//------------------------------// // viii - Storm of Boreas // Story: The Path of Absolution - Punishment // by Morningstar1337 //------------------------------// In the Everfree Forest, where ponies fear to tread, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were standing in front of three statues of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They were shocked. “This cannot be.” Rarity said. “My sister, petrified?” She fainted in grief. Pinkie Pie tried to wake her. Fluttershy was remembering what happened when she foalsat the Crusaders, She remembered their last foray into the forest, and the appearance of the Cockatrice. She couldn't help but draw parallels. Rarity managed to wake up. She took another look at Sweetie Belle’s statue. “It’s all my fault!” She broke down in tears. “No,” Applejack said. “It was my fault. none of this would have happened if I was able to catch that mob in time.” “But I was the one who blew the whistle on Gabby Gums!” Rarity said. “I was the one who--” “Enough!” Twilight Sparkle interrupted. “No one is at fault here. She sighed. She examined the statues while the others were thinking of what to do now. Fluttershy was still thinking of that night she foalsat the Crusaders. Diamond Tiara was in the editing room of the Foal Free Press. She went in front of her classmates. “I decided to resign as editor in chief of the paper,” she said. The other students cheered. Although Silver Spoon noticed something was different with Diamond Tiara. “I’ve decided that the press...” She began her resignation speech. Silver Spoon finally saw what was different from usual. Diamond’s tiara was as white as snow compared to her more silvery ones. It also resembled a crown with several snowflakes decorating it. “That’s odd,” Silver Spoon said. After finishing her speech Diamond Tiara left the classroom. Silver Spoon went to follow her. “Hey,” Silver Spoon said. “Why are you leaving?” “Oh, Silver Spoon,” Diamond Tiara said. “I’m going to take a trip somewhere. I’ll see you when I get back okay?” She left her friend behind and headed out of the schoolyard. Silver Spoon was worried, she decided to follow her friend. Back at the Everfree Forest Twilight finished examining the statues. She noticed that each of them has an item of sorts: a set of scales, a scythe and a sword. But the most striking thing she noticed was their eyes. The eyes of each statute were not  tissues of cones and rods, but amethyst orbs of a deep violet. Twilight them remembered something and took out her Mythical Creatures book, Turning to where Pinkie was when she asked her to read it-- the pages about the Galus serpens amethystos. “Guess we better hit the road,” Applejack said, comforting Rarity. They were about to leave. Fluttershy was finished remembering the events of that night. Thoughts of the Crusaders were racing through her head. It mustn’t, it mustn’t... “It mustn't end like this!” Fluttershy said. Everypony was shocked by her words. “Twilight, let me see that book.” Twilight lifted the book to Fluttershy. She read the pages about the amethyst cockatrice and said, “I’ll find this cockatrice and make this right.” “But how are you gonna find who petrified Sweetie Belle and the others?” Rarity said. “I don’t know,” Fluttershy said. “But I know that we still have a chance to save them!” “That’s right,” Twilight said. She remember her last encounter with a cockatrice. She knows that the effect is reversible, she wouldn't be here otherwise. “We have to hurry,” Fluttershy said. “We have 108 hours to find the amethyst cockatrice or else Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo will forever be petrified.” She left to begin her search. Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash began to follow Fluttershy. Applejack and Rarity took a look at the petrified Crusaders. “Don’t worry sugarcube,” Applejack said. “We’ll fix this, I promise.” “Farewell, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo.” The two mares followed their friends in search of the cockatrice. Diamond Tiara trotted through Ponyville. The townsponies were acting bitter and hateful. Without Pinkie Pie to cheer them up, the town fell into a state of dissagreement and distrust. She didn’t mind. She wanted to know what awaits her at Unicorn Range. Silver Spoon on the other hand was concerned. “I had never seen the town this...mad,” Silver Spoon said. She had never seen the town mad enough to take it out on each other before. The experience was jarring compared to a few days ago. She was careful not to be spotted by her friend. She saw Diamond Tiara speaking to nopony in particular. “So what are you supposed to be exactly?” Diamond Tiara said. “I am but a humble servant,” A voice from her tiara said. “I serve the windwalkers.” “Windwalkers?” Diamond Tiara said. “You’ll find out soon enough, your majesty,” The voice said. Diamond Tiara did like the sound of that. She went ahead to Unicorn Range. Silver Spoon was worried. She continued to trail her silently. Diamond Tiara went to the train station and entered the train heading to the Range. Silver Spoon entered another car on the same train just before the doors closed. Later, Over Cast, Gale Force, Cloudchaser, Flitter and Star Song were on the edge of the storm at Unicorn Range. They flew over the belt of the storm looking for survivors. Over Cast was shocked. She knew the storm was big, but she ever thought it would never be this big. She wondered how this storm was allowed to grow, but she realized that this storm was unusual from the beginning, because the pegasi were unable to control the blizzard. “Well this storm’s colder than I expected,”  Cloudchaser said. Flitter and Star Song were shivering in the cold. “Y-y-y-yeah,” Flitter said. “It s-s-s-sure is c-c-c-cold.” “You’re sure that these barriers will protect us?” Star Song said. “Of course,” Gale Force said. “We just gotta get out of the storm at times to let them recharge." He looked at  the storm. He saw a frozen wasteland. He was still suspicious of the storm and what secrets lurk inside. “Why did you include lightning protection anyway?” Over Cast said. “There’s no lightning in this storm.” “You can never be too careful,” Gale said. “Anyway we should split up and cover more ground.” Flitter rushed to hold Cloudchaser’s hoof. Star Song did the same. “I’m with Cloudchaser,”  Flitter said. “Me too,” Star Song said. Cloudchaser was a little flustered. “Fine,” Gale Force said. ‘We’ll split into two teams. Over Cast, with me. We’ll meet up back here in a few hours.” The groups then went their separate ways and went into the blizzard. Meanwhile, Diamond Tiara went off the train at the nearest station to Unicorn Range. “You’re not gonna stop at Unicorn Range? Are you serious?” She said to the stallion asking for tickets. “It’s too dangerous to go there right now,” he said. “Why do you need to head there anyway?” “No reason.” She lied. She exited the train knowing that arguing with the conductor won’t help her get there. “Relax,” the voice in the tiara said. “We’re almost there.” She looked to see the storm a few miles off. Silver Spoon was watching from behind a copy of the Foal Free Press that she found on the train. She cut out some eye-holes so that she could watch what Diamond Tiara was doing. She exited the train from a different exit and hid behind a beam. The voice of the tiara said, “You know that a queen is nothing without her servants. And my people may not be enough.” “What do you mean?” Diamond Tiara said. “My people are powerful but they still need more than a queen. They need three others to bring out their full powers.” “And those three are?” Diamond Tiara said. “I can’t say much now. Not before your coronation. But I can say that the queen of the windwalkers need more than just someone who would lead our conquest. But someone who can bring forth death, someone willing to wage war and most importantly, someone to end our famine.” “Very well then,” Diamond Tiara said. She headed towards the storm. Silver Spoon continued to follow her. “Diamond Tiara,” she said, “What’s happened to you?” Diamond Tiara had entered the storm. Her tiara was somehow preventing the weather from affecting her. The voice in the tiara lead her to a high point in Unicorn Range. Silver Spoon was following her from a distance. She noticed that there were ponies, frozen in a state of anger, hatred and fear. The sight made her shiver more than the cold did. Diamond Tiara went to the highest point of the valley. “Diamond Tiara,” the voice said. “Are you ready to take your throne?” She hesitated for a moment but she wanted to know. “Yes I am. Just tell me my destiny. Tell me what my cutie mark means.” “Very well.” A spirit emerged from the tiara, and she began to float. Nearby, Over Cast and Gale Force saw a filly and went to investigate. Diamond Tiara was scared, but somehow she felt at peace. The spirit said, ‘Diamond Tiara, O heiress to the throne of Ithaqua, the Wind-Walker, King of the frozen wastes. Thou art the one to lead us into our conquest!” Diamond Tiara was being covered in a cocoon of ice and snow. Silver Spoon could not believe her bespectacled eyes. Over Cast and Gale Force saw something emerging from the clouds. Gale Force was shocked. His suspicions were confirmed. Ethereal horses swirled around Diamond Tiara’s cocoon. The windwalker that emerged from the tiara said, “Queen Diamond Tiara, O heiress to the throne of Ithaqua. Thou shalt help engulf Equestria in hatred, and cover the land in ice.” The ice that made up the cocoon began to shift and unfold. “Queen Diamond Tiara, O heiress to the throne of Ithaqua. Thou hast been transformed.” Diamond Tiara emerged from the cocoon, now with a pair of wings of ice attached to her sides. There a ice horn lies on her forehead. “Queen Diamond Tiara. O heiress to the throne of Ithaqua. It is my pleasure to name ye queen of the windigos!” The now-alicorn Diamond Tiara descended to the snow below. Silver Spoon was shocked. Never before has she seen anypony transformed into an alicorn, especially one with icy wings and a horn to match. But she knew that her friend was no longer herself. “What happened to you, Diamond Tiara.” She said. She went into view of the windigos. Diamond Tiara was stunned by her friend’s appearance. “Silver Spoon?” Diamond Tiara said. “What are you doing here?” “I came here because I knew that something in you changed. You know that the windigos nearly froze Equestria before." Gale saw Silver Spoon amid the ice. “Over Cast,” Gale pointed to the grey filly. “Get her, find the others and get away from here.” “What are you doing?” Over Cast said. “I’m gonna stop this. It’s too dangerous here.” “Don’t be stupid! you’ll freeze to death before you get this far!” “Look above!” Gale pointed to the windigos above. “If I don’t do something we’re all gonna die!” Over Cast said, “No, I’ll stop her. You go save the foal.” “But Over Cast--” “But nothing. If you die here, who’s gonna manage the weather teams. They need you.” She turned her back “More than they need me.” She flew into the cyclone of windigos in an attempt to distract Diamond Tiara. Meanwhile, Silver Spoon was still talking with Diamond Tiara. She could see in her eyes not the friend she used to tease the other fillies with, but a monster with a heart of ice. She felt betrayed. “Why?” she said. “You were my friend. You helped me when I was a small foal. Why, Diamond Tiara?” Her sadness was slowly being replaced with anger and hatred and she began to freeze over. “I am not Diamond Tiara anymore,” the windigo queen said. “I am Queen Diamond Dust! And you shall all be frozen over.” She smirked. “Diamond Dust,” her advisor said, “A perfect name for our queen.” The windigos began to charge at Silver Spoon. She tried to run but her hooves were frozen in place. The windigos began to freeze her solid. She collapsed from the cold. Over Cast descended between Diamond Dust and Silver Spoon, her barriers stopping the windigos. Gale Force also descended and freed the unconscious Silver Spoon from her icy restraints and flew away. “So you’re the cause of this storm, huh?” Over Cast said. “Maybe,” Diamond said. “What are you gonna do about it?” “I’m gonna stop you from hurting more innocent ponies.” “We’ll see,” Diamond Dust said. She used her newfound wings to fly into the stratosphere. Over Cast followed her into the clouds. Gale Force carried the unconscious Silver Spoon across the storm until he saw Cloudchaser, Flitter and Star Song. “Gale?” Cloudchaser said. “Who’s this filly, and where’s Over Cast?” “No time,” Gale said. “Take this filly and get her out of the storm.” “Where are you going?” Flitter said. “I have to help Over Cast. Get out before the storm gets any worse.” Gale flew away. The other three pegasi knew that they had to get Silver Spoon out before she froze. And so they went.