Frozen Through the Ages

It felt so distant, the world, the ponies, the town. It was all an amorphous dream in a blackened winter. I could still feel the knife, the mare in a desperate sprint for freedom. The taste of blood as I bit down on my tongue. It was warm, in a sense, even as the ice crawled beneath my hooves. The winding trail of ice on the ground. It writhed like a living thing. A serpent all its own, hungry, devoid of rhyme or reason, it was both sickening and euphoric.

"Glacial."

I could remember the rain vividly. Last night's dream was finally revived in my memory with startling fidelity. The last fleeting seconds, the man and the dog. Hal, it all sat like a portrait that only I could see.

"Glacial!"

Everything snapped back into place the moment my ice found its mark. The mare had no time to change course. She had no idea what was coming. My heart thundered in my ears. Then, like the serpent it emulated, it latched onto its prey. The mare gasped, and as quickly as she'd been charging, she stopped.

"What?" the thief asked.

I exhaled, and it all faded away. I wondered if any of that was real or if I was making it all up as it went. My gaze passed from the thief to the knife. To her surprise, the thief had dropped her weapon. The guards were closing in, but their target wasn't going anywhere. Her hooves were frozen to the ground. The mare was a unicorn. If given the chance, she could break or thaw herself in moments. She didn't have moments.

"Well, that was a surprise, huh, criminal?" one of the guards asked. She approached slowly from one side, her partner from the other. The thief didn't answer. She was staring, following the ice trail right back to my hooves, where it all began.

"How?" she mouthed. I shrugged.

The guards had taken notice as well. A hoof jabbed my side. I jolted in place. I turned to find Azure, eyes narrowed as she motioned back to the thief. I shrugged again.

"Glace, you okay?" Azure asked.

"Wrong question," Freya whispered into my ear.

Wrong, what was wrong? Azure's question was a question I was asking myself. I had no clue why everything had snowballed so readily, at least in my head. No, I was lying. I did know, Hal, it was just like the dream all over again. The phantom pain in my gut throbbed in agreement. Azure was still watching me and waiting for an answer. Tender and Tally had taken up positions around me as well. They were all staring: the thief, the guards, my friends. They were all waiting.

"I don't know."

"You stopped that mare, you just…" Tender pointed to the trail of ice that started at me and ended with the still very much stuck thief. One of the guards was stomping at the base of the ice trap. Even if they couldn't wholly unfreeze her hooves, they could at least breathe it off around the sides and simply carry the criminal away. No one else seemed all that concerned. The least of which being the fillies around me, who juggled looks of awe, confusion, and fear in equal portions. That made sense, and I felt I was mirroring them pretty well. "Your hooves started to glow, and whoosh, there the ice went."

I looked at my forehooves. They were once again frozen a solid blue. It was becoming a habit, one I wasn't completely sure how to feel about. I traced the path of my magic. It'd gone a lot farther than when I tried extending it with the river. It didn't hurt or burn; it didn't feel at all. The second I'd come back to reality, the spell, if that was a spell, broke.

"You were scared. You saw the mare and the knife, and something changed," Tally said. She squinted at me so hard, in fact, she'd more or less closed her golden eyes. I wondered if she could even see me when she made a face like that.

"Yeah, you're right. I was scared, and the mare was coming right for us. But I have no idea what or how I did what I did. I just wanted her to stop, and she did."

Tally was too sharp and way smarter than me. She deserved some semblance of the truth. She'd been researching magic and druids for my sake. Tally relented on her blind squint. She stepped forward, tapped one of my frozen hooves, and hummed to herself. I'd count that as a win for now. Freya was still right; if I told anypony anything, Writ Tally would be the first. Freya was right that the others would hear me out. I believed that completely. Sire would, too; I don't doubt he'd believe me. Tally, though, if there was any pony who could help make sense of it, that wasn't a grieving sun goddess; it was her.

"We'll talk later, okay?" I said, patting Writ's shoulder. The filly huffed but otherwise kept whatever thoughts she had to herself.

"I better be included in that talk," Azure said, interjecting herself between Writ and me, only to pull us both into a hug. "Or else."

"Calm down, Azure, before you scare the poor colt worse than any knife ever could," Tender said. Her warning was thoroughly ignored as she forced her way into the hug.

"Foals."

The four of us turned to find one of the guard mares approaching. Forged in iron, much like her gaze, the mare seemed the type to gnaw on lemons and make the lemons pucker. Even her coat and mane were drab and ornery. A placid gray coat like dried coal and smoldering orange eyes to match the theme. We made a line and waited. The mare nodded and came to a stop a dozen hooves out. She looked from one of us to the next and ended up on me.

"Care to explain?" she asked. The guard’s left forehoof shook slightly, twitching to the guard’s disinterest or completely unaware knowledge.

"Glacial Zero stopped the mare in her tracks before she could hurt somepony," Azure offered, hoof raised in a needless request for approval.

"So, he did," the guard agreed. She took another step forward and eyed me up. "Quite the feat, little colt. I didn't know pegasi could do that," The mare said and waved to the ice trail. "Whatever that was."

"I panicked. I wasn't trying to make a scene." I offered a shallow smile and bowed slightly. It was overkill, but a cowering colt would get a lot more eyes on the scene than an arrogant brat. The guard seemed to realize it, too. She looked at the sparsely occupied but not wholly deserted town center. Then she smiled.

"A little early, isn't it?" The guard asked. Her gaze had shifted up, and she was now looking at something directly behind me.

"And how is one to sleep with so much noise? You and Private Breach are always far too loud, right, Dirk?"

The guard mare flinched in recourse. I turned to find a navy blue thestral stallion. I had not expected that, and judging by Dirk's pout, neither had she. The stallion noted my look and winked an exhausted amber eye in return.

"Sergeant Foresight, sir, you're up early."

Private Breach marched up, leaving the poor thief still very much stuck in place. I debated offering to thaw her for the officers, but judging by Dirk, that might not have been too smart. Sergeant Foresight offered Breach a tired smile and waved to the captured thief.

"Unfortunately, Private. But, I am, and having seen a pair of the Day Guard getting beat by a colt of all things, it was perhaps worth the loss of sleep. Any thoughts, gentlemares?"

"I was preparing to question the colt when you joined us, sir." Dirk scoffed in my direction. "He should not have interfered in official business, sir."

"Interfere, Private?"

Private Dirk nodded and pointed back at me. Her limb once again twitched madly. At this point, it was clearly not deliberate. That or the mare was just messing with my head. Both could be true as well. "Yes, sir, a foal should know better than to play hero. His actions could have gotten somepony hurt."

Sergeant Foresight turned to me. "And what say you, Colt?"

"I prefer not to be stabbed, sir."

The sergeant nodded along. His two-toned gray, black mane bobbed along. It reminded me of a broom top, long strands that tangled into a right mess. "And you summoned all this ice, yourself?" Foresight looked back to the still-stuck mare behind us. "Interesting."

I couldn't parse the sergeant. He seemed amused by the whole scenario, something Dirk was not enjoying. She'd tensed her back legs so hard I thought she might turn around and buck Foresight halfway across town.

Freya made a loop around the thestral, her smile growing as she did so. "I like this one. He has some moxie."

"I did, sir."

"Is Glacial in trouble?" Azure asked. Neither she nor the others had moved from their positions 'guarding' me. It was nice, even if they were trying to intimidate Equestria's protectors. Private Dirk leered at Azure with such fervor that I feared the private might strain something.

"In most cases, he'd be reprimanded for interference. Private Dirk is right on that account. The laws are the laws," Foresight sucked in a breath through his fangs. The hiss sent a shiver down my spine. I ran my tongue over my all too-plain pony teeth. "However, I may have a better solution in mind."

Private Dirk became rigid. The sparking smirk of victory fell away, replaced by a stony apathy. I winked in her direction. She made every attempt to avoid looking at me, but her legs were still very much tense.

"Sir?" I asked.

Foresight planted a navy hoof on my shoulder. "Well, if you were brought on as a member of the guard, then there would be no need for punishment. After all, a guard, on or off duty, can act in the protection of others, within reason." I refrained with all my heart and soul not to look at the others. I didn't need to. There was no colt or stallion in creation that couldn't sense an 'I told you so' from here to Canterlot.

"Is that a formal invitation?" I asked.

"Is that a yes?" Foresight hummed.

"Sir, can you do that?" Private Breach asked.

"For the Night Guard, yes, apprenticeships come in many forms, Breach. I have found a colt with a spark of talent. I'd be daft to overlook it. Especially with how understaffed the Night Guard has become."

"Glace." I dared not turn. The 'I told you so' hovered over me like a guillotine blade. I swallowed hard. If I pretended Tally wasn't there, she couldn't lord it over me.

"Sir, you can't be serious," Dirk said.

"He'll do it," Azure said. She offered a white-purple hoof to Foresight. This earned a snort from the sergeant and a barely withheld giggle from Breach. I was less amused, and Dirke less than that.

"My my, so young and already forming a herd. I must say, little colt, you are quite the interesting young pony, aren't you?"

"Azure, stop confusing the sergeant," Writ Tally said with a tsk. The barest of pink tingeing her white cheeks.

Tender nodded agreeably. "I'm the one who should be giving Glace to the sergeant." I'd wager a hint of pink on her, too, if you could see past the tangle of gree she called a mane.

"They don't speak for me," I said, pushing past the fillies and offering my own hoof. "Though I've been told I should join the Night Guard more than once this week."

"Following in your dam's hoofsteps, are we?" Foresight asked. He took my hoof in his and gave it a firm shake. "She was the best this side of Baltimare."

My hoof went limp. "You knew my dam?" Of course, he did, at least, as a thestral and Night Guard. The fact he knew she was my dam specifically wasn't surprising. That he could tell how little of her I carried in my looks was even more confounding.

"Belfry was a good friend and a better leader. I'd need to be blind, deaf, and unlearned not to recognize her foal."

"How?" I asked.

The sergeant leaned down and shielded us on one side with a wing. "Thestral secret. But, even so, that look in your eye is Belfry without doubt."

I wish I knew what look he meant. I wish more that I knew what tipped me off, thestral secret or not. It was also possible he had seen me before and was messing with me. He might have, but I doubted that was the answer. As flippant as the sergeant had been, the chips, scuffs, and tears across his forelegs and barrel painted a different image. He wasn't like my Sire, the stalwart rock on which the world could bear down with no strain. Foresight was more edged, a rock for kindling and torch. He led from ahead and bore a hole through the dark. Both embodied unorthodox auras for stallions. They went against the grain, unphased by the whats and whys of it all.

“Oh, and now he has secrets. Watch out, Glace, this one is almost as tricky as little Writ,” Freya said with a titter. She flew around the sergeant, striking faces at her target in complete ignorance. I had to wonder if Freya’s paranoia ran as deep in me as she let on.

"So, where do I start?" I asked.

The sergeant waved past me to the privates and the thief. "First, I believe you owe the two guards here an apology for acting without consent. As well as upstaging the poor daywalkers. Then you need to talk to your sire. There aren't many in Bogwood, I fear. That stallion, he's top of those few behind your dam."

"I can see that," I said. Sire was a force to be reckoned with; that fact was one bit of pride nopony could take from me. "He's as tough as they come."

Foresight rolled his amber eyes. "Right, then, how about you come to see the Night Guard tomorrow evening? We can get things worked out properly from there."

"Yes, sir," I said. I offered a salute before turning and smiling at the two privates. Breach seemed happy enough to return one of her own. Dirk snorted, turned about, and walked back toward the bored-looking captive.

"Well, then. I believe I am due for a few more hours of rest, good day," Foresight said. He offered a lazy wave and took wing.

The rest of us watched as he vanished over the roofs. I let out a deep sigh and slumped forward. "That could have been bad."

Tender patted my back. "But it wasn't."

"And look what happened. A Night Guard offered Glace a job. Gee, I wish anypony else had thought about asking the Night Guard. What a pity," Azure said. She swooned and swayed.

Tally nodded accordingly. "If only."

"Excuse me, young colt."

We four turned to find a Private Breach jogging in place. "I don't mean to be a bother, but if you could, we're having some trouble with your ice." She pointed over her shoulder. Dirk sat glaring at the ice. The thief had taken to whistling with nothing better to do.

"Oh, right. Sorry." I planted a hoof on the trail of ice that led to the thief. I took a deep breath and let the ice disperse. Having not been paying attention, the thief fell forward, face in the mud, rear to the sky. "That better?"

Breach tittered and waved over to Dirk, who was now jabbing the thief, who seemed to be having trouble getting up. "That'll do, thank you."

"I wonder if you gave that mare frostbite? Or did all her legs numb up or fall asleep all at once? The poor thing never stood a chance," Freya mused. She perched herself atop my head and reached toward the still-prone mare. The incorporeal white hoof like mist in the wind.

"Good question."

Azure jabbed me in the side. "What's a good question?"

I jabbed her back. "Just how much of my ice is magic, and how much is normal ice?"

"Well, your ice is a weird color and is super hard to melt. So, a lot of magic. However, you've also made normal ice, too. Hmmmm," Azure fell into a silence.

"Does it matter?" Tender asked.

Tally prodded one off my hooves. "Probably." She continued to jab me with that off-white Faust forsaken hoof of hers until Tender shooed her ascending hoof away.

"Can you stop?" I stepped around Tender Crop, putting the larger filly between me and the bemused number cruncher.

"Can you quit making your talent so complicated?"

"Can you both be quiet? I'm thinking here." Azure huffed, walking past Tally and making her way towards a bench a bit further from the crime scene. If she was that taken to the task, I feared what results she may achieve.

"What were you thinking?"

I didn't have time to turn before I was tackled to the ground by a sniffling Wayward. Tender had mentioned looking for her. We wouldn't have to catch her up at this rate. Tally and Tender helped pull the two of us from the ground.

"I take it you saw the whole guard thing?" Tally asked.

"I was on my way to Azure's when I heard yelling. The next thing I saw was some crazy mare running right at you, and I just froze. I didn't know what I should do. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? Glace took care of it," Tender said. She offered our distressed orange friend a hug, which Wayward accepted without resistance. "Not much you could have done."

"Sorry, Sky, I didn't mean to get you all riled up. I just saw the mare, and, well, the rest came naturally," I said. I joined the hug, and Tally reluctantly followed. Wayward took the chance to collect herself. Azure had sat down on the nearby bench and seemed lost in a self-inflicted daze. I'd really stumped the poor filly.

I hadn't even been really talking to her. Freya had made a point, and I answered without thinking. For her part, Freya floated over Azure, mumbling to herself. Her bright blue eyes gazed past reality, and I doubted she even knew where she was. That left the question: If I knew where Freya was, wouldn't she? That look of hers said otherwise. I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from getting drawn into whatever had their attention. Sky deserved some answers. She'd been busy recently.

"Hey, Sky."

She looked up at me. One ear flopped to the side. It was like looking at a puppy. The slightest tilt of the head, the big, pleading seafoam eyes. It was enough to make one sick. It was enough to plant guilt in the mind of the innocent.

"Yes?"

"You haven't heard much about the last few days, have you?" I asked.

"No, I've been swamped. Sorry, I know you wanted all the help you could get. I haven't been much help, have I?"

I bopped a hoof over her head. "Stop it; you didn't do anything wrong." Sky rubbed a hoof on the spot I'd smacked and pouted.

"He's right, Sky. There is nothing for it. But since you're here. We've got a tale and a half. Yesterday especially," Tender said. The look in her eye, or what could be seen through her tangled mane, glowered in a smoldering anger. The type of heat you get from a slow boil. It wasn't a fire; it was too deliberate and focused. She had a target in mind, and that kept the water hot.

"Was there to tell. Captain Breeze lost her cool," Tally added. Her look took more work to read. It was like she was a puzzle with a piece missing. It was incomplete, complex, and ill-formed all at once. The longer I looked for it, the easier it was to see what Freya meant.

"Captain Breeze?"

"I went in to take an apprenticeship test. It didn't go as well as I'd have hoped," I said.

"It went that bad?" Wayward’s oceanic eyes flicked between Tender and me. Her wings shifted as she gauged Tender's and my reactions. It was like the very sea’s horizon was nervous.

"If by well, you mean she threatened Glace and sent him running all the way to my farm. Then yeah, not so well."

The water was boiling. Tender's focus had been brought down on Wayward's unknowing head. I placed myself between the two. Tender grumbled but made no move to get past me. I offered her a smile. She turned away, hooves crossed.

"Tender isn't very happy with the captain, as you can see."

"She did what?" I fell back on my haunches. Wayward Sky's glare was enough to stun everypony. Even Freya and Azure looked over in surprise. Wayward pulled me into a hug. One might compare to a tight embrace as bear-like in most places. That would be an apt description for most of those situations as well.

In Bogwood, we had a different saying. A hug gone wayward was a saying that was whispered when reflecting on the Wayward herd. It wasn't just Sky who could split a tree between her hooves. No, every Wayward was blessed with an embrace one should fear, even if the closest of friends. The first time Wayward Sky hugged me, back when we could barely walk on our own. She nearly choked me out. It was only due to her dam noticing that I am still around to recant such events.

"Wayward, release," Tally yelled, pulling uselessly at one of Sky's locked-in hooves. Sky blinked twice and relaxed her grip. She didn't let me go, but at the very least, I could breathe again. Her cheeks tinted red, and she finally let go completely.

"Sorry, I just got a bit—"

"Upset?" Tally offered. Wayward nodded. I'd hate to wonder what you'd have done if he'd been hurt for real."

"Buying me a coffin," I suggested. Wayward's cheeks darkened further, her ears flopping down as she considered my rebuttal.

"I wouldn't do that. The Wayward herd helps others, not hurt them. That's what Dam does, what Sire does, and what I do," Sky said. She straightened up, wings pressed hard, seafoam eyes glinting with familial pride. I couldn't help but smile; the fact that her cheeks were still red helped. All the more sunset to appreciate.

"Truer words, never spoken," I said.

"That said, can we get back to things at hoof?" Tally asked. She motioned to Azure. "Let's join Brew and get this all sorted, yeah?"

"Yeah, sure."

The rest of the afternoon trudged by. Wayward was less than pleased about being the last in the know. The look in her eye when Tender emphasized with gusto the scene of me running all the way to the Forage Farm was beguiling. The wap I gave Tender for playing playwright with my story only seemed to deepen the worry on Wayward's face. Tally affirmed that was most of what she'd been told as well. I felt kind of bad. I turned this whole week into 'Look at Glacial Zero' week.

I wrapped a forehoof over my forehead and leaned over the bench side. "This week has been a massive pain in the flank."

Tender let out a grunt. "Well, just look at it this way. It's all behind you now,"

"I'm not all that surprised. Glacial has always been a pain," Tally said. The rest of the girls giggled, their agreement. Why are they my friends again?

"Hey, Glace. Didn't you say you had something you wanted to talk about earlier?" Azure asked. She leaned over and shook my listless form.

I expected Tally to remind me of what I'd said earlier. After Azure got lost in her thoughts, I figured she'd have forgotten completely. That or she'd only recall right after it was done and then be a grump for the next few days.

"I did, but I'll wait until after the Night Guard meeting. I don't want to pile up more drama on top of everything else."

"Too late," Freya said, swooping down and waving an ethereal white hoof through my side like a swooping pegasus through the cloudline. She winked and flew past, turning on a bit and disappearing under the bench and out the other side.

"Not a bad plan," Tally said. She hopped off the bench and spread her pale wings wide. "That said, I still have work to do. So, I'll see the rest of yous later." Tally gave one big beat and was gone with the winds.

"She did the thing again," Tender mused.

"That's what, two or three times today?" Azure asked.

"She must be really distracted if she isn't noticing," I said.

Wayward waved us off. "Or, trying to pretend she didn't."

"Or she is doing it to make you question it. She seems like the type if you ask me." Freya had taken Tally's seat and lounged back far enough to phase through the back and leer out at the shoppers passing by.

"That aside, You think the guards knew about the scene I made yesterday? I must have passed somepony when I ran out of town. That or the weather team could have reported it. You know, if they acted like they cared, it'd be harder to get themselves blamed."

The others shared a blank look. The thought hadn't even crossed their minds. Would it have crossed mine if I had still been Glacial from a week ago? I wasn't even sure I was doing a good job being Glacial. When I tried to play back my memories, the two lives seemed to blend together at the fringes. It left my heart pounding in my ears the longer I tried to pull the two apart. It almost hurt, like something was trying to pull my soul out through my chest. The worst part was, what if the others thought this was due to my mark? If my talent fundamentally changed me, did it? Did it change everypony? Nopony had said anything, but that didn't mean they weren't talking or thinking about it when I was gone.

"That's kind of a strange question, Glace," Wayward said. The others agreed.

I felt like laughing like this was all a bad joke. I bit my lip instead. "Never mind, sorry for bringing it up."

"If you say so," Tender said, turning to Azure. She whispered something to the other filly. I let it be. I meant it when I said I needed fewer issues right now.

I had decided to share my story with Tally, but after Azure made it clear she wanted to know as well, I decided I might as well just tell them all. I wasn't sure what would happen if they didn't believe me or thought I'd lost my mind. I may have, but letting the wound fester under the bandage wouldn't help.

"By the way. If the rest of you are interested in what I was going to tell Azure and Tally, you are welcome to join us. No sense in trying to hide anything after telling Azure. Tartarus, I might as well be telling the whole town at that point."

"Hey!" Azure slugged me in the shoulder. I deserved that.

"That was mean, Glace," Wayward said. At the very least, she made a valiant attempt to hide her smile. Crop made no such attempts. This earned her a sour glare, which only widened the farm filly's chipped smile all the more.

"By the way, we should tell somepony about the thief thing. You know, before the guards do. I won't speak for your parents, but I doubt my sire is going to be all too happy about it, especially after yesterday.

"Oh, Bograt." Tender jumped to her hooves. "He's right. Aunt Bramble would tan my hide if the guard came a knocking."

"Well, Wayward should be fine, at least. She didn't show up until after the whole thing. So, at least one from our season will survive to tell our tale," I said. I did not attempt to leave the bench. Neither did Wayward, cementing my point further.

"Dang it, Glace." Azure was already trotting in place, having leaped from the bench and over Tender. "Why did you have to say something? That's super bad luck, you know."

I shrugged. "I'm stuck here regardless. So, see you girls later. I'll remember you if you vanish in the night or something." I waved at the fleeing fillies.

"I don't think they heard you."

I looked over to Sky and smiled. "Probably."

Sky pointed up the road coming from the port side of town. "But, he might."

I followed her look. I took a single breath and screamed into the void of my mind. Up the road, accompanied by a Day Guard, Private Breach, If I was seeing correctly, was my sire. I looked back to Wayward.

"Run," I whispered. It took a second for the command to register. She offered me a gentle smile and took wing. I was unsure how Sire would respond, and if he was going to flay me, I wished there would be as few witnesses as possible. That was the issue, though. Even as both Private Breach and Father drew closer. I noticed that while stoic most of the time, the layer of marble he'd etched this mask from was a whole new kind of untellable.

"There he is, right where we left him. Not sure where the fillies went, though," Private Breach said, pointing my way. She smiled at my father, who seemed solely focused on reaching me at the quickest pace he could muster without leaving Breach in the dust.

I offered a wave. "Sire, private, pleasant afternoon, isn't it?"

"Sure is," Breach said. The two stopped a hoof length from the bench.

"Ma'am, I appreciate your coming to get me and ensuring my colt was well. However, I'd like to speak to them alone, if I may," Father turned and eyed the private.

Breach seemed only vaguely aware of the storm brewing. She simply tilted her head, a single ear twitching as she hummed. "Of course, and please, think nothing of it. It would be unprofessional for a guardmare to leave a parent unaware." She saluted, turned about-face, and was gone as quickly as she'd arrived.

"She's nice," I said. Father narrowed his eyes. I coughed into a hoof and struggled not to wilt under his gaze.

"Stopping crime now, are we?"

I could feel every hair from my neck down my back stand on end. "Not intentionally."

Father squinted harder, and I buckled completely. I couldn't help but look anywhere other than Father's eyes. Several locals took a single look in my direction before making themselves scarce. It wasn't their problem, so why would they pay it any mind?

"Freezing a mare in her tracks was an accident?" Father asked.

"Not exactly." I didn't know what he wanted to hear. What Weathered Horizon, the unflinching pillar of a pony, the foundation I'd always relied on, wanted.

Hal or not, before this stallion, I was a foal, his foal. I had a feeling that knowing and even accepting the change I'd gone through wouldn't affect his views in the slightest. For neither storm nor night would ever break his gaze from the horizon, he sailed forth to find. But his teal, nearly glowing gaze dared me to think otherwise.

"Colt."

"She had a knife and was running at me and the others. I just wanted to protect them." I was made aware of a stinging in the corners of my eyes. I was crying, and I hated it. The thought of doing nothing made me angry and seething, but leaving my father alone because I couldn't leave the guards to do their jobs made me even more furious.

I had focused too hard on my tears. I didn't notice when Father had sat beside me, nor when he wrapped a wing around me and pulled me to his side. It broke something in me, a wall I'd forged on my own. With it breaking, the tears came plenty. I cried silently, pressed to my sire's side as he sat and waited. When my tears had stemmed, Father loosed his grip, and I managed to sit up, even if I was still between his side and his winged grip.

"Better?" Father asked. I nodded. "So much like your dam."

I clearly looked up to Father's face. The mask had dropped at least a bit. I could see the phantom signs of a smile at the edges of his lip. "Dam?" I asked.

"She was the type to throw herself between others and danger. It is why she and Bramble were so close. Those two were trouble incarnate."

I smirked between sniffles. "Really?"

"Faust above, those two were a sight to behold. It's what drew me to Belfry to begin with. A spirit as unshakable at the heavens above. "

I pressed myself to Father's side. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," he said. His smile grew just a bit wider.

I blanched. "But I—" Father placed a hoof on my head.

"You wouldn't be Belfry's colt if you were sorry for protecting your friends." Father looked down and ruffled my mane gently. "I'd be disappointed if you were."

"You're not mad?" I asked.

Weathered Horizon looked at me, face scrunched in confused bewilderment. His smile twisted into a bemused smirk. "No, not mad. Scared that my colt could have been hurt, upset I was not there to protect you, sad your dam was not here to see you spit in the face of fear. But no, never mad or angry. You would stand your ground. Above all, though, Colt, I am proud. This week has not been easy for you. Even I can see that much. But still, even when the easiest thing you could have done was run or hide, You acted. I am not happy you needed to do so, nor am I encouraging you to do so recklessly. But, I am still proud, and all the same."

I was crying again, but this time, I felt happy. Father held me close as I shed the last of my tears. I felt better than I had in days, all the sleepless nights and worries with my talent and Hal's memories. They had left me barely stumbling along. This was a long time coming. Freya had been right; I should have trusted my sire from the beginning.

"About the incident," I said.

Father raised a brow.

"A Night Guard saw what I did. He offered me an apprenticeship. He said I reminded him of Dam, too."

Father let out a dry chuckle. "Let me guess. Foresight?"

I nodded. "Foresight."

"He would recruit you if there is one pony in town who would take you on without a second thought. It would be that fool."

"You don't like him?" I asked.

Father shook his head. "He's a good stallion. He has my respect."

It was my turn to raise a brow. "But?"

"But, he's as reckless as they come."

"Sounds like Bramble," I mused.

"And your dam," Father agreed.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked.

"Maybe for some. I think he might do you some good. Learn to defend yourself and others, and put your magic to good use. Learn about your other half." Father's words petered out. He looked towards the slowly lowering sun in the late afternoon sky.

He was right. "I think I should do it."

Father nodded. "Then do so."

"You're going to tell him, aren't you?" Freya asked. She had sidled in between Father's wing and myself. I nodded.

I'd tell him after the others. Then I deal with the fallout, whatever that might be. It would become more complicated the longer I waited. They all deserved that much. The question was how many more would find out if it climbed the ranks to Canterlot. I wasn't sure what Celestia might do or what she already knew.

"I'm proud of you, too, by the way," Freya said.

"I know," I whispered back.