//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: For the First Time in Forever // by Emerald Harp //------------------------------// Ponyville: Golden Oaks Library Twilight Sparkle panicked, stumbling as she galloped through the library. “Where are all my quills?” she gasped. The unicorn’s eyes darted nervously around the room, searching. Why couldn’t she ever find anything in this library when she needed it? Spike patiently watched Twilight run across the floor. She turned into a real runner whenever she was seriously stressed. It was best to stand back and let the storm pass. He waited off to the side, holding an empty pillowcase. Twilight spotted the quills in a cup on a shelf, right where she always kept them. She should’ve checked there first. Grinding her teeth, she used her magic to send them sailing like darts over to Spike. He nimbly leapt into the air to catch them with the pillowcase before Twilight managed to impale somepony with her carelessness. The frantic unicorn levitated books off the shelves and read their titles as they passed by her. “No, no, no, no,” she said, fear filling her as each book that passed wasn’t one she needed. She dashed off in frustration. “Ugh! I need the Magical Compendium, Volumes One through Thirty-Six! Where is it?!” she yelled. Off to the side, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash watched their friend with worry. Twilight ignored them and levitated more books from the shelves, trying to find what she needed. Triumphant, her magic grasped an enormous tome at the back of the shelf. She levitated the Compendium over to Spike to catch it. He was immediately crushed by the falling book’s weight. He crawled out from under the cover. “Flash cards!” Twilight declared suddenly, unconcerned for Spike. She galloped over to a drawer and magically lifted a gigantic stack of blank notecards over to her assistant. “Spike, I’m gonna need you to quiz me. On everything. Everything I’ve ever learned. Ever.” The unicorn paused and eyed the piles wobbling in her assistant’s claws. “That isn’t going to be enough cards.” Spike frowned and managed to gingerly set the cards on the floor. “Twilight, calm down. It’s just a test.” “Just a test? Just a test!?” she shouted angrily at him. Spike winced at her hysterics and backed up slowly as Twilight began lecturing him. She advanced menacingly and forced him into a corner, yelling at him with every step. “Princess Celestia wants to give me some kind of exam, and you’re trying to tell me to calm down because it’s just a test?!” she shrieked. Spike grabbed a nearby helmet and hid his scaly body beneath pillows, preparing for the worst. He replied uncertainly, “Uh. . .yes?” Twilight’s horn began to glow in a pink light, and her eye twitched. That definitely wasn’t a good sign. Applejack turned to Rarity, “I’d say she’s handling things pretty well, considerin.” Twilight Sparkle growled in frustration and let off a burst of magic. In a mere second, her magic flung the entire library tree fifty feet into the air. Her friends screamed in panic, suddenly finding themselves violently thrown upward on a ride they wanted no part of. As quickly as the tree house had rocketed skyward, the spell sent them crashing back down again. Ponies and dragon ended up slamming into the floor painfully. Nearly all the books tumbled off the shelves in the process, and all were buried beneath tiny avalanches of tomes. All except Twilight. Her eyes glowed white, and she floated, suspended in mid-air in the center of the library. She was lost in her emotions and magic. What if she didn’t pass this test? What if she failed? She needed to prepare, and there was so little time. And her friends didn’t even understand how important this was to her. Her friends were being so unsupportive. Her friends were-- “Twilight!” Rainbow Dash shouted angrily, her voice muffled. The lavender unicorn blinked and her spellwork dissipated. Her friends were buried under heaps and heaps of books. “Oh my goodness!” Twilight said, lowering herself to the ground. She grasped Rainbow Dash’s hoof, peeking out from the pages, and pulled. “I’m so sorry!” The pegasus stretched her wings. “Well, next time you have a freak out, ya might want to cut down on the magic a bit.” “I don’t know what came over me,” Twilight said, levitating books around, trying to uncover the rest of her friends. “I just got so frustrated about this test and—” she couldn’t make herself continue. “Twilight,” Applejack grunted, shoving worn volumes off of herself. “Ya need to calm down. Ponies aren’t made to be flung up into the air.” Rainbow Dash looked at her pointedly. “Well, the wingless ones anyway,” the country pony corrected. Rarity emerged from a pile and daintily levitated an encyclopedia off her head. “Honestly, darling. You’re simply wrecking your nerves over this exam. That can’t be good for your complexion. . .or your humble abode,” she said, glancing around at the state of the library. Twilight looked at the mess and sat down dejectedly. “I know. . .I completely lost control of my magic. If I did that during the test, I’d flunk for sure.” “Um, not to be a bother to anypony,” a small voice came from underneath an immense amount of books, “but, I, um, I appear to be stuck. Help? Please?” The last question ended in a bit of a squeak. “Oh, gosh!” Twilight exclaimed, jumping up and tossing novels aside with her magic. “Hang in there, Fluttershy!” Applejack said, shoving books off the pile. “We’re a comin!” The ponies quickly pushed aside and levitated the tomes away to reveal the shy pegasus curled up in a ball. She opened her eyes as the books were removed. “Oh, thank you! It was awful dark and dusty for a bit.” “Oh, so you’re afraid of books now, too?” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “Just falling ones,” she admitted. “Wait,” Twilight whipped her head back and forth scanning the room. “Where’s Spike?” “Oh, he’s right here,” Fluttershy answered softly, lifting up a wing. Underneath was Spike, sitting with his arms crossed. He glared up at Twilight, “I told you to calm down.” Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness none of her friends were seriously hurt. She smiled weakly at Fluttershy. It was just like her to think of friends before herself. Fluttershy had protected Spike. Twilight sat down. All she had done this morning was freak out and mess everything up. Spike was right. She should calm down. But how could she possibly calm down when she knew she was going to fail? The front door banged against the wall and all of them jumped. Pinkie Pie bounded into the room and grabbed Twilight by the shoulders, lifting her up. “Oh, my gosh, Twilight!” Pinkie exclaimed breathlessly. “I was on my way over here, and I saw your tree house just lift into the air! POOF! And then it fell right back down again! WHAM! If only I had been here a few seconds sooner! It looked like so much fun! I’m here now! Do it again!” Rarity rubbed her bruised side. “Believe me, Pinkie. It was anything but fun.” “So. . .it was chocolaty?” the pink pony asked, clearly confused. “Pinkie,” Twilight began. “What? She said it was anything but fun. Anything is like a whole lot.” Twilight gently removed Pinkie’s hooves from her shoulders. “It was an accident. I’m. . .I’m trying to get ready for Celestia’s test.” “Oh!” Pinkie said thoughtfully. “So, you’re practicing.” Twilight shook her head, “No, that’s not what I—” And then she realized what the pony had said. “Pinkie, you’re a genius!” Twilight exclaimed. “I am?” Twilight laughed, picking up books and scanning the titles, “Spike, you’re right. I do need to calm down. But I can’t calm down by doing nothing. What I need is some good old-fashioned practice.” The girls and dragon watched her hesitantly. “Well, uh, if it would make you feel better,” Applejack said. Twilight nodded. “I know it would, and here’s just the spell.” She levitated a thick and ornate open book over to the group. Complicated diagrams and calculations were scrawled across the pages in tiny hoofprint. Most of the words didn’t make any sense to her friends. The title, however, they could comprehend. “Arcaneum Winter?” Spike read aloud. Rarity gasped, “Is this a weather spell?” “Yup,” Twilight called over her shoulder. She opened a drawer and levitated a piece of chalk out. “That’s one of Starswirl the Bearded’s spells. He wrote it when he traveled back in time to the era before the three tribes united. He made spells for all kinds of weather.” “Yes, but,” Rarity glanced at the pages, “Unicorns don’t need to use complex weather spells anymore. The pegasi take care of that for everypony in Equestria.” Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest and grinned. “That’s right. You should just let professionals handle it.” Twilight began to rapidly sketch lines onto the floor with the chalk. She focused on the marks instead of her friends. “Yes, but who knows what might be Celestia’s test? Whatever it is, it certainly won’t be easy. So, I should practice a spell that will challenge me.” “Um, I don’t mean to be rude, Twilight,” Fluttershy said as she watched the unicorn cross the floor, leaving a chalk trail behind her. “But have you ever done a spell like this?” “Oh, I read all about them in Starswirl’s journals,” Twilight replied flippantly. “And I’ve always wanted to try one. There’s no time like the present!” She abruptly stopped and straightened. “There.” The ponies and dragon stared at the drawing surrounding them. Swirls and shapes contained runes and mathematical calculations—exact replicas of those found in the text. The numbers, letters, and lines intersected and wove in and out of each other, all contained in a frame of a shape that resembled an ornate snowflake. The ponies and dragon stood in the center of the chalk marks in awe. “Oh, Twilight!” Rarity exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were an artist!” Twilight snorted, “I’m not. This is just part of the spell.” “But it’s so pretty!” Pinkie gushed. Applejack stepped carefully in-between the chalk lines so she wouldn’t smudge Twilight’s work. “It is a very fancy somethin’ or other. But what exactly does this spell of yours do?” “It’s supposed to summon a small winter storm,” Twilight said, gesturing for the girls to step outside of her drawing. There was a collective gasp. “What?” the studious unicorn asked. “Don’t worry. These runes on the outer ring keep the weather inside the boundaries. And these sigils protect me from the storm as well. The spell is completely contained and safe.” Spike wrung his claws. “A-Are you sure? You’ve never done a spell like this, and you already made a mess of the library.” Twilight smiled at her faithful assistant. She rubbed a hoof over his spines affectionately. “It will be fine. Trust me. For once, I’m not worried. So you shouldn’t be either.” She gently levitated him outside the drawing to stand beside her friends. Twilight took her place in the center and checked her markings on the floor. She made sure they matched Starswirl’s examples in the book exactly. Everything was in place. Everything was ready. Twilight looked up from the tome and smiled at her friends reassuringly. She didn’t feel so worried about the test now. Once she completed this spell, she knew she’d be ready for whatever Celestia had in store for her. After all, magic was her element. She could handle a spell like this. Twilight’s friends smiled nervously back at her. They were probably concerned that she’d fling them all up into the air again. Not this time. Twilight closed her eyes and channeled her magic through her horn, concentrating her thoughts on winter. She visualized snowflakes, wind, clouds, and cold. The lavender unicorn felt the air begin to swirl around her. Twilight opened her eyes and allowed the magic to flow freely. Clouds formed above, and snowflakes began to fall within the chalk drawing. The patterns she drew glowed dimly. It was working. She grinned triumphantly. It was working! Her friends cheered and stamped their hooves in congratulations. All except Spike. He watched Twilight fearfully and remained silent. The wind blew faster and swirled the snow around her in a vortex, and the wind rushed faster. Now the snow fell in thick fluffy flakes making it difficult to see her friends. Twilight glanced around her nervously. Well, she was conjuring a winter storm. This was probably a part of it. Still, she had never been in a blizzard before. It seemed kind of. . .frightening. “Twilight!” Rainbow Dash shouted over the wind. “That’s good enough! You can stop now!” Twilight silently agreed. She slowly released her mental grip on the spellwork, but found that the spell did not release its grip on her. The storm raged. Panicking, her mind raced, casting counter spells and activating magical fail safes. She cast spell upon spell, her horn now layered with several pink auras and shooting sparks. Twilight’s skull pounded with the energy and mental effort it took to channel such magic through her horn. None of it mattered. Her magic didn’t make a dent in dissipating the winter surrounding her. She couldn’t even see her friends now. Everything was a blinding wall of writhing wind and white. Twilight scrunched her eyes shut. She didn’t dare try to step outside the lines of her drawing. The wards and seals on the floor were the only things keeping her and her friends safe from the storm. There was only one thing left to do. She dug deep into the last reserves of her power, channeling all of her will and magic into a single command; stop the Arcaneum Winter. She opened her eyes, shining as brightly white as the snow around her, and threw all of her power at the storm itself. And the magic bounced back with such a force, Twilight was swept off her hooves. She screamed as she soared up into the clouds. There was nothing but white, white, white all around her. Brilliant and cruel and blank. She flailed in the white, desperate for it all to stop. Her wish was granted in the harshest way. The unicorn pitched headfirst into solid ground and gave in to pain and darkness. * * * * * * * * * Arendelle: The Castle Ballroom Elated, Anna pushed through the crowd in the ballroom, pulling Hans along behind her. “Oops! Pardon!” she apologized as she trod on a guest’s dress. “Can we just get around you there? Thank you,” the young princess said, squeezing past a portly gentleman. Anna then spotted her sister, speaking quietly with one of the nobles. Gosh, Elsa looked as regal as ever. “Oh, there she is,” she said to Hans. She called out, “Elsa!” The queen turned curiously toward Anna. Anna curtseyed awkwardly in front of her older sister. “I mean . . .Queen,” Anna said more formally. She took Hans’s arm. “Me again. May I present Prince Hans of the Southern Isles.” Hans bowed perfectly in front of Elsa. “Your majesty.” Elsa arched an eyebrow as Anna watched him giddily. Anna’s freckled cheeks were flushed, and a few auburn wisps of hair had escaped from her bun. Elsa hadn’t seen Anna at the party for a while. No doubt he had been the cause of her absence. Elsa glanced at Hans. So, this was Anna’s love interest. He was certainly handsome enough for a prince, but she couldn’t recall anything particular about him. Then again, there were lots of guests present that she knew next to nothing about. He was just another regal face. Still, Elsa gave the poor prince a polite but reserved nod. Hopefully, her sister wasn’t giving him too much of a hard time. She knew Anna could be a bit of a chatterbox. Hans and Anna smiled at each other and began speaking at the same time. “We would like—” Anna giggled and Hans continued, “Uh, your blessing.” They both chuckled and finished, holding one another, “Of our marriage!” “Wha--Marriage?” Elsa gaped at them. Marriage? Marriage? The question kept echoing in her mind. She had thought Anna had brought Hans over for introductions. This was no way to be introduced! Surely Anna didn’t mean it. This had to be a joke or something. Anna wasn’t actually serious, was she? “Yes!” Anna squeaked happily. She seemed serious. “I’m sorry. I’m confused,” Elsa said bluntly. Anna waved her hand. “Well, we haven’t worked out all the details ourselves. We’ll need a few days to plan the ceremony. Of course, we’ll have soup, roast, and ice cream,” Anna turned to Hans, struck with an idea. “Oh, wait, will we live here?” “Here?” Elsa repeated. Hans held Anna’s hands, “Absolutely!” “Anna,” Elsa said. “Oh, we can invite all twelve of your brothers to stay with us!” Anna exclaimed. “Of course, we have the room. I don’t know. Some of them must—” “What? No. N-no-no no. Just. W-wait. Slow down,” Elsa began. “No one’s brothers are staying here. No one is getting married.” “Wait, what?” Anna asked, turning to Elsa and finally listening to her. Elsa could feel emotions bubbling up inside of her. Concern for Anna. Bewilderment of this little “announcement.” Anger toward Hans, who had somehow thought it was okay to propose so soon to her little sister. She stopped herself. Now was not the time. She could seethe in her room about it later. For now, don’t feel. Elsa wrung her hands. “May I talk to you, alone?” “No. Whatever you have to say, you can say to both of us,” Anna replied, taking her side with Hans. “Fine,” Elsa stated cooly. “You can’t marry a man you’ve just met.” She knew that at least logic was on her side tonight. “You can if it’s true love,” Anna insisted. “Anna, what do you know about true love?” Elsa asked, tiredly. “More than you,” Anna replied. “All you know how to do is shut people out.” Elsa flinched. The comment seemed to drive through her like a blade. And she could not deny the cold truth in it. “You asked for my blessing, but my answer is no,” Elsa took a breath and turned away. “Excuse me.” She was feeling too much. She needed to leave. Remove herself from the situation. “Your majesty, if I may ease your—” Hans began. “No, you may not, and I think you should go,” Elsa said quickly. “The party is over. Close the gates,” Elsa commanded the guard. She had enough of this for one night. Her last night. This was clearly a mistake. She couldn’t handle events like this. It was too risky. “What? Elsa, no. No, wait!” Anna darted forward and snatched at Elsa’s hand. Anna ended up holding her glove instead. Elsa gasped in panic as she felt the glove pull away. She balled her fingers into a fist and hid her bare hand in her cloak. “Give me my glove!” she cried, desperately reaching for it. Anna held the glove just out of reach. “Elsa, please. Please. I can’t live like this anymore.” Elsa could see the desperation on her sister’s face. “Then leave,” she said weakly. It was the wrong thing to say. She could tell those words had only hurt Anna. Elsa turned, sighing darkly. All she ever did was hurt her sister. No matter how hard she tried to protect her. Elsa’s eyes welled up with tears. She walked away, hugging herself. She was feeling too much. Far too much. “What did I ever do to you?” Anna called after her loudly. Elsa noticed people turning to watch them. They were making a scene. “Enough, Anna,” Elsa warned, continuing on. “No. Why?” Anna shouted angrily. “Why do you shut me out?! Why do you shut the world out? What are you so afraid of?!” Emotions flared inside Elsa. Anger. Pain. Fear. Sorrow. They all burst within her. In that instant, she let herself feel. “I said enough!” Elsa cried, whirling around. Ice shot from her hand, arcing in a semicircle around her. Elsa watched in horror as jagged spikes thrust out toward the crowd. Anna and several guests jumped back to avoid being struck. Nobles and dignitaries shouted in fear. Elsa saw the expressions of shock and horror on their faces. And Anna. Sweet Anna. She saw fear in Anna’s eyes. What had she done? More ice poured from her hand, freezing the floor around her. Elsa clutched her wrist, trying desperately to control her power, but the magic kept spewing forth. Snow began to materialize from the air and fall. Uncontrolled breezes swirled the flakes around her in a vortex, rushing faster and faster. She had always maintained a slippery grasp of her magic, but this? It felt like something else was doing this. Like some unseen force was drawing all of her power out of her hand. The wind positively roared now, drowning out the screams of the guests. She couldn’t see anything beyond all the snow and ice. A blizzard engulfed her. Then the floor disappeared, and her stomach dropped to her feet. Elsa felt like she was floating. All was black. Anna? Where was Anna? What had she done? In a flash of brilliant white light, she found herself standing on solid ground again. Nausea and pain rolled through her. She shivered. For once she felt frigid and cold like ice. Elsa blinked blearily against the light. Images swam into focus. Ponies. There were five small ponies in front of her. With the most absurd colors of coats. Where was she? This. . .wasn’t the ballroom. Everything about the room, the creatures, the colors—screamed of wrongness to her. Her breath came out in gasps. What was going on? “Wha-where’s, Twilight?” a lavender lizard asked. Elsa screamed. Ice flew from her fingertips freezing a patch of the floor. She backpedaled, terrified. Her foot slipped, and she fell, slamming her head painfully against a bookcase. And the world went black again.