It was several hours since Twilight and Nyx left Ponyville, the town now encased of ice and dying as some ancient force fed upon Equestria's Life Force. but now the sun began to drift to the horizon, only to stick in place. to Twilight, it was evident Celestia and Luna shared the same fate as Ponyville. it was then however Nyx looked more and more saddened. To her, this was almost a bad case of old memories returning. when she was nightmare moon and her very short reign as queen was over and she saved Ponyville from the monsters of Everfree.

"You okay, Nyx?" Twilight asked, though she kinda knew the answer.

"Uhm. just a bad case of Deje-vu." Nyx said, though it was almost a whisper.

Twilight however did hear it and smiled giving Nyx a playful nudge. causing the Alicorn filly the squeal and chase after her mother. as the two played they didn't notice the rails on the track to start to vibrate softly, but eventually it became noticeable.

Nyx giggled before stopping to look at the rails. "hey, what's with the tracks?"

Twilight also looked at them, she stared at them for the longest time before her ears swiveled in front of them, looking up she saw a train cast in ice with it's crew desperately trying to stop the engine.

"HELP! SAVE US!"

"GET OFF THE TRACKS! MOVE!"

"HELP!"

the Conductor, Engineer, and coal worker's voices snapped the two into action, Nyx jumped off the tracks as twilight did the same as the train went screaming by them.

"We Have to do something!" Nyx cried. "they'll be killed!"

Twilight snorted and her horn began to glow, wrapping the train in her aura of purple magic and began to pull, despite the attempts of the crew on board the train seemed possessed to keep going at full speed, Twilight however wrapped her tail around a petrified tree, like an anchor as she tried to pull the tree to stop.

"NNNGH! it's not slowing down!" Twilight strained.

Nyx however galloped up to the train. "No, Twilight don't stop it, just slow it down for them to get off." she said as she gave the three ponies on board boots. "Put these on! they're enchanted and will protect you from the ice!"

"Thanks Kid!" the Engineer cried out as he handed the boots to his two co-Workers. once the train slowed it's speed enough the three ponies hopped off, each cheering as the train was released by Twilight's magic, the engine like a toy car that had it's spring wound up taught was released in a blur, and as it went around a curve it few off the reals into a canyon, the site was fantastic as it was frightening, as it hit the ground below and exploded in a huge fireball.

The Coal worker whistled at the site. "That could have been us!" he was a pony covered in black coal dust, though his coat was grey with a shovel and three bits of coal in it's blade. "You girls saved our lives!"

The engineer, a Pony with olive coat with a wrench and can of oil for his cutie mark nodded. "yes, thank you so much!"

"What happened? How did your train get like that?" Twilight asked. hugging Nyx.

The Conductor trotted up, he wore usual train conductor garment, he had an orange coat, blond mane, and a train for a cutie mark... if he had an apple instead he'd look like a gender swap Applejack.

"We were doing a cargo haul from Manehattan last night, but by morning our destination, Canterlot was covered in ice. we tried to hail them with the usual train whistles to switch the train tracks so we can get to the city, but nopony came. when we went by we saw why." the Conductor looked solemn shaking his head.

"the whole city. frozen! Nopony was moving. we even saw the Princesses" The Coal Worker said, fear trembling in his voice.

"Really? what happened to them!?" Twilight asked worriedly.

"it ain't good, ma'am..... they were.... Frozen. like the others. but by the looks of it they were going to take a train. where I don't know. looked like they were afraid to fly though." the Conductor said. "from the looks of it, the Pegasi weren't safe either from this stuff." he said kicking the ice like somepony who insulted his mother, and she was a nice mare too! "at any rate, whatever's in this ice, got on the engine, and it started to speed up. we been on that deathtrap all day!"

"We're in your debt, if there's anything we can do to help you let us know." the Engineer said.

"Well, we could use help getting to Hollow Shades. we think the problem may be there. uhm. if it's not to much to ask that is?" Nyx asked.

The three stallions looked at each other, already they didn't like the request, but they owed to help them out.

"Well there's a Airship docked at Canterlot. You'll need to go there to get it though and you saw what this stuff did to our train. but I bet if you can use your spell on that airship you might be able to control it. it's built to have a skeleton crew control it. I think you and your filly here can fly it!" the Engineer said.

the coal worker smiled and gave Nyx some bits. "here kid. it's not much for the boots, but I wouldn't feel right taking these from you. it's from all of us."

Nyx smiled. "thank you sirs!"

The Conductor then gave Twilight a key. "At the train station there's a locker, 38-B. it's my locker. your free to whatever's inside. I mostly keep food in there. but you may need it more then I do."

"that is very kind, thank you." Twilight smiled stashing the key away.

Nyx then trotted up beside them. "Ponyville isn't far from here. if you get to town, there's a big library tree, the Golden Oaks Library. Twilight used a spell to keep the ice back and you can stay there until this whole thing blows over."

The stallions nodded and began their way. "thanks again kid, your a lifesaver. you might have stepped in it as nightmare moon, but I'm glad I got to meet ya, your alright!"

Watching the three stallions make their way back to ponyville Nyx beamed. if any of those three hated her as Nightmare Moon, her actions and saving their lives made them realize she was a good pony.

"let's go Tw-Mom. maybe we can save more ponies?"

the two ponies once again began their walk on the tracks. this time their sights set on Canterlot.

Twilight smiled, and an idea dawned on her. "Your right, and maybe we can free the princesses. or at least one of them!"

Nyx bounced, slowing her decent with a flutter of her wings. "YEAH! I mean their Princesses right? Alicorns HAVE to take time to drain. uhm. like a battery!"

Twilight mulled this over, in a single hour the ice managed to drain the life force from her friends and any other unfortunate ponies exposed to the ice. yet when Nyx was on it, it had a slow if unnoticeable subtle effect on her. "You know, I think your right! think about it, when you went outside did you feel the ice on you?"

Nyx thought for a moment. "I think your right. I know Luna said I was young and she took away a lot of my powers. but, Alicorns are still powerful in their own right? I mean I can lift spike pretty good now. not as much as before. but... maybe it's because I have my own inherent Alicorn magic?"

Twilight thought this over, was Celestia the same way when she was that age? thinking about it, it had to have been the case. even twilight herself wasn't the best at magic when she began. but now....

"I think your right. then let's hurry! we can rest at Canterlot, but the faster we get there the sooner we can act if Celestia and Luna can be freed!"

The two ponies wasted no more words and broke into a gallop. Nyx despite her small sized used her wings to half gallop half glide, making herself lighter and if not faster then before. her encounter with Column at the Hearth's Warming Eve play taught her to use her abilities as much as possible when the situation called it. training from Shining Armor helped as well, having pegasi guards teach her to use her wings not just to fly but to gallop as well, decreasing one's weight makes all the difference. Plus it was funny when he made Nyx think she was upset that he thought she was fat. All in good fun of course.

------

It wasn't long until they reached the large mountain and entered the train tunnels feeding into the mountain's base. as they went inside, it was like something from H.R. Gallop's paintings, the walls were like they were in the rib cage of some creature. the train tracks were covered in ice. eventually they found the train track switch.

"wow it's completely locked in place." Twilight said.

"I think we should try and switch it. if Canterlot's Magical Train Safety Systems are still functional, any train that comes through like the one we saved those ponies from should be caught so everyone on board can get off." Nyx said looking it over and already using her magic to move the now frozen switch.

"Your right---" Twilight then paused, her ears swiveling. as though on cue another train is heard, the ponies on it also crying for help.

"TWILIGHT! HELP!" Nyx strained, trying to pull it both with magic and her own physical force. though being so tiny and small doesn't help.

Twilight snapped to attention and also began to pull both physically and magically on the train track switch, to their amazement the ice began to crack and the tracks began to move.

"It's working!" Nyx yelled. "Again!"

"Alright, One, Two, THREE!" Twilight yelled.

the switch only budged an inch, now they could see the train engine, the ponies on board can see them trying to pull the switch.

"HURRY, PLEASE!" one of the engineers yelled.

"COME ON! PULL!" the Mare conductor chanted.

"It's Not Budging!" Nyx strained. now flapping her wings, hoping in some way they'd grant the momentum she needed.

Twilight snorted, jumped in front of the track switch and gave it her best applejack buck she could.

her hooves hit the track switch, and unfortunately Nyx as well smashing her hoof as she yelped and backed away, the buck however freed the ice off the mechanism and turned the switch all the way back. the tracks then snapped to the next rail as the runaway engine turned, Twilight used her magic to slow it down. the ponies on board cheered as Canterlot's emergency magical systems activated and locked the wheels of the engine, putting out the fire and stopping the train completely. as the ponies on board got off the train is moved by the emergency system off the tracks so the next train wouldn't crash into it.

After the Second train crew were given boots and thanks, Nyx directed them to Ponyville, which the crew immediately went on their way.

"Ponyville may be far, but until we know the situation for canterlot, I'd rather we send them someplace that has a warm enchanted tree." Twilight said. "oh, Nyx, did I hurt your hoof? I'm sorry!"

Nyx held her hoof up in a limp and whimpered. "I-It's okay. the situation was dyer, and I don't think we would have got the switch pulled in time if you hadn't."

Twilight looked at it, indeed it wasn't bad. given a few moments rest Nyx will be fine. but in this cold....

"Alright when we get to canterlot we'll rest at the train station. I'm not risking my daughter's hoof getting infected on our way to Hollow Shades."

Nyx looked at her hurt hoof. "No disagreements there, and I'm getting hungry."

Twilight's stomach growled too. "same. come on. the sooner we get to the train station the sooner we can eat and rest!"

It took til midnight to reach the train station, at least it should be midnight by Twilight's watch. but with the sun and moon locked in place, it was hard to tell anymore. luckily her watch was made to include AM and PM to switch at appropriate times. once they arrived at the train station they saw everypony was frozen in place. color drained from them as though everyone was monochrome.

Nyx took a seat at the waiting area. quickly using an oil lantern to make both light and heat since they couldn't make a fire inside. as she lay down to relax, Twilight began putting salve on her bruised hoof.

"D-Do you think they can see us?" Nyx asked. looking at a pony in mid trot looking at his watch. where was he going to? was he on time? was he late? was he meeting his special somepony? was he going to work?

"I don't know, Nyx. I'm not sure if I'd want them to be. frozen in place like that. not able to move but.... aware. it's got to be scary for them." Twilight said, wrapping Nyx's Hoof with a bandage she got from the train station emergency kit, no point on dipping into their own supplies already.

"Did you find Celestia and Luna?"

Twilight shook her head. "Let me tend to you first."

Moments later Nyx had her hoof wrapped up in a field dressing. already the affects of the Antibiotic cream taking affect. "you should look for them now. I'm gonna stay here and eat if that's okay?"

Twilight smiled and nodded. "Not too much though. we gotta make it last."

Nyx nodded and dug into her saddlebags, digging out some tea and sandwiches. setting two down for twilight for when she returned.

As she looked around the train station, Twilight moved around the many frozen ponies. already Nyx's words filling her head. Where they still Alive? Can they see her? if so, what were they thinking?

Immediately her train of thought crashed and burned like the train that flew off the cliff. there before her stood Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Celestia, forever frozen in mid Canter, looking to be giving orders to her royal guards as Princess Luna just touched down from flying, their eyes locked on each other..... they knew.

"C-Celestia!" Twilight galloped to her mentor and inspected them. "Hmmm there's got to be a way to free you...."

Despite her fatigue, Twilight took a good look at the two frozen Princesses. Upon inspection, it seemed her theory was right, Luna and Celestia did still have their colors, though at their hooves their legs were beginning to turn grey.

"twilmph...."

Twilight's ears perked, swiveling towards Celestia. then she heard it again.

"twilighmph!"

her ears then swiveled to Luna, immediately Twilight's blood went cold as ice. they COULD see, THEY COULD SEE HER! But maybe hear her too!

"P-Princess Luna!" Twilight tried her best to calm herself. "I'm gonna try to unfreeze you but I don't know if it'll work. and I am so tired.... I can only do it once."

"Plmph Trymph" came from Luna's frozen form.

Twilight said nothing more and began to charge her spell, as much as she wanted Celestia's help first, it seemed Luna was less affected as her sister. casting a heating spell around the lunar princess, Twilight began to melt the ice and thaw Luna out, and as the ice melted, Luna took a gasp and fell over, her legs flailing on the slick ice. she yelped and squawked like a new born foal trying hard to get her bearing. however before Luna could get up and congratulate Twilight, the purple Unicorn lost consciousness.