The beginning of the end.
I wake up like every other day, with freezing Arctic winds slamming against the walls and no sunlight streaming through my windows.
The Arctic sky was dark today, which isn't supposed to happen until mid-fall.
"Well, today is the summer sun celebration," I add, taking a look at the calendar against the wall labeled "day of the sun."
I'm guessing Princess Celestia has planned something spectacular for today.
"I say, with a tired yawn."
And with that, I prepared for the morning by preparing some coffee, washed my face to remove the muck from my eyes, and putting on winterized clothing intended for the frozen north.
With my readiness to face the outdoors, I slammed against the door, forgetting to unlatch it. I groaned at the small discomfort the door caused my muzzle.
And I paused. I forgot to check the weather instruments strewn about my place, and with a quick check of the anemometer, thermometer, and hygrometer, all seemed normal except for temperature. It's 20° less than it should be, which is drastic compared to the last record days.
How long has the sun been down for? “I say to myself.”
No one answered, "I'm by myself.” I said
But I did choose to take a quick pause and wait to see if anything chaotic would pop up. Nothing did because Discord has been sealed in stone for a long time.
Im stupid for taking that like someone who knows something bad might happen! “I said taunting again.”
I waited again, but nothing happened.
And with a satisfied smirk, I slowly trotted to the chalkboard hanging against the wall.
And it read, me vs the globe, with the odds somewhat even, but before I could write down a scrape against my side of the board, the wire snapped, allowing the board to fall to the ground.
Then I looked at it for a full second before laughing. Okay, you win this time. I said well, reattaching the board to its wall and noting the side of the world.
And with that, I turned to the photometer, which had not recorded any substantial amount of sunlight in a few hours.
Something strange should have been recorded on it, unless Princess Celestia does something unique for the celebration, which would only last a minute. "I said with confusion."
So I looked out the window and observed that the moon had no markings on it.
Then a peculiar serenity overcame me. I paused in my usual breathing, thinking, and movement, and with that good second my brain provided, I looked at the bookcase. History books?
One book stuck out among the others—a book published hundreds of years ago.
I usually forget to read it, despite knowing the old story told by my grandmother when I was younger.
So I grabbed the book, opened it, and began to read about that terrible night.
There are two sisters: one brings the day, the other brings the night.
Princess Luna became envious of her followers' love and aspirations for Princess Celestia, and she suppressed her jealousy, causing it to build up to fury and transform her into Nightmare Night.
Then the two sisters thought for days on end until Princess Celestia, in her final desperation, chose to use the elements of harmony to banish her sister to the moon.
Turning to the following page, it explained the Elements of Harmony, which include laughter, generosity, loyalty, honesty, kindness, and magic. And when you combine them with a spark, the elements will show through.
I sit on my haunches with the information I've been given.
I am lost.
I do not know what to do.
I'm not sure how or if I can even...
I slapped myself. I'm not even sure if Princess Celestia has lost yet, or if the stuff I've read is accurate. However, the moon's markings are no longer visible in the sky, and the sun is not present. This signifies that something is happening.
The ground trembled, knocking everything in my domain to the ground, and a number of stones smashed into my house.
With a hasty decision, I unlatched the door and jumped onto the cold tundra.
When I stood up and saw a piece of the mountainside slam into my house, I realized I had made the right decision.
Fuck, that is terrible." I muttered this while flopping my back to the ground and taking a deep, frigid breath. "
Then I shook myself. I can't say anything here. It's too cold for me to lie here. I had to get up, so I looked at my now-destroyed home and grabbed whatever that was still intact. And I hauled it into my enclosed sled.
And the chalkboard was right next to it, so I chuckled. I picked it up and marked the side of the world.
"You win for the second time today." I mentioned this while putting the chalkboard inside my sled."
The sun returned, but it did not bring its customary warmth with it.
And it was marked like the moon once before, Celestia lost... I stared at the sun for a long time, watching it rise from one horizon to the next.
I gave a mournful sign and hitched myself to the sled, ready for the voyage.
And if all goes well, the journey will last two months. "I say, while testing the weight that pulls against me."
And with a stroke of my spiked hooves, I began to drag the sled and slowly slip across the ice beneath me, repeating this laborious job until the sled and I were moving at the same pace.
My mind began to dull from boredom, so I looked at the stars, and they were staring back, which concerned me. Was the mare of the Moon watching me?
She's undoubtedly keeping an eye on everyone, since she controls the Stars.
Instead of looking at the stars, I focused on the ground, which revealed a massive ice spire. I hurriedly moved the sled out of the way, only to scratch the side of the giant icicle.
And with a quick thought I slammed my hooves into the ground pushing against the heavyweight behind me but wasn't fast enough.
I slammed against another giant ice spire instantly forcing it to stop instantly.
Which shook it, allowing pieces of ice started to fall from above and were starting to get more and more impactful.
More and more giant pieces of sharpened ice were falling and with a giant crescendo the biggest piece upon the tallest tower were the princess of icicles which impacted the rest of the icicles into the ground.
And with a giant mess of ice all around me I really wanted to say it to tempt fate.
I mean it could be worse, “I said.”
So I said it, those big long strings of words that any smart person should never use in this situation or any situation matter.
And I waited….
Well I hope nothing happened of which I do deserve! “I yelled out into nothingness.”
Nothing happened?
Just giving just a little pause, just that extra minute, then I smirked looking at the chalkboard, it was pierced with one of those icicles and it was on the side of the world.
Ho… huh… you good? “I said, questioning the chalkboard.”
The chalkboard started to crack all over.
I think that's a no….” I said, worried now.”
I get up carefully so I can go grab the tape in the back of the sled walking back and it's gone like it literally walked away.
Then I shrug not caring where it went it always comes back, I hope?
So I built a fire knowing the absolute fact I might be stuck in this ice castle for a good bit until I chiseled my way out.
Of which I grabbed a hammer and started to smash that ice into fine powder. I'll swing again and again and again over and over again until it becomes an exhausting task.
Until I hit something solid like Stone no no iron so I stumped myself out my automated moves for a second to at least see what's going on and the thing I saw was dark, more on the side of an alien but still friend shaped.
Seeing the unique specimen in front of me I choose to pick up the big hammer and wait a minute.
That is a bad idea, I shouldn't smash it into bits.”I said in a stupid voice.”
Putting down the big hammer I walked to the cart and grabbed my smaller hammer and slowly started to hit it nice and gently.
And with Stupid fucking goofy smile I very sarcastically start banging for a couple hours slowly chiseling the ice until I got a good outline of the form.
It was black and it's back was like the back of a beetle, so insectoid? The weird part was the swissy cheesy legs? Well I shouldn't say it like that I'll ruin Swiss cheese all black and moldy gross.
So I grabbed firewood to melt away the ice. Which was the slow process but a little bit faster than slowly carving it out.
Kind of like watching paint dry which wasn't my proudest moment but I still had to get myself out.
After it's in there for an hour it melts enough for me to see more closely, to touch it?
I probably shouldn't touch it since I had some unknown disease for an unknown era and I get sick and die probably better than the cold around me.
Which was still dropping but not cold enough yet for me to go crazy about it, still the firewood will soon become a problem.
I heard a dud right next to me presume it was the thing in the ice side eyeing it then I gave a simple smile saying….
Hey, you're finally awake, you're trying to cross the border right, like the rest of us?
It gave me a blank stare with no emotion on its face. It started to look around, not confused or worried then look back at me like food?
Then they tried to pounce but it was still stuck in the ice. It looked back at me after its predicament.
I can just leave you here but that'll be mean and also my friend died. Are you willing to be a replacement? I said, giving a legitimate smile.
Walking up to it I crouched down and gave a helping hoof it looked at my hoof hesitantly.
Look, cut the shit we both can't be here for too long. The temperature is plummeting and it's only going to get colder from here. Or will you freeze to death again?
The fire right next to me started to die out
So did the eyes of the weird alien in front of me, eyes fluttering until they closed their eyes and dropped to the ground.
“That's going to be a problem.” I said.
Look upon its length where its hoof stuck in the ice and I started to chisel. The cold is starting to bite, and it is starting to be hard to hold a grip upon the tools I have.
“Is it already that cold?” I said.
I looked upon my findings and contemplated just to leave it to die. I shook away those thoughts. But finally on the final strike the following carved ice finally broke free from its massive hold.
Pulling free the Bing I just found, I have no more hoof grip the cold is already toiling,
plotting against my body.
So I started to bite down on its hoof, dragging it into my safety. Inside was the magical stone. A heat rune I push my magic against takes away a piece of my energy to power itself to heat the area with it.
Then the room filled with the heat and started to fill my legs again with that familiar biting pain. 10 minutes, 10 minutes of cold for my legs to get it to go numb.
And it's getting worse and only gets colder and colder and colder till no one can be outside anymore. I don't know how long it will take for the equator to get this cold.
But I had to figure out that there's no time to think only to do. I grabbed my auger and explosives and went back out. And started to dig and in no time 10 holes were arching across in the path I made.
And tied all the fuses together and unrolled the wire till I reached the sled going inside. I donate the explosive, shaking everything around me.
I look inside the sled seeing movement across my eye. I look at the little guy, his face filled with contemplation.
I went inside and ignored him for a second and grabbed a smaller, less efficient heat rune.
“You're guessing what the next step is?”
I hummed.
It looked at me with focused attention.
“We run as far as possible until we can't feel ourselves no more of course you will be sitting in safety but truthfully if I fall you will fall too, if we don't work together,” I say.
And it looked at me with no answer.
“Someday you will have to use that little brain of yours, not talking. It's not very helpful for both of us,” I say
And finally it looked at me with some irritation across his face.
“Oh there is some emotion right there but still I do not know how long you've been in there for nor I don't think you want to take a chance to do it all over again so be helpful, much as possible,” I
said while grabbing multiple items.
I go back outside pulling the sled out from the towering ice. Of which is started crack
on the sides it squealed but didn't buckle
I begin to slowly lash myself to sled only taking chance looks behind me. Luckily, it didn't move.
But I feel like once I get that in the hole I made something will happen.
So I begin to count down going to the numbers one through five. And with every tick of the numeration, pressure ice started to pour out not being able to hold the now weakening formation behind me.
And with the final number I started to pull every single step l was hearing whatever it was behind me now falling it was agonizing the tunnel was only to enclose my escape.
The sound was terrified knowing what was coming after me now so I pumped my heart, my legs and shut off my mind.
Author's Note
I'm learning how to write better I already spend 20 hours this past 2 weeks learning how to write better but barely so.
But of the words of some multimillion there it takes a thousand hours to become a master.
And damn that's going to suck.