The cold hard ground really makes it hard to get to sleep sometimes. But anyway, I'm under orders to keep a journal of my personal adventures, because Star Swirl said it would be "a good learning experiance" like I'd ever need to know how to write to myself. But if for no other reason then to make the old mage happy these will be my daily reports to...myself, and just to make things interesting and to give some privacy I'll write in code for the duration of these notes.
Day one of Frostbite (using the calender of the ancients)
I stumbled into an empty crypt while working the mines and found an ancient suit of armor that fit me perfectly and even stranger was the note that said it was left for me. Me! It used my name! Anyway there were several items that I managed to grab among them being: the enchanted suit of thieves armor, the adventurers cloak, the crystal chalice, the snowglobe of kings, and I didn't document the rest of my numerous finds, I just placed them in the bag of holding and left the crypt.
I was going to purchase mother's freedom, but before I could do that we were both summoned to the boss' hideout...
It was dim, cold, and it smelled But that's the way they liked it I guess. From years of experience I knew exactly where to lace my hooves to avoid stepping in the places I saw others cruely beat to death in front of me. They cleaned the spots up, but I didn't dare tread there out of respect and fear that they would haunt me for it; but the brute that threw me across the room and into the wall didn't share my respect for other things dead or living.
There was a long pause as I dragged myself to my hooves and struggled over to where they had mom tied to a chair, with an old stained rag in her mouth.
It didn't take a genius to figure out that they had me right where they wanted me, but what happened next is entirely my fault.
It was evident that they've been tourturing her for a while before I came in fresh cuts and bruises made that readily apparent. At the sight of her my anger burned inside of me, threatening to spread out of my body and consume the entire room.
"Please, young one have a seat and drink for tonight you earn your freedom." The young blue stallion invited plolitely, gesturing to the empty chair.
I hesitantly took the offer wondering what this whole thing ment.
"Take courage my son...don't worry about me...my time has come." even over our telepathic link mom sounded stressed, beaten, and ready to give up.
"Don't worry mother I asure you I will find a way to save all of us." I replied over the link, trying to give the troubled mare sitting next to me a comforting grin. "We'll get out of this, I promise."
"Now, isn't that just adorable." Our tormentor declared from the dark side of the room. "All this namby pamby stuff makes me sick. So let's get on with the game shall we?" In answer to his question one of the thugs placed a trio of goblets on the table.
There was nothing noteworty about the crystal glassware except their contents, they contained what looked like a liquid rainbow.
"Ah, the child has an eye for value. Tell me, for the sake of the game, how much are the glasses worth?" The boss asked, leaning forward in anticipation.
"They're worth just as much as you are, nothing!" I shouted, leaping to my hooves and throwing my glass' contents in his face.
He just grinned "You're right. The glassware themselves are worthless on the common market, but what's in the glasses holds in itslef more value than all of the empire. please, find the poison so we can get on with the game."
I recoiled in horror as I saw that my glass had refilled itslef. "What sourcery is this?" I demanded, dumping the glass out yet again on the floor.
"You can do that all day, but eventualy you will play the game, and you will lose. Ah, but what you will lose is a different matter entirley." the evil overlord stated, still wearing a grin.
"Game over, I found the poison. Can we go now?" I asked, tired of the simple "chalanges" that they throw at me on a daily basis.
"Really? where is it then?" He asked in mock surpirise, once again leaning on the edge of his throne to hear my answer.
"Judging by the coloration difference they're all poisoned, and further you would have one of us drink and it would be my choice, not an easy one to make, but the agreement would be that two of us drink so if I choose the obvious mom would be poisoned as well. So I make my choice. I'll drink all three for her absolute, eternal freedom." I proposed, over-confident in my abilities to survive.
"An, interesting theory. But there is one problem, she can't go free even if she wanted to." The boss replied, trying to crush my hope.
It didn't work.
"Honor and stength!" I cried, leaping across the table and gathering the goblets.
I touched down on the cold black stone and drained all three of the accursed things at once.
Let me explain a little about the poison I just drank, one small glass and one of the Acients could survive easily, maybe a small burn or two, but no one has ever survived more than that.
The foul liquid burned down my throat as I dropped to the ground in bitter agony. My vision sparked, then I lost all color...then everything. The same happened to my hearing.
Just as my last spark of life was just about to burn out I heard mom over the link. "You fool, he's your father and would never hurt you, this was our last chance at freedom...for the both of us. I was immune to the potion! if you would've listened to me we could've overthrown the entire empire and freed everyone! But I guess that's just not that important to you. Good luck in the afterlife."
Her words, even though not audible hurt like a fire....it wasn't the pain of the poison that broke me, but the words of she that should've loved me. I wish I could do it differently, but what's done in the life of one of the Acients stays done........