//------------------------------// // Opening Gambit // Story: Cold as Ice // by CamoBadger //------------------------------// Chapter 10: Opening Gambit The wind whipped through Cryssy's mane. Her legs hanging limply beneath her, swinging effortlessly with each ebb and flow of the air as the demon above her flapped its feathered wings. She could feel the talons digging into her ribs where they were holding her. They were all right, she should have told them, she should have told somepony what she knew. Even if they didn't believe her, eventually the rumor would have reached Canterlot right? Somepony would have at least considered it might be true and done something to stop this, but now it was too late. The griffins never told her where they were going, only that she needed to rest for her 'big performance'. The cold metal of the collar rubbed roughly against her neck, occasionally ripping hairs from her skin and sending a wave of pain through her body. If only she could see, this wouldn't be as bad, at least then she might be able to tell which one was carrying her, and how many were around her. She could hear their feathers rattling in the wind all around her, leaving their exact numbers a mystery. And to top it all off, the freezing and tingling in her blood was becoming unbearable. She flashed in and out of consciousness as the feeling rushed between her head and the rest of her body, fighting desperately to get out. But each time it surged, a burning pain shot from the collar around her neck, throwing it back into her body, and intensifying it. She wanted the collar to fall off, to release her from this feeling, but she knew what would happen when it was removed. It was what they wanted, and even if it took out every one of their warriors, it would still get the result he wanted. She hoped they would do it somewhere safe, somewhere not too many ponies would get caught in the flow of magic, but that's all it was; hope. She knew it wouldn't be anywhere barren, they wanted to get as many ponies as they could and drive their point home; that they were serious. They knew it would work, they had already tested it once, and it had gotten the exact effect they hoped for. Cryssy wondered if the Princess had recovered, and how they must be treating her now that she was helplessly imprisoned. And she wondered what had happened to Twilight and her friends. As they left the griffins had whooped and hollered about 'capturing them', and hoping they were 'given what they deserve'. The freezing feeling surged again, and once again it was forced back into her body with a burning bite from the collar. Cryssy winced in pain and pushed a single tear from her eye. "Please, let them be okay." Two days earlier, everything had been so much better, even if it didn't seem like it at the time. The blue unicorn curled herself into a ball on the snow coated road leading to Sweet Apple Acres, watching as image after image showed the 6 ponies galloping away, off to correct the mistakes she had made. She heard the snow squeal beside her as a large pony knelt down at her side. "Don't beat yerself up about it," Big Macintosh consoled her, "we all make mistakes, ain't nothin' ta' get worried over." "It doesn't matter now," Cryssy said as she stood back up, "I still have to leave." "Not until you get one last good meal" Granny Smith spoke from behind her, "come on in, breakfast is ready." The hospitality surprised the unicorn at first. Even after she had filled much of their home with snow and ice, and kept a possible invasion of Equestria secret, these ponies still offered her a meal before sending her off. Whether it was out of pity or 'Apple Hospitality', she wasn't sure, but she was not one to turn down such a selfless offer. She nodded once and turned back to the house. She couldn't bring herself to deny the charity of an old pony offering a warm meal, even after all of the lies. The meal was eaten in silence; there was nothing to be said. It truly was a good last meal, at least until all of this was over; it would end right? And something did end; the peaceful meal. They came almost silently, only a soft rustling of feathers proceeding the crashing of doors and windows as they filled the home and shut off any hope of escape. Big Macintosh was the first to jump into action, blocking the doorway into the kitchen and bucking a griffin in the head before it could enter. The window behind Cryssy exploded into a shower of glass and wood, followed closely by a flurry of feathers and claws. The unicorn suddenly found herself face down in the snow. She didn't know how she had gotten outside, only that it had happened. "Gotcha!" the familiar voice whispered into her ear. Gilda, she had found her, but there seemed to be more griffins with her than usual. They must have given up on staying secret, he must be getting impatient with the progress his daughter had made. Cryssy felt the tingling cold spreading through her body, building before its inevitable escape. She wondered why nopony had noticed she was gone, and why Big Macintosh hadn't jumped to her rescue, she wished he would. A rough pressure was pressed into the back of her neck and wrapped around her throat before she could react, and suddenly her vision vanished. "Now don't you try to use that precious magic of yours Cryssy" Gilda hissed into her ear again, "I would hate for you to exhaust yourself fighting this collar." What did she mean fighting the collar? Is that what had taken away her vision? The griffin princess let out a piercing screech, and Cryssy felt herself being lifted from the snow. A flurry of wings followed her, flowing into the air and, Cryssy guessed, out of Ponyville. The shackles rubbed coarsely across Cryssy's ankles as she tried to make herself more comfortable on the cold stone floor. The attempt was futile, there was no comfort in this dungeon. She felt the guards staring at her, probably enjoying the sight of her discomfort and pain and laughing to themselves. But the worst part was this collar. She had figured out that it must somehow be countering her magic, forcing it to stay within her body rather than escaping. She could feel it sting her neck slightly every second, whenever her mind attempted to flash an image to her. After a while, she didn't even notice that anymore, it was overshadowed by the burning caused each time the cold tingling in her blood attempted to escape into the world. She heard the cell door slide open, the metal grinding against the ground like nails on a chalkboard. "And how is my favorite little pony doing?" a new voice echoed through the dungeon. Cryssy didn't answer, she just curled herself into what she hoped was a corner, no longer concerned with the metal shackles. "Oh, come here little one, I don't bite...hard." Cryssy shook her head so fast it hurt and left her a bit dazed. "What's the matter? Can't you see who you're talking to?" a light chuckle from the guards followed the voice. "Go away" Cryssy replied quietly. "Go away? But I'm your biggest fan! Isn't that obvious?" the voice actually sounded sincere. "No you aren't." "Really? I sent an entire wing of my soldiers to find you, and bring you to me. Surely no one else on this planet would do that for you." After Cryssy didn't reply, not even shaking her head, the voice continued. "Perhaps I should introduce myself, break the ice. I'm Typhoon, King of the Griffon Nation." Cryssy winced in pain as the cold tingling surged back into her head, and was met with burning from the collar. "And you are Ice Crystal! Blind wanderer from the north, and from what I've heard, quite the powerful little unicorn" Typhoon continued, clearly enjoying this entire situation. "There, now that we're acquainted, we can talk." "I don't want to talk to you" Cryssy mumbled just loud enough for the king to hear her. "You don't? Would you rather talk to Gilda? I'm sure you two will have plenty to talk about after all you've been through together. I can't even begin to tell you how exciting her stories are, my favorite is the one from the night she met you..." It had been a week since that terrible night that Cryssy's world had been torn down. Her wounds had healed, but the gashes in her mind were only growing deeper with each passing day. She still slept in her old home once the crime scene had been abandoned by the police, but during the days, and most nights, she spent her time wandering the streets. The house was filled with so many terrible memories of what had happened. Even with the physical evidence gone, she often found that the images of that night would appear in her mind, as if they were burned into her subconscious. She had seen Red Lightning in the town a few times, but she avoided him like a plague. She felt terrible for doing that to him, but she didn't want to make him deal with her current condition, even if he was willing; but she was sure he wouldn't be. But tonight she didn't even see him, he dropped down from the sky beside her, "Ice?" Cryssy turned slowly to see the pegasus frowning beside her, and offering only a nod in response. "Ice, I'm...I'm so sorry about what happened." "It's not your fault" she whispered and turned away from him. "It wasn't yours either." "I don't believe that" she whispered again, and tried to walk away. She heard the pegasus trotting beside her, intent on making sure she was alright. "Go away Red, I'll be fine." "Just talk to me Ice, I hate seeing you like this." "There's nothing to talk about." She heard the pegasus sigh, and unfurl his wings, "I hope you change your mind soon" and he took off above her. Cryssy shook her head and continued her walk until she reached the lake shore. Her mind flashed images of the glacier that had formed on this lake that night, as well as the griffin that had been helplessly trapped within it. She turned away from the lapping waves as a tingling began to form in her chest, the memory of that night bringing back everything that came with it. "Hello pony" a raspy voice sounded above her. She looked up to see one of those demons, a griffin, sitting on a branch above her. The tingling intensified, not to the point that it would escape, but enough to worry Cryssy. "Don't you even think of freezing me like you did the to that other loser, I'm not here to kill you." "Sorry I don't believe you" Cryssy replied, her fear slowly beginning to grow towards anger. "I have no reason to kill you" the griffin replied as she examined her talons. "Besides, father needs you alive." "Why would he need that?" the griffin's uncaring attitude was only serving to intensify Cryssy's already bad mood, and the tingling seemed to notice it. The feeling changed from the cold it had been a week before to being hot enough that it burned her chest a little. It spread much more quickly as well, intensifying as it pulsed through her body. "Because he needs you, he didn't tell me why so don't ask" the griffin glided around her and landed feet from the pony, "now just make this easy and come with me." "Get out" Cryssy snapped at the griffin, a burst of cold wind flowing from her body accenting the statement. The griffin broke down in laughter, "You're joking right?" A flurry of activity filled the air as more griffins jetted out of trees and bushes nearby, surrounding the blind unicorn. Her anger only grew as the burning in her chest increased, and stung through her veins, "Who the hell are you?" "That's what you choose to ask? Not 'where are you taking me?' or 'how many of you are there?'" the griffin asked after her laughter cut off. "Who are you?" Cryssy's scream echoed across the town, hopefully catching somepony's attention. "Fine, if you really want to know" the griffin sighed, "I'm Gilda, nice to meet you. Now let's go." "No." Gilda sighed again, and motioned with a talon. All around her more griffins began to emerge from the trees at the lake side. Without hesitation they all leaped toward Cryssy with their talons extended in front of them. They never even touched her mane. Her anger finally exploded as the burning in her chest surged into her head, and her horn. Her vision whited out, just as it had a week earlier. Her head shook as air was sucked toward her and small bursts shot from the tip of her horn. She heard something whistling away from her with each burst, followed by a screech of pain from one griffin or another. After only a few seconds she fell to the ground as the surge of energy subsided, her legs wobbling and weak. "What the buck just happened?" she heard Gilda yell, her voice shaking with pain. A new image flashed into Cryssy's head after a few moments, showing the griffins, 5 of them, laying on the ground around her. Gilda was gripping something blurry in her wing, then in the next image she was holding it in front of her. Cryssy didn't wait to see what would happen next. She forced herself to herself to move, and galloped as fast as she could away from the lake, back to her home. She couldn't stay here. Even if she had stopped them now, Gilda had said they needed her for something. They wouldn't stop now, they would find her and catch her if she stayed in Snowhoof. She had to leave home. "Did you know she still has scar from that night?" Typhoon asked with a twinge of laughter in his voice. Cryssy refused to respond. After everything that griffin had done to her, she was glad to hear she had made a permanent mark on Gilda, but telling her father that might not be in her best interests. "And she actually believed you meant to do that! She didn't figure it out until later; that you cannot control that magic of yours. It just happens, doesn't it? When you get angry, when you're scared?" Cryssy felt a spark of shame in her body, one that had always been there but rarely affected her. But having it pointed out by a complete stranger, that was not something she liked him to know. "And that's just so much better for me. Now I don't have to force you to do anything, I'll just make sure you get nice and worked up," Typhoon ran his talons through her mane, "and you won't be able to stop it." Cryssy didn't know when the Princess had come, or why, but she hoped it would be to release her. Surely she knew that the blind unicorn was here, right? She heard her talking with Typhoon as the two walked somewhere outside the room, their voices echoing into the cell where she was being held. "I apologize for wasting your time Typhoon." "It's no problem Celestia, you were simply taking stock in your student's opinion." "Yes, it appears she was wrong. But I do have one question still." "What might that be Princess?" "I was told a unicorn was taken from Ponyville, is there any truth to this?" "Actually, yes. You see she was accused of robbery here in my nation, so I naturally sent my guard to find her and bring her to justice." "I understand. Could I see her? I want to make sure she isn't being mistreated." "Of course Princess, I'll have her brought out." A few minutes later the door to Cryssy's cell squealed open, and she felt the shackles fall from her ankles. A pair of large talons wrapped around her neck and lead her to the door, "Your presence has been requested by the king. Behave yourself, we wouldn't want the Princess getting worried would we?" the guard warned her with a dark laugh. She was lead around a few corners, and eventually she was forced to stumble up a stairwell. She felt a small point of pressure on the back of her neck, pressing down on the collar. The sea of cold within her body once again surged to her head, only to be beaten down by the burn of the collar. A few feet from the top of the stairwell she was stopped, "Here she is Celestia, practically untouched" she heard Typhoon speaking. "Are you okay my little pony?" Celestia's voice filled with disappointment. She didn't actually believe this monster did she? Cryssy simply nodded, not wishing to feel the wrath of the griffin which still held her neck, or Typhoon himself. Suddenly, the collar fell from her neck with a soft click, and the room flooded with freezing cold as Cryssy's vision flashed to the familiar white sheet she knew too well. She couldn't move a muscle, and the talons of the guard had dug into her neck in fear with the flash-freeze he had suffered. After what felt like hours, the biting ice evaporated from around her, and she could hear everyone in the room flop onto the ground. Talons clicked across the floor, likely belonging to guards which had been in wait outside. The collar was latched back around Cryssy's neck by someone she still couldn't see, and she was lifted to her hooves. Across the room she heard a similar latching sound, but she couldn't tell what it was. "Great feathers above, that is some powerful stuff" she heard Typhoon shout from feet away, followed by a terrible laugh. "The stories about you weren't exaggerated after all." The unicorn felt herself get jerked from behind, throwing her onto her back as she was dragged back to the stairwell. The last thing he heard was Typhoon's voice echoing throughout the room, "Now Celestia, would somepony like to see the dungeon?" Cryssy's heart sank at the thought of what she had just done as she was thrown into unconsciousness.