Frozen Through the Ages

I jolted awake, hooves flailing in mock combat with my fleeting dreams. My breath caught hard as I scanned my surroundings. The last thing I remembered was dozing off in Sire's hooves, which must have been accurate since I was laid atop my bed. However, I had little time to dwell on it as a roof-rocking thundercrack had me jump from my bed, wings flared.

"For Faust's sake," I grumbled. A second thunderclap sent another shiver down my spine, though I remained steadfastly on the ground. "The storm, crap." I had to wonder just how long I was out. The storm had made its way overhead, though it seemed a bit darker and heavier than it was on the horizon. The rain was coming down in sheets. Usually, that meant getting soaked through and stumbling around in the dark. That would have been the case if I hadn't thought up a cheat on the way back home.

I jogged my way into the kitchen. I wasn't sure where Father was at the moment; I'd guess at the Docks. Storms like these were a massive pain for the sea rats that ran about Bogwood. The idea of boats being lost at sea while their crews were pinned in port made me grin. They always strode into town like they owned the place. Karma comes to everyone eventually. I grabbed myself a half portion of day-old bread and stale cheese. The diet of nobles, I'm sure.

A meal hastily eaten, I made my way to the front door. I could hear the rain batting against the wood from inside. I took a deep breath. Time to test a theory. Cryomancy was the art of manipulating ice. Ice is most often formed from water. Water, which was currently falling from the sky. I managed a wider grin as the scene played repeatedly in my mind. The fact was I could change the states of my ice nearly instantly, as long as it was being touched. So if I were to, I don't know, rapidly change the rain back and forth. Well, I chuckled to myself.

Thunder and lightning continued to shake the very foundation on which I stood. I pushed the door wide. The tip of my ears and primaries tingled as I imagined freezing everything directly above me. I stepped into the downpour. The chill ran up my spine and nestled between my wings. Wings spread wide, I waited. I waited for the rain to soak me to the bone, and nothing. Instead of an impromptu shower, I was met with the gentle fingers of a winter mist swirling and crawling around me in a malformed dome.

"Hell yeah!" I pumped a hoof as I laughed loud enough that even the rumble of thunder overhead could drown me out completely. "Foresight said to find my limits, well how about rapid freezing and unfreezing of rain at a constant? How is that for a limit?"

Now, my plan had worked for the most part. The mist might have been better than freezing rain, but it was still damp and thick enough that, combined with the rain and overhead cloud cover, I could barely see two hooves ahead of me. I'd have been completely lost if I hadn't traveled this same path countless times. Well, that and my lowlight vision. Really need to thank Dam for that.

"Beggars can't be choosers," I said. My euphoria faded as I stomped through mud and puddles. If only mud was so quickly dealt with. "Could be worse," I assured myself I'd find a better workaround in the future. A mist done was almost more trouble than it was worth.

I had yet to make it ten hooves into town before I heard a yell in my direction. The mist was thickest directly above me, where the whole process started. So I was left peering about blindly as the voice yelled a second time.

"Hello?" I asked into the dark.

"Somepony there?" the voice asked. It was noticeably closer. Through the mist and rain, I thought I saw the telltale signs of wings flapping and the pony they were connected to.

"Yeah, I'm in the mist."

The flaps grew closer. "How in the name of Faust did you get in there?"

"I didn't want to get wet, so I went with mist instead. To be honest, I'm still wet, so it didn't go quite as planned."

Then, a head poked itself through my misty barrier. A mare with colors so dark, she was almost lost in the store's veil. I blinked at her, and she blinked back. She then reached in and jabbed my side. "Well, never seen anything like this before. Pretty crafty, little colt."

I shrugged. "I live to impress, ma'am." I had to guess she was with the Weather team. However, if she did have any identifying items, I couldn't see them.

"What is a colt like you even doing in this chaos?" the mare asked. She continued to eye me. It was like she expected me to simply vanish at any moment. If I could do it, it would be a decent prank.

"I'm a cadet with the guard, ma'am. I'm reporting in to help as best I can." I offered a salute. The mare snorted and waved my salute down.

"A little young, aren't you, even for a cadet."

I shrugged. "The Sergeant seemed to think I'd be fine."

The mare seemed to weigh her options before sighing and looking over her shoulder. "Fine, but I am following you to the door. I won't be held responsible if a foal gets lost in this Tartarus damned tempest."

"Aye, aye," I said. Then, I started off at a casual trot. After several minutes of walking, the weathermare clearly had an unaired question. One that left her a suspicious mess, something that several other pegasi took note of as we passed. Though they were too busy to do more than watch. I was left pondering the scope of the storm. It was definitely thicker and louder here than back in the moores. If anything, I would have thought the more it used up its payload of water and lightning, the lighter it'd be, not darker.

"Ma'am?" I asked.

The weathermare had been eying the storm as well. My question pulled her attention back, and she looked at me through rain-soaked bangs.

"Yeah?"

"Shouldn't the storm be getting better, not worse?"

She shook her head, bangs flapping wildly. "Was thinking the same thing, Colt. Then, that blasted front came up from the seas, and now, we're in one wicked storm."

The new front was news to me. I hadn't heard anything of the sort before I went home. Which meant nopony had seen it until it was too late. As if in response to my inner dialogue, The wind picked up enough that, combined with the hoof-deep water that sloshed about in the streets, I had to brace just to avoid falling flat on my face.

"Colt, this ain't the way to the Day House," The mare beside me said.

I gave her a bemused smile. "Not going to the Day House. I'm a cadet with Nigth Guard." The look on her face would have been funny if I wasn't struggling to stay standing as she leered at me.

"Really?" she asked. There was nothing else to it. No anger or offense. This mare, at least, was not Freezy Breeze. I had to cringe at myself. Neither this mare nor the Weather Office as a whole should be assumed to share their captain's views. That wouldn't be fair at all.

"Yes, ma'am." I thought to say more, only before another voice pulled my and the mare's attention ahead. Another pony was making their way towards us and gave us both pause.

"Colt, Glacial, that you?"

I had to withhold a snicker. Levvy came plodding through the waterlogged road, waving in my direction. Her reds stuck out even in the blinding rain. The mare beside me balked.

"Yeah, Levvy, it's me. Sorry, I'm running a bit behind."

Levvy came to a stop in front of my dome, waving a hoof at an idle strand of mist that slowly drifted in her direction. "How the heck did you do…whatever this is?"

"Excuse me, you're with the Night Guard, right?" the mare beside me asked.

Levvy gave the mare an idle look and nodded. "That's right, and you are?" Levvy took a single heavy step toward the weathermare.

"Windy Way, with the Weather Office. I saw this colt come into town and wanted to ensure he wasn't swept away in the floods."

Levvy eyed Windy, who took a step worth of flight back. I wasn't sure what to call an aerial step back, and I don't know if such a term even existed. Levvy took another step forward before breaking into a grin. "Well, isn't that kind of ya? I can take the colt the rest of the way. We can't really afford to hold up the weather team, now can we?"

Windy seemed ready to argue but, after several seconds, nodded. "Not in this storm. Well, good luck to both of you. Stay safe." That said, Windy turned and flew up toward the clouds.

"She was nice," I mused. Before I could react, I had a hoof cuff me at the nape.

"Come on, you little troublemaker. You had the others a bit worried."

I stumbled forward and fell in beside my senior. "Really?"

"You're nearly an hour late, and this weather only got worse since you went home." Levvy waved at the storm above us. "Not a pretty one, that's for sure."

"Something about a front from the seas or something, right?" I asked.

Levvy flicked a hoof idly, spraying a line in the same direction. "Not much for weather and the like. Dossy could tell ya better than I. All I know is it is big and nasty." By then, we'd made it to the everstanding, unshakable brick in the middle of Bogwood, the Night House.

"Alright, inside, we got too much work to do to have you twiddling your hooves." Levvy gave me a hearty push right into the front door.

I dropped my mist dome and glowered back at her but pushed the door open all the same. No sooner had I stepped inside than a pair of ink-spotted purple hooves pulled me deeper into the reception room. I flailed in surprise as a very annoyed-looking mare held me at hooves length.

"Not drowned, at least," Dossier said, nose raised high with indignation.

I went slack in her grip. "Not yet," I confirmed.

"Good, because we have too much to do without adding 'find unruly cadet' to it. Now, the four of us better get to it." Dossier turned and pointed to Distant Point, who'd entered the room following Dossier's welcome.

"Night Glider and Sarge?" I asked.

"Already out. I expect Night Glider will bite your head off once the storm is sorted," Distant said with a devious smirk.

"Alright, cadet accounted for, everypony knows their duties," Dossier said, clapping along with her demand.

I raised a hoof politely. "I don't."

"You're with me, Colt. We're gonna do us some straggler hunting," Distant snarked, slapping a hoof to her chest. Her cobalt blues twinked in the dim light of the Night House candles. A feat made all the easier by the natural glow of thestral eyes.

"There are stragglers in this weather right now?" I asked.

Distant nodded. "There are always stragglers. It is also the easiest and one of the least dangerous jobs at the moment. You're still a cadet, and with Captain Breezy's less-than-cordial run-ins with you, we can't have you in the midst of the chaos."

I rolled my eyes and huffed. I pouted on full tilt as I watched Distant merrily explain how hard they wanted me out of the way. Even if they had a good point, it was the principle of the matter. I deserved some darn respect.

"Fine then, I won't share my new super secret 'avoid getting wet' technique."

Levvy giggled and nodded along with me. "It's really something. Seems the foal took Foresight's advice."

Distant's brow furrowed as she eyed Levvy and me. "You can't be serious."

I stuck my tongue out in reply. "Guess you'll just have to find out. Then get nothing out of it, ma'am."

"Don't you dare start with that? You little plot."

"Excuse you, Private?" Distant realized her mistake too late. Private First Class Clear Dossier had taken exception to such language. I applied the best puppy dog eyes I could and gave an exaggerated sniffle.

Distant stood in disbelief as Dossy stepped between Distant and myself. "Distant Point!"

Distant could do nothing but point a stark white hoof at me. "He's a cadet. He can handle a little cursing. That and he is totally faking."

Levvy was biting a hoof so hard I feared she might draw blood in her pursuit to not collapse in a fit of laughter.

"Regardless, we have our assignments. Distant, I expect you to keep an eye on the cadet. Am I understood?" Dossier jabbed a hoof at my assigned lead.

Distant looked ready to argue, but after a brief war of desire and discipline on her face, she simply saluted. "Yes, ma'am."

"By the way, Private Point, ma'am. I was only teasing, ma'am. I will absolutely share my super secret-keeping dry spell with you. We are comrades and all." I snapped another salute. The war on her face from a moment ago returned for a second siege.

Dossy, though, seemed pleased enough to leave the issue there. "Good, now, we have a storm to conquer."

Levvy opened the front door to the raging tempest and waved us out. "Have fun, you two, and try to avoid drowning if you can."

Distant ignored her and trotted out into the elements. "Alright, you little fiend. Let's go."

I skipped along behind her. "Yes, ma'am." The growl Distant conjured was only partially obscured by the thunder overhead.

"So, Distant, care to avoid some rain?" I asked. I didn't wait for a reply; instead, I conjured my dome of mist. It was a pleasant feeling knowing the first time wasn't a fluke. That and the seemingly minute amount of motes to keep it up. The second part, however, was a bit less simple. As will all the ice, or in this case, the rapidly cooling and defusing ice I could conjure, the more and farther it went, the harder it became.

It was like a held sneeze: the more force I put into not letting it go, the easier it was to release. However, the dome grew, and its diameter increased until there was enough room for two. Distant flinched slightly as the mist wrapped her in its cocoon. She was still a bit drippy from stepping out into the rain before me but wasn't soaked to the bone, if nothing else.

"Well, this is different," Distant said, waving a hoof idly at the mist's wall. "How'd you come up with something like this?"

"Dumb luck and trial and error. It was a lot easier than you'd think."

"A bit impractical, though. You can barely see anything through the haze and rain."

I nodded. "True, but I think it is a good first attempt."

Distant hummed before swiping me off my hooves and going airborne. "Once we get past the cloud layer, we'll move closer to the perimeter. Though we'll have to drop your little shield to be able to search the area."

All I managed was a surprised gasp and a grunt as Distant blasted up at a steep incline. The shield barely kept up. Her ever-increasing speed dispersed the vapor almost faster than I could form it. The second we did break through the cloud layer, the rain ceased.

I dropped the dome and wiggled in Distant's grasp. "I can fly too, you know."

"This was faster." It was. "Now, once we get to the edge of the storm, we're gonna meet some of the cloud shepherds who are keeping the rain in as compact an area as possible."

My ear flicked. "Doesn't that mean the rain will worsen the closer we get to the edge? Pressing all those clouds together won't make our job any easier."

Distant scanned the horizon. "No, it won't. That's why guards look for stragglers to begin with. The rain will make navigating and staying warm nearly impossible. A few louts always think they're tougher or faster than they are."

Distant must have seen whatever she was looking for because she sped up, and without warning, she blasted off in a random direction. The flight was two minutes at most. We came to a complete halt within meters of three weather ponies who were discussing something with great gusto, so much so that they didn't even notice our arrival.

"It's getting worse. At this rate, it'll bury the town." one of the weather ponies, a beige mare with the poofiest mane I'd ever seen, said.

"Bogwood has seen worse, Billow," An older mare, gray in coat and mane, said, tapping the nearest cloud. The stormcloud shuddered, releasing a crack of lighting at random.

"Storm Crash, please. We don't have time for any—" Billow's words petered out as she looked in our direction.

"Don't mind us, ladies," Distant said, giving the three weather ponies a limp wave.

"About time. We're already behind schedule," Billow said. She waved to the marshland below. "We caught a few farm folk who got themselves caught in the muck. We could use the extra hooves."

Distant let me go and nodded. The humor had melted away to a somewhat surprising seriousness. I took a spot next to her and waited for her lead.

"Where?"

Storm Crash pointed almost directly beneath herself. "Right below. Three, two mares and a foal. Under an uprooted tree. All earth ponies."

"Glacial," Distant turned to me and pointed to herself. "Keep close and pay attention. This is what being a night guard is really about, these moments."

I nodded and stepped up beside her. "Right."

"Hay of a time to bring a foal around, apprentice or not," the third unnamed pegasus chuckled dryly. Her colors were striking when pinned to the dark found below. Her mane was the gentle pink of a summer sunrise, and her eyes were like the morning mist. She reminded Hal and me of the more common non-alicorn forms given to Celestia. It wasn't a one-for-one, but it was close enough to be striking.

"If not now, then when?" Distant asked. Even so, judging by her pulling a small opening in the clouds to suss out the currently marooned ponies below, she didn't really seem interested in an answer. I was good living without one as well.

"Leave it be, Misty, we've better things to do," Storm said, joining Distant at the new opening. "There's a local miller's shop not too far from here. It wouldn't be comfortable, but it will at least be dry."

Distant nodded. "I'll take one mare. I hope the three of you can handle the other mare and foal." She looked over her shoulder to the three weather mares who seemed ready to dive through the hole Distant made. With an eye roll, she spread the opening to nearly two ponies wide.

"We can," Storm Crash confirmed.

Without looking, Distant took a step forward and fell back into the realm of rain, wind, and muck. Storm Crash followed a second behind. I offered a sympathetic shrug to the other two weather mares and jumped as well. The change was instant. The wind was nearly enough to send me into a tailspin. By the time I'd corrected myself, Distant and Storm Crash had made it to the fallen tree. Exactly as said, three very miserable earth ponies sat huddled in the meager protection of the tree trunk.

"Coming Colt?" Billow asked as she spun past me. Her poofy mane swayed unbothered by the water pouring down atop it.

A thought then struck me. Without a word, a smile tugged at my lip. I glided as evenly as I could down to the evac zone. As the mares spoke amongst one another. I gave the old tree a tap. As soon as my hoof made contact, I willed the trunk to freeze. Then, I projected the ice out at an arch over the soaking mares. It caught them all by surprise. Even Distant, for all her sharp wit and sharper eyes, had to give the sudden lack of rain pouring down on them a second glance. It was lopsided and thinner the further out it went, but a crappy roof in the rain was better than no roof at all. I couldn't help but chuckle as I rounded the tree and winked.

"How's that?" I asked.

Distant looked the arch over and chuckled. "Could be worse."

"The colt did that?" Billow asked.

I nodded eagerly. "Thought the stragglers could use a moment of peace before you soar off with them."

"Do what?" One of the earth mares asked.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Like we were saying, there's a mill nearby. It'll be safe till the rain calms down a bit. It's better than hiding here."

"It'll be quick. We'll nab ya, get you to the mill, and try to get you as safe as we can. We promise, ma'am," Distant said, clapping her hooves together in finality.

The earth mares did not seem convinced but made no attempt to argue. They simply shared an unsure look and waited. The next part was simple enough. Distant grabbed one mare, Billow grabbed another, and Storm Crash spotted her just in case.

The weather team members were fit, but more like an athlete, thin, trim and built for the harsher elements that could come about in their field. Distant Point was athletic, but there was more to it: a thicker layer of muscle, even those of her wings stretched and clenched with a raw power the others simply lacked. It could have been a thestral thing, but regarding those of the Day Guard I have seen, it would make it more a guard trait. Even I'd shaped up a little while training at the Night House. As young as I was, I was undoubtedly in decent shape all the same.

Misty had the foal, and I was left an observer. It left a sour taste on my tongue. I didn't like not doing anything useful. The ice cover I'd made was a pleasant luxury but not much more. I was young, not a leper.

The earth herd was dropped off at the Miller's shop, which was drier than I think anyone expected. It was damp, sure, but not so moist that there was even a ceiling drip to worry about. I think it was the sawdust; that stuff could dry up anything.

"Alright, next round. Are you doing okay, cadet? These winds aren't exactly prime flight conditions. If you need a break—"

I waved a hoof dismissively. "I'm fine. I am a member of the Night Guard, right? I'll pull my own weight." That earned me a ruffled mane, which earned Distant Point a snarl and a smacked hoof.

"Well, second patrol, let's hope we don't find anypony else out today."

"It is never that easy," Storm Crash said. She leered at the storm like one would eye their lifelong rival. It was a challenge to be conquered. Her name made more and more sense. Her wary eyes splashed in water, never blinked, and never gave way to weakness. I'd never seen Storm Crash before tonight, not once. She was older, though, probably older than Freezy Breeze. She was in better shape than most of her companions as well. The other two also seemed to defer to her, like she'd done this a hundred times before. I'd believe it if she had.

I'd dismissed Distant, but my wings shook even before we flew back into the storm's embrace. As much as I'd love to say that the training and patrols I'd been on had prepared me for the storm, the truth was I was still very much literally and figuratively wet behind the ears. In a few months, a year, more, I'm sure I'd be fine, but that was future me. Current me was huffing and puffing and praying. Distant Point should have noticed.

The second patrol barely began before we heard the cries of someone in over their head. I could very much relate.

In that instant, we rounded a pair of shops I didn't recognize. The wealthier part of town had a few more exclusive businesses. Though even the richest ponies in Bogwood were still less well off than most middle class in bigger cities like Baltimare. We encountered two ponies, a stallion and a mare, stuck atop several stacked crates. Crates that, with the rest of the street, had flooded entirely. It must have been three, maybe four hooves deep.

"How in the name of Faust did they even get here?" Billow asked. She pressed a hoof hard into her forehead and said some things that she might have thought were hidden in the rain and thunder. They were not.

"A better question: how did two unicorns manage this situation?" Misty fumed.

"We're on Clever Course Street. I'd have been more surprised if they hadn't," Distant said. She waved idly at the two stuck unicorns. They screamed back, their words lost in the gale.

"The flooding is getting worse, and there are no dropoffs in the area either," Storm Crash said. She waved for us to follow as she drew up alongside the ponies in need.

"About time. I thought we'd end up drowned in these blasted streets." The mare pointed down at the clawing, churning waters with deathly resolution.

"Not now, Triste. Curse the waters once we're nice and dry." Triste's stallion companion swatted the mare on the back of her head, which seemed to spur her hate further.

"What's the call, Storm?"

"Is there somewhere that could be used if the water was routed?" I asked.

The collection of mares and one stallion turned their attention to me. The stallion looked at me pitably, like one might eye a puppy on the side of the road. I responded by mouthing a few choice words. Ones, even in the rain, were unmistakable on the lips.

"Does it matter?" Misty asked.

I nodded. "Sure, I might be able to do something about the flooding if we have somewhere in mind."

"Hah, funny colt." Billow laughed.

Distant jabbed Billow in the side hard. Hard enough to stagger her in mid-flight. Which she barely recovered from fast enough to avoid a very unwanted bath. "My cadet may be able to back up those words of his. So, do we have a location or not?"

Storm Crash coughed and looked back over her shoulder. "There are a couple of warehouses the Weather Bureau uses for leftover drizzles, showers, and chills. Summer and Spring, mostly. Those warehouses are waterproof and built to last."

"Can you show me?" I asked.

Storm Crash only hesitated a second before taking off. I was as best I could right on her contrails. My headache had returned. A deep throbbing that resonated with both my heartbeat and the ache in my wings. The location, in mind, was pretty close, at least. The flooding had the latch and door nice and underwater, mostly. The sidestreet from Clever Course was a mostly empty lot, bordered by some of the larger businesses in the area, which would make perfect anchors.

"What are you thinking, young night guard?"

"Ice."

Storm Crash waited, and, seeing that I had no intent on explaining further, she looked back toward the group we'd left behind. "Perhaps my companion was right."

"Just watch," I said, lowering myself within reach of the flowing waters. I took a slow, deep breath and placed a hoof into the water. "Freeze."

The water obeyed. It started slowly, a creeping pool of ice drifting out from my hoof. The further it moved, the faster it became. The deeper it went, the thicker it grew. I could feel it spreading. It tingled gently as it reached the road beneath. My breath caught, now vapor in the wind. The cold was rapturous, addicting. It crawled up my hooves and between my wings. It nestled and formed a semi-peytral around my chest and back. Then, as quickly as it began, it stopped. As thick as my barrel, a wall of glowing blue ice stood jutting out of the water.

The waters beyond it had already started to slow and receded, pulled free from the opposite road as the current drained itself from the lot. I sat atop my construct, panting hard. The ice that had engulfed me twinkled as the rain bounced off it.

"By the divine, Colt, how did you manage such a feat?" Storm Crash asked.

I shook my head and barked out a sardonic laugh. "I know less than you, Ms. Crash. I just did what came naturally."

"Well, it certainly fulfilled your promise, young colt. I am impressed." Storm Crash offered the faintest twitch of a smile. "I will retrieve the others. Take a moment to rest. You have earned that, if nothing else."

I saluted. "Aye." Storm nodded and was off. Her gray fading into the somber deluge. I repressed both the desire to shout in elation that my plan worked and the need to groan at just how much more draining this had been. The tree had been nearly effortless, though accidental. One might think controlled magic would be more efficient, but what did I know?

The others found their way to the warehouse lot as the waters drained to a leftover pool of water and muck. The area might be gross, but the doors to the warehouse were at least reachable now. I patted my wall and grinned as the others took in the sight of me.

"I told you he could do it," Distant shouted. She was carrying the stranded stallion and was grinning a sharp-toothed smile ear to ear.

"A foal did this?" Billow asked as she passed over me, Triste in hoof. The rescued mare swung slack-jawed in Billow's grasp.

"He did," Storm Crash assured. "Misty, the door if you would."

The remaining mare nodded absently. As she undid the latch on the door, she waved the two rescued ponies in. Neither looked too happy with the mud that wrapped around their hooves the second they were placed down. Though they both strutted their way into the warehouse without a word.

"Good work, Glacial," Distant said, wrapping me in a wing hug. The wet thwack of wet feathers around my back sent a shiver to follow. "Really pushing those limits, huh?"

I shook my head. "I honestly thought it'd be easier. Water freezes really well, better than trees, at least. But this was way more tiring than the other day's accident."

"Really? That's strange."

"Ruminate later. The storm has not broken yet." Storm Crash was airborne before anypony could respond.

"She's relentless," Misty said. She let out a short sigh and took flight. Billow was right behind her. Distant chuckled and released me from her soaked affections.

"Never an idle hoof, right?"

I shrugged. "Not today."

The way back up and over the town was becoming more demanding. My wings protested with every flap. Storm Crash stopped midflight. The sudden slow resulted in the rest of the group stalling as well. All behind the group's de facto leader. A mare that challenged the heavens above to face her. The look she wore now told a very different story.

"Why'd you stop?" Billow asked. Storm Crash pointed a shaking gray hoof to the horizon. The rest of us turned to look as well.

"You were right, Billow."

We didn't even make it above the cloud line. What followed needed elevation, a clear gaze over the horizon. But, even here, being pelted with rain so hard it stung. I had to toss my bangs over my ear. I found it hard to swallow, to do anything but look on struck dumb. The others weren't doing much better. Billow's jaw hung wide. Storm Crash held a hoof above her eyes, perhaps thinking that it was a trick of the eye. I wish it was.

"By the stars." It was barely a whisper. Misty shook her head absently, her eyes still glued to the marsh ahead.

"What is that?" I asked. I did not expect an answer. The whole scene, from horizon to horizon, like the earth had risen as an angered wave, bared down from the swollen, flushed bog that surrounded us in all directions. Forthcoming, it crawled at ever-increasing velocity towards the sole bastion formed from blood, sweat, mud, tears, and ample governance that we called home.

"Luna, have mercy on us all." Those were the only words one could use to describe what drew ever more clearly. The swamp had flooded. A massive wall of mud and water crashed and roared down from the higher wetlands. Lands rarely traveled by pony. There was nothing in that direction, no land, no fortune, no hope. In our domestic efforts to salvage the ports and farms, we'd not paid the wetlands any mind. In fact, we'd not been pressed to even look in the directions of those lands at all. Hubris is the sin we now reckoned for. Hal was reminded of a story of a captain blind to all but a whale as white as bone.

"We can't stop that," It was a whisper. Billow had barely parted her lips. But the words were unmistakable, a truth every pony present knew for sure.

"Bogwood, we need to warn—" I was cut off by the gentle placement of a hoof on my shoulder. I looked to Distant Point, to my senior, a mare who seemed a smirk away from a joke. There was no humor left in the mare. It had been drained, and in its place, dread, a bile concoction that suffocated her very nature.

"We'd never make it," Distant said. Her eyes never left the tide of mud and bilge.

Nonono, my heart was pounding at an irregular tempo. My blood ran cold, a deeper chill than anything I'd ever felt. No, that wasn't entirely true. Hal had, on that night, with the rain, the dog, and the man in the shadows. My icy peytral hummed along to the tempo my heart had set. The very chill of death itself. It was enough to shatter the greatest of wills.

It was a sick joke to be staring down nature itself, to see what was coming, to know what it meant, and to be cast as only an observer. All that water and mud, and for a brief moment, I saw red; then, it changed. The feeling remained, and then the red was replaced with a bright, luminescent blue. I felt my wings stretch wide. Something tugged at my mind. The faintest glimmer. It was said that in the deepest dark, the brightest light shined. This was no light. No, it was cold and deep.

But with that feeling, in the cold, something clicked. Something called in the dark, like a siren. There was no music, only a need. My hooves glistened in their frozen shell. My breath cusped and coiled around my muzzle. I heard something to my side. A distant, indecipherable noise. I ignored it. Then, something grabbed my hoof. I glanced over, everything tinged in frost.

"Glacial."

Distant Point was holding my limb taut. She looked panicked, not like before, not toward the mud and water and death. She was crying. Her whole body shook in matched time to her shaken breaths. Her words barely crossed the space between us, as if they had frozen in midair.

"Glacial, what are you doing?" Her question was desperate. She clamped down on my hoof with what meager strength she could conjure. It was too little. It was too late. "Glacial, please. What are you doing?"

I looked from her back to the oncoming wave of marsh and rain. For a second, I stopped and realized what I was doing, what could happen, and what more it could take. Then, the cold swallowed my doubt, as it had everything else. I pulled my leg free. Everything faded until there was nothing more than me and the surge that sought to drown everything I knew and cared about. If the wave collided, dozens, hundreds would be buried. It made me sick. It dredged up every repressed hiss of boiling anger I could manage. I would not be a victim, not a purveyor, not this time.

"The only thing I can do."