Friendship is Magic Ch 11: The Promise
By Rlogic1994
(NOTE: In this chapter the OC Palette Swap is not my original idea and is from another blog.)
A few days after the bomb was dropped the Royal Sisters met with the Griffin King. It was rumored and soon established a fact that Equestria possessed several bombs of the same, if not greater, caliber.
“Well Celestia, I must admit you surprised me. You’re not as soft as you once were. I guess I was right after all.”
“About what?” snapped the Sun Princess.
“That the longer you rule the more hard decisions you’ll make, decisions that don’t exactly help your image as the kind and benevolent Princess of the Sun.” he replied calmly, his tone dripping with both bitterness and sarcasm.
They signed a treaty to reestablish the border and start reconstruction of the area. The king grudgingly helped to rebuild the scarred land although it was no longer in his possession. All the while Frigid Drift and her friends took rest in the medical tents and waited for news. It was unsure if they could return to their homes or not.
“I don’t get it! Why can’t we just go!”
“Because they might need our help in the reconstruction. We might’ve just helped win the war but we still have to follow orders. Come on, Scoot, it’s not that bad.”
They waited patiently for days. And their patience was rewarded; a week after the treaty was made, a message was received that allowed some of the troops to return home. Their positions in the ranks being higher than most, Frigid and her friends were bound to end up on the list to be sent home. The night before they were to leave, Frigid sat awake. But she was not alone; her orange friend came along and sat beside her.
“What’s up?”
“Not much. Just…thinking.”
“Well ‘not much’ doesn’t keep you up at night. Come one, you know you can trust me.”
“It’s just…I was ready. I was ready to give it all up, to lose my life for something that seemed so much greater than myself. And now I don’t know. I feel different.”
“Different how? Like suddenly your life has purpose?” she asked sarcastically, a smile across her face.
“No. Like I don’t have any fear anymore. Before even when I was just a filly I was always scared. And I mean I was scared and nervous about everything. I always feared if people would be mean to me or if I was going to do something with my life or just scared in general. It was like my head was full with a constant ringing of paranoia. And now-well now I don’t hear anything and my mind is clear. I don’t know how to describe it.”
“Sounds…um…cool?”
“Yeah. We should probably get to sleep. I don’t wanna be sleepy tomorrow.”
“That’s right! Tomorrow’s your special day, huh? I mean it’s not every day you receive the Medal of Honorary Services in the Equestrian Army!” she said, her last words in saying the award’s name saturated with a fake pompous tone.
“I don’t know why they’re givin it to me though.”
“You’re kidding right? You saved our bucking flanks back there! And you risked your life doing it! That’s the best kind of flank-saving.”
After that they were quiet. For the first time in what seemed like years, Frigid slept soundly and cheerful dreams filled her mind.
The base’s trumpeting alarm woke Frigid with a start as she shot up in her bed and almost hit her head on the metal post.
“Woah there, don’t wanna be incoherent for your speech!” Scootaloo teased.
“Speech? Speech?!”
“I’m just kidding. You just have to stand up there and look pretty.”
“Oh. Thank Celestia for that. I bet they would just take the Medal away from me if I gave a speech.”
Both of them chuckled silently, and that chuckle changed to a full laugh, unrestrained and free. They laughed for the first time in a long time and kept laughing. They laughed hard and couldn’t stop. Maybe it was the fact that they were going home or that the war was over or any of the hundred other positive events since the dropping of the bomb, but they were happy and they weren’t afraid anymore. An escort dressed in a formal uniform came by the tents and picked up all the ponies who were to be shipped back to their homes. Frigid, Scootaloo, and the rest of the recruits were led to a separate path. Rainbow, Twilight, and Applejack were waiting for them next to a smaller private transport.
“Well it looks like we got everyone here. Better git this big hunk a metal in the sky.”
“Yes I agree. We should leave soon to avoid the congestion in the skies from the other ships. Come on everypony, get in.”
They all piled into the ship and it lurched forward slowly, floating higher and higher into the air, letting off some smoke and exhaust from a valve in the back. They sped up and soon were barreling towards Central Base.
“Well I think this calls for a bit of celebration,” said Rainbow Dash, pulling out a bottle of unidentified liquid and some metal cups, “Drink up everypony, it’ll be a smooth ride all the way to Central. I don’t know about you guys but the first thing I’m gonna do when I get back is have some real food. Not that nutria-fix crap they feed us in the North.”
Frigid sipped her drink and felt warmth emanate from inside her. She was never a very big drinker, but she did enjoy a glass of clouds-Ale every now and then. This stuff was unlike anything she’d had before. It warmed her up and tickled her insides in the best way. It was definitely quite strong but Frigid didn’t care and sipped herself into a deep reverie of her own thoughts.
“I wonder what he’s gonna say. Especially because he’s gonna see mom again.”
“Wow! Look!”
“I wonder how much wood is in those trailers. Or how much stone!”
To their right below them, there were dozens of trailers heaping with supplies to rebuild. The battles had stopped but the war was not really over yet, not until everything was back to normal. Although things would never be like they were before ever again.
“I wonder how much longer we have to wait in this metal thing till we get to Central.”
It turned out that Central was closer than they thought. In a few short hours they touched down on the massive landing field. As they exited they were met by thunderous applause.
“Woo! Good job guys!”
“Yeah! You guys are great!”
The cheers and shouts startled the young ponies, to which Rainbow Dash said they simply had to wave and smile. And they waved and smiled until their hoofs ached and their lips hurt. They were huddled into yet another airship, this one bigger and more decorated, ready for its arrival at Cloudsdale.
“Woah! Look! All our names and faces are on the side!”
And sure enough on a metal panel, portraits of all of the recruits and the 3 warmares were skillfully painted on the side of the craft. A white pony with a red mane and paint on her tail came up to them.
“Like it? I thought the people below might need a better view of your pretty faces! By the way I’m Palette Swap! I’m gonna get to paint your big war portrait after the ceremony of Honors in Cloudsdale.”
“Cool! Make sure to make me look extra awesome because-”
“Rainbow Dash this ain’t just about you ya know!”
“Oh…yeah sorry. Make everyone else awesome too. I mean I don’t need to look extra awesome cuz I already am!”
“Consarnit RD! There ain’t no hope for that huge ego ya got there.”
They piled into the new air ship and took off into the blue skies. Frigid dozed off on the plush cushiony seats and fell into another pleasant dream, this one having to do with Rainbow and a trip to the beach.
“Hey look we’re here!!!”
The sudden exclamation made Frigid shoot up again. Except this time she wasn’t so lucky and shot right into the wooden shelf above her.
“Ouch! Damnit! Who puts a shelf in front of some one’s head!”
“Ha ha! Looks like you got a pretty sick bruise forming there.”
“What?! I’m supposed to stand in front of a bunch of ponies I don’t know with a big bruise on my head!? No way!”
“Calm down. I know a spell to fix it. Just stay still and we’ll get it out before we land.”
And the violet unicorn was right. Her purple magic massaged the area softly and just as they touched down on the cloudy dock, the bruise was gone. Frigid looked up and rubbed a hoof where it was.
“Wow! Thanks!”
“No problem, just make sure you get to the ceremony on time.”
When she and her friends exited the craft they were met by even more thunderous applause and cheering. It was almost ear-splitting and it followed them all the way to the Cloudsdale Gardens, where the ceremony was being held.
“Looks like the whole saving everyone’s flank thing got around, huh?”
But Frigid wasn’t listening. She was looking at somepony in the crowd of high ranked officials and officers in the gardens. One pegasus who stuck out like a sore thumb, with his gargantuan stature, his cold blue eyes piercing Frigid’s. He was standing on the stage that she would ascend in a few minutes, a nonchalant look on his face, neither angry nor happy.
“Just like always. No emotion.”
By the time the ceremony was about to start hundreds of ponies piled into the Gardens and several hundred more lined the gates to get a glimpse of the “Hero of Equestria” as Frigid had been called. From her place on stage, she could see all her friends.
“There’s Scoot and the others. And Rainbow up in the front! But where’s…”
And then she saw her. Her mother was near the front, tears in her eyes, smiling like she used to. Frigid mouthed a “love you” to her mother before the trumpets sounded and a chariot approached. From the chariot stepped none other than Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both smiling over the reverent crowds who bowed slightly to their presence. The sisters ascended the stage.
“My dear ponies! For years we have been at war with the Griffins repeatedly,” she said loudly, the word Griffin receiving a low boo from the crowd, “But now their King has made amends. He has told me that he realizes now that we’ve grown stronger. And its not because of my magic or leadership. It’s because of ponies who risk their lives. Ponies who fight for us. Ponies like Frigid Drift, who stands before me. Ms. Drift shows us that anyone can be a true hero and a true equestrian. She put her life on the line willingly and did what she had to do, knowing she would not survive. But she did, thanks to the help of her friends. Today we are gathered to thank her and honor her service. Today we bestow upon her the Medal of Honors, the highest honor a pony can receive for military achievement. And I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say Ms. Frigid Drift deserves it one hundred percent.”
She stepped aside and held a hoof towards Frigid, inciting another thunderous round of applause, this time directed towards Frigid. Then the Princess took the medal out of a wooden case held forth by General Wind and gracefully walked up to Frigid.
“You have no idea how grateful I am to you,” she whispered as she put the medal’s strap around Frigid’s neck.
There was another round of applause and then a barrage of flashes from the press photographers. Hooves guided her to a less crowded area and before her vision recovered from the bombardment of light, someone’s hooves were around her in a tight hug.
“Mom?”
“Oh Frigid! I’m so proud! You really are a special mare.”
Their eyes met and Frigid could tell her mother had cried a lot over the last few weeks, her eyes red and tear stains still on her cheeks. Then her mother’s eyes moved to something behind her daughter. They changed from happiness and relief to a mix of anger and sadness.
“Thank you for putting your daughter’s life on the line, Ice. I hope for once you’ll actually see that she’s not just some kind of accessory that you can put on and take off whenever you want. You should have been there all those years and now suddenly-”
She was cut off by a shocking sight. General Icy Wind, known for his coldness and indifference went forward with long strides and took his wife into his arms, placing his wings over her.
“I’m…I am s-sorry. I’m not really good with all this-this feely stuff, but I really am sorry. I wanted to be with you, but the higher I got in the ranks the farther I got from you. I didn’t realize how much it was going to hurt us. And then I got-I got scared! I hate to admit I’m not truly fearless but I was afraid to face you two. I was scared you would be angry and never want to see me again. So I put it off.”
He spoke so quickly that Frigid could barely make his words out, but she was still thunderstruck by them.
“He cared? Why the hell didn’t he show that before?”
Suddenly a shadow fell over Frigid his imposing form.
“I don’t expect you to forgive me. Not yet, at least, but I just want you to know that I never stopped loving you two. I just buried it deep inside. So deep that I almost forgot what I was missing.”
He leaned forward and hesitated for an awkward moment as he kissed his daughter on the cheek.
Before all of this Frigid would have been angry that her father, who had essentially ignored her for most of her life, thought that he could just implant himself in it. But now, after all she had seen and all she had experienced, she felt different, like she had the power now.
“I-it’s alright…d-dad.”
He smiled, and to Frigid it seemed like the first time since she was a little filly.
“Hey Frigid!” yelled Scootaloo who was running up to her.
“Huh? Just a second I’ll be right back.”
She trotted forward and saw Scootaloo and her friends calling her over.
“Yeah?”
“We were thinking of going to that really fancy schmancy restaurant on Main Street down in Ponyville for dinner tonight. You know to celebrate your Medal or whatever.”
“Sure! I hear they make a mean Dandelion Soufflé.”
“Hey! Looks like your mom and dad are getting along again!”
Frigid turned around to see her father kiss her mother.
“Aaugh! I don’t need to see that! I’ll take you up on that dinner offer. I hope I still have my appetite after seeing that. Ugh.”
After the ceremony was coming to a close, most of the recruits and officers made their way home to their families. Scootaloo walked with Frigid on the way to her house on the same street.
“Man this has been a great day.”
“Yeah…wait! I just remembered I have to do something. You go on ahead I need to do something.”
“What now?”
“Don’t worry! I’ll catch up later at dinner. It’s at eight o’clock right?”
“Yeah. Make sure you’re there!”
Frigid flew off towards the center of town.
“I hope they’re not closed yet!”
She landed on the steps of the Information building of all the names and addresses in Cloudsdale. She pushed open the door and rushed in before the center closed.
“Excuse me, ma’am? Are you still open?” she frantically asked one of the clerks.
“Well we’re about to-oh! Ms. Drift! Well I’m sure I can squeeze in one more inquiry. Who are you looking for?”
She said the name.
“Umm…ah! Here we are. 1453 Sunset Street. Need Directions?”
“Yes, please!”
She zipped out as soon as she got the directions from the clerk. Flying faster than usual a few pegasi looked her way as she zoomed past them.
“Sunset Street. Sunset Street. Where are you?”
The green sign post flashed into sight and she turned onto the small street, slowing down and landing on the puffy pavement.
“What a beautiful house.”
Her destination was in front of her, at the end of the street and the edge of the cloud. It overlooked the lands below and was a beautiful orange color. She walked up to the door and rang the bell. In a few moments the door clacked open and a yellow pegasus mare with a seriously unkempt fiery mane and tired red eyes stood at the door.
“Yeah?”
“Umm can I come in?”
“Who are you to come in here?”
“I..I was there with her when it happened. I just though-”
“You were there? C-come in.”
As she followed the pegasus, she noticed something familiar about her mane and her cutie mark.
“Oh My Celestia! It’s Spitfire from the Wonderbolts! Why’s she…that’s what I thought was familiar about her! Spitfire must have been her sister or something! Why didn’t she say anything…?”
“Just wait here in the living room. Hey mom! Dad! Can! Someone’s here!”
3 ponies came down the stairs in the corner of the room. One a white pegasus stallion with a stormy blue mane, one a mare with the same yellow color and fiery hair except long and flowing, and one young colt with a sky blue coat and stormy mane.
“Yes? Who are you?” asked the mare, her eyes, like everypony else’s, were red with tears.
“I was there when Aurora…passed.”
“Oh my. Sit down, dear.”
“I just wanted to tell you what happened. I felt like you would rather it from an actual pony than from one of those letters.”
“Go ahead, dear.”
Frigid started her story from when she first met Aurora and told her about her audition and how good a flier she had been. She went on to tell the family about how Aurora had been one of the best in the training sessions and was a good friend. Then, with a shaky voice, some tears coming to her eyes as well, she told the story of the mission that went wrong and how Aurora had given her life for her friends. By now all members of the family were crying.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t save her. I tried and-”
“No. She would’ve wanted her friends to live. She was always such a hero. Thank you so much for telling us. If there’s anything you ever need don’t hesitate to call us up.”
“Thank you for letting me tell you. I’ve got to go. I really am sorry. She was a good friend. One of my best.”
She left the house feeling like a burden had been unloaded off her back. She took a deep breath of the cool evening air and looked down towards Ponyville below, where her friends were probably now arriving for dinner. Then she looked to the horizon. Over the clouds, she never really realized how pretty the sunset was. But in a way the sunset wasn’t just ending the light for Equestria. It was closing an era of Frigid’s life. She was no longer the scared little filly she once was. She was strong now. Thinking about all that had happened to her, she remembered something her mother had told her long ago. Something she had not fully understood until now.
Frigid was only a little filly playing in the yard and she accidentally hurt a bird. She ran crying to her mother.
“Momma? Am I a bad person? I’m scared of what I am inside…what if I’m actually a bad person!”
“No darling! One thing like this doesn’t make you a bad person. You see we shouldn’t fear what we are inside, because everyone has both dark and light within their souls. What truly matters is the part we choose to act upon. And it is by the bonds we make and the people we love that we are freed from this fear. Only then can we turn to our true emotions and let them guide us through our lives, in both good times and bad.You see, darling, even though you may think your mind is your most valuable asset, your true worth is measured by the heart.”
Frigid didn’t really get that until now. She didn’t have the fear anymore. She looked over the edge of the clouds. Before, when she had walked in the nights, she was always afraid of falling over the edge, even though she could fly. Now she felt empowered. She took a deep breath and launched off the edge of the cloud into the high altitude winds, maneuvering skillfully so that she would land lightly in ponyville and not create a crater. As she flew she thought more about her friends and realized how much they had helped.
“Thank you. All of you,” she said to herself, the wind swallowing her words.
She touched down on Main Street and trotted to the door of the restaurant. She wasn’t just opening the door to her friends but to her new life. And she went in without hesitation, the pretty lights and cheers from her friends inside engulfing her, ushering her into her new world.