In a land where the weather is controlled and micromanaged by its inhabitants one is rarely caught off guard by a change in the weather. With Pegasus weather teams all over Equestria, Ponies can expect to know when it is a good day to go out and enjoy nature or when to stay indoors. But even this system has its flaws. Sometimes mishaps happen.
It was to the surprise of many when a simple winter night turned into the coldest and most violent snowstorm Ponyville had ever experienced. Although many hooves were pointed, no one was able to find out the real reason for the sudden shift in weather.
But like countless other times, the citizens of Ponyville were able to look adversity in its face and laugh their troubles away.
In her Library, Twilight was engrossed in a tome about theoretical physics, blissfully unaware of the chaos that raged outside. Upstairs, Spike slept peacefully. As he dreamt of heroic deeds and romantic escapades with Rarity, the baby dragon smiled contentedly.
At Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie entertained the young Cake twins. The Cakes enjoyed the calm inside their shop, a welcome change from the usual influx of customers.
"I know! How about I tell you a story?" Pinkie asked the Foals.
"Gahhhhgblrrr!" Was the happy, enthusiastic response.
As Pinkie told the story of a sad and lost colt, (who of course found happiness after attending one of her parties) the twins giggled, oblivious to anything she said.
At Carousel Boutique, Rarity had found inspiration in the blizzard, and was hard at work on her new winter line of clothing. Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo were discussing new ideas on how to obtain their cutie marks.
"Windigo hunters!" Exclaimed Scootaloo.
"Ice sculptors!" Suggested Applebloom.
"Mid-flight rocket repair ponies!" Chirped Sweetie Belle.
The young unicorn grinned as her two friends stared in confusion.
Up in her cloud home, Rainbow Dash observed the weather with a frown.
"Stupid snowstorms, getting in the way of my practice sessions... I bet this is the fault of those three idiots in Cloudsdale..." Shaking her hoof at the sky, Rainbow gave a look that would make cheese into fondue.
In Cloudsdale three Stallions looked behind their shoulders, suddenly ill at ease.
At Sweet Apple Acres, Granny Smith told stories of an ancient, legendary creature who brought inclement weather wherever it travelled. Applejack listened with interest as Big Macintosh hid under a blanket with the smartypants doll in hoof.
"It's said that this creature is older than the Princesses. Older than time itself!" Said Granny Smith as dramatically as possible.
"So is it evil? Is that why it causes the weather to be bad?" Asked Applejack.
"No one knows. Some say it is lost. Others say it's cursed." Said Granny in a conspiratorial tone.
Big Mac gulped. "A c-curse? Do ya think that it's out there? Ya know? Causin' this big ol' storm?"
"Of course not ya whippersnapper! It's just a story." Granny Smith frowned at her grandson. Applejack giggled.
Out by the forest, Fluttershy was busy comforting critters in her cottage. The animals, more in tune with nature than ponies, were greatly distressed by this storm. From what she had gathered from the agitated critters, something unnatural was travelling in the storm.
"Don't worry my friends. The storm will pass. You'll be safe here." Said the timid Pegasus with a comforting smile.
An unnatural feeling she could not describe began creeping up on her. Shivering, she laid by her fireplace. "Nothing to worry about... It will be over soon."As sudden as the feeling came, it disappeared. Soon, overtaken by tiredness Fluttershy fell gently to sleep.
Inside their homes the citizens of Ponyville were safe and blissfully ignorant of what lurked outside...
A horrendous bellowing resonated in the hellish frozen landscape. Something had changed along with the weather. A foreign feeling of dread from things that were not natural in this world of harmony stalked the land.
A silent cacophony of desperate cries, primordial and savage, unnatural sounds that were not truly heard but were rather felt, traveled with the wind.
A lone Pegasus galloped for his life in the raging storm.
Behind him was an indescribable presence. The "thing" pursuing him had no real shape, or texture. There was a distorting effect surrounding the area where it should have been. The environment was contorted into impossible geometrical shapes that befuddled the mind.
"Please! Let me be! Have I not suffered enough?!" The Pegasus cried desperately, tears streaming freely from his eyes.
Cease thine incorrigible fool's errand!
Listen to the carrion
Surely thou hearest the plight of the cipher?
The voice was similar to the demonic hubbub. It was a monotonous collective of voices that was both disturbingly emotionless and dead yet full of all sorts of sentiment.
"No...No... Leave me be!" The Pegasus wanted nothing more than to just give up. He was tired of running; he was tired of being afraid.
The shadow was gaining upon him. His will was running out.
Elegiac sonata, lucid stillness, indifferent disquietude
A way had to be found to put an end to the dirge
"This is it... After all this time..."
Alas, it was inexorable, irrefutable, insurmountable.
Join thy brethren! Embrace thine fate, thine malediction.
"If I give up it will just get worse. I gave up all those years ago... and look what happened... I must go on." Suddenly something caught his eye. "A house? A village! Help! Somepony, help me! Please!"
Inside their houses the residents of Ponyville shuddered. They knew not why, but they were instantly filled with an increasing feeling of dread.
With renewed resolve, the Pegasus gained some distance from his tormentor. At the very entrance of the town, the Pegasus tripped and fell face first into the frozen creek, under a bridge.
"HELP ME! PLEASE, HELP!"
With infernal speed the pursuer approached the now immobile Pegasus.
Curled up in a fetal position, the Pegasus shuddered violently. Not from cold, but from pure horror.
"Helpmehelpmehelpmehelpmehelpme..."
Seconds from what seemed to be the end, the 'thing' abruptly stopped, as if colliding with a wall.
Lest thou withstand undying, ad infinitum...
With a tremendous shriek the 'thing' vanished in an instant. With it went the storm. The howling winds and unnatural storm ceased immediately.
Lying in a pathetic pile, the pegasus remained shuddering. Soon exhaustion took over his senses and he fell into a restless sleep.
In due time
The folly will end, this longer measure of existence
Providence shall not be denied
For it is a terrible beauty.
"Oh no, poor little squirrels..." Fluttershy said with sadness as she approached a group of the trembling little critters. Although the past night's snowstorm had passed, clouds covered the sky and Ponyville remained unnaturally cold.
"Here, it's not much but I hope it helps." True to her nature, Fluttershy put others before her. Handing over her scarf to the small creatures she quickly began to feel the cruel bite of the cold. "Alright my pretties, now you can all share my scarf and be warm inside your homes." Immediately, the squirrels began bickering and fighting for dominance over it.
"So cute." Fluttershy smiled contentedly.
As the conflict escalated poor Fluttershy was shoved into the frozen creek right under a bridge.
"Eeep!" Landing on top of a pile of snow, the timid Pegasus looked apologetically towards the fighting squirrels.
"Is it something I said? I'm sorry..."
Fluttering towards the rambunctious rodents she failed to notice that the pile of snow she had landed on had begun to move.
"I'm so sorry if I offended you... I know!" The yellow pony suddenly became more animated. "Here have my coat."
Despite her discomfort and uncontrollable shivering, Fluttershy smiled warmly at the bickering animals.
Rarity, ever the lady, had woken up extra early to check on her friends and make sure all was alright. She was just on her way back from the tree library, heading to Fluttershy's cottage.
"Fluttershy!" Gasped Rarity as she saw her friend, who produced a small "meep!" "Fluttershy, you simply mustn't go around town without any winter gear in a day like today." Gasping once more, the fashionista struck a dramatic pose. "Ideaaaaaa! Fluttershy, you would be the perfect model for my new winter line. Come now!"
Without waiting for a response she used her magic to drag the shy pegasus towards the boutique.
Beneath the bridge, a stallion emerged from the pile of snow Fluttershy had landed on. He was a Pegasus, shorter and leaner than average. His coloration seemed to be on the grayscale, with only his cutie mark being a different color. It was a golden horseshoe with fiery wings.
His face was solemn, he looked young yet worn out by time. Deep sadness and regret filled his dark eyes.
Slowly he contemplated his surroundings. Catching sight of the bickering rodents he made his way up to the tree they were by.
He regarded the critters for a moment. Unaware of his presence the squirrels bumped against him. Unlike Fluttershy, however, he was not so easily knocked around. Finally aware of the presence of this strange stallion, the squirrels fled, forgetting all about the cause of their fighting.
The stallion blinked, as if confused and looked at the coat and scarf. As if on cue, he began to shiver.
"Where am I?" He asked out loud. Suddenly he remembered what had transpired the night before.
"Something caused, It to flee. Harmony... It mentioned harmony. Maybe..."
Picking up the coat and scarf, he began making his way towards the small town.
"Well this was a great idea wasn't it? 'Let's go towards Canterlot' she said 'There the Princesses will surely grant us our wishes' she said. Except you have no idea how to get there!" Exclaimed a young pegasus filly.
"Could you stop your whining for once Lachesis?" Said a slightly older Unicorn filly. "And Clotho, would you kindly stop eating the snow, you might get sick. Not to mention it's utterly disgusting."
The youngest of the three, a small earth pony filly protested loudly. "But Atropos! I'm soooooo hungry!!"
"How 'bout a hoof sammich?" Asked Lachesis with an evil grin. Without waiting for a response she punched the small filly.
"That was totally unnecesary!" Exclaimed Atropos.
"What?! She was asking for it. Besides, she ain't even cryi-ooof!"
Clotho had thrown a snow ball at Lachesis, hitting her square in the face. "Why you!" The pegasus filly tackled they small earth pony who was in the process of performing her 'evil laughter'.
"Girls! Stop it! I swear, you two are just like colts!" Said the unicorn as she stood by uselessly.
"Hey, who are you calling a colt?" protested the Pegasus.
"Yeah! You... You ugly... Old gramma!"
"Old?!" Atropos exclaimed with indignation. "I'm barely older than you two. Just because I'm more mature doesn't me-eek!"
Snowballs seemed to fly from all directions as the small unicorn was assaulted by the other two fillies.
"Oh now you've done it..." She said, her angry eyes burning through the pile of snow she was now under.
"Oh oh..." Squeaked little Clotho.
"Ah, Ponyfeathers." Gulped Lachesis as a mountain of snow formed above her. Staring stupidly above her, she remained immobile. Suddenly the aura of magic surrounding the gargantuan pile of snow disappeared, and gravity did what it does best. The young pegasus filly attempted to evade the crushing snow, but alas it was too late.
Shifting her merciless gaze towards the little earth pony, Atropos began forming another giant pile of snow.
Clotho, not wasting any time, began running away as fast as her tiny legs would allow her to go.
"Ahhhhhhhh-ooof!" Suddenly her mad dash for survival cut short as she collided against a pair of gray legs.
"Come here you little twerp! I'll put you in a box and..." The unicorn stopped on her tracks, and gazed at the gray Pegasus in front of her. Something about him made her feel slighty uneasy.
"Err... I mean come here my precious little sister... We have to get going... He he he..." Atropos laughed nervously. "Um, good morning mister."
The grey stallion was looking down at the small filly, sprawled by his forelegs. Clotho in turn stared wide eyed at the strange stallion in front of her.
"It's cold outside." He simply said. If he was bothered at all by the awkwardness of the scene he didn't show it.
"No really?" Said Lachesis, who had just emerged from her snowy prison.
"Sister! Don't be rude! I'm sorry sir. My sister can be a little trying at times." She said while gazing angrily at her. The pegasus just rolled her eyes.
"Here." The stallion gave the coat he had been carrying to the youngest of the fillies. "You can share it with your sister." He said, looking at the Pegasus filly.
He looked at the unicorn "Sorry, it's all I got." He said as he handed over the scarf.
"Oh, it's ok. Um, thank you sir!" Said Atropos confused, but grateful.
"I have a name, you know." Said Lachesis as she wrapped the coat against herself and her youngest sister. She tried to look as tough and intimidating as she could, which is to say she actually looked totally adorable.
A sad, little smile formed on the stallion's lips. "And what might it be?" He asked with genuine interest.
The young pegasus had a maroon coat, with piercing green eyes. Despite the fact that she was obviously tomboyish, her long black mane was well kept and tied in an elaborately made braid. Somehow, it was still neatly in place despite her recent activity. Her cutie mark was a ruler.
"I'm La-" Atropos gave her a worried look, they had gotten unwanted attention in the past due to their unusual names. "I'm Laurel."
"What? We are making up names now? Oh, oh I wanna be Princess Nebula the Magnificent!" Exclaimed the tiny earth pony. Atropos and Lachesis facehoofed at the same time. She liked this stallion. He had given her his warm coat! It kinda smelled and looked like it would belong to a mare, but- hey to each his own!
"What's up with your leg?" she asked suddenly.
The stallion looked confused. He regarded the young filly for a second. Her coat was tan, her friendly eyes were a soft sky blue and her short mane was orange, styled similarly to her sister's. Due to her young age, she still lacked a cutie mark.
He looked at his leg, and thought about what had happened. It was so very long ago. He frowned at the memory.
"Hey! She asked you a question!" Lachesis' exclamation brought the stallion back to the present moment.
Just as Atropos was about to chide her sister for being rude, the grey pegasus replied. "It's a prosthesis."
Clotho just stared, not knowing what the word was.
"A what now?"
Atropos the only one who knew what it was brought a hoof to her mouth. "I apologize sir. It's none of our business." She blushed, embarrassed at her sisters' inquisitive natures.
"I'm Atropos, my sisters are Lachesis, and Clotho. Pleased to meet you." She stated in an effort to change the subject.
The grey stallion was now observing the unicorn. She was exceptionally polite and mature for her age. Her coat was dark green, her gentle eyes where magenta. Her Crimson mane was styled in a similar way to her sisters, albeit more intricately so. Her cutie mark was an open book with the last letter of the equestrian alphabet on the right page. The left page was blank.
"It's a false leg I have to wear, since I lost my real one." He said looking back to Clotho.
Atropos winced. Lachesis relaxed her features a little. Feeling a little guilty now for thinking so harshly of this stranger.
"Oooh, like a pirate?!" Too young to understand, Clotho said the first thing that came to her mind.
Atropos nearly fainted, turning pale from the embarrasment. She wanted to crawl into a hole. How could her sister be so insensitive?
Even Lachesis knew this wasn't a proper thing to say. In a vain attempt to hide her embarrasment she pulled the coat's hoodie down until it covered her eyes.
The stallion looked at the little filly, he had the same pensive expression as before. Suddenly, and to the older fillies' surprise the stallion chuckled a little. It was short and barely audible. He smiled "Yes. I suppose so."
Before her sister could open her mouth again, Atropos
levitated her towards her. "He he... oh my! Look at the time, I'm sorry sir but we have to go!"
"Wait!" Exclaimed Lachesis, to everyone's surprise.
She blushed a little as she suddenly found herself the center of attention. Quickly composing herself she remarked "You never told us your name."
The gray stallion looked as if confused. That was a good question. What was his name? He hadn't heard it in a while. He hadn't used it himself in a while. Well, his pony name at least.
"M-Mael... Maelstrom? Yes. That is my pony name, Maelstrom. At your service." He said giving a small hoof gesture.
"Pony name? What do you mean by that?"
"Maelstrom is only my pony name. I have other names but those are for other species."
"Oh I get it! You have different names among other species. So are you like some sort of traveler?"
"Something like that."
"Cool! Can you tell us about your travels?" asked Clotho.
"Sure. Although most of the time no one believes my stories. They get pretty bizarre, well at least for this world's standards. If I were to tell of my adventures here somewhere else they'd think them peculiar too. It's all based on time, history, location, genetics, culture, even diet sometimes."
"What are you talking about?" said Lachesis while inspecting the weird stallion. Somehow he got weirder by the second.
As the four of them walked towards Ponyville Maelstrom told of his fantastic (and delusional in Lachesis' opinion) stories. He reminisced of times past.
He then thought about last night and shuddered. No matter how many times he had been pursued by his tormentor, he would never get used to it. But something had changed this time, something that had never happened before.
This time the cruel entity hadn't caught him.
