//------------------------------// // A Search Begins Anew // Story: The Ties that Bind // by the7Saviors //------------------------------// Frigid Gale wasn't fond of making any moves during the day. She preferred to stalk the night, as the rest of her kind did so long ago, but time wasn't something she had a lot of. Thankfully, she had met a certain stallion that had a particular talent for long lasting disguise spells awhile back. Whenever she'd have to leave the base during the day, he was who she'd go to first. Gale had once tried to learn a similar spell, but her magic didn't quite work the same way a unicorn's did. Sure, she could use Telekinesis, cast a few moderately strong Barrier spells, and even use Teleportation of a sort. As far as normal unicorn Soul Magic went however, that was more or less the extent of her ability. In truth, those were all spells she had learned under that old stallion's tutelage, and even then, she had to push herself nearly to the breaking point to learn them. It was only through her frankly insane amount of control that she accomplished that much. She had no talent for any other kind of Soul Magic... or any other branch of pony magic. She knew the true nature of her magic, but rejected it as useless when Celestia stormed her home and she could do nothing to stop her. Her power was meager and untested back then. It wasn't until Nightmare had convinced her that her power was far beyond useless that she found her true strength. A thestral's Soul Magic was fundamentally different than a pony's, and once she'd figured that out her power came easy. Cryomancy. That was where a thestral's true strength lay. The thestral race had descended from the Wendigos of legend, and their Soul Magic reflected that in the ice based magic they manifested once Nightmare Moon had unlocked their potential as magic casters so long ago. Frigid Gale found out quickly that she had a particular talent for it. Unfortunately, while she could learn a few unicorn spells, Frigid Gale's natural magic didn't really leave any room for disguise spells or anything of the like, much to her own annoyance. Still, despite what she may have believed in her youth, Frigid Gale wouldn't trade this power for anything. It was hers, and she'd hold onto it for the sake of those that fought and died against the horrid alicorn that invaded her forest village and massacred the rest of her kin. Ah... thinking about the past, are we? Frigid Gale frowned. The thestral, currently disguised as a pegasus mare with a coral blue coat, dark violet eyes, and an indigo mane and tail, flew rapidly across the grassy open fields of western Equestria. She may have been far more powerful magically speaking, but Frigid Gale didn't have even half of Fell Wind's speed, and so it took her a good few hours to cross over into Equestria's westernmost territories, and the afternoon was giving way to evening by the time she reached the area. She huffed in frustration and put on and gave a hard flap of her wings, putting on an extra boost of speed. Where the buck have you been hiding, Nightmare? I've been trying to contact you for ages! If you must know, I've been touching the minds of the ponies in the region Fell Wind had first alighted, looking for anypony that might've seen her or noticed anything odd. And you couldn't have told me this why? Because I have no need to report every one of my activities to you, Gale. My actions are my own, and they will benefit us in the end, you need not worry about that. I wonder... Nightmare Moon said nothing in response, and Frigid Gale shook her head. Whatever. What did you find out? It seems her first stop in the area was in a small town she visited early yesterday morning. I believe it was called... Little Trot? It's a quaint little village that resides just north of your location. Little Trot? Never heard of it... At Nightmare Moon's instruction, Frigid Gale banked a hard right and headed north. As she set her course, she heard Nightmare let out a quiet, amused chuckle. It looks as though our wayward pegasus is quite the celebrity there. Frigid Gale's brow furrowed and she grimaced. I don't like the sound of that, Nightmare. What did she do? Apparently a certain Solar Princess has become lax in her duties and let a corrupt Dark Mage wander about within her borders. Wait, what?! Calm yourself, Frigid Gale. The threat has long since passed, thanks in large part to Fell Wind's rather violent intervention. Gale, who had begun to pour on the speed, relaxed her pace, but only slightly. She couldn't help the knot of worry growing in her stomach at the thought of the town. Corrupt Dark Mages were no joke, and depending on what type of Dark Magic they were working with, the death of the caster may not have been enough. Normally Fell Wind wouldn't draw attention to herself like that, but if she really did save the town from this Dark Mage, then Frigid Gale could forgive the mare for it. Still... What happened there, and how is the town holding up? The cretin was using Necromancy to raise a horde of ghouls and they in turn, ransacked the town. Nopony knows the reason, but the result was near catastrophic. Unfortunately the ghouls did quite a bit of damage before Fell Wind came in and put the Dark Mage down, and from what I've seen through the eyes of the citizens, it looks like the town is going to take quite some time to recover. Hmm... Frigid Gale cut herself off from Nightmare Moon for the moment to think. In all honesty, she wanted to check on the town, and offer aid were she could, but knowing Fell Wind, she most likely already did what she could. On top of that, Fell Wind most likely already left from the sound of it, and she couldn't afford to waste any time. If the pegasus had moved on, so would Frigid Gale. I'm assuming she left already, right? Did she at least find anything out about our... the filly we're looking for? No, there was no mention of the filly we're looking for in town, nor did Fell Wind stumble upon her. Frigid Gale slowed to a stop just as the village was coming into view in the distance. ...And you're certain? There was no hint that she traveled here whatsoever? I'm certain that neither Fell Wind, nor any of the townsfolk have seen a filly of her description wandering the streets. It could very well be that the filly is in disguise. Do you think the filly could pull off that kind of spell at her age? I'm not certain, but I wouldn't write it off completely. That filly has more than enough power to accomplish the task, and if the reports of your lackeys are true, she's quite the studious little pony. A pause. But no, I believe it's more likely that she may be traveling with a skilled unicorn mage. It's possible they were the one that would've cast the spell if a disguise were the case. Frigid Gale thought a moment, deciding whether or not to pursue the matter. She mulled both Nightmare's words, and Fell Wind's actions in town over. This was without a doubt a big reason why Fell Wind had been delayed, but Frigid Gale doubted it was the only reason, seeing as she still hadn't returned. As far as the filly being here, Frigid Gale wasn't sure whether or not what Nightmare said was true. In the end, she'd have to decide if searching the town was worth the time and effort. Then she thought back further—back to Sound Mind and how she hadn't heard anything from the stallion. She had assumed the stallion was compromised and committed suicide to protect the rebellion's identity. Sound Mind was zealous and somewhat unhinged, and Frigid Gale wouldn't have put it past him. Still, he did good work, and it was thanks to him that they found out where the filly's general location was. She'd have to investigate his disappearance as well, but it was of a much lower priority, as she knew that the stallion wouldn't talk, whatever the situation he'd found himself in. That said, if he really was found out, and it was by the filly and whoever had most likely been accompanying her, they most likely were on the run—at least if they were smart they'd be. This meant that even if the filly had stopped in town, she wouldn't have been there for long. Then she thought about something Nightmare had said in particular. You said the filly might be traveling with a powerful mage, right? Most likely, yes. Or at the very least, somepony who knows how to stay hidden, assuming they're trying not to be found. I see... Frigid Gale was beginning to get the feeling she knew exactly who had taken the filly in. It was only an inkling at this point, but it felt right, and if there was anypony who'd be kind enough to take in a lost filly, it would be him. This town may not have been worth looking into, but something in her gut told her this was a lead worth following. With her new destination set, she turned and headed further west, a grim frown on her face. If Fell Wind isn't there, and there's no lead on the filly in town, then there's no point in heading there now. I have... somewhere in mind I wanna check out. Oh? Do tell. I'd rather you wait and see for yourself. Where Frigid Gale was going, she didn't need Nightmare's guidance, and didn't trust her enough to tell her ahead of time where she was going. Instead she remained silent as she soared across the slowly darkening sky and towards the small forest west of Little Trot. She fought down the rising surge of emotion threatening to overwhelm her and focused on her goal. She had to find Fell Wind, but the filly was still her top priority, and if there was a chance she'd be able to find the filly, then she was going to take it. She wouldn't let her past get in the way of the future, and aside from that, it had been years since she'd seen that stallion. For all she knew, the old fool may very well have died of old age. She wasn't fooling anypony, least of all herself. She knew he was alive, and that he'd still be living in that cottage out in the middle of nowhere, assuming he hadn't taken the filly and fled. Even if that were the case however, his cottage should at least have some clues if the filly had indeed been living there with him. It was still worth a shot, and whether she liked it or not, it was time for Frigid Gale to return to her second home, and to prepare for a potential reunion with the pony she very nearly called 'father'.