Iceheart And The Beginning
It begins with a magic as cold and dark as when the windogoes of old took over the land of Equestria and turned it to unquenchable unending winter. In those days there were many pieces of fragile and crooked magic in existence, ones that had not yet been harnessed by unicorns, nor brought under control by the earth ponies, they were free and wild, like the seeds of the Tree of Harmony when it was a budding seedling. There was little peace, little in way of a social structure or technical and industrial advancement. Architecture was in its infancy, and the feelings between the three tribes was still tender. There was trees and nature and wilderness and the seasons that came and went with the weather.
And thus it was in this time that a coldness was born, a coldness that became a curse and buried itself into the heart of a unicorn of no mere significance.
She was a black steady mare, with a gorgeous black mane and dull brown eyes. On her haunch she had the cutie mark of a heart, displaying her gift that was her remarkable love for ponies in general. She was a gentle teacher, one who taught unicorn fillies and colts how to encourage warmth and use magic.
Her students paid close attention to her, acting with dilligence and hanging onto her words. Because og her sense of peace she was called Sanguine and had the gentlest heart of any around.
The cold winds of discontent came, however, and disharmony reigned. The windigoes had recently been defeated by the power of friendship but there was still angst. Rivalry and quiet but definite annoyance. There was a lone spirit, who went by the name of Iceheart, wandering lonely around, much of her kind had perished or withered to nothing and she was the last of her kind, at least as far as she could tell. She wandered through the towns and cities, sending icicles to grow on ledges and frostbite to catch at noses, when at last she came to a small village called Nottingneigh on the edge of the Crystal mountains.
By night there were few around, just the blissful drunkards at the bar and one or two wenches standing by the pub door. Most were in bed and Iceheart could look around at her own free will. She peered into a window and saw various ponies sleeping, wrapped up warmly under duvets, she looked under hedges and found animals of many sizes staring back at her in fear. She went to a dully lit window and stretched up her muzzle to look in before the light was suddenly blown out and the window shutters were thrown open wide.
Iceheart ducked, and fast. Her lithe body was smooth and it created everlasting forms as she hovered, tail curling left and right. There was a pause, then a black pony's head leaned out of the window, nostrils flaring. It paused, then began to sing.
The sound was beautiful and alluring. Iceheart found heeself stop and breathe in suddenly, sharply, her smoke-like ears pricking up to listen to the sound. There was a melody, then a bass note, then more melody, a soft charming set of enchanting crochets, then a trill of plosives. Iceheart felt a shiver run through her already icy body as she listened to the gentle nature of the tune and the bringer of it and she knew, she knew then, that here was an open unwary heart that she could ensnare, take over and in doing so live forever.
So she struck.
There was one scream, one high and deft and horrific scream, ending the song off short, a single note of terror that echoed through the cobbled dark streets, and that was all. After that there was utter silence, dead silence, and no more precious teacher Sanguine singing. Instead there was a shaking form in the corner of the room, her jaw seized shut, her heart seized sharp, her body frozen by the coldness of a being more winter than summer.
Sanguine trembled, eyes wide with fright as the creature held her down, held her mouth closed, but not from the outside with bonds of rope- but somehow from within her, like a haunting illness, but one that had conciousness, a real living consciousness...
-who are you?- she desperately asked. In her mind, in her thoughts, hoping that the being would hear -what do you want?-
There was a pause, then a cold laugh resounded around her head in response, like an echo around the vast chamber of a catacomb.
-what I want, precious pony, is your body. Your body, oh unicorn, that I will devour and maketh my own-
Sanguine tried to buck, she tried to rear. She tried to toss and turn and thump the ground as if she could through this being off her back like an unwanted rider.
-no!- she screamed in her head at the voice -no! I shall not let you, you are a demon of disharmony, one of a mighty army sent to destroy our world!-
Iceheart laughed again. This time it was a rough, brutal life.
-no. No, pony, I am of no army. In fact your kind defeated me long ago- She tiled her head as she looked at Sanguine's heart and nudged it with her astral nose. It sent a tremour through her nervous system so she wrapped himself tighter around the unicorn's muscles.
-instead I am the last guard, the end of a dying breed, but now in you I shall not die. Now in you I will not end.-
Iceheart hissed, snaked out a tongue and licked her beating heart with a feature of endless winter and glaciers.
-We will not end- she corrected. -you and I. We will be as one.-
-Be as what?!- Sanguine asked, frightened, terrified, so shocked that this could happen to her, to a kind heart like herself upon account of... Well nothing! -I don't understand, what are you?-
-they call my species windigoes- Iceheart breathed, nudging the unicorn heart with her forehoof as it strained to beat before her, working overtime to keep the cold that she brought out, trying to stay alive and warm instead of cold, so cold. -and I may be the last.- she smiled. -but I will not be. I know you are of magic and if you want to live you will do as I say.-
Sanguine shrieked back in her mind, trying to blast the creature back with mental blasting. But the windigo was unmoved. She poked her heart again.
-I am of the ancient kingdom of unicorns!- Sanguine whispered -we are ancient, proud strong and-
Iceheart darted forwards and nipped with her foreteeth at Sanguine's right atrium. Sanguine screamed with pain, it came out physically as a muffled mumble.
-I don't want to die!- she sceeched, -please, I have so much to live for! People to love, fillys to teach!-
-then give me your heart!- Iceheart roared, -give me access and your magic and live forever. Then we will be as one, we will be a being to be feared above others, as invincible as winter, as white as snow, as beautiful as icicles.-
Sanguine fell silent. So much pain. So much horror. So much sorrow. A tear slipped past Iceheart's guard and splashed on the floor.
-otherwise I will take it by force, pony, and this body will die in a week without the magical connection and I will have to find another... And another... And another. Just give up-
-you... Will kill more?- Sanguine asked, horrified.
Iceheart nodded, demurely.
-so many more, maress, so many more and their deaths shall all be your fault.-
Sanguine let out a remorseful cry. She shook from head to tail. Two more tears slipped out, a flood of misery fled out and the world of despair that she had not constructed downed upon her and swallowed her whole.
She gave up. There was no point. She could not fight, could not dare to risk another's life. Not people she cared for.
Never.
She gave up, much to the sneering jeer of Iceheart who knew just how to manipulate ponies. Oh so well...
She opened up her connection to magic and it flooded through her body.
-take it, then- she whispered, -take it all, I cannot put others' lives at risk.-
Iceheart paused, then grinned.
-prepare to be reborn- was the reply, -prepare to be something so very new-
And delighted she took it, she took it all, her magic, her heart, her body, her blood and she made it hers. She washed over her and became a darkness of old, a terror of lore that would live through the generations. She became the new Lady Sanguine, heart of ice and life of reigning terror, and she never once looked back.
The immortal winter mare.
