," she rambled on.
"But now we're back here, I don't feel cold but I'm not sure if its to do with what I am or that kiss. I'm only asking because, I've not had any problems with it, but if it means that I've got some of Winter's magic as well..."

"Then he'll either go for you too, or rip me to pieces in anger because he's not getting what he wants, his full powers back, from me - that is If he can get them, as I've said at least twice, there's no way to get rid of it," Jack said getting more frustrated with each word the snowbaby happy coming over to make her papa happy again.

"What are going to do?" Suzy asked worried.

"All I can say Suz..." Jack said after a bit "Is all we can do is wait and see how everything goes."

"Hm..." Suzy said lying down across Jack's chest gripping the boys shirt as she began to shed some tears.

"I'm guess you weren't the only one to come looking for me Suzy?" Jack spoke up after a bit.

"N... No," she said sniffing "But the only ones who came in were Sarah, Twilight, Rarity and Fluttershy. I'm not sure about Twilight or your cousin, but Rarity and Fluttershy have gone missing."

Jack was about to say something when they both began to hear something coming down the corridor.

Quickly, Suzy stuffed the snowbaby into her bag again and shifted into a small bird and flew up to the ceiling to hide there, making it just as Winter and Scarab came in, looking at Jack who put on a hypnotized face.

"Why has his snowman not caught All those ponies Scarab?" Winter asked annoyed cold winds flying around the room.

'Wait... Does that mean there's some who escaped the Windego's?' Suzy thought remembering what Jack said about telling his snowman to bluff fight them.

"I'm not sure Sir," Scarab said walking up to look Jack in the eye to see what was wrong. "But let's be honest Sir," he said slightly nervous when he didn't find anything "It was only just the Earth Ponies. They have no magic except to grow food better than the Unicorns and Pegasi. What could they possibly do against you when they're in your wonderful terrain of the Crystal Mountains? Other than freeze to death?" 

Taking a few seconds to agree to this, Winter began to nod.

"You are right, Scarab," he said grinning evilly "Except you also told me there should be another male human, and a traitorous Changeling with these ponies.  Where are they?" 

'I'll show you where I am you popcicle!' Suzy thought angry that Scarab even had the NERVE to call her that.

'No Suzy don't,' Jack said trying to hold back too, biting his lip to stop him from crying out.

"I... I don't know the answer to that either Sir," Scarab said stepping back from Winter a bit. "But all we need for the plan to work really is the Changeling. The Student of Chaos really cares more about the two females more than the boy or the ponies. We just need to find her, and then we can begin trying to get you your magic back."

"Then what are you still doing here Scarab?" Winter asked sternly cold winds blowing. "And this time... Don't mess it up!" he called out as the Changeling ran out and back down the corridor.

"Hmm... What that stupid bug doesn't know is that this world, although it's very big," Winter said an evil smirk growing with each word. "It's not big enough for both of us to rule. He doesn't even expect that I will turn on him. Oh what fun that will be." 
With that he left too, letting Suzy come down a slightly worried look on her face.

"What are we going to do Jack?" she whispered to be sure Winter was gone.

"It depends on how much you care for Scarab, Suz..." Jack said after a bit.
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in Canterlot Celestia, Luna, Discord, Eric, Pinkie, and Applejack were all once again going over what Blizzard said to the three that came back, which he said Jack told him to them, who got the intel from Winter himself.

There were just a few arguments on whether or not this info was genuine or not.

"Not that I don't enjoy a good game of 'Yell at each other while our friends may be in danger while in the clutches of an evil Alicorn...'" Eric said after a bit getting everyone to calm down. "But I agree with Applejack and Luna. This could all just be a trap to get all of you ponies there for Winter to use you against Jack or something. I mean doesn't it seem just a tad... too coincidental?"

"Yes. Yes it does, my good man," Discord said lying on a cotton candy cloud going though a few photo albums the Canterlot Palace library had to offer. "But you have to remember this is Equestria.... almost everything here, is here for a purpose or reason. I mean look at you and Sarah, if you had not come and destroyed that bit of Nightmare Moon that was still around... we could of been sent back into another eternal night." he began, getting Eric to stare at him stunned.

"And then there's these lovely girls right here Luna," Discord continued now speaking to her. "If they were not around, you'd still be possessed by darkness and shadow.
Ha! Found it!" he said shocking everyone as he paused ruffling through the books and using his chaos magic peeling a photo off the page and enlarging it. 

Then he poofed up his movie screen and whizzed back until last years Canterlot Hearths Warming Eve Pageant and through to the end where everyone was all lined up taking their bows. 

"This help tweak those 'Belief' scales?" he asked.

On the left was the pageant  where the main six were dressed in mid-evil looking outfits, Eric thought. 
And on the right, was an older  looking photo of the almost exact same looking ponies down to color of their fur. Only their outfits were slightly different as were their mane-do's.

"That's why you asked us to do the pageant wasn't it Princess?" Pinkie asked beaming, her eyes wide as she bounced off the walls in joy that she was related to Chancellor Pudding Head.

"So wait..." Applejack said thinking this over "Rarity is descended... from the Daughter of the Unicorn King?" she asked looking from the pictures to the Princess' and Discord getting a nod. Then turned to Eric "Remember to bring ear plugs when she gets that bit of news."

"Right," Eric said nodding knowing how the purple maned Unicorn can be. 

"Good," Discord said slamming the book shut, making the old photo disappear and then snapping the screen away "So now that we are all on the same page of believement... How are we going to rescue everyone?"

"We?" Applejack asked raising an eyebrow at the Draconequus "Last I checked you didn't want to join us or have any part in this." 

"Well... That's before Winter did something to my friends," Discord said zapping up a bag and mountaineering outfit for himself.

"In other words 'Before he did anything to Fluttershy," Eric asked crossing his arms, smirking it growing wider when all he got was silence.

Before it could go on for an embarrassing amount of time, a ringing began to sound and everyone turned to see Blizzard glowing and vibrating like a cell phone. 

" 'Ello?" Discord asked after setting down his bag and pressing Blizzards button making a small screen appear on the little snowman.

'Hey Discord, and I'm hoping everyone else as well,'Suzy answered as she came up on the screen 'Got some news to share...'

"Wait," Eric said getting the Changeling's attention "Ok first how are you calling and second is everyone who went into the palace ok?"

'You remember the snowababy Jack made?' Suzy asked seeing nods 'That's how. As for ' Is everyone who went into the palace ok...' I only now for a fact that I am. We split up as soon as we entered and then everyone was taken. I think the only reason I've not been found yet is because their confusing my magic with Jack's since we share it all,' she said leaning to the side to reveal Jack was with her smiling showing he was alright.

"So why you calling?" Discord said curious.

'Well as Suzy said we've got some news,' Jack said back to his mentor. 'One bit of news is that Winter's planning on conning Scarab about 'ruling with him'. That he's only using him until he's not needed anymore, but we don't know what do about that.'

'Another is it turns out that although Winter wants the whole six because of the Founder Connections things,' Suzy carried on He's more interested in getting his hooves on me and Sarah because of our connections to Jack to make him give up his powers even more.'

'But there may possibly be a default there...' Jack said getting everyone in the library's attention. 'You lot remember back last time we lot all came here and there was the fight with Cryssy and Sombra and Suz got hurt and the only way I could save her was to kiss her there by swapping over our powers...' Jack asked his eye more on Discord hoping he'll have the answer. 'Would that include my winter power as well as my chaos magic?'

That put the library to silence all eyes wide and minds racing trying to understand the question.

"I... I don't  know sport," Discord said after a bit "It's probable and possible, but winter power's not my thing remember, and neither is Changeling magic."

'Well is there a way to find out?' Suzy asked looking and sounding worried, this catching Luna's attention. 

"Keep thinking about this chance that it cannot be undone Suzy," she said calmly "And look around where you are..."



Suzy took a deep breath and looked around the room and saw red tipped spikes coming out of the walls, and snow falling. 

"Jack did you make those?" she asked ignoring everyone for a bit. 

"I didn't do it," Jack said. "I've got these gloves on remember I can't use any form of magic with these on." 

"I think I do have winter powers then, Princess Luna," Suzy said turning back to the snowbaby's tummy. "It's not as strong as Jack's or Winters... But I have it."

'That's something else to worry about now then...' Eric said rubbing the bridge of his nose. 

"Hey it's not MY fault I have this dumb power!" Suzy cried into the snowbaby's tummy entering one of her mood swings, her voice rising with each word, meaning Jack had to try and hush her down again, as he looked to the wall.

'If you say so...' Eric said getting dark looks from everyone and Suzy's eyes to turn green at him in anger 'Just tell us where you all are so we can come and get you back out and put a stop to Winter's plans.'

"Like I said Knight," Suzy said using Eric's med-evil play name telling everyone when was ticked off a bit "I don't know where everyone else is. We split up and those with me were taken. But there has been news that the others were too."

'Wait you mean you're not with everyone else?' Applejack asked thinking that that was poor planning. 

"No, I've been with Jack since I found him," Suzy explained loudly "And he's stuck here cause of these stupid gloves see?" she asked turning the baby to the gloves Jack was being forced to wear and showing they were chained to the wall. 

"Winter put a spell on them that they will harm anyone who touches them," Jack explained to everyone on the other end. "And the only one who can get them off is a true Alicorn."



Everyone was looking at and hearing what the kids were saying, planning ahead to get Twilight to do it when they get her to him seeing the Princess's needed to stay here and look after Canterlot.

"Ok so with that sorted, what's this about Scarab?" Discord asked going back to the beginning of the call.

But before either teen could answer there was a noise on the other end and both kids said they needed to go.

"Well that's just made me want to go back there even more..." Eric said sarcastically.

"That's good," Applejack said taking charge. "Because when we get there, since it's us six the old coot wants," she said pointing to herself and Pinkie "We'll distract them while you two, that is if Discord really is coming, go and find everyone and get Jack free. After that we'll just go as it comes." she said getting nods and 'Good lucks'  from the princesses Pinkie picked up the snowglobe hit the 'Return' button, shook it and threw it to the ground.

Instantly a swirling portal appeared and the five of them (Pinkie, Applejack, Blizzard, Eric, and Discord) jumped in coming out into the cave where they left, slightly by Eric's part who had his sword drawn just in case, unsurprisingly right into a herd of Windego's.
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In what could only be the dungeons of the Ice Palace, recognizable only by the ice enhanced weapons of torture, the girls were just waking up from their unplanned and unwanted sleep.

"Well at least I've got ponies to talk to this time," Sarah, who came around first, commented as she stood up and tried to walk over to the others but like last time was held back.
Looking behind her Sarah saw an iced chained hard ice pair of gloves connecting to the wall. 
"And at least I have my bracelet as well."

Hearing a few groans Sarah looked back to see the others were coming around.

"Wow those dumb Windego's really pack a punch," Rainbow said rubbing her head as she got her barrings back. 

"Ugh, this place can definitely use a make over," Rarity said looking at the Ice-Mare, the Dunking-Tank, the rack of iced knives, and the ice Cat-o-Nine-Tails.

"Really?" Sarah and Rainbow said together.

"Our lives maybe at risk here..." Sarah began.

"And you care about that?!" Rainbow ended.

"Um... I don't think we should start arguing girls," Fluttershy said speaking up. 

"I agree with Fluttershy," Twilight said finally coming around too. "Remember here... Windego's can be around any corner, and the feed off fighting and hatred. With that they make things colder, and the colder things get... The more powerful I'm sure Winter becomes."

"Quite right Princess," a cold no-love-in-his-voice voice said making everyone turn to look out the door and see Scarab, who was standing tall, looking at everyone with hatred. "Nice to see you're all awake and well. Well as well as you could get while being our prisoners. Oh but don't worry," he carried on. "You won't be here for long. As soon as the Windego's I sent out to look for those Earth Ponies and that boy that got away get back, and Suzy," he said cursing the name in Changelingese "Is found... You will all be moved up to the throne room for the next part of Winters plan to get his power back from the Student of Discord." 

Having watch all the movies that include an evil overlord and a 'will-do-anything-to-please-them' sidekick Sarah spoke up.

"Hey Scarab... Just what exactly has Winter promised to give you after he has his powers back?" she asked as he was halfway to the door, making him halt and turn back.

"Well... Nothing yet," Scarab said turning back "But He's way more a friend than you lot or Suzy and the other Changelings were. He didn't want to abandon me or the traditions being Changelings upheld."

"Ok... So what's he getting you to do?" Sarah carried on confusing the other girls "Is he making you do all the work while he sits around and gloats on how great his plans are becoming and how wonderful the world will be when it becomes a frozen wasteland?" she asked "Or his helping you along with his own plan and sharing the work so you'll win against us when the time comes for us to kick your butts?" 

"Why do you care so much about how Winter and I work together Human?" Scarab asked hissing a bit and glaring at her.

"Because Changeling..." Sarah replied slightly annoyed that she was being spoken to this way "I have a feeling that Winter's just using you. Using you just to get what he wants. His power back. And once he gets it, if he can get it at all..." she said remembering what Jack said. "He wont need you anymore, and will get rid of you just like if you were a broken sword."

The whole speech left everyone speechless. The mares switching between Sarah and Scarab, trying to make scene of it. Scarab rerunning everything Sarah had just said to him in his mind. And Sarah settling down a satisfied look on her face.

Needing some time and air to think on this, Scarab left.

"Well... That came out of nowhere Sarah," Rainbow said turning to the girl who was at the other end of the cell. Then noticing it being too quiet looked around. "Err... anyone know where Applejack, Pinkie and Eric are?" 

"Don't you use your ears Cloud-Butt?" Sarah asked rocking back and forth slightly trying to keep warm "One of the first things that bug said was 'As soon as the Windego's he sent out to look for those 'Earth Ponies' and that boy that got away get back, and Suzy, is found, we'll all be moved up to the throne room for the next part of Winters plan to get his power back from Jack." Sarah repeated "Meaning they're still out there somewhere. And because Suzy came in with us but is also not here and is being hunted too... She must be with Jack wherever he is if they can't find her in their own palace."



Back in the cave Eric had just sliced through his tenth Windego, the others doing all they could too to beat them and so they can get out of there and rescue their friends when an idea came to him.

"Guys stop attacking!" he called out over the wails the winter spirits were making. 

"WHAT!" Applejack and Pinkie Pie cried.

"We want to get up there anyway don't we?" Eric asked only defending now "And while we're doing this, we're only wasting time and energy which we will need as much of as we can, when it comes to getting our friends back and beating Winter." he explained sheathing his sword.

"The boy's right you know girls," Discord said packing up his weapons too grinning a bit. "Besides I'm sure Old Winter would know we're here by now seeing how long we kept this up. So what's the point on trying to making a surprise anymore?"

Still unsure but trusting their friends, Pinkie Pie, who was fighting with Blizzard, and Applejack backed off too, returning to the center of the cave looking into the Windego's cold hard stare.

> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Jack's 'room' him, Suzy, and Snowflake (the snowbaby), were all trying to find ways to entertain themselves.

One of the down sides of being entrusted with the power of chaos, is you get bored very easily. Especially if there was nothing to do.  

After they had called the others back in Canterlot and Scarab, who had been coming down the corridor trying to figure out where Suzy was and heard more than one voice from a supposedly hypnotized - and therefor unable to talk to anyone but him since he was the master - boy was, was gone, the two decided to begin a game of twenty questions.

At the moment it was Jack's go and Suzy was trying to get him to understand the she was pregnant...

"Ok so it's not an animal... it's not from Equestria... it makes a mess where ever it goes... it's awake at night... and it likes having fun," Jack listed thinking. "Ha! I've got it..."

Suzy bit her lip thinking 'He's taking this really well...' when...

"It's me isn't it?" 

"Meh... not exactly..." Suzy said avoiding his confused eyes her hands on her stomach and a blush on her face. "In fact never mind! This was a stupid thing for me to pick. How about I choose something else. Um... Ok I'm thinking of something orange, and it's small..." 

"Suz..." Jack said stopping her rambling and making her look at him. "What do you mean by 'Not exactly' when I said the answer was me?" 

"Um... You... You remember that injury you had a few weeks ago at the skate park..." Suzy asked still not too keen on saying this, getting a nod and a worried/confused look from Jack. "And the... 'Award' I gave you that night for going to get help because you were hurt..."

It took him some time but bit by bit Jack pieced together the puzzle Suzy was laying out for him.

"Oh my Celestia!" Jack said, when the last part was placed, looking at her then to her stomach. "Suz are... Are you?" 

All Suzy did was look at him, a small smile on her lips, and nod.

'I don't get it...' Snowflake said making both of them jump forgetting the snowbaby was there.

"It doesn't matter Snow," Jack said looking to Suzy who was looking away slight worry on her face now "We'll explain later. Once we're out of here and either back in Canterlot. And everything will be fine." 

"How do you know?" Suzy asked sniffing slightly.

"Er... is this for now or later?" Jack asked not sure how to answer.

"Well 'Now' at the moment," Suzy asked picking up Snowflake to cuddle for comfort since Jack was preoccupied. "And then 'Later' once we get home. How... How do you know something bad wont happen? Or... Or... What if it doesn't come right? Like what if it takes after me more than you?" 

"Suzy... You were full human when the seeds were planted right?" Jack asked using his grandparents 'Babies Come From The Cabbage Field' talk because technically there was a child there, getting a nod. 
"Right so unless what we did that night enhanced you're Changeling side, I doubt there will be anything to worry about." 

"But... But what if being here is... is 'infecting' it?" Suzy asked looking scared. "Now we're back here I'm a full fledged Changeling again, I'm just staying in this form. What if it's getting more and more Changeling magic or... or what if it's also getting your magic now what... What if..." 

"What if it comes back from the field looking like Grandpa Discord with a goat horn, a deer antler and everything else Discord has because of me?" Jack said stopping her again.
"Suz... We were human when we made it. And I doubt very highly that being here for however long this is going to take will affect it in anyway. But if it does..." Jack said getting more serious by the word "You have to remember that it's still our kid. And we will both love it no matter what it looks like or what powers you're suggesting it might inherit. And if it does have any of that, if you want we can come and live here in Equestria if you think people back home will try and hurt it."

"But then you wont see you're friends and family..." Suzy said after a bit loosening her hold on Snowflake who was about to have her head chopped off. 

"I... Doubt mum and dad will be pleased that I'm becoming a dad myself at this age, and before I'm married," Jack began scooting back until he was against the wall staring up to the ceiling. "And to be honest... aside from Eric and Sarah, Suzy, how many friends back home do you know I have?" Jack asked not needing an answer.

"The others know... you know..." Suzy said after a bit of silence speaking of everyone else.

"Well we better be getting out of here so Pinkie can throw us a party for it then..." Jack said smiling getting his fun back now Suzy's stopped worrying. 

"Why does Pinkie like to throw so many parties anyway?" Suzy asked lying down looking up at Jack, her head on his lap, Snowflake in her arms falling asleep. 

"In her family I guess," Jack whispered shrugging "Though I'm not sure how since she came from a rock farm..." 

Suzy was about to ask another question when she began to feel Jack shiver underneath her and got up to see what was wrong feeling all tingly herself. 

"Er... What was that?" Suzy asked scared. 

"It means that the help we called for..." Jack said after banging his head against the wall a bit "Wasn't all that helpful." When that didn't help Jack went into a bit more detail. "You've learnt about Pinkie's Pinkie Sense by now right?"

"Yeah..." 

"Well that was our version of it... Chaos Sense if you will, and that's told us that the help we asked for just got caught by Winter's Windegos." Jack said. 

"So..." Suzy said going over this in her head "So I'm the only one left who can do anything?" 

"Well I'm sure we can all still do something," Jack said shrugging "You're just the one who's the most free." 

"Really helpful at lifting my spirits Jackie..." Suzy said rolling her eyes. "So... what now?"

"Now my dear..." a cold voice rang around the room making all who were in there stiffen. "You and Jackson, now that we have all your little friends to play games with, shall come to the throne room and join in."

Before either Jack, Suzy, or a now awakened and scared Snowflake could say anything, they were coated in a purple aura and transported to the throne room and manacled to the wall, their friends on the left all calling out to them asking if they were ok.

'Er... how long do you think the old dolt was listening for Jack?' Suzy asked her boyfriend through their minds looking slightly worried.

'Hopefully not as long as that,' Jack replied looking fierce towards the winter spirit of Equestria who was in front of them while panicking in his mind 'But by the way he answered your question... I'm guessing he must of caught the last thing.'

"So that was where you were hiding little Changeling..." Winter began cutting the two's conversation off. "Ingenious plan. Hiding with someone who has the same powers as you so you cannot be found," he said standing tall.  

"I am NOT a Changeling you good for absolutely nothing molluscs!" Suzy cried eyes growing green with anger towards this guy.

"Not a Changeling?" Winter asked looking shocked and only slightly offended by the cursing she gave him. "Well that's not what Scarab tells me..." he said turning towards the other Changeling in the room over by the others with a desk of knives and a cruel, yet slightly confused look on his face. 
"In fact he tells me, my dear, that before this boy came along..." he said nodding to Jack, the three of them deafening their ears to the others cries. "That you were one of the ten leaders of those teams that were set to take the place of your victims." 

"Yeah I was," Suzy said agreeing with him "But after the whole Sombra fiasco, I realized I don't want to be one anymore. So there."

"Oh but you'll always be a Changeling my dear," Winter began giving her his wicked smile that was sending shivers down her spine. "No matter what form you are in, or how often you say it to yourself, you are and will always be a Changeling."

"Hey back off Winter!" Rainbow Dash's voice called out along with grunts as she tried to get free from the manacles holding her.  

"Yeah leave them alone!" Sarah and Eric cried together to defend their friends. 

"Now this is a sight to see..." Winter said turning towards Rainbow who stopped struggling but still held a daggered look in her eye. "Since when may I ask does a descendant of the great Commander Hurricane care for anyone other than her own tribe or kind?" 

Those who did not know what Winter were talking about just gave confused faces while those who did, wished they could melt him for that but stayed silent.

"I care about others since from when they become my friends," Rainbow said venom in her voice "I never leave any of my friends or anyone hanging no matter who they are..." she added.

"If you say so..." Winter said pulling back a bit a 'I so do not care' look on his face as he looked to the others. "Now lets see... Who else do we have here?" he said scanning the line of prisoners spotting the Draconequus on the end. "Discord..?" he asked confused walking over. "You're... free?" he asked.

"As a bird old friend," Discord said smirking "Well as free as a bird who's chained to walls and having to listen to you blab about how great you are and how incredible your plans to destroy Equestria are."

"I commend you on your escape," Winter said bowing towards his old friend "But might I question my friend... What are you doing with these ponies?" 

"Well the plan was to rescue my Student of Chaos over there," Discord said nodding to Jack who was whispering with Suzy plans on trying to get down. "But then we were welcomed here very poorly by some of your Windegos, who escorted us here and here we are." 

As Winter was listening to Discords explanation he was looking down the line of ponies trying to find the real reason why Discord came here knowing that he had sworn 'Never to come back here for as long as he lived!' finding the answer in a very shy looking Pegasus who was blushing slightly all through Discords speech.

"Is that the only reason you came here Discord?" Winter asked a cruel look in his eye making all who saw it go stiff. 

"Hey as much as I would love the Master of Chaos get shunned..." Eric's voice from the other end of the line called to distract Winter "Can we get to the point of 'Why are you doing this?' and the 'We're so going to kick your big fat ass moment?'"

"Well I thought that why I am doing this was obvious boy..." Winter said coming over to him now "I am doing this, to regain the freedom that should of been mine long ago when I first came here. When everyone was frightened, miserable. Oh such happy times for me. Oh the power my Windegos and I wielded. But then those useless ponies..." he said looking down the line again before returning to Eric "Replaced my cold with their Friendship and Light. Lifting their hearts and giving themselves hope. While, as I said to Twilight Sparkle earlier, I was just pushed aside. Like I never existed. Well once I get my powers back..." Winter said as be left Eric and began to walk towards Jack "Everyone will know my name and will know I exist."

"They will also fear you," Sarah said strongly next to Eric. "All this loss you will create and for what?" she asked gaining Winter attention "To become unstoppable? To rule Equestria? Friends are a good thing to have that can bring people and ponies together. 
With them you know you will never be alone, people you can go for them for advice, people who can come for you for advice, people who will help you without questioning you, who will do anything to keep you safe. And will never stab you in the back or get rid of you once you are not needed anymore." she aimed this one to Scarab who was next to her guarding them.

"Well if you're so sure about that child," Winter said standing tall. "Lets see how much of a friend Jackson Jones is to you."
Then turning to Scarab told him to prepare the device and take Sarah to it, setting out a few protests from everyone. 

Scarab nodded and with Sarah along with him flashed out of the room, to do what Winter requested. 

"BRING HER BACK!" Eric and Jack cried fighting their chains trying to get to the Alicorn. 

"Oh don't worry boys," Winter said using his snow to make a screen in front of everyone showing the torture room Scarab and Sarah walking through it towards the Dunking-Tank filled with freezing cold water "Once I get what I want I'll tell Scarab to bring her back. That is of course if she's still alive to come back." 

As the Alicorn of Winter laughed his head off everyone looked to a scared looking Jack and Suzy their eyes wide as they looked to the screen and saw Sarah being forced to sit and strapped to the stool above the water.
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sarah never really did like swimming all that much. 

Her excuse she gave out was that she couldn't swim. But really it was because the pond where they lost Emma back when they were kids is the place where she did the most swimming and where Emma loved to play. 
So now wherever it is she swims it brings back the memories of the frozen pond and she just can't do it. 

The good thing, she told herself was this wasn't swimming... This was dunking totally different. As in swimming is fun and dunking... Well it's not so fun.

"(Gasping) Scarab this is a waste of time," Sarah said faking shivers - she had silently wished she could not feel the cold of the water to which the bracelet granted. But that didn't stop her from with each drop loosing more and more air. "Jack can't give Winter his power back. HE CAN'T!" 

Scarab wasn't listening before he dropped the stool again. 



In the throne room everyone - aside from Winter of course - was watching with fear in their eyes.

"Jack what are we going to do?" Suzy asked snapping him away from the screen to look at her. "Sarah can't take much more of this..." 

"You don't think I don't know that Suz?" Jack asked anger in his voice because he was scared for Sarah. "You don't think I don't know what not giving the tyrant his powers back will mean? But what giving them to him does? We've been over this I can't give them back!" 

"Well you'll have to find some way to give them back boy," Winter said enjoying this "Or dear sweet Sarah might never come back out of that room." 
***
While Winter was paying more attention to Jack and Suzy than her and the others, Twilight was using her magic to slowly melt the cuffs holding her up, every once in a while looking to Winter to see if he was noticing. 

Eventually, she was free and began to free the others only after they promised not to do anything until they were all down.
***
Seeing what Twilight was doing Jack and Suzy made it their duty to keep Winter distracted. 

"So if you hate this world so much to just freeze it over..." Suzy asked going back to the earlier conversations "Why did you and Discord choose come here in the first place?" 

"Choose?" Winter asked the word strong and a hint of confusion as if he didn't know what the word was. "You think we chose to come here Changeling? Ha! We were banished here by the High Lord Grogar!" 

"Who?" everyone asked looking confused and towards Discord asking if this was true, but he was just avoiding everyone's eyes. But Winter kept watch on Jack and Suzy and continued explaining.

"We were banished here, because our dimension kicked us out after a prank Discord set up and roped me into," he said red tipped very sharp icicles coming off the walls. "Because of that freak you call master, Jackson," he said looking to the boy "I was kicked out of my home. Pushed away from my family, my friends, my loved ones."
***
"Someone loved him?" Rainbow asked in a hushed voice getting 'Shush...' from everyone else as they watched stunned by this new information they were getting.

"Her name was Seraphina," Discord answered but that was all he said.
***
"But even as a colt... left with nothing..." Winter said building tension "I vowed to rise above everypony.  And give them what I could not have myself." 

"Then why freeze everyone each year?" Suzy asked sensing this speech was full of lies.  

"Well I need someway of erasing all the mistakes the ponies made through out the year." Winter said a small smirk on his face.

"Or maybe you need someway to erase the ponies themselves," Jack said grinding his teeth his eyes turning slightly blue with anger "Those ponies who try and stand up to you and your cold and anyone else who doesn't follow you."

"Clever boy..." Winter said nodding proudly. 

"The world want's peace and friendship," Suzy said trying to stay calm and her mood neutral toward this scum-bag "And you don't need powers to do that. Just let us show you..." she said looking to Jack before returning to Winter.

"NO! Let me! Show you!" Winter cried as he came to the end of his patience with his prisoners.

Then at once the three of them, Jack, Suzy, and Winter were cloaked in a purple aura and were gone, replaced by a spluttering Sarah. 

"SARAH!" everyone cried and rushed over to see if she was alright Eric giving her his cloak to keep warm.

"You alright Sugarcube?" Applejack asked. 

"I'll... I'll live," she said taking deep breaths looking around for her cousin knowing that she wouldn't of been aloud back unless Jack did something. "Where's Jack?" she asked then spotting someone else was missing "Where's Suzy?" 

"With Winter trying to prove to him what friendship is." Rainbow said in mid air. "Which reminds me... Discord." she said getting everyone to look towards the 'Trying to get away' Draconequus. "I think you owe us an explanation on what REALLY happened when you came here."

"What's to explain Cloud-Butt?" Eric said helping Sarah up "Winter already said it. You can shun Discord for lying to us later, right now, we need to find them before something bad happens."

"Like an army of Windego's coming into the room to destroy us?" Pinkie suggested in a calm voice.

"Yeah exactly," Eric said nodding to Pinkie "Good suggestion Pinks."

"Um... It wasn't a suggestion Eric..." Sarah said looking over her shoulder following Pinkie's eye line and seeing them.

"Ok no one do anything" Eric said slowly. 

"Oh come on we can take them," Rainbow said about to charge only to be held back by Applejack.

"Whoa there nelly," she said Rainbow tail between her teeth and spitting it out "I have a better plan than getting all fired up and charging these beasts up."

"And that is..." Rainbow asked resetting her tail.

"Twilight setting off a Friendship Heart," AJ replied.

"Why do you think I can do it?" Twilight asked backing up a bit.

"Well other than you're the Princess of Friendship..." Eric said telling Sarah to cover her ears when he gave the signal. "It's in you're blood. You're how-ever-many-great's-it-is grandmother was Clover the Clever. Why else do you think Winter kept referring to your ancestors and the founders like that?" 

Giving it a minute to set in Eric quickly nodded to Sarah who clamped her hands to her ears only just muting the high pitched scream Rarity was giving off. 

Once it was over she fainted with exhaustion a big if not slightly creepy smile on her face.

The good news about it was the Windegos got scared by the loud noise and fled. The slightly bad news... Almost everyone who did not plug their ears was slightly deaf now.

"Well that went well," Eric said smirking drawing his sword and shifting it to a bow and arrow. "Didn't go as planned, but at least their gone right? Come on." With that, everyone - Rarity being carried by Applejack since she was the strongest went off to look for their friends.








> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkness.

That was the first thing Jack and Suzy saw once they got their vision back after being teleported somewhere because of Winter.

It was dark, it was cold (although that didn't bother them that much), and they were scared. 

Scared on what might happen to them, scared on what might happen to the others, scared about the fact that they couldn't find or sense Winter anywhere. 

Using his magic, Jack created a ball of light appear in the palm of his hand and held it up, relieving that they were in a windowless, medium sized room.

But that didn't bother them. No what bothered them was what the light bounced off of.    

Bones of at least one hundred of different ponies were scattered all over they place. Unicorns, Earth Ponies, Pegasi, adults, and kids. 

Feeling scared slightly which confused her because the Nest used to be almost just as bad, Suzy gripped onto Jack's arm and buried her face into him.

"How is this showing us Friendship, Winter?" Jack asked calling out to the darkness holding onto Suzy rubbing her soothingly. 

'It's showing you Jackson Jones...' Winter's voice echoed off the walls 'That it's a waste of time. All these poor, pathetic, unfortunate, useless... Well you get the idea... They all tried, just like you and those other ponies, to show me Friendship is better than being who I am.
But then... I ask myself,' he continued as the sound of something moving caught the two's ears. 'If I agree to this 'Friendship' then I'll need to give up my freedom to stay in their good graces, wouldn't I?' And I need to make sure that these ponies would not just be wasting my time when they fail to turn me over. So I would tell them 'If they could tame my pet first... Then I'll listen.' Thankfully, none of them succeeded.'

"And... And what exactly," Suzy asked looking around trying to find this 'pet' "What exactly is this 'pet' all these ponies had to loose their lives to?" 

'An excellent question my dear Changeling,' Winter said a smirk in his voice 'Here let me turn on the light and you can see for yourself...'

Suddenly the lights flicked on and Jack and Suzy had to cover their eyes until they got their eyes working again before they could look around and spotted a large white dragon that looked like it was blind in one eye, large tusks and spikes on it's head, strong mussels and thick sharp claws that looked like they could kill if they were swung at you.

'You tame my dragon, you two...' Winter said calmly 'And I might decide to listen. Take all the time you need. Forever if it's needed. But I assure you. You wont manage it.' 

And with that and a classic evil-villain-laugh-he-laughs-when-he-leaves-the-hero's-to-their-death-believing-that-they-will-never-get-out-of-it his voice stopped bouncing off the walls and all was silent except for the noises the dragon was making as it just noticed the two new toys it's master had given it.

"So..." Jack asked awkwardly eyes on the dragon backing up slowly with Suzy for every step the dragon took forward until they were against the wall. "Any ideas Suz?" 

"Talking to it?" Suzy asked hugging her tummy more scared for the baby then herself "I don't know? I never seen a dragon like this which means it's doesn't come from Equestria so I don't know what to do? Why do you always ask me these things anyway?" she asked going into another mood swing getting Jack to look to her "You've got a brain right? Why don't you use it?" 

Jack was about to retort to that when the dragon stuck it's paw in the way and pushed him aside and turned  it's attention to Suzy, it's one iced blue eye focused on the Changeling as it sniffed the air trying to find why this toy was yelling at the other one.

She didn't like it when her toys were upset, or screaming, or trying to harm her - not that there had been that many in that part but still...

If her toys weren't happy, she wasn't happy and if she wasn't happy, she'd start hurting her toys until they stopped moving or red stuff began to come out of them. 

She really didn't want that to happen again. So first thing... work out what was wrong. 

"JACK DON'T!" Suzy cried getting the dragon to turn around and see the other toy with a big large stick in his hands looking like it was about to hurt her.

Growling slightly she got in between the two toys and got ready to attack if need be.

"What do you mean 'Don't' Suz?" Jack called out "It was attacking you remember?" 

"It was getting to know me..." Suzy replied trying to stay calm slowly resting a hand on to the dragon. "As I said I don't know anything about this kind of dragon... But I have this feeling, that it will never, ever try and hurt us on purpose."

"Are your eyes even working Suzy Changeling?" Jack asked dropping the baseball bat and looking to the sky "Look around do you not see all these fallen ponies? Do you not see those tusks and claws it has? Or how big it is?" 

"Do you not remember what you thought of me when we met?" Suzy asked firmly eyes shining green with anger at how stupid this boy was. "And look at us now. Boy and girlfriend, soon to be parents - if we survive this, Warriors of Harmony... The point is you cannot judge people for who they are on the outside, with out learning about who they are on the inside... And by Insectiva if you make a joke about that relating to Changelings or anything I will kill you!" 

"Would I do that?" Jack asked holding up his hands and backing away slightly. 

"Just get over here and help me befriend this thing so Winter is forced to get us to befriend him too," Suzy said rolling her eyes and returning her focus to the dragon. 

Sighing in slight defeat, Jack began to walk towards the two but stopped suddenly and used his magic to get out of the way when the dragon fired ice at where he just was. 

"Um..." Jack said as he kept his eyes on the dragon, mixed feelings about it.
Wonder/amazement that it shoots ice instead of fire. And worry/fear for Suzy who is still there and judging by how the dragon's not letting him get any closer than fifteen feet... will be on her own for this.

"I don't think she like the idea of me coming over Suz..." Jack said as calmly as he could backing up, getting the dragon to relax a bit.

"But... But you've been around friends more..." Suzy answered backed right up to the wall fear on her face as the dragon turned back to her.

"Suz, Suz, you can do this..." Jack said getting her attention "Just I dunno... reach out your hand or something. You know like for a dog."

"You do know this isn't a dog right?" Suzy asked but did it anyway her hand shaking and eyes held tight shut.

The next few seconds felt like hours to Suzy.

All was silent, all was still, nothing was happening, her heart was gaining speed, her breathing was getting faster too, worrying thoughts about what might happen to either of them if she was found wrong about the dragon. 

Then all at once time got faster again when she felt something cold, and scaly, and slightly welcoming touch the palm of her hand. Being brave Suzy opened her eyes slowly and saw the dragon was nose butting her hand, a clam look on it's face, a small smile on it's face, and a spark in it's eyes of 'Thanks for trusting me'.

Slowly taking her hand away Suzy smiled and stood up a bit straighter smiling, both her and Jack just as tall as the dragons eye was. 

Suddenly the dragon breathed out a fog of frost making Suzy's hair stiffen and stick up turning it white.

"I think she like you," Jack said in the air on a pink cloud laughing slightly at Suzy's new look and her face.

"Why do you keep calling it a she?" Suzy asked getting rid of the frost in her hair.

"She looks too pretty to be a boy, and I think she came to you and protected you so well to begin with cause she could scene your dilemma's cause of Jr. and wanted to help," Jack said guessing "Most female animals, so I've heard, get mothering instinct or what ever it's called and protect others that are like that to protect them. Surely you've heard about that."

"Well thank you for being so protective over me," Suzy said looking at the dragon "But to really help, we need to get out of here and stop Winter," she said pointing to herself and Jack so the dragon could understand.

Looking around, the dragon turned her attention to the other toy confused at first at seeing it on a pink cloud, and then the fact that she could sense  her master's powers in it and in the one she was protecting as well actually. And there were a few other powers in them but she didn't recognize them.

Worried on what what they might do to her, knowing how ruthless her master was with his powers, she backed up until she had given enough room and a bit more to let the toys be together again fear on her face now.

"Um... Was it something I did?" Suzy asked eyes on the dragon as Jack came down to rejoin her.

"I think..." Jack said looking at the dragons eye, his eyes turning blue with anger and the room going colder "It has something to do with us having specs of Winter's magic. Look at her eye," he said before Suzy could question.  "That doesn't look like something she was born with does it?" 

Suzy looked and then used her old Changeling magic to see into the dragon's past. A trick all Changeling's needed to know so they knew everything about the pony they were replacing and all the stuff around them.

After a few minutes she came back gasping and holding her head, slight tears and fury in her eyes. 

"Hey Suz, you alright?" Jack's voice called out to her. 

"She didn't only lose an eye... To that bucking molluscs," she said running up to the dragon a slightly stunned Jack back at the wall, letting her feelings out repeating 'I'm so sorry' soothingly stroking the dragon saying 'It's alright. We're not here to hurt you,' every time it backed away.

Giving them some time to let out all their feelings and to come back again, Jack poofed up a story and decided to get comfy. 

This... is gonna take awhile, he told himself.
> chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since Sarah had been teleported out of the dungeon a while ago, Scarab had stayed put and going over what she and the others said.

What had Winter done for this plan other than planning it and order him around to do things? 

"Well he..." Scarab began but then remembered he was the one who learnt how to tell if Jack was here or not, remembering he said something about Whitetail Wood's 'wonderland', as some would call it, being there last time he was here.

"Well then he..." Scarab stopped again as be began to pace, thinking about when they got Jack here, but it was him who did it and some Windego back up, not Winter himself.

"In fact I think the most he's done so... so far," Scarab said to himself "Is show himself to Jack and fight with him at the beginning.
'But that doesn't mean that he's going to leave me. Right?" 

Telling himself he needs to find out the truth, Scarab shifted into a fly and zipped off to find Winter and see for himself who's right or not. 





Up on the roof over looking the terrain, Winter was getting more and more aggravated, that stupid dragon should of killed those two by now and he should of gotten his power from the boy back. 

And yet he is still has not got his full powers back.

"Oh that useless dragon," Winter said stomping his hoof making a chain reaction to an avalanche to begin blocking the road back down the mountain.

"If you want something done right you have to do it yourself," Winter said walking back inside when he got a despicable idea, just as an innocent looking fly came into the room and landed on the wall. "Or I could get that useless Changeling to do it. That way if he dies too, he will think I hadn't betrayed him. Ha! Genius. Genius Winter, I just need to find that bug and set him the challenge of killing them and hopefully he will get killed too." he monologued to himself before we went to go look for the Changeling in question.

Once the stallion was out of the room, a rather shocked and almost heart broken with disbelief Scarab came down and shifted back to himself replaying what he had just heard.

"Well if that's how he wants it," Scarab said coldly "So be it." 

With that he went of to look for the others and first beg for forgiveness (hoping it wouldn't have to come to that) and second help them get their justice on Winter and Jack and Suzy rescued.





Lower down in the castle, the main six, Discord, Eric and Sarah along with Snowflake and Blizzard were descending into the lower lower parts of the castle, following the snowbabies, feelings to get back to their creator.

"Um are you sure it's such a good idea to be doing this guys?" Fluttershy asked looking around her a feeling like they were being watched coming to her.

'We want to get Papa and Suzy back don't we?' Snowflake asked running up to the shy Pegasus and giving her a very good puppy-dog-pout.

"Of course we do sweetie," Pinkie said flipping the baby into her back not wanting her to be upset. "And don't worry we'll get them. Now come on lets go bring back Jack and Suzy!" 

'YEAH!' the snowbaby's cried together and ran off down the spiraling staircase, Pinkie following.

"I still can't believe that Pinkie can understand those things," Rainbow Dash said hovering above her friends.

"I still can't believe that we're still related to the founders of Equestria," Twilight said looking to a still knocked out Rarity. "Or that Rarity is still dreaming about it."

"It might have something to do with the golden dust buzzing around her head and over her eyes," Sarah said getting a closer look to the white Unicorn, seeing crowns, thrones, and a sandy Rarity.

"Huh?" everyone who was still there asked stopping and turning to look at their friend then to Discord who was whistling innocently, avoiding everyone's looks.

"I would say that this is a bad thing you did Discord," Eric said getting back up from his kneeling state from when he was looking at Rarity "But it is keeping her quiet and it is supposedly harmless otherwise you wouldn't do it right?" 

"Exactly," Discord said happy that someone understands. 

"Well then maybe if you're so happy with it buster, you should carry her for a while?" Applejack said glaring at Eric and Discord annoyed.

"Alright," Eric said slowly taking Rarity off the farm pony and piggybacking her. "Whoa you're stronger than you look AJ what does this pony eat?" Eric said losing his balance for a bit under Rarity's weight.

"About ten to fifteen tubs of ice-cream every time she gets upset," Twilight said.

"She gets upset quite a lot then?" Eric asked as the set off again.

"Well she was born on a Wednesday," Pinkie said popping out of nowhere shocking everyone, shocking them even more when they see she's flying? hovering? by spinning her tail like a helicopter.

"Whatever," Sarah cut in before anyone could ask Pinkie what she meant "We're meant to be rescuing my cousin and his girlfriend remember." 

With that, everyone nodded and increased their pace to the bottom of the stairs where Snowflake and Blizzard were jumping up and down to try and reach the door handles of a floor to ceiling pair of doors. 

"I'm guessing they're in there then?" Eric asked to no one in mind.

'Papa is,' Blizzard said as he stopped bouncing and turned to look to Eric 'If Suzy is that's something else.'

'Yeah, but we can feel something else in there too...' Snowflake said catching her breath back letting her brother have a try 'Something big.'

After Discord and Pinkie transferred the message to the ponies Eric put Rarity down and brought out his sword just in case that something would attack them. 

Slowly they reached for the door handles and opened the door stepping in, not all that ready for what was inside. 

Further back up the stairs, Scarab watched with baited breath as he saw everyone go into the room where the dragon laid.

"Well this just got a whole lot more fun..." he cursed before rushing in himself before the door shut.
> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the hero's walked into this mysterious room they were surprised at what they saw. 

A giant white, tusked, one eye missing, dragon was lying next to Suzy who was petting it and looked like she was, or had been crying muttering to it.
And off to the side was Jack who was playing with a cats-cradle to entertain himself none of them noticing they were there.
All around them were bones of long gone ponies.

'PAPA!' Blizzard and Snowflake screamed and rushed over to Jack who stopped what he was doing and looked up, being knocked over by the snowbabies.

"Wow you two are getting big. Good for you," Jack said laughing as he sat up and welcomed the others. 
"Hey guy's before you ask this is what Winter wanted to 'Show' us. We haven't gotten a lot out of her yet except that her name's Brenda and thanks to Winter not only lost her eye, but something else too, hence why Suzy's over there comforting her.
But I don't know what it is yet.
'Winter said that if we can make friends with Brenda, he'll let us try and show him how good friendship is," Jack continued before anyone could butt in "But I think he just want's us dead seeing as I think that's the only way his powers will detach themselves from us."

Fluttershy was making her way over to the Suzy and Brenda wanting to see if they were alright surprised and yet not surprised that Winter could do something like that when she spotted the dragon's eyes.

Sensing a new presence nearby, Brenda looked up and spotted one of the winged toys was coming over to them seeing and feeling no danger around it she let it approach 'Suzy'.

"Hey Fluttershy," Suzy said sniffing and wiping away her tears. "Nice to know you found us. So lets get out of here and find and squish that slug for what he did to Brenda here." 

""Um... What exactly might that be?" Fluttershy asked though somehow had a very good idea when she heard the dragon was a girl, getting the attention of the others.

Looking around Suzy took a deep breath and said "Back when they first met, Brenda was an expecting two eyed mother with a nest of twelve eggs," she began resting her hand to the dragoness. 
"Then after a fight with him where she lost one eye, she was knocked out by Winter playing dirty. The next thing she knew she was here. But she didn't have her eggs. 
'Winter came to see here saying that He had the eggs and promised that they would be perfectly safe... If she chose to follow him and do his bidding  and follow his orders and never retaliate etc... etc... And that... was over 800 years ago!" she hissed cursing in Changelingese towards Winter looking up to the stunned audience and turned her back on them so she could pet Brenda some more.

"They weren't destroyed if that what you're thinking," a voice said by the door as Scarab came into the light.

Right away all the fighters, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Jack, Eric and even Sarah charged at the traitorous Changeling and made to attack it when a white shield bubble appeared over him and they all bounced off. 

Looking around to see who was causing it they saw Suzy was the one conducting it.

"What do you mean they weren't destroyed?" she asked stepping up to the Changeling a look of daring on her face.

"Those eggs," Scarab said slowly "Are Winters only hold the dragon. If he destroyed them, then she'll have nothing left to fight for or be blackmailed into following orders from him. No. They're not destroyed, there here somewhere, in a freezing chamber keeping them in a sort of comma as fresh as the day they were placed in there."

"And why are you telling us all this?" Eric asked shooting daggers to the bug who almost killed Sarah. 

"As a way to apologize and what not for everything I've done Knight," he said bowing slightly "Once Sarah was gone I went over what she and the other ponies had said about Winter turning on me and found out that they were right," he said standing up again but closing his eyes and looking away in shame "Winter was only using me. He was no friend." suddenly the Changeling felt someone wrap their arms around him but it was not in a threatening way. 

~~*~~

Scarab's POV

Sniffing not wanting to look into anyone's eyes to shame myself even more because they would see my crying, I caught the sent of small animals, forest, and fresh air. Looking up, I saw it was the quiet Pegasus who was holding me. As she pulled back she had a small smile on her face  and she hugged me again. 

"We forgive you Scarab," she whispered into my ear "It might take a bit longer for the others to fully forgive you, but they're just stubborn." 

"I don't deserve your kindness or your forgiveness Quiet One," Scarab said gently pulling away and turning slightly. "All I deserve to do is to be left alone and die."

"You take that back Scarab Beetle," Suzy hissed in Changelingese keeping this as private as she could since hopefully only Jack would be able to understand. 
"If there's one thing these ponies have taught me since I came over to them," she said shifting back to her old form, stepping forward, and standing tall "Is that everyone deserves kindness, and forgiveness, and even second, or third basing it on you, chances."

"But my Que... I mean Suzy*," I say correcting myself turning to her. "I have done nothing to be given any of those things. Sometimes I think Insectiva only lets me live so I can carry on living this pain."

"Then shun her!" Suzy said stomping her hoof "No one deserves to be left alone and die, if they still have goodness in their hearts. And let me tell you... By the way you just told us about Brenda's eggs I can tell you still have some good inside yours." 

"That's sweet and all Suzy," I say rolling my eyes a bit like a big brother would "But we're Changelings remember? We don't have hearts, hence why we need love off of others."

"If that's true," the Student of Chaos said smirking looking pleased that he was the only one who was understanding all the hissing and clicks the native language of the Changelings "Then how were you planning on getting it when you and Winter took over the place? I mean no offense I'm sure you had a wonderful plan. But if I were a pony, who was being forced to love one evil overlord, while his partner was freezing my flank off. I doubt I'd give out that much love."

~~*~~

Normal POV

"Jack this was meant to be a private conversation," Suzy said snapping at him rubbing her nose. 

"Well then next time speak in a language I don't understand." he said shrugging. 

"To be fair Suz," Eric said seeing she was about to attack Jack "When you have three beings of Chaos who can poof up Changeling to Pony translator headphones, It's not all that much good going back to your own language just to keep things private."

"I guess..." Suzy said turning back into a human but still punching Jack on the arm. "Wait three?" 

"Yeah Discord, Pinkie and me," Jack said rubbing his arm "How else do you think she's able to pull all the stuff she does off?"

"So her Pinkie Sense is really Chaos Sense?" Suzy asked forgetting everyone else was here looking only to Jack.

"I sensed you were going to ask that," Jack said smirking having to jump into the air to avoid getting hit by her as the others groaned, aside from Pinkie and Discord who was rolling around on the ground clutching their stomachs.

"Turning the arrow to 'What can we do to stop Winter once and for all...' " Eric said getting everyone's attention "Anyone got any ideas?" 

"We can try and send him to ta Earth like you did with Sombra and Chrysalis," Applejack said first to speak up. 

"No that wont work," Discord said "No matter where, meaning the dimension, Winter goes. He will always have control over the winter elements. Something to do with the magic he and I both have from our old home."

"So that's how you're so good at snowball fights?" Eric said shooting this to Jack.

"Is this the moment for a snowball fight Eric?" Sarah asked partway through introducing herself to Brenda.

"Actually yes," Jack said getting an idea "It is the perfect time for a snowball fight." 

"And he's lost it," Rainbow said rolling her eyes before getting hit with a snowball, which made her begin to laugh so much she couldn't keep flying and she was on the floor.

"Snowball fights are my specialty remember Cloud-Butt?" Jack asked tossing another one in his hand. "Plus I think I sussed the timing problems for my paralyzing ones now, so if we can keep Winter distracted long enough for me to hit him with one of them..."  

"... Then he will hopefully be paralyzed just long enough for us to do something with him meaning he won't be able to harm anypony ever again." Suzy finished getting to where Jack was going.

"But we need to keep hitting him with snowballs, so when I send in my paralyzing one, he doesn't  get suspicious on why a snowball is coming out of no where towards him, and ducks out of the way," Jack explained nodding.  

'Can we help Papa?' the snowbabies asked 'Pleeeeeease...?'

"Actually I have a special job for you two," he said getting 'Oh boy's' and bouncing clumps of snow. "One of you is going to... Stay here and keep Brenda company. And the other... is going to go with Scarab and hunt down those eggs."

'But that's no fun,' the two whined.

"Oh come on you two..." Suzy said trying not to laugh "You're both creations of the Student of Chaos... I think you'll be able to find someway of entertaining yourselves." 

This just made the two snowbabies pout a bit more getting an 'Aww...' from Fluttershy. 

"So who's ready for a little fun in the snow?" Jack asked grinning, snapping his fingers getting everyone, minus Scarab, Blizzard, Snowflake and Brenda to be zapped out of there and to where he sensed Winter was.
> chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Old Stallion Winter, was never known to having patience, and not finding things he was looking for didn't really help with it. 

So when he couldn't find Scarab anywhere he was meant to be, the stables, the torture room, the kitchen, all the places slaves should be he was beginning to be a bit ticked off, meaning the temperature of the whole castle began to drop and new layers of ice began to make their way up the walls.

Deciding to check on the prisoners in the throne room, to see if Scarab was there, Winter began heading for it. But when he got there, his anger only doubled at seeing nine opened pairs of shackles and no prisoners or that wimpy Changeling anywhere.

He was about to head out and see if that stupid dragon had done what she was meant to do yet, when the door slammed and laughter began ringing around the room.

"Twerp!" Winter cried eyes flashing everywhere trying to find Jackson "How did to escape my dragon?!" 

"First of," Jackson's voice called out "I am not a Twerp, I am a Student of Chaos."

"Second," that female Changeling continued venom in her voice "Brenda is NOT your dragon and you should be ashamed of yourself for doing all what you've done to her, to her!"

"What..." Winter asked looking around trying to find the brats.

"She means Winter," Jackson continued his voice coming from a different spot now "Blinding her in one eye, holding her in that room for 800 years, making her kill all those you don't want anything to do with, and taking her eggs away from her and using them against her."

With that the first snowball was launched from the opposite direction the boys voice was coming from.

"You know children," Winter said snarling a bit "It's not very fair to fight two against one now is it? Nor is it very wise to fight against someone who will win no matter what."

"Who says you're going to win?" Suzy asked, a second snowball hitting him now. 

"I'd of thought it be obvious my dear..." Winter said trying to see out the bug "I have had this power longer that Jackson has had, I know how to use it, how to wield the elements of nature to do my bidding, I have seen all the battles the ponies down there have had and made notes on how to win, I could kill anypony and everypony with just the stomp of my hoof."

"Do you think he can shut up?" Suzy asked a smirk on her voice to Jack who laughed, both still not coming out.

"Well I did tell him once long ago he has a big mouth, dear," Jack replied. 

"ENOUGH!" Winter cried still looking around the room "Either come out and fight me man to man boy, or Equestria will not survive to see the spring." 

"Well when you put it that way," Jack replied finally stepping out wearing his Warrior of Harmony outfit, a slightly blue snowball in his hand. "Think Fast!" he said throwing the ball hitting it right on target of Winter's face. Then all hell broke loose as from all over the place more and more snowballs began to be fired at the Alicorn.




While Suzy, Jack, and everypony else were keeping Winter 'distracted' in the throne room, Scarab was leading the little ball of snow down the tunnels to the 'Egg Room' where, conveniently, Brenda's eggs were being kept in, in a box keeping them 'asleep' thanks to the cold. 

"Ok snowman," he said quietly "We're here, once we get in, we need to be on high alert and absolutely quiet," he explained not knowing if the snowman could understand him "Winter's got this room on constant watch, and all that junk, but the eggs should be easy pickings, because with all the security Winter has put over them, he doesn't think anyone would make it to them to get them out. Nod if you understood that."

Blizzard nodded and gave a big smile, liking this pony - even if he did talk a bit too much.

"Ok, you wait here, and I'll go get them," Scarab said about to open the door when Blizzard got between him and it. "Get out of of the way," he said using his magic and moving the snowman, only for it to be back where it started when he turned back around.
"Look kid. We don't have time for this, let me in and get the eggs, I know the traps, I know how to get past them, but I can't if you're in the way."

Looking up at the pony with big pleading eyes, Blizzard sighed knowing he wasn't going to get what he wanted and moved.

Feeling guilty, coming up with an idea, Scarab said "Besides I need you out here, to warn me if anything is coming. You think you can do that?"  

When Blizzard heard this he was bouncing around with joy, then landed where he began and somehow - because he didn't have any arms, saluted the Changeling and began staring down the corridor.

Strangely liking this little snowman, Scarab entered the room and changing into a fly to avoid the traps went over to the control panels and shut off the more dangerous ones so Winter wouldn't sense anything was wrong. 

Once that was done, he slowly and carefully made it to the eggs. 

Getting to the podium at last, he turned back into a Changeling and began to deactivate the locking mechanism to get to the eggs. 

Just as he had undone the lid and about to pull the eggs out the little snowman began screaming and bouncing, getting Scarab to turn and see what was wrong, seeing it run to just inside the room and hide, this getting Scarab to do the same after making look like nothing was wrong.

Holding his breath, Scarab hid behind the podium, as a mouse, his eyes and ears on high alert trying to see what bothered the snowman so much. Then he felt it... The cold, the hate, the anger, the need for revenge....

"Windego's" his whispered just as a couple came in to try and determine what was wrong with their masters machine. If anything happened to the eggs, he would not be happy.

After looking all around the room, surprisingly finding nothing, they left letting Scarab and Blizzard come out and get back to freeing the eggs, at a bit faster pace than before. 

If they knew something was wrong, it was only a matter of time before Winter found out.
> chapter 16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in the throne room, the good guys were trying all they could to get Winter to fall, but nothing was working.

"I thought you said you got the timing fixed on these things Jack," Eric called out to a getting tired for continuously making them, and holding back Winter's magic Jack.

"Well EXCUSE me if he's immune to them..." Jack returned no one noticing his hair beginning to turn white and his eyes turning blue.

Well no one but Winter who smirked and increased the amount of power he was using, meaning the boy had to fight it off more, just to protect his friends more.

"Twilight you have to do that spell..." Sarah called out, her arms up to her face to stop the snow from stinging it.

"Ha! Like that will do anything Little Girl..." Winter said giving a quick glance to her and then over to the Princess of Friendship. "She maybe Celestia's student and Clover the Clever's descendant, but I doubt very highly that she can do such a thing..." 

"Don't listen to him Twi..." Suzy said throwing another paralyzing ball, still not feeling anything happening, seeing Twilight doubt herself. "You have the power, maybe you can't see it but it's there... You're the Element of Magic you can do it... Agh..." she said hugging her stomach and getting to her knees getting Winter to turn and see what was wrong and an evil (well eviler) smirk to come to his face.

"Well now isn't this... interesting," he asked looking around seeing everyone look worried and Jack look more determined to fight him off.

"I didn't know Changelings could have single, live brat's my dear..." Winter said to Suzy who was now being protected by Rainbow Dash and Applejack while Fluttershy and Pinkie were seeing if she was alright.

"That's because I'm not a Changeling you big fat worm..." Suzy said glaring at him the pain gone but the secret blown putting her in more danger.

"Oh have we not gone over this already?" Winter asked rolling his eyes "You are what you are my dear, and what you are is... a... Change..."

"SHUT UP!" Suzy cried stomping her foot, ice growing in a ring all around her "JUST SHUT UP!" with that she pushed her hands forward and shot out ice spikes towards the stallion making him duck and everyone who didn't know to gasp and stare, as Suzy looked scared as she looked to her hands looking to Jack, worried.

"What..?" Winter said slowly getting up and looking to the Changeling sensing some of his magic inside her as well as the boy. "HOW DO YOU HAVE MY POWER INSECT!" 

"It found it's way to me..." Suzy said sternly glaring. "Now will you ever so kindly..." she said swirling her hands around to make a ginormous snowball and held it over her head "GET FROZEN ALREADY!" she cried throwing it to the Alicorn, who used an iced sword to slice it in half meaning it went all over the place and the falling flakes ended up paralyzing everyone, leaving only Eric, Sarah, Discord, Suzy and Jack.

"And once again the Element's are out..." Discord said trying to bring some joy into this as he protected them glaring at Winter.

"Ha! Now who will light your dumb Heart of Friendship, Little Girl?" Winter asked looking to Sarah suddenly feeling stiff in the legs and looked down, the color blue was growing up the stallion's legs and the more he moved the faster it grew.
"What's happening?" he asked sounding afraid looking up to Jack and Suzy both wearing smirks. 

"Turns out you're not so immune to our paralyzing snowballs after all," Jack said at last pulling out of holding back the ice and snow, feeling the power drop the more Winter was frozen.

After a few more minutes of cursing, and swearing, and 'I'll get you for this'ing FINALLY Old Stallion Winter was as frozen as his heart and everyone still able to move gave a sigh of relief.

"What now?" Eric said looking around to his friends.

"Well first thing..." Sarah said looking to Jack since he had been using it more than Suzy had "Is to unfreeze the ponies..."

"Aww... Do we have to..?" Jack whined looking at the ponies and laughing at some of the positions they were in. 

"Jack... They were not meant to be frozen," Sarah said acting like the adult "So please unfreeze them."

"Oh alright..." Jack said snapping his fingers pointing them at the ones he wanted unfrozen and they began to defrost.

"Ok next thing..." Eric said taking over while Sarah and Suzy went to check on the girls "What we going to do with him?" he asked pointing to Winter.

"Well I would gladly like to..." Jack said walking up to Winter only to come to a halt after the tenth step as he looked around, Suzy did the same looking around looking scared.

"What... What's wrong with them..." Fluttershy asked scared as she stared at the two. 

"Because Winter's now no longer able to function as it were," Discord began "The Windego's are now coming out to ask Jack and Suzy, because they have Winter's magic in them, what their next move." 

"So is this a good thing or a bad thing?" Rarity, who had woken up halfway through the fight asked.

As if to answer a heard of Windego's suddenly appeared and began charging at them...





Back in the room Brenda was in, under the castle, Scarab was just backing away from the last egg he gently placed in front of her.

Once the black toy was far enough away Brenda let down her guard and began checking her eggs to see if they were, as he said earlier, still alright. 

Scarab was watching on sighing to himself when Blizzard and Snowflake came running up to him and began bouncing scared expressions on their faces.

Getting up on to his hooves, Scarab lit his horn looking around to see what had scared them when the howls of the Windegos. 

Looking to the balls of snow again, Scarab looked to the dragon to see if she will be alright but just in case...

"One of you stay here with Brenda," Scarab said like Jack did earlier "The other show me what's wrong..." 

With that he and the other snowbaby ran out the door and towards the throne room, the further they got the colder it seemed to get.
> Chapter 17
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Running as fast as he could, wondering just how exactly four ball of snow can be so fast, Scarab made it to the throne room and flung open the doors panting trying to see what was wrong eyes going wide at what he was seeing.

The Windego's, almost ALL of the Windego's were trying to get around Jack and Suzy, showing affection and being... playful.

"SCARAB!" Suzy cried breaking free and running over to him "Did you know Windego's had this kind and loving side just like us?"

"No... I did not know that," Scarab said staying in the doorway "But the snowbabies were acting as if something was wrong..." Scarab said nodding to where the baby was, or had been as she was now over with Jack trying to fight off the Windego's and get them to leave her papa alone.

"Oh Snowfalke they're only thanking him and me," Suzy said coming over and picking the baby up showing her to the Alpha of the herd who was the one thanking Jack at the moment.

"How do you know?" a rapsy voice came up from over where the ponies and Discord were some looking scared, some looking surprised but ready to attack just in case.

"Changelings need to know every single Insectiva-damb-it language there has ever been or is," Suzy said rolling her eyes at how dumb the rainbow maned Pegasus was. "Winters Ice, the language Windego's and all winter spirits Equestria has, speak may not be used as much as other languages, but we still need to learn it."

"Hey I got an idea," Jack said snapping his fingers, making the headphones from earlier pop back up but this time set them to Winters Ice. "Please continue Ombric..." he said to the Alpha.

'Thank you Student of Discord,' the Alpha said stomping his hooves happily 'This will make this much easier when we are explaining ourselves.'

"You're welcome," Jack said bowing then getting an idea "But first please may we invite the Princesses of Equestria to hear the story as well and Snowflake's brother to keep him happy?" he asked smiling gesturing to the snowbaby in Suzy's arms who looked like she was pouting. 

'You may,' Ombric said nodding 'I believe they deserve to know why we've been attacking their kingdom for so many centuries.'

With that Pinkie rushed off to get Blizzard, and Discord poofed away for a few seconds coming back with Celestia and Luna both wearing headphones and looking surprised, obviously having had the rundown back in Canterlot.

As soon as the pink pony returned, the other snowbaby on her back who like his sibling began to charge at the Windego's only to be stopped and calmed down by Jack, the story began...
~*~
'We were not always the frightful, hatred eating winter spirits your history books speak of... 
Once there was a time where we helped bring the snow and frost to the land helping put it to sleep and rest' Ombric began speaking to a silent room avoiding everyone's eyes.

Then looked up at the frozen Old Stallion Winter.

'But then we met him,' he said narrowing his eyes 'Somehow, he gave us the idea that He alone should be in charge of the herd, and that if we use our magic we may take over the land of Equestria and by freezing it, let us be seen throughout the whole year instead of just a few moons.

Some of our ancestors and friends told him that was a stupid idea and we wanted nothing to do with him, but he would not listen.'

"So... So he scared you into following him?" Fluttershy asked getting the idea and upset at Winter that he thinks he could do something like this.

'You could say that,' Ombric said nodding along with the others. 'All we did, was tell him we wanted nothing to do with him, and for him to leave us be. 

But then he began to fight back.

The first blizzard on of your ponies first 'Hearths Warming' was not us trying to invade or attack you,' Ombric explained looking from surprised face to surprised face 'It was us trying to defend our home, our lives, our families from Him. Sadly by the time turned to the ponies being in the cave, Winter had us under his iron hoof saying 'We do what he says, or we will be killed' and that's the nice way of saying it...' Ombric said looking to the snowbabies who were both wearing headphones now too and were just as surprised, if not a bit less than the adults.

'Clover the Clever was right on what Starswirl the Bearded said. We are winter spirits who feed of fighting and hatred, but it was not to become stronger to make things colder. We used to feast of them so when the season was ours and all this cold and harshness was around, the ponies would see past that, and see the fun in it instead of being afraid of it and what it may do.

The Heart of Friendship that the helpers ignited together did not, and has never gotten rid of us, it only lowered Winter's hold on us, making us strong enough to fight back against him for a few nights,' Ombric explained looking around to his herd then the Princesses 'But unless he was stopped stopped, or killed, he always had a hold on us. 

So once again Jackson Jones, Suzy Changeling, everyone... Thank you.'

"So all this time... History and the books recording the events of the First Hearths Warming, have been wrong?" Twilight asked taking the headphones off, eyes wide looking scared.

"Twi they were not wrong," Applejack said, taking her set off, looking to her close to hyperventilating friend "All we know about was there... But us ponies don't know how to speak or understand this 'Winters Ice' and until he came out of the blue apart from Discord, nopony knew who this guy was neither," she said pointing to Winter "So how were we meant to ask 'em if everything was alright?"

"I guess you're right AJ," Twilight said smiling.

"Of course I'm right," Applejack said happily "Now come on. No offense to you or your kind Ombric, but Ponies were not made to stay in place this cold for so long..."  she said getting a smile and a nod of understanding.

"Wait everypony," Fluttershy spoke up "Um... Two... two things, One what about Winter?" she asked getting 'Good question' from everyone "And two... What about Brenda?" 

"Who?" Luna and Celestia asked confused. 

While the princesses were being taken by Scarab, Fluttershy, and Discord to see the dragoness and her finally returned to her eggs, Jack and Suzy dealt with Winter.

"So... What are we going to do with him?" Jack asked putting Blizzard down and flexing his fingers "Put him in a cadge? Send him to Tartars? Ooo how about dropping him into a volcano?"

"All three seem fine with me?" Suzy said giving Snowflake to Pinkie Pie for a bit, then snapping her fingers poofing up some strange looking scissors, they were red, with a diamond as the pin and looking like they came right out of the box. 

Then twirling around smiling she snipped through the air making a rift to open where it showed Tartars and Cerberus guarding the gate.

After snapping his fingers, and iron cadge was around Winter, then together he and Suzy lifted it up and brought it to the rift.

'This is for everything you've done...' they both said in Changelingese before throwing it in to the rift. 

"Right then... lets go see what the plan is with Brenda shall we?" Jack said taking Suzy's hand smiling and they together snapped their fingers transporting everyone to her room.





When they got there, the cries of twelve baby dragons were heard, and they all had to duck to avoid blasts of ice coming from them.

Looking around they saw the Princesses, Discord, and Brenda getting to know one another, and Fluttershy and Scarab looking after babies.

o0o

"Ha they're kind of cute once they stop shooting ice all over the place..." Scarab said gently tickling one on the tummy, making it squirm an wriggle trying to get away.
~~~
"Oh I really wish I had a camera right now..." Jack whispered biting his knuckles to stop him from laughing.

"Here you go Honey Bee..." Suzy said poofing one up and giving it to him. 

Quickly so not to loose the moment, Jack took the camera and began filming while Suzy walked up to them to say hi, after a few minutes when Jack said he had enough.
~~~
"And here I thought you were a Replacemeniee Scarab Beetle," Suzy said behind him, making him turn to see all the ponies and the humans watching him big smiles on their faces.

"Well... Re... Replacementiee's could of taken the place of anypony or thing, and... and children give off more love than adults so we had to learn who to interact with them didn't we," he explained his cheeks growing green  at the ponies laughter and his stammering.

"When did they hatch?" Pinkie asked checking to see if any were toothless so she could take one home so Gummy can have a friend "They weren't here when I came to get Blizzard."

"Well then it must of been when we were listening to Ombric's story," Fluttershy said checking gently if each baby dragon was in perfect health. "They were all here when we came back in with the Princesses."

'Can we keep them Papa?' the snowbabies asked beaming up to Jack.

"I don't think their mummy would like that kids," Jack said saying 'Hi' to one himself, getting frost in his hair turning it white. 

"Like what?" Sarah asked worried slightly.

"What do kids always ask their parents when something cute or exciting comes up?" Jack asked looking to his cousin a smirk on his face.

"So that means we can't keep them..." Pinkie asked her hair drooping a bit as she finished checking the fifth hatchling.

"Pinks... I think  Brenda wouln't be happy if we take her babies away from her, right just after they hatch after they had been separated of hundreds of years..." Eric said rolling his eyes slowly.

" 'Aww...' " the babies whined, then being shocked when two baby dragons came and got under them and went flying around the room.

"Well if we can't keep them," Rainbow said ducking some more "What can we do?" 

"We should send them home," Luna said saying she heard the question, coming over.

"You're right sister, but we do not know where that may be," Celestia said sighing a bit coming over, with Discord, too.

Looking up, slowly Suzy moved to be in front of Brenda holding her hand out.

"Wait what it she..." Rainbow began to ask before she was cut of by Jack.

Slowly, Brenda sniffed the girls hand and after a bit pressed up against the palm, opening her mind to tell the Changeling about her home.

After a few minutes Suzy pulled away and poofed up the scissors from before again.

After cutting through mid-air, she used more of her chaos magic to make the opening wider, showing an almost forest like scenery other types of dragons all over the place a waterfall to the left and a rock tower in the middle they were all flying around. 

"Is this the place?" Suzy asked looking to Brenda.

Getting close to the rift, Brenda looked in and sniffed the air her long lost memories coming back to her mind. 

In what could only be a smile, she nodded and called her children to come over.

Hearing their mummy call them all twelve hatchling's stopped playing and came over after saying good-bye to their friends.

After a final goodbye roar, Brenda scooted her hatchlings through and then went in herself. 

Once the tip of her tail was through Suzy closed up the rift.
> Chapter 18
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ok... So that's Winter taken care of," Jack began poofing up a list and acting like he did this every year "The Windego's free, and Brenda back with her babies and back home... What next?" 

"Home I think," Applejack said getting nods from everyone but the snowbabies, Suzy and Scarab "Like I told Ombric upstairs ponies don't do good in cold places..." 

"Ok..." Jack said taking Suzy's hand to boost the power, before snapping their fingers and saying goodbye to the Ice Palace and returning back to Canterlot Castle Library.

"Now what?" he said smiling.

"How about a bit of a rest, Jack?" Sarah asked going over to one of the beanbag chairs and collapsing onto it. 

"Here, here," Eric said taking his sword off and falling onto the one next to her.

'But I wanna play some games...' Snowflake said hopping onto Sarah's chest knocking the wind out of her as Bizzard did the same to Eric, eye wide and pleading.

'Me too...'

"Ugh... Jack can you let your kids give their Second Cousin and her boyfriend have some peace?" Sarah asked putting Snowflake on the ground only to have her jump back up straight after.

"You weren't like this when it was Emma who did it cuz..." Jack said recording the events with the camera from before.

"Emma was different," Sarah said giving up and just decided to have the snowbaby on her chest. "When it was her it was to annoy you most. And you know how I used to love that."

'Who's Emma Sarah?' Snowflake asked coming to a stop on bouncing and looking curious.

"She was my sister Snowflake, but she's gone now..." Jack said sighing getting the whole group to understand what the baby asked and fears on what might come after seeing how curious the babies seemed to be.

'Well when will she be back papa?' Blizzard asked from Eric's chest, only the ponies, Discord, Eric, Sarah, Suzy and Scarab noticing the snow that was falling inside the library.

"Um... I don't think you kids should be asking whatever it is you're asking," Applejack said trying to get their attention but they were more focused on Jack.

"She won't be back because she's gone! Can't you just understand that?" Jack asked looking furiously at the snowbabies.

"Jack..." Suzy said stepping forward a bit hearing both ways of the conversation heart breaking the longer it went on.

'But she has to come back at some point doesn't she?' Snowflake asked hopping off of Sarah and waddling up to Jack who had turned away from her.

"Just forget it..." 

"Jack..." 

'But...' Blizzard said hopping off of Eric, who now with Sarah rushed over to the others.

"I said FORGET IT!" Jack screamed slashing his hand through the air and shooting ice towards the babies and where Eric and Sarah would of been if they hadn't moved, his eyes blue, scaring the babies to run and hide behind Pinkie and Discord.

"JACKSON!" Suzy cried snapping Jack out of it and to look at her. 

After a few seconds, of silence, Jack just snapped his fingers and zapped out of there, Suzy lifting her fingers before she thought...

"If I find out you were watching this private conversation as well Discord, or anyone... I'm not going to let you see our kid understand?" she said looking around making sure all loopholes were tied up.

After getting nods, Suzy brought her fingers up and snapped, having a good idea where Jack was.





In Whitetail Woods, Jack was pacing upside down along the tree's branches mumbling to himself and making a storm with his emotions.

"Jack?" Suzy's voice came to him after a bit, making him stop and look down. "You mind coming down so we can talk? I made sure the others won't listen in on this one."

Sighing, Jack came to the ground and righted himself waiting for Suzy to start in the accusing.

"Give me your hand Jack..." Suzy said calmly a small smile on her face.

"What?" Jack asked looking confused.

"Give me your hand," Suzy repeated. 

Following instructions, Jack gave his hand to Suzy and allowed her to place it on her tummy.

"You feel that?" she asked looking at it "After I found out about it, and a bit of remembering, I cast a spell on myself to work out what gender it will be..." she said looking up to him. "It's going to be a girl Jack..." she said quietly.

"So what?" Jack said looking away but keeping his hand under hers, sighing.

"So... if you want to let you sister live on in more than just spirit," Suzy began a small smile coming to her trying to look into his eyes again. "We can give Little Miss her name. That is, if you want to."

After this information got into Jack's head and he gave her a look of shock, Jack looked to Suzy's tummy again and smiled a small tear coming from his eye. 

"Yeah..." Jack said quietly nodding. "Yeah I'll like that."

With that they dropped their hands and took to rest up one of the trees.

"Look I'm sorry for the whole... Whatever back at Canterlot thing..." Jack said sighing. "Been years and I still get upset and loose my temper when Emma comes up in conversations."

"Too be fair you set off the first spark by joking about her to Sarah..." Suzy said snacking on a cookie. "The snowbabies were just curious on who she was."

"I know..." Jack said bringing a knees up sighing, looking over the landscape. "But I still shouldn't of acted like that. Thanks for snapping me out of it before someone got hurt... And for coming to check on me..." 

"Your welcome..." Suzy said giving Jack a medium long kiss - not too short so it's like it wasn't there, not too long so it started sucking powers. "But I think there are a few other people, ponies, and snowballs, you also need to say sorry too..." Suzy said slipping off and walking towards the cabin. "I'll be in there when you're finished."

Rolling his eyes, Jack sighed and snapped himself back to Canterlot.





Back in Canterlot, Discord had the pictures up again showing the other ponies the similarities of the two sixes. 

The screens had been put up as soon as the ice was taken care of and the snowbabies were calmed down. 

"Ah... Yeah..." Rainbow said zooming around the room excited "I can't believe I'm actually related to the one, the only, the great Commander Hurricane! YES! YES! YES!" 

"Man... I thought's Rarity's reaction would be bad..." Eric said rubbing his ears checking they were still working.

"It was remember?" Sarah said rocking the snowbabies to sleep, motherly instincts kicking in when they came running up to her because they got yelled at by their papa and then he left them.

"I think I've still got ringing in my ears..." she said.

"What's so great about her that you're this after you found out?" Eric said looking up to Rainbow who froze in mid-air as she heard the question.

"What's so great about her?" Rainbow asked blinking "WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT HER!?" she asked zooming right up to the boy.

"Commander Hurricane was the leader of the Pegasus Ponies back before Equestria even existed!" she began shocking everyone that she was giving the lesson, Discord poofing up Jack's camera to record the evidence.

"It was her great knowledge of war and battlement that made her the leader. Her loyalty to her tribe, along with the blizzard, is what made her decide she and Private Pansy should set off to find a new land."

"Yeah... not really helping in getting to know what's so great about her though..." Eric said stepping back a bit to keep her in focus.

"Then you're stupid," Rainbow said giving up trying to get him to see reason and getting back to celebrating.

"Well that's not very loyal is it Rainbow?" Jack's voice asked getting everyone's attention to turn to the tea table upside down on the ceiling and Jack sitting there, his feet up on the table sipping at a tall glass of chocolate milk.

"Oh and yelling at the snowbabies, shooting ice at them and then running away is?" Applejack asked in her just learnt running in the family sarcasm.

"Which is why I've come back..." Jack said giving a slight shrug but still staying put, Pinkie now somehow up with him sipping on her own chocolate milk.

"To... Er..." Jack said pulling out a back of cards making Twilight turn red in fury of mocking her. "Ah... To... Say sorry to everyone, for what I did... And asked for their forgiveness..." he said slowly as he was reading the words from the card.

"Wait..." Sarah said looking around then up to Jack "Where's Suzy?" 

"In my cabin in Whitetail," Jack answered returning to his drink "So you going to accept it or are you a stubborn an those ponies up there?" Jack asked pointing to the old photo.

"I accept Jack," Pinkie said her mouth nearly stuffed with cupcakes and marshmallows.

"Thank you Pinkie... Anyone else?" Jack asked looking to the others.

"Come down from the ceiling and making me sick and you might have mine," Eric said getting the others (minus Discord and surprisingly Fluttershy) to nod.

A snap of his fingers later, and Jack, the table, and Pinkie were down on the ground. 

"Aww..." Pinkie whined her mane going flat a bit.

"Ok down here, please let the acceptances come this way," Jack said his arms out wide a smile on his face.

First to step forward was Sarah, Snowflake and Blizzard in her arms and a kind smile before it turned into a grim one and she kick him... yeah...  making him crunch over and Eric, Discord, and Scarab to cinch, and the girls to feel sorry for him (slightly).

"What... What was that for..." He asked looking up at her winded tears in his eyes.

"If these were real babies then I would be doing a lot worse..." Sarah said looking at him standing tall. "But to answer your question... For making them cry, shooting ice at them and if we were still there me and Eric, and running off before explaining to them why you were so upset about something YOU brought up."

"Which is why I'm here to say sorry..." Jack said zapping up his staff and using it to crawl back up. 

"Yeah well you know me," Sarah said smirking a bit "Hit first ask questions later..." she said passing the sleeping snowbabies back to their papa. "With that... I think I'll go to bed. Night night."

With that she left the library a smirk on her face sure she saw a flash of light from a camera when her foot hit it's mark.
> Chapter 19
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Suzy was getting a bit worried... What could be taking Jack so long to get back here?

She was about to snap her fingers to go to Canterlot herself, when on of Discord's snowglobe portals opened itself in the middle of the living room and Jack came out the snowbabies in his arms and a slight pained look on his face.

"What happened then Jack?" Suzy said taking the kids and letting Jack flop onto the couch.

"Sarah was being a protective mother to our kids," Jack said zapping up an ice-bag "And did her old fail-safe, Hit First Ask Questions Later bit when she told me off..."

Smirking slightly, Suzy used her powers to think up a couple of cribs and placed Snowflake and Blizzard in them, then went over to Jack and began to rub the boys shoulders.

"So you wont want Emma to be with her then?" Suzy asked talking about their child. 

"Of course I'd want her to see Emma," Jack said quickly. "And I'm not going to say this to them but I believe I deserved what she gave me... I just could of done it better if it was a bit higher up."

"Lesson one with having kids Honey Bee..." Suzy said coming closer to his ear closing her eyes "Somehow, both parents will get hurt at some point."

When she didn't get an answer, she opened her eyes and saw Jack was asleep. 

Smiling, Suzy poofed the sofa into a bed, took the ice-bag away, and placed a blanket over the top of him. Then, after checking the babies were indeed asleep, got changed and into bed too, her hand finding Jack's who's closed a bit when it felt hers.

"Goodnight Jack," Suzy said smiling before closing her eyes.




The next morning, there came a couple of wanting cries coming from the baby cribs, waking up Jack and Suzy.

"Is it going to be like this with Emma?" Suzy mumbled whiningly as she folded her pillow over her ears and turned over, as Jack went to see what was wrong.

"No... Of course not dear," Jack said taking Snowflake out and then getting Blizzard. "When it gets to her she'll be waking up in the middle of the night, and we'll need to be watching her more than we do with these two."

"Ugh..." Suzy said in her morning mood swing voice.

"Besides as far as I can see they were just upset that they couldn't get out of those cribs you placed them in." 

Just then there came a knock on the front door.

While Suzy ran to the bathroom to be sick, Jack went to open it - after placing down the babies.

"Hey guys," Jack said seeing it was Sarah, Eric and the others welcoming them in, zapping away the cribs and changing the bed back into a sofa.

Happily, the snowbabies ran up to them hopping with big smiles on their tiny faces. 

'You guys wanna play?' they asked together.

"Yeah, I'll play with you," Pinkie said smiling hugging them and placing them on her back. "To the Great Beyond Of Adventure..." Pinkie cried and zoomed out the cabin again, just as Suzy was coming out the bathroom.

"Hey everybody," Suzy said not caring too much about the babies trusting Pinkie. "Ready to go home now then? This a goodbye thing or something?" 

"Well that was the plan," Eric said leaning against the wall smiling "But then we remembered Tom Thumb and Thumbelina," he said cocking his head to the window "And got to wondering what's going to happen to them. I mean we can't really take them home with us can we?" 

"And they seem to of grown on everypony," Sarah said looking to Jack "So we can't really just turn them back into piles of snow right?" 

"What you looking at me for?" Jack asked a glass of chocolate milk in his hand to wake him up. 

"We would like to know, Jack," Twilight said stepping forward "What exactly were you planning on doing with them when this time came?" 

"I dunno..." Jack said rubbing the back of his neck looking away "I didn't mean to keep them alive for so long. Snowflake was just to keep me company while I was moping when we got here, and Blizzard was just to give you lot that message about the sixes. They... weren't meant to grow attached to anyone."

That made the room go quiet as everyone looked to each other and out the window. 

"I... I want to keep them," Suzy said quietly hand on her tummy "And... If Jack would want more than one flesh baby and one of you's got enough power..." she trailed of seeing everyone got what she was suggesting.

"You... You'd do that Love Bug?" Jack asked quietly, taking Suzy's hand smiling.

"If it means we can keep them and have them in both worlds," Suzy said nodding.

"But will it work?" Rarity asked curiously, "I mean dear the one in there has to be a month's at least. If we place two new ones in there to be with them, will everything be ok?" 

"Yeah and the fact that the more you have the more pain it will be before and after," Applejack pointed out, getting nods of agreement from everyone.

"Changelings especially Queens are born to be able to have mutable kids at once," Suzy said looking away a bit "And have kids almost every other day meaning they can start at different times."

"I'm not so sure if it will work, especially since you're not technically a Queen... " Twilight said rubbing her chin for once not wanting to do this for science but to help out a few friends "But... If you're sure it will work, and you really want to do this..." 

"We do," Jack and Suzy said beaming together.

"Ok..." Twilight said then went to the door "Pinkie, can you and the snowbabies come here for a bit?" 

A minute later, the pink pony, and the two snowballs were with the others getting a small run down on what the plan was. 

'That mean that you will get to be our REAL mama and papa?' Snowflake asked eyes growing wide, taking charge because she was older by a few hours.

"That's the plan," Jack said smiling. 

'YAY!' they cried and rushed up to Jack and Suzy rubbing up against them smiles on their faces, before zooming around and saying goodbye to the others in the room.

"Be sure to let their old grandpa Discord see them when they come," Discord said to Jack as the couple to his slight upsetnessizum trusted Twilight and the Princesses to do the magic than him.

"We will Dissy," Jack said smiling doing the Pinkie Promise to set it in stone.

"Ok everyone except Suzy, the snowbabies Luna, Twilight, and myself," Celestia stated kindly "Would you all please wait outside this is an old magic spell that needs as little distractions as it can get."

Nodding in understanding, everyone left.




It had been a while since everyone was sent out of the cabin, and everyone was getting worried.

Jack passed the time like any newbie father would, pacing, strangely not getting any deeper in the snow.
The mares, Scarab, Sarah and Eric were having fun either having snowball fights or ice skating.
And Discord was watching Jack from one of his cotton-candy clouds.

"Why are you so worried Jack?" Discord asked eventually as the boy started his 1000th pace. "She and they are in good hands... well hooves... But you get the point." 

When no answer came Discord rolled his eyes got down and beside Jack's pacing line and after a few seconds of watching and quick reflexes, grabbed the back of  Jack's shirt and lifted him up.

"Huh? What? Discord put me down! You know how I don't like being lifted up like this!" Jack cried out thrashing and punching eventually getting loose and sorting himself out.

"Sorry sport," Discord said shrugging "But you weren't answering me any other way. So gonna tell me what's got your panties in a twist?"

"It's this Father thing," Jack said going over to a log and sitting on it looking away from the door. "I just don't think I'd be up for it... When we were at Winter's palace in my 'room', I was the stronger one telling her we could move here should we feel the baby was unappreciated, and cheering her up the more she got worried about it..." Jack explained hugging his knees a light snowfall coming down. 
"But now that we're out of there, and she agreed to this... and it's taking too long, I dunno Discord I just don't feel that strong anymore."

"Sport..." Discord said sitting next to his student "Even though we're messing with it a bit... You can't mess with nature. Things happen and take as long, when and as they need to happen. And by the way you're so great with other kids, I'll bet 500 bits that you wont be just as good as that with your own."

"If you say so..." Jack said turning to the door hearing it open and seeing Suzy come out with the Princesses.

"You ok Suz?" Jack asked after rushing straight over to her.

"I'm fine Jack," Suzy said smiling loving the love she was getting from him, mixed with worry. 

"Hope you know what you're doing in taking this on Suzy," Sarah's voice came over to her as everyone else joined them at the front door. 

"The babies or your cousin?" Suzy asked giggling with Sarah when Jack yelled 'Hey!'.

"Just all of it," Sarah said holding Eric's hand "But either way hope you'll like them and for the best."

"That's Sarah/Cuz," Suzy and Jack said together.

"Ok... Now's the time to go home right?" Eric said smiling "We still need to make those Christmas cookies Sarah remember?" 

"Fine we're going," Sarah said rolling her eyes "See ya guys, Happy Hearths Warming." 

"And Merry Christmas to you as well Sarah, Eric, Jack and Suzy," Celestia said smiling gentle "We hope you the best of holidays and good luck to you two..." she said pointing her gaze to the latter couple.

Nodding their thanks, the boys pulled out their silver items, and the girls took hold. 

Within a few seconds they (and the 'Winter Wonderland' because Jack was gone) were gone.








Arriving back home, the four teenagaers were in silence for a bit.

Then Sarah looked to Jack and said "So... Are you staying here for the holidays?" 

"Well if you want us to be..." Jack said shrugging "We can go if you don't."

"How far away is your place?" Eric asked curios. 

"You remember where our old school was," Jack asked looking to Eric getting a nod. "Just a bit down from there. We're renting an apartment, have been for a few months."

"The closet rent-able apartment building from the school was two hours walk away," Eric said shocked "And the school from here's at least three hours and a bit if you take the train."

"So we better get going then," Suzy said going over for her coat.

"Wait..." Sarah said running upstairs for a bit and coming back down with her laptop.

"Ok. What train will it need to you will need to take?" she asked after going to the railway website.

After waiting for a bit, for the result everyone had their eyes on Sarah.

"I don't believe it..." she whispered bringing Eric round and looking to Jack more than Suzy with a questioning look.

"Looks like you two will be staying for the holidays after all Frost," Eric said getting a face full of cushion.

"Why?" Suzy asked confused, stopping Eric from firing one back.

"Because the track along the rail you named..." Sarah said smirking her fingers together, looking like one of those big bosses in those murder mystery movies "Has enough snow on the track to cover all of Ponyville. Apparently there was avalanche combined with all the snow that's coming down."

"You have anything to do with this hmm...." Eric said looking to Jack raising an eyebrow.

"Would I do a thing like that?" Jack asked shocked that they'd accuse him of stuff like this getting 'Yes's from them. "Besides how could I? We were in Equestria remember?" 

Rolling her eyes Sarah just shut down her laptop and got up.

"Let's just get to those cookies," she said heading for the kitchen followed by Eric "When mum and dad come home you can explain why you're here."

When they were gone Suzy got up over to Jack and looked into his face a knowing smile.

"You did do it didn't you?" Suzy asked quietly. 

"Well in quoting my Master, Love Bug..." Jack began, grinning "No matter where, meaning the dimension, Winter goes. He will always have control over the winter elements. We both have Winter's magic in us so supposedly that rule stand. It jut dims it down a bit."

"Lets just get in the kitchen and help with the cookies," Suzy said rolling her eyes and dragging him along.
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eight Months Later... 

Eight months later, Jackson Jones was acting (once again) like any other new father would, as he paced the waiting room and heard his girlfriend's screams of pain.

"Sir," someone called over to him making him look up to see the Night Nurse "I know this must be very stressful on you Sir, but could you please not pace so hard... You're wearing out the carpet," she said looking down to the floor to show Jack what she meant.

"Sorry," Jack said coming over to the desk "It's just... First lot of kids, having them before married, not all that responsible or rich..."

"I understand Sir," the Nurse said kindly. "But if I may, you seem to be the best kind of person to have kids, and you were responsible enough to get your girlfriend here in time. Strange her family's not here..." 

"Suzy's family's not really from around here," Jack said sighing and cringing as another cry came out of the room. 

"Can I get you anything to help you remain calm?" the Nurse asked sweetly "Besides your kids," she said thinking.

"A pencil and a few pieces of paper should do the trick please," Jack said brightening up getting a spark of inspiration, thanking her then returning to the waiting room and began drawing.
~*~
The clock was showing 2:25AM when Eric, Sarah and her parents came running through the doors.

"May I help you?" the Nurse asked kindly.

"We're here to see our nephew and his girlfriend," Bill Jones said explaining "Jackson Jones and Suzy Ling..."

"Ah yes..." the Nurse said checking the papers "Miss Ling is still in the Delivery Room," she said the answer confirmed by a scream "And Mr Jones is somewhere under all those piles of paper in the Waiting Room..." 

"Excuse me?" the four of them asked together only getting a smirk and a nod to go see for yourself.

Slowly the four friends and family that the two soon-to-be-parents had on this side turned around and saw a ginormous pile of paper covered in drawings and sketches, all signed J. Jones.

"Whoa..." Eric said eyes growing "Jack wasn't kidding when he said he was good at this," he said picking up a few pieces of paper and instantly recognizing himself, Sarah, Suzy, and Jack in their 'Harmony Outfits'  with Blizzard and Snowflake running around their feet. 

"Told you so..." Jack said working on another one his family tradition of sticking his tongue out slightly to concentrate shown as he worked.

"You working on a story for the kids Jack?" Jodie asked looking over Eric's shoulder amazed at her nephew's work.

"Not really," Jack said shrugging not looking up "Just something to take my mind off things," he said finishing the newest one showing it to everyone "What do you think?" he asked showing a picture of a very familiar to Sarah and Eric dragon.

"Amazing..." Bill and Jodie said together before, after asking permission, going through the rest.

"You sure it's a good idea to draw our adventures from Equestria, Jack?" Eric asked quietly seeing more drawn references of the four of them.

"Oh lighten up Eric," Jack said looking up at the cloak and yawning slightly "I'm not going to draw everything from over there, and if I did, who on this side will believe their real? I mean Dragons are gone from this world aren't they? And come on baby snowmen and Pegasi and Unicorns? People will just think I've got a big imagination."

"What about Sombra and Chrysalis?" Sarah asked quietly.

"They're stuck at the South Pole remember," Jack said looking prideful "And if there was anyone else who knows about that place they'd have to go through me to get the ticket to get there in the first place."

Just then the phone rang on the Nurse's desk.

"Yeah?" she asked listening "Ok... Jackson Jones?" she asked, after hanging up, looking up to the family not surprised to see Jack right in front of her seconds after she called his name. "You can go in now. And Miss Ling also requested that Sarah and Eric to go in as well..."

Smiling Sarah and Eric got up too and followed along with Jack to the room Suzy was in.
~*~
After a few minutes of walking they came to the door and knocked on it.

'Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock...' Jack tapped rheumatically before going in.

On the bed was a tired looking Suzy holding one of the three healthy babies. 

"Hey, Love Bug," Jack said quietly coming over.

"Hey, Honey Bee..." Suzy said looking up smiling "Well here she is, the new Emma Jones, as promised..." she said holding her out to Jack "And in there are Billy, and Sophie..." she said nodding to the two cribs next to her where the other two babies were all swaddled up, one in blue, one in pink, both having streaks of platinum blonde hair coming out of their head, while Emma had brown. 

"I take it that's because of Jack?" Sarah asked quietly, asking to pick up Sophie, trying not to give the game away since the confused doctors - baffled about the same thing, were still in the room.

"They're all because of Jack, Sarah..." Suzy said yawning and getting comfy again. "But I know what you mean and yes. When you get the chance, you think you guys can go see everyone and tell them the big news?" 

"Sure Suz," Sarah and Eric said together giving off the Pinkie Promise smiling, and taking a family photo to show everyone.

"Well we'll just leave you guys to be alone now," Sarah said after saying goodbye to her new Second Cousins.

As they left they somehow managed to pull the doctors out too leaving the new family to be alone.





Back in the Waiting Room, Eric and Sarah met back up with her parents and showed them the picture.

"Oh they are so adorable..." Jodie said eyes growing at how cute they looked. 

"And the one with brown hair, Suzy say's is the new Emma Jones," Sarah said smiling "Suz said that she made a promise to Jack that they'd call the first girl that."

"She's going to be a wonderful mother," Bill said getting nods from Jodie who gave the phone back to Sarah and went back to Jack's drawings.

"You know, maybe we should convince Jack to sell some of these pictures to help with caring for the babies..." she said more to herself "I'll gladly pay a desiccant amount for the one with you four dressed as princesses and knights," she said nodding to the table where said picture was still lying there.

"Yeah, and I wouldn't mind taking this dragon off his hands," Bill said picking up the picture and looking over it again "Do you know where he gets these ideas anyway, you two?" he asked looking to Sarah and Eric who went silent for a bit.

"He just has... a big imagination I suppose..." Sarah said smiling going over to the table to pick up the one of the four of them.

After collecting up all the pictures, Jack had done a lot of them, Sarah went back to the room he and Suzy were in and left them there giggling slightly at all five of them were fast asleep (well it was 3 o'clock in the morning). 

After closing the door she went back to be with Eric and her family and together they left the hospital all looking forward to and wondering what new adventures the new family would have...


The End