Dark Frost

by BlueColton

Blast

A solemn mood permeated the once vibrant town. News that timberwolves may be on the prowl had every pony on edge. The Town Watch, commissioned by Mayor Mare and Princess Twilight to keep ponies safe, patrolled the streets at night. Units were stationed at every entry into the town proper, the roads and the bridges. These units consisted of two to three ponies, usually two earth ponies with a single unicorn between them. Whereas the earth ponies offered their strength in defense of the town, the unicorns could light up the night and use an array of spells to assist in case of attack.

High above, those pegasus ponies not on cloud duty were now patrolling the skies above Ponyville. With the temperature as low as it was, they now had to expand their patrols to the rivers, which had nearly frozen over. While it was unlikely that the timberwolves would attempt to cross, the ponies were ordered not to take any chances. Of course this diverted pegasi away from the weather teams which meant they were stretched thin. It couldn’t be helped. The town had to be defended.

Now as for the food the Apples had painstakingly stored in their barn house, a caravan had been hastily formed to bring that bounty into town. Fortunately, the food had been stored within the barn behind a pair of large, heavy doors. Signs that the wolves had attempted to break in were evident, giving credence to the theory that hunger and lack of game had forced them turn their hungry eyes toward Ponyville.

Naturally this caravan was heavily-guarded. With pegasi above them, earth ponies to the sides, and unicorn horns glowing to keep away the night, the ponies were able to pack their carts until they were overflowing. Now the only question was where to store the food. The town hall seemed the most likely place as it was the only building in town that was bigger than the barn. One by one, carts began to roll out, their progress made tedious by the new fallen snow.

A team of sturdy plow ponies formed the tip of the spear, creating a path for the caravan to follow with their snow plows. The going was slow and it seemed the wind itself wanted to slow them down. Teeth chattered and legs shook. Each pony bore their pain in silence, intent on getting this much-needed food to their families.

One of these ponies was Pinkie Pie. The bright pink mare wore a blue hoodie with a poof ball on top and a long scarf made for her by Rarity. It still wasn’t enough. Teeth chattering, she whimpered as the wind kicked up. “C-C-Come on, P-P-Pinkie. Think warm th-thoughts.” She shut her eyes. “S-Sitting by the fire. A d-day at the s-sauna. Sn-snuggling up with G-Gummy.” Beneath her hooves, snow began to evaporate as Pinkie’s body temperature went up. She smiled. “Tartarus! Oh yeah. That’s the stuff.”

With her eyes shut, Pinkie didn’t see the cart in front of her pull to a stop. She ran right into it. “Owie!” Rubbing her bruised nose, Pinkie heard the pony in front of her saying something before moving on. Her muzzle throbbing, she began to pull the cart again. That’s when a figure flew down to her.

“Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie exclaimed, coming to a full stop. There was a jolt as the pony behind Pinkie slammed into her own cart. A voice cried out, “Owie!”

“Hey,” Pinkie looked back. “Were you thinking of hell too?”

Rainbow Dash wore her Wonderbolt goggles and a black blazer. “Keep moving, Pinkie. We need to talk.” Rainbow Dash joined her in the caravan. “Sorry about the sudden stop. It was hard to make out anyone in this snow and I accidentally distracted the pony in front of you.”

“That’s okay.” Pinkie eyed Rainbow’s attire. “Nice blazer.”

“Thanks. Rarity picked it out for me.”

“That girl’s got style.”

“Yeah. Listen, Pinkie. There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you.”

“Yes.”

Rainbow Dash gawked. “But…you didn’t let me finish.”

“I know. I figure since I pretty much do anything anyway it’s best to skip the dialogue and head straight to the response. Which is yes, I will help you find El Dorado.”

Rainbow Dash glowered. “That’s not what I was going to say.”

“Awe, but I’d love to go on an adventure. It’s been days!”

Rainbow was about to say something, thought better of it, and shook her head. “Look, you still got that huge party canon you showed us back at the palace?”

“You mean Big Bertha? Sure! I think I’ve got it in my back pocket.”

“Pinkie, you’re not wearing any pants.”

Pinkie glanced back, looked at Rainbow Dash, and said, “I thought I felt a draft.”

Rainbow groaned. “Whatever. Look, after you’re done taking this food into town, can you meet me by my house?”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “Well sure. But why…”

“I’ll tell you when you get there.” Rainbow Dash took flight. “And don’t forget Big Bertha.” She flew into the sky, which was growing darker by the hour.

“What is she up to, I wonder? Oh well.” Seeing Rainbow again brightened her day and Pinkie began to hop as the caravan crossed the first checkpoint into town.

---

Less than an hour later, Pinkie Pie came bounding up to Rainbow’s house, which is to say, she came bounding up beneath Rainbow’s house. Her friend’s abode was made out of clouds which floated gently upon the winds, fifty feet above the frozen earth. The rainbow falls which usually fell over the edges were frozen solid, creating a series of beautiful rings that arched around the home.

Still wearing her hat and scarf, Pinkie looked up. “Hey, Rainbow!” She called out. After a moment, a familiar rainbow streak flew out the door.

“Hey, Pinkie,” Rainbow said as she came to a landing. “Did you bring Bertha?”

“Sure thing.” And with that, Pinkie reached into her non-existent pocket and produced the largest party cannon in existence. “But why did you want me to bring it?

“Because I need your help. I think I might have a way to break through the clouds and save Ponyville. But I can’t do it without your cannon.”

“Awww,” Pinkie cooed. “You’re helpless without me.”

Rainbow Dash glowered. “Yeah, whatever. Look, I’ve been thinking lately. There’s some kind of spell that’s keeping the sun from shining through, right? No pegasus can fly up high enough to see what’s up there. No pegasus, except me.”

“But didn’t you try only to wind up in the hospital?”

Rainbow sighed. “I didn’t know what to expect that time. Now I do. I’m going to break through the clouds, Pinkie,” she said, “with a Sonic Rainboom.” If she expected a huge outburst from the pine mare, then Rainbow was sorely disappointed. Pinkie just stared at Rainbow with a confused look. “What?”

“That’s not all that original.”

The pegasus scowled. “Yeah well like I told Twilight back at the hospital, she has her ways, I have mine.” Looking up at the skies, Rainbow added, “I think with my wings, Pinkie. And right now this pegasus has got to fly.”

“So fly.” Pinkie began examining her friend’s wings under a microscope. “Unless there’s something wrong with your wings.”

“There’s nothing wrong with my wings.” Rainbow pulled away. “I need you to fire me into the sky with your party cannon so that I can perform a Sonic Rainboom. The way I figure it, the blast will be enough to send those clouds packing, letting Celestia’s Sun shine through.”

Pinkie tilted her head to the side. “But why do you need me? Can’t you make one on your own?”

“I need to build up enough speed before it happens,” the pegasus explained. “I usually have gravity to help me out, but right now I need to go up, not down.” She pointed at Bertha. “Your cannon can give me the boost I need to create the Rainboom. It’ll be like firing the biggest cannonball in Equestrian history.”

But Pinkie didn’t look convinced. “I don’t know. You sure you thought this through?”

“Of course I did. My Rainboom will clear the sky in ten seconds flat!” Seeing her friend’s hesitation, Rainbow spoke in a calming manner. “Listen, Pinkie. Applejack got hurt and her family was forced to leave their home. The weather’s getting worse and we can’t wait around much longer for Princess Egghead to figure things out while we freeze to death.”

“But,”

Rainbow covered Pinkie’s mouth with her hoof. “I know it sounds risky. That’s because it is. Victory favors the bold. Do you know who said that?” Pinkie shook her head. “Colonel Purple Dart, one of history’s greatest fliers. He’d appreciate this plan because it favors action, not words.” Removing her hoof, she smiled. “I need your help. If we don’t do something soon then who knows who might get hurt next. Twilight. Rarity. Fluttershy. Me.”

“NOT FLUTTERSHY!”

“Me?” Rainbow said again.

“OH PLEASE OH PLEASE NOT TWILIGHT!”

“Me…”

“SWEET SWEET RARITY!”

Rainbow snorted. “Look, will you help me or not?”

Pinkie nodded her head so fast that it jingled.

“Great. So let’s get started.”

With Rainbow’s lead, they moved Big Bertha to a spot in the middle of a snowbound field. The lines left by the cannon’s wheels were quickly covered over with snow, showing just how persistent the weather was. Once they were a safe enough distance that Rainbow was confident her house wouldn’t be caught in the blast radius, she motioned for them to stop. Then, with specific instructions to count to fifty, she flew up and gently slid herself into the cannon. Sliding down the shaft, she counted off inside her head, readying herself for the eventual blast.

“Forty-two, forty-three, forty-four…” Pinkie counted down.

Goggles strapped on tight, Rainbow readied herself.

“Forty-eight, forty-nine, FIFTY!”

Rainbow Dash rocketed up the shaft at a speed that frightened even her. Her face wriggled like jelly as she was propelled through the air, only just remembering to keep her wings folded behind her as she tried to build momentum. This was the first time she was doing something like this and the notion of fighting against gravity didn’t sit well with her. Pinkie’s excited squeal died beneath her as she went higher and higher. Feeling the molecules heat up around her, Rainbow Dash smiled inside her head.

Here we go!

Focusing on her innate magic, Rainbow gently spread her wings as she burst through the clouds. Her vision completely obscured, she focused the energy around her, harnessing it, creating a multi-colored field around her. The magic was permeable. Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe it. It was working.

She sped up, the rainbow colors of her hair lighting up. A sharp whistling filled her ears, the sound of something revving up as she built towards the eventual climax. She was doing it. This was higher than she had been when she had first been shot down, she was sure of it. The clouds enveloped her, or tried to. Rainbow was moving too fast for them to slow her down.

She had it!

With the air pressure burning all around her, Rainbow Dash let loose. “Eat this!” And with that, Rainbow exploded in a burst of color. Her Sonic Rainboom elevated her to new heights. Unable to help herself, Rainbow let out a whoop as she flew faster and faster, defying gravity, the world, and all manner of doubt. She was the greatest flier in all Equestria. She was a legend.

She had beaten the storm.

Then, after what seemed like minutes, Rainbow Dash appeared above the clouds, her Sonic Rainbow lighting up the sky beneath and around her. But there was no sun. Nothing but inky blackness awaited her. It was as if all the heavenly bodies, Celestia’ Sun, Luna’s Moon, and all the stars had disappeared.

With a sea of black clouds beneath her, Rainbow was the only star in existence. She paused, shining in all her brilliance. “What in the world is going on?” The dead sky loomed over her. The clouds below threatened to envelop her. For the first time since this started, Rainbow felt afraid. She felt so exposed up there in the darkness, so vulnerable.

And she wasn’t alone.

The sky opened up.

It was enormous, easily the size of a town or a city. It was massive and green, a sickly green that reminded Rainbow of disease and sickness. She felt herself shaking. “W-What are you?”

In response, the heavens shook and the darkness loomed in to take her. Rainbow Dash screamed.

Author's Note:

Kind of wish this story was getting more reviews. But I promised myself I'd post it no matter what. We're almost to the last chapter I wrote prior hiatus so here's hoping.

What do you guys think RD saw? The face of God? Or the Devil?

Comments

[The Red Butcher]

The hell is going on man?