The Ice Heart Thawed

by Applefai

Clipped wings and a bargain

Gallus woke up the next morning to find himself alone in Silverstream's bed, he looked around the room only to find a folded piece of paper, with a heavy heart he unfolded it and began to read "Dear friends, headmare Twilight, mom, dad, and Terry, I'm writing this because I may not see you all again, I have agreed to be Sombra's slave in exchange for peace, with Mount Aris and Seaquestria falling, I feel this is the only way to protect those I love. Thank you all, especially you Gallus for sleeping with me when I needed comfort, you really are a good friend and I love you for that, you feel like my twin brother. Sincerely, your little girl, your friend, your student, Silverstream." P.S, you may want to send a team of pony doctors to help Zecora, she needs antibiotics to fight against typhoid."

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Gallus stopped reading and heard collective gasps from his friends, Silverstream's family, and headmare Twilight. "I didn't even know she was thinking of this, but didn't she say Zecora died of typhoid in her dream?" Gallus asked clutching the letter.

Twilight just hung her head and asked the doctors to go check on Zecora and take antibiotics with them, which they obliged and went on their way. "We can get Silverstream back, we just need to form a plan." Twilight said as she flew out of the hospital escorting the remainder of the young six out.

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Meanwhile Silverstream was overlooking Grogar's abandoned fortress, except it wasn't abandoned; there were small builds and streets, Sombra wasn't risen for long and he already had a small town in the works, adding to it was Mount Aris and Seaquestria giving him more land to control and starting to become a kingdom, Silverstream took a deep breath and walked up to the newly renovated fortress that used to belong to Grogar and now accommodates Sombra, she was quickly mistaken as an intruder by a hippogriff guard and pony guard, and brought before the king.

Sombra was sitting on a black throne with flags adorned with his symbol hung above him, he was eating grapes and enjoying a cup of wine when the guards brought Silverstream before him and forced her to her knees, one of the guards had confiscated her pearl shard necklace and the blanket and locket she had brought and gave them to Sombra.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't another hippogriff to enslave."He spoke with a terrifying and cold chill, he then noticed her necklace "oh and it seems like I now have what I need, before I conquered Mount Aris, it seems your people hid their necklaces and wiped their memory on how to use it, so now you'll help me remedy that."

Silverstream shook in fear and spoke. "King Sombra, my name is Silverstream, I come before you to offer a deal, please in exchange for everyone's freedom, I offer myself as your slave."

Sombra looked at Silverstream with an evil grin, "interesting, one slave in return for the freedom of millions, ok I won't enslave anymore creatures or ponies if you become my slave. Now tell me how to use this pearl shard so I may seize control of the changeling kingdom."

Silverstream looked at Sombra in shock "b-but you said you wouldn't enslave any creature else, you said if I became your slave you'd let them be free." She began to cry.

Sombra just chuckled and stroked Silverstream's main " I said I wouldn't enslave them, I never said I wouldn't invade them." Sombra told Silverstream with a heartless grin. "The king and queen of the changelings will be no more, I'll unsurp their throne with ease, and it's all thanks to you Silverstream. By the way, we only agreed for those not enslaved yet, I'm keeping the ones I already have."

Silverstream stood there saddened by her actions, because of her more civilizations will fall and be ruled by Sombra, but something that Sombra said had her thinking, "king and queen of the changelings." Sombra's words echoed in her mind until she spoke up.

"King and Queen of the changelings, Sombra?" Sombra's eyes blazed with anger has he slapped Silverstream across the room causing a mark on her cheek and some blood to flow out of her mouth onto his castle floor.

"CALL ME MASTER!" he demanded with authority, but yes the king and queen of the changelings."

Silverstream just got up holding her cheek and stared in a confused look "but the changelings only have a king." Silverstream said more confused than hurt at the moment, but her eyes said she wanted to cry.

Sombra just looked at her with false empathy, but Silverstream knew he was enjoying this.

"Oh, my dear slave, did you not know?" Sombra asked toying with Silverstream until he could deal the final blow. "The changeling kingdom has a new queen, they even have a daughter, let's see oh yes, I believe you attend school with their daughter." Sombra said enjoying taking advantage of Silverstream's obliviousness.

"What do you mean, I attended school with their daughter? The only changeling at that school is Ocell--------" Silverstream's eyes grew larger as tears started to swell up at the realization of what Sombra had told her as the king of shadows grinned evilly. "No, no, no, you're lying!" Silverstream was on the verge of tears.

"Search your feelings, Silverstream, you know it to be true. Did Ocellus ever tell you?, Did she not act differently around Twilight than other students,? Yes, Silverstream, you thought you'd save the kingdoms from being invaded, but you thought wrong, now you'll stay awake at night knowing you gave me the means of espionage through sky and sea." Sombra said as he went back to his throne, we prepare to attack the changeling kingdom tonight, you get be ready to tell me how to use this." Sombra says has he dangles the necklace that he'd gotten from his guard. "Oh and one more thing."

Sombra nodded to his guards and they took a wing on each side of Silverstream and broke her wings with a loud crunch of bones being heard and Silverstream's screams of pain and agony being heard thoughout the castle.

Silverstream with tears in her eyes and gritted teeth just laid crippled on the floor staring at Sombra with hatred.

"I can't have your wings intact, it may tempt you to fly away, so everytime your wings heal, they'll be broken again and again."

Sombra sitting on his throne looked at the items Silverstream had brought and decided to look in the locket. Noticing it was a picture of her family he closes the locket and approached Silverstream, he proceeded to slide the locket over her head onto her neck.

Silverstream stared at him in surprise "why are you letting me keep this and not my blanket and pearl shard with it?" Silverstream asked still crying from the pain.

Sombra just grinned and got close to Silverstream's ear to whisper why, "I can't take the chance of you using your shard as a means of escape and a slave doesn't deserve the comfort of a blanket, but the locket, that's a nice family you got, you brought that picture for comfort did you?"

Sombra chuckled softly and continued, "no, I'll let you keep that picture, it'll be a reminder that you'll never see them except there again, it will remind you that you'll never feel love again."

Sombra took his head away from Silverstream and told his guards to take her to her living quarters. The guards took Silverstream my two arms and carted her off to her new home as she just stared off in the distance almost devoid of hope.