Secret of the Frost Kingdom

         Overwatch stood at attention in front of Commanding Officer Avalanche, who paced back and forth at his window, a furious blur of snow pelted the window. Overwatch felt a little guilty of being arrogant, and decided that he deserved the lecture the Major was about to give him.

The Major stopped and beamed at him, "What am I going to do with you Overwatch? As Executive Officer of the whole Brigade, I expect you to have some sense of the responsibility of being second in command!"

The steel of his voice could be heard several rooms across, but Overwatch didn't falter, staying stiff as a statue, eyes forward in a deadpan scowl, and Avalanche continued, "Almost 5,000 Guards look up to you Overwatch, 5,000! That's roughly 5 battalions, 10 companies, and over 30 platoons! They look up at you because of the service as Field Commander, and your Family Legacy, From Overseer to your Father, The Colonel, and with all that respect, you present yourself as a cocky slacker in front of 15 officers!"

The words cut deep into Overwatch as he kept himself rigid, and the Major continued, taking a seat in his chair and rubbed his head, letting out a sigh, "But as angry as I can get Overwatch, I know that you took this responsibly for several reasons, sure. But when your Father, the Colonel, took part of your promotion to Brigade Executive Officer, he told me in private that you are born natural leader, even if you are under some pony, you still lead regardless the situation."

Overwatch lowered his ears, surprised his father said this to Avalanche. Avalanche trotted around his desk and put a hoof on Overwatch's shoulder, "Now, I hope you can live up to what he told me, because you have the experience to lead any pony in the field, unlike me, just a pen-pusher who sends out orders, not personally leading those under me, so that is your job Overwatch, so I expect you to do it."

He took his electric amethyst eyes off Overwatch and trotted back to his desk and sat down in his chair, and waved off Overwatch, "Dismissed.."

Overwatch relaxed and turned around to push the door open, but as he was halfway out of the door he looked back to the Major, "Sir if I may.."

The Major looked up from his paperwork, and Overwatch asked, "Why did you become Commanding Officer of the Brigade?"

He half grinned, "Because some pony has to organize the mess we call the guard, and then make sure those in charge, like you, do what they have to do,"

Overwatch half laughed, "Thanks Avalanche,"

Avalanche nodded "Anytime, Oh and make sure to report to the Princess regarding your hosting job,"

"Right away sir," Overwatch closed the door and took a sigh of relief, well that went better than expected. He trotted to his right and opened the door to his office and closed the door shut. He plopped down into his chair and swiveled around to face the window, letting his eyes feast on the passing blizzard. He thought of what the Major told him, and the guilt seeped in as he slouched back into his chair further, until he felt a hard object press against his back.

He forgot his pack was still on and he set the pack on the floor until he remembered the Onyx Gem from the Train Station. He rummaged around his pack and pulled out the Onyx crystal, examining it. He thought back to the Mare again. Where have I seen those eyes? he stared off into the blizzard, watching the snow sweep by as he focused on the appearance of the Mare, and ran through all the possible leads.

Then a thought re-appeared in his mind. It couldn't have been... he felt he was getting closer to the answer until the door flung open behind him, throwing him completely off his train of thought.

"So Overwatch how'd it go? You didn't get PT in the Mountains again did you?" Captain Hail Storm trotted in,

Overwatch let out a sigh of annoyance, rolling his eyes upward and swivelied around to face the Air Guard Captain, "Blast it Hail Storm! do you ever mind to knock first?"

Hail Storm shrugged, "Why would I? You're my best friend Overwatch, come on," Hail Storm examined the books on Overwatch's shelf, the same old boring books that Overwatch read in the past.

Overwatch rolled his eyes, "Oh I don't know, maybe to let me know before you barge in while I was deep in thought?" He raised an angry eyebrow at his Pegasus friend.

"Always thinking aren't you Overwatch? Another one of your weird habits, but still I think your weird ability to read some pony like a book by just looking at their eyes is my favorite one," He mocked Overwatch openly, staring at Overwatch as if he himself could read Overwatch's unamused emerald eyes.

"Ha-ha-ha... Very crude Hail Storm," Overwatch scoffed at the Pegasus, "But to answer your initial question: I did get my flank chewed out, but still Avalanche and his odd wisdom came across me, so now I feel guilty but determined to change my ways,"

Hail Storm snorted, "Heh, Typical Avalanche, knows how to get to any pony ya know?" Overwatch nodded, "What were you thinking about anyways?"

Overwatch showed him the crystal, "Bumped into a Mare by accident, she dropped this, but the part that shook me is how I recognized her,"

Hail Storm examined the crystal, marveling at it's almost bleak dark violet color despite the lustrous surface  "Humph, never knew you had a love life Overwatch..."

Overwatch's cheeks flushed a dab of pink, "No it's not like that... It's..." Hail Storm tossed him the crystal, Overwatch unready to catch it, but grabbed it with telekinesis while Hail Storm laughed, "OK Overwatch, but this is different, even for you! But this is news to me! Anyways, gotta address the Air Platoon, catch you later Love Bird,"

"Hail Storm I just said...! Gah! Bloody idiot..." He grumbled as the Pegasus trotted out the door, closing it with his back hoof. Overwatch, frustrated with his friends schemes, let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair as he returned his focus on the crystal, letting his mind return to his past thoughts about the mysterious mare he crossed paths with, What could a pony be doing with so many gems?

A lone hooded mare galloped through blinding blizzard, her hot breaths freezing almost instantly in the freezing air. She slid to a stop as she heard shouts and spotlights scanning the frozen streets. She hugged against a wall, her rapid breaths slowed down as she focused on a spell, her eyes seeping red smoke and her horn shrouded by the same red fog as she became completely transparent, waiting for the guards to pass.

The hoof steps crunching against the snow became louder and the lights brighter, until an armored Unicorn wearing a sage wool coat came around the corner, and the cloaked mare held her breath.

The blinding light shone through her as she squinted until the Guard shrugged and continued with his squad. She exhaled, and peeked around the corner to see if she could make a break for it, she waited until the squad disappeared into the sheets of falling snow before she dropped her spell and kicked up snow as she galloped on into the blizzard.

She rounded the corner of the street and slowed down a little, checking behind her to make sure no pony was onto her and she approached a shady Tavern, with a unique name: The Ice-cube.

She opened the rotted wood and rusted iron door, letting snow rush inside the warm, dark Tavern. Closing the door with her magic. She shook the remaining snow that still clung to her damp black cloak, and took in a breath of the stale, humid air of the grimy Tavern.

The nocturnally active Tavern bustled with chatter, Ponies drinking heavy cider, laughing manically at crude jokes, some falling out of their chairs and in the way of the somber Midnight Mare. She glanced down at the drunk pony and rolled her eyes and stepped over him as he was now half-asleep. The chaotic noises was overshadowed by the sound of acoustic Music, dominated by a lone bard, strumming a slow but powerful rhythm with a lyre.

She wandered to the back of the Tavern, climbing up several steps to the upstairs floor, and made her way to a lone Stallion sitting at in a corner of the balcony, looking down to the Bard, until he turned his attention to the sudden jingle of gems clinking against together as a pack landed onto the table in front of him, and his single red eye focused on the cloaked mare as she sat down opposite of him.

"Well well well... Night Shade.. a pleasure as always..." The Dark Grey Stallion eyed her as she threw back her hood, letting her Byzantium mane cover a half of her face, and returned a despising glare,

"Please Umbra... don't start," She opened the pack with her magic an emptied its lustrous contents onto the table, making a greedy smile stretch across the Stallions face.

"Ah I see that our charming Smuggler got these beauties inside the city with little trouble, yes?"

She scoffed at him, looking away from him with a scowl drawn over her face, "Hardly, the cover of a Blizzard makes any crime easy, now are you going to pay me or are you just going to flirt with me more?"

He let out a humored laugh, "Just until I count out the gems, just to make sure..." She crossed her front arms, glaring impatiently as the Large Stallion counted the glossy rocks. She watched as he hesitated, furrowing his yellow eyebrows and counted again. Worry came across her as he re-counted twice now, and he looked up with a cold anger in his fiery red eyes.

"Where is it?" He coldly asked,

"Where is what?" She quickly scanned over the Gems, greatly worried if something went wrong in the exchange.

"The Piedra Anochecer, or Dusk Stone in Spanish, where is it? It is the most valuable gem that you should have brought us!" He had his hooves on the table as he awaited an answer.

Night Shade jogged her memory when she remembered the Stallion she bumped into at the Train Station, and she grimaced, "Agh! I collided with a Stallion at the Train Station, and I spilled my shipment and had to pick it all up. I must've dropped it at the Train Station, or... Maybe he has it..." She remembered that he hastily searched for her with something in his hoof as she turned herself invisible for her own sake.

Umbra's anger amplified, "You mean some pony took it? What do you mean? What did he look like?" He demanded,

"Well he looked like a Guard, tall, Storm Grey, Maroon Mane, Emerald Eyes..." She lost focus for a moment thinking of the Stallion, short lived when Umbra shouted in outrage, "You have to be kidding me! The Pony you just described is a Guard, a Captain to be more specific!"

"Then I'll get it back from him," She followed the pacing Stallion as he blew steam out of his nostrils.

He pointed a hoof at her, "You better! That Dusk Stone is invaluable to us!"

She threw her hooves up in the air in anger, "What for? I gave you almost 40 gems and you Necromancers' care about is just 1 rock?!" She snapped back,

"Watch your tongue Smuggler! Or we'll just have some pony else take your place if something suddenly happened to you.." He gave her a menacing glare,

"You Necromancer's wouldn't be able to find me, I'll be long gone from the Frost Kingdom by then!" She spat back at him,

He whipped back around to her, his red eyes seeping green and purple smoke as he stared her down, "Consider this a warning Night Shade, get the Dusk Stone to us or no pony will be hearing from you again!" He swept the gems onto the floor and smashed them under his hooves and threw up his hood and trotted away.

Bloodthirsty Brute... she scowled, looking down to the shattered remains of the valuable gems. I have to find the Captain.. But how will I get through to him? She pondered for a while, thinking of a way to snatch the gem back from him.