//------------------------------// // An Obstinate Obstacle // Story: The Ties that Bind // by the7Saviors //------------------------------// Frigid Gale narrowed her eyes, zeroing in on the isolated cottage below her. Tucking in her wings, she fell into a short dive towards the abode. Only half a minute later, she spread her wings and evened out slightly, slowing into a gentle descent before stopping altogether just above the ground in front of the cottage's entrance. It was just as she remembered it. She touched down and stood before her old home away from home, simply staring at the old cottage and not really knowing what to feel. Looking within herself, there was anger, hurt, sadness, longing, nostalgia, and even a bit of fondness for the better days she'd spent here. There was also a fair amount of apprehension buried beneath it all. She had no idea what she'd do if she saw the old stallion now. It'd been so long since she'd seen him, and she'd changed so much from the quiet, moody filly she'd been back then. Looking back on it, what he'd done—the things he'd said to her so long ago... compared to what she'd done and seen since then, she began to wonder if it really was worth holding a grudge over. Frigid Gale had been sure she'd never forgive Ancient Scroll for his blatant disregard for her own tragic past, but standing here now, she felt rather childish for holding onto that bitterness for such a long time. "Well, there's nothing for it," Frigid Gale muttered with a resigned sigh, "it's not like I'm just gonna leave after coming all the way back here." With that, she began making her way towards the front door. She only made it a few steps before a familiar voice spoke up within her. Wait, Frigid Gale... something's not right. The thestral stopped in her tracks and frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked aloud, taking a cautious step back, "is there someone nearby? Or is it—" The cottage... it's... Nightmare fell silent for a few moments, prompting Frigid Gale to speak instead. "Nightmare," she began, narrowing her eyes as she looked over the seemingly innocuous dwelling, "what did that old bastard do to the cottage?" Nightmare gave an impressed hum in response. This stallion is no slouch when it comes to magic, that is for certain. Had you been born a unicorn, you would've done well to continue your training under his tutelage, Frigid Gale. "Yeah, yeah, the guy was a great mage," Gale huffed impatiently, "what did he actually do, Nightmare?" It seems he's guarded his home against invaders using a powerful Barrier spell. From what I can sense, it seems to be compromised mostly of Light Magic with... five layers of reinforcement? Impressive indeed. "Okay," Frigid Gale replied slowly as she took a step forward, "now why would he do that? Unless..." It's too soon to jump to conclusions, Gale. For all we know, he may have simply stepped out and chose to guard against thieves and the like. "All the way out here? Please," snorted the thestral mare incredulously, "you're the one who can go jumping around in ponies heads, why don't you tell me if he's still here?" Nightmare Moon was silent for a time and Frigid Gale frowned. "Nightmare?" she asked, "what's wrong? Can't you just search for his consciousness or something?" I cannot find his consciousness here, nor is he anywhere in the area. "Any chance he traveled out to Faranda Way?" No, I believe he's gone... farther than that. To where, I cannot say. Frigid Gale lowered her gaze and frowned thoughtfully before looking back up at the cottage a moment later. In truth the mare was rather relieved at the news, but at the same time this raised quite a few suspicions. Had he fled with the filly in tow, or had he simply left on some far away errand that had led him out of the area? Another moment passed and in the end, Frigid Gale decided to go with her gut instinct. "Nightmare, I'm continuing forward on the assumption that the old stallion is traveling with Twilight Sparkle. If I'm wrong... well... I guess I'll just have to deal with an extremely awkward reunion." ...So be it. What are you going to do in the meantime? The mare thought for a moment and realized this was still the biggest lead she had at the moment. Even if she didn't find out where the stallion was going exactly, she might be able to find out where else he'd been, and that in turn might lead her to more clues. Rather than answer Nightmare Moon directly, Frigid Gale inhaled deeply before letting out an explosive sigh and eyeing the cottage critically. She took a few steps forward and stopped just as the ground lit up in front of her. A massive ring of white light flared into existence around the entirety of the cottage, causing Frigid Gale to stumble back. The magic sigil flashed once and the cottage disappeared behind a pillar of light that seemed to pulse and fluctuate with power. The glow from the barrier had been bright enough that Frigid Gale had to cover her eyes behind a hoof. She slowly lowered her hoof and grimaced at the sight before her. "Well, damn," she muttered irritably, "the bastard always did like to show off." Be on your guard, Frigid Gale. There's more to that Barrier spell than what you can see. "Noted," Gale replied, cracking her neck and trotting closer to the barrier, "now if you'll excuse me, I have something to prove." Ignoring Nightmare's confused response, Frigid Gale stopped before the barrier and closed her eyes. They opened a moment later, blazing with a bright cyan glow. She inhaled again just as deeply, but exhaled with a sigh that brought a release of icy mist. The mist hit the light of the barrier and stuck, turning to ice as it crawled along the wavering shield. There were several loud cracks as the ice covered more and more of the barrier, and a minute or so later, the entire barrier was nothing more than a frozen mass of mana. Frigid Gale continued to pour the mist out of her mouth for a moment longer before snapping it shut. She smirked in satisfaction as the glow in her eyes dissipated and took a step back to observe her work. Not so helpless anymore am I, you withered old piece of parchment? "I gotta say, Nightmare," Frigid Gale commented, "being able to literally freeze mana has to be one of the most useful things you've ever taught me to do." And to think, any one of your ancestors could've done the same. The loss of the thestral race was a terrible tragedy indeed. "It certainly was," Frigid Gale muttered darkly, "a damn shame, that." She trotted back up to the now frozen barrier and without preamble, sucked in a breath, raised a hoof, and pulled it back. What are... wait, Gale don't— The instant Frigid Gale's hoof smashed into the ice, the entire barrier shattered, and her whole world exploded in a flash of light and pain. She cried out, vaguely aware that her hooves had left the ground. She didn't come to her senses again until her body hit the ground and rolled to a stop a few yards away from where she'd been standing—the entire experience leaving her in a crumpled heap of slowly receding pain. You're a fool, you do realize that, don't you? Gale's only response was to give a weak curse and groan in pain as she unsteadily rose back to her hooves. Once she was up, she looked over herself, noting with a not insignificant amount of irritation that the disguise she'd been wearing had been dispelled. While her entire body ached something fierce, and she'd been forced back into her own thestral form, there didn't appear to be any visible damage. She flapped her wings a few times to make sure they weren't sprained or broken and gave a satisfied grunt when she felt no pain other than the dull throb that enveloped the rest of her form. The lack of her disguise was going to be an inconvenience, but she felt that hardly mattered all the way out here. I'll just have to be more careful going forward I guess. At that she heard Nightmare Moon snort derisively. What you did was effective, yes, but there are consequences to such a method, and on top of that, I told you there was more to that barrier than an extra layer of protection. "Ah, whatever, I got the job done, didn't I?" Frigid Gale sniffed before furrowing her brow, "wait a minute..." Frigid Gale took a moment to focus on herself, and after that moment, she began to realize with a growing sense of dread that it wasn't just the pain that was fading. "W-What the buck?!" the thestral cried, her knees buckling with sudden weakness, "I can't... m-my mana is... what happened to my bucking magic?!" No doubt weakened by the trap the old stallion set within his barrier spell, and quite a nasty trap it was too. You're going to be low on mana for quite some time. Nightmare's tone turned thoughtful, and Frigid Gale could almost see the amused smile playing across her muzzle as she spoke again. It was that particularly complex bit of spellwork that impressed me far more than the barrier itself. "And you didn't think it prudent to tell me about the trap beforehoof?" Frigid Gale growled, struggling to her hooves once more, "some guardian you turned out to be." I had hoped you'd actually put those lessons I gave you to use and think about the situation you were getting yourself into, and when you didn't I simply let you suffer the consequences. Oh, and not once have I ever claimed to be your guardian. "Buck you, Nightmare," Frigid Gale sneered as she weakly hobbled towards the cottage, "and buck Ancient Scroll and his bucking traps." Nightmare let out an amused chuckle that only further aggravated the enfeebled thestral. Oh come now, it's only a temporary thing. Look on the bright side, at least the barrier is gone, and now you can search the cottage to your heart's content. Frigid Gale snorted in irritation. "There'd better be something worth finding in that bucking cottage, and if there isn't, there'll be Tartarus to pay when I find that stallion."