//------------------------------// // A Stopped Heart // Story: Snowblind // by CrowMagnon //------------------------------// Snowblind by crowmagnon A Stopped Heart Pinkamena pushed through the snow-clogged streets of Ponyville to take shelter in her apartment above the coffee house where she worked and wrote her poetry. Though no expert on the weather, she felt that the worst of the blizzard was starting to pass, though snow continued to drift down as an indication that it was not over. Suddenly Pinkamena felt a surprise gust pluck the beret from her head. The pink pony quickly turned and jumped, snapping her teeth shut and just barely missing the hat as it went flying off down the street. Though called a hypocrite by the part of her mind that had scolded the other ponies for not taking shelter once the snow began to fall, she nevertheless gave chase after her favorite piece of headwear. Jumping in and out of the snow covering the road, Pinkamena kept reaching for it, only to just barely miss until it got hung up against a wall. At that point, she pinned it with a hoof and took a second to catch her breath before placing it atop her head once more. Then she noticed that the wall she was facing was not of wood or brick, but ice. Backing up a few steps to get a better look, she saw that the shell of ice was surrounding the unmistakable outline of Sugarcube Corner. For several minutes, Pinkamena paced around the frozen bakery and studied the icy shell surrounding it. It was the only building in sight to be so thoroughly coated in ice, and the shell surrounded it completely from top to bottom. She leaned in closer, her reflection looking back at her as she tried to peer through the window. The ice warped and distorted her view of the bakery's interior, though she was able to make out a few vague shapes moving about inside. With a slight nod to her reflection, she turned away and started galloping back the way she came. ----- Rainbow Dash trudged through the wind and snow as the blizzard grew ever more fierce. Her innate pegasus magic and nice, thick coat should have provided more than enough protection from the harshest of blizzards, but the chill struck her so deeply that she felt like a prissy Canterlot unicorn wearing nothing but tissue paper. Nevertheless, she tilted her head up toward the sky and ground her teeth together to keep them from chattering as she asked the harbingers of the storm, "Is... that... all you... got...?" The howling of the wind was her only reply as a powerful gust bore down on her. Dash kept her wings tucked in close to her sides and braced herself against the onslaught, but it still made her slide back while coating her completely in a layer of snow. "I guess... not..." she muttered as she waited for the gale to die down enough for her to press onward. Suddenly, she heard a nearby voice ask, "Are you really so surprised that they react when antagonized?" This startled Dash enough that she reflexively flared her wings. Facing the harsh winds as she was, this caused her to get blown off her hooves and tumble back, only to be caught by a familiar cloaked figure. "Careful, my student, for while the winds wail, your wings will catch them like a sail." Dash felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment, which at least had the side benefit of making her feel slightly warmer. Setting her hooves back on the ground, she turned to face her mentor. "Yeah, yeah, I just didn't expect to see you in this storm. Shouldn't you be holing up somewhere warm?" Zecora gave Dash a small, sly grin before replying, "Indeed, though considering the danger, I thought the best place to do so would be with your friend the Ranger." Dash knew that look on the zebra's face. It was the 'I was worried about you, but I'm not going to say it out loud because I don't want to hurt your pride' look. Suddenly, before she could thank her mentor, a sky blue gleam was reflected in Dash's eyes as she saw a magical charge get shot up into the air, then release a burst of light and hang there, shining brightly enough to be seen even through the blizzard. Lifting up a hoof to point it out to Zecora, Dash said, "Yeah, well... the station's close by. Look, that's the beacon to call in the weather pegasi!" Zecora turned to look and nodded her head. "Then let us hurry and get inside so we can warm up our frozen hides!" Dash certainly agreed as the pair pushed through the snow together, led by the magical light that hung like a lantern over the small stone fortification. ----- Inside the Ranger's station, Twilight's horn glowed as she wasted no time after setting off the flare. Being careful not to disturb the station's unofficial mascot, Owlowiscious, as he slept on his perch, the various pieces of her armor floated around her, held in her purple aura as she removed her saddlebags and her winter clothes. She then began attaching the pieces of armor to her chest and legs. The padded, purple-tinted plates of metal strapped themselves securely to her body before her helmet set itself over her head. The whole process took just under ten seconds. "Show-off," Nocturne said with a frown as she used the little claws on her bat-like wings to hold a tray with two mugs of hot chocolate, and a third that had been emptied by the little orange filly sleeping on her back. Scootaloo had collapsed in a state of exhaustion from the adrenaline crash once her body recognized that she was no longer in danger. "If you're trying to give me a case of unicorn-envy... it's working." Twilight's cheeks flushed as she reflexively tried to stammer out an apology, but stopped herself when she saw her subordinate's expression shift to a teasing smirk. The unicorn groaned softly to herself, then closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. "Okay... okay. Sgt. Striker!" Opening her eyes again, she focused her gaze on Nocturne, though she modulated her voice upon remembering the napping Scootaloo. "Are Sunburn and Caramel still unavailable?" Seeing that Twilight was getting focused on the problem at hoof, Nocturne adjusted her attitude accordingly and set the tray down between them. "Afraid so, Lieutenant. Feather flu'll keep Sunburn out of action for another week at least, and Caramel isn't scheduled to get back from his vacation in Las Pegasus for another two days." Twilight nodded slightly. It was what she already knew, but hearing it from Nocturne made it official. "That just leaves us and Pierce, and he was assigned to animal-waking duty on the other side of town." The Lieutenant reached into her discarded saddlebag with her magic and pulled the map of the Ponyville region out, then spread it out across a table. "Alright, for now we'll have to trust that when the storm hit, everypony took shelter in town or in their homes. You said yourself that this didn't come from the Everfree. I'll need to hear from the pegasi to confirm it, but to me that sounds like this isn't just a fluke of wild weather." "You think we're under attack, Lieutenant?" Behind Nocturne, a door opened as she asked, "Who could manage something like this? And why?" She then turned toward the door, revealing the sight of the 'witches of the Everfree' standing in the doorway, shaking snow off of their bodies. "W-wind-d-digoes," Rainbow Dash replied in answer to the sergeant's question, her teeth chattering as she let herself relax a bit in the relatively warmer interior of the station. "At l-l-least-t, that-t's what T-t-teach thinks." Smelling the hot chocolate and feeling desperate to put something hot into her system, she asked, "Don't s-suppose y-y-you can sp-pare a drink?" Lt. Sparkle blinked in surprise, but quickly levitated the warm mugs over to the medicine mares. "Of course! You look like you need these more than we do." While Zecora and Dash each took a mug and drank them down, Twilight asked, "But what makes you so sure it's Windigoes behind this? Everything we know about them says that they feed on hate, fear and suspicion. The sort of emotions that make ponies act coldly to one another. Maybe... maybe they could've gotten a small hoofhold back when everypony was afraid of you two, but even then I'd have said there was too much love and warmth here for them to even think of attacking." There was a moment of awkward silence as the pegasus and Zecora shared a look. Then, Rainbow snorted derisively. "Oh, yeah, because they were so loving and warm whenever we'd show up just to try and buy some groceries..." The Lieutenant looked at her rainbow-maned friend and saw that she was nursing what little was left of her drink and gazing down at the bottom of the mug. "Oh... I'm sorry, Rainbow, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories..." Dash looked up at her with narrowed eyes and a scowl on her face. "What're you apologizing for? It's not like you were around when it was happening. Not like some ponies in this room." She didn't turn her head, but her eyes swiveled to the side to give Nocturne a frosty glare. "It's not like you threw a dirt clod at my head when I was twelve and shouted at me to leave town. Just because I'd found a few bits and wanted to try to buy some sweets for my birthday!" Both Rangers' eyes flew wide open, and Twilight's jaw hung open as she turned to stare at Nocturne in disbelief. The bat-pony staggered back a step, only keeping her balance because doing otherwise would have caused Scootaloo to slide off her back. The expression on Nocturne's face was one of surprise, but not denial. "Wha... Rainbow, that was years ago! Why are you bringing that up now, of all times?" "Wait, so you're saying it's true?" "Oh yeah, she didn't tell you, Twilight?" Rainbow set down her mug to point a hoof at Nocturne. "Everypony thought I was so evil and scary, it took five teenagers to run one little filly with a broken wing out of Ponyville. Real brave, weren't ya, Sarge? You ever tell the squirt that story? Let her know what a role model her mom really is? Why don't I wake her up and tell her-" She reached a cyan hoof out toward Scootaloo, only to have it smacked away by a suddenly furious thestral. Nocturne was baring her fangs at the pegasus, eyes narrowed as she hissed, "You leave my daughter out of it! She doesn't deserve--" Twilight tried to step forward to intervene, only to stop herself when Zecora held up a hoof to stop her and shook her head. Twilight silently raised an eyebrow at the zebra, but held herself back. She did gather magic into her horn in order to teleport into the fray the instant it seemed necessary, though. At the same time, Dash met Nocturne's glare with her own as she whispered, "Deserve what? To know the truth? That her mom thinks it's okay to pick on little kids who are different, just as long as it's not the same kind of different you are? Just imagine how she'd look at you if she ever found out you're just as bad as those bullies who are always picking on her all the time. Oh, wait, you're worse because you do know what it's like to be singled out, but you did it anyway!" "Shut up!!" Though still keeping her voice low, Nocturne's whispers were harsh, desperate, and filled with terrible anger. "If you try to touch my daughter again... come near her... even look at her, I will rip your legs off and beat you with them until there's nothing left of you!" Nocturne's entire body was trembling, but also focused entirely on Rainbow Dash. Nevertheless, she heard the howl that followed her threat as if to punctuate it. A horrible, chilling wail that was both as ethereal as the wind and as primal and feral as a hungry beast. As the howl echoed through the station, drawing a shudder from everypony inside, Dash's expression melted from the righteous anger she had been affecting to genuine remorse. "I'm sorry, Sarge. I'm really, really, really sorry, but I had to make sure we knew the nature of the danger. It was Teach's idea, but I still crossed the line there. I hope you can forgive me, Ranger." Blinking in confusion, Nocturne asked, "Wh... what?" Zecora stepped forward with a sigh. "It's true, I asked her to cause you such aggravation. I could not demand that you accept the threat of the Windigoes without a demonstration. It was necessary to evoke emotions most foul in order to draw out the creature's hungry howl." "I'll decide what's necessary when it comes to my Rangers, Zecora," Lt. Sparkle interrupted as she walked over to Nocturne, putting a hoof on the thestral's shoulder in a gesture of protectiveness. She shot the zebra a warning glare, though at the same time she admitted, "but you're right, this does show us what we're up against. All the more reason we shouldn't be trying to twist each other's emotions around. If we're fighting Windigoes, we need to be able to trust each other." Zecora and Dash both tilted their heads down in contrition. Suddenly, the doors slammed open as several pegasi burst in! Cloud Kicker, weather manager for the Ponyville district, took the lead and let out a sigh of strained relief as she glanced around the room, settling her gaze on Lt. Sparkle. In an instant, she flapped over toward the armored unicorn and exclaimed, "Thank Celestia for that beacon! Lt. Sparkle, we've got a serious problem! It's Raindrops, she... She tried to fly up through the clouds to see what was going on, but..." Cloud Kicker looked back over her shoulder and moved aside so everypony could see Thunderlane and Blossomforth carrying a solidly-built jasmine mare between them. Rangers and witches alike gasped in horror at the state she was in. Raindrops was postured as if in flight, but completely unmoving thanks to her body being completely frozen in a layer of ice. Blossomforth kicked the door shut behind her again before she and Thunderlane tiredly set their frozen co-worker down with a heavy thud. Rainbow Dash approached the frozen pegasus and blurted out, "Is she--?!" Stopping herself with a glance toward the fast-asleep Scootaloo, she instead whispered, "Wait..." as she remembered something. The broken-winged pegasus tapped the ice covering Raindrops a few times, then closed her eyes in concentration as she placed her ear against the frozen shell, right over Raindrops' barrel. "What's she doing...?" Twilight asked Zecora, confusion plain on her face. The zebra held a hoof up to her mouth to shush everypony, then leaned in to quietly whisper to the Lieutenant. "A Windigo's ice will preserve its prey so that it may feed on her day after day. If it were not so, then in your Hearth's Warming tale, the three rulers would have surely passed beyond this mortal veil. My student is looking for signs of life, so to start--" "She's listening for the beating of Raindrops' heart," Twilight murmured, deducing her friend's behavior. "...I was going to say that part..." Zecora murmured crossly at having her rhyme hijacked, but otherwise kept it to herself so as not to rouse the unicorn's ire again. The weather pegasi watched Dash. With a touch of nervous hope in his voice, Thunderlane asked, "Is she really alive, Rainbow?" Dash grimaced as she struggled to focus on listening to the ice-encased pony, but then her expression brightened slightly. "Yeah... Yeah! It's slow, but there, so don't just stand about! Let's hurry and bust this mare out!" The three weather ponies smiled and let out sighs of relief as they looked at each other, clearly grateful to hear that their friend and co-worker could be saved. Stepping up, Cloud Kicker asked, "So, how do we do this? We tried to buck the ice off of her when she first got frozen, but it just kept re-freezing." Blossomforth mused, "If it really is like the Hearth's Warming story, should we group-hug or something until the fires of friendship melts it away?" When Cloud Kicker glanced back at her with a cocked eyebrow and the faintest hint of a sly grin, Blossom's cheeks turned even redder than they naturally were after coming in from the frigid cold. "Around Raindrops! Not whatever you were thinking!" "Do it," Twilight said decisively. Seeing the stricken look that came across Blossomforth's face, the Ranger rolled her eyes. "I mean the hug. You're her friends, right? Focus on that, and how much you care about her. There's no telling how many other ponies are in trouble back in town, so if we can help her, we'll be that much better equipped to help any other ponies who need it." Either unable or not caring to debate the logic of this course of action, the three weather pegasi gathered around Raindrops and all embraced her frozen form. All of them praying that it would work. ----- Where are the Elements of Harmony kept? The question hung in the air within Sugarcube Corner. Instead of answering the huge griffon, however, picked herself up to face Gertrude as she asked, "You want the Elements? After what you have done to this town, what makes you believe that they would ever respond to the likes of you? I have known many fine griffons, but you are nothing but a brute and a coward!" Gertrude looked upon the businessmare with thinly-veiled disgust as Applejack haughtily spoke back to her, defiantly turning her nose up at their captor. It didn't show on Gertrude's nearly expressionless face, but her dagger-like feathers bristled threateningly, and somehow her blank white eyes seemed to seethe with contempt. "I think that if one of the Elements can accept a pony like you..." Gertrude replied, "One who has devoted her life to the pursuit of wealth and privilege over her own family, then they should have no difficulty responding to one who bore them in the past." This jarred Applejack slightly. She tried to maintain her air of confidence and superiority, but it was clearly a struggle to do so as her eyes glanced back toward Apple Bloom. Her little sister looked away as soon as she saw Applejack looking toward her, and buried her face against Fluttershy's wing. "What did you mean... you bore the Elements?" This question came from Rarity, who protectively stood with Sweetie Belle behind her. Gertrude waved Applejack away, dismissing the businessmare as she turned her cold gaze upon the unicorn. "It means exactly what I said. Once upon a time, there were six creatures, vastly different from one another, yet united by a bond stronger than any other. I was one of those six, and we six were as one; even your thieving Princesses of Sun and Moon. We were family to one another. Chosen by the Elements of Harmony themselves to rebuild a shattered and broken world." Gertrude closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. The feathers of ice on her wings tinkled slightly like chimes as her voice grew no warmer, though it did become heavier. "And then it all went so, so wrong... The Sun Dog, bearer of Loyalty, vanished without a trace. Shangwe ya Maisha, bearer of Laughter, fell into a despair that drove her to do terrible, terrible things... crimes for which she was sealed away. And in their absence, your Princess Celestia took on their roles for herself." There was hesitation as the griffon clenched her eyes shut, but when she opened them again, she shot a chilling glare at each of the ponies. "I did not see it at first. I did not wish to, until the bearer of Honesty came to me. He showed me beyond all doubt what it was my 'sisters' had become. Greedy, selfish creatures who coveted the power of all the Elements so that they might rule as gods in a world shaped in their image alone." "Y-you're lying!" Sweetie Belle's voice squeaked from behind her sister, who tried and failed to hush her before she blurted out, "The Princesses are the best ponies ever! They'd never steal from their friends!" Gertrude's wings spread out as her mane suddenly flared far larger. In an instant, all the heat in the room seemed to vanish, replaced with an oppressive, freezing chill. "Then clearly they did not think of me as their friend when they entered my castle, seduced my Knight Captain with promises of fortune and power, and left me trapped within my own ice for centuries." When she spoke, her crystalline voice was no louder, but was infinitely more intense. Every syllable seemed to vibrate through their bones. "Look at the world around you. Where are the rest of us? Only your Princesses remain, glutting themselves on stolen power and ill-gotten riches. Claiming all glory for themselves with no--" A jet of green flame suddenly interrupted Gertrude, forcing her to bring a wing up to shield herself. The fire struck, melting through the icy dagger-like feathers, but could not sustain itself for long. Once it passed, Gertrude and the ponies looked to see Spike standing before the griffon. The tiny dragon trembled as he looked up at her with tears welling up in his big green eyes. "S-s-stop it... y-you big m-m-meanie...!" Gertrude blinked at the defiant little reptile, then looked at her wing. Where the ice had melted, feathers of soft, snowy white were exposed. With a slight frown, she focused upon that spot, and the protective layers of ice quickly re-froze. At the same time, she calmed herself enough that the temperature within the bakery began to return to normal. "You are right, little dragon. That was uncalled for from me," Gertrude replied. "I do not want any of you to be hurt just yet." She gave Applejack a quick glare before adding, "Well... most of you, that is. Your neighbors are beginning to gather outside, anyway. If they give me what I ask for, then there is no need for you to be hurt at all." While the griffon spoke, Spike felt himself get lifted from the floor in a light blue aura as Rarity pulled him back to join Sweetie Belle behind her. Gertrude paid little mind, though, as she instead turned her attention toward the back of the shop. "To me, mutant." With slow strides, the ice-armored pegasus came out of the back room and made her way toward Gertrude. Once she was standing in front of the huge griffon, Gertrude said, "The terms of our deal still stand. Watch these ponies and their pet. See to it that they don't do anything foolish, and you will be well-rewarded for your service." With that said, Gertrude turned toward the smashed and frozen-over front of the bakery. Her talons lashed out, slicing through the thick sheets of ice to create an opening large enough for her to exit, though no pony tried to escape as it sealed itself up behind her the moment she passed through. ----- "Y'know, Tavi, I can't quite figure you out," Vinyl said as she and the cellist followed their mutual friend Pinkamena to Sugarcube Corner. The DJ's equipment was covered up to protect it from the snow, but Pinkamena had insisted that she bring it, so it was being dragged behind her on a sled pulled by her magic. Octavia, likewise making her way through the snow with her cello case balanced on her back, looked at Vinyl with an stoic expression that easily rivalled the notoriously stone-faced pink poet pony. "How are you meanink?" "Well, where'd a stuffy classical musician like you learn to rock like that for starters? Come to think of it, what's a high-class mare like you even doing in Ponyville, anyway? You an' Pinkie an item or something?" Octavia responded to the unicorn's nudging, both verbal and literal as Vinyl playfully elbowed her in the ribs, by shaking her head. "Is not that vay at present," she replied in her smokey Stalliongrad accent, though the ambiguity of the last two words raised Vinyl's eyebrows. "I actually come to visit cousin Feedlesticks to celebrate her engagement. My old friend Pinkamena lives here as vell, so I arrive early to spend time catching up vith her, but forget about Vinter Wrap-up. Stalliongrad is far to the north, so Vinter lasts a few veeks longer there." "Oh yeah," Vinyl replied, pretending that she had known that. Though another bit of trivia did pop into her mind. "Hey, is it true you've got like twenty different words for 'snowstorm' up there?" Octavia nodded. "Da, in a sense. Because Vinter is so much longer, ve must have many classifications to describe the sewerity of a blizzard. For example, the one ve have had today would be called пляж погода." "Huh. What does that mean in Equestrian?" "'Beach veather.'" Vinyl blinked a few times as she stopped in her tracks. As a result, she could only see the edges of what looked like a playful grin on the stoic musician's face, but it was enough to get her laughing as she pushed herself to exert enough magical force on the sled to catch up. "Okay, you got me! Y'know, you're pretty cool. After we get wherever Pinkie's taking us, how about we hit a bar and--WHAT IN CELESTIA'S FLAMING NIPPLES IS THAT?!" Vinyl skidded to a stop, getting knocked over when her sled caught up and bumped into her behind. As she poked her head up from the snow, however, her eyes widened to a size larger than the lenses of her ever-present shades as she saw the frozen bakery and the giant, icy griffon stepping out of it. Her mouth hung open as she and Octavia were both stunned at the sight. Even Pinkamena almost showed emotion, standing perfectly motionless except for a faint trembling. Eventually, as the griffon's gaze slowly panned across the gathering ponies, Vinyl managed to swallow and find her voice again. "That... is so freakin' metal I don't know whether to paint an album cover or wet myself..." ----- I exit into the open air, but still can feel the hearts of those trapped within the sweets shop. They are afraid, and now turn that cold knot of fear within their hearts upon the 'traitor' in their midst. In this way, the assassin continues to serve me well. Let my hostages fester in their sense of betrayal and righteous anger. Let them feel it extinguish all that is warm and loving within them. Let them feel just as I felt when my Knights turned their spears upon me. I still might have endured if it were all but one standing against me. My Knight Captain. My hero. My... my Gunther. A griffon I loved more than life itself. The one who proved beyond any remaining shreds of doubt that the bearer of Honesty had been right all along by shattering my heart. Now, the ice is the only thing holding it together. I should have frozen them all. I should have dragged their iced-over bodies out for all to see. Trapped them alive in an eternal, frozen scream as an example for all who would stand against me. Especially that dragon whelp. I could have extinguished his flame so easily... No, that would be counterproductive. It would only unite them against me and ignite the fires of their hearts. Better to let them wallow in suspicion and fear of each other. Now is the time to focus on the ponies gathering around outside. They back away at the sight of me, murmuring in fear. As they should. Of particular interest are the remaining six-who-are-one as they approach. The poet is here with her musician friends. The remaining two are approaching from the other direction. The broken-winged pegasus and her mentor are easily recognized, but the unicorn... there is something different about her now. It isn't merely the armor that she now wears. Her bearing is not that of the fragile, nervous creature I observed before. There is a harder, colder look in her eyes now. That works. ----- Lt. Sparkle narrowed her eyes as she saw the griffon exit Sugarcube Corner. It didn't take much to deduce that this creature was the source of their troubles. Rainbow Dash and Zecora walked alongside her while Nocturne, Cloud Kicker and Thunderlane had taken to the skies up above, though they kept low enough to stay out of the freezing clouds that had claimed Raindrops. Upon seeing her arrival, the gathered citizens of Ponyville stepped aside to make way for the Ranger and her companions. Before long, the armored unicorn was standing before the griffon who loomed imperiously over the ponies. Getting straight to the point, she said, "My name is Lieutenant Twilight Sparkle of Luna's Rangers. As such, it is my sworn duty to protect this town against all threatening creatures, including Windigoes. If you are commanding them and do not order them to disperse and return the weather to its natural state, this will be construed as a declaration of hostility, and will be met with an appropriate response." The griffon looked down at her with an expressionless, mask-like face, though her oddly chiming voice held a hint of amusement as she replied, "Well. What a warm welcome. I am indeed the one commanding the Windigoes, but tell me, Lieutenant; have any of your little ponies attempted to leave since the blizzard began?" Lt. Sparkle hesitated for just a moment before nodding. "As I thought. And since you know about Windigoes, I assume that you attempted to use the 'fires of friendship' to free them. Did that succeed?" Again, Lt. Sparkle paused before answering, "... No." Frightened gasps and murmurs spread throughout the crowd. "A member of the weather team is trapped in ice, but we will find a way to free her." The griffon leaned in close, her blank white eyes boring into the steely violet of Lt. Sparkle's. "No, you will not. The Windigoes wield my magic as well as their own. Any pony who attempts to flee will be caught and frozen for all eternity, and no amount of love or friendship will melt it away. Neither your Moon nor your Sun will shine upon this town until I have concluded my business here, and there is no power in all of Equestria that can save you." "I wouldn't be so sure of that," Lt. Sparkle replied resolutely. "You don't know what we can do." The griffon turned away, dismissing the purple unicorn as she carved open an entry back into the bakery with her talons. "Well then, feel free to surprise me. We will speak again in one hour. Until then, it has been a long, long time since I have eaten, so I believe I will partake of your local baked goods." Seeing the griffon turn away, Lt. Sparkle exclaimed, "Wait! What do you even want with us?" "What I want," she replied, sparing a glance back over her shoulder as the wall of ice began to close again, "is for you all to freeze." Once the opening froze completely shut again, Twilight chewed on her lower lip in worried thought before turning to Rainbow Dash. "This is worse than I thought. We'll probably need the Elements..." ----- Perfect. Entirely too perfect. The 'Ranger' put on a brave face, but her heart was pounding frantically in her chest. She is as afraid as the rest. Afraid for her friends and neighbors. Fear will send her to seek out their greatest weapon. Fear will deliver the Elements directly into my talons. Then, the Princesses of Sun and Moon will finally pay for everything they have taken from me.