Chapter 1
Starvoid the cold
How dare they? How dare they lock her up here? Over 2 millennia had she been stuck here, forced to watch the world pass along trapped in her cold prison.
How dare they smile and reign over a kingdom that should have been hers? Wait… that corner was less cold than before… could it be possible that… well now, this could be interesting.
…
Celestia looked up from her work as the doors to the throne room opened up. Luna came in, having just woken up.
“Good evening sister, how has your day fared?”
“Uneventful” Celestia said with a sigh rising from her seat. “I pray your night will be the same.”
Luna frowned as the two started walking up the way to the balcony. “Are you withholding something Tia?”
Celestia sighed. “There is some trouble with the dragons… again. The usual thing, they want free access to our airspace for their elders.”
Luna huffed. “So they can fly in here, go to sleep near one of our settlements and pollute the air and steal our gems? I think not, we have been kind enough to let them pass through our lands on their migration. That should be sufficient enough.”
“I agree” Celestia said as she and Luna turned a corner, appearing outside. For a moment the two was silent, as Celestia lowered her sun beyond the horizon and Luna raised the moon. As the two celestial bodies had turned day to night Celestia turned to face Luna.
“Luna I am tired of dealing with the dragons. My schedule as of right now is big enough as it is. The dragons have invited us to their home for further discussion as they called it in a day time.”
Luna frowned. “Didn’t you plan to invite Twilight Sparkle and her friends to explain the deeper parts of the elements and their magic?”
“I did… which is why I with a heavy heart must ask you to travel to the Dragon Kingdom alone.”
Luna sighed. “Well it’s not like the dragons will accept a no, I doubt they have changed their attitude that much over the last 1000 years.”
“They haven’t” Celestia said with a sigh. “Well sister I wish you good luck, have a good night.”
“And sweet dreams to you Tia” Luna said, smiling as Celestia turned and walked to her quarters and her bed.
Luna looked up at the star filled sky. She knew them all by heart, both the names that her subject knew them as, and as the names that they really had. Luna sighed and shook her head.
That was all in the past now… there was no need to dwell on it.
…
The next day Luna left with a royal carriage heading towards the Dragon kingdom. Celestia had given her a proper royal farewell, asking her to be careful for trouble. Just as Luna’s carriage was out of sight, the holders of the elements of harmony arrived, Twilight looking ecstatic at the chance to learn more about the elements themselves.
Celestia smiled. “Welcome my little ponies; I am glad you could come so quickly.”
“Well when Twi here said we could learn more about the elements of harmony we couldn’t say no your highness” Applejack said, lifting back her Stetson hat.
“Yeah” Pinkie Pie said with a grin. “I just thought it made magical rainbows of happiness at bad guys. Think of how much fun we can have if we can do more.”
Celestia smiled. “Very well, sit down my little ponies and I will tell you about the original holders of the elements.”
“Wait what? I thought you and Princess Luna were the original owners” Rainbow Dash said with a curious frown.
“No Rainbow Dash… Luna and I were the second holders, there were others before us.”
Rainbow blinked, and then sat down on the ground as Celestia started to talk.
“For two thousand years ago there was a wicked unicorn.”
“Oh this is going to be good” Pinkie said.
Rarity scowled at her. “Hush darling, don’t interrupt the princess when she’s talking. Now please princess, you were saying.”
Celestia smiled. “There was a wicked unicorn. Her name was Starvoid the cold. She was a cruel unicorn. She started learning all the magic around her she could, from all kinds of creatures. And if she came over someone who had a special brand of talent she wanted she got it.”
Fluttershy gasped. “She forced someone to give away their secrets?”
“Worse” Celestia said. “Originally Starvoid only knew one spell… but that spell was enough. To this day I don’t know how the spell works. What Starvoid did was to get close to her target and drain the life force and magic from them.”
Everyone gasped. Celestia frowned. “She never asked for information, she took it. When she was finished her victims lay either dead to the ground, or in the hospital brain dead, never to fully function again.”
“That’s horrible” Twilight said shocked over how somepony could do something like that to another pony.
“In the end she came to Everfree, wich back then thrived as the capitol of Equestria. She walked straight up to the gate of the castle and told the guards that the royal family had a day to pack up and leave her castle.”
Rainbow Dash gaped. “What?”
Celestia sighed. “It was not a time Luna and I look back to fondly. We came out to the gate to meet her, to make her stand trial for the things she had done. She simply laughed in our faces. She told us how she had more knowledge and more power than any other pony. She was the ultimate strategist and strongest magic wielder in all of Equestria… why should she bow down to her inferiors just because we had both horn and wings? And then… she attacked.”
Pinkie Pie sat up grinning. “And then you kicked her meanie pants butt.”
Celestia sighed. “No… we did not.”
Everyone looked at Celestia.
“But…” Twilight was speechless. “But you’re Princess Celestia. No one is stronger than you.”
Celestia laughed dryly. “I thank you for the vote of confidence Twilight, but I am not invincible… have you already forgotten my fight with the changeling queen Chrystalis?”
“That was different, that magic wasn’t hers.”
“Wait I’m still confused” Rainbow Dash said. “If you didn’t kick that unicorn’s butt who did?”
“The blasted holders of the elements of harmony.”
Everyone froze at the new voice. Celestia’s eyes went wide.
“No… that voice.”
She turned around in shock. Standing facing her and the others was a unicorn.
Her fur was a deep lilac, her mane and tail a bewitching platinum white. Her hair cascaded and framed her face beautifully, and the pony herself held herself with graze.
But there was nothing graceful or proper about her face. Her emerald green eyes were more cold and hateful than Twilight had ever seen within a pony. On her flank a pair of crossed wands inside a crown with five pointed stars around it represented her talent for great magic.
Her face turned into a vicious grin as she circled around the six ponies and their princess.
“This history lesson is dragging out so how about I speed things up,” the unicorn said with a sneer. “You and your sister almost dead, me ready to take my rightful place as ruler… and then the arrival of the blasted circus freaks. Next thing I know you are up on your feet shooting me sky high… literary. Do you know what space is like? Cold, and dark as Tartarus itself.”
“And who do you think you are threatening the princess?”
“RAINBOW, NO.”
Celestia was too late, Rainbow Dash had already jumped up and charged at the unicorn. The pony simply raised an eyebrow and suddenly Rainbow Dash was trapped in a static force field.
“Time freezing magic” the unicorn said simply, walking ahead a few steps.” I learned that from a unicorn in Everfree city. Not the brightest pony, but he knew a good trick or two.”
The magic was dispelled and Rainbow Dash was sent hurling into a nearby wall.
“But I suppose introductions are in order. Starvoid is the name. You must be the new holder of the element of loyalty… you appear to be just as rash as that dragon was.”
Applejack blinked. “Wait, Starvoid? As in the same Starvoid we have just heard killed dozens of ponies just to learn magic? How is that possible, you lived two thousand years ago?”
“That I did” Starvoid huffed. “I’ve lived in limbo in my cold prison.”
“What prison” Pinkie asked curious. “No prison gives a bad pony the gift of eternal life, that wouldn’t be fair to the good ponies.”
Celestia scowled. “When help arrived and we were able to rise up, Luna and I agreed that Starvoid was too dangerous to be let loose… we used our magic to send her to the stars… where she has been locked up as a constellation for the last 2 millennia. What I’d like to know is how you escaped.”
Starvoid grinned. “Well you should know shouldn’t you? My original warden was gone for a while, and her replacement did a poor job keeping the seals intact… such a shame.”
Celestia scowled and cursed herself. The imprisoned monsters that had been banished to the stars had been Luna’s domain… in the last thousand years Celestia had had enough trying to be the single princess of Equestria, the various seals of the night had probably not gotten so much attention as it should have gotten.
‘All right… only one thing to do.’
Before anypony could react Celestia had teleported to Rainbow Dash who was at the other side of the room and teleported back with Rainbow in tow. The minute everypony had gathered Celestia threw up a barrier.
She turned and looked at the holders of the elements.
“I need you to do one thing for me. First off, can you think of a place near here that can be used as a safe meeting point?”
Twilight looked worried out at Starvoid who grinned sardonically and lit up her horn.
“Err… Pony Joe’s?”
“That will have to do” Celestia said with a sigh. “Now I need you to think of this. You know your elements pretty well, but if you were out of commission who do you know that could take your place and use the element you possess?”
As AJ opened her mouth to either answer or ask why the princess wanted to know this, Celestia continued. “You don’t need to tell me, just keep a clear image of the pony or other in your head. Now remember… think of your friend and of Pony Joe’s, can you all do that?”
Everypony nodded. “All right” Celestia said, turning to look at Starvoid the cold. “Then we can only hope.”
And with that Celestia closed her eyes and let her barrier drop. Before any of the others could wonder what was going on there was a bright light… and then nothing but darkness and cold.
…
Starvoid grinned, staring at the space where Celestia and the 6 ponies had been standing no more than a second ago.
“Enjoy your stay in your new home” she said with a wicked grin. Behind her the doors opened and a rush of hooves let the unicorn Starvoid know that the royal guard had finally showed up. “Evening gentlecolts.”
“Who are you? And where is princes Celestia?”
“Celestia is locked up at the moment… she had the gall to try and deny me the throne. The pesky holders of the elements too of course, they would probably only get in my way.”
The stallions looked shocked, before a very brave but stupid unicorn rushed forward. His body froze within a force field as Starvoid walked up to him.
“Well now, let’s see if you know anything good.”
Without being able to move, the guard could do no more than glare as Starvoid walked up to him and placed her horn over his own, going through his mind seeing if she could find anything useful.
“Well now, a broadcasting spell, that might come in handy, thank you for that.”
Starvoid’s horn lit up and the guard convulsed and fell to the floor lifeless. Starvoid turned to the other guards who looked on shocked, before she turned and walked to the throne.
“You can all spread the word, Equestria is under new management. Princess Celestia and the bearers of the elements are trapped in the stars for being traitors to the throne. Anypony who is unhappy with this can come and see me and I’ll make sure they will all meet again.”
Starvoid turned facing the guards, before sitting down in Celestia’s throne chair, looking bored.
“Also Princess Luna is wanted for crimes to the throne, anypony who is hiding her will be punished, anypony who brings her inn will get fifty thousand bits. Any questions?”
The guards glared at her. “Yes… why should we listen to you?”
Starvoid leaned forward smiling. “If you don’t… what is stopping me from killing you and all your friends and family? Now chop, chop, I have an empire to run… oh and get someone up here to clean up your friend, he is stinking up my throne room.”
…
Luna sighed and tried her best to not scream at the dragons in front of her. The dragon’s way of living was pretty straightforward, they lived with a system known as a gerontocracy meaning that the oldest dragons sat in a room and decided what was best for everyone around them.
This unfortunately for Luna meant that she sat alone in a room with five old as dust dragons who scowled down at her for having the nerve to tell them no.
“Listen here pony, we have tried to be nice. All we ask for is permission to fly through your lands.”
“As far as I remember last time we allowed passage for a dragon he decided to take a nap right over a town. He’d still be there polluting the air if my sister hadn’t sent someone to deal with it.”
A large purple dragon scowled down at her. “Yes and he while we are on the subject I don’t know what you did with him, every time we ask him what happened he keeps bursting into tears talking about a pair of large eyes that chilled him to the bone.”
“Don’t change the subject” Luna said, tired of playing nice. “You invited me here so we could end this discussion. Equestria has been more than lenient, we allowed you passage for your migration and because of it 3 dragon hatchlings tried to kidnap and destroy a phoenix egg. I don’t think you are aware of how few phoenixes there are left in the world, let me tell you, it’s not that many.”
Luna rose from her seat. “Equestria’s ecosystem cannot function properly with dragons having free reign in our skies. If you knew what kind of paperwork we were left with from the weather pegasi after last migration because your kind flew outside the boundaries we sat up you’d understand why I am not going to be lenient in this. If your kind wants to find nesting grounds and precious gemstones I suggest you look elsewhere. Now if you excuse me I have a moon to raise.”
And with that said Luna turned around and walked out of the cave she and the elders had been in, ignoring the insulted snorts coming from the room. Once outside she was met with the two pegasi who had been ordered to pull her carriage.
“Everything all right your highness?” The question came from a yellow colored Pegasus who gave Luna a worried look.
“Not to worry Spitfire, I am simply tired of having to discuss this over and over. Stubborn lizards.”
Luna’s horn glowed and rose the moon. As it stood in place she frowned.
“Odd.”
“What is your majesty?” The blue Pegasus Soarin who stood next to Spitfire looked worried at Luna.
“Well… The sun and moon has this push and pull effect. When the sun goes down the moon comes up, but the moon cannot be in the sky at the same time as the sun can. So when day arrives I push the moon and Tia pull the sun and vice versa when nighttime comes. But now… it was hard to pull the moon up, as if Tia hadn’t used as much power as usual when handling the sun.”
“Maybe her highness is feeling sick” Soarin said, trying to come up with a valid point as to why Celestia would do something different than normal.
“I suppose… but there is something else… I can’t put my hoof on it bu… ARGH.”
Luna screamed out in pain. Her head hurt, as if someone was trying to blow it up. Images ran through her head as clear as if she had been having the memories herself.
Celestia and the holders of the elements stood in a ring.
A unicorn Luna had no trouble recognizing flashed in front of her eyes, cackling in triumph.
A shop in the common district in Canterlot floated before her eyes, a sign spelling out the name Pony Joe’s.
And then a white flash and cold. A very familiar cold and darkness.
Luna opened her eyes and gasped. “GAHH.”
“PRINCESS.” Soarin and Spitfire was at Luna’s side the moment she screamed, Luna taking a few deep breaths.
“Oh no… no it’s not possible… she can’t be.”
Luna looked up to the dark sky in search of the familiar constellation. Where Starvoid’s myriad of stars was supposed to be was now a bunch of new stars. Luna’s eyes widened.
“Oh no… she can’t have… SPITFIRE, SOARIN, I need a black chart and some chalk yesterday.”
Soarin and Spitfire saluted Luna. “Yes your highness” they said in synch and rushed off. Soarin came back with a chart, Spitfire with a bucket with white chalk.
Luna grabbed both with magic before the pegasi had even landed and started dotting out the stars overhead. Finally she stopped.
“This is accurate” she said, mostly to herself as she looked over her work and the sky.
“What are you doing Princess Luna? What is wrong?”
Luna sighed at Spitfire’s question. “Long ago there was a dangerous unicorn. My sister and I had no choice but to banish her… but it seems she has gotten out and taken revenge.”
“What makes you say that?” Soarin asked. Luna tok the chalk with her magic and drew lines between the dots she had drawn.
On one end a myriad of stars made the shape of a 6 pointed star.
Right above it another formed 3 diamonds.
Next to the diamonds were 3 apples and 3 balloons.
And below the apples and balloons a cloud with a lightning bolt and 3 butterflies.
Spitfire blinked. “And um… this large constellation next to them?”
Luna didn’t speak, simply continued to draw the lines to form a sun with 8 rays. “By Celestia’s mane… she overpowered Celestia herself?”
“I don’t think Celestia put up much of a fight” Luna said. “She knew the way to defeat Starvoid was out of her hoofs… She managed to send me a single clue. I need to go to a place in Canterlot known as Pony Joe’s, do either of you know the place?”
“I do” Soarin said.
“Good, we need to be careful, I don’t want anypony to see us.”
As you wish. Luna tok the chart and brought it with her to the carriage. She might need to use it.
…
As Luna was flown by carriage towards Canterlot, 6 others had a strangely similar dream. A picture of a Canterlot café named pony Joe’s flashed over the eyes of all six individuals, as well as the image of a cackling unicorn. And then cold… so very cold and dark. And just as the cold became close to unbearable, the voices came.
“Help me… please… so cold… please help me.”
A new image of the café flashed in front of various eyes and then…
“GASP.”
…
She looked around… nothing there… but by Celestia what a nightmare. Looking down over herself she sighed. The cold sweat hung on her body. She needed a bath.
Getting out of bed she walked to the bathroom. What in the world had she been drinking yesterday to have such a dream? She nonchalantly threw a bit of magic towards the handle of the crane, letting the water rush into the tub. She looked at the mirror.
She looked like she had just visited the inner debts of tartarus. Not that it was her fault. Work had been slow lately, ever since that blasted gig in that stupid little backwater town.
She frowned and looked at herself more closely. Was that a wrinkle? Before she could react her head started pounding.
“Help us… please, it’s so cold.”
Once again images flew over her eyes, that Canterlot café, that cackling unicorn and then… was that… but why was she? And why did she look in pain?
“Help us… so cold.”
And cold it was. And once again that café flashed before her eyes before she suddenly stared back at herself.
She gasped and took a few deep breaths.
‘OK not a dream then… but what the hay was that about?’
She turned and turned off the tap. Never mind… if this was magic she would not escape this until she faced it. After her bath she’d head to Canterlot, hopefully somepony could explain what the buck was going on.
…
He woke with a thump as his large body fell out of the bed. He groaned as he sat up, untangling himself from the sheets. Just as he was up on his four own hooves his head started banging again.
“Cold… tarnation it’s so cold… help me, please… sweet Celestia it’s so cold. Please… Pony Joe’s… Canterlot… please help us all.”
He opened his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. Then he sighed. Well that settled it. He walked out of his room and walked down to the living room.
“And where do you think you’re going this late Sonny?”
He turned at the voice of the old pony in the chair.
“I think AJ is in trouble… I need to go to Canterlot.”
“For how long?”
“Not sure.”
“All right, but be careful out there.”
He smiled and walked out, going into a quick gallop towards the train station.
…
She groaned. Wow that was close. Memo to self, never fly at night without a partner, it was near damn dangerous.
Not that she was afraid or anything but still. Now what in the name of Celestia was that? She could have sworn that she had heard… but nah that wasn’t likely, they hadn’t spoken since… she huffed.
Yeah well good riddance, if she wanted to be a loser with the rest of her loser friends then fine wi…
“cold, so bucking cold. Somepony do something dam nit.”
She opened her eyes, shaking the last images of the café out of her head. She sighed.
Fine… but if this ended up being a trap she’d not be responsible for the consequences.
…
She groaned and took a deep breath. Maybe it was time to take some time off work. If she started getting strange hallucinations that actually made her shiver then it was clearly time for her to take some vacation days. Maybe some nighttime snacks would help. Trotting out to the kitchen and sitting down she had no more than opened her mouth before the images came again.
“This cold… it hurts so much, cold… please help us.”
She groaned and closed her mouth before sighing.
‘Here we go again.’
She took a big bite of the muffin in front of her then walked over to her door. Walking out she rushed over the street to a big box, knocking hard. A brown stallion came out looking like he was getting ready for bed.
“I need to do something, I think it’s important. Given all that you have put me through I think it’s only fair that you watch my muffin while I’m gone, any objections?”
He shook his head.
“Good. And doctor if you take her anywhere I will personally hunt you down.”
…
“Urgh… Tavi, have I’ve been drinking harder than usual today?”
“No… which is why I find it strange that you toppled over the way you did.”
“I had this strange vision… hey is it cold? I swear to Celestia it felt cold… and I heard someone call out… the voice sounded familiar, if I could only rememb WOAH.”
“Hey, you OK?”
“Ngh yeah fine… but somehow I don’t think this is a delusional drunk thing… do you know where Pony Joe’s is?”
“It’s downtown I think, near the train station.”
“Awesome, now I need your stable and hot hoofs to help me in the right direction.”
“Why do you always get so flirty when you’re drunk?”
“Oh please you know you love me.”
“I shall refrain from commenting on that.”
“Spoilsport.”
“You are impossible.”
“And that’s why you love me.”
…
She sat up with a gasp. That feeling… she had never been so cold. She looked around at her trinkets and masks, remembering her homeland fondly, remembering how the sun rose and turned the sky a bewitching shade of red.
She shook herself awake. That nightmare had rustled her mind awake; she would probably not get any sleep for quite some time. Just as she rose her head once again swam with images.
“Please ‘sniff’ help me. It’s so cold ‘sniff’ I don’t know what to do, please help us.”
Images floated over her eyes again. As the images disappeared she blinked.
“Pony magic. To deal with this I must be quick.”
She sighed and took her coat down from her hanger. Canterlot… now there was a place she had never dreamed of going.
‘But there was no time to waste. Off to the train station in a wicked haste.’
…
Luna looked up to the sky. The images was coming and going again. She hoped Celestia knew what she was doing because she hadn’t a single clue. She simply hoped that in the end everything would be as it should.