Ice Hearts

by GrassAndClouds2


Ponies of the Vault (1)

Ditzy hadn’t planned to freeze in place when she entered the hotel’s great dining hall, but her body made the decision for her.

The flickering torches set in the walls only provided a dim illumination, but it was enough to make out the ornate moldings that ran along the walls, rising up at least to the point where they vanished in shadow. The table was an ancient thing with clawed feet on its legs and gems inset at various points; they gave the impression, not of a friendly display of wealth, but of some creature peaking through the darkness. When the torchlight writhed and Ditzy saw a few pieces of silverware, she realized that no two were alike, all seemed to be plated with precious metals, and none looked like they were quite the right size for her hooves. The room’s combination of sheer luxury and pointed unwelcomeness was unnerving, Ditzy thought, as if a king and his entourage were the real intended guests, and the Elements just interlopers.

She had only a few moments to think about this before her gaze was drawn to the far end of the table, the only place in the room where the torches blazed brightly, to fall upon the faint smile of the second most powerful mare in Equestria. Vicereine Puissance sat at the table as if it were her own, her poise relaxed just enough to demonstrate comfort, yet not so much as to even hint at impropriety. She wore a long flowing dress that was studded with emeralds, and a large ruby dangled from a silver chain around her neck. “Elements,” she said, picking up a jeweled goblet without looking at it, and tilting her head so that her silvering hair seemed to glimmer in the torchlight. “Welcome.”

Ditzy realized that most of the other Elements had stopped with her, though Trixie and Cheerilee had gotten into the room before pausing to look around. Trixie recovered first. “Vicereine,” she said, bowing low. Belatedly, Ditzy followed suit along with the others, only rising after several seconds had passed. “You honor us with your presence.”

“The honor is mine, Dame Trixie,” said Puissance. “It is not everyday that one gets to meet genuine national heroes, even one of my… position.” She nodded at the torches. “Do forgive the limited lighting. This hotel was built, as I’m sure you know, to host trade delegations and merchant caravans traveling between Equestria and our northern neighbors. The common rooms were built quite large… but with so few of us, I felt that perhaps a more intimate setting would be appropriate. However, if you’d prefer more torches, that could be arranged.”

Trixie glanced at the others before saying, “It’s fine.” She wasn’t thrilled with it, Ditzy could tell, but presumably asking for Puissance to change the lighting conditions would be some kind of faux pas. “We don’t mind it.”

“Excellent.” Puissance nodded, her smile expanding slightly. “Now. Please introduce me to your friends, Dame Trixie.”

“Of course.” Trixie swept a hoof back at the others. “Vicereine, these are my fellow Knights of the Realm. This is Dame Lyra Heartstrings--” Lyra trotted forwards, smiling brightly, and almost threw herself down into another bow, “She was the first graduate of Luna’s Magic Academy to dual-major in both magic and music, and she studied under the mare who is now Luna’s Court Musician. Dame Carrot Top--” Carrot Top shuffled a few steps and bowed again, with substantially less poise than Lyra, “Who placed third in the Trottingham Farm Competition, and had the unparalleled honor of serving you personally last year. Dame Cheerilee--”

“We’ve met,” said Cheerilee, lowering her head just barely enough to qualify as a bow.

Trixie shot her a glare. “Ahem. This is Dame Raindrops, Ponyville’s strongest weathermare, and Dame Ditzy Doo, Ponyville’s most reliable mailmare.” Ditzy bowed again, wishing she knew how long was supposed to remain kneeling before a Vicereine. The etiquette lesson Cheerilee had drilled into them hadn’t quite covered such minutia. When she finally chanced getting up, she saw that Trixie had half-turned so that she was facing her friends without quite presenting her back to the older pegasus. “My fellow Knights,” she intoned, “Please allow me to introduce to you to our host. Vicereine Puissance Noctilucent Optibieurs-Golo--”

Ditzy took a step forwards towards the table.

But then Trixie kept going. “By the Grace of Luna Vicereine of Califurlong and Palomino and of Her other Realms and Fiefdoms,” she started, before adding, “Protostratorissa of the Air Forces of Her Royal Majesty, Dame Grand Cross of the Auspicious Order of Firefly and Medley, Honorary Companion of Honor with Collar of the National Order of Merit, Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Pferdreich, Honorary Condottiera of the Order of Sirocco of Cavallia..."

The speech continued for close to ten full minutes, moving from major titles and awards to those less significant. Ditzy glanced at Puissance to see if this was some kind of joke, but instead Puissance was sitting still, her face in a pensive expression, as if she was evaluating every word. Trixie, meanwhile, spoke in a clear and rehearsed tone, as if this was an expected ritual--which, for all Ditzy knew, it was. To her side, she heard Raindrops’ stomach rumble, but she managed to keep the smile off her face. She doubted that either Trixie or Puissance would appreciate an interruption.

“...and Bearer of thirty-seven Platinum Wand Awards for financial contributions towards Princess Luna’s Academy of Magic,” finished Trixie. She sounded faintly out of breath, and Ditzy was impressed that she had managed to memorize Puissance’s long list of titles. After a long moment, Trixie managed to get herself turned around again and bowed one last time to Puissance. “Vicereine--may my companions and I be seated?”

“Of course,” said Puissance, beckoning them forwards. “And thank you for making such a thorough introduction, Dame. Although I do see that news of my being awarded the title of Honorary Lady of Quedleapburg hasn’t quite made it to all of Equestria yet.” She smiled bemusedly. “It’s really a lovely little town in Pferdreich, just a few miles north of the Equestrian border, and when I heard they had a financial shortfall I decided to lend a hoof. Well, they were very grateful, and…” She waved a wing. “Oh, do listen to me prattle on. I wouldn’t want to bore you with an old mare’s stories.”

Trixie had blushed a faint red. “I apologize, Vicereine. I had not yet heard of your latest title.”

“Quedleapburg?” mused Cheerilee. “Doesn’t that town have less than a thousand ponies?”

“It may be small,” said Puissance, her voice now holding a slight edge, “But it holds beauty of its own, all the same.”

Cheerilee nodded. “Of course. But what I meant, actually, was that in Pferdreich, towns and cities don’t have a Lord or Lady leading them unless they have at least 2,500 residents.” She smiled innocently. “But I’m sure it was very nice of them to make up a new position for you.”

Puissance opened her mouth to say something, but Ditzy quickly interjected, “Thank you for dining with us, Vicereine,” she said, adopting the calming tone that she sometimes used when Dinky was getting upset. “We all appreciate it.” She caught Cheerilee’s eye. “Don’t we?”

Though she seemed like she wanted to press the point, Cheerilee backed down under Ditzy’s gaze. “Yes,” she said. “We are.”

Ditzy turned back to Puissance, and was relieved to see that her faint smile had returned. “Thank you, Dame Ditzy,” she said. “I appreciate that.” She flicked a wing slightly, and one of the shadows in the back of the wall detached itself from the wall and approached. Ditzy blinked in astonishment to see that it was a camel; she had never before met one in her entire life. As he approached, Puissance said, “And speaking of dining, I believe supper should be arriving in just a few minutes.”

“Wait,” said Trixie, stopping the camel. “Isn’t Ice Heart supposed to be joining us?”

Puissance settled back in her stool. “Ice Heart is… shy around strangers,” she said at last. “He opted to eat early tonight. I remonstrated with him at length, but I’m sure you know how foals are. So willful.” She smiled wistfully. “In any event, I see no reason to push him, and I’m sure you won’t mind if I introduce you later during our stay.”

Ditzy had bent over to sip at her jeweled goblet full of mineral water, but at that comment she looked up and caught the gaze of the other Knights. They all had the same expression--a wary one. “But Vicereine,” Ditzy began, “I was under the impression that we would be protecting this foal. If we don’t know what he looks like--”

“You will,” said Puissance. “Long before any meeting between him and his long-absent father. But for tonight, he indicated that he would prefer to remain with his current friends, and as he was so very well-behaved on the flight here, I decided to let him.” She smiled. “Contrary to popular belief, I do try to allow my children and wards some freedom.”

It sounded like a joke, thought Ditzy, but not one that Puissance expected anyone to laugh at.

Puissance waved her wing, and the camel approached. “Now. Would any of you like wine with your amuse-bouche?”

***

The meal was one of the best Ditzy had ever eaten--superb ingredients, sublime cooking technique, and each dish paired with the most delicious wines to be found anywhere--but she found it difficult to focus on the food. It wasn’t just the dinner talk, which mostly resolved to Puissance asking Trixie her opinion on various political matters, in a tone indicating that Luna had somewhat emphatically put her up to it. Rather, it was the absent Ice Heart, and also the presence of his mysterious friends who had decided to travel with him as he approached a monstrous terror of pony legend. Ditzy knew that her friends would accompany her if she were for some reason bound to meet a windigo, but they were a special case. Puissance wasn’t telling them something.

When the dessert course, slices of a chocolate baumkuchen cake, had been cleared away, Puissance rose. “We’ll leave for the windigo two hours after sunrise tomorrow,” she said. “It should take us no more than forty-five minutes to reach it. As far as the Shadowbolts were able to determine, the windigo can only communicate to us via images. We’re not sure if it can understand our own language in response, so Dame Trixie, you will be responsible for creating illusions and images to convey our messages to the windigo. Additionally, should the windigo turn hostile, I trust you are all ready to use your Elements.” She paused. “Princess Luna has allotted us two days within which to attempt to negotiate with the windigo. If at the end of that period, in my sole determination, it is not safe for Ice Heart to see his father, we will leave--and if the windigo pursues, you will drive it off. Otherwise, when we bring Ice Heart to see the windigo, you will protect him. Do you have any questions?”

Ditzy raised a hoof. “In your sole determination?” she repeated.

“Yes. As the highest-ranking representative of Luna’s will in the region, it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of her citizens as far as I am able. And furthermore, as Ice Heart’s guardian, I will not permit my child to be put into a situation which I feel is dangerous.” She let her gaze track over all of them. Ditzy, recalling that Puissance’s special talent was wielding authority, had to admit that she was good at using it; she could almost feel her head drooping in acquiescence to the Vicereine’s wishes. “Is that clear?”

“Yes, Vicereine,” said Trixie.

“Very well. You have the run of the hotel, except for the west wing; Ice Heart and his friends are staying there, and they do not wish to be disturbed tonight. My servants are at your beck and call should you need anything.” She inclined her head. “Have a good night, Elements.”

When she had walked down the hall and around a corner, the Elements looked at each other for a silent moment. Then Raindrops said, “So, when’re we breaking into the west wing?”

Cheerilee grinned. She brushed a hoof under her barrel and withdrew what looked to Ditzy like an intricate lockpicking kit. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Carrot Top held up a hoof. “Um, should we really be doing this? Puissance might get mad--”

“We’re supposed to guard Ice Heart,” said Trixie. “We can’t do that if we don’t know where he is. Besides, given all our other dealings with the Court, if something weird is going on up here, I’d like to know sooner rather than later.”

Lyra grinned. “Come on, Carrot Top. It’ll be an adventure!”

Carrot Top looked uncertain, but nodded. ‘Alright…”

"Great," said Trixie. "In that case--let's go!"

They soon reached a large, ornate door, and Cheerilee began to work at the lock while the others stood guard. “I wonder why she doesn’t want us to meet Ice Heart,” mused Carrot Top. “Maybe something happened to him?”

“Doubt it,” said Raindrops. “She’s got to know we’ll be seeing him eventually. What’re we going to do, protect him from the windigo while blindfolded?” The Elements snickered at the image, and Raindrops herself cracked a smile before moving on. “We’ll see him, and we’ll know if something’s up.”

“What if she just doesn’t let him get close to the windigo?” asked Lyra. “Puissance could say she doesn’t feel it’s safe. Then we’d never have to guard him from anything.”

Trixie shook her head. “I’m not exactly her biggest fan, but she didn’t get to where she is by being stupid. We’re watching Puissance’s every move and she knows it--along with the fact that we have the right to petition Luna directly. If she throws the negotiations on purpose, she knows we could report her, and then it’s bye-bye to all those titles she’s so fond of.” The illusionist scowled. “Seriously. I got ninety-six of her ninety-seven titles correct! Who cares that I missed one?”

“Well, to be fair, it’s a completely meaningless title that she probably only bought by dumping a train full of money into Pferdreich,” said Cheerilee. “If you forget it, it’s like you’re saying she shouldn’t have spent all those bits on a vanity title.”

“Perish the thought,” drawled Raindrops.

Ditzy rubbed her chin with a hoof. Keeping Ice Heart hidden from them didn’t make sense, for the reasons Trixie and Raindrops had enumerated, but that wasn’t true for everyone Puissance had brought. “What if it’s not Ice Heart she doesn’t want us to see? What if it’s the friends? We didn’t know they’d be here, right? Maybe she wanted to keep them secret.”

“Then why did she bring them?” asked Trixie.

“And why did she tell us?” added Raindrops.

“I don’t know,” said Cheerilee. “But I think we should find out.” The lock clicked open and the door swung back with a loud creak. “Shall we?”

***

The hallway in the west wing was better lit than the others the Elements had walked through and Ditzy could feel herself relaxing at the brighter atmosphere. Even the moldings on the wall, which were low, tightly packed against each other, and seemed almost to be brooding, felt a little more pleasant. She was about to tell her friends how much nicer things felt when she heard a loud splash from down the hall. She hurried towards it, her friends by her side, and they hurried in--

To a large indoor pool.

The room itself had just as many little designs as the banquet hall, with even the patterns on the floor tiles flowing into each other in vaguely geometric shapes, but the roaring fire in the hearth to one side, plus the clean, unadorned nature of the pool, helped to alleviate the cloying weight of the intricate artistry along the walls. Furthermore, while three of the walls were covered in moldings similar to those they had already seen, the fourth was a large sheet of glass which looked out over the steppes. The hotel was built at the very edge of town, with nothing but miles and miles of driving snow between them and the Equestrian border. It was one of the purest, most beautiful scenes of untouched nature Ditzy had ever seen--and she lived in a town next to the Everfree forest.

She heard another splash, and looked down to see two ponies in the pool. Neither seemed to have noticed them. The first was a mare with an emerald-green coat who sat in what looked like a throne made entirely out of water. Her back was to them, but based on her regal stature as she reclined in her throne, and the sharp, confident tone of her voice as she talked to her companion, she reminded Ditzy of Rarity. The other pony had a yellow coat and a thick, muscular build; perhaps not quite as much as Big Macintosh, but close to it. He seemed content to massage one of the other pony’s forelegs with his hooves, avoiding the throne itself, and listen.

The Elements looked at each other for a moment, and then Trixie shrugged and walked forwards. “Excuse me,” she called. “We’re the Elements of Harmony. Are you Ice Heart’s friends?”

Both ponies swiveled, the green one almost falling out of her throne before the yellow dashed forwards and caught her. As she recovered, her bottom half left the water, and Ditzy’s eyes widened. She didn’t have back legs at all, but rather, a tail. Like those seaponies we saw at Andalantis, she thought. I didn’t know any lived within Equestria’s borders.

“What are you doing here?” asked the green pony, naked suspicion in her voice. Behind her, the throne began to dissolve. “This is a private conversation.”

“No, but--” Trixie took another step forwards, but the yellow pony moved between them and held up a hoof in the universal gesture of ‘stop.’ “Look, we just wanted to say hello. My name is Trixie Lulamoon, Element of Magic, and these are my friends, the other Elements of Harmony. We’re all up here facing a windigo together, so we thought we might want to introduce ourselves.”

“I see no reason for that,” sniffed the pony. “I used to be a princess, you know, and--”

“And we’re honored to meet you,” interjected Ditzy. She fixed a kind smile on her face and added, “We’d just like to say hello for a few minutes. Would that be alright?”

The earth pony glanced at Ditzy, blinked, and then leaned closer to the seapony and whispered into her ear. She paused and then seated herself on a bit of water which she levitated until she could see the whole group. “I see,” she said, her gaze locking onto Ditzy’s. “Of course. You there, in the gray coat. Who are you?”

“Ditzy Doo, mailmare.”

“Very nice to meet you, Ditzy,” said the seapony. “And these other ponies are friends of yours?”

Ditzy nodded. “My best friends,” she said.

“Well…” the seapony glanced at the earth pony and nodded. “That’s all right then. Vicereine Puissance really did find the perfect bodyguards for little Ice Heart, didn’t she?”

“Yup,” said the earth pony.

The green mare turned back to the knights. “Please, come in. The water is excellent. Vicereine Puissance had one of her mages enchant it to the absolute perfect temperature.”

Trixie, Carrot Top, and Raindrops stared in confusion, but Ditzy smiled. Kindness always works. “Thank you. What are your names?”

“You may call me Stream Dreams; this is Bones,” said the seapony. She lowered her water spout down as the Elements approached so that she was sitting just slightly above the water, at their eye level. “And if you don’t mind me saying so, Miss Doo…”

“Yes?” asked Ditzy,

“You have beautiful eyes.”

Ditzy froze for a moment, gaping at Stream Dreams, as she had once gaped at the various other ponies who had openly mocked her strabismus. But the seapony didn’t sound malicious or cruel. She sounded sincere. And when she met Ditzy’s wall-eyed gaze, she did it without flinching, and with the kind of look that other ponies cast upon runway models. She meant it.

While Ditzy was working out her reaction to that, Trixie interjected. “We don't mean to disturb you. We were just wondering where Ice Heart is?”

“Oh, he’s around somewhere in the wing. You might try the kitchen; he has quite the sweet tooth.” Stream Dream smiled. “Like many foals, I suppose.”

“How did you meet him?” asked Cheerilee.

“You could say we all live in the same neighborhood--Bones, Ice Heart, myself, some others.”

Bones nodded. “Yup.”

Raindrops frowned. “How did that happen?”

“Vicereine Puissance has a… knack, you could say, for helping certain ponies find friends,” said Stream Dream. “When I first came to Equestria by myself, I didn’t know anypony. But the Vicereine, she found me and helped me find some great ponies to live with. Like little Ice Heart. Or my big strong stallion.” She leaned over and smooched Bones, and the yellow pony blushed red. “One of her many gifts.”

Trixie was kneeling to look closer at the water. Ditzy, meanwhile, said, “Many gifts?”

“She’s one of the most generous mares I know. For example, do you see how big this swimming pool is? Well, the Vicereine knew I wasn’t happy on dry land, so she arranged to have one even larger than this installed at my residence. And then she provided the finest seaweed and kelp, harvested every day, and all the fresh sushi I could want…” Stream Dream licked her lips. “An excellent mare.”

“Yup,” added Bones.

Ditzy frowned and made a mental note to ask Cheerilee what ‘sushi’ was later. “She sounds very kind,” she said aloud.

“She is.” Stream Dream reached up a wave to caress under Bones’ neck. He gave a deep sigh, though the wave fell apart after a few moments. Stream Dream shook her head and turned to the Elements. “Actually, Trixie, if you're the Element of Magic, perhaps you have some advice for me. I would love to use my magic to make Bones as happy as he makes me, but since he’s immune, that is… difficult. Do you know of a solution?”

“Immune?” Trixie’s eyes widened. “Oh! You mean, he’s a null pony!”

“Null pony?” asked Carrot Top.

“Earth ponies who are immune to magic,” said Cheerilee. “Very rare, but not unheard of.”

“Exactly,” said Stream Dream. “If I wanted to warm him up on a cold night, for example, I couldn’t simply heat the water in his body, as I could do with anypony else. I can’t even bring him along with me when I move about; my water structures collapse as soon as they touch him.” She looked at Ditzy. “It’s not the kind of thing we talk about often, but… well, you’re obviously trustworthy, Trixie. If you come up with any ideas, you’ll let us know, won’t you?”

Trixie looked at the other Elements and mouthed the word ‘trustworthy?’ but neither Ditzy nor the others seemed to have an answer for her. “I’ll think about it tonight,” the illusionist said at last. “But, um, in the meantime, we should go find Ice Heart. Kitchen, you said?”

"Yes. Now, if you'll excuse us..."

She turned back to Bones. Ditzy opened her mouth to ask why Stream Dream had looked at her before declaring Trixie trustworthy, but then closed it, unsure of what to say. She just turned and followed her friends as they continued into Puissance's wing of the hotel.