“Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate,” Endymion said, peering at the ghost white rook that was Stargazer The Elder’s tower.

“Look who’s speakin’ in fancy,” AJ mused, as Dash snickered.

“‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here,’” Moondancer quoted, “quite fitting, Your Highness. A quote from Tronte’s Divine Comedy. Where did you learn it?”

“Mother read it to me,” Endymion answered, “as a bedtime story. I was always fascinated by Tronte’s journey to Elysium.”

“That’s some heavy readin’ fer a foal,” Muddy said, “did yer ma read to it in Equuis or the original Neighpolese?”

“The Neighpolese,” Endymion answered, “Mother was a stickler for the classical iteration. Do you think it’s safe to enter?”

“Lest things changed in the last six months, it should be a’ight,” Charm said, then he looked up and said, “but I think it’s best we hurry. I ain’t likin’ the way them Windegoes are glarin’ at us.”

“What?” Dash asked, but she saw Moondancer and Twilight pointing to the top of the tower. While the Pegasus didn’t see much of anything, her innate weather magic detected the presence of winter winds and frost. That really shouldn’t exist anywhere in this state. The winter winds should be in the southern hemisphere of the world and yet, they were congregated here. This was unnatural in ways she could not define.

“Okay,” Dash admitted, “there is something really freaky going on here.”

“Now can we go inside?” Twilight asked and the rest of the caravan nodded their approval.

Within valley the Tower rested in, there were hillocks of frost-blasted trees and hedges. A garden once thrived here, but the sudden winter had rendered it dead. Muddy found the cobblestone paths leading deeper into the valley iced over. The way was treacherous, even with the razor winds and the sleet which fell in droves. More than once, a cart puller slipped on the ice, slowing the caravan down.

After the sixth slip, Muddy had to halt the caravan for a moment.

“It’s gettin’ too dangerous to stay on this trail,” Muddy called back, “we need to get off the main and head into the powder.”

“Won’t the be just as dangerous?” AJ asked, “we’re already knees deep in snow and Ah’m startin’ to lose sensation in my frogs.”

“We ain’t got no choice,” Muddy replied, “anymore slips, an’ we’ll likely break a fetlock or three. Deeper powder means less ice.”

“And less ice means less slipping,” Pinkie added, “my ankles are sore from all the slipping.”

“A’ight,” AJ relented, “deeper powder it is.”

The going got slower, since the deeper powder caused it's own troubles. The snow in the areas off the paths, while less treacherous, had a deeper pack of snow. The caravan had to stop more often to allow the pullers to unthaw their hooves a bit. AJ, for as nigh invulnerable as she seemed, had to take more rests than usual. Her fetlocks froze over more often than either Pinkie Pie or Muddy.

It was obvious what the trip was costing. When they made it up top, when they finally made it to where they needed to be, AJ would be too worn out to help. The pony responsible for this had created a situation where an Earth Pony might be able to climb the mountain, but once up top they would be be forced to rest until they recovered. For Endymion it meant watching Pinkie Pie struggle to to keep going. There was no doubt in his mind that his future bride was powerful in her own right. She most certainly was, but currently she was obviously fighting exhaustion, her legs shaking with each step, and he knew what was coming.

When they stopped, the epic crash she, Applejack, and Muddy were going to experience would rival anything they had been through before. For some time they would be out of the fight, out of the action, and simply forced to remain back at the wagons to rest. Such a loss of personnel, in such a situation, would render the entire party ineffective. And who knew what dangers lay in wait for them. An Earth pony like Applejack would be helpful if any feats of strength were needed.

It could be possible this was happenstance. The pony responsible for this simply did not think it through, but Endymion believed differently. Perhaps they weren’t malicious, that was yet to be seen, but it was obvious that they did put some forethought into this. Locking out Earth Ponies would ensure that all feats of strength would be a moot point. It would mean that the magi would have to use magic to alter their strength, and that was a dangerous road to travel down.

Professor Flintheart had warned about ponies that began relying on magically enhanced strength. Earth Ponies were born with the magic naturally moving through them. Their entire bodies were designed to handle the stress and strain of it, but an unicorn wasn’t designed for it. He’d explained that back over a century ago an unicorn had decided to help the Shetland Isles in cultivation of their lands. There was Pegasi and Earth Ponies plenty, and they did a good job of farming, but the Pegasi couldn’t be everywhere, and there was Terror Wolves.

The demonic wolves from earlier reminded him of the stories of the Terror Wolves. Vicious animals that luckily, according to Professor Flintheart, were completely wiped out by the same Unicorn that went to help. An unicorn named Jolie Maison was famed as the Terror Wolve Slayer.

He did so by using the magic to alter his strength, making him as powerful as two large Earth Ponies, but his body wasn’t designed for the stress. Professor Flintheart said that each time Jolie Maison used the spell he aged rapidly, until finally the land was cleared, the Shetland Isles were safer, and an Unicorn Stallion that should have been a mere twenty two years old looked as if he was in his sixties.

Because of political unrest between the Shetland Isles and Equestria herself Jolie was never welcomed back home. He died a mere six years later. Endymion could remember the statue the Shetlanders put up of the Unicorn, calling him a national hero, and from him, specifically from him, there is a small minority of Unicorns that have been born and raised on the Shetland Isles, each taught that they should aspire to the same greatness that Jolie was. Endymion had met one of those Unicorns, a young mare named Belle Fluer. She was an ill tempered young thing, but she was also passionate about learning everything she could about magic. He wondered if she was still in the academy, still making Professor Flintheart seeth at being called out magical theories, and making him explain why certain spells were impractical instead of just being able to say they were and move on.

Slowly his mind moved away from that line as thought as the caravan began to slow. Outside Pinkie felt the bitter cold wind through her fur. It gnawed at it like an old dog gnawed at bones, and she felt it sinking its fangs in deeper each time. Thoughts of Endymion, their warm bed, being in a pony pile, feeling the comfort that comes with being near the ponies you love, all of that added up to helping her before, but now even those thoughts weren’t working. She could hear the Windegoes as they cried out in pain.

Every story she had heard as a filly always had the same thing said about Windegoes. They were dangerous, they were evil, and they actively looked for ponies that wanted to hate one another so they could bring about an eternal winter. At no point did she truly doubt any of those stories, but she wasn’t such a traditionalist that she wouldn’t believe there was a second side to the story, and right now she was certain they were hearing part of that second side.

The caravan finally reached the top. The gate opened, and when it did the sight of it looked like a waiting mouth opened, ready for them, prepared to accept them into its waiting belly. Pinkie swallowed, not really being scared, but feeling something so wrong with this. She felt it even now. Before it was just the weather, and she knew that Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash felt that, but now, now she felt it in the ground below them.

The ground was crying out in pain, it was begging for relief, and it was hurting her to even standing where she was. Part of her wanted to run right back down the mountain, get as far away from it, from the pain, from the screaming of the ground, and then find a good nice place to have a cry. If she felt like that then she knew that Applejack and Muddy felt it as well. The moment they crossed into the sealed courtyard she stopped feeling the ground screaming, and instead she didn’t feel any connection with the ground. It felt alien and wrong. She was about to say something when the warmth of the sealed courtyard hit her, and she swayed for a moment.

To their credits Endymion, Charm, and Moondancer all seemed to be thinking the same thing. Moondancer helped catch Muddy who was barely able to stand. Charm had attempted to catch Applejack, and found himself pinned under her. While the situation was far less than he desired his face being wonderfully pressed between her cleavage seemed to be something he wasn’t too upset about.

“Dun’t go and try ta be fresh now…” she slurred.

He felt the weakness rolling off of her. Even with one of his quick energy potions she would still need hours to replenish the needed energy, and Earth Pony magic, that she spent coming up the mountain. But at least she’d be able to get up and maybe she’d be a little grateful. At least he hoped that she would be. The decision made he slowly helped her up. Once she was setting up he checked his potion bag. He had three quick energy potions. They weren’t as good as regular restorative, but they would be better than nothing. He gave one to her, and watched a she nearly dropped it.

Realizing that she couldn’t hold it herself he uncorked it, opened her mouth, and poured the rainbow looking liquid down her throat. She practically coughed and sputtered, but after a moment her eyes opened wide and she looked completely alert.

“What in tarnation was that?”

He smiled, “Quick energy potion. I made it ta help with finishin’ up chores. A bottle of this gives a pony some extra energy, enough ta finish chores, or get a good headstart on feelin better.”

“Thanks, Ah mean that.”

“Ain’t no problem. After all, I jest wanted ta make sure that yer alright ‘fore I went and checked on Muddy, and that Pink Mare friend of yours.”

“Pinkie Pie… and why did ya want to check on me first?”

“I.. I jest.. Yer so.. And I…”

Moondancer who had heard the entire thing while she was helping Muddy into the wagon looked back at them and rolled her eyes, “Because he thinks that you’re cute, and he’s trying desperately to impress you.”

“Damn it! I swear to Sol in heaven Moon, I swear!”

“Charm.. S..She didn’t mean nothin’. S...She’s jest lookin out fer ya. Tartarus… I c..can see how ya act round that filly.”

Applejack’s cheeks blushed a bright red, not really being used to being the center of attention, and certainly not being used to being the object of a stallion’s desires. One thing she learned when she was a soldier was that if you wanted something you acted on it. Charm was awfully rough around the edges, and he’d need some work, but he seemed to be a good sort. She decided to act, and she kissed him.

When the pair broke up, Charm was staring into Applejack’s eyes. His mind was befuddled by the implications of the snogging he just received. There was a gleam in there he hadn’t seen before. It was accompanied by the brightest and most coy smile he had ever seen on a filly. He was having trouble keeping a lock on her face; her heaving chest was doing it's best to mesmerize him.

“That there is a promise,” AJ said to Charm, “we get outta this, mebbe you and Ah might have a shot.”

“If we get outta this,” Charm whispered.

AJ countered, “When we get outta this.”

It took longer than Charm had intended to hand out the potions. There was various reasons for it, but what it came down to was the fact that the kiss he received from a mare that was the very ideal of beauty in his mind had left him befuddled, bewildered, and completely uncoordinated. When he finally came back to himself he handed out the other two quick energy potions, and while he did this he noticed that Applejack was smiling at him. This was something he wasn’t used to, but he found himself believing that he could certainly grow to enjoy it.

Endymion watched as Pinkie’s hair frizzed out even more, her eyes widened, and she was suddenly practically dancing on her hooves before she settled a little.

“Pinkie, you okay?”

His answer was a hungry kiss, a quick grope, and almost being pulled into the Vardo. A part of him certainly didn’t mind the idea of doing so, but he quickly summoned up his will power. They had a mission to finish. They needed to undo what was done, fix this problem and then he planned on taking his future wives home. Stepping out the smell was the first thing that caught their attention. Outside all anypony could smell was the cold, but inside the smell of fresh baked cookies seemed to linger.

Slowly, Rainbow Dash neared the door the old home, and before she could reach it the door opened. The sealed courtyard had smelled of faintly stale air, or it did until that smell of cookies had floated down to them. Now with the door open the smell was stronger, and standing there, wearing a maid’s uniform, with a strange looking Tiara on her head, was a Windego Mare.

She was tall, easily as tall, or taller, than Princess Luna, her features seemed impossibly perfect, and she had a forced smile on her face. Her soft blue mane looked like snow in the twilight, and it perfectly fit with her powdery white coat. The maid’s uniform was stark contrast to her coat, making it pop, and at the same time it showed that she was not lacking in any endowment.

“Welcome travelers, Master Stargazer the Elder is no longer here, but as his faithful servant allow me to welcome you into his home.”

Rainbow Dash looked back at everypony else, and it appeared that all of them had the same expression. Having a Windego as a maid was odd enough, but the fact that she wasn’t being violent, causing the entire area to turn into a huge ice cube, and howling out in pain was beyond odd. The group slowly made its way into the home before the door closed. The maid led them toward a very spacious and large lounge area. Various couches, chairs, and at least fifteen different rugs lay about, each painstakingly prepared.

“What are y’all a doing here?”

The Windego sighed and looked at her, “Master Stargazer called me from my home, a very long time ago, and he managed to help me organize my thoughts. This,” she pointed to the tiara, “allows me to perceive things as you mortals do. I am able to question why I was the way I was, and no longer do I feel the pull to create an endless winter. Instead I have the wants and dreams as any mare would.”

She smiled sadly, “But sadly I know that I am unable to leave this place. Ponies outside of this home would not understand, nor care, that I have achieved a form of enlightenment. I realize to them, and to you, that I am merely a monster to be struck down.”

“No, you’re not.”

Endymion saw her look toward him. It was the first time he’d seen her eyes. Each pony that lived had a certain spark inside of them. It was something that made them special, something that made them who they were, and he could see a similar kind of spark in those icy blue eyes. They almost looked like they were made of ice, her eyes looked more solid and rigid than most pony eyes.

“My name is Endymion. What’s yours?”

She gave the faintest of smiles, “Unfortunately you wouldn’t understand it. I’ve found that ponies simply don’t understand our language, but Stargazer did give me a Pony Name. He called me Snowfrost.”

Endymion grinned at her, and he walked toward her extending a hand in her direction. She took it, and even through the gloves he could feel the intense cold that was flowing off of her. She looked at him as though he sprouted another head. Stargazer had been kind to her as well, but she assumed it was because he felt sad that it was his fault she was here. Instead, this very strange stallion was being kind to her. She could see in his eyes that he had much sympathy for her, either in spite of or despite of her status. The proffered hand, though gloved, was warm; she had not felt a warm touch in many an age. She actually enjoyed the sensation.

“T-thank you,” Snowfrost said, “there are not many that would be so- kind.”

“Well, I’m not just anypony,” Endymion quipped.

“Indeed, you are not,” Snowfrost replied, “is there anything I may help you with? The entirety of this manse is under my purview. If you wish it, I can grant you a tour.”

“Hey wadeaminit, hold up,” Charm announced, “I’ve been in here plenty o’ times and I ain’t ever seen ya in here before. How in blazes did ya get up in here?”

“That is rather puzzling,” Twilight added, “if Charm and Muddy have been here before, why didn’t make your presence known then?”

“Well,” Snowfrost began, “to be perfectly honest, I am rather shy, almost painfully so. In your companion’s first forays into the tower, I did not want to be seen; I feared for my life. But now, given that Stargazer’s machine is active, I have had plenty of my own company, although they are- scared, agitated.”

Almost as if on cue a screaming Windego howled from outside, causing several heads to turn in the direction of the pained spiritual being. The sound and fury of the scream caused several of those in attendance to have their fur attempt to stand on end. Twilight moved toward her herd. They were safe, or at least as safe as they could be. She’d read so much over Stargazer, his dedication to magic, and she’d heard that his entire tower had been enchanted, at some point, to make things completely pleasant for anypony that stayed within its walls.

But like everypony else she knew that magical items would lose their charge, and it took magical batteries, those magical charged rubies, and other gems, to keep anything like that going. It was hard to believe that a place this size could still have functioning batteries, especially after such a long time. Still, from what she could see, and feel, it seemed fine. It was almost as if there wasn’t a magically influenced snow outside, or that the weather hadn’t dropped well below freezing.

Gesturing to them Snowfrost lead them from the main foyer they were in, and began to give the group a guided tour of Stargazer’s ancient home. The first place Snowfrost lead them into was a huge astronomy lab. Moondancer looked at the sit up, carefully walking over to the charts, and instantly she could see that Stargazer had figured out exactly how Princess Luna had mapped her starry night.

He had the movements of the stars, the planets, the moon, and everything else perfectly mapped showing the patterns he believed the Princess would hold to for the next three to four thousand years. It was astounding, and she practically drooled as she neared the telescope. Power radiated from it, and she could feel the energy from the enchantment over it.

“Snowfrost, everything here is still enchanted, how is that possible?”

The Windego mare gave a soft smile, “Master Stargazer wished for his experiments, all of them, to continue long after himself. He stockpiled a massive amount of magical batteries, all of which can be found throughout his home, the basement, and even within the cave system below the mountain. His experiment here was to determine more about the universe itself. I believe it is what lead him to write this,” she said as she pointed toward a sign.

“The cosmos: countless worlds upon worlds, worlds without end. In these galaxies, every possible reality exists, and what is reality on any one world is mere fantasy on all others. Here, all is real and all is illusion. What is, what was, and will be start here with the words, ‘In the beginning, there was…’” Twilight read, “But in the beginning there was what? It’s not finished.”

Snowfrost nodded, “The master became quite ill shortly after. He retired to his bedchambers, and has never returned.”

“Ah take it that’s been a while,” Applejack replied as she looked at the still working enchanted experiments, “Cause it looks like most of this has been going fer a good long while with nopony messin’ with it.”

Snowfrost nodded, “That was well over nine hundred years ago.”

Charm stopped, and looked at the Windego. He knew the legends, but hearing so flippantly refer to over nine hundred years in passing was a bit much. Even the most skilled magi would be lucky to pull off three or four hundred years. There was a massive amount of doubt in the fact that anyone, except for the Princesses, could live more than that without a problem.

The entire group seemed entranced with the room, with how all of the experiments were still active, still going, and seemingly not bothered that the data collected, the charts created, or the realization that all which Stargazer had stated seemed to be correct. None of that mattered to any single piece of the experiment. Instead each piece was simply doing what it had begun doing so long ago.

After a few moments of looking Snowfrost lead them from the Astronomy Lab into a room that lit up once they stepped inside. Blue flame, after blue flame lit the magical lanterns hanging and it was an excited squeal from Twilight that was the first thing heard. She danced on her hooves, her eyes darting around the room at a pace even Rainbow Dash would be hard pressed to keep up with, and soon she was off into the middle of what had to be the single biggest library Endymion had ever been inside of.

“Snowfrost, this… This can’t be right. I get that Stargazer’s tower is huge, but this library would take up some of the nobilities’ houses. It looks like it goes on for miles in each direction.”

Snowfrost showed him the door, from this side, and he could see what looked like simple sackcloth converged around it.

“Master Stargazer learned how to create a spell that would basically allow him to have nearly infinite space inside of a sack, space to store, and do nearly anything he pleased, within the confines of that sack,” she touched the wall, “He then made the opening for it large enough to attach a door front to, and he created the library you see around you. Everything he was ever interested in, some of his brother’s writing, and even letters from the Frozen North reside within these walls. I believe there is even a study on Sirens and their ability to sway the will of others with their song.”

Endymion looked back at the room, grasping at what it was that Stargazer had actually done. He’d created a bottomless sack, stuck a library in it, and then didn’t share what he did with anyone. It was a marvel, absolutely, completely a marvel, but at the same time he knew that something like this could have been used at the time to help shelter hundreds, if not thousands, of ponies that were practically homeless according to his Mother’s stories.

She told of the wild storms, the floods, the ravaging winds that came and threatened to remove everything from all of her citizens, and she had to work exceptionally hard to ensure that it didn’t happen. Still, with all of the weather pegasi she had helping her, with all of the unicorns that aided in trying to control the weather, in the end she had admitted that well over five thousand of her subjects were destitute and homeless.

Endymion touched the wall with his hand once more, “If only he hadn’t been so prideful.”

Snowfrost turned toward him, “Sir?”

“It doesn’t seem right, I suppose it was different then, the world was different, but it doesn’t seem right that he had this knowledge and wouldn’t share it.”

Snowfrost looked at the vast room, “Master Stargazer once said that he refused to share this gift because the common pony wouldn’t know what to do with it.”

“That wasn’t his decision to make,” Endymion argued, “if his brother was able to teach the common pony about magic and harmony, then this treasure trove of knowledge would have quintupled his efforts! Tartarus, we may have even set foot on the moon, for Faust’s sake!”

“I agree,” Snowfrost said, “but Master Stargazer was a proud unicorn and, if I may, more than a touch egotistical. He assumed that the common pony was unable and unwilling to learn… Had he been dissuaded of that particular delusion, I’m sure the history books would sing his praises in equal measure to his famous brother.”

“I guess this is why Ole Stargazer is hardly mentioned in the histories,” Endymion mused, “too damn proud for his own good.”

“There’s a complete list of theoretical portal spells, and their intensities over here! Oh! A study of living Crystal, how to create self rejuvenating magical batteries, and an entire wing over possible medical advancements!” Twilight shouted as she ran out from behind a shelf, with no less than twenty books, parchment, quills, and three inkwells floating behind her.

“Note to self,” Endymion stated, “Twilight has a hard on for books, ancient or otherwise.”

“We should continue on with the tour,” Snowfrost spoke, “there is still much to see.”

“Come on, egghead,” Rainbow Dash called out to the bibliophile unicorn, “got things to do, places to be.”

“But, but, the books…!” Twilight lamented.

“They ain’t goin’ anywhere,” AJ said, “‘sides, who in their right mind is gonna snatch all them books, anyhow?”

“There’s so much we could learn! Think of the advancements in magical theory we could have! And this entire place just screams with needing to be re-organized!”

“Twily, we really need to stop the weather outside, maybe we can go back through the library, after we stop it, just a thought,” Endymion suggested.

Twilight looked toward him, a strand of hair sticking out of place, and he’d seen this before. She’d gotten really stressed, worked up, and worried over a test. He didn’t realize then what he did now, and he walked toward her. She fidgeting, almost dancing on her hooves, her attention drawn to the library, and at the same time drawn to him. He reached her, his hand gently caressed her cheek, and he pulled her into a kiss.

The magical field holding the books lessened, they dipped, and then floated to the floor. Her arms went around his neck, pulling him into the kiss, deepening it, and taking time to really taste and feel him. He broke the kiss, watching her eyes flutter open, “So, magical library later?”

She nodded, “Uh huh… S… Oh, right, Spike isn’t here. It seems wrong to leave the books out like this.”

Snowfrost walked toward them, her smile was gentle, inviting, and she herself seemed to be acting very warm and inviting for somepony that was the embodiment of winter, “When we close the door, and re-enter later, the library will reset. All of the scrolls and inkwells will be back in place, all of the books will back on their shelves.”

“That’s ingenious, but, how do new books get added?” Twilight asked.

“The Spell Matrix for the Library is updated with the new addition. Unfortunately it means that an occupant of the room is unable to leave anything behind. Master Stargazer learned this when one of the Earth Pony servants disappeared.”

Applejack’s eyes widened, “What did ya jest say?”

Snowfrost faced her, “A servant walked into the room while Master Stargazer was in here. Without thinking he left the room, closed the door, remembered the servant, reopened it, but she was gone.”

“Know what might’ve happened?” Endymion asked.

Snowfrost nodded, “Master Stargazer believed that she may have been transmogrified into a book or scroll. He wasn’t certain, and unfortunately the library is simply too large to go through in order to check each book, scroll, map, or item that may have once been a pony. Or rather Master Stargazer believed it to be that way.”

“End-Endy,” Pinkie moaned, “I kinda wanna leave here. Now!”

“Okay,” Endymion said, stroking an ear on Pinkie’s head, “where next, Snowfrost?”

“Next, we will be viewing some of the Master’s other laboratories.”

Walking out, and ensuring that everypony was out before the door shut, the group walked together down the hall until Snowfrost opened an expansive room. Inside was a figure, standing completely still. Endymion could feel the blistering cold from this room, the threat of it cutting through his jacket. Behind the figure was a massive magical machine, and it seemed to have no less than a hundred magical batteries, each burning brightly with power.

“I think we found it!”

The wail of the Windegos were louder here than outside, and he felt the insane amount of chill roaring up from them.

“How do we get close?”

He stepped on the floor and the figure, a unicorn, fell backwards, and hit the ground shattering into a thousand pieces.

“Okay, that’s a good question, I’m not sure how we get there without turning into some kind of pony popsicle.”

The howling and screaming Windegos didn’t seem to sense the group, and that meant they had time to think, to come up with something, and Endymion grinned brightly as he thought of it.

“Snowfrost, did Stargazer have a dragon here for study?”

Snowfrost shook her head, “No, although he did develop a spell that would allow for a dragon construct to be created. I could summon the book that contains the spell if you would like for me to do so.”

“Please, if you don’t mind, that would be incredibly useful.”

“Endymion, what are tarnation are y’all goin’ on ‘bout?” AJ asked.

“The Windegos are basically nothing more than winter given form. It stands to reason that anything that lives in, or off of, fire would be an enemy. If we could draw them away from the machine, toward something that represented the very element that is their true enemy, it might give us a chance to get close enough to shut the machine down.”

“That’s actually a well thought out plan,” Rainbow Dash replied, “Still leaves who is going to shut down the machine though.”

Endymion shook his head, “I should,” he said as he looked at Twilight, “I get that you’re a better mage than I am, but Twily I’m going to need somepony that is able to cast a protective spell on me and keep it going. I think we both know how well my protection spells work.”

“As good as that plan is,” Charm spoke, “but I think ya’ll are forgettin’ somethin’.”

When everpony’s attention was drawn to his words, Charm continued, “Ya see, the chamber here has all kinds of interdiction established to prevent anypony from coming in and messin’ up the works. Whoever that stallion was, he musta overcome all the traps and other defenses to get in there.”

“Traps?” Dash asked, “Like, what kinda traps?”

“Some of ‘em are physical,” Charm explained, “but most of the others are mystical. Stuff like banishing sigils, arcane seals, illusory glamors, a few arcane veils. Ya never know what you might run inta and I’m sensin’ a lot of different tricks layin’ in wait.”

“Can’t we disengage them?” Dash asked, “I know I have the tools for all the physical traps.”

“It ain’t that simple,” Charm explained, “countering the physical traps only makes the magical ones that much stronger.”

“Didn’t he have a password?”

Everypony turned toward Muddy, “I mean it’d make all kinds of sense. Have a password that’d let ya through. If’n I was a gonna have a place where there was a big weather controllin’ thing I’d wanna be able ta get ta it without havin’ ta worry ‘bout the traps.”

“Master Stargazer does have a password, but unfortunately I do not know what it is, or where he keeps it. I do know that the spell matrix for this room was altered to allow myself, and apparently that unicorn, to enter without problem.”

Twilight grinned as she closed her eyes, “Okay… Whoever that pony was they spent a long time getting through this. The web of spells that Stargazer cast in here is huge. Each layer seems to be connected to another layer, and that layer is connected yet to another. I… I don’t know if I could find where to add any of us to the matrix without at least two or three months of study!”

“Snowfrost, did you know that unicorn?”

She looked toward off gold Pegasus, “Yes. He was a research assistant to the throne. His credentials gave him access to all of Stargazer’s holdings, although I suggested that he be careful of any of the master’s experiments. He spent over two and a half years studying this room alone. Unfortunately I did not know what it was he was doing. Although, per my master’s orders I would be unable to act against him because of his connection to the Princess.”

Endymion looked at the machine. They didn’t have two and half years. They didn’t have two hours, or an hour. They had, maybe, just maybe, a handful of minutes. The weather outside had to be to the point that everything was freezing over. He felt it slashing through his clothes, and he knew that the girls had to feel it through their own.

Professor Flintheart had said once that if you paid attention you could feel magical traps. Tell where they were, and use that to get by them. It was a roundabout way of doing it, but that might would let him get closer to the machine. Creating the dragon would be a problem. If this entire room was a trap, and it was likely it was, then it would begin draining the magic from the dragon almost the second it was created. They couldn’t stay here either. Eventually the cold outside, and in this room, would become too great for even Stargazer’s spells and his entire tower would succumb to the cold and be taken.

Walking toward the machine was suicide until the Windegos were distracted. It didn’t matter. If they didn’t distract them then it was over already. They lost, everyone died, the world ended.

“Snowfrost, call that book,” he looked at Charm, “I know, I know, but we don’t have two years to learn this room. We don’t have months, weeks, days, or even hours. We’ve got minutes, at best we’ve got minutes. If we don’t act we’re all very dead. Really, really, really dead, and not the fake kind like Trixie pretends to be in order to get out of cleaning the kitchen. I mean the kind where we get to enjoy nothing, do nothing, because we’re gone. So, we need the book, we need the dragon, and we need the protection spell.”

“Endymion, this ain’t a good idea,”AJ said as she neared him, “Ah get that yer worried…”

He looked at her, “We don’t have time. We don’t know if this has already hit Ponyville, and we can only hope, just hope, that everypony has made it inside and is trying to be warm. AJ, if we don’t do this you know what happens.”

She nodded, “Ah agree, it’s the best shot we got.”

The book appeared after a moment. To say it was large would be like saying his mother was powerful. It’d be an accurate description, but it would also be woefully, woefully lacking in the details that accurately described it. The book was easily six hooves tall, at least as thick as a full grown apple tree from Sweet Apple Acres, and it appeared to be bound in aging leather that had scales on it.

When Endymion attempted to lift it the weight of it was too much. Applejack attempted to lift it, and finally it took her, Muddy, and Pinkie Pie to lay the book on its side, lift the cover, and step back. AJ wiped sweat from her brow as she looked at the book. The cover had felt wrong, but now that it was open she could see that there had been teeth, sharp, ivory dragon’s teeth just inside of the cover itself. She felt a prick on her finger and pulled her hand back. She looked at the blood on the tooth, and then watched as it seemed to disappear. After a moment a large reptilian eye formed on the first page, it looked over them, a growl escaped from the book, and it's very sound made the room shake.

“Which of you puny mortals disturbed my slumber? Speak! Tell me who it is that dared to awaken me!”

AJ swallowed and stepped forward, “Ah did. I woke y’all up because we need a dragon.”

The eye began to move out from the book, soon there was piece of skull, then another piece, and after a few minutes there was a skull covered with muscle. AJ stepped back, watching the dragon form, pages from the book were disappearing, the cover was changing, and after what seemed like both years and an instant what stood there was a dragon that easily two hooves larger than her.

It was female, not that it mattered, and it looked more angry than she’d ever seen any critter look before.

“You need a dragon?! That’s why I was awoken?!” she roared, “FINE YOU’VE GOT A DRAGON!”

The belch of flame that erupted from her green scaly lips seemed similar to Spike’s. She turned to see the Windego’s and a snarl escaped her, “So, the old fool started it.”

“Saphira, it was not the master.”

The dragon turned toward Snowfrost, “So says the Windego that lets the old bastard bugger her backside,” Saphria snarled, “Know this, all of you! I am not some measly little toy to be called at a whim! Awaken me, and deal with the consequences!” she roared before she turned toward the first of nearly insane Windegos.

The belt of flame she unleashed lashed over the spiritual creature, causing it to cry out in pain, and from that first attack the entire flock of Windegos began to head toward the large green scaled dragon.

Endymion looked at Twilight who touched him. Her eyes closed, and he felt the touch of magic on him, then he felt more magic, similar, almost as powerful, engulfing him as well. Finally he felt it a third time, this time it felt warmer somehow. When the trinity of lights finished flashing before his eyes he realized that Twilight, Moondancer, and Fluttershy had cast what protections over him they could.

Moving out he felt for the traps, and he could feel them. An endless assortment of them seemed to lay on either side, but it was directly down the middle, a straight line, that it seemed to be safe. Hoping that he was right, he moved down the line he felt. His booted feet touched something cold, solid, and obviously dead. He didn’t look down at the pieces of the Unicorn that had been there.

Behind him he could hear the roar of Saphrina, the cursing she tossed at the Windegos, and the heat of her flame. He could feel the intense cold of the machine, the draw of winter it had, and he finally reached the console for it.

Magical items, controls, and machines often reflected both the creator and the times. That was something that Professor Flintheart had said. This was a large chess board, each controlling piece was a chess piece. Playing the game wouldn’t end the machine, no, Stargazer had made it a chess board because he believed himself to be the most intelligent unicorn to ever live. He set it up in this fashion so that he could play against himself and Equestria would have weather based on the game.

At least that was his hope. The blue rook that currently resided in the space where the Red Queen went had to the be problem. He touched it, and suddenly he felt cold, blinding, biting cold. It wrapped around him, hands on him, under his clothes, touching him, playing with his skin.

“Tell us little magi, have you time to finish?” the ghostly voices whispered.

He felt his legs freezing, there was no feeling from them, that numbing sensation was spreading up through his hips, and he groaned. He focused on the pieces, pulling the blue rook up, praying he was right, feeling the coldness cover him. He felt himself getting colder, his vision began to turn dark, but he had to finish. The Red Queen went back in place, the Blue Rook back into its place, and mere moments later the feeling of the cold hands disappeared. He dropped to his knees, and he could hear the sound of frozen pants crunching.

It’d happened once, long ago, that he’d been playing outside all day during Hearths Warming, and it caused his clothes to freeze almost stiff. His mother was worried, and he was sick, for a while, but he got well enough. That sound of his clothes on that day was the same sound now. He felt hands, much warmer, touching him again.

“Endymion!”

“See… Said I could get it…”

He slumped over and passed out. Twilight looked at the others, but it was Saphrina that began to laugh at the situation. She turned her attention toward the female dragon, anger present in her eyes.

“Please, your stallion is fine. He’s just exhausted because he was almost getting a handjob from the Windegos and he kept going. Take him home, get him warm, and do not awaken me again unless it’s a real emergency.”

With that Saphrina began to change her scales began to pull back, her muscle and bones began to break down, and finally what was in her place was the book itself. Snowfrost made a wave with her hand and it disappeared.

“That’s it?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“It would seem so,” Fluttershy said sounding relieved, “And now I can finally talk about his heroic tendencies! Finally!”

Twilight looked at her like she’d said the stupidest thing anypony had ever said in Equestria, “Fluttershy, you better wait to say anything. If the unicorn that was here before was here because he was under orders from Princess Luna… She’s most likely not going to want this advertized, at all.”

The sound of sword being unsheathed was heard, and then AJ said, “Hey ya’ll, we cain’t have our vict’ry celebration, yet. We got comp’ny!”

Nopony knew what Applejack was talking about until Charm froze up; at the same time, a heavy thud came down the hall, succeeded by a tremor that rattled the door and shook dust from the ceiling. A shadow formed over the entryway they had come from and soon, a leg the size of a tree trunk came into view.

“Oh Tartarus,” Charm gasped, “the dang ole golem!”

“GOLEM!” Everypony gasped.

“Yea, verily,” Snowfrost confirmed, “Master has one constructed for defense of the tower. I wonder what had him so delayed?”

Soon, the form of a grey furred minotaur stomped through the door, it’s form so bulky it had to step through a limb at a time. When it did come through the door finally, the hulking form was well over three ponies tall, a mountain range of muscle and sinew, and a wielded a battle hammer the size of a chariot. It looked down at the party standing in awe of the creature, it’s sutures straining to contain its mass, and then it roared.