//------------------------------// // Chapter 23: Cold // Story: Death Cometh // by Dracthul //------------------------------// Sorin was pulled back into the realm of the waking, a stiff gasp coming from deep within his barrel. He threw off the blanketing around him, sitting up. Looking at his bed, he saw that the mattress was soaked in sweat, his fur slick with it all over as well. As he pumped oxygen back into his lungs, a nagging, dull throb came from his forehead and horn. He put a hoof to his horn, cringing as he felt a sharp pain shoot through his head. “Those damnable ponies,” he muttered to no one. “Their little Elements gave her courage, enough to deny me. Once again, I am defeated by Friendship.” He laughed at himself. “The God of Death, stopped by pathetic puny morsels!” His eyes ignited, the windows growing frosty. “If it were not for them, she would have given in—or at least failed to expel me from the dream. I would have already started infecting the waking world—but no. Instead, they exiled me from the dreamworld. Now, Luna is confident again, meaning she will only be that much more difficult to defeat!” He was seething. He had come so far, only to be stopped by a race of horses. “Twilight and her friends will pay for what they did. But it is their teacher that carries the burden.” He stood up, darkness swirling around him. “I swear that Celestia will SUFFER FOR HER INSOLENCE!” A wave of energy exploded from him, shaking the treehouse. The books on his nightstand went flying, slamming into his desk. He keeled over in pain, his horn burning. “They even cost me my magic.” He let out a short sigh. “But that is temporary. My power will return quickly, and then I will lay waste to this miserable little seedling.” He endured a slight pain as he formed an image of Vultrax. The windigo saw his master’s distress. “Are you okay, master?” “Yes, I’ll be fine, Vultrax. I just need time to recover from being forced out of the dreamworld.” “How long do you think that will take?” Vultrax asked. “I suspect a few weeks. Until then, I will lay low here in Ponyville.” “Our armies should be gathered by then.” “Good.” Sorin stood up. “When I recover, we will get ready to make our move. I have a few leads, but I need a new plan to ensure I am not thwarted again. I doubt we’ll be able to stay hidden for much longer.” Vultrax smiled. “It won’t matter. By then, we will be strong enough to overtake Equestria.” “I suspect this to be true—but it is better to wait and plan. Be sure to alert me of any pressing developments, and warn me of any nearby forces of any kind.” Bowing, he uttered, “It will be done.” The image faded from the room, Sorin getting a hold of his emotions again. He was so close—he could not let his rage erase his progress. He walked over to his somehow intact window, peering outside at the night sky. Not too long from now, the sun would peek over the horizon. “Luna has developed feelings for Sorin, which I can exploit. My armies are preparing for war, and my corruption spreads. All I must do is wait.” He smiled. “Wait to recover and get to full strength,” he formed an image of Canterlot in his hoof, “and then I will CRUSH all who oppose me.” The city in his grasp crumbled away. Twilight was sitting in her room, Spike lying on her bed. She was reading a book, but she found herself having to reread almost every sentence. Noticing this, Spike hopped off the bed and went over to her. “What is it, Twilight?” She put down the book, turning to her assistant. “It’s Sorin. He’s been acting so distant lately—cold even. I know he has a lot he’s going through between becoming an alicorn and dealing with this ‘Yogg-Saron,’ but I hope everything is alright. He’s been wonderful to us so far.” “I like him too, but bugging him about his issues might just push him away.” Looking at him with a look of pleased surprise, Twilight smiled. “How insightful, Spike.” She turned away, sighing. “You’re probably right, but it can’t hurt to let him know that we’re there, even if we don’t say it.” “You sure? He doesn’t seem like the kind of pony to open up about his feelings too easily. Kinda reminds me of you not too long ago.” Lightly hitting him on the back of the head, Twilight tried to hold in her giggles. “Maybe so, but knowing you have a friend—or seven—who is there for you can help.” “So, how do you plan to do all this?” Spike asked her. “Since he lives here, it won’t be that hard. I’ll just lightly suggest that he can talk to any of us at breakfast tomorrow.” Twilight had a bowl of cereal in front of her, taking small spoonfuls of the delicious morning food. Spike was next to her, eating a few gems from a bowl. They looked up at the stairs as they heard a slow clip-clop coming down. Sorin went to the kitchen, scouring the pantry for something to eat. Settling on pancakes, he started cooking them up. Spike leaned over to Twilight, whispering in her ear, “What are you gonna do?” “I’m just gonna talk like normal.” Flipping his food onto his plate, the stallion turned off the stove and got his meal ready. After a minute, he carried his plate over to the table. Setting it down, he took his seat across from Twilight. He lifted his fork and started digging in. Spike gave her a look, to which she grunted, clearing her throat. “Sooo,” she started, making him pause to look at her, “what is it like to be equal to the princesses?” “It’s nice.” He looked back down at his pancakes, continuing to eat. Twilight threw up her hooves when he was not looking, Spike shrugging in response. “Furthering that, what is being an alicorn like?” “It’s pretty stressful. Lots of political messes to deal with mainly.” “Do you know what your role is yet?” He paused, raising an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” “Celestia controls the sun and day, Luna controls the moon and night, and Cadance represents Love. What about you?” “I’m not quite sure yet,” he dully said. “I’m sure I’ll know sometime soon.” Twilight saw that he had gone through a large portion of the pancakes already, meaning she had to hurry. “I know you like magic, so how has becoming an alicorn affected that?” “I haven’t tested it out much.” “If you want, I can help you test out some of the more difficult spells to see if you can do them now. I know Starswirl has some pretty cool ones you could try.” She was smiling, the thought of experimenting giving her little jolts of joy. He briefly smiled. “Thanks, but another time maybe.” Twilight felt like she had just been slapped across the face. Sorin finished the last of his pancakes, stuffing them down his throat. He wiped off his face and stood up from his chair. He sent his plate to the sink and started for the stairs. Now annoyed, Twilight pushed her chair back. “Hey!” He froze, slowly turning around to face her. “You can’t just come here, eat, barely talk, and then go.” Spike facepalmed. “Forgive me, Twilight. I just have a lot on my mind.” His deadpan tone only seemed to make her angrier. “I know. You’ve been acting distant lately, and I’m worried. With all that you’re going through, that is understandable, but you don’t want to talk about it.” He did not say anything, only seeming to frown. He started to turn again when she teleported in his way. “You know, my friends are here to help with whatever you need—and so am I. With all the responsibility you have now, we can help ease the load.” “That’s just it,” he spat, his tone making her shrink back a little. “I don’t know what to do. All I have done so far is get some training. Other than that, I have no purpose as a prince. Celestia mentioned this Yogg-Saron, but she didn’t say how to find him. I’ve been aimlessly researching, coming up with nothing.” “I just wanted to—” “Help?” He went around her, going up the stairs and looking back at her. “I know—and I’m thankful for all you’ve done for me, truly—but I need some time to myself. I need… I need to think about what my life means now.” With that, he left to go to his room. Twilight sank to the floor, letting out a sad sigh. Spike came over to her. “You were right,” she said to him, “I should have left him alone.” He rubbed her back. “You were just tryin’ to help; it’s what you do.” “Thanks, Spike.” She pulled him into a hug, which he gladly accepted. “I just hope he’s okay.” The following week or so had been strange. Sorin stayed in his room most of the time, only coming out when necessary. The few times he came out for any other reason was to help Twilight and her friends. One day, he helped with gathering apples at Sweet Apple Acres. He spent another being Rarity’s assistant. He brought her all the fabrics she requested, he picked things up for her at stores, and he even did a little basic sewing. While she was grateful for the help, she thought he was acting weird, as if he was trying to distract himself. He helped Rainbow Dash hone her flying skills another day. Their races were not even close, mainly because Sorin was still getting used to his wings. He helped her practice some new stunt routines, which she appreciated. Still, even she thought he was trying to throw himself into work. It was later in the day, and all seven of them were eating in Applejack’s home. They were at a large table, all kinds of delicious food laid out in front of them. They were chatting, enjoying each other’s company for the evening. Sorin was quiet, as usual, when Rarity asked if everything was alright. “Being the first male alicorn is alright, yea,” he responded. Raising an eyebrow, she carefully thought out what to say next. “Dear… I didn’t mention that.” Everypony looked at him. “Oh, I just have a lot on my mind.” “That’s what you said when you didn’t move out of my way when I was crashing,” Rainbow Dash butted in. “And that’s what you said when you let one of the sewing machines get stuck on one of my dresses.” “It’s true. I have had a lot to think about recently.” He sighed, putting down his silverware. “Why is everypony talking about it recently?” “I just want to be sure you’re fine, dear. You seem… distracted lately.” Sorin shot a look at Twilight, who had remained silent for this part of the conversation. She quickly swallowed her food, taking a drink of water. “He’s just dealing with some stuff right now. I wouldn’t worry,” she nervously said. Her friends could tell she was hiding something. “If there’s anything you wish to talk about,” Rarity began, laying a hoof on his, “we’re here.” He snatched his hoof away, a cold stare forming on his face. “As much as I appreciate it, I’m good.” He stood up. “Thank you for this meal, Applejack,” he bowed, “but I’m afraid I must be going.” “Aren’t you going to wait for cobbler?” she asked him, watching as he trotted away without another word. “Well, that went… not the best,” Rarity muttered. “He’s been like this these last couple of weeks. I don’t know what to do.” “He said he had a lot to think about, so maybe it’s best to leave him be Twilight.” “That’s what I’ve been doing, and he’s just gotten colder!” She traced a hoof over her glass, staring into it. “I guess we’ll just have to let him deal with it.” Her friends nodded in agreement. While they all cared about Sorin and wanted to help him, they had to respect him. If he wanted to deal with things on his own, they would let him—as much as it pained them.