//------------------------------// // Frost // Story: Coulter's Lupine // by lupinus //------------------------------// First fanfiction. Be gentle. I'd like to see how many folks are interested in it before I venture further. Constructive Criticism is awesome. I hope it doesn't seem too rushed. And apologies if you all do not appreciate the length. ---- The night was not silent. The shudder of old wood floors and the whistle of wind through the trees of Sweet Apple Acres signified a time where things weren't quite right. A croak of a frog not too far off from the farm made the mare inside jump, pushing her blonde mane - matted with a nervous sweat, away from her face. She swallowed thickly, uncertain of what was happening. It was quite like the night where Nightmare Moon had returned. The townsfolk were restless, and everypony couldn't sleep. She was certain that she heard Big Mac reading aloud upstairs to Applebloom, but her ears were far more focused on the world outside, green eyes almost plastered to the window pane. The furnace in the living area ran low as the time slowly creaked to the midnight hour. A strong gust of wind squirmed through the cracks of the door and the freckled mare decided it was time to get some wood. While it was noisy outside, no one had come to give an issue of danger. Peeking out to the woodshed wouldn't hurt her a bit. Nudging the door open with a hoof, she turned back and called, "Ahm gonna get some wood. Be back soon!" The wind whipped her mane into her eyes the moment she stepped outside, turning around to grab the door handle with her teeth. A moment's struggle that would have taken a dainty pony a good time to do, was done in seconds with a resounding click. She backed away, sticking her tongue out a few times in the hope the metalic taste would go away. It was at a time like this she envied unicorns. They didn't have to grab doors with their teeth. She kept close to the ground as the eerie sensation of the night had not fled. The air smelled wrong, and she swore she could hear sc- "What the hay?" The orange pony proclaimed quietly, looking beneath her as she heard a familiar crunch. One that shouldn't have been around until the fall. Frost! That was something mighty uncommon, time being that it was the middle of spring. The pegasus ponies would have corrected the mistake immediately if they knew. With that she came to the conclusion that they didn't know, and something...somepony else must have made the terrible weather on the farm occur. "Applejack!" A familiar voice cried, and the mare's head shot up, eyes pinned with momentary fear. She sighed with relief and turned, spying a cyan blob in the air, and multiple ponies upon the ground. All of her friends had noticed the foul weather, too. "Hey gals," She started, reaching to tip the hat that wasn't there. "Consarn it!" "O-oh, Applejack, I-I saw it u-um..." Fluttershy stuttered, revealing the hat that was tucked underneath her wing. The earth pony decided it was best to keep it underneath the pegasus mare's wing for now. It was safe and the chance of it flying away was slim to none. "Thanks sugarcube. D'ya think you can hold onto it for the moment? The wind is mighty powerful, and Ah don't want you to have to chase it around again." Fluttershy nodded with enthusiasm, feeling as if she had more than one purpose for being at the freezing farm. "Some interesting weather we're having around here." Twilight spoke, hooves scuffling against the ground, "What are you doing outside?" "Ah could ask you the same, Twilight," Applejack countered kindly, looking back to the woodshed. "Ahm in need of some wood. The furnace is goin' and the house is a pinch on the chilly side." "Well what are we waiting for? This wind is ruining my wonderful mane and tail!" Rarity exclaimed, earning a few, light-hearted laughs. The group quickly went to the shed, grabbed the wood, and worked on exiting the shed. Fluttershy, the first to get out, bumped against something...somepony, and whipped around with a loud squeak. "I'm s-so sorry! I..." The yellow mare began, but soon trailed off as her eyes followed the bipedal figure upwards. Her ears went flat and she gave another loud, terrified noise. Twilight soon followed with an abrupt statement, almost rude with the way it was worded. "A yeti? What the hay?" Clearly female, the woman stood holding a bundle of furs. The ground beneath her feet had almost froze solid, snow slowly rising and melting at the same moment. Almost hellish eyes bored into the group, black sclera and bright purple iris an unnatural addition to the normal, happy Ponyville. Long ram-like horns protruded above fuzzy elf ears, long and covered in swirled whisps of fur. She seemed well groomed for what the rumors on the snowbeasts proclaimed. Twilight analyzed, and noticed the garb of the mare- ...female. Had she just come from a formal event? Not many pony's dressed up beyond the gala, or some of Pinkie Pie's parties. Purple hues scanned the odd, pear shaped frame of the mythical beast, noting something else speckling the snow. Blood. "Yes, a yeti," the female before them said roughly. It sounded as if she was in pain, and the ghoulish howls in the distance hinted at her pursuers. Fluttershy's eyes widened with worry for both the woman and the beasts at bay. "A-ah do declare. This is something mighty uncommon in our parts. What brings you from your mountain, miss ah..." "Tourmaline." "Right. Tourmalin'" Applejack's drawl cut off the 'e' at the end, which the injured woman did not seem to mind. The beast's cloud-like tail swished behind her, the bright colored garbs she wore were discarded beside her, revealing a simple leather battle-suit. The mane six staggered back, only for the woman to set the bundle down. "Queen Tourmaline?" Twilight exclaimed in surprise, capturing the attention of the yeti. A solemn nod sent the purple pony to the floor in a bow. "W-what happened?" "Protect her. I will attempt a return if I survive," Tourmaline said and turned to the door. Twilight's question went unanswered, giving her the proof that she needed. Something had turned for the worst back at the mountains. The howls grew closer, and the snowy white fur upon her body ruffled at the chilling disturbance. Her back was garrish, leather shredded by vicious bites of the terrifying beasts of the Everfree forest. "We will, Queen Tourmaline," Rarity said quickly, ushering Fluttershy and herself to the bundle. The smell of afterbirth still hung thick on the furs that wrapped the child, and the pink tinge to her fur suggested a newborn. "D-did you. Is she?" "Yes." The answer was simple enough. The new princess had been born and the time had not been right. "It will be an honor to protect your daughter - the princess - Queen Tourmaline!" Pinkie Pie, after a surprising time of silence quipped, making the newborn wake and cry. Reaching down again, Tourmaline picked her little yeti up and muttered a soft note that made her lips glow blue, placing a kiss upon the child's brow. Turning to Fluttershy, she knelt down and squared her gaze. "I entrust you with Lupine's life." The yeti queen turned, "All of you. Inform Princess Celestia that the Reich of the Frozen Land has fallen. Danger is coming." The queen barrelled out of the door just as a wolf lunged, earning collective screams from the girls inside. All of them huddled together around the child and Rarity used her magic to slam the door shut, sending a pile of chopped wood the flimsy thing as a barricade from death. The scuffle outside sounded intense. The angered, protective screams of a bleeding queen and the barks of multiple timberwolves faded into the distance, and one final, booming howl shook both the house, the trees, and the shaky old shack. Twilight pulled the wood from the door and stacked it neatly again, turning to the bundle which had been crying for some time now. "Fluttershy, work your magic." The yellow mare cuddled the child and nosed her heart-shaped muzzle. The child looked like an ape, as most yetis did, but with a few, elegant characteristics. It was the feminine side of the branch, she recalled. The men grew to be terrifying and often smelled bad. "Hello little one..." Her voice was soft as she crooned and cuddled the infant, giving her hoof for it to suck. In an instant, the crying stopped, the tears vanished from eyes similar to her mother's, and sure enough she went back to sleep. Teal eyes grew teary with concern as she eyed the child, looking up to the others. "She's going to need a lot of attention... Lupine was just born hours ago." "Queen Tourmaline must have been ambushed not moments after Lupine was born. She grabbed her child, exhausted and fled her kingdom. Her husband must have perished defending her." Twilight began to express her theory softly, as to not wake the child. The wind had stopped howling and the snow at the front of the shed had died down, hinting that spring had returned upon the exit of the Queen. "Being in a weakened state, she couldn't stop a few wolves from latching onto her, but she at least managed to protect her child." "She must have fled for days! The mountain is so far away, Twilight!" Rarity exclaimed, looking to Pinkie Pie, who busied herself beside Fluttershy admiring the soft-looking wonder. "We're going to throw you a party!" The pink pony whispered into that tiny, elf-like ear. It twitched and the little yeti squirmed before settling, a spit bubble upon blue lips. "...As I was saying. She probably fled for days, unable to rest, and barely able to feed her child with the risk of the Timberwolves. Queen Tourmaline ran to the closest place, through an area where the wolves had to weave." The unicorn turned to Applejack, who worked on strapping more wood onto her back than before. "Sweet Apple Acres." "I never knew it was a good place for weaving. Maybe I'll have to try it out sometime." Rainbow Dash said to herself more than anypony. She looked to Fluttershy, who muttered something that the group couldn't hear quite right. "Excuse me, Fluttershy. Speak up dear." Rarity said, flicking her mussed mane away from her face. The wind had taken it's toll after all. "Do...do you think the Queen will survive?" A silence filled the room. If Twilight's theory had been correct, the answer was quite obvious. Though Pinkie Pie quickly stepped in to cover the somber reply from the magical mare. "Of course, Silly Filly. You don't think she would give up her future with her foal, do you? She's just going to go away for a little while, and she'll come back all brand new and stuff! Then we'll throw a "Reunion of the Queen and Princess" party!" The group smiled at the kindness of the element of Laughter, believing for a moment that her words were true. A slither of ice underneath the door encased a piece of paper stained with blood. It seemed to be written in it as well. A magical mix of red and purple - a unique trait of the royalty on the mountain. Applejack cleared her throat after the ice melted, reading what it had to say. "Ah need t'heal. Ah will be back as soon as my body will allow me. Ahm sorry for the inconvenience, dear ponies. Pray that Celestia and her guard find me. Ah can't (cannot) disclose mah location." Another, palpable silence encased the group, but again, Applejack spoke, "Well shoot...who is going to watch over her? She needs milk, and she needs a comfortable, non-hostile place to stay." Which the second listed all of their homes. "She can stay with me." Fluttershy said, voice unwavering. "She looked to me and said that she trusted me with her child." "Yes, but she also added that we all should protect her." Rainbow Dash included. "Which is possible, but I would be more than willing to go to the doctor and have myself lactate for her." All the other ponies halted at that, realizing that Fluttershy was best suited to be a mother, having cared for animals like one for quite some time. With Rarity's busy life in the fashion business, Pinkie Pie's work at Sugarcube Corner, Applejack's work on the farm, Rainbow Dash's weather control, and Twilight's dutiful studies, there truly was no room for argument. "If it ever becomes too much, I'm sure we all, as good ponies could chip in. Right girls?" Twilight chimed as Fluttershy grabbed the furs by her teeth. While the sensation made her want to gag, it was what kept the child warm. And a newborn needed the best kind of warmth. Fur was that option and she was going to stick to it. The group went out of the shed and into the house, seeing a worried Big Macintosh and a red-faced Applebloom. The youngest of the family had always been the fastest to cry when things were scary. "Applejack, what's going on here? We saw a fight outside - was that a yeti and a timberwolf?" "Yes. But you aren't allowed to tell anyone until Twilight sends a letter to Princess Celestia." Rarity chirped as she helped Applejack with the tinder on her back. The white unicorn placed a few in the fire and it roared back to life and the yellow pegasus worked on adjusting the filly upon the blankets. "Pinkie Pie? Could you get some warm water for her? She needs to be bathed." "Okey dokey!" The pink earth pony pranced into the kitchen and the rush of water was heard. "N-not too hot. She's so tiny she would burn up." Fluttershy concluded, moving to stroke the baby's face with her hoof. Lupine wasn't a foal, she had realized, but the pegasus contained no knowledge on what to call a baby of a yeti. A cub, perhaps? A kit? A kid? The tiny nubs where her horns would grow had not pierced her skin yet, but they would in a few months time. The situation had been written down. Rainbow Dash had sent for Spike and the letter was given an instant response by the Princess. A flash of gold alerted all to her approach as Fluttershy had lowered the baby into the very, shallow water. The pink came off of the infant quickly, showing off dazzling white fur. Princess Celestia leaned her head over, a saddened look on her face. "Such innocence born into chaos. Let us hope that Discord doesn't sense this uprising." "What would- oh." Applebloom started, blushing. Her fight with the Cutie Mark Crusaders had sparked the original reappearance. A whole kingdom disassembling would most definitely help him rise again. The little yetis tail curled between her legs and she gave a quiet yawn. Ears pinned back, but her body soon relaxed in the cozy water. "Did Queen Tourmaline tell you who had sent the attack, Twilight Sparkle?" The princess asked, moving to nuzzle the moist ball of fur, significantly soaping up her tummy. Twilight felt a sense of adoration for the gesture to the child of the snowy mountains, but she disheartened at the question. "No, Princess. I didn't hear anything about it. She merely said to tell you that her Reich had fallen. Her king is dead, we think." The princess closed her eyes with a sigh, shaking her head from side to side. "Alright, well since you've given me all of the information I could require-" A note was brought to her attention by Pinkie Pie, "Oh. Oh. Right away. Guards!" Guards had flown after the teleporting mare. Poking their head into the house. "Yes, Princess Celestia?" "Start a search in all the area around Ponyville, through Canterlot as well. I don't know how far Queen Tourmaline has gotten, but she needs medical attention as soon as possible." "Yes, my queen." One of them said, casting a brief smile to Twilight Sparkle, "Hey Twilly. I'll catch you around, alright?" "Most definitely." The purple pony confirmed, giving him a happy smile. "I will be hunting with my sister Luna. If you need to send me a note, Twilight, please do so. I will await anything valuable." The princess of Equestria turned her head and smiled, seeing that dawn was now peeking over the horizon. "I suggest that all of you get a good nights sleep. With a newborn on your hands, you will all need it." Wings spread and the princess flew back to her home in Canterlot as fast as she had arrived, leaving the others to head their respective ways. With the little yeti now cleaned,Fluttershy grabbed the furs in her mouth and carefully hovered home. She had a lot of work ahead of her.