Frozen Through the Ages

High above the clouds of Bogwood, Celestia's royal carriage makes a steady line for the side of Mount Canterhorn. The enclosed box of gold and white shone like a gem in the daylight. It had been some ten minutes since we left my home behind since Father and Foresight waved me goodbye since Freya had metaphorically plopped herself into the seat beside me since Celesia's icy stare broiled me alive from within. It wasn't the same kind of heat as before from the annex building. That heat had been dry, sweat-inducing, and throttling. Celestia's aura now gave off a steady skin-chafing heat that left me shifting in my seat.

The Princess had not said a thing since we took off. Which only added to the uncomfortable atmosphere in which I'd been left to ruminate. Aside from Her Highness, there was also the matter of Tally and Freya. Freya had opted to say nothing. She didn't need to give a reason; with Celestia so close and with plenty of practice, I doubted I could mask my own responses well enough to keep her attention from myself.

The carriage itself was, barring the heat, incredibly cozy. Soft seats, the gentle breeze from the window, the view below as we passed forest, lake, and plains. For Glacial Zero, it was new and fantastic. I'd had little interaction with the world at large; that is to say, Bogwood and the marsh that entrapped it had been my world. For Hal, it was pleasant, peaceful, and idyllic, but not something he'd lacked a reference for. It'd have been a landscape of untamed beauty in any other carriage with any other company.

No, instead, I was left to plot. There was an inevitability to what Celestia would no doubt want from my stay in Canterlot. Aptly, Hal, and what else he knows. I'd barely sidestepped her concern before. I doubt I'd get that lucky again. The agony of what I should or should not tell her about the show's telling of events was beguiling. If I wasn't already drought in a thin layer of froth and sweat, I'd no doubt be in a cold one otherwise.

"Glacie, are you okay?" Freya asked from beside me. The sound startled me out of my thoughts. My eyes darted to Freya, back to Celestia, and then to Freya once more. Celestia hadn't made any note of my reaction, to my nerves' relief.

I shook my head slowly. Freya sighed and lightly wrapped a hoof around my shoulders. "It'll be fine, I promise." I had a feeling neither of us believed that. There were too many unknowns. The biggest of which sat across from us even now.

As if to prove me right, Celestia's eyes slowly turned to peer at me, the sharp, powerful gaze enough to send electric shots down my back and through my tail. "Does something ail you, young Glacial Zero? We've noted how unnerved you seem to be."

A statement that was as mundane as the weather. Celestia seemed only half aware she'd even spoken to me at all. It seemed it wasn't just me lost in thought, which made her attention all the more nerve-wracking. Her secondhoof observations alone left me on defensive. I pressed myself hard into the plush seat behind me. I could feel my legs trembling. This morning, I'd had Father, Foresight, and Bogwood to quell my fears. That was no longer the case.

"As if that's a surprise. Celestia, really thought you'd be happy to be whisked away, stolen from your family and friends? Could she really be so oblivious?" Freya asked.

"I'm fine, Your Highness," I muttered. I squirmed under her gaze. The longer she looked, the more alert she seemed. She'd been dragged out of her thoughts, which only made me squirm harder.

"You need not fear us, colt; we have no intent on harming you." It was a weak reassurance, made all the more apparent as Celestia's gaze softened. "We only wish to understand you, young Glacial Zero, to prepare you for the power you wield."

On some level, I believed she meant that. Celestia may not be the ruler Hal recalled, but neither Hal nor Glacial believed she was actively evil. Hurt, young, compared to the show, tired, angry, scared, all of the above? All of the above? I could believe all of them, but not evil. It boiled down to what she thought of us if she saw us as a threat. In a way, it was sad.

"Can you blame me, Princess?" I asked.

"You fear, revealing your seemingly prophetic benefactor was ill-advised, that you may be punished or imprisoned for your honesty. Are we wrong?" Celestia asked. The heat in the carriage had vanished almost entirely. It was replaced with a vacuum, a nearly unearthly chill. My own chill. The swinging pendulum of temperatures was stark enough that even I shivered slightly. It was an impressive feat that I may have given myself the cold shoulder.

"I do." There was no reason or purpose for lying. I'd lost that privilege the moment I'd told her about Hal at all. She knew, which means she'd have opinions. As far as Celestia saw it, I was a foal in over his head. In reality, I was a foal with the mind of a human in over their head.

"Should we not worry about a being using a foal as a means to deliver their prophecy?"

"That's a good point," Freya said, nodding sagely.

"Because it is about Luna?" I asked. The truth was, I doubted the content of the prophecy would have mattered. I could even see the point of keeping any future sight on a tight leash. The currency of time is one everypony must pay; to earn even a sliver of that back, or paid forward in this case, was something one would wage wars over.

"Because it puts you in danger."

Bingo.

"Does Hal scare you?" I asked. My head tilted ever so slightly, eyes wide and brimming. I met Celestia's magenta gaze, and she met mine.

"Should he not scare you?" Celestia asked in return.

"No. Hal is my friend." I was laying it on a bit thick. The clueless youth angle would only grant me so some leeway. Celestia knew I was more intelligent than I should be or, at the very least, more aware. I'd given that away at our first meeting. Celestia didn't need new reasons to feel suspicious. So, the youth card I'd play till I could do so no more.

"Come now, Glacial Zero, we both know better than that. You may not fear the voice, but you fear what it may lead to."

Thus, the youth card was out the window. Well, at least I tried.

"Princess, may I be honest with you?" I asked. Both Freya and the Princess gave me a dubious look. I could guess Freya's thoughts. I have plenty to hide if I were to be candid. Honesty was at an all-time high premium, going both ways. The whole trip screams of obfuscation. Princess Celestia was scheming, but that was a problem for another time. Though Hal made it quite clear that we would have some profound words if she started sending me on 'adventures' to move dragons off mountains and meddle with Gods of Chaos.

"You speak as if you were not already being honest, young Glacial Zero." Neither one of us believed we were being honest, neither she nor I. It was stupid political games. I was not a fan. Most of this went way over my head, even with Hal and Freya. The only tell I had on Celestia was the radical swaying of her aura's heat output. I wasn't positive if she even knew she was doing it. Or, perhaps I could only tell due to my own radically lowered temperature, two extremes clashing, baring the truth of both for all to see.

"Nopony is always honest; sometimes ponies prefer the lies others tell them, the ones we tell ourselves."

I was walking on very thin ice, no pun intended. I wasn't even sure why I was feeling so brazen. It was like a switch flipped in the back of my head, and all the fear had vanished. Freya had gone slackjawed. A reasonable response if you asked me.

Celestia gave a single hum before nodding for me to continue. The plotting had doubled.

I took a single deep breath and prepared for incineration. "I think Hal scares you. You fear he might be wrong. You fear he might be right even more."

"Glacie, do you smell burning hair?" Freya asked. She gave the carriage an experimental sniff before recoiling. "Definitely burning hair."

"Glacial Zero."

"Yes, Princess?"

Celestia pointed to the seat beneath me, where my tail hung in a lazy, damp heap. Or, it would be if it were not at this very second smoldering. I gave my tail a shake, only for the embers to grow. I look back up to Celestia, who, for her part, was trying to avoid meeting my eye.

"Put it out, you dummy." Freya swatted the back of my head.

"Chill." My tail frosted over from the base to the tip, standing on end as the embers doused instantly. The smell, however, remained. "Huh, that could have gone rather poorly."

"We agree and apologize for said account. We, I, perhaps, reacted too strongly, even if subconsciously. We also cannot deny that prophecy is, perhaps, disconcerting in all facets. The fact it pertains to our sister did little to help such notions."

Thus, Princess Celestia relented a bit. It was a small victory in a war I had no interest in or intent on waging. Celestia was right; prophecy is a dubious measure to gauge. She had every right to be on edge. I certainly would be.

I shook my head. I offered Celestia the best tired beyond my years smile I could. I didn't have to try very hard. "You have no reason to apologize. Well, for the prophecy being stressful. I appreciate the apology for the tail thing, though."

"You are a very strange colt, young Glacial. You will need to forgive my need to understand how such connections were forged. How did this Hal and you become entangled? We would have preferred to discover said secrets throughout your tutelage in Canterlot. But, are you prepared for some level of explanation already, or perhaps that is your seer companion? Either way, you seem less reluctant than I'd have assumed."

"Hmmm." For the first time since meeting the Princess, she was being direct with me, a colt of no means or record. It was surreal on some level. It was clear, to some degree, that she was speaking to Hal and only accounting for Glacial being present. On the other hoof, she had stopped presuming that Glacial was too young or naive to understand her worries. "I believe both Hal and I are in agreement. The reality is that neither of us is completely sure of the 'How' or 'Why' of any of it. Though I can give you the beginning if you care to know it."

"I'm not so sure this is a good idea, Glacie," Freya whispered into my ear.

"Proceed."

A gamble, a chance for this all to blow up in my face. Princess Celestia is not a tyrant or despot; she most likely won't throw me in a cell to rot away or dissect me or anything. She wasn't the soft ruler Hal knew, either. These aren't soft times, Hal recalls at all. This Equestria, this world was rough, hewn from jagged rock, heavy and unrefined. Celestia is still grieving; the Nobles are trying to be rid of the Thestral populace, and I'm here with a Wendigo who expects me to save her whole race somehow. The simplest way to describe it all would be confounding. My head was on the verge of a migraine. Sleep was tenuous at best, and my home was under the watchful eye of a town-destroying popsicle.

"It happened on the day I got my Cutie Mark. One moment, I was just a normal colt with nothing of note at all. Then, I doused a flame with my cryomancy, the how or why of it lost on me. At the same moment, something in my head changed."

"This Hal?" Celestia asked. I had her full attention. The heat in the carriage had cooled to earthly warmth. Freya still looked unsettled but had chosen to say nothing.

"Yeah, Hal. The important part was that I couldn't separate the points of connection. It was all just there as if it had always been there, waiting. Hal and I were connected, and it felt as natural as anything else we had ever experienced. Which made the headache that followed even worse."

"You've spoken to others regarding this?" Celestia leaned forward ever so slightly. A flicker in her eye I couldn't parse twinking ever so slightly.

"Father knows," I answered. She'd know I was lying if I said no pony knew. I could feel it. But, even still, chose to leave the girls out of it. Father was strong; he could bear the weight of Celestia's solar judgment. The others deserved peace of mind.

"And Sargeant Foresight, the Night Guard?" Celestia asked.

"No, I haven't told anypony in the guard. Though I have considered it."

"And when did Hal deliver his prophecy about my sister?"

There it was, the question she'd been waiting to ask from the word go. I'd known it was coming but had no way to prepare. Hal's memories had been there from the very second we became one. All of them, and all the events of Equestria with them. I'd given Celestia hope with my 'prophecy,' something she had been lacking. It was enough for me to drag a hoof down my muzzle. I wanted to add a groan to accompany it, but I thought better. If not for Celestia's presence and the sheer severity of it, I might have passed out on the spot. My body ached. Throbbing along with my heartbeat. One restless night was clearly not enough to recoup everything I'd spent stopping the stupid mudslide. Celestia had mentioned that I should be dead by all rights and that halting the wave of filth should have been more than a colt could handle. My body's exhausted cry for sleep, and tranquility could be mistaken for nothing but complete agreement with Her Highness.

None of that answered the Princess, however. I did not have the luxury of waiting Celestia out—very few did—so I let my bedraggled instinct answer instead.

"The first night, while I slept. At the same time, Glacial Zero and Hal settled into my addled, little mind. The first day was painful. So much to take in all at once." Thus, the stage had been set. Faust provided that I may remember just how much truth I was willing to provide.

"I see. Well, we shall have to continue this conversation, for we are fast approaching our destination. Canterlot should be within sight. "Please, see for yourself." Celestia motioned to the nearest window.

Taking her lead, I shuffled myself to the edge of my bench. The memories of Canterlot and Hal's Canterlot danced in my head. Seeing them through the window of the mind and imagination was one thing. It was another to see something for yourself. With bated breath, I pulled myself over the lip of the carriage door. Freya lounged behind me, a cheeky grin foretelling something I'd be most appreciative of her not pulling. A plotting wendigo was not something my frayed nerves had time for at the moment,

"See the majesty of Equestria's fledgling capital. The height of Equestrian architecture and the work of countless artisans." Celestia's chest puffed out in pride. It was the first time today that a glimmer of Hal's Princess shone through. The baggage and loathing set aside for a passion that lit said Princess in a golden glow.

"Quite the introduction, Prin…cess?" The words died in my throat. My brow furrowed as I leaned further over the window's rim. I squinted, peering towards the encroaching majesty of Mount Canterhorn. Seconds ticked by as I stared befuddled at what lay before me.

"Glacial Zero?" Princess Celestia had sidled closer. I looked over my shoulder at her, brow still thoroughly creased. "Are you unwell?"

"Is, is that it?"

Celestia's head tilted as she considered my question, her face now mirroring mine as she thought up her response. I watched idly, calm, my face drained of all emotion. I waited.

"Beg pardon?"

I turned back to the mountain ahead of us and pointed ahead of us. "Is that it?"

"We do not follow. Do you speak of the Canterhorn?"

I shook my head. "Not the mountain. What is connected to it? Is that Canterlot?"

"What else would it be?" Celestia, in turn, leaned out the window as well and followed my gaze. As expected, hanging from the mountain was 'Canterlot,' or what would one day be Canterlot.

As it stood now, the brilliant white spires, the bright solar themes, the dazzling falling water, and the very nature of the spectacle were missing. Instead, what sat in its place was the barest skeleton of Canterlot. The palace sat in the center and looked as one would imagine; it was clearly the focal point the whole of the city was and would be built around. Now, however, if it weren't for said castle, the rest would look overtly spartan and mundane. However, it is still quite a bit more extravagant than Bogwood, at the very least. If I had not been privy to the supposed future of the city, I may have been impressed. As it stands, I was somewhat let down. It was boring, which may have been worse than something wholly different from the image that burned into my mind.

"Dull," I said. No sooner than the word left my mouth, I realized what I'd just said and to whom. I slowly turned to the Princess, who in turn stared down at me.

"Enjoy your trip to the sun, Glacie. I'll miss you." Freya waved from across the carriage, face plastered with a wicked jubilation—the traitor.

"We beg your pardon? Did my ear deceive us? Did you just claim that the pinnacle of Equestrian architecture is dull?"

I nodded. Celestia's words had been eerily calm. However, the thorough pout and glazed expression revealed her true feelings on the matter. Watching Celestia cross her hooves and leer down at me was borderline comical—especially the less coy version of the Princess of my current time. The heat had literally sapped from the air in the carriage. I found myself wanting to both apologize and laugh at the same time. The latter would most likely be a very poor life choice indeed. So, the former it was.

"I'm sorry, Princess. It's just incomplete. I guess I let my whimsey conjure up a more fantastical image, is all." It was the truth.

"Whimsey?" Celestia's pout wavered.

"Yes, whimsey."

Celestia leaned forward, dwarfing me in her shadow. "Not your seer, friend?"

I was genuinely beginning to regret telling Celestia about Hal. "Maybe."

Celestia leaned back. "We take it; it will be quite the sight, indeed?"

The things I do not to die burning alive. "Without giving away the surprise. Yes, it will be a sight to behold."

Celestia's pout vanished, replaced with a pleased smile. The mask had fallen. It seemed the transition between brooding sister and kind-hearted ruler was not as rigid as I'd thought. I smiled back.

"We look forward to seeing such with our own eyes."

"As will many, Princess." I look back out at the rapidly approaching Canterlot. "I hope I'm around to see it, too." Or something a bit closer. Who knows how long it would actually take to finish the three rings that would make up Canterlot's districts? I might at least see the central ring complete if I was lucky.

"Canterlot's state notwithstanding. We will be landing all too soon. As such, I wish to explain what will occur in the following days."

"You mean my tutelage?"

"Yes, your training is one such subject. So, starting with that, you will find that there are a number of courtly magi who could serve as your teachers. However, we have already selected one for the task. Polaris Glimmer is one of the more adept elementalists at our disposal."

That name struck a chord; I wasn't sure why, but it tickled something in the back of my mind. To what end, I'd no idea. "Do you really think they can help a pegasus learn magic?" As asinine as I'm sure the question sounded. It would have been to me. I could not imagine many pegasi needing such tutoring. On top of the attitude of the high society type, that did not bode well. I dreaded to think of all the tropes Hal's mind could dredge up. Blueblood's many portrayals, for instance. That jerk needed some profound humbling.

"Polaris is one of the most knowledgeable stallions to study magic in over a century. For that reason, he will find you quite an interesting case. Magic of such caliber is rare in stallions of any tribe. As it has been for as long as can be recanted."

I disapproved of such implications. My face must have given away my displeasure as Celestia's brow rose ever so slightly. Was I some sideshow project to be observed? If so, the nobility and Celestia would be sorely disappointed. Celestia's brow rose higher.

"Glacial Zero?" The Princess asked.

"Yes, Princess?"

"Your seat has frozen solid."

I looked down. It had indeed frozen from my rear outward, arcing up and tinting the back of the carriage in a light frost. I sniffed and looked back to Celestia. "It seems it has."

"She struck a nerve, didn't she?" Freya asked.

"We had a missive sent while waiting for you in Bogwood. He will know of his new assignment. We will introduce you before the day's end. Your schedule will be dictated at Polaris' convenience. As will the criteria, for the foreseeable future."

Thus, my frozen seat was duly ignored. As for the rest. "How long will I be studying with Mr. Polaris?" I asked.

"As long as need be. We would suppose something close to a year, if not more."

"Glacie. If you don't stop freezing everything, we might fall right out of the sky. Those poor guards outside deserve better. It isn't like they've done anything wrong," Freya said, tutting in mock disapproval. The mirth in her eyes dispelled any actual disagreement completely. That and the way she waved in Celestia's direction. A frantic, exaggerated flailing like one might give when actually falling from a sickening height. The fact that everypony present could fly did not conflate any worry either.

"That's a long time," I let my irritation bubble over to a tired sorrow. I already missed Sire, The Night House, and my friends.

"It is for everyone’s and everypony's safety. We believe you should understand why we can't simply leave you to your own devices. Yes?"

I did. It was a valid concern and one I believe was wise to handle. That did not, however, mean I had to like it, which I did not. But ultimately, my predicament was my fault. I couldn't make it a single month before the Princess of all ponies snatched me up. Nope, Glacial Zero just had to stand out because he's a big dumb dummy.

"Yes."

"Then know this young Glacial Zero. We will not hold you to such studies any longer than necessary. We are under no illusion that you would abuse your gifts. However, hindsight can blind one to the present."

Once again, a fair point. Celestia might be blunter and less patient than her future self, but I did not believe her evil or cruel. A bit surly, perhaps, but not heartless.

"I know."

"We may not have that long," Freya said. Her mirth was gone. In its place was a chilling severity. She shook slightly as she floated beside Celestia.

"On top of your magical studies. We will also be discussing your connection to 'Hal' in more detail in the near future."

"I thought as much." Once again, I'd need to be highly cautious about just how much about Hal and the future I divulged. The idea that I might alter the future was enough to haunt all my already frightful dreams.

"That said, we should be landing in the next few minutes. We hope you do not find our home to be as dull as the cityscape."

"I think she just held a grudge, Glacial. Watch out, lest she suffocate you as you sleep. Oh, the theatrics and drama of a royal court. The intrigue and desire, a place far beyond that of a silly backwater colt."

"I'm sure your home is a sight unlike any other, now and always."

If Celestia was holding a grudge, she buried it nice and deep. Her mask had been remade of sterner stuff, I suspected due to proximity to her seat of power. The heat within the carriage was only slightly suffocating, which beat out our first meeting by leaps and bounds.

"Rightly so," Celestia said.

"Your Highness, we are beginning our descent," One of the Pegasi guards shouted over the wind.

"Princess?"

"Yes?"

"What of high society?" I asked. It was best to curb expectations while I could.

"You speak of nobility and etiquette, correct?" I nodded. Celestia tutted to herself. "You are here on academic merit. We doubt you will have much exposure to the court or the upper crust of society. On the chance you do, you will be with either Polaris, ourselves, or a retainer that we assign to your needs. While that does not mean you will go undisturbed, it does mean you will have some level of assistance should a meeting with nobility happen. You will be fine, young Glacial. Of that, we have little doubt."

This did not bode well.

"That does not bode well," Freya said with a snort.

"Still, if my talent plays out as it has back home. I don't think nopony will take notice."

Celestia smiled ever so slightly. "Perhaps."

She was counting on it, wasn't she? As I stomached that thought, I was made aware of just what lay beneath the facade of the solar matriarch. If a battle she wished, then I suppose I was left with little choice. As a loyal subject of Equestria, it was only right that I gave my Princess precisely what she wanted.

"Totally a grudge," Freya whispered in my ear.

A jarring shake of the carriage marked our arrival at Canterlot Castle, home of Her Royal Highness. A place I'd had no desire to visit prior to the storm and one I was still not very excited to be a day later. I twisted in place, hearing my vertebrae pop as I made to stand. My entire body wobbled as the blood rushed to my head.

"Be at ease, Glacial. Once you've met with Polaris, you will be given leave to rest for the remainder of the evening. We have little doubt that you are in far worse shape than you would willingly admit. Rest, we believe you shall need for what awaits you in the coming months."

It wasn't exactly comforting if it was meant to be at all. If nothing else, having the first meeting with Polaris right out of the gate would relieve some tossing and turning in the near future. If all this stress gives me night terrors, I will not be happy.

The carriage door was opened, and a regiment of two identical rows of Solar guards stood at attention, waiting for their Princess to make her way where she so desired. They bore not a single glance my way. Celestia took the time to leave the carriage so elegantly, nodding to her precession solemnly. I swallowed a lump in my throat and hopped free of the carriage onto Canterlot soil. Well, stone, but the point remains steadfast.

"Look at all the mindless tin soldiers playing pretend. It is so cute," Freya said from her vantage point above me. She pointed from one guard to the next, waving and cheering as if goading the guards to notice her.

"Princess." The secretary from back in the annex building was at the end of the rows. She bowed to her Princess and offered me just the briefest acknowledgments. I nodded back in silent greeting. With the weight of Celestia not pounding me into the ground, I could actually take a moment to observe Celestia's aide. She was a unicorn, go figure, a light yellow mare with black hair tied into a tight ponytail. She was a bit taller than the norm, though, without looking like a twig. She wore around her neck a pair of spectacles on a wire. As nigh invisible as she seemed, her eyes bore a very alluring sincerity—a pink like the setting sun over the ocean.

"Prim Prose, has Polaris Glimmer arrived yet?" Celestia asked. Praise be she who gives a name to the nameless. I was getting tired of referring to Ms. Prose by expository titles. I certainly would not enjoy others doing so to me.

"He has Your Highness. He has taken to the west waiting room as per your instruction." Prim Prose turned and led the way into Canterlot Castle. It was, if nothing else, semi-complete in comparison to the rest of the city. Its vast white halls draped in the finest of furnishings and grandiose display of wealth and prestige. If not, just a bit obnoxious.

"Excellent. We shall meet with him immediately. Glacial Zero is still very weak from his feat or heroics yesterday. The sooner Polaris has introduced himself, the sooner we may move past this anomalous event. We certainly have much to do."

If I were honest, I felt the Princess was talking to herself more than to Prim or me. No, we were an audience for a monologue. She was also correct. I could use some rest, and Celestia, I'm sure, had far more important things to do with her time than foalsit me.

"Of course," Prim said, nodding along unbeknownst to her Princess.

"This is it, Glacie. The big city, where the rich and powerful reside."

I rolled my eyes. Freya had rebounded from her earlier terror rather well. While I was still shaken and shaking regarding what I had set myself upon, training was certainly something I needed. In fact, I was a bit excited. Actually, knowing what I was doing would make events like yesterday far less mind-shatteringly terrifying. That aside, I was less than interested at all in the goings-on of the 'Haves,' for I am proudly a 'Have Not.'

"Glacial." I was torn back to reality by the wary eye of my hostess.

"Yes?"

"Have faith. We believe you have much to offer and to be proud of. Do not lose heart."

Celestia's eyes begged and pleaded for salvation, not her own. The mask had cracked once more. She really did want to believe Hal, so very desperately. So, she put her faith in me. The least I could do was offer the same.

"I'll do my best." I offered Celestia a frail smile. One she mirrored perfectly.