A beautiful tall unicorn lady with a blue mane entered the University of the Southern Kingdom in Cheval Noir City.
Princess Morning Star aimed her horn at that mare, "who are you?!"
"Oh, excuse her, Professor Blizzard," Princess Celtic Dawn said, "apparently, she is not well today."
"No, Dawn. This is not Professor Blizzard although she looks like her!!" Angry Morning Star claimed.
Before the unicorn lady could react, another mare, looking utterly alike the first one, had come into the university hall.
"Hello, Gale. I am glad to see you," Blizzard said, "but you can't walk around like this. My students don't know you."
"I should have supposed that you are so ashamed of me that you haven't told them about your twin sister," Gale replied. "But I am not here for a courtesy call. A few days ago I came back to Tranquillity Island from a pearl spa. My house and a half of the island were destroyed. It must have been done by a huge storm. Only two ponies are supposed to be able to raise storms, I and you!"
"I would never..."
"I am not blaming you, Blizzard. In the debris of my house, I found a part of a broken coat of arms with my and your name. So it seems that the offender goes after both of us. We have to join our forces, and find the one who wants to destroy us before it's too late!" Gale said.
"Wait in my room, it's the door on the left, and after the graduation..."
"No, Blizzard. We have to go now!" Gale insisted.
The Professor told her students, "well, ladies, it's time for me to say goodbye." One by one all four princesses hugged her. Then Blizzard gave a golden necklace with a ruby stone to Princess Morning Star, whispered in her ear, and the stormy sisters set out.
Gale led Blizzard to a park where a team of four pegasi was waiting.
"Somehow, Maple got this chariot after she had heard that you are in danger too." Gale said.
The mares got into the chariot, and the pegasi flew up towards the frozen north.
Several hours later, they landed at the palace of the Kingdom of the Midnight Sun. Blizzard and Gale made their way through the snow-covered courtyard, changed the tired pegasi for fresh ones and took off again.
"Who was in that chariot flying away from our stables?" Queen Polar Sky asked a guard.
"Lady Blizzard and another pony."
"Well, she didn't even condescend to let us know!" The angry yellow-maned alicorn rose from her throne. "I am fed up with those Maple and Blizzard's secrets!"
"You can send a spy to pursue them," Eveningray proposed.
"No. I want to see with my own eyes what is so important and mysterious that we are not worthy to know!" The queen replied.
"I have no wings. So you have to go alone. Or take another chariot, which would make us too conspicuous and they could see us at a distance," Eveningray said.
"I have a better solution, Eve," the Queen smiled.
Blizzard and Gale made another halt at Maple's log cabin. The piebald earth pony lady loaded a bag with supplies, got in and the chariot headed for Tranquillity Island. In the sky a few miles behind them, the Queen was pulling a small flying sleigh with Eveningray.
"Brook, are you sure that you are able to keep pace with the four professional pegasi?" The foxy asked.
"Quiet, Eve! Sit still and hold on tight!" The queen said.
After a long journey, the chariot finally got to Tranquillity Island. Polar Sky landed a little farther, so that the three mares wouldn't see them. Eveningray and the Queen swapped their positions. Fresh Eve pulled the sleigh with tired Polar Sky across the white scenery. Blizzard, Gale and Maple came trotting to the ruins of Gale's house. They viewed over the landscape with many uprooted, broken and split trees.
"It looks like a demonstration of power," Maple said.
"And it's really impressive!" Blizzard added.
"All the clues say that the storm came from the mainland, swept the island and carried on over the sea," Maple said. "We should follow the trail of destruction back to the mainland to know exactly where it came from. There must be some witnesses who saw what happened."
On the way back to the chariot, Maple suddenly stopped and stared at a snow covered shrub in a distance.
"What's the matter?" Blizzard asked her.
"No, that's nothing," Maple shook her head and carried on walking.
Eveningray and the Queen hidden behind the shrub fetched a sigh of relief.
The whole afternoon Blizzard, Gale and Maple were following the clues pursued by Eve and Brook.
In the evening, hungry Polar Sky asked, "did you take any food with you?"
"There was no time for it. But luckily Maple has forgotten some of these on a stump," Eveningray said and took a carrot out of her bag. The queen reached out for it, but the red-maned mare said absentmindedly, "hold on a second!" She put the carrot back into her bag, and shot ahead towards the three mares so fast that Brook lay back in the sleigh. Like an arrow the red-maned unicorn came running to Maple, "How long have you known we've been pursuing you?!"
"Oh, my little wild mare, all day long I can hear your stomach rumbling."
"Why didn't you call at me, then?"
"It seemed that you didn't want me to know you're around."
The foxy turned at the Queen, "say something, Brook."
Polar Sky stood up and said angrily, "give me the carrot, Eve, or I'll bite you!!"
In their tent that night, Eveningray asked Blizzard, "Why didn't you tell us that you are in trouble?"
"This is a family affair!" Gale rejoined.
"I didn't want to endanger you," Blizzard added.
Eveningray didn't even look Gale's way and said, "We are the family, Blizzard. And maybe you haven't noticed, but we are not little fillies anymore. We can take care of ourselves."
"Yes, you've grown up so fast," Blizzard sighed.
The next day, the mares finally found somepony who told them what had happened on Tranquillity Island. "I didn't see it," a brown stallion with a short mane said, "but some say that a huge dragon did it. Flapping its wings raised a strong wind that uprooted the trees."
"Nonsense. This is physically impossible," Maple said.
Another pony stated, "It must have been Thunderbird. Everypony knows that the monster brings death, doom and misfortune."
Eveningray got angry, "what a slander! Thunderbird is no monster! I know him well! He saved Brook's life!"
"Easy, Ma'am. I am not looking for any trouble," said the local pony who had gotten scared of Eve's facial expression and ran away.
After that they met a light blue mare with a dark blue mane who said, "I saw a weird whirling cloud that came from a forest, swept the island, and flew away over the sea. Go down that path and it will lead you to Hayville. There must be other ponies there who saw it too."
In a while the five pony ladies came to the village where an annual fair was high. They were asking ponies about the thing that had destroyed the island, but each of them either pretended he hadn't heard them, or just took leave.
"They'll tell you nothing about the monster. They fear it would come to eat them," sounded from a florist stand. A young unicorn mare with a blue body, light blue eyes, and a violet mane adorned with a red ribbon was selling there a special kind of lilies. For that matter a white lily was even her cutie mark.
"And you don't fear to talk about it?" Blizzard glared at her.
"It is said that a horrific beast is looking for two unicorn stormraisers, so as to seize their power and eat them," the florist smiled.
Gale leant her front hooves on the counter, "where does it live?! Where can we find it?!"
"What?" The florist was a little bit shocked by Gale's behaviour. "It's only a fairytale for little colts."
Blizzard said, "Excuse my sister, Dear...?"
"Lis, Lis De Glace."
"Dear Lis, the fairytale is true, and we need you to tell us all you know about it," Blizzard explained.
"But I just have. I can't help you more."
Blizzard said ,"thank you," and the mares turned around to search for other witnesses.
"Why don't you ask the pythoness? If there is anyone who knows where the beast lives, then it's her. She has her shack in Scarlet Forest," Lis called out to them.
The five pony ladies returned to the florist stand.
Eveningray unfolded a large sheet of paper in front of her, "can you show us on the map where it is?"
"I am sorry. I can't read maps. But if you buy twenty of my ice lilies, I'll lead you there."
"Curses!" Gale said and paid Lis.
Maple took Blizzard aside to tell her, "I don't like it. Just a while back the market place was crowded, but since she mentioned the pythoness it's empty!"
"I am afraid that we have no choice," Blizzard replied.
On the forest path Lis said, "I don't go there very often. Just when the business doesn't go well, I sell her some rare herbs. She is a bit weird but not bad."
Maple asked her, "Lis, is there any special reason for you to lead us in circles?! We are passing this curved tree for the third time!"
"I've lost a golden penny around."
"I'll give you two if you stop this searching, and lead us directly to the pythoness," Gale offered.
"Oh, you are so nice and generous. Don't think me I'm greedy. I am just a thrifty young mare," Lis smiled.
After three hours of marching through the forest, Maple ran out of her patience. "You made it all up, didn't you, Lis?"
"No. We are almost there. It's only a few steps ahead."
"Sorry, but I can see no shack around!" Maple said.
"Well, you can't," Lis replied. She swept the snow off a sapphire stone, hid behind a small tree; put her front hoof on it and lit her horn up. The old shack appeared. "Go in and tell her that I am sending you. I'll be picking some rare healing crystals that I saw near."
In front of the door, Maple turned at the other mares, "don't you think it's suspicious that she don't want to go in with us?!"
"Yes, she is a bit wacky," Eveningray waved her hoof.
"I know that you don't believe me when I tell you that it's something weird about Lis De Glace, but be careful, please," Maple said.
The five mares entered the shack. A red lamp was the only source of light in the twilit room. The walls were adorned with long red and black scarves. In the middle, a hooded pony figure was sitting behind a small round table.
"Hello. We are..." The young Queen started diffidently.
"I know," the pythoness said with a deep voice, "you are looking for a creature that wants to destroy you and seize your power."
She pushed a little cup on which was written 'donations appreciated' towards the mares. All eyes were on Blizzard's sister.
Gale huffed, "hey, they don't grow on trees!" She then dug in her purse, and a golden coin tinkled in the cup.
The pythoness carried on, "I am not sure if it is wise to search for that being. You all together can't match its magic prowess!"
"We master runic magic among others. Just tell us where we can find it," Gale uttered.
"Not even this capability is enough," the hooded pony said, "the beast comes from another world. You don't need to look for it. Sooner or later it will find you. Your only chance is to lure it into a sacred place among three mountains called Porta Ignis, which would drain its magic power. Now I have nothing more to tell you."
Blizzard said, "thank you," and the five ponies left the shack. They headed to the edge of the forest. Suddenly, a thick fog surrounded them.
"Where are you?" Eveningray called out.
"Stay as you are!" Gale shouted and raised a strong wind that blew the fog away.
"Where is Maple?" Eve wondered.
In a few minutes the florist caught up with them.
"Lis, haven't you seen Maple?" Eveningray asked her.
"Oh, your piebald friend. I met her. She told me she had found an important clue, and you don't have to wait for her," Lis De Glace smiled.
"Well, maybe it's better this way," Gale said. "Maple is the only earth pony of us. She has no magic power, and will be safe when we fight the beast."
Maple woke up in a dark cave she had fallen into. "What am I doing here?" The bruised mare said, slowly stood up, and started to search for an exit. Soon she found the cave was actually a ruined castle. Rays of the sunlight coming through the broken roof lit a long wall. Two things caught her attention: a painting showing legendary exploits of ancient heroes and a coat of arms. "This is--This can't be the truth! I must find Blizzard and Gale, and stop them before it's too late!!"
The mares had a rest in a small meadow nearby the forest.
"Yes, I know the place among the three mountains, and I can lead you there," Lis said.
Gale raised her eyebrow, "well, how much will your service cost this time?"
"I'll take you there for free, because I've gotten to like you," Lis grinned.
Blizzard beheld a small whirling cloud on the horizon. "The beast has found us!"
The odd thing flew low above the ground directly against them. As the cloud got to the meadow, it descended to the earth and melted away. A sturdy buffalo-like animal with a dense fur appeared. It had two brown horns on the sides of its head and one black in the middle of its forehead. The eyes of the beast shone red. A strong wind knocked all the mares down to the ground.
"Run!" Lis De Glace cried, jumped up, and ran back into the forest.
The other mares stood up.
"I won't run!" Gale said. She and Blizzard looked at each other. Their horns shone. Dark clouds overcast the sky. Two thunderbolts headed down to the monster. The eyes of the weird creature shone again. The electric bolts bent in the air. Blizzard and Gale had to jump aside, so as not to get struck. The beast raised another strong wind that uprooted a dozen of trees of the forest and cast them against the mares. All four pony ladies had to use their telekinesis to stop the trees from falling on them.
Queen Polar Sky sent a wall of fire against the beast. The monster turned into the cloud again, flew up, avoided the fire and headed over the forest. Eveningray shot her freezing beam somewhere above the trees. A roar sounded.
"You've hit it Eve!" Polar Sky rejoiced.
The cloud flew back over the glade. The Queen shot a fire-stream at it, which made it change the direction of its flight. Lis De Glace left her hideout and joined the other mares. The ponies drove the cloud to the sacred place. As soon as it got among the three mountains, it came down and the monster continued on its hooves.
"The beast is getting weak!" Eveningray shouted.
In the middle of Porta Ignis the monster stopped, turned back, and waited for its pursuers. The mares aligned in a half-circle around the beast. The florist ran directly to the creature of darkness.
"No, Lis! It's too dangerous!" Eveningray called out.
Lis De Glace stood beside the monster and said, "Now we have them right where we need!"
"What do you doing, Lis?! Why are you helping the monster?!" Gale said.
Lis laughed, "I really like you, Gale. Your stupidity is so amusing."
Blizzard, Gale, Eveningray, and Queen Polar Sky aimed their horns at the beast.
The monster closed the eyes, raised its head, took a deep breath as if soaking up an atmosphere electric with the thrill of the upcoming battle, opened the eyes again and panted, "so, this is the calm before the storm."
"No, wait!" A voice sounded from behind the four pony ladies. Maple was galloping to her friends. All out of breath she got to Blizzard and said, "you have no idea who your adversary is!" Maple passed her on the coat of arms she had found in the ruined castle.
Blizzard took it with her hooves. "One rose with three leaves. On each is a letter. B as Blizzard, G for Gale but who is T?" She wondered.
"Tempest!!" The monster shouted angrily. That being took an animal head mask and a fur disguise off. It was a unicorn mare incredibly resembling Blizzard and Gale. "My name is Tempest, the one you sold to demon Whisperer when we were little fillies, my dear sisters!! Lucky for me Lis was there, drove the demon away and took care of me."
"I am sorry, but I don't know you," Gale said.
"Until now I didn't even know that we have a third sister," Blizzard added.
"Enough! I am sick of your lies! I am going to bring you to your knees, and then cast you to dark places of no return! Say goodbye to each other. You will spend the rest of your lives in loneliness, as you wanted me to!!"
Tempest lit her horn up. A very strong wind blowing against her sisters rose at once. Blizzard and Gale raised a wind blowing in the opposite direction, so as not to be swept by Tempest's attack. The winds collided. Several tornadoes began to ravage the surroundings. Then the main flows veered, and started a huge windstorm in which eye the ponies were standing.
"No! Stop!" Maple called out, but nopony gave her their attention. Suddenly, all the unicorns and the Queen had a bad headache. They fell to the ground paralysed. Maple took plugs out of her ears and a high frequency whistle out of her mouth, waited a minute and said, "You mustn't use your power here! Look!" She dug the snow, and uncovered a part of a huge white marble broad stone with ancient magic runes chiseled in it.
"This is another seal, like the one in Valley of Shadows!" Eveningray wondered.
Tempest yelled, "what are you?!"
There was a big double-tailed cat with bat-like wings standing up in the place of Lis De Glace.
"This is Demon Whisperer!" Gale exclaimed.
The beast immediately used its telekinesis to get the whistle from Maple, shattered it with its paw and said, "This is my natural form, Tempest. I showed myself to you as Lis De Glace, so as not to frighten you, but it's me who's cared of you for all the time since your own sisters got rid of you."
"This is not true! We would never hurt our sister!" Gale shouted.
"Get away from her!!" Queen Polar Sky thundered at the demon, and sent a fire-stream against it. The eyes of the beast shone and the fire returned to the Queen. Polar Sky jumped aside just at the last moment. Then Eveningray shot her freezing beam at Whisperer. The cat stretched its foreleg forth and the beam disappeared in its paw.
"Thank you; this is exactly what I need," the beast grinned.
"Go ahead," Eveningray said, "my frost can't bite me!"
"I'll add my own little contribution to it," the beast replied, raised its front leg and sent a beam of dark frost against Blizzard. Tempest jumped in front of her, got hit and fell upon the ground.
Shocked Whisperer came to her. "What have you done?!"
Tempest lying on the snow whispered, "what these two did to me was terrible, and they deserve a punishment, but still they are my sisters!"
The cat shook its head. "All the years long I raised you, treated you as my own, prepared you for this day, and this is your gratitude?! With your magic and my power we could achieve great things. You and I could rule demons in this kingdom, but you've betrayed me! Well, the storm is on. Your sisters can't stop it without you. In a while an extraordinarily strong thunderbolt is going to struck the seal, break it and set the demons of the underworld free. Now I can let the dark frost slowly devour your body or end it fast." The demon placed its long razor-sharp claws on Tempest's neck.
"Leave her alone!!" Gale shouted and aimed her horn at the beast. So did Blizzard, Eveningray and Queen Polar Sky.
The cat retracted the claws, looked at the mares and whispered a magic spell. The pony ladies weren't able to move.
The beast came close to Gale. "Your worries about Tempest are so touching, but it were you who hurt her the most. When you were fillies, I lured Tempest away and whispered to you. As she came back, you repelled her, because my spell had made you forget her, and believe that you saw me trying to take Blizzard away. She besought you in tears, but you were relentless. I guess it broke her heart at the time. I as Lis De Glace had to soothe her mind. It took long years, but I turned her sorrow into wrath."
A tear glittered on the face of powerless Tempest.
Whisperer looked at the uncovered part of the seal. "Now you'll witness the beginning of the new era. The strong species is going to subjugate the weak one!"
Many miles away, Thuderbird saw the fast growing storm in the distance. He turned back and started to look for a shelter until he finally found a barn. The giant bird flew inside. It was full of ponies from Green Peak.
"Run! The bird has come to eat us!" A stallion shouted. All the ponies ran out right into a hail.
"Better be eaten than frozen and beaten!" Another one said. The ponies returned into the barn.
In Equestria, a messenger asked a pegasi commander, "the Princesses want to know why the whole kingdom is under snow in midsummer!"
"I have deployed all the pegasi. They are working hard on stopping the snowfall coming from the north, but it's too strong!"
The Princesses watched the white calamity from their castle.
"If the weather keeps this bad, we will have to open the granaries to feed our subjects!" Princess Celestia said.
In Everfree forest, Blackfeathers awoken by the cold weather got out of her dugout. "Have I really overslept as much as that?" It was first time after many years that B was up by a day. The black pegasus took off and flew around the forest to know what happened. Soon she found a mare stuck in a snowdrift. B pulled her up and carried out of the forest.
The saved mare asked, "what's your name? I haven't seen you here before."
"You don't see me. This is only a dream," B replied.
"It seems quite real to me."
"Have you ever seen snow in summer?"
"Well, it must be a dream," the rescued mare admitted.
"Now go home and wait in your bed till you wake up. And if you tell anypony that you saw me, I'll come to haunt you in your dreams the following nights," B said.
In the Southern Kingdom, a snowflake slowly spiraled down on a front hoof of Princess Morning Star. She turned to the other Princesses, "this is magic of Professor Blizzard; she is in trouble!"
Meanwhile in the eye of the storm, Whisperer glimpsed a move among the motionless mares. "You!" The cat pointed to Maple and whispered its spell again. It had no effect. Then the demon noticed Maple's pendant. Whisperer tried to seize it with its telekinesis, but it stayed on her neck.
Maple said, "this is a shard of the black mirror that reflects negative energy. You can't put your spell on me. So surrender and set my friends free!"
"What an impudence! The 13 stones of Lochotuss that you call 'the black mirrors' were part of our stronghold in order to concentrate our power and make us invincible, but one pony had destroyed it before it was finished."
"Our mighty wizard."
"No. It was a stupid stallion. We played with him like a cat plays with a mouse. His fear was so delicious. But at a moment he stumbled and head-butted one obsidian that moved the others, which changed their positions and reversed their polarity. Then a vortex of our own dark energy smashed the stronghold into pieces, and ripped over the ground. Almost all of us were pulled into a deep abyss. Your dumb ancestors saved me. They couldn't understand why this sweet Lis had been dragged down along with the demons."
The beast barred its fangs, crouched and jumped to bite Maple's neck. But the black shard repulsing the demon's energy flung it away on the snow. Whisperer rose to its feet, spread the wings and flew up. After several circles in the air, the cat swooped at her from behind. Maple bucked. The cat had to take a sharp turn to avoid her horseshoes. The demon landed. Whisperer sent a beam of dark energy against her. The black shard deflected it. The demon made series of explosions around her, which raised a snow-haze. The piebald mare couldn't see her adversary. Maple closed the eyes, pricked her ears up and focused on her instinct. Suddenly, she lay back and kicked her hind legs up. Her hooves met hard with the head of the demon trying to get her from above. Whisperer hit the ground, made three rolls, stood up and took off again.
While the demon was preparing for another air strike, Maple came to spellbound Eveningray, hugged her and said, "come on, my little wild mare, wake up!"
The double-tailed cat flew by. Maple jumped aside. Whisperer shot other series of dark beams, trying to hit the mare who was running zigzag before them. One wrong step. Maple stumbled. The demon toppled her down with its paw.
Whisperer stood above her, put its claws on her face, and with its nose almost touching hers grinned, "So, it seems that you've lost your magic pendant!"
Maple looked straight in its eyes. "No, I haven't." She kicked the big cat away from her. A freezing beam cut through the air and hit Whisperer's body. In a second the frost captured the beast in a mass of ice. Before it froze, the demon had caught sight of Eveningray standing there with her horn shining and Maple's pendant on her neck.
The spell ceased. Blizzard and Gale ran to Tempest. The dark frost was covering almost half of her body.
Blizzard turned at Queen Polar Sky, "Now you must remove the dark thing from her, Brook."
"Don't do it!" Maple said.
"What?!" Gale couldn't believe her ears.
"Brook might hurt her," the piebald mare uttered. "The only one of us who can remove the frost from her is Eveningray."
"Maple, Brook is the right one," surprised Eveningray objected, "she has the needed glow in her heart. There is only cold within mine."
Maple gently stroke Eve's cheeks. "No, my little wild mare. There is a special kind of light in you that protects you from cold. That's why even the most severe frost can't hurt you." The piebald pony lady led Eveningray to Tempest who was lying there with her eyes closed scarcely breathing.
"I don't know what to do, Maple," Eve said.
"Remember your first meditation on Red Rock. Listen to your instinct."
Eveningray sat down next to Tempest. She put her front leg above the lying mare and lit the horn up. In a moment hoarfrost covered her hoof. Eveningray frowned, shook her head, and the light of her horn went out. The other mares watched her in silence. Eve rubbed her forelegs, put the left one above Tempest again, deeply breathed in and out. Her horn shone white. The foxy focused on the dark frost. For that moment her horn shone brighter. She gave a scary thought, 'what if I hurt her?!' Hoarfrost flowers grew up on her hoof again. Eveningray immediately interrupted the effort. "I won't make it," she said low.
Maple placed her hoof on Eve's shoulder. "Never mind. Don't try so hard. Just let the power find its way."
The dark frost spread up to Tempest's neck.
Eveningray closed the eyes and lit her horn up for the third time. She was trying to find a key to the protective power in her mind. The harder she was trying, the harder she could reach it. Eve scowled. Then the foxy remembered a sweet smell of Maple's apple-pie, just a simple thing that calmed her mind down. Eve's expression changed. Suddenly, she was serene. The foxy opened her eyes. They were white. The light of her horn turned red. It emitted a crimson aura that surrounded both the mares.
Meanwhile, a strong thunderbolt came from above and split a distant tree into a thousand of splinters.
The aura disappeared. Exhausted Eveningray lay there beside Tempest. The dark frost was gone. Maple helped Eve to stand up.
"We have to stop the storm!" Gale called out. She and Blizzard used their magic, but the storm had grown so strong that they weren't able even to slow the raging winds down.
A thunderbolt twice as strong as the first one struck the ground much closer to the seal.
Tempest sat up. She tried to support her sisters. Her horn shone just slightly.
"I and Brook could help you," Eveningray offered.
"How? You don't even know where exactly to direct your power at," Gale rejoined.
"If you make just a little mistake, you will much worsen it," Blizzard added.
"You have to cool down columns of hot air in the sky and warm up a space between them," Tempest said low.
"Where are those columns?" Eveningray asked.
"You should feel them," Tempest answered.
"I am sorry. This is beyond our capabilities," Queen Polar Sky said.
Another thunderbolt yet stronger than the previous struck alongside the seal. A cloud of scattered snow rose from the place of the impact.
"I guess that the next one will break it through!" Polar Sky worried.
"Maybe we could try another way," Eveningray proposed.
She and Polar Sky standing by Tempest's sides shot a fire-stream and freezing beam into the air. Tempest bent them with her magic and led precisely above clouds in the sky. The winds slowed down, the dark clouds disappeared and the storm melted away.
In Equestria, the snow stopped falling. All the pegasi cheered.
Thunderbird standing inside the barn with his wings wrapped around the herd of ponies to keep each other warm heard the storm was over. "This has never happened!" He said and flew away.
"Oh, dash!" Maple found only pieces of ice in the place where Whisperer had been captured. Queen Polar Sky flew up and took a look around, but the demon was gone without a trace. Tempest fainted from exhaustion. Gale softly stroked her head. "She is too weakened. She is not going to make it. There is only one way to save her. Eveningray, step away from her, please." Gale began to write a wide circle of magic runes into the snow around Tempest and herself.
"I know these runes. Do you really want to...?" Blizzard wondered.
"Side effect of this magic is that the participants share their energy together," Gale said, "I'll give her a part of my life force. The demon stole our lives and this magic will make it right. Will you come with me and her?"
"Once we were divided. Now it's time to reunite." Blizzard came to Eveningray and Queen Polar Sky, "I am so proud of you, my mares. You two have become real ladies. Never forget that your greatest power is in your hearts."
"What are you going to do?" Eveningray asked her.
Blizzard just smiled, "It will be all right," and returned to her sisters. Gale wrote the last rune into the circle and a dazzling shine lit it.
Several weeks later, a mare entered the palace of the Kingdom of the Midnight Sun.
"Welcome, Maple. How is Eve?" Queen Polar Sky said.
"I guess she still hasn't reconciled herself to what became of Blizzard and her sisters. She is on the way here. Treat her gently, please."
A few minutes later Eveningray arrived. She was accompanied by three little unicorn fillies.
"Hallo, Eve. You look tired. Does Tempest misbehave as much as that?" The Queen smiled.
"Oh, Tempest is a sweetie but Blizzard is the worst one. She instigates her sisters to mischiefs. Hard to believe that this little demon used to be our wise mentor," Eveningray sighed.
"How do you know who is who? They look all alike," The Queen wondered.
"Gale swings her flanks when she walks. Tempest has small dimples in her face when she smiles. And there are tiny sparks of defiance in the eyes of Blizzard. Can't you see it?"
"No," Polar Sky and Maple said unison.
"Well, girls," Eveningray said, "Aunt Brook will take care of you for the weekend."
One of the fillies ran to the Queen. "Aunt Brook, are you really an alicorn? Will you take me to a sightseeing flight? And may I try your crown on?"
"Yes, maybe, and no." The Queen asked, "Eve, which of them is this one?"
"Guess," the foxy said.
"Blizzard?"
"Yes, aunt Brook?" The inquisitive filly raised her eyebrow.
"You are so cute!" Polar Sky smiled.
"I would be cuter with the crown on," little Blizzard replied.
Meanwhile, in the Castle of the Two Sisters, Princess Luna's new friend brought her a gift. "This is my most beautiful flower grown especially for you to wear it on your gown at the ball."
"It is so nice of you, but I am not going to the ball," Princess Luna said, "My sister told me that some night demons appeared in a remote part of Equestria. I must drive them away."
"So, she really did it."
"What are you talking about?"
"By chance I heard Princess Celestia telling her aide that she needed to find a way to hide you from the foreign guests at the ball."
"You must be mistaken, Lis; my sister loves me."
"Of course she does, but it seems to me that sometimes she underestimates your merits. I think that Princess Celestia still looks on you as her little sister, and doesn't take you for equal."
"Well, maybe you are right, Lis," Princess Luna said.
Lis De Glace left the room and laughed, "It will be so easy to set one against the other. And then with a little help of our dear Princess Luna I'll finally open the gate of the underworld and set the demons free!"
THE END