Equestria Frozen Wasteland.

After learning all this, I smiled and decided it was time to leave. Zerthol gave me a route to Ponyville. He had taken a while to explain, and he had even showed me around the place and loaned a few books. Though if I never returned them he said it was alright. Everything had gone by so fast today, and I couldn't wait to return and get some rest. Though just as I pushed open the door to upstairs, a heavy, cold wind met me, followed by snow. Outside, a snowstorm was brewing.

Well now I knew where I was and a bunch of new info. Unfortunately, I was forced to stay inside the basement with Zerthol, and probably trapped out here and never able to get home. Just as I was about to leave, it began snowing hard, for days. Days it snowed and I was forced to stay, not able to make out a path. Though I did get to learn alot. I was mostly curious of the factions and the war. The whole snow pony thing had been a lie, more of a joke to newcomers. The names were the Equestrian Equalists, and the Royal Restoration Regiment.

The E.E controlled everything Northern and Eastern of Ponyville, while the R.R.R controlled everything West and Southern. Canterlot and Ponyville were the neutral. The gryphon kingdom controlled everything around Equestria, a major power. The R.R.R. was rumored to be supported by the griffons but nopony really knew. Zerthol told me hundreds of stories and things, I was surprised he knew so much.

He explained to me that he was part of the advanced scribe group, which were actually spies that collected info from both factions, and went on quests to recover artifacts. Him, along with three other ponies, were the ones the spies came to with their info. He had a book that was huge! After countless stories, a delicious dinner, and a goodnight I found myself lying in a spare bed in the bed chambers a few floors down from the main floor, still here after three days of being stuck inside.

I had no idea what the time was, each minute dragged by. I couldn't fall asleep.There was no sleep coming to me tonight I knew that. I rolled onto my side and sighed, there wasn't much to do when Zerthol was asleep. My days had gone by from him telling me everything he knew. I had made my first friend out here, and he was a literal genius. The stallion had told me of experiments on ponies to help them live in winter conditions always, tools, special clothes.

"Psst... Rose? Rose.." My ears perked at the sound of his voice. I had thought he'd been asleep...

"Yeah Zerthol?"

"Uh, question. You know how to use a weapon right?"

"W-Well uhm... Y-Yea-."

"Oh great. I've been needing somepony to go grab something for me. Extremely simple, harmless task where you just go grab something and bring it back. Please? For everything I've told you, you kinda owe me one.."

Damn. He had me there. "Yeah sure I'll go... Where is it?"

"Well, I don't know exactly. Somewhere in a old, still standing stone apartment. There's some research books there and some old Equestria books. The place is abandoned so it'll be extremely simple. You can head out now."

"Now? But I can't see anything! It's too cold!" Was he crazy? Sending me out there in the middle of a dying down storm wouldn't be the best idea if he planned on having me return. "I'd never get back anyways." Rolling onto my back I thought Zerthol realized it'd be stupid to send me out there.

"Oh don't worry, I have all that covered!"

"Eh?" I lifted my head. He had this covered? I saw him leave the room, and the second I slid from my bed he returned with my new armor, saddle bag, sword, and shovel. But there were more things among them. My goggles had an odd, light red chip on the side of them. The side of my boots had something strapped around it. The sword was shimmering, a greening yellow band wrapped around the middle of the blade.

"Here here! Each of these are specially made by me! The ah, red chip allows you to see infrared for a few hours before it has to recharge. Something only the griffons have a hold of from the old Equestria. And I made one! Hah to them!  The green yellow band will allow you to make your sword invisible once with a spell. Simple magic spell will activate it. The thing on your boot will help you get back here. All good? Great!" Zerthol seemed hyped up again, very happy I agreed to do this. Grumbling a little I slipped into everything, it seemed heavier.. "Oh yes! Simple fur will not protect you! Sooooo I went ahead and added a little leather reinforcement to your armor. There was some I found laying around, you'll need it."

"I thought this would be simple and harmless.." I said un-easily. I didn't feel like getting lost again for some old books.

"Oh yes it will! Trust me! Just use the door to the left of us, down that hallway see?" He pointed his hoof multiple times at the hallway even after I nodded. "After you exit it just continue in that direction until you come across it. Alright?"

"Uh... Sure.. I'll.. See you soon?"

"Yap! Now go!"

I had learned from my small time with him, that when he got like this he had to take some weird fluid to calm down. Sometimes it seemed he was about to burst with energy, and after he took the fluid he was calm, relaxed, and sorta.. Deadish for an hour or two. So I just decided it'd be best to head over to the door. My hooves clicked on the stone floor, echoing through the empty lab. Quick, easy, I'd grab it, return, and then figure out something to do with my life. I wasn't returning to Ponyville that was certain. The door he was talking about was a metal door a little tough to see, tilted upwards a bit.

Opening it with my magic was no problem, and behind it was a staircase leading up, a light amount of snow covering it. The cold blasted me, but I felt warm with what I was wearing. Zerthol was right, this would be easy. That's the only thing I was thinking until I came up from the door, seeing the bundle of shacks, a few fires, and a ring made from wood. A large canyon spread out, made of rock coated with layers of snow and ice. It provided good shelter from the wind and snow, and I could spot out thirty or forty ponies dressed almost similar to me, dotted around the fires, eating, going on with their lives. A town! That'd be useful! Trotting slowly out of the hidden cave that the stairs were in, I stopped dead and dropped down at the sight of ten or twenty ponies inside the ring, huddled together, bounded, gagged. This was no town, it was a raider encampment!

There was no way around this, and I could just barely see the encampment through this snow. Tapping the red chip on my goggles a few times, they glowed a light green and everything became... Clear. Not clear clear, I could just make out every pony. They glowed redish orange, as did the fires. Twenty six, in number, with fourteen slaves. Most of them were asleep luckily. The truth dawned on me. There was no "Oh may I go through?" These ponies would take my stuff and sell my off as a slave. I had two choices. Fight, or flight. And I chose fight.