Twilight Sparkle, the hoof-picked protégé of Princess Celestia herself, has come a long way in her studies. She is no longer the shut-in she once was. With help from her friends, she achieved something eluded even the great wizard Starswirl the Bearded. She is now an alicorn as well as Equestria's newest princess. It is a time of celebration for all of Equestria, especially for her close friends.
However, somepony seems to have thrown a wrench into mix. He has secretly aged Spike through the use of a rare herb. Unable to identify him, the Mane 6 instead focus on the task of reversing the herb's effects. But it has proven to be much more difficult than simply blasting Spike with some age reversing magic. Now, the ponies find themselves at the top of a mountain, far into the Frozen North. They find Tall Tale, a professor from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns who is currently studying the frost dragons that dwell in the mountains.
Unfortunately, the same pony who had aged Spike has now taken the Elements of Harmony, but this only seems to be a single step in a deeper, more sinister plan...
Special thanks to RQK and Man on the Moon for editing the story so far as well as an ex-editor for the story, Sourichan.
Another thanks to Avatar of Madness for the covert art.
As a secondary note, this story was thought up and written pre-Seasons 4 and 5. It takes a different route than the canon from the end of Season 3 forward. An AU tag may or may not be added, as may other tags as they become relevant. Just as well, the short and long summaries will be updated as the story progresses.
