Magic Paint Brushes 3: This Ice Life...

by Ugly-Duckling123

Chapter 3

"Ok what did you do?" Sarah said coming back around first looking to her cousin disappointingly.

"Whatja mean 'What did I do'?" Jack asked jumping up and taking refuge in the rafters to get away from everyone's eyes. "Why do I always get blamed for everything that always happens."

Sarah and Eric were both about to answer when they both shook their heads saying to themselves this wasn't the time and looked up again.

"What Sarah means, Jack, is what made Winter... I don't know... curse you with this power." Eric asked careful not to seem like he was judging him.

"Hey this power is NOT a curse alright?" Jack said annoyed, still not coming down. "As we saw when we met Suzy it was a big help in beating Sombra and Chrysalis. Also how am I meant to create snowmen in an instant to blow up, every time I get angry at something when there no snow on the ground for my chaos magic to use?"

"Well if this guys as bad as you say he is mate," Applejack called up "I'd hardly think of it as a gift either.

"Why are you all so bothered by this?" Jack said over-exaggeratingly crossing his arms and turning away.

"Because you're our friend Jack," Fluttershy's quiet voice called up after a few seconds of unsure silence. "And we'd like to know what happened to know if you're alright."

"Well I clearly am Flutters," Jack muttered "But thanks."

After a bit longer everyone was about to leave to give Jack some time to 'cool off' when he began telling them of his encounter.

"This pencil I have," he began to explain pulling it out "Was a Christmas present from my grandparents," Jack said cutting of for a second "Before you ask Christmas is Earths name for Hearth Warming. Anyway... The reason I got it, was because my parents had asked them to see if they can find me anything that will get and keep my mind off Emma.

It had been a few year's, but I hadn't gotten over it yet, and every year on that day No matter what else was going on, the weather, the cold, the murder-on-the-loose warnings... I always returned to the pond where she..." he said tears coming into his voice as he paused and a deep breath was taken. "And leave her something as a gift because it was her birthday when we lost her."

There were a few murmurs at that but everyone stayed quiet.

"What I liked to leave her the most, Nan and Granddad caught on, were pictures I drew of the big events of the year." Jack said "Like this one time in the summer of 2008 an ice cream truck mysteriously broke down right outside my house, and all the power to the guys freezers went out meaning that unless he could find someone to give all his ice cream to that would mean £30 of ice cream going to waste."

"Mysteriously huh?" Sarah and Eric said together know how tricky Jack could be with stuff like this.

"Anyway..." he carried on before anything else was said. "They agreed to give me this pencil and a new sketch pad so I can continue doing that, Nan telling me that it was magic. But I didn't believe her.

'That was until I had finished with my 'This Year's Best Thing's' gallery and I was about to give them to Emma, when the pencil began to feel warm in my hand and next thing I knew I was in Whitetail Wood, somehow landing in the middle of a herd of Windego's all glaring at me hunger in their eyes but not moving other than to stomp the ground, Winter over by the pond, using it as a window to watch if his powers of cold and hate were doing what they were meant to do.

After a bit and a few fails to get up because every time I did a Windego tried to attack me," Jack explained "Winter made them part and came up to me to see what it was that had disturbed him and his 'minions'....
****
"And just what might you be..." Winter asked looking down his nose to the thing infront of him. A thing he has never seen before, but he could sense strong powers within him.

"Well Sir," Jack said still on the ground "I might be a bird, I might be a plane, I might be a dog, or a cat, or a lion or anything else anyone can think of. But right now, other than getting very claustrophobic to you lot all around me," he said looking around at the Windegos "I'm a human who has just lost my way. So if you would be so kind as to point me out of here..." he said once again trying to get up and once again failing, this time being stopped by Winters hoof on his chest.

"Hmm a cheeky one I see, well you can't really be that much use wherever you came from if you treat others like that," Winter said leaning forward "Now can you?"

Feeling that he could have some fun with this guy Jack replied.

"Sorry what was that? Your breath's so bad it made my ears numb."

"Why you impudent little..." Winter said stepping off him and with his magic flung Jack across the field of snow, making him land in a drift head first.

Getting up as fast as he could while holding his head and shaking off the dizziness, Jack jumped and began to climb the trees to stay out of harms way until he recovered, and thought up a plan.

"How did you even get here boy..." Winter asked angered that his prey was hiding.

"Oh come on old chum..." Jack said in an Old English accent fiddling with a pretend monocle as he walked along a branch out of the shadows. "Surely everyone here, wherever here is knows the law of 'A magician never reveals his secrets.'

"So you're a magician ay..." Winter asked looking up at the bratty kid on the branch. "Well then lets see if you can magically get rid of my magical frostbite, that will leave you shivering for hours and turn your skin blue..."

With that Winter began his spell just as Jack was trying to think up of some way to bat this guy around the head and run away.

Then, just like that, a baseball bat poofed out of thin air right before him.

***
"That was when I found out about my chaos powers," Jack said smiling not caring if anyone was paying attention anymore. He had held this to his chest for six years, it was time for it to be taken off.

***
"Now..." Winter's voice rang out getting Jack to look at the winged unicorn a very loaded amount of ice blue magic at the tip of his horn "Prepare to die!"

"You prepare to die!" Jack said grabbing the bat and taking up position.

With that Winter shot out his magic and fired it towards the boy who managed to hit it straight back.

"What?" Winter cried out angered turning back to the boy and firing again.

This time Jack missed the magic blast by jumping into the air and returning back where he was as if he hadn't moved at all, grinning madly.

With each shot, Winter fired, somehow, Jack missed it, meaning the 'Alicorn of Winter' got more and more mad rousing up the Windego's until it was starting to snow and harsh winds began to blow around the enclosed wood.

Because he was loosing focus on Winter's shots, because he was so cold, Jack wasn't paying attention when he landed back down again and slipped on the ice that was forming over the branch making him fall to the ground.

"Ha!" Winter cried smiling, not caring if the boy was hurt. "That I believe will sort him out. But just to be sure..." he said grabbing the boy around the neck with his magic, who tried to escape. "Now lets see you get out of this..." Winter said as he began to slowly to turn Jack into ice.

The ice was just getting to Jack's chest where his heart was, when suddenly the Windego's began to panic and call out to their leader telling him it was time to go.

"NO!" he said looking over his shoulders slowing down the magic because he didn't want to miss any fun "We are NOT leaving until this BOY is finished with. Do I make myself clear!"

After getting terrified nods, from the Windego's, Winter turned back to Jack, whose breathing had began to quicken as his heart tried to get the blood to the fingertips, and toes and everywhere else to warm them up again.

As the ice reached Jack's heart however something weird began to happen.

Instead of continuing, and covering the whole boy in ice, a light began to shine off of Jack's chest just above his heart inside of which he held everyone he loved and who loved him, those who were still around, and those are gone. Each one giving him warmth and strength to fight off Winter's cold.

After a few moments he stopped shivering and his breathing returned to normal.

Confused, Winter began to pulse more power into the ice coating Jack but again nothing happened.

Blinking his eyes open, Jack looked down to see where he was and that Winter was distracted by way he wasn't freezing like he should.

Slowly lifting up his hand, Jack snapped his fingers and poofed out of Winter's hold and away from them into the trees.

Before Winter could set out to find him however the whole wood was lit up with a bright light and a warmth that nothing there could stand, banishing all the Windego's and making Winter scream out in pain.

"I WILL GET TO YOU YOU BRAT!" he cried firing his words to Jack "YOU CROSS MY PATH AGAIN AND YOU WILL REGRET IT!"

***
"And with that he was gone," Jack said "After he left I staggered out to see what it was that saved me and..."

"And..." Celestia asked though having an idea "No one will judge you by what you'll say Jack."

Smiling Jack continued "They said they were the spirits of the Founders of Equestria. Sworn to scour the land every year banishing Winter and the Windego's from the places they go. So one good thing is they'll hopefully never be able to return to Whitetail." he said getting off topic.

"But back to the story... Working together they got as much ice off and out of me as they could, but Clover the Clever said that Winters powers were so great at the end, that even with the warmth my heart was giving off, a piece of ice got lodged there and is impossible to get out, by anyone." he said sadly before someone suggested to give them a shot at it.

"The good news is the 'power' part of it only shows when I'm in Equestria. Where as the 'Can't feel the cold' part is with me always..." he said to calm everyone down "And that is how I came to have the powers over ice and snow." he said getting up and bowing. "Now, if you don't mind I think I need some alone time by my pond."

With that Jack snapped his fingers and was gone.