Celestia’s steps measured her cautiousness in the time between their clicks and clacks against the icy floor beneath her. She moved through a forest, each and every tree seemed like a great marble pillar, stretching towards the sky in pale whites. Each one, frozen in time and decorated with heavy strands of ice. Her eyes darted through the hazy white cathedral of tortured nature about her, searching for movement, wary of any ambush that might come her way,
As she came closer to the epicenter of the phenomenon that plagued her world it only grew colder. The oppressive chill spiked through her coat and stole the small pints of heat that she treasured so dearly. Regretfully, she turned some of her magic into a much needed supply of thermal relief, thus reducing her abilities if a battle were to come about. Her hoofsteps left the frozen lake behind, and the crunching of frosted grass began to haunt her steps, moving her deeper and deeper into the vengeful ice and snow that welcomed her like an old friend.
Her breath fogged her vision with every exhale, and Celestia wished she had brought far more winter wear than she had. Two scarves, she had thought, would be enough. And she had been wrong. As soon as she had come across that lake she had realized her mistake. This was far worse than a magic induced cold snap, this was stages beyond even what a family of windigos could do.
She looked up and spotted the pack of creatures that tailed her above. They may feed on negative emotions, but in a place like this they would hardly need to feed at all. It was cold enough that their own systems would be slowed down to a snail’s pace. A bastion for the despised monsters that threatened the lives of her ponies, and it had begun to chill the crops of a nearby farming village as well.
Her eyes narrowed and her gaze moved to look ahead through the blusters of white. Her steps grew heavier and the warmth of rage began to fuel her movements and tiny flickers of red danced on the edges of her mane. She stepped forward with even greater determination and the snow seemed to bend to her will, clearing away in front of her and revealing a dirt path, the one she had started to follow into this treacherous world in the first place.
She spotted a clearing up ahead, where the pillars of ice surrendered their hold on the world and gave room to breathe. She, however, didn’t expect to be resting here, and the black silhouette against the blindingly bright world confirmed her suspicions, she had reached her destination. She stepped forward until the figure shuffled and took notice of her, then she stopped.
“I have come to inform you!” The royal canterlot voice pierced straight through the hallowing winds and shook the ground with it’s force, making itself well heard. “That you have intruded onto my territory, and as such I would like to ask you to leave! Should you decline this offer I will be forced to remove you by any means!”
The thing didn’t seem to register the words for several minutes. Then, she heard another deep voice reverberate back to her through the hail. It didn’t seem to amplify itself by magic though, rather it used the frozen moisture in the air to achieve much the same effect. “Go away.”
This return shocked the princess as, despite it’s violent volume, it still came across as dull and unintrigued. She narrowed her eyes once again and formed her magic into a powerful blade. “Then you have been warned.” She didn’t bother amplifying this message, as the creature was already unslinging some kind of weapon across it’s back, having no doubt understood her actions.
Celestia charged the creature, but it merely remained where it was. As she closed the distance she realized that her opponent appeared to be bipedal. Giving her a hazy idea of the battle to come. The creature didn’t appear to move, it’s muscles didn’t seem to tense, it merely stood there with some kind of cape flapping in the breeze.
With only a short distance between them Celestia lunged forward and brought her blade around in a curving slash, aimed at his side. He brought his own weapon up and blocked the attack, the light from the hit illuminating his face and showing an odd landscape of laugh lines that seemed to have long ago been abandoned, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it as the light was gone within a few instances.
With adeptness only possible through her practiced magic she quickly lined up a lunge at his torso, and he dodged it with ease. Trying to grasp the advantage of surprise she launched another lunge at him, but she didn’t notice that even as he had dodged he brought his sword in tight. He blocked this blow easily and launched her attack off to the side with a burst of strength.
Celestia found herself incredibly open and she certainly expected a counter as she struggled to gain control of her whirling blade. The world slowed down for her, the adrenaline seeming to pause everything but her mind. And her eyes remained on her foe, who merely watched her stumble and trip about, all the while with his blade at rest by his side. Clearly deciding not to strike at her while she was vulnerable.
It was only a second before Celestia was in complete control of her weapon again, but so much had happened in that second that she was forced to pause and think about what had occurred. He glared back at her from beneath his black attire, not making a noise or a movement. “...why?”
“Go.” He started, sheathing his sword powerfully. “Away.” His gaze was as icy as the weather and his eyes chilled Celestia’s spine.
Celestia let her sword melt away into the cold air and she returned his look. “Your ice is invading a nearby farm village.” The solar princess said, realizing that even if this creature didn’t want to assist her, it deserved the right to explain itself. She realized her flawed logic now, that the creature was simply malign, but perhaps it didn’t know.
“If you find me a wider area that I can go to, I will relocate. If, however, it’s a choice between me and them, I’m sick and tired of choosing other people and screwing myself over in the process.”
“There is a tundra I know of that you could go to, if you would be willing. I could arrange a train for you even, if you needed it.”
He shook his head. “Won’t work, the wheels will lock up from ice. I would need to walk there, and if you provide the supplies and direction I will gladly make the trip. Merely a little food should keep me nourished.” His voice had collapsed from icy to slightly understanding.
“I see, I could go about the gathering of supplies for you with little difficulty.”
“That would be much appreciated.”
A silence hung over the duo and Celestia wanted to apologize for her rushed beliefs, but his eyes seemed to say that he already knew. After a moment that was held entirely by the whipping winds he bent down and reached into a nearby snow bank. From within he pulled out a large ball of ice and held it in his palm. He crushed it with both his hands, shavings of ice breaking away from his hands as he brought them closer and closer to each other.
He pulled his hands apart and revealed a small collection of ice, about the size of a ruby, which he held out to Celestia like an offering. She levitated it from him and brought it close to her, her magic analysing the odd thing before her. It held some kind of void within it, but Celestia was puzzled as to what the void was for, until she brought it close to her fur. She felt the cold leave the air around her, felt it flowing into the strange thing.
“A show of good will.” He stated, and then sat down on the ground, mimicking the exact pose he had been in before her arrival.
Celestia nodded, and made her way back to the village.
A sack was slung across Celestia’s side, decorated with thick fur produced from the donations of the buffalo tribes that would often share good will offerings, which would be met in return with gifts from the ponies themselves. It was more of a trade exchange in all fairness but that would bring up all sorts of issues with zoning rules and so the solar princess was content with calling them ‘mutual gifts’ and being done with it.
Speaking of mutual gifts, the sack carried with it healing salves from Zecora. A zebra that had taken up house in the Everfree and proved to be adept with plants, and she didn’t mind sharing this talent with the ponies who lived not far away from her. Aside from that there were several apples and various other fruits, donated by the apple family of Sweet Apple Acres. Aside from this the scarf the fluttered around the princess’s neck was the last gift and was, quite simply, breathtaking. Not to mention that it had masterfully woven in the ice gem among the stylish swirl of colors. It was a masterwork, to say the least, and proved once again Rarity’s impeccable taste.
All in all it was quite a step further than Celestia had expected her student to go to when asked for a travel pack, but in hindsight she probably should’ve been happy that Twilight didn’t send along an entire sack of books for reading during the trip. She smiled to herself at that, not meaning to laugh at Twilight behind her back. She was quite the powerful unicorn, certainly, she just sometimes let her own work get out of hand sometimes.
Celestia looked at the icy world around her, the gem near her neck making this journey much easier than the first had been. She reached her destination in about half the time, and began to look for the black silhouette that should’ve been somewhere in the clearing. She walked around in search for it for a while before she came across a nearby cave, a warm fire light licking the walls inside it.
Ducking her head for easier entry Celestia slid into the maw of stone and ice silently, unsure if the person she seeked would be present in here. Her attempts at stealth were ruined however when a gasp stole it’s way out from between her lips. Before her, against the walls, were large slabs of meat, each one held in preservation by the cold.
She had, of course, been among carnivores before. And her gasp was more one of amazement than of horror. Ice magic was held by very few ponies, and even fewer races outside of ponies used magic at all. Thus, any form of preservation of meat was rare and hard to come across. This, however, was leaps and bounds beyond what had been developed anywhere else. It could no doubt keep the meat for extended periods of time, perhaps for upwards of several months.
A shuffle turned her attention around to see the source, and she spotted the familiar black outline of her new acquaintance. “My apologies. I’d been hoping to be done in here before you arrived.”
“It is no problem, I’m not new to the idea that some species require meat in their diet.”
“I don’t require it.” He stated simply, opening his mouth wide and throwing back his hood to give her a better view. Celestia looked at his teeth and realized immediately the signs of an omnivorous creature. “But it’s the only thing that I can keep on hand.” he continued, his mouth going back it’s normal motions. “Fruits and vegtables get torn apart by the ice crystals and lose all good taste and a lot of their nutrition. So I’m limited almost strictly to meat.” He pulled a dark strip of said material from his pocket and showed it to her. “And even then it’s mostly only jerky, because keeping the meat warm is extremely difficult.”
“Jerky?” Celestia asked, unfamiliar with the term.
“Dried meat with spices.” He answered. He cut the conversation as Celestia’s face was covered in understanding. “I was thinking about what to do with this supply.” He said as he started his new subject, “but you know this area better than I do, would it be better to leave the meat here for scavengers or is there something else that you can think of?”
“The latter would be our best bet I think, as it would prove too cumbersome to move. I’ll make sure to keep an eye on this area for the next few months to insure that it doesn’t become too heavy with predators.”
He nodded in return and made his way out of the cave, Celestia following close behind. He seemed to be adept at self dependence, able to supply his own set of food using what very little he had on hand, but Celestia worried that it had been due to no other choices being available, as he didn’t seem particularly fond of his own skill. Celestia found herself about to run into him at the exit of the cave and quickly moved around to his side, following his gaze to the sky to see what held it there.
“So, what direction am I heading off in?” He said at last, removing his eyes from the swirling clouds up above. “Unless of course you brought a map.”
“Actually,” Celestia said, her tone kind. “I intended to escort you there myself, as to ensure you don’t get lost.” He didn’t answer the statement, and turned his head away in response instead, so Celestia decided to add an addendum. “Unless you’d prefer if I didn’t of course, then I will pass you the map and let you on your way.”
He seemed to contemplate his choices for a while, the icy chill blustering through his clothes in steady waves. “No, it’s fine. Go ahead and lead the way.” He said at last, turning to face her again. “But I won’t be able to provide anything should you need it, so you’d best make sure you’re completely packed.”
“I have, I assure you.”
“Good, I’d hate to have to watch you die.” He said with a plain tone, shocking Celestia. He shoved slightly past her with half lidded eyes, his face in a mild frown. “I assume this is our first bearing then?” His eyes gazed emptily towards the horizon. Celestia drew the map from her sack and glanced at it, comparing the layout with the sun’s location.
“Yes.”
“Then let’s move on shall we? The sooner we get out of here the sooner you can forget about me.” His voice was strange while he spoke these words, an unidentifiable inflection dancing over them, taunting the solar princess with some kind of deeper meaning, one that seemed just out of reach.
“If that’s what you want.”
His only response was a nod and after a jolt of hesitation passed through them both, they set off on their way.
When Celestia awoke she wasn’t where she had fallen asleep, nor was she in the same position she had been. She was fairly certain of this deduction, as she couldn’t recall falling asleep tied to a large stone spire that jutted forth from the ground just high enough that she couldn’t reach the ground with her hind legs. Her eyes snapped around, looking for the culprit, a building anger that she might have been betrayed by the biped she had only just barely begun to trust.
However, what she saw instead, was another captive of this unknown villain. “Daring Do…” Celestia’s voice dwindled as she looked at the grey and brown mare who had been bound tightly by Snakevine only a few paces away, tight and taut and utterly unbreakable without a blade. Celestia was bound by the same material, and a void ring hung loosely around her horn, crippling her magic significantly.
“Sorry Celestia. Seems he finally caught me, didn’t expect him to get you too though.” They smiled to each other, they’d met before, multiple times. This part of Equestria was sort of ‘loaned’ to the author/adventurer, in the sense that as long as it was kept safe she didn’t need to worry about any of the more ‘civilized’ handicaps that she might experience if she had her home anywhere else.
Not to mention the tax exemptions.
“Well, it seems my two prize mares are finally awake.” The accent alone gave away who was speaking.
“Ahuizotl.” Celestia maintained her cool as she spoke, not even blinking as the evil doer meandered into view. “You should have told me you were planning a get together, I would have brought tea.”
A screeching laugh tore at the sky. “Oh Celestia, always the joker.” The creature said, walking a short distance to a small platform composed of rubble. Then he turned his attention to his other captive. “Tell me Daring Do, do you remember this place? It hasn’t been too long since you and that other meddling pegasus collapsed it.”
“The ruins…” Daring Do looked around and the scenery instantly struck a chord in her mind. “But why… unless…”
“Ah, yes, there’s an alternate triggering mechanism to the pyramid.” He said with a smile. “And our dear princess here is the key. I merely have to wait until the perfect time, and it’ll activate the latent powers of the sun bearer. And, unfortunately for her, she can’t stop it now, not with that pretty little ring on her horn.” He laughed again, treasuring this moment.
Celestia, meanwhile, didn’t bother to care about his plot. She would find a way to solve this tight situation in a moment, somehow, but right now she needed to know something before she broke out and chased Ahuizotl into the forests. “Where is the creature who was travelling with me?”
Ahuizotl turned to face her, confusion covering his face. “What creat- OH!” He smiled evilly, “You’ll have to do better than that to trick me Celestia. You were alone when you were captured, I saw to that myself. Sleeping in the forest is so unlike you your highness, what were you thinking? I was expecting at least a guard, but there wasn’t even any kind of obstacle.”
Celestia’s mind whirled, where had he gone to then? Had he simply sat by and watched her be captured by this monster? Why? That didn’t seem to match his personality at all. Celestia’s mind tripped on it’s own thought process suddenly and she realized she didn’t know his personality past not caring. Letting her get captured would actually fit in perfectly with what she knew of him.
“Ahuizotl, sir!” All three turned their heads to see the approaching stallion, sweat pouring over his features. “There’s a-” He was stopped as a chill bit into the air, causing the stallion to beat a hasty retreat in the opposite direction of where he had come from. Ahuizotl followed the retreat with his eyes for a moment before he turned his attention to what the minion had fled from, and was greeted with the sight of a biped cresting the small hillock.
He approached steadily until he was within shouting distance, each step bringing a rage to Ahuizotl’s face. “Go away.” Came to rolling commanding tone, mimicing the one Celestia had first heard when she’d met the biped. Daring Do looked to Celestia in confusion but when she saw the gleam of muffled hope in the princess’s eyes, she looked back towards him with the growing feeling to cheer him on.
“Go away?” Ahuizotl said, his accent digging into the ears of those around him, just as it always did. “I was here first, you can’t tell me to go away.”
“I just did though.” The biped blinked once and his eyes took on the appearance of ice itself. “Now go away.”
Ahuizotl looked on unamused. Then snapped his fingers. Wolves and tigers lunged forth from seemingly nowhere and jumped at the biped. Each one landed a square hit on him due to their surprise attack, then they retreated to the sides of their master. Torn clothes dangled uselessly and heavy breathing covered the air. Another snap and the cats took another chunk out of him, streams of blood freezing to his skin in the cold temperature around him. Ahuizotl began to laugh in victory and both captured mares looked on in fear.
Suddenly, Celestia looked to the sky and began to scream bloody murder, her voice tearing the landscape itself around her. She glowed yellow and the tempature began to rise in the area, as if a bonfire had been lit. “About time.” Ahuizotl stated simply, but was suddenly hit across the back of the head by a spike of ice.
He stumbled from the blow and looked at his aggressor. The biped stood tall once again, his wounds now covered with slabs of ice. He opened his mouth and let out an exhale, a cloud of ice instead of air and a tongue covered in frost. “Enough.” The words themselves chilled the ground in front of him, and he took a step forward. Ahuizotl snapped his fingers again, only for his cats to be picked up and tossed several feet away by a sudden icy gust.
He looked fearfully at the biped and began to run, only to slip on a slick of ice that had formed beneath him, as if spiting the heat by it’s presence alone. A sharp smack knocked him out black, a large slab of ice landing square on his skull. The biped continued his approach, brushing his hands together, causing snowflakes to drift from his grip.
The Snakevine had died under the stress of such drastic weather conditions, freeing Daring Do from her prison. She watched as he stood in front of the screaming Celestia, a look of utter apathy on his features. Tears ran down the princess’s face from the pain of whatever was happening to her, but he only watched, unmoved.
“Help… Me…” She managed past her pain. He stood still.
“Why should I?”
“Please…”
He looked at her with half lidded eyes, ice had begun to clot around his arms, turning them into large clubs. “And if I say no?”
“...Please.”
“Please.” Daring Do spoke up, and the biped looked back at her. “Save her, if you can. Please.”
Then, the world became a blizzard, and no one could see anything at all.
Upon awakening Celestia was happy to discover that, for the second time in a row, she was not in the same place she had fallen asleep. However a second niggling feeling lurked in her emotions like a leech, destroying her groggy morning feeling with it's presence alone. Disgusting and slimy and utterly impossible to fully grasp it was a worry that bite into her happiness suddenly and took all of it away from her, leaving her full of nothing but fear.
She shivered under the mysterious blankets that lay over her, though she was more than warm, she was boiling. The floorboards around her felt cool even without touching them, like a spring morning on a temperate farmstead. Above her she could see the roof of the room, leaning into the middle and forming the shelter. It didn’t take her long to realize she was in some kind of attic. But, out of everything, the mattress she rested on was extremely out of place, certainly not one to be stored away.
It’d been a long time since Celestia had been in a place of weakness like this. No comfort, no knowledge of what was going on, utterly alone in this terrifying experience. She looked to her side and saw Daring Do, though her head was now wrapped tightly with bandages, some unknown wound having dyed them red, she was out cold and seemed to be sleeping horribly, fighting and struggling with something in her nightmares.
Her fret grew and climaxed at the sight, her entire set of mental statutes collapsing horribly under a weight she hadn’t been prepared to bear. Her magic was gone, not her unicorn magic, that was still there. But HER magic was gone, the deep seated magic that flowed through her very being and gave her the power to control the sun. It was no longer there, and she felt empty without it, she merely hoped it would one day return.
“S-s-s-so,” Celestia looked to voice immediately, her head snapping to face it. She saw the biped huddled in multiple blankets, his teeth chattering like he was in full exposure to the elements. She glared at him in anger, readying her muscles to attack if he tried anything. He clenched his teeth to gain control of his voice and continued speaking. “Am I a hero, or a villain?”
She stared at him in answer, and he continued to shake like a leaf, a steady half lidded glare on his face despite his horrible affliction. “Neither.” She answered coldly, and he merely stared back with that same look on his features. “Why are you shaking?” The words held no worry for his well being, barely even curiosity, it was closer to something you would ask someone who never does something without a purpose.
“I’m c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c,” He swung his fist angrily into the wall and bit his tongue in a fit of anger. With a deep breath, he started again. “Containing it.” Celestia was about to ask why when she heard hoofsteps approaching from nearby, no doubt summoned by the sound of the attack on the wood supports. Turning her head, Celestia saw the entrance to the attic, a small hatch in the floor towards the corner. It wasn’t but a minute until two ponies, a married couple by the looks, arrived on the scene.
Immediately they looked at their fair princess, approaching her quickly with crippling worry on their faces. She was bombarded with questions immediately, all of them directed to her current state. Was she hungry, did she need any medical attention, where did it hurt, what about water, did she need water? Each question beat against her skull, a migrane growing in her brain with each passing second.
When she spotted the biped standing from his position she had a brief flickering hope that he might make them stopped, but she killed that hope as soon as it was kindled, knowing he wouldn’t. Indeed, he merely walked behind the couple, as if they didn’t know he was there at all. He was about to head down the hatch when he stopped. “Is there still hot cocoa in the kitchen?”
The mare looked to him, as if only just realizing it was not only her and her husband in the room with the princess. She was shell shocked by the question, being drug out of her dream land by something as mundane as hot cocoa. “No.” She answered at last. “I think you finished it off yesterday.”
He nodded. “I’ll go g-g-g-get some more from the market, then.”
“Thank you, James.” She nodded, but it wasn't too long before she turned away from him and put all her attention on Celestia once again.
He went to the wall near the hatch and reached into the, nigh-invisible, bag that Celestia had brought along at the start of their journey, pulling a handful of bits from the bottom. Then without a word he exited down the hatch and out of sight. By the time he had gone Celestia was once again being bombarded by questions, but none of them reached her ears, she was still somewhat out of it.
“He told you his name?” Celestia cut in, surprised that he would give the information to this couple but not to her.
“Well yea, conversation just sorta drifted there one day when we were talkin’. Why?” The husband said, looking back at the hatch with a look of confusion on his face.
“How did you get it out of him?”
“Nothin’ special princess, we just asked him is all.” He answered pretty quickly with a good natured smile on his face.
Celestia paused, realizing she had never really tried to connect with him. She had expected him to start the conversations, something she had grown used to as princess. He never had though, so Celestia had assumed he kept everything secret. She marveled at how disconnected she had become, somewhat ashamed of her actions. But that feeling of shame was cut short when she recalled that he had almost let her die.
“Yea, it must been a few days after he hauled you both into town on his shoulders, shiverin’ like a fool. Yea, I reckon it couldn’t a been too long after that. Figured we'd give him a place to rest the two of ya, since he was kind enough to save ya from whatever had happened to ya.” The husband continued, indicating Daring Do with a hoof, and feeling the need to fill the silence that had elapsed while Celestia fell into her thoughts. She looked at her hosts and then back to the hatch, unsure what to think anymore.
A moan escaped Daring Do, as if awakening to the sound of her name being spoken. “Oh poor dear.” Said the mare, clicking her tongue, “She needs her bandages changed again no doubt, I hope James gets back soon, he doesn’t like it when we try and do it.”
She moaned again and the muffled sound of a closing door echoed through the building. It wasn’t long before James came back into the room with a steaming cup of hot cocoa boiling in his hands. His shivers had noticeably declined. He looked over to Daring Do who struggled in her sleep. “Alright both of you. I’m going to need you to leave, I know you have a lot of questions for the princess, but both these mares need their sleep.”
The couple agreed and filed out of the room shortly, raising the attic entrance as they left. Celestia remained in silence as James took a roll of bandages from her bag on the wall and carefully undid those already around Daring’s head. He washed a gash that ran along the side of her skull, then bound a new set of bandages over it, his own face cold and uncaring as he did so, occasionally stopping to drink some of his hot cocoa.
When he finished he looked at Celestia coldly, then knocked lightly on the hatch until it opened. He exited easily and closed it behind him, leaving them alone in the attic.
For the second time in barely anytime at all, Celestia was completely clueless what to make of the man.
It’d been a busy hectic day by the time Celestia managed to get back to her bed in the attic. She’d gone down into the main building when she heard the door close. She had met up with the mare of the house fast enough and was informed that it had been James who had left just then. Holding back a sigh of relief she offered a smile to the mare who gave one of her own, tainted by worry though it was. She was quick to tell Celestia that James would be mad when he found out she’d left her bed, but while she had been fast to tell this information she hadn’t been particularly stern about it and Celestia had managed to reconcile the mare’s fears and be let into the rest of the house proper.
It wasn’t long before the mare’s words proved true and on James’ return he gave Celestia a very disapproving look, but he’d kept silent and gone to check on Daring Do by himself. Celestia had spent the better part of the day learning what she could about where they were. The town name, Clydesburg, struck a chord in her memory, but she couldn’t recall anything about the surrounding area, only where they were in relation to Canterlot.
At one point, Celestia had been told, the area had been a thick forest of solid oak trees that stood impossibly close to each other. And, to some extent, it still was. When the ponies had settled into their small town they had cleared as few trees as they could. It had been considered, briefly, to make the trees hollow, but had been decided against due to impracticality and inconvenience. So they had normal basic houses, with large trees surrounding most of the buildings on all sides.
Other than that fact though, this town was much like any other, produce farms where they could manage, milk, eggs, the basics of a self sustaining town not much else to it. Occasionally something big would happen to stir up the rumor mill, but nothing was even on the same scale as having Celestia come to visit unexpectedly.
From there it had devolved into a conversation mostly situated around the solar princess, and when the husband came back from his job he had joined in on it. Both of them jumping from question to unrelated question about what Canterlot was like, about why Celestia had been out cold when she had been carried to town, about how things were in the rest of Equestria. Until, at last the sun was low enough in the sky, thanks to Luna’s careful vigilance, that she could cut the conversation short with a smile and a ‘thank you’.
She rose from the chair that she had been in all afternoon and had made her way back to the ladder to the attic, reassuring the couple that she could manage it on her own. When she was out of sight of them however, she found she couldn’t. Her legs began to burn horribly and she stumbled, her entire royal demeanor dying in a flash. Agony attacked her and she managed to keep it at bay, fighting back the urge to sneer and exclaim.
The clang of the door to the attic reverberated and Celestia raised a pained glance towards it. Watching James as he looked at her emptily. He looked her over but didn’t say anything, even though Celestia knew very well this was because she had left her bed when she wasn’t fully healed. He held the trap door for a moment, then attached the string to a hook on the wall, locking it in place.
He walked past Celestia, not sparing her another glance, and spoke idly as he passed. “Good night, Celestia.” She didn’t turn to see where he went. She forced her burning muscles up the trapdoor and to her bed, where she collapsed in exasperation. As the burning slowly died away she looked to Daring Do, who’s long bandage had been replaced with merely a band-aid. She was happy that she was getting better, but couldn’t quite process anything else as the darkness encroached on her.
The last thing she heard was the trapdoor clicking into place, someone having unhooked it from the wall.
Her dreams were locked in ice, but these were subconscious thoughts, and as much as she would have loved to blame it on James she knew it hadn’t been him or his influence that put them there. If it had been then it would mark the first time that Celestia’s dreams actually meant something, and that had always been Luna’s domain.
Luna was the better half of the two of them. She knew tools and tricks that could help them out in even the worst circumstance. Celestia was the one who dealt with other ponies, an area of life that Luna avoided at all costs. That was what made the sisters so feared. It wasn’t the immortality, or the magic they held, it was that when they both stood against something, that something would stop.
Celestia only had a moment to think about this when she felt a ripple of magic pierce her mind. Something she had been waiting for ever since she had reached this limbo in between waking and sleep. This was the realm of dreams, specifically the part of the realm that Celestia held in her mind, something that was not unique in the slightest. Every pony held a piece of this realm, a piece unique to them, like a great garden that spanned from mind to mind. One pony might take care of the tulips and another of the roses and another and another for infinity.
And Celestia was about to meet the landlord.
The darkness in the air seemed to go taut, spinning in on itself like a roiling ball of destruction, but then it split and a black mare descended from it, her mane and tail flowing like great strips of starlight, both reflecting the night sky in perfect detail. She landed softly on the ice below her, causing it to crack. When her full weight was released onto it the ice shattered completely and the ground fell away, replacing the scene with specks of white.
Admist them all Celestia could see her, the Lady in her kingdom. And she was crying.
“Celestia!” Luna cried, closing the distance easily and wrapping her in dark blue wings of sisterly love. Celestia returned the gesture, a happy, gentle smile on her face.
“Luna. I’ve missed you so.” Celestia said, letting all her fake nobility melt away into pure care. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get in contact with you sooner. Things came up.”
“Did that creature betray you?” Luna’s eyes lit up with fire. “I swear I will hunt him down-”
“No, Luna, it wasn’t him. Not entirely.” The fire died slowly and Celestia knew she was waiting for an answer. “Ahuizotl ambushed me. He planned to use me in some ritual to bring about a searing heat wave.”
“But Miss Daring saved you, correct sister?”
“No Luna, he had captured her as well. No, James saved me.”
“James?”
“That’s the name of the strange creature Luna, I just found it out recently myself.” Celestia was omitting several things on purpose as she brought this up, some due to shame, some to protect Luna, some to protect James. The last thing Equestria needed was Luna flying halfway across the continent to fight a powerful mage who hadn’t openly attacked them nor appeared to have any intent to.
“Unfortunately, he was late in doing so, and Sol was stripped from me,” Celestia continued. They had long ago nicknamed their inherent spiritual magic, so as to easily describe what to other ponies would be nigh indescribable. “I am in Clydesburg at the moment, recovering, and I hope to have it back by the end of the month. But Luna, I need to ask you a large favor.” She looked to her sister, who merely nodded in response. “I need you to watch over Equestria in my absence, can you do that for me?”
“Of course sister, I look forward to your speedy return.” Luna said with a smile.
“Thank you Luna.”
“I should leave so you can go into a true sleep, you’ll need as much energy as you can get in the coming days it seems. If you need to contact me, just call out to me in your dreams, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Of course Luna, thank you again, I can’t ever repay you for this.”
“Silly Celly, you don’t repay a sister.” Luna blew a raspberry then and Celestia broke into a laugh moments before she fell into a normal sleep pattern.
Outside of Celestia’s mind, a dark purple cloud floated nearby and a strange otherworldly laugh filled the air. “Master Sombra will want to hear about this.” It said to itself before making it’s way to a nearby window. Just before it passed the threshold a burst of icy air shot forth from the shadows, encapsulating the strange thing in water crystals.
It fell to the ground, now more solid then gas, and began to shout and yell, all of which was muffled by it’s new cold shell. A face leaned into the moonlight from the darkness and picked up the orb. “You… look interesting.” It said idly, tapping the glass and listening to the echo. “Very… interesting.”
Celestia found herself staring at the ceiling, only mere moments before a shaking crash echoed throughout the building, kicking her fully out of her peaceful sleep with abrupt force. She forced herself from her bed, body aching, and managed to get herself on her hooves, despite her bones screaming for rest. She glanced to her side and saw Daring Do, eyes wide awake, staring at the ceiling in absolute fear.
“Daring. Are you okay?” The alicorn stepped closer so that she would be in eyesight of her downed friend, to let her know she was there.
“Celestia?” She blinked and her pupils turned to look closer at the blur of white against the dark background. “Oh thank goodness you’re here Celestia. We have to get out of here.” Her words seemed manic and feverish. “The biped, he’s evil, we have to get back to Canterlot. Can’t stay. Can’t stay.” She tried to lift herself out of the bed, but stumbled back in as a sudden sharp noise pierced through the walls from outside and cut through the air.
Daring Do fell back into the bed and looked into the air, her eyes all but pinpoints against a white background. She didn’t say anything else, and after a moment her eyes closed and she fell into a worrisome sleep once more.
As Celestia’s eyes grew more accustomed to the darkness of this attic at night she noticed an object that hadn’t been there before. On closer inspection, she realized it was a bucket of ice water with a washcloth drowning inside of it. Taking the tools that had been left, and having a fair knowledge of who most likely left them there, Celestia took the washcloth and wiped the feverish sweats from Daring’s forehead with a practiced hoof.
After she had done so twice she looked outside once again, still curious as to what the sound was that had awoken her and Daring. Glancing at her patient she saw that she was indeed doing better, a light smile had formed on her lips and she was snuggling into the blankets like she had met an old friend.
Careful not to cause any undue noise, Celestia made her way downstairs and outside of the small building. As she passed the threshold she noticed a path of frost that had formed some time before, but seemed to persist in spite of the temperate weather. Heart sinking, Celestia followed the trail, already knowing to whom it would lead.
The trail weaved in between trees, and occasionally against one, where it would leave a five fingered impression against the tree bark. Still she followed, now growing slightly worried about finding her way back should the path disappear. Eventually she came to a small clearing and she saw something that chilled her blood.
A large ice spike shot out of the ground, soaring higher than any of the nearby trees. And nearby were other smaller spikes that seemed to corral towards the larger one. And there, in front of all the frozen chaos, was the biped, arms folded in front of himself, but shivers not to be seen.
Celestia took a step closer, but her hoof caused a small crack on the frost that, she now saw, had covered every inch of grass in the area. James turned to face her, and Celestia found herself far more surprised than she’d been in a long time. His eyes were giving off a chilling stream of magic to either side of his face, purple and green, and bags had formed under his eyes, as if from lack of sleep.
“I’m sorry Celestia. I… I can’t… I thought I could keep the magic to myself, but I can’t. I can’t do it anymore. It’s all gonna end in a tragedy, just like before, just like before. I’m sorry.” He looked at her to make sure she understood his words, than continued. “I need to die, I need you to kill me, I can’t do this again, not again. I don’t want to do it again.”
Suddenly he collapsed to his knees and placed his hands over his ears, as if to block out some sound, though all Celestia heard was crickets in the distance. She knew what was happening inside his head, both because of Twilight’s notes on the matter as well as having experienced it for herself, all that time ago.
What she didn’t know, however, was what was causing it. As dramatic as it would be for Sombra to return a third time, Celestia knew he was long dead. And even if he somehow had survived, somehow had avoided death once more, he wouldn’t be showing his presence again so soon after his defeat. Especially not like this.
“James, did you pick up anything strange? Something green, purple, and wispy?”
“I’m not an idiot Celestia, I know it’s causing this, but what I don’t know is if you can handle it without falling into the same trap I did. Can you assure me I won’t simply be spreading a plague when I hand it to you?”
She couldn’t. With her solar magic she would’ve been fine, but without she didn’t know what the end result might be. She remained silent and James wrapped his hands tightly around his body, still no shivers.
She looked at the spike of ice that shot into the air. Even with the malevolent nature of the towering thing it still had a certain kind of awe to it, reflecting the moon off it’s pristine surface. Celestia hadn’t noticed when she first saw it, but the entire thing was translucent. An amazing feat even for an ice mage. Even one flaw in the ice would ruin it’s appearance, but this was absolutely pristine.
Except for… Celestia blinked and looked closer at the anomaly. It was higher up, about halfway between top and bottom, and it appeared to be a dark blue. She flapped her wings and took herself into the air until she was level with the strange thing. She backed away suddenly as she realized what it was.
“Ahuizotl…”
“He had your magic, and he channeled it fairly well, but he had nowhere near you skill with it. And the idiot thought he could fight me. I should have killed him when I had the chance. But Daring wouldn’t let me. Preservation of life or some such. I lashed out… I made a mistake… again…”
Celestia remained silent, partially to take in the information and partially in respect for James. The more she learned about him the more she grew worried that he would be able to beat her in a fight. She moved her gaze from the icy prison to James and was about to look back when she saw the reason for his arms being folded. It was in protection for his chest. From the front she hadn’t seen it with his arms in the way but from above she could see the large wound that he had, his clothes burnt away and his chest scarred with burns.
Slowly she looked back at the ice. And slowly a hole appeared, which expanded until it became a cave big enough for her to enter. She glanced at James and saw that he had placed one of his hands on the ice no doubt controlling it despite his wounds, with his magic. She moved into the cave as it formed, getting closer and closer to the villain within. The floor of the cave became flat and she found she could walk on it with no trouble whatsoever, admiring James' sculpting.
Within a minute she was there, and she saw on Ahuizotl’s chest what she had been looking for. A small golden medallion, one that had no doubt been inscribed in the pillar she had been tied to, hung about his neck and glowing faintly with her solar magic. The ice parted fully to the medallion, and Celestia quickly snagged it from his chest. She hung it around her own neck and departed the cave, the ice sealing shut behind her once again.
She glided to the ground with ease and landed behind James, who was still sealing the ice pillar shut once again. She wasn’t going to let Ahuizotl freeze in there for eternity, she was certain there was still a cell open in Tartarus for him, but before she did that she had something more important to attend to.
She took the medallion off and placed it on the ground in front of her and knelt down in front of it. She looked into the swirling pattern of magic that was just barely visible against the golden background. She admired it for a moment, as a critic might admire a piece of art, and then lowered her head until the tip of her horn connected with it.
Immediately the magic surged from the coin and into her horn, seeking the core of magic that had ignited it in the first place. Magic was loyal to it’s owner, and if given the ability would go back to them, so it wasn’t more than a few seconds later that Celestia was able to stand from her position, her magic fully returned to her.
She moved around to look at Ahuizotl, but instead her gaze fell on James, who was still trying to protect the wound on his chest, and to hide the power of nightmares that licked around his eyes, even if he wasn’t showing the pain it caused anymore it was clear it had affected him in his battle, or else he wouldn’t have been hurt at all Celestia knew.
She approached him and when she was close enough to speak to him he flinched away. “Don’t bother. I’m the villain, remember? You shouldn’t be helping me out.” He said, as if instinctively knowing her intentions.
Celestia frowned. “Come here.”
He glanced at her and she looked back with an unreadable face. Slowly, he approached her, until at last he was within arm’s reach, at which point he stopped and looked at the ground. She lowered her horn and pointed it at his face. And for a moment she let it stay there, a threat, and contemplation on Celestia’s part. But she quickly moved on to his chest.
A white glow came from her horn and wrapped him in magic, lifting him slightly into the air. The wound on his chest healed and his clothes were repaired as well. Then, finally the dark magic in his eyes disappeared. At the end of the spell, his body once more in good condition, he landed as the magic faded from him, and looked at Celestia. “That wasn’t wise.”
“It seems you’ve done far more good than evil to me James, why do you think you’re a villain? Simply because you haven’t done all the right things in your life?”
“Celestia, my mind is a confusing fickle place even to me. Every friend and ally I’ve ever had have been betrayed by my actions at least once. I give this advice if you plan to continuing to be near me. Do not trust me.”
She smiled light heartedly. “I’ll keep it in mind James. But if you plan on continuing to be near me, I have one piece of advice for you. Grow into better patterns and thoughts. Can you try that?”
“I suppose,” He reached into his pocket and pulled a small ball of ice from it, showing to Celestia that the inside was full of green and black, Celestia recognized it immediately as one of Sombra’s old scouting spells. “I suppose I can try that.”
