Getting a little nippy
Jack stumbled forward as cold wind cut into the bare flesh beneath his bathrobe. The cabin he had rented burned behind him, taking with it everything he packed save what he wore—a thin pair of pajama bottoms, a bathrobe, and slippers. They might as well have been made of tissue paper for the good they did against the cold. He wished he’d spent the five seconds to grab a proper set of shoes, a jacket, or better yet his cell phone. That would’ve ended this ordeal before it started.
It seemed like a good idea to simply walk downhill to the neighboring cabin, at least it did at the time. Just two miles away, he could see their lights from his cabin. If he moved quickly, he could get there before the sun set completely. Yet, sometime in the last half hour he had lost sight of the main path in the rapidly waning light. The burning cabin provided a decent amount of light and warmth had he chosen to stay close by. He stomped his feet in frustration and listened to the sound of a fire siren somewhere in the distance. “Stupid! STUPID! I should’ve stayed put!” He let out a frustrated cry.
Jack trudged onward down the hill. “Don't even have my phone,” he mumbled. “I would kill for a light right now.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and paused. His fingers were rapidly losing their sense of touch, but something warm brushed up against them. He moved his fingers around. There was definitely something in his pocket. He looked down and pulled out two pairs of socks.
Jack couldn’t remember owning such a pair, never mind ever placing them in his pocket, but he wasn't going to question look a gift horse in the mouth. They must have belonged to the previous guests at the cabin. Quickly sitting down on a fallen log, he slipped the first pair over his freezing toes. They were long, rolling up to his knees and a dark color that was hard to make out in the moonlight. He felt his worryingly pale feet warm up. He grinned as he put the second pair on his arms, pulling them up to under his elbows. Hopefully he’d still have his fingers after all this.
He pulled his slippers back on and stood back up, shaking snow off his clothes. The wind blew through the trees, which brought him another shiver. “Alright, just keep moving. Find a power line or something,” he whispered to himself, “And follow it back to civilization.” This became his mantra as he trudged through the forest with only the moon’s light to guide his path.
An untold amount of time later, Jack still stumbled through the snow-covered forest without any signs of civilization. The warmth the socks had brought had largely left him, but the painful chill had yet to work its way back in. The same could not be said for the rest of him, the robe and pajamas proving less and less suited to keeping the rest of him warm in the dark of the night.
Despite the ground leveling out a while back, cold had seeped into his knees, making walking more difficult. Wind worked its way under his clothes through any opening it could. His face stung with each flurry of snow. His thin slippers did nothing to protect his feet from the countless hidden rocks and roots scattered on the forest floor. Ultimately he stepped on a fallen branch, the jagged wood easily piercing the cloth.
Pain lanced up his leg as he fell into a snow covered bush. It was tempting to simply lay there and simply fall asleep, but he forced himself back up as he slowly pulled himself from the branches of the bush, wincing at the many cuts and scrapes. Already the multitude of tears and rips in his inadequate clothing let in more frigid air. Additionally, no small amount of snow had gotten into his clothing, and was already melting against his skin. “Just… stand up. Don’t need to be steady. Just get out of the snow.”
Groaning, he planted one sock-covered hand on the ground, and then another. With a push, he propped himself upright, and stumbled until he caught his balance. Simply getting off the ground made him feel warmer. “Good, good,” he said to himself. A few swipes with his sock covered arm knocked off some snow that had gotten stuck in his beard.“I guess me being too lazy to shave might save me here.” His voice was strained and cracking, but it was preferable to the silence of the forest around him.
Taking a look around to see if he was alone, and then feeling silly for being concerned with modesty at a time like this, he clumsily undid the knot on the robe before flapping it out. His choice in doing so was vindicated when a few large clumps of ice and snow fell onto the ground.
As he pulled the robe back on, he saw something that made his heart skip a beat. A growing line of darkness crept out from under the socks on his arms. Straining his eyes in the dim light, he rubbed his arms against each other. “No no no…” Jack desperately tried to peel off one sock, but his hands were too stiff to be of use. Growing desperate, he grabbed the edge of a sock with his teeth and tugged. He tugged until he felt the pulling of a thousand hairs. “Christ, did it freeze to my arm already?” Numbly, he used his lips to try and feel the edge of the sock, and sure enough, his arm felt much hairier than before.
“This can't be frostbite, can it? I can still feel pain. That’s a good sign, right?” Jack shook his head. “Just keep moving. Just get to the Forester's cabin.” Jack pulled the rest of the robe on. Trudging forward, he tried to retie the knot but with his immobile fingers it was just not happening.
The wind picked up as he trudged through the woods. The ground had completely leveled off, and he knew he was somewhere near the main road, but had no idea which direction to head in. Snow kicked up by the winds made visibility near zero. It was all he could do but lean down to try and see just a few feet in front of him. The thought that he was simply walking in circles popped into his mind, and nagged him with every step. He hadn't come across his own tracks, but with the amount of snow and wind that didn't mean much.
Jack’s heart leapt as he reached the edge of the woods and came across a low stone wall. Propping himself up, he tried to pick out any structure he could. Off in the distance, he could see the dark form of a building.
Jack smiled at the sight. He shuffled along the wall with renewed vigor as he searched for a gate. With every moment he grew more and more impatient as the shelter grew closer without any gate to go through. Frustration grew until he finally realized he could vault the waist high wall.
On a count of three, he pushed himself over the wall. His foot caught and he was sent tumbling to the ground. He hissed as his head hit a hidden rock. Curled up in pain, he could feel the blood trickling down the back of his head and onto the ground. Eyes watering, the blood felt boiling hot against his cold skin. A wave of dizziness washed over him. “No,” he whispered. “Not like this.” He rolled onto stomach and sat there, curled up with his hands behind his head. He cried a bit from the stinging. Taking a few steps to steel himself, he pushed off again. However he was unable to stand up fully again. Every time he tried to go up to both feet, the dizziness returned with a vengeance.
Forced to crawl on his arms and legs, he looked for the building he’d been looking for. Jack let out a sigh of relief as he spotted the shadow. At least he was on the right side of the wall.
Blood trickled down his neck as he trudged forward. Every few steps a droplet landed on the snow, marking his path like breadcrumbs. Still, he powered through, confident that once he got to that building he would be safe. Despite how his head felt, despite how he couldn't feel his toes, despite the fact that there were no lights on in the building. Jack just pushed all of those thoughts out of his head just to keep moving forward. “Just a few more yards. Then I’ll rest.” He told himself. His steps were becoming easier with his excitement. Even the deepening snow barely deterred him as he homed in on his target. He’d even started to pant a bit as he finally got close enough to the building to make it out clearly.
That was when he stopped. It was a barn, and an old one at that. A classical wood barn, with gaps between the wall slats so wide he could’ve stuck a finger through them. Jack craned his neck to look around. No farmhouse refurbished into a modern home. No modern metal pre-fab building to house livestock in heated comfort. No snow covered car that he’d be willing to break into just to attract the attention. Just a wooden building that was old when his parents were born.
Jack stood there, tearing up again. This time it was in frustration. Still he walked around the outside of the barn until he found the large creaking doors. He'd been surprised that they were still on their hinges if his primary thought process wasn’t “Any port in a storm”. With a shove, he swung the doors open. Despite everything, the walls blocked enough wind to take the edge off the cold. A quick search did not reveal a magical telephone connection, or even an old iron stove. Just some frozen straw and some old style oil lamps that he had no ways of lighting.
Jack fell asleep in that barn. He was simply too spent physically and emotionally to push on further. After laying down some of the straw on the ground, avoiding some small snow drifts, he curled up in the corner of a stall, where it was slightly warmer. Even as he watched snowflakes dance through the air, he drifted off to sleep.
Door hinges creaked and cast bright light over Jack. He whimpered and turned his head. He could feel a layer of snow covering him. His vision was pure white, but enough sunlight seeped in to tell him that it was morning, and that against all odds he was still alive. Additionally, he could hear people walking around nearby, and from the sounds of it there were a lot of them.
“Hey, I think I found somepony.”
Jack stirred, arms and legs and neck sore from sleeping on the cold ground. The footsteps grew closer and faster. Jack was cold but knowing someone was there with him helped. Struggling to move, Jack found himself rolling around without much success. His robe seemed to tangle him up as he squirmed towards the voices, and his eyes were too sensitive to open.
Thankfully his rescuer hurried over to him. A wave of joy went through him as a jacketed arm brushed up against his cheek. “Hey, easy there,” said his rescuer. Still, Jack was so glad to see another day that he didn’t care when his arm was roughly tugged on. There was no way that this moment could be spoiled. He was alive, warming up, and most importantly he was rescued.
He broke into a sob.“Thank you so much!” Jack paused as something clicked in his brain. His voice sounded different. Much higher pitched, like a little kid.
Still letting his eyes adjust, one of his rescuers said something that caught his attention. “Somepony get me a blanket.”
‘Somepony’? What the heck did they mean by that?
Jack let out a surprised squeak as massive arms enveloped him in a blanket and pulled him into a bear hug. “Shhh, it’s ok little one.” With a final few blinks of his eyes Jack finally adjusted enough to make out his surroundings. Mere inches from him was a face with giant eyes. He jumped back in surprise but between the blanket and the arms holding him, his attempts to escape failed. If anything they held him more firmly as his eyes darted around. To the sides of the massive face he saw what looked like little horses in medieval armor. The one holding him was also a horse in similar armor. Its yellow fur was no color found in nature.
Jack felt his ears flop back as he struggled to process this new information. “What?” Not the most intelligent statements but it would have to do.
He felt an arm unwrap from his back and run down the back of his head. It relaxed him, but his mind still raced as he worked to wrap his head around what was going on. His thoughts were interrupted a sudden face full of fur as the one holding him brought him in for a tighter hug.
Jack couldn't help but feel that his face felt longer as the stroking continued, pushed into his hugger’s fur as it was. “It’s okay, little one. You’re safe now.” Jack immediately pegged it as a man’s voice, but he couldn't quite wrap his mind around the fact that it seemed to be coming from the horse that was hugging him.
Jack was enveloped in warmth as he was lifted off the ground, a pale orange glow filling his vision. After so long being numb, he was still recovering from the pins and needles feeling in all his legs. He shook his head out, the realization hitting him like a brick. He could feel his entire body. Four legs. A tail. Large ears. Jack found himself shivering despite the extra warmth. “W-what happened?” he squeaked out, tears already forming in his eyes.
Jack was placed on a nearby horse’s back as the orange glow winked out. He was too absorbed in his body to really resist as the horned horse, a unicorn, used its muzzle to adjust him on his back. She was wearing a thick jacket, which made for a more comfortable ride. “Just a little accident with the Crystal Heart. It’s been fixed now. Can you tell me your name?” This unicorn was a woman, or a mare if he remembered correctly, if her voice was anything to go off of. Velvety fuzz covered him again as he was covered by his oversized bathrobe.
Jack stared back at her, realizing that he could see through her like a stained glass window. He had no idea what the heck the ‘Crystal Heart’ was, but he answered her question automatically. “F-frost.” The name seemed mockingly apt now that he had almost froze to death. He was about to tell her his first name when a shiver ran down his spine.
The mare nuzzled him again, her horn lighting up as he felt his robe turned blanket heat up pleasantly. “Nice to meet you, Frost, I’m Red Cross. Do you know where your mommy and daddy are?”
He shook his head. “No, it’s been ages since I’ve talked to them.” They were traveling through Europe, enjoying their retirement.
“Well I’m sure they are looking for you. Hang on, we’ll get you someplace warmer.” Jack blinked as he realized what she meant. If his new size was anything to go off of, he was just a child. There would be time to explain himself later. .
Cross trotted through the snow, towards a large crystalline tower that reminded him of the Eiffel Tower in shape. They started in an open field, but soon made their way into snow covered suburbs. The snow went with the crystal that everything was made of, turning the entire place into something out of a fairy tale even as it melted.
As they reached the center of the city, Jack retreated under his robe completely, only keeping the slightest slit open to let in air, and the occasional glimpse of other ponies. They were all so bright, and like the mare carrying him, they sparkled like a glass chandelier. The brightness made him nauseous. He let out a small whimper as he closed his eyes. “It’s so bright…”
“Just rest your eyes then, we’re almost to the gathering point.” Jack wasted no time in doing so, trying to relax. Between the warmth and Red’s rocking gait, he soon drifted off.
His reverie was broken when Cross stopped and kneeled down. With a little prodding, he slid off her back, still wrapped up in his robe. He found himself in a room with several other children. The building itself was made of the same crystal that the rest of the city had been, but between the wooden fixtures and the carpeting, it had a cozy atmosphere
While Cross checked him in, he looked around. There were a handful of other kids, some older, some clearly younger, some were alone, others clung to a brother or sister. All were clearly on edge and quiet. The nervousness was infectious, and Jack sat as close to Cross as he could. He wrapped his robe around him like a blanket, and the terrycloth soon attracted others as they worked their way under the oversized cloth. “Got some friends already, Frost?” The small group of foals that had sneaked under the robe with him blushed and hid under the blanket. Cross chuckled and mussed up his hair. “I’ll be just outside, but I’m sure your parents will be here soon.”
Jack doubted that for obvious reasons, but really couldn’t bring himself to speak up. He really just needed to think quietly for a bit. He nodded, and Cross left with a smile on her face. Jack stayed where he was, staring at his sock covered hooves. Everything felt off. Compared to his hands, they were numb but he could still feel the fuzziness of the wool. When he went to brush his silvery hair out of his eyes, he found that his hooves were more pliable than he thought a hoof should be. It still hurt when he accidentally smacked the horn growing out of his head. That got him to tear up a little. When Cross brought them all juice and cookies, the ease with which he could pick them up astounded him. Once he’d pulled himself from his old robe, he found walking to be surprisingly easy, though his gangly legs tripped him up more than once.
Over the course of the day, he found himself in a smaller and smaller group of children. In ones and twos, parents tearfully reunited with their kids. One by one the foals that shared his robe with him disappeared through the door. Red would check in every so often with snacks, or to read a book, and otherwise reassure the shrinking herd of children that mobbed her.
As the day wore on, nervousness filled Jack as he wondered what would happen to him. All too soon he was the last child left, and his stomach churned from nerves. Cross sat down next to him and asked, “Frostie, do you know where your parents live?”
Jack teared up. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” At least, he wouldn't believe her if a woman showed up on his doorstep back and told him she was an alien. At least the ‘alien world’ theory was better than the ‘dying dream’ one.
Red Cross sighed. “Okay, you don’t need to tell me now, but you do need a place to sleep tonight. I was thinking, maybe, you could stay with me in the castle? I’m sure your parents will come around tomorrow.”
Jack looked at her incredulously. “Are you royalty?”
Cross covered her mouth as she chuckled. “No, no, I’m not. I just work here, and have an apartment here.”
Jack stared at his hooves. It was as good an option as any, and she seemed nice enough. “O-okay then, I guess I can stay with you.”
Cross smiled as she got to her feet. “Very well then, follow me.” She motioned for him to follow, and he got onto his shaky legs. The first few steps were easy, his body knowing what to do. However his robe sabotaged him by wrapping around his feet. Thankfully the carpeting padded his fall. “Here, let me carry that for you.”
He felt naked as her magic took his robe away, folding it up and placing it on her back. It was really the first time he’d been uncovered. The dark blue of his fur reminded him of his earlier frostbite. She gave him a supportive shoulder as he got back to his feet, his tail brushing against the floor. His legs ran on autopilot as they walked down the halls, taking in the sights. The fact the walls were made of crystal were amazing, not to mention the numerous paintings that covered them. Even though the area was laid out like any other office, those details were enough to make it feel opulent.
As they made their way deeper into the castle, they occasionally passed a window that made it clear that it was nearly sunset, and that they were a few stories up. There was only one building he could think of that was tall enough that he’d seen so far. “Are we in the tower? The big one?”
Cross looked back at him. “What do you mean?” Her face lit up as she realized what he meant. “Oh, yes, you didn't know that was the Crystal Castle?”
“No? I don’t really know this area well. I’m new here.” It was true, just leaving out a few major details. “I’ve been frazzled today.” Also true, and he could feel his mind trying to catch up with everything that had happened so far.
“It’s okay, it’s been a long day for all of us. You in town for the Crystalling?”
“Yes.” He had no idea what that was, but he really wanted to put off that awkward conversation as long as he could.
“You’re very lucky to be here for such a rare occasion then. First one we’ve had in centuries.”
“Lucky me then.” Jack put on his best smile, which satisfied Cross as she smiled back. The hallway became more plain in design as they walked, but the crystal made the place seem orders of magnitude nicer than anywhere he’d been before.
They passed several ponies going every which way. Jack pressed himself to Cross’s side without thinking as a few greeted the both of them. The way they looked down at him made him feel like they were judging him. He stammered whenever they asked him a question, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Instead, Red Cross spoke for him, and he got more than a few surprise hugs and reassurances in return.
All this attention eventually got to him, and Red couldn’t unlock her apartment fast enough. He pushed past her the moment the door was opened. No sooner than he’d walked in did he spot a couch. He barely sunk into the cushions as he burrowed into the throw pillows. Even as he did so, he remembered all the times he did the same growing up.
“Just make yourself at home then.” Jack jumped a little as a bundle landed next to him on the couch, his robe. He poked his head out of his cushion citadel and saw Cross smiling at him. “Feeling a little jumpy?”
Jack nodded.
“Would you like some hot chocolate?”
Jack nodded again. “With marshmallows?”
Cross walked into a small kitchenette and pulled out a bag of marshmallows. “As many as you can fit into the mug.”
Jack perked up at the thought. “Yes please.” He stood up, knocking pillows aside with barely contained excitement.
He watched intently as Cross put on a kettle and pulled out some mugs while he sat like a dog as best as he could. “Alright then, but you promise you won’t get too hyper, will you?”
Without thinking, Jack shook his head. “No, I’ll be good.” Still, he felt more energized than he’d felt all day as the water quickly came to a boil. He sat restlessly on the couch, and barely caught himself when he realized what he said. It just sounded so juvenile to him. He forced himself still as he watched with excitement as Cross brought over a pair of steaming mugs. Jumping off the couch, he took a mug in both hooves and sat on the floor, where he was joined by Cross.
“You like it?” she asked. Jack took a sip and hummed as the warmth filled his frame. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Thank you.” Jack scooped up a marshmallow with his tongue. A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered how cold he had been.
“Here, have your blanket.” Red’s horn lit up and put Jack’s robe over him.
“Thank you.” He quickly drank down the rest of his chocolate, almost scalding his new tongue. The warmth filled him more than any meal could, and he grew drowsy. He leaned into Cross’s side as he held the still warm mug.
“Want some more?” Cross asked. When Jack didn't respond, she smiled and carefully took the mug of his grip. “Sweet dreams, little guy,” she whispered. With her magic lifted him back onto the couch. Tucking his ‘blanket’ around him, she noticed several things off about it. There were sleeves, and pockets. It looked like an oversized bathrobe, as if for a dragon. “Huh, odd. I’ll have to ask him about it tomorrow.”
Collecting their mugs, she quietly walked put them into the sink to clean tomorrow before turning out the light. Her horn lighting the way, navigated her way to her bedroom and turned in for the night.