Celestia sighed. Yet another noble was trying to pull the wool over her eyes, the legislation they proposed meant to help them monopolized the icecream industry. Usually, the nobility did a pretty good job of making legislation, especially Blueblood surprisingly. Every once in a while though, they'd try to pull a fast one on the solar princess. Except for Blueblood, again, surprisingly. Maybe since he was Celestia's last living blood relative, he held himself to a higher standard. Still didn't make him any less of a brat, but brat was better than parasite anyway.

"As such," The noble continued, "I'm sure you'll find that this legislature will help stimulate the economy and increase the growth of the frozen desserts industry."

"Thank you, Upper Crust, I will take this into deep consideration." The noble bowed before leaving the throne room. After the stallion left, she immediately stamped the document 'Denied.' Just as the guards were about to let in the next pony, one of the stained glass windows shattered. A ball of purple flew crashed through the glass, prompting the guards to prepare themselves for battle. Once they saw what flew in, they weren't really sure what to do.

Before them lay the Element of Magic and Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle. Her mane was a mess, her chest heaving from the long flight from Griffinstone, or what was left of it. Twilight could barely stand now, and she certainly couldn't speak. Not that she would be heard over the panicking dragon beside her.

"Centaur, Wendigo, no magic, Griffinstone!" Spike tried to explain in his most clear words, but after what the centaur had done to the mare he considered an older sister, he couldn't articulate well enough to make a coherent sentence. Luckily, he didn't have to. Celestia's pale face showed she knew all too well what was going on.

"Fetch Princess Luna!"

"Come on everypony!" Rainbow Dash shouted over the howling wind. "We have to keep this blizzard back!" She bucked a cloud, that only seemed to slow it down. The entire weather team, all the pegasi in Ponyville really, were trying to battle the ice storm which rolled in from the Everfree. It was a losing battle, nothing they could do was stopping the slow march of the storm.

"We're trying everything!" Derpy shouted.

"Try harder!" Every attempt to calm the weather only seemed to make it angry. It was like it was alive and had a thirst for blood. It was determined to freeze them and turn Ponyville into an ice sculpture garden.

"Rainbow Dash, we should evacuate!" Thunderlane said.

"We need to save the town!"

"We're only making it angry!"

"Storms don't have feelings!"

"Wendigo!" Derpy's voice cut through the shouting of pegasi and howling of the wind. Every pegasi looked up above the clouds, six sets of glowing eyes looked down over the town. Derpy was the first to take off, shouting to everypony she met to evacuate as quickly as they could. The creatures looked down over the settlement, not caring about the ponies below them that could only gawk. Creatures that most believed were only things of fiction were now right here in front of them.

"W-w-w-wuh..." Rainbow Dash only stuttered.

"Run!" Thunderlane managed to knock everyone out of their stupors. Pegasi flew back towards Ponyville. The wendigo let their distorted whinny ring throughout the town. They flew over the roofs with the blizzard rolling in behind them, as though they were normal ponies pulling a cart. Visibility down in the streets dropped to only about six feet in any direction, snow filling the roads. Everything would be covered in a blanket of snow. Everything would freeze. Everything would die.

"Sweet merciful mayhem," Luna said. Three of four alicorns looked out onto Equestria from a balcony. Dark clouds were spreading over the land. Asmund had enlisted the help of the wendigos and had frozen all of Griffinstone. He has even managed to seal Twilight's magic, meaning she had to fly all the way to Canterlot from the griffin border.

Not being able to use magic was new to Twilight. The other princesses had experienced it when Tirek attacked, but Twilight can't recall a time when she was unable to use magic. Now she felt exposed.

"I... never would've imagined..." Celestia could find the words. The guard had already sounded the alarm, the Canterlot populace was in the process of evacuating, every train to make a oneway trip to the Crystal Empire. Even Spike had been sent on the first train out.

"He has magic we don't fully understand, he has frozen one of our allies, potentially more, and is on the march to Canterlot," Twilight said. She was looking out into Equestria, but not truly seeing what was happening before her. The centaur had gotten the drop on her even when she was fully prepared for a trap. He countered every spell she threw at him and sealed her magic. The two may have worked together, but he wasn't anything like Tirek.

"Your highness," A royal guard called from behind the trio. "All the citizens have been evacuated and a state of emergency has been declared all over Equestria."

"Thank you Blazing Blade. Prepare all members of the guard for battle." Celestia said, still looking out over her kingdom.

"Twilight," Luna spoke, "My sister and I shall confront the centaur, you must go to Ponyville and gather the elements."

"Ponyville?" Twilight's eyes finally focused on the reality before her. She looked out at her home. Dark clouds swirled over it as the blizzard reached out like the roots of a tree. "My friends, my home!" She took to the air, not even remembering Luna's orders. The well-being of her friend the only thing on her mind.

"Pinkie Pie! Rarity! Anypony?!" An orange cowpony called out blindly into the storm. Her face stung as snow lashed at her face. It was so cold, the vapor from her breath near-instantly became snow.

"Over here!" A voice rang out. Applejack turned to see a glow of light blue, she knew what it was. She ran to the glow of Rarity's horn, seeing Fluttershy by her side.

"Have any of ya'll seen Pinkie?! She ran off into the blizzard!"

"We thought she was with you!" Rarity shouted.

"She must be at Sugarcube Corner!" Fluttershy said, only understood by the other two through lip reading.

"Guys!" Pinkie Pie's voice could barely be heard through the howling wind. "I don't see them!"

"I see them, over there!" The three turned towards the voices as Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash immerged from the darkness. The three had managed to convene at the center of town, in front of the town hall.

"Where's Twilight?!" Rainbow cried.

"We already checked the castle! Starlight said she left before the storm hit!"

"Where could she be?!" Suddenly, the wind stopped. The snowflakes fell gently to the ground and the only evidence that the storm raged on was the swirling clouds above. It was as though, in a small radius around them, the blizzard just disappeared. They could finally hear each other without needing to shout, but the next voice they heard didn't belong to any of them.

"It is so... good to finally put a face to a name, isn't it?" The voice seemed to be circling the mares, coming from just beyond view.

"What did you do to Twilight?!" Rainbow Dash's eyes darted around, trying to find where the voice came from.

"It is such an honor to finally meet the Elements of Harmony." The voice echoes through the air, it seemed to be coming from everywhere.

"Answer my question or else I'll knock your teeth out." Rainbow Dash flew out into the storm but didn't get too far. There was a flash of green and the sound of magic. The pegasus was thrown back onto the ground, glowing red chains wrapped around her wings, keeping them tight against her body. Rainbow Dash quickly got to her hooves, backing up to her friends. Each attempt to open her wings only made the chains glow brighter, accompanied by a red 'X' appearing over her cutiemark.

"Show your face coward!" Rarity charged her magic, only to be directly struck in her horn. Her magic dissipated. In its place was a sensation of pressure surrounding her horn, the spiral pattern shown red.

"M-my horn! I can't-" She tried again to cast something but only felt pressure, "I can't use my magic."

"A magical seal, the very same your princess succumbed to." The sound of magic, unlike that of a unicorn's, accompanied something immerging from the snow. No one could muster the words to respond to what was in front of them. The figure of an alicorn encased in ice, a look of hatred visible on her face.

"What did ya do?" Applejack's eyes welled up, only the warmth of her body keeping her tears from freezing.

"I threatened to end everything she loves or cares about, and her hate got the better of her." The voice moved from out beyond their view to right next to all of their ears. "Just as it will get the better of you." The air around the mares grew colder, their small bubble that kept the storm at bay disappearing. They weren't safe, not anymore.

"We're all friends!" Pinkie Pie said defiantly. "Just like every Hearths Warming, our friendship will keep the wendigos away and save our friend!" Pinkie's sentiment was meant with a resounding 'yeah!' from every mare in the group.

The sound of heavy hoof steps approached them as an orb of green formed in the darkness. "There is nothing left to save." The voice emerged from the storm, revealing the centaur that they had only heard about. "She is ice, as cold as her heart in her final moments."

"We've already heard that 'There is no hope!' speech from every other villain," Pinkie stated.

"Then perhaps this is the first time those words have carried actual weight. If you don't believe me..." The centaur raised a hand, lifting Twilight into the air in front of him. "I'll simply have to show you." The centaur reared up and everything went silent. The howling of the wind was still there, but the mares could only focus on the sound of shattering ice. If there was a chance of saving their friend, it was dashed when the centaur crushed her icy form.

"What... have you done?" Rarity's hoof covered her mouth. No one else said a word, the sudden loss of their friend freezing them in place. It had gotten colder, as though any love had been sucked out of air. None of the mares noticed though, perhaps due to the burning in their chests. This wasn't the warmth of friendship, it was white-hot. It was hate.

"I'll leave you to grieve," The centaur backed away, the ice and snow hiding him as his green orb of light went out. The saviors of Equestria couldn't think straight. Not anymore. They only felt hate. Hate for the one who took the life of their friend. Their hate burnt their very soul.

Their bodies were a different matter. Frost crept up from the ground covering their bodies. They had unknowingly played right into the centaur hands. They hated him, and that was exactly what he wanted. Hate froze your heart, and when the heart freezes, the body isn't far behind.

Asmund heard their insult, their death threats, but he wasn't listening. He knew their fate was sealed, they would be lost to the winter wasteland. The same as their ancestor, the griffins, the dragons. The ice would take them soon enough. He had prior arrangements. It was rude to keep royalty waiting.

Not long after, a lavender hoof ran down the block of ice as Twilight silently sobbed. She was too late. A layer of ice about two inches thick was all that separated her from her friend. She couldn't tell which one it was, lack of light and the thickness of the ice kept their identity hidden. She felt a burning in her soul. How could she have let something like this happen? Her teeth clenched as frost began to climb her hooves.

When I find that centaur, I'll make him pay...

And the ice took her.

Author's Note

It's amazing how far little lies can go.