Father and Son
Ditzy took a few moments to respond. "Thank you," she said. "That's very kind of you to say, Ice Heart."
The colt blushed, his ice taking on a reddish tinge along with his coat. "What're you doing outside?" he asked. "Do you like the snow?"
"I do." Ditzy said. "And you seem to be having fun yourself--"
"It's AWESOME!" Ice Heart's wings fluttered, the frozen one casting a small shower of icy shards, as he flapped up to the top of a larger snowdrift. "This must be the biggest snowstorm ever!" He flung himself off the snowdrift and crashed through the snow on the ground, sinking out of sight. After Ditzy hurried over, though, his head popped up and he burst into laughter. "I hope it never stops!"
Ditzy couldn't help but smile at the rambunctious foal. Made of ice or not, he acted far too similar to the foals she knew from Ponyville to unnerve her. "Does it snow a lot where you're from?"
"Some, but not like this. I mean, Auntie Puissance built me my own snow fort, but even there the snow only comes up to my knees." Ice Heart paused for a moment. "Um. Can you not tell her I was jumping around? She says it's not proper."
Ditzy winked. "It'll be our secret," she promised, and the foal burst into a big grin.
"Thanks. I mean, I really try to be all formal like Auntie wants, but it's snow!" The foal shrugged helplessly. "You can't be formal in snow! It's way too much fun! And you're from Fillydelphia, right? I heard they have a city-wide snowball fight every year. Did you ever play in it?"
"Yes," said Ditzy, smiling to herself and remembering how much she enjoyed galloping around with her parents and joining in the huge melee. Then something occurred to her. "Ice Heart, may I ask you something?"
"Sure!"
"How did you know who I was and where I’m from? I met your friends before, and none of them did." Ditzy didn't see why Puissance would have described her to Ice Heart but none of his friends. "Did somepony tell you about me?"
"Yup! I read about you in the paper!" chirped the foal.
“The paper?" Ditzy frowned. None of the others seemed to have access to the news...
Ice Heart nodded. "Right after you beat the Tyrant Sun. I was on my own, then… my Mom had died, and my cousins didn’t want me around after they saw what I really looked like... and I was passing through a village when the sun came up at night. Everypony was scared, and then a pony showed up and said he was part of something called the Sun Cult. He said Corona wasn't going to hurt us and that she had just come back to kill all the monsters who were hunting ponies, like Ursa and timberwolves and windigo." The foal looked down. "He didn't know what I was, ‘cause Mom had a special amulet made for me that made me look like other pegasi. So he didn't say anything to me, but he told everyone that we should be happy Corona was back because all us monsters weren't good for anything but hurting ponies, and she was going to get rid of us so everypony else could be happy. But then Corona got her butt kicked, and the next day I saw a big picture in the paper of you and your friends. And I learned that even though you're unique like me, 'cause you've got cool eyes and can see in two directions at once, you did something as awesome as fight the Sun and win!" Ice Heart jumped in the air, his wings buzzing as he labored to remain hovering a few inches above the snowdrift. "That's how I knew unusual and special ponies like us could do really cool things, like beat Corona and save Equestria, even if some other ponies think we're monsters." He beamed. "Can you really see in two directions at once?"
"Er..."
"Because that's awesome!" as the foal bounded to the top of a higher snowdrift and looked directly into her eyes. The icy orb on the left side of his face rotated slightly, as did his flesh eye on the right. But after only a few moments, he yelped and toppled over into the snow again. "Ow!" He said once his head poked up above the surface. "I can't do it."
Ditzy couldn't help but giggle, even though she felt a little unnerved at the foal's hero-worship of her. "That's okay. I can't make ice like you can." There were magic charms available to enable pegasi to cast such spells--Duchess Fragrant Posey had made a minor news item when she had bought one from a then-unknown artifact crafter, boosting that craftsmare's reputation--but Ditzy had never obtained one. "And you’re right. You're a wonderful pony, whatever species your father may be." She was silent for a moment. “Your mother sounds like a very nice pony too. She must have cared about you a lot to have that special amulet made for you.”
"I know." The foal nodded. "She was a really good Mom..." He trailed off. "I miss her."
"What happened?" asked Ditzy.
"She got really sick, and then one day they told me she died," said Ice Heart. "And I had to live with my cousins, but then one of them stole my amulet, and when they saw me looking like me they called me a freak and chased me away." He was silent for a long moment. "But--but now Auntie Puissance watches over me, and she's great. She set up a home for me that's always cold, so I never need to worry about melting even though its warmer in Califurlong than where my family used to live. And she got me the best friends anypony could have!" He grinned. "Did you meet them yet? They're all unique ponies like me, and Orangerie's always happy, and TIM's goofy, and Stream Dream is always willing to play water-tag with me--"
"I met them. They're very nice ponies." Except maybe for Silver Sculptress, thought Ditzy. She trotted after Ice Heart, who was starting to hop from drift to drift. "What about friends your own age? Are there many foals in the Vault?"
"No. Auntie Puissance is looking for some, said she has to check them very carefully to make sure they're not mean ponies. That way I never need to wear my amulet again, and nopony will ever call me a freak." Ice Heart nodded. "She's the best Auntie in the world."
Ditzy hesitated. She couldn't deny that it was good for the foal to have an environment that was suited to his unique physiology--she couldn't imagine what she'd do if she had to worry about Dinky literally melting on a hot day--but the complete lack of other foals wasn't a good thing. "Don't you ever want friends your own age?"
"Yeah... but not if they're going to call me a freak. That's why Auntie Puissance is looking so hard. She promised me she'd do her very best to find me some more friends. Ponies who are special, like me."
Ditzy frowned. "I don't--"
But Ice Heart kept going. "And Auntie Puissance always comes through. I mean, when she told me she'd keep an eye out for my dad, I didn't think she could do it. But now I might actually get to meet him!" The foal's face almost glowed. "I can't believe I finally get to see my dad! This is the best week ever!"
Meanwhile, Dinky's never known her father... Ditzy shook her head to clear it from that thought. She could worry about that--and Ice Heart's isolation--later. "We don't know if you'll be able to see your dad," she cautioned him. "We have to see if it's safe."
"I know, but I'm sure he'll be safe. He's my dad! He probably just wants to see me." Ice Heart grinned. "I hope he says he'll come live in the Vault with me! That'd be awesome! But even if he doesn't..." He smiled wistfully. "I'd love to see him. Just once."
The two were silent for a moment before Ice Heart asked, "So, why'd you come outside? Did you want to play in the snow?"
"Actually, I was looking for you."
"Oh." Ice Heart blushed. "I guess everypony else got worried... sorry. I just couldn't help it. I saw snow drifts bigger than me and I just had to play in them."
"It's alright," said Ditzy. "Why don't we go back inside and find my friends and yours?" An idea struck her, and she kneeled down. "Would you like to ride on my back?"
The foal hesitated. "A lot of ponies don't want me to ride on them because they'll get cold."
"I'm from Fillydelphia." Ditzy winked again. "I don't mind the cold."
Ice Heart grinned from ear to ear and fluttered over to Ditzy's back. When he landed, DItzy could feel a jolt of cold even through her thick winter jacket, but she forced herself not to react to it. "Awesome!" said Ice Heart. "I'm riding a hero! Thanks, Miss Doo!"
"Ditzy is fine," said the mailmare, turning to head back inside. "Shall we?"
***
"There he is!" said Stream Dream, gesturing with one foreleg as Ice Heart entered the grand ballroom on Ditzy's back. The seapony was in a large wheeled bathtub being pulled by the ever-stoic Bones; the other four Vault ponies Ditzy had met were also in the room. "I knew he'd turn up sooner or later."
"Yep!" chirped Orangerie. She trotted to the nearest door and called down the hallway, "Hey, Elements! Come back! Ice Heart's here!"
"Having fun out there, champ?" asked TIM, coalescing into his pony form from a smoky shadow in the corner. "Make some snowponies?"
Ice Heart shook his head. "I was gonna, but Ditzy said I should probably come inside."
"She's right," said Silver Sculptress. Her statue had now taken the overall form of a pony, though Ditzy couldn't identify who just yet. "It's past your bedtime, Ice Heart."
"But I'm not tired! I--" The foal's protests were cut short by a large yawn. "I mean, uh, I--"
Orangerie giggled. "Come on, Icey. I'll get you a nice cold bath and a frosty glass of orange juice, and then TIM'll read you a story, okay?"
The large doors to the ballroom opened as Trixie and the other Elements returned. They stopped fast as soon as they entered the room, and Ditzy knew, with uncomfortable certainty, that they were all trying to process Ice Heart's unusual looks. She turned to them and smiled. "This is Ice Heart, Vicereine Puissance's ward and the child of the windigo we're here to meet," she said. "And Ice Heart, these are my friends, the other Elements of Harmony. This is Lyra Heartstrings, Carrot Top, Raindrops, Cheerilee, and--"
"The Great and Powerful Trixie!" interjected Trixie. She beamed as her horn glowed and some illusory fireworks appeared around her. Ditzy, who knew Trixie well, could hear how her voice was just slightly unsteady as she still worked to deal with Ice Heart's appearance, but Trixie's showmare skills seemed to be keeping her unease in check. "And it is a Great and Wonderful honor to meet you, young Ice Heart!"
The foal giggled. "You're silly."
"Yeah, she is," drawled Raindrops. "But we put up with her anyways."
Cheerilee turned to the other Vault ponies. "Do you have any trained teachers in the Vault? If not, as an educator, I'd be happy to help design a curriculum for him."
"School? Yuck!" Ice Heart stuck out a tongue that contained thick veins of blueish ice. "Auntie Puissance got me a private tutor instead. He knows everything!" The foal grinned. "He knows all the big battles in history, and all the important ponies, and the best games, and the really tasty recipes...."
Carrot Top tilted her head. "Does he know any good carrot ones? I've been trying to add some new dishes to my stall, and--"
"Carrots? Are you kidding?" asked Lyra. "If I were like him, I'd eat nothing but ice cream!"
"You already eat nothing but ice cream," said Raindrops.
"That's not true! I ate a cracker once." Lyra twisted her face into a comical grimace. "It was yucky. I think I'll stick with ice cream."
Ice Heart laughed as Ditzy lowered down and helped him descend to the ground. The foal ran over to Silver Sculptress. "They're fun," he declared. "Auntie Puissance got us some really fun ponies to come up with us!"
"Of course she did," said Sculptress, and Ditzy noticed a note of kindness in her voice that had not been present previously. "She knows what she's doing. She always does." She helped Ice Heart climb onto her back. The foal seemed careful to stay away from her atrophied wings. "Thank you for helping us find Ice Heart," she told the Elements, sounding a little more at ease with them than she had before. "Now, I think it's time he went to bed. Until tomorrow."
Ditzy glanced at Trixie, wondering if she would contest the dismissal, but the illusionist just nodded. "Alright. Good night, everypony." She turned, and the Elements followed her out of the room.
Nopony spoke until they were in their suite--a hub of six bedrooms connected to a central living room and lounge area. Ditzy sat on a couch, noticing how soft it was and how it seemed about ready to swallow her up, while the others took seats elsewhere in the room. "Well?" asked Trixie. "What do you think?"
"I think this hotel needed a better decorator," said Lyra. She was looking at the corner of the room, where a painting of a tall and muscular gargoyle sitting on a diamond-studded throne was hanging on the wall. "Because it's kind of creeping me out."
"Seconded," said Raindrops.
"I like it." Carrot Top flopped onto another couch and grinned as she sank into it. "Mmm. I want one of these for home."
Trixie sighed. "I meant about Ice Heart and the others." She turned to Ditzy. "You actually talked with Ice Heart, right? What'd you think?"
"Well..." began Ditzy. "I mean, he seems very happy. He's excited, curious, energetic, and he seems to genuinely love Puissance and hanging out with his other friends. I don't think he's being mistreated in any real sense. But... I do think it's a problem that he doesn't have any friends his own age."
"That might not be Puissance's fault," said Carrot Top. "If the other foals are scared of him--"
"But that's just it. There's no other foals in the, uh, Vault." Ditzy frowned. "He said Puissance won't let any others in because she only lets other 'special' ponies into the Vault, so that they'll know what it's like to be different and won't call him a freak. But with all her power, I'm sure she could find some other foals, even if they're not hybrids or double-ponies or descendants of famous tyrants, who won't be mean to Ice Heart."
"That might not work for Ice Heart," said Raindrops. "Remember how Bounty hid his lower wings as soon as he realized we weren't the staff? I'll bet a lot of those ponies really don't want 'normal' ponies to know about them. Ice Heart might be one of them."
"Then Puissance should be trying to find regular ponies who can help him get over it," said Cheerilee. "Unless she plans to keep him shut up in her community his whole life, he's going to need to learn to deal with other ponies eventually." She frowned. "I'm sorry ,Trixie, I know you wanted me to give her the benefit of the doubt, but nothing about this feels right. She's got a bunch of ponies that she's convinced are only safe under her care, and she's managed to convince them to dedicate everything they do or think to her. She's treating them like zoo exhibits. We need to do something."
Carrot Top shrugged. "But if they're happy, how could we take that away from them?" She looked away. "I mean, I'd never want to move to the Vault. But if some rich pony offered to make sure I didn't need to worry about money, I'd probably like them a lot. I don't think anything's wrong with that."
"But if that pony convinced you that they were your only friend in the world, that would be wrong--even if you yourself didn't know any better," said Cheerilee. "Look, I'm not saying Puissance can't give patronage to artists she likes. Luna only knows how many petitions I've sent to Canterlot asking for more arts funding. And I’m not saying she shouldn’t try to protect ponies who are genuinely discriminated against. But it doesn't matter how much money she gives them or how well she protects them, she's wrong to make them think she's the greatest and most important pony in their worlds, not to mention the only one that can keep them safe. It's manipulative, and I think we should talk to Luna about it." She glanced to her left. "What do you think, Raindrops?"
"Meh," said the yellow pony, who was eating a slice of buttered Prench bread from the minibar.
"Meh?" repeated Cheerilee. "You think the... 'Vault' is acceptable?"
"Oh, no, it's completely ridiculous" said Raindrops. She gulped down another bite of bread. "It's Puissance admitting that the only way she can get ponies to like her is to bribe them to the point of paying for literally every whim they have. But hey, if the Vault ponies want to spend all their time worshipping Puissance in exchange for her bits, more power to 'em. Not my problem."
Trixie turned to Lyra, who giggled. "Honestly? I kind of like the idea of an artist's colony. Waking up every morning and having nothing to do but play music, or bake candies, or play music while your wonderful marefriend bakes candies? I could get behind that."
"What if she didn't let you bring Bonbon?" asked Trixie.
Lyra's grin faded. "Then I wouldn't like it. Bonnie means more to me than the finest concertos," she said. "But still... if a pony doesn't have friends or family that they're attached to, I think an artist's retreat kind of thing could be a great environment. I mean, the baker's stuff was almost as good as Bonbon's--and that novelist is a best-seller. Maybe artists really can flourish there."
"It does sound almost too good to be true--which means it probably is," said Trixie. "Nopony's heard of this place. So either nopony's ever wanted to leave the Vault, or Puissance didn't let them. I mean, it's Puissance. I wouldn't be surprised if she made them sign contracts saying that, if they leave, they owe her for all the bits she ever spent on them, plus interest." Trixie shut her eyes for a moment. "I'm not saying for sure that anything's wrong here, but I've got a bad feeling about it. If there's one thing I learned from studying politics under Luna, it's that utopias don't exist. There's always a catch, and either we don't know what it is, or the Vault ponies don't."
"Wait."
The Elements all turned to Ditzy. "Yes?" asked Trixie.
"I--I know I said I was uneasy about Ice Heart not knowing anypony his own age. And I still am. And some of the things about the others are also… disturbing… like how they’re all so fixated on my eyes.” She paused. “But as long as everypony's happy and healthy, and as long as they can leave if they want--and I don't think Luna would let Puissance keep them against their will--I don't think we should get involved." Ditzy shrugged. "Maybe this is just because I've heard a lot of ponies telling me how I should be raising Dinky--how I shouldn't leave her home alone so often, how I need to marry so Dinky has two adults in her life, how I should hire a full-time tutor to teach her magic so her development isn't stunted--and none of them had any idea what they were talking about, but I don't feel right telling Puissance that she's caring for her ward, or the other ponies, wrong."
She trotted over to a window in the lounge area. Outside, she could see a few of the houses of Noam as they were steadily buried by the unending snowfall. "We don't know how to care for a half-windigo--whether or not he's in danger of melting, what he eats, what happens if he gets sick. We don't know what their real situations are. Bounty seemed scared of us, and Silver's wings are shriveled--maybe they have good reasons for wanting to hide away." She turned back to the other ponies. "I think it's bad that Ice Heart has no friends his own age. And maybe we should talk to Puissance about that. But at this point, I really don't feel comfortable going to Luna and saying that Puissance is being a bad mother or guardian. After all... I've made mistakes too."
Trixie glanced around the other ponies for a moment before her gaze returned to Ditzy. "Alright," she said at last. "We'll play it like before. Keep our eyes and ears open; if we learn anything really bad, we'll tell Luna later. But for now, we'll accept the Vault, and all the rest of it." She was still for a moment. "And we won't complain about it to Puissance either. Again, I'd really rather not have yet another viceroy mad at us." She smiled weakly. "Wouldn't want to have to go through that a second time, right?"
"Agreed,” said Lyra, who proceeded to yawn prodigiously. “And with that,” she added, “I think it's my bedtime. Goodnight, everypony!"
"Right." Trixie began to trot to her own room. "We should all get some rest. After all--tomorrow we're talking to a windigo."
***
Ditzy couldn't sleep.
Part of it was the bed, she thought. It was almost as soft as a cloud, and while it felt wonderful, it also felt wrong. Her bed at home wasn't a luxury bed by any stretch of the imagination, but it was hers--reasonably soft, relatively comfortable, and wonderfully warm on a cold day when the fire was banked and Dinky was cuddled up next to her. This strange bed, though far superior in every way that could be measured, just wasn't hers.
But most of it, she thought, was Dinky. She missed her little filly. Normally, she could go on missions for a few days without worrying like this... but most of the other missions they had been on hadn't involved her being obligated to determine whether another mare was a satisfactory mother. And after so much time spent thinking about all of Puissance's flaws in that area, she found herself thinking of her own. How she had almost ruined the burgeoning relationship between Dinky and her half-sister Sparkler. How she had almost ruined Dinky's chances of going to Sharpwhinny. How she wasn't home enough, couldn't afford to cook the healthiest possible meals, how sometimes Dinky acted up and then cried when Ditzy reprimanded her...
With a whicker of annoyance, she got up and walked to the door. There was no point, she told herself, in thinking on such things. She was a fine mother, a perfectly adequate one, and on the rare occasions when she let Dinky down, her friends always helped her to fix her mistakes. She would go on a quick walk to burn off her nervous energy, and then she would return to her bed and sleep the night away,like she should have done from the very beginning.
Her midnight stroll took her through some of the upper passages of the hotel. She passed dozens of rooms and some large paintings and sculptures, most of which seemed to depict kings and emperors of various species. Some of them were almost normal, like the one of Princess Cadance of Cavallia sitting on a brilliant throne while the bound generals of an invading Zaldian army knelt in submission, while others--like the strange three-headed monster which sat on a throne of lesser monsters, all of which looked like the history book depictions of the 'monsters from beyond the stars' that Princess Luna was said to have driven off a long time ago-were more unnerving. Still, the exercise helped calm her, and she quickly found her body beginning to welcome the idea of sleeping even in a strange bed.
She put her hoof on one last hallway door before returning to her room, but unlike the others, this one did not move. Blinking, Ditzy looked to the side and saw a sign indicating that she was entering the west wing, the one that Puissance had blocked off. Well, she thought, she was too tired for any more sneaking around. She turned around... and saw a light coming from underneath the door of the bedroom nearest the locked wing.
Ditzy frowned. The Elements were clear on the other side of the hotel, Puissance's entourage and staff were supposed to be within the locked wing, and there was nopony else authorized in the hotel. Was there a trespasser? She hesitated, then put one hoof up to the door and knocked. "Hello?"
"Ice Heart? Is that you?" came an unfamiliar voice from the inside.
Ice Heart? But I--oh! Ditzy remembered Orangerie and Silver Sculptress saying that Ice Heart had a '7th friend,' one who tended to stay hidden even beyond the usual standards of the Vault. This, she thought, might be that pony. "No," she said, in as warm a voice as she could manage. "My name is Ditzy Doo, and I am the Element of Kindness. May I come in?"
"No."
Ditzy hesitated. "I just wanted to say--" But then her voice cut off, because she felt herself being enveloped in magic. She squeaked as she was pushed back against the opposite wall.
"I do not want to talk to you, Dame Ditzy," came the voice, now much harsher than before. "Leave me alone."
The light vanished from under the door. Ditzy deliberated trying again, but decided against it--kindness had its limits, and the pony's rude behavior had used up all of hers. She was going to go back to bed.
Still, she thought as she returned to the Element's quarters. That hostility... it wasn't normal. Did Puissance tell her something bad about me? Or does she dislike anypony from beyond the Vault? Or...
Her thoughts trailed off as she lay down on her bed again. She would, she told herself, think about it the next morning. In the meantime, sleep was what mattered.
***
The next morning saw Ditzy smiling as Lyra and Carrot Top trotted in place in the snowy front lawn of the hotel, trying to keep themselves warm. "This isn't fair!" complained Lyra. "Why couldn't the windigo show up in some place like Arubray?"
"Good question," drawled Raindrops. "When we meet him, you can ask."
Ditzy chuckled as she wrapped her jacket and scarf tighter around herself. Except for Trixie, who wore a smug look on her face as she wrapped her magical cape around her, the Elements were bundled up; Raindrop, Carrot Top, and Cheerilee were all wearing two layers, and Lyra was wrapped in so many jackets and blankets that she looked like a green boulder with a horn poking out of the top. The cold didn't usually bother Ditzy, though, and although the weather in Noam was harsher than what she was used to in Ponyville, she still wasn't feeling too put out by it. "When we get back," she said, "I'll make you some hot chocolate, Lyra. Sound good?"
Before Lyra could respond, the hotel's front door opened and Puissance--wearing only her ruby necklace and a small bracelet around one of her legs--flew out. "Elements," she said, inclining her head as the others bowed. "I hope the accomodations were to your liking."
"They were wonderful," said Trixie. She paused. "Um. If you don't mind me asking, aren't you... cold?"
Puissance smiled, as if to a child. "No," she said. "I happened to bring along the Fire Ruby of Ink Blot--you might have heard of it, one of the seven stones in his most famous set of enchanted artifacts--and it provides adequate warmth." She gestured to the ruby around her neck. "You may study it later, if you wish. Along with the others, in fact--I recently completed the set."
Trixie grimaced, and Ditzy was certain that she heard her friend mutter, "My cape does the same thing and you don't hear me bragging about it," but then Trixie just said aloud, "Thank you, Vicereine. I would appreciate that."
"Excellent." Puissance held up her leg with the bracelet on it. A dial on its face spun for a moment before pointing north. She turned to face the steppes, checked the dial again, and said, "The Windigo is located along this bearing. We will journey to its location, at which point I will begin the negotiations. Follow me." And she began to fly through the snow.
The other Elements pursued, with the two pegasi flying after her and the others trotting on the ground. The snow fell steadily but not so thickly that it became hard to see. Ditzy flew in silence for a moment, then called, "Vicereine?”
“Yes?”
“About how far away is the windigo?"
"Forty-five minutes," said Puissance.
Ditzy frowned, wondering if the old mare was really capable of fighting through a snowstorm for that long, but didn't say anything. She glanced around to see that Raindrops had dropped down to talk with Trixie, and the other Elements were clustered together in the same area as they moved through the steppes. For the moment, she was alone in the sky with Puissance. Letting herself fall back, she began to swoop down--
"By the way, Dame Ditzy, Ice Heart told me this morning that he had a good time talking with you last night," said the Vicereine. "I wanted to thank you for speaking so kindly with him."
"Of course," said Ditzy as she climbed back up in the air. "He's a very friendly colt."
Puissance chuckled. "He certainly is. It was difficult to bring him out of his shell at first, considering his... well, I'm sure he told you about his cousins, and some of the other foals and adults he encountered who saw his real form. But I'd like to think that I, and his friends in the Vault, helped him to open up."
"Well..." Ditzy hesitated for a moment, then blurted out, "One other thing that might help is if he had more friends his own age. Why don't I let Dinky, my daughter, come over for a playdate some time?"
"A playdate?" Puissance sounded amused, but Ditzy could hear the slightest hint of annoyance in her voice. "I myself would have no objection, but... Ice Heart did ask me to promise, when I first brought him to the Vault, that I would protect him from other 'normal' ponies. He had enough bad experiences with them that he's not comfortable revealing his true form to anypony that isn't a little bit special, like the other Vault residents... and I'd hate for him to be uncomfortable."
"My Dinky would never insult Ice Heart for being half-windigo," said Ditzy. "You don't need to worry about it."
"And I don't, but Ice Heart would. I've offered to bring in other foals for him to play with before, but he won't consider it, not unless they're special like he is. He wouldn't want me to allow for a 'regular' unicorn foal to come over to play, even one as sweet and charming as I'm sure your daughter is. And I wouldn't want to jeopardize his love for me by going against my word."
"Love?" Ditzy frowned. She would have expected Puissance to mention 'trust' or 'faith' instead. "I don't think you need to worry about that," she said. "Foals tend to be forgiving. I know I haven't been a perfect mother, but my Dinky, she still loves me unconditionally. I'm sure that even if Ice Heart didn't like Dinky, he wouldn't hold it against you."
"Unconditional love?" mused Puissance. "Hmm... I apologize, Dame Ditzy, but I don't really believe in such a thing. Or at least--I'm not sure such a love would be worth having, if it existed at all."
It was such a strange tangent that Ditzy almost missed a beat of her wings. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Unconditional love exists. My daughter and I, for instance, we love each other, and nothing will ever change that. No matter what happens, there will always be a place for us in each other's hearts."
Puissance turned her head back to glance at Ditzy. She looked quizzical, but beneath that, Ditzy thought she saw hints of a smirk. "But--oh, please do forgive me, I know how rude this sounds--what do you love each other for, then?"
"For?" asked Ditzy. "Why--I mean, she's the sweetest, kindest, most clever foal I could ever hope for. She's always willing to help other ponies, she's great at making friends, she's willing to stand up even to adults if she thinks they're doing the wrong thing--"
"Yes, but... if your love is unconditional, then doesn't that mean you don't really care about any of those things?" asked Puissance. "You say that you love how clever your daughter is... but if you love her unconditionally, then you would also love her if she were not clever, if she were lazy in school and applied little thought to anything. But that would imply that you don't really care that she's clever--you'd love her just as much regardless. You said that you love how your daughter is willing to stand up for what's right, but that you'd love her if she instead always acquiesced to power and authority... that you love how your daughter makes friends, but that you'd care for her just as much if she were a loner... and so forth. With all respect, Dame Ditzy--and please understand, I ask for my own edification--what is it you love your daughter for?"
Ditzy opened her mouth, then let it hang open for a long moment before forcing it closed. Every time she thought of something--her inquisitive nature, her care for others, her kindness without limit--she found herself wondering what would happened if Dinky ceased to display those traits. "I love her for her," she said at last, aware of how weak that sounded. "I love her for--for everything about her. And I know she would never do any of those things that would stop me from loving her. It's not in her to do anything so wrong."
"Indeed," said Puissance. "Yet that is still a condition, is it not, even if you never expect it to be invoked?"
"Not.. I mean..." Ditzy frowned. "What do you love Ice Heart for, then?"
"I love him because of his respect, his energy, his cleverness, his prowess at a variety of tasks--including utilizing his windigo magic--and a host of other traits," said Puissance. "I love him because when I see him playing, his excitement and youthful vigor make me feel years younger. I love him because he honors me and his other friends with our due. I love him because I've never seen a pony able to manipulate ice like he can, and I feel that talent such as that is valuable and deserves recognition." Puissance glanced back again, this time smiling serenely. "I love him because he is a wonderful, special foal--not just because he happens to be legally classified as my ward."
It sounded superficially reasonable to Ditzy--but it made her stomach curdle when the implications hit her. "And does he... know that your love depends on him continuing to be respectful, energetic, clever, and so forth?" she asked.
"We haven't spoken on it in so many words, but I take great care to tell him when I am proud of what he does--when he masters his lessons, for instance, or learns a new spell involving ice--and when I am disappointed in him. I'm sure you do the same."
Yes, but not like that. Stars, not like that. Ditzy felt a coldness on her shoulders that had nothing to do with the snowstorm. "And if Ice Heart really changed and became less clever, energetic, and so on," she began, "Would you really stop loving him?"
"I..." Puissance's voice trailed off, and Ditzy guessed that she hadn't been expecting that question--or indeed hadn't thought of it. Indeed, as the seconds dragged on, Puissance didn't seem to have an answer.
The mailmare was tempted to let Puissance continue to wrestle with it, but she could practically hear Trixie yelling at her for antagonizing the Vicereine. She wouldn't even have asked the question if she'd taken another few moments to think about it. "I'm sorry," she said at last. "I didn't mean to disturb you. Having met Ice Heart, I know how close both of you are. I shouldn't have asked--"
"No, no, it's quite all right." Puissance flicked a wing in an imitation of a casual shrug. "I brought it up in the first place. And... I do appreciate you talking with me, Ditzy. I found this to be a very illuminating conversation, and you've given me something to think about."
"As have you," said Ditzy, though she wasn't sure what, exactly, that was. "Um, by your leave, I should check in with Trixie."
Puissance nodded and dismissed her, and Ditzy was glad to spend the rest of the journey on the ground with her friends.
***
After just under fifty minutes of walking, they crested a low hill, and Ditzy got her first glimpse of the windigo.
It stood in the middle of the steppe, three times as tall as a pony and seemingly made out of snow, cloud, and ice. Its coat was an icy blue that was almost transparent, with thin lines of snow jutting out over its back for a mane. Its eyes were long, narrow, and glowed with an otherworldly light that reminded Ditzy of the painting of the star monsters that Cadance had allegedly drive off. When its mouth opened slightly, the snow in front of its head blasted away as if it was caught in a gale.
Ditzy’s vision swam as she looked at it. The body of the monster seemed to be constantly shifting, as if it was a storm itself, and Ditzy kept feeling like the form she saw was just some fragment of a larger, even stranger form. Every now and then, when the windigo turned just right, she thought she saw the quickest glimpse of something else--something massive, and twisted, and alien--and she quickly made herself look away. “The Hearth’s Warming pageants don’t really do it justice,” she managed. “Not by a long shot.”
“You can say that again,” said Carrot Top. “How is that even possible?”
Trixie shrugged. “I’m sure the Academy scientists will have all kinds of theories.” She turned to the others. "Everypony brought their Elements, right?"
"Right," said Ditzy, along with the other four.
Puissance descended down to the others. "There it is," she said, in a voice that was clearly laboring to remain calm but couldn't quite suppress its awe. "Shall we?"
"Of course. We'll take the lead, Vicereine," said Trixie. "Everypony--if it gets hostile, hit it with the Elements. Let's move."
As they descended, the windigo's gaze drifted over and began tracking them. Ditzy felt cold again, though this time she was pretty sure it wasn't just a feeling in her gut. The air seemed even more frigid as they neared the monster. Maybe it's causing the winter storm, she thought to herself. I guess anything's possible...
"Does it look, uh, broken to anypony else?" murmured Carrot Top.
Trixie dug a pair of binoculars out of a saddlebag. "Hey, yeah, it's all cracked on one side," she said. "Lyra, does that show up in any of the legends?"
"Not unless you count the windigo mare from Love and Magic in Fillydelphia. Raindrops, wasn't there a scene where--"
"I will pay you ten bits not to bring that up," muttered Raindrops, earning a few snickers from the others.
The cracks became more noticeable to Ditzy once she'd crossed half the distance to the windigo. Lines split the monster's coat all along one side, some very thin, but others thick and jagged. She wondered what had happened to it. Do windigo get in fights?
"We should be close enough," said Trixie at last. Ditzy eyed the last thirty feet between themselves and the beast, which was now glaring at them, nervously. "Ah, Vicereine? Do--"
"Yes, yes, thank you." Vicereine Puissance walked to the front of the group and turned to the windigo. "Windigo! I am Vicereine Puissance. I am the representative of Her Royal Highness, Princess Luna Equestris. You will negotiate with me as to the conditions under which you may meet Ice Heart. You--"
The windigo huffed, and then Ditzy saw their group--as if she were standing where the windigo was and looking back at them--except, in the vision, a little windigo was with them. The windigo foal suddenly vanished. And, as it vanished, Ditzy felt a surge of anger, as if the meanest drill sergeant in the world was yelling directly into her heart.
"I don't think he's happy about us not bringing Ice Heart," said Lyra.
Puissance had taken a step back, but she quickly recovered. "We will negotiate," she called. "If I am satisfied as to the safety of--"
Ditzy winced as another image of the young windigo forced its way into her mind. Even as she shook it off, she saw the monster approaching. "Girls!"
"Together!" said Trixie, gathering the Elements into a tight cluster. "Come on, don’t worry. We're friends. It can't hurt us--"
The windigo opened its mouth and screeched at the Elements. The air itself seemed to freeze in a cone traveling towards them--but then Ditzy let herself relax, feeling her friends by her side and protecting her, and the cone crumbled into harmless snowflakes before reaching them.
"Well done," said Puissance. "What kind of spell was that?"
"Just our friendship," said Trixie. "The legends say that windigos can't hurt true friends. Looks like they're right."
Puissance hesitated as the windigo glared directly at her. Ditzy wondered if it could sense that she was the only one there who wasn't friends with the rest of them. "Ah, Dame Trixie--"
"Don't worry. We've got this. Girls--Element time!"
As the windigo began to blast again, this time directing its cold straight at Puissance, Ditzy felt the familiar warmth in her necklace that indicated the Element was going to activate. She floated slightly, along with the rest of them, and as the freezing air streaked towards them a rainbow formed between the Elemental gems--
Which bent around all the ponies, shielding them from the windigo's blast.
The windigo stopped, and a moment later the Elements dimmed and the mares sank back to the snowy field. Trixie grinned. "Alright. Think that showed it violence won't work." She sounded tired, but Ditzy could tell how happy she was at the success. For her own part, Ditzy felt slightly drained, but nothing like when she had used the Elements before. "What now?" the showmare continued.
Puissance--who once again looked regal and calm, Ditzy noticed--flapped her wings and flew up a few feet. "We will negotiate," she stressed. "If, at the end of the negotiations, I feel we have agreed on conditions which will allow Ice Heart to see you safely, then you may meet him. Otherwise, you may not--and if you persist, we will banish you. Is that clear?"
The windigo hissed softly but did not send another vision.
Puissance turned to Trixie. "Dame Trixie, please use your illusions to convey the same message."
Trixie nodded, and as her horn glowed, Ditzy saw a series of images appear in the steppe between them and the windigo. She saw scale models of the monster, the Elements, and Puissance talking, Puissance eventually waving a wing forwards and prompting a suddenly-appearing Ice Heart to run towards his father. Then the illusion returned to its original state, but this time Puissance spread her wings protectively, and all the ponies walked off in the other direction. Then the illusory windigo tried to pursue the illusory ponies, only to be blasted away by the Elements.
Silence filled the steppe for a long moment, and then, as the windigo's eyes glowed, Ditzy saw another image--all the ponies present, plus Ice Heart, on the steppe. Puissance letting Ice Heart go. Ice Heart running to his dad.
Puissance smiled. "I think we have a line of communication," she said. "Thank you, Dame Trixie. Now--please do convey that Ice Heart shall remain with me, at least at first. Have him by my side. The two can see each other, but I don't want this monster snatching my ward away."
Ditzy shivered as Trixie began what she was certain would be a long, cold day of negotiations.
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Nice description of the Windigo.
You know I wonder what the relationship between Windigo and Changlings is, one seems to feed on Anger, the other love, two versions of the same thing or competing species?
5355456 : Thanks for the idea on making the windigo more 'alien.' I like the idea of them being almost orthogonal to Equestria's reality.
I debated analogizing the windigo to how a shadow (2D) will shift and move based on the position of the 3D object, essentially arguing that the visible windigo was basically a 3D representation of some 4D-ish 'thing' that was the real windigo. But I thought that might be going too far down the rabbit hole.
This is getting...interesting.
5340615
Well she's an old lady getting to the point where she hasn't gotten many peers left, she'd probably feel a bit bad about loosing even a rival or someone she 'scammed' if she's known them for decades.
Wow I loved that scene with Ditzy and Ice Heart. And her later conversation with Puissance was a nice character moment.
Two things: Cadance would probably be Cadenza, and the second time you mention her you probably want to switch it out for Luna, where it would make more sense for her to be the one who drove off star beasts. That's just my thoughts, though.
I'm really excited to see how the windego negotiations go.
Ice Heart seems like a nice colt who's been through a lot. The fact that Puissance can't really answer Ditzy is probably all the answer Ditzy needs.
This is such a wonderful concept! I do hope we'll learn more about the Vault and someone will teach Puissance the true meaning of friendship. Looking forward to updates.
A part of me is actually wondering if the Windigo is cracked because it feels something like love for Ice Heart, and it's actually physically breaking it apart since love is anathema to it.
5355774
It is indeed formal. Trixie is worried that Puissance might take offense if she (Trixie) doesn't go through the full formal introduction, including presenting her friends to Puissance and then presenting Puissance, ludicrously long list of titles included, to her friends.
Lyra's a bit too bouncy for something so deadpan, in my opinion.
It wasn't in there originally. I mentioned in my gdoc in a comment that i had thought of having her mention sushi and having the others freak out at the thought of eating fish, and RDD recommended that I have her say she eats sushi and just have nopony but Trixie/Cheerilee no what it is, so we can store the freak-out for later. I liked that idea and ran with it.
Problem with a capricorn is that I want to be able to collectively refer to them as 'ponies' or 'the Vault ponies', and I can't really do that if one of them isn't at least half-pony. But I can change it from seapony to merpony if there's a continuity glitch there.
(As for magic... well, SD was going to be a princess. Maybe her bloodline has special powers or something. Although I'm not too keen on the idea of a type of ponies that just plain has no magic, honestly. Even the earth ponies have some, though it might be hard to detect. I think seaponies/merponies should have some too, and I like hydromancy for it.)
No more so than any other spell which could potentially be misused, I don't think.
Nul ponies are immune to unicorn spells as a result of overabundance of earth pony magic (I believe this was decided on the boards somewhere). So not only is Bones immune, but as his magic leaks out through his hooves (as per Magic Tutor), the things his hooves touch should be immune too. So maybe SD could lift him if she took care never to touch his hooves, but if a stream of water even brushed against them the magic would be broken by Bones' earth pony magic and he'd fall, which isn't safe. Effectively, she can't safely move him with magic.
This monster of a paragraph is to wall of texty. Know you don't care about your audiences input when it comes to error fixes, but giving it anyway. It really could stand to be broken into more digestible sized paragraphs.
________________
There are other errors mostly with spacing. Otherwise decentish chapter.
I hope the kid does return to his father. He deserves to be with his family but I doubt Puissance will willingly let her 'prized possession' go so easily. Sad really, it's not even love that drives her. It's her petty vanity that makes her want to keep the colt around. Here's hoping karma nips her in the flanks, like a steel bear trap.
Raindrops is best snarker.
You sure you're not the Element of Laughter?
Wow, I really like this, I mean, TV Tropes already describes the Windigos as Eldritch Abominations that have a vaguely equinoid form, but this takes the cake, the show's representations of the Windigos during the play doesn't even come close to being this good, then again, it was made with reports of the time, and I'd imagine it was like the Dark Ages, little information about anything, this combined with illusion spells to make things look more real only being capable of so much and artistic liberties... yeah.
I also like how it communicates via images in your head and projecting emotions into your heart instead of actual words, like I said, genius!
It's an interesting conversation on love here, because I can see both sides of it. You wouldn't want to just stop loving someone because they weren't clever but at the same time, aren't there lines that should be capable of destroying it? Abusive alcoholism, for example. Serial murder.
It's a bit of a dilemma. Telling someone they're fine the way they are only works if the way they are is fine, but making them feel like you might pull your love away if they screw up is terrible.
I too liked Ditzy's and Puissance's conversation, and both did have good points on love. Also, the Windigo? Friggin' awesome. :D
5363213 You're only 'pretty' sure. I say we keep her eating sushi and just leave it.
5363221 Excerpt -- Longest Night, Longest Day
5363254 Fine, alright. But horses are herbivores and have been known to eat meat. And one offhand comment by a Siren who's been in the Everfree for god knows how long doesn't hold all that water. And I personally like sea ponies eating sushi.
5363273
True, and we've established as much by way of shrimp being something the ponies of Neigh Orleans eat. So just like real-life equines our ponies can eat meat, though only in small quantities and not as any kind of primary dietary staple.
Likewise, I wouldn't object to Sea Dream indulging in the occasional sushi, but she probably wouldn't describe that habit in terms like "all I could want", which is phrase typically used to describe a large consumption rate. Then again, since her hydromancy is also not an ability that any other canon seapony in the Lunaverse possesses, but is possessed by the Everfree-River-Trio, it could perhaps still be interesting if she was lying about her true biology (though maybe a hybrid rather than being purely either one or the other). In which case her overindulgence in shrimp could work just fine.
5363361 So let's just give her some damned fish already and let her gorge.
So I know I've been kind of hard on the last two chapters, and probably could have been more diplomatic in expressing my it, but this chapter was just... AMAZING!
Not flawless by any means but it really brought with dynamic liveliness that has been sorely absent from some of your other recent works. The charters not only expressed a wide range of believable emotions, but all of it was also entirely in keeping with there established personalities. Not once did they feellike voice boxes pontificating some author tract, as everything felt perfectly natural. Seriously, if you wrote like this more often, then regardless of our often heated disagreements, I'd be much happier and more forgiving over all.
Sorry if that sounds like something of a backhanded compliment, but I really do mean it. For the first time since you picked this story back up I feel eager to read the next chapter, so hopefully I can get around to that in under a week this time.
...
On a minor note, however, it did feel a little odd for Puissance to fly under her own power for the entire 45 minute trek to the Windigo. I get that she's not supposed to be frail or invalid, but she is also still a very, very wealthy and prestigious pony. I mean, even Luna and Celestia travel by chariot. If nothing else, I think maybe some dogsleds could have been a nice touch in this chapter, and maybe not just for her, but for every pony else too. At least for traveling the majority of the distance, with them having to resort to hiking for only the last 10 minutes or so.
Also, I would like to try reiterating my previous concern over ALL of the major vault dwellers accompanying Iceheart, it especially felt odd when they basically stepped in and started acting like his parents. Again, weren't Samareai and Neighja supposedly the ones responsible for raising him? It just seems odd for his nominal foster parents to have not come on this trip -- heck, Icehearts himself doesn't even mention them. It still feels like those two, plus Iceheart's Longma teacher and maybe ONE friend would have worked better than this seeming random hodgepodge who's only connecting aspects are having been featured in your previous vault fic.
5355878
Strange, for some reason FiMfic never notified me of this reply...anyway, I feel like I need to clarify a couple points.
Well yeah she'd say it in a "bouncier" tone, but I still feel she'd be the one more likely to bring the subject up in the first place, being among the most inquisitive and adventurous of the team. Conversely, Raindrops is more prone to I think just give others their privacy in the same way she'd expect them to do the same for her -- which was also more so the attitude she seemed to express in this chapter when the L6 were discussing the vault.
It's worth noting that "pony" is something of an equestrian colloquialism. Notably both from Friend in Deed, both Cranky and Matilda use it, even when speaking directly about each other, despite neither being a pony.
I completely agree that ALL ponies (and to some extent sapient races) should have some form of magic. Though I disagree with hydromancy being a good fit a for the aquatic tribes. It's not like earth ponies have active geomancy, for instance. Likewise, based on their presentation in Fizzy's fic it seems the aquatic tribes are largely the oceanic equivalent of earth ponies. Yes they have magic, but is expressed in equally slow and subtle ways.
Personally, if you really opposed to having her be a capricorn, I think you should at least consider maybe having her be a hybrid of seapony and river siren/kelpie. It'd work well with her taste for sushi and would make her all the more of an exotic specimen for Puissance to own. Plus than she could still think of herself as a "seapony" even if she otherwise looks more like a merpony.
Alternatively, you did mention in this chapter that specially enchanted trinkets can give pegasi more advanced weather manipulation abilities, so giving Stream Dream something similar, be it a bracelet, necklace, scepter, crown, or other accessory could be as good an excuse as any. Though I still prefer the hybrid or Capricorn ideas.
I think you might be overestimating how much earth pony magic "leaks". Again, it is a slow and subtle thing that happens over extended periods of time. Sure if he tried standing on an enchanted pillar of water for a few days it might begin to break down, but the effect should be far from instantaneous.
Now I could maybe see a nul pony with specialized training being able to more actively dispel magic with a mere touch, but it still shouldn't be something that just happens accidently without conscious intent.
I'm confident that Puissance has a corrupt way of thinking. She thinks of the 'Vault' ponies as items or collectibles. She even justifies her feelings for Ice Heart as being proud of his achievements. However, though her mind is corrupt, her heart is not. She loves Ice Heart. She tries to justify that love as being conditional. But Ditzy was able to make her think. If Ice Heart weren't the things that Puissance said that she loved about him, should couldn't say that she wouldn't love him.
Puissance and Ditzy seem like opposites. But really, they are two sides of the same coin. Puissance is an inversion of Ditzy, but not an opposite. They are like a positive and a negative of the same picture. One living without a good income, feeling guilty that she couldn't bring up her foal in better conditions, and views their mother daughter relationship as unconditional before the other shakes her resolve and making her rethink it. The other living with more riches than she knows what to do with, giving her ward everything luxury possible, and views their relationship as conditional before the other shakes that resolve and making her rethink it.
So either I'm right and it's not fair to compare Puissance with Scrooge as others have (because unlike Scrooge, Puissance cares about high quality and pleasing others, even if it's for her own selfish reasons, and will find ways to spend the least amount of money while sacrificing the least amount of quality, where Scrooges doesn't care about the quality, just the money), or I'm wrong and she's just that manipulative, making her even worse than Scrooge (because no matter how cold hearted Scrooge was, he wasn't manipulative).
I can probably think of two ponies Ice Heart's age in Ponyville that could get away meeting him. The first is obvious for obvious reasons. Alulla (she's the winged unicorn, right?). That one is obvious. The second is questionable, and depends on what the difference between a crossbreed and a hybrid is. Snails may seem like just a unicorn. But in Ocellus' Ordinary Day, it shows that Snails, though not as resistant to the cold as the rest of his family, can tough it out better than an ordinary unicorn can, meaning that he has unicorn AND pegasus magic. I assume that makes him a hybrid rather than just a crossbreed, since if Lyra's anything to go by, unicorns don't handle the cold well.