The world beyond is a claustrophobic cave. It has a glalie and froslass fussing over her spirit. The odor of flygon filet permeates the air.
It is an afterlife of suffering and misery. Frozy wants to hug herself, a habit she has yet to quit since she was a snorunt, but even trying to move sends an extreme jolt through her body that sets the world ablaze. She lets out a strained breath as tears prick at her eyes from the searing pain.
The glalie and froslass snap their eyes at her. Are these the two who will dole out judgment unto her? They are too familiar to be in limbo alongside her.
"Frozy!" The glalie lacks most of one horn. The froslass lacks a sash. Together, they cry, "You're alive!"
The relief that washes over them is somewhat uncomfortable. Frozy repeats their words in her head countless times, but it does not quite click. Alive? She is not yet dead?
Arctina skewers a steak, one from Frozy's own wobbuffet sack stash, on her horn and offers it to her. Shivian, freshly evolved, holds out a berry she must have scavenged on this mountain. Frozy attempts to open her mouth, but her jaw locks and her body explodes in pain.
It hurts to exist. But even still, she is alive. She cannot squander this stroke of luck. She must live, so she does not dwell on the events leading up to this predicament. Indeed, she will not die. She refuses to die. This is proof of her will.
So, despite the crippling agony cursing her body, she rises, teetering to keep balance. She flexes her arms to get the fretting pair to back off. Gritting her teeth, Frozy floats ahead to the mouth of the cave and knocks on the ice wall barring them from the rest of the world. Light refracts through and blinds her. She waves for them to follow and set out again.
"You have to rest!" Arctina ushers her back inside. "We're not going anywhere until you get better."
Eternity will come to an end faster than it will take for her body to revert to its prior state. Frozy points outside, then grabs the air ahead to say, They will go away soon.
The Frozen Gigant, if They truly exist, will surely not wait for Frozy to recover to witness Shivian's embarrassing Frozen Opera. They must hurry if they wish to hold the performance. Yet they continue to hound her into complacent submission.
Why do they want her to live? She is unable to ask, but even if she were, she does not think she would. She would only tell them should they find themselves in a similar predicament as earlier, Frozy would not hesitate in doing things the same.
Oh, well. Frozy only brings their pilgrimage up because she does not wish to stay a useless lump. Otherwise, she should kill herself right now.
She lies back down, as per their imploring and opens her mouth as Shivian holds the berry in front of her. Her jaw is still stiff beyond belief, but she can tell it is not dislocated. She is lucky it was not shattered. One of them must have snapped it back into place for her. She forces it open, massaging it with an unsteady hand. The lack of texture on her face will be hard getting used to. The front is flatter than a leaf, and there is no means of fixing it.
Crisp knocks ring from the ice barrier. Something must be trying to get in. Before Frozy can try to rise once more, Arctina jets out, squeezing through a small hole hidden in the side of the cavern. Clashing parts. Snarls of pain. Shattering ice. The noises resound.
It takes some time for Arctina to return, stripped of ice armor that she refreezes with a blank face. She rejoins Shivian in fussing over her. The peace lasts shortly before scratching comes from the ice wall, and Arctina exits again.
The glalie returns lacking most of her ice coating yet again. Frozy eyes the damage, but everyone continues to ignore it. Arctina continues to fight for her sake. She needs to heal so that she can protect Arctina.
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Frozy eats. She slowly stretches while still lying down. Shivian refreezes the ice plugging up the holes bored through Frozy that her body seems to absorb as its own sustenance. Arctina leaves to battle a would-be intruder. The painfully long day consists of this, and this only. Over and over, Frozy does not know how long she can take such mind-numbing boredom by such anomalous pokémon who saved her instead of leaving her for dead. Soon, she will start to feel bad.
The wind howls through cracks in the cave wall and carries the delightful taste of the snowstorm still raging. Enough light dims through the ice wall to signify night is falling. The three of them stay close together.
Fending off Arctina's fretting, Frozy rises and floats shakily, supporting herself with the wall. If tomorrow is the same as today, Frozy will truly regret not dying. She points outside and motions to leave.
"You're still so hurt!" Arctina is too kind. Frozy pats her heart to refute, but Arctina cries, "We can't risk it!"
Something pierces through the thick ice wall and shoots into the cave wall just shy of striking Shivian. Arctina shrinks back shivering for just a moment before she excuses herself and exits. She returns stripped of her armor.
"You can't go out like this." Arctina speaks in monotone, a forced smile on her face, slow to form new ice.
The ice wall crackles and its outer layer fractures. Arctina excuses herself once more, freezing a lumpy coat around her rock core. She puts an end to the danger and returns naked again.
"It's dangerous out there." Arctina's voice lowers unfathomably. "You're even weaker than me now."
Frozy slowly blinks at Arctina. The glalie only gasps and shakes her head with a weak laugh. But Shivian shrugs. "And that is enough. You are the only reliable one here, after all."
The froslass's smile is so self-serving that Frozy rolls her eyes; if that is her idea of a compliment, she needs to work on it. Arctina does not need to continue protecting Frozy. The sentiment is all that matters. Frozy does not mind battling, unlike the glalie.
Displaying her capabilities in full measure will likely persuade them to keep moving. Frozy will not provoke a battle with them, and Arctina floats quicker than her and will therefore engage intruders before she can. Then to prove her strength, she shall…
It is difficult to come up with an idea, and it is one she does not want to execute, but Frozy finally realizes how she can show her resilience. She points at Shivian and beckons her near. The new froslass hesitates, then stumbles close. Frozy is impressed that her skinned back has translated to a missing sash, just as the diva would have wanted.
If Frozy recalls correctly, as that overbearing Glaciari so eagerly whispered in her ear, the Frozen Opera involves the prima donna releasing energy to summon their own storm. The means of doing so is using hail, but Shivian likely does not know how to cast it. So, with little effort, Frozy manages to channel her power into a frigid orb she launches above in their sealed-off cave.
Dark clouds swirl above, raining rugged chips of ice upon them. Frozy hides a smirk as she watches Shivian pathetically mimic her to no avail.
"Shut up!" she snaps, face visibly simmering with embarrassment. Shivian turns around and copies the hand movements exactly, but huffs upon yielding null.
Sneaking behind her, Frozy slinks her arms around Shivian's head and covers her eyes. A move like hail require focus and intent, both of which Shivian is severely lacking in. She knocks twice on the empty cranium and presses a hand against her chest to stimulate deep breathing.
A strange feeling wells in Frozy's chest. She wishes someone had taught her how to attack like this instead of learning through trial and error. It is not quite envy, she believes, but whatever it is, Shivian ought to be thankful.
Obviously, Shivian yelps at her again and breaks away instead of following through. Frozy shrugs and releases another hail to mock her.
Something crashes outside, and with a sigh through a strained smile, Arctina excuses herself yet again. Frozy stares at her disappearing back, glazed with an imperfect ice armor she is not bothered to fix.
"What do you think about that earlier?" Shivian earnestly asks, pointing her chin at the glalie. Surely she cannot be referencing that paltry praise she uttered moments ago? "Smooth, yes? Arctina must have been flattered!"
Such a hapless fool. She revels in that? Perhaps this is simply the extent of her compliments.
Shivian's face eventually becomes solemn. She grabs Frozy by the shoulders and pulls her closer, her mouth beside her ear. "Don't think I forgot what you did back there. I will never forget." Her body trembles, her weak grip causing excruciating pain with the mildest movement that Frozy readily accepts. "But we are too far to change anything. You are the only real chance we have of making progress."
Frozy widens her eyes, but otherwise does not react. Shivian is truly absurd.
"I lied. There is no chance we can only rely on Arctina to make it there safely. Not compared to you." Shivian lets her go and sighs. "So if you promise to keep your word to finish our journey before killing me, I will forget what you did."
There is no reason for Frozy to agree. She does as she pleases. And yet, she finds herself nodding. Though she does not do it often, she mouths, Very well.
"You know Arctina already 'forgot' about it." Shivian stares at the ice wall. "Just remember that you're a guardian, too. And… I don't plan on sacrificing a guardian for my opera."
Frozy can only stare at the suddenly bashful froslass. An ache in her torso makes her drift to the right, but she realizes Shivian holds her hand to anchor her. This froslass in the throes of desperation gives her whiplash.
"Now… Show me how to do that again. Slowly." Her voice tapers off into a breath.
Unwilling to waste any more mental energy on Shivian, Frozy only does as she is told and uses hail once more. Shivian shuts her eyes tight in focus to mirror her. It will be truly sad if she cannot manage this simple move.
After much grunting and disturbing faces, she yields nothing. "I am a froslass now." Shivian whips her head up. "Of course I can do this effortlessly. And this will all be possible… thanks to you… Frozy"
Frozy does a double-take and, upon seeing the embarrassed face opposite her, she tilts her head.
"Do not make me repeat myself," Shivian stutters out. With a sigh, she adds, "I will not waste effort and time fighting you anymore. I am not that shameless. Consider yourself lucky."
Frozy almost applauds her limitless arrogance.
"So, please, I beg of you to teach me." Her words are forced through grit teeth. She bows so deeply, she almost hits the floor.
Frozy rolls her eyes and rips Shivian off the ground. If she wishes to improve, then she should practice, not beg. Mommy had her learn that the hard way. Feeling a tingle, Frozy touches the back of her head and tucks her chin in.
"But don't correct me too harshly…" Shivian holds the back of her head and ducks.
Frozy attempts to imagine a smoldering Glaciari, but all that comes to mind is Mommy. She forces them out with a shake of the head. She puts her hands on Shivian and guides her to a more suitable posture.
Eventually, Shivian finally produces a glowing orb in her hands. It is pitifully small, but she puffs her chest out with pride. She marvels at it, excitedly thrusting it in Frozy's face while squealing nonsense. "Perfection!"
As if by Frozy's will manifest, the lesser hail blows up in Shivian's face. Frost coats her eyes, and she sputters.
Such is life. Frozy allows herself to openly laugh at Shivian's dismay. Shivian will not be around to remember this weak side of her, so she clutches her stomach and bellows out a silent laughter, no matter how it physically hurts. She pauses for just a moment, hiding her smirk, such free expression so foreign to her, but Mommy is not here to strike and stop her while calling her a nuisance. So she continues to openly revel.
Surprisingly, it is hard to stop laughing. Shivian shakes off the shock with a growing grin, eagerly putting her hands together to cast another hail as she bounces in the air. Frozy clings to Shivian's back in an attempt to collect herself, but she fails, erupting in another wave of silent titters that Shivian joins in on, fueled by a different source.
The orb channeled in Shivian's hands grows, and she tosses it to the ceiling before it has come to full form. It wedges into the stone, fizzling out. Before it disappears, it plumes into a small cloud of crushed ice that rains down in a spot.
"I am amazing!" she proclaims.
Rejoicing, Shivian grabs onto Frozy, and the two share their opposing joys.
Frozy manages to stop laughing, but she cannot stop smiling. How odd.
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Please don't be an intruder, please don't be danger, Arctina desperately begs with eyes clamped shut at the sound of chipping ice. She has only just returned to see Frozy and Shivian embraced in celebration.
Her ice armor sheds along a fracture she is familiar with. She has no desire to reform it. She only continues to beseech some ethereal being not the Frozen Gigant to bring peace.
The chipping evolves into heavy pounding, as if something found the sweet spot in the ice wall. Still, she prays it will disappear, that she misheard, that she will not have to leave yet again.
A shadow dances beyond the wall. Please go away…
It breaks off a chunk and an uninvited gale bursts in. Stop, no one's here!
Arctina forces her eyes open and sees Shivian and Frozy still dancing with delight. Frozy obviously notices the encroaching presence, throwing it a sideways glance. But she does not jump to defend them.
Of course. Because Arctina is the guardian, so obviously she must continue to risk her life for the sake of others, and her alone.
No, it is because Frozy is severely injured! What is she thinking?
Maybe one more strike will clear my head, she thinks as she forces herself to move. Before she exits, a muscular arm snakes in and grabs her.
The touch brings on an explosion of pain. It reminds her not just that she has yet to reform more ice armor, but that her rock core is broiled beyond saving. Utterly tender, the agony shooting through her body leaves her a husk for just a moment. She might crumble into dust.
She grimaces as she is yanked outside and brought before an irksome face. A slaking beams a twisted smile. Without thinking, Arctina freezes new ice armor and flinches away. Unfortunately, she freezes his hand to her. He whips her about wildly.
I don't wanna battle…
Why is she the one who has to do this? It hurts. It is scary. It is not fair. She never wanted to be the guardian.
Oh, but she was the best roughhouser amongst the children, so surely she had the brightest aptitude to be the guardian.
The world spins as the slaking shakes her about carelessly. She cannot be thinking this way, lest she die so pitifully. By sheer luck, the slaking's flailing stabs her protruding horn through his own chest and he screeches.
Luck, yes. Arctina is lucky. In these encounters, at least. Encountering weaklings, successfully running away, someone else swooping in to steal the kill… Utterly unbecoming of a guardian.
The slaking slams his hand into a boulder and they finally separate. Arctina's ice armor shatters again. As the pain surges through her, she realizes she needs to refocus herself.
I am the guardian. She repeats her mantra until it becomes truth. This is how she made it this far in life. I am a proud, honorable guardian.
A hammer arm shoots at her. She screams the affirmation in her head as she dodges in the knick of time. He swipes at her again and again with no signs of slowing. Arctina desperately weaves around every punch, a shallow breath refusing to release.
She needs to get away. But as she throws herself backwards, Arctina slams into something hard and falls to the ground. The slaking towers over her and laughs. He holds one fist in the other and raises it above her. As he swings down, Arctina screams and forces herself to charge ahead.
Arctina manages to get away, just shy of grazing his unstoppable attack. She only stops when a severe crack resounds. Reluctantly turning, she sees the slaking with his fists against the wall she had against her back for a split second before pure white overtakes her senses.
It comes crashing down from up high with a tremor dampened by the fallen snow. The solid white piles on top of the slaking and buries him deep, a tall miniature mountain taking form. Arctina glances up and sees a sheer cliff face barren of snow. It must have been an avalanche.
Thanking her lucky stars, Arctina heaves a sigh. To her dismay, the snow moves and makes it known that the slaking lives. She starts for the cave without looking back, pretending as if she did not see a finger pop out and wriggle.
This slaking moves as if nothing holds him back. Arctina faced off against a few back home, and they were all powerful, but extremely lazy. But this one contradicts his species' very nature.
No, it is not so. Arctina gulps as she picks up her pace. It is not that this slaking is spry, but that his earlier degree of exertion is his laziness. Such activity is but a trifle to him, child's play.
Arctina clenches her chattering teeth together. How can she, the guardian, be scared of the likes of him? She is strong, stronger than Frozy. She defeated that steel monster that bested Frozy. She is unstoppable…
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She lets her mind wander to calm herself down as she closes in on the cave. She is the guardian because she will protect everyone. She is the guardian because… because Elder Glaciari praises her for it.
But she also wants to be the prima donna, even now. The dream never truly went away, and she never outright denied it. It is impossible, but she can still dream a silly dream.
Absolute beauty. Pure resplendence. Utter exquisiteness. The very essence of the prima donna enraptured her the very moment she saw Elder Glaciari perform her aria the previous Frozen Opera, and Arctina wanted it all for herself. The perfection just out of reach that called for her.
As prima donna, she would be the beacon of hope for the clan. She would be so blindingly brilliant with a pride to match and perfectly humble to know she lived a life so blessed. Her lovely voice would ring clear forevermore. And everyone would look to her with the warmest faces. She whole-heartedly yearns for it. She wants to be like Elder Glaciari. It is a dream so wonderful. After all…
Arctina wants everyone to like her. Because no one ever liked her. Why was it so wrong?
As a snorunt, she was a pest lost in her own world. When she evolved, no one cared or bothered to befriend the guardian, destined to die in the Frozen Opera. Elder Glaciari and Shivian were the only ones who acknowledged her existence. Because Glaciari praised her warmly for it, Arctina accepted her role as guardian. But if she were prima donna, everyone would like her. Can she not be a tad selfish?
One truly wants what they cannot have. Arctina even fell to mania and maimed herself in pursuit of the impossible. She killed one of their own for the sake of a dream deferred. She still hopelessly wishes for an undeserved miracle to happen.
A muscular arm shoots out of the snow and carves an opening for its lumbering body. Arctina quickens, unwilling to look at danger incarnate.
Not only is the guardian disliked, she is actively endangered. For the sake of those so loved. The prima donna is so precious, prophesied or not. Closing her eyes, she can imagine herself a dancing, singing froslass with a hearty smile so foreign. But the reality is that no one would truly miss her if she passed. With no other choice, all she can do is lick her own wounds as she ensures the happiness of others.
Arctina allows herself such reverie, but only because she keeps it far away from reality, put to fester in the pits of a place no one cares to know. But it is becoming more difficult to repress. She even lashed out at Shivian.
Waking her from her daydream is the ice barrier to the cave. She locks away the recurring feelings and bashes her way in, ignoring the primal grunts and fumbling footsteps tripping in the snow.
Arctina happens upon Frozy and Shivian laughing together as they were before she left. When did they get so close? They fit together so well, as if they were friends from childhood…
Frozy must like Arctina. The way she looks and clings to her must make it so. And Shivian acts a little differently now, more gentle, so she has to think better of her…
But perhaps what Arctina and they have is transactional, and what the two froslass have is true friendship. Perhaps Arctina only protects them, and in exchange, they entertain her presence. After all, Shivian never liked her. And Frozy has her own bag of secrets.
Arctina cannot tell which hurts more: her broken body, or her aching heart. She never wanted either. And so, all her pain is insignificant.
The slaking must be closing in as she ruminates. That is why she says without elaboration, "Let's go."
The both of them seem to want nothing more than to continue their journey. Arctina is the one holding them back. If she were Frozy, she would want to rest and be fawned over, but the froslass in question is quite weird and denies her kind treatment. So Arctina will do as they like, so that they like her. She tells herself that this is enough. She tells herself that this is true.
Frozy jumps to leave and Shivian grabs for Arctina's bare body. The glalie gives a forced chuckle and says, "You guys suck at floating!"
Red in the face, Shivian snaps, "Then teach us how to do it better!"
"It's easy!" Arctina floats to the mouth of the cave, luring them with her. "Don't even think about it that hard. You're just worrying too much about falling down that you're over-correcting yourselves. Relax, and it'll be okay! And falling down isn't even that bad, right? I did the same thing when I first evolved."
Arctina stops at the exit. She wishes someone taught her how to float properly. The two froslass float toward her with staggered bounds with arms flailing less than they were before. Frozy makes it to her first, as she predicted. Blinking tightly just once, Arctina goes behind her and nudges Frozy outside.
Arctina is a terrible pokémon. But if Frozy will fend off other threats in her stead, Arctina will feign sloth.
Frozy floats a decent distance without any visible struggle. She claps her hands and beams at Arctina so warmly, it could melt her. The glalie's heart ought to soar, but instead it shrivels.
Arctina adverts her eyes from facing forward and drifts along the outside cave wall. The distance between them grows and she sighs as the sound of crunching snow explodes only to grind to a halt before Frozy.
Arctina cannot stand to look at Frozy, in all her injured glory fighting a battle she ought to finish. But as long as she herself is not hurt anymore, she will not say anything. The snowstorm has let up enough for her to watch the shadows dancing. The slaking wades through the tall snow and Frozy shoves Shivian out of the way.
The shadows shift wildly, new masses forming only to disappear into the larger figure. It grabs the smaller one and they become one until Shivian crawls her way over and clings to Arctina.
"Where is your head at?" Shivian lightly bonks her on the head as she watches the battle. Ever since Frozy struck her, she has yet to hit Arctina like she had before. That is good. Arctina never did like it when Shivian hurt her. "You're my real guardian, aren't you?"
No, she is not so noble or brave.
Frozy approaches them, cloaked in congealed blood, which snaps Arctina out of it. The reality is that Arctina is the guardian, nothing more. She ought to be happy simply bearing witness to Shivian's Frozen Opera. So she will be.
It is a miracle that Frozy is in such good condition given her injuries. The froslass holds her pierced chest patched with ice and grimaces before leaning on Arctina. It figures that her strength is limited. But even still, Frozy makes Arctina look at her. She moves one hand to caress the glalie's jaw, which Arctina had not realized was still quivering from earlier. With the other, she taps the same spot upon her breast as if to reassure her.
Arctina hiccups, forcing her eyes to stay open. Frozy freezes her an ice armor more impressive than she herself is capable of crafting and floats ahead to lead the way.
"What are you waiting for? Let us be off!" Shivian pushes Arctina and the trio sets out once more.
Arctina shakes all the thoughts out of her head. When I make it home, everyone will like me, she tells herself. Shivian and Frozy like me.
Why do Shivian and Frozy have to make it so easy to believe when Arctina has done nothing to deserve it?
Arctina shoves it to the back of her mind and catches up to Frozy, dragging Shivian along, who hitches a ride by holding her good horn.
"You're a natural!" she says as Frozy floats along smoothly. The froslass glances down at her form and nods approvingly at herself. Arctina giggles and asks, "What about you, Shivian?"
"You needn't worry about me!" Shivian sputters. She lets go of Arctina and floats on her own. She inches forward in stiff increments, maintaining her prideful face.
"Amazing!"
"Arent I?" Shivian stumbles, but keeps her composure with an awkward smirk. "Sing more praise, louder!"
"You're the best! So elegant!"
Frozy comes over and flicks Shivian's forehead while putting a hand over Arctina's mouth and gently shaking her head.
"Hey!" Shivian whines.
Frozy ignores her and cradles Arctina in her arms. Arctina cannot help the smile blooming on her face, but it disappears just as fast at an impossibly loud screech shooting into her ears.
Three exploud screech to a halt before them, likely descending the mountain to escape the inclement weather. Arctina gulps as they funnel another sonic boom into her head. She is so tired. As her body pulses with pain yet to fade, she forces herself forward.
Frozy cuts her off. In an instant, the froslass appears before the exploud and wrestles with them with ease. She freezes their pipes solid and renders them harmless before Arctina can even join in.
Just as Frozy lays the second exploud to waste, Arctina finally bursts forth. She smashes into the head of the third and fells the thing in one strike. Mouth kept closed, she swallows the oncoming chokes as she is wont to do.
"Warn me before you do that," Shivian says as she clings to Arctina's back while looking over her shoulder. "Don't stray too far from me."
Shivian is so selfish, but Arctina will not have her any other way. As someone with all bark, no bite, Shivian is simply too cute. And the warmth from her touch drives Arctina to keep moving. Since Arctina cannot be the prima donna, she will support Shivian's gorgeous dream with all she has. There is no doubt her Frozen Opera will be divine.
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Shivian scowls at Frozy and Arctina's distant backs. They travel at a glacial pace for the sake of Frozy's injuries, yet Shivian still lags behind floating on her own.
How can she be so clumsy? She needs to master the Frozen Opera's choreography, but how can she if she can barely float in a straight line? She blames the mess that is their journey to meet the Frozen Gigant. But all she can do now is struggle and force perfection.
Shivian flinches at the sudden appearance of a ghoul. No, Frozy. The froslass appears before her and rolls her eyes. After what happened with the steel pokémon, she ought to hate her even more, but Shivian does not have the energy for such a futile grudge. Frozy dances the line of death, so perhaps that is justice in itself.
Before Shivian can speak, the outsider drags her forth and drops her on Arctina's head. Aches suddenly explode across her body, and Shivian allows herself to go limp as Arctina ferries her forth. Such physical exertion is alien to her, and she had little stamina to begin with.
"You're improving!" Arctina cheers.
Shivian grimaces and clutches Arctina's horn tightly. She is nowhere near adequate. Frozy, honest to a terrible fault, shakes her head with a sneer.
Ignoring the contemptuous pokémon, Shivian sighs. She is a froslass now. A froslass! She should be overjoyed… No, this is only right. It is destiny. It should all come naturally. She was born for this. But why does it feel like nothing special? Shivian feels like the same pathetic snorunt.
"Well, you never really exercised back home, huh?" Arctina stares off to the side. Frozy chortles and Arctina is quick to add, "You always only practiced singing. Hey, I bet you don't even need to dance! Your voice will be more than enough to please the Frozen Gigant!"
With a severe wince, Frozy shakes her head wildly. Shivian wants to retort, but the scratchiness pervading her throat stops her. A burning sensation has been brewing for some time. She clears her throat and hums a tune, ignoring the eyes boring holes through her and the struggle it is to simply raise her volume.
She lingers on the highest note she can muster and manages to force out a whisper of the sound Glaciari can produce effortlessly. At this rate, she will sound more Chillena.
Shivian harshly clears her throat. This will not do. It must be that she needs a longer warm up, so she hums to herself, the sound lost in the frigid breeze. She sings on and on with all she has until it sounds right.
Her song comes to a close and she looks around only to be met with a scowl as Frozy rubs her ears. What does she know? Shivan pops her head over to meet Arctina's eyes, and the glalie says, "You're the best, Shivian!"
Shivian puffs her chest out. How obvious. Her skills are the fruits of her labor. But she is not yet the pinnacle. So she fights through the rasp choking her throat, the burning begging her to stop, the voice in her head dubbing her insufficient, and forces out higher and higher notes until she compares to Elder Glaciari. She cannot match her, but this is enough. After all, even even if it hurt, even if they both knew it was wrong, squeezing out these sounds made Glaciari praise her before. That made it all worthwhile.
Shivian ought to endure the period of silence now to rest her voice to its full strength, but it is too late for that. All she can do is run in with everything laid bare. After all, she will die in a mere few days, so preserving her voice beyond that is no matter to her.
Stroking her throat, Shivian sings once more. She cannot sing loud enough emulating Glaciari. She lapses and belts from the throat, the lyrics, now meaningless, vaguely melodic nonsense, reverberating through the area with a wheeze.
The shift in sound causes Frozy to whip around and perk a brow at her. Frost builds on Shivian's cheeks as she watches Frozy turn back and shoot down a distant pokemon who disappears into the tall snow as a solid hunk of ice. She looks back again to smirk, then launches a hail orb with a lazy wave of the hand.
Quelling the annoyance brewing within, Shivian purges her mind of all except the Frozen Opera. But that which is pure is so easy tainted, so her mind wanders to something so uncouth.
Shifting her hold on Arctina, Shivian runs her hand across the fallen snow and gathers a decent amount. She packs it into a compact ball and takes aim at Frozy's back. But a shiver courses through her with a change in the breeze, and the ball flies higher than intended.
Frozy spins around in a battle stance only to be met with a snowball to the face. She pauses, snow breaking and coating her eyes as Arctina brings a shrinking Shivian closer. Once face-to-face, Frozy gathers the snow and rubs it into Shivian's face.
Sputtering, Shivian flinches away and grabs handfuls of snow and desperately flings them at Frozy. Some manage to find purchase along her pierced body, but it does not stop Frozy from approaching her. She lunges with absurd speed, and they tumble into the snow.
"Hey, guys!" Arctina calls after them.
Frozy pins her down with one hand, donning a devious smile. Her other hand clasps an impressively large lump of snow coming closer to her mouth. Shivian pathetically shouts for Arctina, who merely watches with eyes dancing with the strangest light. This is not a game to Shivian. For these two, well…
The hold Frozy has on her is immense. Shivian cannot even dream of overpowering this froslass, but she also cannot help but notice that the grip is shaking with wavering levels of strength. Though the sadistic smile on Frozy's face is maddening, Shivian does not struggle against her. And as she thought, the bloodthirsty froslass's body spasms and forces her to miss Shivian's face with the snowball.
Staring straight at one of the holes in Frozy's chest, Shivian sees ice she patched it up with mostly absorbed, rendering it agape. Shivian shoots an ice beam with her hands and freezes it closed. Frozy jumps back, only to pat her breast and whip her head away.
Shivian opens and clenches her fists. Since evolving, casting ice beam from her hands has come more naturally than from her mouth as it did before, sparingly as she used it. Yet Frozy uses her mouth as her medium for attacks. So she must have been a snorunt far longer than Shivian if that is her habit. Smirking, Shivian says, "Aren't you too old to be tussling like this?"
Tilting her head, Frozy shoots a piercing glare. Arctina finally comes between the two and says, "I think Frozy's younger than us."
"Preposterous. Just look at her." Shivian saunters beside the other froslass and uses her hand to compare their height.
"But you were always the shortest one, Shivian."
"Hey!" She floats higher than the other two and straightens her posture. "Well, even so… In that case, show deference to your elders, child!"
The way Frozy pouts her stupid cheeks is all too satisfying. The overgrown child (in either sense) floats above Shivian, who rises in turn. They inch up and up, almost touching foreheads, until Arctina calls, "What are you doing?"
The glalie is but a speck in the distance from their altitude. Shivian regrets looking down immensely, having never been so high. Nausea washes over her, but she pushes it aside as Frozy silently guffaws from above, waving an insolent hand above her head as if marking her height in the heavens.
With a grunt, Shivian pushes herself higher, but a horrible weightlessness overcomes her. She flails her arms out, but cannot regain her balance. It seems this is the limit to her amateur floating. A rather impressive effort, but it means nothing as the ground now seems rather far. Seeing a barren tree below with its sharp branches reaching for the nonexistent sun, it also seems rather painful.
Shivian grabs the first and only thing she can: Frozy's sash. Fully expecting to be pushed away as she is used to, Shivian braces herself. But when she opens her eyes, Frozy only sighs with an eye roll and allows her to cling to her, even wrapping an arm around her back. She will now admit that Frozy is, as Arctina has remarked often long before, quite stunning. Perhaps even more so than Elder Glaciari…
Her strange admiration is cut short when Frozy clutches her own torso. She writhes and her face twists, and they suddenly find themselves plummeting.
They fall face-to-face. Neither even attempt to correct their plunge. Shivian realizes she should let go of Frozy's sash, but stops when she hears the shaky, shallow breaths coming through the grit teeth of the haughty froslass. So she is still broken after that battle.
Supposing Frozy did save her life, and that the mere sharp… pointy… hurtful… stabby branches of a tree mean nothing to a phantom of frost, Shivian wraps her arms around Frozy's body and makes it so that she will land first.
The impact is surprising not as painful as she expected, but it is still a debilitating strike to her backside that gently drops them to the soft snowbank below.
A complete whiteout overtakes her senses. Shivian digs her way out of the snow by wiggling, holding her aching hips. Contact with the snow manages to dull the pain, but it is still too cold to call comfortable. Shivian looks back to Frozy, lying face down yet throwing snow upon her back and snuggling her face into it.
She supposes this is the true element of a froslass: this neverending snowstorm. To Shivian, it is too cold to be pleasant. But back home is too hot.
Making her way to the surface, Shivian jumps upon seeing a corpse lying on the snow. No, a still body. A glalie.
Arctina moans, a dent in the ice armor on her back. Realizing she never hit any tree branches, it must be that Arctina diverted her harsh landing.
"Are you okay?" Arctina shakily rises.
With a nod, Shivian takes Arctina's offered horn, Frozy's damned wobbuffet sack hanging off the tip, and pulls herself to the surface. "Thank you…" Bottom nestled in the snow, Shivian rubs her lower back. "This is all her fault."
A menacing presence looms. Shivian turns to see Frozy, floating a mere hand's width above the snow with her arms outstretched. Unwilling to see where this goes, Shivian jumps away, but can only manage to hover a paltry fraction of a height compared to Frozy.
The other froslass grabs her hands and drags her away. Frozy laces their fingers together and wildly flings Shivian about as she floats an erratic path. Dizzy already, Shvian shouts, "What is wrong with you?"
Frozy smirks as her floating becomes more steady. Is she just using her as a balancing weight? Conversely, the force she swings her about increases. The pleasure Frozy derives and radiates is so pure that Shivian just knows: Frozy is a jerk.
"You maniac!" Shivian shuts her eyes as the world distorts. She can imagine the look on the sadist's face.
But eliminating her sight makes Shivian realize something: there is method to this madness. The shifting altitudes, the direction they sway, the exact number of twirls back and forth, the way she guides their arms and tilts their bodies…
It is an utterly clumsy rendition of the Frozen Opera's choreography for two.
Oh, that is correct, Frozy was taught the moves. She flopped like an aquatic pokémon out of water, but she knows the steps nonetheless. Shivian slowly opens her eyes and is suddenly less queasy. Frozy monitors her body, now stable and going strong. But when she meets Shivian's eyes, a glint appears, and she devolves the dance into chaos.
Frozy dares desecrate the Frozen Opera like this? And infuriatingly enough, she still manages to adhere to the general rhythm of it. Shivian must teach her a lesson. Reinvigorated, she matches the grip Frozy has on her hands and struggles to take the lead. They go to and fro in their prancing.
Shivian finally wrests control and guides Frozy through the appropriate choreography. Though the prima donna does not hold hands during the opera, the other frost maidens do, this is the only way she can rectify Frozy's insolence, so they shall make do. However… it is admittedly harder to execute than Shivian expected, every move managing to evoke an awkward anxiety. Well, this is her first attempt. Frozy has no excuse.
As they spin about, Shivian spies Arctina every revolution. Her face has that same delight she always has when watching others mingle, but her eyes make her seem so far away. Did she always look like this? Shivian never paid her this much mind. Yet the glalie thinks the world of her.
As she spins Frozy round, Shivian contemplates reaching out for Arctina. But she cannot be a frost maiden, so she is not allowed to join them in this sacred dance. But after one more twirl, Frozy breaks away and invites Arctina on her own.
It goes against tradition. But it is not as if Shivian is a stranger to taboo. Despite her intent, she is simply a heathen. So what more can happen if she and the guardian dance like fools?
Frozy leads Arctina as the pair bounces about. It is vexing in a way so different from that derived from watching the snorunt of the clan galavant. The glee they express is so blinding, and Shivian finds herself being left behind.
Utterly twisted. How can such earnest exist in this sick world?
Charging forth, Shivian forces herself between the two and steals Arctina away. She sticks her tongue out at Frozy and goes along as Arctina spins without a care. With a complete lack of rhythm and grace, the glalie rocks about with an unfounded joy. Sharing the liberating feeling, Shivian loses herself in their lively tango, even when Frozy claws her way back, and they end up dancing together again.
"You're not bad," Shivian remarks as Frozy slams their foreheads together. She twirls Frozy out and lets go so she can return to Arctina. But Frozy refuses to release their grip. They end up throwing themselves at Arctina and ensnaring her in an embrace with their hands still interlocked.
Arctina laughs whole-heartedly, but it looks as though she is crying. It truly makes Shivian wonder if she is absolved of her sins. She was rather cruel to the poor glalie before.
But that is a difficult topic to broach, so Shivian does not dredge it up. Arctina does not mention it, so Shivian does not either. It must be okay, then. But she will say something about it. Apologize. That is for another day. Tomorrow or the next. Or the next. Someday.
They continue to fool around for a time, laughing themselves silly. Shivian will voluntarily die in a matter of mere days at Frozy's hands, so she might as well enjoy what little time she has. Having never felt such jubilation before, this feeling is so precious.
Eventually, they resume their trek. Arctina frets more than even Shivian as she takes in her surroundings. I don't wanna be the guardian… The child's cry bounces in her head. Shivian sees it fit to call from her throne atop Arctina's head at Frozy, who leads the way. "Get back here."
Eyes rolling as usual, Frozy drags her way back. Shivian racks her mind until she says, "About-face, Arctina. And you, Frozy, go slower. We shall travel the rest of the way back-to-back."
Shrugging, Frozy complies as Arctina turns and melts her back into the froslass's. Shivian ignores Frozy's head brushing her underside, but yelps when she receives a pinch to her bottom. Frozy gives a nasty chuckle as she reaches out to grab her again, but Shivian crawls over Arctina to avoid it. "You…"
Facing front, Frozy settles down as she wipes her forehead with a hand. Frost sticking to Shivian's cheeks, she refuses to apologize for the awkward position after that. Arctina chuckles before her smile becomes strained. "But if we move like this, we'll be slower."
"It will also be safer, no?" As Shivian's hand brushes Arctina's head, she can feel the tension leak out. She smiles at the sensation, but beams wider and sighs at the apparent byproduct of this plan.
No one objects to the new formation. Shivian leans against Arctina's good horn and stews. The glalie is not wrong. Going slower is not bad, though. This is her death march, after all. She will make the most of it as their pace prolongs her death.
She cannot help noticing that the way Frozy leans on Arctina means they are moving forth solely by means of the glalie's propulsion. As Frozy clutches her imperfect body, Shivian does not say anything. She seems to pride herself on her strength, after all. She only rests her elbow on Frozy's head and giggles at the nasty look she shoots.
Shivian finds herself absent-mindedly stroking Arctina's head. She hears Frozy shooting down distant enemies. As the glalie shivers and shrinks into herself, Shivian whispers, "Fleeing is a valid strategy, you know."
She is thankful the snowfall has grown heavier, her face obscured as Arctina looks up with a more solid constitution. She clasps her hands together and prays for a brighter future for the pure and lovely Arctina. And she supposes she is benevolent enough to wish a modicum of such fortune unto Frozy.