The Ice Maiden : Lovers and Haters
The Dark Mare
The Ice Maiden : Lovers and Haters
by MagnetBolt
The weather team hadn't planned the blizzard, and no one had an answer on how the temperature had dropped so much in such a short time. High winds were keeping the pegasai grounded and the snow cover was making it impossible to get in or out on the ground. Liveryburg was cut off from the rest of Equestria.
An attempt at stopping the weather had failed badly, the icy winds chilling poor Sunshower so badly that she nearly ended up with frostbite just from flying into the clouds. With so many homes burned by the fire last night and the cloud homes inaccessible with the inclement weather, the more kind-hearted ponies were allowing others to share their homes until conditions improved.
What ponies were starting to worry about was just how long that was going to be.
***
“I can't believe I'm stuck on the ground!” Jetstream groaned, staring into the fire.
“You might want to start. You've said that almost a dozen times in the last two hours,” Loopy noted, sipping at the warm tea that Kudzu had brought her. There were half a dozen ponies sheltering at the Henge farm. Loopy had been planning on avoiding them after the fiasco in town, especially with the news spreading around that Mare Do Well was a changeling, but Jetstream had practically dragged her out of her treehouse, claiming she'd freeze to death in the shack.
“You spend all your time on the ground. It's not a big deal for you,” Jetstream sighed.
“Jet, don't be mean to Loopy,” Kudzu said, settling down near them. “She keeps putting up with your flying lessons even with how much you make her crash. If that's not brave I don't know what is.”
Jetstream made a noise and slumped, not quite saying anything. Loopy frowned at that. Something was on her mind. Then again, she could guess what it was. Anypony could.
“Let me guess, you're out of sorts about Mare Do Well,” Kudzu guessed. Jet straightened up, frowning.
“I guess it is a pretty big deal,” Loopy mumbled, sipping at her tea.
Kudzu nodded. “It would shake anypony up to learn that their hero was just a monster all along.”
“Mare Do Well is not a monster!” Jet yelled, her wings erupting from the blanket. “S-she might be a changeling, but... she protected us! She saved us from the others!”
“It does beg the question of just why she did it,” Kudzu pointed out.
“She might just be a good pony,” Jetstream said.
“She's not a pony at all,” Kudzu countered. “The changeling could be using us for some kind of nefarious purpose.”
“If that was true I'd know,” Jet said.
“Oh no, not this again,” Loopy mumbled, covering her face.
“Mare Do Well and I have a real connection. Ever since she saved me from those changelings, I've just known she was the mare for me.”
“She's not a mare,” Kudzu teased. “And I don't remember you being into mares before she cast her spell on you. Maybe literally, since she is a changeling.”
“Well, um...” Jetstream blushed.
“On the other hoof, since it's a changeling, I suppose Mare Do Well could have any sort of equipment you want.” Kudzu smirked. Loopy and Jetstream both turned bright red. Kudzu started laughing at their reaction. “What, was I a little too lewd for your sensitive ears?”
“N-no! I just-” Jet tried to hide under her blanket, her wings still erect and getting in the way. It only made Kudzu laugh harder. Before Jetstream could come up with an effective defense, there
was a sharp knock on the door.
“I'd better get that. You two lovebirds try not to do anything to each other while I'm gone.” Kudzu stood up and trotted away.
***
“Loopy, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about,” Jetstream said, quietly, once Kudzu had left to deal with the door.
Loop D'Loop felt her stomach turn. She didn't like that tone. “What is it?” She tried on a smile, hoping she was wrong and Songbird was about to reveal she was claustrophobic or had accidentally caused the blizzard or something that wasn't-
“I know you've been keeping secrets from me.”
That wasn't that. Loopy went pale. “I-I don't know what you're talking about!”
“I've seen you on your mail route. You never have accidents.” Jetstream frowned. “The only time you're ever clumsy is when we're doing flying lessons.”
Loopy looked down, biting her lip and not saying anything.
“The reason you haven't been improving is because you've just been faking being bad in the first place. I just don't get why.” Jet watched her, and Loopy could feel the disappointment. “From what I've seen you're not bad at all, as long as nopony is looking. I want the truth, Loopy, about why you've been wasting my time and yours on flying lessons you don't need.”
“...The truth is...” Loopy swallowed. She couldn't just tell Jet that she was a changeling, or that she'd been faking things all along. But she did owe her at least part of the truth. “...You remember when we met? I walked into town and said I'd had an accident when I was flying?”
“Yeah,” Jet said, with a shrug. “You said you hit your head and were having problems remembering things.”
“The truth is... I never really had an accident. I just... I don't want to talk about what it was like before I came to town, okay? But I didn't want to be that pony anymore.” That was more or less true. “So I figured I could make a fresh start here. And after the accident story, everypony thought I was a clumsy ditz, and it was easy to just be that, and live up to their expectations...” Loopy looked at the floor and rubbed at her eye. It was tearing up for some reason.
“Wait, you were doing it because... you thought we wanted you to crash into things?”
“It made people sympathetic,” Loopy said, with a small shrug. “It meant they didn't ask questions about my accident. And it kept me off the weather team. I... I can't do weather magic. It's why I don't live in a cloud house. I can't even get a cloud to hold my weight for long.”
“That's nothing to be ashamed of,” Jetstream said, standing up, a little angry. “I used to know a pegasus who never even learned to fly until she was practically grown up. Ponies used to make fun of her for it but...” Jet trailed off. “...Loopy, were you running from bullies?”
“I said I didn't want to talk about it. But let's just say the last time I ran into somepony who used to know me... it didn't go well.” She omitted the fact that it had been a changeling, and that it was what had made her take up the mask of Mare Do Well. Both facts would probably blow Jetstream's mind.
“Aw... horsefeathers.” Jetstream suddenly leaned in and hugged Loopy. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you upset.” Loopy shivered. Was she really upset? She didn't really have emotions like other ponies but just telling Jet this much had left her feeling drained.
“I'm not upset. It's just not very good memories. Part of the reason I like doing flying lessons is because I get to hang out with you.” Loopy smiled a little. “I always get worried that we'll grow apart, like how we never see Kudzu or Tin anymore since they got together.”
“Loopy, you're my best friend!” Jet said, surprised, squeezing her tighter before letting her go. “I wouldn't just ditch you like that. I promise even if I meet somepony else, I won't forget about you.”
“Not even if it's Mare Do Well?” Loopy asked, with a smirk.
“She is pretty awesome... but I guess I'll have to tell her that I need time to spend with you. Hey, maybe you two will get along! Then we could all hang out!”
“You don't think we'd be too different?” Loopy asked, trying to keep sarcasm out of her voice.
“Nah. I mean, if those guards are right, she's a changeling. I bet she could even pretend to be you!”
Loopy groaned. The irony was going to kill her.
***
Kudzu opened the door, cold wind blowing in as she did. She was glad her parents were away in Canterlot for a wine-tasting competition. They'd have been freaking out and trying to keep the snow away from the vineyard, though there wasn't much point until the storm stopped.
“Can we come in, Ma'am?” Two of the Guards were outside, one of them a unicorn using his magic to keep the worst of the snow off of them. Kudzu stepped aside and gestured for them to come in, shutting the door behind them, having to put her shoulder to it with the icy wind blowing in.
“It's pretty awful out there,” Kudzu said, smiling. “Can I get you some hot tea?”
“Thank you, but we won't be here long. We're just checking on everypony to make sure they're holding out against the blizzard,” the unicorn said, looking around. “We have a few questions we'd like to ask, if you have a moment.”
“Of course,” Kudzu nodded. She led them into the kitchen so they didn't have to talk right by the door.
“First, do you need blankets, food, or any other supplies?” The unicorn guard followed her, the other one, an earth pony, looking into the other rooms. Kudzu frowned at that.
“No. We always have things saved up. If the blizzard lasts too long the ponies here might start to get tired of grape preserves, though.”
The unicorn smiled, but looked tired. “How many ponies are staying here?”
“Myself and six others.”
“Have any of them been acting strangely? Maybe saying or doing things they normally wouldn't?” The unicorn glanced around. “Is anypony not acting like themselves?”
“This is about the changeling,” Kudzu stated.
“Changelings are very dangerous. We need to find it as soon as possible.”
“No one here is a changeling,” Kudzu sighed. The earth pony guard walked in, looking sheepish.
“Um, excuse me, Miss? Have you seen a pony named Matches Merrily?” He blushed when he said her name. Kudzu raised an eyebrow.
“...No. I don't know anypony named that.”
“Aw...” He sighed. “She seemed real nice and I was gonna see if she wanted to get something to eat.”
“Kicker, this isn't the time to be asking mares out on dates. We're on duty,” the unicorn admonished. The earth pony nodded. “Anyway, Ma'am, if you have any information, just find a guard and tell one of us. There's a reward for anything that leads to her capture.”
“You know, changeling or not, I don't think anypony in town is going to sell her out,” Kudzu said, as she walked the two back to the door, wanting them out as quickly as possible.
“I hope not,” the unicorn said, with a sad smile. “She saved my life when the timberwolf attacked, even if she did make us look like idiots in the warehouse when she strung us up. But these are orders from the top. We swore an oath to follow them.”
“I don't envy you your job.” Kudzu opened the door to let them out, the storm even stronger than before.
***
Songbird drained the small glass, feeling the harsh liquid within burn its way down her throat. Tequila Rose laughed as the pegasus grimaced.
“Was it too strong?” she asked.
Songbird shook her head. “It was-” her voice was strained. She coughed. “It was just not what I expected. Is it supposed to have that much cinnamon in it?”
“It's extra warming for the cold weather!” Rose said, happily.
“It's spicy,” Songbird coughed again. “But definitely warming.” With the near-destruction of Town Hall, the guards were having to find shelter elsewhere. Songbird had ended up taking Rose up on her offer to stay with her at the tavern, though it hadn't taken much convincing. The pegasus was, despite everything else going on, enjoying having made a friend for once.
“How's your eye doing? You haven't been playing with your eyepatch, so it must be feeling better.”
“Oh. It... isn't bothering me as much as before.” And that was more or less true. It didn't hurt now. But there was something worse. After the pain had faded, she'd removed the bandages and found that Mare Do Well had left her a reminder. Songbird wasn't sure if it was some kind of punishment. But it was bad enough that she'd rather keep it covered and stay half-blind.
“That's good,” Rose said. She poured herself a small glass of the hard cinnamon cider. She sipped it and gasped. “You weren't kidding about spicy!”
“Wait, you hadn't tried it yet?” Songbird frowned.
“I wanted you to have the first taste,” Rose said, blushing. Probably from the alcohol.
“Probably just so you knew if it was poison or not,” Songbird joked. Rose laughed. Songbird reached for the bottle and stopped as a sudden wave of disorienting nausea swept over her, making her spill the cider. She clutched at her covered eye, her hoof pressing against it, trying to make the feeling go away. It was like ice was pushing into her head, like the worst brain freeze she'd ever felt.
“Why did you spill that?” Rose asked, an edge to her voice. Songbird looked at her. The bartender moved to clean up the spilled cider, then stopped, shivering. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
“Sorry. I just-” Songbird watched as Rose grimaced, rubbing her temples with her hooves, then turned on her.
“You're so clumsy!” Rose snapped. The earth pony stumbled towards her shaking her by the shoulders, a look of hurt and anger on her face. Songbird flinched back. “I don't know why I even let you stay here!”
“R-Rose, what's wrong?” Songbird winced as another pulse of cold washed through the right side of her face. She saw the bartender's eyes light up with an unearthly blue-white light for a moment before it faded to pinpoints, like stars glowing faintly in the depths of her pupils.
“Stop talking!” Rose snapped. She grabbed for Songbird's eyepatch. “And why are you wearing this stupid thing anyway?!” Songbird couldn't react quickly enough, and the loose knot slipped as Rose pulled it away with her hoof, exposing the damage that had been done.
“Don't look!” Songbird said, backing away. Rose looked at her with a combination of shock and fear. She turned away, and found herself looking at her own reflection in the bar mirror. Her left eye was its normal color, but the right one had been changed. It was a flat teal, like the eyes that haunted her dreams. Her eye had been replaced with a changeling's.
***
Loopy shivered. Everything had gone cold all of a sudden. She could hear something like high-pitched wailing, just on the edge of her ability to sense it. She shifted closer to Jet.
“Is it cold in here?” She asked, looking around. The fire was still roaring, and she could hear ponies talking in the other room.
“No. It's fine.” Jet said, curtly. “And why are you getting so close to me?” Loopy's ears folded back and she shrunk away. There was something about the way she spoke. There was a real edge to it. Loopy could feel it in the air along with the cold. Despair, anger, rage. They were all hanging like a fog around them. She could feel them seeping into the pegasus next to her.
“I just... I was cold,” Loopy said, lamely. She glanced around the room. What was going on? This wasn't normal. It was some kind of magic. Worse, it felt almost like changeling magic, but on a far larger scale than Loopy had ever thought possible. Even a Queen couldn't manage something like this. It was huge and omnipresent, like the storm outside.
“Cold,” Jet said, snorting. “Please. You're so pathetic. You were lying to me about not being able to fly, and now you're lying about that. I'd say you were a terrible liar, but I don't know if you've ever told me the truth about anything, so I can't compare!” Loopy blushed at that. It was more true than not. Her entire life was a lie. It was part of being a changeling.
“Jet, I'm sorry,” Loopy said, trying to calm her down. She could feel the rage building inside Jetstream like snow piling up in drifts. “I didn't mean to hurt you.”
“You're always wasting my time and being so useless!” Jet snapped. “You're just a cripple who's been holding me back! I bet that's why you're here! You got kicked out of Cloudsdale for being a screw-up!” It hurt, even if it wasn't true. Mostly not true. Loopy was a screw-up in more ways than one.
“Just calm down,” Loopy said. It was the wrong thing to say. But there wasn't a right thing to say with what was happening to Jet. The pegasus stood up and glared down at Loopy.
“Don't tell me what to do!” Jet shouted. “I'm the responsible one! Every time something happens, you go off and vanish!” Mostly so she could get her costume on, but still, it wasn't untrue.
Loopy looked back towards the other room. She heard yelling and fighting. Glass shattered. Loopy winced. This was getting ugly. The magic pervading the room was getting stronger, too.
“Jet, do you trust me?” Loopy asked, quietly.
“How am I supposed to trust you when you're always lying?!”
“I've just been afraid. I didn't mean to hurt you. Jet, please. Something's wrong. If you close your eyes, I promise I'll tell you the truth about anything you want. I promise.” She couldn't use her magic in this form. It was one of the biggest weaknesses a changeling had. Unless they were brazen enough to pretend to be an Alicorn, they had to choose between flying and magic while they were pretending to be a pony.
“Why should I? You're just lying again.” Jet shoved Loopy. She fell back into a couch, not offering any real resistance. “Give me one good reason why I should give you a chance!”
“Because- because-” Loopy swallowed. There was only one way she could shock Jet enough to get her to listen. With a wash of green fire, she dropped her disguise. “Because of this.”
***
Out of her left eye, everything seemed normal. Well, not normal. Rose was acting strange, and that gleam in her eyes was unnatural and frightening. But it was nothing compared to what she saw out of her right eye. An aura wavered around her, all yellow and green, but something was building up inside her, red and black and blue, ugly colors, like a bruise on her spirit. More than that, it was falling from the sky like snowflakes. Songbird could see it, like rain indoors.
“Oh no...” Songbird gasped. “What is this?”
“What's what?!” Rose demanded. “Oh let me guess, you're not just half-monster, you're crazy, too! Of course, I must be crazy too! I was going to let you spend the night! I was-” She stopped. Songbird could actually see it, her feelings at war with each other. Tequila Rose whimpered and touched her head, covering her ears.
“Rose, please...”
“I know you're not a monster,” Rose said, struggling to get the words out. “Everything is wrong... it hurts!” She started crying, tears leaking out. Songbird saw some of the bruising wash away. “I- Songbird, I can't control myself,” she whispered.
“What should I do?” Songbird asked. Rose looked up at her.
“Y-you have to go! I don't want to hurt you but-” Rose shivered, and Songbird saw more bruises appear. “Get out! Get out you stupid pegasus!” Rose stumbled towards her. Songbird backed up and fled out the door, the wind from the storm outside hitting her with an almost physical force. She looked up at the sky, and felt her heart stop for a moment.
In the cloud layer, where nopony else could see them, she could just make out glowing shapes, like emaciated ponies, their bodies half mist and fog. She'd heard about them in stories.
Windigos.
***
“You're a changeling?!” Jet asked, stepping back. Loopy stood her ground. She could feel an especially confusing mix of emotions coming from the pegasus, practically the whole emotional spectrum. It was disorienting. She couldn't tell what Jet was going to do, or how she'd react.
“Yes,” Loopy said. It was hard to deny it. “I know this looks bad, but I can explain. Just first I have to-” She focused, and pressed out a bubble of emotional energy, pushing away the outside influence. Jet's emotions came into sudden focus, the shield she'd created blocking those from outside, almost like the two of them were sharing a spotlight on a dark stage.
“You're a changeling!” Jet repeated, shocked.
“Okay, yes. We discussed this already.”
“But the only changeling in town is Mare Do Well!” Jet said. “And that means...” Loopy waited while Jet put two and two together. “...it means you're Mare Do Well, and you were disguising yourself as Loopy! Brilliant! No one would find you while you were pretending to be her! But, um, you didn't put the real Loopy in a pod or something, did you?”
She'd put two and two together and come up with three and a half. Close but not quite the answer. “No, Jet. I'm Loopy.”
“No, you're a changeling. Loopy isn't a changeling. Now I'm not really all that upset about you replacing her, as long as she's safe. I can see how you'd need a new identity with the guards after you.”
“...Really?” Loopy groaned. “Jet, I've always been a changeling!”
“Well obviously. You just haven't always been Loopy.”
“You're even denser than I pretend to be! Jet, I am Loopy! I always have been! That's why I can't do pegasus stuff right and why I don't talk about my past!”
“Then what did you do with the real Loopy?”
“I made her up!” Loopy snapped. “I am the only Loopy!”
“You... made her up?” Jet was clearly confused. Loopy sighed and sat down.
“Look, I told you I'd tell you the truth. I came here because I was scouting around Equestria for my hive. I came here and kind of... settled in. I liked it here.” Loopy sighed, her wings buzzing. “I made friends with you and Kudzu Henge and Tin Roof... I decided to stay here and stop reporting in.”
“And what about the other changelings?”
“They didn't like me much,” Loopy smirked a little. “I was a deserter, after all.”
“But wait, changelings feed on love! You've been eating our love!” Jet gasped.
“Well, yes. But it's not like how the changelings who invaded were doing it! You all liked me for who I was. I didn't have to feed on you. It's... you know how apples work, right?”
“...They're a fruit?” Jet said, confused.
“Yeah. They grow on trees, and you can pick them. What I've been doing is like letting the apples fall themselves and eating those. It doesn't hurt the trees and they give you the apples themselves. Those changelings... what they were doing was like tearing up the whole tree and stripping it.”
“That doesn't sound good for the tree.”
“It's not. It's why I stopped them.”
“Oh.” Jet blushed.
“Now listen, because this is important. Something's wrong. There's... some kind of a spell. A big one. It's why you felt so angry a minute ago. I'm keeping the spell off you but I had to drop my disguise to do it. Are you following me?”
“Um, I guess.” Jet said, nodding.
“Good. Because the ponies in the other room are just about to start trying to kill each other and we have to stop them before they do.”
“They- Kudzu!” Jet gasped and ran. Loopy hesitated and followed. If she didn't, Jet would run right outside of the bubble she'd created and the spell would take her over again.
In the other room, Kudzu and Tin were yelling at each other, one pony was crying in the corner, and a fourth was holding a long, jagged shard of glass picked from the broken plate on the floor and looking at it with disturbing intensity.
Loopy mentally prioritized things, and immediately grabbed the glass, pulling it away from the pony with a burst of magic and tossing it aside.
“Loopy, what should I do?!” Jet tried to pull Kudzu and Tin away from each other, and they immediately turned on her, biting and kicking.
“Just- hold on!” Loopy closed her eyes and pushed against the spell surrounding them, summoning up as much magic as she could from the love she had stored inside her. The room cleared of the oppressive hate that had surrounded it, and the ponies inside were left blinking and gasping, confused at what they had been doing.
“What was I doing?” Kudzu asked. She grabbed for the edge of a table to steady herself, obviously dizzy. “I was- a changeling!” She screamed.
“No, no, it's okay!” Jet said. “It's Mare Do Well!”
“It is? But then why-” Kudzu groaned, almost falling over.
“There's an evil spell that's affecting everypony. It's why you're acting so strangely. I'm sorry about this, but I can't keep it at bay for long. Jetstream, can you tie them up so they can't hurt each other?” Jet nodded.
“There's some twine in the drawer,” Kudzu said, helpfully.
“That'll do,” Loopy said. Within a minute, all four ponies were bound. Even that felt like a long time. Loopy felt her eyes drooping as she tried to keep the shield up. Magic really wasn't her forte. She'd been pretending to be a pegasus for so long that she was out of practice.
“Okay, what now?” Jet asked. Loopy looked up at her.
“Now we have to get you tied up.”
“No way,” Jet said, smiling. “I'm going with you! I can totally help!”
“It's too dangerous,” Loopy countered. “I have to drop this shield. I can't hold it up any more.” She shrunk it until it was only around her and Jet. “That's a little better...” The other ponies started struggling as the spell washed over them again.
“Look, you're in no shape to go alone,” Jet said. “And I've always wanted to go on an adventure with Mare Do Well! It's perfect!”
“I said no,” Loopy groaned.
“You said that the magic took a lot out of you, right? Well I'm your number one fan! So if I go with you, I'm like... a love battery! Or something. And if you don't take me with you, I'll start spilling your secrets to everypony!”
“Fine, whatever,” Loopy said, too tired to argue. “But I need to get my costume. The last thing ponies need here is to see me running through the town without a disguise on.” She grabbed Jet's hoof with her own. “Let's go.”
“W-we're going to hold hooves?” Jet asked, blushing again. Loopy gave her a look.
“Physical contact makes it easier to keep the spell off you,” Loopy explained.
“I'm holding hooves with Mare Do Well!” Jet whispered to herself. Loopy sighed again. This was going to be a long, long night.
***
“Hm? What's wrong?” The bandaged unicorn reached out to touch the windigo that had come crawling up to her like a scared child. She stroked its ethereal mane with her frost-covered hoof, the rime covering her natural coat color, comforting it. “Did somepony try to keep you out of their heart?” She laughed. “Just be patient, my little ones.”
She looked up at the clouds overhead, her horn lighting up with blue-white light as she sent more energy into it, feeding the cold and the storm. The unicorn started cackling madly, smiling with her lipless grin.
“Within an hour everypony in town is going to be tearing each others eyes out! There will be plenty of prey for you, my beautiful little children. They're all going to have such an ice time!”
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Oh goodie!
Um... I think you have Jetstream and Songbird mixed up at the beginning.
4340694
I think this is a sign that I have not had the right amount of caffeine or alcohol. Or both. I don't know if it's too much or too little, but it's definitely not the right amount!
I have no idea why this has so few likes, it's one of the best stories I've read, especially given its episodic style.
sounds like a cross between poison ivy and Mr. freeze
The puns they hurt.....
4342809
You just need to chill out~
Good tension, good humor, and an interesting protagonist, but I don't feel I can fave yet. The characters seem too . . . is pliable the right word? Like they have a spine to them, but when the plot so requires, that spine can easily be bent. Songbird in particular shifts easily to focusing solely on hunting Mare-Do-Well, then shifts easily to working together with Mare-Do-Well until the reveal or her identity, a change that could have worked more gradually over a longer time, but feels sudden over the course of one fight scene. Jetstream bends more in intelligence than in goals, but I'm similarly unsure what exactly to make of her--is she a competent ditz, a complete idiot, or somewhere in between? Generally speaking, it feels like the puppet strings are too visible, and that can be quite harmful to suspension of disbelief.
Man these ponies are such a hot heads about everything. Just chilli out!
Man these ponies are such a hot heads about everything. Just chilli out!
I must say, that was a bit sudden with Loopy revealing they were a changeling. I think it might have been better if the wendigos were effecting their mood as well and she drops her disguise while in an argument with Jet. Of course, I can see that changelings would have more of a sense for emotional magic, so Jet saying something like "Why would you hide this from me? Why show me now?" would make Loopy realize aren't acting like they normally would then fully sense the rage magic. Then the rest of the chapter would go on from when she puts up the shield with the added conflict of her revealing herself when she wasn't ready. Though the wendigos would take almost instant priority and push those thoughts to the back of her mind until the crisis is over.