The two had been traveling for about thirty minutes when Twilight's curiosity gets the better of her.
"Uh, Ness? Can I ask you something?"
Ness stops to look at her. "Sure. What's up?
"Why did you want to help me?"
Ness smiles fondly as he recalls his journey. "Because all I had to help me when I traveled through Magicant were the Flying Men, which represented my courage. And I happen know from personal experience how lonely it can get traveling here after a while." Ness's smile falters as he remembers how he felt back then. "There were lots of times when I wished my friends had been with me." Ness remembers a certain girl with red ribbons in her hair and wearing a pink dress. 'Especially Paula.'
"Who's that?" Twilight asks, curiously.
"Huh?" Ness sees an image of Paula in the rift in the sky. "Oh, the memory rift, right. That's Paula. My closest friend. I rescued her from a cult that kidnapped her. We traveled together for a long time before I first made it to Magicant."
While walking along a pathway, the terrain suddenly changes before them. What once was grass suddenly became snow in a matter of seconds.
"When I came to Magicant, none of my friends were here, not even as memories. But maybe if we're lucky we'll come across your friends along the way." Twilight looks curiously towards the snow. "I can tell that you want to know why there's suddenly snow here. This is the part of Magicant formed from your experiences in winter. There should also be an area based on Camp Everfree here somewhere, and that's probably where we'll find Midnight."
"How long do you thinks it will take to find her?"
Ness considers the question for a few seconds before answering her. "Honestly? I don't know. Hours probably, or maybe even days."
"Won't my friends get suspicious if I'm asleep for days on end?"
"No they won't, or at least they shouldn't. Time flows differently here in Magicant than it does in the real world." Ness looks at his watch. "And, by my account, you've been here for over an hour. But you've only been asleep in the real world for about a minute or two." Ness waves his hand side to side to indicate his uncertainty. " But lets not stay here too long, because they will notice after its been long enough." Ness starts walking again and starts to hum 'Smiles and Tears'.
"What are you humming?" Twilight asks him.
Ness stops to respond. "It's called "Smiles and Tears'. I learned it during a journey I went on a few months ago. Do you want to know the lyrics?"
Twilight considers the question then nods slowly. "Sure."
Ness thinks about his journey as he starts singing.
"I haven’t lived even half as long as adults have,
but I do have plenty of memories in my backpack
My favorite baseball cap, my sneakers with worn-out heels
Deep in my pocket is my worn-down guitar pick
There were some things sad enough to make tears come out,
but you were always by my side
I thought of the two of us as just friends the whole time
I probably loved you without ever realizing it
We walked while we laughed, played, and got hurt
I realized it as we took shortcuts and went in circles:
that even if you can’t believe in everyone
you can’t cast aside a heart you do believe in
You made me stronger just being who you are
Like a gentle wind blowing and swaying the grass
you always walked with a smile
Yes, the two who shared smiles and tears one after the other... (I miss you)
are now far apart..."
"It's pretty, but it sounds kind of sad." Twilight says after he finishes singing.
"I guess so. It always reminds me of my adventure with my friends. We live in different places. Two of them even live on different continents. And one of them is a prince, so the four of us don't get together very often. It's been months since the last time we all got together.
"You sound close to your friends."
"We're as close as best friends can be. Sort of like your friendship with Sunset and the others."
The two see a house at the end of the snowy terrain. "Let's check whats inside. We'll probably find the Flying Men inside."
The duo heads towards the building.