//------------------------------// // The ice melts. (Edits Pending) // Story: One bad egg // by KarmaSentinal //------------------------------// Three days from today will mark the anniversary of a dark and golden day in our City’s great history. In accordance with their Royal Highness Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, to celebrate and remember the importance of such a day, it has been decided to move the annual Crystal Fair four months early. This decision was made so the Crystal Empire would not have to remember the day in such a somber light, one of remembrance. A day celebrated to honor those lost and gave us the ability to properly thank them. To encourage citizens of the Empire and of other nations to join us on this, the Princess and Prince have declared this new day a holiday, starting three days from now. Come out and show your love and support for not only your home but show the world we’re a nation of capable of shouldering such a weight and able to keep walking. Approved, printed and distributed with permission of the Crown. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ The feeling was back. The cooling rush of conscious thought and past memories were stirring in her dormant mind once more. Nerves fired, relying orders to the rest of the body to begin its resurrection and prepare for what was to happen. Once, and twice it beated. Her newly revived heart slowly began its job once more to pump blood in earnest to resuscitate the rest of her still sleeping body. The talons curled happily around the imaginary neck of her former avian best friend. Oh by her old god did she want to be free once more. To feel the streams of air under her mighty wings as the warm sun caressed her so tenderly in its light or to simply inhale a breath of air and marvel at it filling her lungs. How long was it since she last drew breathe? Time within her egg was nothing but a concept to measure something that did not exist. The world would grow and change around her, but the egg and its occupant would remain the same as the day and night. An eyelid flickered. The other talon contracted and released, while her wings bristled against her side. It was back and it was time to awaken. She raised her head carefully searching for the barrier that, both had confined and protected her from outside influences. It had served its purpose but now it was time break away and spread her wings and stain her talons with salori blood once more as her master commanded. When the beak could go no further did she apply pressure and force; a snippet of small cracks were her reward. More and more pressure was applied as the signals of its impending failure continued to grace her hearing until something startled her. It was freezing to the touch but the feeling began to fuel her efforts to escape and sample more of the air from the outside; more and more pressure as given, her strength fading faster than the thought of surrendering to the sun’s rule. And just like that the winter air filled her unused lungs to the point of burning them. Her beak now fully exposed drank the air like the sweet lemonade she had once cherished, the air acting like nourishment to her newly birth body. To experience her very own rebirth while remembering nearly every moment of another life was...interesting to say the least. How could someone describe it to another without losing its meaning? In a small way Victoria could compare it having an extra life, just continuing from where she left off like nothing had ever happened, but that wasn’t true. She could feel something was different this time, like not everything that was her was used; a piece of the puzzle was forgotten or lost. Memories, events, people, places, things, ideas concepts… none of that felt important anymore unless it pertained to her former masters and friend. The notion of not caring disheartened her somewhat but ultimately didn’t bother her as much. “Strange.” Victoria whispered as a way to test her voice and better remember the feeling. It was a comfort from her old life that never fully left, and another distraction that she didn’t need right now. With her energy back once more, Victoria renewed her effort to escape by grabbing hold of the protective barrier to rock it back and forth. She could feel it working as the container began to move forward and backward, gaining momentum with each cycle until it only went forward. Her body rose slightly in freefall before impacting hard with the ground. The egg shell shattered with no resistance, exposing the newly hatched bird to the cold air and frozen ground. She squawked in surprise at the shock and sudden reveal of her newly awaken senses, wings and talons failing madly to correct herself. “What a wake up call.” Victoria thought while lifting herself from the floor, crushing fragments of her egg in the process. The crunch echoed too loudly for someone who just woke up, causing the massive bird mild disorientation. The echo faded but the ringing in her head only intensified to near crippling levels of pain that Victoria had only ever felt during the final moments leading up to her death. “MAKE IT STOP!” She cried, releasing a torrent of dark ice around her that had quickly spread out to consume the entire area. Victoria opened her eyes to find the entire room she was currently in covered in dark, vibrant crystals She extended her wings carefully, marveling once more at their unusually dexterous ability to reach out and touch the energy infused crystals. “They bring back of memories how I had once ruled the sky with my master. We were a pair to be feared and respected for a time until that Solari bitch and her master killed me.” The feathers around her neck and chest rose iteratively to her anger and displeasure. Victoria retracted her wings to her side once more having had enough of her reminiscence; it was time to leave. She found the exit after having to break some of the ice wall. At first Victoria thought her magic had extended further than the room she had just left, but after wandering around lost into several adjacent rooms she began to think that wasn’t the case. While each room seemed to lack the dark energy Victoria cherished, she did find it comforting to see each was made out of crystals. Like someone had took a single crystal and carved out a home or at the very least a storage from it. The blue hue was a lovely color though, but it could only do so much to lessen her disappointment when each room she visited only held boxes or artifacts of no interest to her. Angry at a lack of progress, Victoria launched a shard of ice at a random mirror, shattering it instantly; she extended her might wings and began knocking over the various artifacts around. With their destruction, she returned to launching shards of ice and crystal at everything else before leaving the room to continue her destructive spree. “This is horse shit!” She yelled while firing a valley of shards randomly at walls to watch them explode against the crystal. The simple pleasure of destruction was currently the only thing keeping Victoria from lashing out until she fainted. She had traversed this same hallway multiple times looking for an exit and each time met with the same result of finding the same 5 rooms, including the chamber that had held her egg. She was about to bash her beak into the crystallized wall when several voices caught her attention. Victoria turned around toward the door, listening to the set of steps trying to carefully avoid all the debris on the ground. Her heart started racing with excitement at the thought of contact with another living thing after spending who knew how many months, years asleep. “You were right private, and for that I hate you.” “What in the empire could be down here to cause all of this?” “I’m not sure, but we need to tell the princ…” Unable to restrain herself any longer, Victoria left the room causing the three ponies before to freeze in place as she fully emerged. Standing as tall as Princess Celestia, she nearly touched the door frame which further added to her intimidation. The small group of ponies took one step back out of fear and to help keep the massive bird of prey in their sights. “You...you’re her from the legends…” the pony Victoria first heard spoke, followed by his shivering friend next to him. “You’re Victoria, the Frost Phoenix.” Now this seemed familiar to her, ponies graveling in fear beneath her talons.Watching the three cower beneath her filled the Frost Phoenix with a certain glee that reminded her of what it meant to be respected and feared by all. Nightmare Moon and her, flying high in the night sky spreading the message of its glories benefits; those that voiced their uncertainty or rejected it were simply killed or frozen solid as a reminder to the rest. Victoria lowered her head so she could meet the ponies at eye level, cooing at the fear radiating from their hearts. She moved ever closer to the three petrified guards, who woke from their trance when they discovered the ice clinging to their hooves. The realization of being trapped lit within their minds, causing them to thrash and scream for help that would never be heard by anypony except the massive bird of prey in front of them. “Caw, Caw little ponies. ”