//------------------------------// // Chapter 31: Hearth's Warming // Story: Return of the Ancient Mage // by Zoshe //------------------------------// The next couple days went by in a blur. The unicorns continued on their journey without a destination, Princess Platinum complained, Clover continued to keep them from wandering into disaster, and every night when he could get away, Clover went into the woods and communed with the fairies. They didn't speak to her again, but every so often she caught a glimpse of Whisper looking in her direction. Then came the day that Twilight knew was coming. She had heard the talk from the ponies in the camp and she certainly remembered what the history books said about this journey. They were looking for a new land. The land that would become Equestria. It started when there was an unfamiliar crunch under their hooves. Clover had suddenly frozen in his tracks, the whole procession stopping along with him. He bent down and brushed some of the snow away, fresh grass popping up as he did so. He broke into a gallop and several of the other unicorns strugged to catch up with him as they broke through the tree line. Endless fields and luscious rivers laid before them; mountains ringed the nearby countryside, the perfect place for unicorns to build a city; most Importantly, they were finally free of the snow. The procession made their way to the mountains at a casual pace. Everyone was more than a little thrilled to be out of the bad weather. Not even Princess Platinum could find any reason to complain, much to Clover's delight. When they reached the mountains, Platinum wasted no time searching them for precious stones and found them she did. She barely even had to look for them as the land was simply rich with treasures. We're awfully close to my home. What kind of game is my life playing with me now? Twilight's ears perked up as she followed his gaze. She had already figured out they were standing on the Canterhorn mountains, the place where Canterlot would eventually be built. However, Clover was looking at what she assumed was the Everfree forest. Was Clover's home that would eventually become the Golden Oaks library already there? "This land is positively perfect!" Declared Princess Platinum as she pulled a large flag from the travel bags. She floated it along and with a flourish, planted it in the ground. "I claim this land in the name of all unicorns! It shall be called Unicornia!" Her proclamation brought about rounds of applause from her retinue as Twilight was sure it would. This event was well documented in Equestrian history. The only thing that wasn't documented was... That's really the best name you could come up with? There it was. Twilight sighed, a small smile finding its way onto her face. She had been getting a pretty good feel for how Clover viewed the world over the last several days. So seeing him not approve of something that Princess Platinum did or said was no longer a surprise. A few days later found the next part of the trials that Twilight knew were coming. They were getting the first of their buildings set up while Platinum continued to gawk at all the pretty stones they were finding when one of their scouts ran into their camp in a panic. "What's wrong?" Captain Orion stepped forward to receive the scout. The scout was panting as she struggled to catch her breath. "It's the other tribes," she finally said. "They've settled nearby!" "How dare you trespass on this sacred ground of Unicornia!" Screamed Princess Platinum in a very undignified fashion. "You're probably here about the gems we found. Well you can't have them. They're mine!" "We don't want your stupid rocks!" Commander Hurricane shouted right back at her. "Pegasopolis was here first and we're not about to give up a place where we can freely control the weather again. We aren't leaving!" "I don't care what either of you do," said Chancellor Puddinghead. "As long you don't start asking us for food or start telling us that our hats are stupid again." Princess Platinum stuck her nose in the air, "Chancellor Puddinghead. You are currently on the sovereign land of Unicornia. We are well within our rights to ask for a stipend of the food you grow." She showed a look of disgust, "your taste in headwear is fine... I guess." "Don't think you can dismiss us so easily, you snobbish unicorn!" Shouted Commander Hurricane. "We were discussing your hostile invasion of Pegasopolis." "Unicornia!" Platinum shouted back while stomping her hooves on the ground. "Our hats are not stupid!" Shouted Puddinghead before correcting herself, "I mean... Earth!" This is the last summit all over again... Twilight looked over to Clover, he had his head buried in one of his hooves and was shaking it like he couldn't believe this was happening. "Brrr..." A shiver came from Puddinghead's advisor, Smart Cookie. "Is it just me, or is it gettin mighty cold here all of a sudden." Commander Hurricane looked up at the small flakes falling from the sky before looking back to his advisor, "Private Pansy! What's with this snow?!" "Eep!" Private Pansy was startled into a quick salute. "Sir, yes sir," she said timidly before looking up at the sky. "It's not us doing it," she reported as the wind began to pick up again. The first few flakes of snow touched down on Princess Platinum's nose, cause her to shiver as she looked down at the offending weather. "Oh no, not again!" She cried as the blizzard started up in earnest. "This is all your fault, Clover," Platinum accused Clover once all three tribes had finished retreating to a nearby cave. The entrance freezing over shortly after they entered it. Here we go again. "How is this my fault?" Clover raised an eyebrow at the accusation. "You were supposed to advise me on how to deal with the other tribes, and what did you do? Nothing!" She screeched. "I did nothing?! I advised you to find a peaceful resolution with the other tribes and did you listen to me? No of course not," Clover snapped back. "All you cared about was keeping ponies away from your pretty rocks." "They're called jewels, Clover. I thought you'd be smart enough to know that by now," Platinum stuck up her nose at him before bringing it back down and fixing her gaze on him. "And furthermore, I listened to you plenty on the way here." "Only because you'd be frozen and dead in the snow if you hadn't. Everypony else knew it and so did you," Clover pointed out. "But when it comes to trying to play nice with the other tribes, you just... Gah!" Clover started walking away. "Where do you think you're going?! I'm not finished with you yet! You're supposed to advise me!" Platinum shouted after him. I swear... This mare. "You want some advice?" Clover said through gritted teeth as he marched up to her. Silence had settled over the cave as all three tribes were entranced by the argument. "Try using your head for once. You stay so focused on yourself that you can't see how much trouble you keep bringing the ponies around you. I keep hearing you say, 'oh unicorns are so superior' but look at where that attitude has gotten us? Nowhere! Maybe if you stopped to think for just two seconds how your actions affect everypony else, we wouldn't be in this mess!" He left her fuming with those words to chew on as he retreated to a deeper part of the cave. He found some rocks to hide behind and he settled himself down out of sight of the others. Twilight followed Clover to where he was sitting. He had pulled out the Alicorn Amulet from under his cloak and was studying it, lost in his own thoughts. We're right back where we started, if not worse than we started. What exactly am I doing here? "What exactly is that amulet?" Twilight wondered aloud, despite the fact that he couldn't see or hear her. "Room fer one more back here," came an approaching voice. Clover looked up to see Smart Cookie walking up to him by herself. "Sure," he said to the earth pony. "I could use some company that isn't a pigheaded unicorn." Cookie gave an amused snort, "Ah saw how you stuck a burr in that mare's saddle. Been waitin fer somepony to do it. Ah'd do it myself if Ah wasn't also risking a diplomatic incident by doin it." "She's been doing everything she can to get on my nerves for the entire journey here," Clover admitted. "I've seen very few unicorns as stuck up as she is." "Well, if it makes you feel any better," Cookie said. "At least you didn't have to deal with a chancellor who kept stopping to taste every new thing we found on the way here and making up weird laws the rest of the time." "Heh," Clover chuckled. "I might've enjoyed that. How many times did she get sick from eating something she shouldn't?" Cookie gave out a hearty laugh at the question. "Ha! Probably more times than Ah'd care to admit." "Well at least you both don't have to deal with Commander Hurricane trying to turn everything into a training exercise," another new voice said. Clover and Cookie both jumped as they found the pegasus advisor, Private Pansy, sitting next to them. "Good gravy girl, how long you been sitting there?!" Exclaimed Cookie. "I was actually here first," Pansy played with the ends of her mane. "Nopony really pays attention to me though." "Huh..." Clover took a moment to examine the ponies he found himself with. "We actually have the advisors from all three tribes hiding back here. I wonder how that happened?" "More than like we got sick of all the bickering our respective charges keep on doin," said Cookie. "That's not hard to believe," said Pansy. "They do seem to like arguing." "Say Clover, if'n you don't mind me askin? What's that you got there?" Cookie asked, gesturing to the amulet that Clover was holding. It's a long story. "It's a symbol of sorts," he said instead. "Some ponies believe that the only way the tribes will ever find peace is if they learn to set their differences aside and come together as one." "Is that why it has something to symbolize all three tribes?" Smart Cookie asked as she looked closely at the amulet. "I'm not sure," said Private Pansy after looking at it herself. "I see the wings and the horn, but how is it supposed to represent earth ponies?" "Right here. See?" Cookie said as she pointed to the large plate backing the gemstone set into its center. "This here works like a foundation, the whole thing would just fall apart without it. Same as how the other tribes would starve without earth ponies ability to grow food so well." "Then I guess the wings are for carrying us towards the future?" Pansy said as she reexamined the piece. "While the last holds high a light so we don't stumble in the dark. All roles are important and can't thrive without each other," Clover finished, his eyes growing wide as he looked at the amulet in a new light. "You know, I never really thought about it too much," he said as he held the amulet aloft. "It's a shame we can't get all the tribes to see it. How much they need each other." "Yeah... Ah don't really see it bein a popular opinion," noted Cookie. "Probably not, but one can dream," Clover said as he tucked the amulet back into his cloak. Pansy looked back in the direction the tribes were camped at, "it's been awfully quiet for a while now. Do you think they got tired of arguing?" "Either that or the cold finally got to em," said Cookie said jovially as she stood back up. "Princess Platinum has probably had enough time to stew by now," Clover said as he also climbed back to his hooves. "I should probably check on her." "What happened here?" Clover wondered aloud once he made it back into the unicorn camp. Everyone had been frozen solid while he'd been away. Where's Platinum? Starswirl asked me to keep an eye on her. Clover raced through the camp. Everywhere he went, he found unicorns frozen in blocks of ice and based on their relaxed forms, they hadn't even noticed it was happening until it was already over. His search eventually led him to the center of the cave where all three leaders had last been seen arguing. Every single of them was frozen solid as well, the angry looks still on their faces like grotesque statues. "What in tarnation?" Cookie poked at the frozen form of Chancellor Puddinghead. "They've all been frozen solid." "Commander Hurricane!" Pansy wailed as she draped herself over the frozen form of her commander, tears pouring from her eyes. "What happened to you?!" "They all appear to have been frozen," Clover said as he approached them. "Every last unicorn. Was it the same in both of your camps?" "Yeah, it's strange," Cookie said as she rubbed the back of her head. "Everything was fine when I left and now this. Pansy, was it the same with you?" A weak, tear filled nod was all they got from Private Pansy. "What do you think coulda done this, Clover?" Asked a very concerned Cookie. I have no idea. "I don't know," he shook his head. "But it can't be good." A deep howling filled the cavern. A fresh wave of ice and snow washing over them as the cold bit deep into their fur. "Ahhh!," Pansy looked about in a panic for the source of the noise even as ice began to collect on her wings. "Calm down girl!" Shouted Cookie while ice began to crawl up her legs. She fought to break them loose and then ran over to where Pansy had huddled behind Clover. "This isn't good," said Clover as he looked at the ring of ice that was slowly creeping towards them. "Whatever got the other ponies seems to be coming for us next." Cookie looked him up and down, noticing the distinct lack of ice collecting on him, "how come you ain't freezin like the rest of us." Clover shook his head, "I don't have time to explain. We need to focus on finding a way out of this mess." "Well unless you got some fancy spell to deal with this. Ah don't see how we're not bout to end up bein a few more statues." Cookie tried to shake some of the ice off her body, but there was just too much of it. "Shush," Clover said in a hushed whisper, his ears were swiveling, straining to hear something in the growing cold. "What's that?" Pansy pointed into the distant darkness. Dozens of lights were dancing through the air as they made their way towards them. "Fairies!" Exclaimed both Clover and the ghostly Twilight. "Fairies?!" Shouted Cookie in disbelief. "Now Ah know I'm freezin if'n Ah'm seein things." The small bobbles of light floated over to them, causing both Cookie and Pansy to recoil at the unknown presence. However, Clover did as Twilight had seen him do on many nights during their travels. He became perfectly calm as the fairies surrounded him and began to dance along his body. A few of the small lights moved up to his ear and he nodded along at an unheard conversation. "You don't say," he said as he looked up toward the ceiling, the center of his eyes glowing a pale green light. "I see it now. So those are windigos." "Care ta explain what's goin on," demanded Cookie as a pink light brushed up against Clover's horn. A small pink heart made of fire was left burning at the tip of Clover's horn as it passed. As the lights fled to places unknown, Clover sat down on the cave floor. He beckoned to the others as he invited them to sit beside him even as the small flame he carried began to melt the ice from their bodies. He explained to them that the storm that had been plaguing the ponies was caused by malevolent spirits that fed off the negative emotions their tribes had been directing at each other. As for the heart-shaped flame he now carried... "So that there's called a fire of friendship," Cookie said as she looked at the flame sitting atop Clover's horn. "It's really pretty," Pansy said with a rosy glow to her face. Clover nodded, "they said it would grow if we share our happy memories with each other. If it grows enough, it should push back the cold for good." "What the heck. Ah'll give it a go. Dun't sound like we got any better ideas." Cookie then proceeded to tell them a story of her foalhood and the sort of trouble she would get into. The whole time she was telling her story, she would smile and the others would smile and laugh along with her. As she finished her story, they all felt a little warmer as the fire of friendship grew. Next was Pansy, who sang them the most lovely song. Once the other two had learned the words, they attempted to sing it along with her. Their voices didn't quite match up to the rest of the song and it ended up being complete mess by the time they were done. Through it all, they smiled and laughed and with their joy, the fire of friendship grew yet again. Next up was Clover. "I don't really have a lot of happy memories," he admitted. "I've seen a lot more pain than anyone ever should. But if there was one happy memory I could share, it would be how I met Starswirl." He said as a small tear rolled down his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, Twilight's crown lit up yet again and washed out the world in a blaze of light. Twilight let out a sharp gasp as her hooves reconnected with the floor. She found herself short of breath, light headed, and her heart aching with the gravity of everything she had just witnessed. "Finally awake I see," came a voice she hadn't heard in weeks. "Whisper?" Twilight looked around in confusion. She was back in Random's... Clover's study and she was all alone there except for the fairy that was sitting on the desk and watching her intently. "You were out of it longer than I thought you'd be," she said as she looked over to a clock on the shelf. "It's been about an hour since you went on your little trip." "It's only been an hour?!" Twilight quickly looked around again trying to find Clover. She didn't see him but she did notice that the spell on the wall was missing it's blue and red crystals. Only the broken brown one remained. "Where is he?" Twilight coughed again like she had been holding her breath for a long time. "Where's Clover?!" Whisper crossed her legs, no humor evident on her face, "tell me, Twilight. What exactly did the Element of Magic show you?" "...And that was about it," Twilight said as she finished her retelling of events. "I see..." Whisper said thoughtfully. "I thought you seemed familiar when you first showed up in my home. You were the one watching us back then. I guess I was right to keep you close since you came to Ponyville. Also," she said, continuing. "I think you now know why Clover won't seek out the princess for help." Twilight cringed inwardly, "I do, but I'm still having a hard time believing that was actually Princess Celestia." "I can only assume that was Daybreaker you saw, but that doesn't make any sense." Whisper scratched her head. "Celestia and Luna would've been busy dealing with Discord when that fight went down, and I know that Daybreaker didn't come along until after Luna was banished." "Daybreaker?" Twilight cocked her head as she asked. "Yeah. That would be Celestia's nightmare form," she said as casually as if she was discussing the weather. "It seems to be something all you alicorns go through at least once while you're still maturing." Twilight nodded along, remember her own recent transformation and how differently she felt while it was happening. She reached up and pulled her crown off her head, staring at it as she held it in front of her. "You're wondering how and why the Element of Magic showed you all of that?" Whisper said as she watched her. "I had a feeling something would happen if it got in the middle of a fight between you and Clover." "Why did you steal my element anyway?" Twilight asked. "I just had a feeling that I should," Whisper looked a bit nervous as she answered. "It's probably a good thing I did too. Who knows what might've happened if you were wearing it when you went all evil on us." "But how did you..." Twilight started to ask, only to be cut off. "I told you. It was just a feeling. I can't really explain how I know." She shook her head. Twilight looked back up to the fairy, "he's heading to the Crystal Empire, isn't he? To deal with King Sombra?" "He is," Whisper confirmed. "Normally I wouldn't worry, but..." Twilight looked at the concerned fairy. "What's wrong?" She asked. Whisper shook her head, "like many things, I can't explain why I feel what I do. However, my feelings usually tend to be right. You need to be there Twilight," she said. "Without you and your friends there by his side, Clover will fail."