Love does warm you from inside.
Curryfeather woke up some time later. She didn't know, how long she had been unconscious because the only light she saw as she wake up was the green light of the cage. The cold stuck in her body and dumbed down all feelings of her. Warmth was eradiating from some spot nearby and she stretched out a hoof, trying to reach the source of the warmth.
"At last you are awake, Curryfeather."
Her own voice sounded clear and strong through the bars. The green material held her in place, only a few hooves away from the wonderful warmth. The mare shivered involuntary. She flapped the wings desperately, but the wind didn't appear and even the clouds were unimpressed by her tears, her wrath and even her despair.
"I told you, as long as you are stuck in this cage no magic will come for your rescue."
Her voice sounded almost bored now and raised her volume just for the next sentence.
"Your foal sends her best love."
Curryfeather's body responded with all off it's might, she pushed herself against the cage, but she wasn't able to break through. She went down the bars, as her hooves couldn't hold on her body.
"Please, let me go. I have to be there for her and she needs..."
Sobs came out of her mouth instead of more words. She glanced deep desperate and begging to her counterpart, but she saw just an untouched reflection.
Was this a nightmare of her? But if so shouldn't she wake up now? She breathed out deeply and tried to calm herself.
"You're a nightmare. Just a dream."
A cold hoof stroke gently over her face and took away a tear. Her own body was slightly warmer than the hoof. Deep inside of her answered the empty spot with another wave of iciness. It burned through her veins.
"I'm afraid I'm not, Curryfeather. You are sitting in my cage and you'll answer my question now.
What were your plans for today?"
Again the pegasus mare felt the warmth nearby and stretched out her hoof. The opposing hoof flinched and the warmth faded away.
"You want your filly's letter, right?
Answer me and you will get her kind words."
Her voice sounded almost gentle, but she heard the lurking undertone. Curryfeather closed her eyes, fought back the tears and breathed in deeply. She stood up, tried to cover herself with her wings to keep a little bit of the warmth. But even the feathers bristled up in the cold, she was bleeding out of her cracked inside. She opened her eyes again and glanced at her reflection.
"Only when you will tell me, who you are."
She spoke up sounding braver than she felt and the cold burned on her lips. She heard laughter, cold laughter and it brushed away her confidence and replaced it with vague feelings. Sorrow, fear and even anger. She opened her wings half way and trembled. But she held up herself straight and the reflection of hers stopped the laughter. She came closer and circled the cage. Curryfeather tried to follow her movement but she couldn't turn around. She turned her head and looked after the strutting hooves, the steady body and her own flapping wings. As the reflection had passed the starting point again, she stopped and stood face to face with her. She shook her head.
"No, Curryfeather. I'm not here to answer your questions.
You're only awake because I need your answers.
So tell me.
What were your plans for today?"
The pegasus mare in the cage snapped with her tail and stretched out her wings. For a moment there was a look of defiance in her eyes, but the waving cold inside of her forced herself down on her knees. Her own voice sounded gentle in her ears and again a cold hoof stroked over her face.
"Well, if you want to wait longer.
I have plenty of time.
You will be more talkative, when your filly is back here."
Curryfeather jumped back on her hooves and tried to punch her reflection in the face with her right hoof.
"Keep your icy hooves off her. I..."
Before more words came out off her mouth, a cold smile disarrayed her and the gentle voice continued.
"Then tell me what I want to know.
What were your plans for today?"
The mare closed her eyes, sighed and told her the plans for today.
"...and then I wanted to write down new opening hours for the Curryparadise."
After she had gasped, stammered and aspirated herself through the words, she felt down on her knees again. She forced the warm air into herself, but the cold inside of her was stronger and prevailed itself.
"Well, I understand. Now do me a favour."
An empty piece of paper and a quill landed in hoofreach and her voice ordered what she had to do now.
"Write, that you have to close the Curryparadise, because you have caught the featherflu!"
Curryfeather tried to reach out for the quill but her hoof was trembling so much that she broke the ink pot and the ink spread all over the floor.
"Alright, alright, first your reward."
A warm breeze was flying to Curryfeather, as her reflection tossed the letter to her with one wing. The warmth in the small folded piece of paper was mild and gentle. Curryfeather grabbed it quickly, pressed the warming wrinkled paper firmly to her chest and embraced herself with the wings to keep the warmth close. Even her inner cold faded. The emptiness remained, but her flight of thought went away from it. Dozens of ponies flew through her memory, she didn't hold on to notice them longer for a moment, but their names sounded shortly in her and were warming her a little bit. But as she heard the last name in her mind, the warmth stayed strongly inside of her. Scootaloo. She saw a sleeping little filly in a bed with her inner eyes and was holding on to this picture with all her might. The warmth in the letter drew the attention back to it and forced her to open it.
Dear Mummy,
I'm looking forward to see you tomorrow when you are back.
Yesterday I made waffles for you but aunt Sunny ate all of them.
But there will be plenty more when you come here. I promise.
I have a good time with my new friend Sweetie Belle.
We were...
oh no, I'll rather tell you about it when you are here.
I'm sooo happy to see you tomorrow at last.
There is so much to talk about,
I just can't wait to tell you about everything.
I love you, Mummy.
PS: I must tell you about my greatest hero down here. I'm sure you'll like her too.
Curryfeather closed her eyes, sighed deeply in relief and pressed the letter firmly against her chest. The eradiating warmth out off it didn't fade away, though the cold fought against it and tried to eradicate it.
Her reflection starred at her rather emotionless. Of course it was strange, that her victim had to be awake and that she was only allowed to devour little pieces of her love. But an order was an order.
Curryfeather raised the head finally, starred in the eyes of her confused portrait of herself and leaned over. Her head went through the bars and she spoke up really calm.
“Let me answer her.”
Her reflection shook the head, the hard impression in her eyes were gleaming with a glance of green light.
“Then you would call out for help, wouldn't you?
No, tell me, what you want to write and I will write the letter.”
Surprised by her own suggestion, the bleak Curryfeather snapped and turned away.
“Okay. We have a deal.”
The cold glance back over the shoulder seemed to say, that her dark reflection would never agree with it, but surprisingly she raised her hoof and both Curryfeathers traded a hoofbump.
“Alright, now write the lines for the Curryparadies and no tricks.
Otherwise I will take away the letter from you and we will hang up your foal in a cage next to you”
The cold gripped shortly after her heart, but Curryfeather felt that the warmth in the letter fought it down and she thanked Scootaloo for it. Her bleak self left the room, glanced back at her with an almost confused glaze and closed finally the door.
The mare had more love left, as she had started with? How was this possible? 24601 shook the unfamiliar mare head and thought to change himself back into his true self. What would happen, if a pegasus would open the door and saw him. No he should stay as the yellow mare with the fiery red mane. He glided into the bathroom, examined himself in the mirror for a long time and tried finally to smile. As he was smiling his focus got lost for a moment and his eyes flashed up in a green light. The stolen love would nourish him for a while, but he felt the little hunger burning inside of him and he had soon devour more. Hopefully it would last for longer this time. His face changed back to his true self, back to the dark chitin and the great green eyes. Something in him flinched away from his sharp teeth and horn. He changed himself back to the mare. He felt something he had never felt before. Over his coat wandered a goose skin and even his mane seemed to bristle. He looked into his mirror image, the red maned mare face starred back confused.
Curryfeather, the real one, sat in the green light of the cage stretched out her hoof with the quill. She tried to get the ink on the head of it, but the spotted ink was too far away. Finally she dipped the head in and put some ink on it. She pulled it back carefully and put it on the other side of Scootaloo's letter. She started to write.
Dear Scootaloo,
I really hope you get this letter.
Mummy needs your help.
Tell aunt Sunny that she must fly to Cloudsdale.
She has to bring the royal guards with her.
Don't worry, I'm okay.
But please send her home and into your old room.
No matter what I tell her!
She has to get into your room.
Please I know, you think I'm crazy, but show her the letter.
Sunny believe me, I'm not who you think I am
there is an imposter pretending to be me.
Go to Wingdaloo's old room in Cloudsdale.
Please. Scootaloo don't be worry.
I'm safe, when you show this to your aunt!
I love you so much,
Your Mummy.