A Pale Light

by Nobrains

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

The town hall was nothing special, and no different than the one Titus had remembered back in Ponyville. Many halls and many rooms leading to storage rooms containing ridiculous amounts of paperwork and other political junk that he could care less about. He wasn't a diplomat, but he felt sorry for anyone that ever chose to be one in life.

Totem seemed to know exactly where he was going, even though the halls were frozen and full of darkness. It was strange. Titus had never been there, but he imagined that this must have been what it felt like in Northrend, near the Icecrown citadel where he had heard stories of bone chilling cold supplied not only by the weather, but the very breath of the undead that resided there.

That only made the Icebringers seem more daunting, and he had no intention of exaggerating their dangerousness any further. Totem and Titus walked into the main conference room where there was one window far off to the side, allowing just a pocket of light to shed down on the messy frozen tables, where books laid scattered across the polished surface. There was a single pony that had been in the room when the Icebringers had come, and he had been caught in deep study of one of the many papers on the table, only turning around to see his attacker for just a second before being encased. Titus assumed it to be the mayor, for he was wearing an impressive monocle and was wearing formal attire.

Titus had been so busy studying the frozen ghost that he hadn't notice Totem head over to the nearby window that had been providing the light. Totem looked out the small unfrozen pocket that the window had allowed, and back at the mayor at the table. He seemed to be onto something, and the Paladin simply stayed out of the way in hopes that he wouldn't need to assist on this one.

Totem went back to the mayor and examined the piece of paper the mayor had appeared to be reading before his horrible fate. He forced it gently off of the table's icy coating and looked at it closely. He sniffed and coughed a few times, trying to concentrate on the text before him. He looked back at the window suddenly and then back at the paper. Then he walked back over to the window and looked through the opening once more.

“Of course...” He muttered.

“What?” Titus asked, walking up to his side, trying to get a look outside.

“There's one spot the Icebringers had not frozen on this window...” He gave Titus room to look through. “...and it shows the frozen lake on the other end of town outside.”

“Yes?” Titus was waiting for the Minotaur to just spit it out already.

“The paper the stallion was reading back there was a report upon the lake's waters and other such austere subjects. But there is this one little tidbit of information that talks about the discovery of a fairly large crater upon the lake's floor. If I had to take a guess and the hint that the Icebringers had left... their heart of ice would more than likely be under the frozen lake.”

Titus couldn't believe that the old Minotaur discerned that from the signs given. Totem was a really a man that everyone could agree had the makings of a great leader. He wondered what happened next, would they find a way to get the lake to heat back up so that he could get a hand on the heart? Or would they find some other way to achieve their goal?

Totem looked at him, his eyes reflecting the graveness of what he said. “You're going to have to make a dive into the lake, and you're going to have to do it soon.”

Titus felt his heart skip a beat, despite expecting the decision. “Alright.”

Totem grabbed him by the shoulder, his face not changing. “I believe you know what the phial I gave you is for now.”

He did know. It was his only way to make it down to the bottom of the frozen lake. He sure hoped it wasn't a one way trip. He pulled the phial out from his free pocket, and looked it over. The waters swirled and swashed around the small container. He thought of Elwynn forest one last time. His family would never have expected him to be in this world, but he was sure they would be proud nonetheless.

Then his mind went to the only friend he had here: Lyra. What was she to him? A friend? Or something more? He was going to make sure he found out if he got out of this one alive. It would make him feel much better about himself and he was sure it would help her too.

Eleii. How could he forget? He wondered constantly where she was and if she had died that day. He sent a prayer to her whenever he could, but he didn't think that there was much the Light could do at this point, especially if she was dead. He missed her horribly, but told himself not think about it too much. He would have gone mad at this point if he didn't.

Something happened at that moment, Titus felt tears blur his vision. It was a rare occurrence, he hadn't let this happen since the night he learned everything. His purpose and role in this world, and now he was getting a new one. He didn't know if it was of a hero, a martyr, a friend, or the last bastion of happiness for a small pony, but he knew there was no escape from fate, and with a blurred vision, Titus nodded forcefully, indicating he knew what he had to do.

Totem gave a weary smile, and turned away letting Titus recover from his brief moment of vulnerability.

“Friends... friends... it's time to accept our gift.....”

Right on cue. Totem pointed out at the Icebringers entering the main room of the town hall. They blocked out the only way for them to escape. While Totem was preparing himself for combat, Titus gave a quick look at the window and brought out his hammer. He gave one last appreciation for the craftsmanship before bringing it upon the window. It shattered easier then he thought, and then gave a bitter thought to his last attempt at forcing upon a window without a proper tool. His head still hurt sometimes.

“Quick thinking there!” Totem called out, taking the hint that Titus had presented, and hopping out the now open window. Titus followed and he felt his boots hit the familiar snowy ground with a crunch.

The Icebringers’ ambush was nearly flawless, the acolytes were fighting tooth and nail, but without proper equipment and the small amount of spring water, they were soon becoming encased as Totem and Titus rounded around back to the front of the building.

“Why didn't you give them weapons like you did with me?!” Titus called out at the old minotaur.

He simply turned to the Paladin, a knowing smile crossing his lips. “Because you're the only one that matters... Beacon.”

He knew. Of course he had known. Totem was far too wise and resourceful not to have heard stories about the human that had saved the land of Equestria before the evil spread, even in the seclusion of the sacred springs. He didn't know what to feel, and he didn't know if he wanted to feel anything. It was only further reasoning for him to do what he needed to do.

“What should I do...?” Titus asked.

“Go to the lake, Beacon. You will know what to do once you're there.” He looked back at his acolytes fighting a losing battle. “We'll hold them off as long as we can... Now. Go.” He shooed the Paladin away.

Titus took tail and began running towards the direction he had seen the lake, the thoughts of everyone swirling around his mind while he ran. The world seemed to be getting paler and paler by the second and his heart ached at the thought of him failing. He remembered what and who he was doing this for, and kept his pace strong, eventually coming to the decline at the end of the town and dropping down near the lake.

The lake was rather large and Titus would have taken his best guess as to where to make the incursion. He took another look at the phial in his hands. It had to be the center, that would be the most logical choice, he just needed to make sure he was efficient about it.

He took a step onto the frozen lake and began to reacquaint himself to the lack of traction. He noticed a single stallion frozen out on the lake top. He had been fully aware of what was happening to him, his body showing the kind of resistance he had put up. This moved Titus much more than any other frozen monument had. This stallion had stared the Icebringer right in the eye, and resisted to the last breath.

Titus quickly slid and slipped across the lake top, eventually coming to the assumed center, or at least the best he could make out of the center of the lake. He popped the top of the phial off, looking into it at the spring water. It seemed so... normal. But yet there was so much more to this liquid. It cured hypothermia and freed those that had not been completely consumed by the frost the Icebringers brought.

With a dip of the wrist, the water left the phial and splattered across the icy lake top. Almost instantaneously, the water ate through the ice and further down into the cold water below. Titus was about to look down to see what he was dealing with when the worst possible thing happened: the voices of the Icebringers called out from behind him.

He loosened his hammer and quickly whirled around. There was dozens of them, and cocking their heads from side to side, as if they were wondering what he was doing.

“My friend... you don't mean to destroy all the joy we've brought to this land... do you?” The voice sounded more hurt than it should have. It wasn't natural, and it sent shivers down Titus' spine.

“Why anyone would want to stop us from spreading this most joyous of gifts is well beyond our understanding... And we wouldn't want you to do anything you might regret...” The leading Icebringer outstretched ungodly long arms in an inviting hug. “Join us... preservation is the greatest gift of all... The great Windigoes only wished to preserve... and we are now their emissaries. So join us.... join us...”

Titus simply took a defiant step forward, presenting his hammer for all the Icebringers to see. “I'll have none of your gift. Back away before I smite you down.”

“You would defy us and our gift.....? Very well... We regret your choice... but force must be applied....”

Titus knew what that meant. He sure hoped that Totem really meant it when he said that he wouldn't have to worry about this hammer freezing over. It was the moment of truth, and he hoped that he could fight them off to where he had enough time to search through the lake. He had never been resilient with his ability to hold his breath. That made him worry once more on how this one was going to end.

The first Icebringer lurched forward and Titus swung his hammer upward, hitting the creature squarely in the jaw of its faceless head. It gave a strange crackle sound and fell back, twitching on the ground. The others didn't watch, but simply glided across their fallen brethren.

The Light would not work on these beings, so Titus was force to keep his combat strictly physical. The first wave came down on him fast, but he bashed one and quickly smashed another on the back of the head. They did not seem so daunting now without their frost eating at his weapon.

Although they were kept at bay and their icy touch rendered useless, the Icebringers still had numbers. He swung and swung his hammer violently, hopping out of the way and nearly losing his footing as the Icebringers tried to grab at him hysterically. He was being forced back and back, and after a final swing, sending several of the Icebringers back, Titus fell back into the incursion made in the lake top.

The rush of cold water sent goose bumps throughout his body, making him clench his entire body up in horrible discomfort. He opened his mouth reflexively, trying to get air in but instead lost a precious amount of it. He forced his mouth shut once more and opened his eyes.

The lake was beautiful underwater, with an abundance of life still thriving despite the change in temperature. He wanted to look around forever, taking in the beauty of the sub aquatic life. But there was something that stuck out far down near the bottom of the lake. A pale light eerily blemishing the otherwise beautiful scene.

What could ruin such a picture felt the Paladin with anger, but then he noticed what was supplying the light. Down within the small crater that Totem had mentioned was what looked like a heart, but not any organic heart. It was a heart made out of ice, with veins digging into the ground and stretching up the lake side. It gave the sense that it was alive despite its inorganic appearance.

He remembered what he had to do, and why he was under here. He looked up to the orifice he had fallen through and saw the pale faceless heads of the Icebringers looking down at him. He felt his heart fill with dread as they dropped in after him, freezing the water around them as they swam towards him.

Titus suddenly dived down after the heart. Swimming in plate mail wasn't the most efficient thing to do, however and he began to feel the coldness take snips at his feet. The heart wasn't too much farther away, he squirmed desperately, trying to find some kind of way too increase his speed. He felt a cold hand wrap around his boot's ankle and heaviness began to form around his foot as he realized it was freezing him.

He continued to swim towards the heart, however, hoping that he could still get his touch upon the heart. He flailed violently, closing in further on the heart. It's paleness becoming more and more intense.

***********************

Lyra screamed, the table flying up above her and Colgate. The Icebringers were upon them now, and they were helpless to their will.

“No one could really not enjoy our gift.... you'll see...”

It was horrible! They circled around them both, waiting to pounce. She didn't even look up at them, they were too frightening. Colgate was shouting all kinds of impolite things to them, but it wasn't long before she joined all the others in the icy state, and now Lyra was all alone as the Icebringers continued to circle around her, talking of their gift and how happy she would be with it.

She wasn't afraid at this point. It was more of the fact that she wouldn't see anything ever again. That she would just sit there as another grim reminder to all of what these horrible things could do. It wasn't fair, she wasn't going to get the chance to do anything ever again. But the worst thing was not being with the human she had come to love.

If these things were here, then it was more than likely he was already a part of the now frozen population in the land of Equestria. She didn't want to believe it, but all the answers pointed to Totem and Titus failing outside near Hoofington. Why did he have to go? She found herself madder than anything that he would leave her here all by herself. He should have been much more responsible and took her with him. That's what stallions were supposed to do for their mares! Then again, Titus wasn't a pony, and his ideas on a relationship were probably slightly different... It still wasn't nice of him though!

If she saw him again... if they both got out of this alive... she was going to... going to.... probably try to kiss him. She couldn't stay mad at the Paladin, no matter how hard she tried and now she was getting distressed by the fact that she wasn't going to get the chance to do anything Colgate had recommended.

“It's time to accept our gift....”

She felt the hand grab her by the hoof. She tried to pull back but already felt her arm begin to become weighted down and numb. She screamed once more as another hand grabbed her other hoof. The frost spreading up her body, she could only watch as it spread everywhere. This was the end.

********************

More and more hands grabbed onto Titus as he etched ever closer to the heart. Its pale light was all that he saw in the world now. Not the water, not the Icebringers, not anything, just that damn Light. He struggled and squirmed further down against the pull of the hands. His one free arm that hadn't been frozen yet was stretched out, trying desperately to touch the heart.

********************

As the ice spread further down her body, distress turned to morbid disappointment. This life was over, and there was nothing left that she could do. She didn't want to die, why did she have to die? Did she even die when this happened? Or something much worse? The ice spread up her neck, and she couldn't look around anymore. The Icebringers loomed up above and simply stared her down with their faceless heads. Mouths beginning to stretch across their heads.

The ice spread further until they were just about to cover her eyes. She stared in horror at the sight of the opened mouths breathing out cold air.

“Shh... it ends now...”

It seemed like it with every second that passed.

******************

Closer he got, his hand reaching desperately for the heart. A hand grasped itself around his mouth, trying to pull him back. He felt the coldness spreading further and further.

Just a bit closer and this would end.

******************

The ice was spreading so slow that it felt like an eternity. What came after all this was what scared her the most. The ice only needed to spread a bit farther and it would finally stop.

Just a bit more and this would end.

******************

He reached out further, fighting the ice that threatened to engulf him. Just a bit closer... just a bit closer...

A plated hand touched the icy heart. At first nothing happened. But then it cracked and he could feel the hands wrapped around him letting go, letting him drift away; his eyes still locked on the heart.

“We only... wanted to spread... a gift....”

All went white.