Sun and Snow

by LucidTech

Iced Trappings

When Celestia awoke she wasn’t where she had fallen asleep, nor was she in the same position she had been. She was fairly certain of this deduction, as she couldn’t recall falling asleep tied to a large stone spire that jutted forth from the ground just high enough that she couldn’t reach the ground with her hind legs. Her eyes snapped around, looking for the culprit, a building anger that she might have been betrayed by the biped she had only just barely begun to trust.

However, what she saw instead, was another captive of this unknown villain. “Daring Do…” Celestia’s voice dwindled as she looked at the grey and brown mare who had been bound tightly by Snakevine only a few paces away, tight and taut and utterly unbreakable without a blade. Celestia was bound by the same material, and a void ring hung loosely around her horn, crippling her magic significantly.

“Sorry Celestia. Seems he finally caught me, didn’t expect him to get you too though.” They smiled to each other, they’d met before, multiple times. This part of Equestria was sort of ‘loaned’ to the author/adventurer, in the sense that as long as it was kept safe she didn’t need to worry about any of the more ‘civilized’ handicaps that she might experience if she had her home anywhere else.

Not to mention the tax exemptions.

“Well, it seems my two prize mares are finally awake.” The accent alone gave away who was speaking.

“Ahuizotl.” Celestia maintained her cool as she spoke, not even blinking as the evil doer meandered into view. “You should have told me you were planning a get together, I would have brought tea.”

A screeching laugh tore at the sky. “Oh Celestia, always the joker.” The creature said, walking a short distance to a small platform composed of rubble. Then he turned his attention to his other captive. “Tell me Daring Do, do you remember this place? It hasn’t been too long since you and that other meddling pegasus collapsed it.”

“The ruins…” Daring Do looked around and the scenery instantly struck a chord in her mind. “But why… unless…”

“Ah, yes, there’s an alternate triggering mechanism to the pyramid.” He said with a smile. “And our dear princess here is the key. I merely have to wait until the perfect time, and it’ll activate the latent powers of the sun bearer. And, unfortunately for her, she can’t stop it now, not with that pretty little ring on her horn.” He laughed again, treasuring this moment.

Celestia, meanwhile, didn’t bother to care about his plot. She would find a way to solve this tight situation in a moment, somehow, but right now she needed to know something before she broke out and chased Ahuizotl into the forests. “Where is the creature who was travelling with me?”

Ahuizotl turned to face her, confusion covering his face. “What creat- OH!” He smiled evilly, “You’ll have to do better than that to trick me Celestia. You were alone when you were captured, I saw to that myself. Sleeping in the forest is so unlike you your highness, what were you thinking? I was expecting at least a guard, but there wasn’t even any kind of obstacle.”

Celestia’s mind whirled, where had he gone to then? Had he simply sat by and watched her be captured by this monster? Why? That didn’t seem to match his personality at all. Celestia’s mind tripped on it’s own thought process suddenly and she realized she didn’t know his personality past not caring. Letting her get captured would actually fit in perfectly with what she knew of him.

“Ahuizotl, sir!” All three turned their heads to see the approaching stallion, sweat pouring over his features. “There’s a-” He was stopped as a chill bit into the air, causing the stallion to beat a hasty retreat in the opposite direction of where he had come from. Ahuizotl followed the retreat with his eyes for a moment before he turned his attention to what the minion had fled from, and was greeted with the sight of a biped cresting the small hillock.

He approached steadily until he was within shouting distance, each step bringing a rage to Ahuizotl’s face. “Go away.” Came to rolling commanding tone, mimicing the one Celestia had first heard when she’d met the biped. Daring Do looked to Celestia in confusion but when she saw the gleam of muffled hope in the princess’s eyes, she looked back towards him with the growing feeling to cheer him on.

“Go away?” Ahuizotl said, his accent digging into the ears of those around him, just as it always did. “I was here first, you can’t tell me to go away.”

“I just did though.” The biped blinked once and his eyes took on the appearance of ice itself. “Now go away.”

Ahuizotl looked on unamused. Then snapped his fingers. Wolves and tigers lunged forth from seemingly nowhere and jumped at the biped. Each one landed a square hit on him due to their surprise attack, then they retreated to the sides of their master. Torn clothes dangled uselessly and heavy breathing covered the air. Another snap and the cats took another chunk out of him, streams of blood freezing to his skin in the cold temperature around him. Ahuizotl began to laugh in victory and both captured mares looked on in fear.

Suddenly, Celestia looked to the sky and began to scream bloody murder, her voice tearing the landscape itself around her. She glowed yellow and the tempature began to rise in the area, as if a bonfire had been lit. “About time.” Ahuizotl stated simply, but was suddenly hit across the back of the head by a spike of ice.

He stumbled from the blow and looked at his aggressor. The biped stood tall once again, his wounds now covered with slabs of ice. He opened his mouth and let out an exhale, a cloud of ice instead of air and a tongue covered in frost. “Enough.” The words themselves chilled the ground in front of him, and he took a step forward. Ahuizotl snapped his fingers again, only for his cats to be picked up and tossed several feet away by a sudden icy gust.

He looked fearfully at the biped and began to run, only to slip on a slick of ice that had formed beneath him, as if spiting the heat by it’s presence alone. A sharp smack knocked him out black, a large slab of ice landing square on his skull. The biped continued his approach, brushing his hands together, causing snowflakes to drift from his grip.

The Snakevine had died under the stress of such drastic weather conditions, freeing Daring Do from her prison. She watched as he stood in front of the screaming Celestia, a look of utter apathy on his features. Tears ran down the princess’s face from the pain of whatever was happening to her, but he only watched, unmoved.

“Help… Me…” She managed past her pain. He stood still.

“Why should I?”

“Please…”

He looked at her with half lidded eyes, ice had begun to clot around his arms, turning them into large clubs. “And if I say no?”

“...Please.”

“Please.” Daring Do spoke up, and the biped looked back at her. “Save her, if you can. Please.”

Then, the world became a blizzard, and no one could see anything at all.

Comments

[ParadigmShift]

....Wait what?

[High_Wind]

O.K. we all know this needs to be done

[Luna Secret Stallion]

3649477 Damn I was gonna say Ice ice baby!! Now it just Argh!!!!!!!

[Wander Hoof]

A rather abrupt change of pace, don't you think?

[Not Luna]

That was a bit of a left turn.
I wish there could have been more characterization with Tia and this mystery human.
Also make your chapters wayyyyy!... longer.
I have high hopes for this story. I'd like to see where it goes.

[Trent Roogna]

3649477
When I see that, all I can think of is the scene in TNMT 2: Secret of the Ooze.

Go Ninja, Go Ninja GO!

[Artisan]

Your writing style is...interesting. A little more formal than I'm used to on this site. Definitely a welcome change of pace, but when I read the chapters I'm not entirely sure what to feel (gloomy and closed off in my case, assuming that was your intention).

Also I do agree that the 3rd chapter was a bit surprising. Spending a little more time on a smooth transition/explanation for future "surprise events" would be helpful.

I still like the story and look forward to more. Definite fav, but thumbs will wait until more of the story is available.

[MuzaWaza]

He's back!

[Maeroon]

Ummm, okay. How did they get there again?

[Redninjabrony]

I don't understand right now