1 Prisoner of the Frozen North
A thick blindfold made Obsidian's vision no more than deep blackness Heavy chains clanked from around his back, weighing him down and preventing him from taking flight. Shoved by a hoof, the black pegasus stumbled forward. Ice scraped his knees, and he could feel warm blood trickling down his frozen hooves. Frantically, he tried to clamber back up, only for another hoof to whack his rump. Neighing with pain and rearing up, he fell onto his flank. Something large rammed into his underbelly, sending him sliding across the ice. The push sent him spinning wildly, and quite terrifying he couldn't see a thing. Whining and whimpering, he thrust his hooves out again to stand. But before he could do so, something sharp pressed against his neck. He went completely immobile, a tingling sensation of nervousness shooting through his body.
"Up!" boomed a commanding voice. Obsidian rose to his feet, trying his best not fall on the ice again, or cut himself on the weapon at his throat. As soon as he climbed to his hooves, he felt them sliding apart. But before he could awkwardly fall again, something warm pressed under his shoulder, helping him steady himself.
"It takes a while to get used to the ice," spoke a more soothing, feminine voice. "You'll learn in time." Obsidian shot a smile in the direction of the voice.
"Ivory!" scolded the first voice. " Get away from that scum Crystal Pony! " Obsidian lowered his head shamefully at the remark, but he had heard worse that day.
"No, Albanio," spoke the pony at Obsidian's side. He could feel her tense up at his side. Her tone was much calmer and much deathlier than the one she had spoken to him with. "I'm a Princess. I can do whatever the hell I feel like."
"Ivory!" Albanio's tone rose in warning. Obsidian could hear him stomping his hoof for effect. "As your older brother and captain of the guard, I command you! Get away from that pony!"
"Alright, Captain." Ivory said, almost mockingly. "I'm the one here in line for the throne!" Obsidian sensed another figure, presumably Albanio, nearing their faces. Ivory puffed from beside him, whipping her tail
"I assure you, Ivory..." Albanio grumbled, "Will you want sister to hear of this?"
"Stop..." Obsidian squeaked hesitantly. It was unbearable for him to hear any more arguing between the two siblings. Even if they were his captors. Hearing a fight was one thing itself. But being the cause of a fight? That was intolerable! How can someone stand to be the cause of other's actions and pain?
"I assure you, brother. Sister will not want to hear your empty complaints" Ivory continued, either not hearing Obsidian, or ignoring him.
"Empty complaints! Ivory- "
"Princess Ivory! To you!"
The siblings continued to babble back and forth, yelling and cutting eachother off.
"STOP!" Obsidian yelled at last, not wanting to hear any more of the arguing. Even blindfolded, he could feel eyes turn on him. His ears drooped, and he crossed his hooves. Almost comically, the action made him slip again. Ivory caught him, helping him up with a little chuckle. Obsidian snorted, pawing at the ground with embarrassment. He moved his head, nudging what he thought was Ivory's face. He smiled, pulling away. "I don't want you to get in trouble with your Queen...Whoever you ponies are."
He felt Ivory pulled from his side, and confusion spreading across his face. Another stallion's scent filled his nostrils, and he coughed. "You'll find out who we are soon enough..." The words made Obsidian gulp, and let fear weigh down his heart. Shyly and timidly, he backed up and hunkered down in a sign of submission. "Alright...sir."
It was a backbreaking journey for Obsidian. Especially considering the chains that dressed him from neck to rump. Every footstep drained him. Surprisingly, his biggest concerns were for Ivory. Not the fact that he had just been kidnapped from the Crystal Empire, and had walked the entire length of the Frozen North. All his thoughts were about Ivory. She was a real sweetheart. It was obvious from a few of her words that she was the kindest pony in the Frozen North. At the time, he could only imagine what the impecabble Albanio had done to her. He probably banished her...or something.
It was a thrilling feeling when his hooves touched solid stone again. Finally, he would not slip and slide and embarrass himself further. Breathing on his hooves, he rubbed them together. It was only imaginable how blue they had become.
"Can someone take this blindfold off?" Obsidian asked to seemingly no one, glancing from side to side. "I mean, like, if you want to..." He could feel puffs of annoyance from the ponies around him. He rubbed his foreleg with his hoof. "Please?"
In response, something sharp jabbed into Obsidian's chest. With a groan, he clutched his chest. He could feel blood trickling from his bust onto his knees. Two hooves grabbed his neck, forcing him to bend his fore knees. "Bow before the Queen!" Commanded Albanio's voice.
Quite suddenly, the blindfold was torn from his eyes, leaving them exposed to a bright light. He groaned, squinting, blinking, and trying to adjust to the light. He peered up at a blurry silhouette, who seemed to be the source of the light. Slowly, his eyes adjusted, and the glowing haziness faded away.
On a raised pair of thrones before him sat two ponies, each with long horns and large wings.
The first was a large female with a lith and attractive build... except for her stomach, which seemed a little...rounded at the edges. Her pelt was mainly a soft white, deepening into darker pink socks at her hooves. A long and lustrous mane rested on her head. Neon nebulas and multicolored snowflakes exploded throughout the hair. It was layered in smooth triangular tufts, which ran from a forelock covering one eye to her hooves. Her tail was in a similar pattern, though much straighter than the mane. It flowed out behind her, trailing on the ground. One eye was concealed behind the curly forelock of the mane, though the visible one sparkled in a golden hazel. It was quite narrow, too, with what seemed like perfect eyeliner along her lashes. Curled up from her forehead, her separating the forelock from the rest of the mane, and it was hued a gleaming golden. Rivaling that of a pegasi's, her wings were large, and they were rimmed with feathers of many colors at the edges. Below the flared wings, on a darker patch on her flank, was a picture of three snowflakes.
The second was a slightly larger male, with giant hooves and rippling muscles. Unlike the Queen's, his fur was a much darker gray, like thunderclouds. From his head sprouted a bloodred horn, equal in color to his eyes. His flared out wings resembled those of a large bat, black and leathery. A suit of armor covered his entire chest and hooves, leaving only his flank exposed. On a black patch near his flank was the outline of a white bird. Something went through the bird, coming out bloodred at the end. His mane was equally long, though tangled and chaotic as his wive's. Clumps of black hair smashed together with every movement as if warring with themselves. No pupil was visible in his crimson eyes, and he was far from handsome. To add insult to "ugliness", his face was curled in a fashion similar to a rat's, with two supposed "fangs" prodding out from his lip. His mouth was turned into a constant disapproving frown as his black eyes looked over Obsidian cowering before them. A shiver of terror went through Obsidian's body as his fearsome eyes met the king's.
Obsidian barely realized he was shivering from head to toe. The King stared him down, and he covered his face with his hooves. A shadow fell across his face, and he raised his hoof a bit to look up.
Standing above him was a much kinder face. Not breathtaking beautiful, and not hideous. Just an average pony. It was a she-pony, with a main simpler, but similar to the queen's in style. They had the same gray coat, with this pony's having a different....shine to it. She was quite small, less than half the Queen's size, and a head smaller than Obsidian. But where there were rainbows in the Queen's hair, this pony had a distinct shade of silvery-white. She spread her ghostly white wings and poked Obsidian's head with her hoof.
"Wow, you're real different from anypony I've seen," She snorted. "You're lucky you have pretty hair like that." Obsidian just blinked up at her.
"Is that sarcasm?" He asked timidly.
"Hush! You do not speak, until the Queen tells you to speak!" Silenced the guard next to Obsidian. He was a pure white Earth pony with silver armor. The soldier moved into a bow beside Obsidian. But there was one thing that surprised him. As the guard moved into a bow beside Obsidian, his armor shifted to reveal his flank...
Which was markless.
Obsidian clenched his jaw to hold in a gasp, but his eyes widened. Never before had he seen such an old pony that was also a blank flank. Maybe he could ask about it later... If he was still alive.
"IVORY!" boomed a voice. Everypony's gaze switched to the marble-arched doorway. A stallion of equal size to Obsidian stood there. He had the spikiest mane Obsidian had ever seen, with rows of tufts of hair that spiked up like mohawks. And his eyes...they were white as Ivory's wings and pupiless. On his flank was a shield with a double-crossed swords in front of it. And Obsidian could see how this alicorn got his name; his wings, mane, fur, tail, all the same shade of milky white.
Albanio was enraged. He leaped, clearing all the stairs in a single bound. Narrowing his eyes, he approached Ivory, who seemed to sag. The captain of the royal guard circled her and Obsidian, Ivory refusing to meet hisIv gaze nor speak a word. With a sudden movement, he snagged her ear in his mouth. Ivory yelped, and a tiny bit of blood flew to the ground, in front of Obsidian's hooves.
"Not so tough now, are you? Not when your sister is here to see you..." Albanio seethed through his clenched jaw. On cue, every pony's eyes shifted to Queen Opal and King Snowowl. Queen Opal gave a dismissive wave of her hoof. Albanio clicked his tongue with disapproval.
" You've broken enough customs and etiquette today, Princess Ivory. I am ashamed to call you my sister." Albanio reprimanded. He dragged Ivory to the door, ignoring her protests. They disappeared through the arch, out of sight.
