The Crystal Empire was frozen. Due to the flickering, fading nature of The Crystal Heart, the streets were full of frost and snow as a harsh blizzard attacked the town. The constant assault of the Windigo had made it so the town itself was uninhabitable, the only place protected by the weakening magic being the castle it was housed in.
Some citizens, the lucky ones, had escaped when it became clear it wasn’t just a haphazard blizzard that had come to sweep them. Others were welcomed into the castle with open arms. The rest, however, the ones who hadn’t been able to do either…
The Prince tried not to think of them.
As he stalked through the halls of his castle, now again full of life, The Prince could no longer meet their gaze as they asked again how long this would last. If this seemingly endless winter had an end in sight at all.
He had no answer for them, nor a way to placate them.
He kept walking.
His walking brought him to many rooms of the castle.
The library, where some were burning books to keep warm.
The study, where his guards were attempting to placate the masses with activities to keep their minds off the apocalypse. Drawing was the most popular.
The war room, full of plans of attack torn to shreds by The Prince’s hoof.
But it was only when he entered The Scholar’s room that he found the pony he was looking for.
He lay upon his bed, his nose in a book as per usual, with his robe pulled snug around him in attempts to fight the cold that had begun to creep in as the Crystal Heart flickered more and more often. Already a frail stallion, The Scholar had no way to combat the cold himself.
And so The Prince came to him, laying beside him and warming him with both his body and a flicker of his dark, wispy umbrum magic. The spells he’d learned may have corrupted his magic beyond recognition, but at least they were useful on occasion.
The Scholar was very relenting to this warm touch, melting briefly against his love and nestling against his broad chest. Regaining composure briefly after, he squeaked a greeting to his Prince and excitedly offered the book he was reading over.
A solution, he explained, though perhaps not a comforting one.
Taking this in mind, The Prince read the book he’d been offered, another book of dark spells, and quickly found the idea his Scholar had for them.
A transfer spell, simple enough on paper, that required a user of dark magic and pure, unicorn magic to work in tandem. Supposedly it would consume the unicorn entirely, using them and their magic to power and protect a magical artifact for years to come. With enough strength that it would send the kingdom’s Windigo problem packing.
It was perfect. It was exactly what The Prince and his kingdom needed.
And yet…
The Prince looked to his Scholar in horror at the thought of trading a life, no matter how many it would save. He shoved the book back away, shaking his head and scoffing at the thought of a unicorn freely giving their life to save his kingdom.
After a moment of silence, The Scholar’s hoof running along the book’s pages, he volunteered readily.