//------------------------------// // Chapter IV - Shadows // Story: Frozen Over // by nctransgirl //------------------------------// Chapter Four: Shadows "It is time." When I heard a sinister voice say this to me, I found myself awake in a flash. A feeling of warmth instantly overcame me, that of Kalki's wings, still wrapped gently around my body. He was snoring very uncharacteristically loud for such a stoic creature, almost like a lion, and being right next to me didn't exactly help my ears. Outside, I could see that the Sun had not yet risen; the Moon still ruled over the sky. I wondered what was so special about the sunrise - I'd only seen it a few times, and those were before he came to me. Maybe today could be the day that I finally learn what makes the sunrise so special. Kalki wouldn't be awake for hours, I thought, and it would certainly be foolish to try and go anywhere with his wings surrounding me. The only things I could possibly do at this point in time would be thinking and sleeping, and, mainly because of the strange voice I heard just a moment earlier, I chose to think. What was this strange thought, just then? It wasn't mine, but another pony's thought...but how? Time for what? The sunrise? I didn't understand what was happening at all... After mulling over the possibilities, not only on who the voice might have been, which took almost no time at all, given that I only knew of two creatures, and Peridot's voice in my dream could have easily been manufactured by my mind, but on what the meaning of the thought was. "Enjoy him while you can?" Would he leave me? Would Kalki do that to me? I didn't know, and honestly, I didn't care as much as I should have. Suddenly, an idea came to me. What if, in order to leave the cave, I didn't have to open up Kalki's wings and startle him? If I raised myself out of his grasp, perhaps he wouldn't wake up. Knowing what I had to do, I mustered up some magic - less than the usual amount, perhaps due to my sleepiness, and surrounded my body with it, cloaking me with the typical cerulean aura. Once the glow reached the sky blue tip of my scraggly tail, I found myself not knowing what to do. Did I simply need to will myself up as I do with any object? I gave it a try, and sure, enough, I found myself moving slowly away from the ground. "Can't do this too fast, or he'll wake up." I thought this to myself as I felt my hooves start to slip out of his grasp, when suddenly, I heard him laugh. I'd forgotten about my tail, which tickled his face as I hovered into the air. After properly rotating to brush my tail out of his way, I took a moment to chuckle with him, and brought myself to the ground nearby. On my way out of the cave, I found something interesting on the ground: a sharp, black crystal that seemed to let off a shadow, even in this night. Noting that there must be something special about the stone, I lifted it up with my magic and brought it to the old saddle bag which had once accompanied me everywhere I went. For a moment, I wondered if it could have been Peridot's, but I tried my best to rid myself of the cumbersome thought. Once I'd found the saddle bag by a crevice on the east side of the cave, I opened it up to pack the crystal inside. Inside the bag, however, there were strange objects - a wrinkled sheet of paper and a strange device that seemed to point east. I'd seen these things in the bag before, but thought nothing of them. Today, however, things were different. I wondered what they were for a moment before proceeding. After setting the crystal down next to me, I carefully removed each object from the bag, and proceeded to put them each back inside, starting with the crystal and followed by the paper and the device. After packing everything away, I resumed my plan, slowly found my way out, making sure to take light steps, so as not to wake Kalki. When I was entirely out of our home, the first thing that caught my eye was a pack of wolves running across the snowscape...from far away, they didn't look so scary...almost beautiful. An hour or so passed, and at last, I saw the sun begin to peek at me from the mountaintop, sending a shiver down my spine and a wave of scarlet and cream color into the air. In the far distance, for just a moment, I thought I could hear a song of celebration for the new day, courtesy of the local warblers. A few minutes into the sunrise, my protector rose from his sleep and slowly came to my side, the sounds of his back paws hitting the ground echoing throughout the limestone structure. "Snow, what're you doing up so early?" He opened up his wings as he yawned. "Oh...no reason, really. I heard something outside and came to see what it was, that's all. I can see why you get up for the Sun every morning...it's so pretty." I smiled at him, then at the sky. "Yes, it certainly is. Where I once lived, it was a common sight to see dozens of our friends and neighbors rise with the Sun every morning, and I carry on that custom now. I do miss them...sometimes I simply wish to return home." Upon saying this, he extended his left wing my way, tickling my cheek with it, letting his feathers dance over me, and I giggled. "But if I returned home, I'd have to allow that laugh to fade from my mind, and I could never allow that." I smiled warmly at him and rested my head on the side of his slender body. After a few more moments, I could see the full extent of the sunrise, the pastel orange and cream sky fading into a lively, yet nearly clear, blue one. "Well," I said jubilantly as I lifted myself off of Kalki's body and began to skip away, "would you like to play?" He grinned. "You can play all you like, Snow. Maybe I'll join in next time. Where are we headed today?" He spread open his wings and started to fly over me, like a guardian angel. "Well, there's always the lake...I'd love to try out a new trick. But we don't have to go if you don't want to, Kalki." I looked up at him and shouted. "The lake sounds perfectly alright with me, Snow. By the way, would you prefer it if I came down?" He didn't raise his voice; he never did. "You know, that really would be helpful for talking to you!" Again, I shouted up to him, as he swooped down to my side. I felt a quick gust of wind blow my mane forward into my face...had it really gotten that long? I pushed one side out of my eye and chortled. "Wow, Kalki...you can be quick when you want to be!" I brushed the rest of my mane behind me and looked up at him. As always, he smiled back. "I suppose I just feel like this is going to be a good day. Where I lived, seeing the sun rise into the air was a sign of a good luck, so I watch it every morning in hopes of brighter days. Knowing that you've seen it, I can tell that our day is going to be wonderful." After our little exchange ended, we walked silently for a few moments, marveling at the vastness of the day's cloudless sky. Everything was at ease today...the wind was all but dead, the snow was light and slow, and we hadn't seen another creature in days. Today really might be wonderful, I thought to myself. Even so, I would have liked it if my companion could just speak instead of simply staring off into the sky. Tired of the silence, I exclaimed: "So, Kalki, you're really smart. How big do you think the sky is? Is there anything above the sky, or is it like the ceiling of the cave, where no matter how many times you hit your head, you can't break out? If there's anything above it, what do you think it is?" The questions shot out of me with lightning speed. He was stunned for a moment, needless to say, but he responded: "Calm yourself, Snow!" He chuckled. "I'm not sure I can properly answer those questions. How big is the sky? Well, I'd say it's so big that not even the borders of Equestria can hold it all in! As for the "ceiling" question, there is a way to get out of the sky, but you need to get very high up. Once you get out of the sky, it's called "space". That's where the Sun and Moon are. Do you remember what I told you about the Sun and Moon, Snow?" "Well..." I began to reply. "You said that the Sun is why we have the daytime, and every morning, a princess brings it up into the air. And at night, the Moon comes up, raised by another princess." "And their names? Do you remember?" "Their names are so pretty, how could I forget? The princess who raises the Sun is Princess Celestia, and the princess who raises the Moon is Princess Luna." "Good girl." He smiled at me. I hadn't been paying attention to our path, but when I looked ahead, I could finally see the lake come into view. It looked more pristine than ever before; each droplet of water seemed to glisten in its own way, which was breathtaking enough for me - but together, as a whole, I felt as though I was looking at a shimmering blue crystal. "Kalki, it looks-" "Gorgeous, I know. I told you today would be a wonderful day. You go play; I'll be enjoying every moment." He grinned ever-so-slightly at me and nudged my body toward the lake. As I'd always done, I started by freezing a majority of the lake, leaving enough room to allow the fish below the now-icy surface to jump out as they pleased. As my magical ice creeped over the lake, I felt a sudden chill in the wind that never ceased to make me shiver, if only for a second. Next up on my list of preparations were the "skates". For some reason, this step always took a bit more concentration. After gathering a sufficient amount of magic energy in my horn, I allowed it to flow downward, tickling my face as it divided into four parts at the neck before traveling to the tip of each hoof. I started my warm-ups by skating ten laps around the lake - the texture and overall flexibility of my ice was never the same, so I used these laps to judge what it was like. On some days, I focused too much, and the ice because stiff. These were the days when I couldn't use my magic to help me with aerial tricks - the days I found myself grounded. Other days, mainly the ones in which I found myself too distracted to focus on creating the ice, I found it to be too thin, and occasionally, I would break the surface and fall in. The feeling of plunging into the ice was all too familiar for me. The moment I'd hear the ice crack, I would realize my mistake - my folly, and I would had to come to terms with the fact that once again, my suffering had been my own fault. Then came the fall - a split second of disappointment - a fleeting moment I almost wish I could spend shedding a tear. All of this, and the feelings that came with it, led to the moment I dreaded - the feeling of the arctic water surrounding me, a frigid reminder of the day he came to me. When it surrounded me, all of the wonderful colors of the world seemed to drain away into an ebony void. These days, if I fell, I could manage to get out of my predicament by myself. However, I never stopped wishing that he'd extend his talon my way. Today, thankfully, I was fairly sure that I wouldn't need to worry about falling. The ice felt perfect - hard enough to carry my weight, yet soft enough to be bent by my will. Maybe today was the day that I'd perfect my newest trick... I began my routine with the usual jumps off of magically-formed ramps, simply to warm up my horn for the impending finale. Next came a few sets of spins, which I had usually found rather difficult due to having to keep only two hooves on the ground. Everything about skating was invigorating...the feeling of excitement that came with an aerial spin, the feeling of the frigid air dashing by me as I skated along the ice at maximum velocity, each were amazing feelings. Yet, despite the intensity of these emotions, they paled in comparison with that of having my guardian as my audience. As I skidded by Kalki, who was watching my every move, I couldn't help but smile. Next, a combination of my previous efforts seemed only suitable. I'd done aerial 360s before, but never with a ramp. I'd done jumps off of ramps, but never with a spin. Perhaps if I did my spin off of a ramp, I'd get more out of it. After circling the lake a few more times to gather my plan, I stopped on a dime near the edge of the ice and began to accelerate toward the center. In the ten seconds or so before I executed my trick, I assembled both my magical energy and my speed, and once I neared the center of the lake, I thrust my head skyward. With this action, a large chunk of ice rose up from the surface of the lake and formed a large ramp. As I approached the slope, I thought to myself about my upcoming finale. When I reached the gradient, I quickly reconfigured my stance, raising my front hooves up to stand on only my back two, and when the slope ended, I jumped. There it was again...the euphoria. It came to me every time I took a leap, filling me to the brim with elation and anticipation. A wonderful feeling, unlike any other, as if I could simply sprout wings and soar off into the horizon, never to be heard from again. The sad truth was that I couldn't; gravity had other plans. However, to me, that was only an incentive. I'd make this ephemeral moment last for an eternity in my heart, if in no other way. While I glided through the air, spinning all the while, I could feel my extensive mane thrashing about wildly. Sights came into view and then out in the blink of an eye. Everything was blurry for a moment, but my sights quickly became apparent, and I looked down...Kalki...a fallen fir tree...and a black stone...Kalki...the tree...the stone...Kalki...the tree...the stone...Kalki...the tree...the stone...four spins. Four times did the anxious countenance of my friend grace my vision. My landing was less than smooth, most likely because I was too busy focusing on all of the rushing pictures to ever consider landing. When I hit the ground hooves-first, I half-expected the ice to shatter under the pressure of my body...but it never did, although it did send a shock through me that sent me to the ground for a moment. Once the initial shock had faded, I found my way back on all four hooves... and immediately fell again. Apparently, the my lack of concentration while in the air had caused the magic on my hooves to dissipate. After recomposing myself and transferring a small amount of magic back to my hooves, I slowly made my way back to Kalki near the edge of the lake and returned my magic to the tip of my horn, storing it for later. Walking to his side with audible exhaustion, I decided to ask for a review of my performance: "So, what did you think of that run? I had a big finish planned where I'd do two or three backflips, but I think I'm okay with my performance..." "Well, I rather enjoyed the finale you gave me. Tell me, was it difficult?" I sat down as he spoke. "Difficult? What does that...oh, I remember. Yes, it was pretty tough, my head is still spinning a little..." I felt my stomach practically bark at me. "And I guess it worked up my appetite, too!" Kalki's stomach barked back at my own. "Well, I suppose it's time for us to eat! Could you kindly remove the ice, Snow?" He got up and began to stretch his wings. "No problem!" I went through the usual procedure for breaking the ice - transferring magic energy into my legs. Once both of my front legs were entirely surrounded in my cerulean aura, I made my way over to the edge of the lake and stamped my hooves on the glimmering surface of the lake with as much force as my small body could muster. All at once, every square inch of the ice that once graced the lake with its presence simply shattered into crystals that seemed to fade away as they made their way into the water and sunk into its unknown depths. When the last shard of ice, a small spear-like piece, attempted to descend into the lake, I reacted quickly, channeling the energy around my legs into my horn and casting a levitation spell, keeping it in midair. After I had brought the shard to my side, Kalki questioned me. "Good timing, Snow. That one almost hit the water. Now, do you want to do the honor today, or is today another day of letting me catching our lunch?" "I always end up either hitting the smallest ones or not hitting one at all...that's why I let you do it, you know. I mean - not that I can't get a big one! It's just hard. Can you remind me again of why can't I just pull the biggest one out with my magic? That'd be so much easier." Sharpening the ice was probably the hardest part about the fishing process - I had to get the tip perfectly pointed. As I chipped away at the edges of my makeshift knife, Kalki replied: "Well, that'd hardly seem fair. You, with all of your magic, against them? They deserve a chance to survive. And in addition, if you just were to just lift it out with your magic, we'd have to wait for it to pass on. You should think about this - what if you were an Earth pony or a Pegasus? If you didn't have your magic? It would be much harder to catch these fish. You should also consider that though magic may help you in completing tasks, you shouldn't use it to take advantage of a weak, defenseless creature." Once I'd crafted my weapon into the proper shape, I simply answered, "I guess you're right." After trotting back to the edge of the water, Kalki began to provide advice from the sidelines. "Now, Snow, focus on the biggest fish you can find." A gorgeous fish, at least a full foot long, caught my eye as it flaunted its many luminescent black and orange scales. Still watching its body flow along the edges of the lake, I called back to my friend. "Hey, I found a really big one! I think he might be a salmon!" I heard the crunch of footsteps against the snow as Kalki came to my side to view my proposed meal. After pointing out the fish to my friend, he clarified: "Oh that? That isn't a salmon, Snow, it's called an arctic char. But it does look very much like a salmon, does it not?" "Yes..." I replied. "It's so pretty!" An ebony scale glistened in the sunlight as I stared at my prey. When I saw how it shone, I almost wanted to allow its bearer to live. After checking my weapon one more time for efficiency, I prepared to obtain my meal. "If you're ready, focus your attention on the char once more. Keep track of its movements - you might be able to sense a pattern and determine where to throw your shard." For a good, long moment, I followed my sage friend's advice, and sure enough, I was able to determine, as the fish swam about, that it was moving around in a way that reminded me of the number eight. "Kalki, I think I see the pattern!" I remarked. "Then toss your shard at the fish! Remember, you've only got one chance to do this. Killing this fish takes force, and with force comes speed. If you miss, your weapon is going directly to the bottom of the lake." Kalki reminded me of the same mistake I'd always made. Doing my absolute best to hold my concentration on the char, I prepared to telekinetically launch my dagger straight at the fish. Everything was quiet...I could almost hear the sound of the wind gently blowing a feather away from the wing of my friend. After determining exactly where to throw my weapon, I launched it. At this point, the silence was broken, not by the sound of impaling, but by a splash of water. I missed. Again. At almost the same instant that I released the weapon from the grip of my magic, the char broke its pattern and swam just out of reach. As I watch the fish swim away, I let out a sigh that was all too common in my fishing experiences. "It's nothing to worry about, Snow. You'll catch an even larger fish tomorrow. Now, I'll take care of the fish. Why don't you gather some grass for yourself? He placed a black wing on my back as he spoke. "Fine...but tomorrow, I don't want any help! I've got it now!" He took his wing off of me, and after gliding into the water, proceeded to effortlessly hunt down his meal, stopping the char dead in its tracks with one talon and striking it down with the other. As always, I simply brought the fish back to the lakefront via my magic. After setting the fish down in the snow, I walked for about fifty feet away from the lake, searching for an easy patch of snow to lift up. Once that had been found, I raised up the snow and released a small wave of magic energy, slicing the blades away from the ground. Now that I had gathered my half of the meal, I raised up the grass, dropped the small blanket of snow, and returned to the lake, where Kalki was sitting by the toppled tree I had seen while skating. I wouldn't be able to eat this grass right off of the ground, seeing as how it would be covered in snow, but I could use it as a delicious garnish. Once I had reached the tree, I began to take notice of its features. This particular fir tree had to have been the largest I'd seen so far - not to mention the closest to the lake, only about one hundred feet from the lake. Among all of the other trees we'd taken on the way to the lake, we never really had a need for one so close, until today. This particular fir tree had to have been at least eight feet tall, as it looked as though it once towered over the both of us. Many trees in the North were often toppled by the nearly bi-weekly blizzards that plagued the land, and this was no exception. As I marveled at the unparalleled size of the behemoth tree, Kalki reminded me: "Snow, you know what to do." Suddenly remembering why we needed the tree, I released a pair of energy waves that sliced through each side of the tree, lopping off many of the branches. Once Kalki had rotated the tree a bit, I released another pair of waves, separating the rest of the the limbs from the fir. As my final step, I expelled three final blades of energy, slicing the log that remained into four smaller chunks of wood. Exhausted from the extreme amount of magic I'd already used in the day, I fell to the ground, taking a moment to breathe before returning to all fours. "If it's okay with you, Kalki, I think I'd like it if we carried the logs back to the lake today..." I muttered, almost incoherently. I'd never used so much magic in one day, and the sun hadn't even begun to set. "Snow, you need to learn to use your magic a bit more sparingly. You may be a tough little unicorn, but you're still a filly, remember? And don't worry about the firewood, I've got it under control. Just follow me - I only need you to use your magic once or twice more today. However, I can't simply put the firewood on my back - could you attempt to do that much for a moment?" Once he had spoken these words, I lifted a block of wood onto his back, followed by another, and I followed him lethargically back to the site of our meal, where we dropped off the wood and went back for the rest. Once we had completed our second trip back to the lake, Kalki arranged the firewood side-by-side and gave me the signal to start the fire. Hopefully, this would be the last time I used my magic today; I was utterly drained. I took two last blades of magic and began to grind them against one another. Somewhere among all of the sound and friction, a spark ignited, and fire was born in midair before falling gently onto the firewood, giving us our heat source for the fish. "Alright, Snow. Now just hold the char over the fire..." I followed his command. Almost immediately, I could hear the crackle of the fish as juices began to drip...heat began to fill the area surrounding the fire, and as it did, I felt a smile the size of a polar bear spread across my face. Warmth was a wonderful feeling - It was a shame that it wasn't something I could feel every day. When the char had thoroughly browned, Kalki gave me the signal to remove it from the fire, and I did so, setting the once-orange fish down on snow that seemed to melt the instant the two entities met. After Kalki had thoroughly sliced our mid-afternoon meal up, we began to eat. Taking the first bite, I allowed the juices to rest on my tongue before sizzling away. After swallowing, I turned to my mentor and asked him: "Kalki, that dark crystal, over there..." I pointed my hoof at the faraway stone. "Have you seen it? What is it?" After taking a bite out of his own part of the char, a bit puzzled, he looked at the crystal with a spark of wonder. "I'm...well, I'm not sure. It appears to be some sort of tourmaline, a very dark stone. But..." His attention turned to its shadow, which was completely black, almost as if it had swallowed the ground it covered whole. "This shadow...it appears to have magical properties. Magical crystals don't simply grow in a few days time. These were created by something...I'm sorry that I can't tell you by what, though." "It's alright, even you don't have the answer to everything. And it probably isn't important anyway. It's just that I saw another one in the cave, that's all." "Oh, you did? Well, after our meal, let's head back to the cave and get a closer look at this crystal, shall we?" He smiled and tousled my mane. "Yeah." I beamed back and let out a little giggle as he tossed my mane around, and we continued to eat what was, looking back, the best meal I'd ever had. When we were each sufficiently stuffed, we started to walk home, admiring each sight that came into our fields of vision. We had been walking for about half a mile when a sharp pain introduced itself to my pastern. After attempting to stave off the ache for about one-hundred feet, I asked: "Hey Kalki, could you carry me the rest of the way? I don't know if I can make it," I recall saying. Hearing this, Kalki laid down on all fours and allowed me to crawl onto his warm back. After struggling a bit to raise himself up, he laughed and said: "Alright, Snow, but this is the last time!" With these words, we made our way home through a sky that begot no snow. As we neared our destination, from the atop Kalki's back, I could see darkness creeping over the sky. When we reached the cavern which we had for so long called home, Kalki lowered himself again, and I carefully stepped down from atop his back. We sat in silence, my body pressed against his own, peering up at the sky, as we did at times, just waiting for something extraordinary to happen. Tonight, something did. It had taken at least fifteen minutes, but finally, we saw something beyond comprehension. In the complete darkness of the night sky, fading into view, we saw two nearly transparent waves of green light, flickering, fading into view. It only took this to make my jaw drop. As the two waves grew closer, I could see the light grow stronger and stronger before they completely merged and formed a streak of bright green that reached across the sky like a bolt of lightning. As we continued to look on in amazement, the streak wavered and danced, almost whimsically. "What is it? It's so pretty..." I managed to turn and ask in my astonishment. "I believe that is the aurora equestrius. Its appearance, long ago, had a strong connection with a great empire. However, the empire fell centuries ago, and it currently only occurs in nature every few decades, lasting only an hour at the most, at that. I've never seen it before...it is wonderful. Look! It's morphing again!" I quickly looked back up to see the streak separate. I expected the two streaks to break completely apart, but instead, they seemed to bond, and as they floated away from each other, a sheet of the neon light began to form a blanket in the sky. An orange light faded in and out of view, as if playing hide-and-seek with me. A purple light followed. The experience quickly became surreal as I saw the blanket of green light begin to dance again, this time with the grace of water, as it flowed left and right. In the middle of the light show, I turned up to my friend once more, and told him: "You know, Kalki...I'm really, really glad that I get to see this with you. He looked directly into my eyes and responded. "And I with you, Snow." With a smile, I rested my head on his body and continued to watch the lights. As the lights continued to dance and astound me all the while, I continued to hear a voice in the back of my mind. I couldn't make out what it said, but what I did know was that it was the same dark voice I had heard that morning. However, I didn't particularly care. I had my guardian, and if anything bad were to happen, I knew for sure that we'd be able to handle it together. The aurora was coming to an end, it seemed. It had only been about thirty minutes - Kalki even told me at that point to expect an amazing crescendo. However, the green lights simply began to condense into a shining orb near my peripheral vision. The violet lights followed, coating the orb with stripes of purple. Finally, the orange, which formed rings around the ball, one horizontal and one vertical. Kalki was as shocked as I when something began to happen to the lights. They changed...glowing brighter and brighter, until what remained was a shining white light. The voice...again, the voice appeared. Not in my thoughts, but right before us, the voice cried out: "The aurora...the aurora is here..." The voice faded in, the bright orb in the sky releasing a burst of light with each syllable. "It's the voice...Kalki, that's the voice I heard this morning." We both stood up and marveled at the sight. I never received a response to my statement. "The spell...it worked..." It spoke again, the deep, sinister voice booming in my ears. A menacing eye appeared directly in front of us, seemingly out of nowhere, before finding its way to my saddle bag, which I turned my attention to immediately. The voice boomed once more. "My crystals...come to me..." I watched in shock as the crystal, accompanied by a black aura, seemingly levitated itself out of my bag. As it floated by us, I could catch Kalki shaking a bit out of the corner of my eye. The crystal planted itself in the ground about fifty feet away from the cave. To my surprise, in the distance, I could see other crystals grinding against the ground, traveling toward the light. After a short time, the crystals met under the glowing sphere. There must have been a hundred of the crystals; they all met in under the light, forming a perfect circle. 'The empire...is mine..." The voice spoke these words, and Kalki and I watched in awe as the orb of light lowered itself into the center of the circle of crystals before completely merging with the ground. A beam of white light shot up from the center, reaching into the heavens...but the light lost its color. In mere seconds, the white light became completely black, electricity spiraling around the tower. After another moment, the black tower receded back into the ground, and an eerie feeling creeped over both of us. "Snow, get back. I'll investigate this," Kalki said as he walked toward the crystals, which were now leaking the strange black aura I had only moments ago seen for the first time. As he approached the circle, I found myself wanting to scream to him, telling him to come back immediately - however, I was unsure of what would happen...I wasn't sure of anything at that moment. After he had stood at the rim of the circle, he turned to me and began to run back to the cave, where I stood waiting. "Snow, I don't think it's dangerous," he said as he ran. "It's simply -" My eyes grew wide as he stopped speaking to see what I had just noticed...a jet-black shadow, wrapped around his leg. He didn't speak...he simply tried to run to me. The more he struggled to run, the further backwards he went toward the crystals. Eventually, when he neared the crystal ring, he attempted to fly away - however, a second shadow shot out and wrapped itself around his other hind leg. As he was slammed face-first into the ground, I couldn't help but whimper. While his nearly motionless body continued to move toward the ring, he called to me: "Snow, I want you to go as far back in the cave as you can. If you don't, you'll just get hurt." I shouted back: "No! I'm not just gonna leave you here! I want to make sure nothing bad happens to you!" "You always were a bit stubborn...I'll miss that." "Don't talk like that! I'll fix this!" I harnessed as much of my remaining magic I could and released it, shooting an ice-cold bolt at the ring. The surrounding area froze...but nothing else. The shadows continued to pull Kalki toward the circle, and I cried just a bit. "I'm really sorry, Kalki. But don't worry! You'll be safe! You're tough, you know that!" "Yes, Snow, but I'm a bit old for heroic escapes." Finally, Kalki stopped moving. Just as I feared, he was placed directly in the center of the crystal circle. The eerie feeling crawled over me again as the voice boomed for the last time. "My first treat...in a thousand years..." Shadows sprung out from the ground and binded Kalki's neck, followed by his forelegs and wings. I heard him shout in the distance: "Snow, I'm truly sorry I couldn't stay longer. I would have loved to finally meet your parents, to tell them how magnificent their daughter is." I smiled for a moment. "I haven't been as happy as I was with you in years, you know. I'd love to spend a few more years with you...but my time is up. Just stay safe and live happily, Snow. That's all I ask." A tear escaped the griffon's eye as the shadows binded themselves even tighter against his body. Choking on his own breath, he told me one last thing. "I love you so much, Snow." Tears slid down my cheeks as I watched what transpired next. A shadow shot up from each crystal in the ring, electricity crackling along each one. After only a short moment, the group of shadows came together in the air directly above Kalki and formed itself into a large, strange, lightless mass. At the peak of the amorphous creation, I saw a pair of eyes open. They were catlike and red, surrounded by an eerie green. The second these eyes opened, purple streaks extended from their edges. A pair of shadows in the circle creeped up to Kalki, prying his beak open. Finally, it happened. The mass of darkness condensed itself into a small ball, emitting a strange bubbling sound as it did so, and flew directly into Kalki's now-open beak. From the entrance to the cave I could almost hear him try to scream, but no sound escaped him. A strange white light began to glow at the center of the circle - coming from Kalki, I imagined. There was a stillness in the air that haunts me to this day...I could swear for a moment that I heard the call of a bird, somewhere far away, as a white orb of light exited Kalki's mouth, followed by the black orb. As the dark sphere reshaped itself into the hulking mass it once was, I wondered what the white light was. Suddenly, I heard another voice...my friend's...It spoke across the wilderness and into the heavens. "I was told by my father to always keep hope in my heart. Snow, I hope that you will remember me for as long as your time in this world allows. I hope that some day you might find the solution to all of the challenges that cause this world of yours such strife. I hope that you seek to love everything in the way that you loved me. I hope that you might find your loved ones, and I hope that they are awaiting you with all of their love. But above all, I hope that you never lose your smile. Promise me that you'll always smile, Snow." With tears rolling down my cheeks, I simply nodded my head and watched as the white light attempted to scatter before being engulfed by the mass of darkness. I almost ran to his body at that moment - to see if he was truly gone. However, in my fear, I took my guardian's advice and headed to the back of the cave, where I waited patiently for the darkness to leave both the vicinity and my life. A few moments passed and I ventured back outside, the shadow long gone, where Kalki remained in his initial position - all four legs spread out, wings resting lifelessly. I rushed to his body, trying my hardest not to tear up, and spoke: "Kalki, are you there?" No response. "You gotta stop messing around with me Kalki, that looked really bad! I was even seeing things!" A tear escaped my eye, streaming down my cheek and falling onto his neck. Still no response. As tears flooded my vision, I called to him one more time: "Stop it! Wake up, Kalki, I know you can..." My words became unintelligible. I slapped a hoof across his face in a last-ditch effort to wake him up...but there was no life left. Realizing what had just happened, I simply turned my friend over onto his stomach and sat by his side for the rest of the night. The air that night was colder and stiller than it had ever been, and it seemed I was going to be alone to face it. Alone again.