The Strongest Kind of Magic

by Shadowswipe

Chapter 2: A Night in a Tree

Your eyes slowly open, everything is a blur; the morning grogginess weighing heavy on you. You struggle to get out of bed. Your room is still dark, but you could see light shining through the spaces in your curtains. You shuffle over and pull the curtains open, only to be instantly blinded.

You slam your eyes shut and turn your head away, slowly reopening them; letting them adjust to the light. You look back out the window. It appears to have snowed overnight; there is a new layer of snow on the ground and trees, a thick layer at that. You sigh and turn to leave your room. You can hear the baseboard heaters ticking, trying to keep the house warm.

You trot through your house, making sure everything was where you left them. This was a bad habit of yours. Even though you lock your doors and windows, you still check to make sure you have everything. You can blame that habit on your childhood, all the begging and stealing your friends did, it’s only natural to check.

After you do your checks, you head to the kitchen and glance out the kitchen window. You spot some birds sitting on the sill, you smile at them and head over to the counter. You open one of the overhead cupboards and pull out a cup. You then pick up your kettle and place it on the stove; you light the stove and wait. Whilst waiting you head to the front door to check for mail. You open the door and look down, there’s a small stack of envelopes sitting on your doorstep. They are sitting in a little hole that was dug in the snow. You lean down and pick up the stack of envelopes; bringing them inside and placing them on the table for sorting.

You look over at your kettle, it wasn’t whistling yet so you didn’t have to worry. You proceed to the letters, one pile was important and the other pile was for the not so important letters. Thus the sorting began.

A few minutes later the kettle was finally whistling. You trot over and lift it off, stopping its cries. You pour the steaming water into the cup and place a tea bag inside. You bring the cup over to the table and look at the letters. Three in the important pile and four in the not so important pile.

First letter was from the mail ponies; it was a notice of vacation. Hearths Warming was coming up and the mail ponies always gave time off for it. They let their runners off a few weeks earlier than their flyers. You looked at the second letter in the pile; it was a bill for the electricity, nothing too expensive. The third was a letter from Canterlot.

The letter had an address from downtown Canterlot, an address but no name. You cautiously opened it, inside was a note.

“Hello! How’ve you been? It’s Chance, you know, from Canterlot. Rumor has it you’re doing very well down in Ponyville. That’s good. The three of us here in Canterlot are doing good as well. You should come visit sometime. Hearths Warming is coming up, we should get together around that time. Have a good one. Chance.”

Admittedly his grammar hadn’t improved, but it was nice hear from him. You put the letter aside and work on the not so important pile. It was all mostly magazine subscriptions, none of which you wanted. You look at your tea, it’s darkened and cooled so you take a sip from the cup. It was bitter, but that’s how you liked your tea; black like the pits of Tartarus.

You clean up the letters and put your cup in the sink, you look back out the window. There is a light snow falling, better to stay inside at this point.

You trot into your living room and sit on the couch. The coldness of outside was seeping inside through the window. Your living room was very simple, a three pony couch and two comfy chairs. Your couch was in front of a large bay window that looked out into the Ponyville square. For being so close to the center of town, your house was very sound proof.

You again feel the chill of the outdoors on the back of your neck. You pull your legs up and roll yourself into a ball, it was comfortable and warm; that’s all that really mattered.

You needed something to do and fast, you could feel your mental state falling apart. You look around your living room, looking for anything to keep your mind busy. You spot a lonely book sitting on the coffee table in front of you. You lean forward and pick it up.

The book was one of Starswirl the Bearded’s notes on the zodiac. You’ve read it multiple times, but it wouldn’t kill you to read it again. You crack open the pages and begin reading.

After about an hour of reading your eyes needed a break. You close the book and place it back on the table, you peek out the window and notice it’s not snowing anymore. You look outside for a while; you watch the ponies force their way through the snow, leaving deep paths in their wake. You watch the little school colts and fillies jump and play in the fresh snow.

It was about midday now and the sun began to shine through the clouds. It made the outside brighter than normal. It could have been all the fresh snow was reflecting the light back at you, or it could have been your eyes. All day reading could’ve put strain on them.

You shrug and head to your front door. You grab your scarf and wrap it around your neck. There’s a pair of aviator sunglasses sitting beside your scarf, you pick them up and put them on. You open your door and head on out.

You walk through the new snow; it crunched under your hooves. Thick clouds formed in front of you as you walked. It was indeed colder than it looked and your glasses quickly fog up. You take off your glasses and hang them on your scarf. You’re left to squint your way through the snow.

The cool wind blows some of the fresh powder around, you stop and hold up one hoof to block your face, when the wind stops you pull up your scarf. This helped keep the snow out of your face and it helped keep you warm.

You didn’t know what you were going to do outside. You just left the house for a change of scenery. You retreat into your thoughts, as you often do. Thinking of things to do, and that’s when it hits you.

“Twilight.” You say aloud.

You remember yesterday she had asked when she was going to see you again, and she had offered you more of her Starswirl collection. That’s it! You begin to walk in the direction of library.

A few moments of fighting through snow drifts and sliding on patches of hidden ice later you made it to the library. A familiar and welcoming heat could be felt. This heat was nice on your coat, you weren’t even inside and you were enjoying it. It melted the snow stuck to your coat and tail, your mane was feeling damp from the melting snow. It warmed all the way to your core.

You approached the door and lifted your hoof. Before you could knock, a rogue thought popped into your head. What if she’s not home? What if she’s had a change of heart? You pull your hoof back. You begin to sweat, but this is a cold sweat, and it was made worse by the cold weather.

You take a deep breath, the cold air stinging as it entered your nose. You swallow the spit that built up in your mouth and knocked on the door. A few seconds later the door opens and you’re greeted by a familiar purple mare. You give a sheepish smile.

“Hey.” You say.

“Oh hey, didn’t think you’d be out in this weather. Come on in.” Twilight says with a smile. She steps aside and lets you enter. You walk in and nod to her.

“You said I could have a look at your Starswirl collection, well I’m here to take you up on that offer.” You say.

“I did say that, follow me.” Twilight said, a very excited tone beset her voice.

Twilight trotted through the library and up to the living quarters with you in tow. Your eyes wandered around the room, looking at all the books. When the two of you got to the second floor a smell hit you. It was a strong spicy smell; it burned your nose instantly.

“Are you cooking?” You ask.

“Yes I am, there’s a recipe for spicy dandelion soup that Rainbow Dash gave me. It sounded interesting so I’m trying it out.” Twilight explains. You look over and there’s a rather large pot on the stove, much larger than for one pony.

“Why are you making so much?” You ask.

“W-well, I was going to f-freeze the leftovers.” She stammered, almost as if she were trying to hide something. You shrug and continue to follow her.

You trot over and sit at the table. Twilight walks over to a bookshelf and begins scanning the spines. Her horn begins to glow and books start levitating over to you. The stack was five high when she finished. Most of the books were on the stars, but one or two dealt with alchemy.

“There you go.” Twilight says with delight.

“Thanks.” You nod at her and begin to read.

This book was about the complex relationships between the stars and cutie marks. It focused on how the position of the constellations and the month you born in correlated with what your cutie mark represented. This wasn’t always the case, but it was pretty accurate.

There is an awkward silence as you read. You look up from the book and see Twilight stirring the pot. You look out the window and it appears to be snowing again, so you close the book and move onto the next. This one was all star charts. It showed the position of the stars during the different seasons and what stars could be seen better during different lunar phases.

“It looks like it’s snowing rather hard outside. Looks like a blizzard.” Twilight breaks the silence. You look out the window and all you see is white.

“Damn, it’s going to be hell getting home now.” You say. Twilight giggles.

“You know you can stay here until the storm passes.” She offers.

“Thanks, now you have a reason for that much soup.” You say with a smile.

“Heh, I guess you’re right.” She says.

“I’m enjoying these books, I was never really into Starswirl’s theories on the stars, but these seem to make sense.” You say while closing the book.

“I’m the same way with his alchemy theories. I really don’t like them, but the books I have give me a decent knowledge on the subject.” Twilight says, she walks over and sits at the table.

“It doesn't look like the storm is going to let up anytime soon, I may be here awhile.” You say looking out the window.

“It’s okay, I have a spare bed in case you have to spend the night, plus I don’t mind the company.” Twilight says.

“Nor do I.” You say, you can feel your cheeks light up. Twilight giggles again and stands up. She walks over to the stove and lifts the lid off of it; steam billows out.

“It’s almost done.” She says.

“Okay.” You respond.

You look around the tree house. It still blew your mind how big it was inside compared to outside. You still write it off as magic, which it probably was. The air in the tree was warm and dry, but the wood still looked damp. The more your eyes wandered around the more you stopped paying attention. You zone out and retreat to your thoughts.

Your thoughts bring you back to Canterlot; back to that cardboard hut behind the bank. You think about how Chance, Moonstone and Flounce brought you in and helped you live. Sure, they taught you how to steal and all that jazz, but they kept you afloat. That little cardboard thing was your home, and it worked. Flounce: a yellow mare with a red mane. She was beautiful, and she seemed to have a thing for you, in fact she threw out the same signals as Twilight. She always wanted to be with you, she blushed every time you spoke to her and she was really nice to you since day one.

“You okay?” A voice breaks your train of thought and pulls you back to reality. You look up to see Twilight looking at you with a confused look on her face.

“What? Oh, yeah. I was just thinking.” You say.

“About?” She asks.

“My old friends back in Canterlot.” You say.

“Canterlot?” She says confused.

“Yeah, I was there for a while, some ponies took me in and helped me survive in the big city.” You explain.

“Wait, you didn’t have family there?” She asks.

“No.” You say.

“Then why were you there?” She asks.

“Long story, I don’t feel like telling it all right now.” You reply.

“Oh, okay.” She says with a sigh.

You look outside and time had passed significantly, there was now an orange hue coming in through the window.

“Is it really that late?” You ask.

“Yeah, you were out of it for a while,” She says. She looks out the window and a small almost invisible smile forms on her face. “Looks like it’s still coming down.”

“Yeah it does, guess I’ll be staying here.” You say.

“Yay!” Twilight yells. She quickly bring her hooves to her mouth and looks at you. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, I can understand you’re excited about having company.” You say with a chuckle.

“Yeah, I don’t get much company.” Twilight says.

You look over at the stove and steam is pouring out of the pot.

“Uh, Twilight, I think the soup is done.” You say pointing a hoof at the stove.

“I guess you’re right.” Twilight stands and walks over to the stove. She lifts the pot off the stove and places it on the counter. She uses her magic to pour it into two bowls. She levitates the two over to the table and sits down.

You pick up the spoon sticking out of you bowl and bring it to your mouth. The scent of spices burning your nose. You put the spoon in your mouth and you’re instantly hit with a wall of heat; both from the spice and from the temperature. You cough as you swallow. You look up at Twilight, your eyes watering. She giggles and takes a spoonful from hers and does the same.

“Your friend sure does like it spicy.” You say.

“Yeah, I think she does.” Twilight says with a giggle.

“Once you get passed the spice it’s actually good, but it’s that first punch that gets ya.” You say looking at your bowl.

“Yeah, but it’s that first punch that ruins it.” Twilight says in a disappointed tone.

Twilight stands and levitates the bowls into the sink. She walks back to the table and sighs.

“What’s wrong?” You ask.

“I was hoping that soup would be good, but instead I ruined it.” She sighed.

“You didn’t ruin it, if anything your friend ruined it.” You say.

“Thanks, but you don’t need to make me feel better.” She says.

You look out and see the moon shining bright; making the falling snow look like falling sparks. You stand and walk over to the window. You look out over the fields of white, now illuminated by the moon. You can see the thick snow piling up.

“We should probably get some sleep.” Twilight says.

“Yeah.” You reply. You take one last look outside before following Twilight up to her bedroom, which was just a loft that looked over the living room.

You look and you can see two beds, one had a blanket with a star and moon pattern, the other had a blanket that was flat blue.

“Yours is that one.” Twilight says pointing to the bed with the blue blanket.

“Alright.” You say. You walk over and lie on the bed. You reach over and pull the blanket over yourself. You close your eyes and start to drift off.

“Goodnight.” You hear Twilight say.

“Goodnight.” You reply.

You open your eyes and you’re in Canterlot. The wind is blowing strongly and the cardboard walls around you rattled and flapped. You sit up and see the other three ponies in deep sleep. You stand and leave the shelter. The wind was cold, and this was a deathly cold, this was the type of cold that went straight to your bones. You shivered and continued walking. You walked through the back alleys and down the side streets. No real goal in mind, you just walked. You walked to the highest point in the poor part of the city. It was an outcropping that looked over the valley towards Ponyville, the lights of the small village twinkled like stars.

Suddenly you hear hoof steps behind you. You look back and see Flounce.

“What’re you doing here?” You ask her.

“I could ask you the same thing.” She said.

“I couldn’t sleep.” You say. You look back over the valley.

“Why not?” She asks.

“I was thinking… Of home, of my brother, my mother and my friends.” You say, you hang your head low. Your eyes start to water as you think of them. Flounce comes over and puts her arm around you.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure they’re fine. All of us at one point thought about home. You’ll learn to live without them.” She said.

“But I don’t want to live without them.” You sniff.

“Then why did you leave?” She asked.

“Because I wanted to make it easier on my brother. I didn’t want to strain him anymore.” You say, your voice cracking under your tears.

“I can understand, I left for the same reason. But we can’t keep dwelling on the past.” She says.

“But..” You’re cut off when Flounce puts her hoof on your lips.

“No buts. If we can’t move on, life will only pull you down.” She says. You sniff and wipe your eyes.

“Thanks. I needed that.” You say. Flounce wraps you in a hug.

“No problem kid, now come on, we need to sleep.” She says. The two of you walk back to the cardboard shack.

Comments

[Orange Horse]

WOO, NEW CHAPTER

[Late Registrator]

I agree with Anonymous.

[Machiniman20]

My ONLY major criticism is that you need a little bit more in terms of romantic detail. Try fleshing out your vocabulary a little, adding some phrases that may seem a little pointless here and there, mainly during dialogue.
Mind you, I am a complete and total nitpick, so don't take my criticism too harshly.

Other than that, it's great. So far, you've got a 4/5 from me, but if you added some more detail in terms of actions and expressions during dialogue, it would be perfect. It's not too sappy, and there are very few points that I found confusing.

Excellently written, sir (or madam, whichever is applicable.). I would definitely like to see more from you!

EDIT: Ah-HA! I knew I recognized your style from somewhere. I really liked The Wub That Blinds.

[Kabuto901]

yay new chapter!

[Spectral Tear]

This chapter really turned out well! And since many have said it I don't really need to add anything else to the vocab part. The story itself is coming along swimmingly, work on the next chapter soon!

[Phase Nexus]

I'm going to make a prediction. (I haven't read ahead>)

Twilight is going to go to Canterlot to be with her family.
Since Chance suggested it, I'll go with her to visit them and mabey introduce her to them.
Twilight meets Flounce.
Awkwardness/chick fight ensuses.