The wind....
The wind....
The endless, unforgiving wind...
In the endless unforgiving wind, Somber Tunes clung to the crystal statue that held the soul of his wife.
Snow whisked around them in fury, horrific growls that perhaps came from the very void beasts that had destroyed this land or, perhaps, was merely the wind crooning out in triumph.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Crystal Note..."
He knew her expression was frozen, that the rage and fear on it was meant for the lord of chaos and not for him. But even still, her expression hurt more then the freezing gale, more then the blade that shifted in his stomach. To know what she had seen... to know what she had suffered...
He shivered and wrapped tighter around a body that an hour before had been warm. Now it was nothing more then stone... stone and a soul that he could not even know was aware of him.
And he wept.
Tears of the greatest sorrow fell from his eyes as he gently nuzzled the statue. "All this... if, if I had not been such a brave fool... if we had run..." His lips brushed across the ones now made of crystal. "You deserve far better then me. You always have. You and, and..."
He sunk to the ground, hooves till wrapped around her neck. "Oh Waltz... oh my little Gallic Waltz... why did I do this? Why are you suffering? I... oh Waltz... If I could see you again, I would beg of you to forgive my arrogance... I... I don't deserve your forgiveness..."
The wind whisked his tears way, turning them into flakes of snow lost in the fog-swept wastes.
Somber Tunes looked up at his wife. "Crystal Note... I know not if you can hear me. But I will stay here with you, no matter the chill." He rose. "If it our fate, let us be bound together in ice for eternity." Again he brushed his lips against hers, but this time he did not whisper away; he pushed his breath out, out past the blade in his throat, and into her mouth, and down her throat...
And suddenly, she released a shuddering return, shifting in his grasp. "...s....Somber..."
The unicorn broke off in shock. "Crystal?"
Slowly, what had once been a statue began relax. Her legs bent down, taking a firmer stance in the blistering wind. Her tale flicked as she took another deep intake of air. Eyes of violet focused, face turning from rage and horror to a sad, sad smile.
"...Are..." The mercenary brough a hoof gently to her cheek. "Are you truly here? Have I lost myself to visions?"
"Somber..." Crystal Note wrapped her own hoof around his. "My beloved Somber... I know not why, but even in this I hath not left you." She stepped forward, nuzzling her husband gently. "Your fate is not solitude, and you are the most worthy prize I could imagine. I... I want to be with Gallic Waltz as well, I will not deny it..."
Her breath caught for a moment.
"But... I will not let you fall to despair if I can help it."
Somber Tunes smiled back at the wonderful mare. "Oh... Crystal..."
The two embraced, and though the cold wind whisked away their tears it could not turn them to ice; for these were tears of joy, not sorrow, and the warmth of those tears would never fade. The roars in the distance turned to subdued growls; the Windigos knew of this strange power, and had learned to fear it generations before.
Eventually, Crystal broke away. "Come. The cold no longer affects me, but you... you are suffering. Let us seek shelter."
Somber Tunes looked around and shook his head. "These are the great frozen wastes. The war of the tribes destroyed all cities that resided her. The only shelter lies in the mountains to the south, but Discord reigns beyond that. No, I must make a shelter."
"Then let me help." His wife began to dig into the snow beneath her. "My talent may lie in song, but song be of no worth without somepony to listen."
The unicorn almost protested, almost... but in the end he merely bowed his head, digging at the ground with her. "The path must head down for at least three lengths, then rise one. The chamber should be tall enough for us to stand, and wide enough for us to lay down; a pit, in the center, to collect the cold air."
So did they pursue their design, the work of an hour and a third. Crystal Note found her new form was better suited to excavating then that of her husband's and took to her task with passion. Somber Tunes, however, would not allow her to strain herself and so mad an effort, teleporting large chunks of the frost to the surface as she freed them from their surroundings. When at last they had made their new chamber, the pair fell about each other, weary but unharmed by their efforts. Their tails intertwined, one black as oil, one shining like diamond.
Then, at last, Crystal Note began to weep. "Oh.... Somber... our home... our daughter..." She buried her face in his mane. "I... that monster..."
"...it is all my fault. I am the one who challenged him, I am the one who--"
"No. No, he would hath come no matter your actions." Crystal leaned back, locking her eyes with him. "Never blame yourself for Discord's curse. He is a being of chaos; you are a servant of order. Even if you failed, you did what was right and true."
She leaned in. "Please... for me. Forget your doubts. I know how much you choose to suffer for those whom you love. But with all that is torn from me... I cannot see you hurting, even if you try to hide it."
Somber Tunes sighed, but nuzzled her cheek. "Why do you love me?"
"Because... you are strong."