The winds howled relentlessly. Fast driven snow stung like ant bites on their carapace. Each step sank to the knees as they dragged their arching hooves across the white blanketed surface. The never changing direction of the wind froze their glittery gold, blue and red colored wings and grass colored feelers at an angle. As far as their eyes could see, there was nothing. Not even the Windigo. The winds had scoured the lands clear. Even their worries and hope were a fleeting sensation before the winds carried them away.

But Glitter Song didn’t want to give up.

She and her husband Star Dust have come too far. They were further south than any flutter pony had been… if her Location Crystal was telling the truth. The several weeks of unending night filled with endless snow were their sole routine, broken only by the company they had with each other when they made camp.

Presently, Glitter Song closed her eyes and silenced her mind. Her senses reached out and felt the chittering magic in the crystal, hidden in one of the many pouches tied to her flank. With a flick of a thought, the crystal pulsed, a radiating wave of raw, unrefined magic shot off far into the distance. She waited for several seconds, Feeling. Nothing returned.

The echoes had grown fainter and fainter until it stopped altogether a few hours ago. Or what she thought was a few hours ago, since the perpetually overcast skies revealed no sign of whether it was day or night. She would have given everything she got just to punch a hole in those thick black clouds but she right now could barely stand and walk, let alone fly. There were better ways to keep her wings from snapping in half.

With a twitch of her feelers, Glitter Song fished the crystal out in a white glow and held it up to her eyes. The shard of clear quartz tinted with blue magic was suited for the smooth, twisty tunnels of the underground cities of their kingdom where its magic would bounce around and map its countless passages. In this white wasteland, it might as well be useless when there was nothing to ping off of.

Staring at the swirling motes of light within the crystal didn’t help either. She felt her Warming Crystal glowed in overdrive and the blossoming heat drove away the cold that encroached while she stood. With a sigh, she stuffed the crystal back into the pouch and moved on.

Star Dust was a few feet ahead, his dark blue coat blending into the dark surroundings. His ghostly white mane and his golden wings were the only thing visible. Glitter Song quickened her pace and joined him at his side, gaining a respite from the harsh winds. With a smile, Star Dust leaned in and nuzzled her nose. Glitter Song returned him a ghost of a smile.

The snow went on and on, growing deeper with each step. A check on her Time Crystal revealed that, indeed, it was a few hours since the Locating Crystal last returned an echo. Glitter Song looked on at the dark emptiness.

Was everypony right? That the entire world had frozen over? Glitter Song’s face fell. Maybe this is a fool’s errand?

She turned to Star Dust. “Do you think—”

“Remember her Majesty’s words, Song,” his soft voice cut her off.

Glitter Song reared just a little, her wings fluttering. A feeler curled.

Then she remembered.

---

They lay on the couch, Glitter Song’s body snuggled against Star Dust. A reassuring hoof stroked gently on her wheat colored shoulders as her brown downcast eyes stared at the smoothed rock floor of their home.

“Why won’t the councilors listen?” she asked.

The hoof stopped and pulled Glitter Song tighter against him. Worry wafted and swirled around her, radiating from Star Dust.

“They fear for our safety,” Star Dust whispered.

Oh, they feared alright. Glitter Song could feel it rolling off them in waves as they spoke down from their pedestals, denying their request to venture south in search of the land every filly and colt had heard in their foalhood.

A land of dreams where magic was everywhere—in the soil, in the grass, in the sky and in everypony. Not just magicless rocks and tunnels under a sprawling mountain covered in eternal cold and ice. Tales of ponies, ancient in form, from the times before the Great Exodus when the Windigo froze the world, who lived in that land, in magic, in harmony.

Unfortunately, the councilors insisted that were just that—tales, not facts.

She shook her head. “They are afraid of the bleakness, sure that the world was gone.”

Star Dust rested his head on her coffee colored mane. Glitter Song smiled as she relished the touch. His love washed over her like a warm blanket and she relaxed. She hadn’t realize she was grinding her teeth.

They aren’t worth it, those old, stodgy mares and stallions. But it was shame for the flutter ponies to live and die in this lonely glorified fortress forever to guard the Wellspring, the heart of the Flutter Kingdom. Even if the world was truly frozen, they should be out there doing their best to reclaim the land. The power of the Wellspring could well see to that.

“I’m sorry, Star,” Glitter Song said. “My anger must have been needling you while I was moping the whole time…”

Star Dust simply squeezed her in response.

Before Glitter Song could settle further into Star Dust, their ears shot up at the sound of three raps on their door. Slinking out of his legs, Glitter Song walked the twenty steps to the door and threw it open.

A yellow mare with pale orange mane stood in the tunnel, head held high at attention. A rose pink cravat adorned her neck, signifying her to be from the office of Her Royal Majesty, the Royal Secretary, Sun Gem, to be exact. Glitter Song’s eyes widened at the realization.

Without any preambles, Sun Gem announced: “Please prepare for the arrival of her Majesty.”

Glitter Song scrambled back and immediately lay prostate as Star Dust joined Glitter Song by her side.

Sun Gem stepped aside for a tall figure to step into her home. Her coat was a brilliant gold-yellow and her mane that flowed in long locks past her shoulders the faintest of rose pink. Her deep green carapace that covered the three-quarters of her barrel and back and the enormous translucent golden-orange and black wings shone with daily polish and care. A small crown made of the clearest quartz and diamond sat upon her head, peeking from behind two thick, red feelers.

Queen Rosedust looked upon her subjects said with a wave of her hoof:

“Please rise.”

Glitter Song stood shakily while Star Dust seemed nonchalant. “T-to what do I owe this honor, your Majesty?” she asked.

A gentle smile adorned Rosedust’s face. “Let us settle down before we talk matters, shall we?”

“Ah… yes, your Majesty.” Glitter Song waved frantically to her couch. “T-this is the best your humble subject could offer…”

“Have no worries, Glitter Song.” Rosedust said as she walked over and lay gracefully on the couch, her long slender body occupying most of it.

With a waggle of her feelers, two cushions levitated in pink glow over to Glitter Song and Star Dust who did their best to settle down comfortably under the soft eyes their monarch.

“So, shall we begin?”

Glitter Song and Star Dust nodded in unison.

“I heard that the two of you have been making inquires in regards to leaving the kingdom,” Rosedust said, her smile never wavering.

A jolt of cold went through Glitter Song and Star Dust.

“I wish to know why.”

Star Dust stared impassively while Glitter Song was taken aback, to put it mildly. Did the council not raise this to the queen? she thought. Of course not. They won’t bother with something as trivial as two subjects wanting to leave for a land of foalhood tale… her thoughts shot back. But why is the queen here?

“So…”

Rosedust’s soft, trailing voice jolted Glitter Song out of her thoughts.

“I… wanted to find the fabled land. I want to find Equestria,” she said.

Glitter Song felt her gut sink when the smile disappeared off Rosedust’s face. Her ears folded back. Her feelers twitched erratically. She threw herself on the floor. “I-it’s just my wishful thinking, your Majesty!”

Rosedust looked from Glitter Song to Star Dust, her expressions turned contemplative. The scent of smoky nuts drifted past Glitter Dust’s nose—the queen was curious. There was no sharp sting of anger directed at neither her nor Star Dust. Slowly, the fear drained from her.

A wan smile replaced the look of contemplation of Rosedust now. “You truly wish to seek the land of Equestria?

“Yes!” Glitter Song immediately stuffed her hooves into her mouth. Her mouth had outrun her mind this time. “F-forgive me, your Majesty.”

Rosedust shook her head. “There is nothing to forgive.” She fixed Glitter Song with motherly look. “It is a bold endeavor.” She turned to Star Dust. “And you would follow her to the ends of the world, Star Dust. Even though you have said nothing, I have felt your conviction and love to her.”

Star Dust nodded.

Glitter Song rose from the floor and back onto the cushion. “Even if most of the flutters think that it was a bunch of foal stories, I’ve check the historical archives. There were several mentions of ‘Equestria’ by travelers from the empire to the south. Well, until they disappeared more than a thousand years ago…”

“Indeed, you are correct,” Rosedust said.

That got Glitter Song’s hopes up. “But is it true?”

Rosedust nodded. “I was trying to open relations with the Crystal Empire before a prince named Sombra…” Her face turned somber. “Let us not conduct an impromptu history lesson, for today I come with an ulterior motive.”

Glitter Song shot up straight in her position. “… Your Majesty?”

Rosedust turned to Sun Gem, who had been standing off to her side the whole time, and said: “Give it to them.”

With a flick of her feeler, two pink tinted quartzes floated off Sum Gem’s pouch and into the hooves of Glitter Song and Star Dust. Glitter Song looked at the crystal in the shape and color of the rose that adorned Rosedust’s flank and then at Rosedust. “… Your Majesty?”

“Fifteen hundred years ago, an entity known as Discord unleashed his magic and his minions upon our fledgling kingdom, devastating it.” Rosedust said, her shoulders slumping. “With the combined magic of the Wellspring and the Utter Flutter of every flutter ponies involved, we managed drive them off.

“However I believe, in the ensuing chaos and battle, a group led by my daughter had thought the kingdom had fallen and fled south across the ice and snow to Equestria. To this day, I have no idea of their fates nor I have the contacts to find them, what with the south a frozen wasteland.”

Glitter Song sat in her cushion, stunned. The history books have never mentioned this. They had been unanimous that a Chaotic spirit had ran rampant on the kingdom and the princess fell to him. It was something that the queen apparently never corrected. “I-I’m sorry for your loss, your Majesty…”

The wan smile returned on Rosedust’s face briefly. “These will grant you permission to leave the kingdom.” An almost imperceptible rattle of sadness crashed into Glitter Song, shocking her. That little bit of sadness was already overwhelming. Glitter Song felt tears welling in her eyes and she shuddered. “And I have only one request: find out the fate of Glitter Dust, my daughter and report it back to me through the crystals you now hold in your hooves.”

Rosedust then drew herself to full seating height.

“I hereby decree that the two of you are on an extended assignment to explore the greater world outside the kingdom for the duration until you are unable to carry on, be it by death or by your inability,” she announced. “You may deem fit to return at any point of time should you feel that you have succeeded in the mission or otherwise.”

Glitter Song and Star Dust bowed. “We will, your Majesty,” Glitter Song said.

“Thank you, Glitter Song, Star Dust.” Rosedust smiled warmly. “Please, find my daughter.”

---

Presently, Star Dust stopped and stared forward, standing stock still. Glitter Song stumbled for a few steps narrowing avoiding collision with him.

She frowned. “What’s wrong…” her voice trailed off.

Just like her husband, she faced forward, standing stock still. Is… is that…

She could feel it, way off into the distance. It was a fuzzy, indistinct buzz but it was unmistakable—magic. It was raw if a little more refined than what she was used to. But it was magic. Without warning, Glitter Song took off galloping. Star Dust blinked once before joining her.

They galloped for hours. Or what Glitter Song felt was hours. She didn’t care anymore. The buzz grew and soon became huge clouds, wavering in and out of existence. Warmth, like what the Warming Crystal gave out rolled over them. In an instant, the blizzard stopped. The snow that was once knee deep shrunk rapidly until—

Glitter Song tripped and face planted on grass. Grass! The rich scent of the earth filled her nostrils. Giggling and ignoring the pain, she got back on her hooves. Her eyes took in a vista of wide grass land dotted with low flowers of pink, yellow and white. A noise built and then erupted into a squeal. It was several moments before she realized it was her voice. This is just like what the history books said!

The grass! The sky! The clouds! … Is the sky supposed to be blue? Glitter Song took off once again, aiming for a patch for dark green on the horizon. She barely registered the hoofbeats of Star Dust as he galloped beside her. The wind roared in her ears, fluttering her wings as it flowed across her back. A click told her that the Warming Crystal had switched off. The heat from the weak midday sun was already giving off enough heat.

Glitter Song felt Star Dust brushed against her flank and he wrapped a pair of hooves around her barrel. Together, they tumbled onto the grass just short of the dark evergreen pines. She could feel it—the quiet rumble in the soil, the swishing in the grass, the prickly feeling in the strange small leaves of the trees and the enormous oppressive congregates in the sky and clouds. Her feelers twitched constantly, taking in and cataloguing every sensation of this strange new magic. It wrapped around the two of them like a warm blanket.

“We made it!” Glitter Song laughed.

Star Dust nuzzled her neck, eliciting a giggle. The sweet scent of love and joy flooded her. They made it. They were in the fabled land. The councilors were so, so wrong.

Now there was only one task left: find Princess Glitter Dust.