//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 – Snowed In // Story: Beneath the Surface // by Racingwolf //------------------------------// Beneath the Surface Chapter 10 – Snowed In Thorax woke from his fitful sleep in a haze of pain, the memories of the previous day immediately flooding back. His body continued to be wracked with pain, a grim reminder of his encounter with Scarlet Rose. He realized that he felt cold despite the heap of blankets he was lying under. The throne room around him was much brighter, but there was little light coming from the windows, where he could see snow billowing past and dark storm clouds covering the sky. Crystal ponies wrapped in blankets were milling about in small groups nearby, and a few foals were playing near the throne itself, but most of the other blanket piles were empty. Thorax watched the ponies and the window from his position on the ground, the pain in his side making him afraid to move. He’d had a rough night, waking and falling back asleep many times. He couldn’t remember much after the talk with Starlight; he had been too out of it. But he did remember that some of the crystal ponies from the makeshift hospital set up in the castle had come to give him medicine a few times. He couldn’t be sure what time it was now, but it was likely past morning, as most of the many ponies were up and about. Reluctantly, knowing the pain it would cause him, he lifted his head and tried to sit up, immediately almost collapsing because of a jarring jolt of intense pain going down his right side. He cringed, waiting for the worst of it to fade before he used his good forehoof to ease himself into a sitting position to get a better look around. It was clear that the ponies had done their best to bring a cheery, well-lit atmosphere to the castle, but the gloominess of the storm still permeated through it all. Thorax took a few breaths to steady himself, hoping he wouldn’t pass out. He felt like he had been hit by a train, and the cold didn’t help. He glanced toward the windows, where he could see frost forming on the walls and floor near them. “Hey, you’re awake!” an excited voice called, the cheerful words seeming to cut through the gloom. Thorax turned his head to see Pinkie Pie bouncing toward him, followed by the very cold-looking Spike and Fluttershy. A short way away, he realized that the nearest group of blanket-covered ponies consisted of the rest of Twilight’s Ponyville friends. They stirred and turned their heads toward the sound of Pinkie’s voice. Pinkie came to a stop in front of Thorax’s blanket pile, giving a few more bounces of excitement before she reached into a bag beneath the blanket draped over her back and pulled out a slightly smudged cupcake. “You know,” Pinkie said, grinning, “I heard all about how you saved Twilight back in the caves, which has to be about the most awesome thing ever – ask Rainbow Dash, she knows – and after seeing you were hurt, I thought, ‘What better way to cheer Thorax up than with a cupcake?’ So I got up early and baked some fresh ones with the supplies I brought – which everypony else thought was silly but look who showed them – and now that you’re awake, I can present it to you!” She held out the large cupcake, which Thorax could see depicted his face drawn in black and teal icing, along with a variety of colorful sprinkles. It was missing a chunk on one side, but before he could question it, Pinkie quickly said, “Sorry I took I bite out of it. I just had to make sure it was absolutely perfect!” Thorax stared at it for a few more moments. “You did all that to make this for me?” he asked. “Uh-huh,” she said, setting it down near his blanket. “I already gave Twilight and the others theirs.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Don’t worry, I had to taste-test theirs too.” She giggled. “I wanted yours to be extra special, though!” “Oh…thank you,” Thorax said, starting to tear up. “Pinkie sure has made this whole thing less stressful,” Fluttershy said as she walked up beside the earth pony. “We’re hoping her theory on blanket forts being warmer is correct,” Spike added. “And speaking of warmer, I thought of something that might help you, Thorax.” He held up a stack of blankets. “We warmed up some blankets for you.” “I have something for you too,” Fluttershy said, pulling an object out from the blankets draped around her shoulders and setting it on Thorax’s blanket. It was a soft gray plush rabbit with a small, cute smile. “Plushies always cheer me up.” Thorax looked at the plushie, feeling overwhelmed by the kindness they were showing him. Not so long ago, he never could have imagined he would be lucky enough to have such great friends. “Th-thanks,” he said, wiping away a tear. “So, yeah, it seems we’re all kinda stuck here for a bit,” Rainbow Dash said, “but at the very least, we can try to make this whole thing a bit less awful.” “And I suppose we’ve got a lotta time to pass while we try to figure out what to do next,” Applejack added. Starlight shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, it…seems like those unicorns outside our castle refused any sort of negotiation.” “…Negotiation?” Thorax asked, fear creeping into his voice. Rarity stepped forward to explain. “Earlier this morning, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance left some messages outside by the magic barrier’s edge. They cast spells on them so the weather wouldn’t harm them and everything. All they got in return was another demand to let an alicorn walk right into their clutches.” “We’ll keep trying to reason with them, though,” Starlight said determinedly. “There must be somepony among them who will listen. They can’t all agree with Scarlet.” “It’s been pretty quiet out there since then,” Rainbow pointed out. “Not as many spells being thrown at Cadance and Shining’s magic shield.” “And it may be bitterly cold, but we’re all here together!” Pinkie cried out before anypony else could continue. “It’s like a giant slumber party! We can tell stories, eat tasty snacks, and share embarrassing secrets, haha! It’ll be fun! And for now we can forget all about the party poopers out there.” Moving to the front of the group, Twilight smiled. She knew that while they could hardly forget the threat that was waiting outside, she was glad Pinkie was there to help distract Thorax and the other ponies while she tried to think of what she could do. And as much as she hated to admit it, it likely was going to turn into a waiting game as long as their enemies truly did only have a limited amount of time to complete their terrible mission. “Thorax,” Twilight began, “I’m sorry I didn’t get to tell you before, but I’m really grateful for what you did back there in the caves. You, and Fluttershy, and Pinkie, and well…all of you. Each of you put yourselves in so much danger to protect me. I wish I had been able to do the same for all of you before things got really bad. Especially you, Thorax. I’m so grateful for what you’ve done. If there’s anything I can do for you, I’ll be happy to help.” “Thank you Twilight,” Thorax replied with a smile. “You don’t owe me anything, though. I know you would do the same for me or any of your friends.” “It’s not about ‘owing,’” Twilight said, amused. “I want to help. That’s kind of a big part of what friends do.” She opened her saddlebag with a bit of magic and pulled out a few books. “Besides, I brought something to help you pass the time. I really think you’ll like these. They’re some of my favorites. They’re full of adventure and mystery.” She gave him a giddy grin as she set the books down in front of him. “You’re all so nice! Thank you so much,” Thorax said. The doors to the throne room suddenly opened, and Thorax, even though far from the doors himself, tensed before realizing it was only a group of crystal ponies and two pegasus guards who had entered. After letting the shivering earth ponies make their way back to their sleeping areas, one of the guards looked over the rest of the crowd. “The workers in the kitchen need some help. Everypony here who was assigned to help with preparing lunch, please come with us,” the stallion called. “Guess that means us,” Applejack said, looking over to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. “We’ll be back later.” “They need your help?” Thorax asked, concerned. “Even after…” Rainbow shrugged. “Well, Cadance said we could have a few days to recover after what happened yesterday, but trust me, with everypony here in the castle, they need all the help they can get.” Fluttershy nodded. “I should probably go help with feeding the petting zoo animals soon too. It’s almost their lunchtime as well.” “Everypony who is able has been given a few tasks to help out with,” Rarity explained to the changeling. “It’s definitely not every day the castle has to accommodate the entire kingdom, not to mention everypony who was visiting for the Crystal Faire as well.” “We brought in a whole lotta supplies,” Applejack continued, “but Cadance said we’d better be careful rationing them so that everypony always gets their fair share and it lasts as long as we need.” “Well come on, you two!” Pinkie cried, bouncing toward the open doors. “I’m sure a good song will cheer up everypony in the kitchen!” Rainbow sighed as she and Applejack followed after the pink pony. “We’ll be back as soon as we can,” she told the rest of the group. “Let us know if there’s any updates about the ‘welcoming party’ outside the castle.” Fluttershy turned to Thorax before leaving to care for the Empire’s animals. “There will always be at least one of us here if you need something. I’ll be back in a while.” Thorax nodded, too overwhelmed to think of a reply. After the four friends left, Spike pulled a few comic books from his blanket. “Twilight and I are gonna help look after Flurry and some of the other foals, but not for an hour or so. And I thought, to pass the time, I could show you some of my favorite comics.” “Um, actually, before you guys do any of that,” Starlight said hesitantly, “I think we should hear Thorax’s side of the story of what happened yesterday. Everypony else in the castle is caught up on what we know, but…anything else would help.” She looked at Thorax regretfully. “I know it’s going to be hard to relive that, but please…we’d appreciate anything you could tell us.” Thorax’s smile faded as he thought back to what had happened the previous day. Truthfully, the details of how everypony had gotten out alive were a mystery to him, but he did remember Starlight teleporting himself and Spike to safety. He figured the least he could do in return was to try and remember what he’d heard the cave unicorns say. He closed his eyes, wracking his mind to think back to the events before everything had faded into a haze of terror and pain. “I…was trying to lead the unicorns away from Twilight, but they caught me, and took me to a really big – but mostly empty – cavern. There was…a big crystal ball that showed other parts of the cave and…images of the two artifacts. Scarlet Rose showed me those, the artifact they already had, and the one they wanted me – Twilight – to get. They didn’t tell me anything about it taking the life force of the creature that activated it, though. I think they assumed I didn’t know.” Spike shifted uncomfortably, recalling the cavern Thorax had described, with the large crystal ball, the merciless unicorns, and Thorax lying motionless on the ground. He had felt so helpless. Thorax took a deep breath. “They led me into this tunnel that felt like it was full of some sort of dark magic. I…I didn’t get to where the artifacts actually were. They found out what I was before then. But earlier, they told me not to mess with any of the other objects down there, and that they could be dangerous. I didn’t see any, so I’m not sure…” He paused, remembering something else. “They also told me that my – Twilight’s – magic would work there, but it would be weakened. They said it was because of that place itself, and I don’t think they had any of their own spells on the tunnel the way they did in the rest of the cave.” “This…tunnel,” Starlight said, “did it seem dangerous? Were the unicorns there with you?” Thorax thought back to the chilling steps he’d had to take in that horrid place. “There was something very wrong about it. Scarlet herself was there with us, but the other unicorns she brought were scared, especially when we reached the end of the tunnel. There was a big crack in the wall that they said led to where the artifacts were. The others were trying to send me in there alone. And…at some point, they said I might be in there for a few days.” “They were going to…send you in alone?” Starlight asked, confused. “Without anypony guarding you?” Rarity and Twilight exchanged worried glances as Spike nervously fiddled with his claws. “What else do you remember them saying about this place?” Starlight asked. “There was another unicorn who didn’t come with me…” Thorax began again. “His name was Golden Comet, and he seemed to be second in command to Scarlet.” Twilight nodded in affirmation, remembering the large stallion that had chased after her alongside Scarlet. “I think I know the exact unicorn you’re talking about.” Thorax took another deep breath and went on. “I remember Golden Comet telling me that Scarlet and some of the guards would be waiting in the tunnel, outside of the crevice I was supposed to enter alone. He said that if I was in there too long, and needed food or water, I could come back out to them, but they’d only send me back in again.” “They…didn’t think to give you food to bring with you?” Rarity asked. Thorax shook his head. “Said I couldn’t, that something happens to the food ponies bring inside that place. They didn’t say what.” Starlight gave a worried sigh. “Well, let’s hope we don’t ever have to find out. Do you remember what happened…after that?” Thorax winced. “Right before I was going to step inside that crevice, one of the other unicorns hit me with a spell and…they found out I wasn’t actually Twilight.” He closed his eyes again. “Everything after that is kind of a blur…” “That’s alright,” Twilight interrupted, not wanting him to have to relive the events further. “You gave us a lot of new information. It might help us the next time we try to talk to them.” “Ugh, as if the first time didn’t go poorly enough already,” Rarity sighed. Seeing Starlight’s look, she added, “Well it’s not as if I’m saying we shouldn’t try, I just think that their answers this morning were perfectly clear. They don’t want to be reasonable any more than Opalescence wants a bath.” “Well, storm aside, it’s been pretty calm out there all morning,” Twilight spoke up uneasily. “I mean, they could be rethinking the whole thing.” She gave Starlight a look that she realized probably showed how uncertain she actually was. There was an awkward silence before Rarity turned to Spike. “I forgot to ask, but any luck getting a letter back from Celestia?” Spike shook his head glumly. “Nope. Still nothin.’” “The cave unicorns clearly knew that Celestia sent us to their cave,” Twilight said. “So as soon as we teleported away, they came here and set up a spell of their own. And of course, they wouldn’t want us to be able to send any type of message to anypony else. They’ve probably done the same to Canterlot by now.” Seeing Thorax give her an alarmed look, she quickly explained, “Luna visited me in another dream last night. That’s still a way of communicating that Scarlet hasn’t thought of.” “Well, I think that’s enough talk about this for now,” Starlight said, sensing Thorax’s growing unease. “Everypony’s doing all they can. So I think in the meantime we should try to relax and get some rest.” “Right,” Spike said, turning to Thorax. “So, how about we read these comics?” Appreciating their efforts to distract him, Thorax smiled. “Yeah. That sounds great.” -ooo- As the day wore on into afternoon, Twilight found herself restlessly wandering the castle in spite of the cold and her exhaustion. She sought out any way she could help out the ponies trapped in the castle. Part of it was wanting a distraction, but most of it was wanting to do everything she could to offset the misfortune that had fallen upon everypony there, which she still somewhat believed was her fault. Despite how helpful everypony was being, she could tell they were scared, and the gloom the storm cast over the castle wasn’t helping. Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack had come back from their task of helping with food preparation, telling her how nervous and on edge most of the other ponies seemed, even the guards. Fluttershy had returned not long after, saying that even the petting zoo animals were acting strange. Twilight also recalled how Flurry Heart and the other foals she and Spike had taken a turn watching over had been sullen and scared. They’d obviously picked up on the unease everypony had, no matter how much she had tried to mask it and focus on entertaining her niece and the other youngsters. She’d come back to the throne room in between tasks to visit Thorax, and was growing increasingly anxious about his condition. And when Twilight once again stepped into the throne room, she could immediately feel the tense atmosphere of the chilly room. She carefully made her away around groups of empty sleeping areas until she reached the ones she and her friends had set up. Rainbow Dash was napping beneath her pile of blankets, and Fluttershy was nearby on her own, looking as if she wasn’t far from drifting off herself. Thorax was lying on his uninjured side, his leg wrapped around the plushie Fluttershy had given him, one of Spike’s comics not far from him. He seemed exhausted, but his eyes were still open. As Twilight approached, a bundle of smaller blankets shifted and revealed the excited face of Flurry Heart. A second small bundle stirred, and Spike turned around, a mug of hot chocolate in his claws. “Oh, hi, Twilight,” Spike said with a yawn. “Flurry’s hanging out here with us for a while. Shining brought her over here earlier, and she saw my comics, and-” He broke off, worry clouding his face. “Are you alright? Because you look-” “I’m okay, Spike,” Twilight quickly interjected, trotting over to them. “Thorax, are you doing okay? Are you feeling any better?” Thorax shifted carefully, trying not to move his bandaged leg much. “Yeah, I think so,” he said after a moment. “Once the medicine they give me starts working, it doesn’t hurt too badly if I don’t move.” “That’s good,” she said hopefully. “I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help you.” “Why don’t you stay here for a while?” Thorax suggested. “I’m sure Flurry Heart would like that.” Twilight hesitated, wondering if there was something she should be doing elsewhere, but the looks from her friends told her they were worried about her. And Spike was right; she was exhausted. “All right,” she answered, bringing over a few of her own blankets with her magic and sitting beside the small group. For the next while, although the passing of time was slow, Twilight could almost ignore the chill in the air as she rested with Flurry and her friends. She had been working almost nonstop for the whole day, and once she sat down she realized how much she needed to relax. And it was nice to do so around friends. It wasn’t long before Thorax became too tired to read, and laid back down while Spike took over reading a comic to Flurry Heart. And for the next little while, they could almost forget about what was threatening them outside in the blizzards, and they could feel a little more safe, a little less cold, a little less worried. Despite being determined to keep awake, Twilight found her eyes beginning to flutter closed as Spike reached the end of another comic issue. Without realizing it, she began to lean forward, when somepony interrupted her. “Excuse me, Princess Twilight,” a voice spoke up, and for a moment Twilight thought Fluttershy had been the one to speak, but when she lifted her head, she saw a pale lavender crystal pony wearing a nurse’s hat. “Huh- oh, what?” Twilight gasped, jolting upright. “I just wanted to check on you,” the nurse pony replied with an amused smirk. “After all, the cave you went through was certainly dangerous, and we want to make sure everything’s okay.” “I’m alright,” Twilight said quickly, shaking her head to try to rid herself of sleepiness. “Really, I’m fine. Thorax is the one who needs help.” “It’s not a contest,” the nurse told her with a smile. Sensing Twilight’s stubbornness, she added, “If you’re really sure, you can wait until later. But the moment you feel anything wrong, come right to see us in the dining room. These cold temperatures aren’t good for anypony, and we want to make sure that if anything is wrong, we can treat it as soon as possible.” “Yeah, I’ll…stop by later tonight,” Twilight replied, to which the nurse gave a satisfied nod. Twilight watched silently as the nurse pony picked up her bag again in her mouth and walked over to Thorax. The changeling’s eyes opened a fraction wider as she came over, smiling at him kindly. “Sorry to bother you, but it’s about time for another dose of medicine.” Thorax gave a small mumble in response, and the nurse pony helped him sit upright. Twilight then noticed that Fluttershy was watching uneasily. “Are you sure pony medicine is alright for him to take?” she asked, looking to the nurse with concern. “I know with animals, you really have to be careful with things like that. What works well for a bunny might not be okay for a snake, you know?” “We’ve been thinking carefully about that,” the crystal pony replied, as Thorax drank from the cup. “The medications we’ve been giving him are known to work well for not only ponies, but also other creatures like dragons or griffins. And we haven’t noticed any unusual side effects in him. It’ll make him tired, but that’s normal for anypony. He can let us know if something happens, but the odds are very good that it will be just fine." “Oh, okay,” Fluttershy responded, sounding relieved. “I was just wondering. I know ponies haven’t exactly had a lot of time to study how to best help changelings.” “You still feeling alright? Haven’t noticed any side effects in the past few hours, have you?” the nurse asked Thorax. “No,” he said, “just tired.” “Well that’s to be expected even without it, considering the injuries you have,” she said. “We’ll keep checking on you though.” Thorax just nodded and lay back down. “A bit later, I’ll have to change your bandages,” the nurse said to him. “And I have to warn you that it won’t be very pleasant, but I’ll be as quick as I can.” Spike looked at the nurse pony nervously. “Um…you think he’ll be okay? How long will it take to recover?” “We’re not sure,” the nurse admitted. “Things like this can take a long time, but we’re doing everything we can, I assure you.” She turned to Thorax again. “Every few hours, get up and walk a bit, even just a little. You shouldn’t try to fly, though. Your wing muscles are very damaged and need time to heal.” Thorax reluctantly stood up, lifting his right leg up as soon as it brushed the ground. The nurse went on his uninjured side to support him. “Walk with me,” she said, “I’ll help you.” Twilight watched as Thorax and the nurse moved slowly around. It was obvious that Thorax was struggling. Twilight couldn’t help thinking back to how far she’d gotten in the cave, to when she was standing right in front of the cursed artifact. Maybe she should have stayed and tried harder to destroy it. Maybe if she’d had a bit more time… Twilight watched as Thorax made his way back to them and collapsed on the blankets. Using her magic, she lifted the blankets over the changeling again. Flurry watched and pushed the plushie closer to him. “It’s okay, Flurry,” Twilight said, “How about we read some more stories.” -ooo- Evening fell, and a large portion of the castle ponies returned to their sleeping areas. A few of them stayed awake and paced in worry, but most were too exhausted to do anything other than lie down and try to keep out the cold. Twilight had been able to relax a bit; spending time with her friends and Flurry Heart had almost made things feel normal, if only for a few hours. She had convinced Cadance and Shining Armor to let Flurry Heart stay with her and the others the rest of the day, but she knew it would soon be time for her to go to sleep, and reading to her niece would no longer be able to be a happy distraction. With the coming of night, the drop in temperature became even more pronounced, and Twilight was sure the cold was worse than the previous day. The winds outside the castle walls seemed more violent, too. Twilight kept Flurry Heart close to her, wrapping one wing around the filly in an effort to keep her warm. Spike had heated some blankets to keep Thorax and the others warm, but in the frigid castle, the warmth didn’t last long. The rest of Twilight’s friends had returned and were huddled nearby, some of them talking quietly to themselves. Shining Armor walked over, looking tired from his efforts keeping the shield in place. “Time for bed, Flurry,” he said as he reached Twilight and his daughter, his horn glowing softly. “I hope you’re getting all the help you need,” said Shining to Thorax as Flurry yawned and opened her eyes. “I am,” Thorax replied. “I wish I could do something to help out.” “You’ve always been willing to help around the castle,” Shining said with a smile. “And you’ll have plenty of chances to do so to again. But for now, just worry about getting rest.” Pinkie Pie bounced over to the group, startling the half-asleep Spike out of reading the comic. “I know what’ll cheer everypony up! A blanket fort!” “Pinkie, we need all the blankets we have for the ponies here,” Twilight said. “There’s not enough for all of us to make a fort.” Pinkie considered this, a look of disappointment crossing her face when she realized Twilight was right. However, it didn’t last long. “Oh, well how about a pillow fight?” Before Twilight could open her mouth to speak, she was slapped in the face by Pinkie’s pillow. “Careful,” she warned, extending her hoof to shield Thorax from any potential blows. “Everypony knows that pillow fights are an essential part of any sleepover,” Pinkie replied. “And this is pretty much the biggest sleepover there’s ever been!” She bounced over to where a few of the others were huddled and whacked Applejack over the head with the pillow. “What in tarnation?” Applejack cried, jolted out of a light sleep. “Pillow fight!” Pinkie yelled as she grabbed her pillow and dove toward Fluttershy, who let out a small shriek. Rainbow Dash grabbed her own pillow and took to the air, her eyes locked on Pinkie Pie. “You’re on!” the pegasus cried as she sped toward her. Twilight watched as a few of the nearby crystal ponies laughed and joined in, their eyes more alight than they had seemed in the past day. “It’s nice to see that some of us are making the best of this,” Shining Armor chuckled. “Yeah,” Twilight agreed, but she felt her mood dampening. “I just wish they didn’t have to. This was supposed to be a time of celebration, but…” “Twilight…” Shining said, giving her a stern but not serious glare. “Remember what we’ve all told you.” “Right,” Twilight replied awkwardly. “Look, I know, it wasn’t my fault, but…I still wish there was something more I could do.” Beside her, Flurry Heart yawned again, and Twilight realized that although it wasn’t very late, everypony was tired. Or at least most everypony, she thought, looking at the group that had engaged in Pinkie’s pillow fight. “Looks like it’s time for bed, Flurry,” Shining Armor said, yawning as well. “And it’s also time for me to get some rest. I hope Cadance will be alright keeping the shield up tonight.” He glanced toward one of the windows and the howling blizzard outside. “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Applejack said, shaking off sleepiness as she walked over to them with a blanket around her shoulders. “She’s been restin’ the whole day waitin’ to take over for you.” “I gave her some cupcakes to help,” Pinkie said, her sudden appearance making Applejack jump. “Really, Pinkie?” Applejack sighed. Fluttershy walked over next, still clutching her own blanket close to her. “I think we all just need to try to get some sleep. Especially you, Thorax.” Before anypony could reply, an enormous crash sounded from outside, shaking the castle floor beneath their hooves. Fluttershy dove under her blanket and Thorax ducked his head down as the ponies around them cried out in confusion and fear. Twilight realized a few moments after the floor stopped shaking that Flurry Heart was clinging tightly to her leg, and Spike was shivering beside her. Shining Armor whipped around, his eyes on the row of windows in the direction the sound had come from. “Wait here,” he told the group before galloping across the crystal floor. “What in Equestria was that?” Rainbow cried, letting the pillow she was holding drop to the floor. “They can’t have found a way to break in!” Rarity cried. “Everypony calm down,” Twilight said, not sure that she herself was setting a good enough example of ‘calm.’ “I’m sure they haven’t-” She broke off as they heard galloping and Starlight arrived, her horn alight. “I saw some sort of large spell hit the shield near the base of the castle. If we could feel that tremor clear in here even though the spell didn’t penetrate the shield…that must mean they’ve figured out something stronger. Do any of you know where Cadance is right now? I’ve-” She was interrupted as another loud crash, this time hitting the shield somewhere farther up, shook the room. Several of the other ponies shrieked and ducked down, as if expecting the ceiling to collapse around them. When everything stilled, however, the throne room looked undamaged. “Um, Starlight?” Pinkie Pie whispered as she edged toward the unicorn. “Twilight’s trying to keep everypony calm and uh…I don’t think you’re helping with that.” She glanced over to Fluttershy’s sleeping area, where only a trembling lump in the blankets could be seen. “Look, I-” Twilight began, before realizing that she couldn’t think of anything encouraging to say. There didn’t seem to be any damage to the castle, and she was sure the guards were already checking on that. However, the cave-dwelling unicorns lurking outside were clearly not out of ideas for ways to damage the shield, and they probably had several more things they were waiting to try. Twilight shook her head, trying to stop her thoughts from wandering. “Starlight, you saw this spell hit the barrier, right?” Starlight nodded. “I caught a glimpse of it out a window right when it struck. I’m not sure what sort of spell it was, but it hit the magic barrier at the southwest side.” “No, it came from the north,” a voice interrupted as a castle guard came racing up toward the throne, pausing before he passed them. “I saw it with my own eyes, as did a few of my fellow guards.” “The one I saw was definitely not on the north side,” Starlight responded in confusion. Tension among the group and the surrounding ponies grew, and Twilight glanced around at her friends. Rainbow Dash muttered something to Pinkie Pie as Applejack began trying to help Twilight calm Flurry Heart. Thorax had hobbled over and was trying to coax Fluttershy out of the blankets, and Spike was watching him worriedly. “I suppose it isn’t out of the question that they may have used multiple spells, is it?” Rarity said grimly. "That...sounds about right," Rainbow replied. "They probably hit the castle from multiple angles. At once." Applejack took a deep breath. “Well, clearly it still wasn’t enough,” she said with a stamp of her hoof. “They’ve thrown a lot at Cadance’s spell and it’s still holdin’ up. We’re not ready to lose hope yet!” The ponies looked to each other uncertainly, some of them murmuring under their breaths. The previous good mood had vanished. Thorax was doing his best to calm Fluttershy, who was still shaking. Twilight summoned up what little confidence she felt and said, “She’s right. We can’t act like they’ve beaten us yet.” “Exactly. They may have more magic tricks, but so do we,” added Starlight. Cadance’s voice sounded over all the other noise as the alicorn landed in front of her throne. “There is no need to panic. Our shield was not damaged, nor do any of us plan to let it. We will hold out against them with everything we have. And we will not let them win.” The frightened conversation gradually died down, but Twilight’s fear didn’t fade. With a sinking feeling, she realized she was not sure if anypony was going to get any sleep that night. -ooo- Outside the walls of the castle and the magical barrier that surrounded it, a group of pale forms paced through the snow covering the glittering crystal ground. At the head of the group, a large stallion stared impassively up at the castle. Despite the biting temperatures, the unicorns wore no protective clothing, yet barely reacted to the cold. “Comet,” one of the unicorns said, brushing snow from his eyes and pacing toward the large stallion, “our spells aren’t going to get through that shield.” The larger unicorn tensed. “Not yet.” “We don’t have much time to wait them out,” the smaller unicorn said. “The others aren’t getting through in Canterlot either. It’s those alicorns. Maybe if Scarlet herself-” “Scarlet is needed back in the caves,” Comet replied, his ears flattening. He whirled around to the younger unicorn, the glow of his amulet lighting his features. “You don’t need to remind me of how much time we have left. I know that better than anypony.” He brushed past the stallion, coming to stand by a group of unicorns that was waiting in the snow, the long black tendrils of their manes whipping in the wind. One of the mares snorted in annoyance. “I say we get the teams in Canterlot to come here. We might have a better chance then.” “They’re keeping the other alicorns pinned in their own castle,” Comet growled in response, “so that the sisters are not here helping these ones. We can do this without them. And need I remind you that the alicorns in Canterlot are far older and more experienced than these new ones? Count yourself lucky you’re here instead.” The mare didn’t respond, instead simply turning her head away from the biting wind. A few of the others looked longingly toward the crystal buildings they’d used for sleeping shifts. Though they weren’t shivering, the blinding snow was getting to them. “The alicorns of this empire keep leaving their cute little notes,” Comet snarled as he looked back toward the ice-covered castle. “But they don’t have any ideas themselves of how to reverse the curse. If they won’t let us take an alicorn to the tunnel, there’s no room to negotiate.” “What do you propose we do then?” a timid mare asked, barely loud enough to be heard over the wind. “First, we gather a few more unicorns. Not anyone at Canterlot. Some from our caves. I want at least a few more strong magic users here before dawn.” He turned to a blue-tinted stallion. “Mist Morning, in just a minute I want you to teleport back and tell Scarlet we need some help. Even get Jade River if you can.” “Uh, s-sure,” the stallion replied, dipping his head. “And I want you to tell Scarlet something else,” Comet continued. “The Cave of Artifacts has other powerful objects. Perhaps there is one we could use.” “Comet,” Mist Morning protested, “we need Scarlet back with the others in the caves. We can’t just-” “Scarlet won’t need to go back into the tunnel. She already has a few other trinkets from that cave she kept to study, doesn’t she?” “Well, yes,” Mist Morning replied, shuffling his hooves. “But I thought the results were…inconclusive. I think if there was something that could help us, Scarlet would have already-” “I know how Scarlet works,” Comet replied. “She’ll have something.” Mist Morning looked uncertain, biting his lip and turning away from Comet as he looked down the icy crystal streets. After a few moments he turned back to Comet again, but didn’t meet the taller unicorn’s eyes. “I know we’re running out of time, but anything with magic from those caverns is likely to be volatile-” “And you, a simple miner who was just lucky enough to be chosen to come along on this mission, would know about these artifacts?” Comet quipped back. Mist Morning was silent. “You can leave the decision to Scarlet. Teleport back. Tell her to give her collection a look over.”