Dark Frost

by BlueColton

Crash

Dang it was cold, Apple Bloom thought as she bucked her freezing legs against the solid tree. Only a hoof-full of apples plopped down to the ground, one of them right on her head. “Consarn it!” The little filly swore.

“Language, little missy!” Applejack was passing by, pulling a cart of apples behind her. Her strained breath fogged up before her. She’d been pulling her weight and more trying to safely harvest as many apples as plausible before the ice destroyed them all. That she’d taken time to rally as many ponies as could be hired on such short notice put her way behind schedule.

“Now what have ah told ya about watchin’ that mouth of yers?”

“Ah’m sorry,” Apple Bloom said. “But them apples hurt. Ah’m fine, by the way.”

Applejack’s face softened. “Ah’m sorry, Apple Bloom. Ah’m just worked up is all.” Glancing at the fields of Sweet Apple Acres, AJ watched as several ponies either bucked trees or carried carts toward the farmhouse. She was grateful for all the hard work her fellow ponies were putting into the task. These ponies were willing to leave the warmth and safety of their homes to ensure Sweet Apple Acres didn’t freeze over.

“Just be a little more careful from now on,” Applejack told her. “Ah don’t want ya gettin’ hurt on account of a swollen noggin.” She winked at Apple Bloom before trotting off, pulling the cart and its precious cargo.

Picking up the apple that had given her a splitting headache, Apple Bloom tossed it into the bucket and sighed. She looked up at the clouds and wondered if she’d ever see the sun again. Something about this weather was just so unnatural. It wasn’t just your average snowy, cloudy day. And the snow…Apple Bloom had never felt the powder so soft.

Catching a snowflake on the fall, Apple Bloom stuck out her tongue until the particle touched it. It didn’t even crunch as she chewed and swallowed. She grimaced. “Tastes kinda funny.” She peered up again. “Ah hope those pegasi get things cleared up somethin’ fierce.”

---

Rainbow Dash was having a bad day. “What do you mean they keep coming back?” She asked Thunderlane.

The stark-black pegasus with a Mohawk haircut just glowered at her. “I told you, every time we break up a cloud, it just reforms. It’s like it doesn’t want to leave.”

“But it’s a cloud. You’re a pegasus. Show the darn thing who’s boss.” Rainbow punched a hoof into the other to emphasize her point.

Thunderlane smacked his forehead. “You’re not listening, Rainbow Dash. These clouds aren’t like the ones we’re used to. They don’t care what we are. We break ‘em, they come back. We move ‘em, more show up. And it doesn’t change the higher we go.”

Rainbow could attest to that. She’d been leading the pegasus weather teams in an all-out war against the skies, using wing, and hoof to clear as much of the cloud cover as they could. It’s like someone had pulled a blanket over the entire town.

“We have to keep trying. Ponyville is counting on us.” Rainbow glimpsed the town far below. It was all covered in white. The scene would have been ideal were it not for the fact that winter was months away. “Just a little longer. I’m sure the clouds will break if…”

“Rainbow Dash!” A gray mare with bubbles for a cutie mark came flapping up to her. She whirled, lost her equilibrium, and almost barreled into Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane who quickly moved out of the way. The mare crashed into a cloud, her tail and fanny waving in the air.

“Oh for Celestia’s sake.” Rainbow Dash quickly moved to release the mare from her self-made debacle. Grabbing her tale with her teeth, Rainbow pulled her free. She waited for the pegasus to sit herself up straight before saying, “What is it, Derpy?”

One eye always pointing in another direction, Derpy shook off her daze and reported. “You’ve got to come see this. It’s a big accident.”

“Slow down!” Rainbow urged. “What accident? Where?”

“It’s the train,” Derpy went on. “It’s fallen over. Ponies are hurt.”

That was all Rainbow needed to hear. “Thunderlane, you’re in charge until I get back. Derpy, let’s burn wing.” Rainbow blasted off, leaving Derpy blinking as she watched her leader fly away. A moment later, Rainbow blurred back into view. “Ugh! I meant show me the way, dummy!”

“Oh, right!” Now it was Derpy who took off, moving quite fast for a mare of her visual disability. Rainbow easily caught up and the two pegasi flew beyond the limits of the town proper, flying over what should be green countryside with rolling hills and plains, not miles of earth buried in snow.

“It’s over there,” Derpy pointed it out to Rainbow Dash.

She need not have bothered. Rainbow spotted the plume of smoke coming from behind a series of hills. The train tracks snaked their way around said hills and disappeared around the bend. Flying past Derpy, Rainbow had finally cleared the bend and gasped at what she saw. The Ponyville Express was turned over, its engine caught on fire and billowing smoke. Ponies had scrambled to get away but many of them were hurt. Rainbow saw the injured being tended to beneath hastily-erected lean-tos. These ponies had no doubt been caught out in the open when the weather changed and were now completely exposed to the weather. Any longer and they might well freeze over.

She spotted Flitter, the pegasus she’d earlier sent to accompany Derpy to scout the area, attending to a wounded earth pony, the conductor. Rainbow landed and quickly demanded an update.

“Oh, Rainbow! Thank the princesses you’re here.” The lilac-colored pegasus, her teeth chattering, said upon seeing her leader. “I sent Derpy to get you as soon as we found them. There are so many injruies. We have to get them to shelter before they freeze to death.”

“Slow down!” Rainbow said a little harsher than she should have. Flitter startled and Rainbow lowered her voice. “Take it easy, Flitter. I need a status report. Did the train derail?”

Flitter shook her head. “That’s just it. According to the conductor,” she tipped her head over to the wounded pony who was using his hat as a pillow, “the train just stopped. The conductor said it was like they ran into something, which caused the train to topple and the engine to explode.” As she said this, Rainbow glanced at the overturned train engine. It was a veritable fireplace now, burning high into the sky. Flitter went on, “Most of the ponies were able to escape unscathed, but a few were so baldy hurt that they couldn’t be moved. They’ve been huddling here ever since.”

Behind Rainbow, Derpy stated the obvious. “We have to help them, Rainbow Dash.”

“I know, Derpy. I know.” Rainbow quickly accessed the situation, falling back on her training at the Wonderbolt Academy. “First things first, we need to treat these injuries. Some of these ponies will need to see a medic before they can be safely moved to the hospital. Derpy, go back to Ponyville and…” Rainbow thought better of it. “On second thought, Flitter, you head back to Ponyville and let them know what happened. Tell them to send a team with stretchers and medical supplies, stat!”

“On my way!” Flitter took flight.

“Why didn’t you let me go back, Rainbow Dash?” Derpy asked, seemingly hurt. “I can deliver messages.”

“Delivering them? Yes. Delivering them clearly? Not so much. No offense, Derpy, but specifics are important in situations like this. Flitter has situational awareness and an eye for detail. It’s one of the reasons I sent her out with you to scout the area.”

“Oh…” Derpy lowered her gaze. She pawed at the snowy ground for a moment, then looked up. “What was the other reason?”

Rainbow considered her reply and thought better on it. “I’ll…tell you later. Right now I want you to keep an eye on these ponies. I’m going to check on something.”

“On what?” Derpy asked, but Rainbow was already flying away. She flew past the site of the crash and towards the train tracks. She landed near the tracks and began to investigate. There was no sign of damage, no tampering, or sabotage. Taking a few cautious steps, Rainbow Dash peered down to get a closer look at them.

“No sign of foul play.” She chuckled. “Listen to me, I sound like Egghead Twilight now.” Then she straightened up. Ponies were hurt and the town was in trouble. This was no time for laughter. Rainbow went around to look at the tracks from the other side when…

“Oof!” She bumped into something. Rubbing her head, Rainbow looked around. There was nothing there except the snowy vista. Except…something…was…

She raised a hoof and cautiously reached it out. Like a ripple in water, the vista before her shook as her hoof came in contact with it. “What in the name of Tartarus!” Rainbow cried and stepped back. Turning around, she quickly bucked at the visage with her hind legs. The vista rippled before steadying and, finally, going still.

Some kind of magic, Rainbow thought? The tracks went on in the distance, well into the mountains. On a clear day, one could see Canterlot situated atop the Canterhorn. Of course that magnificent city was shrouded by the thick clouds that permeated the horizon.

Frustrated, and more than a little curious, Rainbow Dash took flight. “Okay wall, or whatever you are, let’s just see how far you go.” With that, Rainbow Dash took off. Several feet off the ground she reached out, her hoof touching that same impenetrable visage that rippled before going still. Higher still, the same thing happened. Finally, Rainbow just kept climbing, and climbing, and climbing…she was well past the point where her weather teams had been trying to clear the cloud cover, disappearing into the fog-like cloud.

“This is crazy!” Rainbow Dash said. She built up speed, intent on blasting through the clouds. Maybe she might get lucky and see Celestia’s Sun. But the higher she went, the harder it was to breath. Now Rainbow was born in Cloudsdale, and like all pegasus she was used to living in a thin atmosphere with little oxygen. But there was something different about this air. It felt heavy, like smog clouding her lungs.

Rainbow began to cough. “Can’t…see…” Her eyes were watery and her vision blurred. “No! Got to…cough…keep…going…”

There was a loud crash and the sound of thunder. Rainbow’s wings failed her as she had all the breath knocked out of her body. She didn’t remember falling, she didn’t remember bursting through the cloud cover. All she knew as that she had lost all feeling in her body, save for the rush of wind through her mane as she plummeted to the earth.

Down below, she heard the startled cries of several ponies. One voice in particular cried out, “Rainbow Dash!” In a slightly whiny voice that Rainbow vaguely recognized.

The ground rushed up at her. Her eyes closed.

Well that was stupid, she thought before losing consciousness.

Author's Note:

Another quick update. I feel like the James Patterson of fan fiction.

An invisible wall around Ponyville? Just what in the hay is a goin' on?

Comments

[JumpingShinyFrogs]

I like this concept, it's interesting and there's a real element of mystery and intrigue. A few grammar errors here and there, but mostly good. I took the liberty of adding this to quite a few groups to help it get more attention.

[BlueColton]

7174372 Thanks. I thought i caught most of the errors. Might need an editor.

[The Red Butcher]

Seems like the magic is beginning to disperse for them and FYI Rainbow that WAS stupid you stubborn moron.