Frozen

by B_25

5 – Wander

~ 5 ~

Wander

Spike didn’t know how long they’d been wandering. The wind still struck their faces all the same with the veil of the mist still too thick to see through, though did this did nothing to stop Shining from his trek ever eastward.

“I’m telling you, we’re going the wrong way.” Spike scooted up along the stallion’s back, still holding tightly to his mane. “Those wolf-like-things stopped chasing ever since, like, forever ago! Can’t we take a short break?”

“Those wolfos won’t stop for us, and we won’t be stopping for them.” Shining winced upon lifting his hooves, a spot of blood in the snow where they had been. “I sent out a patrol to manage their rising numbers, or at the very least, to bring wanders safely back into the empire. The patrol got good at evading them… maybe a little too good.” He sighed and winced—a common trend for him now. “That same patrol has yet to come back home. They may look like beasts, but those wolfos are more cunning than their expressions let on.”

Spike kept quiet. He digested the information. He digested the previous situation. He digested his moment of cowardice—he was disgusted by it. More and more, the memory played, accompanied by meeting the same fate as the stallion.

Why did he run? He was a dragon, a little short but brave, with claws just as long and fangs just as sharp. Even as the memory played among the harsh wind, he still heard his scream clearly. He tried to change the past, that he stood tall and fought back, that it was such a safe choice—yet the truth always emerged even in his illusion.

Spike shook his head. “Okay, so maybe a break is out the question. But it still feels like we’re going in the wrong direction.”

“And how would you know the right direction?” Shining glared back at him. “Last I check, you were still in the wasteland, alone, with no destination in mind.” He looked forward. “What was your plan anyway? Running off like that just to come here—” he glared back again “—you should know better than anypony that these lands aren’t the same!”

Shining heaved once he was done. The drake’s face was blank. Shining took a few short breaths, stopped in place, closed his eyes, and after a few moments, opened them once more with less intensity in his gaze. “Look, I’m… I’m sorry I yelled at you. Finding you out here, here!” He shook his head. “You have a lot of questions to answer for, Spike. And a lot of worried ponies to tell that you’re okay.”

Spike had been listening in silence, though eyes narrowed near the end. “Let me down.”

“What?”

“Let me down!” Spike felt the blue strands of mane slip through his digits. “I can manage walking by myself.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned around and hopped off the stallion’s side and into the plump snow. “And I’m not following you anymore.”

“You’re my responsibility now, Spike.” Shining twirled around and stood in-front of him. “No one heard from you in weeks. All the scouts came back with their hooves empty. All the letters to the princess were—”

“Wait a second, letters!” Spike laughed as he shook his claws with excitement. “That’s it, a letter!”

“...what?”

“You’re trying to get to the Crystal Empire, right?” A hesitant nod answered his question. “So that must mean we’re pretty close to it, right?” Another nod, but this time, done more so in a confused manner. “That means all we have to do is a send a letter to Cadence and everything will be alright?”

Shining blinked. “I didn’t exactly bring parchment…”

“It doesn’t actually have to be a letter!” Spike scanned the area, and in the heat of the moment, forgot that they still couldn’t see anything. He immediately set himself on Shining’s satchels. “I need something of yours. Anything that the princess knows is yours will do.”

Shining quickly pushed him away. “Easy with that stuff! Why should I—”

“Come on, Shining!” Spike stepped back. “You said it yourself, those wolf… things are still probably chasing after us! Just trust me and give me something!”

“Trust you? After what happened?”

Spike went to open his mouth when realization dawned on him. Slowly, his lips closed and his eyes were drawn downward, any excitement evaporated and the coldness set once more upon his scales. “You… saw that?”

“Yeah, I did.” Shining looked down at him. His voice didn’t hold anger… but there was a tone to it that was hard to distinguish. “I was able to come to pretty quickly and defend myself. Afterward, I went looking for you.”

Spike kept silent.

Shining sighed. He brought his muzzle to his satchel, opening it up and dipping into it, rummaging about until his teeth connected with it. Slowly, he rose back out and brought the cloth—with the royal emblem of the Crystal Empire on its corners—to before Spike. “Here, this should be enough.”

Spike stared at it for a moment, and then at the captain.

“Go on, take it.” Shining nudged it into his claw, opening his palm and leaving the cloth there. He brought back his muzzle. “Just… promise me it won’t burn up in flames, alright? It means a lot to Cadence in me.”

Spike took the cloth, curled his claw, nodded his head, turned around, and a few seconds later, brought it to his mouth as he burned the cloth up in flames; it burnt in a second and transformed into a thin jet of a bright green flame.

Shining was not pleased for a total of a second.

The thin flame began to snake its way through the mist above. Its glow cut away the thickness of the haze and illuminated the snow below and ahead. The trail left behind a faint wave of heat as it continued forward, over the ground in small curves and twists, leading northbound at a slow pace.

Spike leaped up in joy. When he landed, he turned to Shining. “See? I told you that we were going in the wrong direction!” And with that, he quickly chased after the trail, keeping beneath it as it illuminated the way, a smile—or perhaps a grin—plastered on his face.

Shining couldn’t help but smile himself, though when he took a step forward, that smile quickly faded. He rose his forehoof to his eyes and saw only blood where his white fetlocks were supposed to be.

“Are you coming or what!” The now distant voice shouted.

Shining sighed and winced as he put down his hoof. In pulling out another smile, he quickly caught up to the drake, and together, they kept under the protective glow of the hovering bright green trail, the thick walls of mist always at their sides, and what lay ahead still obscured to their eyes.

The duo continued their journey north.