//------------------------------//
// Prologue: Snowflakes 
// Story: Journey To Hearth's Warming 
// by Lighttone GryphonStar 
//------------------------------//

Give into the monster. The bastard, the killer, and the butcher.

I was once asked this. It was posed to me by a wendigo that seemed to have an eternal hatred for the world.”

I didn’t want to give in, nor ever believe his words. Why would such a thing ever seem right? But after hearing everything I look back on my journeys.

From fighting a mare that would later become my friend and my student to traveling across many timelines desperately trying to find my way home. Should I have given in to what nature had intended for us, or should I have saved as many as I could, no matter the cost of my sanity?

Should I have joined him on his crusade, or should I have left him to rot away? As I look back, I can only pray that the right choice has been made. The cost of being wrong could be worse than being right.

******

Snowflakes wander through the maddening cold of the frost-covered beach as the waves kick in defiance of the ice trying to form over it. A deer-like monster leaned over a group of corpses. The monster scratched and pulled at the bodies. He shivered and twisted, removing his claws when no response was given. He lifted his head to the Moon and snowflakes fell from his face. An object on his neck glowed maroon red and pulsed like a heart. Clutching it, without even looking, he yanked it off and exhaled heavily as he heard footsteps approach him.

The monster turned and roared at the approaching figure, bucking his deer-like horns right at the figure’s heart. His eyes widened, and he drew back at the sight of a thin blue goat on all four legs.

“They are all dead, aren’t they?” the goat examined, lowering his head to one body and taking in a deep whiff. “And yet she is not among them?”

The monster’s eyes narrowed, and his cheeks stretched back to reveal his teeth. He bucked his horns and roared at the goat again, yet the goat refused to yield. The monster’s eyebrows furrowed over his eyes as he looked at the object in his hand. He squeezed it until the edges cut his flesh and cast it to the ground and the goat vanished.

The monster watched the object until its glow faded. He knocked it away and swung around to the waters a few meters behind him. His feet gritted into the ground as he lowered down to all fours. He pushed forward, crashing his feet into the water, and landing on its surface. The rebellious water bent to his rage, stopping solid under his feet. The stillness of ice spread like a plague with each step as he galloped into a run.

******

Miles across the water stood a magnificent castle. It stood in defiance against the giant waves. Inside the castle's outer walls, many stood at the ready. Despite the cold shivering them to the bone, they refused the falter.

In the front, a bold blue stallion with a dark green mane in silver armor and a royal blue cape stood ready. He smiled as he felt the cold hit his face. “The monster will soon be here.”

“Yes, my King,” a red stallion approached. “Soon we will have revenge for what he did to our land. But most of all…” He stopped and stared at the ground.

The King glanced at his general, before letting his own eyes fall. For a single moment, his smile gritted, but that dissolved when his eyes raised back to the general. He placed his hand on the soldier’s shoulder. “It’s okay, I, above all of you, want revenge.”

"It would have been easier if that other king hadn't..." Abruptly, the general was stopped as a white mare in a nurse’s uniform ran onto the field. The general’s eyes went wide upon seeing her. “What is it, Chorale?”

She peered at him for one moment before turning toward the King. “Your majesty, I’m sorry to disturb you at such a time, but it has begun.”

The King shifted his sight to the nurse and frowned at her words. He gripped his sword tightly and looked toward the red stallion. “General, defend these walls until I return. Do not let that monster in here.”

“I understand my king,” he nodded as the King took his leave.

The King directed his movement toward the path that the mare had come from. He walked rather slowly as if uncertainty was setting in. The moment he heard the screams, his movement broke into a run. He passed by many empty chambers. The echoes of screams increased in loudness the deeper he went into the castle.

Shortly he arrived at the source of the screams, a door that glowed with a fiery light. His eyes strained and his breathing trembled as he reached for the knob. He stopped mere inches from touching it as his arm persisted back. He fought through his hesitation and twisted the knob

Opening the door caused cold air from outside to clash with the warm torches as they flickered from the change in the air current. The dim light barely reached a bed at the center of the room. Lying on the bed a scarcely clothed light lavender mare with a long brown mane screamed and twisted around. Blood was pouring out of her at a moderate rate. Nurses ran around left and right with towels, trying to clean the blood as the lead nurse stood by her head with a wet rag.

“Keep pushing, my queen,” the lead nurse urged her.

The King drew closer to the bed, and the grip on his sword weakened. His free hand extended out and gripped the Queen’s hand tightly. “Don’t give up, soon you will be free of this curse.”

The Queen turned her face to him with a weakly and seemingly doubtful smile. She softened her screaming as best as she could and pulled him closer. “My king, please don’t be angry with--” The pain interrupted her, and she cried out.

The King’s eyes strained into tears. “I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at the monster that defiled you with this curse.” The tears broke from his eyes as his teeth gritted. "But don't fret, I will make things better."

The Queen’s smile turned to a frown as her eyes widened. She shoved him away as the final pushes broke forth. Her screams intensified as she struggled with all her might. The nurses backed away out of fear as the sound became more terrifying. Blood fountained outward over the covers, quickly followed by ice that spread in every direction, even over the Queen's flesh.

The King trembled at these sights as he arose from the bed. He gazed at the sword in his hand, his grip returning to full strength. His eyes rambled over to all the nurses as they stared at him. Seeing his face, they gazed down and walked toward the exit without saying a single word.

Doubt poured over his paling complexion as he turned back to his wife. He took a deep gulp of breath and gripped his sword tighter, lifting it above the bed.

The Queen weakly raised her hand to the sword. Her sight was now too blurry to see anything, but once she felt edges, she gripped it and moved her mouth back and forth, speaking with a wordless voice.

The King's face broke down at the sight of this. His eyelids closed as he turned the tip downward. “I will avenge you.”

He dropped the sword. The ice halted its advance over the bed. The Queen shivered as she reached for the King. Her hand pulled at his armor until her shivering stopped. The fires in the room went out, and the cold intensified. Silence filled the darkness as her hand fell to the bed.

Seconds passed like hours as the nurses stood outside of the room expecting an answer. They looked at each other, mumbling unclear words. Ultimately, one of them even reached out to the door. Yet, they quickly pulled back as a rage-filled roar. They held their mouths as their feet carried them away.

The King’s roar echoed through the castle and carried through to the outer wall. The general heard his king and turned away. The nurse grabbed her mouth in horror. He pulled her close and placed his head on hers. “I’m sorry. I knew he would be forced to do it. It was needed if we were to win.”

Quietness pursued the winds, and even the waves came to an abrupt halt. The two drew away at the sight of snowflakes falling around them. The nurse looked at the sky and trembled at the sight of no clouds. “How are there snowflakes?”

“Snow and cold shall always follow in his wake. Be warned, for the first sign of him... is a snowflake.” The General stared upward as he gripped his sword in its hilt.

“Soldiers, soldiers,” one guard on the watchtower shouted. “He's here--”

Instantly the soldier stopped as the snowflakes swarmed around the watchtower. They moved like blades, cutting through the tower until it toppled to the ground. The soldiers scattered out of the way from the crash as it tore an opening in the outer wall.

The general unsheathed his sword. He swung it up high, shouting to the surrounding others, “Stand your ground!” Hearing his words, they shook free from the shock. He pointed his sword toward the opening and the soldiers charged toward it. He glanced back at the nurse. “Stay safe.”

“Come back alive,” she reached out.

The general smiled at her words and faced forward. His mind filled with vigor, he ran faster through the remains of the watchtower and jumped into the ocean outside. He slipped at first but quickly got his footing on the now frozen surface. He saw his soldiers already clashing with the monster and charged forward.

Many of the soldiers were already turning to ice in the claws of the monster as he tossed them to the ground. The monster stood strong and larger than any of them. The guards threw spears at him; they tore through his back and shoulders, yet he refused to relent.

The general held his sword in front of his face and chanted in a strange language. The sword glowed with his words. Once the brightness of the sword was too much, he stopped his chant and swung. Sounds from the sword moved through the air, cutting like a saw. The monster charged forward, not stopping upon hearing the attack.

The attack hit them head on, digging into the monster’s flesh and pushing him back to the ground. The monster rose back up as if the attack did nothing but annoy him. The general rushed forward and jumped into the air. He landed and dug his sword deep into the monster's back.

The general wailed in agony as the blood from the wound froze up his arms. “Bring it down!” Hearing his words, every guard nearby jumped forward, stabbing their swords into the monster.

The monster's blood splattered over many of them, freezing everything and holding him to the ground. The guards themselves were glad to be frozen solid if it held the monster in place.

The nurse ran over to top of the rubble and screamed the general's name, “Fugue Dazzle!” She gazed at him as tears fell from her face.

The general glanced at her and smiled, chanting ultimate words. “Vivat Rex!” He pulled with all his might. He ripped out his sword as it glowed a new color, tearing the monster’s back wide open. Blood splattered over the entire monster and the general. They were both frozen to the bone.

The nurse gaped at the sight of this as the battle went silent. The remaining guards stood ready for anything while she rushed to the frozen block. One guard tried to stop her, but another stood in their way. She came to a dead stop at the sight of it. She reached out to the general at the top.

Without warning, cracks appeared. The mare trembled, and she backed away. However, what happened next sent shockwaves through them all.

“You took what was mine!” the monster spoke as the ice shook. “You took what was mine!!” Chunks of ice broke away as he pulled his body free. With one last twist, he broke free completely and jumped forward. He grabbed the mare in his jaws and fell into a roll.

The guards rushed forward. They tore their weapons into the monster's mouth. The monster swung the mare around in his jaws. She wailed in agony but pulled out a sword hanging out of his body. She stabbed the sword under his eye, making him let go of her.

He dropped her to the ground and drew away. He reached for the sword, tearing it out. The guards ran over to the mare, only to find her somehow unharmed. Two of them pulled her up and moved her to safety.

Meanwhile, the monster took the sword and beat it against the ground as he twisted and shivered. “You took everything that was mine. Now give them back to me!”

“I’m sorry, they're dead.” the King stepped out of the castle, his sword at the ready covered in maroon-red blood. “But with their blood, I shall finally smite you, monster!”

The monster smelled the blood coming from the sword. His eyes widened. “No!!” he roared.

The King smiled and held the sword up high. “Do your worst?”

The monster jumped forward. The King slid to the side, dodging and rushing forward, slashing his sword across the monster's chest. He rolled out of the way as the claw swiped at him. He stopped his rolling and jumped backward. His sword sliced into the monster’s arm, cutting the limb completely off as he landed back in front of the castle. The king smiled at the sight of no ice forming on his sword. Turning around, he stormed outward again, aiming for the heart. This time, the monster grabbed him and threw him back into the castle.

The King crashed through several walls before landing with a hard thud. He pushed at the ground, ignoring the blood pouring from his mouth. Holding his sword tighter, he roared back as the monster charged into the castle.

The monster bit his teeth into the king’s arm as the sword tore through his mouth. The force of the movement pushed them deeper into the castle, making much of it crumble around them. The monster stopped and lifted the King into the air, before tossing him to the side. The monster spat up some blood. He shifted away from the King and ran down a hallway.

The King slowly arose. He found his arm completely broken and blood was pouring out of his side at a fast rate. His eyes widened at the sight of a long piece of wood that was now skewing through his stomach. It was too long to remove, so he left it and stood his ground as the castle crumbled around him. He knew where the monster had gone.

The King looked at his guards as they watched from the outside. He gritted his teeth and shouted to the nearest subject, “Burn the castle. I will not let the monster leave.” Hearing his words, they regrettably did as he asked. He smiled as the fires quickly covered everything in sight. He spat up some blood and stared at the hallway that the monster left. He took the sword into his free hand and pushed forward.

The deeper he went in, the greater the fires got. Soon the only thing that could be seen of him was the fires of his rage and the snowflakes of the monster.

******

“When the rumble was clear, only two beyond burnt bodies were found.” The old white stallion took a breath as he grabbed his warm tea. He took a sip slowly before peering down at the filly that was holding his leg the whole time.

He rubbed her head and then looked at another pony, who was sitting in the chair across from him. The other pony was a rather old unicorn with a long beard. “It was believed that the bodies belonged to the King and the Monster he fought.”

“That was a fine story, but are you sure they were wrong about what they found?” The bearded unicorn inched his chin, pulling slowly at each hair.

The white stallion’s eyes narrowed. “I know what I saw. That monster killed my ancestor Fugue Dazzle and my kingdom’s last King. That vicious creature, massive deer horns, and a taste for the flesh of others. It was the same monster I saw three nights ago--” He stopped as coughing filled his voice.

“Fine,” the bearded unicorn looked at the picture of three fillies in his hand. “So do you want revenge or…” His eyes fell on the filly by the white stallion’s leg. It was very much one of the fillies in the picture.

“All I want you to do is save my granddaughters from that monster before he does to them what he did to our once beautiful Queen.” He stopped and glanced to his left. The grip of the young filly made him more concerned than ever. The filly had not spoken a word during the entire story, yet the emotions about her sisters being taken spoke volumes louder than any word ever could speak.

The bearded unicorn stood up and took a bow. “I understand. I will do what I can, old friend.” He turned toward the door to take his leave when he was stopped by the next words of the white stallion.

"Wait, please take her with you." The white stallion pointed to the little one. "She is no longer safe here either."

The bearded unicorn turned and frowned sadly. "She would only be in the way..."

"Yes, but she cares for her sisters greatly. She is the only heart they have left right now. Beside..." Harder coughs stopped his words.

"Don't push yourself, Grandpa." The filly argued.

"I'm not long for this world." He pushed the filly away from his leg. "Starswirl, I trust you... more than any other creature in this world."

"I... I understand, old friend." Starswirl walked back over and placed his hand on the filly's shoulder, lightly pulling her away.

"I... I..." The filly was practically in tears now. "I'll find my sisters, Grandpa, you wait."

The white stallion smiled at her words. "Thank you."

******

Starswirl walked the filly outside several steps before reaching a small dock. Standing at the edge was a golden earth pony. “Let’s go Fredricson.”

“Oh, we have a guest coming with us.” Fredricson followed behind them. "Is it true? Has he returned?"

“It seems so. We must get this message to the alicorns immediately. Indigo Frost… has returned.” The two walked over to an airship as smoke raised from its chimneys.

******

Silence encased the place after they left. The only thing that could be heard was the soft creaking of wood. The white stallion looked at his tea once more. It had grown cold way too fast. His eyes widened and his body filled with trembles at chills. His breath became visible, and his eyes wandered over to a window nearby. His pupils shrank at the sight of…

“Snowflakes… snowflakes…” His voice slowed to a deathly halt and ice rose over his body from his feet to his face. Pushing with what strength he could muster, his voice slowly pleaded, “I’m sorry… that… they… called… you… a… monster…” The ice completely covered him with that final word and the room’s cold became almost too painful to hear, see, or even breathe as cracking followed.

However, in this cold, a smokey breath poured forth from the shadows of the room. Bare footsteps approached the white stallion’s body. “Oh, but you did and always will call me by that name. It is what I am, and what we all are.” An icy blue hand lowered to grab the teacup.

“The message has been given. That’s two pieces down, seven more to pull in.” The tea was brought to the smokey breath. The frozen drink tipped over and crunched in mighty jaws.

Crunching followed by a second voice from behind the white stallion’s frozen body. “Indeed, and once all the pieces are on the board, their light shall be consumed by our darkness.”

******