Beneath the prismatic paintings of The Crystal Vale’s canopy, the fillies trotted after their mentor, the towering alicorn prancing with a spring and a leap in her step as she hummed happily to herself, her saddlebag bouncing against her side.
Celestia squinted as she stared at the cursive that decorated the scroll before her, a golden aura keeping it afloat as she followed Silver Tongue blindly, Luna leaning in to get a look. “This one is titled ‘reader retention’... what’s that mean?” Celestia asked, lifting her head.
“It’s about keeping your reader engaged, princess! The last thing you want is for the reader to get bored. Then they might stop reading!” Silver chimed.
“But don’t different ponies find different things boring?” Luna asked.
Calliope swooped over and landed on Silver’s back. “Verily, little alicorn! Such things are in the eye of the beholder, but there are some best practices to hold the reader’s interest.”
Celestia nodded steadily. “I see… so what would you consider ‘boring’, Silver?”
Silver let out a soft laugh. “Well, there’s very little that truly bores me when reading a story, but if I had to pick something… definitely travel,” Silver started. “Some authors do such scenes well, but others just don’t know how to make getting from point A to point B interesting… and if they spend multiple chapters on it? There’s no quicker way to lose my interest.”
Luna narrowed her eyes. “So why don’t they just skip travel and get the characters straight to where they want to go?”
“It’s all in the pacing, Luna. Skipping from location to location can be jarring, and take away from the journey of the protagonists,” Silver explained. “A story is not only about the destination, after all. Without the journey, nothing feels earned.”
“Then how do you make travel interesting?” Celestia asked.
Silver looked up to the sky. “Hmm, well there’s lots of ways. You could have some character development, maybe some world building… maybe the journey could be disrupted by a distraction, or a roadblock.”
Celestia looked back down at the scroll with curiosity, skimming over the silver ink. “That makes sense, so it’s all about new and unexpected things-”
Celestia was interrupted as she bumped into one of Silver’s legs. The princess shook her head and looked up to find Silver had stopped, her eyes narrowed as she gazed ahead. Luna stepped up beside Celestia in confusion. “Why have we stopped?”
The question was answered as the two princesses followed Silver’s gaze, a thick layer of azure fog just ahead. Celestia leaned forward, trying to see past the mist as it swallowed the woods beyond. “What… is that?”
Silver didn’t take her eyes off the fog, staring daggers at the obstruction. “A roadblock,” she muttered.
“Is it dangerous…?” Celestia asked.
Silver bit her lip. “I’m not sure. Calliope?”
The parrot ruffled her feathers as she hopped up onto Silver’s head, prompting the alicorn to grunt as her mane was partially pushed down over her eyes. “Hm, hm! A fog most foul indeed! Perhaps from Mount Frostmare it has descended?”
As Calliope took to the air, Silver leaned forward, getting closer to the mist. “I can feel the chill in the air, you may be right.”
“A magic fog?” Luna asked, her eyes alight with interest as she approached.
Celestia followed suit, keeping an eye on her sister while Silver raised a hoof and reached out. Celestia looked up at the older alicorn with surprise. “Y-you can’t mean to-”
Silver gasped and recoiled as her hoof was suddenly encased in ice. Celestia yelped and stepped away, while Luna leaned back. Silver, meanwhile, inspected the layer of ice with wide eyes. “Huh… that’s new.”
“A-are you alright?” Celestia asked.
“Silver Tongue, you fool, you are setting a terrible example!” Calliope squawked.
Silver snorted. “Nonsense, it’s just a little ice.” Her horn ignited and the crystalline frost began to melt around her hoof as she shook it. “I’ll just cast a little fire spell and see if I can banish it,” Silver declared as she took a stance and pointed her horn towards the fog.
“W-wait!” Luna exclaimed.
The others all glanced at the young alicorn as she stepped forward. “C… can I try? A fire spell, I mean… not the ‘getting frozen’ thing.”
Silver blinked as she looked down at the filly with curiosity. “Do you know a fire spell?”
Luna nodded excitedly. “Uhuh! I learned it a couple weeks ago.”
Celestia grimaced. “I don’t know if I’d call accidentally setting the hedges on fire ‘learning’...”
“I would!” Silver said confidently. “But uh… here, let me help you.”
Luna frowned. “I can do it myself…”
“I’m sure you can… buuuut just in case, I’d like to make sure The Crystal Vale doesn’t become The Scorched Vale. We’ve already got Vulcanheim for that…” Silver said.
Luna let out a huff as she passed Silver, her head raised as she sized up the fog before her. Celestia watched anxiously, a little spark igniting on the younger princess’s horn as she stuck her tongue out in concentration. “Careful, Luna.”
“I know, I know-!” Luna spat, before letting out a yelp as a plume of fire sputtered from her horn in a violent fury.
Silver’s own aura reflected the blazing light as the flames in the air were snuffed out with a hiss, a few stray sparks floating away as Luna took in a harsh breath, the irritation on her face quickly replaced with fear. “O-oops! I’m sorry! I didn’t-”
“It’s alright, let’s try again,” Silver muttered, lowering her head to get closer to the filly. “Stay focused this time… take a few deep breaths.”
“B-but I shouldn’t have to do that. I should be able to just… do it!” Luna grumbled.
“That comes with practice. Take it one step at a time, okay?” Silver said.
Luna didn’t seem totally convinced, but she let out a sigh before taking a deep breath through her nose, lifting her head again as her sapphire aura once more cast its light upon her coat.
“That’s it, forget everything else for now. Just focus on the spell,” Silver whispered, her eyes glancing over to Celestia, who tilted her head in fascination.
Heatwaves began to emanate from Luna’s horn as her eyes shut tightly, the filly leaning forward. Silver’s voice once more spoke softly. “Don’t rush, finish channeling the magic into your horn… focus on what you want, and then… release!”
Luna took one more breath, before tongues of fire unfurled from her horn, ensnaring around each other before forming a sphere as Luna gasped. Her eyes shot open as her face was lit up with the warmth of her spell, the orb of fire hovering just in front of her as her pupils contracted.
Celestia’s own eyes widened with excitement as Luna moved her head to the side, her horn still sparkling with magic as the fireball followed the princess’s aim. Celestia spoke first. “You’re… controlling it!”
Luna grinned with joy as she looked over towards her sister. “I did it! It’s working, Tia!” she exclaimed as the fire licked at the air hungrily, burning brighter with Luna’s excitement.
“Easy there,” Silver said with a chuckle. “Let's see if it can banish the mist.”
Luna nodded enthusiastically, sticking her tongue out once again as the fireball slowly floated away from her and towards the fog. Almost immediately, the mist began to part and make way for the blazing sphere. Luna was beaming, looking to Silver Tongue for approval, the older alicorn nodding with a smirk. “Problem solved, it seems! Though we may need a larger path to walk without getting frozen.”
“So… should I make it bigger?” Luna asked.
Celestia’s heart skipped a beat, fear once more welling up in her chest as she trotted over, her mouth opening in protest before she was interrupted by Silver, who raised a hoof. “Slowly. Remember, stay calm and stay focused.”
Luna nodded, and Celestia gulped as her little sister took another breath, her eyes narrowed in determination. Can she still control it if it gets any bigger?
Her question was quickly answered as Luna let out a gasp, the fireball’s perfect shape disrupted as it began to expand, crackling angrily as Luna clenched her teeth. A few flares sputtered out of the orb, curling into the sky, the center of the sphere shining white hot.
Celestia’s horn lit up, ready to jump in, but Silver acted first. The older alicorn’s ginger aura wrapped around the fireball, containing it as Luna shuddered. “Deep breaths, Luna, deep breaths.”
Luna squinted as she looked up at Silver, breathing heavily. She grunted, closing her eyes tightly again before slowing her breathing, even as her horn sparked with instability.
Much to Celestia’s shock, the flames within Silver’s protective spell began to ease, larger than before, but now returning to a natural fiery hue. Silver’s spell slowly faded away, until Luna dared to open one eye to find herself sustaining the fireball entirely on her own. Her mouth hung open a bit, a slight smile curling across her face as Celestia let out a sigh of relief.
Calliope let out a proud chirp. “Well done, little princess!”
Waves of heat pulsed from the burning sphere, rising into the air as the fog parted further. Luna looked at Celestia confidently, puffing her chest out as the elder princess gave her a nervous smile. “Wow… you actually did it.”
“I sure did!” Luna chimed, before returning her gaze to the misty path. “C’mon, let’s go!”
Celestia trotted up to join her sister, the princesses glancing at each other as they took their first steps into where the mist had once been.
Silver followed shortly behind, along with Calliope. “Even for an alicorn, fire isn’t easy to control. You’re a natural, Luna. But juuuuust in case…” The ringing of magic filled the air again, Silver casting her own spell as a fireball manifested before her.
Celestia could feel the chill of the fog trying to close in around them, staying closer to her little sister. Step by step, the alicorns forged a path through the mist, which now closed behind them as they went deeper and deeper.
With the initial excitement of Luna’s accomplishment fading fast, Celestia was beginning to remember just where they were. Her smile gave way to a nervous gaze as she started scanning the area around them. With the mist on all sides, if anything were to go wrong with either Luna’s or Silver’s spell, the fog would surely swallow them up, leaving behind naught but sculptures of ice in their image.
The princess’s breathing began to pick up, looking further down the path and hoping desperately that the fog would thin out. W-wait a second… this is crazy! We don’t know how long this will go on for! she realized, now looking at her little sister, whose own smile had vanished as sweat formed on her brow. Luna was getting tired… and fast.
Celestia gulped, trying her best to stay calm for her sister, but as she shuddered from the frigid air, a soft ringing was starting to fill the filly’s ears, starting out low before rising. It sounded almost like an airy whistle. Celestia looked off the path and narrowed her eyes, trying to follow the peculiar sound.
She wished she hadn’t.
A shadow moved through the fog, disappearing from her sight and causing the princess to gasp. Her mouth quivered as she opened her mouth to warn the others, only to remember Luna’s already weakened state of concentration. The last thing Luna needed was a distraction.
Summing up her courage, Celestia cleared her throat and whispered to Luna. “Keep going, I think we’re almost there.”
Luna nodded, her brow furrowing in determination as Celestia slowed down, stepping back to keep pace with Silver. “Silver Tongue?” Celestia’s voice was low.
“I saw it too,” Silver muttered back. “Don’t worry, it’s not much further until we’re out of the woods.”
There was a screech up ahead, which Celestia echoed as she watched Luna drop out of sight. The fireball burst apart, sparks exploding outwards as the fog quickly closed in. “LUNA!!”
Silver grunted as her own flames erupted into a blaze, she and Celestia darting forward to find that Luna had fallen into a ditch. She scrambled as she tried to pull herself back up onto the path, panic filling her voice as Celestia dove forward and reached for her little sister.
At that same moment, the wailing whistle pierced through the air, the princess wincing in pain as her ears lay flat. Silver whirled around, the fireball following her as she waved it wildly, a shadowy figure darting away as the mist was banished. The whistle faded as the shadow ducked away and strafed around them, Silver doing her best to track it as Celestia grasped Luna and pulled her back up to the path just as the icy mist filled the ditch.
Calliope squawked in terror, ducking underneath Silver. “Stay close!” Silver exclaimed, her eyes darting around as she tried to locate the shade. Luna let out a grunt as licks of flame sputtered from her horn uselessly, breathing heavily as Celestia pulled her in closer to Silver, who backed into them protectively, her head lowered as the fireball ensnared in her spell pulsed with desperation.
A chill fell across Celestia’s hooves and she looked down just in time to see the mist brushing up against her, frost forming on her coat as she let out a screech and jumped backwards into Silver.
Silver shouted in surprise before turning around in a hurry, the flames of her magic lashing at the fog, banishing it once more before it could do any further harm… only for her to let out a gasp as a high-pitched crackling filled the air. Celestia looked between her protector's legs to find that Silver’s back-left hoof was encased in ice, locked to the ground as the shadow manifested behind her.
Celestia’s teeth chattered as the temperature dropped around them, the sapphire haze growing darker as it closed in inch by inch, the fillies scrambling to get in close enough while Silver tried to crane her neck for a better angle against her opponent. The ice around her leg shattered, but she fumbled and nearly fell on top of the others.
With its opening made, the shadow lunged forward as Silver’s teeth clenched and her brow furrowed into a glare, a shining light igniting from her horn as the fireball grew white with heat, repelling the strike as the shade reared back with a winny before circling the alicorns rapidly.
The fog swirled around them like a hurricane, sending Celestia’s mane whipping in front of her face as she squinted in the frigid breeze. The fireball sputtered, tongues of fire fraying away, before a tendril of mist lashed out and struck Silver’s horn.
Silver screeched as ice encased her horn. The fireball dimmed, its blazing heat dispersing as the whistling of the wind grew loud. Celestia and Luna both gripped each other tightly and screamed in terror as Silver wrapped herself around them protectively, the alicorns all closing their eyes as Silver’s magic sparked with one last attempt to melt the ice.
Just as Celestia felt the ice encasing her body, a pulse of warmth erupted from behind her as the earth trembled. There was an other-worldly shriek as the ice melted from her body and the howling winds were replaced with the roar of fire. The thundering of hooves filled Celestia’s ears as she dared to open her eyes.
Her eyes adjusted to the flickering of fire swirling up from the earth as a set of fluffy hooves stomped on the ground, the glimmer of the sun piercing through the frigid haze. “On yer hooves, ye lot! We must flee!” A soft, yet urgent female voice rang in Celestia’s ears as Silver’s embrace faded away.
“Come on, come on!” Silver shouted as Celestia and Luna quickly got to their feet and Calliope took to the air.
A new fireball formed in front of Silver as the mist attempted to close around a gap that had been made, the edge of the treeline visible just a short distance away as the travelers broke into a gallop, now led by a pale-green mare with a fiery braided mane. Her hooves left scorch marks as small fires dimmed on the edges of the path, suffocated by the icy mist as the fog closed in behind them.
Celestia could feel the frigid air nipping at her hind hooves as Silver and the newcomer pulled ahead of her and Luna, the little princess’s heart pounding in her chest as she heaved beside Luna.
Celestia let out a scream as she shut her eyes tightly, her legs burning as she begged her body to run faster, until at last the sun's rays struck her and she found herself leaping out into an open field. She and Luna both tumbled onto the towering grass as flakes of frost decorated their coats, the whistling of the wind lowering in pitch as it grew quiet.
Celestia lay on the ground, her eyes blinking open as she shuddered uncontrollably. She panted and wheezed as she rolled over, praising the warmth of the sun above as she let out a relieved laugh.
Of course, the broken up sobs of her little sister quickly snapped her out of her relief.
Celestia was on her hooves in about half a second, rushing to Luna’s side. The younger princess had buried her face into her front hooves, hunched over as she shook. “L-Luna! Luna it’s okay… it’s okay! We’re alright!” Celestia leaned in close and wrapped one leg around her sister, giving her a gentle shake.
“I-I know… I know…” Luna whimpered, sniffling as Silver and the other mare approached.
Celestia tilted her head, trying to put on a brave smile. “Th-then why are you crying?”
“I couldn’t do it… I couldn’t keep the spell going…”
“W… what?” Celestia stared at Luna in bewilderment.
Luna slowly lifted her head up, letting out a cough as she, too, caught her breath. “I tried to make another one… b-but it wouldn’t work… we almost got frozen cuz I couldn’t-”
“Folly!” Silver shouted, a look of disdain on her face. “Listen to me, princess. If I couldn’t hold that creature back, neither could you.”
The two fillies looked up at the older alicorn, her eyes furrowed in a frown before her expression relaxed and she let out a deep breath. “Listen… using magic under pressure is extremely difficult. All things considered, you did wonderfully. Now, on your hooves little ones. I believe we owe somepony our thanks.”
Celestia’s heart skipped a beat as she remembered the mare who came to their rescue. She pulled herself up as Luna sniffled, wiping her face.
Before them stood a mare that didn’t look too much bigger than the fillies, a vibrant ginger mane partially obscuring her face as she whipped it to the side, revealing a pair of sky-blue eyes and a wide smile. Her gaze was soft as silk, and she seemed to practically radiate warmth as she flicked her front hooves, shaking off some soot and embers. Just above her hooves hung long strands of hair, some of which had been braided together as she let out a breath.
Celestia spoke first. “Th… thank you! We’d be ice sculptures if not for you!”
Luna nodded vigorously, not saying a word as the mare giggled. “Ah, and right adorable sculptures ye’d make! But I much prefer ye breathin’...”
Celestia blinked as the mare spoke, tilting her head as she processed the accent.
“You are from Cobnshire, aren’t you?” Silver asked.
The mare winked. “What gave that away?”
Silver let out an exasperated snort. “Intuition…”
“The name’s Spring Leap! Though ye can call me Spring. Y’know, like the season!” She bowed, her enormous braid flopping over her shoulder and draping across the ground.
“We can’t thank you enough, Spring,” Silver said with a sigh. “We were heading for Cobnshire when we encountered that mist. We were making our way through it, but it became aggressive, as if it were alive.”
“There was this big, shadowy thing!” Luna exclaimed. “It looked just like a pony and hid in the mist!”
Spring nodded solemnly. “Yes… I saw it with me own eyes. Such specters seem ta be everywhere around the highlands now…”
Celestia gulped. “Y-you mean there’s more?”
“Yes’m, though we’d best put some distance between the woods and us. If ye’re headed for Cobnshire, I can take ye the rest o’ the way there!”
Silver let out a sigh. “That we are. Your guidance would be much appreciated.”
“Follow me, then! Ye must be miss Silver Tongue! Oohh I have heard many a story about ye!” Spring said with a hop as she turned around, already trotting into the fields.
Silver smiled awkwardly, failing to mask the faintest cringe. “How wonderful…” she said nervously, trailing after their new guide.
The two fillies glanced at each other, Luna’s nervous gaze having since deflated as she shuddered, immediately racing after Spring Leap. Celestia followed right behind, but not before glancing over her shoulder back towards the forest, the shimmering blue fog still shifting between the branches and the underbrush.