The cold was monstrous; the blizzard seemed to never cease as if the expedition's presence was incurring King Sombra's wrath. The way the cold seamlessly sliced through their layers of clothing and struck the core of everypony's being felt like the work of a vengeful entity.
It felt intended, too; it was clear blue skies and old snow until the group had made it a day into climbing. It was as if the mountain lured them into a trap with its once pleasant and deceptively accessible first day.
Spike had the worst of it; however, the poor dragon was practically paralyzed even with a steady use of warming spells. An Ice Dragon he was not, lamely laying on the floor of one of the wagons and occasionally forcing himself up to put Twilight at ease and boost the morale of the terrified Crystal Ponies.
"I-I-I'm s-so cold... I can't feel my nose," Fluttershy chattered, bundled up in a pink snowsuit, wings tucked tightly beside her.
"I can't fly with this wind!" Rainbow Dash held a hoof in front of her face, trying to block the snowflakes from flying into her eyes. "I wish I could just fly up there and bust them!"
"I-I just hope Spike is okay..." the mellow pegasus muttered back, Rainbow barely catching the words.
The soldiers stood firm against the cold, but a heavy feeling of fear hung over each of them. The constant dread that King Sombra would appear through the endless whiteness to destroy them all was a genuine fear. The situation was looking dire if they couldn't find shelter.
Applejack squinted as she yelled over the howling wind to Twilight, "We need to find cover; there ain't no way we can march through this!"
"I agree with Ms. Applejack!" Iron Hoof stepped forward, struggling against the high winds to reach the princess, "We can't make it through this storm!"
Twilight turned back towards Applejack's voice, although it was difficult to see with the ice shards being thrown into her face. Her eyelashes were covered with frost, her face puffy and red from the freezing temperatures.
Looking from left to right, the alicorn moved forward against the wind, her mane flying back and flapping wildly. How would she possibly be able to find them covered in this? She could barely see a few hoofsteps in front of her!
Suddenly, Twilight remembered a specific spell that, while not assured to bring them to safety, it was better than freezing out here.
Closing her eyes, Twilight's horn pulsed bright purple before she felt herself being pulled forward.
"This way!" she yelled over the howling wind.
The soldiers exchanged glances, unsure if this pony was leading them to safety or an icy grave.
As the caravan moved forward, Twilight's hopes began to fade when a quick tug of her horn spun her to the right. She was practically being dragged by her horn at that point, but at the very least, the other ponies had a trail to follow.
In the distance, Twilight swore she saw something and shouted when she was sure of what it was.
"A cave!!" Twilight shouted out, her enthusiasm overshadowing the need to end the spell. The alicorn ended up tumbling inside until her horn clicked against a hard surface.
A giant glimmering gemstone sat in the wall, that was the size of a full-grown pony. Twilight couldn't help but thank Celestia for having her re-read her letters. She might not have thought of it otherwise... but there was one other pony she should thank. It was Rarity's spell, after all.
Rarity gave Twilight a smirk as she chattered through her teeth, "P-pretty convenient spell, right?"
The princess turned back to Rarity, trembling with a tight-lipped smile, "I owe you."
"Ooooh, this place looks neat!" Pinkie poked her head into the cave, oohing and aahing, "Maud would have loved this! I need to take pictures!!"
"Who cares what it is, an igneous or ignoramus? Let's just get warm!" Rainbow trotted inside, shaking off a layer of snow, "Hey, uh... there's no monsters in here, right?"
"We'll deal with that if it comes," Twilight shivered violently as the Crystal stallions brought the wagons inside. It was just large enough, conveniently so. She just hoped this cave wasn't the home to a predator up here.
As the caravan began to unpack for the duration of the storm, Tiny cleared his throat as he presented an empty can of beans before cautiously pointing to an alien-looking husk in the corner of the cave.
Upon closer inspection, there were signs of an encampment, an old campfire, and a few scrap pieces of wood lying around.
Rarity turned green at the strange, paper-like substance that was in the shape of a pony, "What… what is that? I think I'm going to be sick…."
Spike slowly crawled out from the back of the wagon as he shambled next to Rarity, "What is it…?"
"Spike, you should be resting." Twilight slowly trotted over, not wanting him to see whatever was over there.
Spike yawned as he stretched himself out, "Trust me, you don't want me to do that. I'll probably hibernate till I'm an adult in this cold."
"Ooooh, somepony else is on a camping trip! And they're really good at paper mache!" Pinkie piped up as she approached the husk, clearly unaware of what it truly was.
"Pinkie, don't touch it!" Rainbow zipped out and grabbed the pink party pony by the tail, hauling her away from the object, "You don't know what that thing is!"
"It looks like..." Fluttershy carefully approached, her fear being overridden by a sense of familiarity, "It looks like a chrysalis when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. But... not?"
"Chrysalis was here? So Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were right!" Pinkie gasped, "What do we do?!"
"No, Pinkie... that's not what I..." Fluttershy began to try and correct the mare.
"Oh, so we have a massive butterfly flying around? Great." Rainbow sighed deeply, crossing her arms.
"Fluttershy's on the right track; that's a changeling's cocoon." Twilight narrowed her eyes, studying the campsite. "If I'm right, I would say this was a little less than a day ago, maybe two... seems familiar, doesn't it?"
"So there is a changeling?" one of the officers quickly whispered.
"It seems so," Iron Clad glanced over at the Crystal pony before turning back to Twilight, "Starlight Glimmer and her group must be heading towards Yakyakistan as well; where else could she hope to go? There's nothing else up here... but what exactly are they doing with a changeling? I was there during the siege of Canterlot during your brother's wedding, and they are vile creatures. Did Glimmer enchant one of them to do her bidding somehow?"
"It's possible... I wouldn't put anything past her," Twilight tapped a hoof to her lip.
Applejack chuckled, "Enchant? Given how he was actin' in front of Rainbow and me, I'm willing to bet he was either roped into this or bullied into it."
"Pfft, yeah, that's just what he wants us to think!" Rainbow tapped her head, and she flew next to Applejack, "He was probably just playing nice, so we'd back off so he can sneak back and suck out our souls!"
Even Fluttershy couldn't help but roll her eyes at that one.
The cowpony would approach the empty husk, "Yeah, it looks like an oversized cocoon, alright…at least that bug won't eat at the crops."
Silver Star poked the emptied cocoon with his hoof as a loud crunch echoed through the cave, "Haha, gross."
Rarity gagged at the horrendous sound as she covered her mouth with her hoof.
Iron Hoof narrowed his gaze at his subordinate, "It's not a toy or some bug you poke at, Silver Star. Why don't you light us a fire if you have time to play around?"
Silver Star held back, sighing before begrudgingly fetching some kindling and quickly making a fire for the party to enjoy.
"Ah, that's much better, thank you, sir," Twilight sighed before sitting next to the flame.
Applejack rubbed her temple in thought, "But why would Starlight go to Yakyakistan instead of fleeing back to Equestria?"
"It's plainly obvious now... Starlight saw the map and must know where we're headed, and she's trying to cut us off, somehow..." Twilight rubbed her chin in introspection,"But frankly, she must be very desperate in order to work with Trixie of all ponies..."
Applejack sighed, before lowering the frost-covered hood over her head, "I thought she was supposed to be smart, nopony would work with a fraud like Trixie."
Rarity scoffed, "She's merely talented; talent doesn't equate to intelligence, my dear Applejack."
"Maybe she's not smart, but just reaaaaally lucky!" Pinkie offered, already roasting a marshmallow on a stick.
"Hey, gimme one of those!" Rainbow quickly grabbed the stick from Pinkie's hooves before gobbling the morsel down.
"Probably just has no other plan. I know I get a little... narrow-minded when I'm angry," Rainbow said with a mouthful of marshmallows.
"She's not just angry; she's furious! Who knows what she's planning next..." the meek pegasus knelt next to the flame, her mane hiding half of her face.
"She definitely has a plan; I can say that much for sure," Twilight nodded, "It's just a matter of planning ahead for whatever plan she might have!"
"That's too many plans for me," blinking lazily, Rainbow Dash laid back.
Tiny politely nudged Pinkie for a marshmallow, quickly sneaking the morsel before bellowing a gentle but thundering voice, "Don't worry, Princess, we'll buck er' off the mountain if it comes down to a fight."
Applejack smirked, "Well said, Sargent, I think the simplest solution is the easiest."
Rarity would sip from a canteen passing the water along the circle that had formed around the fire, "Let's hope the Yaks shoo them away or do the work for us."
"Or King Sombra," whispered Bucky, the young stallion shivering at the thought.
"Here here!" Rainbow would raise the canteen, taking a swig before passing it down the line.
Spike rolled his eyes, "Guys, c'mon, Sombra isn't up here."
"Honestly, there is no possible way that Sombra could be up here. There's no such thing as ghosts!" Twilight raised a hoof to her chest but was quickly startled at a loud noise.
The earth began to rumble as two sets of paws stamped into the cave; the animal had a pair of yellowish eyes and orange pupils that batted around the room. Its small, gray ape-like face scanned the cave before it bellowed.
It looked half-starved and most certainly aggravated as its jaw snapped at the air; its thin dog-like legs carried a massive muscular beast hungry for it's next meal.
The soldiers and Applejack quickly rose up as Rarity screamed, provoking the beast into roaring at the top of its lungs, shaking and echoing through the cave.
The soldiers either went for their weapons or froze in terror. They were trained to do quite a lot, but facing a beast like this wasn't what they expected.
"Unfreeze your hooves! Get into positions, do not let that beast harm the princess!" Iron Hoof commanded, his horn lighting up as he aimed it at the creature.
"Wait!!" Fluttershy managed to raise her voice, catching the stallion's attention. The mare had immediately taken notice of the creature's emaciated form, "C-Can I try first? Please?"
Twilight turned to the pegasus, her brow knit with concern, "Are you sure it's safe for you to do that?"
"Are you kidding??" Rainbow spat out in her dismay.
"Was it safe when I approached the Manticore?" Fluttershy gave Twilight a nervous smile before turning towards the creature.
The pegasus slowly approached the starving animal, cooing at it softly, raising her hoof in a calming manner. Fluttershy's stance appeared relaxed, but she was ready to move at any second. Prey animals were one thing, but predators...
The beast shuffled back, breathing heavily as it stared down Fluttershy, slowly lowering itself as it allowed the pegasi to creep closer, intently focusing on her. But the mare quickly realized this wasn't submission or an admission of trust; this was an incoming attack.
The beast coiled up and attempted to pounce on her before Fluttershy was quickly snagged back by Applejack's lasso, "I don't think we got anything that can feed him, Fluttershy!"
The pegasus let out a soft squeal as she was yanked, surprised more by the rope than the wild starving animal attacking her.
"What do you mean, Applejack? Can't you see we're it's DINNER!?" shrieked Rarity.
The monster quickly scrambled to its paws, shaking its head before charging forward at the group.
Applejack quickly untangled Fluttershy before snapping her lasso around the wild beast's neck, smashing the large animal into the nearby wall.
Applejack kicked her front hooves toward the air, "Whoo-wee! That's how you do it y'all!"
"Good job, Applejack! Woo-hoo!" Pinkie raised her hooves, punching into the air. At that moment, she experienced a strange jolt going down her spine, fur standing on end, "Uh oh."
The beast whined before grabbing the rope with its teeth, yanking Applejack toward it. The mare yelped as she was flung toward the animal, writhing in the air.
"AJ!" Rainbow Dash dived for the apple farmer, wrapping her hooves around her middle before colliding with the cave wall.
The blue pegasus groaned, taking most of the impact, "Ugh, get off me, AJ, you're heavy!"
"Stunning spells!" Iron Clad ordered as he ran past the two mares, his horn glowing brightly as he attempted to hold the creature in place by force through telekinesis.
"That's enough!" Fluttershy shouted as she flew directly into the creature's face, "I've had enough of you!" the pegasus' pupils dilated as they stared deeply into the beast's eyes, commanding it to listen.
"You can't hurt my friends, and you will not hurt me either, do you understand?! I know you're hungry, and I am really sorry about that, but you cannot just go wandering into somepony's... camping spot and eat them!" the pegasus continued to lecture the creature, never losing eye contact.
"She's doing the Stare!" Pinkie gasped, covering her mouth with her hooves, "She's doing the thing!!"
"Are you sure you can keep it calm like this?!" Twilight couldn't help but question.
"I'm sure I can. And if you can get that gemstone out of the wall, we can feed this poor little guy," Fluttershy replied without looking away for even a moment.
"That thing eats gemstones?!" Rainbow squawked.
"Not usually, but G'morks don't have a large variety of food sources," Fluttershy replied.
"You know what that thing is??" one soldier asked in astonishment before realizing his place, clamming up immediately.
"I've done my research, of course. They're a wolf-like species, they usually feed on Rocs or other Avians, but when necessary, they can eat mineral-dense foods," Fluttershy smiled softly, "I really miss your library, Twilight. I, um... may still have a few books I didn't return."
"Don't worry about it; they're safe with you," Twilight smiled before turning to the gemstone in the wall, "I might need help with this... Rarity, this is your specialty."
The beast froze as it shrunk down and looked pleading up at the now authoritative mare, whining and whimpering as its stomach growled loudly.
Rarity and Spike cringed at the thought of wasting the beautiful and massive gemstone that was snugly placed in the wall; Rarity gently rubbed her hoof on the gem, "To think you could've been an assortment of jewelry or put on a dress…." she sighed.
Spike flicked away a runaway tear, "To think you could've been dinner."
With a tiny tap on the perfect spot, Rarity had the gem fall out of its place… before tumbling down and crashing on top of the G'mork. Fluttershy winced, unintentionally breaking eye contact as the beast was crushed.
Moments later, the monster flung the gemstone off itself before savagely crunching on the jewel, tearing chunks off with its large paws.
"... We should probably get out of here," Spike bluntly suggested.
"That's... probably a good idea. But that storm still hasn't let up..." Twilight murmured to herself, thinking of their options.
"We're gonna freeze out there! What're the chances we'll find another cave close by?" Rainbow Dash threw up her hooves in defeat.
"And what are the chances he just wants to gobble us up as dessert after he's done with his gems, hmmm?" Pinkie butted in, wiggling her eyebrows.
The large animal bellowed a mighty belch that thundered throughout the cave.
"Alright, good point," Twilight said.
"I think I might have an idea, but we'll need two ponies to pull the wagons," Twilight raised a hoof to gather everypony's attention, "We can work in shifts."
Fluttershy looked back, raising a brow, "What do you mean?"
"I did say I studied up on some spells that might help us on our journey. Now I can show you what I was talking about!" replied Twilight.
Trotting up to the wagons, Twilight closed her eyes and focused on the arcane magic that was necessary to make what she needed to happen possible. Weaving two very different spells together, advanced ones at that, was not easy to accomplish.
Her horn was burning brightly when the wagons lit up the cave with golden light before fading back to normal. Twilight caught her breath, gasping as if she had just run a marathon.
"Are you okay, Twilight?" Fluttershy stepped forward, wrapping a hoof around the mare.
"I'm fine, just a little tired," replied Twilight, with a small, exhausted smile.
"So... what did you do exactly? It looks exactly the same." Rainbow gestured at the caravan.
"Look inside; you'll see," Twilight said plainly.
Rainbow Dash shrugged before opening the back of one of the wagons. Her eyes widened when she realized what Twilight had done.
"How did you make it so big on the inside?!" Rainbow trotted in; the wagon felt like it could hold at least forty ponies comfortably, if necessary, "And it's warm!"
"It's a lot of big words... that I'd love to explain any other time," Twilight chuckled, rubbing her head.
Applejack whistled at the sight, "Really handy work here, Twilight…."
"Now I can add some decoration and much-needed touch-ups," Rarity fawned, imagining everything she could do for their new home.
"It's really nothing, but thank you. I experimented with small objects like chests before, so I wasn't entirely sure I could do an entire wagon," Twilight chuckled softly.
Tiny trotted forward, "I'll take both wagons, Officer Iron Clad; you and the stallions should be rested up in case we encounter any enemies. I can march through this storm," the large stallion beamed with pride and determination.
Iron Clad raised a brow, looking the ironically named horse up and down before nodding, "Alright, Sarg, after we get some rest, me and Silver will take next. Just try not to lead us off a cliff, alright?" he gave the stallion a cheeky smile before turning to the rest of the soldiers, "Alright, get in there and get some shut-eye. I'm sure you remember where you packed your bedrolls."
Twilight slowly climbed inside, not even bothering with a blanket or a pillow as she lay against the floor. She was already asleep by the time Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie stepped in.
"Awww, poor Twilight. Here we go..." Pinkie took off her oversized fur coat, tucking it under Twilight's head. The exhausted mare drooled as she snuggled into it.
Spike sighed as he preemptively made himself a spot on the floor beside Twilight, curling into a ball, "Guess it was fun to move around while it lasted…." the young drake yawned loudly before snoring softly in his sleep.
"We should all get some rest while we can," Fluttershy, too, laid down, resting her head on her hooves.
"Way ahead of you," Rainbow had tied up a hammock on some coat pegs, already curled up.
"Another sleepover!!" Pinkie cheered, nearly ecstatic with excitement, before the mare instantly dropped to the floor and passed out. The mares chuckled before falling into a deep slumber.
The Sargent quickly pulled the now interlocked wagons as he huffed, pulling the caravan out into the freezing cold once again. Grunting and heaving, he pressed forward through the frozen north.