Chapters Thirty years ago...
"Starlight, come on! There's nothing to worry about!"
Spike's voice echoed from the entrance of the cave, beckoning for the unicorn to follow him and Rarity into the depths.
"Easy for you to say, Spike," Starlight Glimmer sighed. It was almost Hearth's Warming Eve, and the trio had been tasked with heading down into the ice caves near the Crystal Empire to go and retrieve crystals for the upcoming festivities. Much of the crystals used to build the Empire had been harvested from the caves nearby, which filled up the space underneath the vast snowy fields surrounding the magnificent city. A certain magical crystal variety, Amoravite, was especially prized by the crystal pony residents. Used to fashion all the most important magical gadgets and architecture within the city, the mineral was one of a kind: millennia before, the Crystal Heart itself had been carved from the purest vein of the precious variety.
Starlight, Rarity, and Spike were tasked with going down into the caves to find some Amoravite and bring it up to the surface so that it could be fashioned into a crystal star for the Crystal Empire's colossal Hearth's Warming tree. They had arrived in the Empire with Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash to take part in the festivities and help put the gigantic tree on display. This year, Princess Cadance wanted to use some of the region's finest Amoravite to fashion a star for the tree, so Rarity, Starlight, and Spike decided to help by harvesting some from a particularly prominent vein.
So there they were, two unicorns and a dragon, trembling from the cold and trotting into the secluded hole in the ground, surrounded by miles upon miles of snowy plains. Starlight hadn't really wanted to come along; having grown up in one of the warmer parts of Equestria, she never liked the cold very much. And she sure as heck didn't like the snowstorms that almost constantly raged in the frozen plains surrounding the Crystal Empire. The Empire itself was much better: no snow, no inclement weather, and abundant sunshine during the day, with crystal pegasi who did their job instead of just letting the weather do whatever it wanted. It wasn't at all unlike the fairly comfortable environment Starlight had grown up in.
Starlight wore a brown satchel with a bag that contained an iron pick axe and a chisel. Rarity wore a thick pink scarf and a heavy blue coat. Spike was bundled up in a brown coat of his own, with a fluffy white scarf wrapped snugly around his neck.
The trio walked a few steps into the cave before the two unicorns used their magic to illuminate their horns and light the path ahead. It was dark, but the icy walls managed to reflect the light well enough for the group to proceed forward without worrying that they would trip on a rock or take a wrong path. Shining Armor had given them a map that would guide them through the vast cavern toward the precious vein of Amoravite. Down, down, down the trio proceeded, not speaking much for a long time. The silence became as ominous as the darkness that surrounded them, before Rarity finally said something.
"M-m-my, I n-never ex-expected it to b-be this cold!" the white unicorn complained as she shivered.
"Rarity, Twilight tried to warn you," Spike chided. "This type of cave isn't exactly a great place to go if you want to get out of the cold."
"S-s-SPIKE!" Rarity cried out. "My mane has frost all over it. How do you expect me to come back to the Crystal Castle without all the frost melting and completely ruining the curls I put in this morning?"
"Not that you would look any less beautiful," Spike muttered under his breath, but Rarity cut him off.
"It's terrible !" Rarity whined, her breath condensing into thick puffs of white vapor. "I had the top stylist in the Crystal Empire do my mane this morning. And this is what I get after all the time she put in? Don't you realize how much work it takes to get a mane to curl this well? GAH ! I should've never gone on this ridiculous excursion!"
"Umm, according to the map, we're almost at the vein," Starlight added to try and calm the melodramatic mare down. Rarity only frowned and the group continued ahead in silence for a few more minutes before reaching the vast chamber containing the Amoravite.
It was a colossal chamber, with the roof towering about as high as 30 ponies. The room was about as wide as it was tall, and it was surrounded on almost all sides by walls of pure, shimmering Amoravite. The diamond-like crystals jutted out from the grayish walls and made for a stunning scene that scattered the light from the unicorns' horns across the entire room and illuminated it for everyone to see. The only side of the room not covered in precious crystals was the far side, directly across from the entrance. A great chasm filled the space beyond the ledge, rivaling the rest of the room with its sheer width.
The trio collectively gasped in awe as they walked into the chamber, their reflections appearing in the extravagant arrangement of crystals on the walls. Spike's mouth began to water as the massive array of delicious gems stood in front of him. The two ponies and the dragon proceeded toward the corner near the chasm, which was where some of the bigger crystals stuck out from the wall. Shining Armor had recommended that they harvest a few of the bigger crystals, in order to get something big enough for the star that would go on top of the gigantic Hearth's Warming tree in the middle of the Crystal Empire. Starlight took out a pick axe and Rarity took out the chisel. The two unicorns examined the large crystals and, upon finding a particularly big one that was close to the floor, began chiseling with their magic.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! the chisel went as it dug into the crystal wall. Starlight began picking at the edges in order to assist her partner in freeing the big chunk.
"Whew!" Spike exclaimed "That looks like such hard work."
"You're telling me," Rarity complained once again. "I know I'm the one who's good with gems but this is ridiculous! Why didn't we get Applejack to do this, instead?"
"She was busy helping cook for the Hearth's Warming feast," said Starlight as she swung her pick axe into the edge of the crystal.
"Maybe we can bring her some of these crystals for... you know... the main course?" Spike muttered.
"In your dreams, little dragon," Starlight said sheepishly, and the group laughed. Even Rarity managed to chuckle a little.
The giant crystal finally began to come loose, releasing a small cloud of shimmering dust, and the two unicorns stepped back in order to make room for the chunk. Starlight concentrated and surrounded the crystal with her magic's turquoise aura, slowly lowering it to the cavern floor. She set the crystal down slowly, careful to lower it slow and steady so as to not break it. Not that they couldn't grab another crystal, of course. But it would save precious time and energy that was needed for further preparations.
"Ah... ah..." Spike began to breathe in sharply, signaling that he was going to sneeze.
"Spike, hold it in!" said Rarity. "You don't want to startle Starlight here."
"Sorry," said Spike. "It's just the dust from you both getting the crystal out."
Starlight ignored the pair, focusing entirely on getting the crystal down smoothly.
And then, Spike sneezed.
"AH-CHOOO!!!"
Startled, Starlight's magic let go of the crystal and it crashed into her. The unicorn flew backwards in the direction of the giant chasm on the edge of the crystalline chamber and her body flew over the edge... but she managed to grab hold with a single hoof.
"Spike! Rarity!" Starlight cried out in sheer terror. The huge, unforgiving pit of darkness was all the mare could see below her as she hung onto the cliff for dear life.
"Dear heavens!" Rarity exclaimed as her and the small dragon ran over to the ledge. "Stay calm, Starlight! I'll use my magic to help you up."
Rarity and Spike stopped a few feet away from the edge and the white unicorn used her magic to surround her friend with a protective orb that would keep her from falling.
"AH-CHOOO!!!"
Spike sneezed again, causing Rarity to flinch and let go of her friend.
Starlight plummeted into the freezing depths. Spike and Rarity's terrified expressions were all Starlight could see as she fell, on and on. As she continued to fall, the sight above got more and more faint until it was a mere speck. Starlight's body hit solid ground with a thud, her mind was overwhelmed by the sharp pain from the hard landing, and then she blacked out.
Thirty years later...
The wind howled over the empty plains, sending drifts of snow billowing through the crisp northern air. The day was finally breaking, and some sunlight was just beginning to penetrate through the thick expanse of clouds overhead. Apart from the wind's constant whistle, all was silent. There wasn't an animal in sight. The rabbits were hidden away in their tiny dens. The foxes were hunkered down safely under the cover of the ice caves. The air was devoid of any life, as the wind continued to ravage through the wide open landscape.
But there was a lone earth pony trekking through the snow. Covered in a thick black coat, the gray pony pushed through the elements at a steady pace, leaving hoofprints in her wake that were quickly ruined by fresh blasts of blowing snow. Her head was obscured by a hood, but her yellowish eyes still penetrated through with a determined gaze that wasn't about to let any force of nature get in the way. The mare wore a snug brown satchel over her body that held some mining tools, with some space left over for the loot that she intended to bring home.
Silica Pumice had been this way many times. She usually took the trip out to the blanketed plains a few times a week, each time exploring a new gaping hole in the ground with the expectation that there would be some valuable crystals to bring back. Occasionally, she would find nothing of value and have to trot all the way back empty-hoofed. Those days were tough. Bringing home loot meant that her mother, Limestone, would have one less reason to be a grouch that day. But perhaps more importantly, bringing home some loot meant that the family could make ends meet. The Pumice family did this kind of work every day. Limestone would hold down the fort at home and run the family's little jewelry trading post. Agate, Silica's father, would go on his own expeditions to find crystals. And her little twin siblings, Onyx and Diane, would stay home to help their mother around the house.
Every so often, ponies from the big city to the south would show up to the Pumice jewelry shop, showing off their fine coats and well-groomed manes. Those rich ponies had somehow gotten their hooves on enough bits in the post-disaster years to still live lives that were not unlike the decent lives of ponies from decades gone by. But these ponies were few and far between. Most were like the Pumices and Limestone's side of the family, the Pies, who made a living by scavenging for valuable minerals in the hostile North. They usually made their own clothes, built their own homes, and grew their own food (if they could manage to build a greenhouse). Silica's parents said that it had already been frigid in the North before the wars began. But now it was only more intense, and not just in the northern reaches of the world; the winter had engulfed the whole world.
Such was life for Silica Pumice. Day after day, it was the same old story. Wake up before dawn. Head out before dawn. Be about halfway to the caves by dawn. Find a cave. Venture into the cave. Harvest some crystals, if any were there. Take the crystals back home. Eat. Sleep. Rinse and repeat. It was difficult to stay optimistic. Many ponies had given up in the post-disaster years, as the snowstorms got more and more severe, and lived in a state of unfeeling gloom. The melancholy simply couldn't be escaped; it was as if the unending winter that rested over Equestria had brought not only cold and snow, but also a fog of depression that refused to dissipate and only continued to weigh on the hearts of ponies. This was the only life that Silica had ever known, but she was sick of the gloom. She hungered for something more than this, as if the old Equestria was a distant memory of generations past, buried deep inside her soul and yearning to be dug up.
"Kinda like these crystals," the earth pony muttered to herself with a puff of foggy breath.
It was getting brighter outside, as a hint of blue sky started to peak through the mass of clouds that covered the land on most days. It wasn't often that the deep blue sky was visible through the unwavering canopy; Silica sighed in relief, having a feeling that this was a good omen. Perhaps she would have a good harvest today.
Silica continued her trek and began to seek out the ice caves peeking out of the sea of snowdrifts. A few holes in the ground were in view up ahead, including one particularly promising one that sat invitingly on the side of a tall hill.
Well, I guess this will be the one , thought Silica.
The earth pony trudged on toward the gaping wound in the ground. By the time Silica reached the cave's entrance, the wind was beginning to intensify, so she hurriedly ran inside. She set down her pack and removed her hood, revealing a gray mane with thick white stripes and streaks of black. She opened her pack and took out her rusty old hard hat. Silica hit a switch on the side to turn on the head lamp, strapped the sturdy hat on, strapped her pack back on to her coat, and began to head down into the caverns.
The head lamp's glow emanated through the frigid cave as Silica began traversing the winding passage down. Typically, the best crystals for harvesting in this region were about 30 feet below ground level. So, it took a lot of walking to get to the best spots. Sure, the occasional crystal would glimmer from the walls of the passageway. But they were usually not ideal. The more valuable varieties would be further beneath the snowy hills up above.
One particular variety, the much-treasured Amoravite, could be found in some caverns. On the rare occasion that Silica did stumble upon a vein of Amoravite and bring some home, it was usually unicorns who would end up buying the jewelry made from the crystals. They were supposed to be unusually receptive to unicorn magic; wealthier unicorns passing through the region would often buy an Amoravite necklace in hope that it would amplify their magical powers. Back in the day, before Silica was born, it would apparently be used to craft certain powerful magical artifacts. No one knew where these were anymore--but they were said to have thrived off of the magical properties of the crystals. Silica didn't expect to find any of the enchanted mineral. And it wasn't the end of the world if she didn't find any; there were plenty of other crystal varieties in the region that could be crafted into perfectly fine jewelry.
Silica trudged on, her hooves careful to sidestep some of the sharper looking rocks on the floor, as well as any icy spots. She panted as she continued to walk through the winding passages, careful to pay close attention to the paths she took so that she wouldn't get lost. That would be devastating. Silica had gotten lost before, and it was a scary feeling. Once, she had been stuck in a cave for the better part of a day. She had learned that it was important to not take too many turns; the best way to stay on track and not get lost was to go in as direct of a path as possible. Sometimes, upon reaching a fork in the path, she would stop, gather some pebbles in a unique shape (usually an arrow), and then continue on so that on the trip back, she would have some inkling of a coherent path to follow.
I really don't need to get lo--
Silica was halted mid-thought by a surprising drop-off directly ahead. The path ended rather suddenly at a dark chasm. Silica stopped right before the cliff and curiously peered down into it, allowing her head lamp to illuminate whatever lie below. She figured it was just a dark, rocky crevice.
But she was further taken aback when she saw what was really down in the pit.
A dazzling array of blue crystals--undoubtedly Amoravite--surrounded a roughly circular room. The gigantic vein of the precious mineral wrapped around the walls in a dazzling display, not unlike the lights on a typical Hearth's Warming tree. One side of the chamber was bordered by another crevice. But the rest was adorned in a breathtaking display that reflected the light from Silica's headlamp like a bunch of mirrors.
Silica had seen some impressive veins of crystals before. But this? This was something special. Somehow, she just had to get down there.
With a spring in her step, Silica began to backtrack through the passageway, looking for any turn that might possibly lead down into the beautiful chamber. She noticed one unexplored pathway that looked to be angled slightly downward.
"Well," Silica said out loud with excitement. "You only live once!"
The earth pony gathered some pebbles together in an arrow shape next to the original arrow she had put at the fork in the path. Then, she entered the new passageway, her heart beating quicker and quicker. The new passageway winded down and down in a continuous spiral. Each turn was a bit more dizzying than the last, but Silica tried not to focus on how disorientating each loop was--hopefully, she had a prize waiting at the end of this tunnel!
Down, down, down Silica continued. Her legs began to weaken as she continued down the tunnel, but she pressed on. The finish line lay just ahead. She could almost feel the room just ahead, calling out for her to reap what adorned the walls within. Eventually, the spiral stopped, and the path straightened out. The path appeared to open up just ahead. Silica broke into a gallop, eager to walk into the dazzling--
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw what was in the unfamiliar room at the end of the passage. There were indeed some Amoravite crystals, though nowhere near as many as the chamber that Silica had expected to find. But what shocked Silica was what sat up against a dark wall.
A large block of ice was frozen into the edge of the rocky wall. And within the ice, sat a purplish pink unicorn mare with her eyes closed and her mouth in a tranquil expression. She had a predominantly dark purple mane with streaks of lighter purple and aquamarine stripes. Her tail was curled around her flank, but Silica could tell what her cutie mark was: a purple and white star with a mint green ribbon just above it.
Is she... alive?!?
Silica stood next to the ice, almost pressing her face up against it. The pony's face was just a few inches away. No matter what, this pony was miraculously preserved; who knew how long she had been frozen in this block of ice?
But even if this pony was... Silica gulped... dead , then she at least deserved to be laid to rest somewhere other than a deep crevice in a cave. And what if the unicorn had a family? What if she had friends? What if she had children ? They would undoubtedly be heartbroken.
Silica's thoughts began racing. Crystals could wait if it meant that she was getting this unicorn out of the cave. Her family would understand if she came home empty-hoofed for a very good reason.
But how was she going to thaw this pony out? And could she do it quick enough that she could be out of the cave before dark? There was only a thin layer of ice to get through, but that didn't mean freeing the frozen pony would be a cakewalk.
A light bulb switched on in Silica's head, and she immediately opened her pack for her chisel. This could be dangerous for the poor unicorn trapped inside the ice, since the ice could crack awkwardly and slice her open if the desperate earth pony wasn't careful, but there wasn't any other option. Silica didn't want to get herself stuck down in this cave. Her family would be devastated. She felt it was best to take the risk than to just leave the poor pony trapped in a remote cave.
TACK! TACK! TACK!
Silica took out her chisel and got to work on the ice. Her stomach was growling a bit, but food could wait. This pony had been stuck for who knows how long, and this could be her only chance to be free.
After what felt like hours, Silica had finally chipped away at the ice enough to expose the mysterious unicorn's flesh. It had been a painstaking process; she chipped through the ice over and over again, careful to be more and more delicate as the sharp ice pick inched closer and closer to the unicorn within. Eventually, she succeeded, and the pony's face was now sticking out of the ice.
Now, let's get you out of here.
Silica carefully chipped along the edges of the pony's body, slowly but surely trying to free up enough space to slip her body through.
And then, Silica's heart almost stopped.
The pony's chest was moving, ever so slightly. She was breathing.
"Dear sun and moon above!" Silica exclaimed as she began to stroke the unicorn's face in wonder. "It's a miracle. Y-you're... still alive."
The unicorn said nothing in reply, her eyes still closed in a content expression.
She seems to be unconscious.
Silica began picking rapidly at the ice, desperately trying to create some more room. Even if the pony was unconscious, the least Silica could do was get her out and warm her up. On and on, Silica worked at the ice, her heart racing in rhythm with each quick swing of the pick. She periodically stopped, inched up close to the ice, took a deep breath, exhaled deeply in hope of warming it up a bit, and then stepped back to resume her efforts.
Finally, after what seemed like another hour, enough of the unicorn was free to attempt to pull her out of the chunk of ice. Silica put her tools down behind her, grabbed the pony's now-exposed forelegs, and pulled with every bit of strength she had left. Immediately, the unicorn flew out onto Silica's body, sending them both tumbling back toward the entryway to the chamber. The two mares landed with a thud--thankfully, on a smooth spot without any jagged rocks sticking up out of the cave's floor.
Silica panted with exhaustion. Now the mysterious unicorn was free, but there was no way she could safely drag the stranger back onto the surface immediately. So, Silica picked up her belongings sat with her back up against the rocky wall and her comatose companion close by her side.
The gray earth pony opened her pack up, desperately hoping that she hadn't forgotten to pack some food. She sighed in relief when she saw what was in there: a hay and cheese sandwich that was still relatively cold after being in the chilly cave for a few hours, and a small bottle of water.
Silica nibbled on the sandwich, occasionally taking a sip of water. It was important to not only recharge her body with a bit of food, but to also stay hydrated. She needed every bit of help she could get right now.
Out of the blue, a soft, feminine voice groaned.
Once again, Silica's heart began racing. She stood up quickly and peeked with suspicion toward the dark passageway that led into the chamber.
"Who's there?" she called out.
"Mmmph. Rarity," the same feminine voice muttered. Silica looked over and, to her amazement, the voice was coming from the unicorn lying on the ground a few feet away.
"S-s-stranger?" Silica stammered. "Can you hear me?"
The figure appeared to nod, though her eyes were still closed.
"Mmhm," it muttered in reply. "Mmph. Rarity. Spike. What happened?"
"Rarity? Spike? Who are they?"
"Y-you mean... you aren't them?" the voice mumbled in response, followed by a deep yawn. "Then who are you?"
"Silica Pumice."
"Who?"
"Silica Pumice. What's your name?"
The unicorn opened her indigo eyes, staring toward Silica with a groggy expression.
"I'm Starlight Glimmer."
"Starlight Glimmer?" Silica echoed.
"Umm, yes, that's me," Starlight Glimmer replied with uncertainty.
Where am I? What happened? How long was I out? Where are Spike and Rarity? Wh--
The confused thoughts were like a tidal wave engulfing the unicorn. Starlight felt as if she had just woken up from the longest slumber of her life, a deep sleep filled with bizarre dreams and nightmares that cycled endlessly through her mind. She remembered the trek into the crystalline cave. She remembered Spike's startling sneeze. She remembered dangling over a bottomless pit. She remembered the sheer terror that had been the last thing on her mind before everything went black. Had she somehow survived the fall? Or was this just another dream?
"How did you get down here?" Silica asked.
"I... I came down into the caves with a few friends," Starlight replied frantically. "We were mining for crystals, and then I fell, and then I must have dozed off, and then I somehow ended up here in--"
"What did your friends look like?" Silica cocked her head with curiosity.
"Well," Starlight began as she scratched her head, "Rarity is a white unicorn with a purple mane. Her cutie mark has three diamonds. And Spike is a baby dragon."
Silica gasped.
"A baby dragon?!?"
"Umm, yeah..." Starlight looked off to the side nervously.
"Huh. I've never met a dragon before. I've always thought they were way down south, where they say the winter dares not reach."
"You've never seen a dragon before?"
"Never in my life," said Silica. "Nor have I met this 'Rarity,' either. Where did you come from?"
"Oh, we were sent from the Crystal Empire."
Silica's eyebrows furrowed.
"The Crystal Empire? Umm, you OK? The Crystal Empire has been gone since before I was born."
Since before she was born? What the--?
"W-what do you mean, it's 'gone'?" Starlight frowned. "H-how long have I been down here?"
"Beats me," Silica said with a shrug. "I only just found you."
"What... what year is it?" Starlight stammered again.
"35, Lunar Era."See footnote A
Starlight's pupils grew and she shivered nervously.
35, Lunar Era? But that means--
"You OK, Starlight?"
"No... no!" the unicorn shouted. "I'm NOT OK! This... this can't be! This must just be a horrible dream, right? Or I'm dead. None of this is real. You aren't real, Silicon."
"Silica ," the earth pony corrected with a concerned frown. "And, well, yeah, it's 35 LE. What year was it when you got stuck down here?"
"5 LE..." Starlight whispered.
30 years?!?
"That's 30 years!" Silica exclaimed, as if she had just read Starlight's mind.
Tears began to fill Starlight's eyes for the first time in decades, and she collapsed on the stony cave floor. 30 years had passed, and even though Starlight was with this mysterious earth pony down in the cave, she had never felt so alone before. Her friends had probably been worried sick and eventually given up when they weren't able to find the comatose unicorn in the subterranean depths. Were they OK? Had her mentor, Twilight, forgotten about her? Where was Sunburst?
Silica sat down next to Starlight and offered half of her coat to the bawling unicorn.
"Relax, Starlight Glimmer," said Silica in a low voice. "I can take you back to my place, if you like. It's a wee bit rustic... but it's warm and cozy. I've lived my entire life in that cabin. My family might even let you stay a while."
"Would you... really do that, stranger?" Starlight whimpered.
"Of course !" Silica beamed. "We love travelers. Ponies from all over Equestria travel through the Northern Wastes and pass by our little trading post. They're welcome to stay a night or two in the guest room if the blizzards are really bad. Such is life after the disaster before I was born."
Starlight stared curiously at the earth pony.
"Disaster?" Starlight asked slowly. "What disaster?"
"Oh, that's right," replied Silica with a facehoof. "You've been frozen since before then, right?"
"You're telling me. So what all happened?"
Silica got up and motioned with a hoof for Starlight to do the same.
"I can tell you about it on the walk back to my place."
Starlight grunted and struggled to get up.
"Come on, Starlight," said Silica. "We've got to get going. I've already been down here for hours and I really need to get back before dark."
"I'm trying!" Starlight snapped. "These legs haven't moved for 30 years, you know."
"Sorry," Silica replied with a downtrodden sigh. "I would just rather us not get stuck in a blizzard as soon as we get out of the cave."
The two ponies got the mining equipment together in Silica's pack and began the trek back up to the surface...
"AHHHHH!!!"
Starlight let out a shriek as soon as the two ponies finally got out of the cave. It was getting dark and a furious blizzard was raging across the northern plains. The unicorn's shriek was drowned out by the howling wind, and she huddled close to Silica under the earth pony's warm winter coat as they began the long walk back to the Pumice home.
"Relax, sis," said Silica. "Never been in a blizzard before, even before the disaster?"
"Well, I've been in snowstorms before, but this? How in Equestria do you ponies deal with this? Why can't the pegasi just clear up the sky?
"Ahh," Silica muttered. "I suppose I should tell you about the disaster. That should clear things up."
"I'm all ears. Well, they're kinda frozen, but you know what I mean."
Silica chuckled a bit and began to tell the story of what had transpired almost 30 years ago, based on a combination of oral tradition and what she had learned in the community school as a filly.
"It all started before I was born. This really evil dude called the Blizzard King showed up from the Storm Kingdom far to the south of Equestria and waged war on the capital city of Canterlot. The heroes of old and the princesses there fought a long battle and eventually lost. The good pony folk were thrown out of the city and the Blizzard King took the magic of the princesses so that he could 1. send them off to the sun and the moon, and 2. shroud the land in an everlasting winter."
"What about the Crystal Empire?" Starlight asked with a look of horror strung across her face.
"Ah, yes. So the Crystal Empire was the last stronghold of the good ponies. They managed to live in a fragile state of peace for a few years, but it wasn't long before the Blizzard King was able to remove the city's defenses and break in. You ever hear about the changelings?"
"Of course. I used to be good friends with one of them. Their king, in fact."
Silica stopped in the snow abruptly.
"You knew their KING?!?"
"Yes," said Starlight. "King Thorax."
"Some of the good changelings rejoined their evil counterparts," Silica continued as she started walking again. "They joined forces with the Blizzard King in exchange for keeping their land free of snow. So, long story short, changeling spies snuck into the Crystal Empire and created an opening for the Blizzard King to take over. The remaining princesses and heroes went missing, and nopony knows what happened to them. The Crystal Empire was torn to pieces by that monster , the Blizzard King, and now hardly any of it remains. Now, the good ponies who are left live in small communities across the frozen frontier, or if they're wealthy, one of the cities like Canterlot."
"That's a lot to take in," Starlight remarked with a frown. "Everything that I grew up with is gone now."
"So... tell me about yourself, Starlight Glimmer. Where were you from before you got stuck in the cave? The Crystal Empire?"
"Oh, I'm from a little town in the middle of nowhere. Moved around a bit, got in some trouble, and then finally settled down in Ponyville with some good ponies who helped me grow from the horrible mare I used to be."
"Ponyville, eh?" Silica remarked. "Isn't that the town with the crystal castle? Where all the old heroes used to live?"
"Yeah, that's the place," Starlight said with a nod. "And those very heroes were good friends of mine. Very good friends. I hate knowing now that they must have gone missing..."
Silica stopped in the snow again and turned to Starlight with her jaw dropped open.
"Wait... SAY WHAT?!?" Silica exclaimed, even louder than the howling wind. "You were FRIENDS with those ponies?"
Starlight couldn't help but chuckle a little.
"That's right. The six bearers of the Elements of Harmony."
Silica almost fainted.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!! That's so cool!"
"That's right, Silica," Starlight grinned a little. "Remember how I mentioned the name 'Rarity' when I woke up?"
Silica nodded.
"She was with me when I got lost. And Princess Twilight's assistant Spike, a baby dragon, was also there."
"I wonder if they went looking for you."
"Probably," said Starlight as her ears drooped in sadness and the pair began walking again. "But I was so far down that there was no way they could find me."
The pair walked on in relative silence. The blizzard was beating down on the plains as hard as ever, but the ponies pressed on. It continued to get darker and darker, to the point where all the pair had to light the way was the lamp on Silica's hard hat, which she had turned back on when she realized the duo wasn't going to return home until after dark.
And then the light flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
And then it shut off for good.
"Ugh!" Starlight cried out, frantically searching for her partner somewhere beside her. "We're not gonna get stuck out here, are we?"
"Starlight, you're a unicorn. Can't you use your horn as a lamp?"
The pair fell silent for a moment. Starlight focused her magic from her horn and soon a glow began to envelope the space around the two ponies.
"Sorry," Starlight said with a frown.
Silica giggled a little and the group continued on through the ever-deepening sea of snow. Starlight's horn wasn't too bright, but it was enough to shine about as far as five pony lengths into the fog. The snowfall quickened and the wind crashed harder than ever into the winter coat wrapped around the duo. Starlight couldn't help but shiver with every step she took. Her hooves were almost completely numb and if it weren't for the coat wrapped around her--as well as Silica's body heat--her legs would have gone numb, too.
How does this pony not complain? thought Starlight. How does she even survive?!? It's cold as Tartarus out here.
"How much longer, Silica?"
Please say 'soon.'
"As long as it decides to take, Starlight Glimmer. So probably a while."
I knew it.
"How can you handle this?"
"Aww, my little filly," Silica replied in a childish tone. "You can't handle a wee bit of cold? Even though you've been frozen? Well, guess what? Mommy's not always gonna be there to give you a blanket. You're lucky I'm even sharing this coat with you."
"Sorry, didn't mean to upset you..." said Starlight.
"Meh. I guess I'm forgetting that you've been gone for 30 years."
The pair fell silent for a few seconds, before Silica continued.
"No offense."
"None taken," Starlight replied, rolling her eyes.
The two mares continued walking over snowdrift after snowdrift, sinking a few inches further into the snow with each and every hoofstep. The wind died down a bit, but the fog was still a curtain around the vast landscape. And before Starlight Glimmer knew it, a short wooden fence emerged through the fog ahead.
"See?" exclaimed Silica as she climbed over the fence in unison with her unicorn companion. "We made it."
The pair walked forward a few more paces before finally reaching a log cabin situated comfortably in the middle of the snowy field. It was a modest-looking cabin, but certainly not a tiny one. The home was about two stories tall. It was capped with a triangular roof coated completely with snow and surrounded on the edges by sharp-looking icicles that pointed down toward the sea of whiteness which enclosed the four walls of the abode.
A sign above the plain red front door read "Pumice Fine Gems & Jewelry." Silica knocked a few times and after a few moments, the door opened to reveal a bluish gray earth pony who looked to be middle-aged. The pony had light green eyes and both a mane and tail as gray as most of Silica's body.
"Silica!" the mare inside cried out. "Where in Equestria were you? And who's the stranger?"
"Mom, this is Starlight Glimmer. I found her trapped in the caves and offered to bring her back here. There's nopony sleeping in the guest room, is there?"
"Starlight Glimmer, eh?" Silica's mother muttered with a frown. "Come in."
Starlight and Silica trudged inside as the door shut behind them, careful to stamp on the mat in front of the door in order to keep from tracking snow into the house. The front room was neat and tidy; a smooth hard wood floor shined as if it had just been mopped clean. Rustic-looking furniture--some of which was oddly made of stone--covered the room.
"Starlight Glimmer, Starlight Glimmer," Silica's mother muttered to herself before turning to the pinkish unicorn. "Your name has a familiar ring to it. But it's strange. I don't seem to remember meeting you."
"Starlight," Silica butted in. "This is my mom, Limestone Pie."
Starlight gasped, her pupils dilating.
"Limestone... Pie?" Starlight asked slowly. "Pie? Wait a minute..."
"Is there a problem, Starlight Glimmer?" the older-looking mare asked with a frown.
"Do you happen to have sisters named Pinkie and Maud?" Starlight asked with a puzzled expression.
Limestone Pie gasped.
"Pinkie? Maud? How do you know...?"
"I was good friends with them. Before I was frozen in a cave and the disaster hit."
"Wait, wait, wait," Silica interrupted, turning to Limestone and Starlight, who stood face to face. "Starlight? You knew Aunt Maud? But who's this Pinkie...? Wait..."
Limestone Pie sighed and looked into her daughter's yellowish eyes with a hint of sadness.
"Silica--" Limestone began with a gulp, "--and Starlight, please take a seat on the couch. We have a lot to talk about."
Author's Note
Footnotes:
A. The Lunar Era refers to how many years have passed since the return and reformation of Nightmare Moon.
"It's about time we told you about your aunts, Silica," Limestone Pie declared to her oldest child with a nervous frown.
Limestone Pie sat on the Pumice family sofa next to her husband, Agate, across from two smaller chairs with Starlight and Silica. Agate was a bulky fellow; he was a tall, dark orange stallion with blue eyes, a blackish-gray mane and tail, and a cutie mark with a silver jeweler's monocle. He wore a brown fedora with a black vest around the front half of his body, as well as a pack of mining equipment on his side similar to the one Silica had worn on her trek.
"Indeed, Limestone," Agate added in his gruff voice, turning from his wife to his firstborn daughter. "Silica, darling, we never told you about what happened to your aunts because we wanted to protect you. We wanted you to live a normal life and not dwell on the past. We wanted you to be the kind of pony your mother and I never got to be."
"What was there to protect me from?" Silica asked as she glared at her father. "Do you expect me to be some kind of weakling? And besides, Aunt Maud lives far away in the big city, right? What's so scary about that?"
"It's not that simple, darling," Limestone added. "I never told you the true story. I wanted you to go on with life and not be bothered by--"
"Mom!" Silica interjected. "Look at me! I'm not a little filly, anymore. I know the world can be a terrible place. I know bad things happened before I was born. Why do you have to shelter me from something that just can't be avoided?"
"Silica Pumice!" Limestone shouted. "If you weren't immature, you wouldn't be talking over your mother like this!"
"Mom, I'm 20."
"Enough!" cried Agate. "Honey, can you please not do this? We need to talk about Maud and Pinkamena."
Limestone nodded and glared at Agate, but said nothing.
"Anyways," Agate continued, "Silica, nopony really knows what happened to your Aunt Maud. When the disaster happened before you were born, she went off into hiding somewhere, and never left any trace. Your mother desperately went looking for her, but at the time, it just wasn't safe enough. We're afraid the worst may have happened, or possibly that she was captured by the Blizzard Guard for her connections to your Aunt Pinkamena."
Starlight grimaced and a tear began to form in her eye.
"Is it true?" Starlight asked softly. "Do you think she's gone for good?"
"Maud may very well be gone, stranger," Agate said with a sigh. "I knew her for a few years before your mother and I got married. Maud was... odd... but deep down, she had a heart of gold."
"What about Aunt Pinkamena?" Silica asked. "What happened to her?"
"Silica, you have heard of Pinkie Pie, right?" Limestone asked in turn. "One of the six great heroes of old, before the disaster happened?"
Silica nodded.
"Pinkie Pie was my sister," said Limestone. "Your father and I always called her by her real name, Pinkamena, so as to not make it obvious."
"But... but remember the time that I asked about her? When I learned about the heroes in home school?"
"Yes, Silica. I told you that the shared last name was a coincidence. That Pinkie Pie and Pinkamena Pie were two different ponies."
"I admit I believed you, Mom, but why? What is there to protect me from? Why hide the fact that my aunt was one of the greatest ponies who ever lived?!?"
"Because, Silica. Because the heroes of old--including Pinka... Pinkie Pie... didn't just go missing. They were banished by the Storm King before you were born--"
"Where are they?" Starlight interrupted. All heads in the living room turned to the unicorn, who was now fighting back tears. "Where are my friends, Limestone?"
"Starlight Glimmer, nopony but the Blizzard King could tell you the answer to that question."
"Can't you tell me something?" Starlight sobbed. "Anything?"
Limestone sighed and looked at the tearful unicorn with sad eyes.
"All the Blizzard King said was that he had sent the heroes somewhere far away. Somewhere nopony could ever reach. That could be the pits of Tartarus, that could be the sun or moon like the old rulers... we just don't know. They may never come back, Starlight."
"Why would the Blizzard King be suspicious of Aunt Maud?" Silica asked. "And why would it be dangerous for me to know about Aunt Pinkamena?"
"Silica," Agate began, "the Blizzard King wanted nothing more than to eradicate the six great heroes. He wanted to hunt down their very legacy, by finding the ponies whom they were close to and throwing them out of Equestria. We didn't want it to be common knowledge that your mother was related to Pinkie Pie. We wanted to protect your mother. There are ponies out there who help the Blizzard King and would want nothing more than the reward for finding an accomplice of the great heroes."
Starlight sat still, her head down as tears streamed from her eyes. The words coming out of the two earth ponies were hitting her like the winds of a fierce tornado, tearing her apart and leaving her feeling more alone than ever before--even more so than when her best friend Sunburst had gotten his cutie mark and left her. Reality itself was staring in Starlight's pitiful face, jeering and laughing its flank off again and again with each revelation of her former home's turmoil.
Silica pointed a hoof toward her newfound companion. "Starlight," she began as a hint of a tear welled up in her own eye, "I'm so sorry about your friends."
"Why did I have to let this happen?" Starlight whimpered.
"It isn't your fault, Starlight."
"But it is."
"What do you mean? You just had an accident. Accidents happen, sis."
"It was an accident that could've prevented!" Starlight cried. "And since it wasn't prevented, I wasn't there to help my friends with this beast !"
"Starlight Glimmer--" Limestone began, but the distressed unicorn cut her off.
"I owed everything to these ponies. I was once a monster myself, but those ponies showed me what true friendship is. And I never had a chance to truly repay them."
Silica raised an eyebrow. "You were a 'monster'? What are you talking about?"
A flood of images flowed through Starlight's mind. Images of a small village in the middle of nowhere. Images of ponies bowing to her every whim, leaving behind every trace of their own individuality as Starlight removed their cutie marks one by one. Images of six ponies chasing her out after seeing through her town's facade. Images of the Princess of Friendship eating lunch with young dragon and a group of unicorns in a bustling Canterlot restaurant, while Starlight looked on from the edge of the room with nothing but vengeance on her mind. Images of a competition for pegasus foals in Cloudsdale, as she used a time-traveling spell to get rid of her enemies for good. Images of the horrific timelines that resulted from her meddling--some of which were disturbingly similar to the Equestria she was now in. Images of her cowering in fear of what the Princess of Friendship might do--and images of her gratitude when the princess forgave her and offered to teach her the ways of friendship.
Like a broken dam, the pent-up emotions began to flow out en masse. Starlight told the three Pumices everything. She told them about her past sins, her redemption, and her friendship lessons. Starlight went on to describe the friends she made and how much those ponies had meant to her. She talked about Maud and Pinkie Pie. She described the fateful trip before Hearth's Warming all those years ago when she slipped and fell into the cold abyss.
By this point, tears were streaming from the whole family's face. Limestone in particular had sunk down into the sofa and was bawling into her husband's dark gray mane. The mention of her sisters had tugged at her heartstrings more than anything else, and she was filled with a deep longing for the family she had known all those years ago. Agate wrapped a comforting hoof around his wife as he shed tears of his own at the memory of his old acquaintances.
"Mom? Dad? Silica?"
"Are you alright? And who's the stranger?"
A young dark orange filly and a young gray foal peaked their heads around an open doorway on the side of the room. The little mare had a gray mane and tail, with yellowish-green eyes and a cutie mark of a garnet gemstone. The little colt had a gray coat like Silica, but with a jet black mane and tail. His cutie mark was similar to that of Silica, except it was a pair of shovels instead of pickaxes.
The two eldest Pumices gasped at the sight of their two twins peering into the living room. Limestone's sad grimace turned to a frown.
"Diane? Onyx? What are you two doing awake? You two should be in bed."
"Mom," the colt--Onyx--replied, "Did you honestly think we were just gonna fall asleep and wait for Silica to come home?"
"Indeed," the filly--Diane--added with a nod. "We just wanted to check if Silica was back home. So, we came downstairs to check and see if Silica was back. But then we heard a stranger talking so we kinda hid..."
Limestone sighed. "Well, your big sister found a lost pony in the caves and brought her here to stay with us."
"But why are you all crying?" Onyx asked. "Tell us, mom!"
"Diane, Onyx," Limestone said as she turned to point to Starlight Glimmer. "This is Starlight Glimmer. She used to be a friend of your aunts."
Starlight waved weakly and a small grin managed to emerge on her face.
"Nice to meet you, Starlight Glimmer!" the two fraternal twins said in unison. Her and her twin jumped up and down excitedly.
"Where are you from?" Diane asked.
"You're a pretty unicorn!" Onyx remarked.
"How did you get lost?"
"What does your cutie mark mean?"
"Have you ever been to Canterlot?"
"How do you do magic?"
"Can I touch your horn?"
Starlight couldn't help but giggle a bit. But then she remembered. These two excitable kids brought back vivid memories of three energetic young fillies from the old days. What had happened to them ?
"Onyx, Diane," Agate butted in. The two foals calmed down and turned to their father. "You'd best get to bed. It's late."
"But, DAAAAAD!" Diane cried out. "Why was everypony crying?"
"Your mom and I will tell you when you're older."
"But--"
"No 'buts'!" Agate said. "Head straight to bed! Good night."
The two foals let out an exaggerated "awwwww," followed by a "good night," and headed back through the doorway to their room.
"You'd best head to bed too, Silica," Limestone declared. "You didn't bring back any crystals today so you had better get started bright and early tomorrow."
"Mom," Silica said with a frown, "Come on! Can't you cut me a little slack? I saved Starlight's life."
"Tsk, tsk ," Limestone muttered as she waved a hoof in the air. "I know, Silica. You did a very kind thing for a pony in need. But times have been tough. Money has been tight. We need you in the caves."
Silica sighed and stared down at the floor. "Yes, Mom," she replied as she pointed to Starlight. "But you still haven't answered my question."
"You're question? I'm afraid I don't follow."
"Can Starlight stay in the guest room? At least for a few nights? She's been through a lot today."
Limestone managed to smile a bit. She turned to Starlight.
"Is that OK, Limestone?" Starlight asked.
"Of course," Limestone said with a small smile. "I'll show you the guest room. You can stay there for a for a little while. We're used to having guests every now and then. You see, travelers will occasionally pass through our little shop here. If the weather is particularly nasty, and they seem like good ponies, we let them sleep in the guest room."
Limestone showed her guest to her room down the hallway, which next to the foals' room. She turned on the lamp, revealing a bed with a blue quilted blanket. Bookshelves stood up against the rustic walls on both sides of the bed, while a small window was situated up above the bed. A small end table sat next to the bed, with a lamp and a photo of two old ponies whom Starlight recognized as Limestone's parents, Cloudy Quartz and Igneous Rock.
Limestone wished Starlight a good night and then left, closing the spruce wood door behind her. Starlight yawned, flipped the light switch off, and curled up under the quilt blanket. It had been a long day, with lots of emotions hurtling through her mind, but she was so exhausted that she couldn't help but drift off to sleep in mere minutes...
Starlight found herself standing in snowy spruce forest. Snow was falling and sky was overcast, but the moon was just bright enough to penetrate through the clouds. Nopony was around; it was just Starlight and the snow.
"Hello?" Starlight called out.
She had no idea where she was. Where was the Pumice home? Where was Silica?
Nopony answered at first, but suddenly, a group of six ponies emerged from behind the trees. Starlight gasped when she saw them.
Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy stood before her. But something was wrong with what she saw. The six ponies looked the same as she remembered, except for one difference; they were staring at her with blank white eyes, devoid of pupils and irises.
"Thanks for abandonin' us, Starlight!" Applejack sneered. "Look what y'all did to Equestria!"
"But... but..." Starlight stammered, "It was an accident."
"Some friend you are," Rainbow Dash jeered. "I thought you were loyal, too. But I was wrong!"
"I didn't mean for this to happen!"
"You are DEAD TO ME!" Fluttershy screamed, catching Starlight off guard.
"Fl-Fluttershy, what happened to you?"
"You must pay for what you've done!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"I said I DIDN'T mean for this to happen!"
"Darling," Rarity said, "You should have never come with Spike and I. It was much too dangerous. How dare you allow this to occur!"
"Rarity--"
"Starlight Glimmer!" Twilight Sparkle shouted. Purple flames erupted from her blank white eyes.
"Y-yes, Twilight?" Starlight said in terror. She cowered before the angry alicorn, avoiding the gaze of those fiery eyes.
"Starlight, you have failed as my student. You have failed as my friend. And you have failed as a pony! I should have known you were unteachable!"
"But Twilight, I learned so much from you."
Twilight appeared to grow to twice her previous size. "I didn't ask you to speak, Starlight Glimmer! Now, hold still while I give you what you deserve for failing your friends!"
"I'm sorry, Twilight!" Starlight exclaimed as she began to cry. "I'm sorry, everypony! I did fail you, didn't I?"
Twilight leaned her now-huge head down and pointed her horn at Starlight. The horn caught fire and magical energy began to radiate from it. A bolt of lightning shot out of the horn and Starlight screamed as she narrowly dodged the attack.
But then, something incredible happened.
Another bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, and another, and another. Six bolts of lightning struck from the snowy clouds above, causing the six angry ponies to instantly disintegrate into ash.
Starlight immediately started running away into the labyrinth of trees, afraid that the otherworldly lightning would target her next.
But instead, a booming voice erupted from the sky above.
"Starlight Glimmer, do not fear!"
Starlight stared up in the direction of the voice and gasped. The voice sounded very familiar.
Could it be...?
A navy blue alicorn with a crescent moon chest plate floated down from the haze above. Her starry mane and tail simmered and flowed as if they had a mind of their own.
"Princess Luna!" Starlight cried out at the descending alicorn.
"Indeed, my little pony," Princess Luna declared. "'Tis I, the Princess of the Night and the Guardian of the Dream Realm."
"W-why are you here, your highness? Am I dreaming? I thought you were--"
"Banished, I know," Luna interrupted as her hooves touched down in the snow. "I know the doubt in your heart is only natural, for I have indeed been banished back to the moon by the infernal Blizzard King. But the Blizzard King does not know that his binding spell is not as strong as the Elements of Harmony; I can still roam the realm of dreams. So yes, Starlight Glimmer. You are dreaming."
"What happened to my friends, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony? Do they really all hate me now?"
Luna trotted over and wrapped a comforting foreleg around Starlight. "No, my little pony. The old friends you have seen in this dream were nothing but figments of your imagination and representations of your fears."
"Are they even alive in real life?"
"Starlight Glimmer, at least five bearers of the Elements of Harmony have survived. They have been separated and imprisoned in multiple different places, but I assure you, fair unicorn, your friends do indeed live. I have entered their own dreams and conversed with them."
Starlight stepped back with an anxious expression strewn across her face. "Where are they? How do I save them? And why do you only know about five of them?"
Luna's eyes were sad.
"Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are in Canterlot, in the custody of the Blizzard King. Rarity and Pinkie Pie have been imprisoned in the depths of Tartarus. Applejack has been imprisoned in one of the Blizzard King's fortresses near Ponyville. And Princess Twilight Sparkle has disappeared without a trace. Nopony knows where she has gone. All I know about her whereabouts is that she is not in the custody of the Blizzard King, and she is not located with me on the moon, nor is she located in the sun with my sister and Princess Cadance. I'm afraid the Princess of Friendship is missing."
"How am I supposed to save them? There's no way I can do all that..."
"Nothing is impossible, Starlight Glimmer!" Luna said with a smile. "For over one thousand years, I thought that there was no way to turn my demeanor back from evil and utterly nightmarish to good and harmonious. But the bearers of the Elements taught me that with hard work, the magic of friendship can conquer any tribulation.
Starlight frowned. "But I don't exactly have friends at the moment."
"Really," Luna replied in a tone drier than the Equestrian Badlands. "You are obviously free of your prison in the cave. Somepony had to find you in there."
Starlight scratched her head thoughtfully. "Well, I was rescued by a mare named Silica. Silica Pumice."
Luna laughed softly. "See? I think that if you put your knowledge of friendship to use, you can save your friends from their predicament and save Equestria from its present affliction."
Starlight thought for a moment, looking around at the snowy trees of her dream as she pondered the words of Princess Luna. She then looked up at the princess and stamped a hoof on the snowy ground with determination.
"I promise I will try, your highness," said Starlight. But then her expression turned back into a grimace. "But how am I supposed to do all this?
Princess Luna smiled. "Know that I am always watching over you in your dreams. I am always here for you if you need my guidance. Simply call upon me in your dreams, and I shall come to you."
Starlight bowed down in reverence to the princess. Everything was happening so quickly. One moment, Starlight had awoken in a crystalline cavern with a curious stranger. The next, she was facing the reality that her friends--the bearers of the Elements of Harmony--were out of reach and needed to be rescued from the clutches of the tyrant who had usurped the throne of Equestria all those years ago.
But what about the others? Starlight thought. What about Trixie, Sunburst, and Thorax? What about Discord?
Starlight opened her mouth to ask about her other friends, but it was too late; Princess Luna was already fading into oblivion. Everything went black, and Starlight opened her eyes to find herself back in the dark, cozy guest room of the Pumice cabin.
