A/N: I know everyone and their ice-powered sister has written a Frozen AU (even for Sonic), but hey, not with this cast! And I promise it'll be completed. Truth be told, I finished it three and a half years ago. Because of that, I'll admit it's a little corny. Just needs some tweaking and a good schedule.
I've hogged it for this long, but 2017 is the year of Caroline publishing her hoarded fics. Best keep that ball rolling, eh?
So hey - Merry Christmas, Zain! You've seen the illustrations for this, it's about time you got the chance to read it. And for anyone else who clicks on this, Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all too. I hope you enjoy.
Prologue: Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?
Long ago, just across the sea from Corona, the Mobian kingdom of Arendelle thrived. It was renowned for its warm summers, good trade, and beautiful ice. Oh, how the villagers loved the ice that the harvesters brought down from the mountain lakes.
Winter was arguably Arendelle's best and most beautiful season. The ice harvesting, on the other hand, could be a dangerous practice.
A young boy, expertly camouflaged in the shadows, spied on the workers in silent fascination as they cut into the frozen lakes; espionage was the chameleon's forte. Or it would be, if not for his pesky friend.
"I'm bored! This is boring!" whined the small four-year-old bee hovering next to him.
"Charmy, shush," the chameleon hissed, shimmering into view.
"But Espio-"
"I said shush. You'll give us away." Espio's eyes glowed gold under the flickering light of the lanterns that surrounded them. This was such a serene place; frankly he wondered why he even let Charmy come along to observe with him.
Oh right. Vector. That crazy croc.
Fortunately for Espio, the ice harvesters seemed way more invested in steadily and rhythmically hacking away at the ice. As they chopped, they all sang a song in a low, haunting tune. The young chameleon knew all the words by heart.
"Born of cold and winter air and mountain rain combining
This icy force both foul and fair has a frozen heart worth mining."
Charmy actually kept his trap shut now. The hyperactive bee knew how watching the ice harvesters at work made his friend so at peace. He'd honestly never seen a seven-year-old so serious about anything. But then again, this was Espio he was talking about here.
"So cut through the heart, cold and clear
Strike for love and strike for fear
See the beauty, sharp and sheer
Split the ice apart, and break the frozen heart."
It was a shame they were too little to join the ice harvesters. The job required skill, strength, coordination, and precision, with just the right amount of danger. There was a lot of money to be made in the ice business, and Espio would surely enjoy it more than the hare-brained schemes thirteen-year-old Vector kept concocting.
The workers barked orders at each other, a "watch your step" here and a "let it go" there. They worked as a system, a function, cutting the ice and getting the blocks to the wagons and sleds.
Espio couldn't help but sigh. "They're so disciplined..."
"Dude, do you need a moment?" Charmy laughed.
"Shut up."
It was just all so beautiful and powerful, although dangerous and cold.
"Ice has a has a magic, can't be controlled
Stronger than one, stronger than ten
Stronger than a hundred men! Hyup!"
Espio was so enraptured by the song, the steady hack of the pickaxes, and the barking of orders, that he almost didn't hear a certain bee's excited voice call out to him. "Hey Espio! Let's go sledding!"
By the time he'd turned around, Charmy was already on their little sled. He eagerly propelled himself down the mountain's slope with the power of his tiny wings, laughing hysterically all the way.
"Get back here, Charmy!" Espio yelled, running after him down the slope.
He could see Arendelle far below, faintly glowing under the glimmer of the northern lights that hovered above in the night sky. The flowing, pulsing lights illuminated the castle like a natural green magic. As he chased a cackling Charmy down the trail, passing the wagons that carried the ice, the young chameleon boy could still hear the voices of the ice harvesters singing their song.
"Cut through the heart, cold and clear
Strike for love and strike for fear
There's beauty and there's danger here
Split the ice apart
Beware the frozen heart."
Down in the kingdom of Arendelle, those same northern lights danced across a bedroom window of the castle, as if to tease the person inside.
A young girl's emerald green eyes snapped open. Wide awake, she sat up in bed and looked out the window at the magic in the sky. A large grin played across her lips. If that wasn't a sign from the world that she should get up and have fun, she didn't know what was.
She hopped out of her bed, tiptoed across the room, and catapulted right onto her sister's.
"Cream. Cream, wake up!" she whispered.
Cream made a sleepy sound and pulled the covers farther over her head. "Amy, go back to sleep," she mumbled.
Apparently she was so tired, she forgot about how melodramatic her sister could be. Amy Rose rolled over onto her back and threw an arm over her forehead for dramatic effect. "I can't," she said with a tiny sigh. "The sky's awake, so I'm awake. So we have to play."
Maybe Amy forgot something as well-her sister wasn't nearly as polite when she was sleepy. Next thing she knew, Cream had knocked her to the floor and rolled over to get back to dreamland.
The stubborn young princess would not give up like this. She frowned, crossing her arms and pondering this for a moment. Then, her smile returned as she thought of something.
Climbing back up onto the rabbit's bed, Amy opened Cream's eye herself. She leaned in with a twinkle in her eye.
"Do you wanna build a snowman?"
That did it. Cream cracked open both eyes and gave her sister a little smile.
She tumbled out of bed and stepped into her chao-shaped slippers. They both ran out of the room and down the large staircase, filled with excitement and girlish giggles. "C'mon, Cream!" Amy squealed as she pulled her along, despite the rabbit's careful shushes.
They entered the Great Hall, and Cream quietly shut the door behind them. Amy was still giggling and hopping around.
"Do the magic, do the magic!" she begged, beckoning her over.
Cream flew to the middle of the room, her ears fluttering behind her, and took Amy's outstretched hand. Amy spun her around happily-she always had a lot of energy in her, even at this time of night. The rose-colored hedgehog let go and watched, wide-eyed, as Cream twirled her hands and conjured up a perfect snowball. It sparkled with a crystal blue magic that left Amy awestruck.
"Ready?" Cream asked.
"Yeah!" Amy giggled, her eyes never leaving the twinkling snowball.
Cream smiled and, without another word, she tossed the magic into the air. They watched as it exploded at the ceiling in a flash of blue, sending a burst of snowflakes sprinkling down on the two princesses. Amy screamed with delight and tried to catch the snow on her tongue. Most of the silvery snowflakes landed on her pretty pink quills instead.
"This is amazing!" she cried.
The rabbit sister stopped her then, gently holding up a hand. "Watch this." She took a step with her little foot, and that small step formed smooth, slippery ice all around them. Amy almost fell over and laughed.
She wasn't afraid, though. Not of the icy magic.
Soon, just enough snow accumulated on the ground, and Amy and Cream exchanged grins. They rolled and packed the snow until they had a snowman's body built perfectly. Amy eagerly went off in search of a carrot for the nose, and when she came back, she saw to her amusement that Cream had sculpted hedgehog quills onto their snowfriend.
With the carrot nose applied, Cream moved his stick arms to wave at Amy. "Hi, I'm Sonic the Snowhog!" Cream made him say in a cheery tone. "And I like warm hugs!"
"I love you, Sonic!" Amy cooed, rushing into the snowhog's arms. She just hoped her warm hugs wouldn't make him melt.
Amy and Cream danced and slid around on the ice with their favorite new snowfriend, until Amy wanted to try something else. She whispered into Cream's ear; the bunny smiled and nodded.
It took her mere seconds to sculpt a cool icy snow-slide with her magic. Soon the girls were shrieking with joy, zipping down the steep slide together. Amy, who was at the front, flew off into a fluffy white pile of snow. It was like landing on a pillow. She popped her head back up with a pile of snow on her head and just cracked up, and so did Cream. These night ice adventures usually left them in a fit of laughter where they could hardly breathe... Amy loved it.
She loved all of it.
She was so lucky to have a sister like Cream.
Amy hopped out of the pile, still laughing, and to her pleasant surprise, another cliff of snow caught her. Courtesy of Cream, of course. With a devious smile, Amy jumped again. "Catch me!" she challenged.
"Hang on!" Cream beamed and sent out another pillar of snow under Amy's feet. And then again. And again. Amy kept jumping and shrieking with glee, going a little too fast for Cream to feel safe. "Hey, Amy, wait a minute!" She threw another flash of snow just in time. Amy was having too good a time to hear her. The pillars of snow were getting thinner and higher, along with her sister's nerves.
"Again!" Amy whooped.
Cream hurriedly sent wave after wave of skinny snow pillars. "Please, slow down!" she begged, scurrying along to keep up with her. But all at once, the poor young rabbit's foot slipped and she fell hard on the ice.
Her fearless sister's cheerful cry startled her into a sitting position.
"Amy!" Cream cried out, reaching up to signal her to stop, to do anything-but then an icy blast surged forth, hitting Amy in the head.
The poor hedgehog gasped. Her body tumbled down a snow pile, unconscious.
Panting, Cream jumped up and scrambled to Amy's side. She cradled her in her arms, a shock of panic rushing through her system as she touched Amy's arm. She was so cold, so impossibly cold.
"Amy..." she breathed. Her cinnamon brown eyes filled with stinging tears.
What could she do? What had she done to her sister? Why had a strand of hair in her quills gone snow white?
Cream did the only thing she could think of.
"M-Mama! Papa!"
Ice began to spread, covering all of the Great Hall as Cream wept. She was whispering desperate, soothing things to Amy when the doors crashed open, and King Nivens and Queen Vanilla noticed the scene before them.
"Cream, what have you done?" Nivens burst out. "This is getting out of hand!" Fear and concern outweighed his nervous twitch. Vanilla rushed in to help, with Nivens close behind.
"It... it was an accident," Cream whimpered. She held Amy close to her heart. "I'm so sorry, Amy..."
Vanilla gently took Amy from Cream, with Nivens watching over protectively. "Dear... She's ice cold."
Nivens looked determined. "I know where we have to go."
Though a quiet, proper fellow, Nivens was an efficient king and father, and could muster up a lot of courage. He ventured into the royal library, thumbed past the Oraculum and the encyclopedias, and found just the book he was looking for. It was a dusty, ancient hardback with yellowed pages filled with old lore and knowledge. When he found the folded piece of paper in between the pages, he took the map, darted back to Vanilla and their daughters, dressed them in warm cloaks, and they rode away from the castle on horseback.
Unknowingly, they left an odd trail in their wake.
On the mountain pass, Espio had caught up with Charmy by now. He was in the middle of scolding him about the sled incident, annoyed that Charmy still had no regrets, when Charmy's antennae pricked up suddenly. They both heard the rumble of horses' hooves, and these didn't sound like they'd stop for anything or anyone. Espio tackled Charmy out of the way just in time before the horses stormed across the path.
"Whew, hahaha!" Charmy giggled from under Espio, face-planted in the ground. "That was a close one."
Never one to laugh off almost getting trampled to death, Espio rolled his eyes and stood up, dusting himself off. Then something glittery on the trail caught his eye. "Ice...?"
"Cool," Charmy whistled. He started cracking up. "Geddit? Ice? Cool?"
"Yeah, ha ha, funny. Let's follow it."
"'Kay!"
Charmy hopped back into the sled with Espio and they trailed the horses' ice path to a ridge in the valley of the mountain. The duo hopped off and hid behind some large rocks as a few cloaked figures dismounted the horses.
"Please, help!" Vanilla called out. "My daughter!"
The strangest thing happened. All of the surrounding rocks in the area popped up and rolled over to the shivering, frightened family.
But then they popped into proportion, and they weren't just rocks. They were trolls.
"It's the king and queen," a few gasped.
"Trolls!" Charmy whooped, despite Espio's attempt to stifle him.
The rock they were hiding behind popped up as well, scaring the begeezus out of little Espio. "Shush!" the troll lady said. "I want to hear this."
Charmy gaped at her. "You're cool!"
"Sorry about him, he's a little hyper," Espio muttered.
The troll just grinned. "That's okay. You're both such cuties, I think I'll keep you."
A well-dressed older troll, who Espio would guess to be the king or leader, approached the King and Queen of Arendelle. He took Cream's hand in his. "Your majesty... Was she born with the power, or cursed?"
"Born," the King answered, with a slight nervous twitch of his nose and ears. "A-and they're getting stronger."
The troll king motioned to Queen Vanilla, who knelt down to present Amy to him. He looked her over, brushing his hand over her head thoughtfully, then glanced up to meet Vanilla's eyes. "You are very lucky it was not her heart," he murmured. "The heart is not so easily changed... but the head?" He smiled to lighten the mood. "It can be persuaded."
"Just do what you must," said Vanilla.
The troll's hand rested on Amy's head once more, before drawing out a sparkling blue flash. "I recommend we remove all magic from her head. Even memories of magic, to be safe." Images appeared of Cream and Amy playing together in the snowy rooms of the castle. "But don't worry," the troll king assured them. "I will leave the fun. And she will be all right." He returned her edited memories to her mind, then respectfully backed away.
Cream looked at the troll king rather sadly. "But she won't remember I have powers?" she asked in a soft voice. Her magic had brought them so close together; she couldn't imagine hiding it from her.
"It's for the best, sweetie," Vanilla whispered, kneeling down to her at eye-level. Nivens touched Cream's shoulder in a comforting way.
The troll's eyes fell on the small rabbit. "Listen to me, Cream... Your power will only grow."
He motioned to the sky; Cream gazed up as he summoned a vision of her future.
"There is beauty in it..."
A lovely misty image of an older Cream conjured up a great snowflake, and Cream was enthralled by it.
"But also great danger. You must learn to control it... or fear will be your downfall." The snowflake and the misty people around her glowed red, swallowing her up as she let out a fearful scream. Cream cried out and hid her face in her father's chest.
"No..." Nivens had a protective arm around his beloved older daughter. Another wrapped around Vanilla's shoulders. "We'll protect her," he said firmly. "She'll learn to control it, I'm sure."
Cream frowned, staring from her hands to the streak of white in Amy's hair. She wasn't so sure.
"Until then, we'll... lock the gates. Reduce the staff. Limit her contact with people. And keep her powers from everyone."
He and Vanilla stared down at their rosy daughter.
"Including Amy."
And, to Cream's dismay, that was exactly what the king and queen did.
Amy was just fine after a good night's rest. She woke up from a dream that she was kissed by a troll, and found that she had a white streak in her soft pink quills.
But that wasn't the oddest thing that happened when she woke up. Cream's bed and things weren't in their room anymore. Just when Amy had something so cool to show her! Something was very wrong. Amy escaped her room to show Cream the streak and also ask what happened to her bed.
She turned the corner-and saw just the rabbit she was looking for.
Cream just looked at her sorrowfully, then turned her back on her and slipped into a room, shutting the door behind her with a soft click.
Things were never the same between them again.
Snow fluttered down from the heavens as Amy gasped and pressed her face and hands against the glass of the window. Such a beautiful winter sight reminded her of Cream.
Cream! Surely she'd want to play in the snow. Giggling eagerly, Amy skipped off to her bedroom and rapped her knuckles against the wood of the door.
"Cream? Do you wanna build a snowman?"
No answer.
"Come on, let's go and play. I never see you anymore." She flopped down on the ground and peeked through the bottom slit. "Come out the door. Why are you hiding in there anyway?"
They used to be such good friends. Now they were like strangers, and nobody would tell her why.
"Do you want to build a snowman?" Amy coaxed. She knocked again. "It doesn't have to be a snowman-"
"Please go away, Amy."
Amy reeled back. A frown, a teensy pout, crossed her face. Her shoulders slumped as she turned away. "Okay... Bye."
It happened time after time. Amy would always try to seek Cream out and have fun with her. She'd talk to her, knock on her door, but Cream just never opened up, and Amy was starting to feel discouraged. And so... isolated. There was no one to play with except her dolls. Even the staff was limited, and even if it wasn't and that maid came back with her son Silver, Amy knew she'd still miss her sister anyway.
She couldn't even make any new friends since the castle shut people out just as well as Cream did. Amy was starting to accept the fact that her life was always going to be this lonely.
Nivens and Vanilla were doing their best to train Cream, who'd started to notice it was hard to contain her magic. Whenever she felt anything-joy, fear, anxiety-her powers gave her away by forming ice on her fingertips and whatever she touched.
Nivens took her hands in his, and Vanilla presented her with pretty white gloves.
"The gloves will help," Nivens said gently. Cream nodded and slipped them on. "See? Conceal it."
"Don't feel it," Cream automatically finished for him.
She looked confidently into her mother's eyes, then her father's, and they said together, "Don't let it show."
It was getting so hard, though. For both daughters.
Knock-knock-knockknock-knock!
"Do you wanna build a snowman? Or ride our bikes around the halls?" Cream could hear the laughter in Amy's voice. It might have been a year or so since then, but it still reminded her of the giggles right before she struck her in the head with the magic.
No, it wasn't even magical anymore. It was a burden. So was this memory. She refused to laugh or even rush outside to check on Amy when she heard the loud crashing of a bicycle.
"I think some company is overdue. I've actually started talking to the pictures on the walls." Amy laughed to herself and smiled up at a painted portrait of Jean d'Arc.
The woman looked just as lonely in that picture, but she had a horse and a cool sword. Somehow Amy knew that if Joan could talk back to her, she'd tell her it was okay, and she could definitely grow up all right to be as fierce and revered as Joan was. Maybe then she could have some friends.
"It gets a little lonely, all these empty rooms," Amy sighed. She flopped down on the floor and kicked her feet restlessly. "Just watching the hours tick by."
She gave up and decided to roam the castle for the millionth time. Maybe there was a secret passage she'd actually never found, or a ghost she could play with. Although it felt like they already had a ghost in this palace-and her name was Cream.
One day, Cream sure was white enough to be a ghost, and so was her room. Her face was pale as she cowered in the corner, whimpering at the ice that crept slowly up the walls.
"I'm scared, Mother... it's getting stronger."
"Getting upset only makes it worse," Vanilla reminded her.
Nivens stepped forward, arms outstretched for a comforting hug. "Just calm down..."
"No!" Cream squeaked, flinching away and trying to make herself look smaller. "Please, please don't touch me. I... I don't want to hurt you."
Her father frowned, but obediently backed away. Vanilla touched his arm. They exchanged glances, then stared sorrowfully at their frightened princess. What could they do for her? They'd given her the gloves, they'd protected her from the world (and admittedly vice versa). But this power was getting out of control. Now Cream couldn't even trust herself around them, her own parents. Vanilla couldn't reach out, rock her child in her arms, tell her it was all going to be okay and that she was here-because her own daughter feared herself enough to not let her touch her.
Cream had distanced herself from Amy so much that the latter was starting to give up. Vanilla feared that Cream would have the same thing happen with her parents.
No. Vanilla would never let that happen.
She would always be there for her daughter. She and Nivens would always protect her.
And she was. Except a few years later, when Cream was a more-than-struggling teenager, Vanilla and Nivens got an invitation to the kingdom of Corona for a wedding. Nivens' niece Luna the Rabbit was marrying a fine boy named Harry the Hedgehog, and Nivens could not wait to see his sister Mirana (and have a talk with this Harry as the protective uncle).
As Amy slid past Cream's door on her way to the master bedroom, she skidded to a stop and glanced over her shoulder, almost like an instinct. There it was again, that familiar urge to knock.
Whatever. What's the use, anyway?
Sighing, she let her arms fall to her sides as she rounded the corner. She dashed into her parents' room as they finished packing.
"Amy Rose," Vanilla warned, not glancing up, "princesses don't run inside the castle."
Amy merely giggled and flew into her mother's arms, grabbing her father and pulling him in for a proper group hug.
"See you in two weeks," she said.
Nivens and Vanilla tightly hugged Amy goodbye, while Vanilla beamed and stroked her soft pink quills lovingly. Though she hadn't given poor Amy much attention or affection lately (and she made a mental note to fix that when they got back), she knew that her younger daughter would be strong.
Cream was understandably more anxious about the trip. She politely curtsied to them at the bottom of the stairs as their servant Charles took their luggage outside.
"Do you have to go?" she whispered, swallowing hard. Her voice shook, her eyes glittered with worry.
Nivens almost forgot not to touch her shoulder. He and Vanilla offered her a warm smile instead. "You'll be fine, Cream."
It was so genuine and reassuring that Cream believed them.
She believed them as they went down to the dock.
She believed them as they boarded the ship and it carried them away from Arendelle.
But Cream wasn't fine after that. News came that a terrible storm had hailed over the sea, and the angry waves of the ocean thrashed and rocked the ship.
Vanilla and Nivens never made it to Corona.
When the kingdom heard that a storm had taken the ship, and that their king and queen had been lost to the treacherous sea, they went into a period of great mourning. But no one suffered more than Cream and Amy.
After the funeral, overcome with grief, Amy wandered down a particular hall once more. Maybe in this time of sadness, she could at least get her sister back.
She hesitated, then knocked lightly on the bedroom door.
"Cream..." Her voice came in a whispered plea. "Please. I know you're in there. People are asking where you've been." Restrained sobs shook her shoulders. "They say, 'Have courage.' And I'm trying to."
Tears streaked down Amy's pink cheeks. She didn't know if she could do this, but she had to.
"I'm right out here for you, Cream. Just let me in." She probably needed Cream more than she needed her. "We only have each other. It's just you and me... What are we gonna do?"
With a shaky breath, Amy slunk down to the ground and closed her eyes, her back pressed against the wood of the door.
"Do you wanna build a snowman?" she asked wearily.
She didn't expect a response.
She didn't get one either.
On the other side, Cream leaned against the door, hugging her knees to her chest as she quietly cried. White snow and ice surrounded her like a physical representation of her grief and lonely despair. She was feeling too much. She had no control. And now, without her mother and father, she was lost.
Yes, it was just the two sisters now. But that was exactly why Cream couldn't let her in.
Because now Amy was all she had.
A/N: Hey, sometimes a family is three rabbits and a pink hedgehog. Also, future chapters will be tweaked/edited some more, but Christmas is as good a time as any to release a Frozen prologue. Let it go, let it go, let it go...
Anyways, thanks for reading this far! And yes, I realize I missed out on a perfect opportunity to title this "Ice Cream." It took a lot of restraint.
~Caroline
