That Time I conquered Equestria... As A Colt

Frosty’s first night in Equestria went… actually not bad at all. Even though his bed turned out to be nothing more than a hay bale covered with some cloth, he actually had a very restful night’s sleep. Though, sadly, it is a universal rule that one always gets woken up from their slumber when it’s the most comfortable and Equestria is no exception.

*knock knock*

“Frozen Blood, get outta bed, you an’ Applebloom need ta go ta school!” Applejack called through the door.

“School? Euh, mom, I’m already out of school for two years now…” Frosty mumbled, as he covered his head with his pillow.

After hearing him complain, Applejack opened the door and moved inside with annoyance already showing on her face.

“Ah dun’ know what y’all were talkin’ ‘bout just now. What ah do know is that it sounded like y’all ain’t gonna get up, so let me say it again: Ya have tah go ta school now!” She commanded, which only elicited an annoyed groan from Frosty.

“Alright, it seems ah need tah get the big guns.” Applejack said, leaving the room and returning a few moments later with an old method that the Apples had used for generations.

*Splash*

“AAAAH!” Frosty screamed, as the cold water hit him and he immediately jumped out of bed.

“Ah see yer finally awake now. Good, ‘cause y’all need ta gallop ta school if ya wanna make it in time.” Applejack pointed out.

“What, school again? Oooh, but I’m officially not even here! Do I really need to go?” Frosty said, still groggy from his freshly awoken state.

“Yep. There ain’t nopony slackin’ off in this here house. Y’all either go ta school or help in the orchard an’ I doubt that you wanna help Big Mac pull that plow.”

“Eenope.” Sounded from downstairs, where Big Mac was currently readying for his plow-pulling.

“Alright, alright, I’m on my way. Where’s Applebloom?” Frosty asked, just before he reached the door.

“She’s prolly already at tha schoolhouse. Ah told her t’go ahead or else she might be late.”

“Oh bollocks.” Frosty cursed, before galloping off towards the schoolhouse.

“And there ain’t no cursin’ either, ya hear?!” Applejack shouted after him.

“Eeenope.” Big Mac agreed.

Maths, Equestrian (or English to us), P.E, History and Political Education. Sadly, as it turned out, the lesson about the different pony types was an exception that was made only once a month. Every other day was actually filled with a completely normal school-timetable as many of us may know it. As such, except for the last two lessons, there was little to look forward to for Frozen Blood, which resulted in the exact same thing that happened back on earth: Boredom.

And even the breaks didn’t do much to make the day any more enjoyable, which was partially due to a certain pain in the ass.

“Oh, do you see that, Silverspoon? It seems the blank flank club has a new member.” Diamond Tiara said to Silverspoon, making sure that the group before her could hear her.

Frosty sighed and turned around, already having been annoyed enough when he was constantly harassed by her during the lessons. “You’re really growing annoying, you know? What even is it about these Cutie Marks that everypony has to have one?” Frosty asked, playing at the answer he knew he would get.

Everypony around him was immediately looking at him with shock in their eyes. “What, you don’t know why Cutie Marks are so important? They show our special talents, that’s why they’re important!”

“Ah, I see! So your special talent is… wearing a Tiara? That’s… useful, I guess?” Frosty said innocently, internally grinning that she had answered exactly what he needed.

Diamond Tiara gasped, before looking at Frosty angrily. “It’s not that simple, you plebeian! It means that I’m destined to become royalty in the future!”

“Oh really? Because, well… that tiara in your Cutie Mark looks exactly like the one you’re already wearing, so… unless you’ll get one that looks exactly the same, I’d say that your future looks pretty dull…” Frosty pointed out, to which Diamond Tiara’s eyes slightly widened.

She lifted her tiara before her eyes, comparing it to the one on her flank, before dropping it and having her mouth fall open. “But… But… But…” She repeated over and over again like a broken record. Silverspoon waved a hoof before her eyes, but Diamond Tiara didn’t respond, so she gave a last glare at Frosty, before pulling her along, away from them.

“Huh… that was easy.” Scootaloo remarked.

School, getting annoyed by Diamond Tiara, crusading, some chores Applejack came up with, sleep, School, getting annoyed by Tiara, crusading, sleep, School, getting annoyed, crusading, sleep…

A whole week of this same schedule over and over again. Granted, there was the weekend, which was kinda refreshing, but every other day was just the same. This was hardly a problem for Frozen Blood, as this meant that he always knew what would come next and thus could better plan his next steps… If there were any next steps to take.

The problem with Frosty’s current plan was that he firstly needed influence and this influence would have to come through recognition, per his plan, by the element bearers. He wanted to use the crusaders to accomplish this, but this was a lot harder than he first expected.

He had actually expected them, given their record, to get into trouble within the first few days, so that he could then come out and get them out again. Unfortunately for him, though, that didn’t happen. At least not within the timespan he had predicted. As such, he found that he better search for other ways to make a name for himself, other than by saving the crusaders… and where better to search for something like this than at the place where it all began?

Thus, one day after they were done crusading, he returned to the clearing where he had first awoken, covered in tree sap from head to toe and more than just slightly annoyed.

“So… I mean, I knew that the clearing was empty, but I had at least hoped to find a Handbag or something in the grass. Still, at least I have some quiet here to think for myself…” He muttered to himself, before he started to think aloud.

“Let’s see… there isn’t much to me currently, as far as I can tell… I mean sure, there is my over-the-top knowledge, at least considering my apparent age, which might impress Twilight a little. Rarity would be easy too, if I just put on my best manners. The problems really are with Applejack, Rainbow and Fluttershy…”

He started pacing in circles, thinking, pondering, calculating… but everything he could come up with would require him to wait at least four years or even more in order to accomplish. Not just four years of work, either, but actual waiting. Truth be told, building up influence as a child without any noble heritage or special abilities was near impossible.
“Argh, why in the world did I even get transported here as a FOAL?!” He shouted out, kicking a rock off into the woods.

GROWL!

Suddenly came from the exact place where the rock had hit. A Manticore suddenly burst forth through the treeline, with that same rock firmly lodged into its left eye and the other currently locked onto Frozen Blood.

“Oh and now I’m just going to be eaten by some overgrown cat?! Oh yeah, fate, real fair play!”

GROWL!!

The Manticore started sprinting towards Frosty, with its maw wide open, ready to devour him whole.

“Oh, yeah, come on! First I die of a cold and now you’re killing me with a Manticore?! Oh, why don’t you just DIE for once?!”

Just as he screamed that, the Manticore suddenly fell to the ground, lifeless and before Frosty could make any further moves, his flank suddenly started to glow.

“Wait… what?” He asked nobody in particular, as he examined his flank.

“Huh, neat, I got a Cutie Mark from this… I can’t quite see what it is, though…”

He looked around and spotted the lake again. He walked over to take a look at the mirror image, but the moment he set eyes on his reflection, he jerked back.

“AH! Oh, by the lord, what’s that?!”

He tentatively looked again and had to wince as he saw his reflection. The Cutie Mark had come out as a pony skeleton which was attached to four strings which were connected to a wooden cross above it. This wasn’t what concerned him, though, but the fact that his eyes had suddenly been replaced by a hollow blackness in which red dots apparently served as his pupils.

“Okay, James, stay calm, everything is alright. Breathe in…" Frosty inhaled and closed his eyes for a moment. “Breathe out…” He exhaled and opened his eyes again. He then slowly looked over the brink again, to see… his old light blue eyes.

“Wait, that worked? Ah… okay.” He turned back and looked at the dead Manticore, before looking at his flank again. “Now back to you: A skeleton with strings doesn’t really explain this, but… I think I have a good guess what it’s supposed to mean…”

He turned around to face the carcass fully, before focusing on it and speaking: “Rise!”

As a result, he felt something warm well up in his chest, before a part of that warmth split off and went into the creature before him. A few seconds of silence followed, before the creature’s eyes opened, revealing the same hollow blackness Frosty had found in his own, though the pupils of the beast were purple.

The beast rose to its full height again and then just stood there, looking at Frosty and apparently awaiting command.

“So… I’m a Necromancer, huh? Hehe, well, that makes my plan a lot easier. I mean, now I can actually do something… or at the very least I have something to study while I wait for an opportunity…” He pondered a little, before coming to another conclusion: “I’m still going to go the sneaky way, though. Simply because I can’t imagine that these ponies would like a ruler, who became that by steamrolling their Homeland with undead…”

He took a last look into his mirror pond and saw that his eyes had yet again changed.

“Also, apparently my eyes turn like this whenever I use Necromancy, which, while kinda cool looking, is a dead giveaway, so I should probably watch out for that.”

With that out of the way, he looked over to the treeline and saw, how the evening sun slowly crept behind the trees.

“Oh crap, Applejack wanted that I come back before sunset! I better make haste, or I’ll probably have to pluck every apple in the orchard by hand- euh, hoof.”

When he reached the orchard again, it was just barely before sunset. Applejack was already waiting before the gate and gave him a disapproving glare.

“Alright, ya made it b’fore sunset this time. Ah thought Ah’d have ta give ya some more chores again.” Applejack chided, as Frosty walked past her.

He didn’t hear her though, as he was occupied with something else. From the outside, Applejack seemed completely normal, but through his mind’s eye, for a lack of a better description, he could see another pony inside her, or at least, the shape of another pony. That pony was radiating some sort of warmth that reminded him of what he felt just before he turned that Manticore undead.

‘hmmm… interesting. I should probably first put some research into that. Not that I have anything better to do anyways…’

As he made his way past Applejack, he found his path suddenly blocked by Applebloom.

“Where have ya been? After we were done crusading you were jus’-… is that a Cutie Mark?!”

Frosty looked at his flank and then back at Applebloom, who looked like she was about to explode.

“Ehehehe, yeah, uhm, I somehow got it when I went out today… ummm, surprise?” He answered sheepishly, but Applebloom just continued to stare at him, until she suddenly blared out:

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS EMERGENCY MEETING!!!!”

‘Oh bollocks…’ Frosty thought.