//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Weathering Winter 
// by Sasha Nein 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 1


It is strange how much a landscape can change with the passing of the seasons. Only two days previous Equestria had been enjoying the last days of fall. The air was crisp and cool, the clear skies allowed ponies to bask in the last warm rays of sunlight before winter.  All it took was a few days and diligent pegasi for all of that to change.

Now a blizzard had laid a thick white blanket of snow over Ponyville as far as the eye could see. When it had finally reached the Everfree Forest, the weather ponies had left it to pursue its own course. There, the storm grew into a monstrosity of a thunderstorm and proceeded to release its fury on the land beyond the Everfree. 

Caught in the middle of this blizzard was a pony. She struggled against the raging winds, trying to get her bearings. But nothing looked familiar to Twilight Sparkle. The snow drifts that were constantly being blown around by the fierce wind were hampering her ability to assess her predicament.

The elements battered against Twilight’s protective bubble as she moved as fast as her weak hooves could carry her. With each new gust of wind, she struggled to maintain the connection to her magic as she tottered through the snow.

“How could this be any worse?!” Twilight thought, her mind being a scattered mess from the recent experiences she had endured. “Why couldn’t I have just paid more attention to the signs, or warned the princess?”


*


Dear Twilight Sparkle

I know that we do not often correspond, but I find myself in need of your aid. I have a request to make of you, and beg your assistance. However, I wish for you not to enter this blindly, so please take the time to consider what it is that I ask before you decide either to aid me or otherwise. 
You are likely unaware, though I do not know what my sister has told you specifically, and Equestria in general, of much of my life before my banishment. It is common knowledge that I was the ruler of Equestria, alongside my sister, and that I was the Princess of the Night. What is less known however, is that I had a student of my own just as much as you are to Celestia now, and it is the nexus of my current dilemma.
As you are to my sister, so he was to me. He was my student, and much as you do for my sister, he strove to emulate me as much as he possibly could. He was an exceptionally talented unicorn while I knew him. He may even rival yourself for sheer power, though he lacks your native understanding of magic as well as skill. I taught him quite well, and I take pride in that. 
What I take no pride in is the unfortunate circumstance I forced upon him. As I said, taught him personally, and he strove to emulate me. The difficulty arises from the fact of my fall into jealousy and anger. As I did so, he too began to imbibe these traits, and became my confidant and conspirator in the time before my extended leave. 
After my banishment, my sister sought to care for him, heavy though her burden already was. However, doubtless due to her stress under the strains of a doubled burden, she could not personally attend to him. She sent him to the Hoofington University. Though it was little more than a small schoolroom then. Years later, while he was near your own age, he returned to Canterlot.
From what my sister has informed me since my return, he cut a path through the guard to the throne room itself. The thought brings a smile to my face even now, horrible as it may be to think of so many good ponies killed. He was certainly strong and adept, I taught him well. 
My sister was forced to face him herself, or allow him to continue to assault ponies who would barely be noticed by him, like flies he would swat aside. She could not banish him, such a powerful spell would be tantamount to murder, since I believe not even my sister would be able to survive upon my moon. She sealed both his power and his body deep within spells layered upon enchantments, before she hid him deep in the Everfree. 
And for nearly one thousand years, he lay there, asleep. Less than a month ago though, Celestia took me to him, and dissolved her spells, freeing my student. 
It brought me great joy to see him alive on that day. But sadly, I seemed to have poisoned him with my own weakness. He harbors a hatred for my sister, and as her proxy, yourself. Over the last few weeks, I have spent much of my time alone with him, attempting to acclimatize him to the new Equestria. We have made slow, but steady, progress over that time. However, we are hindered by his reckless belief in Nightmare Moon, and his near disgust at my allowing myself to become the slave to my sister. At least, this is how he sees the current climate. As I said, I do believe that I accomplished my goal too well. He was too loyal, too sweet, to see how blind Nightmare Moon was, and how much better things are now. 
This is why I write to you now Twilight Sparkle. I believe that you can help him see how wrong Nightmare Moon was. I believe that he needs a friend, other than myself, or I fear that he may only fall deeper into the shadow cast by Nightmare Moon. 
So I write to you now, not demanding, nor asking, but beseeching your aid. I will not lie, he is dangerous. Though I have forbidden him to harm anypony, I still fear that he will attempt anything to bring harm to you, for no other reason than your relationship with my sister. He is better versed in the arts of war than anypony I have ever met, and he was a truly terrifying  force when he attacked Canterlot. 
Of all the things in my long life that I regret, nothing do I regret more than what I did to him. He fell with me, willingly and completely. I made him into a murderer, into a monster. Now I must try and help him find redemption. If anypony can, then I believe that you and your friends can help him, Twilight. I would understand if you want nothing to do with him, most would not, and you have far more reason to fear him than most. But I beg you, please help me. For the love of me, for the love of my sister, please help him, help me make right at least one, the greatest, of my sins.

Your Princess,
Luna

Twilight browsed over the last two paragraphs for what seemed the hundredth time. Spike had brought her the letter just that morning and it was now almost lunch. There was so much in it. Princess Luna had a student from a thousand years ago that is very much alive today? Princess Luna wants her, Twilight Sparkle, to teach this unicorn about the magic of friendship? This unicorn is bitter and resentful of Princess Celestia; and of Princess Luna not being Nightmare moon? When Twilight had been in Canterlot for her brother’s wedding she had not seen anypony that looked like he was a personal student of Luna. In fact, she hadn’t seen Luna all throughout the day of the wedding. Neither princess had mentioned this unicorn ever. As intimidating as it sounded, it was still exciting! On the one hoof, Twilight could not wait to meet an actual pony who had lived a thousand years ago and learn about magic from that time period. But then, reading the last paragraph of the letter sent chills down her spine.

“He fell with me, willingly and completely. I made him into a murderer, into a monster.”

A unicorn who approved of Nightmare Moon. A unicorn who most likely knew and performed some of the most powerful war magic known to pony kind without remorse.  Looking over the letter again, Twilight was glad Princess Luna was making this a request and not a demand.

“Twilight, what do you want for lunch? I’m famished!”  Spike called from the kitchen.  A clattering followed soon after indicating he was already preparing food.

“Spike, go ahead and make whatever you want for yourself, I’m going to go talk to my friends about this letter and see what they think.  If I know Pinkie and Applejack, I’ll have plenty to eat.” Twilight got up from the cushion she was relaxing on in the library and moved towards her saddlebags.  “I will do the errands as well, so I might not be back until dinner. We can decide what to do then.” She levitated the letter and their shopping list into one of the bags and opened the door. 

“Twilight, wait,” Spiked said quickly, Twilight heard a pattering from the kitchen and turned to see Spike hurrying towards her. He looked up at her and cleared his throat. “Listen, I'm kinda like you right now, I’m not sure whether to be excited or terrified at this opportunity we got here. But I just want you to know that whatever you decide I’m okay with it.” He smiled awkwardly and turned away only to be snatched up by Twilight’s magic. 

“Oh Spike!” She said giving him a hug, “I’d never get anywhere without you. Thanks."

Spike laughed nervously and returned the hug. Seconds later, Twilight set him down and left quickly.  She had a full afternoon if she was going to meet with each of her friends and purchase a few essentials along the way.


*        *        *


An exceptionally strong gust of wind tore Twilight out of her thoughts and shattered her protective bubble. She recoiled as the magic snapped back into her. The cold wind dug into her coat instantly and she panicked. In reflex, Twilight tried to throw up another barrier, but her exhaustion stymied her attempt. Her knees wobble treacherously. Trying once more produced similar results as her horn spluttered. Twilight took a breath but it was quickly battered out of her in a gust of wind. Gritting her teeth she concentrated on trying to start a far less demanding navigation spell. It sputtered into existence and she was now mentally aware of her direction. It was like having a compass in her brain, all she needed to do was focus on her destination and she would be pointed in the right direction. Thankfully, this spell required very little energy or concentration to maintain. She could keep it going for as long as she needed.

She was already unable to feel some of her extremities. She knew that moving was her best bet to keep from freezing to death. Twilight staggered forward, she could feel the cold seeping through her bones. It seemed as though a ticker was counting down to her doom with each step she took. She could not believe it had only been yesterday morning when she was sitting snugly in Applejack’s barn, watching the first snowflakes fall. It seemed as if it had been weeks since she had warm hooves and a full stomach.

The storm had been raging only for a few hours. The sky had looked threatening all day, but it seemed to have been waiting for when Twilight was most vulnerable before it unleashed its fury. Glancing back, Twilight could barely distinguish the tracks she had just made. It was hard to do more than squint into the storm. She began wishing there were more trees within the immediate proximity. However, she was on the lee side of the mountains and the vegetation was sparse at best. She was just going to have stick it out for as long as it took, or she died.

Twilight struggled to look up. The cave had to be nearby. She had been walking through this storm for what seemed ages. She knew she was traveling in the right direction even though she could not see through the snow. Her navigation spell was telling her that she was still moving due East. However, the cave still eluded her as she painstakingly maintained her course.

She had spent just last night in the cave with her friends. It had to be close! She knew it was in the foothills of the mountains that loomed before her. However, Twilight had no idea how far she had gone. The blizzard made it impossible to see more than a few feet. She gritted her teeth, this storm was not going to beat her! Her friends were counting on her to pull through. They were depending on her to save them. Conjuring up images of her friends brought her new strength as she continued to struggle forward.

“One hoof after another, come on Twilight, just a little farther!" She continued walking, she was not going to give up now after all she had been through.

Twilight knew it was important that she find the cave soon. She could no longer maintain a shield against the cold and the spell she was currently performing was quickly depleting her last reserves of energy. Her coat did little to stop the wind as it continued to force its frigid temperatures into her body. She squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on walking while trying to ignore the cold. It was her best bet to stay alive. Her frazzled thoughts clung to that one fact as the mess of panic and despair threatened to overwhelm her mind.

There were quite a few books on survival that Twilight had devoured during her Daring Do days. As she tried to remember what all they had said on surviving cold weather, she knew she was not anywhere near as prepared as she should be. Trying to keep her mind working, Twilight starting thinking about how nice it would have been if she was a little more fit. While she was in pretty good shape for being a librarian in her opinion. Being a Pegasus like Rainbow Dash, who lived for physical perfection, was uninteresting to her. Her physique was just not cut out for this kind of weather and she was sure even Rainbow Dash would have a hard time enduring this much abuse. She continued thinking about Rainbow Dash and her mind sank back into the events of the past two days. It seemed so long ago.



*        *        *


Naturally the first pony Twilight came into contact with, literally, was Rainbow Dash. She had been walking away from her library for barely two minutes before she was pummeled into the ground by a crashing Rainbow Dash.

“Ouch, that kinda hurt,” Rainbow said, placing a hoof on her muzzle and maneuvering it gingerly, “Sorry Twilight, that trick is going to take some more practice.”

Twilight groaned and opened her eyes.  She realized she was splayed flat on the ground.  She wondered why it was always her that was a landing pad for Rainbow’s failed stunts.

“Rainbow, I just left the library and you were nowhere to be found a minute ago.  Why is it you show up as soon as I... Nevermind, listen, I need to talk to you about something important.”

“Ugh, you know Twilight, you always have something important to talk about. You,” She poked Twilight in the chest as she rose, “need to relax and have more fun.” 

Rainbow Dash sniggered as Twilight unsuccessfully tried to brush herself down and straighten her mane.  She glared, but quickly pulled out her letter.

“Here, I want you to read this and give me your opinion on what I should do.”

“Oh, uh... reading, yes well, you see, I have a prior engagement that I gotta-”

Rainbow Dash turned quickly to fly off but Twilight grabbed her tail with her magic keeping her grounded.

“Not so fast there Rainbow Dash, you have nothing on your schedule for today except excessive napping.  I really need your input on this, it is a short letter from Princess Luna.  Can you please, please just help me for a minute?”
        
        “Ugh, fine. Give it here,” Rainbow Dash grabbed the letter and began to browse it quickly. Her eyes grew wide and Twilight saw her stop about halfway down the letter and move back up to the top. A few minutes later Rainbow Dash coughed and handed her the letter.

        “Well, thats interesting. What are you thinking about doing?” She asked staring at Twilight.
        
        “I, um, well I’m not sure. The more I read the letter the less sure I am about her request. I don’t think I’m very inclined to do it. But this is the princess we’re talking about here.” Twilight said scuffing the ground.

        “Well, there you go, the first response is usually the right one, if I do say so myself. See you around Twilight.” Rainbow Dash zipped off out of sight before Twilight could get another grip on her.

        Was that it? Twilight shook her head and headed further into town. Rainbow Dash’s advice was short and simple. That probably meant it was honest, or an outright fabrication. If anything, Rainbow Dash’s advice made her even less sure on what to do.

        Twilight’s stomach rumbled rebelliously and she decided to make Sugarcube Corner her next stop. She smiled apologetically at the long line of ponies as she made her way to the front and indoors. She waved to Mrs. Cake who was attending the counter. She was graced with a hurried smile but it was obvious that Mrs. Cake was too busy with customers to chat.  Twilight snuck upstairs to where she hoped to find Pinkie Pie.

        She was not disappointed, Pinkie Pie had a large map of Ponyville stretched out on the floor and she was marking it up with a bright yellow crayon. Twilight stopped in the doorway and stared at Pinkie Pie’s work. She made out the words “hidden railway for party supplies” before Pinkie Pie noticed her and bounced up.

        “Twilight! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would have made cupcakes! Oh, wait, there is only one reason you would be here without an appointment,” Pinkie grabbed Twilight and whispered gleefully in her ear, “You want to throw a surprise party for somepony and came to have me make one so it would be a surprise! Ooooo, who is getting a party? Is it Applejack? No, Rainbow Dash! No, no, Alex S, Alex S!! Tell me!”

        She held Twilight at arms length and waited expectantly. Twilight stared at her blankly for a minute at a loss for words. She shook her head and tried to clear her head of Pinkie Pie’s reasoning, which was, all in all, quite sound. Twas mind boggling in of itself. That would probably be the only reason she would come looking for Pinkie without plotting time out for her in a schedule.

        “Um, no, Pinkie, I’m not throwing a surprise party for any-”

        “Aww, why not? Parties are- wait what!?” Pinkie raised an eyebrow and put a hoof to her chin, “this doesn’t make sense, Twilight coming to see me for a random reason other than a surprise party? That can only mean-” she gasped,  “Did Princess Celestia explode into a million tiny little fireflies and is now trying to take over the world? I knew this could happen, I gotta find my bee jacket.”

        Twilight’s mouth dropped open, “I- No, Pinkie stop. You are making no sense. All I need is-”

        “NO SENSE!? Since when does the world make sense Twilight, seriously.  You really need to get out more, those books are nothing as to what the world is really like.”

        “PINKIE! All I need is you to read this letter, please.” Twilight said exasperated.

        “Oh, well why didn’t you say so in the first place?” Pinkie grabbed the letter Twilight held out and began to read.  

        Twilight watched with a small amount of satisfaction as Pinkie Pie gasped at least once during every paragraph and heard her muttering random statements that made no sense.

        “Well that makes no sense. There goes that theory. I knew I should have asked more questions on that forum.” Pinkie gasped again, “He lied to me! That jerk.”

        “Pinkie? Are you ok? Did you finish?” Twilight watched as Pinkie Pie narrowed her eyes at the letter before turning to her and grinning.

        “I think you should do it! This sounds like a great opportunity to share all that you have learned with somepony. You will get a chance to see how effective friendship is on a new pony!” 

        “You do? Well what do you think I should- wait, how did you know to answer my question before I even told it to you?” Twilight scratched her head and squinted. Pinkie Pie hurt her brain, it was best just not to think about how she did things.

        “Ha, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you Twilight. So are you gonna do it? Oh I just knew you needed me to throw a surprise welcome party, I knew it all along! Funny that you didn’t just say so.”
        
“W-well, I’m not sure Pinkie,” Twilight stammered looking unsure, “you are right about this being a great opportunity, just think of all the things I, we, could learn! But Luna says he hates me for being Celestia’s student, and that means he probably will hate my friends as well. I’m not sure if it is safe to go through with this.”

“Aw Twilight, what’s the fun in safe? Come on, take a chance for once, your friends are more than capable of looking out for themselves.” Pinkie Pie leaned in close, “I know kung-fu after all. You hardly do anything interesting here in Ponyville, now is your chance to take on an exciting project. I know you want to and all you need is a party to start things off!”

“Um, thanks Pinkie, I’d like to talk to the rest of our friends before I decide though. It-”

Mrs. Cake’s voice interrupted them from the stairs, “Pinkie! I need you down here, the deliveries are already backing up and Mr. Cake isn’t back yet! Can you be a dear and do some rounds?”

“Okie dokie lokie Mrs. Cake,” Pinkie Pie called. She turned to Twilight, “well I guess I gotta go get busy! Don’t worry about the parties, I’ll have it all taken care of!” 

With that, Pinkie Pie bounced past Twilight and was down the stairs in a flash. Twilight took a moment to collect her thoughts and agonize over what Pinkie was planning. It was nothing that would kill her she decided, after all, Pinkie Pie was always popping up and doing random things to screw up her day, she could handle it. Right?


*

        Twilight groaned as she collapsed onto a cushion in the library. She wondered if she should have taken up Rarity’s offer on a trip to the spa. It would have been extremely relaxing if she went alone. But as things were she would have to accompany Rarity, she had her fill of drama. A pony could only last so long as a mannequin for her, Rarity could outlast time itself if she had but one hapless soul to model. Twilight had enough things on her mind that going to the spa with Rarity would be more stressful than relaxing. 
        
        Still, Rarity’s advice had been, beneficial in all honesty. Running a business meant you had to make sacrifices and choices that were tough. Rarity had been through this and the results of those choices did not always sit well with her even if they had profited her business. However, Rarity had put her work down long enough to take Twilight aside and say:
        
        “Twilight, you cannot always have everything you want, but you can learn to live with what you have. This letter presents a once in a lifetime opportunity. You can sit and rationalize away your choices all you want, but in the end, are you going to be able to live every day with not accepting this proposal? Celestia knows I’ve had to live with some difficult choices myself... But my point is this: If the choice in this letter is going to be life changing for you then I think you had better put aside your logic for once and do what makes you happy and able to live with yourself.”

        Fluttershy had said the same thing as well, albeit she had been rather indirect about it. Everything she said required Twilight to sift through a multitude of apologies, not that she really minded though. Fluttershy always gave good advice.

        It was Applejack that surprised Twilight the most. As soon as she had put the letter down she had said,

        “I guess you want me to be a tellin you what to do huh Twi? I don’t know who else you have talked to yet but I am going to say no.”

        “No?” Twilight repeated surprised.

        “No, you should not do this.  I’ve had to give up a lot ever since Ah took over runnin the farm. My life is centered around making enough bits to keep food on the table and sendin Applebloom to school. Ah know you aren’t strugglin much there at the library. Shoot, you could probably get anything you desired from the Princess if you weren’t a practical pony.  But that’s not my point. If it is dangerous, then I’d stay as far away from it as possible. I’ve had to watch out for mah family for a while now and Ah daresay I’ve been through my fair share of situations. Just stick with what you are comfortable with Twi and you won’t get burned. True, you won’t get to have that fun with that match before it reaches your hoof, but it is a darn sight better than having your house, or worse, a friend’s house, go up in flames. You gotta give up certain things to have a safe, peaceful life.”

        Of course Applejack had tempered her initial speech afterwards but Twilight couldn’t shake what had already been said. As she walked home she mulled over Applejack’s initial speech and then compared it to her “In the end, I suggest following your heart” statement before they parted. Applejack was right, her life would go on safely and peacefully if she refused Princess Luna’s request. But she also could not ignore what Rarity had to say about living in discontent either. On the one hoof, Twilight was proud of the opinions her friends had, but on the other, she was irritated that she was no closer in making a decision.

Twilight groaned again and rolled onto her back. The arguments kept returning to one thing: Luna needed her help. There was no getting around that fact. Luna obviously cared quite deeply for her ‘student’ if she was desperate enough to be writing and imploring aid from Twilight. It was not every day that an all powerful being sought help because their own knowledge was lacking. Twilight could barely picture herself requesting magical aid from a young filly and could not imagine how desperate a celestial being like Luna must be to ask for help from a simple pony.

The more Twilight thought about it, the more her conviction grew. This was not about her, this was about some other pony. Just because it was a request from a powerful alicorn did not make it any less important than getting the same kind of letter from anypony else. Twilight knew that she would jump at the chance to help a pony who requested her aid, so why should the princess be any different? With that in mind, she hopped up and began writing her response to Luna.


*        *        *


        Twilight was ripped back into the present once again as she stumbled right on to clear ground. Unable to keep her balance, she fell flat on her face. Barely focusing her eyes on her surroundings, Twilight’s brain slowly started working again as she realized she had made it to the cave.

The rock walls were bare and smooth. It seemed that somepony had taken the time to round off the edges to make the cave more homey. The cave was small and comfortable enough to house half a dozen ponies for a night. There was a stack of wood near the back which had a light dusting of snow, just like the rest of the cave. The wind was blowing across the entrance instead of into the cave creating a natural wall of insulation for those within the cave. Luckily, the hole Twilight had punched in it was quickly closing. This was fortunate for her as she was fading in and out of consciousness. She would not have been able to block the entrance even if she had thought about it.

Trying to concentrate, Twilight tapped into all the energy she had left and lit a fire with her magic in the stack of wood. She moved as close as she could to the fire before collapsing. She did not even register the fire beginning to crackle merrily as it grew. It wasn’t long before Twilight passed out, leaving the world behind.


*        *        *


Twilight woke up in darkness. She was floating without form. At least, that was the best description she could come up with. She was weightless and could not see anything. It was hard to decide if she was moving, or was able to move. Twilight knew she was conscious of herself, it was a dream of sorts within her own mind. She was happy that she had been through a few dream awareness sessions with Princess Luna, it helped to know what your own mind felt like.

She looked around, except it was not really looking. It was more of an extension of awareness to her surroundings. Even though her body was as nonexistent as her surroundings, this did not bother her in the slightest. It was her mind, her dream and nothing was out of place, it felt right.

All of Twilight’s random thoughts of moving, having no body, any surroundings or what she was doing here were only a small buzz in the back of her consciousness. They did not matter. There was only room for one thought: What she was going to do next. It was perfectly clear to her, and yet unclear at the same time. She knew she had a destination. But that destination eluded her just as the reason for her being here.

With a whisper of a thought, she began to move. It was hard to tell that she was moving since it was completely black. But she knewshe was moving, she was in control after all.

A light appeared. It was not just a light though, Twilight knew it was an orb that actually emitting the light. She knew the orb was her destination and she increased her pace. It was still distant but she hurtled towards it at speeds that are only conceivable through imagination. As Twilight came closer and closer, a feeling of calmness and content washed over her. A flicker of thought in the back of her mind thought this was surprising, but it was not important and the thought dissipated into oblivion.

Suddenly, Twilight was there. It was not disturbing, that was supposed to happen, it was a dream after all. The light should have been blinding but Twilight had no trouble gazing into the depths of it. As she stared, she began to realize there was still an infinite distance within the orb of light that she had yet to traverse. How would she get inside? She was too large to fit inside it! Twilight had no idea how long she... Sat? Floated? Existed? ...in front of the orb. Every time she tried to think about getting inside, her thoughts floated into nothingness. She was getting frustrated, there must be a way!

It clicked suddenly, this was her dream and she could do what she wanted, right? Twilight smirked, mentally of course. She had no idea how she could have missed it. She had no size, no shape, she was just there. With a flick of her thoughts, she entered the orb and began her journey again.

Being inside the orb was very different. It was warm, fuzzy, and comfortable. Her surroundings practically crackled with energies that she had no knowledge of, yet they felt familiar. She basked in the glow around her as she travel inwards. Her surroundings grew dense and the energy thickened as she moved deeper into the orb.

Twilight began to feel hot... extremely hot, now that she thought about it. Twilight tried to slow down but could not. She began to panic, her speed was troubling but unimportant. It was the heat which was becoming unbearable that scared her. What was going on? Colors started swirling in the blackness and pain was starting to shoot through her. Twilight was torn from her dream and woke up suddenly with a hoarse scream.


*        *        *


Twilight looked down and saw that the fire she made had died somewhat. She had rolled onto some of the embers and there was a nasty black burn on her right flank over her cutie mark. She moved quickly, tears of pain came to her eyes as she looked around for relief and spotted the entrance covered in snow. Rushing towards it, she twirled around and sat right into the snow drift. She winced at the cold on the left side of her body but was relieved at the coolness washing over her right flank. Hyperventilating, she collapsed, amazed at her own weakness still. She took stock of her surroundings and tried to piece together why on earth she was in this cave.

It came back in a rush. The castle, the torture, her escape, Twilight gasped, how long had she been lying here? She was hungry, much more hungry than she remembered being when she came in, but then again, hunger had been the least of her concerns when she had collapsed. Still panicking slightly, she got up and punched a window in the drift with magic. She winced as her horn throbbed with a dull ache. It was nighttime, which told her absolutely nothing since her memory of when she entered the cave was hazy.

“At least the blizzard has died down somewhat”, she grumbled to herself.

What she could see of the clouds, the storm could start pouring snow again at any moment. She sat back down in the depression she made, sighing with relief as the coolness washed over her flank once again. It would blister, she was sure, but hopefully it would not hinder her from functioning to a large degree.

Her dream pushed its way to the forefront of her thoughts. What had it been about? It was so real. Twilight began to muse over the meaning of it. She had spent time learning about dreams and dream worlds with Princess Luna. Twilight had even spent some time on occasion discussing and experiencing them consciously with her. Nothing about it made sense when she thought about it. She knew that her vision had taken place in her own mind but she was at a loss in understanding what the Orb was. It had seemed so right, almost like it was a part of her that she always had known was there. Twilight grappled with her thoughts for a little while longer but the world around her was starting to demand her attention again.

Fear started to fill her musings, she was weak and hungry. The fire was dying and the cold seemed to be getting ready to overpower what little warmth it had made in the cave. Twilight had no idea what to do next. She had barely escaped her captors, and knew it was only a matter of time before her presence was missed. What would be the best course of action? Could she make it home? No, she could not teleport that far in this condition. It was out of the question to walk home either, it would take too long.

Twilight berated herself for giving Spike as little information as she did and hoped he had not gone back to sleep. This was a bad position for her, she was on the far side of the Everfree Forest and had no way of contacting anyone she knew. But wait, she had her magic, surely there was some kind of signal she could send to anyone looking for her!

“All the way out here? I must be crazy, nopony would even dare enter the Everfree Forest.’”

Twilight racked her brain for all of the different kinds of spells she knew, she was beginning to realize almost all of the magic she was capable of was for more conventional means than crisis survival. Even her medical knowledge was disappointingly minimal. There had never been any need to learn since Fluttershy and the doctors of Ponyville had always taken care of things superbly. Pushing away despair, Twilight began to write on the floor listing her assets and trying to figure out how she could rescue her friends.