• Published 30th Jul 2016
  • 4,479 Views, 168 Comments

Crystalline: Her Destiny - Ice Star



Lately, Princess Cadance has been feeling inadequate. She's spoken of this briefly to Twilight Sparkle but her longing for a grand adventure is really starting to get to her as are the thoughts that she isn't doing all that she can.

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Chapter 12: The Lost Lordedom

The territory of Gildentundra was a nightmare. As soon as we crossed the border into it, the fact became obvious, even though I had a hard time trying to put how truly extreme the conditions were here, compared to where we had been. As well, Sombra wasn't going to be listening to me, if I did try to talk. Like most places north of the Empire, the land was surrounded by many jagged mountains, permafrost-bound, and dotted with the frozen remains of mine-towns like those mentioned in Lore of Yore. The lack of soil was noticeable, with bare rocks and drained ore veins being the only substitute, and no other creatures in sight. The entire landscape was making me feel nervous, and that feeling seemed infectious, since King Sombra's temperament wasn't holding out either.

“How much longer?” asked an irritated Sombra. “If we don’t get to this mansion soon-” He cut himself off and slipped into an irritated growl.

“IF WE DON'T GET TO THIS OLD MANOR SOON I’M GOING TO LOSE IT!”

He turned to a nearby piece of rock, and promptly blasted it out of existence, eyes flashing with rage like a madpony. I shied away, trying to steer clear of his temper, the sound of his un-equine growl still in my ears.

I'd hate to see what happens when he runs out of rocks…

Briefly, I peered at Heart's Desire, maybe guessing the distance we had to travel would appease him.

“Sombra-”

“My name isn’t a curse, you know.”

“I never said it was,” I replied, keeping my tone as impersonal as possible, although it came out sounding almost annoyed.

“Hah, I find that hard to believe since your actions seem to differ. I've already had enough of ponies like you ruining my name - now what is it you want?”

“I just thought you might want to know that we should find the manor in about four days, and, you might want to use your energy for battle. I doubt the Wraith will just surrender the Heart.”

He snorted. “And you, a pink Princess, have been in battle? Do you really think I'd believe something so blatantly ridiculous? That you have ever seen anything besides the castle where you were allegedly tutored by that wreck of a crusader and whatever twisted candy shop you were manufactured in?”

Ignore him.

“Oh, should I profess my disbelief further since there isn't anypony capable of stopping me? I bet you’re just as soft as-”

“AS WHAT?!”

I'm not sure what I expected him to do, but he didn’t react as I thought. Instead of yelling at me, he gave an amused smirked.

“So you do bite back. Dare I say that it's because of my absolutely and utterly positive influence?"

Did he just not insult me?

Unsure, I turned to face the road ahead.

Two days had passed since we entered the tundra's borders, and I spent the time keeping my limbs from freezing while Sombra aimlessly read Lore of Yore, insisting that I had been hogging the book the whole time.

“What could this mean?” he muttered, eyeing the last words of the Northbound Wraith.

“Maybe it’s just a moral lesson?” I offered, after all, who’s to say that Arcane Vision didn’t take one or two creative liberties with the story, like the history books did with Auntie Luna? After all, I still wasn’t sure how much was true.

He frowned and lit his horn, peering at the star-lit sky.

“Maybe,” Sombra replied, but I don't think he believed me.

...

We had reached it, after following the trail of irregular stone spires like those that were on the train tracks, and small glowing flowers. We had finally come to the end of Gildentundra Valley, and found the ruins of what could only be Crooked Glacier Manor. As soon as we stepped into the ruinous threshold, Heart's Desire went crazy, pointing nowhere and yet pointing everywhere aimlessly. I wasn’t sure why, maybe it was trying to signal the end of our journey? Did I reach my heart's desire?

Or maybe it was just as scared as I am.

Nopony, no one, and nothing dwelled inside, every creature had abandoned this territory but the manor felt more deserted than everything else. This would leave us free to wander. Since there was no food or visible source of heat, Sombra and I carried our gear at all times.

We started with adding fortifications, both arcane and physical, in seperate quarters since Sombra didn't like talking to me or my taste in architecture. If we were to fight, Sombra had reasoned, we would do it from a prepared defensive position. I decided to reinforce the small wing where we stayed, so we didn’t freeze to death. The ruined state of the manor had provided many good materials to work with for physical reinforcements. However, I still thought that only so much can be made out of äerint, much to Sombra's disagreement.

One thing I found that was still intact was an old painting that hung crooked on the wall, the style matched the one I found in the Archives. The wing of the manor was crumbly and burned, but not open air. The painting depicted a normally built plain blue unicorn stallion with a sour orange mane and tail and an even sourer expression. He was garbed in the ugly and elaborate style of the old Unicorn Tribe, as if he tried to look as gaudy as possible. When looking at the painting, one had the feeling that his eyes followed the viewer. A dented plague below read:

LORD SILVER PRICE VAINBLADE GILDEBLOODE, 73RD LORD OF GILDENTUNDRA

I shuddered and went to continue on my way notice a blank space next to this portrait, implying another had been its neighbor, most likely the Archive portrait I found Lore of Yore in.

That must have been a portrait of Finola!

Anyway, I left the one-pony gallery and went deeper into the unwelcoming stone carcass, where I found a gut-wrenching sight.

The walls of this oversize corridor had been blasted away letting in gritty stone gravel and cold winds. Ancient boulders were littered everywhere surrounded by foreboding green haze that danced sluggishly around the immense stones.

But all I saw were the skeletons…

They lay scattered about with bits of frozen finery and rags still embracing their remains. Neither noble nor peasant was spared by the Wraith, no evidence of mare or stallion from the tattered threads. Adults and foals alike, according to the bones. Sudden spots danced ballets in my eyes while my throat was coated in an icy dryness. Irregular heartbeats belonging only to me, screamed of the horror now laying by my hooves.

This is a place barren of love.

I ran, no more than a tri-color streak, and never looked back.