Frozen Through the Ages

by Anemptyshell

Cracks in the Ice

The waiting was easy: I just had to sit at the table and pretend Tender wasn't plotting a particular mare's death. Solid had left us be, returning to his work. The hard part was the explanation after the waiting was done. When Bramble Broach returned to the farm, she was met with a certain somepony needing her help getting home. Tender made it very clear how poorly she thought my return to town would go. I, for one, did not need an envoy. If I flew home, I could avoid any bog-related mishaps. Even if we all knew the bog was the least of my worries

Thus, I was ushered away by a very unamused mare. Bramble hid her disgust well; if one didn't know what to look for, it would have been nearly impossible to spot at all. I'd never have seen it if I was just an average colt without a human living in my brain.

"Don't worry, Glacial, I'll have you home in no time at all. No rain jockey is going to get you while I'm on duty," Bramble said. She offered a rigid salute and a bright smile. It took all I had not to roll my eyes.

Bramble was an enigma to most of Bogwood. A pegasus with a penchant for finding trouble, and when she didn't seek it, somepony was all too happy to bring it to her. So, more often than not, when Bogwood needed a hero, it was Bramble Broach who saved the day. It wasn't hard to imagine; she was tall, with broad shoulders and well-toned legs. You could definitely tell she was born to a pair of earth ponies. Her grounded colors, various browns from mane to fetlocks, screamed farmer for all to hear. I'd caught more than one pony around town comment on how brave and plain Bramble was in equal measure. If Bramble knew what the gossip around town had to say, she never let it get to her. She smiled and laughed away disaster after disaster. It was the kind of contagious joy not many had to spare. Her eyes were the only thing on her that wasn't a shade of brown. They were a glistening silver like the light shining through a rain cloud.

I offered a salute of my own. "If anypony can get me home, it'd be you, Ms. Bramble."

Bramble reached over and ruffled my mane. "Firstly, drop the Miss if you would. I am not some old crone, you know. Secondly and more importantly, I have no idea what got into Freezy, but it's not right to scare off a foal, especially a colt. Might need to have a chat with her myself later."

"No!" Tender and Broach looked at me in a mix of confusion and perturbed senses of decorum. "I mean, please don't."

"Glace, you can't be serious. All you did was—"

Bramble placed a firm hoof on Tender's shoulder, and like a switch being pulled, Tender's words died in her throat. Bramble offered a tut and a wink. "It's fine. We don't go spreading rumors or stirring up trouble, do we, Crop?"

The farm filly huffed but shook her head. "No, Aunt Bramble."

"I have one question, though, if you don't mind humoring me, Glacial."

My ears fidget as I wiggled under Bramble's earnest, all-seeing stare. It was uncanny, really, like the very power of Faust herself was being conjured forth from a single mortal's unflinching gaze.

"Yes?"

"As you and Tender explained, you have some sort of ice magic. I get that part. I can even confirm that Home Brew, the silly mare that she is, isn't wrong. There's a foal born every so often whose magic is a bit unusual. So, my question is, why not talk to the mender in town? They have resources for such cases. You don’t have to do it all alone, you know?"

I caught myself grinding my teeth. Bringing up the mender was like a hot iron. My chest was heating up. It was enough to have me shake in my seat. "The mender and I don't get along," I growled. Bramble didn't react outside a single raised brow.

"I suppose your family wouldn't, would you? I'm sorry, Glacial. I didn't mean to upset you. Sometimes my mouth runs away, and I don't realize what I've said till it is already said." Bramble reached out a single wing and dragged me against her side. It was soft and warm, and I struggled to hold back a yawn. All my anger just floated away.

"I know, I'm sorry I snapped."

"Well, that said, we'd better get you home. I'm sure when your sire hears about this. He'll be planting his hooves somewhere no foal should ever see, on or in poor Captain Breeze. May Faust have mercy on her soul."

"That won't make things any better, though," I said. I leaned back in my seat and stared at the ceiling. I could see Bramble cringe. She meant well. They all did. But, humbling Freezy Breeze would only make things worse. All I'd done was deviate from the norm, and it sent the normally respectable weather veteran off. If my cutie mark had been the issue, I doubt the captain would have bothered with the test at all. The same went for my talent as a concept. Ice isn’t exactly an unheard-of talent when referring to weather. She'd also had nothing but high praise for my father. Whatever I did, it hit Freezy harder than I could understand.

Sire never said anything; he never really had the time to explain it all. Ever since Dam left, I'd hoped it'd all work itself out. The looks in town were subtler than Freezy Breeze. The whispered comments were possible to ignore if you tried. It wasn't everypony, not even the majority, but they were there all the same.

"She deserves it, though."

Bramble and I looked at Tender Crop, who was shaking in place. She seemed angrier than I'd been a moment ago. It made me a bit happy that she'd feel that offended for me. That alpha mare thing was on full display. Tender might be a bit dense, but she made up for it with enthusiasm. On the other hoof, Bramble snatched up her niece with her free wing and tucked her against her other side.

"At the end of the day, that is all Weathered's decision. If he chooses to act or not. So, Tender, my dear righteous little filly, simmer down. But if he does pursue Freezy, and he just so happens to ask for my help. Well then, as an upstanding mare, I'd be obligated to help a stallion in need. Now, wouldn't I?"

Bramble gave us an exaggerated wink, actually saying it aloud as she did. I snorted. Tender choked a chuckle. Then, as if on cue, both Tender and I started laughing. The tense smog that seemed to bathe the farmhouse in bad vibes vanished in an instant. Bramble pulled both Tender and me tight and laughed along. When we calmed down, I felt better. The worming fear in the back of my head was still there, but now, I was in control instead of letting it drive me from one headache to the next.

"So, what do you say, Glacial, ready to go home?" Bramble asked.

I stifled another long yawn and nodded. The chill in my hooves returned. I hadn't realized it'd gone until it came back. Days of nonstop chill, and then, it had simply vanished for a moment. It didn't feel right. The chill felt more comforting than even the feathered prison I was in. The warmth just lacked a certain sincerity.. My mind was lost to the sudden epiphany. Maybe on some level, Freezy Breeze had been right to be angry, to fear something that fell so diametrically opposed to the normal. I numbly nodded at Bramble's request.

Bramble released Tender and I. Then, she silently guided me out of the farmhouse. Tender followed behind. Tender’s eyes locked onto the back of my head. I resisted the urge to turn and glare back. The afternoon had come about and was already passing us by. We'd ended up waiting for Bramble longer than I'd expected.

"Okay, Tender Crop, I think your break has been more than over, yeah?"

"Oh, right, sorry, Aunt Bramble," Tender apologized, and then she was off.

"Sorry for all this," I said, offering Bramble a wry smile.

She flicked a hoof in dismissal. "Don't worry about it. If we don't look out for each other down in these swamps, who will?"

Bramble took a single sizable flap and jumped into the sky. She looked down expectantly. I gave my smaller wings a few beats and gauged my lift, primaries catching the muggy breeze, and up we went. The farm fell away as the clouds grew closer. A full-body shudder shook away the worries, but not the cold. Bramble veered down and slowed beside me. It'd have been easier for her to carry me. I couldn't keep any sort of pace with a natural like herself. Yet, she seemed none too concerned about the speed and let the winds guide her idly.

"Don't get much practice, do you?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Not really, no. But it's fine; it makes those times when Sire and I go flying more special. Right?"

Several seconds passed. And then there was laughing, full-bodied, shaking-in-the-air laughter. If we'd been in town, any pony below would have absolutely seen and heard it. I glared, pouting on full display as Bramble just kept on laughing. This was precisely why I don't talk about these sorts of things with mares. They're all so rude.

"You're not wrong. That would make them all the more precious. Even if it means you're missing out on prime experience. Can't be much of a pegasus if you can barely flap your wings."

Bramble knowingly patted my head. Some ponies, I swear. It was like common sense was a rare commodity. I swatted Bramble's hoof away and focused on not looking aerially inept. The next few minutes were a silent glide over Bogwood. Where the folks below went about doing whatever it was, they did. I felt a tingle on the back of my neck as I scanned the skies and land below for a certain weatherpony or her various underlings.

"It'll be fine, little Zero. Even if Breezy was here and did make a scene, do you really think she could get by me?" Bramble asked. Some could have mistook her words as a joke or boast. Those that did would have had to be blind. The look in Bramble Broach's eye at that moment. A fuse ready to light. A certain unnatural danger in the glint that twinkled in her gaze. It was enough to set off every survival instinct in my head all at once. There were, of course, reasons one did not pick a fight with Bramble Broach or those she held dear. It simply wasn't done.

"I hate that nickname." That was all I could manage. These are the only words that came to mind when I managed to look away. They seemed to do the trick all the same. Bramble snorted and assaulted my mane once more. Curse my charm and good looks.

"Well, we're about a minute out from your humble home. I doubt Weathered is back yet. That said, we will need to talk with him before I leave. That means you must tell your father everything you told Tender and us. Is that okay?"

I'd been afraid that was the direction we were heading. Bramble had a point. Sire deserved to know just how poorly my interview went. Between him and Bramble, I began worrying about Freezy Breeze's safety. I mean, regardless of her reaction to my cryomancy, I didn't want her to vanish one night without a trace. We had to be better than that. Senseless aggression would only invite worse from those of like mind.

I nodded. "Yeah, I was going to tell him either way. He has more than enough to think about without me keeping secrets," I said. The words were bitter on the tongue. No secrets besides those I was already keeping if nothing else.

"Good colt, but I do have one question for ya. If you don't mind a little prying."

"Is it prying if I'm the one who came to your farm first?" I asked.

"Right, fair enough. So, now that the weather is no longer a market you can pursue. Do you have any other ideas? For foals your age, finding a mentor can be, well, not very fun. You're lucky if your family already has a business you can take to. But freezing things and fishing are not all that compatible. So, have you thought about asking your Dam's side of the family?"

"I take it back. You are, in fact, prying," I said. This was not a road of thought I wanted to go down at the moment. I had enough to worry about. I didn't need to give any more ponies like Freezy Breeze reasons to doubt me. Eight years, that is all it took. Now, everypony watched each other like every pony was one bad day away from doing something unforgivable. Hal's history had driven that point deep. His people lived on that razor's edge. Now, I couldn't unsee it, unsee what a single moment could do to drive everypony mad.

"Yeah, sorry. I know that's probably a sore spot. It is an option, though, if nothing else is working. You should at least think about it, even if most of Bogwood has turned their backs on them, on you. You aren't alone."

She meant well. As much as I wanted to be mad, I couldn't. I missed my Dam; I missed a lot of ponies who have or were forced to leave. Before Hal, I knew something was wrong. Now, though, with the endless trickle of memories of a person decades my senior, many of my perspectives have changed. But as much as things changed, the more they stayed the same.

"Yeah, I know. You're right, they are."

By that point, my home was in sight. The dock and surrounding area was still a mess. I'd need to find a better place to practice. The mud alone wasn't worth it. I could melt the ice just fine, but all that water had to go somewhere. That, plus the already sodden soil, meant muck two hooves deep. I was lucky; my father hadn't noticed, or at least he had pretended he hadn't. But from above, it was unsightly if I were being charitable.

"You sure did a number on your land, huh, little Zero?"

We landed by the front door. I huffed and ignored the smiling mare. I went around the side opposite the dock in a divot by a rather gnarly set of vein-like roots. Under which sat a single brass key. It wasn't uncommon for doors to go without locks, at least in homes. However, there were far more locks throughout town these days. I retrieved the key and opened the door, allowing Bramble to enter.

We had some time before Father's return. So, with a hop, skip, and flutter of feathers, I decided to offer some tea like any good host. It was one of the few things Sire trusted me to do in the kitchen. That settled, and the two of us fell into a measurable silence. A silence that brought something else to my attention. It had been some time since I'd seen Freya. It wasn't uncommon for her to meander in the background, especially in public, but since I'd been at the Forage homestead, she hadn't just been quiet. She'd simply vanished. It was an odd feeling. Now that I had noticed, It felt all the more off. The silence became heavy. I had trouble sitting still, to the point even Bramble had taken notice.

"Something the matter?" Bramble asked.

I took a moment to acknowledge the question, or for that matter, the mare at all. Every corner, surface, and ceiling, there is no sign of Freya in any way. "Feels like something is missing."

Bramble scanned the room and settled her gaze back on me.

"And that would be?"

I shook my head. "Just something."

I would have to wait on Freya until Bramble had left. While an imaginary friend wouldn't be earth-shaking, the fact that I was worried about where she went might earn more than an odd look. Freya would be fine; how could she not be?

To my relief, Bramble let the subject drop. We both returned to our tea and only minutes later, the sound of the front door opening drew our attention. "Glacial?" my father asked.

"In the kitchen, Sire. We have company."

The unmistakable release of a held breath, followed by the closing of the front door, disappeared the suspicion that had clearly earned Sire's attention. He stepped into the main room and offered us a nod of greeting, to which I returned a wave and Bramble her own nod of acknowledgment.

"Evening, Weathered. Good to see you doing well," Bramble said, raising her teacup and taking a dramatic sip. "Hope you don't mind me stopping by."

"Should I?" Father asked.

Bramble turned to look at me. "Possibly. Isn't that so, Glacial?"

I offered my father a tired look and a heavy sigh. "Possibly."

"Did something happen?" It was impressive the speeds one could obtain from standing still when you were both a pegasus and a concerned parent. It seemed to catch Bramble by surprise, judging by her blinking at the spot Father had been, to where he stood in front of me now. He crouched down and met me at eye level. "Speak, colt."

"Well, you remember my trip to the weather center this morning, right?" Father nods. "Well, it didn't go quite as well as the rest of us had hoped."

"And what does that have to do with Bramble Broach?" Father asked, looking from me to the mare in question. Bramble offered a wary smile of her own.

"Captain Freezy Breeze did not care for my special talent. To the point of seething anger," I said.

"Oh?"

Thus, the tale of my poor job interview and the fallout that led me to Forage Farms was told, to which Father kept a face like chiseled stone. There was not the barest tell in his eyes, no subtle movements of his wings. He had taken the only open chair as I recounted my day. He listened without questions. Bramble offered her own thoughts as I finished.

Weathered Horizon worked hard. He did not complain, blamed no pony for his struggles, and never gave in to anger. Those statements were what I'd thought made up not only my father but the tenants that any hardworking pony should adhere to. That was not to say he was emotionless or cold. He simply knew how to temper his reactions accordingly. It, in turn, seemed that the tempered response to Freezy Breeze and her outburst was a silent rage that, if it were a fire, would have reduced our humble home to ash in an instant.

"I see." That was all he said. For minutes, neither Bramble nor I sought to fill the silence. We sat, waited, and listened when the time came. "It seems I may need to pay Captain Breeze a visit before work tomorrow. For it would seem my judgment of her character needs some refinement. As does her addled mind if she thought such an outburst would bear no consequences."

"Weathered, wait," Bramble leaned forward. My father ignored her, simply raising a hood in protest.

"Do you disagree, Bramble?" he asked.

"That the captain went too far? No, I don't. I think making a spectacle of it will do more harm than good."

I had to agree with Bramble. At this point, starting fights will only worsen the feelings some in town had of ponies like me and Father. There was a reason we lived outside of town. It wasn't as bad when I was little. However, with time, when the slowly creeping infection of propaganda and fear swept across Equestria, it hit smaller towns and cities the worst.

"Then what pray tell would you suggest I do? I care little for what Bogwood or its ponies think of me. I care even less for their meaningless shunning and slander," Father's voice rose, though the emotion behind it remained unreadable. It left a sour taste in the back of my throat and an inability to meet his eye. "However, I have no patience for threatening my foal, directly or not."

As uneasy as I sat. Bramble seemed unphased. She rested her chin on a hoof and swatted at an imaginary gnat. The wishy-washy disinterest of somepony who'd heard the same lines over and over. On a certain level, it irritated me, even if I couldn’t put my hoof on why. If it were due to my mind being too young or numbed to its rage, I could not say.

"Weathered. Do you really think I believe so little of you? That the seedy hysteria ‘The War of the Sisters’ caused isn't noticeable?" The longer Bramble spoke, the hotter the flames of her anger grew. By this point, wings flared, and she towered over the table, a hoof pointed at my father's chest. "Do you think I can forgive them for what they did to Belfry?"

There it was. I'd tried to keep that word off my lips. The name of my mother, Belfry. Ever since she left, it has made it easier to accept. Before the paranoia, she'd been a beacon of the community. I could still hear her voice sometimes as I lay in bed. I could almost hear the songs she'd hum when I was younger. I hated that the sting of tears was welling up in my eyes. My chest hurt, a deep encroaching pain that sought to crush me in its grip.

"It was not just her. It was almost all of them, every last thestral. Reviled by those for things they never did. She left Bogwood with the rest. She was hounded and heckled until she and the rest left."

The conversation was over; all that remained were three hurt ponies, three souls who had nothing they could do. Father's mask had shattered. Bramble's coy apathy was erased, and my tears fell without resistance. I missed her, I missed my Dam so much. No pony knew where she'd gone, where any of the thestrals had found refuge. The only ones that remained were in the employ of Celestia, the night guard. However, even they were spat upon.

I lost track of what happened next. I was in a haze; I was lost in my thoughts and tears. The next thing I knew, I was sitting in bed. The sun long dipped beyond the horizon. I was exhausted, and my mind, body, and soul were left hollow as I tried to recollect myself, if only to find sleep. I had yet to figure out what to do moving forward. However, one thing was clear: both Bramble and Weathered were worried about the thestral hunts and rumors. It wasn't my mother that Freezy Breeze judged me by. It was the very origin of power, my cryomancy, that she feared. A fear I was beginning to share.

"It must hurt." It was barely a whisper. I cast my eyes to the foot of my bed. Freya sat looking at the ceiling. Her snow-white visage sparkled in the dark.

Though it wouldn't have mattered even if she were as dull a stone, I could see her. I could see anything. I had never feared the dark as I'd never seen it, truly. The deepest depths it could sink. When the air is too thick to choke down, the unknown surrounds you and consumes you. The light in my eyes shredded away the shadows and made it so I could gaze out into the night.

"Freya?" I asked.

"To lose someone so dear to you. I am left wondering where they are, what they are doing, and if they are also thinking of you. It must hurt."

Less than a week, that was all it took, and I was already falling apart. I cuffed my blanket in my hooves and pulled it tight. "Yes," That was all I could say. Freya fell backward, hovering just above my bed, looking at me; her eyes swirled like snowflakes in the breeze. It was as mesmerizing as it was unnatural. It seems even my tulpa was not left unaffected by my state. I grit my teeth. "I won't quit. I won't."

"I would never forgive you if you did," Freya said, her eyes returning to normal. She frowned at me as I mirrored her look. There had to be something I could do, a place I could belong. Father and I deserved better.

I fell back onto my pillow. Tomorrow was a new day. As for now, I'd be of little use if I stayed up all night. I hadn't gotten much sleep this week as it was. I was tired, and I was sick of it. The fog of dreams consumed my sight. And as I drifted off, I could almost hear Freya whisper good night. Though if that were real, I could not say.

---

Lightning lit the sky, and the thunder was almost completely drowned out by the pouring rain. I stood back to soaking wet brick. The alley was quiet and dark. It wouldn't have mattered in this storm if I were standing in the middle of the four-way, not a block back. No, I stood in the alley, drenched and shaking all the same. It brought a single speck of comfort; it wasn't the first time the alleys of this shitty old city had bought me a moment to breathe away from the hustle and bustle of the millions that called it home.

I swatted a messy tangle of dark curls from my face. I looked down to my stomach. My shoddy, used tee shirt was plastered to my skin, stained not just by the rain but red with blood. A hand pressed hard into the wound that peeled at least three inches across my skin. It was deep, and the blood hadn't staunched at all. I cursed under my breath, my body shaking as I slid down the apartment wall behind me. I choked back a guttural grunt. I only needed to catch my breath and a minute to think. The nearest hospital was miles away. I deftly patted my pant pocket. No dice, the phone was gone. I already knew that I'd checked at least twice since making it over the fence.

A dog barked. I flinched, eyes darting through the dark and into the rain. There was nothing, not a sound, no running or yelling, no gnashing teeth and growls. I was still alone, for now.

"Damn it, what the hell do I do?" I asked my shadow. My body lurched as the twisting pain of my wound arced up my spine. "Damn it, come on, Hal, think."

No response, no moment of epiphany. My vision swam. The dark teased at the corners of my vision. I pressed against the brick with my back and tried to push myself to my feet. I failed and slid back down. I looked back down to the hand still pressed against the bloody gash. Even in the rain, my hand was splattered red.

Another dog barked; it was closer. I struggled against the wall, using my free arm as an anchor. I pulled myself to my unsteady feet. I couldn't just stay in the alley all night.

I stumbled onto the sidewalk. A path of fluorescent lamp posts bathed the deserted street in an eerie yellow. I managed a few wobbling steps forward. The hospital was four or so miles away. If I hurried, I could make it before I landed back on my ass. If I fell again, I doubted I'd be able to stand again. The pain in my gut thumped along with the rain, the wind, the thunder, and my heart. A symphony that deafened everything but the pain.

"Tonight was a mistake, a stupid fucking mistake."

Another dog barked from back the way I’d come. I stumbled forward a bit faster. I swayed as the wind ripped around me. Everything was a blur, all definition lost to the obscuring water that stung my skin. I sneezed. Add that to the ever-growing list of problems today. All I had to do was get to the hospital, but it was so cold. I just had to keep moving.

As I pushed forward, my hooves pounded the sodden concrete, my lungs taking in stinging, icy breaths. I leveraged out my wings to shield myself from the torrent. It was getting colder. I looked down at my hooves. Blue ice wrapped them tight, and the sidewalk below them frosted over.

"Come on, Hal, we can make it."

Another dog barked. This time, I could hear voices following behind the barking. I grit my teeth and hobble forward. I swung an arm out like a blind man's cane. I blinked hard. Something wasn't right. It was a wing, right? No, arm, dots played across my vision. I stumbled into a nearby alley. I heaved, spitting icy rainwater onto the dingy path. I pressed my back into the wall behind me. I took a deep breath. The rain poured on.

Lightning lit the sky, and the thunder was almost completely drowned out by the pouring rain. I stood back to soaking wet brick. The alley was quiet and dark. It wouldn't have mattered in this storm if I were standing in the middle of the four-way, not a block back. No, I stood in the alley, drenched and shaking all the same. It brought a single speck of comfort; it wasn't the first time the allies of this shitty old city had bought me a moment to breathe away from the hustle and bustle of the millions that called it home.

I swatted a messy tangle of darkened mane from my face. I looked down to my stomach. My blue coat was plastered to my skin. Stained not just by the rain but red with blood. I only needed a minute, just a chance to catch my breath. Then, it all went white. It was cold, so fucking cold. I heard footsteps, followed by the whine of a large dog. I whispered out a prayer. My gut was searing. I couldn't see anything. I waved an arm out, desperate for anything to grab onto. The footsteps stopped.

"You look like shit, you know that?" The voice asked. A weight settled on my shoulder, pushing me back against the wall.

"You brought this on yourself, you know that, right?" I couldn't speak. I was doing all I could to heave in and out. My breaths are shallow as a hoof rests on the same force holding me in place. "We should have tossed you out with your mother."

Something wrapped around my throat. I clawed at the limb. Everything was going dark. I felt my limbs fall to my side. I just needed a minute. It was too cold—just a minute.

Author's Note:

Greetings friends,

This is a quick aside for those who care. I usually post multiple chapters at once. Life has made the last two weeks a pain, so I decided to throw this one to the wolves and hit back with multiple next time.

Thank you, and have a fantastical day.

Comments

[Phylonemios]

Can't wait for him to impose a new Ice Age on Equestria heh.

Thank you for writing !

[tranquille]

Hamburger 🍔

[TheAbsoluteRadiance]

TFTC. Is he going to have a villain arc? I wouldn't mind it fr.

Good luck with real life stuff. It's kicking all our asses xd

[Aiwhisper]

interesting how he has a Thestral dam.