Turning Points

by Slatewings

Act Two: Chapter One - Strangely Absent

Act Two Chapter One - Strangely Absent

Bam. Bam. Bam. Tourmaline rolled over and groaned. The banging repeated.

“Go away, it’s too cold to wake up!” she yelled through thick layer of blankets piled on her bed.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

“Ah!! I don’t care who you are I’m not getting out of bed until it warms up a bit,” she yelled before stuffing her head under her pillow.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Tourmaline threw back her blankets off her head, immediately regretting it as the icy air of her studio washed over her, and yelled at the top of her lungs, “Go away! I’m cold!”

She pulled the covers back over her head with a ‘humph’ and snuggled back down, dead set on ignoring any more intrusions. She rolled over, intent on settling into the warmth of her sheets, and managed to roll a hind leg right onto her bed’s warming pan.

“Ahh!” she yelled as the hot metal pressed against the thin fur along the side of her leg. In an instant she leapt from the comfort of her sheets and darted to the drip bucket beneath the leaky spot in the ceiling. In panic she dunked her leg into the nearly frozen water and had just enough time to breath a sigh of relief before the cold clamped down on her leg. She jerked it out of the bucket and shook off the water before it could freeze to her coat.

Bam. Bam. Bam.

Tourmaline groaned again, “Fine, fine! You win! I’m coming.”

She pulled a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around herself before stomping off to meet whomever thought it was a good idea to wake her up so early. She passed her meager fireplace and glared at it accusingly. The flames licked and flickered but could do little to warm the room.

“I wanna go back to bed,” she grumbled as she crossed the room and unfastened the lock on the door. “Hey!” she shouted angrily as whoever was on the other side gave the knob a twist and threw open the door. Two figures, bundled beyond recognition, strode into her living room as if they owned it and closed the door behind them.

“I don’t know who you think you are banging on my door and barging in here like this, but you can turn around right now!” Tourmaline shouted, “I don’t have any food to give you and I can’t spare any firewood. So if you please, just go away.”

“No need to be cross, Tourmaline. We aren’t the ones that left friends standing out in the cold,” said a stallion’s voice from behind a woolen scarf. “Besides, I told you you could stay at the Palace if you’d like.”

“Huh?” said Tourmaline, “I’m sorry, who are you?”

The stallion pulled back his hood and scarf revealing unmistakable silver eyes beneath a perfectly cut burgundy mane. “Good morning, Tourmaline.”

“High Horse!” Tourmaline rushed forward to wrap him in a hug. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it was you. I thought you were another pony just here to beg some firewood from me.”

“I do hope you wouldn't have turned us away to freeze if we were,” he said, giving her a sidelong look.

“Well.. I um...” she answered sheepishly, “I’ve already given away all that I can. I’m running out of furniture to burn. In a couple of days I’m going to have to start pulling up floorboards.”

“You really should come stay at the palace,” said a muffled female voice from under the other figures hood, “We’d be happy to squeeze you in.”

“Thanks, but um, you are?”

“Oh sorry!” she pulled back her hood and took off the slitted face cover. “Better?”

“Lily! It’s so great to see you!” Tourmaline said in surprise, “I’m sorry I haven’t come round to see how you’re settling in. I’ve just been so busy with Clover and the Choir and everything. Today was the first morning I’ve had off in weeks.”

“Oh it’s okay. I know you fancy choir ponies are too busy for us little folk,” Lily gave her friend a bump on the shoulder to show she was kidding. “You really should move in with us though. There’s plenty of room and we can push the girls old beds from the house together for you.”

Tourmaline laughed, “I guess that’s one good thing to come of all this. At least your roof had the decency to collapse before you had the chance to burn everything.”

“I’m just glad Mister High Horse was able to help us out.”

“‘Twas nothing Miss Lily. Noponies used the guest quarters in years,” he responded modestly, “It would have been un-gentlestallionly to refuse to help somepony in need. Besides it lets me keep a closer eye on Celestia.”

Lily rolled her eyes, “These two are practically at war,” she told Tourmaline, “It’s all Silver and I can do to keep out of the crossfire.”

“Oh it’s not MY fault,” High Horse said in faux dismay, “Do you know what that filly did? I woke early the other morning to find my hooves had been stained bright pink, not painted mind you, stained.”

“Oh she was only getting you back for the candied onion incident.”

“Well now that was only because she put pepper in my tea.”

“You covered up her cutiemark with white fur clippings and glue! She thought it disappeared on her!”

High Horse smiled devilishly, “Oh yes... That was a good one.”

“High Horse! That’s terrible!” Tourmaline exclaimed.

“You needn’t worry, Celestia knows it’s all in fun. She keeps me on the tips of my hooves and I keep her out of the palace staff’s manes,” he explained with a smile. “You know, Miss Lilly is right, Tourmaline. You really should come to the palace.”

“I don’t know High Horse... This is my home. I’ve lived here ever since I set out on my own,” she looked around the room, noticing how bare it had become in the past few weeks and sighed. “I’ll have to do something soon though.”

“Well... think about it,” urged Lily, “Most everypony is huddling up with friends and family these days. Saves on firewood if nothing else.”

“I’ll think about it,” Tourmaline promised.

A chill gust of air blew in from under the door sending shivers up Tourmaline legs. “Burr,” she shivered as she drew her blanket in tighter, “Not that I’m not happy to see you two, but is there something I can help you with?”

High Horse nodded, “We need you to come to the palace.”

“HIgh Horse, I promised I would consider it.”

“Oh no it’s not that, although you should. Something’s happened and the Court has been called into session. They want the whole of the Arcanum to attend, including the choir,” he explained.

“Did they say what it was?”

“They haven’t said officially yet,” High Horse explained, “but I happen to know that the Princess and Clover attended a secret meeting with Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead a couple of weeks ago. Maybe they’ve found someway to combat this weather.”

“Let’s hope so...” Tourmaline gave another involuntary shiver. Even with the blanket the cold was almost unbearable. “Just give me a few minutes to bundle up and we’ll get going.”

Tourmaline went back to her bedroom and pulled on her thickest jacket she had. Then thought better of it, took it off, and put on a few of her thinner sweaters before replacing the jacket and wrapping a scarf around her neck and over her head. Wrapping a blanket around her for good measure she returned to her friends.

“Okay, let’s go,” she said as she squeezed her well insulated self through the doorway.

“Tourmaline,” Lily laughed, “you’re not going to fit into the carriage.”

“Don’t care, It’s MY blanky,” Tourmaline answered from somewhere within the mass of blanket, scarf, and jacket. “Don’t be jealous.”

“Well let’s stuff you in the carriage and be on our way then,” High Horse joked.

Tourmaline waddled toward the door, “Oh I almost forgot,” she turned to her fireplace. “I can’t afford to waste good firewood.”

She concentrated for a moment as her horn began to glow. A pink sphere popped into existence around the burning logs behind the grating. A minute later the fire inside began to flicker and fade as it ran short on air. When the flames died away, Tourmaline dropped the spell and a puff of smoke billowed out of the fireplace.

“Very well done, Tourmaline. You’re getting better at that.” High Horse said in surprise. “I’m impressed.”

Tourmaline smiled, “Clover’s been teaching me. Ever since she patched things up with Celestia and Luna she’s made it her goal to, ahem, ‘Give me the magical education I SHOULD have been given’.”

High Horse couldn’t help but laugh at Tourmaline’s impression of the old magus.

“Well let’s go,” Lily said, starting to get impatient, “I need you two big wheels to go to your fancy meeting so you can tell me what’s going on.”

Tourmaline nodded and the three of them walked to the carriage.

“This is your carriage?!” Tourmaline said in surprise. She had only ever seen carriages like this a hoof full of times. They were far more like a sled in that they had skids instead of wheels and lacked a top or back. The whole shape was streamlined to allow for greater aerodynamics. The most striking thing though wasn’t the carriage itself, but the drivers, two armored pegasi stallions. “How in the hoof do you own a sky wagon?”

High Horse shrugged, “It’s on loan from a friend on the Pterippi city council. He lost a bet.” He pointed a hoof at Lily, “Your husband’s going to make me a richest pony in the Unicorn Clan.”

They climbed aboard and High Horse signaled for the drivers to head back to the palace.

Tourmaline felt her stomach drop as the carriage lifted off the ground. She sat in the front corner and snuggled down in her blanket. “Just tell me when we’re down,” she said nervously.

“It’s alright Tourmaline. We won’t be going too high,” High Horse assured her, “It gets colder the higher you go up.”

“Well I hope we don’t go THAT high,” Tourmaline answered in alarm.

“You misunderstand,” High Horse explained. “It’s the clouds. The closer you get to them the colder it gets. In fact, if we went through the cloud deck and continued upward It would actually start to get quite warm.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” said Tourmaline.

“Maybe not, but that’s what the drivers told me. They say there is something wrong with the clouds but nopony can say what.”

Tourmaline steeled herself and stood to look over the side. The sky wagon flew maybe thirty feet up at most. As far as she could see the earth was blanketed in snow and ice. The only thing that betrayed the existence of the town below was the occasional smoking chimney sticking out from what looked like rows of small snowy hills.

“High Horse,” Tourmaline said, “Why hasn’t the palace sent workers down to help clear the snow?”

“Because there are no workers anymore,” he answered plainly, “When was the last time you saw an earth pony?”

Tourmaline shook her head, “A couple of weeks I guess.”

“Thats because they were asked to leave,” High Horse shook his head in disgust. “Seems the court doesn’t trust them being around anymore. Pegasi as well, although I doubt they will have the audacity to expel my personal drivers.”

“That’s terrible!!”

“I agree, and the Court’s bigotry is hurting our people,” he explained. “Most unicorns can’t do the fire spells to melt away the snow or have strong enough levitation to clear the roads.

Tourmaline shook her head and peered down at the frozen landscape beneath them. “Some ponies are saying this could be an ice age,” she said as she surveyed.

“What’s that?” Lily asked.

“It’s when the whole world freezes. The winter just gets colder and longer until there is enough ice on the ground to keep it frozen through the summer. It can go on for a thousand years until the land finally thaws.”

“A thousand years?!”

“I hope not, there hasn’t been an ice age since before ponies came to the world,” Tourmaline explained. “Don’t worry though. If it comes to it, the choir can hold the sun in place a little longer each day to help melt away the snow.”

Although we’ll probibly need to do another eclipse if we do... she thought.

A few short minutes later they arrived at the Palace grounds, flew right over the gate and landed in front of High Horse’s manor. Tourmaline and her friends hopped out of the back of the carriage.

“You guy’s go ahead, I’ll be here when the meeting’s over,” Lily waved goodbye and stepped through the Manor door, closing it quickly behind her to shut out the cold.

Tourmaline and High Horse turned to the palace and hurried through the cold to the gate.

“Wow! It feels good in here,” Tourmaline said as she stepped through the entrance. She shed her jackets and blanket and handed them to the doormare as Lily and High Horse handed over their own. The poor mare’s knees practically buckled under the weight of the coats.

“Sorry my dear but we don’t have much time to enjoy it. I’m afraid the meeting will be starting any moment and this is hardly the appropriate time to be fashionably late,” said High Horse.

They rushed down the hall to the Court chambers. As they galloped they passed rows of bronze brazier’s hanging from the ceiling filled with glowing coals.

“What a waste!” Tourmaline huffed as she ran. “They could heat half the town with the coal they’re using in this hall.”

“Unfortunately,” said High Horse, “the Court insisted they keep up appearances so the ‘common ponies’ don’t lose hope.”

Tourmaline shook her head in annoyance, “A lot of good hope is when you’re frozen solid.” High Horse nodded in agreement.

They reached the chamber doors and were let in by the guards. “We’ll talk afterward,” said Tourmaline as she turned up the stairs to the Choir’s loft seating. They waved to Celestia and Luna who were bouncing up and down upon their seats in an effort to get her attention.

“I’d prefer to join you if that’s alright,” High Horse responded.

“You’re not going to sit with the nobles?”

“I’m not exactly popular with my high born brethren at the moment,” he admitted with some pride, “Seems I have the unfortunate knack for siding with the ‘lesser’ classes.”

Tourmaline smiled, “The Hero of the Common Folk,” she teased.

“Don’t say that too loud,” High Horse joked, “The old guard already think’s I’m a revolutionary just because I think the nobility should have to do things like, oh, pay their servants.”

Tourmaline poked High Horse in the shoulder, “You rebel you.”

A blast of fanfare sent the pair scrambling to the closest seats available. The lights dimmed and a light yellow noblemare wearing an elegant blue dress and a ridiculously complicated hat approached the podium below and addressed the gathered Court.

“Welcome my dear colleagues of the Court, esteemed guests, and invited attendees,” boomed her magically amplified voice. “To those whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting, and those who have not had the honor of making my acquaintance, I beg pardon for not yet taking the time to properly introducing myself in a more congenial and genteel manner.”

High Horse whispered, leaning over, “She can do this for hours before actually saying anything.”

“Lacking more befitting circumstances,” the long winded noblemare continued, “allow me to introduce myself. I am, by the grace of the eternal Queen Aetheris and her Royal Highness Princess Platinum, Countess Parfum de Lis, Lady of the House of Lis, and Defender of the Virtue of the Clan of Cornutum Equus.”

“That’s quite a name,” Tourmaline joked, leaning over to High Horse.

“That’s just her formal name. Her real name is Butter Cup,” he answered.

“Buttercup’s a lovely name. Why go by ‘Parfum’? Whatever that means.”

“Not Buttercup. Butter... Cup,” High Horse explained, emphasizing the space.Tourmaline stifled a snicker. “It could have been worse. Her father’s name was Gravy Boat.”

Tourmaline let out of peal of laughter that, although fortunately unnoticed by the speaker below, drew glares of a dozen ponies around the chamber. High Horse held a hoof over her mouth while respectfully nodding to the onlookers as if nothing was happening.

“... which brings me to the matter at hoof,” Parfum de Lis continued, the distraction in the balcony beneath her notice, “It seems Her Majesty the Princess has disappeared.”

Hushed murmurs ripped through the court. Some voices were genuinely concerned for the Princess’s wellbeing, a few seemed more concerned with how this would impact their own interests.

“Do we know who is behind this?” asked a noblestallion from the front row.

“You needn’t fear for Her Highness’s safety, Your Lordship,” Parfum de Lis explained, “There is no evidence she was kidnapped or taken by force in anyway.”

“How do you know?” somepony called out. “What if the other clans have taken her as leverage over us?”

“Simple. She did not leave alone. We have reason to believe that Magus Clover the Clever accompanied her.”

Members of the Arcanum gasped in shock. Clover was more than the court’s advisor on magic, she was the very heart of the magical community.

“It still could have been one the other clans! The Pegasi blamed us for magically manipulating the weather. Maybe they intend to force the Magus to undo whatever they believe she has done,” called an accusing voice.

Tourmaline and High Horse watched the increasingly raucous crowd below with growing concern.

“Believe me,” Parfum continued, “There is no force in ponydom short of a wing of dragons that could take the Magus by force, and all we in the peerdom can attest, she isn’t likely to have been persuaded to against her desires either.”

Tourmaline breathed a sigh of relief. That might be a slight exaggeration, but not by much.
A haughty and exceedingly well fed stallion rose to his hooves and declared, “Then she has abandoned us during our time of need! The very land is freezing solid and she has fled, leaving us to fend for ourselves.”

“Here, here!” somepony agreed, “I move we hold a vote of no confidence in the Princess as she has obviously abdicated the throne.”

“And who will take her place, Lord Parchment? Yourself??” another noble answered.

“And why not? My House is among the oldest and most esteemed among the peerage, and no other can claim as direct a line from the Queen.”

“Now that is enough of that,” Parfum de Lis’s voice rose to impossible volume despite her ever calm tone. “The Princess has been missing for a scant few days and already you are squabbling over her crown. I seriously doubt that she would abandoned us, and her position, so readily. It is far more likely that she and the Magus were caught outside in this unnatural blizzard. Perhaps an avalanche or some other hazard has incapacitated or trapped them and they are awaiting rescue as we bicker here.”

“Have you sent out the guard?”

“Of course,” Parfum answered, “Though as of yet they have scoured all the unicorn lands and have found nothing.”

“Is it possible some experiment of the Magus’ has gone wrong?”

“Unlikely,” Aster Skies answered from the balcony, “Magus Clover is meticulous about experimental procedures. She wouldn’t have attempted anything without support and medical staff at hoof.”

“Then she has fled! Why else would she be beyond the guard’s detection?”

“Because the Pegasi have taken her!”

“Or the Magus burned them both to ashes trying to melt the snow!”

“Perhaps it WAS a dragon.”

“Or even somepony within the court!”

That accusation set off a wave of others, each noble accusing another, or the arcanum, of standing to benefit from the power vacuum. Eventually Tourmaline could take no more and shot to her hooves.

“ENOUGH!!!”
“ENOUGH!!!”

Tourmaline looked to High Horse in surprise. Without meaning to they had spoken in unison. High Horse leaned over and whispered, “Jinx.”

Tourmaline tried not to giggle and motioned for High Horse to speak.

“Gentleponies of the Court,” he called down from the choir balcony. “Let us dispense of this wild conjecture and look instead to what we know. We know the Princess is missing. We know the Magus is gone with her. We know the winter is deepening. And, we know that we have only ourselves to rely on.”

“What do you propose, Archduke Horse?”

“You’re an archduke now?” Tourmaline whispered in surprise.

“For the time being,” High Horse explained, “I hold out hope my uncle will be well enough to take back up his duties as Prince of House Braccae. ”

“What if he can’t?”

“Then I may have to take up his title.”

“You might end up a prince?!” Tourmaline said a bit too loud.

“Harmony forbid,” said High Horse. “I’d hardly have time for anything outside of an office. Are you so eager to be rid of me?” He said with a smile.

“Not at all my prince,” Tourmaline answered as she bowed dramatically.

“Again, Archduke Horse,” Parfum repeated, somewhat impatiently, “Do you have a proposal?”

“Yes, Countess I do.” High Horse amplified his voice as he spoke. “I recommend a detachment of guard ponies be sent south to search for the Princess. I cannot guess her reason for leaving the Palace but it is clear that she is not within our borders.”

“Why should we bother? She has abandoned us,” somepony responded.

“We do not know that,” High Horse said, “And given the deepening snow, I’d wager you’d not have us make the same assumption about you if you were to become lost in the cold.” The other noble had no response. “This clan cannot endure a change of leadership during a crises. The Princess MUST be found.”

Tourmaline spoke up, “In the meantime, we need to collect everypony we can from the villages, unicorn, earth pony, and pegasus alike, and bring them to the palace.” Somepony snorted dismissively. “We must or else there will be no clan for you to rule over. You have not seen it out there; ponies are tearing down their homes for firewood. Between the supplies of the palace and the magic of the arcanum we can keep everypony warm and dry long enough to weather this winter. You can’t just abandon them to the ice.”

“I’m sorry miss,” said Parfum. “Even if we could bring everypony to the palace we simply do not have the space, or the food. I’m sure we could help a few but if the common ponies knew we have supplies to spare there would be a rush on the palace and nopony would be left with enough to survive.”

“Then it won’t matter anyway, without the ‘common ponies’ to farm or cook or chop wood you will not survive anyway. You have do something even if all it does is buy them some time.”

“I’m sorry miss,”Parfum seemed to honestly regret her decision. “I understand your concern for your peers, but there is simply no other choice.”

“Yes there is,” responded a voice from the doorway. A silver mare with a sky blue mane strode forward to the central podium, with a grace that spoke of centuries of practice. Parfum de Lis stepped back in shock as she passed. “We have found something wonderful,” Clover raised her voice to the gathered Court. “and we bade you, come with us.”

Author's Note:

I’d like to again acknowledge MayBpony for her work in making sense of my innumerable spelling and grammatical errors, as well as my constitutional inability to stay in the past tense.

Thanks you MayB. I'd have never written as much as I have without your support and encouragement.