Slowly, sleepily, the young stallion pulled the covers over him even tighter; his eyelids clenched shut in restless sleep. His room was cold, but he was sweating, beads of moisture forming on his temples and forehead. His horn glowed unintentionally with magic the way it did when he was dreaming, casting a pale blue glow over his face. In the dim light, his black coat was almost invisible, broken up only by the stripes of white that twisted around his body and streaked through his mane. Without his horn, one may have mistaken him for a zebra initially; with his exotic accent and penchant for greeting ponies by kissing them on the cheek, he certainly did not look the part of a Ponyville native.
Small grunts escaped his white muzzle as he turned over once again, dreaming of things unknown to the rest of the world. His eyelids fluttered faster as his breath quickened; he moved more erratically under the sheets that were now soaked with his sweat. His horn glowed brighter now, casting his entire bedroom into an ethereal haze. Suddenly, with a spark of magic, the fireplace on the far side of the room blazed to life, tongues of fire consuming the dry wood and sending smoke up the chimney. The fire blazed brighter and hotter than normal, being fed by the unicorn’s magic; the room grew warmer rapidly, and it wasn’t until his entire house was pleasantly warm that the magic stopped.
All was still; the fire was crackling slowly now, replacing the blue glow with a friendlier red one. The unicorn lay on his bed, sprawled out on his back with the sheets in a pile on the floor. The only sign of movement came from his eyes, which were still dancing frantically under their lids. His breathing was quick and shallow for a while, his broad chest rising and falling as if it were being pushed down on. His legs were spread out over the sides of the bed, the gold bands on his front legs clinking together rhythmically with each release of breath. The dancing light of the fire glided over his black and white coat, revealing his muscular frame and short, disheveled tail with a white streak that matched the one in his mane. He stayed stone still, his groaning silenced, as his eyes suddenly ceased their seizure; with a sharp and loud gasp, the unicorn awoke, his eyes snapping wide open.
Waiting for his heart to return from the ceiling, he stayed on the bed, his chest heaving with the loud breaths he was trying to quiet. After sufficiently calming himself down, the unicorn finally moved to look at the clock on his dresser. He sighed at the late hour and turned himself over, dragging his taxed body off of the bed and over to the fireplace. Unceremoniously, he lowered himself into a sitting position before the fire; drops of moisture fell to the floor in front of him as he stared into the flames, but they were no longer sweat. He blinked away the tears from the corners of his soft grey eyes and sat quietly, a mournful expression pulling down at his face.
It’s 1:30 A.M. again. Another night wasted. These things never seem to let me sleep in.
The unicorn sat in front of the fire for a long time, doing nothing but staring into the light. Every once in a while he would mindlessly play with one of the bands on his legs, never once taking it off. The firelight shone off its finish, making the gold look as if it were red hot. Looking back at the fire, the unicorn lit up his horn to squelch the flames, then hesitated. There was something mesmerizing about fire, even if it terrified him. Its dance was fluid and hypnotizing, much like that of the dancers from his homeland. It was both warming and burning, useful and destructive all at once. It could keep you alive on a frozen night and it could engulf almost anything. Almost…
He shook his head and blinked quickly, breaking the spell and clearing his head. Standing up promptly, he paced in front of the fireplace, his slow steps clicking softly on the wood floor. His head hung low, and he mumbled something in a different language as he finally settled once again in front of the fire.
“Tesbah ala Khair. May you be blessed by all those who come your way,” he whispered. With one last sigh, the unicorn lit up his horn and squelched the flames, plunging his house back into darkness.