Chapter 10: A Tale in Defiance of Time

Chapter 10:

A Tale in Defiance of Time

“This is gonna be so cool,” said Rainbow Dash. “We get to see the Canterlot Castle War Room!”

The six ponies were walking down a corridor deep in the bowels of Canterlot Castle. Their wounds had been much relieved by the skill of the castle physician, an old, pale green unicorn with a gray mane and a caduceus for a Cutie Mark, but they all still showed subtle signs of discomfort in their gaits.

“It's just a big room with a table in the middle of it, RD,” said Twilight.

“Well, whatever it is, she wouldn't have called us here without she had something mighty important to tell us,” said Applejack.

“I hope it has better décor than the rest of this dreadful part of the castle,” said Rarity.

“I don't think decorations were the primary concern when they built this, Rarity,” said Twilight. “This part of the castle is supposed to be a shelter for the population if Canterlot comes under attack."

“Didn't do them much good last time,” said Pinkie Pie.

“Yeah, I always wondered how all them changelings surrounded the whole city before anypony noticed,” mumbled Applejack.

“Maybe they turned into a cloud bank, or something.” said Twilight. “Here's the War Room,” she continued, pushing open the door with her head. Behind it lay an empty room with a big table. Behind the table stood Princess Celestia, Shining Armor at her side, fully armored save for his helmet, which lay on the table beside him.

“Well, this is disappointing,” said Rainbow Dash, surveying the bare stone walls.

“Close the door,” said Celestia, a command which Fluttershy promptly executed.

Twilight looked at her brother. “What are you doing here, Shiny?”

“Ask her,” he said, nodding towards the Princess.

“He's going with you to do what I'm about to ask you to do,” said Celestia.

“Oh, fun!” Pinkie Pie hopped up and down. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere you'll probably be sorry I sent you,” said Celestia. Then, she drew a deep breath.

“What I'm about to tell you is known to no living being on Earth but Luna and myself. It concerns a time long, long ago, before the founding of Equestria. Luna and I were still very young then, and our mother had not long been dead. Even Discord had long yet to appear.'

“In those days, there was no such thing as a country the way we think of one, today. There were only city-states. Ponies – and in those days, full-size horses – hadn't localized into one area, and were spread all over the earth. They warred with one another over land, gold, and ancient, magical artifacts long since destroyed or sealed away. There were also many lesser gods, and many of the terrible monsters and demons now sealed away in Tartaros still roamed free. Because of these things, many sought power by which to protect themselves, but there were those who sought it for darker purposes, as well. Not few were they who wished to rule the world in that age so long ago.'

“Luna and I saw many would-be gods and rulers in those days, but to a one they were destroyed by their own ambitions. It was our witness of the catastrophes which inevitably befell them in their greed that taught us never to try and rule by force. We saw war, famine, monsters, dark magic, and all every breed of horror bring one of these would-be rulers after another to his or her ruin. You were all horrified by the Changelings, I'm sure, but the truth is that Chrysalis is just a remnant of that age. Her disposition would not have been considered at all uncommon in those dark times. That being the case, Luna and I chose to withdraw ourselves for a time, until the world was ready to lay down its mad quest for power. It was in this time of self-imposed exile that word reached us of yet another new magic which a king of a distant, foreign land had discovered in his quest for domination.'

“In most circumstances we would have simply ignored the news and let the world continue on in its madness. However, when we learned the nature of this power, we felt the need to intervene. The king's true name, I do not know, for he had forbidden it spoken in his own land. He would only hear himself called “Omnequus Rex,” the King of All Horses, and that was what he sought to be.'

“It was rumored that Omnequus Rex had discovered a means by which he could speak to beings from outside our world; beings out in the distant reaches of the aether, beyond and among the stars. The power these beings granted him was immense, and his empire had already begun to spread as he effortlessly felled all who dared oppose him.

“Luna and I had seen one of these outer beings consume our father, and we knew that no good could ever come of any association with such creatures. Whether it was Cenasolus with whom Omnequus Rex convened for his power, I still do not know. Though to be honest, I highly doubt it. The possibility that there could be only one such thing in the cosmos is so infinitesimal as to be practically nonexistent, and the chances of Omnequus having randomly contacted the same entity that had been responsible for our father's death was equally small. Even so, we knew that we could not allow such a terrible thing to continue.'

“So, we went to him. We traveled to his kingdom and stood before him at his court to beg him to cut off his contact with whatever outer being or divinity he had discovered. We must have looked a sight to those horses. To them, we appeared as mere foals, though we were already many centuries old, but the learned among them immediately recognized us for who and what we were. When we told them our story, many of Omnequus' Rex' advisers begged him to destroy or at the very least seal away something they called the Aethervox. He said nothing in response, and taking this 'Aethervox' to be the means by which he had contacted whatever entity was now granting him his power, I asked to see it. I will never forget what he said:'

“'Behold, Celestia, she who would think herself great to rule the sun, I have entombed forever the soul of a god far mightier than yourself, and in so doing have garnered audience with gods mightier still! Now, by their power, I have become a god, myself!''

“It was then that he showed us what appeared to be a golden heart, clad cruelly in bands of diamond-studded iron. I do not know from whom this heart was rent, and I do not know how he harnessed its power in such a way as to allow him to speak to the distant ones beyond our world. I do know, however, that I felt the faintest glimmer of some terrible presence from the moment he laid his hoof upon it.

“We stood in silence, unsure of what would happen. He stared into that weird, beating heart, and whispered to it in a language I had never heard before. After some time. He ceased to speak to the heart, and looked up. There was fear hidden behind his eyes as he looked into my own, and when he spoke I felt my blood run cold.

“'You should not have come here. He senses you. Do not try to run. It will do you no good.'”

“Luna collapsed beside me, and I began to feel a chill in my body that words cannot fully describe. My legs went slack, and I collapsed as well. I began to lose consciousness, and I thought I would certainly die, but then from somewhere nearby, Omnequus' queen... I do not even remember her name... she galloped in, and kicked the Aethervox to the floor. She was in tears, and she pleaded for our lives.

“What she said is still a haze to me, but as my strength returned, I managed to gather that it was Omnequus' own daughters – her daughters – that had been the cost of his newfound power. He seemed ashamed and saddened when she spoke of this, and I remember clearly just one thing that she said:

“'Will you trade the life of every youth for this power? Will you deny your whole world a future so that you can rule it in the present? Are you that petty? Are you that cold?'”

“There was something in her voice when she said that word, “cold?” It was strange, the way she said it, like an accusation, but also fearful and sad. Whatever it was, it cut him to the bone. His face became downcast, and when he finally spoke again, his voice was weary and thin.

“He told us to go, and having no recourse, we did as he commanded. After we returned to our home, we kept our ears to the wind for news of his empire. Rumors of his power spread farther and farther, and it was widely feared that he would conquer the entire world. Then, without warning, new rumors began to replace those of his conquests. I heard vague stories that the lands of Omnequus Rex had somehow become suddenly barren, cold, and dead, that his armies no longer marched, and that none ventured into his kingdom, for the cold there was too great to endure.

“That was the last the world ever heard of him. After a few thousand years, he was little more than a vague legend – an old faerie tale with many versions and endings and with roots that nopony really remembered, except for Luna and myself. After a few thousand years more, even those tales were so assimilated into others that they were totally unrecognizable. Luna and I were inclined to leave it that way, and so the world forgot Omnequus Rex.”

“I do not remember the name given to Omnequus' city by those who lived in it, for it has been far too long since I called it by any name but that given to it in memory of the terrible cold that consumed it. It is called Frigidus, and it lies deep in the coldest reaches of the Frozen North, beyond the Crystal Mountains. I never dared tell anypony this story before, for fear that some power-hungry fool would attempt to retrieve the Aethervox. Now, I send all of you out to do that very task.”

Celestia ceased to speak, and Twilight Sparkle felt the blood drain out of her face. She swooned momentarily before managing to collect herself.

“Princess Celestia, are you telling me that Frigidus – THE Frigidus – is another one of those things that isn't just a legend?”

“Nothing is ever just a legend, Twilight,” said the Princess.

Celestia produced from behind her a long, narrow tube made of some type of dark brown, figured wood. It had an ornate ebony cap at each end, one of which she removed. Quickly, she withdrew from the tube a large piece of parchment, which she unrolled onto the table.

“It is here,” she said, indicating a jagged mountain range in the northern and easternmost reaches of the Frozen North. “I drew this map from memory... at some point. I don't even remember when, to be honest, but I am certain of its accuracy.”

Pinkie Pie hopped up to the table and looked down at the map. “Granny Pie used to tell me faerie tales about Frigidus. It was supposed to be in the far north, but the stories she told me were all about how rich and happy the place was. She said there was a party there that went on forever, night and day, and never stopped. She even said there were gods that lived there!”

“Those are some of the legends, Pinkie Pie,” said Celestia. “There are many others, and the city is known by many names in many languages. Almost any story about some great, lost civilization has some bit of Frigidus in it.”

Fluttershy positioned herself to get a closer look at the map.

“Princess,” she said, “A lot of the stories I've heard are scary. They talk about things like the place being destroyed by a volcano, or being swallowed up by the earth, or even destroyed by Windigos. Is there any truth to any of those?”

“Fluttershy, all I know is that Fridigus became so cold as to be totally uninhabitable. That may be the source of the stories you've heard involving Windigos. I never went back there myself, so I can't say for certain.”

Rainbow Dash, who had been struggling to contain herself for several minutes, jumped upwards and brought herself to a hover right in front of the Princess. “Frigidus?” Her eyes were sparkling with glee. “You want us to go to Frigidus?”

“Yes,” Celestia said solemnly.

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, but Rainbow Dash cut her off.

“You want us," said the pegasus, her eyes still shining, "to go find a legendary city that most ponies don't even believe exists, and retrieve an ancient artifact of unimaginable power so we can use it to save the world?”

“That's the short version,” said Celestia, blinking several times.

Rainbow Dash grinned ear-to-ear. “This is gonna be FUGGIN' AWESOME!!”

* * *

“She's sending you to Frigidus? That's a real place?”

Granny Smith's tone told Applejack that she did not approve, but Applejack continued packing her saddlebags.

“Well, yeah, Granny; that's what I said.”

“What for?” asked the old, green pony.

“I can't say, but we gotta find something that's real important to stopping that Cenasolus thing I told y'all about.”

“Well, don't s'pose I can argue with her judgment. If she thinks y'all's the best ponies for the job, then by golly, I bet you are.”

“When will you be back?” Applebloom's lips poked out and her eyes watered.

“I don't know, AB, but I promise I'll come home as soon as I can.”

Macintosh, who had been quiet for the bulk of the entire conversation, finally spoke.

“I'm going, too.”

“What?” Applejack was shocked at her brother's announcement.

“You heard me. Ain't no sister of mine going to no faerie tail city fulla who-knows-what and in the middle of goddamn nowhere without me there to watch out for her.”

“Big Mac, I can take care of myself. Besides, Princess Celestia's sending Shining Armor along with us, in case we need some muscle.”

“Muscle!? HA!” Big Macintosh snorted. “Whoever heard of a unicorn with muscle?”

Applejack huffed loudly. “That ain't what I meant; He's going to go along in case we run into any sort of dangerous creatures or spirits or some such, so's he can blast 'em with his magic.”

“Why can't Twilight Sparkle?” asked Applebloom.

“Twilight ain't never practiced much of that kind of magic, that's all. She's great at most things, but she don't know a whole lot of... fightin' magic, I guess you'd call it.”

“Whatever,” said Big Macintosh. “I'm going.”

Applejack stared into her brother's face for a moment, then spoke. “Ain't getting outta here without your big, red ass, am I?”

“EeNope.”

* * *

By noon the next day, the ponies were ready to leave. The two Apples, always early risers, had been just outside the castle gatehouse all morning, making preparations. Big Macintosh actually proved more useful than anticipated, since his impressive strength made him ideal for pulling a large wagon loaded with food, rope, tents, tools, lanterns, and various other odds and ends that were simply too big to fit into the individual ponies' saddlebags. Applejack was just finishing up loading a barrel of apples into the wagon when the rest of the ponies arrived, all their backs slung with saddlebags.

“And you didn't want me to come,” said Big Macintosh smugly.

“Yeah, yeah. I reckon you have your uses,” his sister replied.

“I'll say,” said Spike. “Twilight,” he continued. “Can I ride the wagon?”

“If Big Macintosh doesn't mind hauling you around, that's fine, Spike.”

“Hop on up,” smiled the enormous pony. “You don't even weigh as much as that barrel of apples, and we got the wheels on this thing greased up slicker than a pig at a county fair. I'll never know the difference.”

Spike giggled and clambered up into a small bench seat across the front of the wagon.

“Well, if everypony's ready,” said Shining Armor, “Let's get moving.”

Out of Canterlot, the group turned north, and traveled along the Equestria River Basin for several days. The trip was largely uneventful until they reached the Crystal Mountains, which marked the northern border of the country.

Rainbow Dash, curious to see just how high the mountains went, flew up above the treetops, and looked skyward.

“Wow.” She flew back down and landed amidst her friends.

“Those mountains are insane,” she said. “They've got to be taller than anything I've ever seen before.”

“Well,” said Twilight, “they're on record as the tallest in the country, and they've rarely been climbed by anypony. There's no good reason for it. The only thing on the other side is the Frozen North, and that's just a cold, uninhabitable wasteland. I mean, there are a few settlements and outposts to the west. Then, there's an old legend about a Crystal Empire, but it would have been east of here, in the foothills. Beyond here, it's just supposed to be totally barren. The only thing there is, well... Frigidus... somewhere.”

“And that's exactly where we're going,” said Applejack, ominously.

“Is there any chance at all I can convince you to let me go home?” asked Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight frowned, “We might need the Elements of Harmony for something. You have to come along. Besides, what if we run into an ice dragon or something? We'll need you to talk to it.”

Fluttershy shuddered visibly, but said no more.

* * *

The road through the mountains was old and little-traveled. In places, it was no longer fit to be called a road, at all. As they went, the elevation grew, and the air thinned, so that their course became continually more difficult. Eventually, Applejack was forced to hitch up to the wagon alongside Big Macintosh, and not two days later, Pinkie Pie also harnessed herself to it. Despite her oftentimes frivolous demeanor, Pinkie's strength and athleticism were relatively great by virtue of her being an earth pony, and she enjoyed the chance to put them to use. After some time, Shining Armor took off his heavy plate mail, and also joined the team pulling the wagon.

After a couple of days, the temperature became uncomfortably cold, and as they continued to climb, snow began to fall, so that they were forced to remove the wagon's wheels, allowing it to function as a sled by sitting on two runners that had been installed on the bottom of the axles. It had been Twilight's idea, a fact of which she made a point on several occasions to remind the team pulling it. This finally elicited from Applejack the suggestion that, if she were so proud of her ingenuity, perhaps she should “pull the goddamned thing herself, for awhile.” Thereafter, Twilight ceased all commentary.

Before much longer, the cold became great enough that the ponies all donned the first layer of their cold weather gear, and within a day of having done so, they reached the apex of the road's course through the mountains, which stood in a narrow pass. Rainbow Dash flew up high once more to see if she could discern what lay beyond the range, and when she descended, the look on her face told the others that it was not a pretty sight.

“It's a desert,” she said. “But not like a sandy desert. It's just cold, dead ground.”

“It's tundra,” said Twilight Sparkle. “What you saw was permafrost; ground that stays frozen year-round. Nothing grows on the surface because plants' roots can't penetrate it.”

“Good thing we brought plenty of food,” said Pinkie Pie.

“No kidding,” said Applejack. “We won't be able to find anything fit to eat in a place like that.”

“Well, we have to keep moving, no matter what,” said Shining Armor. “No turning back.”

The ponies all nodded in agreement, and continued onward. The descent offered its own special challenges, such as the sled trying several times to overrun the team pulling it. Each time, Shining Armor was quick to feel its forward slide, and to stall it with telekinesis. Nonetheless, it gave the ponies a scare. After about four more days of travel, the land began to flatten out, and soon the vast, cold expanse of the Frozen North spread out before them.

“Well, where do we go now?” asked Rainbow Dash.

Twilight unfurled the map. “Well, the mountain range where Frigidus is hidden is straight north of here, about two weeks' journey.”

“That's all?” asked Rarity. “How come nopony has been there in so long if it's not any further than that?”

Twilight peaked over the top of the map. “Well, supposedly, the cold and the weather get really brutal when you start to get close. What's more, there's only one way in or out. It's a road leading out of a small town in the foothills of the mountains, and... it may be guarded.”

“Guarded by what?” asked Applejack.

“Well, one of the legends of Frigidus speaks of a guardian that protected the city from intruders. Celestia said there were many powerful magical and mechanical weapons there, a long time ago. It's unlikely that any of them still work, but she said for us to be careful, all the same.”

Fluttershy, shivering a little, moaned at the news.

“Come on, Fluttershy,” said Pinkie Pie, newly unhitched from the sled. “We're all in this together.” She paused for a moment, then her eyes lit up.

“I know! Let's sing a song to pass the time. Ninety nine bottles of cider on the wall, ninety nine bottles of cider!...”

Rarity's head dropped downward. “Oh. Dear. Gods.”

After about two days, several thousand bottles of cider, and a few death threats, the song was abandoned in favor of silence. It was on that same day that the Frozen North chose to reveal why nopony, for tens of thousands of years, had dared come in search of Frigidus.