Twilight leaned over the edge of the dark-blue night pegasus chariot and stared in awe at the never ending, snow covered forest beneath her. “Its so... Big!” she exclaimed, breathing out mist from her nostrils into the frosty air.
Luna laughed from where she sat besides Twilight. “The Everfrozen Forest is the size of Equestria, remember. And without an agricultural or lumber industry, the Reindeer see no reason to chop it down.” She frowned in thought, as though remembering something unpleasant. “Even if it is as dangerous as the Everfree Forest.”
Twilight spluttered with shock. “As dangerous as the Everfree Forest! But I thought the Reindeer lived down there!”
“They do,” Luna replied. “As do Frost Wolves, Manticores and even Windigoes. So if a Reindeer calls you soft, don’t take it personally. Life isn’t as peaceful this far north.”
“Still, it is rather impressive,” said Cadance, the third and final passenger of the chariot. “Ohh, I think I can see the Frozen Palace!” She pointed ahead to a large gleaming castle that rose out of the forest, its tall towers reflecting the sunlight back at us. The two night pegasi pulling the chariot also noticed the structure and began to descend through the clouds, and within minutes they landing in the courtyard. Twilight and Cadance quickly jumped out of the chariot, landing in the thick, crunchy snow, but Luna hesitated, worry etched on her features.
“Princess,” Twilight asked slowly, “is something wrong?”
“No. Well, not really,” Luna said, biting her lip. “Its just... The last time We were here, We were under the influence of the Nightmare...”
“Auntie, your speech is slipping,” Cadance gently chided. “Also, that was a long time ago. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
“It wasn’t that long ago for me...” Luna muttered under her breath, but stepped down onto the ground. The moment her hooves touched the floor, a booming shout was heard from the far end of the courtyard.
“Luna!” A large, burly white Reindeer with golden antlers and a golden snowflake for a cutie mark—a snowmark Twilight recalled—rushed up to the Alicorn and seized her in a bone crushing hug. “Its been too long, my friend! I was overjoyed to hear you were back. Why has it taken you so long to visit me, my dear?”
“Arctis...” Luna choked out, gasping for air. The Reindeer blushed sheepishly and loosened his grip. “It is good to see thou—you, I mean. I must confess, I was concerned at what reception I would receive after my... last visit.”
“What, you mean that time you bucked me through a wall?” Arctis growled menacingly. Suddenly, his frown turned into a smile. “Hah, I loved it! Why, I still have minstrels retelling that story to this very day!”
Luna rolled her eyes. “Oh joy. Anyway, I suppose I should introduce my companions.” She indicated to Cadance. “Prince Arctis, my I introduce you to my niece, Empress Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire, who is also the current Avatar of the Spirit of Love; Cadence, this is Prince Arctis, Lord of the Snow and the Frost and Prince of the Reindeer.”
Arctis bowed before Cadance. “I am charmed, milady. It has been many a generation since an Avatar of Love has walked these halls.”
Cadance giggled. “Yes, the last Avatar to visit has left me some strong ancestral memories.” Arctis, for his part, blushed heavily, his red cheeks standing out against his white fur. “And, please, call me Cadance.”
“If it pleases you, I would capture the moon for you,” Arctis said, causing Luna to growl. He threw up his forehooves in panic. “Its just an idiom! It doesn't mean anything!” Luna shook her head wearily.
“It had better not. Anyway, my other companion is Lady Twilight Sparkle BMg, Celestia’s personal student and Her representative, the Countess of the Everfree, the Bearer of the Element of Magic, Discordsbane and Companion to Sun and Moon.”
Arctis raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Thats a lot of titles for somepony as young as you.”
“Yes, it is, and I am not entirely sure where Princess Luna found them.” She turned to the Princess with a frown. “Countess of the Everfree? Really? I never go by that. I don’t think my friends even know that title. And I don’t ever recall being called ‘Discordsbane’ or ‘Companion to Sun and Moon.”
Luna raised her hooves in a defensive manner. “Don’t look at me. I’m just reading the cue card Celestia gave me.” She held up the offending piece of paper, which sure enough, had all of Twilight’s titles—real and fake—written on them in Celestia’s unmistakable hornwriting.
“This is payback for that exploding cake, isn’t it?” Twilight said glumly, causing Arctis to laugh, before turning back to him. “My apologies for that, my lord. As Celestia’s representative, I also convey her apologies for being unable to attend your daughters coronation, and that she wishes the both of you good health.”
“Please, Twilight Sparkle, there is no need to be so formal here,” Arctis responded. He raised a hoof to his chin as if pondering something. “I suppose I’ll just have to go visit Celestia myself. Luna, do you think she’ll enjoy a surprise visit?”
Luna grinned maliciously. “Oh, I think she’ll greatly enjoy one of your ‘surprise visits’.” The two deities began laughing evilly, causing Twilight and Cadance to back away in fright, shooting each other apprehensive looks.
It began to snow, and Arctis gave a start. “Where are my manners, please come inside, come inside. I promised Aneira that I wouldn’t chatter on whilst my guests freeze to death, and by the Paragons, if that isn’t what I’m doing.” He led the three mares into the gleaming, white castle.
“It looks like its made of ice,” Twilight said wonderingly as they walked through the glittering palace.
“It is,”Arctis replied looking back over his shoulder. At Twilight’s confused look, he elaborated. “Its Everice, a magical material that can only be made by the Reindeer. It will never melt. Not even Discord can melt it.” The Reindeer chuckled to himself. “That was always something that frustrated him, that we can make something he can’t unmake.”
“I can imagine,” Twilight said, as she thought back to her own experiences with Discord, looking at the walls with new wonder. “So what other magics do Reindeer posses?”
“Well, there’s Everice,” Arctis said, “but we can also create normal ice with our antlers. We also have basic levitation, much like Unicorns do. Oh, and we can fly.” This last one was said with a grin.
“You can fly? But how, you don’t have any wings?” Twilight said, stunned at this revelation.
“Its our antlers,” Arctis said, tapping his. “He can grab the wind with them and soar through the sky.”
“That sounds amazing!” Twilight said, enthused with the idea. “Oh, I would love to see that. I wonder if I could create a Unicorn version of that spell.”
“You can try,” Arctis laughed. “Many mages have tried it, all have failed. But who knows, maybe you’ll be the first.”
“Father!” a new voice called out as they entered the great hall. A young, snow white doe whose light blue snowmark blended into her fur stepped forwards and nuzzled Arctis affectionately. “Who are your guests?”
“Aneira, these are Princess Luna, Empress Cadance, and Lady Twilight, the last of whom has more titles than I do. Miladies, this is my daughter, Princess Aneira, who is as beautiful as her mother and twice as powerful.”
“Dad!” Aneira practically screeched, blushing with embarrassment, before punching him solidly in the shoulder, causing him to grunt with pain. “And I’m not a princess until tomorrow, anyway.”
Arctis leaned over to Luna and began speaking in a conspiratorial whisper that could be heard halfway across the room. “Punches as hard as her mother did as well.” That earned him another punch, as well as a chuckle from the moon princess.
“So Aneira,” Cadance began, swiftly changing the subject, “I hear that you are a potent sorceress.” Twilights ears perked up at that.
Aneira made to speak, but her father beat her to it. “Potent? Why, my daughter is one of the most powerful mages I have ever seen! She rivals the Eight Paragons in power, and I knew them personally!”
Luna swiftly stepped forwards. “Oh I am sure Twilight can give your daughter a run for money. She, is after all, the most powerful unicorn of her age since Star Swirl the Bearded!”
Aneira and Twilight began to blush as the two gods began to bicker about which one was more powerful. Cadance tapped them on the shoulder and led them away, just as Luna started to use the Royal Canterlot Voice.
“I have a feeling they are going to be there for a while,” Cadance said as they sat down at a table at the far end of the hall.
“Yes, I think they are,” Aneria said, looking at her father. “I haven’t seen father this happy since mother died.”
“Luna seems to be enjoying herself too,” Twilight chipped in, moments before Luna bucked the Reindeer into a wall with a crash. Arctis merely jumped up, laughed and charged at Luna, and within moments the two deities were brawling on the floor. Twilight frowned. “Enjoying herself too much, by the looks of it. Should they be fighting like that?”
Cadance laughed. “Its not like they can hurt each other, now is it? And the palace is made from Everice as well, which is a bonus. Besides, it’s good for gods to fight like this. Better than having them declaring war on each other, at any rate.”
Aneira raised an eyebrow. “If thats the case, shouldn't you be joining in? After all, are you not a god as well, Cadance?”
“No, no.” Cadance shook her head velmetly. “I’m an Avatar—the Avatar of Love, to be exact.”
Aneira and Twilight leaned forwards, intrigued. “What's the difference?” asked Twilight. “I mean, I’ve heard you referred to as an Avatar before, but what does that mean?”
“Avatars are the mortal incarnation of a Spirit,” Cadance explained. “Spirits, such as Celestia, Luna and Arctis, are immortal beings who will exist for as long as whatever they are the Spirit of exists—the Sun, the Moon and Snow, in this case—whilst an Avatar like myself has a mortal life span; when I die a new Avatar of Love will be born, with all the associated gifts and powers, which all relate to their sphere of influence.”
“How is an Avatar made, if you don’t mind my asking?” Aneira queried.
“We're created when a Spirit desires a mortal life. In my case, the Spirit of Love, Eros, rather predictably, fell in love with a mortal. When that mortal died, she was struck with grief and despair, but she also realised that this was going to keep on happening to her—she’d fall in love, the mortal would die and she would fall back into grief again. A rather cruel fate. So in order to limit her pain, she turned herself into a mortal—the first Avatar. However, since love still existed when she died, her powers got passed onto another, newly born mortal. This cycle of reincarnation was then repeated until the modern day, culminating in myself.”
“You said something about ‘ancestral memory’ earlier. Can you remember any of your past reincarnations?” Twilight asked, scribbling notes on a piece of parchment she had pulled out of seemingly nowhere.
“Bits and pieces. They’re not really my memories either—it feels like reading a strangers diary, more than remembering past events.” Cadance admitted, shaking her head.
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted as Luna came sliding down the table. “Good day, ladies. Please excuse Our behaviour.” She stood up, and with a wild laugh, charged back down the table, where Arctis was waiting for her.
Twilight looked on with concern. “We should probably do something about that, you know.”
Cadance turned and raised her eyebrow at Twilight. “Do you really want to get in between those two?” she asked, her words punctuated with a mighty crash.
Twilight flinched at the noise. “On second thoughts...”
“I thought so.”
---
It was several hours before Luna and Arctis could be convinced to finished their brawl, and even then the pair had to be bribed with gracious amounts of alcohol and food, which spawned an impromptu feast, much to the cooks dismay and Aneira’s continued embarrassment. The two Spirits sat at the head of the table, getting progressively drunker and drunker as the night went on, as did most of the court.
“Does this happen often?” Twilight asked Aneira, glancing at her father.
“Unfortunately, yes,” the snow white Reindeer replied. “I think it has something to do with the fact that he has no real responsibilities.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, shooing away a servant trying to refill her stein of untouched ale.
“Well, you know how Princess Luna and Princess Celestia actually rule Equestria?” Twilight nodded. “Well, my father doesn't rule the Everfrozen Forest. He brings the snows, yes, and the clans all respect him and his words, but Reindeer society, for the main part, is completely self governing. His title—and mine, I suppose—are purely ceremonial.”
“Your father has had difficulty fitting in ever since the Fall,” Cadance said, gazing into empty space. She came to with a start, and noticing Twilight’s and Aneira’s stares, blushed. “Sorry, old memories from lives better left forgotten.”
“You know about the Fall?” Aneria asked, surprised.
“Parts of it,” Cadance admitted. “You probably know more than I do.”
“The Fall? What’s that?” Twilight asked, confusion stamped on her face.
“The Fall of the Reindeer Kingdom,” Aneria said, eliciting a gasp of surprise from Twilight. She leaned forwards and began to speak in a low voice. “Thousands of years ago, the Reindeer were masters of a mighty civilization, as large and as prosperous as modern day Equestria. Large cities dominated the tundra, and trade and industry prospered, all under the benevolent rule of Queen Skadi, my grandmother. But our peace and happiness could not last.”
“What happened? Twilight tentatively asked, too enthralled in the story to make notes, her quill and parchment left untouched besides her..
Aneria’s eyes grew dark, her expression stern. “Discord,” she spat. “That vile beast tore down our cities, scattered our people, and in our darkest moment, took our Queen from us. My people fled, running wild with panic and fear, as chaos twisted the land. Our civilization fell, never to exist again.” She paused, and looked upwards, composing herself. When she looked back down again, there was new life shining in her eyes. “But throughout all this, we never lost hope. My father, a mere fawn at the time, still mourning the loss of his mother, rallied his people together, creating a bastion of safety—the Frozen Palace. And from the Frozen Palace, came eight great mages; the Paragons, the Defenders of the North. Representing the eight virtues of Courage, Justice, Compassion, Love, Truth, Order, Faith and Wisdom, they held back the tide of chaos, and saved our people. Finally, the Alicorn sisters were able to seal the demon away, and Harmony was restored. But the Paragons did not live to see this victory.” The entire room had fallen silent by this point, everydeer enraptured by the ancestral tale of their people. Arctis had tears in his eyes, whilst Luna was so still she could have been made of stone. Neither Aneira or Twilight noticed. “With Chaos banished from the lands, my people left the safety of the Palace, and wandered across the tundra, seeking any remnants of our old civilization. It was only then did we realise how much had been taken from us, how much had been lost; and as one, we vowed to never again be so vulnerable. We would build no more cities, construct no more permanent dwellings; always moving, one step ahead of danger. Always safe, always looking over our shoulder in fear.”
There was a moments silence, interrupted only by the hollowing of the winds outside, before Arctis spoke. “To the Paragons!” he shouted, downing his drink, a cry that was followed by everydeer. Surprised by the toast, Twilight also downed her drink, spluttering as the harsh alcohol burned her throat. “Hah!” Arctis bellowed. “The Lady Sparkle drinks like a Reindeer!” A chorus of laughs followed.
“And you, my dear Arctis,” countered Luna drunkenly, “drink like a fish!” The laughter grew louder and within moments, the festive mood returned the hall.
---
Twilight lay in bed, unable to get to sleep, despite her tiredness and the alcohol coursing through her body. Her mind was awhirl with thoughts, sorting the new knowledge she had gained, her worldview expanding as her comprehension of the cosmos grew. She wanted to do nothing more than rush to the nearest library and start yet another research project,burying her nose in between the pages of books until the soft light of dawn broke.
However, she was stymied by the fact that Reindeer culture was wholly oral, and that few Reindeer could read or write. As a result, the Frozen Palace had no need for a library. It certainly didn't help that any librarians, had they existed this far north, would have been asleep at this time of night. So Twilight was forced to lie in bed, unable to sleep despite her body's protests.
Which is why she thought she was imagining things when she heard the first scream.
She shot upright in bed, horn glowing and heart fluttering. Her eyes glanced around her guest room, looking for anything out of place, ears straining for unusual sounds. But she saw nothing and could only hear the shriek of the wind. Wait, that's not the wind! That's the sound of—
"Windigoes!" Cadance cried, bursting into Twilight's room, causing the purple unicorn to jump of her bed in surprise. "Windigoes are attacking!"
"What? How?" Twilight exclaimed as she climbed to her feet. "That feast should have generated enough Harmony to keep them away for weeks!"
"I don't know, but I can feel them in the keep! Come on, we must find Luna!" Without another word, Cadance dashed out if the room, swiftly followed by Twilight.
Galloping down the corridor, they heard the hateful shriek of Windigoes, the screams of surprised Reindeer, and the unmistakable sound of battle echoing all around them.
The two mares paused at an intersection, three corridors branching off in different directions. They looked at each in confusion, but before they could make a decision, they heard a voice calling them.
"Cadance! Twilight!" Aneira cried, trotting towards them. "Thank the Eight, you're alright."
"Where's your father? Where's Luna?" Cadenced asked, frenzied with worry. Aneira merely shook her head.
"I don't know. Last anydeer saw them was in the great hall. I’ve been sending guards to support them, but I haven't heard anything back."
Twilight's eyes grew wide with fear. "This is no ordinary attack. There's something bigger at play here."
"That's what I thought." Aneira paused, before cocking her head at Twilight. "Those are some interesting stockings you're wearing."
"Buh?" Twilight looked down at herself and realised that she was still wearing the purple and pink striped socks she had worn to bed. She jumped behind Cadance, blushing and shrieking with embarrassment. "It's cold up here!" she stammered out, her cheeks burning.
Aneira rolled her eyes. "Soft pony," she scoffed. There was no maliciousness in her manner, however, and in moments the three friends were laughing.
Their mirth was cut short by a fierce howl echoing down the corridor.
"Oh yeah, the Windigoes," Twilight said, looking round fearfully. "We should probably do something."
Aneira pointed down one of the corridors. "Like I said, I've been directing the guards towards the great hall. We can make a stand there. Hopefully, we should then be able to push them into the courtyard."
"Sounds like a plan," Cadance said. "Let's go." The three began to run down the corridor, towards the sounds of battle. As they grew near, signs of battle began to appear—torn tapestries, torches coated in frost and Reindeer frozen solid. A quick burst of magic from Cadance freed the few they came across.
Eventually they made it to the great hall, where a scene of chaos greeted them. Reindeer armed with spears and ice magic battled against the freezing wind of the beasts, which swirled around them, kicking up snow and ice into their faces. Littered on the floor were the frozen remains of Reindeer who had fallen, along with small piles of snow marking the grave of a Windigo. A few Reindeer tried to activate their ancestral magic of flight, their antlers glowing as they began to levitate, but they were quickly mobbed and overwhelmed, pinning the defenders to the ground.
In the center of this maelstrom of ice and wind and snow, three figures could be seen battling. The first two were the unmistakable forms of Luna and Arctis, whilst their foe was another Reindeer, her coat as pale as the snow that obscured her form. That wasn’t what scared Twilight, however. What terrified her was the fact that the two deities were losing.
“Luna!” Twilight cried out as the Alicorn was beaten back. She pushed on through the battlefield, attempting to reach the Princess, but was forced back by a swooping Windigo. Stumbling backwards, she fell into Cadance’s embrace, whilst Aneira slew the Windigo with a shard of ice shot from between her antlers.
"Together!" Cadance shouted over the din of battle. "We'll push through together!"
Aneira and Twilight nodded their understanding, standing shoulder to shoulder with Cadance. Slowly, they pressed forwards into the hall, streaks of white, purple and pink magic firing from their horns, keeping the beasts at bay. Whenever Twilight stumbled over the debris on the floor, Aneira would cover her whilst Cadance picked her up. Whenever Cadance’s spells faltered, the two sorceresses would leap forwards and blast away any threats. Whenever Aneira reached one of her kinsmen, frozen in ice, Cadance would free him whilst Twilight protected their backs.
Eventually, they made it to the center of the blizzard, where they beheld the foe that challenged Luna and Arctis clearly for the first time. She was a Reindeer, snow white like Arctis and Aneira, with a golden snowmark shining against her fur. She stalked towards Arctis like a wolf, who was stood protectively over Luna’s prone body.
Twilight, Cadance and Aneira could only watch in horror as the strange doe leapt forwards, her antlers clashing against Arctis’. The two dulled in a titanic battle of strength, but Arctis was slowly pushed back, stumbling over Luna’s body. The moment he lost his footing, the doe flicked her head, sending him crashing to the floor.
“Father!” Aneira cried, rushing to his side, whilst Twilight and Cadance moved up to Luna’s, standing defensively over her.
“Bah, mortals,” the doe spat. “I don’t have time for you.” Quick as a flash, she flicked her head forwards, shards of ice materializing from her antlers and flying forth, only to bounce off a wall of purple light.
“You’ll find us no easy challenge, villain!” Cadance said with a smirk, taking a step forwards.
“Oh, a villain, am I?” the doe replied with mock innocence, before charging forwards towards the shield. Twilight funneled more magic into it, bracing for impact. Instead of colliding with it, however, the doe simply slipped through the shield, catching and lifting Cadance up into the air with her antlers, keeping the Alicorn pinned between them. Before Cadance could cry out, there was a blinding flash, and when Twilight could see again she gave a cry of horror. There, with an expression of fear on her face, was Cadance, frozen solid—a statue made of ice.
“Cadance!” Twilight screamed. “You...You monster!” Magic began to collect around her horn, Twilight preparing to cast a powerful spell.
“Now I’m a monster,” the doe said with a bored expression. “Make your mind up, would you?” She flicked her head, throwing Cadance high into the air. “Catch.” Twilight spun around and released the magic she had been building up, catching Cadance before she could shatter on the ground. Sighing with relief, she gently lowered the frozen Alicorn to the ground, but the moment it landed safely she felt a blow against the back of her head as something heavy landed on her, sending her tumbling to the floor.
Looking up, she saw the unconscious form of Aneira draped over her back, unwittingly pinning her to the ground. Struggling against the weight of the Reindeer, she was able to move her head round to look at her opponent, just in time to see her bend down to Luna. Her antlers flashed, and Luna began to melt into a silver liquid that floated off the floor. Another flash of light banished the liquid out the window and into the sky. Then she turned to Arctis and repeated the process, this time turning the Spirit into a pile of snow which was quickly blown out another window.
“I win,” the doe said simply, without emotion or grandeur. She turned, and noticed Twilight watching her. Approaching the prone Unicorn, she gave Twilight an unfathomable look. “Well, aren't you a resilient one?”
“What did you do to Luna?” Twilight demanded, struggling vainly to free herself.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business, now, do you?” Without any further adieu, she swiftly kicked Twilight in the head, knocking her out instantly.