The Frost Chronicles: Book 3: Tide's of Destiny

Chapters

Chapter 1: Awakening
Chapter 2: Moments of Peace
Chapter 3: A Sad Farewell
Chapter 4: Gathering Force's
Chapter 5: Path to War

Chapter 1: Awakening

Author's Note

Well my friends...here we are! The climatic final book in Frost's journey. I truly do hope you have all enjoyed the trilogy so far, because our heroes journey will all be over by the end of this story...or will it.

Anyway, based on the way i have spaced out these chapters, I believe that Book 3, will probably be shorter than the last book, but i'm not sure how much, but i think it's only fair to warn you. Hope you all enjoy the beginning of the end!!!!

Chapter 1: Awakening

CHAPTER 1
Awakening

Destiny.

For the majority of my life, I always believed I had a firm grasp on reality, as well as the knowledge of where my life would take me. But that was all ripped away from on that one horrifying day, the day I lost my home…and my mother.

I always thought I knew what direction my life would take, where I would be when I was older. Like many ponies in Ashen, most of those who were born there, stayed their entire lives, starting families of their own. It would be a lie if I said that I would have been perfectly happy with a life in Ashen, but I knew it would have been a safe life.

But then…everything I knew was torn away from me, and I was forced into a war, that I really had no intention of joining. But, I was fortunate to have my friends by my side in my darkest hour, friends who I knew I could trust my life with, and they could trust theirs with me. At first, it was unbelievable how much my life had changed in the past few months, but I had come to accept it, as my new life, something I wouldn't run from.

A great and wise pony I once knew, gave me a bit of advice that I would never forget:

“No matter how bad things may get, something good can always come out of it”

I knew I would never forget his words to me, and that I knew he was honest in his words. But, that never changed the fact…he was gone, and never coming back.
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I felt an almost unbearable pain shoot through my body, as my eyes slowly began to open, despite my blurry vision. Everything around me seemed dark as my eyes began to focus more, but then I came to realize that it wasn’t my mind playing with me anymore, as I saw that I was in a mostly dark room. But…unlike many of the rooms I have woken up in, this one appeared different from others, mainly due to the crystal walls, ceiling, and floor.

I groaned as I tried to push myself up, but the pain prevented me from doing so, and I fell back down. With my eyes now adjusting to the dark, I began to look around my new surroundings, and saw that I was in some sort of child’s room. The remains of posters that had once hung from the walls, littered the floor in small scraps, but from what I could see, they were posters of the famous Wonderbolts, who still existed today, but they never had the glory they once did under the leadership of Rainbow Dash and Spitfire.

I looked around and saw that I was lying on a makeshift mattress in the room, but I could see that no other pony was around. I turned to see the room lite by a few lanterns, one that had been placed by my bed, while other hung by the door and on the walls. A small window was on the wall by my bed, and I could see the moon’s glorious light shine down into my room.

Before I could make any further observations, the door on the other side of the room slowly creaked open, and I quickly turned to see a familiar purple Alicorn walk in. when she saw that I was awake, she sighed in relief and smiled, calmly walking over to the bed. “You’re awake! That’s great, Luna trick really did work” she said with a gentle smile as she sat by the bed. I did my best to smile and push myself up again, my body feeling slightly stronger as I pushed myself up, she quickly helped me up and levitated another pillow behind me to help sit up. I smiled at the way she acted so motherly, it reminded me of the way my mother would help me or my sister when we weren't feeling well.

“Thirsty…” was the only word I could manage at the time, as I finally realized that my throat was as dry as the desert. She nodded and levitated a glass of water, insisting that she help me to drink it, gently levitating the glass to my lips, she tipped it back and I sighed with the greatest relief as the cool feeling cascaded down my throat. After a moment, she tipped it away and placed it on the table, where I saw that my medallion was sitting, and its emblem shinning in the moonlight.

Finally feeling my ability to speak return, I turned to Twilight and spoke up. “Twilight…what happened?” I asked her as I settled into a comfortable position and sighed heavily. Twilight looked away sadly for a moment and then looked back at me, “we barely managed to escape the monastery. Red Spear’s forces pursued us for a while, but they eventually backed off and we managed to escape” she said as she shifted to a more comfortable position.

I sighed and looked down at my covers, I gulped as I reached down and pulled them away, my eyes widened to see that my chest area was covered by a large bandage. “I don’t know how Red Spear learned such a powerful spell. He used what’s known as a Magic Poison spell, it works on all three races, but its effects are more lethal to unicorns. It drains a unicorn’s ability to produce magic, and then spreads the poison through the body, paralyzing the victim until it reaches the heart. Only a truly gifted unicorn or Alicorn can conjure the spell that can counter it” she said with a saddened look.

I sighed and placed the covers back over to me, but I quickly turned to Twilight as she continued speaking. “After you blacked out, Luna did her best to stall the poison until we got somewhere safer. After we did, Luna conjured up the spell and removed the poison, but it had already taken a toll on you, and left you extremely weak, almost to the point where you died, but luckily, you managed to pull through” she said with a warming smile as she placed a hoof on my shoulder.

“What about the others? Are they okay? River?” I asked as I slowly started to feel my panic grow. But Twilight silenced me with a hoof on the mouth, she smiled calmly at me.

“Relax Frost, their perfectly fine. Most of us made it out with some minor injuries, mainly some scars and bruises, but their fine. River’s been worried sick about you, she was actually here not long before I got here, but she wouldn't leave your side until we finally managed to get her to go and get some sleep” she said with a calm smile.

I sighed with relief and leaned back into my pillow, I smiled to myself as I thought of River being my overbearing marefriend. I looked back at Twilight and frowned slightly, “how long have I been out?” I asked her quick and simple, she looked away for a moment. a look of concern ashed over as she tried to find the right words to say.

“Well…the poison took a heavy toll on your body, you've been out for a few days now, almost a week. The medic’s say that you should be able to get up and moving once you woke up. Come on, the others will want to know your awake” she said as she stepped over to the bed and wrapped her hooves around me as she helped me out.

I cringed as I set all my hooves on the floor and tried to stand up, but my hooves felt weak and shaky, but I was quickly supported by Twilight wrapping her wings around me as I steadied myself. It took a few moments, but I was soon standing as I normally did, and I began to walk, and thanks to Twilight, I was soon able to walk normally, despite the occasional tweak in my hooves. As we left the room, I looked around the rest of the house we were in, which seemed like any other normal family home.

“Where are we?” I asked as my eyes drifted from place to place. I heard her chuckle lightly, “oh I think you’ll be quite surprised” she said as we made our way down the stairs and to the front door.
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When Twilight said I was surprised to find where we were, she wasn't kidding!

As we exited the crystal home, my jaw nearly dropped to the floor, and my eyes widened to their full extent, as I gazed around what had once been a glorious city of crystal and magic. But the charm the place once held was long gone.

The ruins of the Crystal Empire.

The once great city of love and peace, seemed to be lost to despair and darkness. A faint layer of smog roamed through the air, desecrating the once beautiful land, but the layer was not entirely thick enough to phase out the moon’s bright light, which shined brightly down on all of us. As we walked, I saw other members of the Night ranger’s walking around, many of which had an expression of doom on their faces, but who could blame them.

Twilight had told me that we had arrived here nearly a week ago, and that we had set up our camp among the center of the city, using the few remaining intact buildings as shelter for the wounded. “What happened to this place? I heard stories that this place was a great city” I said as I turned to Twilight, who sighed sadly, as a look of overbearing sadness came over her.

she looked around herself, and i could see all the happy memories she once had here with her friends, flash through her eyes. “Red Spear happened. After my friends and I failed to stop him, he rallied his forces and marched on the Empire, sparing little of this once great land” she said with a somber tone as we continued walking.

I continued to look around, the old illustrations of the city, displayed a land of shining glory, but what I saw seemed nothing more than a hollow world of despair. “Twilight…I hate to ask this, but…what happened to Prince and Princess?” I asked as we walked, but my question halted her in her steps. She looked away sadly, and then glared at me, but she sighed and walked next to me.

“I suppose it’s only fair you know. My brother and sister-in-law refused to flee their land. They swore to stay and fight, and that they did, but the King’s forces were too overwhelming. Then it came down to a duel between them and the king, but they stood little chance to his growing power. If there’s one thing that Red Spear did that could be considered honorable, after he struck them both down, he gave them a proper royal burial, allowing them to at least have a shred of dignity left, the same with Celestia. But…don’t let that fool you, Red Spear is a cruel, merciless bastard!” she said as she walked forward again, anger seething on her words.

If I didn't know better, I would have wondered why she was so enveloped by her hatred of the king, but I knew why. If there are only a hooful of ponies in the world who had a rightful hatred of Red Spear, it would be the three Alicorn Princess’s. I sighed and walked after, making our way to the old castle.

As I caught up with her, my eyes looked up towards the top of the tower, which I had seen in old texts and pictures, but was no longer there. The once proud castle that stood in the center of the city, was nearly destroyed, I had heard the stories of Twilight and Spike’s triumphant retrieval of the Crystal Heart, and how it aided in the defeat of the tyrannical King Sombra, but that too was one of the many relics missing.

“What about the Crystal Heart? It was the source of the Empire’s power, did Red Spear…destroy it?” I asked her, she sighed and looked towards the center under the castle, where the Heart once floated proudly, filling the hearts of the citizens with love and light.

she followed my gaze to the spot were it once floated proudly. “Despite Red Spear’s power, no force known to us was ever powerful enough to counter the Heart. He stole it from the Empire, and locked it away in his vaults, and there it stands today” she said as we made our way over to one of the doors that lead into the castle, but I quickly stopped and looked on in confusion. Twilight noticed my halting and turned back towards me.

“Wait…why are we going into the castle?” I asked her, she chuckled and smiled at me.

“Luna specifically asked to see you when you woke up, and she’s waiting for us in the throne room” she said as she opened the door and calmly walked in, I looked around and then hurried in after her.
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As we made our way through the castle, I noticed that the torches on the walls had been lite, but the majority of the castle lied in ruins. Furniture had been turned over and burned, probably from the countless raids that the city had suffered a few decades earlier. Twilight remained quiet for most of the tour, but we quickly found ourselves standing outside the throne room. Twilight smiled at me and pushed the doors open with her magic and we both calmly walked.

Of all the rooms in the castle, the throne room appeared to be the most intact. While some of the windows had been blown in from the assault, the throne itself remained mostly intact. But mainly, my surprise mostly came from the large amount of ponies walking around the room. My gaze drifted to the center of the room, where I saw all my friends gathered around a large make-shift table, with a map of the city on it.

As we walked up, Twilight cleared her throat, catching every pony’s attention. I could see my friends eyes light up in joy as I walked up next to Twilight, River’s especially. “Frost!” River cried out happily as she ran around the table and nearly pushed me to the ground, as her hooves wrapped around my neck. The force of the impact staggered me back slightly, which caused me to wince slightly, but River quickly silenced that with a loving kiss, something I greatly returned. “I’m so happy you’re okay!” she said as I felt faint tears dripping on to my shoulders.

She quickly pushed away from me and punched me in the shoulder, which caused to cry out, “that’s for having me worried sick! If you ever get poisoned again, I’ll kill you!” she said in a slightly humorous tone, which caused the others to chuckle as well. I chuckled nervously and rubbed my shoulder, just as Dust and Vapor walked up.

“well, looks like sleeping beauty finally decided to rejoin the living” Dust said with his usual cocky smile and a small chuckle of his own, something we were all used to by this point. i simply smiled at him, while I received a generous hug from Vapor.

Just like clockwork, they all walked over to me in sequence, this time it was Luna’s turn to speak. “It’s good to see you up and walking again, Frost. How are you feeling?” she asked in a kindly tone. I smiled and adjusted my shoulder slightly.

“well…I've been better, but I suppose I should thank you. Twilight told me that your spell removed the poison” I said in a happy tone as River nuzzled under my chin. In a way, i felt partially guilty for putting River through so much, but i knew she would forgive me soon enough.

We all got another surprise, as Luna frowned slightly, “well, the poison was never fully removed. The spell that Red Spear used is very tricky to counter, even if the pony were to survive, there is always a trace amount of the poison in the victim’s body. I suggest you hold off on any magic use for a few days, your magic ability will return soon, but you must be careful to not exert yourself” she said in a calm tone.

I sighed sadly and placed a hoof on my chest, and looked at River, who simply frowned at me slightly. I looked around sadly and sighed, “What…what about Iron Star?” I asked. I didn't need them to answer, as I could both look and feel the wave of despair that washed over us, as well as the painful expression on Luna’s face.

“The medics…tried everything they could, but he was dead before we could do anything…I’m sorry Frost. We've done our best to preserve his body until you woke up, we only saw it fitting that you should be there for the funeral” she said with a saddened tone. Out of all of us, Luna seemed to be the most torn up about Iron Star’s death, considering he had served as her loyal captain and friend, for many years.

After a few brief moments of silence, I spoke up again. thinking of the right way to phrase the question i had been needing to ask, “What about the medallions?” I asked her, which caused her to slightly perk up.

she sighed and looked down for a moment, but she took a quick breath and looked towards me “Well…Spike and I managed to recover your medallion and mine, but Red Spear still has Cadence’s and my sister’s” she said in a slightly more pleasant tone. I sighed with relief when I remembered that I saw my medallion by my bed side table.

Another few moments of silence came again until Luna cleared her throat. “Anyway…it’s good to see you back on your hooves Frost, but I still think you should go back and rest. We’ll talk more later” she said as most of my friends began to make their way out of the room, while Twilight, Luna, and some of the higher ranking officers, returned to the table. River nudged me in the side, which caused me to turn to her, where I saw a kindly smile on her face.

“Come on, I’ll help you back to your bed. We have some things to talk about” she said as she helped me make my way out of the room. Truthfully, I wasn't in any real need of her help, but I greatly enjoyed being able to lean on her for support, both mentally and physically.

I smiled as we calmly made our way out of the old castle.

Chapter 2: Moments of Peace

CHAPTER 2
Moments of Peace

After leaving the old castle, River and I made our way to another one of the nearby that we had turned into our temporary home. As we walked, River told me what happened after we arrived, according to her, after I had blacked out, they hauled me on to the ship and left the monastery, but the King’s forces had pursued them to a certain point, before simply turning away, and allowing us to escape.

As we walked along the wide street to our building, we saw all the other Ranger’s going about the day, making sure that all those who managed to flee with us, were tended to. “Hey River, why did we come here? We could have gone somewhere else” I asked her as we walked along. She sighed and looked around as we walked, “it was actually Aurora’s idea to come here, and she thought that we would be safe from Red Spear here. Honestly, we were all surprised to hear her suggest it, considering it might bring up bad memories for her and Luna, but so far…they've managed” she said as we walked along the street.

Then a certain thought popped into my head, “wait! What about Spike’s dragon forces, we told them to head for the monastery” I said in a panic, but River quickly silenced me with a hoof to the mouth. “Relax Frost, Spike already got in touch with them after we got here, the forces know to come here instead” she said as she continued walking. I watched her for a moment as a wave of relief washed over me, I then sighed and walked after her.
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The building my friends and I were staying in, was much like the one I had woken up in, except the room had a much larger, more solid bed. I cringed as River helped me on to the bed, and then sat next to me, lightly brushing my mane with her hoof. “You know Frost…I’m not sure if you remember what today really is” she said with a slight smile. I turned to her with a confused look, which only made her smile wider, “River…with everything that’s going on, you really think I’m going to remember what today is” I said with a slight chuckle, she chuckled back and scooted closer to me.

“Well despite all the terrible things that have happened, I think it’s only fair that I tell you…Happy Birthday” she said in a gentle tone. I stared into her eyes for a moment with confusion, but then it hit him, she was right!

The age when young colts turn into strong stallions. With the threat of a pending war upon us, it felt weird to me that I should forget the day I was born, but as happy as an occasion could be, I could feel a waving sadness wash over me, as I knew I wouldn't be able to celebrate it with my mother, or any of my friends from home. It was strange that I had seen so many horrible things, in the past few months, and yet I had still seen more than most full grown stallions had seen their entire life.

I smiled lightly and turned away again, but as I stared off into space for a moment, I felt the smile fade away, which earned me a concerned look from River. “What’s wrong?” she asked as she tried to bring my face to hers, but I resisted her touch for the moment. “It’s just…everything in our lives has changed so much. I mean…here we are, on the brink of a war, our home and much of our family lost to us. I know you think it should be a happy day, but…River…I just can’t find a reason to be happy. We lost many friends in that battle. We lost Iron Star, and…I almost lost you” I said as I turned to face her.

I was surprised to see a comforting smile on her face, she leaned in and gave me a loving kiss on the lips, something I greatly returned. She pulled away and brushed her hoof through my mane, “I know things are seeming dark right now, but we can’t sit here and give up hope. Spike’s forces will be here soon, and then we’ll have a fighting chance” she said with a confident smile on her face.

I smiled at her and leaned my head towards her, she did as well, and we both sighed happily as our horns rubbed together. “You always have to be miss sunshine, don’t you?” I asked with a loving smile, she smiled back and pecked me on the nose. “You bet I do, if it means keeping you in one piece. Anyway, I think you owe me something for keeping me worried for so long” she said as she kissed me again.

I felt a devious smile cross my lips, “oh really? Well…I suppose it’s only fair, just let me know if you can think of anything” I said as we kissed again. After we separated, she hummed lightly and smiled at me, “oh…I have a few ideas” she said as she pulled me forward and leaned back. She landed with her back to the bed, and I pulled on top of her and kissed her passionately. She shifted under me to get most comfortable, as a chilled gust of wind came through the window and blew out the candle by the bed. But…neither of us cared to fix it.
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The faint morning light shined through the window of the bedroom, flashing right across my eyes. I groaned in annoyance as I lifted my head slightly and opened my eyes, and began to look around the room. My eyes began to focus more, as I found myself lying on my side, I tried to move my hooves, but I found that one of them was preoccupied.

I lifted my head to see another form lying beside me, and it didn't take me long to realize that it was River. My hoof was draped across her stomach, I leaned closer to pull my hoof out of her embrace, but I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face, as I saw the gentle smile on her lips. I leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, “I love you” I whispered gently into her ear, as I slowly sat up in the bed and got off. I chuckled to myself as I heard her moan happily.

As I got out of the bed, the memories of last night flooded back to me in an instant.

The intensity…the excitement…the passion.

I dumbfounded smile crossed my face as I walked over to the mirror and combed my mane down to its usual length. Just as I was doing so, I heard the rustling of sheets and turned to see River slowly turn to face the side I was sleeping on, I smiled happily and walked over there and sat by the bed. Her eyes slowly drifted open in the cutest way, as the light gently reflected off her mane, only increasing her beauty in my eyes. When she looked over at me, I could see a sweet smile grace her lips, as she blushed lightly.

“I was having a wonderful dream…about last night. Thank Celestia it wasn't though” she said as I smiled and took her hoof in mine. “Yeah...last night was amazing. Listen…I’m going to go for a little walk, you should get some more rest, and I’ll be back soon” I said to her with a warming smile. For a moment she looked briefly disappointed, but she quickly smiled and her eyes slowly drifted closed.
I smiled at her and stood up, and quickly turned to make my way out of the room.
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I sighed as I stepped out of the house, and looked around, seeing all the ponies going about their day and eating breakfast. As I walked down the steps, I turned to see Vapor and Dust walking up towards the camp. As they came up to me, they both smiled, “well, look who finally decided to get up. You know…we were all starting to wonder where you two lovebirds went off to” Dust said with a sly smile. I felt my face burn slightly, but that quickly stopped, when we all heard a loud screech, and the flap of familiar wings.

I turned to see Winter, land on the ground next to me and give me an annoyed chirp. I smiled and brushed her feathers with my hoof, “hey, I missed you too girl, I hope you've been keeping out of trouble” I said with a chuckle, but she simply tilted her head at me curiously.

“Anyway, Luna sent us out to scavenge some food from these other buildings last night, and you would not believe how much food has survived for almost a century. Well, were off to grab some breakfast, care to join us?” Vapor asked in her usual calm manner. I chuckled and felt my stomach rumble, as I realized I haven’t eaten since I woke up. I smiled at them and nodded, and we all walked over to the lunch tent.

According to my friends, some of the other ranger’s had raided the old castle’s kitchen, and found loads of canned foods and other untouched goods, which amazed many of us at how well it tasted after all these years. As we exited the tent with our food, we came over to the table, and saw Aurora and the other pony, whom I only knew from last night, sitting at the table and eating their meals.

When we came closer, they both turned to us and gave warming smiles, but I could tell that they had a more morbid expression behind their eyes. “Good morning Frost, judging by where you and River were last night, we thought you wouldn't be up for some time” Aurora said in a joking manner, but I wasn't smiling, as I was too busy trying to hide the huge blush on my face, and failed miserably. I tried to say something, as I sat next to her, but she stopped me first, “relax Frost, need I remind you that I’m the Princess of Love’s daughter. Besides, it’s not really hard to tell where you were, you weren't exactly very quiet” she said with a devilish smile.

I instantly felt my face catch fire, as I slowly began to slide down in my seat, wishing I could merely disappear into some other dimensional void. They all burst out laughing, but as Dust sat next to me, he gave me a hearty slap on the back, “relax! Were just messing with you. What you and River do on your private time, is your business alone” he said, as they all began to eat their meals. It took me a few moments to get my heart to slow down, but I sat back up and began to eat my food.

But before long, Aurora turned to me again, a more serious look on her face, “by the way Frost, Luna wanted me to tell you that she wanted to speak with you in the throne room. I suggest you finish breakfast and go to see her” she said as she ate some more of her food. The awkwardness from just a few moments earlier began to fade, as I looked at all my friends, who merely had confused looks on their faces.
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Shortly after finishing breakfast, I cleaned up my plate and immediately went back to check on River. As I walked into the room, I saw that she was sitting by the bed, a small picture levitated in her magical grasp. I sighed and gave a gentle knock on the door, she gasped and turned to see that it was me, and sighed with relief and smiled. “Oh it’s just you, you startled me” she said as I made my way into the room, “sorry about that, I just came to check on you. Listen…Luna wants to see me, so I just came by to see if you were alright…”I said to her and she merely smiled.

“Yeah…I’m fine, I’ll be down for some breakfast in a moment” she said as she turned back to the picture. I was about to turn and leave, but I noticed her unusually sad look, and made my way over to her. “River…what’s wrong?” I asked her as I sat next to her on the bed, she sighed sadly and I looked to see that it was a picture of her and her family…before her mother died.

She sighed sadly and sniffled slightly and put the picture by the bed, “it’s just that…how could everything we knew…come crashing down all in such a short time?” she asked me, but I couldn't find the words to say. After a moment of silence between us, I turned to her and said the best words that came to mind, “River, you listen to me now. You’re the one who said we can’t give up hope, and if we do, all the sacrifice’s that we’ve made, that all these ponies have made, would be for nothing. Iron Star would want us to keep on going, to fight until the end, just as he did” I said to her in a confident tone.

She took a deep breath and turned to me, a small smile gracing her lips, “you always have a way with words. Your right, we shouldn't give up hope. Go and see Luna, I’ll be fine here. I love you” she said with a quick peck on the lips, something I greatly returned. I smiled and made my way to the door and left the room.
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After making my way across the city, I made my way up into the castle’s throne room, where I saw many ponies going through the halls. Either looking for more items and useful goods to loot, or merely admiring the great beauty of the once shining architecture. I soon found myself walking into the old throne room, where I had met with my friends the night before, I was not surprised to see Luna standing by the large round table that she and her lieutenants used to make our new strategies, her back to me.

“Luna…you wanted to see me?” I asked in a calmly fashion, she turned to me with a calm look, but it slowly spread into a warming smile. “Frost…good to see you’ve mostly recovered from your injuries. Yes, I called you here to discuss an important matter. Leave us for now” she said to her lieutenants, they all nodded and made their way out of the room, leaving just us two alone.

I watched them go for a moment, and then turned back to see her smiling face. “Frost…I understand you and River spent the night together last night” she said with an unusual tone. I felt myself blush again, not only was I facing this conversation again, but I was having it with Luna of all ponies! I sighed and looked away for a moment, “why does every pony keep bringing that up…” I said with a blush on my face. She chuckled and raised her hoof, “calm yourself, you’ll find no judgment from me. I understand that one would want to seek the presence of those they love, in this time of uncertainty. Please…come to the window” she said as she turned and made her way over.

I gave a confused look and walked next to her, the window overlooked the main street of the city, where we saw many of our ponies walking around. “Look before you, what do you see?” she asked in a more darkened tone. I looked down to see those who I had come to call friends, going about their new daily routine. “I see…my friends down there. I see the ponies I have come to call friends, but…what does this have to do why you wanted to see me?” I asked looking up at her.

She sighed sadly for a moment, and looked off towards the horizon. “Frost, I want you to know…that Iron Star’s death was in no way, your fault. Just like each of those ponies down there, he was willing to give his life for our cause. Many of these ponies looked up to him for guidance and leadership, and while I may be a Princess of Equestria, I feel that they need a new pony to give them hope. That pony is you Frost” she said as she turned to me and frowned slightly.

I turned to her with a shocked expression, “me? Why? I don’t think I deserve to have these ponies look up to me, I’m nowhere near as wise or brave as Iron Star. These ponies rallied behind the both of you, because they knew you would be able to help them realize their dreams of a free Equestria. But me…I may have this medallion, but it doesn't make me anymore special than any other pony down there” I said as I gestured to them.

I was surprised to see Luna nod at my comment, “that may be true, your medallion doesn't define who you are. It is the action you show that reveal who you truly are, and I believe…that you are capable of great courage, you showed that many times in these past few months. You will always have friends that will stand by you through any battle, and will support you in your time of need. Frost…these ponies need somepony like you, a pony who has faced great challenges…and seen them through with courage and commitment, I’m telling you this…because…I want you to be my captain” she said in a very straight-forward tone.

I looked at her with a shocked expression, with my mind racing like a Wonderbolt, I turned away for a moment and took a deep breath. “But…why me? How do you know I’m the right pony for this, I’m not as brave as Iron Star was, or any of your other previous captain’s” I said with a concerned tone as I looked away for a moment. To my surprise, I felt her hoof bring my face forward, until I was looking into her eyes once more. “A leader who does not feel fear…is a fool. Fear is a part of our lives, we face it every day, but only the truly strong can overcome it and rise to the challenge, you've proven that you’re capable of that. Besides…I think Iron Star would approve” she said with a comforting smile.

A moment of silence fell between us, and then she pulled her hoof away and sighed again, “I will leave the choice up to you, feel free to discuss it with your friends if you need to. In the meantime…we have a funeral to prepare for” she said in a saddened tone, as she walked past me and made her way to the door.

I stood there for a moment, completely shocked by her words. After my thoughts raced around my mind until they were unreadable, I turned and walked after her…a somber tone washing over my body.

Chapter 3: A Sad Farewell

CHAPTER 3
A Sad Farewell

Shortly after my talk with Luna, I left the castle to go and gather my friends for Iron Star’s funeral. From what Luna said, they had been magically preserving Iron Star’s body, so that he could be properly buried, and that he had always wanted a true warrior’s funeral. Luna had decided to hold the ceremony in the old crystal stadium, where the Crystal Empire proudly hosted the Equestria Games.

Every pony had dropped what they were doing and made their way to the center of the large stadium. It was sufficient to say that the old stadium had obviously seen better days, and that it was one of the few buildings to take the most damage, aside from the castle itself. Using some large piles of wood, they made a large stack of them, and laid his corpse, which was now wrapped in sheets, on top of the pile, like it was a bed.

By the time the preparations were finished, the sun was beginning its slow descent on the horizon, giving the sky an orange and purplish glow. After constructing a quick, make-shift stage, Luna and her top lieutenants made their way on to the stage, along with Aurora who stood next to her, even Spike had come to honor a fallen hero, which seemed only fit for a creature who held honor highly. Many of us had lined up in large columns, each facing the pyre. I stood next to my friends as we all looked on with sorrowful expressions, River leaning ever so slightly into my side for support.

As Luna approached the center of the stage, we could all see the saddened look on her face, but we knew none of us could blame her, Iron Star was a close friend to her. But most of all, we could see that it hurt her to bury yet another captain, who gave their life to the Night Ranger’s cause.

We watched in morbid silence as she lifted her head up and took a deep, shaky breath. “My friends…we are gathered here today, to say our goodbyes…to a true Equestrian Hero” she started off by saying. My gaze drifted among the other faces in the crowd, and I could see that man of them were silently weeping to themselves.

My gaze turned back to the stage as Luna continued her sad speech. “Iron Star was…in every way, a brave, wise, and caring stallion. For many of us he was a mentor…and a close friend. Many of us have lost those we care about, have left our lives behind, Iron Star was just like us in that sense. He lost those close to him…and then…dedicated his life to our cause, and the liberation of Equestria” she said as she slightly choked up a bit, causing her to stop for a moment and reassess herself.

“Iron Star…gave his life for the betterment of our kingdom, and I truly believe…that he would want us to keep fighting. He would want us to never give up in the face of danger. My friends…I ask that while we honor our fallen friend…that you also honor all those who have given their lives, to not only aid in our cause…but to bring balance back to our kingdom” she said as her voice grew in strength slightly as she continued.

I turned to see my friends bowing their heads in respect, tears lining their eyes, with even some dripping down their cheeks. I felt River grasp my hoof even tighter, as tears dripped down her cheeks, as I heard her weeping as quietly as she could. As Luna continued her speech, I too felt tears begin to well up in my eyes, even though I took Luna’s words to heart, I still couldn't help but feel that I was partly responsible for his death. If I hadn't just stood there, he wouldn't have needed to risk his life for mine.

“My friends…we must not let Iron Star’s sacrifice be in vain!” she said with a confident tone, but nopony cheered out in happiness. Luna’s face turned solemn again as she looked up into the sky, “Iron Star...you will be greatly missed, and we will not let your memory dies with you” she said as she turned to one of her lieutenants, who sadly lit a torch and gave it to her. Instead of using her magic, Luna took it with her hoof, and slowly walked over to the base of the pyre. With a look of great sadness in her eyes, she threw the torch at the base and watched in sorrow as the wood caught fire.

Tears began to spill down all our cheeks as the fire slowly climbed it’s way up the wood, until it slowly began eating away at the wrapped body. I looked up to see Luna staring at the fire, tears slowly slipping down her cheeks. As I watched her, I could see the fire reflecting in her eyes, as the fire began to full consume the body of our dear friend, which I’m sure was reflecting in my eyes as well.

As the sun began to settle, Luna closed her eyes, and we all watched in awe as her horn lit up. We all turned toward the horizon behind us, and with gasps of awe, we saw the moon rise overhead, just barely cresting the mountains. We all turned back to the pyre, and my eyes wandered up, seeing the ashes rise up into the sky, and slowly drift across the wind.
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After successfully making sure that the fire was contained, and everything was fixed and put away, one by one, each of the ponies that attended the funeral, all began to leave the stadium. It took a few moments, but my friends finally managed to convince me to leave as well, but not before I sneaked one last glance at the smoldering pile of wood, that once held the lifeless body of my dear friend.

Since it was later into the night, many ponies simply felt the need to go and sleep, not feeling and sort of cheer or joy in their hearts. My friends and I though the same as well, and made our way back to our temporary homes. But as we walked, I turned around to see a suspicious site.

It was Aurora.

I watched her as she looked around, and quietly made her way up into the castle, clearly not aware that I was the only one who saw her. I thought for a moment and stopped, which caused my friends to notice, “Frost? What’s wrong?” Dust asked with a concerned look, even he was not nearly as sarcastic as he usually was. I turned to them and thought for a moment, “it’s nothing…you guys go on ahead, I just…need to talk a walk for a little while” I said. Both Vapor and Dust simply shrugged and walked off toward the house they stayed in, while River gave me a concerned look.

I did my best to smile and cupped her chin with my hoof, “everything’s fine. I’ll be there soon” I said with a comforting smile. She still had the concerned look on her face, but she nodded anyway and walked after our friends. I sighed to myself and turned to make my way into the castle.
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Since nopony was in the castle right now, none of the torches on the walls were lit, which only made it harder to see. When I came into the main entry way, I tried to stay out of sight, as Aurora looked around and took a deep breath, her horn instantly lighting up. Her horn stayed glowing like a light bulb, and she made her way up the stairs into the higher floors, I did the same, only I made my lit dimmer, so she wouldn't notice me following her.

By the time we were in the higher floors of the castle, Aurora turned and walked down a hallway, the floor littered with broken pottery, ruined paintings of the old world. As I made careful precautions, not to be heard, she sighed sadly and turned into a room. I slowly crawled along the wall, and made my way over to the door, where I tried peaking my head around. I gasped when I saw that it was a large room, with a large bed, that could only be explained as…her bed.

This was Aurora’s room.

As I looked around, I heard her sigh and speak up, “you don’t have to keep hiding, I know it’s you Frost” she said with a surprisingly calm tone. I cringed and sighed for a moment, before I walked into the room, only to see her standing in the far corner, staring at me with a calm expression. “Sorry Aurora…I just thought you might want…some comfort. I know you were close with Iron Star” I said with a concerned tone. She chuckled lightly and smiled at me, “thank you for your concern, but Iron Star wasn't the first close friend I've lost” she said with a saddened tone.

An awkward silence fell between us, but I looked around the room in interest and sighed, “So…this was…” I said, but she nodded and looked around as well. “Yes…this was my room. It’s been so long since I set hoof in here. All the fond memories come rushing back” she said with a distant tone. I watched her for a moment, as her eyes widened, when they feel upon a small toy chest against the wall.

Her mouth opened in shock as a surprised gasp came from her. I watched in concern as she walked over to the small chest, seeing the layer of dust on it, she wiped it away with her hoof. I gave a worried expression, and walked over next to her as she flipped open the chest lock and pushed off the lid.

Her eyes widened again as her gaze shifted over a large assortment of books and old toys for fillies. A slight mist came to her eyes as she shuffled through them, until her hoof came across a small box, which she lifted out with her magic. She walked over to the small desk and placed the box on top, she magically grasped the key in the lock and turned it a few times. We both heard a slightly ticking noise, as gears inside the box began turning. We both watched in awe, as the lid lifted and a small porcelain pony couple rose out and began twirling to a soft piano rhythm.

Aurora’s eyes began to tear up once more, “I remember this. My parents gave it to me for my first birthday. My mother had it function to a lullaby, she would sing me to sleep with” she said as the small pony couple continued to dance around in a clockwork circle.

Aurora lowered her head briefly and cried to herself, not really knowing what I was doing, I walked up to her and placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. She raised her head and stood up, and paced around the room, “so much has changed since then. These books…my mother used them to read me to sleep on a stormy night. They toys my father and I used to play with…everything I ever came to know and love, was all ripped away from me. My parents…my home…my throne” she said with a sorrowful expression.

I stood there for a moment, simply watching her think back to the old memories. The memories of her father and her playing with her plastic soldiers and jigsaw puzzles. I knew what it felt like to lose my home, but I was not sure if I could fathom the idea of witnessing your own kingdom, the place you would come to rule in the future, be taken away from you in one day.

“Aurora…I’m so sorry, your parents gave their lives to protect you, and give you a fighting chance. I promise you…we’ll avenge them, and that you will gain your rightful place on the throne” I said to her with a confident tone. She wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to me, a sad expression on her face, but she quickly smiled warmly at me, and then did something I didn't expect.

She hugged me!

She lunged forward and wrapped her hooves around my neck, tears spilling down her cheeks, letting them fall and hit my shoulder. I was momentarily stunned by her action, but I smiled and gently placed my hooves around her shoulders. After a few minutes, she sighed and pushed away from me and smiled, “thanks Frost, you always have a way of comforting ponies. I think Iron Star would be proud of you, come on…it’s getting late” she said as she turned and made her way out of the room, I smiled at her and we quickly left the room behind.

The small chest still spinning and giving off it’s lullaby.

Chapter 4: Gathering Force's

CHAPTER 4
Gathering Force's

Two days had passed since Iron Star’s funeral, and the mood of sorrow that had infected every pony, was finally clearing away. But even then, there was still a great matter that needed to be discussed.

Our plan of attack.

After the second day, Luna had called my friends and I into the castle’s throne room to plan for our next move. Spike and Aurora had joined us there as well, as we all discussed the new plan.
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As my friends and I made our way into the throne room, we saw all the higher ranking members of the order, surrounding the table in the center of the room. As Luna saw us enter, she smiled and motioned for us to come over, and we saw the highly detailed map of Equestria, especially the areas around New Canterlot. “Glad you all made it here, there’s something we all need to discuss” she said as we all gathered around the table, but I quickly noticed we were short one dragon.

“Wait! Where’s Spike?” I asked around, Luna looked up at me and then back to the map, “Spike is off scouting with Twilight for the time being. They should be back soon though” she said as she cleared her throat and began speaking in a more formal and serious tone. “Alright, now we must discuss more pressing matters. It’s been over a week since we landed here, and so far…Red Spear doesn't seem to know where we went. I for one, think we can use that to our advantage” she said with a serious tone.

I turned to look at my friends, whom most had confused or concerned expressions. I quickly turned to see Luna looking at each of us, “what is it your suggesting we do?” I asked her with a straight tone. She cleared her throat and tapped a spot on the map, we all looked to see that she was referring to the capital. “The Night Rangers have been hiding for long enough. I think it’s time we take this fight to the enemy, and hit them where it hurts. I believe…it’s time we strike the capital” she said with a firm tone.

My friends and I all looked at her with a shocked expression, but it was River who spoke up first. “Wait a minute, wouldn't that be the perfect moment for Red Spear to trap us?” she asked with a concerned look. Luna cleared her throat and straightened up, “I’m not so sure, I have known Red Spear for a long time, and he definitely plans ahead. No matter how sure he is of victory, he always makes a contingency plan. But…I don’t believe him to think we would attack so soon after a major defeat, it will give us the perfect time to strike the castle, and finally end this war” she said as she looked from my friends and I, to her trusted lieutenants.

When none of us seemed to find the right words to respond, she continued her plan explanation. “Also, we might have the advantage of Red Spear being pre-occupied. Based on what we know, Lieutenant Arrow was in contact with the king for some years now, making sure he could stop any of our advances. While we were at the old castle in the forest, Iron Star had told Arrow of our location and Princess Twilight’s, and I’m sure that Arrow would have told the King. Most likely, Red Spear will be using most of his resources to investigate the castle, which will give us the perfect opportunity to strike” she said with a confident look.

We all remained silent for a moment, but before any of us could speak up, the door to the throne room burst open, and Twilight and Spike ran in. “Luna! Our scouts spotted inbound movement above the cloud cover! It could be some of Red Spear’s scouting parties” she stated in a concerned tone. All our heads instantly snapped to Luna, who stood shocked for a moment, she raised her hoof to her chin and thought for a moment, “looks like planning will have to wait…set the alarms on, and tell everypony to get into battle stations!” she ordered as all the lieutenants started running around the room, sending the signal to the rest of the soldiers across the city.

Luna turned to us and nodded, before running out of the room. I turned to my friends as well and we ran out after her.
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The blaring alarm sounded as we made our way out of the castle and into the main street, and we all looked up to the cloud cover, seeing nothing at first. On our way out, my friends and I had gathered our weapons and readied them. As all the others soldier readied their weapons, others ran to the roof tops on the houses and readied the rifles.

An uneasy silence fell over us all, as our eyes became fixated on the cloud cover. “Snipers! As soon as they clear the cloud cover, you open fire!” she shouted with her raised voice, I looked over to see Spike raise his weapon. But as I watched his eyes widened slightly and he lowered his weapon and took out a pair of binoculars. I turned to see a large group of shadows cross over the clouds above us, but they were definitely heading right at us.

“WAIT!”

Our heads all snapped to Spike who roared out his order, he lowered his binoculars and began waving his arms. “Hold your fire! They’re not Ponies, They’re Dragons!” he yelled across the buildings, and we all looked up to see the shadows move below the clouds.

He was Right!

A large group of armored dragons descended toward us, and we all moved out of the way to clear the street as they came down. We all felt a wave of relief wash over us, and we sheathed our weapons and made our way over. We watched with smiling faces as the dragons landed in the street and gave a respectful bow to Spike. “Lord Spike, we are here under the command of the Dragon Council, to assist you!” the leader said as they stood in military position.

Before Spike got the chance to speak, Spike recognized the voice of the leader and stepped forward. “Son! Is that you?” he asked the leader of the squad of dragons, the leader simply smiled and removed his helmet, revealing a familiar dragon. “Hey dad” he said in a simple tone. We watched with confusion as Spike stepped forward with a confused look of his own, “but…what are you doing here, and why aren’t you back at the palace?” he said, as the faintest hints of anger rose in his voice.

Whiplash simply smiled and looked at him, “the council thought it would be good if I was appointed leader of the squad. Besides everything fine at home, mom can take care of herself” he said with a kindly smile. We watched with amused glances as Spike crossed his arms over his chest, “humph! Remind me to have a talk with the other council members. Anyway…it’s good to have you here” he said with calming smile.

Now we watched as Luna stepped forward, “so…this is what the council sends us, how can we be sure they are good fighters?” she asked Spike, while he simply scoffed and looked down at her. “Come now Luna, even you know that dragons are amongst the most skilled fighters in the world, and these are the best the clans have to offer. Each of these dragons is worth at least ten of Red Spears soldiers, just let them do their part” he said with a wide smile.

My friends and I simply looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders, but before any of us could actually speak, one of the radar technicians ran up to Luna, with a panicked look on his face. “Commander Luna! We finally managed to get the radar up and running, and we saw something coming toward us. It’s three massive airships, military class, and they’re coming here!” he said in a panic.

Luna frowned and looked up at Spike, who nodded ad turned to his soldiers, “Alright! We may be in for a fight, get into battle formation!” he yelled and the dragons took off into the air, while we all ran into the castle.
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As we ran inside, we came up into the throne room and ran over to the temporary radar station and looked at it. Just like the private said, we saw three blips on the screen, heading straight for the castle, Luna was about to give another order, when we heard the incoming call signal from the radio, the signal appeared to be coming from the lead ship.

We all turned to each other with confused expression, “wait a minute, why would they be calling us?” I asked around, but nopony seemed to have an answer to that question. Luna looked toward the answering switch and reach for it with her hooves, flipping it on, “this is Commander Luna of the Night Rangers. To whom am I speaking with, and what is it that you want?” she asked into the microphone.

She switched to the channel so they could reply, but there was nothing but static at first, we all waited in anticipation for a moment, until we heard a surprisingly familiar voice respond. “Oh, I guess you could say that its and old friend. I thought you could all use some heavy reinforcements” the voice replied. Although we couldn't immediately identify the voice, we all looked at each other, but when our eyes fixed on Dust, we saw the smile on his face.

“I know who that is…its uncle Silver Wing!” he cheered loudly and we all turned to run out to the field.
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After all of us had left the throne room, we all made our way down to the old air field where we had rested our ship, and saw the three large airships settling down.

As we made our way on to the landing strip, we saw the large metal ramp slowly lower, revealing a smiling Silver Wing. We watched in awe as he walked down, but before any of us could say anything, Dust rushed forward and hugged his uncle. “Uncle! What are you doing here?” he asked in an excited tone.

He chuckled and pushed him away calmly, “well, for so many years my family our family has sat on the sidelines, when we really could have been helping the cause. When news reached Manehatten that the monastery had fallen, we all knew that you would need help, so…I pulled together a group of brave volunteers” he said gesturing to the other ships as their ramps began to lower as well.

As if on cue, all our jaws dropped simultaneously as we saw large groups of ponies of all races walk down the ramps and over towards the city. We all looked to see Luna looking around with a surprises expression, but she quickly shook herself out of her shocked like state and turned to Silver Wing. “But…why now, I thought you didn't want to have any part in this war, you just wanted to keep your business running. Why risk all that…just to help us?” she asked him, in which he simply replied with a kindly smile. “Well…for years the Night Rangers have been fighting but not gaining any ground, and while we are just standing aside, more of your brave soldiers die…like Iron Star. So…we are taking the initiative, and taking the chance to reclaim our old land, and return it to its original state” he said with a calming smile.

For the briefest moment, I was sure I saw a tear of happiness slip down Luna’s cheek, as we all watched the soldiers walk the path up to the city. Luna smiled and turned to River, “still believe that we won’t stand a chance?” she asked with a smug look, which only caused River to glare at her in irritation. We all quickly moved to follow the soldiers back into the city.

Chapter 5: Path to War

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