//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Silent Ponyville: Iced Over // by Quadraginta //------------------------------// "F-fluttershy?" Applejack said, not believing what she was seeing. But she saw what she saw, and she was very glad. They stared at each other for a long time, for Applejack, it was as if she was trying to confirm Fluttershy's presence, and for Fluttershy, to see if Applejack was ok. "....Fluttershy." Applejack wrapped her arms around Fluttershy, who gave a hug in return. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying each other's warmth and presence in this cold, desolate version of Ponyville. "Applejack." Fluttershy said as she released Applejack from her hug. The firmness and strength and lack of timidity in her voice surprised Applejack. "Are you hurt? At all?" Fluttershy looked Applejack up and down, checking to see if she had any injuries, but she looked perfectly fine. In fact, she looked prefectly immaculate. "No." replied Applejack as Fluttershy finished assessing her condition. "I'm fine. Now tell me. How did ya get here anyways?" "Applejack." said Fluttershy, her face hardening in a serious mask. Again, Applejack was still surprised at how...how....not-timid Fluttershy was. "Before I tell you that, let me tell you this. You're not in Ponyville anymore." "I realize that by now, sugarcube." said Applejack, resisting the urge to be sarcastic. "Tell me something, Applejack." began Fluttershy. "Have you heard a siren blaring? At least once?" "No." answered Applejack. "Really?" asked Fluttershy in mild surprise. "No sirens at all? No hellish world covered in blood and rust populated by monsters that want to maim and kill you?" "You got the monsters wanting to kill me part right, but they don't try to kill me in quite the way you're probably thinking. And no, no blood or rust. Just ice." "Huh." Fluttershy mumbled thoughtfully. "Strange. I guess your version of this world is different for you somehow. Maybe it's because Rarity did the spell instead of Twilight." "Different? Different how?" asked Applejack curiously. "Well..." Fluttershy said, not really sure how to begin. She then looked at Applejack and saw that she was wearing a bag, which seemed to bulge ever so slightly with the items that were inside it. "I can see you got a bag and some materials to guide you." Fluttershy gestured to Applejack's bag. "Oh, this thing?" Applejack said as she looked down at her bag. "Yeah, this was on a table in Carousel Boutique when I arrived. I just took 'em, because there wasn't anything else in the entire Boutique." "So, the fundamental rules are still the same." Fluttershy concluded. "So, about ya saying this world is different." said Applejack, bringing up the previous topic. "I'm guessing when Twilight used that spell on ya, the same thing happened, but you were in a bloody, rusty world. Am I right?" Fluttershy nodded. "And that brings me to my next question. How'd ya get here anyways?" Applejack asked. "Oh, Twilight connected my mind to yours. I'm in your mind now." Fluttershy explained. "In my mind? Yeesh, only Twilight would be able to do something like this." Applejack chuckled softly. "Anyways." Applejack took out her map and showed it to Fluttershy. "The X is the location I need to go to. X marks the spot." Fluttershy looked thoughtfully at the map and saw the X. "In the Everfree Forest?" she mumbled. "That sounds dangerous." she said. "But as long as I have you by my side, I'll be ok." Applejack said reassuringly as she folded up her map and put it back in her bag. "Let's go." They began walking in the general direction towards the Everfree Forest, staying close together, with Fluttershy checking every which way to see if any monsters would show up, but none ever did. "The monsters only show up when everything is frozen." explained Applejack. Fluttershy didn't want to take any chances, though. She checked again and again, until finally, she gave up searching and just focused on the current task at hoof. "Look." said Applejack as they approached the entrance to the Everfree Forest. "We're almost there." And then they resumed their walk. They were just about to go in the Everfree Forest....until Applejack felt it. She stopped in her tracks, with Fluttershy stopping as well. "....What is it?" asked Fluttershy after several moments. "Hush, sugarcube." Applejack said as she waited. "You feel that?" she finally asked after a while. "....Yes, I do." Fluttershy said. "Tremors." As if on cue, the minor tremors turned into massive trembling. The world shook so hard, Equestria even seemed ready to crumble upon itself. Applejack and Fluttershy fell to the floor, and couldn't do anything to get back up. They merely covered their heads and hoped that it would end. When the trembling stopped, Applejack was the first to open her eyes. Just as she suspected, the entire world was frozen again. Which meant that the monsters were back. "Frozen in ice, just as you said." stammered Fluttershy as she stood up slowly, struggling slightly to maintain her balance after experiencing such a large earthquake. "I must say, though, the 'alarm' that you get is a lot more.......prominent....than just a simple siren." She looked at the entrance to the Everfree Forest again. Almost every tree was frozen in a block of ice, and every block of ice was connected to each other to form a solid wall, which left only one opening to the Everfree Forest. Fluttershy's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of static coming from Applejack's camera and the flickering of her flashlight. "There's no time to lose." Applejack said as she stood up. "We better hightail in there." She gestured towards the entrance to the Everfree Forest. The sound of the monster's high-pitched shrieking filled the air. "What was that?" Fluttershy asked, ears perked. The high-pitched shrieking noise was heard again. "They're coming." said Applejack simply. "For us. We have to move. Come on." And then they galloped to the Everfree Forest. The ice that had formed around the trees were all connected to make large walls, which all made one large, single hallway. The static that came out of Applejack's camera never stopped, nor did it get quieter. In fact, it seemed to get louder everytime they ran several feet. "They're close." Applejack said. They stopped before a fork in the in the hallway. There were three paths that could take. Applejack dashed for the middle path. She checked to see if Fluttershy was still following close behind, which she was glad to see that she was. She turned her head back in front of her, expecting to see an empty hallway, but instead, she saw them. The monsters were there. And they were running right towards them! Applejack turned right on her heels. Fluttershy, upon seeing the monsters, did the same, following close to Applejack. When they went back to the fork in the path, Applejack turned her head left....only to see more monsters coming out of that path. She then turned her head forwards to see the path that they had come from earlier was also teeming with monsters. They were surrounded on three sides, which meant that they only had one more way to go. "This way!" Applejack said as she turned right into the other fork of the hallway, with Fluttershy following close behind. She quickly looked down the path to see that it was, conveniently enough, monster-free. They ran and ran and ran, with the shrieks of the monsters and their stomping hoofsteps egging them on like nothing else. Applejack looked to her left and noticed for the first time that the ice was transparent. She saw monsters of the other side of the ice, banging on them in a futile attempt to get in. They ran for what seemed like an eternity, until Applejack saw it. They reached the river! They ran to the edge of the river and stopped. Applejack's hopes got up.....and then shot back down as soon as they had got up. They had reached the river, but what now? It was encased inside of a giant room with walls of ice on all four sides, with only one opening that connected to the giant room, the same opening which the monsters were now pouring out of. The river was the only thing in this room, and probably all of Equestria right now, that wasn't frozen. The monsters approached them slowly, instilling fear into them. Their slow progression slowed down even further and further, until they suddenly stopped. Applejack couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu from this scenario that was not unfolding right before them. Applejack couldn't quite place her hoof on why she had this feeling, until she felt a presence from behind her. She had a feeling as to what the presence was. She turned around slowly, slowly allowing the presence to slip first into ehr peripheral vision, and then her main field of view. What she saw was a stallion, with white fur. She looked up at it's face....only it didn't have a face. It wore a mask. A mask that pulsed and throbbed with what seemed like pure darkness. It had a pale blue mane that seemed to glow dimly. Fluttershy then turned around and noticed the white pony for the first time. "Ah." She said thoughtfully. "So this is your demon." Applejack didn't seem to hear her. She felt cold. Very cold. Colder than when the monsters wrapped their arms around her in their deathly embrace. Colder than she had ever felt before. As the white pony approached her, she felt colder and colder. Her mind raced. A voice in her head told her to run, but run where? She was trapped. The white pony stopped before them. It looked at Applejack and Fluttershy, studying them both closely. Without warning, it raised one arm and grabbed Fluttershy first. She struggled and fought against the white pony's iron grip, but her efforts were futile. Then, again, without warning, Applejack had a vision, at the same time that the white pony also grabbed for her. Applejack once again saw the farm that she was raised on. She saw the pony in the business suit, again with that air of maliciousness around him. Only this time, his smile was gone, with somewhat of a look of anger. "No thank you." said Applejack's father firmly. "And that's final." Applejack's father led his wife and kids into the farm and then slammed the door shut. The pony in the business suit looked furious, however, he forced himself to remain calm. Fluttershy continued to struggle violently against the grip on the white pony, however, Applejack's efforts were not as strong. She was somewhat half-heartedly fighting the grip of the white pony, yet another part of her was too engrossed in the visions she was having. The white pony dragged them both towards the river. Applejack knew in her gut what the white pony was going to do to both of them. Young filly Applejack was in a wooded area near the farm. There was a flowing river nearby. She was alone with the pony in the business suit. "Don't worry, little filly." The business suited pony said to a young filly Applejack. "I'm not going to hurt ya." Suddenly, the business suited pony grabbed filly Applejack by the scruff of her neck and dragged her to a river. "Just kidding. I lied." He submerged her in the water, drowning her. Applejack fought and struggled against the grasp of the business suited pony, but alas, her efforts were meaningless. The pony was too strong for a young filly like Applejack. It was nighttime, and it was near winter. Far enough from winter so that there was not yet snow, yet close enough that it was quite cold outside. The water was cold upon entry, but as Applejack fought and struggled against the business suited pony, she could start to feel Death's embrace, and Death's embrace was very cold; much colder than the water she was submerged in. Just as Applejack was feeling Death's embrace in her vision, she was also starting to feel Death's embrace in Silent Ponyville. It felt a lot like the freezing cold embrace of the white pony-esque monsters that populated the town. Just as Death began to embrace filly Applejack, she felt herself lifted out of the water and thrown onto the ground, coughing water out of her lungs and shivering violently. She looked back and saw her savior. It was her father. Her father bucked the business suited pony hard in the face. Blood shot out of the business suited pony's mouth, teeth flew out, and he stumbled back and grabbed his face tenderly. Snarling in fury, the business suited pony's horn lit up. A bolt of magic shot out, aimed at Applejack's father. He dodged it and bucked the business suited pony's face again, this time causing more damage, as his face swelled up, and he had a black eye. Applejack's father looked at her. "Run." he mouthed. Filly Applejack did what she was told. She looked back as she ran. Applejack's mother had also joined the fray. Filly Applejack stopped to watch. She had faith in her parents. They were strong, in mind and in body. Surely they would win this fight. The business suited pony was bruised and battered. He howled loudly, louder than filly Applejack thought was ponily possible. His horn lit up once again, bolts of magic flying everywhere. One of the bolts hit Applejack's father. He fell to the floor, not moving. He was dead. Applejack's mother screamed, as did filly Applejack. Filly Applejack could feel tears streaming down her face, she could barely keep her eyes open however, she forced herself to keep watching. The business suited pony turned to Applejack's mother and fired a bolt of magic at her. The bolt of magic hit her, and she fell, however, she was still alive. She struggled to stand up. As her mother struggled to stand up, the business suited pony fired another bolt of magic at her, gravely injuring her. The business suited pony walked slowly over to Applejack's mother, a big grin on his face. He stood before Applejack's mother, reveling in his victory. Then, without warning, Applejack's mother threw her head back and uttered a horrible scream. A scream of agony, a scream of pain, and a scream of loss. Her horn lit up with magic for the first time since she joined the fight. Despite her strong physical build, her magic was sloppy and weak. She was more like an earth pony than even her own husband, and yet now her horn glowed brightly. She let out one final scream, and then a bright white light flashed before their eyes. Filly Applejack shut her eyes as the bright light flashed. She slowly opened them, and she was shocked at what she saw. The business suited pony and herm other were both frozen in a block of ice. Filly Applejack was an earth pony and knew next to nothing about magic, and yet she knew what spell her mother had just used. She knew, because one night, she had snuck into her mother's study and peeped into a book she was reading. Despite being very magically weak, she did know how to do one powerful spell. But only one, and it was a spell that almost nopony even dared to use. It was the eternal ice spell, where one sacrificed themselves to freeze themselves and one or more enemies in a block of ice. It was a death sentence, and the ice behaved just as the spell suggested it did. It never melted. It never shattered. Few things in existence were truly eternal, but this ice was. Applejack's vision had ended. This was the first time she had encountered the white pony in Silent Ponyville, outside her nightmares, and she was terrified at first, but now she knew what it was. The masked white pony seemed to sense that she knew what it was, as when Applejack's vision had ended, the white pony immediately let go of both her and Fluttershy and backed away. Applejack and Fluttershy pulled themselves out of the water, coughing and shivering. Applejack looked at the white pony, now without fear, but instead, with understanding and determination. The pony-esque monsters all crumbled and fell away, not even leaving behind dust or residue. The white pony walked down the hallway and seemed to disappeared from view. The world stayed frozen, however. Applejack turned to look at Fluttershy. "Fluttershy." She said. "Thanks for offering your help, but, now I know what's going on. I know what that monster is. I appreciate if you want to continue to give me help, but now I know I have to face that thing alone." Then, as if on cue, a wall of ice appeared, seperating Fluttershy and Applejack. Fluttershy's body started to flicker, and then started to fade away from existence. Fluttershy smiled as she faded away. "Good job Applejack." She said. "I'm proud of you. Good luck." And then she faded away. Fluttershy felt the world spinning. Spinning endlessly, yet rising upwards at the same time. The spinning sensation stopped, and she found herself back in the real world. "Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. "You got disconnected from Applejack's mind?" "Yeah." said Fluttershy plainly. "But it wasn't your fault, and it wasn't the monsters." "Then who was it?" "It was Applejack." said Fluttershy. "She has to finish this alone. By herself. She even said so." Fluttershy then inhaled deeply and then exhaled. "She's doing a lot better than I did. Everything's making sense to her faster than it made sense for me." Fluttershy then looked at Twilight. "And now all we can do is wait for her." Applejack took out her map and checked it. The X was gone completely, and the map itself was blank. It was blank, except for one word. "Forward." "Well, I guess that's where I should move." Applejack concluded. She put her map back into her bag and then started walking down the narrow hallway. Instead of reaching the fork in the path again, though, she saw a long staircase leading down to what looked like a pit of darkness. She descended the stairs into the darkness.