The Frost Chronicles: Book 2: Shadow of the Storm

CHAPTER 6
Hidden Truth's

While the rest of my friends imply stared in awe, I couldn't help but feel proud at my successful assumption, as a smile graced my lips. I looked back to see all of my friends jaws had nearly dropped to the floor, all…except for Luna’s.

I turned to see Luna staring at Twilight, tears slowly forming in her eyes, we all watched as she slowly walked over to her, her hooves dragging behind her heavily. Twilight watched her approach but made no move to stop her, Luna stepped in front of her, and extended out her hoof, touching Twilight’s shoulder. At this point, Twilight had tears brimming in her eyes as well.

Luna did her best to form any word she could, but she eventually found her words. “You’re alive? I can’t believe it…all this time?” she asked, her eyes showed a storm of emotions. Anger, sadness, happiness, Twilight merely smiled as the tears poured down her cheeks. “I am, I have been all along, but…all this time, I thought you were dead…” the purple Alicorn said sadly. Then Luna did something we never thought we would see her do.

She hugged her.

Luna quickly pulled Twilight into a deep hug, wrapping her hooves and wings around her shoulders, Twilight was shocked at first, but she welcomed it, and hugged her back just as hard. By this point, my friends had closed their mouths, as tears of their own began to form, and I was sure I even saw Iron Star shed a tear, we all smiled at the two reunited Alicorn.

After a few moments, Luna and Twilight separated and wiped the tears away, but Luna was the first to speak. “But…we heard you were killed by the king, what happened? Where are the other Elements?” she asked, her expression a hopeful one, but the look on Twilight’s face, quickly dashed those hopes. “When we came to face Red Spear, we thought we had the advantage, but…he was waiting for us, he had it all planned out, we never knew what was coming. We tried using the Elements, but…he was too quick…i…I was the only one to make it out. My friends, the other Elements of Harmony…are dead” she said as more tears filled her eyes, as she silently wept.

Luna did the only thing she thought she could do, she pulled Twilight into another hug, trying her best to soothe the younger Alicorn. “Twilight…I’m so sorry about your friends. Shining Armor…he was so heartbroken when we got the news…he nearly feel apart” Luna said as she too shed more tears. Rather that interrupting their tearful reunion, my friends and I stayed quiet.

After another few minutes, they separated and looked into each other’s eyes and smiled happily. “The king took us out one by one, until it was just me. As much as it pained me to abandon them, they knew it was too late, they begged me to leave them and save myself. I took the Elements from them and fled, eventually after wandering for a long time, I found my way here, I knew it would be the best place to hide, right under the king’s nose, and from here I've been doing what I can to halt the king’s advances, everything from raiding outposts, to…disrupting convoys” she said looking over at me.

I sighed and stepped forward, just as Luna and Twilight separated fully and wiped the tears from their eyes. “But…why didn't you come to the Crystal Empire, you could have joined us in the fight.” Luna said with a confused tone. Twilight looked away sadly, “I would have, but I thought you had all perished in the defense of the Empire. I knew about the Night Ranger’s, but I had no idea you were leading them. I would have come to join you, but…I knew I would have to keep watch over the Elements” she said as she turned and motioned to the castle.

After a moment, she finally turned toward me and stepped closer, “my apologies for attacking you that day, but when I saw you had a medallion, I assumed you had stolen it from somewhere. How did you come across yours?” she asked me. I took a deep breath and turned to Luna, who simply motioned for me to tell her, “I…received it as a gift. But I’m not sure from who, after the attack on the convoy, we were taken into Night Ranger custody, and we arranged to meet their leader, and then we trained with them for the past few months. From what Luna tells me, this is actually a fifth medallion” I said, which caused her to look at me with a confused expression.

“A fifth? But I thought there was only four. One for each Princess” she said looking back at Luna, who sighed and walked next to her. “No, the maker truly made a fifth one, but my sister and I chose to keep it from you. Mainly because it was not useful to us, so we left it in the care of the maker, until such a time that a pony would be unable to unlock it’s virtue. That pony happens to be Frost” she said with a smile, I couldn't help but smile back as Twilight looked at me again.

Twilight then turned to Luna and sighed, “Do you have the others. I know Celestia’s was lost to Red Spear, but what about your and Cadence’s?” she asked, with a concerned face. Luna raised her hoof and smiled, reaching into her armor as well, lifting out her medallion, as the emblem flashed to a copy of Luna’s cutie mark. Twilight smiled and reached into her armor as well, lifting out hers, we both watched as hers changed into that of a large star, which represented her cutie mark.

As we tucked them back into our clothing, Twilight looked at us curiously. “That reminds me, how did you even found me?” she asked looking at us both. We both chuckled at that, “we received a tip, that a pony who lived here, would be able to help us stop the king. But we had no idea it was you” I said with a chuckle. It was at that point, that Twilight eyes drifted back at the others, but when her eyes moved to one particular pink Alicorn, her eyes lit up. “Aurora? Is that really you?” she asked as she pushed past us.

Aurora smiled and ran towards her, her eyes tearing up slightly, as they embraced in a big hug. “Auntie Twilight, I thought I’d never see you again” Aurora cried as tears trickled down her cheeks, Twilight sat there shushing her, “I know and I’m sorry. Wow…I can’t believe how big you've gotten, you were so much smaller the last time I saw you” she said with a loving smile. We all watched at the happy Aunt-Niece reunion, “yeah…a couple of decades can make a pony grow, even an Alicorn” she said and they both chuckled.

Luna and I both walked over and rejoined the group, I cleared my throat and spoke up. “Well, I suppose introductions are due. This is Iron Star, Luna’s second-in-command. These are my team members, Dust, Vapor, and this is my Marefriend River” I said as she stepped next to me and I draped my hoof around her shoulder. Twilight and Aurora separated and she smiled at all of us, “it’s a pleasure to meet you all. Since I suppose there’s no point in chasing you out, you’re all welcome to stay here. I have plenty of food and supplies for all” she said with a warming smile, but before we all walked off, Dust cleared his throat.

Whoa there, before we doing any relaxing, care to explain what’s with the army of walking scrap metal around here?” he said in a annoyed tone. Twilight looked at him with a confused look, “Walking scrap metal? Oh! You mean that, that wasn't my doing, which was Discord’s” she said in an amused tone. We all gave each other confused looks, except for Luna who just groaned and hung her head low. Twilight turned and yelled out, “Discord! You can come out now! Coast is clear, they’re friends!” she shouted, her words echoing off through the castle.

At first the large room remained still and silent, but then, a bright light appeared which made all of us raise our hooves to block the light in our eyes. We heard a light chuckle as the light dimmed, we all turned to see, what could be described as the most hideous sight we had ever seen.

Standing in front of us, was a all slender figure, whose limbs were not made of anything like us, but from a wide variety of animals. His legs and hands were made from various animal limbs, his beady eyes would be enough to scare the living daylights out of any living creature, and his head was topped off with two different types of antlers. Two separate wings flapped behind him, allowing him to hover a few feet in the air, he smiled at us as he landed and looked at each of us.

“Sorry about that Twilight, but I was sure my suits of armor would have them running off” he said with a mischievous chuckle. Twilight smiled and nodded, “well, let’s be thankful it didn't. This is Frost and his friends, they’ll be staying with us for now, and I’m sure you remember Luna” she said with a sly smile. Discord looked at the former Princess and smiled widely, “ah, this is certainly a treat. It’s a pleasure to see you again Luna” he said with a mischievous smile.

Luna groaned and looked at him, “hello Discord, it certainly is a surprise to see you here. How did you come to find Twilight?” she asked him. Twilight cleared her throat, “well, not long after I found my way here, Discord came along and offered to help me protect the Elements from harm. At first I was hesitant, but he proved to be helpful, he brings in supplies for us, helps watch the castle when I’m gone, and…he keeps me company” she smiled at him, he smiled back with a calmer look.

Twilight then turned to the rest of us, “well, I’m sure you must all be tired and hungry. Come, let us have dinner, then we can discuss our plans” she said as she left the room, Discord landed and walked after her. “Oh hurrah! I do love entertaining guests!” he shouted as we all made our way out of the room.
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After leaving the throne room, Twilight brought to the dining hall, which was one of the few rooms in the old castle that didn't seem to be ruined. The room was largely decorated with tapestries with images of the Royal Pony Sisters, with other showing images of the sun and moon.

Twilight invited us to have dinner with her, while Iron Star got in contact with the airship crew and told them to make their way to the castle. Even though Discord was the one who prepared our dinner, we all found it surprisingly delicious and well cooked. While we ate, Twilight saw fit to tell us of her more humorous time that she spent here with her friends.

“You know, based on the way Twilight's talks about you Discord, you don’t seem as…rambunctious as she describes” Vapor stated as she took a bit of her dinner. Discord smiled and waved his hand, “oh please, Twilight tends to exaggerate a lot, I’m still quite the practical joker, for example…” he said as the tea pot suddenly jumped to life and hopped over to her, Vapor looked at it with a confused look, only to be met with a splash of tea to the face. We all burst out laughing, as she groaned and dried her face, even Luna let out a chuckle.

After what seemed like an hour, we had finished up dinner, just as the crew had arrived with some more supplies, in which they set up camp in the old library, one of the very few places to be in near perfect condition, thanks to Twilight’s intense love of books. As we talked more, Luna asked a particularly interesting question, “Twilight, if you don’t mind my asking. Where are the Elements of Harmony?” she asked with a serious expression. Twilight looked at her and then the rest of us, an uncertain look on her face, she glanced over at Discord and nodded.

Discord stood up and cleared his throat, “well, it’s been fun getting to know all of you, but I must excuse myself. I must make sure the castle is secure, Ta for now!” he said as he disappeared in a bright flash. After he did so, Twilight stood up and cleared her throat to get our attention, we all turned to see her looking at us with a stern expression. “Come with me” she said as she got out of her seat and walked out of the room, we all quickly followed her.
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After making us walk along some of the more ruined halls in the castle, we came into another large room, this one had tall bookshelves lining both walls and nearly going up to the ceiling. There was a long table with two seats on each end, and a candle stick in the middle. We all watched as Twilight walked over to one of the chairs, she tipped the chair back with her hoof, but surprisingly, it didn't fall over, it merely went halfway, before we heard a loud click. A loud groan filled the room, as part of the bookshelves slid out towards us and away, revealing a dimly lit room.

We all watched in shock as twilight motioned for us to follow, we did as we piled up into the room. The room was filled with a large makeshift bed, various stacks of books, multiple candles, and other various items. Again, we watched as Twilight walked over to a makeshift bookshelf, she raised her hoof up and pushed on particular book in further, resulting in another loud click.

The wall next to the book shelf shook lightly, as part of the wall slid out and moved to the side, revealing a dark staircase down, only lit by torches. Twilight turned to us and saw the shocked expression’s on our face’s, “follow me, and be careful” she said as she started walking down the steps, we all looked at each other with confused looks, but I slowly walked forward and started down the steps, hearing my friends walk behind me.

Twilight continued walking down, and as we followed her, she remained silent the entire time. After a while the stairs stopped and the path came into a small hall, with a large door at the end. Twilight used her magic to push the door open, and we all stepped inside to see a dark room, but as we all stepped in, and the door began closing behind us, there was a loud whoosh as multiple torches all across the room began lighting up.

We found ourselves standing in a large circular room, made completely of stone, but the most surprising part about it was, the six stands that stood around us in a circle. Each of them held a large crystal of various colors, but each of them were bigger than any crystal had seen. But then the realization it us.

These were the Elements of Harmony!

We all gasped in shock as we stood in the presence of the most powerful artifacts in Equestrian history. But we couldn't understand why they were in that shape. “Wait…why do they look like that? I thought they take on the shape of their bearer’s cuties mark?” I asked, but Twilight simply hung her head low, as she stood in front of a large purple star shaped crystal, Luna sighed sadly and stepped towards her.

“I think I know why, you've lost your connection with your element, haven’t you?” Luna asked with a sad expression. Twilight sighed sadly as a small tear slipped down her cheek, she looked up at Luna and nodded. “The Elements were bound to us by our friendship, but since I am the only one left of the six, and my friends are dead, the connection became too weak, and mine was lost as well” she said as she looked around the room.

We all looked away sadly as we pondered the thought of what it must have felt like for her to lose her friends and family in one day. Luna stepped closer to her, “so…that’s why you've been here. You've been protecting them” Luna said as she passed each of them, Twilight nodded again and stood up straight. “yes…I would have come to help the rebellion, but I promised myself that I would watch over the Elements of Harmony, until such a time as they choose the next bearer” she said with a sad look.

I looked away for a moment and then spoke up, “so…you’re not going to be able to help us, are you?” I asked her, with a concerned look in my eyes. Twilight turned to e and sighed sadly, “no…I must remain here, it is a duty I have given myself, and I plan to see it through until the end” she said with a confident tone.

I stared at her for a moment, completely dumbstruck at her comment, “wait…you can come with us, bring the Elements with you, so you can watch over them…” I said with a desperate tone of voice. Twilight frowned at me and stood firm, “I said no…I have to stay here, I must protect the Elements!” she said with a louder voice, but soon my confusion turned to anger.

“You can’t really think that way. There are ponies out there who need you, whether or not you are recognized by the official government, you are still a Princess of Equestria, and your subjects need your help. What would your friends think, if they knew you were just hiding here, and not trying to make a dif-“ I said but was cut off by Twilight slamming her hooves into the ground, with enough force to make the stone crack, I instantly feel silent as all my friends turned to us.

“Don’t you dare talk about my friends that way? I tried to make a difference, my friends and I stood against the king, and I watched my friends die! One by one they fell before my eyes! I can’t leave here…and even if I did, I would be powerless to stop the king, I made a promise to myself…that I would carry on their legacy, by protecting the very thing that could help make a difference in the future” she said as her voice calmed down, I stared at her for a moment, all of my friends staring at me with jaws open, eve Luna was caught completely off guard by my outburst.

I took a deep breath and spoke up again, “fine then…while you worry about protecting their legacy for the future, there are ponies out there…now, in the present, that are suffering under the rule of a ruthless king. But is you feel so strongly about your position….stay here” I said as I stared into her shocked expression, when she didn't answer, I sighed and stormed out of the room.
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There was a mix of anger and confusion boiling through my system, my anger was directed at Twilight’s inability and unwillingness to act in a direct manner, but in truth, I could understand where she was coming from. If the Elements were to fall into the hoofs of a pony like the king, then nothing would be able to stop him.

After walking away from my friends, I made my way into a small courtyard of the castle. As I stepped outside, I felt the cool night air blow through my mane, which helped me calm down slightly. I looked up to see the bright moon shining down on me, the stars twinkling in the sky, my anger slowly began to recede and I grew calm.

Suddenly, I heard a whoosh behind me, and I immediately turned around in a fighting stance, but I saw nothing there, but then a voice spoke out. “Hello again Frost” I heard a familiar male voice say, I sighed and turned to see a familiar dark-coated unicorn standing behind me, a smug smile on his face. I groaned as I turned to face him, “oh…it’s just you. How did you know I was here?” I asked him, he smiled at me and chuckled, “Oh Frost, are you really so surprised that I found you? After all, I am the one gave you the medallion, I know your every move” he said in an eerie voice, one that sent a slight chill down my spine.

He was right, I shouldn't have been surprised to see him here. My mind flashed back to our conversation at my mother’s grave, which only made me shiver more. When I didn't answer, he looked around and sighed, “So…I see you and your friends have met a friend of Luna’s” he said with a straight face. I just stared at him with an annoyed look as I turned away and began scraping at the ground with my hoof.

“Hmm…something seems to be troubling you, Frost. What could it be?” he said with a fake smile, I just sighed and raised my head, “why should I bother telling you? You probably already know” I said, and was greeted by a low chuckle. “You see? You’re learning, but that’s not the only reason I am here.” He said with a slight frown. I turned to face him and sighed. “Let me guess. You’re here to tell me that there’s ‘more darkness ahead’ or some strange crap like that. But I’m pretty sure we’re already there, the one pony who could have helped us, is a coward” I said with a slight venom to my voice.

He frowned at me and sighed, “Don’t be so quick as to label her a coward, she’s been through more than you have. You may have lost your home and your mother, but she lost her friends, her home, and her entire family, the closest ponies she has now are Luna and Aurora. As she grew older, she had to dedicate more time to her royal duties, and her friends had started living their own lives. While they still remained friends, they slowly began drifting apart, running their own business’s, or living their dreams, it’s safe to say that their bond was weaker when they faced Red Spear” he said with a sad look on his face, the first time I had ever seen that.

I looked at him with a shocked look, I knew he was right, I sadly looked away for a moment and sighed, “Why are you telling me this?” I asked looking back at him. He frowned and sighed again, “because Frost…if anypony deserves to know the truth of how this all started…it’s you. Believe it or not, your destiny is closely related to that of the kingdom” he said with a somber tone. I looked at him with a confused look, “what is that supposed to mean?” I asked him, but before he could answer, I heard a branch snap behind me.

My head snapped in the direction of the noise, but I saw nothing, I calmly turned back to Midnight Star, but…he was gone. I looked in all directions, but I saw no sign of my mysterious friend, instead another voice spoke out.

“Frost? You okay?” I heard the familiar voice of my marefriend ask. I turned to see her walk over to me, a worried look on her face, I sighed and turned to face her. “What are you doing out here? It’s freezing cold” she asked me with a concerned gaze, I did my bet to smile, “nothing important, I just…needed to clear my head. I’m sorry for the way I acted back there, I was just, so…never mind, what happening now?” I asked her with a gentle smile, as I placed a hoof on her cheek. “Well, every pony’s going to sleep. I just came to find you, we should be getting some sleep as well” she said as she grabbed my hoof and removed it from her cheek.

I smiled at her and kiss the top of her horn, and nuzzled her lightly, which she nuzzled me back, “your right, let’s go. All these…blasts from the past, have worn me out” I said with a light chuckle, she smiled as we walked back to the library, where we set up our makeshift camp.