//------------------------------// // A Cold Welcome // Story: Frozen Heart // by Reviewfilly //------------------------------// The peaks of Zephyr Heights’ castle shone in the distance. Originally serving as the royal palace, it was now shared between the court of Queen Haven and the parliament of the Union’s interim government. Many weren’t happy with putting the seat of power so close to one faction’s home, fearing it would lead to an imbalance in power. However, neither Bridlewood nor Maretime Bay had the necessary infrastructure to house a serious government, so, despite the concerns, ultimately everyone had to give in an accept the situation, at least for the time being. Sunny would have preferred to walk through the city. It has been quite a few months since she last had time to visit the pegasus capital, but Phyllis insisted that they should be as discreet as possible. Thus the chariot stopped right in front of the castle and the two were ushered in, not through the main entrance, but a recently built, smaller door used by members of the government. As Sunny and Phyllis walked through the corridor, the young mare surveyed her surroundings. This wing of the castle was surprisingly barren compared to the usual decadent opulence the city basked in. The walls of the hallway were painted with a calming beige color and its floors were made out of sheets of exquisite marble, but otherwise there wasn’t much in terms of decorations. This was a conscious choice. The intent was that once somepony enters the building, they should lose all preconceptions of their tribe and think with the combined benefit of all in mind. With the government constantly boggled down by more pressing matters, nopony bothered yet to commission art that would please all three tribes at the same time. At the end of the hallway stood an inconspicuous door, behind which the Unified Party for the Good of All Ponies held its meetings. Sunny had been here a few times before, mostly to deny whatever silly roles they wanted to honor her with, but she still couldn’t help but be shocked at how undignified this supposedly dead-serious parliament was. The room was mostly empty, save for a number of simple desks, arranged in a vaguely crescent-like pattern. One could hardly see an empty spot on them as their tops were completely dominated by stacks upon stacks of papers. Behind every desk sat one or two ponies of all varieties, all of whom were reading, writing or discussing something undoubtedly very important. Their spirited gesticulation made it obvious that they were all trying their best, but the lack of cohesion did not exactly inspire confidence in Sunny. However, all of this suddenly left her mind as she noticed the small group standing in the middle of the room. The four ponies she held dearest to her heart seemingly haven’t noticed her arrival yet, as they were facing towards the middle of the crescent, where a single earth pony sat. She stared at them with a stern, yet concerned look. Her dress was a simple black and white one and on her face sat a thick pair of glasses, that gleamed from the light of the lamps inside the room. While she was beyond her prime years, her face and posture radiated authority, in stark contrast to the organized chaos around her. Unlike all the other desks in the room, hers was entirely empty, save for a small card which heralded its owner as “Clear Conscience, President of the UPGAP.” “Hi Sunny! We’ve been waiting for you!” Izzy suddenly turned around and threw herself into her friend’s hooves. “Oof,” Sunny felt like all air has left her lungs after the unicorn slammed into her with force that the Sprouticus Maximus could envy, “hi Izzy. Hello everyone.” “Ah Sunny, we’ve been worried you might not even turn up and we’ve all came here for nothing,” said Hitch with a sly smirk. “Hey Sunny. Looks like you came just in time,” greeted her Zipp. “Oh, group picture time!” squealed Pipp and took out her phone. Clear, who until now regarded the scene with exasperation on her face, sighed then spoke up. “Miss, you are inside a government building, on a meeting that concerns our national security. Please put that thing away,” she gestured towards her, with a slight tinge of irritation in her voice. “Oh. Right. Right. Sorry,” she stammered and quickly put the phone under her wing. The mare then turned towards the new arrivals. “It is good to see you Phyllis,” she said with a stiff smile, “and I’m happy that you’ve been able to join us as well, Sunny Starscout,” her smile disappeared, " Before we begin, Phyllis, you are my good friend and I know you are just as concerned as we are, but I cannot bend the rules. Your job here is done. Please leave the room.” “Oh. Right. Yes, of course,” the older mare replied with a slight frown, then left silently through the door. Clear then turned back towards Sunny, who has since joined her friends in front of her table. “Forgive me for that,” she said while massaging her temple, “one of our rules is that either all leaders have to be present or none of them. We can’t exactly allow ourselves to be accused of favoritism,” she chuckled bitterly, “not that it matters much anyway. Our last meeting ended in a bitter argument, so I figured it’d be better to handle this matter without their help.” With that, she leaned down and picked up a paper from her desk’s compartment then adjusted her spectacles. “Right. Let us begin,” she said taking a deep breath, “as you may know the recent advances in our effort to unify the three states has lead to an unexpected economic boom, which in turn lead to a massive increase in population growth. Our minister of city-planning, Housing Crisis”, - a brown stallion poked his head out of a stack of documents upon hearing his name, before delving back inside when he realized he wasn’t needed - “has predicted that in fifteen years all known territories of Equestria will be populated and urbanized.” “But,” Sunny furrowed her brows, “isn’t that a good thing?” “Please allow me to finish, " said the mare as she peered up from her paper, “yes, it is a very good thing. We’re entering an unprecedented golden age of advancement. However, a government can’t sit on its success, we have to have contingency plans for the future. This is where the pegasi scouts come into the picture. We hope that by mapping the outlying territories we can find new places to settle once the agglomeration is full.” “Until that one group came back injured. Yes, Phyllis told me about the situation. Please tell me, are they alright?” “You are right,” Clear sighed, “I shouldn’t be wasting time with trivialities. To answer your question, no, they are in critical condition. Despite our best efforts, we expect that in less than forty-eight hours their body temperature will drop to a level that’s incompatible with life.” “You can’t be serious.” “Sadly I am. They will die and we can’t do anything. Unless, of course, you, Sunny Starscout, are willing to help us.” “Ms. Conscience, I agreed to come here and hear you out, but what do you even expect us to do? Wouldn’t an army or a group of specialists be far more suited for a task like this?” Clear chuckled softly in an almost sorrowful way. “Sunny, I hope I can call you that, the UPGAP has no standing army. We petitioned for it, but none of the leaders agreed to it. Not after that little blunder your friend, Sprout Cloverleaf, has caused.” “But it ultimately lead to our unification!” “Yes, but it also showcased how much harm even a single madpony can cause with unchecked weaponry. Until the memory of this event fades from the collective consciousness or a very good reason is found to arm ourselves, I’m afraid we are completely incapacitated. This is one of the main reasons why this anomaly has to be investigated as soon as possible. As for our specialists, they are some of the brightest minds of this generation, but that’s exactly why we cannot send them out without any idea of what’s waiting for them out there.” She shifted on her seat and leaned forward. “We only ask you to make sure that the premises are safe. Once that’s done, you can immediately pull back and we’ll take over. We don’t expect you to play the hero, just scout ahead," Clear placed the sheet down and looked over the group, "believe me, it pains me the most to send a bunch of civilians to investigate a potential threat. However, you and your friends have proved yourself to be the closest thing we have to an organized group that can defend itself, "she then turned to Sunny, "everypony in this room has already agreed to help out and we have great faith in your mastery over the power of all three tribes. Can I count on you?” Sunny listened to her silently. She then looked over her friends. They all smiled reassuringly at her. “Come on, Sunny, it’s gonna be fun! Like when we first met!” laughed Izzy. Sunny wished she could look at this with the same excitement as her, but instead all she felt was worry. Not to mention, this whole thing felt like she was being roped into something that she couldn't say no to. Still, what she also could not do was to leave her friends behind. “Alright, I will join the investigation,” she said, both to her friends and to the elder mare sitting in front of her, “but we will turn back at the fist sign of danger.” “That is all we expect,” Clear Conscience nodded, “the pegasi in question went missing not too far from here. The flew northwards and returned two days later than scheduled, in a rapidly-deteriorating state. We will guide you to their point of departure, but afterwards due to there not being any roads or settlements in this area, you will be entirely on your own. I wish I had more details to give you, but the scouts’ condition makes it impossible for them to recount their experience. My aides will provide you with food and protective clothing. Good luck.”