Chapters *This one is for all the awesome people that read my last fanfic, I appreciate all of your support and encouragement.
Prologue
The old stallion sat out on his boat, enjoying the warm summer sun. He breathed in the fresh air, supplied from the freshwater lake and the nearby trees. It had been one long day, but he always had his lake and the fish within it to keep him company after a long day’s work. It was a rough, but rewarding life for him. He lived on the far end of the small town known as Hoofington. Most of the denizens were nice enough for him, but as his old age came along he found himself to prefer seclusion from others. It was understandable since his wife died, there was never really anyone for him to talk to anyways. He was too old, too un-hip for the young ones that ran the town now. So he came out here every day after he was done working on his modest home and enjoyed the peaceful negation from the rest of society the lake provided.
He was resting his eyes when something very peculiar happened, the air began to turn cold. He opened his eyes and found the familiar summer sun rising well up into the afternoon sky, beating down rays of sunshine. Strange, why was the air cold? He looked to the side of the boat and was shocked to find that the lake had been frozen solid. What had happened? This was the summer, there was no way any body of water could freeze out at this time of year. He scanned the frozen lake bed, and found a strange being dipping its hands within a small pocket of water not yet covered in the ice by the shore. When it reached out, however, the area was soon frosted over and the last bit of exposed water was no longer visible.
The stallion didn't know how to react to what he had just seen. Something about it horrified him and fascinated him at the same time. He just sat there in his boat, watching the figure slowly glide across the lake top. It was coming to him, he thought. Why else would it head in this direction? The majority of Hoofington was in the other direction. The figure's features become distinguishable as it closed in on the old stallion's boat, and it horrified him all the worse. The being was long, very long, and it carried no features across its face and it wasn't in any shape that he could find comparable to any creature he had seen before in his long life. It’s like it was constantly changing shape, like a piece of cloth blowing in the wind, and outside of its limbs and head there was no way to get a handle on where it was. Its pale skin was rivaling the whiteness of the lake top and that made it only harder for the stallion to keep tabs on it as it finally stood before him.
The figure cocked its head to its side in curiosity. “Greetings... friend.” It finally said, its voice hoarse and chilling.
The stallion found himself shivering in terror, even though the being had simply greeted him. He fought to find his voice in his trembling chest. “G-g-good day...” was all he managed to force out to the strange creature.
The being pulled back, and simply stood there for a few minutes, its featureless face seeming to study him without any hindrance. “Would you.... like a gift....?” the being asked him after the haunting moment.
“W-what kind of g-gift?” The stallion asked.
The pale being closed in on his face, stopping only inches before the trembling stallion's face. “Why... I offer you preservation... A sort of... immortality, if you will...”
The air around them was beginning to fog from the chill. The being was hauntingly cold, as if it emanating subzero temperatures. Whatever this thing wanted, the old stallion wanted nothing to do with it, he just had to get away. He scurried out his boat, hoping that the sudden movement had surprised the pale being. The lake bed had less traction than he had thought. He fumed at himself for forgetting it was ice and soon found himself slipping and falling roughly on his side. He tried desperately to get his hooves back under him, but it was futile on this surface and with his old age.
He felt that cold air again, that chilling cold air trickling down his back. It made him stop instantly and he just laid there on his belly, the terror gluing him in place.
“My friend... why would you try to desert me....?” The voice called with true hurt.
“G-get away from me!!” The stallion cried out. But the words did the exact opposite and he felt dead cold fingers wrap around his body and pull him off the ground, and he found himself staring into that featureless face once more.
“I see no sense in your protest...” He pulled him closer to his face. “I only offered you a gift. I attend to give it to you. I attend to give it to you all, along with my very dear friends.”
The figure turned at an angle and the stallion finally caught sight of what it meant. There on the lake's shore were more of the strange white beings starting to make their way towards Hoofington, the ground and trees frosted over and snow forming on the leaves wherever they crossed the ground. This couldn't be happening, he still didn't even know what was happening in actuality. It had to be bad, it just had to be.
He looked back to the pale creature holding him, and in place of the blank face he had come to know from this monster, was a mouth that seemed to appear out of nowhere. It was opened so far agape that it covered the entire diameter of its face. It wasn't natural, it couldn't be. He screamed and flailed but their faces only got closer and closer.
“You will enjoy this gift.... trust me... my friend...”
He felt a rush of icy wind blow into his face. It was somewhat comforting at first, but then he realized he could no longer move his head or his eyes. They were frozen in place, and he could only look in horror as the pale being encased the rest of his body in pale white ice.
The mouth finally closed, revealing the face that was burned into the stallion's mind forever. It placed his motionless figure lightly on the icy lake top. “See... I knew you'd love it...” It circled his inert but still cognitive body slowly, admiring its handiwork. “I must go now... My friends need help sharing this gift with the rest of you.. No need to thank me... It was my pleasure...”
He watched as the creature strode across the lake bed in his peripheral vision. He couldn't move, he couldn't do anything. He wondered how he was still alive when he knew he wasn't breathing. The creature was sick and demented if it thought this was a gift of immortality. He tried desperately to get at least one joint moving in his whole body. It was useless, he was stuck here for who knew how long. He wanted to part his lips, to scream, to get any sound out but found himself exerting the rest of his energy and slowly losing consciousness with his eyes still opened. The chill was no longer just around him, it was inside him now, in his very heart.
Chapter One
Oh how Titus hated attention. He never liked it, even back when he was a Paladin of Azeroth he had problems talking to people. It wasn't his thing, and he didn't seem to be getting any better at it here in the capital of Equestria, Canterlot. Ever since the encounter with the damned Shadow King back in the abandoned kingdom that princess Luna had ruled, Titus had found himself as a celebrity around the land. He personally wanted to keep a tight lip about it, but Lyra gloated about it every chance she got.
It was always about how the Beacon had stopped the land from dying. How they had defeated armies of skeletons and shadows on their way to the Shadow King. Titus couldn't do anything, he was always tongue tied when trying to speak out to her in public when everyone was watching. He was with almost everyone, and he tried hard to be more social, but he just didn't think it was in his blood.
Lyra's gloating, coupled with the praise that Luna had put on him shortly after their adventure had put him in the uncomfortable position of accepting a royal invitation to Canterlot's royal castle, where he and Lyra would be staying as guests of the princesses. He really didn't want to go, and he tried desperately to think of any excuse, but found none that would satisfy Lyra's set mind.
So here he was, sitting on his behind, at the royal table in the royal castle's dining hall. He was poking at his salad, still trying to get use to the change in diet since he arrived in Equestria. It was a challenge, but he managed to pull it off, and he prided himself in that. He was getting use to something at least, he thought as he grabbed a cucumber slice and placed it into his mouth.
He looked around the table, where the many princes and princesses sat around chatting with one another, obviously ignoring him. He didn't mind, as long as he didn't have to talk to anybody he was fine. He was sitting near the end where the Princess of the Sun, had placed herself. Her sister, Luna seated far to the opposite side of the table.
He wanted to lean an elbow on the table, but found it too uncomfortable while sitting flat on the floor. He looked over to Lyra seated next to him, she was trying to scoop up her food with her hooves, but grunted in frustration every time it fell out of her non-existent grasp. He had no idea why she was trying to act like him so much, but he brushed it off, assuming it was caused by the affection she had developed for him since they first met outside of Ponyville. He didn't mind it, he liked it actually and found her company comforting, even if she did go overboard sometimes.
He was about to place his head on the table in sheer boredom when Celestia spoke to him in her strong voice.
“How has our society been treating you, Beacon?”
He brought his head up suddenly, and almost accidentally brought the whole table cloth up with him on his sudden movement, to Lyra's laughter. “Uhm, its going pretty well I suppose.” He managed to get out, trying desperately to keep the table cloth secure upon the table.
“That's great to see.” She said smiling politely. “We all thought you'd have a difficult time integrating into our kind of society. Luckily it seems you came from a world similar enough.”
Titus put his hand behind his head shyly. “Do you guys have any mead here, by the way?”
Celestia looked at him curiously. “Why, I have never heard of that. Is that a sort of food?”
Titus sighed. “Yes, kind of. Never mind actually. I don't need any mead...”
The night continued on, and the chatting followed in suit. Titus fumbled with his thumbs silently under the desk and noticed Lyra at times trying to mimic his actions. He soon stopped his nervous habits and just began to rest his eyes. Nobody would mind if the Beacon took a quick little nap while he was being ignored at the royal table. Nobody would mind at all.
He closed his eyes for just a minute and was met with an all too familiar hoof in his face. He shot up in frustration and managed to cause a tremor through the entire table, knocking everyone's plates about. He apologized hastily to all those seated and quickly glared at Lyra.
She looked down at the ground shyly. “Sorry about that. Just didn't want you to fall asleep again...”
He sighed in pity, and gently patted her on the head. He turned back to the table and noticed everyone's eye still trained on him. “Is everything okay..?” He asked nervously.
One of the austere royalty finally spoke up, taking off his monocle. “Of course, we were just wondering if you would prefer to be elsewhere?”
Titus glared at them. “No, no I think I'm fine right here, thank you very much.” The nerve of these people he thought.
The aristocrat simply shrugged. “So be it.” and went back to his previous conversation regarding fine art and the state it was in.
Titus couldn't believe he was still here, sitting at a table with royalty from another world. It was a humbling thought, especially considering that what he had done for this world was completely by accident on a wild goose chase after his friend Eleii, who had never been here in the first place. It still made him sad to think about but he pushed it to the back of his head, he hoped that somehow she was still alive, even though that was extremely unlikely, he couldn't seem to tell himself that she was dead.
He was about to fall asleep again from his monologue when a Pegasus suddenly darted into the room, frantically trying to inform Celestia of something dire. “Princess! Princess!”
She looked at the Pegasus panting violently by her. “Yes?”
“Something horrible has happened! We can't explain it! Hoofington has frozen over, along with everyone in it!”
The table went silent from the sudden news. Celestia stood up. “Is this the work of the Windigoes?”
The Pegasus looked around the table and back at her. “We don't think so. We've had reports of pale beings with the touch of ice.”
“How peculiar...” She muttered. “Do they remain in Hoofington?”
“No, your majesty. They mean to march on Ponyville, I believe.”
That got Titus and Lyra listening. That was their home (as much of a home as Titus could get out here), and the thought of it suddenly freezing over and being inhabitable was not a comforting thought. They leaned in on the table, waiting to hear more of the unfolding events.
She turned to her guests. “I'm afraid we must end this evening early. I apologize, but I must go and see what exactly is unfolding in my land.”
With that, she promptly left. Titus sighed, and brought himself up, along with several of the other guests. He had made it through the whole evening, and he could finally retire to his guest quarters within the castle. Although the thought of town suddenly frosting over right in the middle of the summer was disconcerting, he put it the back of his head. If a princess was going to go solve the problem herself, then there was no need for him to worry about it. He just hoped that the others in that other town were going to be okay. He hadn't heard any mention of death, so it must have been a temporary state they were in.
Luna stood up at the other end of the table. “We trust you all know where your quarters are?” and the guests all nodded their heads in confirmation. “Very well. Our sister's absence will hopefully be short lived, but until her return we shall be governing all events within the city. Have a pleasant night.”
Everyone got up and left then. Titus quickly pushed ahead of the others and found himself in a series of winding halls. It was very daunting and confusing to him, how could royalty live in such an impractical building?
“It's okay, I know where our room is.” Lyra said coming up behind him. “What would you do without me hmm?”
“Fall over and die, I'm sure.” Titus said flatly.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Lyra said with a smirk and she trotted off in front of him. “Let's get going!”
Titus was lead through hall after hall, and winding staircase after winding staircase until he assumed he had made his way to one of the towers within the castle. At the top of the last staircase lay the door to their room. It was adorned with all kinds of mosaic markings indicating the quarters of a person of high importance. Titus sure hoped the beds were bigger than the one back at Lyra's house, resulting in his continued sleep on the hard ground.
The beds were, in fact, not any bigger and Titus found himself lying on the hard stone floor looking up at the ceiling of their quarters. Lyra wasn't happy about it either as she was stuck on the rotund bed by herself. Still, as the last candlelight was snuffed out on the nearby dresser, they found sleep rather easily, and Titus was soon under the trance of a dark, dreamless sleep.
***********************
The guard posted out at the gates of Canterlot was trying desperately to stay awake and on his hooves. He hated the night shift, why did he always get the night shift? The other guards probably thought this was funny to make him sit out here in front of the gates on the other side of the moat every night. No unicorn should have to sit out in front of the gates every evening, waiting for nothing to come.
He sat down, finally tired of standing at guard. Nothing was going to happen, nothing ever did. Canterlot was so far out of the way as it was nested on the side of a mountain that it seemed so unlikely that anything bad could happen, and even if there was something bad, it was usually more than something one guard standing at his post could have prevented. He remembered the panic at the royal wedding months back. The changelings had wreaked so much havoc on Equestria's capital, but as always, peace was restored thanks to someone that wasn't just a lowly guard sitting at his post.
A hoarse voice cut through the air suddenly startling the guard back to a standing position. “Another friend... How pleasant...”
He looked across the bridge transcending the small moat surrounding the city, but found nothing but what looked like a white mist and some snowy trees. Snowy trees? What were those doing there? It was the summer, there was no way there could be snow this time of year. But there it was, the entire area on the other side of the moat as far as the eye could see was covered in features that this climate could not provide at the time.
The air around him began to lower in temperature suddenly and he felt some strange feeling knot up inside of his stomach. Was it fear? No, it couldn't be.. Nothing had happened to him. But that voice... He sat back down, pondering what had just happened.
Soon he felt a cold wind blowing right down his neck, and he wanted to whirl around, but found he couldn't. He was frozen in place. He couldn't alert anyone of the strange pale being circling him, frosting over whatever it crossed.
“Enjoy the gift my friend.... I must go spread the joy with the other inhabitants...”
Chapter Two
Titus woke from his place on the ground hearing screaming through the tower. His first reaction was to make sure Lyra was okay, but she was simply sitting up in her bed, looking as confused as he felt. He didn't know what had happened or where the scream had come from, but he had been around long enough to know that it more than likely meant something bad was happening, or was going to happen.
He quickly slipped on his armor, taking several seconds to make sure all the belts and such were secure. Thenhe crossed the room to Lyra and offered to let her ride on his back.
She declined. “I’ve got to start doing more for myself. You almost always carry me around, didn't you notice how I lead you all the way through the castle?”
Titus nodded. “I did, but I'd prefer for you to be someplace I can keep you in check.”
She shook her head. “Nope.”
“Okay, fine.” Titus quickly made his way to the door. He put his hand on it to push it open, and found it extremely cold to the touch. The chill went right through his gloves and into his flesh, making its way into his heart. He pulled back suddenly, and stepped away from the door looking at his gloved hand. It was a pale white, as if the cold was visible right on it. He cupped his hands and blew warm air onto his hand in question.
“What’s the problem?” Lyra asked, trotting up to him. She looked at his hand. “Why does your hand look all cold?”
Titus kept staring at his hand. “I'm not sure. The door, it was so cold.”
“Really? Let me check it out.” Lyra went up slowly to the door. “It can't be that cold...”
“Don't!” Titus gently pulled her back. “My hand was gloved, who knows what it could do to something without it.”
She pouted and stepped back. “Fine...”
Titus looked back at the door. It didn't seem natural for anything like that to be so cold. He was afraid to touch it again. All he wanted to do was lay back down and sleep, but he knew that his life would never be that simple. He slowly approached the door once more. By now the cold was emanating from the surface of the door with an uncanny poignancy that caused Titus' approaching hand to jerk back several times.
He was a micro fraction away from the door's surface when a voice came from the other side of the door. “Why there are friends up here.... I would never have thought...”
The voice was enough to persuade Titus to move back once more. He didn't know what was on the other side of the chilling door, but it couldn't have meant anything good, regardless of its use of the word 'friend'. He looked for his hammer and then smacked himself on the head, remembering he had not brought it with him when they had departed for Canterlot. What a fool he had been, expecting nothing to happen. He brought armor but not his hammer?! What had he been thinking?
The door suddenly swung open and Titus and Lyra were greeted by a faceless entity. Its limbs stretching well past the doorway to the room. Its faceless head scanned the room and slowly brought the rest of itself in.
“Very nice quarters, my friends...”
Titus felt Lyra hop onto his back then. He looked back at her around his shoulder. “I thought you were going to be more independent now?” He whispered to her.
“Shut up.” she muttered back.
The being loomed over them now. “No need for arguments... You will both be happy with what I have to offer...”
Titus' mind kicked into natural instinct as stepped back from the being's suddenly reaching arms. He looked around the room and found nothing to use against. He knew that his only weapon was his faith in the light now. He sure hoped it would be enough to stave back this strange new character.
He dodged the hands once more and found himself standing on the small, rotund bed Lyra had been resting on. The being's arms followed in suit, forcing Titus to drop belly first onto the bed. Unfortunately, the bed was not made to withstand his weight, and the sudden force of the drop. He fell through the bed's weak frame and in a flurry of feathers and springs brought himself back up, with Lyra hanging onto his back for dear life.
Titus quickly shot forth a strand of bright light. It grazed the being's arms and it pulled back, grumbling slightly. “My friend... I only offer you preservation...”
“I don't need any kind of preservation.” Titus said. He looked around the room and found the glass doors looking out into the balcony of the tower they resided in. He had a feeling there was no conventional way out and that the balcony would be their only salvation.
He shot another bolt of light at the being, causing it to recoil once more, but doing little damage. He knew that if they were going to get out of here, he had to do something now. He quickly hopped out of the bed frame and pushed the glass doors open, with the pale being right on top of him. He stopped right before the balcony's resting support, looking over a land he barely recognized far below the mountain.
It was completely frosted and snowed over, as if winter had come two seasons early. He had been trying desperately how this land worked before, but now he was confused even more after this image. Still, he had no time to ponder the thought right now.
“You would not take the gift willingly... I'm afraid I must force it upon you now...” The words ran up both Titus and Lyra's spine, and he knew that it was time to go.
He looked at the side of the tower and below it. There were loose stone steps fairly distinguishable that he could get a grip on. He was not known for his dexterity, but he had to trust in his ability and strong grip to get him through the climb if it all. The thought of another long fall sickened him greatly, he didn't feel like ending up in yet another strange world anytime soon.
He took a step off the balcony's side, finding his first grip. He found it strange that Lyra hadn't been protesting his rash decision making yet. Perhaps she was just too scared, nevertheless, he was still in danger and needed to get below quickly. He brought his foot onto another loose stone, hoping it wouldn't decide to give out on him and cause them to fall to their death.
He began to decline down the tower, looking desperately for a nearby window or something for them to escape too, but was having little luck. Lyra looked down to the valley far below, the sight making her sick. She brought her head back up, hoping there would be a better sight above the ever descending Titus.
Instead all she saw was that faceless figure, stooping over the balcony looking down at them soundlessly. It reached out a hand and gently touched the surface of the tower's exterior. The stone froze suddenly and she noticed it spreading down after them.
“Hurry!” She cried.
“I'm trying!” Titus called out. He quickly stopped descending and eventually began to circle the tower's perimeter. Perhaps there would be something available on the other side of the tower? He noticed what had been causing Lyra's distress and picked up his pace just enough to keep every limb in check. It was rough and the frost seemed to only being increasing in speed.
On the lower recesses of the castle Titus noticed a fairly secure looking rampart. He knew that this would have to be their only chance or risk the chance of touching the frosted stone. He began to release his hold on loose stones and quickly grab onto the lower ones an instant before losing control of his grip. It strained his hands and feet horribly but he knew that it would be worth it to escape the cold touch that the pale monster had spawned.
Eventually he missed a grip and continued falling. He reached out desperate to find a loose stone, and found one an instant before hitting the rampart. The sudden jerk caused him to grunt in pain. He must have torn several ligaments in his shoulder to pull that one off, and he was worried his arm wouldn't work the way it usually did for him. He quickly switched hands on the loose stone and descended down the last few feet.
His feet hit the secure ground of the rampart to his relief, and Lyra hopped off his back. He wasn't too mad about her not staying on his back this time, the added weight was only a burden on his way down the tower. He rubbed his shoulder and looked over the side of the ramparts.
The entire courtyard was frozen. It was quite the sight, almost pleasant but the abnormality of it all was what caused him to frown at the sight. Lyra came up to his side and looked down too. She was just as surprised as him by the sight.
She looked up at him. “This isn't right. It's the middle of summer, just days before the summer sun celebration to be exact..”
It was obvious that this was more than likely caused by their pale intruder. How it had managed to sneak into the nation's capital was beyond both of them, but then began changing the climate artificially was even further beyond their mental grasp. Perhaps if they found Luna, she would be able to explain? She had been the one to explain Titus' involvement in the recent events of Equestria and his initial arrival after all.
They both decided to look for her within the castle. If anyone was going to be able to hold these things off, it would be her. Titus spotted a nearby staircase leading down from the ramparts to the courtyard and they both took it down. The steps were extremely icy and they found it hard to keep their footing, but they managed to get to the bottom unscathed.
The courtyard was packed with snow already to Titus' ankle length. He couldn't believe how fast this thing worked, it was uncanny. They had to find a way back into the castle, but any of the walls and doors leading back into the castle's interior were completely frosted over. They both put their heads down and trudged through the snow covered courtyard.
Eventually they exhausted every available opening, finding nothing willing to budge, even after Titus' repeated assaults upon them. One thing popped into Lyra's mind, however. The window that was on the largest section of visible wall. Perhaps she and Titus could use that as a way into the royal castle?
Titus was simply going around the perimeter of the courtyard, looking for a way in when she pointed it out. “Maybe we can get in through that window?”
Titus eyed her for a second and then looked at the window she was mentioning. He supposed it could work, it didn't seem too far above his height. Perhaps he could shatter it and get Lyra through? The thought of shattering royalty's glass was a bit absurd, but he was desperate to find any way back into the castle.
He went over to the window and beckoned Lyra over. He grabbed a nearby icicle hanging from the windows indentation and threw it at the glass with all his might. It ricocheted off the window, hitting Titus squarely on the noggin. He rubbed his head while Lyra nearly fell over laughing. He looked back up at the window and shot forth a dart of light, shattering the glass. Luckily the majority of the glass fell into the opening and they weren't showered in shards of it.
He cupped his hands and had Lyra step on it as he propelled her up above him to the window. She slipped and fell through. She poked her head back out to Titus, indicating that there was no threat up above. Now was the hard part. Titus took a hop and grabbed at the ledge left by the window's shattering. As soon as his weight came down on his damaged arm, he felt a pain shoot up it. He let go and his feet fell back into the snowy ground.
Lyra looked down at him with concern. “You're going to get up here, right?”
Titus looked around and then back up to her. “I'll find a way, I promise. Just hold tight.”
He was about to have another go at it, preparing himself for the pain that was sure to come, when the hoarse voice from before came up behind him. But not just one voice, there was several.
“Oh why we missed some friends...”
“We'll have to fix that, I'm sure...”
He whirled around and he found himself surrounded by several of the pale beings. By the Light, there was more than one of them. He looked back up to the window and found Lyra panicking. He wanted to assure her that was going to be okay, but he wasn't sure himself.
Suddenly Lyra was no longer at the window, and Titus found himself backed into the wall below it. He shot forth more bolts of light, causing them to hesitate, but not stopping their grasping hands. Suddenly, a source of light came from above Titus' head. He looked up and found flaming books pouring forth from the window. What was Lyra thinking?
Titus noticed that the creatures had retreated well back out of the way of the flames pouring down upon them. He suddenly realized what had happened. Of course! They were entities of the cold, so it made sense that fire or heat would stave them off! He would have to give Lyra a hug for this one, but for now he had to get these beings to leave.
Against his better judgment, he caught one of the flaming books with his gloved hands. The heat felt good at first against the biting cold, but then signals of pain replaced those of pleasure and Titus found himself throwing the book out of his hand at the creatures. They all dodged out of the way except for one, and instead of merely bouncing off the creature’s body, it stuck in its chest. Its skin began to char and burn and spread around its body as it screamed in agony, picking desperately at the object lodged in its chest. It was futile as it only caused the burning to spread to its arms much faster, sealing its fate.
Its companions backed off completely as Titus threw more books that came into his possession. They eventually deserted the courtyard and Titus was blowing his hands desperately, trying to cool them down. Of course, Lyra was not aware of what had conspired in the courtyard below and more of the flaming literature rained down on Titus' head.
“Hey! Hey! I'm okay!” He called out, dodging the projectiles.
She poked her head out and blushed from embarrassment. “My bad...”
“It's fine just gimme some room to get up there,” he called back up.
She gave a nod of understanding and backed out of sight once more. Titus took several steps back, determined to get up this time if it killed him. He took a deep breath, and sprinted at the window giving a leap of faith with his good arm outstretched. His arm scooped into the window frame and he felt his grip register. He slowly pulled himself in and over the opening, flipping over and landing on his back.
He felt Lyra jump on top of him, but the hug was short lived as Titus began to take note of where they had ended up. He pushed himself up, and found that they had just entered the royal library. So that was where Lyra had found all those books. There was a candle on a nearby study table, indicating how Lyra had also set them aflame.
“You burnt a bunch of books belonging to the royal library?” Titus asked.
“Yeah... But it saved you, didn't it?” she responded.
Titus shrugged. “I can't beat you there, I suppose.”
She smiled, and trotted on between the nearby bookshelves, with Titus following after her. The library was huge, based upon a circular pattern, with all the bookshelves meeting in a epicenter where a large hourglass laid. Eventually, evidence of the pale beings presence reared its ugly head even in the out of the way library. After peaking around a corner, the two noticed something.
It was a being encased in ice, leaning upon one of the shelves. Upon closer inspection it appeared to a young scholar looking desperately through a book she had placed upon the ground to read, but had been frozen before her task was complete. A sad sight to see, as it must have been a victim of the pale being's supposed “gift”.
Lyra lifted the book the unfortunate mare had been reading with her magic and skimmed the contents. She gasped in shock and handed the book over to Titus to read. He took in his hands and looked inside to find an extremely distinct picture that resembled the pale creatures fairly accurately. Below the picture was a text describing them as 'The Icebringers', a race that worshiped the Windigoes long before the land of Equestria was founded. Eventually they were gifted with the power to manipulate the weather themselves in return for their faith and worship. Surprisingly, they had never left their crystalline land, preferring seclusion and isolation. Why they would want to encroach upon Equestria was beyond them, and it only made their need to find Luna even more desperate.
The found their way to the end of the library, the gate leading into it had been frozen and broken apart. They peaked out into the hall to make sure there was no Icebringers patrolling through the halls. All they found was a place barely recognizable as it had been frosted over as well. They slowly slipped out into the halls, careful not slip on the newly iced ground.
At any other time, this would have looked beautiful, as almost everything that made of the hall's structure was behind a thick wall of ice, giving it all a sort of pale distortion. They wandered the halls as they both had no idea where Luna's quarters were. Eventually, they ended up in the dining hall they had found themselves earlier in the evening.
The table had never been cleared, and the chairs had been knocked over, indicating what had likely happened. They ignored the mess that had never been cleaned up and hurried over to the other side of the hall. After several more frozen and dimly lit halls, they found a rather ominous looking stair case winding up to the main tower of the castle. If Luna was going to be anywhere, it was going to be in there.
At the top was a door that had already been thrown open, cool air blowing violently from its opening. Within it was rather large room, where a large bed sat adjacent to dressers on either side.
“Why didn't we get one of these rooms...?” Lyra grumbled as they examined the room. After several minutes Titus couldn't find anything and was about to give up. But from out on the balcony Lyra appeared to have found something.
“Titus! Come over here, I think I found Luna...”
He followed her voice and sure enough on the unseen section of the balcony was the Pony Princess of the Night herself, frozen in place. She had been examining the sky through a telescope and appeared to have no idea that she was about to be ambushed. Titus felt her mane to find it nearly stone hard. There was no way they would be getting a chance to talk to her anytime. The only other person that might have any knowledge on what was going on would be Celestia, and she wasn't even in Canterlot right now. They really had no idea what to do now.
“Friends... my friends... I know you wish to join the rest of them...”
Titus and Lyra both knew what that voice meant. They looked back into the room and sure enough, there was an Icebringer just barely pulling himself across the room towards them. There was definitely no way he would be climbing down another tower again and time soon, but there was something he could do. He just hated what would be required.
He picked Lyra up, and hopped onto the railing of the balcony. “Are you crazy?! What was I thinking when I let you live with me?!” she screamed.
Titus kept his eyes on the courtyard down below. “I'm not crazy, just faithful.”
He took the leap he had been dreading, and they were both falling to the icy earth of the courtyard below. As the ground sped up into view, Titus was reminded of painful thoughts tracing back to that horrible day in Shattrath. He wasn't going to let anything like that happen again. He sent a wordless prayer to the Light, asking for its protection. Luckily, do to his thinking ahead, the Light obliged this time and an aura surrounded them both as Titus' legs hit the ground roughly. He rolled several times, holding Lyra close to him making sure she was safe.
After the rolling had stopped he opened his eyes and let Lyra go. She shot up and glared at him, but she couldn't hold it for long as a look of relief crossed her face instead.
“You never tell me what you're going to do..” she sighed.
Titus sat up making sure all his bits and pieces were intact from the fall. “If I had sat there and explained what I was going to do, we would've ended up like the princess.” He pulled himself off the ground and looked around. “We better get out of here, there's nothing left we can do here.”
Lyra looked at him sadly but nodded. She sat down and outstretched her fore-hooves, beckoning Titus to pick her up. He scooped her up and held her to his chest as they left the courtyard, looking over the sad, frozen visage one last time. There had to be a way to fix this, there always was a way.
Chapter Three
The main city of Canterlot was no better than the castle was. Streets had been completely iced over, forcing Titus to take his time, or they could both fall harshly on the unforgiving ground. Stores and houses looked nothing like they had the day previous, the entrances were no longer distinguishable from any other part of the building, and on occasion they came across a couple of unfortunate ponies that had been caught out in the night at the wrong time.
As they approached the gates leaving Canterlot, their hearts dropped into their stomachs. The entire entry had been frozen over, allowing no one to enter or leave. Why would the Icebringers cut themselves off from the rest of the land? Unless they had some way of bypassing this barrier. Titus looked around the walls of Canterlot, thinking of a way they could depart the doomed capital.
Obviously height was their only chance, and the nearby guard tower presented such an opportunity to get ramparts overlooking the city. They crossed between several alleyways, finding a stray cat that had not yet suffered the same fate as the residents of Canterlot had received. They simply passed on by it, disheartened by the fact that they could do nothing for the stray cat.
The sun was beginning to come up, and that was a spark of hope for Titus and Lyra. That meant that Celestia was still okay, and they felt a renewed vigor as Titus rounded the last alley, revealing the street containing the guard tower at the end. He wanted to sprint towards it, desperate to finally get away from all if this damn cold air. But nearly forgot where he was and slowed down just in time to find his footing on the streets once more. He was going to be so glad when this was all over.
The door to the guard tower, to their surprise, had not been frosted over. But they could not say the same thing to the inside, or the guards residing in the barracks within. Some seemed to have remained sleeping, a haunting scene for them both to see some taken under the frost in their sleep. Some had simply been relaxing near a table, frozen in mid-sentence. All in all, they did not seem to be paying attention to the Icebringers that had come down on them. Titus found it strange that no one took notice to them or tried to resist, since the Icebringers seem to talk a lot before doing anything harsh.
There was a ladder that did not seem too damaged from the encounter leading up to ramparts. Titus put Lyra down and had her go first, checking behind them to make sure they weren't being followed. He'd already been ambushed too many times in his life, and he was growing sick of it. That day in Warsong Gulch would forever live in infamy with him.
To his relief, no ambush ever came and he followed Lyra up the ladder. The wind was blowing hard on the exposed ramparts, causing Titus' cape to blow around his body several times. He repeatedly forced it down as he joined Lyra who was looking out into the sky.
“Look.” She said, gesturing towards the sun. “It’s stuck. The sun stopped moving.”
Sure enough, the sun was stuck midway over the horizon. That was definitely not a good sign for them, it meant that something had happened to Celestia. Now they were really lost, they did not have anywhere to go, or an answer to all of these events conspiring. He looked down over the rampart and saw that the moat had frozen over along with the long trail up snowed up. They were going to have to walk down the mountain instead of taking the train this time.
They still needed to at least try. The walls surrounding the main city weren't as tall as the ones surrounding the castle and Titus thought he could get them down there without being forced to pray to the Light once more.
“Ready to start going?” Titus asked her.
She didn't stop looking at the sun on the horizon. “What’s the point? Both the princesses are frozen and we're in some weird ice age world...”
Titus went over to her and patted her on the head. “If there's one thing that I've been taught, is that we always need to at least try. Then we can say that we put as much effort into it as we could, even if we failed.”
“Gee, we could fail?” She looked up to Titus, smiling sadly. “I didn't think that could happen.”
“At least it's positive sarcasm..” Titus mumbled. He gestured towards his back. “Shall we?”
“We shall.” with that, Lyra hopped onto his back for the umpteenth time, and Titus quickly slipped over the safety of the rampart, and onto the loose footing of the Canterlot first and foremost defense. With the use of his one good arm, he managed to get down safely and with no pressure. It was nice not being chased by the Icebringers for once.
He landed on his feet and they were in front of the frozen barrier that blocked off Canterlot from within. How anything could have done this was hard to comprehend. He remembered back to the news he had heard about the Lich King, finding it the only thing he could relate to this beings, and that was not a good thought. If they were anywhere near the strength of the Lich King, then Titus might just have a problem solving this one.
Lyra wasn't willing to let go this time and Titus was forced to continue down the mountain for both of them. The small path that was rarely tread did a number on his legs. No wonder most of the citizens of Equestria took the train instead of trekking up to Canterlot, it was way too much work, even on the way down.
The path became extremely difficult to distinguish from the terrain leading down the mountain as the severity of the frost and snow only increased. Eventually, he was simply heading down the side of the steep mountain, desperate not to miss a step or risk the end for them both. He looked at the sun that was still stuck halfway in the horizon. Was it going to stay like this until they found a way to fix this? The entire area was blanketed in a orange haze from the phenomenon, and it was pretty, but gave a feeling that it wasn't natural.
The rest of the walk to Ponyville was surprisingly uneventful. Apparently the Icebringers had not expected anyone to escape their grasp within Canterlot. It was a relief to them both, for they didn't have to pick up the pace as what looked like a horrible pale shadow of what was once Ponyville came into sight after walking for what seemed like an eternity.
For the most part, it looked to be intact. On closer inspection it was just another area that had suffered from the presence of the Icebringers. Nothing had been spared their horrible touch, and the sight only brought down there spirits further. Streets they once knew were barely recognizable under the pale frosty haze. There was no sign of victims out on the streets, for it had been night only hours previous and the ponies had all been in the comfort of their homes.
They could only guess what happened to them, however. Titus was looking for any landmark within the town that would give him a hint of where they were at. Several places where houses had once been were just mounds of snow, giving away any sense of direction within the icy settlement. All the wandering payed off when they finally found the center of town thanks to the water fountain.'
From there, they found it rather to find their way back to home. When they arrived, it seemed rather untouched compared to the other buildings. Titus assumed it was because it was smaller and less foreboding than the other buildings of Ponyville. Lyra hopped off of Titus' back and tried to open up the door with her horn, but to no avail. It took a few bashes into the wood from the Paladin's shoulder to finally give them access to their small home.
Inside nothing had moved, but that didn't mean a thing with the frost that crept into and across all things. Titus looked for his hammer among his few possessions strewn across their dwelling. He cringed as he saw his spare clothes that the nice pony that ran the boutique had made for him frozen solid. He hoped that his hammer had fared a better fate than his clothing.
He searched far and wide, but found nothing. Where it had gone? Without it he felt useless and weak, and he wasn't sure any of the ponies he had seen around town had any sort of blacksmith experience. In fact, he didn't believe they made too many weapons in this world. Now he got really worried, knowing there was no way of replacing his weapon if he had lost it.
“Lyra...? Do you know where my hammer is?” Titus asked while he searched with his hands under her bed.
Lyra was going through the cupboard for supplies, but poked her head out at the question. “Yes... No... I mean yes... but I know you aren't going to like this...”
Titus looked back at her. “What exactly happened this time?”
She ducked her head back into the cupboard. “I.. I...”
“Go on...” Titus urged.
“I threw it on the roof...”
Titus stood up. “What?”
She perked her eyes up over the cupboard slowly. “I was.. practicing with it..”
Titus frowned. “Why would you need to do that?”
“What if you got hurt or something?” She came into sight. “I mean think about the time back past the Everfree forest! I saved you! What if you needed me again and I didn't know what to do with the hammer?”
Titus stared at her in disbelief. “You didn't at least tell me?”
“I wanted to surprise you...”
“By losing my hammer on the roof?”
“No...”
He put his palm to his face and sighed. “We don't have time to discuss this anyways. Can you show me exactly where the hammer actually landed?”
She dragged herself out of the house. “I guess I can...”
They circled around to the back of the house, where there was nothing but several blocks of fire wood and a frozen over wooden stump. Evidence of Lyra's past actions were huge indents into the backside of the house's wall. Titus would need to really get her something to use the hammer on if she was going to make this an actual habit.
“Well, lets see where it ended up.” The Paladin said, hopping onto the tree stump to get a better view of the miniature house's roof. Sure enough it was up there, stuck to the roof under a thin layer of ice. Ice and frost. Titus was really getting tired of the cold. When this was all over, he would need to go searching for a decent, tropical island or something in this world.
Lyra was watching him intently from below, obviously still embarrassed. She was hoping that she would never have to tell Titus and she could simply deny the whole thing. But now that these annoying Icebringers were here causing all kinds of trouble across Equestria, she was forced to reveal her secret to him, or he would've been distraught over his supposedly lost hammer. She needed something like a weapon, she thought. That way she could help Titus with the fighting and they could fight back to back, taking on a swarm of evil. It wasn't like them against the world was anything new.
While she mused about a romantic last stand, Titus was struggling across the roof, inching ever closer towards his object of prize. How he was going to get it free of the icy grasp upon it, he wasn't sure. That couldn't deter him, it was the key to any kind of salvation against any Icebringer if they had no sort of fire to use. His hand carefully crossed over the frozen handle, and he pulled as hard as he could. It wouldn't budge, and eventually he was standing over the weapon, trying fiercely to free the weapon from its prison.
He was tired of it, and eventually was forced to activate a seal to strengthen his resolve. The light channeling in and around his body looked like a Beacon, from which he garnered his title. The sudden surge of strength was well more than what he needed and the hammer came loose, shattering the ice around it as Titus pulled it towards him. The force of the pull caused Titus to fall back and then he was falling off the roof. With an “oof!” he hit the snowy ground, his front end completely obscured from vision.
He pulled his head up slowly, spitting out the snow that he had caught his mouth from the impact of the fall. He looked to see Lyra not even paying attention, her head down in deep thought. He was more relieved that he had regained his weapon, than he was angry at Lyra for not assisting him in anyway. The positives always had to outweigh the negatives, it was what he had been told back in the Cathedral of Light and it was part of who he was.
He pushed himself up, and pulled his hammer from the snow. It was still blotched with several pockets of ice, but for the most part it was in better condition that he had hoped. Now he could at least defend himself if it got into a close up encounter. Now they needed to get to finding a way to find Celestia, or some kind of solution to the Icebringer's unnatural touch.
He walked over to Lyra, who was now sitting. Her hoof under her chin. “Ready to get going?” Titus asked.
She mumbled something to herself and then looked up at him. “Do you know how to make one of those?” She pointed to the hammer in his hands.
“Not anything with this craftsmanship, but I suppose I could make a lesser version of it if I had the right materials.” Titus shrugged, rotating the hammer in his hands. “Why?”
She frowned. “Nothing. I suppose we should get going, huh?”
Titus shrugged, she was always so vague when it came to questions about his stuff. It must have been the whole armor incident that had caused this sudden change of mood towards his possessions. Still, if she could just ask him straight out, that would've made it easier for both of them.
Titus felt something was wrong. He turned, and saw one of the nearby snowy bushes rustling. It had to be an Icebringer. He readied his hammer, appreciating its return once more. Instead of an Icebringer, however, a squirrel emerged from the bush, and quickly darted across the snowy terrain, nearly sinking into the inch deep snow.
They watched until it scurried out of sight, and then sighed in relief. Titus was about to turn towards Lyra when an all too familiar voice came from around the corner of the house. “I can't believe we have friends out here....” its faceless head poked around the corner of their house. “I thought we had really given the gift to all...”
Titus took the moment to charge the Icebringer, swinging his hammer with extreme force. It made contact, but the blotches of ice soon began to grow and soon his hammer was once again encased in ice. With the increased weight he was forced to stoop his hammer lower and drop back. The Icebringer seemed to at least react to the attack, however and it fell back behind the corner.
Titus looked at his weapon is disappointment. It was useless, he had no way to fight these things. Fire was the only option, but where they going to get a fire out here? The library that Twilight lived in, of course. She wouldn't mind if they used her literature as fuel for their protection, and perhaps maybe she learned of their nature and was already doing such a thing? He thought hard about it, and then dismissed the idea that she would let anything happen to a single book, the obsession with them was too strong. Still they needed to get there and use the resource to their advantage.
The Icebringer reemerged from the corner, accompanied by two others and Titus knew that it was time to move. He yelled for Lyra to go and she did. They circled the house, and were sprinting down the street, hoping that since they had found their house, they could use it as a marker to guide them to the library. Lyra slipped and slid a good five feet before picking herself up and following Titus. The Icebringers had a sickening sliding sound as they followed the two, like they were just being dragged upon the ground themselves.
Sliding around a corner they found what they were looking for, the huge tree indicating the library. It was a mad dash as the two stumbled across the icy streets behind their weightless pursuers. The closed in on the iced over tree and looked behind them to see how fast the Icebringers were coming. They had surprisingly backed off, and were simply watching them as they quickly slipped into the building.
Titus had been in the library several times before, either to please Twilight's academic pursuits on the human race, or to learn more on his new world's history. Either way, each endeavor was undeniably boring, with Twilight's constant questioning driving him to wit's end or the sheer number of words from the tomes Twilight had provided him causing him more likely to doze off than actually gaining any sense of understanding. He wasn't a scholar or a talker, and that's what made each trip to Twilight's library duller than the last one.
What made this one trip rather intriguing was the fact that there were three frozen figures sitting right in the middle of the library, all adjacent to each other. Titus and Lyra weren't surprised to find the young dragon assistant of Twilight, or in fact, her standing in defiance to the past Icebringer attack. It was the rather large Alicorn that stood there, with her head drooped down in defeat after apparently seeing the state of the two.
There stood a frozen Celestia, obviously distraught from the sight of seeing her faithful student and what seemed to be accepting of her fate. Why she would be so unresistant ,they couldn't tell, it was a sad sight to see. Tears that had fallen from her face had frozen in mid-drop to the floor.
“She accepted the gift... so why won't you...?”
They turned around and saw an Icebringer silently standing within the doorway. It didn't move but simply offered a hand. “We only wish to preserve you in this state always... You would never be forgotten..”
Titus looked around desperately, he needed some source of fire, and fast. But there was none, he was forced to improvise once more and charged the Icebringer. This time he knew his hammer wasn't going to make it, but it needed to be done. He smashed the pale being's chest, forcing it out onto the frozen streets and quickly closed the door, discarding his now completely frozen hammer upon the ground. He quickly dragged over the nearby desk, quills and parchment dropping off with every inch of ground passed, and brought it in front of the door to barricade themselves in.
He was so hopeless right now. Stuck in a library, with 3 frozen beings and Lyra. What were they to do now that Celestia was frozen? His strength and faith in the Light were useless against these beings, and he had no real actual knowledge of the land. He should have read what Twilight had given him, but he chose to doze off and ignore it. It wasn't looking good for anyone.
He walked over to the wall where the desk had sat, leaning against the wall with his arms simply dropped to his sides. He heard the Icebringers circling the house, speaking of the benefits their 'gift' had to offer. It was a haunting feeling, and with each minute he laid there, the room temperature continued to drop. There was no hope, his life would end today. To think he had escaped it once, to only be saved for a worse fate.
He stared at the ground until he felt a certain mane brush up against his face. He looked and saw Lyra smiling sadly at him. She was going to die too, that's what really got Titus into a melancholy mood. It wasn't so much as him, but her. He knew he could accept death, it was something he had told himself every day back in Azeroth, there was so much of it back in his old world that he had been desensitized from the overall fear, it didn't mean he was happy about it, however. But then there was this world, where it was always too good to be true. Everyone seemed to live a happy life and no one was ever taken before their time, it was a perfect world on those aspects. But now that a terror had swept across the land, he could only imagine what it had been like to be frozen so suddenly when you had just been continuing another day through your simple but pleasant life.
Lyra frowned, and she jumped onto his lap. She rested her head on his chest. “What's going to happen to us, Titus?”
That killed him inside. He couldn't say it, he just couldn't. “Nothing.. nothing at all. Why don't you get some rest, huh?” He scratched her idly behind the ears, trying to keep the calm mood about them.
She hummed softly, enjoying the touch. There just wasn't a way to tell someone in this world what a premature death was like. Titus certainly did not want to ruin Lyra's mood either, and he was hoping that perhaps the chill could take them painlessly in their sleep. It was all he could ask for, for both of them.
Hours seemed to pass, and he could feel the air getting colder. Their body heat was the only thing keeping them alive now. Lyra had dozed off on him already, and he was beginning to feel the weight upon his eyes now. It wouldn't be long before he fell asleep too. He wasn't worried, he would fall under the veil of slumber and not be subjected to horror of being frozen. He looked down at Lyra, happy that she was already asleep.
He began to nod off for a few seconds at a time, still scratching behind his companion's ears. He was drifting down the line between consciousness and silent slumber. He wasn't sure if anything was happening anymore, and where he was at. It was like having his head being dunked under water every few seconds, too confused about what was happening on either end of his mind.
Eventually it went black for what seemed like an eternity. Then a foggy gray haze was surrounding his vision, it wasn't anything he experienced before. He assumed he must have died, or was on the verge of it. Then he saw Lyra staring at him, her face covered in tears. He didn't understand why she was sad, he didn't understand anything that was going on around him. She lipped words to him, but he couldn't hear, the Icebringers’ voices bored into his skull. He struggled to make out what she was saying, he was only picking up bits and pieces.
“Don't go....” she was choking on tears. “Don't go.. I... need you...” It was getting more and more difficult for Titus to hear anything. “You're my special... my.. special...”
Before he could make out anything else the gray haze turned to black and he fell back into his dreamless slumber, but before he lost all cognitive sense, he felt something press up against his lips. He wasn't able to think about it, he simply kept drifting farther and farther away from reality. His last thought was a prayer, a prayer hoping Lyra would lose consciousness once more before the hypothermia took her along with him.
Chapter Four
The voices came back, eventually. But they weren't of the Icebringers or Lyra. He struggled against the blackness surrounding his mind, trying desperately to find some sort of a light or salvation. He warm liquid trickled down his throat, and it warmed his core, eventually spreading to the rest of his body. He felt fingers beginning to twitch, and voices more distinctly. He felt his chest moving slowly as he began to breathe again, he sat up suddenly, panting and looking around.
He was in a cavern, but it wasn't dark at all. It was warm, really warm. He breathed in thick hot air, grateful for the change of temperature. He simply sat there against the cavern wall with his eyes closed, taking in the warmth. He could worry about where he was and what had happened later, for now, it was time to relax after all of the strain put upon him.
“You recovered faster than we could have thought.” A deep voice said thoughtfully.
Titus opened his eyes and saw what looked like a huge Tauren standing over him. At least it looked like one to an extent, with snout nose and horns. He wore robes indicating his importance. He must have been some kind of shaman or something, Titus thought. Another thought hit his head, a Tauren? Was he in Azeroth again? He stood up suddenly.
“Why did you aid me, Tauren?” Titus asked.
The cow-like creature stepped forward slightly, his eyes studying the Paladin intently. “I am no Tauren, young sir. I am a Minotaur. The real question, however, is what exactly are you?”
Titus looked at him, then scratched his beard. “I'm a human. I'm not in Azeroth, am I?”
The Minotaur chuckled softly. “You haven't left this world yet, young one.” He walked over down the tunnel they were situated in, beckoning for Titus to follow. “You were expected to recover, just not this soon. We didn't even have to take you to the waters, we just had administer a small amount of spring water to you orally.”
He stopped as the rest of the cavern came into sight. There was dozens of Minotaur all surrounding multiple hot springs, supplying the warmth that circulated around the caverns. Along with the Minotaurs, he saw several ponies situated along the walls of the cavern resting, they must have been saved by these remarkable beings. So all was not lost yet.
The Minotaur smiled at the events going on in the cavern beyond, but creased in concern when he turned to Titus. “We weren't sure about your little friend however.”
Titus' heart dropped from the sudden news. “She is going to be okay though... right?”
The Minotaur put a hand on his shoulder. “More than likely, don't concern yourself. You're the only reason she's still alive at all at this point.”
“What do you mean?”
The Minotaur chuckled again. “Why don't I tell you while we walk to go see her?”
Titus nodded quickly and they walked down into the chamber containing the springs. There were tables set up overlooking the springs where one would place tools of healing or such. Obviously these people had been prepared for the Icebringers. He wondered how, though. Not even Celestia and Luna had seen any of this coming. He would have to ask about that sometime.
He also saw some Minotaurs and ponies relaxing within the springs themselves, obviously to help in the recovery process. It was a pleasant feeling knowing that there was a place that people could bask in warmth even when the entire climate of the land had been turned topsy-turvy. He forgot that he was suppose to be listening to his Minotaur guide, and quickly changed his focus on him.
“Heh, don't worry, young one. This is still awe-inspiring for me sometimes. I do not mind the lost of attention. Still, I know you want to know exactly what happened several days back.”
“Yes, child. I'm afraid it has been. But that is beside the point.”
They stopped suddenly behind a crowd gathered around the table. Titus was wondering why they needed to stop, until he noticed who was on the table. There was the small green unicorn he had come to know and care for dearly. She laid there comatose, while several Minotaur attendees kept a careful watch on her breathing patterns. She looked quite sickly, but nothing too apparent due to the fact that she was covered in light green fur. It was still an awful sight for the Paladin and he wasn't sure he could keep looking.
“We expect her to recover, don't worry.” his guide reassured him. “Now I'd like to take a minute to tell you exactly what happened.”
Titus tore his eyes away from his unfortunate companion and looked his bulky guide. “Sorry... go ahead, sir.” He needed something to distract him from the sight, even if it was the very story of how she had got there.
“I'll be honest, when we came looking for anyone unfrozen, we weren't expecting it to be as bad as it was. The Icebringers do quick work it seems. You two were the only ones left, and you both on the verge of falling too far into the cold slumber.” His guide's face scrunched in thought. “If I remember correctly, you, young man, were glowing with a light I had never seen before, and it was quite warm. The little lady resting on you had been taking the heat given off by your body and used it to keep her own bloods flowing. Alas, it wasn't as efficient as your self sustaining act, she was close to death by the time we brought her here. Luckily, the springs have done much to restore her health.” He smirked. “So, like I said don't worry about her.”
Titus nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. He had been giving off his own heat? But how? The Light had saved him from death once again, but this time he was also able to save another. He was learning something about the Light every day even here, it seemed. It was a pleasant feeling to know he had saved not just another, but the most important person in this world to him. He looked back to his unicorn friend resting on the table and felt himself smiling.
“I bet your wondering exactly who we are, aren't you, young one?” Titus broke his stare and nodded back to the robed Minotaur. He pushed by Titus and sat down by one of the springs, gesturing the Paladin over. “Why don't you marinade your feet in one of these springs while I explain to you the state of things. I know both you and your life companion still have a part to play in all of this.”
There was that term again. Life companion. Did they really give off the indication that they were something more than friends? Luna had said the same thing on that horrible night. It was just as well, he thought. It wasn't that bad to think of them together in that way, he knew Lyra would welcome that with open hooves. It was just the conflicting nature within himself that kept him from ever flirting back with her. What was he even doing right now? He shouldn't be pondering on something like that at a time like this. He quickly followed the Minotaur and gladly kicked off his boots, dipping them into the warm water slowly and situating himself around the mouth of the spring.
The Minotaur watched him for a minute and broke into conversation once more. “I never did tell you my name, did I?” He rubbed his face thoughtfully. “Of course not, the name is Totem..”
“Quite the name.” Titus said, kicking his feet softly in the water.
“It's really more of a title at this point. I am the guardian of these springs. If you haven't already guessed, this isn't your ordinary hot springs.”
Titus looked around. “You're kidding...” sarcasm dripping.
Totem simply laughed. “Quite the tongue on you. But don't expect me to bite at your witty quips.” He coughed slightly and continued. “What I meant to say was that the water that flows through this cavern has magical properties. It heals and restores life to those that haven't completely been under the Icebringers’ touch. Evident by the many citizens of Equestria resting along and within the many springs.”
“Where exactly are we?” Titus asked.
“Why... we're right under the Icebringers’ noses we are. Would you like to take a peek outside?”
He nodded, it would be helpful to get a sense of where he was at after the whole incident. Totem stood up and led him back through several tunnels leading upward. There were several breaks in the cavern wall where one could see the springs and the people using them far below. It was beautiful to see from this height. The caverns were bigger than Titus had thought, and he was thinking pretty big.
Natural light began to emanate down the cavern they traversed, and Titus saw the opening of the cavern mouth leading to the world outside. They approached ever closer, but before they took a step outside, Totem put a finger to his mouth and told Titus to wait. He quickly took a look around the corner of the cavern's mouth and then looked the other way. He turned back to the Paladin and nodded, indicating that all was safe and sound outside.
They took cautious steps out onto the padded snow, and found themselves in what appeared to be a forest of snowy white pine trees. In the distance Titus could make a small settlement. They weren't as far from all civilization as Titus had originally thought. He didn't know if he should be happy or worried about. Totem had not been kidding when he said they were right under the Icebringers’ noses.
One thing he did not understand, however was that surrounding the town in the distance, were huge pillars of ice. Some jagged, others smooth and perfectly symmetric. He didn't know what it symbolized but it must have been a place of particular interest to both them and their pale enemies.
“Over there is Hoofington.” The Minotaur stared at the large pillars in the distance, rising above even the tall pine trees. “That was where this whole outbreak started. We all have a feeling that these Icebringers have some source of power within the town. They wouldn't have made such a potency of watch towers surrounding the town otherwise.”
“What kind of thing do you think they have in there?” The Paladin asked.
“We're not sure, but from the stories we've heard, it would be along the lines of a heart of ice.”
It was time he pried for more information on what Totem and his followers were even doing. “What stories, exactly? And what are you even doing here?”
Totem sighed and walked back to the cavern's mouth. “We mustn’t stay out here for long. I'll tell you back within the safety of the tunnels.”
Titus slumped and followed reluctantly. “Very well...”
Once they were far enough within the tunnels, Totem turned around and put a hand once more on the Paladins shoulder. “I probably should have told you this sooner, but we were the ones responsible for containing the Icebringers from their own land.” He looked down. “But as you can see, we have failed. The guardians of the springs have failed miserably.”
“How so?” Titus really didn't want to sit here and discuss failings, he wanted to learn more about the people around here and Icebringers in general.
“You're very persistent. I am the leader of these people, the guardians of springs. For years, my people have used the springs to perform unbelievable feats, such as single-handily holding the Icebringers at bay. Recently, however one of the acolytes under my guidance had somehow been corrupted by the Icebringers’ promises of revelation. His very presence at the springs after that point, corrupted much of the spring water, and with that the Icebringers were able to sneak into the land of Equestria through a series of tunnels leading to their land once filled with spring water. We were able to reseal the drained tunnels, but not before the damage had been done.”
So that was how it had happened, someone had been tempted and betrayed these 'guardians'. He always knew that something was more complicated than what it first showed. Now he had an explanation for what was happening here in the land, and that was one step further towards solving it.
“You do intend to restore the land to its past state, I hope?” He asked Totem.
“But of course. We have just been gathering strength and nursing those that haven't frozen over back to health. “He turned his back to the Paladin. “I know you have a strength, and I would ask for you to assist us in the crusade when the time comes. Can I trust you will?”
“Yes, sir. I would be happy to help in any way I can.”
“Good. Now why don't make yourself at home down there? I'm sure you could do something down there if you feel bored.”
Totem left him after that, and Titus went down back in the springs. He might as well see how everyone was doing while he waited for whatever attack they were planning to commence, and also for Lyra's recovery. His first thought was to help the acolytes in the healing process, since he was practically a priest wearing plate mail, he would be able to assist them in their endeavors.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. These ponies weren't wounded or anything of the such, they were freezing and losing all metabolic functionality in their systems. It pained him to be pushed aside and not needed when he knew he had the ability to heal. It just wasn't the type of healing they needed.
He sat along the cavern wall near one of the springs where several ponies were enjoying the warmth and healing nature of the spring water. He wondered how the water had gained such unbelievable healing abilities. It didn't seem to make sense, but then he reminded himself of the magical nature of this world as compared to Azeroth's. Perhaps they had those ley lines under the surface of the world too? It could be possible, but exposure to that much arcane magic would not be beneficial, it would be hazardous. The Kirin Tor always preached the horrors of prolonged exposure to pure arcane energy. He dismissed that thought and began lamenting the lost of his long time hammer.
“Hey! You're the human from Ponyville, right?”
Titus looked up and saw one of the ponies in the nearby springs stepping out, drying off her hooves. She came up to him slowly and eyed him strangely for what seemed like the longest minute in the Paladin's life.
“I'll take that as a yes.” She said. “The names Colgate. Was a dentist before this whole mess started. One of the first to be pulled out of that disaster by these Minotaurs.”
Titus opened his mouth to say something but was cut off. “I've seen you around town. You were Lyra's human, at least that's what we said. You went up to Canterlot by the princesses' request, right? Since you both are here now, that must mean that they got there too.”
Titus nodded in confirmation. This one was a chatter box, he wasn't really up for any kind of talking. He tried to tune her out, but to little success.
“Hey! Pay attention to me when I'm talking to you, eh? It's not too often anyone sees you without her, you know.”
Titus sighed and finally decided to humor the blue unicorn in front of him. “Really?”
“Yes, really. Now why don't you tell me exactly what happened up there in Canterlot?”
“I'd rather not...” Titus trailed off.
“Nonsense. It's not like we're doing anything here. We both could kill some time, I'm sure.”
Reluctantly, Titus began going over the events since the two had arrived in Canterlot, from the awkward dinner, to the first encounter with the Icebringers, to their escape of Canterlot and the resulting trek back to Ponyville and all the events occurring up to this point.
“Wow, I can't believe you both didn't get caught.” Colgate said, scratching her chin thoughtfully. “All I did was sit in my home til one of these people picked me up and took me here.”
“Yeah, well, all things happen for a reason.” Titus said lazily.
“It was nice talking to you, you ain't such a bad guy. I'll tell everyone around town if we get out of this alive.”
“Thank you.”
She got up and left, leaving the Paladin alone once more. It was good to be back by himself for once. She was right, there wasn't really anytime he was alone around town without his little companion following his every step. He looked around cautiously. Perhaps he could have an uninterrupted nap for once? He slowly eased his head back, closing his eyes in the process. Oh how sweet this nap would be.
Chapter Five
After the first day, Titus found he could help in a number of different ways that didn't require his healing abilities. Such as assisting ponies in and out of spring pools, or carrying around and distributing supplies to any acolytes in need of replenishing their stock. It wasn't easy, but it was morally rewarding to a man whose sworn purpose in life was to help others.
Days past as he rushed around the cavern, carrying crates of blankets and other such heat conserving items, (he couldn't even tell what he was distributing around sometimes) and carrying those too weak to walk to the springs so that they may undergo therapeutic treatments within the spring's magical waters. All in all, it was extremely taxing on him physically, but he kept the positives in mind. He would soon be able to take the fight to the cretins that were the Icebringers and he would be able to get on with his life. Lyra was also quite the motivational piece during his long walks around cavern, it was nice knowing that he would have his friend back soon enough, and they could get out of this place and hopefully back to a restored Equestria.
After spending yet another day dragging around crates and ponies, the Paladin found himself using one the springs on his tender feet. The walking around in full plate mail in a steam filled cavern was not as comfortable as one might think, and Titus was simply trying to rest his weary feet within the pool.
He suddenly felt hooves wrap around his neck, and was nearly on the verge of being pulled back. He gagged and turned around to find Lyra looking at him shyly.
“Hey.” Titus said roughly. He wasn't sure he knew what else to say.
“Hey.” She responded lightly. She quickly came over to his side and sat, looking into the springs. “Weird place we're in, huh?”
“Yeah..”
She looked up at him. “So, umm.. I heard that you saved me. I, well, appreciate it.”
Oh it was happening again, Titus thought with dread. He had been fearing this moment since he had heard the news on how they both survived. It was a moment he couldn't avoid, and he knew it. Now he had to sit here and see what the outcome would be like.
“Well.. thanks. Always happy to help, you know.” It was becoming harder and harder for him to talk.
He felt his head jerked to the side by one of her hooves, and found himself staring into those big yellow eyes. “Nobody has really gone out of their way to help me in anyway like that.”
He felt his face begin to heat up. “... Thanks.”
She placed her forehead on his and they both sat there, staring into each other's eyes. Every thought in Titus' mind screamed in protest to even sitting there and allowing this to happen. But for some reason he couldn't compel himself to turn away. He felt more and more flustered as the moments passed by, and was really get self conscious of the others around them. He had never been this close to anyone before, not even Eleii. Lyra didn't even seem to notice his edgy behavior and simply kept staring into his eyes.
Luckily, the moment was broken from a shouting acolyte. “It is time we prepare for the crusade upon Hoofington! All who are going should gather their equipment and say their farewells to your families and hope you return!”
“Well they're sure blunt on what could happen.” The Paladin said turning away from Lyra.
She frowned, frustrated that the moment hadn't progressed to anything further. “What? Are you going with them?”
“I'm afraid so.” he said with genuine regret. “I gave Totem my word.”
“Well then, I hope you don't mind me tagging along.”
Where had he heard this before? Titus thought bitterly. “Not this time. You still need to recover.” He got a smack on the noggin for saying that. Just like old times, he thought.
“Can you say something other than: 'stay put' for once in your life?”
“Yes. While you're here, why don't you help some of the ponies while I'm gone?”
She glared at him, but the eyes finally relaxed. “Fine. Just don't get yourself frozen out there, okay?”
Titus stood up. “Yes, I know. If I recall correctly, you said 'you need me' at some point in time previous. Am I correct?”
She looked away. “I didn't say that...”
“Of course not.”
“You weren't suppose to hear that....” she mumbled. Luckily Titus did not seem to hear her.
He threw on his boots once more and looked around sadly, forgetting for just a split second he had lost his hammer. “I'm going to need some other type of weapon...”
A familiar gruff voice came up from behind him. “I believe you would find this... acceptable.”
He looked over to Totem, who was holding a large hammer, similar to his own. It was beautiful, with aquatic symbols stretching all the way down and around the hammer face. Whoever made this was a master of the craft. Totem outstretched it towards him, offering its grip. Titus took it slowly and brought to his eyes. It was lighter than his last hammer, meaning faster and more frenzied attacks. Something still nagged at him, though and he had to make sure that it wasn't going to be a problem.
“This isn't going to freeze on contact with the Icebringers, is it?” He asked, still getting a feel for the weapon.
“Not anymore, child. It has been dipped into this very spring water, the fear of your weapon being rendered useless should no longer burden your mind.”
The Paladin couldn't help but smile at this revelation. Finally he could defend himself and contribute to the attack properly. The Light would be a major help too, even if not in an offensive manner. He could still heal himself and others around him if the need came.
“Why don't you say your goodbyes for now?” Totem began walking away. “We'll be near the cave mouth when everyone is prepared.”
Titus nodded and turned back to his little green shadow. She looked up at him with concerned eyes. “Don't worry about me, okay?” He patted her gently on the head. “Just hold tight, I'll be back soon.”
“Hurry back. I don't know what I can do here by myself.” She called back up.
“I'll try. No promises, though.”
For a minute they stood there, wondering if they should do something before they took leave of one another. It was extremely awful for the Paladin who still wasn't sure how he was suppose to be feeling at the moment. He wasn't sure if he wanted to do something or not, it frustrated him. He looked around and saw the acolytes begin to march up into the upper reaches of the cavern. He should be following them, but he was stuck here at the moment, in an awkward limbo.
“I'll try to keep safe while you're gone.” Was all she said after the minute’s end.
The Paladin nodded and waved goodbye as he followed after the remaining volunteers. While he walked in between the crowds, pushing and shoving his way into the throng, he couldn't help but think what happen between them after all of this. Could it really be something more than just friendship? Had Luna and Totem really see them together? Even after all this time he still had issues about being with someone that wasn't human, and he still didn't understand. He couldn't dwell on it, though. The guardians of the springs would need him now.
Chapter Six
Everyone was situated outside of the cavern mouth like Totem had described. Titus pushed to the front of the crowd where Totem was keeping a look out. He caught sight of the Paladin breaking from the crowd and rushed over to greet him.
“There you are! Let me be the first to say we appreciate all that you are doing for us today.”
Titus put a hand behind his head. “What exactly am I going to be doing?”
“Ha ha! Nothing too outrageous, I assure you. For the first and most important part, we'll be trying to clear out the town of the vile creatures. After that, we need to collect any kind of information we can on the location of their placed heart of ice. Then the last part is your honor, human.”
“What part? Why do I have to do it?” Titus asked curiously.
“Young one, we all have our share of special abilities here. But yours come from a much more divine source. Don't look at me like that, there is a lot I can tell from a simple glance. Your touch is the touch of a higher power, and that is what will be needed if we are to have any hope as to shatter their frozen heart.”
“But my powers work little on the Icebringers. What makes you think it would be more effective on the heart?”
“The heart, my young friend is a passage to one's true character. Even though the heart we speak of is not that of an individual, it still follows the rules of all things natural. A touch from your pure, untainted heart should be too much for a withered old icy heart to handle. Do you understand now?”
“Yes.” He sighed heavily.
Always something important for a Paladin to do, he thought to himself sadly. Even in a different world, he was the go to man for all sorts of endeavors. It made him feel stressed and happy at the same time. Even in this world, he found himself doing all sorts of good for the residents. But this world offered something that Azeroth couldn't: peace, and each time he tried to partake in that sort of lifestyle, he was thrown into another ridiculous adventure.
“So.. I have to destroy the heart, huh?” He kicked at the ground, disappointed.
“Your touch is what will be the key, my young friend. Now, pick yourself up, we don't need anyone going out into the battle with melancholy.”
He nodded, understanding his duty. The others always come first. Always. Totem looked outside once, and gave the signal for all to step outside. The group was larger than Titus had initial thought. A small regiment of about three hundred Minotaur, with the occasional pony stepped out onto the thick snow, looking around in awe of the Icebringers’ doings.
Totem raised his voice above all the 'oos' and 'awws'. “No getting distracted out here! More than likely they already know we're on the outskirts of their base of operations! I need every last one of you to be ready for anything! We still haven't seen all that these beasts are capable of, and I don't intend for any of us to fall victim to their tactics! Is that clear?”
Everyone nodded, including Titus. The Minotaur had quite the voice on him, and he found it hard not to feel rallied when he rose his voice in such a manner. These people among them would likely die for Totem if he so decided it was necessary. Some would today, in actuality. Titus hoped he wouldn't be a number when the body count came into play. He had been in fair share of battles, however, and knew that he could hope all he wanted but acting out on his thoughts and senses would be more important than any hope would.
After everyone seemed ready, Totem turned towards Hoofington in the distance. “Today we do our duty for all of Equestria. Even though the majority of us are not of the Equine race, we are citizens and guardians of this land we call home. TODAY WE RIGHT WHAT WE'VE WRONGED!” He put are strong arm in the air, and threw it forward. “GO!!”
With that, the regiment of mixed races rushed headstrong into the snowed over pine trees towards the icy shadow that once was Hoofington. Titus ran hard, trying desperately to keep up with the others that surrounded him by all angles. He kept his eye on Totem, if he lost him than he wouldn't be able to know exactly what he was suppose to be doing after the initial incursion.
A sharp whistling sound filled the air, as if something was cutting through the air violently.
“Heads up! We got shards of ice falling from the sky!” One follower cried out.
Sure enough upon looking upwards, he saw large blades of ice falling to the earth and upon them. How they even got up there was beyond them since the Icebringers had no actual form of technology available to them. Regardless of how they got there, they needed to take multiple detours through the trees or risk being pinned down by one of the raining shards.
When they hit the ground, the earth shook violently and snow was thrown upwards and upon them in volleys. If anyone had got hit, Titus wasn't aware of it. He was too busy hopping and darting through the mix of raining ice and snow. He wasn't sure if they could pull this off anymore, and they would fail without even clearing the first obstacle. He pushed the self doubt to the back of his mind and pushed onward... until a blade of ice crashed into the ground right at his side.
He was thrown into a nearby tree, falling into the thick snow below. His ears were ringing as he realized he was suffering from shell-shock. Trying to stand, Titus rested a hand on the tree he had collided with. The vertigo that came as the result of the collision kept him wobbly. Everything was shaking around him, and he heard voices trying desperately to break through the ringing within his skull.
He couldn't stand for too long, however, and fell to his knees. He felt a hand on his arm and another flurry of voices breaking through the ringing. He felt his legs give way behind him, and he was being dragged through the snow. He looked up and saw the Minotaur that was pulling him. It wasn't anyone he'd seen before, but he was sure to take note on who to thank in the near future.
Eventually the ringing stopped and the rest of the world came into focus. The familiar whistling of the ice shards were back and sounded even more intense. He yelled for the Minotaur to stop pulling him, and was obliged. He straighten himself out and made sure his hammer was secure on his back still. He wasn't about to lose another one of them.
With a nod, the Minotaur continued on towards Hoofington, amongst the yelling and crashing of the ice shards. It was an incredible sight, to see such a natural thing as ice turned into an extremely deadly genocidal weapon. Mages knew exactly what was possible in the powers of ice. It was one of their many main weapons amongst enemies back in Azeroth. He thought he wouldn't have to see such things used this way in this world, but obviously was proved wrong by the very presence of the Icebringers.
He realized that he was standing there, forcing others rushing out after the village to detour around him. He began to run again, determined not get hit on his blind side once again, or fear risking serious injury. One lone stallion was running at Titus' side for what seemed like an eternity until a shard of ice propelled him up ahead and into one of the pine tree's branches. He didn't have time to see if the stallion was okay as the ice shards kept etching ever closer to Titus' ever changing position.
He couldn't believe that Hoofington was this far away, he was huffing and puffing trying desperately to keep pace or fall victim to the death bringing ice shards. The number of people accompanying him through the accursed gauntlet was constantly dwindling as the ice shards kept falling and falling, crashing with booms, sending even the large Minotaurs flying.
Finally they reached the hill right below the city, where Totem and several of the others were scouting out the town's interior. Why the ice shards didn't continue to fall was beyond the Paladin, but he was glad that once the main body had cleared the small pine tree forest, the attacks ceased.
Totem greeted all that made the trip unscathed, and eventually made rounds, distributing what appeared to be phials. As the many volunteers each took one they stared at its contents giving it a blank look, wondering as to what they should do with it.
“That there is water from the springs. It will be your weapon against the Icebringers as only our Paladin friend here” he gestured towards Titus, “is the only one actually equipped for any form of toe to toe fighting. All you have to do is take the contents and splash it onto anything that even resembles an Icebringer. Don't waste the water, however, I only have enough for you all to have only one.”
He walked over to Titus and grabbed his hand, gently placing a phial into his open palm. “Your going to need this for a very different reason then the others, I would think.” He gave the Paladin a nod and walked over to the foot of the hill once more.
“Whats the state of things up there?” he asked one of the scouting acolytes.
“Just frozen citizens so far, no sign of the Icebringers.” The scout looked up to one of the towers. “They aren't even watching us from up there. I'm not sure what’s going on.”
“Very well. Bronze!” He called out.
A particularly large Minotaur stepped out from the crowd, popping his knuckles. “Yes, master Totem?”
“Why don't you take point up there and see exactly what these Icebringers have in store for us.” He handed him a phial. “Be sure to use this if there is no way to fall back, understood?”
Bronze nodded and quickly hopped up the hill to the town above. Titus came over and poked his head over the hill to see exactly what was going on. Bronze walked in between buildings looking around at the occasional frozen pony or two. He came into the middle of the small town, and shrugged in confusion from not being ambushed.
He looked at Totem from back behind the hill, who nodded and told him to return. Bronze was about to oblige but a hand shot forth from the snow he was standing on, grabbing his hoof. He looked down and noticed his leg was beginning to freeze. He screamed and kicked the hand grasping around his ankle.
“The phial, Bronze!” Totem called out.
Bronze fumbled around with the cork on the phial, trying desperately to get it free. The ice continued to spread up his body but he eventually was able to open up the phial. He looked down to the hand once more and quickly poured the contents onto the hand. The pale hand twisted in horrible and unnatural ways, eventually letting go of Bronze, and slipping back under the ice.
Bronze cheered at the results, but then looked down to see the lower half of his body was still encased in ice. “Oh dammit!” He cried out.
Totem brought a hand to his face in disappointment. “Alright...” he said behind the palm. “We are going to have to go out there and fight those things, are you all prepared?”
Everyone nodded and Totem quickly gave the call for advancement. They rushed up the hill and into the town yelling at the top of their lungs in protest and challenge to the Icebringers. Titus followed quickly after, freeing his new hammer of its strap and bringing it into his grip.
Nothing seemed to happen in the middle of town as Totem tried to free Bronze of his icy prison. He poured several phials of spring water on the ice, which eventually melted, allowing Bronze to fall back into the snow.
“Aww man! My legs are all numb now!” Bronze called out, looking at his now drenched legs. He tried desperately to wiggle them around but cried out in frustration at his unresponsive limbs.
“That's what you get for not acting faster.” Totem said flatly.
“Ya, okay gramps.... So who wants to carry me back to the cave?” He looked around expectantly. Everyone just stared and awkward coughs resonated from the crowd. “Whatever then, I'll just stay here... jerks.” He folded his arms and looked away from all the eyes upon him.
“Somebody get this big baby back to the cave...” Totem said angrily.
Two acolytes quickly picked up the immobile Minotaur and staggered off towards to the pine forest. The whole incident left an odd air about the group, making it hard for them to remain serious and on the alert. Titus noticed and quickly readied his hammer. Totem watched Titus and quickly mimicked his behavior.
“Stay on edge! Don't get comfortable now!” Totem called out.
“Where to first, master?” One of the remaining called out.
“The way things are looking, and the way the Icebringers are reacting to our presence, I say we have a look into town hall.”
Everyone agreed unanimously, and they set off to the large building in the distance. Hoofington was different than the other towns in one way: there had been an extremely heavy resistance when the Icebringers had arrived due to the fact that the attack had come in the daytime. Frozen ponies were encased in ice as they were thrashing out at their attackers. The streets told a story of gritty resolve falling to overwhelming presence of an assailant that was actually prepared for confrontation.
The group slowed down amongst the frozen ponies, paying their respects to those that had been unfortunate enough to reside in this doomed town. It was like staring at piece of history, a horrible piece that should never have happened. That only toughened their resolves, however, and they marched on to the town hall.
Totem told the regiment to wait outside while he and Titus gave a quick search through the icy town hall. What he was thinking, Titus had no idea. He just hoped that Totem was sure about them going alone. Reluctantly, he followed after the old Minotaur, staring at the frozen monuments of the ponies that had worked there in the snowy lawns.
************************
Within the caverns, Lyra was waging her own war. That war was on the non-existent invisible forces of the shadow army. With a nearby blanket she had donned, she became a powerful unicorn sorceress, capable of dropping several enemies with a single crackling spell. So she went around the cavern, defeating the unseen beasts, knocking over tables and splashing spring water onto dry ponies resting near the springs.
They yelled out in anger, telling her to stop. But she didn't listen or care, she had to practice her fighting and prepare herself for whatever evils may come. In actuality, she highly doubted that anything would slip into these sacred springs, especially considering some of the people that didn't volunteer and stayed behind seemed to be capable fighters. It didn't stop her from practicing her hopping and dodging though.
“Can't you do that outside?!” One pony called out, drying off her mane.
“Uhmm. No.” Was all Lyra said before hopping back into the springs and splashing her once more with the sacred spring water.
“You're really pushing it!” She called out after Lyra.
She simply put it to the back of her mind and continued the imaginary gauntlet around the caverns. Some of the Minotaur acolytes watched her curiously, coughing and pretending not to notice her rampage through the springs. They didn't seem too irritated by her little romp, which surprised her way more than the ponies who shouted obscenities at her.
It was all going pretty swell until she tripped in one of the springs, soaking her and her blanket mantle. She simply lay there, glaring and dribbling air bubbles surfacing above her submerged snout. Some of the ponies dipping their hind legs into that particular spring giggled tremendously. She felt slightly embarrassed about her current state and slowly crawled out of the springs, sitting out near the mouth, dripping with spring water.
“See? I knew you'd do something dumb like that!” The pony next to her said shaking her head, trying to get the perspiration out of her soaked mane.
She didn't say anything back, but shivered, she didn't know why, but there was some sort of cold breeze blowing into the caverns now. Nothing to be concerned about, she told herself. It was probably like this most of the time in these caverns now that the land had been transformed.
“Hey! Listen to me!” The pony yelled at her.
She sighed and looked up to the ornery pony. “Yes...?” she asked in a dull tone.
“That's better. Now tell me what compelled you to even do such a dumb thing?”
“I had to practice...”
“Practice what? Getting us all wet?”
“No.”
“It has something to do with your Human friend, doesn't it?”
She didn't answer back to that one. She didn't need to, not to these ponies. They didn't understand what it was like having a Human for a friend. What it was like being held by one and living with one.
“Gosh, you're weird.” The pony said bitterly. “You always were...”
That hurt her more than it should have. They always thought she was weird because she didn't act like the rest of them. She didn't even like playing her lyre that much anymore, which put her out of place amongst the majority of the population. She should love playing the lyre, for Celestia's sake it was her own cutie mark! But she just didn't find any fascination with the thing anymore, not since she had had that dream depicting the light silhouette against the darkness of oblivion. It told her all about humanity and its place to play in Equestria's history. That's what changed it all. She had to learn more and more about humanity, but there was absolutely nothing she could find about the mysterious race. All the other ponies thought she was crazy for dedicating all her time to finding more about a race that nopony thought existed.
Then Titus had come, and she could finally gain the secrets she had been dying to learn. She learned much from the Paladin that had seemed to appear out of nowhere, especially of his own world. It was amazing and she didn't think anything could get better than having a human around that actually was her friend. Until she had discovered that she had developed feelings for the human that fascinated her so. It was a bittersweet feeling, however, as he did not seem interested in any form of intimacy with her. It didn't stop her from having pokes and sending signals, however. She couldn't count the times the Paladin had simply ignored her flirtations.
She remembered the night back at the abandoned palace that once belonged to Luna. She had tried to kiss him there, but he barely kept her away from his face, saying that they were just friends and she had only been able to get in a heartfelt hug. Overall, she had been left empty handed, but was just happy to have him around. The thought of not having him here was unbearable at this point, and she worried for his well being outside the cave. What had she been thinking letting him go off on his own?
She felt tears rise to eyes as she continued to worry about him. Unfortunately, the other pony took notice of her moment of weakness.
“What’s a matter? Gonna cry cause you ain't got your human here?” The pony was poking at all the sensitive spots.
She wanted nothing more than to be gone from here. But couldn't find the will to get up and trot away. She had thought this would end now that Titus was a part of her life. But he wasn't here right now, and he couldn't be the watchmen for her right now. So she sat there and fought back tears, while the mean pony poked and prodded at her emotions further.
“Come on! I thought you were better than this!” The pony said in a mocking tone. “Wahh! All you do is cry! I thought you didn't do that anymore!”
She was on the verge of breaking out in tears when a voice shot well over the ponies mocking insults.
“Hey! You shut up and leave her alone!”
That voice was familiar for some reason. She hadn't heard it for a long time... but it still reminded her of trips to... The dentist! She looked up and saw Colgate giving the inconsiderate pony a piece of her mind.
“Why don't you just get up and leave? You're nothing but a jerk! So get out of here!” The pony stared at Colgate for a few seconds before quickly shoveling off and grumbling in defeat.
Colgate came up to her side and gave her a pat on the back. “Some ponies can be such jerks. Sorry about that.”
Lyra looked back into the springs, still not feeling convinced by the sincerity that Colgate was offering. It was the first time another pony had defended her, and she wasn't too keen to believing it had just happened yet.
“Hey... come on you can trust me. I talked to your human friend.” Colgate was trying hard to sound as sensitive as possible.
Oh no. She talked to Titus? She must have told him about how crazy they all thought she was, and all sorts of lies about what she did. No wonder Titus wasn't acting normal around her when she came to him! Now she knew why he refused to let her tag along. He wasn't going to come back. She felt tears start to swell up in her eyes again.
“Whoa, whoa, what’s wrong?” Colgate asked sitting down next to her.
“What did you tell him?!” Lyra asked furiously.
Colgate leaned away, scared by the sudden ferocity Lyra had presented. “Nothing! He told me!”
“Told you what?!”
“About you guys! Sheesh!”
“Wh-what?” What could Titus have said about them?
“How you two got here with the rest of us. You both had to go through some crazy stuff I heard.”
She was dumbfounded. Titus didn't usually talk to anyone, but here he had been talking to Colgate about their adventures. She didn't know to feel good about the whole thing or embarrassed at what he might have said.
“He really cares about you... you know.” Colgate suddenly said.
“Huh?” Lyra looked up at that.
“The way he told the story. It was always keeping you safe that came first to him.”
“R-really?” Lyra couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Colgate scowled at her. “Why would I lie? Anyways, yeah. I could tell that he meant it too. I should know, I'm a girl.”
Lyra couldn't help but smile at the thought of Titus caring so much about her. “I never thought I was that important to him...”
“You better think again, then!” Colgate called out happily, slapping her on the back once more. “Have you tried making a move on the fella yet?” she asked innocently.
Lyra's stomach took a leap. But found she couldn't compel herself to lie to the dental pony. “Yes... but I don't think he's interested in that kind of way...”
“Oh, whatever!” Colgate said. “You just gotta be a bit more forceful is all! Make him realize that it's going to happen your way, not his!”
“I'm not sure if I follow...” Lyra said softly.
“He seems like a guy that really isn't that talkative, but also used to doing things his way. You just gotta show him that it is going to work this time, and then he's all yours!” Colgate said proudly, flinging her hooves in the air for extra effect.
“You really think that would work?” Lyra asked, hope washing over her.
“Yeah! It should always work on guys!” Colgate said, still flinging around her hooves.
“Okay... I'll try it sometime.” Lyra decided.
“Great! I bet everything will go fine and you'll have yourself a human... coltfriend! Or... whatever they call it for them...” She looked over past Lyra and soon shot up. “Hey! That's my blanket! What do you think you're doing with it?!” She ran after the unseen blanket thieve, leaving Lyra to mull over the new found information she had received.
Could it be that Titus really cared so much about her? The thoughts shot giddy butterflies through her stomach just at the slightest hint that it was possible. Could Colgate's advice really help her finally get Titus under an intimate snag? She sure hoped so, and made a mental note to take care of it whenever the Paladin got back.
She would have continued the mulling had there not been a high pitched scream shooting and bouncing off the cavern walls. It sounded horrible, but there were words being made out, and she perked her ears up to try to make sense of it.
“They're in the caves!! EVERYONE GET OUT!!” The voice was being stretched out from the horror it must have been feeling.
It was time to get serious, Lyra thought. She shook off the rest of moisture from her green fur coat and made a mad dash for the slope leading to the entrance of the cave. She saw ponies running in the opposite direction, which confused her. Why would they try to keep themselves stuck in the caves?
Then she realized that the Icebringers were already descending the slope into the springs. She doubled back, running away from the beckoning hoarse voices that the Icebringers possessed. “Friends... it's time to join the others in enjoying this amazing gift...”
Nope. No way was she going to let those things get her. She quickly hopped under a nearby display table. She poked her head out from under, hoping that none of the Icebringers had seen her. She bopped herself on the head for not being braver and tried hard to keep her breathing from giving away her position.
Luckily the Icebringers slipped right by the table, gliding after the ponies that had run to the back of the cave. She scolded herself for not doing anything to help them. They were going to get frozen and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
She jumped when she felt something tap her on the shoulder. She fought back a yelp and hit her head on the bottom of the table, soon holding her head in pain.
“Relax it's just me. Colgate.”
She gave a silent thanks to Celestia after the realization and turned to her new friend. “What are you doing here?”
“Doing something with sense, unlike the rest of those dimwits.” She looked over to the spring. “We gotta do something... you see those to bedpans over there?”
Lyra nodded as she followed Colgate's gaze.
“Good, let’s fill em with some of the spring water and splash it all over them!”
“Are you sure it will work?” Lyra asked hesitantly.
“Trust me! Come on!” She suddenly darted out from under the table, magicking up a bedpan with her horn.
Lyra followed and did the same thing. Soon both bedpans were filled the sacred spring water. She couldn't help but feel like she was disrespecting the spring in some way by carrying the water in some as degrading and unmentionable as a bedpan. But if it helped her live to see another day, so be it.
Colgate hopped onto the table they had been hiding under and began shouting at the Icebringers for their attention. “Hey, you pasty little sorry excuses for a race! Why don't you come over here and show me what you skinny washouts can do?!”
“What are you doing?!” Lyra hissed up at her.
“Saving the day... duh!” Colgate spat back.
The Icebringers closing in on the ponies pinned to the wall soon took notice of the challenge being called out to them. They took the bait and soon were coming down on the blue pony still shouting at them from the table.
“That's more like it!”
As soon as the Icebringers were just feet away from the table, Colgate hopped back off the table and threw forth the bedpan with her magic. It hit one of the Icebringers squarely on the head, hanging from the toilet seat. The water splashed onto its faceless head, and it screeched out in agony, a mouth suddenly stretching across its face, giving way to the its voice.
She turned to Lyra. “Throw it now! Before they attack again!”
She didn't have to take the command twice and threw forth her own bedpan. It hit one in the chest and the spring water splashed onto several others, causing them to mimic their already injured brethren. Unfortunately upon contact, the bedpans had frozen completely and the smooth metal began to unbelievably crack under the ice's grasp.
Knowing that they wouldn't get another chance like that, they ran and dove under another table, looking desperately for another container to harness the power of the spring water with. There were no more bedpans over near this table, causing Colgate to surprisingly let out a profanity. Lyra looked over to where they had faced the Icebringers. They were holding their heads in between their pale hands, shaking violently and trying to stand up despite the injury they had received.
They may have gotten away with that, but Lyra knew that this was more than likely the end of the line if they got back up. She just hoped that they wouldn't find them under the table far away. She didn't want to end up like the others, not when there was so much she needed to do. She should have been at Titus' side right now, where he could protect her from these monsters.
“No friend can hide from the gift..... ”
Chapter Seven
The town hall was nothing special, and no different than the one Titus had remembered back in Ponyville. Many halls and many rooms leading to storage rooms containing ridiculous amounts of paperwork and other political junk that he could care less about. He wasn't a diplomat, but he felt sorry for anyone that ever chose to be one in life.
Totem seemed to know exactly where he was going, even though the halls were frozen and full of darkness. It was strange. Titus had never been there, but he imagined that this must have been what it felt like in Northrend, near the Icecrown citadel where he had heard stories of bone chilling cold supplied not only by the weather, but the very breath of the undead that resided there.
That only made the Icebringers seem more daunting, and he had no intention of exaggerating their dangerousness any further. Totem and Titus walked into the main conference room where there was one window far off to the side, allowing just a pocket of light to shed down on the messy frozen tables, where books laid scattered across the polished surface. There was a single pony that had been in the room when the Icebringers had come, and he had been caught in deep study of one of the many papers on the table, only turning around to see his attacker for just a second before being encased. Titus assumed it to be the mayor, for he was wearing an impressive monocle and was wearing formal attire.
Titus had been so busy studying the frozen ghost that he hadn't notice Totem head over to the nearby window that had been providing the light. Totem looked out the small unfrozen pocket that the window had allowed, and back at the mayor at the table. He seemed to be onto something, and the Paladin simply stayed out of the way in hopes that he wouldn't need to assist on this one.
Totem went back to the mayor and examined the piece of paper the mayor had appeared to be reading before his horrible fate. He forced it gently off of the table's icy coating and looked at it closely. He sniffed and coughed a few times, trying to concentrate on the text before him. He looked back at the window suddenly and then back at the paper. Then he walked back over to the window and looked through the opening once more.
“Of course...” He muttered.
“What?” Titus asked, walking up to his side, trying to get a look outside.
“There's one spot the Icebringers had not frozen on this window...” He gave Titus room to look through. “...and it shows the frozen lake on the other end of town outside.”
“Yes?” Titus was waiting for the Minotaur to just spit it out already.
“The paper the stallion was reading back there was a report upon the lake's waters and other such austere subjects. But there is this one little tidbit of information that talks about the discovery of a fairly large crater upon the lake's floor. If I had to take a guess and the hint that the Icebringers had left... their heart of ice would more than likely be under the frozen lake.”
Titus couldn't believe that the old Minotaur discerned that from the signs given. Totem was a really a man that everyone could agree had the makings of a great leader. He wondered what happened next, would they find a way to get the lake to heat back up so that he could get a hand on the heart? Or would they find some other way to achieve their goal?
Totem looked at him, his eyes reflecting the graveness of what he said. “You're going to have to make a dive into the lake, and you're going to have to do it soon.”
Titus felt his heart skip a beat, despite expecting the decision. “Alright.”
Totem grabbed him by the shoulder, his face not changing. “I believe you know what the phial I gave you is for now.”
He did know. It was his only way to make it down to the bottom of the frozen lake. He sure hoped it wasn't a one way trip. He pulled the phial out from his free pocket, and looked it over. The waters swirled and swashed around the small container. He thought of Elwynn forest one last time. His family would never have expected him to be in this world, but he was sure they would be proud nonetheless.
Then his mind went to the only friend he had here: Lyra. What was she to him? A friend? Or something more? He was going to make sure he found out if he got out of this one alive. It would make him feel much better about himself and he was sure it would help her too.
Eleii. How could he forget? He wondered constantly where she was and if she had died that day. He sent a prayer to her whenever he could, but he didn't think that there was much the Light could do at this point, especially if she was dead. He missed her horribly, but told himself not think about it too much. He would have gone mad at this point if he didn't.
Something happened at that moment, Titus felt tears blur his vision. It was a rare occurrence, he hadn't let this happen since the night he learned everything. His purpose and role in this world, and now he was getting a new one. He didn't know if it was of a hero, a martyr, a friend, or the last bastion of happiness for a small pony, but he knew there was no escape from fate, and with a blurred vision, Titus nodded forcefully, indicating he knew what he had to do.
Totem gave a weary smile, and turned away letting Titus recover from his brief moment of vulnerability.
“Friends... friends... it's time to accept our gift.....”
Right on cue. Totem pointed out at the Icebringers entering the main room of the town hall. They blocked out the only way for them to escape. While Totem was preparing himself for combat, Titus gave a quick look at the window and brought out his hammer. He gave one last appreciation for the craftsmanship before bringing it upon the window. It shattered easier then he thought, and then gave a bitter thought to his last attempt at forcing upon a window without a proper tool. His head still hurt sometimes.
“Quick thinking there!” Totem called out, taking the hint that Titus had presented, and hopping out the now open window. Titus followed and he felt his boots hit the familiar snowy ground with a crunch.
The Icebringers’ ambush was nearly flawless, the acolytes were fighting tooth and nail, but without proper equipment and the small amount of spring water, they were soon becoming encased as Totem and Titus rounded around back to the front of the building.
“Why didn't you give them weapons like you did with me?!” Titus called out at the old minotaur.
He simply turned to the Paladin, a knowing smile crossing his lips. “Because you're the only one that matters... Beacon.”
He knew. Of course he had known. Totem was far too wise and resourceful not to have heard stories about the human that had saved the land of Equestria before the evil spread, even in the seclusion of the sacred springs. He didn't know what to feel, and he didn't know if he wanted to feel anything. It was only further reasoning for him to do what he needed to do.
“What should I do...?” Titus asked.
“Go to the lake, Beacon. You will know what to do once you're there.” He looked back at his acolytes fighting a losing battle. “We'll hold them off as long as we can... Now. Go.” He shooed the Paladin away.
Titus took tail and began running towards the direction he had seen the lake, the thoughts of everyone swirling around his mind while he ran. The world seemed to be getting paler and paler by the second and his heart ached at the thought of him failing. He remembered what and who he was doing this for, and kept his pace strong, eventually coming to the decline at the end of the town and dropping down near the lake.
The lake was rather large and Titus would have taken his best guess as to where to make the incursion. He took another look at the phial in his hands. It had to be the center, that would be the most logical choice, he just needed to make sure he was efficient about it.
He took a step onto the frozen lake and began to reacquaint himself to the lack of traction. He noticed a single stallion frozen out on the lake top. He had been fully aware of what was happening to him, his body showing the kind of resistance he had put up. This moved Titus much more than any other frozen monument had. This stallion had stared the Icebringer right in the eye, and resisted to the last breath.
Titus quickly slid and slipped across the lake top, eventually coming to the assumed center, or at least the best he could make out of the center of the lake. He popped the top of the phial off, looking into it at the spring water. It seemed so... normal. But yet there was so much more to this liquid. It cured hypothermia and freed those that had not been completely consumed by the frost the Icebringers brought.
With a dip of the wrist, the water left the phial and splattered across the icy lake top. Almost instantaneously, the water ate through the ice and further down into the cold water below. Titus was about to look down to see what he was dealing with when the worst possible thing happened: the voices of the Icebringers called out from behind him.
He loosened his hammer and quickly whirled around. There was dozens of them, and cocking their heads from side to side, as if they were wondering what he was doing.
“My friend... you don't mean to destroy all the joy we've brought to this land... do you?” The voice sounded more hurt than it should have. It wasn't natural, and it sent shivers down Titus' spine.
“Why anyone would want to stop us from spreading this most joyous of gifts is well beyond our understanding... And we wouldn't want you to do anything you might regret...” The leading Icebringer outstretched ungodly long arms in an inviting hug. “Join us... preservation is the greatest gift of all... The great Windigoes only wished to preserve... and we are now their emissaries. So join us.... join us...”
Titus simply took a defiant step forward, presenting his hammer for all the Icebringers to see. “I'll have none of your gift. Back away before I smite you down.”
“You would defy us and our gift.....? Very well... We regret your choice... but force must be applied....”
Titus knew what that meant. He sure hoped that Totem really meant it when he said that he wouldn't have to worry about this hammer freezing over. It was the moment of truth, and he hoped that he could fight them off to where he had enough time to search through the lake. He had never been resilient with his ability to hold his breath. That made him worry once more on how this one was going to end.
The first Icebringer lurched forward and Titus swung his hammer upward, hitting the creature squarely in the jaw of its faceless head. It gave a strange crackle sound and fell back, twitching on the ground. The others didn't watch, but simply glided across their fallen brethren.
The Light would not work on these beings, so Titus was force to keep his combat strictly physical. The first wave came down on him fast, but he bashed one and quickly smashed another on the back of the head. They did not seem so daunting now without their frost eating at his weapon.
Although they were kept at bay and their icy touch rendered useless, the Icebringers still had numbers. He swung and swung his hammer violently, hopping out of the way and nearly losing his footing as the Icebringers tried to grab at him hysterically. He was being forced back and back, and after a final swing, sending several of the Icebringers back, Titus fell back into the incursion made in the lake top.
The rush of cold water sent goose bumps throughout his body, making him clench his entire body up in horrible discomfort. He opened his mouth reflexively, trying to get air in but instead lost a precious amount of it. He forced his mouth shut once more and opened his eyes.
The lake was beautiful underwater, with an abundance of life still thriving despite the change in temperature. He wanted to look around forever, taking in the beauty of the sub aquatic life. But there was something that stuck out far down near the bottom of the lake. A pale light eerily blemishing the otherwise beautiful scene.
What could ruin such a picture felt the Paladin with anger, but then he noticed what was supplying the light. Down within the small crater that Totem had mentioned was what looked like a heart, but not any organic heart. It was a heart made out of ice, with veins digging into the ground and stretching up the lake side. It gave the sense that it was alive despite its inorganic appearance.
He remembered what he had to do, and why he was under here. He looked up to the orifice he had fallen through and saw the pale faceless heads of the Icebringers looking down at him. He felt his heart fill with dread as they dropped in after him, freezing the water around them as they swam towards him.
Titus suddenly dived down after the heart. Swimming in plate mail wasn't the most efficient thing to do, however and he began to feel the coldness take snips at his feet. The heart wasn't too much farther away, he squirmed desperately, trying to find some kind of way too increase his speed. He felt a cold hand wrap around his boot's ankle and heaviness began to form around his foot as he realized it was freezing him.
He continued to swim towards the heart, however, hoping that he could still get his touch upon the heart. He flailed violently, closing in further on the heart. It's paleness becoming more and more intense.
***********************
Lyra screamed, the table flying up above her and Colgate. The Icebringers were upon them now, and they were helpless to their will.
“No one could really not enjoy our gift.... you'll see...”
It was horrible! They circled around them both, waiting to pounce. She didn't even look up at them, they were too frightening. Colgate was shouting all kinds of impolite things to them, but it wasn't long before she joined all the others in the icy state, and now Lyra was all alone as the Icebringers continued to circle around her, talking of their gift and how happy she would be with it.
She wasn't afraid at this point. It was more of the fact that she wouldn't see anything ever again. That she would just sit there as another grim reminder to all of what these horrible things could do. It wasn't fair, she wasn't going to get the chance to do anything ever again. But the worst thing was not being with the human she had come to love.
If these things were here, then it was more than likely he was already a part of the now frozen population in the land of Equestria. She didn't want to believe it, but all the answers pointed to Totem and Titus failing outside near Hoofington. Why did he have to go? She found herself madder than anything that he would leave her here all by herself. He should have been much more responsible and took her with him. That's what stallions were supposed to do for their mares! Then again, Titus wasn't a pony, and his ideas on a relationship were probably slightly different... It still wasn't nice of him though!
If she saw him again... if they both got out of this alive... she was going to... going to.... probably try to kiss him. She couldn't stay mad at the Paladin, no matter how hard she tried and now she was getting distressed by the fact that she wasn't going to get the chance to do anything Colgate had recommended.
“It's time to accept our gift....”
She felt the hand grab her by the hoof. She tried to pull back but already felt her arm begin to become weighted down and numb. She screamed once more as another hand grabbed her other hoof. The frost spreading up her body, she could only watch as it spread everywhere. This was the end.
********************
More and more hands grabbed onto Titus as he etched ever closer to the heart. Its pale light was all that he saw in the world now. Not the water, not the Icebringers, not anything, just that damn Light. He struggled and squirmed further down against the pull of the hands. His one free arm that hadn't been frozen yet was stretched out, trying desperately to touch the heart.
********************
As the ice spread further down her body, distress turned to morbid disappointment. This life was over, and there was nothing left that she could do. She didn't want to die, why did she have to die? Did she even die when this happened? Or something much worse? The ice spread up her neck, and she couldn't look around anymore. The Icebringers loomed up above and simply stared her down with their faceless heads. Mouths beginning to stretch across their heads.
The ice spread further until they were just about to cover her eyes. She stared in horror at the sight of the opened mouths breathing out cold air.
“Shh... it ends now...”
It seemed like it with every second that passed.
******************
Closer he got, his hand reaching desperately for the heart. A hand grasped itself around his mouth, trying to pull him back. He felt the coldness spreading further and further.
Just a bit closer and this would end.
******************
The ice was spreading so slow that it felt like an eternity. What came after all this was what scared her the most. The ice only needed to spread a bit farther and it would finally stop.
Just a bit more and this would end.
******************
He reached out further, fighting the ice that threatened to engulf him. Just a bit closer... just a bit closer...
A plated hand touched the icy heart. At first nothing happened. But then it cracked and he could feel the hands wrapped around him letting go, letting him drift away; his eyes still locked on the heart.
“We only... wanted to spread... a gift....”
All went white.
Chapter Eight
The hot air beat down on the old stallion's neck. He was sitting in his boat, trying his best to get back to his old life. For some reason he had found himself along the lake's shoreline, unable to recollect any of his memory since his last day in his boat.
The strangest part was how everyone else seemed to suffer from the same brief period of memory loss. It just couldn't be explained, and all the people in Hoofington just seemed to push it away and kept going on with their daily lives.
That was until the group of Minotaurs had shown up earlier today, however. They seemed to be studying them for some reason, as if they were making sure they were okay. They were polite enough; especially their leader. What was his name....? Totring? Troten? Something like that he was sure. They stayed in town for a while, but among them was a strange being that stood on two legs like the Minotaurs, but his ankles were jointed further down his legs and he was wearing something that only ponies in Celestia's royal guard would wear, it was shiny and metallic and engraved in many places.
The stallion got the hint that this creature was important, that everyone that was among the Minotaurs, including several ponies, were important. The Minotaurs and ponies eventually left town after several days, except for the odd creature and a certain green unicorn.
They stayed out of everyone's way, seeming to not want anything to do with anyone else. That was fine for the majority of the town, they simply wanted to get on with their lives without anymore distractions, enough weird things had already happened.
It just so happened today however that he was not out on the lake by himself, though. He looked over to the other boat floating in the middle of the lake, where that particular green unicorn was dipping her hooves slowly into the water, staring at her reflection. The strange creature was in there, too. He had learned that he was something called a human, and should be treated with the highest respect. Why he did not know, but he couldn't help but sense that the human had done more than he could ever imagined.
The old stallion turned to the other side of the boat; happy to enjoy his freedom in the lake once more, even if he had to share it for this day.
***************************
Lyra splashed at the water, leaning her head on the boat's edge. She couldn't believe what had happened. Everything seemed to be back to normal, and that was hard enough to believe. To think that the simple shattering of a heart could restore everything in the blink of an eye. All that had been frozen over completely couldn't remember a thing about the Icebringers. She wondered if Celestia or Luna even remembered all of this. It didn't seem very likely.
So it was like a chapter in Equestria's history that never really happened. For once, she didn't feel like gloating about her adventures. In fact, she was happy that only a select few knew what had happened: her, Titus, and several of the Minotaurs including Totem.
It was like their own little secret, and that was the special part of it. They had saved the world again, and nopony was going to know this time. Now the world was back to normal, with its unseen guardians looming over it constantly.
She looked at her reflection; eventually splashing the water, distorting her image. When they went back to Ponyville, She and Titus would be the only ones that remembered this. There was one thing Titus didn't remember, however. The night when they were stuck in the library in Ponyville, she had kissed Titus while he was half-conscious.
It was a selfish act, she knew. But it seemed necessary at the time. She wasn't sure she would get another chance due to the deadly temperature drop. She soon followed Titus in slumber soon after, and she was surprised she had remembered the act herself.
It was a memory she would cherish forever, and she couldn't help taking a look at the Paladin who was simply resting his eyes on the other end of the boat. He was always dozing off, she thought. She didn't mind that much, but she had a wild idea form in her mind. It was a long shot, but this was more than likely the perfect time.
She quietly made her way over to Titus' side of the boat, careful not to cause creak or a change in the way it floated. She quickly placed herself fairly above the Paladin, careful not to touch him or risk him waking suddenly.
It was now or never. With a quick bonk on the head, Titus could only act reflexively and jump upwards. Right into a kiss from Lyra. For a few seconds, they were frozen there and Lyra was actually surprised it had lasted this long, and in the end it was her that broke the contact.
She was shocked to see the Paladin's face completely red, showing even through his beard. He looked off the side of the boat quickly began to pretend that what had just took place never happened. He was embarrassed! She didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing, but she needed to take a chance.
She came to his side. Trying to catch some sight of his red face, but he had it hidden expertly. “Hey come on...”
He grumbled something, but she couldn't make it out. “What? What’s wrong?”
He poked his eyes out from his folded arms. “I shouldn't feel like this,” and he quickly buried his head beneath his arms once more.
She almost giggled when she heard this. So he did feel something! She wanted to hop right out of the boat and splash around in happiness from the joy the news had brought. But Titus seemed less pleased than her at the turn of events. She squirmed up behind him and wrapped her hooves around his neck in the all too familiar fashion that they had both been accustomed to for too long.
She rested her chin on the top of his head. “Why shouldn't you, huh?” she was giggling now from sheer pleasure. “It's just love...”
Titus shot up, nearly knocking her off his back. “Don't call it that!” He hissed.
“Then what is it, then?” She asked.
He sat back down. “I don't know... I just know I shouldn't be feeling it...”
Lyra felt bad for her human. Of course he would have conflicting emotions about such a thing! He wasn't even from this world, and she didn't know how the whole intimacy thing worked over in Azeroth. She could have asked, but thought better of it around him.
She felt her heart ache. She wanted to reach out to him and make him calm down and understand. But how could she help when she was the one causing the confusion? It wasn't something she could fix, it was something he had to figure out on his own.
Then something shot into her mind. What had Colgate told her? To be assertive! How could she have forgotten? Now was the time to force the issue.
“Hey!” She bonked him on the back of the head. “It's not something anypony can help! It just happens and you should be grateful for it!” She paused for a second, trying to let her words take effect. “Besides... I kind of... you know... love you too.”
Titus turned back to her, the red in his face gone. “I would never have guessed.”
She giggled again and smacked him softly on the head. Then rested her own head on his shoulder. “Why do you have to be so pent up about this, huh?”
“Because,” he grumbled. “It isn't right.”
“It's wrong to love a pony that loves you too?” She was having all sorts of fun with this conversation. “What did they teach you back in your world?”
“A lot of stuff. Just nothing on this.”
“Look...” She was trying to find the words to say, to get this right. If she failed it might have disastrous repercussions. “One thing we should all have learned... is that it's not about race or anything like that. It's about character, and I'll be honest...” She was trying to grab at stray words now. “I don't think anyone has the kind of character you have...”
Titus turned his gaze down, he was thinking. He had to be thinking about things that went against everything he had known and had been taught. She hopped off his back. She wanted to make sure he understood what was going to happen next. She broke into his downward gaze, looking up at him with huge, yellow eyes.
“It's not like you have a choice in this, you know.”
Titus looked surprised for a minute, his mouth hanging slightly open, then closed it and the mouth farmed to an awkward smile. “If you put it that way,” he said shyly.
She pulled herself onto his lap and held him tightly, knowing that everything was right in the world now. She forgot how they even ended up out here, but she was glad that it had happened. That everything had happened.
Epilogue
The Exodar was illuminated by various lights that hung from ethereal strands high above the ground of the spaceship/city. The beautiful neon colors seemed to work well with the overall otherworldly feel that the place projected. Back before their days on Azeroth, the Draenei had tried finding peace on the world of Draenor, but could find little after the orcs had been corrupted by the blood pact Gul'dan had made with the malevolent Mannoroth, a general of the Burning Legion. The Burning Legion had been led by Kil'Jaedan, a traitor to the Eredar race, before they became the Draenei, and under his command, the orcs had slaughtered the Draenei, eventually forcing them to flee yet another world. The previous being their home world, Argus.
They had crashed into Azeroth and found a helping hand from the races of the Alliance, and were official invited to join the coalition soon after. So they remained indebted to the races of the Alliance, helping them in any way they could.
The lights themselves shined well beyond what was possible and found its way into one of the small buildings hanging from the side of the trader's tier. The light broke through just enough to provide enough light for a crippled Draenei woman to look intently through what appeared to be a small snow globe.
Eleii turned the fascinating object over and over in her hands as she lay on her bed. She wasn't going anywhere so it was nice to have something to preoccupy her for awhile. Her family was out taking care of business down below in the main part of The Exodar, so she was alone for now. It was nice to be alone, her family wouldn't give her a minute of seclusion if they could help it. But lucky for her, they had all been required to take care of whatever task they had been assigned by the great Velen, the theocratic leader of the Draenei.
So she turned and turned the small globe that she had found under her bed. It depicted a frozen lake, with a single boat stuck within its frozen surface. For some reason, it reminded her of someone she once knew. Someone she had cared about dearly. She couldn't wrap her head around it, though. All her memory seemed to be fading away every day.
It wasn't so bad, she didn't worry about how she had crippled her legs anymore. She could just relax and try to enjoy her days within her home. Sometimes her family would take her out onto lower reaches of the city, even taken her to The Vault of Lights on occasion. It wasn't a bad life, she had decided, just an uneventful one.
The snow sprinkled down upon the icy lake softly, and Eleii still tried desperately to remember who this reminded her of. It had to have been before she had been crippled. A human's face tried to break through the haze within her head, but she couldn't make out any distinguishing features, separating him from all the other faces she had seen.
It was hopeless, and she felt a sudden surge of anger flow through her. It was frustrating being so helpless. She was making it through every day, and she was forced to take a helping hand or fall over and lay there, useless. She turned the snow globe faster in her palm, trying to see what would happen to the snowflakes within.
Don't forget... Don't forget... she found herself mouthing. What was she trying not to forget? The face.. that face..
Don't forget... you can't forget... Titus. It was Titus, the Paladin. What had happened to him? Don't forget... don't forget... he had... died? That didn't seem right. But it was something that she felt in her heart, not in her mind. The Paladin... don't forget... had been her friend. Her one friend through all of her journeys throughout Azeroth.
You can't forget.... the fall. The one in Shattrath. The one that had killed him. It had been too fast for either of them to react... why did she live? Don't forget.... the branch... she had hit a branch, saving her from the full impact of the ground below.
Why was this coming back to her? She wanted nothing more than to forget these memories! It hurt to think about these things. It was a direct attack at her mind and heart.
She threw the snow globe out of the opening of her room, sending the small glass sphere flying down onto the streets below. It smashed and shattered across the ground behind a small shop. The water contained within carrying the pieces of glass far from the point of impact. One thing still remained at the epicenter, however, the scene that contained the lake and boat.
A lone figure picked up the remains of the lake scene, looking up to where it had been thrown from. The heavily bearded Velen gave a weak smile as he realized what had happened. Perhaps the lack of memory would be best for her, he thought. He thumbed around with the small boat that had been a part of the winter scene, wondering what had caused the young Draenei, Eleii to throw such a thing out here.
He would keep the boat, in hopes that someday he could find some way to repair her mental state. He placed it within one of the many pockets of his robe, and gave one last glance to the opening once more where her room was. Perhaps one day she could be normal again, but she was far beyond anything like a flesh wound that the Light was accustomed to healing, and even then he doubted she could do anything she used to again. The emotional trauma that had been caused the day she had fallen and her outburst of sudden hatred for the Light indicated she was far from any help that he or any other force within the Alliance's possession could provide.
He walked back towards The Vault of Lights, hoping that one day, people such as her would find a type of closure that would give them the will to go on. It was something to hope for at least.
The End
