Its Cold, Icy Sting (pt. 2/3)
Snowblind
by crowmagnon
Its Cold, Frosty Sting, pt. 2
"Too ballad-y... too polka... too modern... oh HAY no. Why do I even still have this one?" Vinyl shook her head in disgust and sighed as she and Octavia flipped through her record collection.
As Zecora held her pouch of dust, waiting for the moment to enact her part of the plan that Twilight Sparkle had told everypony about just a minute ago, she asked the musicians, "If I might ask, why is it such a difficult decision to make? Even from the Everfree, I have felt your machine make the ground quake."
Vinyl and Octavia shared a Look--capitalization and all--with one another before turning to the zebra with expressions bordering on pity.
"Opportunity like this comes once in lifetime. The occasion calls for more than mere makink of sounds," Octavia explained.
Vinyl nodded in agreement. "We're staring down a griffon demigod who's commanding the ancient enemies of ponykind! We can't just spit noise at her! We've got the chance to set the soundtrack for a mythic battle, here!"
Zecora was taken aback as Octavia's stoic mask began to give way as she joined in the DJ's hot-blooded declaration, rearing up on her hind legs. "It falls upon us to find music truly vorthy of zis event! Somezink powerful!"
"And epic," Vinyl chimed in.
"A song that vill resonate for ages to come vhen the tales of this day are told!"
"Yeah! Something..." Vinyl trailed off as she stopped flipping through her albums and lifted one up in her magic for Octavia to see.
The musicians both stared at the vinyl disc as though it were a sacred relic. Vinyl Scratch grinned widely, and even Octavia cracked a smile as they simultaneously concluded, "... Classic."
-----
Earlier...
Applejack blinked in surprise as she tried to process what she had just been told. "You're... what?"
"I'm going to betray you all," Rarity replied. "If Gertrude gives me the chance, I'm going to make a deal with her to let Spike and Sweetie Belle go. It's the only way we can get in contact with Twilight."
"And Apple Bloom. You'll try to negotiate for her too, won't you?" Applejack glanced over at the sullen filly, who was being tended to by Mrs. Cake in Fluttershy's absence. The businessmare then looked Rarity straight in the eye with a pleading gaze. "Rarity, you have to get her out of here. After everything she's been through, you have to help her."
Rarity hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Of course, I'll do what I can, but Gertrude seems to have it out for you in particular... Probably because you're the Element of Generosity, but there's a chance that she won't let Apple Bloom go if she thinks it would hurt you."
Applejack's heart twisted in her chest. I know what that means. She's not going to get Apple Bloom out of here, and she's covering her own flank for when that happens. She only cares about saving her own family.
The businessmare felt a chill in the pit of her stomach as the dark, cold thoughts wormed their way into her mind. "So... how do you think Fluttershy is doing up there?" She gave a weak laugh as she tried not to think about the doubts in her heart. "If we're lucky, by now she's traded our freedom for a set of her self-help books."
Rarity pursed her lips and looked down at the floor for a moment. "Yes... Fluttershy. Applejack, there's something that you should know. I've been--"
Before she could finish, both mares heard a growling sound just before the armored pegasus whom Gertrude had brought with her leapt upon Rarity and tackled her to the floor.
-----
Present time...
"I'm really not sure about this," Pokey murmured.
"You should probably stop fidgeting," Pinkamena mused as she looked up at the young unicorn. "You'll need to keep your balance centered, or Will's aim will get thrown off."
Iron Will flashed the poet a grin and a thumbs-up with his free hand. "No worries, Pinkamena, my aim's as true as my heart! Thanks to Twilight's plan, I've got a chance to help save Fluttershy and the rest. When opportunity's right in front of your face, don't let it go to waste!"
Pokey gulped and looked at the ice wall. "Uh... yeah, Iron Will? It isn't your face I'm worried about with this plan." Then he heard the voice of his commander approaching them.
Looking the minotaur and stallion over, Twilight walked up to them and asked, "Will, Pierce, are you ready to go?"
In an instant, Pokey's posture went straight and rigid as he saluted. "Yes, ma'am! Just give the order, ma'am!"
Twilight Sparkle allowed herself a small smile and nodded to him. "Good to hear, Private Pierce. I'm counting on you. You too, Will!"
"Let no fear chill your heart
Let no doubt veer your aim
Let all walls in your path be sundered apart
Let all songs of this day sing well of your name
Our enemies shall harrow us
Our wounds shall burn and sting
But we shall stand strong and valorous
'Til our souls are warmed in Spring"
Three pairs of eyes turned toward Pinkamena. Twilight's smile widened slightly as she said, "That was beautiful, Pinkamena. Did you just make that up now?"
The poet shook her head. "It's from 'Fiore Viola Del Pensiero', the ballad of Commander Hurricane's last stand. Those verses come right after Hurricane is mortally wounded by the griffon barbarian, Blacktalon. He entrusts his lance to Lieutenant Pansy, then tells him to put aside his fears and break through the defenses of Blacktalon's inpenetrable fortress in his stead."
Iron Will leaned against his crutch. "And how did that go...?"
Pinkamena replied, "Pansy found a weakness in the fortress's wall. Equestria's army took the fortress, and Pansy himself killed Blacktalon with Hurricane's lance, earning himself a knighthood from Queen Platinum and the affection of the mare he loved."
Pokey perked up at the end of the poet's quick summary. "Wow... really?" When she nodded in affirmation, he smiled dreamily as he glanced toward Twilight, then said resolutely, "Just give the signal, Lieutenant! Mr. Will and I won't let you down!"
"Darn straight," Will affirmed along with the unicorn he had been holding aloft in one hand throughout the entire conversation. "Come on, Pokey, let's see your lance impression!"
As Pokey held his body straight, his horn pointed directly at the ice surrounding Sugarcube Corner, Twilight nodded approvingly. "Good form there, Pierce. Be ready, it shouldn't be long now." With that, she continued on toward Vinyl's music equipment while Pinkamena joined her.
Shortly after leaving Pokey and Iron Will, though, Twilight tilted her head in thought. "Hey... I just remembered Hurricane's last stand from my military history classes at West Hoof. Wasn't Pansy killed in that battle, too?"
Pinkamena nodded. "With the last of his strength, Blacktalon bit Pansy's throat, and they died at the same time. The mare he had been in love with from afar was so moved by the tales of his heroism that she fell in love with him in return, but since it was too late to reciprocate his feelings, she threw herself from her bedroom window and broke her neck. That's how the ballad tells it, anyway." She glanced back over her shoulder to see Twilight's stunned expression. "And this is why I didn't tell Pokey that part."
Twilight slowly nodded and pulled Derpy's compass out, drawing confidence from its presence. "Well... Pansy didn't have ponies inside like we do. I just hope they get word to us soon."
-----
Earlier...
Rarity felt the wind get knocked out of her lungs from the impact, and the cold which suddenly filled her body made it very difficult to recover it. The armored pegasus had her pinned down in a crushing grip, and the frigid chill of the ice's touch was unbearable, even through the cold that filled the unicorn's being. She tried to push the other mare off of her, but while the young rock farmer was fit from years of hard work and exercise, the pegasus was simply too strong to shove aside, either through her own strength or through her magic.
Through the frostbite and frantic struggle, Rarity was dimly aware of Applejack trying to help. The businessmare gripped Rarity's attacker and struggled to pull her away, but to no avail.
Traitor! Monster! You'll pay for this, she thought, practically screaming in her head. As she did, she felt the cold within her grow. While it numbed her somewhat to the chill of her attacker's touch, it did nothing to loosen the pegasus's insanely powerful grip. I hate you, she silently sneered, calling upon the frozen power surrounding them. My hate is colder than your armor! Cold enough to freeze you for eternity! To freeze all of these stupid ponies! I'll--
"Get off my mommy!" Rarity heard little Spike's voice as he ran up and threw himself at the pegasus, apparently having gotten away from Mrs. Cake and Sweetie Belle. Rarity tried to protest, to push him away with her magic again, but didn't have enough air in her lungs to do either as the baby dragon latched onto the pegasus and took a deep breath before engulfing her head in a short blast of green flame.
The pegasus yelped and backed away as Spike's flame faded quickly, allowing both her and Rarity to take a long gasp of air.
-----
Present time...
Rainbow Dash looked over to the far side of the bakery, where Zecora was stationed in preparation for Twilight's plan to kick off. Though she wouldn't admit it easily, she would have liked to have her mentor at her side. They needed to be positioned where they were, though, in order to act at a moment's notice. That was also
why Nocturne and Vinyl (and more importantly, Vinyl's gear) were each on opposite sides of the building.
The fact that Twilight had left her and the thestral Sergeant together with the Cakes, as well as Sweetie Belle and Spike, was probably no accident, but it did make things awkward. The words that were said back at the Ranger's station, particularly the ones that she had said herself, echoed in her mind whenever she looked over at the armored thestral.
While she did so, Rainbow Dash felt a faint tugging on her wing. She looked down to see Spike and Sweetie Belle staring up at her with wide, forlorn eyes. Neither of them spoke, but the worry on their faces was all too clear.
Rainbow Dash leaned down and nuzzled the little ones, wrapping her wings around them as she assured them, "Don't worry, kiddos. I bet you're worried... I get it, but just wait and see. Everypony'll get out of this safe and sound, and this time tomorrow, you'll be running around in the Spring, playing with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and the rest of your friends. It won't be long before all this is nothing but a memory."
Nocturne Striker glanced over in their direction as she spoke, and hesitated for several long seconds before she muttered quietly, "Scootaloo's really looking forward to seeing you when this all blows over, Sweetie. I should have said this before, but thank you for being such a good friend to her. Ever since Heavy... since her father passed away, it's meant a lot to me that she had somepony to depend on. Somepony besides me..."
Rainbow Dash felt a cold wind blow, and immediately a pang of guilt squeezed her heart. "Look, Sarge, don't say that sort of thing. If this is about what I said back at the station, it was way out of line, and I'm sorry I said it."
Nocturne looked down at the frozen ground under her hooves and muttered, "Don't be... it's true. Everything you said... it was all true. I was horrible to you, just so I could feel like I was part of the herd... I pretended that you didn't have feelings so I could protect my own. Heavy Roller called me out on it... he saw a better pony in me, so I acted like that better pony, but I never tried to make it up to you."
With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Rainbow Dash folded her wings back up to her sides and tried to approach, but Nocturne stepped away when she did. The thestral didn't even seem to be looking at her, she just stared downward as a frosty film slowly covered her eyes.
"I just kept telling myself that all those rumors about you and Zecora justified my behavior, so I never really tried to change. Now he's gone, and all Scootaloo has left is a bully of a mother... maybe she'd be better off if I just lay down in the snow and didn't get up."
"Nocturne..." Dash suddenly leapt toward her, grabbing the Ranger with her forelegs to keep her from backing up further as she stared Nocturne in the eyes, her face so close that their foreheads were practically touching. "Buck that." She paused for a moment to look over at the morose children before turning back to the thestral. "Pardon my Prench, kids. But Nocturne, don't you even think that. Yeah, you were kind of rotten to me when we were small, but that was a long time ago. What you're feeling right now, it's just the Windigoes getting inside your head, that's all."
Nocturne winced and brought a hoof up to her forehead. "No... no, this is me. Everything I ever did... not just to you, but everypony I ever hurt for... for the stupidest reasons. It's all true, I did those things. That's who I am, and... and as long as I'm around, Scootaloo will end up growing up just like me. I can't--"
Nocturne didn't get to finish that sentence as Rainbow Dash stuck her wing in her mouth. The sudden taste of feathers in her mouth shocked the thestral out of her rant, and she started sputtering and spitting to get it off her tongue. As she focused on Rainbow Dash to glare at her, she was met by a stare more fierce and steadfast than her own.
"Listen here, Sarge, because what I'm about to say is absolutely true. Don't forget, I know Scootaloo. She's an awesome filly, with energy to burn. Reckless, cocky, maybe not the brightest firefly in the lantern... but I've never met a girl her age who was so determined to help out anypony. Doesn't matter if they're another filly getting picked on by bullies, or a trainee witch-doctor from the Everfree."
Nocturne tried to look down in shame, but it felt as though Rainbow Dash's gaze had her locked in place. "But... no, that isn't me. She got that from her comic books... She wants to take after Mare-Do-Well, not me..."
Rainbow didn't break eye contact, not even for a moment as she shook her head. "She got the style from Mare-Do-Well, but something else attracted her to those comics in the first place, I can tell. Those values... the image of the mare she wants to become, that came from somewhere closer to home. And don't get me wrong, I'm sure your husband was fine, but I'm betting he wasn't the type who dedicated himself to putting his life on the line. She's determined to be an awesome filly because she's got an awesome mom's example to live up to. That's what I think, anyway, so what about you?"
Nocturne stared back at Rainbow Dash, letting the words sink in. And the more she thought on them, the more she thought of her daughter. The cold, sick feeling that had been squirming in her gut ever since the Ranger station began melting away as she pictured the brash, spunky little tomboy waiting back there. Waiting for her.
She thought back on her own past actions, too, but realized that Dash was right about one thing at least... there wasn't any real danger of Scootaloo following in her hoofsteps in that regard. She could only imagine the fight that would have broken out if the brave, kind, fearless filly she had somehow raised ever met the weak, cowardly bully seeking acceptance in all the wrong places that she had once been.
The thought made her smile.
"I... suppose I must have done something right," she admitted, her eyes clearing up as she nodded to Rainbow Dash, who looked relieved that she seemed better. "Still, I never did really apologize for everything."
Rainbow Dash grinned and patted Nocturne on the shoulder. As if on cue, Sweetie Belle and Spike hurried to hug her, offering what little support they could give to their friend's mom while sworn to silence. This made the pegasus laugh and playfully noogie the baby dragon. "Yeah, and I just want to say I'm sorry, again. You've done a lot of growing up since then."
Nocturne looked Rainbow in the eye and replied earnestly, "Still, I feel like I need to make amends for the filly I used to be... Can you forgive her?"
A mischievous grin grew across Dash's face. "Pssh, I got even with that jerk years ago. Don't tell me you forgot the centipedes in your saddlebags?"
Nocturne's cat-like eyes blinked several times, and her dark purple coat turned a few shades paler with the recollection. "That was you!"
Rainbow Dash shrugged with a light chuckle. "The 'curse of the Rainbow Witch'? Yeah, it's true... You weren't the only one who had some growing up to do," she admitted.
Before either of them could say any more, there was a bright purple flash as Twilight appeared in front of them. "Okay, Vinyl and Zecora are ready to go, once we get the--" She tilted her head, seeing the two mares side-by-side with Sweetie Belle and Spike hugging them. "Did you two make up in just the past few minutes?"
Nocturne nodded and snapped off a salute. "Yes, ma'am. Is that a problem, Lieutenant?"
Twilight blushed a little as she replied, "Well, no... No, of course not! I just had a little speech prepared... You know, priorities... setting aside our differences for the greater good... but I'm glad I didn't need to use it. I suppose. I guess I wasted my time."
Dash and Nocturne looked at each other with raised eyebrows, and it took a tremendous effort not to smirk. At least in Nocturne's case, she made an effort as she replied, "You could still do it, Lieutenant."
Twilight rubbed her foreleg awkwardly. "No, no, the moment's gone. You guys fixed the problem, so..." A belch then came from Spike, interrupting her as a puff of green smoke billowed out from his mouth before taking the form of a wadded-up napkin. In an instant, the unicorn Ranger was all business as she lifted up the napkin in her magic and unfolded it.
"Keep guarding this side of the building! Spike, I'm sorry I have to take you away from your aunt Sweetie, but I'll need your help." Deftly lifting the baby dragon up in her magic, she placed him on her back before teleporting them both.
Once Twilight and Spike were gone, Nocturne and Dash looked to one another, sharing a resolute nod before the Sergeant turned to Sweetie Belle and the Cakes. "Don't worry, Lt. Sparkle just needs Spike for a few seconds. Mr. and Mrs. Cake, go get Sweetie Belle inside and she'll bring him back to you soon, but you don't want to get caught up in this."
Carrot Cake nodded, worried but hopeful as he lifted Sweetie Belle up onto his back and hurried to get off the street.
-----
Out of the corner of his eye, Iron Will saw the flash of Twilight's teleportation, so he wasn't surprised when she appeared right in front of him with a baby dragon wobbling slightly on her back from the disorientation of teleporting. "Will, get yourself and Pierce over to Vinyl! Once Zecora's done her thing, aim for the left display window!"
Pokey tried to look as dutiful as he could while being held aloft by the minotaur, and snapped off a salute to his superior. "I'll do my best to--" Before he could finish, she had already vanished in a flash of magic. "--to do my part, ma'am..."
The young stallion started to sigh in disappointment, only to yelp as Iron Will tucked him under his arm and began limping on his crutch toward Vinyl's sound system with the determination of a locomotive. "Come on, Pierce! No time to pout, because there's a griffon to show what we're all about!" With that hastily cobbled together catch phrase echoing in his ears, Pokey couldn't do anything but go along for the ride.
-----
"Aeronautics is not where my specialties lie, but who would name themselves after an airship too heavy to fly?"
Even through her nearly opaque purple shades, Zecora was sure that she could see Vinyl rolling her eyes as she double-checked her console's settings. "It's just a name, Zeecs. Trust me, you're about to get your bangles bungled."
Suddenly, Twilight and Spike appeared in front of the DJ in a flash of magic, causing her to jump in surprise and fall back into the snow. Looking down at her, Twilight exclaimed, "No time for snow angels, Miss Scratch! Is everything ready to go?"
Picking herself up, Vinyl replied, "Huh... what? Oh! Oh, yeah, good to go, L.T.!"
Twilight gave her a curt nod. "Alright, give me exactly twenty seconds, then fire it up and aim for the left display window! Zecora, you follow up. Will and Private Pierce are on their way!" With that, she vanished again, an accompanying flash visible through the window of the nearby Quills & Sofa store.
-----
Inside the store, Twilight hastily grabbed the nearest quill and inkpot with her magic while Spike wobbled and slid off her back. "Ooooogh... dizzyyyy," he complained while the unicorn lay the napkin down on the shop's counter with the blank side up.
"Sorry, Spike. I know rapid-fire teleportation can be disorienting, but I need you to help me send a message to your mother," she said, her tone softening from the commanding authority with which she had addressed the others. As quickly as she could without tearing the napkin, Twilight scribbled the words "cover your ears" onto it. She then wadded it up and set the napkin in front of the baby dragon.
A twinge of hindsight hit her as she realized that she could have just as easily left Spike with the Cakes and teleported to them after writing the message, but there was no time to dwell on it.
She would definitely set aside time for dwelling later.
For the time being, she instead gently asked him, "You can send your mommy this message, can't you?" When he nodded, she smiled and told him, "Okay, go ahead."
The baby dragon picked up the napkin in his claws, then leaned back and took a deep breath. A short jet of green flame shot out of his mouth, and instead of simply reducing the napkin to ash, Twilight watched the the napkin dissolve completely into a puff of smoke which drifted away in the cool air. The lack of any residue beyond the lingering odor of sulfur told Twilight that it had worked. She gave Spike a hug and told him, "Good work. I'll drop you off with your aunt Sweetie and the Cakes, so just stay with them and I promise that I'll bring your mommy back to you safe and sound."
With that, the two of them vanished once again.
-----
Pain. Pain. Pain. Those horrible ponies, making me relive those happy memories. I thought that such things were no longer a part of me. I thought that I was safe remembering my friends but it burns. Wretched, horrible monsters, all of them!
I miss them so much, but they betrayed me. All of them. All of them. I stand alone. Alone in the cold. The cold makes me alone. Alone, but strong. The warmth burns. Their warmth burns. Only the unicorn understands. She alone feels the chill of loss that Winter brings, and she alone will join me. The rest burn. The rest must die, each of them alone in the cold! They burned my baby!
My... baby...?
They burned it! It was growing so much stronger than the others. Its roots were deep and its whispers were strong, but they burned it and made me listen to its screams!
My baby...
Now they're trying to burn me... to kill me.
My baby... My Gu--
My Gungnir. The spear of Winter. I summon it into my talons as I back the pretender of Generosity into a corner. She was supposed to nurture my baby, not burn it. Her sister's heart was so cold in her presence, how could she have possibly reversed that? Their hearts burn brightly, now. How? How?
Lies. Spiteful, self-serving lies that she filled her sister's head with, just to burn my baby before it could be truly born. Her sister is sobbing for her, now. For her sake. She has to pay. They will all pay, but the pretender of Generosity must suffer first.
I will be taking her from her sister and her heart will grow cold enough to be useful once more.
The Ranger will never relinquish the Element of Generosity if I do this but I do not need it. Reclaiming the Element was my entire purpose in coming here but this is far more important.
Why am I here? Vengeance. To bring suffering upon those who deserve it, just like this worthless fraud.
My spear pierces through the short distance between myself and the cowering parasite, but not through the soft flesh of my wrath's focus. Instead, Celestia's would-be assassin throws herself in Gungnir's path, and the armor that I crafted for her prevents it from striking home.
Pain. Burning. Even through the ice I encased that wretched monster in, she threatens to burn me. I allowed her to live for one reason alone! To give her a chance to serve me instead of her traitorous master, if only as a distraction for the other ponies to focus their hatred and suspicion upon. Instead, she defies me by risking her own life for her fellow pony.
A futile effort. Though the armor saved her from Gungnir, I knock her aside with ease. "Mutant! Worthless freak! I told you what I would do if you defied me!" These disgusting ponies. For a species as predisposed toward treachery as they are, they constantly find ways of disrupting my plans in the most irritating of ways. Only Rarity is salvageable. Throughout this entire debacle, she has remained cold and unmoving. She alone is worth keeping, and from her will spring many Windigoes. The rest, however... "None of you ponies will leave this place alive! None of you! I will skewer your corpses on pikes and parade them in front of your Princesses as I--"
I do not even get to finish as a disgusting eruption of gas comes out of the unicorn. I turn to stare at her in disbelief, only to feel a wave of heat coming from her as she belches forth a puff of smoke. Before my eyes, the smoke forms into a solid shape.
Dragonfire!
Dragonfire! The unicorn is able to hold dragonfire within herself?! This is impossible! No mere pony can do so without burning themselves alive! Even if it is true dragonfire, I should have sensed the heat within her! She could not have hidden this from me, unless...
... Unless she wrapped herself in the cold of the Windigoes as camouflage.
But that cannot be, either. Any Windigo working its power upon her would make her heart too hard and cold to even consider helping her fellow ponies. And even if she could, the Windigoes would have alerted me! This is impossible.
The only way that it could be happening this way is if--
So lost in confusion am I that I do not even hear the unicorn shouting to the other ponies until I see them cover their heads.
The very next moment, the building rattles as a violent cacophony of sound batters against the walls.
-----
Vinyl's horn glowed brightly as she channeled as much of her magic as she could through it. Her equipment, which she had already modded over the years for the highest volume it could possibly produce, was being focused and amplified further by her spells to the point that one could almost see the sound waves tightening into a wide beam that struck the thick ice.
The instant it began to play, the weaponized drums and guitar cracked the wall. The powerful enchantments which formed the frozen wall attempted to regenerate what cracked away, but the first wails of the vocalist slammed into the weakened ice and caused the cracks to spread farther.
"Yeeeeeaahhhhhhh! ~Ahh-ah-ahhhhhh-AHH!~" Vinyl bobbed her head and sang along with the record while Octavia and Zecora, as well as Iron Will and Pokey Pierce, protectively covered their ears. Even with her spells keeping most of the sound waves contained within the 'beam', the noise was still painfully loud. "Come on, Zeecs, it's your turn!"
Doing her best to cover both ears with one foreleg, the zebra opened up her pouch of loa dust with the other. After scooping up a hoofful, she blew and guided the dust in front of Vinyl's speakers. Once it entered the path of the sonic beam, the dust was shot into the wall as well, and began to insinuate itself into the growing cracks. Even in the areas which weren't being directly hit by Vinyl's spell, the presence of Zecora's dust prevented the ice from sealing up again.
Several seconds after the sonic battering began, the ice covering the window indicated by Twilight had worn thin enough for them to see more clearly, and even uncovered some hidden holes for ventilation. The enchantment holding the inner layers together continued to hold strong, however, .
"Come on, Vinyl," Iron Will bellowed, just barely audible over the cacaphony of classic rock. "Crank it up louder, and grind this wall to powder!"
"No can do, Babe," the DJ shouted back. "I'm giving it all I've got right now! Maybe with five energy drinks in me, I'd be able to crank it up another notch or two, but this's all I can do! It's all on you and the Pokemeister, now!"
Pokey vaguely heard his name, so he reluctantly removed the hoof from one of his ears. "What?! What'd she say?!"
Iron Will lifted Pokey up into a throwing stance once again and shouted back, "She said that when some griffon tries to block, SHOW HER THAT WE ROCK!"
Pokey barely had a chance to yelp before the minotaur hurled him like a javelin, sending him flying straight toward the window. Thankfully, Vinyl cut off the music before he entered the beam's path as he kept his horn pointed straight ahead.
Just before Pokey would have struck the ice wall with skull-shattering force, his horn flared to life with his personal spell.
It was common for unicorns--particularly in rural towns like Ponyville, where young stallions and mares often began working before they were considered full adults--to learn only the most basic utilitarian spells such as levitation, then perhaps a few based on their special talent on top of that. Those who had broader training like Lieutenant Sparkle, or who could afford to devote more of their time to study like the town's librarian, had a more varied set of spells at their disposal.
Private Pokey Pierce of Luna's Rangers was not one of those studious unicorns. He had never set a hoof near an academic institution like Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, or the West Hoof Officer's Academy for the Royal Guard. Beyond the very most basic fundamentals of magic, he possessed only a single spell which he had discovered early in his life, and which he had focused his magical training around ever since.
As Pokey's spell flared to life, a cone of light surrounded his horn, extending out in front of him to stab into the wall's weak point before he could actually strike it himself. Exposed as it was from the combined effects of Vinyl's music and Zecora's dust, the cone of magically-enhanced sharpness allowed Pokey to live up to his name as his body punched straight through the window and into the bakery.
His trajectory send him sailing, horn-first, straight toward Gertrude. Time seemed to slow down as panic overloaded his senses. He was barely able to notice that the huge griffon seemed be disoriented and trying to shake it off. Not that he would have blamed her after the weaponized music rocked the bakery, but as the wall was breached, she lifted her head up and looked straight at him, her blank eyes narrowing with anger.
Holy horseapples, this isn't good, he thought to himself in the instant before she lashed out with a talon to snatch him out of the air by the throat.
Her grip felt like it was the only thing keeping his insides from jumping out of his mouth from the sudden loss of forward momentum, and her sneer made him soon fear that they would instead start coming out the other end. Especially when she held a large spear of ice up to his face. "What... was that? What was that weapon?"
When he failed to answer right away, she began to squeeze, and the wail of the Windigoes howled into the bakery as a frigid wind blew in through the open hole, but it refused to close. "Foul ponies... Treacherous, the lot of you... Using the power of Spring to help you break in here... have you forgotten where that power came from?!"
A flash of light erupted beside her, and even Gertrude's unnatural reflexes were not keen enough to avoid them as two metal boots slammed into the side of her head. The shock caused her to drop Pokey, who was caught as Lieutenant Sparkle teleported down under him, then quickly took both of them on top of the cashier counter and of Gertrude's reach.
"I don't care what you have to say, Gertrude," she said as Pokey slid off her back, but his legs were too unsteady to hold him, so he held onto Twilight with his forelegs. "Nopony touches my Privates."
-----
Confusion flickers through my mind for a moment. "I never told you my name..." Of course, there is only one explanation. The most treacherous, selfish mare of them all. The one who nearly earned my trust. I turn to the white unicorn who is no longer pretending to have given in to the cold. Indeed, puffs of purple smoke drift from her nostrils when she exhales. The heat coming from her now is painful, but only serves to increase my ire. "You told her, didn't you? You tricked me into letting your whelp go just so you could send her a message through dragonfire."
At some point during the assault in which my senses were flooded with that music, the ponies moved to assist the mutant. The unicorn now stands between them and me, bracing herself while glaring at me with foolhardy determination in her eyes. Beyond her the assassin groans, and I see that while the rest of her armor remains unscratched, the helmet is cracked and breaking away, revealing her twisted visage as the pieces fall to the floor.
Visions of the traitorous Luna flash before my eyes. I had thought that the Moon's ability to redirect the magic of others was an aberration, but what she has done... it would require the ability to mimic the magic of other beings with her own. I have never heard of a mere pony, let alone a lowly farmer, having such a talent.
And yet here it is. Cruder, weaker imitations perhaps, but she succeeded in tricking me into believing that she was giving in to the Windigoes. All that time, and she was actually copying me.
For some reason, I can not help but feel somewhat proud of her. Which is why I will have to kill her first.
With Gungnir in my talons, I spread my wings. "So, you broke through my barrier? It only means that you have spared me the effort of leaving this place to snuff out your lives!"
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The title's makes me chuckle now due to watching FiW Episode 9. Oh, I haven't read this yet. Uh... soon... promise.
i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/312/563/05d.jpg
Also, you forgot a quote mark. =x
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Oh, a new one's out? Cool. I'll have to make sure to watch it tomorrow. Sleep now.
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Fixed! Thanks.
Um yeah, the Rom's...okay....moving on great job with the plan there. And we need to see the final bit of how it all came together, cause right now I have no clue.
AWWWWW....the griffon is not a Goddess? What a sad way to find that out now, demigods are just....mortals with very impressive skills in my eyes, they die real easy, how tragic
Gods damn it, Derpy is not an enemy, oh wait you told me that already, still....
Well at least you have some twist in your story, was not expecting that second in command's mare to kill herself, very impressive, and HA! Iron Will
Very nice, NEXT!!
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Thanks, Whiteeyes, and that last little bit of the puzzle will be coming right at the start of the next chapter, so hopefully it'll all make something resembling sense after that.
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Well, as far as the "demigod vs. god" thing, it's largely a matter of semantics. In this setting, Gertrude, the Princesses, and the other three original Elements of Harmony were born mortal, but the world at the time was SO screwed up that they had to be empowered with phenomenal power, putting them on the same tier as most high-level pagan deities just so that there would be someone capable of patching the fabric of reality back together. So while their power levels may be what could be considered god-like, I figure that their origin as mortals makes "demigod" more appropriate. As for saying that they die easy, well, even if the Mane 6 were inclined to try, they'd find it anything BUT easy. If you can remember back to the description of Gertrude's fight with Celestia back in the distant past, the two of them fought on even terms, and Gertrude was practically using her castle as a boxing glove to hit Celestia with.
Heh, well you know how overwrought and melodramatic those old epic poems can be.
And I'm glad you liked the Iron Will bit. I'd been looking forward to doing the Fastball Special with him and Pokey for a while now. 
So thanks for the comment, as usual. And while I have a feeling there are elements of how this will all conclude that won't mesh with your personal preferences, you've stuck through all this nonsense since the beginning, so I'll make sure there's a little bonus once the dust settles, just for you.
3359317 Well thank you! I hope you continue to feel that way when you've caught up.
3360445 Thanks. My backstory idea was that around the time that they were friends with Gertrude and the other former Element bearers, there was still tension between the three pony tribes, and Celestia and Luna were the incomplete results of experiments to create ponies who embodied the traits of all three. For a long while, they each only possessed the traits of two tribes (both of them sharing unicorn heritage), but with the other bearers of the Elements disappearing or becoming unfit to wield them, the Elements of Harmony empowered them further and caused them both to become true alicorns.
Great story!!
After this story is finished, can you work on the Waking Night story?
3361319 Yep! It might take a little while, though. Once I'm done with this, I plan to finish the Rock Opera fic that shows more of the setting's backstory, then a 3-4 chapter fic detailing how this version of the Mane 6 got their cutie marks, and maybe a few slice-of-life one-shots to help flesh out the setting a little before I do Waking Night.
Okay, so Rarity was playing her own game. Glad I stuck through a few more chapters, that was a good development.
Alternate Music Choices:
I'm confused. How did Derpy's compass set all this into motion?
3755190 The compass let Twilight know that Derpy was inside, and Derpy's special talent for feeling air currents can help those inside find a structural weakness that those outside can exploit.
The youtube video on this no longer works!
4005721 Thanks for letting me know. Changed the link so it should work again.
huh it ooks like my theory that Gertrude herself is possessed by the windigoes was right...we shall see though
Welp, the final battle is at hand.... right around the time Gertrude's love shows up and drives her screaming off the Bucking Deep End! This is going to be interesting....
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It doesn’t
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Copyright strikes struck it down. It was Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song".