//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 - The Frozen North // Story: Cadance The Crystal Princess // by Sean Tan the Brony //------------------------------// The Frozen North, two days after Cadance's awakening "Lieutenant, report!" Shining Armor barked. "Nothing yet, sir. Just endless snow and some boulders as far as my eyes can see." Flash Sentry responded, his wings flapping as he hovered above the terrain. "That's what the frost animals want you to think," Dew Nourish interjected, striding past the sergeant as she continued. "The frost animals will use the surrounding snow to camouflage themselves and lie in wait for their prey to wander into their trap." "What do the frost animals look like?" Twilight asked with concerns. "They resemble the creatures in the Everfree Forest, but with notable differences," Clover explained, her tone grave as she continued. "The Frozen North has changed them. The frost animals are encased in indestructible crystals that cover their entire bodies, except for their eyes. The Frost Wolves have developed heightened agilities compared to their forest counterparts. The Glacial Bears have razor-sharp icicles claws and teeth that can rend through even the toughest armor. The Ice Worms have the abilities for burrow underground to surprise attack and to breathe out icy blasts that freeze their prey in an instant." "Clovy's right." Hurricane interjected, his gaze scanning the horizon for any signs of movement as he continued. "They're very cunning and adaptable, blending seamlessly into the snowy terrain." Spike tightened his grip around Twilight's neck, his fear palpable. "Understood," Flash Sentry said, trying to conceal his unease. "You seem well-informed about these creatures," The prince said, his curiosity piqued. The unicorn mare exchanged a solemn glance with the commander and the combat medic before answering Shining Armor's inquiry. "We've encountered them before, during our time in the Frozen North looking for Princess Amore's scattered fragments. We lost good ponies and creatures to those frost animals." Shining's ears drooped as his expression softened. "I'm sorry to hear that," He said. "It sounded like you three have been through a lot." "It's alright." Clover replied, her voice carrying a hint of resilience as she continued. "We have made peace with their deaths." The prince nodded in understanding, before concentrating on their task. The six ponies and a dragon continued to make their way through the Frozen North, an inhospitable place that was seemingly just snow and boulders for miles and miles on end. So far, they hadn’t spotted any signs of frost animals within the last two days. The seven trudged on for a few more hours in silence before anypony or anycreature spoke again. "So what's with your wings and your horn?" Spike asked Hurricane and Clover. "They looked different from your coats." "Spike!" The Princess of Friendship gently chided him. "It's all right, Princess Twilight." The commander assured her before turning his head to Spike and answered. "As for my wings and Clover's horn, after a thousand years have passed, we started to try to find a way out of the Frozen North. While we were looking, we found some of the Crystal Imperial guards wandering in the Frozen North. We found out that they were looking for Princess Amore's scattered fragments, so we decided to help them. Over time, as we continued to help find Amore's pieces and help, both my wings and Clover's horn gradually shifted to mirror the colors of the Crystal Empire as a symbol of solidarity and collaboration." The dragon nodded as he absorbed the weight of Hurricane's words. "That's pretty incredible." he remarked. The unicorn mare chuckled as she interjected. "It's been quite the journey, indeed." She said. "But seeing the transformation of our wings and horn serves as a constant reminder of the bonds we've forged and the purpose we've embraced." Flash hummed himself as he thought before he turned to Shining and asked. "How could anypony or anycreature adapted to this cold place?" The sun had begun to dip lower on the horizon, casting its final rays across the landscape. The twilight sky begun to unfurl like a canvas of shimmering hues above them. "That's actually a really good question." The prince said before turning his head to Dew Nourish and asked. "How do you three manage to withstand this cold? It's freezing." The combat medic offered a small smile in response to Shining Armor's question. "It's not easy." She admitted. "But years of living here have taught us to adapt. We've learned to layer our clothing, find shelter when needed, and keep moving to generate warmth." Shining nodded in acknowledgment. "It's impressive how resilient you've all become." He remarked. Hurricane held up a hoof to signal the others to stop and spoke up. “We should rest here for the night.” The prince nodded his head in agreement and said. "Agree. Flash, set up the tents." "I will be on a lookout for any sign of frost animals." Dew spoke as she unslung her spear. With the combat medic on the lookout, the others got to work. A small cooking fire was kindled by Spike, three tents with sleeping bags in them were set up and rations arranged for the night. As night finally rolled in they sat by the fire, enjoying the warmth as the unforgiving cold of the night got even more colder. The dragon rummaged through his saddlebag and withdrew a medium-sized plastic bag, his chuckle tinged with nervousness when Twilight looked that and arched an eyebrow at him. "Marshmallows? Really, Spike?" The Princess of Friendship questioned. "What? It's been ages time since we've done this together." Spike reasoned as he shrugged sheepishly. "He does make a compelling point, LSBFF." Shining said. Twilight looked back and forth between her number-one assistant and his brother, before a smile spreading across her face and said. "You know what? You're right." Spike smiled and teared the packet, carefully distributing the treats evenly. The Princess of Friendship converted some snow into sticks. They cooked the marshmallows on the open flame; Twilight, Shining and Clover held theirs in their magical aura while the others used the sticks. A while later, Spike rose from his spot to offer marshmallows to Dew, leaving the rest to enjoy the warmth of the fire. "That reminds me..." Twilight began, her tone turning thoughtful. "As we were leaving the dining room, I noticed the sad looks you and Hurricane gave my friends." Both Clover's and Hurricane's expressions turned somber. The unicorn mare glanced at her husband, a pained expression crossing her features before she spoke. "It's hard not to feel a pang of sadness when we think about them. Especially when your friends resemble ours so closely." she admitted softly. "Private Pansy, Princess Platinum, Chancellor Puddinghead, and Smart Cookie?" Flash inquired as he chewed on a marshmallow, having to know about the history of the Founders of Equestria. "Yes, those were our companions," Hurricane confirmed, gazing into the flickering green flames of the fire as he continued. "We journeyed together through many trials and triumphs, facing challenges that tested our courage and unity." "They were more than just allies, they were our closest friends." The unicorn mare said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears before she continued. "We were at Canterlot when we first heard about the Crystal Empire. So, Hurricane and I volunteered to explore the Crystal Empire. While we were walking along the Frozen North to reach Crystal Empire, a sudden dark mists rushed across the snowy landscape that devoured us and we found ourselves in some sort of void. We tried to find a way out, but we couldn't find it. After one year or so, we were just about to give up when the landscape transformed back to the snowy terrain. We were confused, before we realized that we were back at where we were supposed to go. On our way, we stumbled up upon some sort of station and we figured we could asked for direction. When we asked, we learned the horrible truth that... a thousand years had passed." Hurricane wrapped a comforting wing around his wife, whose tears had started to streamed down her cheeks. "Clovy broke down when we learned the grim truth. I had to comfort her as she cried and lamenting that we never got to say goodbye to our friends, her mentor and his friends." Hurricane said, continuing off his wife's story as he spoke. "After a while, Clover managed to calm down a bit before we decided to look for a way out off the Frozen North. I don't need to tell you what happened after I told your dragon our story a few minutes ago." Twilight, Shining, and Flash listened intently as their ears drooping in sympathy. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories." The Princess of Friendship apologized, now feeling guilty. Clover wiped her tears away with her hoof, composing herself before she spoke. "No, it's fine. I'm still trying to move on." A moment of silence hung between the group before it was broken by the Twilight again. "Actually, there's something you need to know..." Twilight spoke, getting the couple's attention as she started her story. "Many days ago, Sunburst found Starswirl's journal and he found out that in the last entry, Starswirl and his friends had used magical artifacts and talismans of the elements they each represent to seal away the Pony of Shadows in Limbo. But in order to imprison him for good, they had to trap themselves with him. So me and her friends used those and brought them back from Limbo. Only downside was that bringing them back also brought back the Pony of Shadows. But we managed to banished the darkness back to Limbo as well as saved the pony that was consumed by the darkness. Turns out the pony, Stygian who brought them together, got cast out when they thought that he betrayed them by trying to steal their power when in actuality he only took their artifacts so he could replicate them and become like them." There was a long moment of silence as Clover's mouth dropped open and she stared in shock at the Princess of Friendship as she proceeded the revelation. "I... I don't know what to say. All this time, I had thought that he died from old age." The unicorn mare finally said. Twilight nodded solemnly as she spoke. "It's a lot to take in, I know. But I thought you should know the truth." The prince broke the silence, his tone filled with sympathy. "It must be difficult to process," he said, offering a reassuring smile to Clover. The lieutenant leaned in and said. "If there's anything we can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask." There was a silence before Clover said. "Thank you." Suddenly, a howl echoed through the night, causing the group to froze. The unicorn mare immediately smothered the cooking fire and extinguished what was left of the flames with her magic as Dew and Spike rushed toward the group. "Frost Wolves," Dew announced breathlessly, her eyes scanning the darkness as she continued. "Three of them. They seem to be on the move, but they're not aware of our presence yet." "Good." The commander remarked, rising to his hooves as he continued. "That gives us the advantage. We'll stay low and quiet, let them pass without alerting them to our presence." With a silent nod of agreement, the group huddled together, their breaths held as they waited for the wolves to move on. As the group held their breath, the sound of padded footsteps grew louder, the frost wolves drawing closer with each passing moment. Twilight, Shining, Flash and Spike exchanged wary glances, their senses heightened in anticipation. Suddenly, Clover held up a hoof, motioning for everyone to stay still. "They're getting closer, remain calm and still." She whispered, her voice barely audible above the night's gentle whisper. With bated breath, they watched as the shadows of the wolves loomed closer, their silhouettes dancing against the moonlit snow. The dragon tensed while the rest of the group remained as motionless as statues. One of the wolves paused, sniffing the air, while the others pressed forward. Twilight's heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of it. The Frost Wolf stood before them, its body encased in impenetrable crystals, except for its glowing eyes, emitting trails of dark blue vapor that danced and swirled in the frigid air. The creature's presence sent a shiver down Twilight's spine, her instincts urging her to flee, yet rooted to the spot by fear. She exchanged a glance with her companions, silently communicating their shared trepidation. It's gaze seemed to linger for an eternity, its eyes piercing through the darkness with an otherworldly intensity. But just as suddenly as it had appeared, the creature turned and padded away, its crystalline form blending seamlessly into the night. "Is... is it gone?" Spike whispered, his voice barely above a breath. The combat medic cautiously approached the spot where the Frost Wolf had stood, her eyes scanning the darkness. After a tense moment, she returned to the group and spoke softly. "They're gone. We're safe." The group exhaled a collective sigh of relief as the tension that had gripped them began to dissipate. Hurricane sat up and said. "I suggest we get some sleep. We still have a distance to cover to reach Outpost Arctic." The group nodded their head in agreement and moved toward the tents to get some shut-eyes.