Frozen Family

by Melody Song

The Secret of Spring

"Ice Lily?" Rainbow echoed after Fleetfoot finished recounting what happened.

"Yeah. She made it thound like she made it up."

"I wonder what her real name is." Soarin said

"I wish we had some maps so we could see what she was talking about." Spitfire said

"Twilight has a bunch of maps, we can go ask her." Rainbow suggested

"Sure, let'th go!" Fleetfoot leapt up and led them out of Wonderbolt HQ, heading for Ponyville.

Once they landed in the town, Rainbow took them the rest of the way. They spotted a group of five different creatures lounging on the grass by Princess Twilight's Friendship School. Rainbow pushed open the doors of the castle and called out.

"Twi! We need your help!"

Hoofsteps sounded and the Princess emerged from one of the hallways. She smiled.

"Hello Rainbow. Fleetfoot, Spitfire, Soarin, it's good to see you."

"You too Princess." Spitfire gave a polite bow, the others joining her.

"Listen Twi, we need to look at one of your maps of Equestria."

"My maps? Why?"

"It doesn't matter, can you just get them for us?"

"Fine, fine." Princess Twilight rolled her eyes at Rainbow, then led them to some doors that opened into a library. "Give me a minute."

The Princess took off and flew into the air, glancing around before pulling a large book off the shelf and flying down.

"Atlas of Equestria, Volume Six. It's the most recent and includes pictures of other creatures' homelands." Princess Twilight said, setting it down.

Rainbow nodded and made a shooing motion with her wing. Princess Twilight rolled her eyes again but left the room. Fleetfoot pulled the book closer and opened it. She flipped through the pages until she came across a large map of Equestria.

"A body of water...in the north...that ith named after thomepony famouth..." Fleetfoot said

"The only bodies of water near there are the Celestial Sea and the Luna Ocean-well, the North part." Soarin said, tracing his hoof along the bodies of water.

"She thaid I wath clothe when I mentioned an Ocean..." Fleetfoot said.

"Well, a sea is an ocean, right?" Rainbow asked

"Incorrect. Seas are typically smaller and less deep than oceans." Princess Twilight said from behind them.

"I thought I asked you to leave."

"Calm down Rainbow, whatever secret thing you're doing is safe, I only trotted in in time to hear you ask that question." Princess Twilight replied. "I left one of the textbooks I was studying last night in here."

Once the Princess had left again, they turned back to studying the map.

"Did 'Ice Lily' say anything else that might have been a clue?" Spitfire asked

Fleetfoot thought back, but the main bulk of the dream had been their argument over including Rainbow and...

"Thpitfire..."

"What?" Spitfire asked, and Fleetfoot shook her head.

"Thorry, I wath jutht thinking. But yeth, I think she did."

"What did she say?" Soarin asked

"It wathn't exactly a direct clue. But when she and I were talking, our Ice Powerth were brought up. Ice Lily thaid: "They reprethent the thilence and beauty of a winter night." She emphathized nighttime, but when she compared them to...well, Thpitfire'th magic, she didn't mention anything about the daytime. Like she felt more deeply toward the night than the day." Fleetfoot told them.

"The night...and a pony who was her first friend..." Rainbow's eyes scanned the map and she reached to place her hoof on the top left corner of the map. They all leaned over to look.

"The North Luna Ocean?" Spitfire asked

"Luna was her first friend?" Soarin asked, eyes widening.

"It...kinda makes sense. She's got a pretty close relationship with the CMCs...actually, pretty much everypony in Ponyville considers her a friend-maybe not a close one, but a friend." Rainbow said

"It'th ath good a place to thtart ath any. Let'th go." Fleetfoot said, standing.

"Hold it Fleet. You may be immune to the cold but not all of us are." Rainbow said, holding up a hoof to stop her. "And we're going closer to the Frozen North than you were when you ran off. The last time I encountered storm clouds from there my wings nearly froze to my body."

"...Maybe we should get thome warm clotheth..." Fleetfoot said, blushing in embarrassment at forgetting her friends' disadvantage to dealing with the cold.

---

The group flew back to Wonderbolt HQ after Rainbow borrowed a singular map of Equestria from Princess Twilight. They also stopped at Rainbow's house so she could grab her winter gear.

"Didn't think I'd need winter outfits in the middle of summer." Rainbow joked, carrying the stuff out.

"The rest of our stuff is back at HQ, let's go." Spitfire said, taking the map from Rainbow and leading them back.

They got back and grabbed more winter gear, including flight goggles that had been specially enchanted to withstand ice and snow without freezing and cracking.

"I wish I could wear my regular goggles." Soarin sighed as he put the magically reinforced ones on.

"Well, unless you want your favorite goggles to break, you'll be better off with these." Spitfire replied, reaching with a hoof to push the goggles down from his forehead over his eyes. Soarin swatted at her.

"Come on guyth, you can teathe each other later, let'th go!" Fleetfoot urged, standing at the door.

Spitfire, Soarin, and Rainbow followed her out and Rainbow pulled out the map. She looked down at it and traced her hoof along a path.

"We need to go Northwest." she told them, looking around. "That way!"

The four ponies took off and headed in the direction indicated.

---

Fleetfoot sped up as they neared the cool, crystal blue waters of the North Luna Ocean. The flight there had taken the whole day, the sun was starting to set.

"Here we are. Any idea where to look?" Spitfire asked

"In the firtht dream, 'Ice Lily' thaid the rothe'th element would be rain."

"We are surrounded by water..." Rainbow said.

"Let me try what we did latht time." Fleetfoot took off and swept over the waters. She took a breath and began.

"Here I am, standing brave
Secrets don't do good to keep
Waltzing through waves
Diving in the deep

Stars shine bright,
Wind starts to rise
Whispering words
Of long-lost lullabies."

Fleetfoot flew over the water, diving down to skim it with her hoof. A small trail of ice expanded across it, following her, until she swooped up. She turned back and gestured to her friends, smiling.

"Oh, won't you come to me?
The moon is made of gold
For with the morning sun,
I'll be sailing home!"

Fleetfoot turned back to the water and sang directly to it. They were nearing a smaller alcove of water.

"Please come to me,
As the Ocean meets the Sky
While the clouds go by
I'll sing a song to the sea.

I had a dream last night,
And heard the sweetest sound
I saw the greatest sight,
A Rose of flowers crowned

Hoofprints in the snow,
Snowflakes in the breeze
Don't stay and hide,
I haven't tried to lie."

Fleetfoot alighted on the snow-covered shore.

"We're not at the Ocean now. Twi's map says this place is called Luna Bay." Rainbow told them, shivering.

Spitfire extended her wings, a ball of flame appearing. She stretched her wings around to her front and held it before them. Rainbow and Soarin stepped closer, holding out their wings and hooves to it.

"Well we can't thtop. It'th here, I know it ith." Fleetfoot stepped closer to the water.

"Am I close?" she asked

"Yes...and you now can learn another trick of the Familiar's trade."

"Which is?"

"Take a step onto the water and will the ice to only form at your hoof."

Fleetfoot took a deep breath and placed a hoof on the rippling water. A small patch of ice emerged there.

"Fleet what are you doing?!" Spitfire called out.

"Trust the magic to hold you and keep walking. Call out to the element again."

Fleetfoot breathed deep and took another step. The ice appeared again. Fleetfoot let out a laugh of achievement and leapt onto the water. Solid ice emerged and supported her. She tilted her head and walked on confidently, not even having to look down to know she was safe. She closed her eyes and continued.

"Come to me
The moon is made of gold
With the morning sun,
I'll be sailing home

Please come to me
As the Ocean meets the Sky
While the clouds go by
I sing a song to the sea!"

Fleetfoot saw a glowing through her eyelids and opened them. She gasped as she saw it. The water was rising and swirling around near her. She began running towards the rising water, hooves thumping against her ice as she galloped. Fleetfoot shook out her mane to fall around her and sang louder.

"Please come to me!
The Moon is shining gold!
And in the morning sun,
I'll be sailing home!

Come to me
Where the Ocean meets the Sky!
As the clouds go by
I sing this song to the sea!"

The water lowered, revealing a light pink rose hovering in the center. It shone with an ethereal light. Fleetfoot's eyes widened, and she reached out. Her hoof grazed the rose petals and the rose fell into her outstretched hoof. Fleetfoot took off and carried the rose back to shore.

"Whoah..." Rainbow and Soarin gasped

"So it was the bay, not the ocean..." Rainbow murmured

"That was amazing." Spitfire said, leaning in to nuzzle her.

"Let'th get thith home." Fleetfoot said.

Author's Note:

The song is a re-write of Song of the Sea, a Lullaby by Nolwenn Leroy. As for the names, according to some fan-made maps, there are places titled "The Luna Ocean" and "The Celestial Sea."

~Melody Song