Chronicles Seven: The Polar Vortex of 769

January 14th, Crystal World…

Somnus, running through the halls, rushed for the quarters of Sol Regis. He had to speak to him as he had heard a terrible rumor. A terrible, terrible rumor.

Sliding to the large, gilded double doors of the Dragon King's chambers, the Founder King sighed, steeling himself for the worse. He opened the doors and saw the Dragon King meditating.

"Sol Regis? Sol Regis!" Somnus shouted.

"What is it?"

The Dragon King didn't stir from his meditation stance and Somnus asked, "What's going on? Why have the temperatures deviated from the plan?"

"Gilgamesh has told me of his plans to test the people of Lucis. I'm sure they'll be fine with a little frost."

"Aera told me that he planned to create something called a 'polar vortex'. What is that?! And why would he do such a thing, knowing what happened before," Somnus said.

"Didn't you say that the people of Insomnia weren't that bad with cold weather?"

"Yea…Well, I did say that. But he shouldn't. It'll cause mass chaos!" Somnus warned.

"They'll be fine. Don't worry."

"I sure hope so," Somnus muttered.

Insomnia, the Citadel…

Noct and Luna, watching television while in bed, saw the news report of the weather for the Leide, Cavaugh, and Galahd regions. Typical for that time of year, the temperatures were to dip below freezing for a few days. As Lunafreya watched, Noctis looked down at her belly, which had grown to a considerable size as the triplets grew. Her feet also had started to well as well as her ankles and hands as the woman was going on four months.

As many excited soon-to-be-fathers did, he placed his hand on her belly and Luna said, "I don't think any of them are awake yet. They'll probably awaken when I'm trying to go to sleep."

The royal couple's attention turned to a sudden warning for Insomnia, telling of a cold front that was coming from the northeast. The newscasters nicknamed it a "polar vortex" and warned temperatures would go well below freezing.

Noct's face paled and Lunafreya said, "'Polar Vortex'? Is that what they call snowstorms here? Sounds like the second coming of the Apocalypse…"

Remembering the many times the Citadel was nearly invaded by mobs of people trying to get toilet paper, despite the nearly running out itself, Noct texted Ignis, who texted Gladio. He asked about the upcoming storm and Ignis assured him that the Citadel had enough provisions. Enough unless Lunafreya wanted something random from the shops, which was quite often.

"If we were in Tenebrae, we would just say this was a regular snowstorm and everyone would continue to go to work and school. Seriously, why are schools announcing their shutdowns now?" Lunafreya said.

"Well, we're not used to snowstorms here. And I can vouch for people not being able to drive with a little snow on the roads," Noct told her.

Lunafreya gave him a suspicious look and asked, "So, were you the one driving that day?"

Noctis looked back at the TV, not trying to respond as it was him, nearly crashing the car when he was in high school. And that was when he had a learner's permit. A small yelp from Lunafreya and she said, "And there's the kicking. And now I have to go to the bathroom."

"Oh…uh…" Noctis said.

Lunafreya glared at him, muttering as she left for the bathroom for the sixth time, "These are your gigantic-head children, sleeping on my bladder…"

The next morning…

"Good morning, Insomnia. Today's quite cold, with the temperature being 21 degrees Fahrenheit and snowy. Drive carefully if you're going out and if you don't have to, stay home."

Noctis opened the curtains, seeing a great fog over the windows. He rubbed it off, seeing the Crown City covered in snow and ice. The snow was still coming down and he had a bad feeling of what was going to come. A voice that was of the Founder King confirmed it and he heard, "The first day of this 'polar vortex'. I'd prepare if I were you."

"I doubt it's gonna be that bad," Noctis told his ancestor.

He could vaguely see the image of Somnus Lucis Caelum standing at the door and the Founder King said, "I tried to get answers for this severe weather change, but I heard nothing from Gilgamesh."

Noctis remembered that Gilgamesh, the man or spirit that Gladio challenged and defeated, became the spirit of winter. Apparently, the spirit thought the people of Insomnia were wimps…especially after the victory over the Starscourge. So, Somnus warned that Gilgamesh was going to test the people, using the Polar Vortex. So, what they saw was just the tip of the iceberg…literally.

Before Noctis could ask him anything, Somnus disappeared, and the door opened. It was Lunafreya, who looked annoyed about something. As her hormones were out of whack and her mood would swing every now and then, Noct asked her, "What's wrong?"

"Um…we're out of peanut butter cups, aren't we?" she asked.

Noctis was so sure he had Ignis buy several packets of the candy as Lunafreya craved the candy the most. She seemed distraught and she whimpered, "Someone must've eaten them when I wasn't looking…"

"We can get some more after the snowstorm's over," Noctis told her.

Luna then burst into tears, saying, "Why not now? No one ever wants me to have anything. Not Ravus, not the empire, not you…"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Wait a second! Since when did I…? Gah, never mind. You're just gonna twist my words around with that 'pregnancy brain'…" Noctis said.

Luna glared and asked, "What is that supposed to mean? You're saying my judgment has been clouded due to your large-headed children destroying every facet of my body?!"

"No, no, no. I'm not…" Noct tried to say, as he knew she wasn't really herself."

Luna continued with, "Well, it's not my fault! One of them makes me crave peanut butter cups! Then another wants anything with seafood! Especially anything from Altissia, despite the doctor warning me not to eat it. And the third wants all kinds of sweets! Because of them, I'm sure I've gained at least 50 pounds!"

Her voice cracked and she became depressed again. Noctis rolled his eyes and said, "Alright, fine! I'll get the stupid candy…"

"The candy's not stupid…" Luna told him.

"Fine. I'll get the candy for you for your 'perfectly normal' cravings," Noctis said, sighing.

He started getting ready, putting on heavy winter gear in his usual all-black. After getting fully suited up and looking as if he was about to traverse the mountains of Niflheim, Noctis headed for the door and said, "I won't take the Regalia, since she'll most likely get stuck in the snow. But if I don't make it back…"

"You'll make it back. Oh, and buy extra jelly rolls. And some Banora White apple juice. And some popcorn," Lunafreya told him.

Noctis suspected that her "mood swings" were a ruse to get him to go out into the cold and to the store. And it worked as he found himself leaving the Citadel, with some Glaives taking to the rooftops as he headed into the city.

The city of Insomnia, temperature 20 degrees Fahrenheit and falling…

More snow began to fall, and the Lucian King saw his subjects in full-metal-panic. Many rushed for the nearest stores, clearing them out as the weather reports had taken a turn for the worst. Apparently, more snow was on the way and Insomnia was going to be snowed in.

With Prompto, dressed in winter gear and who was the only one willing to brave the cold streets with him, Noctis headed for the nearest shop…the small pharmacy Matoya's Potions and Tonics. He really didn't want to go there, as the place looked like something out of an RPG, with crystal chains around the door and the sliding door being really squeaky when it opened. And the interior…looked like it could've seen better days. The shelving was old and had products that looked like they came from 34 years ago before the Wall was created. The floors were dirty and the lighting was poor, getting worse as the storm outside did.

"Wow, this looks like something straight out of Dead Fantasy," Prompto muttered.

The clattering of bead chains brought Noctis' attention to the counter, where an old woman waltzed out. She looked like she stumbled out of a comic convention, as she was dressed like the black mage from Dead Fantasy. The woman smirked and said, "Majesty. You look like you're about to climb the mountains of Niflheim."

Noctis looked to Prompto, who shrugged. The old woman laughed and said, "You are wearing the logo of Lucis on your right shoulder. Even though I'm old, these eyes can still see. Anyway, you're here for peanut butter cups?"

"And how do you know that?" the King asked.

"As I said, I can see far. All I carry is 'Pravoka's' peanut butter cups. I'm sure Her Majesty would like them as they're an Accordo specialty," the woman said.

Noctis had never heard of Crescent Lake and was sure he didn't see such a place on his travels. But many things did change after the Starscourge. Almost as if Eos had been reborn…

"Noct! Found it!" Prompto called out.

The man returned with a rather dusty box of chocolates and Noct could sense the storm outside getting worse. The elderly woman's smirk widened and said, "Ah! Those are the best. And please give my regards to the Oracle Queen."

The door burst open and a few people came in, freezing from the cold. One of them yelled, "Ms. Matoya! You got toilet paper?"

"Yep. Look on the back wall," the elder, Matoya, said to them.

The people rushed for it and Noctis knew it was time to go. Before he could leave, Matoya glared and said, "That'll be 700 gil."

"Oh. Uh, sorry 'bout that. Here," Noct told her, handing her payment.

She was pleased and said, "And you should get home. The storm's really getting worse. I doubt going into the storm for popcorn and apple juice would be wise."

'Okay. How does she know that?' Noctis thought.

Outside, Insomnia rooftops….

Ardyn watched as the people in the Crown City scattered about, buying up everything they could from shops. Some even got into fights, mostly over toilet paper and beans. As he sat on the freezing roof, the newly reborn Astral was happy that he had an inner fire that prevented him from getting cold easily. So, he grabbed some popcorn and summoned what looked to be a cell phone.

Plopping at the edge of the roof, he turned on a particular song he played the last time Insomnia had frosty weather, "Rules of Nature". It matched quite well to what he saw, as Ardyn spotted a woman leaping at another for stealing from the truck of her car. Another dragged a man out of his car for stealing her purse while she wasn't looking and another man practically leaped out of his car window, beating up a group of men for taking all the meat.

"I did tell Somnus that the people here are pathetic when it comes to cold," Ardyn said, munching on popcorn.

"Well, it is rather unfortunate."

Stepping out the shadows and having her face concealed was none other than Somnus' descendants, Crepera Lucis Caelum. She was dressed in the usual all-black, looking like an ancient ninja than a royal. With Ardyn, she looked at the scene but was piteous about it.

"I do remember a few cold days here in the capital, but never with the people falling into chaos over a few inches of snow," Crepera told him.

"I said to Somnus that the people here can't handle the cold," Ardyn said.

Crepera seemed to agree, seeing the situation grow worse. It reached its peak as she saw two familiar faces in the snow, running away from a group that seemed to be angry they had found apple juice and paper towel. Before Ardyn could warn her not to intervene, Crepera leaped from the rooftop and down to the streets.

Her landing created a barrier of purple flames, separating the crowd from the two. Those two were none other than Prompto and the King, who apparently didn't heed Matoya's warnings. Crepera sighed and said, "What are you two doing out here?"

"Uh…Who's she?" Prompto asked.

The crowd behind the barrier became more irate, thinking that their being protected by magic wasn't fair. Their angry shouts were silenced by a gust of cold wind and one yelled, "We're cursed! I know it!"

Crepera looked at Noctis and said, "Please get back to the Citadel. It's far too dangerous out."

"Don't you think I know that?" Noctis snapped, teeth chattering from the cold.

Sighing, the Rogue stamped her foot and darkness surrounded the two. When it cleared, they were gone and the dark flames disappeared. The crowd was confused, not knowing what happened or seeing Crepera. She preferred it that way and another blast of cold caused them to disperse.

Later…

Covered in snow and icicles, Noctis and Prompto reentered the Citadel, to a ready-to-laugh Lunafreya. She was surprised to see her husband looking like he had fallen into the icy crevasses of Nifl's mountains. Prompto didn't look so bad, but he was also covered in snow.

Noctis thrust the bag of apple juice and candy into her arms and he glared, muttering, "Don't ask me to go back out there."

He stormed off, the icicles falling off his coat as he did, and Prompto asked, "Uh, did you do that on purpose?"

"Well…he had to see for himself that everyone's quite wimpy when it comes to snow. And I got my candy. So, two birds, one stone, right?" Lunafreya told him.

Prompto sighed, thankful that they were able to return safely. But, it was cold and he didn't like it at all. Howling winds outside confirmed that and the blonde didn't plan to return outside anytime soon.

And there's the Polar Vortex of 769! Kinda similar to earlier this year of 2020, with people fighting people over…toilet paper out of all things…And another Lucii appears.

Anywho, review?

Update: Well, now that the oddities of 2020's fighting over toilet paper and paper towel is over, we have another thing people are worried about: supply chains. Hopefully, we won't have a repeat of 2020.

-miano53