//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: The Teacher // Story: Frozen Hearts // by tilpin313 //------------------------------// The commoners bustled up and down the cobblestone roads of Canterlot. Once, this city was the shining centre of the empire, built on the legend of Dark Veins and the backs of commoners like those who wandered the streets. Some were peddling their wears and others were ignoring the petty vendors. Commerce was rarely done legally, but there were the few who fought against the norm of deviancy, clinging to the dream of a life free of crime. Today had been looking up for those who held the ideals; no reported thefts, no fresh bodies had been found in the allies, and the gangs had been quiet for the past day. The peace fostered hope in the ponies who resided there, even in the ever chilled city they called their home. A whistle rose above the oceanic roar of commoner’s slurred slang. Shouts followed the shrill whistle. "Stop them! Traitors!" A herd of masked, cloaked ponies came barreling down the road, tearing up cobbles as they ran. Guards followed in their destructive wake, stopping the torn up chunks before the muddy projectiles could land on them. The civilians were less lucky, taking unwanted dirt showers and a few stones across their bodies. The cloaked figures thundered off Trade Street and into a back alley, sending the echoes of their hooves echoing about the side streets before scattering. After they had vanished, the guards only caught a final wisp of a dark purple tail, whipping around a corner. The pack of guards rushed around the corner, ecstatic to have the chase come to a fruitful end. The alley around the bend was consumed by shadow, with the cloaked figures failing to use the darkness to mask their presence. "Well, it's been nice," The voice was clearly female, and smug. "But I've gotta go, putos." Behind her mask, eyes shining, the deep purple was quickly engulfed by a blinding white. Light spread from her eyes, bubbling out into a shell, isolating the figure from the world. In one brilliant flash, the bubble burst, pulsing outward, producing a crack that was heard city wide. The explosion deafened the mare's pursuers, and the pulse torched their retinas. Their final vision was of, not only the white light, but a dazzling pink sunburst, and then a fade to black as their eyes became useless. ----------------------------------------------------- Twilight Sparkle swung her front door open into the chilly wasteland of her home city. Wading into the shin high snow, she made her way down Bottom Row. The street's old name had been forgotten long ago, and while a few faded signs told of its true heritage, most were either too vandalized to bear the residences moniker or had been used as timber. There was a simple reason why it had been given its name; this was the bottom of the city. Both literally and figuratively. It had been built at the lowest point in the city, giving it only an hour of sunlight daily, giving the shadows their reign over the forgotten homes. Gang signs were stained over every surface, drawn in paint and blood. Twilight was sure if she scrubbed away at them she would find a lost history of the under lower class. She wouldn't, though, as coming anywhere near the tags would immediately affiliate you, and members seemed to have a strange sixth sense; they were able to phase onto the street whenever someone took the initiative to remove the tags. Twilight was certain they did it with magic, but even as her obsessive and curious side ached and clawed to be released, she fought to stay away from the markings. The sun shone through ever so slightly; the clouds had parted for a short while but returned with a vengeance, quickly blotting out the sun. Forcing her way between the two pinched snow banks at the end of the street, Twilight sent loose a shower of flakes and clump to the ground. The path to the factory was lined on either side by mountainous piles of the dirty snow. It was like this most everywhere in the city, making it more than a hassle to travel many of the streets. The only places immune to the plague of snow were Trade Street, the Royal "Garden", and "The Great One's Abby", as they were under the constant supervision of plow horses. Twilight followed the cramped passages, letting the predetermined route take her to the factory. From the outside, the factory looked horrible. Inside, congregated iron was being made for cheap building material and cheaper insulation. The doors were open both during and after work hours, as the four parallel smoke stacks that stuck out of its roof were continually spouting ash and a detritus-like substance into the muddled sky. This had been problematic for the workers, after the water condensed within the smoke stacks was exposed and froze quickly. The freezing led to plates of ice covering the soot's only escape. After the fourth occasion of factory wide suffocation, the decision had been made to keep the doors open at all times, letting the smoke out, but freezing the working ponies within. Twilight entered her workplace, doggedly glancing around at the line workers. Her place of work laid three floors below, away from the smelting furnaces of the ponies on this floor. She was unafraid of the muscle bound smiths, but she still felt herself quicken her pace as they glared. The way they stared; Twilight knew why they hated her. Hierarchy not only ran her city, but her job as well; the deeper underground you went, the more power you held. She worked on the bottom level, a secret hidden away from all but the royals and the city guard. She stepped into the magic elevator, letting the faded metal door clatter shut behind her, the weight brought her down. She ignored the other floors, nothing of her interest, until she reached bottom. The gate clacked open again and she stepped out onto the growing floor. Tired looking unicorns were cantering about the floor, up and down the lanes of magical conveyer belts, wrapping the teeny brown seeds in magical cloaks. A few armored guards made careful patrol up and down the aisles, the clinking of the whetted steel blades on armor enhanced magically to remind the workers here who took care of them; who kept them safe; who would end them if word of this was breathed from any of their lips. Twilight took her place on the line beside Helping Hooves, a tall, chubby bold yellow unicorn. She greeted Twilight with a grin and a gentle nudge with her hoof. "There she is! 'Owed the cookin' go, master chef?" the yellow unicorn asked while wrapping seeds in her light orange magic. "Gramps get his fill?"She joked, slipping away to check on her batch before they vanished into the baskets. "You keep teasing, I get the extra bits, just for feedin' them gits." Twilight responded, taking up her friend's old place at the head of the machine, imbuing each of the seeds with her own purple magic. "Give those afrentaos the food they bring in, an' I get paid for et? Raw deal for them!" She laughed, even though the use of the slang was slowly grating on her nerves. It hadn't come as easily as her co-workers use of it, and never sounded right when she used the words. "I hear that. What you ladies serve 'em last night?" Helping Hooves had rejoined Twilight, handling every other cluster of seeds that came through, letting her partner count their total and handle the odd numbered bunches. Machines hissed, sending clouds of vapor into the air to join the steady sound of cloven hooves, with a bizarre orchestra filling the air. "I always 'eard the stew was ta die for." "You know I couldn't tell you anything even if I wanted to." Twilight told her. Even now she tried to recall the memories of the night prior, but all that came was static and blurry moments. "They wiped me, few things comin' back though." This was true, but none were rational, and all left her feeling frightened. A sticky, damp coating up her arms, the taste of iron, clipping noises as knife hit board, the color red. "Nothin' o' any 'portance." Shivers ran up her spin now that she tried to remember more. The more she probed the harder the chills came until it became unbearable. "I'll work on it later." "You best, I wanna know all 'bout them plump ol' gits." “You think you in any way to call them plump?” Twilight laughed at her large friend. “We are not paying you to laugh.” A guard called, letting his clinks punctuate the words. The two fell into silence, and mechanically went about their jobs. Seeds came down the line, lifted into the air momentarily, changed their color, grew thicker and returned to the belt, adding to Twilight's count. Magical solutions, in most cases, were not the most permanent nor very easily adapted or changed, but were taught to all foals from birth and made them better than the other tribes. This particular spell had been used since the snow started to fall in this land; it's primary purpose was to protect the seeds from the cold, increase the resilience of the shell, as well as increase the longevity of the tree, once grown. Rumors had been circulating of the potency of the spell; how it was waning; how it was outdated; how it would fail in the next few years, how the food supply would dry up and the city would fall as the war still raged. Twilight could verify all but the last. Spell power inevitably wore off, often times very quickly, so it was remarkable that the seeds had been so successful over the generations. Even now it had at least a dozen years before it was expected to fall apart. As she worked, Twilight witnessed her mind wander onto this topic, the menial chore begging for her to daydream. The hours ticked by slowly, and Twilight went through three or four perfect spell designs that would solve the problem indefinitely, and be far simpler to apply in large groups, eliminating the need for single cast spells. She knew, however, none of her ideas would be taken into account. "Such is the plight of the urchin" Glad that she was unheard within her own thoughts, she went on, "To toil and sweat, while those who claim themselves the true intellectuals sit, thinking over their own power, solving no problems but the thought 'Where should my money rest?'" Pride bubbled up in her with the philosophy. "-nny?" Helping Hooves was speaking, but in her distraction, the words were snapped up by the hissing machines. "Huh?" She blinked, dropping the hovering seeds. "I say, what so funny?" A wry look crossing her face, temporarily obscured by a seed cluster for a moment. "Some galán catch your peepers?" Twilight's purple face hid her blush, but bit her upper lip, showing her embarrassment. "That a yes dear?" "N-no." She shook her head furiously, letting a few clusters slide by unenchanted. Twilight had to run to the end to catch her quarry, slowly moving her way back to the production machine. "Never!" Helping Hand laughed at her promise and the disturbed look on the young mares face. "Nothin' wrong wit that dear!" The yellow pony garbled out breathlessly. Her laughs were quieted by another threat from the patrolling guards. "Everypony has it. Betcha ten bits ahora there's two young ones just clambering to the bed-" A glare from Twilight cut her off. "Nothin' by it, nothin' by it!" They returned to silence, awkwardly running out the clock to their shifts end. Twilight became an automaton, methodically enchanting her own supply while staring at the mare across from her. Twilight's earliest memories were of her, the yellow pony standing across from her. Never knowing her parents properly, she was left in the care of Helping Hooves shortly after her second birthday as her parents left, pursuing the rumors of a new life on the unicorn frontier. At first they had sent letters every week, chronicling their immediate successes; opening shop, the boom of sales, how everypony that side of the region needed the seeds they provided. The letters took a darker turn quickly as the snow caught up with the town. Time between each message grew, biweekly, monthly, bimonthly, half a year. Soon the last came, only a few sentences long. "Not coming back. They're dead. He's dead. Tell Twilight mommy loves her. Tell her the same for her father. Not coming back." That arrived on her ninth birthday, and she had read it that night while her guardian slept. The dirty brown paper was stained with dark pinpricks before she started reading, and more had appeared once she had finished. She had no doubt it was her mother’s writing and the stallion she was referring to must have been her father. Her tears had flowed the entire night, and most of the next day. That day spent in tears brought about a revelation in Twilight, something that stuck in her head and sparked her own interests in knowledge. It had come as a whisper, tickling her ear and blowing about her hair. "Life is fleeting, family is mortal. Knowledge lasts forever." As softly and quickly as it had come it vanished, whipping around her head and back into the nothingness from whence it came. She sat in her room that day, pondering the words; her sorrow had been forgotten for the moment. It was then she cracked open the dusty old tomes of her father and the magic began. To this day she studied on, learning history, literature, mathematics, every second hand book she could scrounge from the trash of the higher class. The subject that she spent the most of her life on was magic, giving her an adeptness unrivaled by all of her co-workers and many of the higher class who would pour over spell books for days at a time. She kept her talent hidden, worried more about isolation of her surrogate mother than the legal repercussions of her borderline robbery. Were the gift to be discovered it was likely she would never be seen or heard from again. The sharp whistle that signified her shifts end broke her trance once again, assisted by Helping's jovial laugh. "'Nother day, nother dollar!" She told Twilight as the machines stopped. "Half dollar, plus food." Twilight corrected as they lined up for pay. They weren't the only ones talking, the line had burst into a roaring murmur. The whistle had aggravated her head, giving the embers of a sudden headache a final surge of air, rising into a flame. "For a full days wage." The buzz of the crowd was unbearable. "Ya know, ya could do with a brighter point of view." "Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are all miserable. Coltaire." She snapped, cringing as she realized what she had said. "Now where did you pick that up?" Her partner inquired, smiling. "We always did call ya the smart one, didn't know we had a genius on our hooves!" Twilight smiled sheepishly, casting her eyes around, hoping none of the guards found anything amiss. The roar that had been a bother a moment ago was her salvation, drowning out her words and those of her caregiver. The line moved forward as they were paid two by two. She breezed past the guards as the bits floated to her opened pouch, clinking softly as they joined her meager pile. Helping plodded along cheerily beside, smiling in the cold air as she moved. She was far from graceful, but effect in her movements, however sloppy. "Hitting the drink tonight. Join us?" Twilight rolled her tongue around her mouth, acting thoughtful. "A few more moments, make it look hopeful." She let a smile slide up on her face, mirroring the increasingly wide-set one on Helping Hooves'. then, she felt it drop, false aggravation camouflage her face. "I can't...damn Culos 'ave me working' till late." She broke their lock step to make her way home. "Come on," Hooves moaned from behind. "You can't just spend your life 'tween work an' home. My ma always said 'Pony ain't meant to live on bread alone'" "Don't need the two bit advice." "It's above your pay grade anyway," she joked, trotting along, still loitering behind her. "When you gonna be done?" "When I'm done." Twilight gave the answer automatically, well versed in the response. She gave it often enough. Over the years it placated her guardian less and less. Helping never vocalized it, though, and Twilight could see her biting her cheek, creating a small indent on her face, but did nothing to stop her surrogate child from departing. ----------------------------------------------------- Twilight followed the old path to her home, between the cavernous snow piles again. The homes she passed by went through a gradually developing state of decay. From the two story homes of the factory owners and noblemen to the town homes and, finally, her familiar slums. Streets branched off at regular intervals along the way, leading onto roads of varying luster. Signs passed by, unnoticed by Twilight; she knew them off by heart now. Emerald way; Ruby crescent; Sapphire road; Obsidian street; Jet drive; they all slipped by until she landed on Bottom row. Mares and stallions were gathered on either side of the street, cheap clothing and paint marking them as gang members. Tension was thick in the air with the pre-fight anxiety. Twilight calmly made her way down the street, in between the factions, both ready for war. Keeping her head down, she avoided the threatening gazes on both sides, her house growing steadily closer along with the increasing threat of battle. She only allowed a breath of relief when the door was locked behind her and she was up the first flight of stairs. The place was dilapidated and worn; the rickety stairs and stale paint made that clear. Paint hung off the walls in strips like fingers groping down at all who wandered in. They brushed Twilight's back as she made her way up the stairs. She shivered each time, the ghostly appendages begging her for attention. As she climbed the stairs, she was greeted by a new sensation at every floor: the excited squeals or tortured cries of the new born filly on the first floor; a constant smell of smoke that shimmered under the door on the second. As always, the third and fourth were silent; gang patterned doors extenuated this silence, and the fearful pounding in her chest increased her speed. The fifth floor brought a new adventure every day since it's residence changed with the tide. Dainty laughter and gentle clinking announced the sixth floor, the richest resident enjoyed their freedom, while siphoning money from their parents. Finally she reached her own floor, where a simple door at first look betrayed the cunning system that lay beneath the surface. A magical lock, recognizing only her magic and horn and frying any who tried to break in. That was the premise at least - she had never seen it in practice, only read in books. Slotting her glowing horn into the lock, the door should have silently opened, sliding up and into the roof. Instead, it rumbled and scraped, sending a shower of dust down on her. Lingering a moment underneath the doorway, Twilight tried to determine the reason behind the dust and noise. A few bricks were pushed back into the vertical doorway in an uneven square. Twilight's heart froze, tentatively took a few steps into her home. Ruins greeted her, the single bookcase tipped over and rummaged through, as was the poorly carpentered vanity across from her threadbare bed. The kitchen had received the same treatment, drawers lay on the ground, and cupboards missing their doors. Her small couch and chair were torn apart in the frenzied search, leaving stuffing over the floor. "Officer Steel Borne arrived this afternoon." A gravelly voice appeared at her flank, just outside the doorway. "Such a shame; so much time and effort wasted by his guards." The voice stayed neutral as Twilight had come to expect. The pony never spoke with emotion, only in a matter of fact cadence. It was clearly masked by magic. "Our own will assist in refurbishing. Report." "Not much was spoken of today Teacher, but the magic spoke volumes." Twilight was far from comfortable in the horse's presence. Turning to face the ambiguous form, she lowered her head in a respectful bow. "The supplies will run short soon and spells will die. I've done my best to mask this from the superiors. Perhaps when our food is gone our masterful leaders will at least consider negotiation." Booted hooves appeared in her vision, one raising to lift her sunk head. "Good work. You have been imperative to our work, my Trust." The compliment made her glow, though it was said with no emotion. "And, since it has been your work that has brought us this far, you shall deliver word to our contacts." Her appreciative glow vanished in that instant, and her head snapped upright. "Teacher, surely you have charges far more suited to this...honor!" She met the pale white gaze of her master, the only thing visible under it's dark cloak. "Do you question my judgment?" Cold air wafted about the room, though the tone stayed the same. "Perhaps you should teach me instead, young one?" "N-no teacher, my intention was not to offend. I merely think that others are far more qualified than I to represent our organization. " She apologized, bowing again. "If you wish me to go-" "I do. And you shall. Midnight tonight was arranged for the meet. You will be there, early if you can." Twilight would be early, out of fear of her master's sickly creative wrath. Twilight sighed inwardly and responded. "Yes master." ----------------------------------------------------- Blood soaked the streets, pooling from the wrecked bodies of the dead or dying warriors outside of Twilight's home. Just as she had earlier in the day, she scurried down the center of the street, remarkably untouched by the violence. The city by night was stunning. Enchanted street lamps glowing dimly in some parts, the lower class most often, and then rising into a brilliant show of multicolored lights. Twilight turned her back to the brilliance, and even left the dim lamps after a few minutes of walking. Nighttime held a terror for her, something she had never quite grown out of. Things lurked in the darkness of the city, this she knew, and no promises made by the adults in her life would convince her otherwise. Civilian streets grew further and farther between, turning quickly to airship docks and private companies' warehouses. With the shift in the buildings, the populace shared in the difference, becoming more disheveled and needy as the buildings grew larger and more industrious. As the homeless and industry passed, Twilight's nervousness grew, sending her heart once more into her throat. Sweat ran in bullets but her midnight blue robes masked the shining specks. The air was frigid - more so than normal - but she couldn't feel the cut of the wind; her beating heart gave her fearful warmth as she drew nearer and nearer to the congress. A bell tolled, marking the half hour, sending a jolt of through her frayed nerves. Ringing next to her was a bell tower, it's red brick exterior faded over the decades, it's fame legendary. This was the first building in the city; it had originally been the center of the city, creating an unnatural land mark to ward away any who sought to settle the land as well. Only the most sacred were allowed up during the day, but at night only the most skilled. This was her meeting place, chosen for its security - easily bypassed by Twilight - and accessible by the air - for their flying contact. Attempting to swallow with a dry, contracted throat, she unlocked the door and entered into the single wide, winding, circular staircase, leading up by alcoves housing structures of the Great One, and Dark Veins, the patron. Sweat poured into her eyes, blinding her during the climb. No amount of blinks or wipes could clear them, forcing her to simply power through and stumble over each step. It was a constant fight to the full height of the tower, and each step brought a heavier feeling of dread over her. The anxiety offered something else though, a strange new feeling for Twilight; pure, unbridled freedom. Alien, though it was, she welcomed it as it elevated some of the crushing stress from her frame. She edged closer to the top, chilled by the sweat that had coated her body. The clock above her head read ten minutes to the hour, telling her she was running early for the meeting. "So some of your breed are punctual, eh Uni?" A gravelly male voice asked from above. Twilight jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of the Pegasus in the same robe as her, only a few sizes up scaled. The stallion hovered over her head, a shroud of shadow hid him until now. He descended on wide set brown wings, and touched softly down without out a noise. Twilight could only think of him as Bat now, his shadowy figure and deep chestnut color made the name an easy fit for him. "Don't be too hard on the girl, sssshe'sss only jusst been sssent out. Your firsst time was the mosst nerve wracking, wasss it not?" An earth pony slithered around the bell. "Ssshe'sss green asss a filly, ssscared asss one too. Are you alright?" She spoke in an easy, friendly manner, almost seductively inviting her to lower her guard. Defensively, Twilight steeled herself again, bristling against the welcoming, calming tones. Snake, she decided, would be a fitting name for the earth pony and her whistling hiss. Snake wore a robe the same color as her's and Bat's, deep midnight blue, but had a deeper hood to mask her face. "Fine." Twilight mumbled, shying back a few inches. "Well, let's get started then; what's the news Uni?" Bat demanded. Twilight looked up at the clock, five minutes to the hour. "Don't you think we should wait un-" "We're all here, why should we wait any longer?"Growled Bat, fluttering his wings with impatience, to punctuate his voice. "Now, now, if ssshe wantsss to wait until her deadline, sssshould we not let her?" Snake turned on the Pegasus, spittle appearing on the side of the bell her left side hugged defensively. "No, it's... it's fine." Three to the hour. "We can start now if it would be better for you. But, my payment...?" Her contacts both loosed bags of money at her, dropping them at her feet. "Thank you," She hovered the bags onto her back, clipping them onto her side. "Very well then, the magic on our seeds are wearing off, and the magicians-" "Will take pleasure extracting your secrets." A new voice interrupted, shattering the stillness and silence of the night. Unicorns appeared around them in bright flashes, grimacing and bearing blades. Within seconds, Snake was pinned, whistling her violent protest, while Bat launched himself into the air, only to be pierced by arrows fired by the dozens of archers laying in wait. His limp body plummeted to the ground, a loud splat announced his landing. "We have less to worry about with you two, don't we?" Steel Borne glanced between the two hooded figures, his wrinkled white face looked weary, even in light of his success. "Take the mud pony away, but keep the traitor here a moment... I'd like to show her the fate her breed deserves." Snake was dragged away, still spitting her whistled curses. Steel Borne paced back and forth in front of Twilight as his team filed out, one by one, leading the earth pony half way between them, ready to catch her again at the slightest possibility of escape. Once the door had shut behind them did Steel Borne speak again. "You simply had to, didn't you?" Rage glowed in his eyes as his pacing stopped. "You couldn't control yourself, so you go and ruin the plan?" Shadows flickered over his face, confusing Twilight more than scaring her. She felt no magic manipulated in his presence, yet the light started to bend around him. The white stallion stopped, standing directly in front of her, grating his teeth and glowering at her again. "No matter...no matter! Only a minor problem. But, oh, the inconvenience!" Blue light clasped the hilt of his rapier and drew it from the ornate scabbard that hung from his flank. "And children who meddle in the affairs of adults must be taught to behave." The last word was said with a grisly joy. He drew the blade into his vision, examining it. "This is my best sword, but useless at the moment..." Taking a breath, he focused, a bead of sweat ran down his forehead. Twilight leaned in, too intrigued by the magic to run. Blackness covered the blade, wrapping it like a blanket around a foal, and ushered in a new form. It expanded, gaining a serrated edge and a much wider blade and hilt. White light appeared at the openings around the top of the bell tower, rippling before becoming solid light again. "Now, the lesson." Twilight's chest froze as the new sword was pressed against the first ridge in her horn. "You are a good student from what I've seen, so you should learn quickly." The white light muted her screams. ----------------------------------------------------- The Teacher watched from across the city, sighting from the undisturbed, frozen vigil atop the student's workplace. It smiled grimly as white light impeded its vision. "It is done," the voice was uncloaked now, marking it as female. "Now the order shall be reset." She spoke to the swirling mass of changing light next to her. It pulsed once and she nodded, letting light slip into the her hood, revealing a horn, filed down a single notch. The light pulsed a few more times and Twilight Sparkle faced the light, letting it illuminate her face fully under the shroud. "Of course, there is only one more step to set our plans fully into motion." Another huge thanks to PesudoBob for editing and cover art...No idea where I'd be without you man.