//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 
// Story: Crown of Winter 
// by CartoonNerd12 
//------------------------------//

"Sunny skies all around! And nary a fishy wave in sight!" Screwball chortled at her own joke. "Get it? Fishy wave? 'Cause we're out in the middle of the ocean?"

She knew she had her father's sense of humor, albeit a bit cringeworthy. She looked down the mast and saw her sulking cousins on the deck. She saw Gemstone leaning over the railing and staring at the ocean. Screwball felt a little guilty about hypnotizing her cousin, but she reasoned that she did what she had to. Besides, she thought that maybe this vacation would cheer all of them up. No parents, no suitors, just plain old fun in the sun.

Gem didn't understand it. Why did she send Seam away just like that? When she saw him again, she told him to go back to Manehattan because he would be unhappy with her. She also told him that the duties of a royal would be overbearing for him and that he wouldn't handle being a prince. Needless to say, her heart broke the moment tears welled up in his eyes. Even since he complied with her wishes, Gem felt empty inside.

Still, she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. When she sent him away, it felt like a part of her was fighting her change of attitude. She didn't know why, but she assumed that she might have been still in love with him. And yet, why did all love for Seam just die overnight? Something was off, but she couldn't quite place it.

Apple Jewel wasn't in the best of moods, either. She still missed Asher, but she was sorely ticked at him for assuming that any child of theirs wouldn't be good enough for him. No matter how their child would turn out, she would love it all the same. That is, if she and Asher got back together. She scoffed at the idea, but she couldn't help but wish that it might be so. Who cared about the Gauntlet of Fire as long as their love mattered? She just didn't understand.

Cotton was a bit gloomier than she would normally be. She chalked it up to being apart from Cannon Fire. She had just found love and then she had to give it up just like that. She knew that any argument Cannon raised with his parents would be pointless. Any alliance with Maretonia was vital because it had been ruined by war once. Should it go into battle again, it needed powerful allies to help minimize casualties. Cotton hated war, and she was sad Cannon had to experience it most of his life without ever knowing of fun.

Starling kept glossing over the books on her desk in her cabin, but she barely paid any attention to the content. She may have been heir to the throne, but that didn't mean she had to marry anyone at or above her status. Star knew love was more important than wealth and power. Her parents, aunts, and uncles taught their children about the importance of love and did so repeatedly. But why now did they decide to forgo part of their teachings? It didn't make any sense with her, her brother, or their cousins.

When they were about to board the train at Canterlot, they gave their parents a sort of bittersweet goodbye. They still loved their parents, but they were still on the far side of trust. They felt that the adults should've trusted them more instead of just declaring that anypony could just come into the palace and try to win the hooves of the royal children. Right now, they weren't ready to forgive their folks. Not yet. Just not yet.

The boys may have found love, but they couldn't bear to see their sisters and cousins being so unhappy. The princes considered themselves lucky to fall in love with their marefriends before the proclamation was made, but they felt sorry that some of their relatives were not as fortunate. They wanted the girls to feel the unbridled joy of being in love like the guys did. However, they were afraid that their parents might push them to marry their girls all too soon. They also didn't realize that some ponies like Screwball couldn't even have somepony to love. Just like what Dignity had said about many ponies not being able to be successful, the same could be said about Screwball in terms of love.

Screwy may have not seemed that way, but her cousins were blind to it. Yes, she was boiling with jealousy at not having love as easily as some of her cousins did, but then again, who needed guys? For all she knew, her dad could've been just lucky he found love. What if it wasn't the case with her? She felt so conflicted by jealousy, rage, hurt, fear, and so many other emotions that she decided to go back to looking out the wide blue waters as she and her cousins headed for Marendelle. Yeah, they would be happy there. No troubles at all.




KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!

Little Button groaned as she stirred from her sleep, "What is it?"

A voice from behind the door replied, "I have news about your cousins, Your Highness."

LB mumbled incoherently, "Cousins? Good, good…*yawn* Make sure the corns get picked on time…"

"It's 'cousins'. Your cousins are on the way here to Marendelle right now."

"My cousins are…coming…right now…" LB's eyes then flew open and she immediately sat up on her bed. She asked excitedly, "They're coming?!"

"Yes, Your Highness. They're on a boat coming here. They should arrive sometime this morning."

LB jumped around the room as she squealed, "Ooh, yes, yes, yes, yes! They're coming here! They're coming here!" She zipped out of the room and nearly ran the stallion outside her door down. She bounced off the doors as she traversed just about every hallway, crying, "Our cousins are coming! Our cousins are coming!"

Roller Blade groaned as he and Skater drowsily leaned out the door, "Did I hear that right? The redcoats are coming?"

When LB bounced off another door, Scootaloo and Rumble opened it and the mare mumbled, "Honestly, Lil. You're getting to be as bad as your Aunt Pinkie Pie."

LB then came to Snow Pea's door, but instead of bouncing off it, she merely knocked. "Snow Pea! Our cousins from Canterlot are coming here to have fun with us! Come on, let's get going!"

When LB was about to leave, Snow Pea replied from behind the door, "I'm not going."

This stopped the Earth pony in her tracks and she asked, "What? Why? You usually love it when our cousins come to visit."

"That was before the ice floe. Now I'm too scared to even come out of my room."

"Hey, even if those Windigos come to get you, we'll have them outnumbered. If they can't get past us, then they won't take you away. We'll be right there by your side. Don't worry. If there's anything stronger than hate, it's love."

Snow Pea chuckled, "And you know what Mom always says…"

Both sisters recited, "'Love will thaw a frozen heart'." They then chuckled.

Snowy opened her door and smiled, "All right. I'm coming."

At the harbor, all three families waited at the dock for the ship to arrive. Snow Pea looked out at the waters and got a little nervous from searching for any more ice floes.

Little Button comforted her, "It's going to be okay, Snow Pea. The Windigos won't come to get you. Not on our watch."

Snow Pea smiled at that.




Apple Butter pointed to something in front of her and cried, "There they are! I see them!"

The boat carrying the Canterlot royals neared the pier before the Marendelle families backed away to make room for the ramp. Once the ship docked, the ramp descended onto the pier and the royals traipsed down to their relatives. They all hugged each other before going back to the castle. When the Canterlot royals got there, they noticed that there were more guards since the last time they visited.

Screwball asked, "Hey, what's with all these guards?"

Sweetie answered, "An ice floe was spotted off the beach a couple of weeks ago. We're taking precautions in case the Windigos try to attack."

Apple Jewel gasped, "You mean the Windigos are trying to get Snow Pea now?"

Snowy only nodded, too anxious to say anything.

Whirl Wind said, "We won't let that happen! She's our cousin, and we will do everything in our power to protect her from those cold-hearted ghosts!"

The rest of the cousins agreed.

Button Mash said, "Thank you all for looking out for her. I'm sure you all would do the same thing for each other."

The cousins nervously chuckled, "Oh, yeah! Sure! Right! That's what family does for family! Don't forget friends!"

Sweetie smiled, "I'm glad to hear that. Since you're all here now, why don't you go have fun on the beach before lunch?"

Snow Pea whispered, "Wait, Mom, now?"

Button asked his daughter, "Why? What's wrong with a little fun? It's not every day to get to have some quality time with your cousins."

Little Button agreed, "Dad's right. You don't want waste any moment you could spend with your family, do you?"

Snow Pea sighed, "No, I suppose not."

Cotton shouted, "Then let's have some fun!"

The rest of the cousins charged out of the castle cheering, but Snow Pea trailed just behind them. She couldn't explain it, but she felt a slight chill that was…unsettling. She glanced behind to see her parents as if she was never going to see them again. When they urged her to go on, Snowy feared the worst as she stepped out into the bright sunlight. The warm rays from her Grandma Tia's sun seemed to help alleviate the cold sensation a bit, but it was still there. Somehow, Snow Pea knew that something terrible was going to happen.

Six of the royals – Skater, Apple Jewel, Little Button, Whirl Wind, Cotton Candy, and Roller Blade – were playing volleyball while Apple Butter kept score. Dignity and Starling built sandcastles while Screwball and Fire Spark dug each other in the sand. However, Snow Pea was collecting seashells while Gemstone sat by herself and drew a constant circle in the sand. Snowy took pity on Gem and went to her.

She asked her cousin, "Hey. Not having much fun, huh?"

Gem sighed, "No. I just dumped the only colt I could ever love and I don't know why!"

Snowy calmed her down, "I feel sorry for you. Besides, I have it far worse than you do. I'm scared that the Windigos might come at any moment and take me from my family, including you guys."

"Well, as long as you have us, you don't have to be afraid."

"And you don't have to be sad, either." Snowy gave Gem a seashell and said, "Here, listen to this. It always makes me feel better."

Gem suggested, "You should listen to one, too. You can be braver that way."

Snow smiled, "Good idea."

Both put the shells to their ears and heard the ocean roaring in the small things. Listening to their shells helped them considerably, with Snowy being braver and Gem being happier.

A voice shouted, "Think fast!"

The girls reverted their attention to the stray volleyball that flew their way. Snow Pea quickly kicked it back to the team and shouted, "You have to do better than that!"

Gem smiled at her cousin's quick thinking and swift action. She looked down and saw that she had just made a spiral. She didn't even know that she had still been drawing the circle, but something about the spiral reminded her of something. Then, in that moment, all memory of that night came flooding back into her head. She remembered Screwball's eyes and the words "you will tell Seam that you changed your mind and that you want him to leave…". She then remembered when she told Seam to go. Suddenly, everything made sense – why she fought it, why it didn't seem like that she didn't love him anymore, why she was miserable!

Just then, a spark of rage ignited inside of her and grew into a flame of hatred. She shouted, "Screwball!"

All activity on the beach stopped as the ponies all looked toward Gemstone.

Screwy feared that Gem might have found out, but she kept her calm and coolly asked, "Um, yeah?"

Gem asked in a ticked tone, "Did you hypnotize me so I would dump Seam just like that?"

The rest of the cousins looked at Screwy and Fire Spark asked, "Screwball, is this true?"

Screwy hung her head and said, "Yes. Yes, I did."

The ponies gasped as Dignity held his little sister. He shouted at Screwball, "How could you?! Hypnotizing my sister so she wouldn't have her beloved!"

Skater scowled, "That's so beneath you, Screwy!"

Suddenly, Screwy shot off, "Look, I did what I had to! If we weren't here, our parents would still be controlling our very lives!"

Gem, now with tears streaming down her face, choked, "But if…if they hadn't issued that proclamation in the first place, I never would've found love!"

"Well, I didn't! Mr. Right didn't come for me! I'm just a strange little pony whose father is the spirit of chaos! What else did you expect would happen to me?!"

The ponies were utterly shocked to hear that. Roller Blade breathed, "What? But you're a princess. Ponies should've tried for your hoof."

Screwball sneered, "Yeah, well, they were all liars! I don't need to be played a fool for the rest of my life! Hay, I could've saved Gem from a colt who would've wrapped her around his little hoof."

Gem shouted through tears, "That's not true! You didn't even know Seam! He was kind, gentle, honest even!"

Screwy argued, "You don't even know what colts are like besides your dad, uncles, and our cousins!"

Starling piped up, "Cotton and I met Cannon Fire and Pen Pusher, and they weren't so bad!"

Cotton said, "Yeah! You're just jealous because you've never been in love!"

Screwy scoffed, "Jealous? Jealous?! Ha! That's the understatement of the year!"

While Screwball was ranting, Snow Pea looked behind her. Her pupils shrunk and she tapped on Little Button's shoulder. She barely breathed in fright, "Lil, look."

Little Button looked in her sister's direction and gasped at the sight. The sea around the beach – and the island in whole – was now freezing over in a sheet of ice.

Snow Pea muttered, "No-no-no-no-no-no! This can't happen now!" She tried to reverse the growing ice in the sea, but to no avail. "Why isn't it working?!"

Screwball continued, "And besides, why would I be jealous of my ignorant cousins when they're too busy fawning over their ladies fair?!"

Whirl Wind spoke up, "We didn't ask to date our girls so soon!"

Fire Spark said in anger, "We were afraid our parents would force us to marry them all because you girls couldn't even choose someone!"

"All our parents want is for us to produce worthy heirs!"

Apple Jewel snarled, "Well, at least you can have heirs! My true love doesn't want to be with me because of how our kid might turn out!"

The ponies turned to her with shocked expressions. Screwball was the most stunned. She said, "You mean, all this time, you had someone? That's it! My whole family's ganging up on me!"

Fire Spark said, "Screwy, it's not like that! If you just give love a chance –"

"No! Then my heart would get broken! Trust me, you do not want to be near me when I have a broken heart! I'll be like a jilted bride whose groom suddenly got cold hooves!" The ponies' eyes widened when they realized what she just said. She repeated, "Cold hooves?"

They all looked down and saw that their hooves were being encased in ice!

Apple Butter whimpered, "Oh, no…"

Suddenly, they heard an eerie whinnying and looked up to see a funnel cloud full of Windigos above them.

The ponies – sans Little Button and Snow Pea – thought, What have we done?

After several Windigos swooped down to them, one of them said, "Oh, no, please. Don't stop. We were enjoying a delicious meal."

Another Windigo said, "One ripe with contempt and infuriation!"

The lead Windigo said, "Well, I guess you royals are not so above it all, then. You have petty fights and boiling anger that eventually erupts into…" He shuddered in delight. "…a chocolate fountain of hate."

All of the Windigos laughed and whinnied at the same time.

Snow Pea shouted, "Leave them alone!" The Windigos turned to face her. "I'm the one you want!"

Little Button protested, "Snowy, what are you-" But the Windigos interrupted her by starting to encase her in ice. She shrieked, "Ah! Snowy, save us!"

Her sister nodded seriously, "Don't worry. I will." She told the Windigos, "I will agree to go with you, but only if you release my sister and cousins."

The lead Windigo asked, "Do we have your word?"

The cousins protested, "No! Don't you dare go with them, Snow Pea! They'll hurt you! They'll use you to bring eternal winter to Equestria!"

The leader smirked, "That's precisely what we're aiming for."

Snow Pea said, "If it means that my family is unharmed."

"But only if they do not interfere, which they probably will."

Snowy told her cousins and sister, "Do not come after me. I beg of you." Her voice became thick with emotion as she said, "I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you." A tear then slid down her cheek, "Please. Do not follow me." When the ponies were speechless, Snowy said to the Windigos, "Whatever it takes to keep my family safe from harm, I will do your bidding."

The Windigos whinnied and chuckled nastily as they started flying around Snow Pea. Little Button and her cousins helplessly watched as the newly-formed whirlwind lifted Snow Pea into the funnel cloud. In a flash and a gust of wind, the ponies were free of their icy sheaths. They looked all around for even a trace of the funnel cloud, but saw no such sign. All that was there of the sky were gray clouds. Little Button was devastated that the Windigos took her sister, so she collapsed onto the sand and mourned for Snow Pea. The cousins were equally shocked and despaired that this had happened.

Cotton breathed, "This is all our fault."

Apple Jewel said, "We brought this upon Snow Pea."

Starling said, "And all because we were foolish enough to hate."

Dignity said, "Our bodies were going to become as cold as our hearts."

Screwball said, "Until Snow Pea took the fall for us."

Little Button sniffled, "My sister always was the selfless type."

Whirl Wind said ashamedly, "Yeah, while we were just plain selfish."

Gemstone agreed, "We were so wrapped up in our own feelings that we ignored how others felt."

Fire Spark said, "Maybe that's why our parents didn't trust us to find love on our own in the first place. We were always sheltered and maybe spoiled."

Star spoke up, "Well, we're not going to let Snow Pea pay for our mistakes. As heir to the Canterlot throne, I vow that we will rescue our cousin from the cruel clutches of the Windigos!"

Just then, snow began to fall. The ponies gasped at the sight of it.

Cotton said, "You said it, not me!"

Apple Butter gasped, "Oh, no! Has the eternal winter already begun?"

Dignity said, "I don't think it's eternal yet, but I fear that Marendelle is where it's going to start."