Snowblind
by crowmagnon
A Frozen Heart
Rarity was upset, due in large part to the fact that she couldn't allow herself to act like she was upset.
From a young age, Rarity Stone had never been one to mask her emotions. As a filly, when her head had been filled with dreams of fairy tale romance and gem-studded dresses, even her best friends had called her "the reigning drama queen of all time."
Drama PRINCESS, if you don't mind. The old standby retort still echoed in her mind. After all, everypony knew princesses were better than queens. Still, that was years ago, and she had since come to the conclusion that she was not the glamorous damsel of a storybook romance who would be courted and fawned over before being swept off her hooves by a dashing and chivalrous noblepony.
Despite setting aside her foalhood dreams in favor of a life spent working the earth and coaxing beautiful gems out of humble stones, she had never developed the stoicism associated with others in her field. She had always remained true to her heart, and very rarely refrained from expressing her feelings.
Even so, she felt that she had to try her hardest to keep the little ones from seeing what was really going on behind her attempts to project a mask of calm. She was afraid, of course. Bucking terrified, if one were to get technical about it.
What she had to hide from the others, especially her son and little sister, was that she was furious.
Gertrude had just left them alone to be watched over by the mysterious armored pony. Applejack was confronting the pegasus, demanding to know how any pony could help the monstrous griffon who had trapped them inside Sugarcube Corner, but she only got threatening growls in response.
Of course the traitor is a pegasus. Just like Fluttershy. They're probably working together.
Rarity almost turned her gaze toward Fluttershy, but quickly turned her head away as she felt her guts twist with anger. Instead, she looked toward the Cakes who were huddling together. Carrot kept whispering reassurances to his wife and nuzzling her barrel, much like how Sweetie Belle was pressed tightly against her big sister's side.
Where Spike should be.
Everypony, including Rarity, had been in a state of shock and concern for the pegasus and Apple Bloom when they had come crashing in through the window.
She's so good at acting cute and innocent to get what she wants.
The armored pony had taken most of the impact and shielded them from the broken glass, so neither of them had suffered severe injuries, though they had been understandably rattled.
How convenient that she fell through a glass window with only a few cuts and scrapes. Really makes her look like a hero, doesn't it?
Even Spike had gone to her, to make sure that Fluttershy and Apple Bloom were okay. As if she had never chomped his tail just that morning. Like he wasn't her little baby, and it wasn't Rarity's duty to keep that sort of harm from ever befalling her beloved Spikey-wikey. And now she had him and the little earth pony filly wrapped nice and snugly in her wings as though she were their mother.
She wants to take him from me.
Trying to keep the two little ones away from their real family. From their mother and big sister.
Spike and Apple Bloom are just tools to her. She's using them to get back at me and Applejack for yelling at her.
A cold, twisted knot of rage formed in the pit of her stomach as, in Rarity's mind, she could see it as clear as day. Fluttershy and Iron Will, the celebrity interspecies couple, conspiring to take Spike away and adopt him for their own. But not to love him the way she could. Not as the devoted mother who had loved and cared for him from the moment he was first hatched. No, they would trot him out in front of the cameras. Bask in the fame and novelty. Dress him up in little outfits and make him pose and preen like some sort of pet, and then keep him locked away in the basement when they didn't need him.
"Rarity!"
Sweetie Belle's squeaky voice was as soft as a whisper, but forceful enough to pierce through her horrible daydream. As the vision of Spike trapped in a cold, dank cellar evaporated, Rarity realized that at some point, she had turned her gaze back upon Fluttershy, who was nuzzling the distraught but exhausted Apple Bloom.
"You were grinding your teeth really hard," Sweetie Belle said after she got her big sister's attention. "And... and you started to feel cold..."
"Oh... Thank you, Sweetie. It's alright, I'm okay now," she whispered, nuzzling her little sister as she pushed her anger aside. But as she glanced toward Fluttershy, her eyes narrowed. "But wait here for a moment. I'll be right back..."
Her little sister clearly didn't want to leave Rarity's side as the older unicorn stood up, but a bit of magic held her in place as Rarity made her way toward the pegasus who was currently both her friend and the target of her mortal hatred.
As she drew closer, Rarity could hear that Fluttershy was whispering what sounded like motivational catch-phrases to Apple Bloom. "And if somepony makes you scared, picture them with no hair!" This got a snort of laughter from Spike, but no more than a weak smile out of Apple Bloom which faded quickly.
Seeing Rarity approach, Fluttershy looked up at the unicorn. "Hi, Rarity. Did you want Spike back? He's such a sweet little guy, I'm just glad he forgave me..."
"'Sokay, Missus Fwuttershy," the baby dragon hugged the yellow mare's neck. "I was just surpwised. It didn' weally hurt," he assured her.
Fluttershy smiled and nuzzled a little while he hugged her. "Well, you are a big, strong dragon. You even scared that mean old griffon, didn't you?"
Rarity felt her jaw clench again as her adopted son beamed from Fluttershy's praise.
"Yes," the unicorn practically hissed, and she had to fight back much harsher words. At least in front of Spike. "Listen, Fluttershy, I--"
Before she could say what she wanted to, Rarity was interrupted by the sound of Gertrude's claws slicing through the ice. Acting on reflex, she quickly yanked Spike away with her magic and set him on her back as she hurried to return to Sweetie Belle's side. Nopony will take my family from me. Nopony! She managed to get back to Sweetie Belle just as the griffon stepped into the room, the entrance sealing shut behind her.
Gertrude's gaze slowly passed over each of the ponies, who shivered when they felt her cold white eyes on them. She then shook her head solemnly and told them, "It seems that your friends and neighbors have chosen not to cooperate. They do not think that your safety and well-being is worth the price I ask of them."
"Wh-what're ya gonna do with us...?" Apple Bloom's voice was tiny and still cracking from the strain she had put on it before, but the question hung heavily in the air.
Gertrude didn't answer the filly's question. Instead, she turned to address the Cakes while pointing a single razor-sharp talon at the yellow pegasus. "I will be speaking with this one upstairs. Bring up something to eat while I do," she commanded.
Fluttershy squeaked. "Speak with me?"
"Yes, you will be first."
Apple Bloom whimpered and hugged herself close to Fluttershy, who clearly didn't want to leave the filly's side. "That was not a request," the griffon explained, swiftly snatching Fluttershy up in her talons. With the pegasus held in her frigid grip, she pushed past the other ponies and made her way up the stairway to the floor above the bakery where the Cakes lived.
Silence filled the room as Gertrude left, and Rarity took a deep breath before looking at the other ponies again. Left without the warmth of Fluttershy's wing, Apple Bloom timidly made her way toward Sweetie Belle in order to be close to her friend. the little filly didn't even see the armored pegasus make a move toward her as she passed, only for Applejack to quickly put herself in the way so that Apple Bloom could easily reach the unicorns and baby dragon.
As the young earth pony flopped down next to Sweetie Belle and leaned against her friend to share what warmth she could, Spike toddled over to her other side and gently nuzzled up against her, his scaley little body proving to be warm thanks to the miniature magical furnace inside of him. Apple Bloom gave them a weak smile as she lay down with her chin resting on the floor before she croaked, "Worst... Winter Wrap-up... ever. Of all time."
Everypony in the room sighed and nodded in agreement, including the pegasus.
"I-it's alright, Apple Bloom," Carrot Cake stammered, picking himself up. "We'll be okay. Your big sister and Miss Rarity and Miss Fluttershy... they all helped save Princess Celestia and woke up Princess Luna, right? So they'll make sure nothing happens to us... right...?" He glanced back at his wife, then looked to the two mares with a pleading look in his eyes.
Rarity nodded and replied, "Of course, Mr. Cake. You and Cup should just play along and bring them some food for now. We'll focus on doing everything we can to keep everypony safe." Assuming we can even trust Fluttershy not to sell us out. I should have known we can't trust an 'Element of Laughter' when there's a real problem, Rarity thought, though the voice in her head that was saying such things felt somewhat quieter, almost more distant now.
It gave her a chance to instead think, I just hope that Twilight and the others are coming to the rescue...
-----
Lt. Sparkle shot blasts of magic at the ice surrounding Sugarcube Corner, probing its durability. It was risky, given that Gertrude had hostages inside, but she had failed to rouse the griffon's ire after her initial, weak spells battering against the frozen shell. Gradually working her way up to more and more powerful bursts of focused magical force did nothing but demonstrate why Gertrude seemed to mind so little, however.
Twilight had methodically ratcheted up the amount of force that she put into her blasts, also infusing them with various properties in an attempt to melt or break the ice. Even when focusing beams of heat at the ice, however, it simply re-froze too quickly for her spells to make so much as a permanent dimple.
Giving up for the moment, Twilight panted and perspired heavily from the sustained effort. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash was right there to help wipe away the sweat before it could freeze. "Don't push yourself too hard, Twi. I know you're a powerhouse, but even you have limits."
"Especially me," the unicorn muttered under her breath.
"What was that?"
The unicorn shook her head. "I said I'll be fine, Rainbow. I had to try, anyway. That griffon's got some seriously powerful magic. She might even be as strong as the princesses, and if we're trapped by the storm, we can't send anypony out to get help." She then let out a shrill whistle that signalled the bat-pony flying in circles around Sugarcube Corner.
Within moments, Sergeant Nocturne set down in the snow next to Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Her expression was grim as she shook her head. "No good, Lieutenant. I could hear stress points whenever you hit it, but it was different every time. That shell is constantly reinforcing itself." Nocturne's tufted ears twitched as she quietly added, "Worse... I definitely heard voices inside. They were muffled, so I couldn't get a clear idea of exactly who or how many, but..."
When Nocturne trailed off, Rainbow Dash hesitantly asked, "But what, Sarge?"
The thestral glanced at Dash, a regretful frown forming as she quickly looked away and focusing on Twilight. "There are foals in there, Lieutenant. And one of them sounded a lot like Spike."
Lt. Sparkle's breath caught in her throat at this news. "If that's true, then Rarity's in there with him." She looked around, surveying the faces in the crowd. Pinkamena was nearby, but there was no sign of the other three bearers of the Elements of Harmony. "At the moment, we'll have to prepare for the worst and assume that Applejack and Fluttershy are hostages, too."
"Hostages?!" This came from the loud, gruff voice of Iron Will, who had been hobbling toward them on his crutch when he overheard the purple unicorn. His face was pale at the thought as he asked, "Everypony's saying there's some kind of monster in there... and you think my Fluttershy's trapped with it?!"
Lt. Sparkle let out a groan and was quick to turn around to reassure the fretting minotaur. The last thing she needed at the moment was for panic to start spreading throughout the crowd more than it already had. "Mr. Will, we don't know that for sure just yet, so it doesn't help anypony to jump to conclusions. And even if she is, I promise you that we'll do everything equinely possible to make sure nopony gets hurt."
Iron Will looked down at Twilight, his gruff voice quavering as he replied, "Promise? I promised I'd always be there for her! I promised I'd always protect her! Sickness and health, peaceful days and random monster attacks!"
Pinkamena chose that moment to approach them, tilting her head and blinking a few times. "Wow. That was actually in your vows? I guess that makes sense, since you two used to be on the road so much. We should do that here in Ponyville, being right next to the Everfree and everything."
"Not the best time, Pinkamena," Rainbow Dash whispered to her poetic friend while Iron Will ground his teeth together in a mix of anger and fear.
Slamming a fist into the palm of his other hand, the frustrated minotaur growled, "I can't just stand back and do nothing! Not when my little Fluttershy needs me! I'll smash that igloo open and take this monster apart-"
-----
"-With his bare hands! By the time he's through, you'll just be a boneless pile of jelly! I'd like to see you try to pick a fight after that."
Gertrude stared at the yellow pegasus in disbelief. She had separated her from the rest of her hostages in order to intimidate Fluttershy into giving up the location of the Elements just in case her threats didn't drive the three outside to collect them for her. Instead, Fluttershy's big blue eyes were focused on Gertrude's own, projecting unwavering confidence and conviction as she described in vivid detail what Iron Will would do to her if he got his hands on the griffon.
How did I allow this pathetic little mare to dominate the conversation? I will make her cower, the griffon of Winter thought to herself as she narrowed her eyes and leaned in close enough for a thin rime of frost to form on the pegasus's pink mane. "And what makes you think that I want a wing massage," she practically hissed.
Even as she felt the cold radiating from the giant griffon, a coy little smile spread across Fluttershy's face. "Trust me, Gertrude, even if you don't think you want one right now, you need one of Will's wing massages. The things he can do with his thumbs... ooh~!" The pegasus's cheeks pinked as she shivered, her wings popping straight up at the thought.
"Oh, I'd say it's better than sex, but... well, I don't want to get you too jealous, because I'm keeping that all to myself," she said with a saucy giggle. "At the end of a stressful day, though, nothing's better than settling in and letting him work his magic on my wings and back. Just give it a try, and you'll feel sooooo much happier."
"I DON'T WANT TO BE HAPPY!" Gertrude suddenly roared at the pegasus with such ferocity that her mane was blown back, freezing in place so that it looked like Fluttershy had a pink cone attached to the back of her head. The volume of the roar was so great that thin cracks formed across the griffon's face as it contorted into the most vicious snarl Fluttershy had ever seen.
"There is no happiness anymore," the griffon sneered, slamming her talons against the floor and slicing deep gouges into the boards. "Your rulers stole it all from me! The Element of Generosity! The hearts of my people! My Gu--!"
She caught herself before she could finish speaking the name aloud. Clenching her talons in frustration, Gertrude took a deep breath and stepped back to compose herself. Gazing down at Fluttershy, she growled, "Get out."
"But you didn't even ask about--"
"Get out, and be grateful I let you do so alive. Go join your precious friends, and pray that they don't live long enough to betray you."
-----
The pegasus looks like she has more to say, but she swallows the words before they can escape, then turns to the door to leave.
If she had done otherwise, I probably would have filleted her like a fish.
I knew that she would be the troublesome one. I am Winter. She is Laughter, the Element once borne by Shangwe of Spring. She will cling to the lie she is living for as long as she can, and if not for the unicorn, I would have disposed of her rather than risk letting her meddle with my agenda.
The unicorn understands, even if she does not know it. I feel the pain of betrayal in her, directed into hatred for her 'friend'. If anything can break the pegasus and her naive optimism, it is her.
And I want her broken. Merely getting the location of the Elements of Harmony may still be my primary goal, but now I want to see them suffer as I want the Sun and Moon to suffer. In my generation, we six who bore the Elements of Harmony shared a connection forged in a crucible that those living now can not even imagine.
When evil threatened to break the world apart, we held it together.
When the elemental forces of nature were at their weakest, we took on their role to keep the lands alive.
When the many races began fighting over what little was left in the aftermath, we gave them hope. We gave them guidance. We became the leaders they needed, no matter how heavy we found the crowns.
We were six, but we acted as one. Our lives were filled with love for each other and for all the world, unified in purpose and friendship beyond any foe's ability to break us apart.
Still, break apart we did. The Harmony we tried to share with the world was a lie, unmade from within.
What gives these little ponies the right to think that they are better? On what basis do they believe that their bond is any truer than ours was?
The pegasus leaves the room just as the blue earth pony mare arrives, balancing a tray of cupcakes on her back. She shivers with terror as she enters, or perhaps I have simply unconsciously lowered the temperature in my ire. Whichever is the case, it matters not. She should not even be approaching me in her condition, if she is going to be so afraid.
She bends her head back to take the edge of the tray in her mouth and nervously places it on the nearest table. I look through her and see her heart pound even harder when she notices the gouges my talons have made in the floor.
"Calm yourself," I find myself saying. "It is not healthy for them."
The mare flinches when I speak, then looks up in confusion before comprehension dawns. Her eyes widen, the blood draining from her face. "How did you...?"
"I have my ways. Now go. Bring me the farmer. I would speak with her next. And do not come up here again."
I watch the mare make her way out of the room, hearts beating frantically inside of her as she hurries down the stairs. While she is gone, I reach for the tray she left behind and carefully pick up one of the cupcakes between my talons. Such a small thing, and despite the fear they have of me, the bakers took great care to craft it well. Tiny bits of yellow crumbs and pink frosting end up on my talons. The faintest speckles of bright color against my pure white, like tiny flower buds peeking through the snow.
-----
When Rarity crested the stairs and approached the open door, she tried to imagine what she would find. She did not expect to find the snow-white griffon holding a cupcake and studying it as if she were holding a fine gemstone.
Rarity quietly closed the door behind her, though Gertrude seemed so pre-occupied with her study of the small treat that she wasn't sure if the griffon was actually aware of her.
That uncertainty was quickly dismissed when, without turning her head to look at the unicorn, Gertrude asked, "How much does your family mean to you?" When Rarity hesitated to answer, then Gertrude turned her gaze upon the unicorn and added, "That was not rhetorical."
"Everything," Rarity quickly replied. "My family means everything to me."
Gertrude walked toward Rarity, still holding the cupcake. "And what of your friends? Does your family mean everything to them?"
Instead of answering directly, the manner in which Rarity grimaced and looked away gave the griffon the answer she was looking for.
"You understand," Gertrude said, sidling up beside Rarity. "I can tell. I saw what happened. I saw how she hurt your son. I can feel the cold in your heart when you look at that pink-maned canary. You're right to feel that way, you know. I offered her a chance to save you and the ones you love, and she did nothing but make lewd jokes."
Gertrude spread a wing out over Rarity. Her feather's tinkled against one another like a hundred crystal glasses meeting in a toast as the massive appendage formed an arch over the unicorn. She did not touch Rarity, as the danger of cutting her with her sharp, bladed feathers would have been too great, but the chill radiating from Gertrude's body completely surrounded the farmer.
"We both know what it means to have our lives bound to those who will betray us. To devote everything to those we love, asking for so little in return. To have those we trust the most turn on us and try to take away what little we claim for our own..."
Rarity shivered as the cold seeped through her clothes and into her body, but didn't dare to move. If she tried, Gertrude would not even need to lift a paw. A simple wave of her wing would easily tear the unicorn to shreds before she could get far. The more she listened to Gertrude's words, however, the less she thought about that.
Fluttershy was here before me. She could have bargained with Gertrude to save my family, but she didn't...
That thought echoed through Rarity's mind as her shivering slowly faded until it ceased completely. The longer she spent surrounded by Gertrude's chill, the more the cold felt strangely comforting. "You're right... I do understand," she eventually said to the griffon. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna... they really hurt you, didn't they? That's why you have to do this. Do you promise that if I help you, you'll let my sister and son go?"
"I swear it," Gertrude replied.
Rarity nodded. "And my parents... the rest of my family here in Ponyville... do you promise that you will protect them, too?"
Gertrude looked down at Rarity and solemnly vowed, "So long as you help me reclaim the Elements of Harmony, I promise you that your family, be they pony, dragon, or any other creature, will come to no harm from me or the Windigoes under my command."
Rarity closed her eyes in thought. While she did so, Gertrude placed the cupcake she held into her beak.
It was painfully delicious. Fluffy and light, the sweet pink frosting complementing the yellow cake perfectly. The Cakes were obviously skilled at their craft, and even in this situation, infused the sweet treat with love for their work and for their neighbors. It made Gertrude want to smile, and took all of her strength of will not to vomit it up as she swallowed. Even the thinnest sliver of genuine happiness felt like poison burning its way down her throat, but she refused to let such a small thing have power over her.
After Gertrude managed to choke the cupcake down, Rarity apparently came to her decision. "Alright," she said to the griffon. "I'll help you, on one additional condition..." She opened her eyes and looked up at Gertrude with eyes that were as blankly snow-white as her own. "Whatever you do to anypony else, Fluttershy is mine," she said in an chilling tone.
Gertrude allowed herself a smile. The sort of smile which was one in form only, and thus could not pain her now. There was no longer any room for happiness in the warden of Winter's heart, but satisfaction... that was still within her reach.
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