//------------------------------// // Chapter 18~ // Story: Sombasi, Brother of Sombra // by Pomp-Neigh //------------------------------// The doors of the castle’s dining room part with urgency via a light-blue magical grasp, followed by Princess Amore, who pokes her head out, although the voices of Princess Celestia and King Malik are present at her rear. “Was that the renowned ‘Royal Voice’ I’ve heard so much about?”  “Verily. Although I’m not sure as to why mine sister saw fit to exercise our traditions in how we address our subjects.” “What in Latona’s Heart is going on out here?” Amore questioned as her head turned to look down the left corridor. She also noted the absence of her guards and the saddle arabian warriors as she swung her head to the right. “Where is everypo-” the vermillion unicorn mare’s words died in her throat, pupils reduced to pinpricks as she gasped in horror upon noticing the concerned collective down the corridor. But it was the primary focus of the collective’s worries that sparked panic and urgency within the crystal princess.  “S-Snowdrop!” Amore charges forth with due haste, hooves clopping and eyes focused on the downed pegasus filly. “No!” “Princess Amore?” Celestia inquiries as she and King Malik are in the flow of exiting the dining room. But the duo instantly notices what’s transpired, garnering concerned faces. ………. “Princess Luna,” Steady Grapevine states as she sternly planted herself before the alicorn, bringing them to an abrupt halt.  Nearby, Apple Crisp, Musiqaa Melody, and Opal Pie are in the process of transporting Snowdrop to the castle’s infirmary, although they have yet to pluck the filly from the potted plant’s rubble. All while Radiant Hope can be seen clasping her forelimbs together in worried prayer.  “I’ll need you to stand back and let us handle the situation, ma’am.” The lunar princess narrows her eyes. “Snowdrop is mine friend,” she growled, “I can take-” “No,” the purple-coated mare interjects fiercely, Luna taken aback by the mare’s boldness before wearing a mask of irritable anger. “We of the crystal guard have been trained for situations like this. I mean no disrespect, but you could jeopardize our operation. You’d just be an obstacle.” “‘Obstacle’?” Luna seethed, grinding her teeth, “Thou means to label us as a hindrance? How dare ye! We order thee to remove thyself from our path immediately.” Grapevine raises an eyebrow, “You’re using the equestrian royal ‘We’ and such on me? Well, I must inform you, princess, that this isn’t Equestria. You have no right to order me around. My allegiance is to another, and that sure as Tartarus isn’t you.” The tension between the duo grew with every passing second, and tempers flared to the point that one could even see a line of electricity escaping from their angered gazes before clashing with one another to form a tiny spark in the middle. But before things between the crystal guardmare and lunar alicorn could escalate, Princess Amore’s rapidly encroaching hoof steps echoed and garnered everyone’s attention. The vermillion-coated royal stops in front of Musiqaa Melody, sliding on the crystalline floor slightly in doing so, as the saddle arabian extends a forelimb to carefully pluck Snowdrop off the floor with the guidance of Opal Pie. “Wait!” the effects of the crystal princess’s words are instant, halting Musiqaa dead in his tracks while a confused Opal Pie looks upon her princess inquisitively. “Princess Amore,” Opal began with a forelimb resting over her heart. “This poor filly isn’t facing anything life-threatening, praise the Heart, but to ensure that no sort of infection may lay claim to her head wound, we will be moving her to-” “Not yet, my little pony,” Amore interjects. She hated how rude that must’ve been but needed to act quickly.  “M-ma’am?” Opal inquired in genuine shock. And she certainly wasn’t alone as everyone else, including Celestia and Malik, having joined them and hearing Amore’s seemingly harsh words, were baffled. Amore fires up her horn, its light-blue aura casting a glow in her general vicinity and reflecting off the floor. She closes her eyes and focuses, and in mere seconds, her magical grasp engulfs Snowdrop.  A visual struggle ensues as Amore’s face displays exertion, gritting her teeth as low-pitched moans escape from her muzzle. Present onlookers were undoubtedly filled with many questions and the desire to aid in whatever actions Amore was currently taking. But there was also a fear that, should they interrupt her, it could have unforeseen consequences for Snowdrop. “Come on, baby,” Amore muttered hopefully. “For one so small, you’re also so strong. Please…just hang in there.” Opal’s ears twitched as - being the closest to the crystal princess - she picked up on those words, and even more questions formed in her psyche. Why was Princess Amore talking as if Snowdrop was threatened by…death?  Given her status in the crystal guard’s medical branch, the non-crystal earth pony mare had the appropriate expertise. And all signs dictated that Snowdrop's life wasn't threatened so long as they cleaned the wound due to possible remnants of soil from the now-shattered potted plant. That soil was a potential breathing ground for bacteria and other such threats, after all.     Amore’s frontal section almost buckles in place, but she manages to catch herself, lifts her head up high, and flexes her forelegs to keep her upright. However, the action did not go unnoticed by the observers, especially Opal. And if she didn’t know any better…there was a chill in the air. -What is this…?- Opal questioned internally. -Is it just me, or are things getting colder-er?- Unbeknownst to the guardsmare, Celestia had also noticed the temperature change. At first, she had assumed that it was just the machinations of the Crystal Heart. But the alicorn could sense something was amiss and grew suspicious. She was never one to ignore such hunches or any of her senses. After all, it got her and Luna through several battles, most prominently their historical bout with Discord.  This drop in temperature wasn’t natural. And if it kept its current pace, everyone else would soon feel the phenomenon. Suddenly, Amore’s eyes shot wide open with a resounding gasp. “Snowdrop! Listen to me, sweetie!” her exclamation perks up all ears in attendance, save for the slumbering filly’s. “You have to keep it in check!”  Keep what in check? It? What’s it? These were some of the questions that ran through the mindscapes of all in attendance.  Tears began to form in Amore’s eyes before flowing down her cheeks during her ever-present struggle. “I’m so sorry, little one! I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’m so sorr-” [WHIRL] Amore’s alighted horn is then snuffed out as she loses the struggle, the aura surrounding Snowdrop doing the same in tandem. Every equine could feel the temperature drop as a gust of chilling wind presented itself, traveling across the corridor unnaturally. But before anyone could voice their concern, a cyclone of chilling mist formed all around Snowdrop and slowly began to lift her into the air, prompting those nearest to her to jump back in evasion. “No!” Amore was filled with regret and worry. “No, no, no, no!”  “What’s going on?!” Grapevine screamed, Luna far too shocked to act immediately. “Princess Amore, will she be ok?!” “By the sands,” says King Malik with wide eyes as Apple and Musiqaa protectively place themselves between their king and the mysterious event. Opal stationed herself nearby. Radiant Hope takes shelter behind Princess Celestia’s left hind leg, peeking out, worried for her friend’s well-being. The alicorn then narrows her eyes, focusing entirely on Amore with a pinch of anger. “Princess Amore!” Celestia beckoned. “Thou hath knowledge of what is transpiring here. Pray, is Snowdrop in danger? What art thou hiding?” Amore hesitantly turns to Celestia, eyes pleading for mercy. “C-Celestia, p-please…try to understand…” Suddenly, a haunting neigh and whinny escaped from the whirlwind surrounding Snowdrop, which kept her aloft. All eyes widened in fear as they saw a ghostly, greyish cerulean presence manifests above the cyclone and floating over the pegasus, looking down at her with light-filled eyes before shifting its haunting gaze to all that stood before it. ………. “N-no…” Celestia couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The entity was equine in shape, but only its upper portion bore most of the resemblance. The being’s lower half was a misty vapor trailing into the swirling vortex. “It-it can’t be…!” Radiant Hope shared the alicorn’s shock. “Snowdrop…” her eyes began to water as confusion filled her thoughts. “Wha…what’s happening to you…?” ………. Opal Pie backed away in pure horror, falling onto her flank in absolute disbelief as King Malik and his saddle arabian warriors held their shock. However, the figure reminded them of their own terrors of legend: sirens.  “Th…that’s a…” Opal’s words died in her throat. The stories passed down to her by her parents, their parents, and all the way back to those who lived during those days did not do what she saw any justice.  ………. Luna takes several steps closer, passing by a stupified Grapevine and stopping several feet from the twister.  “A windigo…?” the lunar princess asked of her now-shaken reality.  But the call for urgency soon springs Luna into action. She shakes her head, regains her composure, flaps her wings, and flies forth with determination plastered on her features. She makes a sharp turn upward before evening herself out and floating before the windigo, wings beating rhythmically, alighted horn at the ready. “Hear me, creature!” she challenged. “Come monster, come abomination; if thou dares to harm mine confidant, we shall smite thee unabated!” The windigo shifts its gaze toward the alicorn, narrowing its ghostly windows. Then, as the duo stared at each other like two combatants sizing up their opponent before a climactic battle, all while the other equines present scattered on what to do, the color of the windigo’s luminous eyes flashed blue, practically blinding everyone who hadn’t looked away in time. Luna was initially puzzled until she felt something assaulting her mental barricade. She tried to resist, face visibly twitching in the effort until, despite her best efforts, it made its way in. The lunar princess’s eyes fought alongside her attempts to maintain consciousness, but this would be another battle she’d lose as the lids of her eyes finally met and her body freefalls as a result. And the last sound her ears could pick up was her sister’s familiar voice, crying out and, if she didn’t know any better, scorning Princess Amore’s name.   Luna’s mind wandered in the dark - that was the best way she could describe it. This experience differed from anything she had ever endured during her dream walks, yet it was similar. At least she could see her own body and have a level of interaction and self-awareness during those nightly traversals. Here? It was nothing but her consciousness wandering in the dark - no sense of sound, taste, or touch. She knew that she was now unconscious within the physical world, but to force such a thing upon another, regardless of whether or not they slumbered, was a feat even she couldn’t do. And yet, the windigo had done it with seeming ease.   Was it a spell? A curse? She had no idea. In fact, the only other being to have ever performed such a mighty feat against an alicorn was Discord. She shuddered to think about what else those ghostly windigos were capable of. Her wandering thoughts are disrupted by a sudden flash of blue lights exploding before her, chasing off the darkness and causing her to ‘shield her eyes.’ Following the strange phenomenon, she remained in darkness, confused by what had just happened. Then…the eyes of the windigo opened within the darkness, and the silence was broken by a powerful stallion’s voice that echoed all across the strange realm. “I see you, child of Sun and Moon. My name is Fimbulvetr. Come. I would have words with you.”