The Exegesis of Frozen Waters

by HolyJunkie

Chapter 9

[PAGE 1300 - CHAPTER 9]

I told Luna that I would be going elsewhere for a few years. I craved travel at the time. She understood, but couldn't join me.

As I wandered, I wondered how exactly their heavenly control powers even work. Do they move the sun, or the planet we stand on? To this day, I've never figured that out.

I trotted, and occasionally galloped, for a good two years. At one point, I found the sea. I dove in, and I couldn't drown.

The unfamiliar feeling of sea water filling the lungs was unpleasant, to say the least. The burning sensation in my chest eventually subsided. I felt my lungs feel stronger, like they could not get the wind punched out of them ever again.

I brought nothing. I needed nothing.

As I pulled my way across the bottom of the sea, with nothing but a general direction to continue to follow, strange, yet familiar creatures approached. They kept their distance, however.

They looked like us, only their hind legs were missing. They had gills on their strong pony necks.

"Hail," I tried to say, but nothing came out. There was no air to affect. Upon consideration, I decided to try a slow wave. The sand that had been buried in water for so long was raised with the hoof, and I accidentally hit myself in the face with the sand.

No grains got in my eyes, thankfully enough. The display of clumsiness, however, seemed to entertain these... sea... ponies...

Their speech was not impeded by the waters. I pondered if they knew I could understand them.

"Why can't you drown?" The first one asked.

I attempted to ask "what do you mean," but instead resorted to the tilt of my head and the raising of a brow.

Those old films had a certain charm to them. Without dialogue, they had to resort to over-exaggeration. They told a story with visuals.

This is mainly why a fair number of these pages are nothing but sketches. A picture is worth a thousand words, and I write too slow...

"Surface-dwellers have come before. They come in boats above. Those who fall in the water cannot survive in the water."

I slowly nodded, taking in the sight of about eight swimming ponies. I didn't know how to explain my immortality beyond trying to wound myself- which is a stupid move, because that would cause such immense pain. I couldn't speak. They knew I couldn't speak.

Then I suddenly realised that I was standing in sand. How simple it turned out to be, I thought. I began to draw out the letters in the sand. I didn't want to disturb my work by stepping on it by mistake.

In big letters, I wrote "I CAN'T DIE."

The sea ponies stared. They understood it... They just couldn't comprehend it. I didn't expect them to. I doubt even my darling Luna could really comprehend it.

"How?" One asked.

I wrote "IT'S A KIND OF MAGIC."

I then took the time to ask- er... write them what's ahead in the seemingly limitless sea. They replied, "Equilibrium."

That seemed rather perfect. My mind was constantly flooded with images of what the Queen had done to the zebras I had known for over twenty years. This Equilibrium... it sounded like the source for mental peace. For my dear Luna's sake, I felt I needed this.

I trekked on. They offered a place to stay for a while, but my mind was set. I had a goal, and I wanted to get it done. I wanted to return to my beloved soon. I miss her...

Many days and nights passed, but I couldn't tell. My eyes had adjusted to the intense darkness and I could only see the first few meters around me. I felt the crushing force of the deep waters around me, but I knew it wouldn't defeat me. I had to find Equilibrium.

I had to find Nirvana.

---

The apology cake had been devoured long before the scriptwriter started hearing a pair of rushed hoofsteps.

"Silver, it's time to go," Kurt quickly stated as the floorboards opened up again.

Silver's eyes blinked to get used to the flush of light. It felt like a good hour or two in perfect isolation, even though it really had taken twenty minutes.

Kurt was carrying the book in Silver's saddlebags. Trixie looked fully awake at this point.

The scriptwriter rose from his hiding place and took the books. "Where's Pinkie Pie?"

"She left to help Twilight," Kurt replied as he and Trixie helped the scriptwriter out of the pit. "How's the bump?"

Silver didn't respond. He was focusing on steeling his nerve for the coming travel. "I'm not a fan of galloping, to be honest."

"That's why I'm getting a carriage."

---

Sweet Apple Acres was abnormally huge. Silver wondered how much of Equestria those apples could even feed.

The description was so cliche that it made the scriptwriter cringe, but the acres really were a sea of trees.

"You know, I've never actually been here before," the warrior pony finally said to break the silence. The rustling of leaves in the almost non-existent wind certainly wasn't doing that job.

"Trixie," Silver said, ignoring the comment by Kurt. The street magician hadn't said a word at all on the way here.

Trixie kept the brim of her hat low, covering her eyes. After a while, the scriptwriter decided not to prod into it.

At last, they arrived at the home of whoever actually owned the ridiculously massive farm. Kurt knocked on the door.

An orange pony in a cowboy hat opened the top half. "Well howdy. I do believe Ah've seen you befor-" She said to Kurt, but then paused. She had spotted the street magician's hat, and she seemed to find it familiar. "What the hay are you doin' here?"

Trixie didn't reply. Kurt stepped to the side to block the orange one's vision of the street magician. "I need a carriage, Applejack."

"Ah ain't lendin' one to her if that's what yer askin'."

Kurt leaned forward and started whispering. Silver couldn't hear what was being said, but it made Applejack laugh her flank off.

"Hoo! Right you are, Kurt," She rose and pushed her way out of the lower door, "Come along. Ah've got jus' the thing.

She glowered at Trixie as she beckoned the trio along.

More trotting. Silver was under the impression that they were in a hurry, and almost felt annoyed. Why weren't they getting this done as quickly as possible? There had to be more coming.

"Is it true what ah heard?" Applejack asked, "Twilight was attacked?"

Kurt nodded.

"And the ones who attacked her work for the Queen?"

Again, Kurt nodded.

"Seems kinda silly," she commented, "But then again, I'm not the one pulling the Great and Powerful Trixie along." Silver detected obvious sarcasm at the mention of Trixie's pseudonym.

Again, Trixie didn't respond.

Silver honestly didn't know what to say. In all honesty, he never really got to know the street magician. What he did see was a pony filled with regret. Suddenly he realised that her last time in Ponyville was the source of that regret.

Silver patted a hoof onto Trixie's back, "Hey. What's passed is past." Applejack gave the scriptwriter a look he could only describe as 'Do you even know what you're doing?'

Words weren't exchanged. As Kurt and Trixie made preparations, Silver got to speak with Applejack alone.

"What exactly did she do?" Silver asked.

"She's not a bad pony, per-say," the farm mare admitted, "She's jus' got an ego the size of Equestria."

Silver huffed in amusement, with a smile he said, "I know that type. I know that type too well."

Both looked at the giant and the street magician. They appeared to be conversing with each other. "I know worse," Silver finished.

Applejack gave the scriptwriter that same look once more. She seemed unusually used to that expression. Silver wondered what she goes through every day.

He started wondering about the farm life. It was never something he really experienced. Something in his gut started suggesting he should try one of these days.

"Who would that be?" the farm mare asked disbelievingly.

"My boss," Silver said, not giving a darn about the ethical issues that come with slander. Although what Applejack was doing beforehand was really the same thing- except right in front of a regretful pony.

Though the scriptwriter did admit that Trixie always had a hoof on the nerves of himself and possibly Kurt. It's not as prominent as what this farm mare bade it out to be, however.

"Yer boss?"

"Yeah, Sydney, the Big Cheese of Mountain Peak Films."

"Never heard of it," Applejack replied.

"You watch movies often?"

The farm mare shook her head.

"How about The Last Earth Pony, or The Wonderbolt?"

"The Wonderbolt?" she asked, "Sounds like somethin' Rainbow Dash would watch."

Suddenly the harsh displacement of air reached the scriptwriter's ears. Something was approaching at a speed nearing that of sound itself.

A cyan pegasus with a rainbow-patterned mane and tail landed and trotted up to the duo. "Did someone say Wonderbolt?"

The pegasus stopped as she spotted Trixie. Kurt glanced between the two and immediately stepped between them.

"What is she doing here?" the pegasus asked in a rather soft, yet harsh voice.

Applejack shrugged. "She's with these two, Rainbow. Anyway, this'ere's... Shoot, I never got yer name."

"Silver Screen," the scriptwriter said.

Rainbow Dash's knees almost gave out. "The writer behind The Wonderbolt? The greatest movie of all time?!" She stifled an excited screech.

Silver felt his heart sink.

"How did you write it?" she asked, "How did you capture the mind of a pegasus?"

Silver, being a unicorn, of course never flew before. He didn't like flying.

"Research," Silver half-lied. He didn't do much research beyond studying the biology of a pegasus' flight system and magic, and talking to some pegasus neighbors in Trottingham. The story was so bland he didn't much care.

The Rainbow Dash character had the kind of twinkle in her eyes that reminded the scriptwriter of fillies and colts that stopped him on the streets of Trottingham. The faces of foals who adored The Last Earth Pony.

He hated those faces. They reminded him that being a hack got him respect.

The twinkle faded as the pegasus noticed Silver looked rather depressed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm glad you liked it," Silver lied through his teeth, but he made sure it sounded believable. "How about that cart?" he called to Kurt and Trixie.

"Cart's all ready," the burgundy giant returned, "Are we missing anything?"

"What are you writing next?" Rainbow Dash quickly asked, realising that the writer of her "greatest film of all time" was leaving soon.

Silver smiled and jokingly replied, "Can't spoil that, darling."

Somehow, he managed that smile. He had read too far into the book now. The stuff Frozen Waters had to live through... the scriptwriter wondered if he truly wanted to write this screenplay, even against the note on the first page.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash were more fascinated with the scriptwriter that they had almost forgotten that Trixie was still there for them to despise. Silver hopped onto the cart alongside Trixie and continued reading from his book.

Kurt hooked himself up to the cart with the help from the other two mares, and they were soon on their way.

Their destination was not determined yet.

Comments

[deathtap]

Haha. I wonder if I said 'Wonderbolt' out loud, if Rainbow Dash would magically appear...