Chronicles Of Harmony - Winter

Chapters

Chapter 1 - Fledgling
Chapter 2 - Fire And Ice
Side Story - A Cold Heart(h)
Ancient Legend

Chapter 1 - Fledgling

-Chapter 1-
-Fledgling-

I don’t remember much of my past. Sometimes I’d like to forget the parts I can remember, but I can’t change that fact. The past is who I am, and no-pony can tell me otherwise. I grew up not knowing anything about who I was or even where I came from. It just made me even more determined to prove I was different. My past was as unique and mysterious as I was…

-Professor Strongwing-

*KNOCK*

“...mmmm?”

I slowly awoke from my sleep on my couch, the book I’d been reading still resting on the table next to me.

“Must be the high altitude winds passing through Skytown again…always knocking things about when they come through.”

“Why don’t we have wards or deflection spells around the city? It wouldn’t take that long for a unicorn to create such a simple …”

*KNOCK KNOCK*

“Odd…if any-pony really needs my help they usually just barge in,” I mused to myself “But maybe there are still some ponies with manners around here.”

As I trotted over to the door I could hear the winds coursing through the streets, whistling the haunting melodies of the Coldsong Mountains as they passed by. Pulling the door open with my hooves, I swung it open to find…nothing. The doorway was as empty as the streets around it. Of all things, I thought to myself, why this awful time of night?

Moving to shut the door on the frigid winds, I let my head droop downwards – a reflection of how tired I was, only to see a small blue, white and grey bundle resting peacefully on my doorstep. Why would somepony do that? I snapped my head back up to the surrounding streets to see if anypony had seen, but found nothing, although I could have sworn hearing the faint sound of somepony galloping away, the echoes slowly receding into the distance.

“...Strongwing...”

The voice seemed to come from the wind itself...but that didn’t make any sense.

“STRONGWING!”

The voice boomed across the street, rattling windows in their frames – but no lights came on. As if it was speaking only to me.

“Y-y-yes?” I feebly replied.

“Strongwing, you have been chosen by Winter. Do you accept?”

“I, uh, yes?” If this was truly from Winter, I had every reason to be afraid, but I had to be confident or who I could suffer worse for denying her. “Yes. I accept.”

“Raise this foal; raise it as you would your own. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“He needn't yet know of his heritage. You will tell him when the time is right.”

The winds departed, leaving me alone on my doorstep to contemplate what just happened. such responsibility, to raise a foal that could potentially be.

Why me of all ponies? Something like this wouldn’t be easy to keep secret forever; suppose the foal was gifted with Winter’s power, somepony would notice that and start asking questions.

Returning my attention back to the silent foal on lying at my door, I picked the bundle up in my mouth, (not having any magic is rather inconvenient sometimes), and carried it over to the still warm couch I’d just been sleeping on. It was going to be a long night…

The early morning sun blazed its rays straight through my window onto my face, heck of a way to wake up – but it was routine and it got me up quickly. In terms of enjoyment factor, having the sun burn my retinas first thing in the morning isn’t high on my list.

A small whimper sounded from the couch across the room, reminding me of the previous night’s events. How was I going to explain to anyone why I suddenly had a foal? The sudden burden of a newborn foal would be incredibly taxing on both my time and energy – there was no way I’d be able to manage a foal and a class of highly active fillies and colts! The thought of having to supervise and instruct a class of inexperienced pegasi.

Wait…incoming students! If I enrolled the foal into the incoming class, entering a fake name on the records, I might be able to care for him without any odd questions being asked and with minimal disturbance to my usual life. Brilliant!

I carefully unwrapped the foal from the white, scaly blanket to stare at the unusual bundle I held in my hooves. As far as I could tell he would grow into a young colt, but there was something peculiar about his appearance. His coat was the colour of the winter sky above the mountains; his mane and tail were the same grey one would find in clouds preparing for rain. Most striking of all though was his eyes – blazing spheres of turquoise fury. They immediately drew my attention to the blazingly obvious fact he didn’t appear to have any pupils. It could be a defect, maybe a curse; or even be a sign of adaptation to a harsher climate. Hard to say at this point.

It would be even more difficult to try and enrol without a name though. I thought for a while then looked over at the foal for some sort of inspiration. His coat was the colour of pure ice, glistening in the fading light of the evening. His mane and tail reminded me of clouds – the kind of angry clouds that come with storms and blizzards…almost the same as on the night he was left with me.

So I named him Icy Gale. It seemed appropriate.

-Ten years later
-Flight School - Day One-

Eight young pegasi lined up on the main quadrangle, nervously awaiting their instructor for the initial exam. The surrounding buildings were constructed out of compacted cirrus clouds, but the regal architecture did nothing to soothe the nerves of the fledgling pegasi. They had been standing in formation, waiting, for the last 40 minutes, the tension and frustration were building, and were very nearly at breaking point.

“How much longer are we gonna have to sit here? If I have to wait any longer, I’m going to go and find my own instructor,” yelled a rainbow maned filly, only to be immediately interrupted by a booming voice from across the grounds.

“Patience, Miss Blaze. Now that the first test is complete, we can move onto the practical test,” replied a steely-eyed, grey stallion pegasus, who proceeded to step out from under one of the nearby arches shrouded in shadow.

“What test? I don’t remember any test!” Spectrum Blaze snapped back at him, eyes glaring and wings snapping open in defence.

“The first test, a test of patience, to see which one of you would break from the group first.”

“Who are you anyway?”

“How inconsiderate of me,” the pegasi paused for a moment, allowing the silence to set in, “Allow me to introduce myself – I am Storm Wind, and I will be your supervising instructor for the remainder of your time here.”

“Now, if you all head over to the building to your right, we’ll commence the practical examination. Miss Blaze, remain behind.”
The group headed off towards the building, leaving a very forlorn orange filly behind. Storm Wind remained expressionless, simply staring into the distance.

Once he was confident the group was out of earshot, Storm Wind turned and spoke directly to her,

“Today, you displayed a skill none of the others appeared to possess; initiative. Miss Blaze, you have potential to further this skill and become a leader. I hope to see you take charge in situations that require someone to stand up when no-one else will. That is all, you may re-join the others.”

Storm Wind turned and began walking back to the group, leaving a rather confused pegasus behind him. He smiled to himself and muttered to himself, “I know she’ll do well.”

Storm Wind strode over to the nervously awaiting class, stopping in front of middle of the group so that they could all see him. Spectrum Blaze, still utterly confused as to what had just occurred, joined the back of the group, hoping to draw less attention to herself.

“Ah, Miss Blaze, that won’t be an option for you. Step forward.”

Looking around nervously, Spectrum Blaze cautiously made her way to the front of the group, possibilities running through her already confused mind. Turning to Storm Wind, then to the group she bowed her head and muttered softly.

“I’m sorry…”

She looked back to Storm Wind, only to see him smiling slightly. He walked over to her and held a hoof out to her in anticipation. Seeing the puzzled look on her face, he turned to the group and loudly announced to the group a phrase none of them were expecting to hear.

“Congratulations Miss Blaze. You’ve just been promoted to squadron commander.”

Holding out his hoof once more to the orange pegasus, it finally dawned on her what had just been said. She quickly shook his hoof, as if the opportunity might never occur again.

“Oh, thank you so much, ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh-"

A polite cough from Storm Wind interrupted her before she could continue, allowing him to address the group.

“We’ll now move on to the practical test, so we can gauge your flying ability”

The group moved to the Cloudseum, to find an ice blue colt falling straight towards them from above, before opening his wings and swooping over their heads and across the room, circling back to meet the group interrupting his practice session.

“Icy Gale, nice of you to join us. I was expecting to find you sometime this morning,”

The distinctive tone of Storm Wind resonated throughout the room, commanding attention and respect. Icy Gale stood stunned for a while, then closed his wings and walked over the group. He looked around at the other young pegasi, before moving over to Storm Wind.

“I didn’t know you’d be here today, I was hoping to practice some sharp turns before the class turned up – but it looks like you’re here now…so I guess…”

He trailed off; the stern look from Storm Wind giving more than enough reason for him. Not wanting to get in any further trouble, he took a couple of cautious steps backwards to give them both some space.

“Gale, you do realise that you were supposed to turn up to this class this morning?”

“Yep, but I knew you’d turn up here for the practical. So I figured I’d get some training done and just wait here for you to turn up.”

A silence hung in the air as both pegasi let the words settle in. No-pony spoke, simply trying to contain their thoughts from breaking out rather suddenly. Storm Wind was the first to break the silence, attempting to resolve this pointless argument.

“Miss Blaze here has been appointed as squadron leader. If you will not listen to me, perhaps, you will acknowledge her instead? You are part of this class, whether you want to be or not – and as leader, it is up to Miss Blaze to decide –“

“I challenge - a race to Central Spire and back.”

There was a pause, both Spectrum and Icy Gale glaring heavily at each other, waiting for their opponent to make the first response. The silence filled only by the wind coursing around the coliseum, whistling softly as it twisted around the columns like a sea snake.

“Miss Blaze, the challenge has been issued. This is a chance for you to prove your capabilities as a leader. Do you accept?”

“Oh, it is on!”

With that they both leap into the air, unfurling their wings and furiously beating them, desperately trying to outfly the other. It was as much a competition of speed as it was control; the turbulent air currents around the Spire required precision aerial skills in order to avoid being tossed about wildly and thrown into a less-than-forgiving object.

-Spectrum Blaze-

There was so much at stake here, I couldn’t afford to lose – and I hate losing. He was only a length ahead of me, and he’d gotten lucky on the start and taken off quicker than I thought he would have been able to – I wouldn’t underestimate him like that again.

I beat my wings faster and faster, slowly gaining on him, at this rate I might be able to pass him before the Spire – if he didn’t speed up also. Timing would be critical if I wanted to win this. Surging forwards I felt a heat on my wings, I shut my eyes – trying to ignore this sudden sensation burning my wings. Only when the feeling increased beyond the point where it could be ignored, did I open my eyes to find the Spire rushing past my right side.

Pulling into a sharp turn around the Spire, I was able to see Icy Gale trailing behind – as if he were avoiding something. It was then I noticed the blazing trail of fire streaming off my wings and tail.

-Icy Gale-

The moment Spectrum shot past me, wings flaming, I knew this was about to get very serious. What if this was a trick she’d learnt – meant to distract me? As she banked around the Spire, noticing for the first time that she was on fire. I could see her panic as she frantically flapped her wings, attempting to extinguish the blaze though to no avail – the flame only following the path she flew. It wasn’t a trick.

It was both terrifying and mesmerising at the same time.

I wasn’t worried about the race anymore, she needed help. Searching the skies for a sufficiently heavy cloud, I found none. With that thought demolished, I changed my path so that we would collide with each other. Angling my body, I began a corkscrew manoeuvre towards her; air currents twisting around me in a vortex, building around me, slowly becoming visible as a swirling tornado behind me. Whoa.

Continuing on a collision course with each other, Spectrum finally realised what Icy Gale was trying to do, he’s built up a small whirlwind behind him in the hope that the powerful winds would extinguish the flames on her body. He’d noticed her look of panic and acted upon that. The ability to make snap, life-saving decisions were critical to pegasi above all else.
Aiming straight towards the centre of the vortex, Spectrum quickly angled her wings to slow herself down enough that the swirling winds would have long enough to remove the flame. Quickly glancing at Icy Gale, she was sure she could see a light trail of condensation behind him – as if the air was almost freezing around him…

Flying straight through the approaching tornado, Spectrum felt the temperature around her plummet to VERY COLD. She’d been right – the air was almost freezing around Icy Gale. As he’d passed her in his corkscrew manoeuvre, she noticed his eyes seemed slightly different, almost glowing – the same effect as when a unicorn loses control of their magic, but not as intense.

Turning back to face Icy Gale, Spectrum dropped into a hover, waiting for him to turn and catch up to her. He flew in a slow pattern to disperse the whirlwind behind him before gliding over to join Spectrum. Then in a quiet voice he asked,

“Can we talk about this when we get back?”

“Well we have to get back first; we were supposed to be racing,”

Spectrum smiled at him, and he returned it with a grin of his own before diving downwards, back to the others awaiting their return with Spectrum right behind.

Observing from the Cloudseum, the class of pegasi watched on in awe as Spectrum and Icy Gale descended simultaneously to land synchronised on the cloud floor in front of Storm Wind and the class. Nodding at each other, high-hoofing and smiling – they spoke in unison.

“Call it a draw, we both retract our challenge.”

Storm Wind looked them both over, then back to the class, his expression falling. He had been expecting at least one of them to win – but after closely watching the chase, seeing their talents partially revealed, he was a little cautious as to what to do next; both would be high on adrenalin and unable to make logical decisions – not that their race had been one anyway…

“Spectrum, Gale – thanks to you, we’ll finish for today. I expect all of you to be here tomorrow so we can complete the practical and agility tests. Am I understood?”

All the young pegasi nodded and left as quickly as they could.

“Gale! I’ll be speaking to Strongwing about this.”

Icy Gale nodded, then flew up and out the top of the Cloudseum, talking quietly to Spectrum.

“…and when your wings caught fire! That was kinda amazing…”

“…was really cold around you, like your own blizzard…”

Tomorrow would be a long day, bringing with it many unknowns. The class of young pegasi would deal with them as they arrived at them – whatever they were.

-Icy Gale-
-Two weeks later-

Fast. I was going really fast.
Left.

Right.

Drop.

Left.

Up left hard bank right…

DROP!

My second week in flight school and I was already in trouble. Way to go. I was practicing on the agility circuit, trying to beat my record, and had taken a corner wrong and somehow ended up in a No Fly Zone. I’d kept following the natural path of the clouds around me, not noticing that the last marker cloud I’d passed was over 20 minutes ago, but I paid no attention to that fact whatsoever, I was too distracted to notice. Something kept me going though, a love of the open sky, the feeling of the wind through my mane and under my wings as I tore across the afternoon sky and a need to explore the unknowns beyond the ominous, ever-present storm encircling the mountains.

As the Coldsong Mountains began to loom in front of me I began to realise I mightn’t be able to make the flight back, I was so tired from beating my wings as fast as I could. I was exhausted. Scanning the approaching mountainside, I searched for any caves or overhanging’s that would provide some temporary shelter from the incoming storm. I would have to make my way back once the storm had passed, especially as blizzards don’t exactly make for ideal flying conditions.

A dark patch stood out from the rest of the embankment, indicating a potential entrance to somewhere. It would have to do. I spiralled down towards it, gliding to save energy, coming to land on the jagged rock floor that continued back into what could have been a crudely cut tunnel into the mountain. Fragments of broken rock and ice littered the floor; ragged claw marks were now visible along the walls where they had torn the offending fragments off the rock interior.

“Oh hay.” I cursed aloud, suddenly realising where I was – and the danger I was now in. This was a frostwyrm lair. A loud screech pierced the air inside the cavern, followed by the sound of wings unfurling and heavy footsteps growing louder as they moved towards me. I did the only logical thing that came to mind, I flew.

There was no way I could out-match the frostwyrm for strength and very little chance I could outrun it – it was worth a try, although it’s not as if I really had a choice. Turning my gaze to the horizon, I could see Skytown in the distance above me. It would take every bit of energy I had, combined with the motivation of a hungry frostwyrm only a few lengths behind me.

Icy Gale beat his fledgling wings as fast as he could, his life depended on it. Skytown was still a reasonable distance away, but it was manageable. Squinting his turquoise eyes, Icy Gale was just able to make out the forms of frantic pegasi who had now noticed the incoming threat. He began to signal franticly, trying to catch the attention of anyone who was watching the unfolding disaster.

I frantically tried my best attempt at avian signalling, hoping that somepony would notice and be able to take action on my message before I got eaten. Three words: attention, slingshot and acknowledge. The simplest message I could think of, but it carried a lot more meaning. Sling-shotting is a move banned at flight schools all over Equestria with good reason – it’s incredibly dangerous. It requires one pegasi to fly full speed at another who is hovering in a fixed position, the hovering pegasi then snaps their wings closed and links hooves with the pegasi flying towards them. The previously stationary pegasus then performs a half spiral as both fell, sling-shotting the other back in the direction they came from without losing any speed in the process. All of this in less than a second.

It’s a suicidal move. If done wrong the sharp turn can cause a flying pegasus to black out, but if they miss the hoof link and slam into the other pegasi, it could break bones in both their bodies. Compared to being eaten by a frostwyrm, sling-shotting seems like a good idea.

-Spectrum Blaze-

I knew everything was going to go downhill fast when I heard the guttural roar of the frostwyrm, closely trailing a blue pegasus, frantically attempting to signal for help. Looking around I could see that everypony nearby had stopped at the sound of the frostwyrm, but no-one had seen the little colt desperately flying ahead of it. I had to do something, I wouldn’t just stand by and watch him get killed – that wouldn’t be right.

Looking once more at the situation unfolding, I focused on the young pegasus flying towards me, I’m sure I recognised those colours, was that Icy Gale?

“...what have you done now?”

I took a running leap of the cloud I was standing on and launched into the sky, defying all reasonable logic, flying straight towards the incoming threat.

A cheer of support and panic rose up together behind me as I flew up to confront the terror now approaching us, hoping to find a way to save my friend.

-Icy Gale-

I was bordering on exhaustion, ready to collapse, when I heard shouts coming from Skytown as a single pegasus took to the skies.

FINALLY, somepony coming to help me!

A familiar multi-coloured trail arced through the sky towards me, leaving only one possibility as to who it could be, Spectrum.
A squadron leader never leaves anypony behind, even in the face of immeasurable danger and trial. If a leader has no-one to lead, how can they be a leader? It takes some serious loyalty to come rescue a friend and squad-mate from a frostwyrm.

The determination was visible as Icy Gale kept his lead only a few lengths in front of the frostwyrm, though just enough to keep out of range from any swipes or coldfire it might try to throw at him, but close enough to know his life depended on that gap. Putting on a burst of speed, Icy Gale was able to put a greater distance between him and the frostwyrm.

The two pegasi were now within yelling range of each other, and both utilised this short opportunity, calling to each other to clarify their course of action.

“Spectrum, I wanna try a slingshot! Get ready!”

“WHAT? Are you sure?”

Yelling her response, Spectrum came to an abrupt halt mid-air, hovering in position waiting for Icy Gale to initiate the next phase of the manoeuvre. He responded as such, reaching out his front two hooves in preparation for the link-up, now realising that both their lives depended on the next few seconds.

Double digit lengths separating them turned to single digit lengths, and time seemed to slow as they approached each other. Linking hooves and snapping their wings in tight, momentum from Icy Gale bringing them into a downwards spin. As they turned, blood rushed from their heads, taking them to the verge of blacking out; concentration and focus keeping them on the edge of consciousness. Any mistake here could be deadly.

Releasing his grip and snapping open his wings, Icy Gale pulled away back towards the dragon. Turning his attention back to the frostwyrm, he began a corkscrew motion before angling his wings back to flip him so his back legs were now ahead of him – ready to buck the dragon in the face.

As Icy Gale flew towards the approaching dragon, Spectrum Blaze pulled into a sharp turn skyward, rapidly gaining altitude. The air thinned as you went higher, every pegasi is taught this from a young age, but Spectrum was really noticing it now – breathing was harder, the air she breathed wasn’t providing enough oxygen to her muscles, each wing flap slowly becoming more strenuous. She couldn’t think clearly anymore.

She closed her eyes

locked her wings against her body

and fell…

The lack of air at high altitudes had finally taken its toll, as Spectrum went unconscious; oxygen no longer able to reach her brain. Barely breathing, she plummeted back towards the impending battle below, and the ground.

-Spectrum Blaze-

The wind was deafening as it rushed past my ears, flattening them against my head. I could feel myself rotating through the air, slowly turning towards the ground, accelerating faster towards what could be a very messy end if I didn’t pull out soon. I quickly angled my wings to stop myself from spinning uncontrollably, intense pain shooting through them as they were snapped back by the wind. Opening my eyes I could see Icy Gale hurtling towards the frostwyrm on a likely fatal collision course; I would not let him get himself killed over this.

Beating my wings more rapidly now, I was able to push past the speed I’d been falling at; this was real speed! I could now feel the air around me compressing as I forced my way through it at speeds pegasi weren’t designed for. My whole body was under stress - tears were streaming from my eyes, my wing joint and muscles were really aching from the work I was doing. I had to go faster.

I stretched my front hooves out in front of me to streamline my shape, as if to push the air out of my way, hoping it might make some difference. The effect was immediate. A blazing cone seemed to form just in front of me and narrowed around me the faster I flew to push through it. It wasn’t like anything I’d ever seen or even heard of. It was awesome!

Had. to. go. faster!

Putting on a last-ditch burst of speed, i passed through the cone surrounding me; a tingle passing through me as I did so, followed by -

BOOM!

The tremendous sound of an explosion split the air all around me, but what could…? I turned my head around to multi-coloured ring expanding outwards behind me, like some sort of shockwave, but the most confusing thing was the rainbow trail following me – just an extension of my mane and tail. I didn’t understand it at all. It was amazing!

I didn’t even notice I’d cut straight between Icy Gale and the frostwyrm until I saw them blown apart from each other from the force of the explosion. There was a blue-white flash from Icy Gale shortly afterwards, then –
Huh? That didn’t make any sense…

-Icy Gale-

I’d tried to keep track of Spectrum after our slingshot, but after she pulled skyward I quickly lost sight of her as she flew higher. Taking my gaze off the dragon momentarily, I could see her barrelling straight towards me and the frostwyrm. A blazing cone formed ahead of her and closed in around her. The distance between us was closing extremely quickly; what was she doing?

Everything happened in slow motion. She passed through the cone surrounding her. An explosion of colour all around. The shockwave passing through my body, knocking the air from my lungs. Then a sensation surging through my body, enveloping every part of me, filling it with…

Time stopped around me. I saw Spectrum below, a rainbow trail blazing behind her. The frostwyrm in front, a vicious snarl on face, claws outstretched towards me. Then it all released, pouring out from my body.

A wave of cold energy burst out from me in all directions, literally freezing the air, turning it to shards of ice. Spectrum’s rainbow trail began to crystallise behind her; multi-coloured crystals falling to the ground is it broke under its own weight. I glared at the dragon and the cold seemed to focus around where I looked – on the frostwyrm.

It had to be magic. I was a pegasi – we didn’t have magic like unicorns, but I couldn’t think of any other way to explain it.
I turned all my attention back to the frostwyrm; feelings of anger took over my thoughts; I would NOT let this creature win. This was personal now – between it and me. Rage flooded through me, transforming, becoming a focus for the magic flowing through my body.

“IF YOU FIGHT COLD; BE CONSUMED BY IT!”

Screaming the words at it, I slipped into the magic as if were just water – a feeling that seemed almost natural.
The frostwyrm let out a screech in defiance; a challenge. I answered, willing ice to take hold of it, to remind it of the terrible cold that it lived and survived in. Words formed power, building around me, releasing as I Spoke to it. Tendrils of ice burst from the air around me, searching for the thing I called them forth to do.

Racing through the air, autonomously, they sought out the frostwyrm. Converging together, they pierced its scales; driving into its body; icy barbs forming off the shards, shredding flesh and gouging holes for more ice to form in. this was anger personified through ice, stealing warmth from the dragon’s body, escaping into the air. I could feel the power flowing back to me as they drained the life-force from the frostwyrm. It was a horrific sight; an image I would never forget; burned into my mind.

For a brief moment, I felt an unknown presence around me; whether this was an effect of draining the life-force from the frostwyrm or something other – it made no sense. Neither did anything else today though, but for what it was - it was unnerving.

A surge of power left me in an instant. What was this? Stretching out my consciousness, I felt for the source of this sudden drain. I followed the path of the magic, tracing it to its release. A young colt, filled with anger and pain.

As the flow of magic began to reduce, I Spoke to his mind through the connection we shared,

“I will be watching you, young one…”

A shudder in the connection as it closed told me that he had heard me. These would be interesting days ahead.

-End Chapter 1-

Chapter 2 - Fire And Ice

-Chapter 2-
-Fire and Ice-

I never forgot the day I fought a dragon and won. It had come at a cost though – part of me had changed. The magic had altered a fundamental part of my being, my mind. It longed for more; always wanting, seeking the power that I had. It was corrupting me. It never truly left me, it was only suppressed.

That was almost a year ago. I have to move on. It won’t let go so easily though.

Dawn.

Light flooded over the vast Coldsong Mountains, bathing them in a soft golden light. Snow and ice glistened prismatically, refracting colours onto the white canvas all around. The sun continued its long journey across the sky, moving higher – guided by magic. The warmth it provided intensified as it rose, bearing down on the frozen mass covering the mountains.

The snow didn’t melt. It never melted.

-Icy Gale-

Today was my last day in flight school - an exhilarating yet terrifying thought. It was likely to be the last day I would spend learning about the flight paths of birds, what different types of clouds were named, and hopefully the last day I would be tormented for being a ‘blank flank’. Even after fighting dragons, using magic and surviving blizzards; still nothing.

Launching into the sky, I flew higher – watching Skytown grow smaller beneath me. Gazing around, I saw everything…

Sheets of fluffy white clouds stretched on for ages, covering whatever lay beneath it. The sun - high above me in the depths of the heavens – blazed down all around me; the warmth on my wings was a comforting feeling. Looking back to the mountains, I could almost see the extent of the superstorm that permanently covered the deepest part of them. The clouds revolved slowly about the centre, lightning arcing through the thick clouds, enveloping them in a blue glow.

This display of power reminded me of how insignificant I was, and more importantly the things I needed to do. Locking my wings against my body, I dropped into free-fall, watching the sky rush away from me and Skytown towards me. It was my home, holding all my memories. The open sky gave me the freedom I longed for - away from the place where my past was, away from everything that grounded me.

Falling rapidly, I could feel the build-up of a cold wind behind me. It was a curious sensation, knowing that trailing behind me was a wind cold enough to freeze my feathers.

Opening my wings, I slowed my fall to alight on the clouds beneath me. Despite it being early morning, Skytown was abuzz with activity as pegasi prepared for the Flight School graduation ceremony. Hopping between clouds, I made my way back home, where my father, Strongwing, stood in the doorway – waiting for me.

“I was wondering when you’d come back, you didn’t have any breakfast… Are you alright? You’ve been going out every morning for the last month.”

“I’m fine,” I replied. “I just need some time alone to deal with something…”

“Hmph, you don’t sound very happy. Perhaps we should start with breakfast; you’ve still got the graduation later today, and we couldn’t have you grumpy during that.”

With that, he led me into the kitchen, picking some herbs from the skygarden by the window. One thing I still didn’t understand: skygardens -a simple box of soil and seed mounted on a cloud. Allowing a grin to my face, I laughed aloud at how silly I was acting. Strongwing turned and smiled at me, walking over to my spot near the table. We looked at each other, desperately trying to contain ourselves, before bursting out laughing together – falling over onto the soft cloud floor.

“It’s the garden, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I honestly can’t take that thing seriously,” I replied.

“Ah, gets you every time. Now do you want to talk about it?”

I paused, I didn’t really – but it wouldn’t hurt either.
“I’ve been thinking a lot. Thinking about last year…”

“With the dragon?”

“Yeah …” My throat went dry; it wasn’t something I really wanted to talk about.

“I told you I defeated it didn’t I?” I began, “Well, there was more to it. I didn’t just defeat the frostwyrm – it died. I killed it. Somehow I was able to use magic, ice magic. Pegasi aren’t even supposed to have magic!”

There was a long pause, I could see him shuffling as he tried to compose his thoughts. There was something he didn’t want to tell me. I could see it in the way he was behaving. He seemed nervous, like someone with a secret that cannot ever be told.

“I’d rather we talk about this after the ceremony.”

My heart sank. I’d been expecting more of an answer. I knew it would probably a difficult topic. I wanted to know, but I hadn’t expected much more of an answer.

“Fine. Though when we do, you have to explain everything – alright?”

He nodded solemnly. Neither of us was looking forward to what was going to be said.

“Perhaps we should get going, we’re going to be late.”

We flew in silence, thinking about what had or hadn’t been said. It was an uncomfortable quiet, broken only when we arrived, by the noise from the other pegasi waiting for the graduation to start – hoping to see their now-grown foal succeed. To see their foal, if only…

It was a hard reality to face, not knowing why I had this gift, or perhaps this curse. I tried to push the thought out of my mind. A familiar rainbow trail cut the blue sky, curving towards me. Perhaps I could find some joy in today.

Spectrum landed on the cloud beside me, a huge grin on her face; it looked as if she was struggling to contain her excitement.

“Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh! You’ll never guess what just happened!”

“You’re right, I probably won’t.” I replied.

“I just passed Storm Wind on the way over, and he said to keep an ear out for our names! They must have something planned – dunno what, though…”
It was encouraging to hear, but it did little to lift my spirits. All I wanted was a quiet day - a day where I could spend some time reflecting on how much everything had changed.

Winter

I lifted my regal silver armour off the shelf, hovering it over to me using my magic. I despised the armour, but it was a necessity when appearing in public. There were still some ponies who opposed to our rule, and the guard captain thought it might provide some protection, should anything happen. It was both imposing and majestic – the silver metal shining under the cold blue light inside the castle, casting distorted reflections on to the icy walls.

The familiar sound of hooves on ice accompanied a blue unicorn, who now stood in the doorway from the throne room. Magically levitating a clipboard in front of him, he proceeded to scan down the page until he found what he was looking for. Looking up, he announced to me loudly,

“Princess, you are supposed to –“

“I know what my duties are.” I responded, cutting him off. “I am late for the Skytown flight school graduation. I plan on being there, so don’t tell me I have other, more important things to be doing.”

With that said, I summoned a hail storm around me for effect, as I teleported out of the room.

With a crash of thunder, a stream of dark clouds began to coalesce above the Cloudseum, blanketing the sky and blocking the light. Flashes of blue lightning arced through the clouds, all originating from a collective source. A blue glow began to appear in the centre of the clouds, flashing out to reveal a lone white alicorn with an icy, ethereal blue mane. Adorned in silver armour, she commanded respect and exerted authority. All the pegasi immediately bowed upon recognising the ruler of Equestria’s cold – Princess Winter.

Descending down on her wings she landed on the central cloud and strode majestically towards the raised podium, and greeted Storm Wind – bowing before her. She nodded in return and began projecting her voice throughout the Cloudseum, making sure that everypony knew she had arrived.

“Citizens of Skytown, I am overjoyed that you have requested my presence for this significant occasion! I thank that you honour your princess as such and [I will congratulate all the successful graduates this year.”

It was a spectacular display of power that would bring most ponies to their knees in fear, trembling at the thought of what could happen to them, should she ever lose her temper. Standing in the centre with all eyes upon her, Winter stood watching the crowd with her unrelenting turquoise eyes, which distinctly lacked pupils.

Storm Wind stood beside the podium, defiant of the alicorn who dared to interrupt him. However, not wanting to invoke her wrath, he simply gave her a look that would paralyse most of the pegasi he knew, old and new alike. Unamused, she returned the gesture, imbuing it with magic and freezing his wings solid, locking them against his body.

“I would advise that you not to try that on me, Storm Wind,” she whispered to him, “Else you might find the rest of you frozen.”

A serious threat she guaranteed he would not forget soon. Smiling weakly, he turned back to the podium and resumed speaking.

The ceremony progressed without any mishaps, and as minutes turned into hours, it Storm Wind began to conclude it. Pegasi were getting fidgety from having sat still for so long and it was evident that many were anxious to leave.

Astride the cloud podium, Storm Wind bellowed his speech, thanking and congratulating the young pegasi for the past year. Trailing off, he nodded to Winter, who in turn levitated a crystal case from behind the podium. With renewed enthusiasm, he began speaking once more.

“During the beginning of the year, a frostwyrm strayed past the no-fly zone. Two young pegasi, both graduating in this class, were practicing flying manoeuvres nearby. Seeing the easy prey, the dragon engaged with the pair – but through their heroic teamwork, the pair was able to counter the creature with more skilful flying and force.”

In the stands, the audience was on edge. Rumours about a frostwyrm crossing the outer limits of their mountain territory had circled around earlier that year; however, they had died out within a few months. Everypony was riveted over the new development; they all wanted to know.

“With the assistance and counsel of Princess Winter, it is our honour to present these medals for bravery to Icy Gale and Spectrum Blaze.”

Spectrum Blaze

Oh. My. Goddess.

It was only when I realised that everypony around me was pointing and cheering that I finally understood what the pegasi on the podium had said. My name. Opening my wings, I lifted into the air and headed towards the podium.

Icy Gale

What just happened?

To my left I could see Spectrum emerge from the crowd as she began flying towards the podium. Leaping into the air, I quickly fell in behind her, not wanting to miss a moment of the glory. Ponies were cheering for us - for us! All I thought we had done was defend ourselves, and now we were heroes?

“We hereby do present these two pegasi with medallions for acts of bravery.”

Landing on the cloud platform next to Spectrum, we both bowed before the princess, waiting for her to signal us to stand again. The crowd fell silent. She lifted the medallions from the case and placed them around our necks. I immediately felt the weight of the medal on my neck; it was heavier than it looked.

“Arise, Icy Gale and Spectrum Blaze, members of the Order of Winter.”

Standing again slowly, I looked Winter in the eye, then over at Spectrum Blaze and Storm Wind. They both gasped. Turning, I looked at Winter again, attempting to find what the other two had noticed. Spectrum held her medallion up to me and whispered, “Look at your eyes.”

Through the reflection I could see myself quite clearly – my blue coat, icy mane and my unusual turquoise eyes. Turning back to Winter, it only took a second for my mind to comprehend what I was seeing. We both had the same eyes. We both shared those strange, pupil-less turquoise eyes.

An expression of shock broke through Winter’s harsh demeanour.

Winter

There was something about the colt’s eyes that had me on edge. It very much reminded me of my own eyes. Is it possible…?

His eyes were unmistakable, we definitely shared common blood – of that there was no doubt. How it had come to happen, I did not know, only that there was something else, something I couldn’t quite place that reminded me of myself.

I had to ask. I had to know. Focusing on the four of us, I began a teleportation spell to take us to away from the prying eyes of the watching crowd.

Icy Gale

Opening my eyes, the world was sideways. A quick look around confirmed I was lying sideways on a smooth, blue floor. Why wasn’t it cold? Standing up slowly, I tapped a hoof on the ground – testing it, and found, much to my surprise, it was solid ice. Where was I?

“Um, hello?” I called out softly.

“Gale, is that you?”
I knew that voice. Hearing Spectrum gave me hope, at least I wasn’t alone here.

“Yeah, right here,” I replied, regaining some strength.

“How long are we gonna be here? How long have we been here? I don’t want to die here!
There’s so much I’ve gotta do first!”

“We are not going to die here. I promise you that. We’ll get out of here.”

“Can we get out soon? I’m getting tired and it’s so cold…”

“Spectrum, you need to stay awake!” There was no response. I stood completely still and shut my eyes; I could just make out the sound of her breathing beyond the unrelenting ice walls. It was slowly getting softer and less frequent. Her body was shutting down.

Winter

Watching closely through the silver scrying lens, I saw the orange pegasus drift into hypothermia, her heart and breathing slowing. Shifting the image to that of Storm Wind, I smiled as he too succumbed to the unrelenting cold. Shifting again to the cell holding the blue colt, I could see…nothing.

He wasn’t there.

Icy Gale

The icy wall began to recede, apparently of its own accord, creating a doorway between the cold, isolating rooms. On the other side of the hole, I could see Spectrum asleep on the icy floor, shivering as she lay in the corner. She would die if she was left like this for too much longer.

Rushing through the opening, I knelt beside Spectrum and wrapped one of my wings over her, that bit of extra warmth could save her life. I could feel her coat against my own, cold, as I shared what warmth I had with her. Sacrificing it for her. She was my friend, maybe more than a friend, and I would not abandon her here.

“I’m here with you Spectrum, try to stay awake,” I whispered, “We’ll make it out of here, I promise.”

She stirred briefly, nuzzling my neck and humming softly in reply, before settling into sleep once more. Shuffling closer so our bodies were touching, I laid my head on top of hers, drawing my wing in closer around her. A tingling surged through my body, converging on my heart – I knew it was more than just a cold shiver. It was something much more.

Dawn revealed itself as the golden light refracted through the ice, glistening like liquid gold, shining right on my face. Hesitantly opening my eyes, I saw that nothing had changed in the hours during the night - except for blue unicorn now standing on the other side of the room.

“Sorry if you haven’t had a proper introduction yet, I am Silver Wind – assistant to Princess Winter. I apologise for the rough accommodation, but we did not have time to prepare for your sudden arrival. She wishes to see you in the throne room immediately. Please follow closely. The passageways can be very confusing.”

“Did she ask for both of us, or just one? I asked back, gently nudging Spectrum to wake her.

“She asked for you,” she replied, “but you may bring your friend with you”

With that, she turned and walked out of the room. Looking at Spectrum, I explained as best I could what had happened since the previous day. It was evident that the effects the cold on her body were still taking their toll from her slow movement and thought. Guiding her towards the door, I spoke softly in her ear.

“C’mon, were going to see the princess…”

After walking down endless, identical blue corridors, twisting and turning through the labyrinthine palace, we arrived at the entrance to the throne room. We were met by several guards, adorned in pale silver armour, standing either side of the great stone door with a statuesque grace. Our guide nodded at one of the guards, who then stepped aside and opened the door into the room beyond.

It was as if the room had been there since the beginning of time, the walls were of the purest ice I had ever seen and not a single unnatural structure could be seen within. It was a natural ice cave, a home truly fitting for the ruler of the cold.

”Miss Wind, you may leave – and tell the guards at the door likewise,” boomed a voice from the far end of the cavern, “as far as anypony is concerned, this conversation is not taking place. Understood?”

Our guide nodded, then turned and left with evident haste; I could only just hear her whispering to the guards as she relayed the message. Only when the large doors boomed shut, did the white alicorn turn to face us. As she walked over, I smiled grimly at Spectrum, who returned it with a similar look.

“Do not fear, my little ponies, we do not wish you any misfortune – only to congratulate your success. We would very much like to hear the story from your own view and perhaps we can also discuss some other things whilst you are here.”

“Would it be alright if I sent a letter to my father?” I asked,

“We have already sent a letter to your father explaining the situation,” Winter replied, “and he appears to understand our reasoning, though he was most concerned for both of you. We will dispatch a chariot later today to bring him here, as there are some questions we would like to ask him also.”

I didn’t feel like talking, so I sat on the floor and waited.

Winter

Hours passed and I watched them sit in silence, solemnly, as they waited patiently for Gale’s father to arrive. In the brief talk I had with the two young pegasi, it became evident that neither was entirely sure what happened with the dragon, or simply didn’t wish to discuss it in detail.

I have many suspicions, but cannot be sure yet.

Spectrum Blaze

It was tough, just sitting there, hardly talking – especially after Winter tried to shift the conversation to that ‘incident’. That had shut Gale right up. I didn’t remember most of it anyway, aside from going supersonic and having my own personal rainbow! It had been so awesome!

But I didn’t understand why Winter had more of an interest in Gale’s side of the story; my story was just as interesting! Come to think of it, Gale hadn’t told me his side of the story either, why – hadn’t we both been through the same thing? It was like he didn’t trust me, as if he were trying to protect me from something.

As the sun began to creep down the sky towards the west, bathing the pale, blue ice in a golden light, there was a commotion outside the main door. Guards were yelling, and a familiar pegasus burst through the doorway flanked by two white pegasi guards, clad in silver armour.

Strongwing was a stallion in the mood for a storm; he was not happy. When he spoke, it was so different from when I had heard him speak before, it was almost as scary as when Winter spoke at the graduation.

“Winter, it’s been too long. Spectrum, take Gale and wait outside – I’ll explain it to you both later.”
Nodding cautiously, I placed a wing over Gale and turned him around, leading him towards the imposing grey doors. As we approached, the door slowly swung open, revealing a pair of statue-like Royal Guards , standing expressionless either side of the entrance. Walking past them nervously, I whispered to Gale.

“What do we do now?”

“I don’t know,” he whispered back, “I guess we could just sit and wait – they shouldn’t be too long, right?”

So we sat on the cold floor in silence, listening for any trace of sound through the door. Not even the sound of the wind could be heard. Bored already, I stood up and walked over to the door and pressed my ear against it. Nothing – except the threatening growl of one of the guards. Taking the hint, I backed away from the door slowly, not taking my eyes off either of the two guards and sat back down next to Gale.

Sitting on the floor wasn’t any fun though, and it was making my legs cold and numb; I wanted to stretch my wings. Opening my wings and jumping, I settled into a hover before flying back over to one of the guards again. He stared back at me blankly.

“Uh, is there anywhere we could fly around a bit while we’re waiting?” I asked as nicely as I could, “It would be really good to, you know, pass the time.”

The guard turned his head to the other, who nodded – turning back to me he locked eyes with me and said,

“I will accompany you to the courtyard until the Princess is ready to speak with you.”

He led us along several corridors then down a set of stairs, which opened into a large, tiled garden area. High above me, I could see that there was actually a roof covering the courtyard made of a thin layer of ice. White flowers grew in patches of soil scattered around without any particular arrangement. Flying up to inspect the strange icy ceiling, I could now see that the flowers had been arranged in a snowflake, identical to Winter’s cutie mark.

Pulling into a hard turn, I spiralled down towards the ground, building speed, and swooped past Gale – the wind behind me ruffling his mane. It was like he didn’t even notice - his eyes were shut and he stood silently on the pale blue stone that paved around the flowers. Banking around to my left, I glided back around and landed next to him.

“Do you wanna join me?” I asked softly, breaking his meditation.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he replied, “but I’d like to know if you’d come for a walk around the garden with me first.”

Icy Gale

“Sure, but we’d better be racing afterwards” Spectrum laughed back.

It was so simple: walk around the gardens, find somewhere nice, and tell her how I felt about her. It was easy in theory. Different scenarios raced through my head, as I tried to guess what her reactions would be – but I couldn’t come up with anything. Why was this so difficult?

We walked around garden, weaving our way in and out of the flowers, Spectrum following my trail. Turning around to face her, I stopped, admiring her jagged rainbow mane, looking her directly in the eyes. This was it – now or never.

“So, what did you want to-“
I gently placed a hoof on her muzzle, stopping her mid-speech. Beneath her orange coat, I could tell she was blushing slightly.

“I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently, and I can’t think of any other way to say it. Spectrum, I think…”

I think I love you.

“Spectrum, I love you.” I stated, as boldly as I could. “Will you-“

She gasped in surprise, and placed her hoof on my muzzle, cutting me off.

“I thought you’d never ask…” she replied cheekily.

As I leant in and kissed her, a tingling spread through my body – like a lightning bolt surging through me. It was a powerful feeling, and it felt good.

Winter

From the entrance to the courtyard, I stood watching the quiet exchange between the two pegasi, unsure of whether to interrupt or not. Then I stopped watching, already expecting what would happen. If there was any place to declare your love for somepony, the palace gardens were one of the best. Love was a very strange powerful force, sometimes stronger than death itself, never to be taken lightly.

Turning to Strongwing next to me, I muttered quietly to him, smiling,

“Do you think we should come back later? Now might be a bit intrusive for them.”

He smiled back subtly, pausing before he spoke.

“I’m sure we were all like this one time, best leave them be for now. No harm can be done leaving them with each other.”

“A half-hour should be sufficient,” I told the guard softly, “we will return for them then.”

With that, we turned and departed – heading back towards the throne room. There were still many questions unanswered.

Everything seemed different now, brighter perhaps, when Spectrum was with me. Soaring around the courtyard, we twisted and dived past each other, simply enjoying each other’s presence. The wind carrying the sound if our laughter as we raced around the gardens, perfectly in synchronisation with each other.

Strongwing

Time passes slowly when your intent is to wait.

Following Winter back to a small amphitheatre, the awkward tension between us was palpable. For me, I had just witnessed Winter’s foal and my adopted son profess his love for a mare he had been very close to for some time. Winter, on the other hoof, was in a state of shock. Was it possible that she had forgotten that this was her colt, or perhaps had never seen such a display of affection before? Either could not bode well for us.
Summoning all the courage I dared, I asked cautiously,

“What do you think of him?”

She sat in silence, collecting her thoughts and contemplating all she knew.

“I don’t know. For once, there is something that truly perplexes me. I find him bold, brash and a bit impulsive, but there is something else I cannot quite place about him. Perhaps it is his eyes - they remind me so much of my own. Why do you ask though?

“If now is a time when all truths reveal, so be it. He is mine, but not my own.” I replied.

“Speak not this nonsense and explain yourself!” Winter snapped back.

Sighing, I began to recount all I could remember.

“Is it possible…?” I whispered before continuing, “Some years ago, I found him on my doorstep, wrapped in a blanket. There was nopony in sight but I heard a voice speaking to me, telling me that he was Winter’s colt. Fearing the consequence if I didn’t do something, I raised him on my own for all this time, never able tell him why he had no mother or where he came from, only that he was mine. Can you imagine what I’ve been through? Seventeen years of unanswered questions, for him and me.”

“I- I didn’t know…”

Opening my mouth to say something, I immediately though better of it and closed it. She didn’t know? Didn’t know what – that she had a child, or that I had been caring for it all this time? All these thoughts only served to confuse me more, as if today wasn’t confusing enough – called to the palace with no reason, escorted by heavy guard, watching Gale declare his love for his friend and then being told by Winter, ruler of the cold, that she just ‘didn’t know’? It was all a bit much right now.

“Did you even know you had a foal?” I demanded.

“I knew,” replied Winter solemnly, “but he was born from the winter soul – a construct of my own magic that manages the cold when I cannot. For it to create a life in the way it did, it must know something I do not and reacted to that, or it was tampered with by another. After years of searching for the foal, I gave up, thinking the worst.”

“Wait, so if you thought he was dead, how did you know that Gale…?”

“I didn’t. It was before last winter season, I felt a sudden surge of magic release from the winter soul – my own magic. This should not have been, use of such magic outside our season is prohibited by the Council to maintain harmony and peace between us. Using a magical thread tracking spell –“

Taking a moment to think about all this, I walked over to one of the stained glass windows and looked at the scene it depicted - a blue pegasus with a light grey mane directing an icy blue blast at a white dragon. The creature had shards of ice piercing its chest, expanding outwards…

“Did you really…?” I asked, still unsure of what to say.

“Perhaps a stylised representation of what occurred,” Winter replied dismissively, “but the best I could manage on my own. He is a part of history now. He did something beyond the ability of most and should be recognised for his feat. Perhaps he might well join the legends of old one day.”

“Now that,” I replied, laughing, “I would like to see! It might all go to his head though, thinking he is a hero. However, for the moment, we may have more pressing issues – you have to tell him the truth, he deserves to know.”

Nodding in agreement, Winter turned and began walking back towards the courtyard, a serious expression now covering her previously smiling face. A sudden silence fell between us as we approached the courtyard again.

“This will not come easy,” Winter said quietly, her voice filled with trace amounts of fear, “it may take him a while to understand and he will need support in these days ahead. Our actions now could have a greater effect – our words must be placed carefully.”

There was nothing I could say. She was right.

Winter nodded at the guard as she passed through the archway leading into the courtyard, who immediately turned and swiftly took to the air, then landed on the far side of the garden. After a short minute, the guard returned, along with the two young pegasi – both looking somewhat nervous.

“Icy Gale,” I began, “there is something Winter and I need to tell you. Spectrum, you are Gale’s closest friend and it is only fair that you are told also. This is of the utmost importance and secrecy and is a discussion best held behind closed doors.”

Saying nothing, Winter turned and started walking back towards the throne room, leaving us to fall in behind her, with the guard trailing behind us. Nopony spoke on the way, perhaps too afraid of what would happen, afraid of what would be said.

Blue light echoed off the icy walls, bathing us in an eerie light as we walked towards the throne room once more. Spectrum spoke in whispers to Gale, their conversation topic easy enough to guess. Little could calm Winter, she almost seemed afraid, but perhaps she also had more to fear. Silver-clad unicorns flanked the entrance, swinging the great doors open for us as we approached. The imposing sight of the hall, windows depicting battles with powerful creatures, telling stories of power and triumph, and of great loss, never lost its ability to humble you.

As we reached the far end of the room, the heavy doors closed behind us, the sound filling the empty space. In the safety and security of her refuge, Winter no longer carried any fear with her, standing defiant in front of the throne. Sharply inhaling, she began to re-tell what she told me.

Icy Gale

I sat in silence, stunned by the fact that I was the magical child of one of the seven co-rulers of Equestria. Tilting my head to one side, I asked slowly,

“So, if you are the ruler of the cold, and by title, a princess – what does that make me, considering that we share both blood and our connection to the winter soul?”

“By blood you are next-in-line to me,” Winter explained, “but you do not have any title. Such circumstances have never occurred before and so, any decision will be made by the Council. For now, do not consider yourself anything more than what you are.”

“What do you mean?” I replied, confused.

“Strongwing is honoured to call you his own,” she answered, “and Spectrum is honoured to have you as more than just a friend. What I mean is, do not stop being who you already are, do not change because of this – stay true to yourself and your friends, and always be there for them.”

“Loyalty,” interrupted Spectrum, “to yourself and your friends.”

“Exactly,” the alicorn replied, “loyalty is a part of harmony – something I understand well from my role on the Council.”

With a sudden flash of blue light, a scroll appeared mid-air, startling all except Winter, who caught it with her magic and pulled it closer. Looking at the crescent moon seal, her eyes widened. Quickly breaking the seal, she unrolled the scroll and began to read.

“Speaking of the Council…” she muttered to no one in particular.

To my fellow members of the Council of Harmony,

I write to you with haste under grave circumstances; the mighty city of the night has fallen. Neither a single stone nor soul remains. The one we once called brother has twisted, taking his chaos too far this time.

I do not want to ask this, but too many lives have been lost because of him, I fear we must destroy him before any more of our subjects are lost.

At this time I believe the Winter palace to be the most distant and secure location for the time being, and I ask you all to convene there by moonrise today.

I fear this may be the dawn of war for us and we must make haste to prepare ourselves for battle.

Luna

Keeper and Defender of the Night

Closing the scroll, darkness passed through Winter’s eyes, signs of anger, fear and sorrow flickered across her face.

“No,” she whispered, letting the note fall to the floor, tears beginning to run down her muzzle, “it can’t be true…
Discord, what have you done?”

-End Chapter 2-

Side Story - A Cold Heart(h)

-Winter-

-A Cold Heart(h)-

I should know, of all ponies what hatred and loneliness are; even more so than Luna. It fills my and drives me – keeping me focused on the task given to me. Cold is what I am. It is the very essence of me and yet I am the embodiment of it. As strange as it is, this accursed paradoxical relationship is the entirety of my existence.

When the seven of us created ponies, we meant for them to be together – yet the gifts we gave them tore them apart. The three tribes we created: unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies refused to place their difference aside and live in harmony.

The early years were everything we expected, the pegasi assisted us with the weather, the unicorns helped us with the sky and the earth ponies toiled beside us in the fields. Life was so simple then, we worked as a community – we grew the food with the earth ponies, which was nourished by the rains carried by the pegasi and grown during the day hours brought forth by the unicorns, during the night we rested and slept.

Eventually, there came a time where we handed the tribes the full responsibility of the tasks. We were simply too tired to maintain the effort we were exhorting in our efforts to support them all, it was just too much for our magic to sustain. There were no goodbyes; we just left.

The seven of us convened in our mountain palace, far away from the pony settlements we had nourished. We stood in silence around our stone table, thinking. It was Spring who broke the emptiness with her timid voice.

“…perhaps we have come to a time where they don’t need us. All the life we have created here is living under the care of our little ponies.”

“Yes, but there is something in their hearts that troubles me.”

The momentary silence that followed was one of shock and disbelief. Luna was not one who spoke often, though when she did it was almost always important and everypony listened.

“Speak then Luna, tell us what brings unease to your mind,” Celestia replied in a serious tone.

“When I see them, I can sense that there is chaos and hatred in their hearts and minds. Each tribe feels superior over the others. It is tearing them apart,” Luna answered.

This left me with concern, “Brother, you are the spirit of chaos, have you something to do with this?”

Floating lazily above me, Discord answered in his usual mocking tone, “Ah, the snow pony speaks to me!” his tone suddenly became more serious, “No, I have done nothing of the sort. This is a natural chaos formed from their hatred.”

“I am in accord with Luna, I too have noticed something stirring within them, but did not see it important at the time. Despite Discord denying any involvement, it is still a concern to us – as the creators of this world and its inhabitants, we may have to force the hoof of fate…”

I trailed off, leaving five alicorns and one upside-down draconequus with expressions of confusion and shock apparent on their faces. I had not chosen to say this without reason, and I could tell that they all knew it. Discord looked mildly bemused at the fact that it wasn’t him making a suggestion such as this.

“…I’m not sure that would be a safe idea, and what if the ponies don’t agree with it?” Spring asked quietly across the table.

Summer held her reserved expression, “I, for one, do not agree. Yes, they were intended for harmony with each other, but this is something you cannot force,” Celestia nodded in agreement, followed by Luna and Spring.

I glared coldly at Summer, who was always my conflicting opposite, and she smiled back subtly. A tapping across the table from Celestia brought our attention back.

“Perhaps we are acting too early in this situation, it might change our views if we were to leave this land for a few years, removing ourselves from any influence and re-convene over the same issue upon our return.”

Murmurs of agreement rippled around the table as she finished, I for one, did not agree – as evidenced by the expression I now held, making plain my displeasure. It did not go unnoticed by the others.

“Winter,” taunted Summer “have you something to say? Perhaps a better suggestion?”

“You’re so insightful sometimes…” I retorted coldly, leaving an alicorn on the other side of the table rather annoyed. “I suggest we take a pre-emptive approach to this and act before it spirals out of control.”

“I think we might be taking this too far, I said I could sense it – nothing more, and I could be wrong on this.” stated Luna, trying to break the building tension.

“Fine. We will wait.” I snapped back, “Sleep it is then.”

With that I closed my eyes and stretched out with my magic, slowly sealing the entrances with thick barriers of ice, inscribing them with runes to make them impenetrable from the outside. continuing the flow of magic, I dropped the temperature of the room to near freezing, allowing our bodies to enter a state of hibernation, before we cast a spell together to remove the ice and wake us from our suspended animation after ten years. All in place, the seven of us relinquished our consciousness into the black void of sleep.

Time passes slowly, especially when your mind is separate from your body – existing in a dreamscape that stretches on forever. With nothing to indicate the passing of time, it quickly becomes an irrelevant concept.

“…wake…”

A voice reached out through the void, so faint, as if far in the distance…

“…need you!”

The words being spoken became more coherent as I stopped to listen, wondering who could be speaking to me. It didn’t make sense – the seven of us were sealed inside our mountain, protected by walls of enchanted ice, it wasn’t possible for anypony to be speaking to us…

“Why won’t you wake?! We need you! Help us!”

Uniting my body with my consciousness in an instant, I snapped my eyes open, flared my wings and prepared a defensive spell – only to find five alicorns doing the same thing.

“Let’s not be so hostile towards our guest,” drawled a draconequus from the far side of the cavern, snapping his clawed hand – transforming my ice barriers into some sort of coloured snow, which he then scooped up in a cone and proceeded to eat. Beyond the snow-covered floor, at the entrance to the cave stood the familiar form of the unicorn we all knew as Starswirl, shivering under his blue hat and cape.

Luna let out a gasp of surprise at seeing the unicorn scholar somewhere other than the Library of the Night. There was a stunned silence before she asked him in a quiet voice,

“Before we address the issue that has brought you here, how long have we been gone?”

“Approximately seven years Princess,” he replied, as calmly as he could.

“How did you know where to find us though? We deliberately concealed ourselves using powerful enchantments,” asked Summer quizzically.

“Luna once gave me an amulet that would help me find her in a serious emergency; it would only work if the amulet’s spells agreed that intervention was required,” replied Starswirl.

“What could be so serious? I hope it isn’t too bad…” whispered a rather quiet Spring.

“Perhaps it would be better if you saw it for yourself,” he said with a grim tone.

From the cave entrance, high in the mountains, I could see the colours of fields, rivers and towns, stretching on to the ocean. Something didn’t look right about the usually picturesque scene; the colours seemed muted – as if blended through a dark haze.

Sharpening my senses, I took another look at the landscape before me. Dark tracts cut across the land like scars from a battle. I could see smoke rising from building as fields alike, flames still flickering among them. Turning my gaze to the sky I could see the remnants of Cloudsdale, broken and charred along the underside. Our land had been devastated.

There was a shocked silence as we stood in disbelief, unable to comprehend the destruction that had befallen the world we created. Even Discord stood solemnly, as if it were too much chaos – even for him. The impossibility our land had been laid waste to in only a few short years. What went wrong?

“…dragons…we should have watched the borders better.”

Starswirl shook his head sadly, then with a pained expression he told us.

“It wasn’t dragons. It was a year after we realised you had left us. There was a meeting between the tribes to discuss how we should govern ourselves in your absence. Needless to say it didn’t work – none of the leaders could decide on anything. We’ve been living in a stressed truce for some time, but it didn’t last more than 6 months.

“It finally came to a breaking point. The pegasi began to militarise themselves under their elected leader: Commander Hurricane. They constructed lightning forges and began raiding metals from the earth ponies to form weapons and armour. They knew what was coming.”

“What happened? The pegasi couldn’t have done all this, they wouldn’t have…” interrupted Summer.

“In a way you are right,” continued Starswirl. “It wasn’t just the pegasi – the unicorns launched a pre-emptive assault on Cloudsdale. It was declared war between pegasi and unicorns. A week later the pegasi retaliated by dragging massive superstorms across unicorn territory, destroying a large amount of earth pony crops along the way. Eventually it came to all-out war, that’s where we’ve been since.”

None of us had been expecting to hear anything like that. It was hard to understand how our world had come to this, but the evidence lay before us – crumbling and in ruin. Luna shook her head sadly and walked back inside, followed by all except Autumn.

“Winter, when you wanted to take pre-emptive action, what did you have in mind? Perhaps we should have heard you out on that idea, rather than dismissing it as we did. Would it be too late to try?”

“…I don’t know. Trying is all I can do.” I didn’t know what else to say. Although I was a goddess of the cold, I didn’t have all the answers. We are not all-powerful.

Nodding at my answer, she slowly walked back inside to where the others were waiting for us. A solution would present itself; it was just a question of when. So I stood outside, letting the wind flow through my mane, relaxing me while I thought.

Minutes turned into hours as I stood, unmoving, absorbed in my thoughts and surrounded by an icy wind. Noticing it had gotten significantly colder, I asked myself, “What is cold? Cold is many things, it can describe temperature or emotion. It is harsh, unrelenting, merciless and isolating – but I have seen the snow bring ponies of all kinds together…”

The solution seemed paradoxical – one of the most isolating things, cold, could work to bring ponies together; there were more pieces to the solution though. Cold could force them together, but they would have to put aside their differences for it to work. I would need chaos, to reveal their true nature, so they could find harmony. They would need warmth, to combat the cold and to keep them alive through the nights and days ahead. It wasn’t just physical warmth though - they would also need to find warmth in their hearts for each other.

Opening my wings and stretching my legs, I turned to see the others watching with an expression of curiosity on their faces. They were probably as interested as me, in whether either of us had a reasonable solution.

“What progress have you made in my absence?” I asked politely, not wanting to interrupt too much.

“Barely any, we have too many conflicting views to make any proper headway into a solution. It was only to be expected though – none of us want to cause any harm to our little ponies, especially Spring.” I’d been expecting a bit more, but Luna’s answer was discouraging.

“How was your nap?” chided Summer, deliberately trying to annoy me.

“More productive than yours,” I retorted. “Also, it was meditation – which happens to involve thinking.”

“Silence! Both of you should know better than that.” Celestia wasn’t happy; especially when she had to use her voice like that.

Placing a hoof on Celestia’s shoulder, Autumn then walked over to where I stood. Whispering, she asked me, “Please tell me you have an idea, otherwise we’ll be here for days…”

“Don’t worry,” I whispered back, “I think I’ve got it.”

Nodding in reply, she turned and walked back to where she had been standing previously. With all eyes focused on me, I cleared my throat and stated, “Yes. I have a plan. I can’t guarantee that you will agree with it or like it, but I think it will work…”

With that, I began to explain my plan.

Finally getting approval from Summer, we started making preparations for the task ahead. Saying a short farewell to Starswirl, we combined magic to teleported him back to the unicorn capital, where he could provide council there in the days ahead. Watching in silence as Celestia, Luna, Autumn and Spring flew over the mountain range, to wait for us on the other side after we had completed our task, we knew that the days ahead would be challenging for everypony of all races, even us.

From the cave entrance, I could see so much beauty. So much that I was about to lay waste to. That thought would stay with me for a long time. Pointing my horn skyward, I began to focus on the open sky, reaching into my cold and letting it flow through me, taking form as a ring of dark superstorms, filled with snow and ice. Opening my wings and taking to the air, I flew a long circuit around the clouds, pushing them closer and closer together over the land below me. All would know my fury.

Returning to the cave, I surveyed my work in all its destructive glory: a dark, endless cyclone of twisting cloud, blasting the ground beneath it with harsh winds and snow. Looking over at Discord, I could see the smile on his face as he watched the storm with a delicate interest.

“It’s not as much chaos as I would have liked, but with a few improvements here and there, you’d definitely have my approval!” His enthusiasm was more than admirable for this grim task.

“Don’t worry,” I replied coldly, “You’ll have more than ample opportunity for some chaos soon.”

For weeks we waited, watching as the blizzard consumed everything it touched. The ground now covered in snow to the height of a pony, was inhospitable to all life. Plants were no longer able to grow anywhere; we were destroying the food chain from the bottom up. We’d watched in silence as many creatures had fled over the mountains, attempting to escape the terrible storm. There was nothing we could do to help them.

Stored food had finally run out. The three tribes convened in our old castle to discuss the matter at hoof. We watched them squabble, each blaming another for the cataclysm that had befallen them. Unable to put aside their pride, they all just left. Under the command of their leaders, they returned to their homes full of resentment and spite. Filled with sadness, I watched, knowing that they had brought this upon themselves.

After watching the tribe leaders depart, we decided that it would be best if we separated to follow them and guide them, eventually towards each other. Together, Summer and I decided that Discord would follow the earth ponies - with a reasonable amount of freedom for chaos. Summer chose to guide the unicorns, while I would keep track of the pegasi.

Guiding them over the mountains, I cleared subtle tracks for them to follow and watched them fly the safe path through the storm. Observing them from a concealed position, I could see that the leader, Commander Hurricane, had a defiant and determined spirit – which although misguided at the moment, would be vital in the days ahead.

It was hours before they cleared the storm, into the open blue skies beyond the vast mountains that had once been the edge of exploration. Seeing Discord and Summer hovering nearby, I realised that by sheer coincidence, we had all guided the tribes to the same place. Withdrawing flags, they all claimed the land as their own, then with horrified expressions noticed the other leaders close by doing the same thing.

“Winter, you need to force them together – otherwise they’ll just go their own way and we’ll have the same problem here as well. I saw a small cave when I flew by earlier, that might be a good place to push them. I want this plan to work as much as you do.” Summer wasn’t really giving me much choice, but she was right – we had to restrict them from leaving anywhere.

Sighing, I reached out with my magic to the storm, pulling it towards us. The winds howled in response as the superstorm cover the sky. Keeping a small passage clear as snow began to fall, I watched as the ponies fled for the closest shelter: the cave. For once, Summer had actually helped me.

“This is our only chance to do this, we have to get inside that cave!” said Summer, dropping into a dive towards the entrance.

“WAIT!” I hissed, “What if we’re seen?”

“Leave that to me,” answered Discord, as he began weaving an illusion around each of us.

Looking over at Summer, then myself – I realised what we looked like: aggravated, ethereal seaponies, hovering in the sky. No, we didn’t look annoyed, we were annoyed. Summer and I shot Discord a look that could only mean: “We’re going to kill you after this.”

“They’re supposed to be ice spirits,” he mocked.

“You know what?” I snapped back, then decided against what I was about to say. “Nevermind.”
The storm was now directly over the cave, and the blizzard in full force around us. Ice was forming in patches on the ground and creeping up rocks, freezing them within a hard shell. From outside the cave I could hear voices bickering, reminding us of the task at hand.

“We should hurry, the sun is setting and it won’t be light inside that cave much longer,” said Summer.

Nodding in agreement, we flew through the entrance and up to the ceiling, circling around the ponies below. Bringing a small part of the storm inside to mask our presence, I let it drift to the roof, covering us. It would have worked, except that our constant circling created a small wind that pushed the clouds outwards.

Using my magic to speed the cold, ice began forming high on the wall, working its way down the cave and spreading across the floor. As it covered the cave, I sealed the entrance with a thick barrier of ice, hoping it would keep the effects of the storm at bay. It finally got to the point when I could no longer control my anger.

“I will show them how cold their hearts are!” I bellowed, eyes glowing blue. Power overflowing and emotions mixing with magic, I channelled the ice towards the three leaders, encasing them in blue crystalline rock. It was then that the remaining unicorn noticed us circling above. Ice still flowed unrestricted, creeping across the floor and began encasing the other three ponies still fighting the cold.

“…Summer,” I whispered in a strained voice, “Help…”

She smiled grimly, then nodded and immediately a slight warmth filled the cavern, slowing the icy advance on the three ponies. They were laughing about how bad their leaders were. How could they be so defiant, knowing that the ice would consume them? Unable to sustain the cold any longer, I collapsed from exhaustion – to be caught be Discord, who now had arms onto his illusory form. I shut my eyes, I was so tired, and lapsed into unconsciousness…

-Summer-

As soon as I saw Winter go limp, the ice began to slow. It was about to encase the unicorn’s horn when I instinctively fired a bolt of heat at her, absorbing into her horn and starting to glow from the overflow of sudden magic. Dispelling the illusion around me, I landed on the ground in front of her and lowered my head so our horns were touching, trying to remove any excess magic.

The moment I did so, I felt my magic surge from me, transferring into the unicorn. There was little I could do other than shape the effect it would have on her. Improvising based on the situation, I tried forming a fire spell fuelled to maintain their rapidly falling body temperature in the hope that it would keep them alive long enough for us to help.

A blazing magenta flame exploded into existence above the trio, the shockwave shattering their icy shells. The ice began receding, very rapidly. I could feel the magic emitted from the inferno had my magic in it, but there was something unfamiliar about it…

It was unlike anything I had ever seen, the spell within the blaze appeared to be self-sustaining, fuelled by positive energies from anything nearby. Opening my magical sight I could see fiery tendrils stretching between the recently un-frozen trio and the blazing inferno. A sudden surge from the three ponies blinded my sight, forcing me to look away and take to the air – joining Discord circling above them. With a snap of his claws, the illusion around me re-materialised, concealing my true form.

Suddenly, the flame surged upwards – straight towards us. It was time to leave.

-Winter-

Blackness…

Eyes barely able to open…

Blazing purple fire…

Somepony carrying me…

A flash. An explosion of light…

The feeling of a teleport…
Blackness.

Rising from the black void of unconsciousness, I opened my eyes – slowly. Everything around me was white. Had I gone blind? Opening them further, I could see my front legs covered in a cold, white powder. Ah, that would be snow.

“She’s awake,” uttered a familiar voice. “I hope she recovers soon…”

Knowing I was in safe hooves, I let myself back into a peaceful sleep.

It was some time before I awoke once more to find relaxing warmth enveloping my body. Standing slowly, I turned to see Summer, horn aglow, smiling gently at me. Composing my thoughts, I spoke with what strength I had.

“What happened? How long have I been out?”

“When you lost control inside the cave, you drained the last of your magic. It was too much for you to sustain all the spells you were powering. Since then, all the spells have been falling apart. Discord and I have been stuck here for the last two days – it’s far too risky to go outside while the storm is unstable and falling apart,” replied Autumn, a serious look on her face.

“I can fix this,” I whispered back weakly. “I can do it.”

“No,” Autumn whispered back, “You need to rest and not use any magic. Wait until the storm is over. All the magic you poured into it is flowing back to you.”

“Where is the storm? I can’t see it anywhere, just a thick layer of dark clouds…”

“Discord and I carried you up here, above the storm, after you collapsed inside the cave.” Autumn looked sad when she said it, as if something was too difficult to say.

“Summer?” I asked quietly.

“Mm?”

“…thank you. I’m glad you’re my sister…” I whispered, softly to her, resting my head on my legs.

Autumn smiled, knowing that although we were so different – we could both put that aside to help others and each other. Looking at my sleeping form, she leant down and whispered, “Friends?” I nodded, and drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Outside, the storm finally dissolved and the ice covering the cave entrance melted in the sunlight, allowing six ponies to walk out. Standing side by side, they were all smiling as they headed out into the dawn. They no longer stood as enemies, but as friends – friends who would found the great land of Equestria.

-The End-

Ancient Legend

This is a story of Equestria’s early history,

The disappearances of alicorns still a mystery.

Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring,

No longer turn the Seasonal Ring.

All knowledge destroyed after the Solstice War,

When we thought Equestria would be no more.

What happened then is long since lost,

For ponies paid a significant cost.

This, a chronicle of Winter’s colt,

Who is still said to be at fault.

Exiled to a prison of ice,

Kept alive by another’s sacrifice.

Frozen through times of chaos and nightmare,

Barely alive, but never truly there.

Legends say his escape is soon,

And will bring about Equestria’s doom.