//------------------------------// // First Steps // Story: Hearts of Ice and Souls of Fire // by Taranasauruso_o //------------------------------// Chapter two. First steps - Fireflies floated in the air, no longer contained by the magic of Twist’s dance. Pip stared at them in awe, pulled into a trance by their magical aura. Dinky Doo stood beside him, also transfixed, but not on the glowing bugs. Instead she stared towards the center of the clearing, towards a large, glowing orb. The orb began to rotate, pulsating as it spun around in circles. “Pip, what is that?” Dinky took a step forward, entering into the clearing for the first time. Pip followed her, unsure whether it was safer in the clearing or outside of it. The orb continued to pulsate, spinning wildly and emitting random flashes of light. It began to shrink as it spun, as if pulling itself from the inside out. Something pushed and prodded against the top most part of the sphere, forcing its skin to bend and flex. The ball grew smaller and smaller, until a cone-shaped object was almost fully visible at the top. As the orb grew smaller, the base of the cylinder began to expand, extending outwards slightly. The sphere shrunk until it disappeared completely, leaving a lone figure standing in the centre of the clearing. “P-Princess?” Pip squeaked. ‘Hello, my little pony.’ A voice filtered in from around the princess, as if created from the breeze. Dinky stared at the figure, her eyes and mouth open in disbelief. “B-b-b,” was all she managed to stammer out. A loud gasp followed by a thump came from behind her, and she and Pip whirled around to see what the source of the noise was. Sweetie Belle lay, face down, at the bottom of the hill. “Sweetie?!” An orange blur whirled forward from the top of the hill, not paying any attention to the celestial figure that stood in the clearing. It scooped up the fallen mare in it’s arms, turning her over slowly to inspect for damage. When satisfied, it turned away from Sweetie Belle and looked towards Dinky and Pip. “Uh, hi,” Scootaloo said, blushing slightly. “Scootaloo?!” both of them said in unison. “Yeah, that’s me.” Scootaloo stood up, laying Sweetie on the ground as she did so. “How- Wha?” Pip took a step forward, not taking his eyes from Scootaloo. “Surprise?” she said, with a lop-sided grin on her face. “You!” Dinky pushed past Pip, her eyes suddenly full of fire. “How dare you show your face here after what you did!” she snarled, spitting the last word of her sentence. Scootaloo back-peddled, trying to sputter a response. “I- I, Dinky just wait!” Dinky lifted her hoof back, preparing to strike Scootaloo, all of her former amazement from seeing the princess again suddenly gone. Before she could swing, a large ball of dirt flew up from the ground and smashed into her face. She spluttered, taking a step back and using her raised hoof to try and wipe away some of the grime. “Don’t touch her.” Sweetie Belle was suddenly in front of Scootaloo, staring towards Dinky, her eyes ablaze. ‘Stop it!’ Celestia’s voice boomed across the clearing, causing the assembled ponies to freeze where they stood. Slowly, they all swiveled around to face the awaiting princess. “Princess?!” Scootaloo stepped back in shock at the sight of Princess Celestia. She looked... different. Instead of her usual white coat, a golden one shone brightly. Her once colourful mane now only had one colour, a bright yellow. Her body was made from fireflies who hovered around, shaping Celestia’s glowing body. ‘Yes, it is I, princess Celestia,’ Celestia said, taking a step forward. Her hoof connected with the ground as if it were solid, and yet made no sound. “B-but, how?” Scootaloo asked. ‘How is not important at the moment. The most important reason is why.’ Celestia turned away from the ponies and called out into the forest. ‘Applebloom, Twist, you can come out now.’ Slowly, two figures emerged from the trees on the far side of the clearing. Applebloom hung her head low, ashamed for having watched without the knowledge of her friends. Twist, on the other hand, was blushing heavily, embarrassed at being watched whilst she danced. “You’re here too?” Sweetie asked, staring in disbelief at her friends. “Guess we got the whole gang, huh Sweets?” Scootaloo nudged Sweetie Belle in the ribs, chuckling slightly. “Er, hi guyths,” Twist said, her lisp showing up strongly as she spoke. “Yeah, hey y’all.” Applebloom walked over and stood next to Twist, who sat near Pip and Dinky. ‘Good, now that we’re all here, it’s time I told you why I’m here.’ Princess Celestia walked into the middle of the circle of ponies, glowing brightly. ‘As you know, my sister and Discord have returned, and I have been banished from equestria. I have a short amount of time to talk, as it’s talking all of my strength to keep this spell running. I have a task for you to complete, a task which may remove this dark veil from Equestria and allow my sun’s light to shine once more.’ She turned around in a slow circle, looking each pony in the eye as she spoke. ‘You must recover what once made this land whole.’ Her body began to flicker as she spoke, the light that she emitted wavering for only a fraction of a second. Celestia seemed to slip, falling onto her front knees. “Princess?” Pip asked, stepping forward. ‘I am fine.’ Celestia pulled herself up from her kneeling position, raising herself to her full height once more. ‘Do not worry, but my time is running short. I-.’ The princesses words were cut short as she stumbled once again, her strength faltering. She opened her mouth to speak once again, but no sound came out. “P-princess?” Dinky took a step forward, stopping just beside Pip. Celestia leaned down and grasped a stick between her glowing lips. The stick rose upwards slightly, before slipping through the grasp of the fireflies. It clattered to the ground with a dull thud, causing Celestia to stamp her hoof in frustration. She leaned down again, attempting to grasp it once more. This time her grip stayed and the stick floated upwards. Quickly, she pointed the end towards the ground and dug it into the earth, using it as some form of quill. She began to write, words flowing freely from the end of her make-shift pen. A poem began to take shape from Celestia’s writing. A forest is where the answer lies, Not green and full of life, Here the truth will arise, A canopy of red and strife. The forest burns alone at night, A silent provider of insanity, A fiery lantern burning bright, Not the biased cause of calamity. Head forth across the frozen planes, Around which time doth slow, Keep close that of friendship’s chains, To stop death’s final crow. Your destination lies beyond A town of which you know, In which lies that will strengthen your bond, And leave with all to show. Celestia reached the bottom of her poem and scrawled something on the ground below where she had written. With a cry of pain, she dropped the stick and rose onto her hindlegs. Celestia’s light began to glow brighter and brighter, until it reached a level of brightness that caused Pip to look away. Celestia exploded, sending fireflies spiralling away from her. When Pip looked back to where she stood just moments before, he found the spot empty. “Princess?!” He ran forward, desperately searching for Celestia. Dinky, meanwhile, began to read the poem to herself, whispering it softly into the wind. “A forest is where the answer lies, not green and full of life... The forest burns alone at night, a silent provider of insanity... Burning forest, burning, forest. That’s it!” She cried out, leaping back in joy. “What’s it?” Scootaloo was standing next to Dinky, reading over her shoulder. “We’ve got to go to the Forest of Flames!” Dinky bounced around in a circle, beaming proudly at her realisation. “What, why?” “Isn’t it obvious?” Dinky stopped bouncing and made her way to where the second verse was written. “Look,” she said, gesturing towards the first line. “The forest burns alone at night, the forest burns! A burning forest. How many forests do you know that are on fire.” Scootaloo looked up into her skull, pretending to count. “One... two... three... er, none!” “So, it’s clear, we’ve got to head to this ‘Forest of Fire’ place, where ever that is.” “You’ve never heard of it?” Sweetie looked appalled. “Never?” “Why, should I have?” Sweetie rolled her eyes at her friends’ reaction. “Ugh! Never mind, just... just,” Sweetie paused. “We have to go there, okay?” “Alright alright, calm down,” Scootaloo said, backing away from her fuming friend. Something pink and fluffy zoomed downwards, crashing into the top of Scootaloo. ‘Oof!’ it said, bouncing slightly as it collided with Scootaloo. “Ow, cloudy!” Scootaloo fell over, landing on her side as she collapsed. Sweetie Belle jumped back in alarm, gasping at the sudden intrusion. “What the heck?!” Sweetie fell back onto her hindquarters, a look of shock evident on her face. “What is that thing?” Cloudy lifted himself from the ground, shaking slightly in an attempt to clean himself. ‘Thing?’ The cloud seemed to put on a hurt expression, but, being a cloud, it was hard for Sweetie to tell. “That,” Scootaloo said, pulling herself to her hooves. “Is a cloud. A sentient one at that.” “Why is it following you?” ‘Because I chose to,’ Cloudy said, floating over to hover by Scootaloo’s side. ‘She found me, and I found her.’ “Yeah, we’ve been together ever since those guys forced me to leave,” Scootaloo huffed, shrugging her head in the direction of the others. Pip, Dinky, Twist and Applebloom all sat, huddled in a circle, whispering. “Forced you out?” Sweetie asked, confused. “They told me you left.” “They what?!” Pip and the others whirled around to face Scootaloo, surprised at the sudden outburst. She advanced towards them, her head low and eyes hard. Pip started to back away. “Listen Scootaloo, you gotta understand-” “Understand what? That you lied to my best friend?!” Scootaloo spat on the ground again. “That you told me she never wanted to see me again? Is that what I gotta understand, that you broke both of our hearts?!” “With good reason!” thundered Dinky, suddenly by Pip’s side. Applebloom took a step back from the circle, Twist still by her side. “You sold us out! You gave away the location of our friends and family's to Discord!” Sweetie looked towards Scootaloo, her face full of confusion. “Really? Did you do that?” Scootaloo lowered her head, letting it hang in shame. “Yes, I did.” She let the pent up tears begin to fall, splashing softly in the dirt below. She lifted her head suddenly, staring hard at Dinky. “But did you ever stop to think why? Why I did all those things? I did it because... because...” Scootaloo inhaled deeply. “Because he had my sister.” Dinky’s eyes shot open, and she took a step back, suddenly unsure of what she had said. She opened her mouth to speak, but Scootaloo waved her away. “No, let me finish. He had her, and he said he’d give her back if I helped him, if I...” “If you tell me where all your little ‘friends’ are hiding, the I’ll return her home, safe and sound.” Discord leaned down above Scootaloo, grinning wickidly. “So, if I tell you, you’ll give her back?” Scootaloo asked, edging away from the god of chaos. “Yes, that’s what I said.” Discord leaned down until his face filled all of Scootaloo’s vision. “Well?” “I’ll tell you, but you have to promise me that you won’t hurt them.” “I promise.” “He... he said he wouldn’t.” Scootaloo looked towards the ground once more, no longer crying, but still shaking uncontrollably. “But, when I came back to Ponyville, it was... it was... burning. I couldn’t find anyone. When I found you five, I tried to explain, but you wouldn’t hear me. So I, I left.” “Scootaloo I-” Sweetie began. “Had no idea, yeah, I figured,” Scootaloo said, turning to face Sweetie Belle. “I understand, it’s not your fault. It’s nopony’s fault, except mine. And I’m sorry.” She turned to look at the rest of the group, who huddled near the scrawled poem. They stood there, nobody breaking the silence, until Twist stepped forward. “I forgive you Thcootaloo.” And, as if the dam had broken, the rest of the group came upon her, whispering heartfelt apologise. After the moment of warmth, they split apart, turning back to the poem. “So,” Pip began. “Where to now?” Sweetie pointed her hoof towards the trees on the far side of the clearing. “That way, through the forest, and out onto the ice plains. After that, we should reach Hoofington, and, hopefully, the Forest of Fire.” “And y’all are sure that’s where we’re supposed ta go?” Applebloom asked, stepping up to Sweetie. “Positive!” Sweetie beamed, the air around her seeming to glow. “Well then, What are we waiting for?!” **** The coldest winds are those that hit when you leave the warmth of a loved one’s embrace. Fortunately for Pip, the winds he and his friends were experiencing were just the regular, run-of-the mill cold winds, and not the loss of something more. The group sat, huddling together for warmth, on the edge of the frozen plains. Before them stretched a seemingly endless expanse of white, broken only by the brown tips of small mountains. The group had managed to pull up a tent, housing all of them from the howling winds. Well, almost all of them. “G-gawsh darn-nit, I always p-pick the s-short straw!” Applebloom pushed herself closer to the tent, attempting to steal the little warmth that it emanated. “We picked the short straw.” A small cloud drifted lazily downwards towards Applebloom, an orange pegasus on top. “But y’all’ve got that cloud, and all Ah’ve got is what Celestia gave me.” Applebloom shivered slightly and scooted closer to the tent. “I’m sure Cloudy wouldn’t mind an extra passenger.” Scootaloo looked down towards the cloud that she sat on. The cloud seemed to sigh. ‘Fine.’  It lowered itself towards the ground, until it was resting on the floor. Scootaloo pulled herself over on the cloud, then patted the space beside her. “Hop on up!” “Er, but won’t ah just... fall off?” Applebloom reached out a hoof and poked the edge of the cloud experimentally. To her surprise, her hoof connected with it, allowing her to lean slightly. The cloud felt slightly soft beneath her hoof, as if made of carpet. “Nope, Cloudy here’s a special type of cloud,” Scootaloo said, rubbing the top of the cloud with affection. “He used to be a pony, but was cursed by Discord.” Applebloom scampered up the side of the cloud, sitting down next to the orange pegasus. “Used to be a pony? What happened?” ‘I...’ Cloudy had once been a pony. Tall, sporting a chestnut coloured coat and a dark brown mane, he had stood out for his wacky inventions that he was so famous for. He could create a machine that could pull food from non-existence and force it into reality, without the use of magic. He had even been asked to visit Celestia herself at one point, in the hope of making a scale that could detect even the slightest change in weight. During his stay at the royal castle, he had been allowed to wander around the grounds freely. He would do so often, taking his time as he walked through the botanical gardens that surrounded the palace. On one such occasion, he happened to be strolling along a path in the statue section of the gardens. He happened upon a quite peculiar looking statue; a creature with miss-matched body parts making up its existence. The statue seemed to talk to him, as if inviting him to join it in eternal damnation. He stepped closer to the statue, mesmerised by it, as if his legs had a mind of their own. Before he could stop himself from his imminent death, the statue began to glow. The glow enveloped the inventor, rapping him forever in its perfect beams. ‘... After that, I woke up near Ponyville, next to Scootaloo.’ Applebloom stroked the cloud below absent-mindedly, thinking. Scootaloo turned towards Applebloom, smiling slightly. “We’ve been stuck together ever since, he needed me for company, and I needed him for survival.” The two turned back towards the snow plains that stretched out beyond their position. “Tomorrow,” Scootaloo began. “We find out the real meaning for our quest.” Next up: An Icy Reception! A/N: Hey there Hopefully this update didn’t take too long, I was kinda caught up with school. Don’t worry, I should be able to update more regularly now, so that’s that sorted. Big thanks to SanityLost for helping me not lose my sanity whilst writing, without him, I might’ve turned out a pile of rubbish. Also, thanks to MarsOZ, for helping me write the poem. We are Shakepseare! As always, comment, track, thoughts, all that shtuff! Your faithful writer, Taranasaurus.