The Illutionist

by joca002

Chapter 3 - Cold

A thick shadow covered Ponyville. The quaint little town was completely covered by snow and ice. Vicious winds snaked their way across every road as temperatures plummeted into all time lows. Vision was almost impossible. The local weather ponies had tried their best to fight back the foreign blizzard, but the strength of the unnatural storm proved too much to handle. Even magic proved too burdensome and inefficient. Things from the Everfree forest were never manageable.

A lone figure pushed her way through one of the town's main roads. Wings tucked tightly against her sides, the gray pegasus noticed a sign barely visible through the blanket of falling snow. Stumbling her way forward, her heart froze as she recognize the sign. “Oh no.” Her words were spoken quietly. “I'm walking in circles.”

Why does this always have to happen to me? Why do I always mess things up?

Ditzy Doo sniffed in irritation, a knot in her throat. An icy crust formed around Ditzy's eyes as memories of her infancy trickled into her mind. “She's Derpy! Derpy! The funny looking Derpy!” Why did I have to be born with crooked eyes? She fell to her knees and began to sob. The never-ending mocking from her childhood replaying again and again.

Minutes, hours or days could have passed for all Ditzy knew. All that she was sure about was that the snow around her had become increasingly uncomfortable. Stiff and sore, she tried to stand but only managed to slip. Amidst her struggle to regain balance, Ditzy noticed something strange.

It was a dark blotch, much darker than the snowy surroundings around it. The figure was roughly the silhouette of a pony with something on its head. Ever so slowly, the pony-shaped figure leisurely moved towards Ditzy. A muffled voice followed the strange sight. “Why don't you just explain it to me now?”

The voice paused for a second. Ditzy strained her ears, trying to hear a response but heard none. The first voice responded nonetheless. “Yes, I am aware that there's a blizzard all around us. And...”

Ditzy blinked in confusion. Something about that female voice sounded familiar. Was it the way she seemed to demand recognition? And had the pony just talked to herself? An irritated yell from the figure snapped Ditzy out of her thoughts. “You take that back!”

A quick pause and the figure sighed. “Well, maybe, but this is different.”

For just a second, Ditzy heard what seemed to be a second voice. No wait. It was more like a gentle and lighthearted chuckle, but that couldn't be right. Who could possibly be laughing in a storm? Besides, the closer the figure got, the more Ditzy could see that there was only one pony. A hoof was stomped on the snow. “I don't care how badly you think this is. I will not sleep in a barn. I have standards.”

An awkward silence dominated the frosty air. Ditzy gulped and tried calling out, but her voice came as a hoarse croak. It was at that moment that Ditzy realized she had lost the feeling on her legs quite some time ago. She'd been so preoccupied with the spectacle in front of her that Ditzy did not notice the numbness spread all over her body. The female voice returned. “Fiiiine. But just this once. I think the barn was this way.”

The shadow turned away from Ditzy. Panicking, Ditzy did the one thing most pegasus would have done under normal circumstances: give chase. Unfortunately, this was anything but a normal situation. The cold winds shot Ditzy forward as soon as she opened her wings. Tumbling and spinning, the gray pegasus smacked straight onto the dark figure, producing a sound similar to a wet rag hitting a table.

Ditzy remained motionless for a few seconds, letting the shock of the impact leek out of her system. Something pointy poked the side of her head and looking down, Ditzy saw an azure unicorn with a light blue mane currently reaching a hoof for a wizard's hat off to the side. Ditzy mentally kicked herself. Why do these things always happen to me? The azure pony tangled underneath her probably hated her now. Before Ditzy could apologize, the unicorn grabbed the hat and shot Ditzy a nasty look. “Get off!”

Ditzy managed a quick “Sorry” before scrambling onto her hooves. Instantly, she realized that the air was unnaturally warmer. Maybe the thin purple veil surrounding her and the unicorn had something to do with that?

The unicorn stood up and jammed a hoof at Ditzy. “And just who do you think you are?” The unicorn's eyes narrowed. “Well?”

Despite the soothing warm, Ditzy couldn't help but feel chills. “I-I... um.. I'm Ditzy. Ditzy Doo.”

The unicorn rolled her eyes. “And just what were you thinking slamming onto me like that?”

Ditzy looked down. “I needed help and you were about to leave so I tried flying but the wind caught me. I'm really sorry, Miss...”

An awkward silence passed and suddenly the unicorn took a step back. “You don't know who I am?” Ditzy flinched but found no more aggression directed towards her. “Well, feast your eyes on the Great and Powerful Trixie! The best and most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria.” Trixie ended her sentence with a swirl of her cape and a quick sparkle from her horn.

Ditzy gasped in recognition. “You're the one that almost got Ponyville destroyed.”

Trixie's smug look fell. “Look, I'd rather...”

“Twice.” Ditzy cut in.

Trixie's mix of emotions were practically visible at that point. In fact, Ditzy was sure she could taste them. Anger, regret and embarrassment were thick and strongest with just a hint of worry thrown in the mix. The taste was bitter and hard to swallow. “Wait,” Ditzy thought, “What am I thinking?”

After a few blinks, Ditzy found her vision full of shiny orbs and blurred images. Something cold hit the side of her head and the pony realized it was the snowy ground once again. The world went spinning and nausea threaten to spill everything in her stomach. Thankfully, a dark cloud covered what was left of Ditzy's vision. The small amount of relief completely overshadowed the fact that Ditzy hadn't closed her eyes. Obscure noises similar ponies talking bounced back and forth on either side of the downed pegasus. One of the voices was very loud, the other calm.

As her consciousness began disappearing with the wind, a gentle force picked up Ditzy. It felt like a cloud. “What are we going to do Chase?”

“We'll give this little one just what she deserves.” The cloud spoke softly, comforting. Ditzy finally closed her eyes. “Hope.”