They rushed outside, and as the doors were flung open they all were blinded by the whiteness. “What the hell?!” the stallion knight yelled.
Amberleaf, Starlight, and Celestia’s two champions stood transfixed. A light blanket, perhaps three or four inches of snow had covered everything. The snow was still falling in thick heavy clumps, and Starlight shivered as they were blasted with icy wind. Amberleaf spoke in awe. “So, it begins.” Amberleaf looked over at the mare and stallion that were sent by Celestia to accompany them. “You two, who are you two?” she asked, and they tore their eyes away from the snowfall and looked at Amberleaf. "What are your names?”
The stallion spoke first. “I am Maelstrom,” he pointed at the other mare. “That is Callista.”
Callista stepped forward. “We are Celestia’s champions, and we’re always together.” She gestured to the wedding band around her hoof. “We’re married.”
Maelstrom held his wife’s hoof, their wedding bands gleaming in the white light. He grinned, pride sparking in his eyes. “We are known as the twin terrors in battle, the most kick-ass couple in all of Equestria.”
The wind howled especially loud, and Starlight’s face was blasted with icy powder. He shivered. “The storm is intensifying. We must make haste.”
They all nodded, and ran outside. Starlight was buffeted by the wind, the freezing snow spraying onto his hooves and torso as they dashed though the courtyard. All four of them spread their wings, preparing for flight.
There was a blast of heat and a wall of fire blazed in front of them. Callista screamed, narrowly avoiding the flame. Starlight crashed to the ground, sticking his face in the snow to cool the burn on his snout. He raised his head, and saw the flame disappear and Brightmane was standing there, smirking. “Where do you four think you’re going?” Two dragons who had breathed the wall of flame stood at his side. “Trying to redeem those traitors, Luna and Snowhoof?”
“Piss off, Brightmane.” Maelstrom hissed. “Get out of our way.”
“Oh-ho,” Brightmane laughed. “I like you, but too bad I’m going to have to burn all of you.”
Amberleaf stepped forward. “Why? What are you up to, Brightmane?”
The Keeper of Summer laughed, and the dragons prepared to fight them. “Well, it’s obvious. Snowhoof has given us the perfect excuse to wage war on one another, and I’ve been fueling the flames of this conflict. Because when all the wars, bloodshed, and conquests are over, the races of my domain will benefit the most from the conflict.” The dragons grinned and roared, and Brightmane gave them a wolfish grin. “As the dragons and all my other races expand their territories, I too, will be able to expand my seasonal boundary. Summer will reign supreme, and I will be the most powerful alicorn.”
Amberleaf grunted in anger. “You are not taking any of my territory, and you will not kill any more of my people. Not if I can help it.”
“Oh, look at little Amberleaf being so brave.” Brightmane scoffed. “Resistance is futile. Soon, the races of your season and Lilyheart’s season will be replaced by the races of Summer, and killing Snowhoof will be easy then. Armies of dragons will descend upon his territory, and as the Keeper of Winter takes his last breath, it’ll be eternal summer! I will have year-round control of the climate of Equestria!”
“Who the hell does this guy think he is?” Maelstrom whispered to Callista.
Brightmane and his dragons stepped forward. “Prepare to fight!”
The dragons charged Starlight at the same time, and he barely managed to avoid their claws. There was a howl from behind them and a dozen of gryphon soldiers swarmed the dragons and Brightmane. King Lightheart rushed in front of them and stared at them. “You guys have to go! Now! You’re running out of time!”
Starlight nodded. They spread their wings and took off, and he saw Lightheart join the fight. Brightmane and the dragons were howling in frustration as the gryphons slashed at them. The sound of the battle faded away as they sped away.
All Starlight could hear now was the howling of the wind. The air currents were turbulent and ice lashed his face. The weather is getting worse as we go south, Starlight thought. It’s true. Snowhoof has betrayed us.
Starlight wondered about Luna. No, she would never do this. He knew Luna, she had been redeemed. Starlight shivered. What has Snowhoof done to Luna and the other guests at Iceheart Citadel?
***
They had been flying for several hours, their progress hindered by the powerful winds. The gusts tossed them around, whipping them back and forth. Through his struggle, he heard a sound. It was the howl of the wind, but it seemed shriller and steadier as if it was coming from a single source instead of all around him.
He ignored it in his exhaustion. It was becoming too difficult to fly, and all he could see up here was white. Every once in a while he caught the flash of Callista’s gray tail, the sound of Amberleaf struggling, and a muffled curse from Maelstrom.
There was another shrill howl of the wind, but this time it hurt his ears. Was it getting closer? What’s going on? Starlight blinked and stared at the horizon. He could see faint lights scattered on the ground…The gryphon refugee camps! They could take shelter there!
He heard Amberleaf scream from somewhere in front of him, and the sound of Callista and Maelstrom shouting. What happened? Starlight frantically thought. Everything grew still then. The wind stopped and Starlight could see the world around him. A spectral pegasi with glowing blue eyes appeared before him. It was about the size of Celestia and was staring at them with its piercing eyes. A Tempest!
Amberleaf, Callista, and Maelstrom were nowhere to be seen. Starlight searched for them, but could not find them. He stared at the Tempest. “What have you done to them?!”
The Tempest continued to stare at Starlight with its baleful eyes. “Where are they?!” he demanded.
The Tempest screamed, and with a flourish of its wings there was such an intense blast of wind that Starlight was knocked out of the sky. His world spun out of control as he spiraled downward. The wind felt like whips on his back, beating him down with rapidly changing and powerful gusts, cutting him as the icy shards falling from the sky were blasted at him. He could hardly breathe, and flecks of his own blood sprayed his face and body.
Throughout, he could hear the scream of the Tempest. He hit the ground hard, his wings mangled and broken. The thick, five foot blanket of snow cushioned his fall, but the impact jarred him and he couldn’t move. His vision was fading, and he felt his warm blood trickling down his belly, mixing in with the snowy tomb around him.
He wanted to sleep, but he knew if he slept now, he would never wake up. The shrill scream of the Tempest was gone now, and he struggled to stand in the heavy snow. The cold seared at his exposed skin, and freezing the wound. Starlight was bleeding from the cuts he had received, some were deep where others were only scratches, and his wings looked like the tattered sails of an abandoned ship.
Where are my friends? Starlight desperately thought. He began trudging through the snow, the cold powder spilling over his head as he tunneled through. The gryphon camp had been ahead, he just had to get there before…
The spectral wolves appeared before him. They were here to claim him. To lull him to sleep as the cold numbed his body. Frostbites!
He fought through the snow. They ran alongside him, waiting for his body to drop below a certain temperature…He frantically struggled, his breath raggedy and the cold burning his lungs. One of the wolves leapt forward and bit his front hoof. He screamed as there was a spike of pain there, and then it suddenly went away. He looked at his hoof and saw that the tissue where the wolf had bitten him was dark gray and dead, frostbitten.
He struggled, but it was as if he was going through an endless sea of white. Each movement became more exhausting, and he screamed as another Frostbite bit his hindleg. They would bite his extremities first to immobilize him, and then finally they would bite his heart and kill him.
It would be a painless death once he reached a certain point. He would go completely numb, the nerves in his frostbitten limbs dead and unresponsive, so he would feel no pain…He would actually feel warm right before he died. It was a bit of mercy on the part of the Frostbites.
He didn't want to die. Yet his resolve to keep going began to fade as the wolves continued biting him, the frostbite spreading up his legs. Soon he would lose control of his legs….
His thoughts became exhausted and slow, and he stumbled. He could no longer feel any of his legs, and his world was a white blur. He saw a line of snow coated evergreen trees up ahead, and a cluster of lights. He would never get to that building.
He fell, the cold surrounding him as he lay there. The Frostbites stared at him as he felt a pleasurable warmth coursing through his veins. The wolves were drawing closer to him as his vision faded and went black.
***
“Starlight!” A mare’s voice screamed, but it felt so far. Starlight was too tired to answer her, and ignored her.
“Starlight! Wake up!” It was a different mare this time, but the voice was much sweeter and melodic…he wanted to know where such a beautiful voice was coming from. He opened his eyes, and saw a bright light. Was he dead?
He saw her figure then, and she spread her wings. An angel, how sweet.
Slowly, the figure became more defined and color began to appear. He moved and he heard water sloshing at the movement. “He’s waking up!” A stallion yelled. Maelstrom? Was he dead too?
His vision became clear and he realized that he was indeed alive. He was in a brightly lit room with medical equipment lying around everywhere. He had been submerged in boiling water, and he saw Amberleaf then. She smiled and spoke. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re awake!”
It had been her voice. She had been calling him. Starlight’s heart fluttered as she rubbed his hoof. It was back to its normal color and he could faintly feel her touch. She leaned in close and began to nuzzle him, singing softly to him.
“How did I get here?” he asked, his voice a soft whisper.
“You were at lying at the door of the building, almost dead.”
Starlight was confused. How had he got there? He remembered blacking out….
“Hey, look who finally decided to wake up!” He heard Maelstrom joke loudly. “I thought you might be giving us the cold shoulder, but I guess not!”
Callista groaned and put her hoof on her forehead. “If the frost didn’t kill him, your bad puns will.”
Amberleaf was still nuzzling him and she whispered in his ear. “I thought I had lost you….”
Starlight stared wide eyed at the Keeper of Autumn. When he thought of the alicorns, he thought them to be above this kind of love. Or perhaps he just wasn’t expecting such feelings from them. Starlight kissed Amberleaf on the cheek, and she blushed. Even though she was one of the most powerful beings in Equestria, she still had a heart capable of loving a mortal stallion like him.
Maelstrom appeared beside Amberleaf. “Do you two need a room?”
Starlight almost said “yes”, but he couldn’t get the words out. Amberleaf backed away from Starlight, and he groaned, wanting her to come back. Did he love her as well? How could he have not noticed his own feelings for her?
Callista sighed. “Guys, we have a problem. This is a refugee camp, and according to the log we found in the main office, there was supposed to be at least a thousand refugees here. But this place is empty.”
Amberleaf was concerned. “Are you sure they’re gone? Where could they be? They wouldn’t leave with a storm like this howling outside.”
Maelstrom nodded. “We found something, it turns out these gryphons have technologies that us ponies are unfamiliar with. In the main office, there are screens with what appears to be a live feed from security cameras all over the camp.”
Callista stared gravely at them. “The cameras have been recording, and we saw what happened to the refugees. You guys have to see this….”