//------------------------------// // Chapter 21 - Prophet // Story: Heart Plus - Dawn Arc // by SparkStone //------------------------------// -Twilight's POV- -Required information- In the castle in Canterlot, I was with Princess Celestia who wanted to discuss with me important manners of the revolution taking place. She had summoned me and the other elements along with Kasin, Gold, and Spike. As the others waited outside, Princess Celestia told me something very intriguing. "A prophet?" I repeated the words of my mentor. "That is correct." The princess replied. "She is a powerful unicorn that has used time magic for centuries. She had manipulated time into her favor, preventing her from aging. She is also the key to warning us what is to come, especially times of true danger. We'll need her help to uncover any future disasters that may happen during this war." "I see… So, where is she?" "She is in Blizzard Peak, her house is on the very top. The climb is treacherous if taken lightly. You'll need to be prepared to handle this task." "I understand Princess. Also, I wanted to ask you something." "What is it?" "Why are you giving us this task? And why now when we could have done it earlier?" "I feel as if I should live up to Kasin's lesson. Placing my faith onto you. I know that all of you have still fought even after I said not to, as well as proving me wrong on your strength. I also need you to go there to see if the prophet is alright. If you may have heard, Glacier Frost, the ice attribute master is possibly looking for her as we speak. I trust you and your friends will be able to make haste and keep her safe." "I see… We won't let you down Princess!" "I trust you won't, my faithful student. Be sure to stay close when you get there. It's one of the coldest places in Equestria." "Thank you." I bowed in gratitude. She then dismissed me and let me see the others. I was about to get ready to tell my team our next phase, only to see Kasin trading cards with Pinkie and Spike. "Wow, you're really into this, aren't you?" I commented. "Yep!" The three said in unison. I rolled my eyes while getting everyponies attention. "Listen up everypony! The Princess has given us a crucial assignment that requires our attention! We need to get ready to head out to Blizzard Peak!" "Sounds chilly." "I don't know if we can be prepared to ever go there. Blizzard Peak isn't just cold, but also dangerous." Gold spoke. "R-Really?" Fluttershy asked. "I went on a mission there once, and I gotta say, it was unbelievable. If the tundra wolves don't get you, the snow golems will. Anything worse would be ice golems to ice dragons." "Dragons!?" Fluttershy quickly hid under the table in fear. Kasin walked over to her and said, "Are you alright?" "I-I'm afraid of dragons Kasin… I really don’t want to see one… " "What? But what about Spike? He's a dragon." "He's not a massive, destructive, and greedy beast!" "But he's a dragon." Kasin stated. "And besides, we're more likely to meet up with golems and tundra wolves anyways." Fluttershy hid behind her mane and whimpered. Rainbow bonked Kasin on the head and said, "Nice talk Kasin. Why don’t you mention how cold it's gonna be while you're at it?" "Geez, sorry!" Kasin apologized as he rubbed his head. "But dragons are very intriguing, don't you think? I mean, not much reported on them, yet they're still talked about." "Now's not the time to start learning about dragons." Applejack stated. "We need to get ready to head off to Blizzard Peak." "Right! First, we'll need something to keep us all warm. That should be one of our top priorities." I declared. "Worry not Twilight, I have packed us from fashionable coats before we came here. I was planning to embezzle them with some Canterlot gems, but I suppose they're usable in their current state." Rarity informed me. "Good, how about food?" I asked. "Me and Kasin got that covered. We'll just head over to the kitchen and whip up something for us all." Applejack declared. "Okay, everything sounds good so far. We'll probably need a map too." I thought aloud. "I'll go look for one in the library. I'm sure I'll find something." "I guess the rest of us will go get the tickets to get to Blizzard Peak." Gold suggested. "We'll meet up with you at the train station." With preparations set in motion, we all went to our duties. I focused on my job and headed to the library looking up some information on Blizzard Peak. Looking for the cartography section, I wasn't able to find the right map. Only duds and fictional maps. Stressing on the time I wasted, I opened up another map only to find Discord popping out of it. "SURPRISE!!" He shouted. "WAH!" I screamed as I hit the floor. I got up and glared back at the annoying cretin. "Aw, now you don't look like a happy pony." "Discord, what do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" "Gee, I only wanted to help." "Unless you have a map of Blizzard Peak leading the way to the house of the prophet, I doubt you can help me." "Oh, I see. I guess I'll leave with this only map made by a traveler who actually made it to the Prophet's house." I looked up and saw Discord leaving with a journal containing the map I needed. I quickly ran to him and said, "Wait! Hold on!" He stopped and turned slowly, grinning at me. "Yes~?" "I… I need that… " "What was that? You need this? In other words, you… ?" "I… I need your help." "Well of course!" Discord said as he wrapped his snake like body around me. "After all, what are friends for?" I rolled my eyes and said, "Well, I first need that map." "Here you go." He said as he placed it on the tip of my horn. "I got it from a very kind soul before she left. She was a true sweetheart like Fluttershy." "Who was she?" I asked. "Why don't you find out? I gave you her journal after all." Discord left me alone after teleporting himself away. I took a look in the journal and read its contents. "The journal of Kathy Sol… " -Kasin's POV- -Cooking in the Kitchen- Spending quality time with Applejack cooking up meals for the others. We talked about what we should make for the trip. "Apple pies?" Applejack suggested. I opened the cabinets to see the lack of apples. "Not enough ingredients." Looking closer, I see a plentiful amount of cherries. "Cherry pie?" "Sure, I guess." Applejack replied, somewhat disappointed. We got out the things we needed and started to make the batter already. While I mixed, Applejack preheated the oven and then started mashing the cherries. During our cooking time, we decided to converse to pass the time. "So Kasin." Applejack started. "How goes it moving back to Ponyville?" "Pretty good." I responded. "I don't have as much alone time compared to when I was here in Canterlot, but that's okay. I'm glad to see you all again after all this time away." "Glad to hear it partner!" Applejack said happily as she gave me the cherry mush. Gathering everything together, I already got the pie ready to bake, and the oven ready to heat. I should have mentioned that we had to repeat the process about eighteen times. Two for each of us just in case. Having a lot of time for the pies to bake, I looked around for some grain, or more preferably, rice. As I scavenged the area for my desired food, we continued talking. "You know, ever since you took Applebloom and her friends to that camping trip, she's been talking about you a lot." Applejack mentioned. "Really?" I reacted somewhat surprised. "What about exactly?" "Well, for one thing, she couldn't believe how big you are or how different you look. She says you're really cool." "Ah, geez." "She really wants to spend more time with you like the others. You really know how to put an impression on those fillies, huh?" "Yeah, I guess." Finally finding the rice which was apparently already steamed up and ready to use, I took about a pound from the pot of what seems to be some kind of steam pot and placed it on the table. Skipping the seaweed which I usually use, I decided to put some berries in it. Don't ask me which ones, I had a whole variety when I checked the cabinet next to the spices. Applejack happened to notice and said, "Hey, are those the rice balls you made back then?" "The same, why?" I asked. "Oh, can you make the ones with sugar?" "I'm supposed to put salt." "It tastes sweeter though." I chuckled as I complied with her request. Sugar rice balls are pretty good I guess, and if I know anything, ponies just love anything sweet. After making more than a dozen of them, we took out the cherry pies after they finished baking. Placing on the table about twenty two cherry pies and thirty rice balls, we gazed out our work proudly. "We make a pretty good team." Applejack pointed out. "Of course we do! If only Pinkie can do the same." I thought. "Did I ever tell you about Pinkie and her shenanigans?" "Like what?" "Well… Besides eating any extras I made just in case, she also keeps giving me fake orders only so she can eat it herself. There are also times whenever we're in the middle of cooking, Pinkie gets a sugar crash and leaves me alone with the kitchen while she takes a nap." "Wow… " "Yeah, I know. Still, I appreciate the other things she can do. She really does help brighten up my day." We packed up the food in sacks and walked to meet up with the others. The train station wasn't too far, but that didn't stop us from talking. Conversations with Applejack were simple and subtle. I started to remember the times we had one on one talks, both refreshing and reassuring. Memories that replayed, I felt quite content. "What's the matter partner?" Applejack asked. I snapped out of my trance and chuckled. "Whoops! Heh, sorry. I was just thinking about you and me." A tint of red formed around her face. She looked away and asked, "R-Really now? What about?" "The times we talked to each other. I remember all the times your honesty really pulled through. Knowing you wouldn't lie to me, I feel… No, I know I can trust you with these kinds of times." "Ah, shucks!" Applejack teased as she punched my shoulder. "You don't need to say that!" "I think I should. I really appreciate you like the others." I gave a wide grin as she tilted her hat over her face, shadowing her what I think was a massive blush seeing how red her head became. Once we arrived at the train station, we met up with the others except for Twilight. "Hey! Where's Twi?" Applejack asked. "She's late, that's for sure." Rainbow Dash retorted. "Finding a map for Blizzard Peak must be hard." I thought aloud. "We can use mine." Gold offered. We all turned to him as he said, "I made one back in our last mission a long time ago. It's still usable too." He showed us this parchment of squiggles, circles, and lots of lines leading out of the map. We stared at it before bursting into laughter, making Gold retreat his crudely drawn map. "S-Sorry Gold, but… " I apologized before laughing again. "We follow that, I think we'll end up even more lost!" "Well, you don’t have to point it out that much." Gold grumbled. Rainbow flew to Gold's shoulder saying, "Uh, yeah. We do." Finally, Twilight came into the scene with a book. "Sorry I'm late!" She apologized. "Looking for this was a hassle, but I got it done!" We looked at the old tattered book, almost in worst condition as Gold's map. She opened it to pull out a map inside. "With this book, it'll give us specific instructions on how to get there, and with this map, We'll know where we are." "Let's get going then!" Rainbow said eagerly. "We have to beat Glacier there before he nabs the prophet!" "Right! Let's get on board everyone!" I commanded. Getting on the train, we entered the rooms and awaited for our next adventure. -Applejack's POV- -Arriving at Winter Town- The train stopped at our destination. The town closest to Blizzard Peak was Winter Town. The place was what'd you expect it to be. It had snow everywhere on the buildings to the ground. Treading through it was the only way to get around. Before we even though about leaving the train, we wore our coats Rarity had made for us. Now that we were equipped with the essentials with both the coat to our sack lunches, we were good to go. "Kasin." Rarity called, getting his attention. "I need you to know something." "What’s up?" Kasin replied. "I didn't put enough cotton in your coat, it's only single layered like the rest of us." "So? That's not a big deal." "No, it is. This weather is very dangerous if you're not warm enough. Unlike us, you don't have fur to keep you extra warm. That's why yours is unfinished." "I see… " "In other words, do NOT take off that coat. If you even get so much a tear, it'll become even more difficult to survive the cold." "Got it! Thanks for the info!" Twilight lead the way and brought us to the outskirts of town, closing to Blizzard Peak. "I sure hope this goes well." She spoke. As we headed off, we found a tall wall of ice blocking the way. A lot of the ponies were looking at the thing and were in a state of panic. "Somepony blocked the way!" They screamed. We were in a hectic situation. To see what was going on, we tried to stop one of them and ask what was wrong. Rainbow managed to get one of them. "Hey! What's going on here?" She questioned. "Somepony blocked our town from the forest! Nopony can leave town now, and beyond this wall is the forest holding the lumber we need to heat up our houses!" "He's right." Twilight stated. "According to the map, this is the only way to get out of this town. Winter Town needs that lumber in order to heat their homes and trade with others. This town completely depends on those resources!" "We better take down that ice sculpture then." I thought aloud. "Spike, think you can melt the ice?" Kasin asked. "Uh, I can try." He replied, walking up to the ice. When reaching it, he huffed, and puffed, and blew a big fireball. Though it was pretty good, it only melted a small portion of the ice. "No good." Kasin realized. "This thing is thick, we'll need either a bigger fireball or some good power to break it down." "Kasin… ~?" Rainbow spoke. Kasin rolled his eyes and said, "Okay, get everyone to stand back. I have an idea." We exchanged looks unsure what he meant, but complied. We asked everypony to go back to town, away from the wall of ice. After that, we watched from afar as Kasin set up some near the ice. Running back to us, he said, "Okay Spike! You too Twilight! We're good to go! All you need to do is light that ice with some more fire!" "But it won't be enough! The ice is too thick!" Twilight reminded him. "Trust me, I rigged the ice to totally shatter. I just need some fire to make it work." Twilight and Spike looked at each other unsurely, but went on with it. Spike blew another fireball while Twilight shot a spark of fire. When it reached the ice wall, it completely blew up! It shattered and fell down, making one massive uproar. When the snow from the explosion finally settled down, we saw the forest ready to be entered. The towns ponies came in and saw the whole thing, cheering loudly for us. We looked back and smiled before heading off again. "What'd you do Kasin?" Fluttershy asked. "I planted some explosives near the ice." He answered. "What kind? Fireworks? Sparklers?" Pinkie asked. "My explosive pellets. Every single one of them." "What? But how are you going to defend yourself now?" Twilight asked. "Unfortunately, I can only fight close combat now. No slingshot, remember?" Kasin reminded Twilight with a glare. "Oh… Right… heheh." Treading through the snowy cliffs, Twilight lead the way holding both the book and the map with her levitation. We crossed through plenty of frozen rivers and broken cliffs, but not finding a house on this gosh darn mountain. As we went on, Kasin was getting chilly. "G-Geez, You were right Rarity. I still feel a little cold." Kasin shivered. "Remember, keep it on and keep it safe. You'll get frostbite if otherwise." Rarity reminded him. Suddenly, big spires of ice were shot at us. We managed to evade them and see Glacier Frost himself. "Who's that!?" Kasin questioned. "It's Glacier!" I told them. "Pleasure to meet you again Applejack. It's been a while since we've seen each other in Manehattan, now hasn't it?" "Careful everypony!" Twilight told us. "We're in his element!" "What!? I thought there were only six elements of harmony!" Pinkie thought. "She means we're at a disadvantage!" Kasin shouted. "Oh." "That's right you little foals! Ice is my attribute, therefore, you all are in my zone!" Glacier gloated. He raised his hoof and slammed it down to the ground, making a huge hole. Most of us managed to get away in time, but Fluttershy, Spike, and Rarity fell in. "SPIKE!" Twilight called. "RARITY!" Gold shouted. "FLUTTERSHY!" Kasin yelled. Kasin and Gold became very angry. They rushed towards Glacier at full throttle. Gold pulled out his spear and lunged it at Glacier. He moved out of the way but didn't see Kasin coming from the side and ended up receiving a punch, pushing him towards us. Taking the chance, I bucked Glacier when he got close, and down he went to the snow. We surrounded him as he got up, scratching his head. "I don't have time for this! I need to find that prophet!" Glacier growled. He looked at Twilight and saw the book and map. "Hello? What do we have here?" Glacier sprang towards Twilight and surprised her, allowing him to snatch the map from her easily. "Hey! That's mine!" Twilight told him. "You should have held onto it more!" He teased. "Ah, the map to the prophet. Why, thank you for such a wonderful gift." "You better give that back!" Kasin shouted as he ran up to Glacier. Kasin tried to go in for another punch, but ended up getting pushed aside by the snow Glacier conjured. Kasin ended up falling into the gorge. While we all ran after him, Glacier got away. We were now separated from each other. "Hold on! I'm coming Kasin!" Rainbow declared before I yanked her tail to stop her. "Slow down Rainbow!" I told her. "We should stick together. If we split up even more, we'll end up getting lost." "We can't just leave them down there!" Gold argued. "I know, but there has to be a safer way down there." I reasoned. "We don't have a lot of time." Twilight spoke. "Glacier stole the map, and is now heading to the prophet. With only the book to go on, we have to make haste." "These are a lot of problems!" Pinkie pointed out. "What should we do?" "I can try using a Luminosity spell on one of you." She suggested. "But I doubt Rainbow can carry Kasin, Rarity, and Spike back up here. Fluttershy might be able to help, but I don't know." Before we could discuss it any further, these ice like wolves started to come out of the snow. They were like timber wolves, only they were made of ice instead of wood. Being ambushed, we ran away from them, ending up even more lost than before. -Spike's POV- -A chance in Snow- I woke up at the bottom of some hole. I rubbed my eyes and looked around to see I was surrounded by rocky walls and snow. It didn't look like it was possible to get out. I thought I was all alone down here until I heard somepony groan. "Oh… That was quite a fall… " It was Rarity! She was rising out of the snow and looked up. "This isn't good. I'm stuck down here… Alone… " "Rarity!" I couldn't help but call. She turned to me and smiled. "Oh Spike! What are you doing down here? Are you hurt? Did that Glacier Frost bruise you?" She asked as she checked if I was alright. "I'm fine Rarity. What about you?" "I feel well enough, thank you for asking." "It looks like we're stuck down here." "Yes, away from our friends." "… Yeah… " "And Gold… " "… Yeah… " I realized. "Alone in this gorge where nopony can hear us!" She cried in her hooves. I tried to calm her down by patting her shoulder. "It's alright Rarity! They'll come and find us!" I assured her. Rarity looked up with determination. "You're right Spike! And we'll have to do our part to get out of here too!" We looked around with no avail on getting back up. Even down in this gorge, it was cold with the snow falling. I noticed Rarity was actually shivering a bit, so I huddled next to her to keep her warm. "Spike?" She said, wondering what I was doing. "We should stick together to stay warm." I told her. Rarity smiled and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I blushed, trying to keep it to myself though. As time passed, we just waited. It was a while too, we didn't see or hear our friends for a long time. We waited so long, I even started to get hungry. I couldn't help but hear Rarity's stomach growl too. "Oh my! Excuse me!" Rarity apologized. "It's alright." I assured her. "We should eat right now, huh?" Rarity frowned as she said, "I'm afraid Gold was carrying my lunch bag. Even though it was courteous, it did put me in a rather, troubling situation." I got a bit angry at Gold for not treating her right. I opened my lunch bag and gave my half to her. "Here, you have to eat too." "But Spike… This was supposed to last for the trip." "There's more than enough. Besides, seeing you hungry makes me feel even worse." I placed the cherry pie on her hooves and smiled. Rarity looked so happy. She pulled me close as we ate together in the snowy gorge. -Fluttershy's POV- -Warmth- It took me some time to realize that I fell down somewhere. I looked up and saw how high up it was. Checking my wings, they were really cold and sore. What was worse was the snow was still coming down. It was starting to freeze. I can't fly out of here, and I don't see or hear anypony coming down. I was scared that I was left down here. If I don't get out, I'll die here… Alone… Suddenly, I heard groaning. "Agh…" "H-Hello?" I called out. I started to move forward to look for the source of the noise. Upon my search, I found it was from Kasin. His coat was torn and he was injured. "Oh my! Kasin!" I yelled as I went to his aid. I opened my bags to get out the medical supplies I happened to bring along just in case. He had a number of bruises, some scars, and he was very cold. I tended to his wounds once I took in the analysis, but the only thing I couldn’t fix was his temperature. It was dropping drastically, and I didn't know what to do. I looked around and spotted a tunnel. Doing my best to carry him, I took him away from the snow and went into the caverns. Once inside, it was a bit warmer, but the problem still remained. He was cold, and if I don't do anything, he'll continue to get cold. I decided to give him my coat. Though it didn't exactly fit his body, it was good enough as it covered his chest and arms. Soon, his temperature will return to normal, and he'll be okay. "Thank goodness…" I spoke before shivering. "Oh… It's still so cold even inside a cave…" Kasin slowly opened his eyes and looked at me. "Fluttershy…?" I widened my eyes to see he woke up. I embraced him in delight knowing he was alright. "Kasin! You're okay!" "Where are we?" He asked. "Where's your coat? What happened?" "You were getting cold Kasin, so I gave you mine." I answered. He looked at his body and saw it for himself. "Fluttershy… Aren't you cold?" "It's alright, really." I assured him. It wasn't very good though since I happened to shutter at the wind. "Fluttershy, your fur alone can't keep you warm." He told me before bringing me close. "W-What are you doing?" "We'll need each other's body warmth to survive. Once we've warmed up, we'll keep moving forward." We were holding onto each other tightly. His cheek was brushing along mine and he seemed to get better. I was getting hotter from this. I thought it was because of us sharing each other's heat, but I felt that it was because of how I felt. It was being near him. My heart began to race as he leaned his head even closer to mine. "Are you feeling better?" He asked me. "Y-Yes…" I answered back. "I… I like this…" "I'm glad you're comfortable." Kasin smiled. We looked out to see the snow still falling. Kasin stood up with me still in his arms. He looked up to see the cave going deeper in. "Looks like we might find a way out." Kasin deduced. "Hold on tight, we're gonna check this place." He walked around the caverns holding me tightly. I didn't mind, or even notice how dark it was. I felt so happy, being embraced by Kasin for this long. I don't spend as much time as the others with him. The time when I had the chance to take him in was seized by Twilight, Rainbow considers him as her wing partner, and even Applejack since she's in love with him. I'm just unsure if I can be with him like this again. Ever since he came here, I also had feelings for him. It's just that the life with him seems so far away now. "I see light!" Kasin pointed out. The glimmer came from another opening. As we looked out to see where it lead to, we found somepony. "Rarity! Spike!" I called. The two turned to see me and Kasin. With a smile of relief, they climbed up the snow to reach us. "Kasin! Fluttershy! You're stuck in this hole too?" Spike responded. "Why are you wearing Fluttershy's coat?" Rarity questioned. "Mine ripped, so F-shy gave me hers." Kasin answered. "Basically, she saved me again." "You sure owe Fluttershy a lot." Spike stated. "I can fix your coat right up." Rarity offered. "Let's go inside before we start." Doing so, we went back into the caves. Kasin had taken off my coat, and let Rarity repair his. Wearing my coat again, Spike left to get wood. As Rarity was repairing the gaping hole of Kasin's attire, she brought up a conversation. "May I speak with you two on a certain topic?" Rarity asked. "What is it?" I asked. "It's Spike." "Is there something wrong?" Kasin wondered. "Well, there's nothing wrong with him. In fact, quite the opposite." Rarity explained. "You see, he's been such a dear to me. Everything he did for my well being has just made it so clear that he truly cares for me, but…" She looks down very sadly as she continues. "I don't want to break his heart. It's obvious by now. He and I are on a different age, and we all know this. If there's one thing, it's that he'd make any mare happy if he met somepony new. What would you do when there's somepony that loves you, but you don't see it work?" Kasin scratched the back of his head while looking to the side. "Well, I wouldn't say I'm the brightest on this subject. I guess the best I could say is that, he can continue to love you technically." "I don't want to lead him on." Rarity claimed. "I know, I know, but…" Kasin spoke while looking down. "It's just… a thin bridge of hurting someone who's been so nice to you. I get scared of not only ruining a relationship, but that person." "I know what you mean." Rarity sighed. "I already made my choice to be with Gold Shield, but Spike hasn't accepted it yet. I doubt he will anytime soon." "You should still appreciate what he's done for you though." Kasin reminded her. "No kindness should be ignored." Rarity nodded in agreement. "I guess that should go the same for you Kasin." "Hmm?" "Don't forget how many times Fluttershy has been there for you. If anything, she's been there to pick you up when you're down." Kasin smiled as he looked towards me. "Yeah… I guess you're right." I couldn't help but blush as he embraced me once more. "Thanks… You know I appreciate you, right?" I giggled and said, "… Of course…" -Twilight's POV- -Leader's Pressure- We were all on edge. We have just lost four of our friends, and are unable to relocate the gorge. I'm very worried, but I also have to focus on reaching the prophet before Glacier Frost does. I don't have much time. We don't have much time. Depending on our next move, it could put anypony in danger. "Ugh!" Rainbow groaned. "Why aren't we heading back to the others!?" "I can't remember where it is." I admitted shamefully. "Those Frost wolves managed to get us lost." "Are we seriously going to leave them there!?" She questioned. "Calm down Rainbow! We're just as scared for them as you are!" Applejack told her. "But if that Glacier fellow makes it to the prophet, who knows what'll happen?" "But by the time we save the prophet and head back to save the others, they'll be frozen to death!" Gold Shield pointed out. "Oh no! They'll be pony-cicles!" Pinkie squealed. "That does it! I'm heading back to look for them!" Rainbow declared. "Rainbow! Wait!" Twilight called back. "I can't leave Rarity and Kasin in there to die… Argh! Wait for me Rainbow!" Gold complied. "Gold! Get back here!" Applejack shouted. They flew back to the snow storm and left us to save the others. I sighed as I could only hope for the best from this situation. I wasn't sure if Applejack, Pinkie, and I were enough to fight Glacier Frost and save the Prophet. Time was running out, and we had to brush on. "Come on girls, we have to get moving…" I told them. They stared at me in surprise. Applejack being the first to speak questioned me. "Are you sure Twilight? We can't just let them go off on their own." "They'll be fine. I trust they can find the others and make it out safely. I'm mostly worried about the Prophet. I don't know if she can handle Glacier Frost on her own. That's why we have to beat him there before it's too late." "I don't know Twilight." Pinkie replied. "How'll the find us?" "I can use one of my spells to signal them our location. Maybe a flare spell." A assured them. "So for now, we'll have to do our part and find the prophet. But with only the book to go on, I don't know how much it'll help." "I guess we'll have to make do with what we have…" Applejack sighed. Walking further, Applejack said one more thing. "But with what's going on, we won't get far." "At this rate, we'll lose everyone." I admitted. -Kasin's POV- -Another way- About an hour passes, and Rarity finishes the coat. I put it on and release Fluttershy to use her on coat. Putting on the buttons, and sighed and said, "Thanks Rarity. I feel much warmer already." "You're quite welcome Kasin." Rarity replied. "We best be going then." "Yeah, but…" I paused as I looked around the cave. "To where? We're stuck in a gorge, and this cave seems to be the only other place from the snow." "We can try to go through the cave like you said." Spike suggested. "But… We won't even know where it leads to." I said in uncertainty. "This gorge was made by Glacier, so these caves could just be huge cracks made by him." "Better than staying here and letting ourselves freeze to death." Rarity remarked. "Yeah, that's true…" I admitted. "But my best guess would be that the others could be coming back for us." "Do you think it'll be better if we wait here for them?" Fluttershy asked. With thoughts of what to do in my mind, I summed up what was the current status. We're stuck in the bottom of a huge hole, so the others might come to the rescue. However, the prophet is in need of our help. If we were to waste time, Glacier could get to her first. Twilight probably made the best decision to find the prophet first. But Rainbow and Gold are too loyal and stubborn to let us die here. With that, I decided. "We can't just sit around and do nothing. Let's meet up with them halfway at least." "Alright then." Spike agreed. "But how?" "If I had my slingshot and equipment, I'd be able to shoot up a flare…" I sighed. "But we'll have to make do with what we got." "And that is…?" They stared at me for some kind of plan. I gave them a blank face as I thought it out. I swear, this is much easier with Twilight around since she'd be in charge of things. Anyways, looking at what we have, I instead looked at who we have. A unicorn, a pegasus, and a dragon. Fluttershy can't fly us all out of here, much less carry us one at a time… can she? She can carry me and Spike, but I don't know if she can carry Rarity… B-Because Fluttershy's not as strong! Not because Rarity's… Anyways! Rarity doesn't have a variety of spells like Twilight, so she won't be able to assist as much. All there's left is Spike… A dragon who can breathe fire! That's it! "I figured out what we can do!" I exclaimed. "You do?" They said in unison. "Rarity, do you know any amplifying spells that enhances the body functions to produce fire more efficiently?" "Um… Pardon?" Rarity responded in confusion. I slapped my face and said it with less complicated words. "Do you have a spell that can make Spike's fire more powerful?" "I can transfer my energy to him, that's the best I can do." Rarity informed me. "Good. You do that now. Fluttershy, can you fly Spike as high as you can outside?" "I can try. I'd be able to get us all out of here if it wasn't for the weather though." Fluttershy replied. "If I were to fly too high with even Spike on me, we could lose control." "That's okay. You just need to fly Spike high enough so he can shoot out a flare." "You want me to shoot out a what?" Spike replied in surprise. "Fire. Just breathe out a huge spark of fire above. We can use that as a beacon to tell the others where we are." I explained. "Oh! Great idea!" They all congratulated me on my plan. I rubbed the back of my head and blushed. "It's no big deal…!" I told them. "Okay! Let's get going!" The plan was understood, and we got to work. Rarity enchanted Spike's breathing to make it possible for him to make a powerful flame shot. Spike held in his breath while Fluttershy carried him and flew him up. Now it was just Fluttershy and Spike to handle the rest. Rarity and I awaited for the results. They went higher and higher to the point where we could almost barely see them. At that point, I saw Fluttershy and Spike begin to waver. They tilted quite quickly, and scared us. The snow was pelting down at a faster rate, and is messing up Fluttershy. She won't be able to stay in the sky so long. I knew this was the limit. "That's high enough! Spike! Shoot it out!" I shouted. Spike seemed to have nodded and aimed his direction to the sky. With a quick huff, he spat out the what was like fireworks. It went in a stream of sparks before reaching to a considerable height before it explodes with huge success. Fluttershy dove down with Spike hanging onto her mane. Rarity was worried. "They're flying down too fast!" I immediately took action and jumped towards them, catching them before they crashed. Fluttershy and Spike breathed heavily as I asked, "Are you two alright?" "Y-Yes… I'm fine…" Fluttershy assured me. "Me too." Spike added. "Okay then…" I sighed. "It looks like all we have to do is wait…" -3rd POV- -Distract- With only the book to go on, Twilight's group had a number of riddles to solve. Specifically, instructions that tell us to locate specific icons of the environment. Twilight ventured further and further using her vast knowledge to allow their expedition to go on further. Finally, they were lead to a mountain with what might be the location of the prophet. Just a forest to pass, and that'll be it. The dense sea of trees with its ice cold climate was a mix of trouble and frostbite. They moved forth with half the team, and half the heart. "Do you think they're alright?" Pinkie asked with more concern then her usual. "I hope so." Applejack replied. "To be honest, it feels wrong to not look for them, much less not help with Rainbow and Gold." "We have to do our part in looking for the prophet." Twilight stated. "I'm just as worried as everypony else, but if we don't get to her before Glacier does, then who knows what'll happen?" "She must be really important." Applejack assumed. "If Glacier kidnaps the prophet and uses her power for the revolutionaries, they'll know every move we'll make. They'll be prepared for everything we can do against them, and it'll end with Shale conquering Equestria." "We can't let that happen!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Don't worry! As long as we have this, we'll be able to reach her." Twilight shows them the book. "I already figured out the last puzzle. Once Rainbow and Gold come back with the others-" "Oh! Is that what I needed?" A cold breath whispered. The blizzard blew harder and the snow reveals none other than Glacier Frost. His icy presence gave nothing but chills to the mares. He smiled as he looked at the leftover ponies from the last encounter. "It seems as if your friends couldn't make it. Such a pity. Might as well finish you off and take that book." "He heard me...!" Twilight muttered to herself, cursing her blunder. "End of the line you three! You can't beat me in my attribute." Glacier claimed. "Just rest easy in the snow while I take what I need." "You're not taking anything mister!" Applejack stated as she went in to do a drop kick. The attack misses and Glacier quickly blew a wintery breath that froze her solid. The body drops to the floor, encased in a large ice cube. The eyes of the two shrunk before calling out to her. "APPLEJACK!" "She's not going to get up anytime soon." Glacier joked cruelly. He then turned to the last of them and said, "Now let's not be stupid. Give the book to me." "What do we do?" Pinkie questioned. Twilight saw Glacier coming closer. He was in the way of the shot in order to melt Applejack's prison. The place got colder and colder to the point where the coats no longer kept the heat. Looking up, she thought of only the other able to stand up to them. After her decision, she shoots up a flare to the sky, surprising. Pinkie and Glacier for the moment. After it exploded in the air, Twilight looked at her foe. "An attempt to call your friends? It's futile. I'll be finished with you and have reached the prophet by the time they come to rescue you." "Nu uh!" Pinkie snapped back. "They'll be back, and when they do, they're gonna kick your-" Her speech was cut off as Glacier easily froze Pinkie in the midst of her comeback. Twilight then ran into the forest with the book in hoof. The chase was on, but the forest of snow and ice made it hard for Twilight to travel far. Glacier was catching up while shooting ice shards repeatedly at her. With things going downhill for her team, Twilight prayed to her friends. I'll do my best to slow him down. Everypony! I'm counting on you! -Rainbow's POV- -Rescue after Rescue- After seeing the fire, I rushed in with Gold Shield by my side. We flew over the gorge and saw them down below. We went in and met up with Kasin, Spike, Fluttershy, and Rarity. We were all relieved to see each other again. "Rainbow! Gold! You found us!" Kasin exclaimed. "It was pretty hard for us to miss the huge fire in the snow storm." I teased. "How did you manage to do that anyways?" Gold questioned. "Kasin thought up of a brilliant plan to use my magic on Spike, and then get Fluttershy to fly him up in order to give you the signal." Rarity explained. "Nice thinking Kasin!" Gold commended him. "No problem!" Kasin said with a smile. He looked to me after he remembered something. "Oh! Where are the others?" "Oh, uh..." I kind pulled back a bit while scratching my mane. "We uh... Kinda split on our own to look for you guys." "YOU WHAT!?" Fluttershy, Spike, and Rarity screamed. Kasin only looked down and sighed. "I knew this would happen. Still, thanks for coming back for us. I hope they're doing okay though." "It was wrong for us to leave them, but we couldn't let Rarity stuck in this gutter." Golda stated. Kasin stared at him for a moment before he said, "Oh relax! I meant you three as well!" "Uh huh..." Kasin nodded before looking straight up. "Anyways, we should get back to our journey. We need to find the others and the Prophet." "I'll fly you up my lady."Gold offered as he got ready to carry Rarity. "Why, thank you~!" Rarity gratefully responded. Spike became red all over, becoming as hot as a campfire. Kasin placed his hands over him like so, enjoying the heat. "Ah, that's nice." After Gold started to bring Rarity up, I brought Kasin out first, then Spike, then Fluttershy at no less than 20 seconds. Gold and Rarity were the last ones to get out, and he seemed to have a stink eye at me. But hey! If you got a gift for speed, you just gotta use it! Kasin chuckled a bit as Rarity went onto solid ground. Kasin walked up to his commander and said, "So... Rainbow was able to-" "Don't say it." Gold interjected. "Bring a pony, a human, and a dragon back before-" "She's fast, I get it!" "Hey! Look over there!" Spike pointed out in the distance. We all turned and saw what he was talking about. Another flare was in the mountains. I bet it was Twilight, telling us where she was. Kasin didn't look to happy. He looked as if something was wrong. "What's up Kasin?" I asked. "You look pretty amped up." "I think Twilight and the others..." He started. "Are in trouble." "I'm not surprised. With Glacier on the move, they were bound to meet up again." Rarity pointed out. "We gotta get there, fast!" I told them. "Rainbow and I will go to check out the scene. Catch up with us as soon as possible!" Kasin ordered. "We'll try!" Gold and Spike saluted back. "Okay! Rainbow! Let's go!" Kasin got on my back and we hit the road. Flying straight at the mountain, I flapped my wings as fast as I could to see if they're alright. I really hoped they were. During the flight, I thought about what I did. Did I screw up? I did just ditched them and let them fend themselves against the ice guy. I felt my stomach curl in guilt, but Kasin got me to focus. "No time to be thinking about what if's." Kasin said to me. "I still thank you for what you did. But when you think about it, it was out of our hands." "I guess so." I sighed. When we were flying over the forest, we looked around for them. But the dang place was hard to see through. Frozen leaves, rock hard wood, all being shut out by all the ice. It took some time to find them, but with Kasin, he was able to sense them. "I think I know where they are!" he claimed. Focusing, he pointed the way. "Down there!" I flew where he told me to, and found the three. We didn't like what we were seeing. Pinkie and Applejack were nothing but ice cubes! And Twilight was half of one! Her horn was at the moment glowing some kind of sunlight. When she saw us, she sighed in relief. "You came back!" She muttered. "Twilight!" Kasin and I called as we ran to her. As we check up on how she was doing, Kasin began asking. "What happened here?" "Glacier was able to take us down so easily..." She spoke. "My fire magic couldn't do anything here. He... also took the book. With the map and the journal, he'll reach the Prophet in no time...!" "We're too late!" Kasin growled to himself. "By the time the others get here, they'll both be long gone!" "Shoot! This is all my fault!" I admitted. "This wouldn't have happened if I didn't ditch you guys earlier!" "It's alright Rainbow..." Twilight forgave me too quickly. "At least all of our friends our safe, right?" I nodded slowly, but I still felt bad. Kasin and I looked to Applejack and Pinkie. They were frozen deep in that stuff. I couldn't believe how this was going! If I'd just stick with the group, then maybe...! "Maybe... We can still catch up to him!" Twilight said. "What do you mean?" Kasin asked. "I still know where she is!" Twilight claimed. "Kasin, you can carry me up the mountain and I'll lead the way! Rainbow, is it alright if you watch after Applejack and Pinkie?" "Yeah, sure." I answered. "By the way, they're still alive, right?" "For a while. When the others come, get everypony to rendezvous at the Prophet. Alright?" "You sure you're up for this?" Kasin asked in concern. "Half of you is frozen!" "It's alright! There's more at stake here Kasin! I'm willing to give the extra mile if we can." Twilight stated. "Now uh... Can you pick me up so I can do the extra mile?" Rolling his eyes, he carried Twi onto his back. He looked at me and nodded before running off. It's my turn to be left behind. I'll wait for the others and catch up with them later. I need to pay my dues. But I really hate waiting... -Kasin's POV- -Stained Glass- Twilight told me the way as she remembered the details very accurately. Trekking through the last part, we finally reach a thick pine tree. It's trunk was extremely wide, second place to Twilight's home. When I came closer to inspect it, it was just what it was. A tree in a frozen wasteland. I was expecting more. "So... She's in there, right?" I asked. "The next part has something to do with this tree." Twilight told me. "Try to find something suspicious." "Oh, okay." I said. When I looked at the entire thing the second time, it was just what it was. A tree. The only thing that was different about it was how wide it was. Unsure what to so, I kicked it. Then I attempted to climb it. But up above it and on its side, I found nothing. It was a tree that was unnatural, and was also getting on my nerves. "Come on! We found the dang pine tree! What else do we have to it!?" I complained before kicking it. "Oh, wait..." Twilight mumbled. "We're supposed to be looking for a Palm Tree." "A Palm Tree?" I repeated. "Twi, this cold environment isn't gonna harbor a Palm Tree." "There it is!" Twilight pointed out to the thing only a few yards away. I looked and stared dumbfounded at the tree before us. I picked up Twilight and placed her on my back before approaching the tropical plant. Looking down, I noticed a button made of stone. Pushing it, a cave revealed itself from part of the ground just on the right. "Well, I guess this is it." I announced. Taking a deep breath, I went in. I passed through the dirt hallways upon the cobblestone ground. Along the way, we soon found stained glass decorating the walls. Each of them seemed... vaguely familiar. The first stain glass depicted of the arrival of seven ponies, a human, and a dragon upon winter town. The next was the destruction of the ice wall and I was with Spike and Twilight in that one. The third was the fight against Glacier and how the gorge caught two ponies, Spike, and me. The next and the next was glass showing what happened after that and after that. Once we reached the end of the tunnel, we found an underground castle with a light blue mare with white hair drinking a glass of tea. Her emerald eyes glanced at me, but showed no surprise of my alien appearance. How she can withstand the cold, I don't know. "Ah, you arrived." She said to us. "Just as I foretold." "Are you... The Prophet?" Twilight asked. She got up with the cup of tea. She tapped the floor to tell me to put her down. Doing as she said, Twilight was placed on the floor. The next thing that happened was the mare splashing tea onto Twilight's ice block, melting it away. "Yes, I am." She answered. "Are you also by any chance, the one who's been making the stained glass in the hallway earlier?" "I also send my artwork to Canterlot." "Oh! So you've been making those! That makes sense! Someone seems to make it a day right after the disaster happens or whatever." I commented. "So, you can really see into the future?" Twilight asked. "Yes, I can." She said as she got another cup of tea. "Don't worry about your friends. They'll come here and make it out okay." "Really!? Thanks for the spoiler!" I said gratefully. "But that's after your fight of course." She then added. "My what-?" "So you got here before me!" Glacier growled angrily. We turned to him as he made his appearance from the door. I got into a battle stance as he did as well. The Prophet dragged Twilight away as she attempted to dig her hooves into the ground. "Wait! I want to help too!" She begged to her. "Just let him deal with it." The Prophet recommended. "And boy." I turned to her as she slapped a pipe from the table, letting it get tossed over to me. "Use this to defeat him." "Oh, thanks!" I said as I caught the pipe. When I did though, I realized it was simmering hot. I tossed it from hand to hand before complaining, "OW! HOT! HOT! What the heck!?" "He's too powerful here. You must use a tempered weapon to defeat him." "How'd you get it so hot!?" "What, do you think I make the glass in ice cold temperature? No, I use a tempering device. Now hurry up. If you don't defeat him in five minutes, the cold room plus his powers will render the weapon useless, thus allowing him to overpower you easily, take out your friend, and move onto me." "AH! Geez!" Glacier summoned an ice blade from his mouth and slashed at me. I blocked it, but poorly since my handling on the weapon was impossible. My grasp wasn't hard enough since the pipe was simmering hot. But If it were to cool down, I'd be done for. Trying to think of a way, I dodged his attacks before coming up with an idea. The rag from our rations was still in my pocket. Pulling it out, I wrapped it around the pipe and was able to hold onto it better. "Four minutes left." She told me. That in mind, I swung hard and quickly at him. The ice was shattered and easily melted. I managed to him a couple of times before he held the pipe in an attempt to freeze it. However, it backfired as it was too hot for him. The attribute was opposite, so it affected him greatly. But Prophet pointed out my mistakes. "You shouldn't have let him do that. You have two minutes now." I groaned before blocked an ice block that was lunged at me. Holding onto what heat and strength I had left, I raced forward dodging the projectiles. But then, Glacier surfed around using his icy hooves to make waves of ice. The room then got colder and colder as the amount of ice in the building grew. The Prophet then pointed out more of my mistakes. "You let him do that. Now you have thirty seconds. The pipe is losing the temperature it would take to beat him. You'll lose if you-" "OH MY GOSH! I GET IT!" I angrily swung at the ice until the whole thing was nothing but rubble. Glacier went in after me, but I rejected his incoming attack. He had out an ice claw nearly piercing my heart. I glared at him before I threw him to the ground and hit him hard with the tempered pipe. Hot enough to still have an effect. I hit him once on the head and finished him off with a golf swing to the wall. He was easily knocked out, and was taken down. I breathed heavily as Prophet looked at him, then back to me. She smiled and said, "Good job. You were able to defeat him like I predicted." "Then why'd you kept saying all that stuff!?" I questioned. "To keep you focused." She claimed before walking towards Glacier, and allowing Twilight to leave her captivity. Picking up the downed unicorn, she said, "I'm going to put him in the sauna, and locking him in there. That should prevent him from using his powers." "Are you for real?" I asked. "Yes, now go tall your friends what just happened." I raised an eyebrow until the predicted friends arrived. Rainbow trotted in with the ice cubes sliding in. Fluttershy, Rarity, Gold, and Spike were all well as well. They breathed heavily before Rainbow said, "Where... Where's Glacier?" "Glacier Frost?" Twilight repeated. "We saw him enter the cave, so we tried to go after him." Gold stated. "But pushing these two was quite difficult." "I guess you don't need that flare spell again." I told Twilight, making her giggle. -Twilight's POV- -Kasin's Prophecy- "This is so intruiging!" I said in excitement. I was all giddy about the idea of an earth pony able to utilize magic of time itself. Though she didn't have a horn, she was able to see through the timeline whenever she wanted to, and usually, it was before historical battles were fought. I was about to ask her questions until she handed me a packet. "What is this?" "The answers to all 258 questions you were about to ask me." She said. "I foresaw your visit a couple of months, and with nothing to do, I thought, why not." "Oh, alright then..." I said slowly. "Now how about you ask me some important questions." She offered. "Something about Canterlot, Celestia, the fate of Kasin, Love lives." "Wait, hold on!"I said to her. "What do you mean, the fate of Kasin?" She looked at me with her emotionless eyes. But her voice was as concerned as any other companion. "You and your friends have started the key to an endless tragedy. The second you interacted with Kasin, you have not only doomed what will happen in Unity, but also to the boy as well." I stood still on what I just heard. What did she mean in this riddle? And what about Unity and Kasin? I was frightened. I quickly placed the papers on the ground and demanded to know more. "What do you mean Kasin is doomed!?" "You don't know anything about him." She told me. "So it's alright. It was out of your reach anyways." I felt insulted. She now says that I know nothing about my friend, whom I have got to know ever since he came here! "I know a lot about him! I even know what happened in his past! Don't you dare say I don't know him!" "You may know what he knows, but not even he knows what his family has brought to him!" She countered. "Do you really think, some random pyro addicted humans just burned his family's house for no reason? Do you really think, that his life was as normal as could be? Or do you not know what kind of torture our world has been doing to this boy ever since he was born?" I eyed her closely and questioned her. "What... do you know about Kasin?" "If I tell you the whole thing right now, a paradox will happen, and will kill Kasin faster." She claimed. "I can only tell you to be more aware of what is to come. You may choose to tell your friends or not. It's up to you now to save your friend." I looked down and complied. After so, she helped us pack up as well as free Applejack and Pinkie from their ice. After everything was set, she opened up a tunnel way with a couple of mine carts. "Use these to get back to Winter Town." She informed us. "We didn't have to go through that pain of an ice trip!?" Applejack complained. "Boy, what a cold joke!" Pinkie said with a wink. "Thanks for everything... I guess." Kasin said to her. "So uh... Shouldn't you come with us?" "No. I rather stay here. I'm more of a... secluded pony. Come visit if you have the guts to." she challenged. Smiling, we waved goodbye to her before the mine carts brought us back. Along the way, I read the book we took back from Glacier again. This time, to see if I can gather any more clues. Kasin looked at what I was doing and asked, "Hey Twi, why you looking at that book? We finished the mission already." "I know, but whoever this Kathy Sol is, she must be a genius." I said. "She was able to not only survive the troubles, but she made a map as well as locate the special pony and befriended her along the way." Kasin blinked at me and asked, "I'm sorry, did you say... Kathy Sol?" "Yes, she's the writer of this journal and map. She located the prophet and-" "Kathy is my mom." Kasin told me. We all dropped our jaws, surprised at the new information as we screamed, "WHAT!?" "She's my mom. My whole name is Kasin Sol." "WHAT!?!?"