The Frost Chronicles: Book 2: Shadow of the Storm

CHAPTER 11
Secret's Unfold

The dimming afternoon sun beat down on us as we waited at the chamber doors, for Spike to emerge and tell us their decision. Almost another full hour had passed, and we still had heard nothing.

“Damn…do they at least have a canopy to sit under or something? What is taking so long?” Dust whined again, I sighed and turned to him. “What do you expect? We’re asking them to pretty much declare war on Equestria. If we were to lose, I seriously doubt that Red Spear will be lenient on them” I said as Dust frowned and sighed sadly as he wiped his brow clean of sweat.

After another few minutes of waiting, we heard the heavy groan of the stone doors slowly push open, as a few pairs of guards slowly walked out. We watched as Spike walked out with a solemn expression on his face, indicating that he did indeed have news for us. He sighed and walked over to us, folding his arms behind his back, “the Council has reached a decision” he said in a calm tone, looking at each of us. I turned to see the anxious expression on Luna’s face, as well as all of our friends.

“I have good news and bad news. The good news is…the Council has agreed to aid you in your quest. The bad news…the Council has refused to allow you access to the full extent of our armies, instead a small portion of the most highly trained soldiers in our combined army will join you” he said with a calm expression. We all looked at each other, “but why?” River asked as she stepped forward, Spike looked at her and sighed.

“The Council believes that…should you fail in your mission, Red Spear will know of our part in the attack, and will see it as an act of war. A smart pony or dragon knows better than to cross Red Spear when it comes to military tactics. If we only send small pockets of troops, then we could deny our involvement and pass it off as rogue military deserters. I’m sorry but the Council has made up their mind” he said with a calm expression.

We all exchanged concerned looks, but Spike quickly caught our attention with a clearing of his throat. “Now…we must return to my palace. The other Clan leaders will return home as well and hand-pick their soldiers and send them to us, but it may take some time, I hope you have a plan on a place to hide them, until such a time as you plan on initiating your assault” he said as we began walking down the path to the airship.

But before we could get far, we heard the sound of approaching wings, and not dragon wings either. We all looked up to see a trio of armored pegasi approaching from the sky. It took us a moment to recognize the armor as royal soldier armor, each chest piece adorned Red Spear seal. Spike narrowed his eyes as they landed in front of us, blocking our path, but he remained calm and kept his arms folded behind his back.

“At last, we finally get to meet you face to face. I must say it is an honor to officially make your acquaintance, Lord Spike of the Silver Claw Clan. We are but humble messengers, sent by his royal majesty, King Red Spear of Equestria” the middle pony said as he removed his helmet, and they all gave a respectful bow to him.

We turned to see Luna staring intently at them, her features tightening up as she glared daggers at them. We turned back to see Spike watching them with a calm expression, “very well, you may deliver your message. What does the mighty King of Equestria want with my humble clan?’ he asked in a professional and diplomatic tone, but we could all tell, he wasn't very happy to see them.

The three ponies rose and the middle one smiled and cleared his throat, “it has come to his majesty’s attention, that you have wanted criminals among your clan, these ponies among you are wanted for crimes against the crown, and he humbly asks that you surrender them to us, so that they might face the full extent of their crimes and be punished for them” he said in a calm and collected tone, as he grinned at us.

I could feel my teeth clenching to the point of hurting as I glanced at my friends, who also seemed to be at that point as well. Spike glanced back at us, and then back to the trio of pegasi, “I assure you and your king, that the crimes they are accused of in Equestria, do not apply to them here, they are my guests. Exactly what crimes are they accused of?” he asked in a dignified tone, the three pegasi exchanged confused looks, but the leader stepped forward and cleared his throat.

“Crimes such as treason, resisting arrest, murder of a decorated general, and being associated with the rebel group known as the Night Ranger’s. The king merely asks that you give them over to us, so that they might be met with a swift and just death. Also, the king is willing to reward you and your fellow clans, with a prosperous trade deal that will benefit both worlds greatly” he said with a sinister smile on his face, as he occasionally glanced at us, a malicious twinkle in his eye.

I could see that some of my friends were ready to pounce on them, especially Dust, who looked as if he was about to lose it. Spike brought one of his claws to his chin and rubbed it, thinking deeply, “that…is a very interesting proposal. A prolonged trade deal with Equestria would prove very prosperous…” he said as is he was actually contemplating on giving us up.

What!? He’s actually thinking about doing it!?

I heard the question scream through my mind, as I felt the need to scream at him, for even considering it. But he answered my fears as he looked back and winked at me, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, I turned to my friends who noticed the look in his eye, and turned to me with a confused expression, I smiled slightly as I knew what he was planning. “So let me get this right. You come here…to my home, thinking you can bribe me into surrendering my guests to you and your false king, who has no business in calling himself royalty, all for a lousy trade deal?” he said as he solely stepped toward the leader, and leaned down to be eye level with him.

The leader pony began to sweat nervously, as the large dragon towered over him, the leader’s eyes widened in fear as he stared into the eyes of a dragon who could very well roast him alive. “The king…understand that you have…every right to refuse his request…but, think of all the good it can do for your clan” he said, trying to save his own hide.

Spike frowned at him and glared into his eyes, “then I think you already know my answer. Take your furry hides back to your king, before my dragon friends and I get a taste at how…cooked pony meat tastes like” he said with a angry stare, a menacing smile gracing his lips, at the thought of burning them alive.

The leader shrank back in fear, he nodded and turned to take off, almost leaving a crater behind as he raced off into the horizon, and the other two pegasi quickly flew after him. Spike smiled as he watched them go, he started chuckling as he turned to us, “I’ve always wanted to say that” he said as he crossed his arms and gave us a smug smile. We all breathed a sigh of relief as we wiped the nervous sweat from our brows, “I…have to admit…you had us going for a minute there” Dust said with a nervous chuckle, which only made Spike smile wider.

“Of course…this does mean a change of plans. Don’t take this the wrong way, but the dragons in our army, would feel…uncomfortable, taking orders from a pony. So, I decided…that I will go with you” he said in a wide smile. We all looked at each other with shocked expression, but we quickly smiled and cheered.
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After a short ride back, we returned to Spike’s palace where we would further discuss our next move. Luna argued that it would be best for us to return to the Monastery, to inform the others of the final plan, instead of waiting around for the dragon army to be ready. We all knew that if we didn't hurry, the King would block our entrance into Equestria, by use of his royal airships, so we would have to move by tomorrow.

Much to our surprise, Spike fully agreed and arranged for our ship to be moved to the outskirts of the city, where we would arrive the next day.

Both Luna and I knew that it would be difficult to explain to Spike about Twilight, but we both trusted her to do the right thing. Despite all that, we went about the rest of the day as we planned, eating dinner, and then heading up to our rooms for a night of rest.
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The next morning came with a surprise, as we were awoken at the crack of dawn and escorted to the outskirts of the city, where our ship was parked on the crater’s side. Spike and Luna had awoken early and made all the final preparations for our trip back to the monastery, which was on the other side of Equestria, indicating that we had a long journey ahead of us.

As we came over to them, Spike and Luna turned to us and smiled, chuckling lightly as we still rubbed our eyes from the sleep. “Jeez, is it really necessary for us to be up this early, the sun is barely rising in the distance” Dust complained as he looked up at the changing sky. Luna smiled warmly at him, “I assure you, it is important for us to be home as soon as possible. If we wait too long, our path will be blocked by airships” she said in a calm tone. Spike quickly chuckled, “yeah, and that’s why it’s great to be a dragon. You can be asleep for decades on end, and nopony would be stupid enough to come looking for you” he said as Luna chuckled and made her way up the ramp.

Before Spike turned, we saw as Sapphire and Whiplash walked over to him, he sighed sadly and walked up to them. We watched as his wife lowered her head in sadness, he smiled and lifted her eyes up to his, “I will come back, I always do, you know that. Watch over the Clan while I’m gone” he said as he kissed the top of her head and pulled her into a hug, and we saw her whisper something into his ear.

We watched for another few minutes as he said goodbye to his son as well, and made his way up the ramp, which we quickly followed after him.

As we made our way to the bridge, the Captain walked up to us and smiled, “everything’s checked off for lift, what are your order’s Commander Luna?” he as her in a formal tone. Luna turned to us and we all nodded, “take us home Captain” she said with a calm smile.
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As the ship came closer and closer to the Equestrian border, the entire atmosphere of the ship grew thick with anticipation. The ship’s radar operators gave careful watch to the systems, looking for any object that might pose a threat to us. Soon, the time came as we crossed Equestria’s southern border, and into the desert.

“Anything private?” the Captain asked as we slowly moved along, one of the radar operators turned to the Captain and shook his head, “nothing so far sir, the radar’s not picking up any signs of enemy movement” he said. The Captain frowned slightly and looked back at Luna who sighed and turned back to us. “I don’t like this, Red Spear had to have known we would be coming back this way, I don’t know what he’s planning, but I doubt it’s good” she said as she walked away.

After talking more with my friends, I noticed that Spike wasn't around with us. I looked around the bridge and saw that he was over by the window, looking out across the passing landscape. I excused myself from my friends and walked over next to him, he sighed sadly and folded his arms behind his back. “Are you okay?” I asked as I walked up next to him, he seemed briefly startled by my appearance and cleared his throat, “oh…um, yes! I’m fine, it’s just that…it’s been so long since I've been here…it’s almost hard to believe all that’s changed. This isn't the Equestria I used to know, that bastard Red Spear tore it apart” he said as I turned to look as we slowly came away from the desert, and began to come into the forest area.

“Hopefully…with your help, we can stop him, and bring peace back to our land” I said as I turned and walked back over to my friends. As I did, one of the radio operators spoke up, “Captain! We’re receiving an incoming transmission from the Monastery” he said as we ran up to the Captain and Luna. As the commotion grew, my friends and I all walked over calmly, eager to hear the news.

“What? I thought I told Arrow, that we would contact him, when we were near? Why is he calling us?” Iron Star asked as he walked up to Luna. She raised her hoof to her chin, “I’m not sure, but it could be something serious, answer the call” she told the operator, who nodded and flicked the switch, and soon a familiar voice filled the bridge.

“Commander Luna, Captain Iron Star, I’m glad to see you have returned to Equestria without any troubles” his voice said as it vibrated off the walls. But for some strange reason, I sensed a change in his tone, he never spoke in that tone when addressing Luna or Iron Star. Either way, I felt the growing worry, that something bad was going to happen. “Lieutenant Arrow, I thought I told you not to contact us until we were in range of the Monastery? This better be important” Iron Star spoke into the microphone.

We were all shocked to hear him chuckle on the other end, “oh indeed, but this has nothing to do with that. I just wanted to call and say…WELCOME HOME!” he shouted as the line cut off. Iron Star turned to us with a confused expression, but before any of us could say anything, there was a loud explosion from outside the ship, one that shook the entire ship, and threw us all off our hooves.

After the initial shaking stopped, I turned and helped my friends up, and then turned to the window, only to see a sight that made my blood run cold. Multiple ships on each of our sides were firing at us, causing explosion all across our vision. The radar operator pushed himself up and turned to the radar, his eyes widening in fear, “Captain, multiple royal airships! They just came out of nowhere, were completely surrounded, and were taking heavy da-“ he tried to say but was cut off by a particularly precise explosion that hit right where he was standing.

The force of the explosion, sent him flying to the wall with bone-shattering force, and he crumpled to the floor in a pile of broken limbs. After the shot was fired, the ship began to tilt forward, aiming right into the forest, the Captain raced to the radio and initiated a ship-wide broadcast. “Mayday! Mayday! We’re losing altitude, every pony brace for impact!” he yelled as the ship grazed the tree line.

My friends and I all huddled together, I gripped o to River and held her close to me as the sound of metal plates tearing filled the air.
Then…everything went black.
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The last thing I remember, was holding River close to me as the ship came crashing into the Everfree forest, and then everything around me going black.

My eyes slowly began to open, but I felt no control of my body, but despite my blurred vision, I could see piles of broken metal and fire littering the new clearing our ship had made in the forest. Every attempt I made at moving my body, only resulted in the same way…no response.

But to make matters worse, the crash had left me extremely weak, and I would have been defenseless to stop any attackers. I watched as a large group of shadowy figures entered the clearing and started scanning the wreckage for us. I watched as one of the shadows approached me and knelt down, despite not being able to move, I could feel the fear well up inside as he reached out and grabbed the medallion around my neck and examined it. The figure chuckled in a familiar voice, “it’s like I said before Frost, this medallion doesn't make you special” he said as he dropped and delivered a punch to my face.

Then everything returned to the encompassing black.
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I felt the intense pounding in my head, as I groaned and opened my eyes. There was a minor absence of my vision, but it was quickly restored, and I found myself looking up into the starry night sky. I groaned as I sat up and rubbed my head with my hooves, and after a few minutes, the pain began to fade away and I looked around.

My eyes widened in shock, as I looked around the familiar courtyard of the old Castle of the Two Sisters. I fully pushed myself up and looked around, I somehow managed to travel from the clearing in the forest, to the courtyard in the castle, which seemed very unlikely. “Luna? Dust? River!? Anypony here?!” I shouted into the ruins, which only echoed my words, but gave no real answer back. I sighed and rubbed the back of my head in confusion, but then I heard it once more:

“Frost Fall…”

The eerie and yet…strangely familiar whispered to me, the voice was calm and soothing, but also mysterious and possibly malevolent. I snapped around in all directions, looking for the speaker, “Who’s there!? Show yourself!” I shouted around me, but I received no answer. I heard a faint whooshing sound come from behind me, as a faint light shined behind. I readied myself into a fighting stance as I turned to face the newcomer, but I quickly stopped as I came face to face with a familiar white-coated Alicorn, she towered over me and what seemed like Luna. Her multi-colored mane flowed gently in the wind, and she gave me a kind smile, a faint light emanating from her, giving her an almost angelic appearance.

“Who are you? How did I get here?” I asked the mysterious pony, but she frowned at me and turned, making her way into the castle.

“Hey!” I yelled as I ran in after her, but as I turned the corner, I saw that she was already way at the end of the hall, still frowning at me. “Frost Fall…” the voice whispered in my head again, I looked to her and saw that her lips had not moved to form the words, but they still entranced me enough to follow her. I watched in awe as she slowly raised her hoof, and gestured for me to follow her.

Unable to control my own movements, my hooves began to slowly trail after her, as she disappeared around the next corner. This went on for longer than I expected it to, as I soon found myself following her into the castle’s old throne room, where I found her looking up at the hole that had been formed above the two thrones.

I regained control of my body, and stepped toward her. She looked back and turned to fully face me, a look of sorrow in her eyes, I took a nervous step forward, not sure of what to expect from her.

“Who are you?” I asked her again, but instead of answering me with words or silence, she raised her hoof and pointed at one of the long tapestries that hung above one of the thrones. The tapestries showed a young white-coated Alicorn, as she gracefully raised the sun. The design of the pony matched her figure almost exactly, except for the slightly older body.

The realization hit me like a pile of bricks. My eyes widened in shock as I looked from her to the tapestry, my heart rate increasing as I stepped back nervously. “You’re….you’re, that’s…not possible! You can’t be here!” I shouted, but she calmly turned back to me and lowered her hoof, and I knew she wanted me to say her name out loud.

“Princess…Celestia?” I asked her with a mixture of shock and confusion, my heart beating rapidly against my chest. She smiled warmly at me and nodded her head, which only made my shock grow and caused me to stagger backwards. I remained silent for a moment as I thought of something to say or ask, but I calmly fixed my posture and looked up at her.

“But…how is this possible?” I asked her in a confused tone, she frowned again and lifted her head slightly.

“My body may be dead, but if one’s spirit is strong enough, they can transcend death”

My eyes widened in shock, as I looked around for the voice, which was laced with concern and sorrow. I turned back to the deceased Princess, and saw that she was looking at me with the same amount of concern and sorrow that matched the voice, but I swore I didn't see her mouth move. I stood there for a moment in awe, “but…how are you talking to me now?” I asked her, even though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

“I have heard the cries of my kingdom in despair, but I have no power in this world anymore. My only hope was that one would come along and help my sister to free the kingdom from Red Spear’s tyranny.” She said as her ominous voice was quickly followed with the distant shrill screams of terror, that emanated around us. I felt a chill run down my spine as I heard the shrill screams of young fillies and colts, each dying with a haunting scream, that echoed off in my mind.

“Finally… after nearly a century of watching my ponies suffer in sorrow and despair, my prayers were answered…with you” she said as her voice trailed off in the distance. My eyes widened as I turned to her, my mind trying to find the right words to say, but so far coming up short.

“But…why me? I don’t understand!” I shouted, but she took a step towards me, “you are the one Frost, the one who is destined to save our kingdom, and fix the mistakes I made. The time will soon come, when you shall realize your destiny” she said as she stepped in front of me and raised her hoof up. I felt the need to back away, but I once again lost control of my body, and was forced to watch what she did.

Her hoof touched the tip of my horn, which caused a brief light to fill the area around us. I suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented as I swayed back and forth, Celestia had disappeared from my vision, as I crashed on to my side. The darkness began to crowd my vision once again, and my eyes drifted close, allowing the black to swallow me once again.