Weathering Winter

by Sasha Nein

Chapter 6

Fear and Pain

The two unicorns froze as an ear piercing scream split through their surroundings. It sounded like a hundred different ponies were scraping their hooves across a chalkboard. Their hair quickly stood on end as the shrieks continued. But it was not just screaming; periodically there would be moans and unidentifiable noises ranging from clicking to feral growls.

Twilight began trembling again as she eyed the deep shadows her glowing horn cast. She fought the urge to run with every fiber of her being. Her surroundings were picking away at her sanity and she was not sure how much longer she would be able to think clearly. She turned to Winter, who seemed to be more focused on the pain than their surroundings. If she could not calm herself soon, Twilight wasn’t sure if she could remain in control of herself.

Winter looked at her. Twilight’s eyes were dilated and hyperventilation was appearing to set in. He grimaced in pain as he stood on three legs. Keeping Twilight’s mind off her surroundings was first priority. Her running off into the dark wasn’t going to help him.

“Twilight!” He said sharply, trying to get her attention. “We need to move. You have to get your mind off that nightmare!” He clenched his teeth as pain shot up his foreleg when he tried to move. “You have to stop paying attention to it. It will not go away until you are no longer afraid of it!”

“You think it’s just going to go away?” Twilight moved to help Winter, but her voice was nearing hysteria. Her magical light was beginning to flicker, betraying her mental state.

Winter turned and caught her eye with a deadpan stare. “Twilight, believe me when I tell you; I know what I’m talking about.”

Twilight’s eyes searched his, and despite the screams surrounding them, she seemed to relax slightly. She nodded and gave him her shaky support as he began hobbling forward.

They made slow progress but Winter could tell it was giving Twilight focus. He gritted his teeth once again as his awkward gait rattled his leg. Slowing down was not an option, he needed to keep Twilight focused on him and not their surroundings. It was the only way to get rid of the nightmare.

He could tell it was only trying to scare her. Once he had realized what it was trying to do to both of them he refused to let the Nightmare bother him. But Twilight did not yet realize that she had to ignore the Nightmare, and the Nightmare knew it. It was doing it’s best to reduce her to a babbling mess. Winter was just glad that it was unable to do more than make sounds or rustle leaves.

As they made progress Twilight grew more confident. Her magic began to stabilize which solidified her light and in turn, calmed her quicker. With each hoof placed more confidently than the last, the Nightmare at last began to fade. Smiling, she turned to Winter.

“You were right! Thank you so--”

“Celestia never loved you.”

“What?” Twilight recoiled, alarmed.

Winter cursed as he lost his support and stumbled. Trying to ignore the jostling, he perked his ears and towards their surroundings.

“Why would she leave you here, alone, with Winter otherwise?”

Twilight looked around, worry creeping back across her features. “Winter, who is talking?”

“She abandoned you!”

Winter turned to Twilight, hoping that his already pale face had not turned whiter.

“Twilight, it is just trying to get at you, don’t listen to anything it says.”

“How does it know about C-Celestia?” Twilight stuttered, eyes wide.

“Focus Twilight,” Winter said harshly, “This world was made from images from our mind, and this is some form of Nightmare we are dealing with. I would not be surprised it knows everything about us.”

That did not seem to calm Twilight in the slightest. Winter was growing irritated and the added pain of his broken leg was not helping.

He got in Twilight’s face, forcing her to look at him. He spoke forcefully, over the whispering. “Twilight, think for a second. It is saying things that would only scare you. It isn’t trying to scare the both of us with words. Can’t you see that it is making things up and throwing them only at you?”

“R-right, just making things up.” Twilight laughed, an octave higher than normal.

“We have to keep moving, let’s get out of here Twilight.”

She moved to brace Winter once more and they hurried as fast as they were able through the woods.

“Celestia won’t be the only one... Winter... leave too!” The voice began to fade, it’s cries becoming desperate and distant. Faint wails were tossed about on the night air, the slightest breath of wind distorting the sound.

Twilight did not know how long they hobbled frantically through the forest but it was still night when they finally broke through the cover of the trees. Winter was exhausted and shivering, Twilight was quite sure he had lost awareness to his surroundings. She was no medical expert, but even she could tell he was in a lot of pain; the swelling and inflammation was beginning to look nasty as well.

She glanced around quickly and sighed with relief as she spotted a familiar landmark, Fluttershy’s cottage. Well, at least it was the near equivalent, considering this wasn’t Equestria. It still stood a few hundred feet away. Twilight began guiding Winter towards it, he did not protest even though he gritted his teeth with pain.

As they moved closer Twilight began to realize just how tired she was. Winter had been leaning on her heavily for support for quite a while now. That, couple with them running all night, she was now beginning to feel the exhaustion creep up on her as they moved out of the forest.

With a heavy breath, Twilight allowed her horn light to slacken as they grew closer. She could just make out some sort of magical halo surrounding the cottage. Twilight picked up her pace, hoping it was another memory. It didn’t matter what it was about, just so long as it fixed Winter’s leg and refreshed her own body.

The moment she picked up her pace, an intense rustling hurtled along the eve of the forest towards them, accompanied by a feral growl. Twilight panicked. She lit up her horn like a miniature sun for the second time and bolted, pickup up Winter in her magic before he toppled.

Sprinting in the dead of night while terrified and using a heavy load of magic was certainly not something Twilight normally did. Thus, after the few first steps she was already panting; her stressed mind finally giving way to panic as she hurtled towards the cottage. The exhaustion was quickly taking its toll. Her logic and reason were gone, there was no slowing down now.

There was a howl of triumph from the forest edge. Twilight’s ears flicked as her panicked mind registered the sounds of something leaving the forest hot on her heels. Already gasping for breath, she put on an extra burst of speed; the magical aura was mere yards away.

A sudden tingling touched her back legs and caused her to jump and lose balance. She tripped and Winter went sailing ahead of her as she lost her magical control. Twilight rolled the last few feet into the magic circle and curled up into a ball. Her uncontrollable shivering would have prevented her from rising even if she tried. She felt the freshening magic wash over her as a ghostly howl arose from outside the memory circle. Whatever the Nightmare was, it had dashed itself against the magic and dissipated.

Twilight struggled to hold back the tears that had begun to flow. She had never felt so terrified in all her life, she didn’t know what would have happened if the Nightmare had gotten her. But she was safe now, she wasn’t sure if the tears were so much from the terror, or the relief of having escaped. Sniffing loudly and sitting for a moment, she let her mind reassert itself over her body before getting up. Once body control was restored, she moved to search for Winter, wiping her eyes as she did so.

Her body had already changed to its ghostly form. She looked through her hoof in surprise, surprised that her breakdown had lasted more than a few seconds. Looking around, Twilight noticed a quiet sobbing coming from the front of the cottage. She moved forward hesitantly and peeked around the corner of the house. Her blood ran cold. This memory, she felt herself falling apart again and turned away quickly.

Winter, as soon as he had transformed, had felt rejuvenated and whole. He picked himself up and directed his attention to the first moving things he saw: memory Twilight and Fluttershy at the front of a small cottage. He did not notice Real Twilight retreating behind the house and sitting down hard as the memory came flooding back in full detail. Or rather, the events leading up to the memory...

* * *

It seemed like it had been just yesterday as the scene replayed over in Twilight’s mind. Everything stood out in perfect clarity, the colors of her mind’s eye a refreshing change from her surroundings.

“Spike! Spiiike!” Twilight yelled, listening for her faithful assistant rattling upstairs before eagerly checking over a large list of calculations.

If she was right about this, and she always was, Twilight was on the verge of creating a spell that would allow beings other than plants to apply photosynthesis to their bodies. She thought of the infinite possibilities this could have if it could be used to store solar energy. It could cut down on the food intake for cities, or even replace Equestria’s rising demand for fossil fuels to make electricity!

Twilight turned to see… an empty room. She opened her mouth irritably and looked up the stairs. Spike stood before her, she shut her mouth with a click while picking him and swinging him around onto the center of the library floor.

“Okay Spike, I’ve got a new spell I want to try,” she chirped.

“And I guess I’m your test subject,” Spike sighed. “What is this spell supposed to do?”

Twilight didn’t look at him, instead running over a double checklist to make sure she had forgotten nothing. “It is a spell designed to take the mechanics of photosynthesis and apply them to sentient organic beings. If it works, you shouldn’t have to eat if you spend appropriate amounts of time in the sun.”

Spike sniggered. “Well that should work great for you. Think of all the time you could spend studying out in the sunlight instead of eating!”

Twilight spared him a scathing glare. “I do not study so much that it cuts into other activities,” she huffed, sticking her nose in the air. “Although-”

“Woah woah, just make sure it works first okay?” Spike interrupted.

Cutting off her musing, she returned to her notes. Facing the dragon, she laid out a few sheets on the floor before both them.

“Alright, this is going to take quite a bit of magic. I’ve double checked... triple checked, my work. But if anything starts hurting or acting weird just tell me to stop okay? There is a teeny tiny chance that it might actually warp your cells instead of magically adding to them, but I’m sure you will feel it if that starts to happen.” She said, giving Spike an unnerving grin.

“Uh, okay.” Spike said nervously. He shifted on his feet and straightened his spines.

Twilight’s horn began to glow and she closed her eyes in concentration. In moments Spike had to shield his eyes as her horn lit up like a miniature sun. Her hooves dug firmly into the floor, as if the magic were pushing her down; her teeth were gritted into a snarl.

Soon, Spike began to feel her magic encompass him, a faint tickling spread along his scales. It barely felt skin deep, so he said nothing. He watched as Twilight began gesturing with her horn, weaving in time with the spell she was forming. She began panting as his feet left the floor, it seemed to him that she was channeling even more into this than when she had defeated the Ursa Minor a couple years ago. Her horn was almost too bright to look at, yet he was still wrapped in a gentle, warm glow.

Twilight looked to be reaching the climax of the spell when the library door burst open. A brown pegasus burst into the door and before stopping abruptly. Twilight’s eyes jerked open and she recoiled at the sudden interruption. Spike felt himself jerk slightly, and he immediately shut his eyes and curled into a ball, praying that it wouldn’t hurt much. But no flinging happened, he remained floating. His eyes went wide as he saw a look of panic wash over Twilight as she too was suddenly encompassed in her own magic.

“I- I can’t stop it!” She gasped.

The brown pegasus stood dumbstruck in the doorway. Twilight quickly began jerking her head, as if to break off and dispel the magic, but it seemed to tug back against her.

“For the love of Celestia don’t just stand there!” Spike roared at the dumbfound pegasus. “DO something! Flick her horn! Fast, now! Or something I don’t care!!”

The brown pony jerked into action. He ran towards Twilight and tackled her. As they both hit the ground Twilight’s magic cut off, but not without a resounding shockwave that blasted both Spike and the pegasus against the bookshelves.

Twilight was the first to stir. She groaned as a pounding headache emanated from her horn. She opened her eyes with a with a gasp and stumbled to her hooves. Her eyes darted across the library looking for the presence of the others. Her breath caught as she saw Spike lying on the floor, limbs at awkward angles. She moved to his side as quick as she was able.

Unable to perform magic, she quickly nudged his prone form over and lowered an ear to his chest. His heart was beating, fast. That was to be expected, but at least it was a consistent two thumps, that was good right?

Her eyes checked over Spike’s body, one of his arms was bent in a wrong direction. He also seemed to be charred along the tips of his spines. Twilight gasped as she realized he must have been burned quite significantly for signs to show up on his scales. She reeled back and scanned for fire all over the library. What she spotted instead was the brown pegasus, lying half buried beneath a mountain of books.

Twilight stumbled across the room and began to dig the pegasus out. As he was uncovered, it was obvious that Spike got lucky with his scaly skin. All the feathers she could see were burned and most likely ruined. Thankfully, maybe, because of her studies, Twilight could tell that the pegasus had sustained possible heavy second degree burns to his face. Thankfully, or unfortunately, she couldn’t decide which, those seemed to be the worst burns. Most of his chest was looking very red and puffy, but the back of his body seemed okay.

What should she do? Twilight fell back on her haunches as she glanced between her two victims. The base of her horn throbbed, but she ignored it. Teleporting was not an option, or any magic for that matter. She checked to be sure, but she couldn’t even lift one of the quills sitting on the desk. That left four options, caring for them, taking them to the hospital, getting help or doing nothing. She quickly ruled out doing nothing and caring for them, they were not options. One, she was not confident treating burns, especially without magic, and two, she was certainly not going to leave them.

Taking them to the hospital or getting help. Looking at Spikes arm, she quickly decided trying to carry him was out of the question. She groaned in frustration, if only she had her magic! She berated herself for being so careless, she should have tested more, maybe quadruple checked her calculations, or maybe... Twilight smacked herself on the side of her head. This was no time to fall part, she had to focus!

Getting help, that seemed the best thing to do. Twilight moved towards the door. Should she start calling out to ponies nearby? ...No, it would only cause confusion and maybe panic. She would waste time trying to explain the situation for little to no help. No, she needed to get them medical attention, and fast, so that meant heading to the Ponyville hospital directly. With that thought in mind, Twilight bolted into town as fast as her shaky legs could carry her, making a beeline for the hospital.

“Oh Celestia! what have I done?” Twilight wailed to herself. “No! Stay focused! Front hooves, back hooves, regulate breathing, don’t trip... Faster!” Twilight focused all her thoughts on running as fast as she could.

She didn’t even realize the tears streaming down her face till she burst into the hospital, they made her vision hazy as she tried to pick out a nurse.

“H- help!” Twilight cried, running to the counter. The ponies reacted immediately, two, or maybe more, she couldn’t tell, rushed up to her.

“Twilight Sparkle!” A white mare ran up to her and instantly gave her a quick hug then looked her over. “Are you hurt? What is the matter?”

“No, not me. I- I...” Twilight stammered, sudden sobs interrupting her speech. The nurse quickly moved to a nearby chair and sat them both down, pulling Twilight into a hug as she did so.

“Shh, shh. Calm down Twilight, what happened? You have to calm down before you can tell me, and I can’t find out what happened until you do that.” She soothed. Twilight missed the meaningful glance she shot at the other nurses. They quickly began bustling around and gathering equipment. A couple of stallions appeared and began pulling together heavier equipment.

It took a minute for Twilight to regain control of herself. But she still had trouble forcing words through her heavy breathing.

“I... The library. I don’t know what happened, my magic... broke. Spike is there, and some pegasus. They are both unconscious, at least they were. I think Spike has a broken arm.”

“Spike, that is your... dragon, right?” The nurse queried.

“Yes.”

“He has a broken arm, what about this pegasus?”

Twilight’s eyes welled up with tears again. “I-I’m not sure... I think he was burned, badly, but I don’t know how. I-I t-think they are magic burns.”

“Wait here Miss Sparkle, I will be right back.” The nurse pulled her hoof from around the unicorn’s withers and trotted quickly over to the waiting response team.

“Alright, at the Ponyville library there is a pegasus and a young dragon.” The nurse informed briskly. “The dragon is small and has a broken forelimb. The pegasus probably has some nasty burns. They were unconscious Twilight said, but I don’t know how long that will last.”

Twilight got up and moved towards them. “I should go with you.”

“Oh no you don’t Miss Sparkle, you’re staying here. You are in no condition to go anywhere. Let the team handle the situation, they are professionals and know what they’re doing. They’ll be back here before you know it.” The nurse guided her back to the seat.

For her part, Twilight hardly resisted. Whatever logical part of her brain was still working, it was telling her this was the best thing to do. She sat there for a few minutes, staring at nothing and rocking back and forth. She was too afraid about what she had done to cry much, but the tears were there and she was going through tissues more rapidly than she would like to admit.

She did not notice when the nurse left, but Twilight jumped when she returned.

“How are you feeling? Are you injured at all?” The nurse asked softly.

“Head hurts” Twilight mumbled into her hooves.

The nurse left again, but returned shortly with an ice pack. She placed it on Twilight’s head gently.

“There.” She adjusted it slightly and sat down, facing Twilight. She took the unicorn’s hooves in her own, causing Twilight to look up. “My name is Redheart, Nurse Redheart.” She smiled slightly. “Just wide enough to show she cares,” Twilight thought absently.

“When they return,” Redheart continued, “I would like you to wait here.” Twilight opened her mouth, but the nurse placed her hoof over it. “Before you object, I am only asking this because I’m not sure what condition your friends will be in when they get here. We will work our best and fastest if you aren’t in the way. Okay?”

Twilight bowed her head. “Okay.” She mumbled. Redheart was right, she would only be hurting them if she tried to get underhoof.

“Hey.” Redheart lifted Twilight’s chin. “They will be alright, the injuries you described did not seem life threatening.”

Minutes later, the medical team came bursting back in through the doors. Redheart jumped up from next to Twilight and hurried over. Twilight strained her ears to catch all that was being said.

“...had to put him back under... was awake... lot of pain...”

“No, he hasn’t woken yet.”

“...most likely... skin grafts... need to work fast...”

They rushed deeper into the hospital and Twilight was left alone. “A lot of pain, and skin grafts... Oh no...” Twilight clenched her eyes shut, not daring to think of what might happen. Vainly trying to think of anything but what she had caused.

* * *

Thinking back, Twilight had no idea what had driven her to Fluttershy at the time. But as she peeked around the corner of the cottage again to observe herself in the memory, she understood.

Fluttershy sat there with her, holding Memory Twilight in her hooves as she slowly rocked the unicorn back and forth, shushing her. Memory Twilight sobbed into her coat, clinging to the yellow pegasus tightly. Real Twilight knew then that it was only natural to come to Fluttershy. Indeed, she could make out the wet eyes on the compassionate pegasus. If anypony was good at giving comfort and meaning it, it was Fluttershy.

The first thing she had done was gush out what had happened and Fluttershy was there for her in an instant. Little wonder this event was meaningful enough to manifest itself. Even brain-dead Twilight had known that coming to the kind pegasus was what she needed. Unfortunately, now, this also meant Winter knew everything about this incident. But, she couldn’t care less, it didn’t matter to her what he thought.

What did matter to her was that once again her mind and magic were barely enough for her to deal with the situation at hoof. Ever since she had lost control back at Celestia’s school and turned her parents to potted plants, Twilight had resolved to never let that loss of control happen again. But it had happened, both times an outside stimuli had come in and screwed her up.

Twilight hated that she was unable to deal with unknown factors. She hated being afraid of herself and the knowledge that her magic might not be good enough. She knew that more practice was how to get better and more confident in her abilities. But how could she practice her focus in an unpredictable environment and still be safe? Twilight shook her head to clear her thoughts; now was not the time to be thinking about those problems.

Taking a deep breath, Twilight approached the scene at the front of Fluttershy’s cottage. She stopped a few paces behind Winter.

“Will the Nightmare still be out there when this is finished?” She asked, doing her best to ignore her sobbing memory.

“Probably.” Winter said, not turning. “But, you seem to be in better shape now, it shouldn’t bother us, it’s probably already expended most of its energy.” Winter cleared his throat before continuing, still staring at the scene before him. “You are okay, right?”

Twilight’s flat stare was lost on Winters back. “I’m fine.”

Winter got up and turned to leave.

“If it means anything to you, I’m sorry for what happened here, in this memory.” He trotted past, then hesitated. “I-I know what it’s like, to be afraid.”

Twilight felt her anger flair at his words, but she said nothing. It wasn’t worth the trouble to argue his understanding. Being friends with ponies like Rainbow Dash had taught her that sometimes, picking a fight wasn’t always the best move. He might have a number of low points in his life for all she knew. But Twilight could tell that he probably wouldn’t part with any of his own memories willingly, or calmly, for her to learn.

Twilight reasoned that until she understood Winter more, she would not make any drastic assumptions about his character. Maybe she could get him to open up. She knew he probably wouldn’t remain unbaised towards her, but hopefully he would see that she was trying to be a friend.

“Why am I trying to be a friend?” Twilight asked herself. She thought hard, why was she sticking her neck out on the chopping block and giving Winter the axe? Twilight sighed, the only thing she could think of was that they might be spending the rest of their lives together here, alone. She didn’t want to be stuck with an enemy for however long that might be. Steeling herself, Twilight got up and followed Winter.

The sun began peaking over the horizon as the memory drew to a close, bringing the familiar mind peeling sensation with it. The sun framed the edge of the Everfree Forest with its not so vibrant rays. They were unable to penetrate the thick foliage, leaving the forest filled with shadows even at the edge. It would have been a picturesque scene with the way the woods soaked up the sunlight, and maybe if there had been some color. Twilight shuddered at the mere thought of what might be lurking just behind the eves of the dark forest.

Both ponies turned their attention to the path outside Fluttershy’s cottage that lead into Ponyville. Where would they go from here? Twilight wanted to stop by the library, but was fairly certain there would be nothing of use in any of the books there. Considering how things had been going for them, the pages would probably all be blank.

“I think we should make for Canterlot.” Winter said suddenly.

Twilight frowned. “Okay, It’s better than doing nothing I suppose. But I’ve never walked that, I’ve always taken the train.”

“It should only be a hard days walk again, and it won’t be through any nasty places like the Everfree Forest. The palace I grew up in is somewhere in the Everfree Forest now, I doubt we will want to go back there.” Winter frowned as he glanced wistfully back at the forest. “Luna said it is in ruins now, I’d love to see it but I don’t think that is a good idea right now.”

“Let’s go to the library,” Twilight suggested.

As they made their way into Ponyville, the shallow sun continued its climb. To Twilight’s relief, the Nightmare did not appear again. Of course, she was confident that it would not best her a second time. But the memory of something brushing her back legs sent shivers down her spine, she did not want to confront whatever it was that had touched her if she could avoid it.

Once they made it into town, an eerie silence greeted them. There was a stillness that Twilight had never seen in Ponyville before, and it was... unnatural. She shivered. Following slightly behind Winter gave Twilight an opportunity to observe the unicorn. He was constantly checking around corners and up alleyways. He did not possess the confident, relaxed stride that a stallion such as Big Macintosh had. But every move he made was deliberate, and with purpose.

The silence was unbearable, they had walked past Rarity’s Boutique, and Sugarcube Corner, with nary a sound. There was always sound coming from the Corner, Pinkie generated or otherwise. Twilight would have given anything to at least see a flapping window shutter, maybe a swiftly closing door. Something that said: yes there are ponies here, even if we want nothing to do with you.

“Hellooo!” Twilight called, unable to stand the silence any longer.

Winter missed a step. Spinning around he hissed, “Twilight what are you doing?!”

“It’s so quiet,” Twilight said sheepishly.

Winter scowled. “Yes, that means anything that might be out there can hear us.”

“But-”

“Do you want to attract another one of those Nightmare things?” He asked, his scowl darkening.

Twilight grimaced and avoided his gaze, but said nothing.

The stallion drew a shaky breath. “Please, just, be quiet and lets get to the library.”

She nodded and took a deep breath herself. “Okay, let’s just hurry.” Twilight mumbled, already moving.

They shortly began moving into the residential areas. Twilight thanked the goddesses that the trip was short. In no time at all, they were at the giant tree house she called home. She paused at the door, unwilling to open it. What would she find inside? Memories? Maybe, most likely; it was where she had spent the two most important years of her life. But what if there were other things in there as well... The past couple years she had lived here had been filled with many good moments true, but also some very traumatic ones as well.

Winter noticed her hesitation and slipped past her. Slowing easing the door open, he peaked inside. He only took a moment before flinging the door open wide and stepping inside. Twilight followed cautiously.

It looked exactly as she had left it before chasing after her friends. Magic scrolls and massive texts littered the main floor. Twilight recalled that she had pulled down writings that ranged from psychological reasonings to advanced magical combat dueling. At the time, she had been unsure of what she needed the most and ended up giving most everything a quick browse before rushing out the door.

“No, not quick, shamefully lightning fast,” Twilight corrected herself. It would have been better if she hadn’t read anything at all.

Winter moved to a pile of scrolls she had stacked on the corner of a desk. He unrolled one and floated it into the light.

“Magical disintegration?” He exclaimed. “Where in the hay did you get this?”

Twilight turned red and rubbed the back of her neck, glancing at the rest of the scrolls. “I, uh... had them?” She offered.

Winter glanced at the titles of a few books before flipping them open as well. He glanced at their contents, then back at the scroll.

“These books are empty.” He stated.

Twilight moved closer and peered over the top of the book he had open. It wasn’t completely empty, but the few phrases on the first ten pages did not count for much. It seemed the book was filled with only what had stuck out in her mind when she browsed it. She said as much to Winter who gave her a skeptical look.

He glanced back at the scroll still hanging in his magic.

“Everything on this scroll is here, I could learn this spell with only this sheet.”

“Uhm, okay?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

Winter looked at her incredulously. “You memorized this but you never used it? When did you learn it?”

Twilight tapped her forehooves together nervously. “Well, I memorized it only a few days ago, but I’ve not tried it yet. I don’t know if I can do it, so of course I wouldn’t use it.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Did you want to be disintegrated?”

Winter rolled his eyes and went back to the scroll. “I’d like to look at this for a bit.” He said, moving off towards the window.

Twilight laid down with a sigh. With any luck, he would just read the scroll and that would be the end of this conversation. She wasn’t sure she was ready for another prying investigation of his into her magic. He sat at the window for a long time, and Twilight was finding it hard to keep her eyes open. It wasn’t often she had nothing to do and being in her library provided a comfortable environment. She drifted off to sleep. While her body was rejuvenated from the memory, her mind did not get it off so easily.

She awoke in darkness. Panicking, she lit her horn and realized she was still in the library. Winter was still next to the window, but he had fallen asleep, his head resting against the glass. Twilight took a deep breath and tried to slow her already racing heartbeat. She quickly lit a couple of handy candles and let her magic fade.

Glancing at Winter again, she noticed the scroll at his feet, as well as a small pile of ash. That seemed odd to her, she only had candles for light since a fireplace didn’t really work well in a treehouse. Moving closer, she took a closer look at the ash pile. It was way too small to have been any sort of lit fire. Twilight looked back at the scroll, had he learned the spell and disintegrated some objects?

Twilight whirled around, checking for missing objects before her eyes landed on a blank, torn piece of paper in Winter’s hooves. Well good, even if this was a fake world, it didn’t sit well with her thinking that he might have disintegrated some of her things. She narrowed her eyes, it seemed he had learned the spell while she was asleep.

With a snort, she picked up the scroll and pulled the torn paper away from Winter. Moving back to her candles and a desk, she sat down and carefully tore off a small piece.

“Well, here goes nothing.”

Author's Note:

Please, go look at my latest blog post here, there is a lot of information there.
Also: Thanks to Nadake and midnighttowboy for editing, without them this story would be absolutely wretched.

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