> Fire in the Frost
>  by applezombi
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Wonderbolts’ locker room was heavy with steam and regret.  Rainbow and Soarin sat on benches, awkwardly not meeting Spitfire’s gaze.  She understood completely.
“Look, I get it,” Rainbow muttered.  “I want to punch them sometimes too.”
“Yeah,” Soarin rubbed the back of his head with one hoof.  “It’s not like they haven’t pissed all of us off on occasion.”
“You don’t have to make me feel any better, either of you,” Spitfire muttered.  She walked over to her locker and ripped it open with a growl, making the other two flinch.  She paused, taking a few deep breaths.  “You didn’t deck a reporter.”
“Those clowns aren’t reporters,” Rainbow Dash protested.  “They’re vultures!  And that guy was a creep!” Her face flushed with crimson.
“You two deserve privacy.  Just like anypony else.”  Spitfire stomped her hoof on the floor of the locker room angrily.  “I just… might have taken it too far.”
“Nah, he deserved it,” Rainbow said, but she was shuffling awkwardly.  Spitfire huffed as she quickly shed her uniform, angrily tossing it into the laundry hamper that stood nearby.  “I wanted to hit him too.” 
Spitfire snagged her saddlebags out of her locker and closed it, a bit more gently this time.  She paused, resting a hoof against the cold metal as she leaned against the locker.
“So what happened?” Soarin asked, his voice nervous.
“Suspended.  For a month.  I’m missing the Hearth’s Warming show.”
“Woah,” Rainbow cringed.  “That’s bucked up.”
“No.  It’s what I earned.”  A ghost of her usual confident smirk dusted across her muzzle.  “Besides, you know what that means?  Soarin’s in charge.”
The two looked at each other, and Spitfire watched as the horror slid over both their expressions.
“B-but ma’am, we had plans!  Hearth’s Warming plans!” Rainbow protested.  Spitfire laughed.
“Eh, most of the organizational stuff is done.  Soarin’s just going to have to run practice.  Shouldn’t be too much more work than he was already putting in.”  She smirked, trying to be happy for them.  “It will still leave plenty of time for your… plans.”  She waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“I-It’s not those kind of plans!” Rainbow stammered while Soarin blushed.  “He’s just meeting my parents, is all.  We’re spending the holiday together.”
Spitfire blinked, pausing to take that little tidbit in.  “Woah.  You two are more serious than I thought.”  Rainbow nodded, shooting Soarin a cute little look.  “Honestly?  It makes me feel a lot better about punching that paparazzi.  Well done, you two.”
“Yeah, well, we’re trying to keep things on the down low for now,” Rainbow muttered, and Soarin nodded.  “Sorry you got caught up in the consequences.”
“It’s all good,” Spitfire shrugged.  Sure, she was pissed off, and now she had nothing to do over Hearth’s Warming.  “It was worth it to break his camera.”  And probably his jaw.
“Thanks for that, by the way,” Rainbow whispered while Soarin nodded fervently.  “I’d really like for those pictures to not get out.”
“I think we’re safe,” Soarin laughed.  “I saw how many pieces that film was in.”
The three of them laughed weakly for a moment.
“So what are you gonna do now?” Rainbow asked.  Spitfire shrugged.  “Don’t you have family you could go see?”
Spitfire grimaced.  She hadn’t told anybody but Soarin, yet.
“No,” Spitfire said simply, before Soarin could stammer something awkward.  Rainbow flushed, and Spitfire felt a little guilty.  “I’d rather not talk about it right now.”
Rainbow’s wings twitched with agitation.  “S-sorry!  I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s fine.”  Spitfire cut her off.  She sighed, and flipped her bags onto her back.  “I should get going.  Let you two get on with your day.”
“Um…” Rainbow scratched her chin thoughtfully.  “If you don’t have anything else going on, I might have an idea for how you can keep busy over Hearth’s Warming.”  She grinned sheepishly.  “I have a friend that needs a favor.”
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So I’m gonna be foalsitting?” Spitfire asked Princess Twilight skeptically as she followed the princess through the crystalline halls of the castle.
“Not foalsitting,” the princess corrected her sternly.  “Witness protection.”
“Sure, sure.  Dash made it sound like foalsitting.”  Spitfire laughed.  The princess sighed with exasperation as they reached a large staircase heading down.  “Woah.  Is this witness of yours in your dungeon?”
“Dungeon?” Princess Twilight yelped.  “N-no, I don’t have a dungeon!  Why would I have a dungeon?  This is the Castle of Friendship!”
“Relax, princess, I was just teasing,” Spitfire smirked.
Princess Twilight rolled her eyes as her horn lit, the magenta glow lighting the darkness descending below.  “Just because we’re going to the basement doesn’t mean I have a dungeon,” she scolded.  “We’re going to the library.”
“I thought your library was upstairs.” Spitfire was pretty sure she’d seen it as they’d walked past.
“That’s the upstairs library.  This is the basement library,” Twilight colored a bit as she spoke.  “Um, Spitfire.  Rainbow says you’re trustworthy.  But the basement library is where I keep my more… sensitive texts.  I have to tell you that everything here is technically a state secret.”
“Yeah, Dash already told me as much,” Spitfire shrugged, though inwardly she was curious.  What sort of secrets would the Princess of Friendship have?  “Don’t worry, I can keep a secret.”
“I believe you,” Princess Twilight smiled gently.  “But still, I hope you’ll understand that a lot of the stuff that’s going on is need-to-know.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Spitfire saluted.
“Great.”  Princess Twilight beamed.  “Now, the, uh, witness you’ll be guarding might be a little odd…”
They reached the bottom of the stairs, which ended in a heavy wooden door.  Princess Twilight lit her horn, pushing the door open with her magic.  Inside was a well-lit library, with rows of ancient looking books.
“Oh good, you made it,” came a voice from inside.  Spitfire nearly jumped in surprise.  She hadn’t expected anypony to be inside.  “We’re almost ready to bring her through.”
The speaker was a unicorn, with an orange coat and red and orange streaked hair.  She looked vaguely familiar, but Spitfire couldn’t remember from where.  She waved as the two of them entered the library.
The unicorn was standing next to one of the oddest contraptions Spitfire had ever seen.  It was a large oval mirror, surrounded with all sorts of gizmos and gadgets.  A closed book sat on a stand next to the mirror, hooked up to the contraption with some sort of cord.  The machine looked inert, but Spitfire eyed it nervously.
“Sunset!  It’s so good to see you!”  Princess Twilight rushed over and hugged the unicorn tightly.  “Everything is set up?”  Princess Twilight glanced at the machine with concern.  “But the portal’s not turned on.”
“Portal?” Spitfire couldn’t help but ask.  Both other mares glanced at her.
“Um, need-to-know,” Princess Twilight said awkwardly.  “Sunset Shimmer, this is Spitfire.  She’s going to be our guard for Adagio.”
“Spitfire?” Sunset’s face cocked to the side.  “The Wonderbolt?”
“Yes, but she’s helping us out for a few days,” Princess Twilight said impatiently, before Spitfire could answer.  “Why’d you turn the portal off after you came through?”
“I’m just trying to be careful,” Sunset said defensively.  “Trixie has the other journal, she said she’s contact me as soon as they were ready to bring Adagio through.”
“You gave the journal to Trixie?!” Princess Twilight’s wings flared out in distress.  Sunset laughed nervously.
“It’s fine.  She’s getting a lot better, really!” Sunset said nervously.  Princess Twilight’s eyes narrowed.
“Um,” Spitfire cut in.  She didn’t want to feel like a third wheel any more.  “I know there’s a lot of secrets bouncing around here, but I could at least use a little clue about what’s going on.”
The other two mares gaped at her for a moment, then blushed.
“Um, yeah, sorry, Spitfire,” Princess Twilight said.  “Um, okay.  Well, this here,” she pointed to the odd contraption surrounding the mirror.  “This is a portal to another world.  I’ve made some friends there, and they asked for my help with something.”
“Yeah,” Sunset glanced nervously between Spitfire and the princess.  “I guess the most important thing is this.  There’s this girl, Adagio Dazzle.  She’s a bit of a ha…” Princess Twilight cleared her throat, and Sunset blushed.  “Hoofful.  But she’s in danger, and she needs a safe place to crash for a few days.  Maybe even a few weeks.  So we thought, what better place than another world?”
“Normally I’d ask the girls to help watch over her,” Princess Twilight sighed.  “But they’re all out of town visiting family for the holiday.”
“What about you?” Spitfire asked curiously.  Princess Twilight looked nervous.
“Adagio and I have a history,” she said softly, as Sunset Shimmer cringed.  “I had to take away her magic in the other world.  She was making poor choices with it, and it was the only way to keep the others in that world safe.  So if somepony else can be her guard, that would probably be best.”  She paused, turning a concerned look on Spitfire.  “Um, are you sure you’re okay with this?  You don’t have other Hearth’s Warming plans?”
Spitfire was used to questions like that, but it still didn’t help the little dagger of hurt that spiked her heart.  She shook her head.  “No.  I got nothing.”  She was well used to the shocked, pitying looks that crossed their faces, and spoke up quickly, before they could start apologizing or something else embarrassing.  “So I’m not really foalsitting, I’m a prison guard?”
“N-no, not at all!” Twilight Sparkle waved her hooves frantically.  “Adagio is a victim in all of this.  She’s not under arrest or anything, and she agreed to hide out here.”  She sighed.  “And she has agreed to behave herself.”
“Whatever that means.”  Sunset muttered, rolling her eyes.
“So your job will be to keep Adagio safe for a few weeks.  Sunset and I will be through the portal, trying to resolve the…” the princess glanced at the portal.  “…the issues on the other side.  I’ve arranged for you two to stay at the palace, if you like.  Also I have a line of credit at all the local businesses, so if you need any food or treats, they can just charge it to the castle.”
“So just sit tight for a few days while hanging out with some kind of reformed criminal?” The idea was a mixed one for Spitfire.  On the one hand, staying put in one spot was never really her style.  On the other hand, this Adagio character sounded interesting, in a mysterious and edgy sort of way.
“’Reformed’ might be a stretch,” Sunset snorted with amusement.  “You should have seen when we…”
But Spitfire never got to find out what she would say.  The book, sitting on the stand built into the portal contraption began to glow and vibrate.  All three mares glanced at it, and Sunset walked over.
“It’s showtime, I guess,”  Sunset said, reaching up with a hoof to open the book.
Suddenly the mirror began to glow, rippling with a swirling purple light.  Spitfire’s eyes widened with surprise.  In her years as a Wonderbolt, she’d seen tons of strange magical things, but this was her first time looking at a portal from another world.  She stared at the portal, somehow expecting to see through it into this strange new world the others kept talking about, but though it was clearly active, it remained opaque.  
“Something’s coming through,” Twilight whispered, stepping back to give the portal some space.  Indeed, the swirling of the portal increased in speed, spinning about with bright flashes of light.  Suddenly it shined bright enough that Spitfire wished she’d brought her signature shades.  She covered her eyes with one hoof and shied back from the light.
A unicorn pony stepped out, with yellow fur and one of the most spectacular manes Spitfire had ever seen.  A voluminous curly orange mane spilled about her neck and shoulders, matched by an almost equally poofy tail that would have put even Dash’s friend Pinkie Pie to shame.  Her eyes were like sparkling rubies, filled with surprise and not a little wonder.  She was standing on her hind hooves, her forehooves dangling awkwardly in the air.  She gave a mild squeak of surprise before landing on her hooves.
“W-what is going on here?” she demanded, her voice full of casual authority.  “I’m a pony?  Why am I a pony?!”
“You know I warned you this might happen, Adagio,” Sunset chided.  “You knew it was a possibility.  Didn’t you listen to me?”
“I’ve had a bit more on my mind, Sunset,” the mare sneered, before glancing about the room.  “A library?  Of course it’s a library.  I thought I’d be seeing your ‘majestic castle’, Princess.”
“We’re in my castle!” Princess Twilight protested.  “And who are you to judge me for having a library in my castle!  I don’t see you having a castle!”
Spitfire snickered at that.
“Besides, what else would you have in a castle besides a royal library?” Princess Twilight continued.  Adagio glanced about, looking down at her hooves with distaste before taking a few experimental steps.  It looked clumsy at first, but she soon appeared to get the hang of moving, imbuing her walk with a sensual sort of roll as she stepped about the library.  It drew Spitfire’s eyes to her flanks, where she saw Adagio’s cutie mark; a topaz colored gemstone in front of some sort of musical symbol that Spitfire didn’t recognize.
“Oh, if I had a castle?” Adagio cooed.  “Twilight, I’ve had castles before.  I don’t have to imagine, I just have to remember.  And yes, maybe some of them had libraries, but also luxurious baths, galleries, banquet halls.”  She sighed with pleasure.  “Oh, and an entire wing for our harems.”
Both the Princess and Sunset went crimson, sputtering with embarrassment.  Spitfire cackled with amusement.  She liked this Adagio, but it was probably best to deflect attention away from the Princess before Twilight’s own embarrassment consumed her.
“Sorry to interrupt,” she stepped forward finally, holding out a hoof.  “Hi.  I’m Spitfire.  Princess Twilight’s asked me to look after you while you’re visiting this side of the portal.”
“Spitfire, hm?”  Adagio glanced at the offered hoof, and slowly reached out with her own.  “That’s a rather passionate name, isn’t it?”  Her eyes were half lidded, and her smile full of a thousand promises.  Spitfire laughed again.
“So do you always flirt in order to get to know new ponies?” Spitfire grinned confidently.  She quite enjoyed the sudden surprise she saw in Adagio’s eyes, before it was once again hidden behind her usual smokey look.
“Oh princess?  I approve of this one.  Feel free to scurry on about your friendship mission.  I think this Spitfire will do nicely for my…” she breathed the last word.  “…escort.”
Princess Twilight’s mouth opened in indignation, a sharp retort ready behind her eyes, but Sunset shook her head.
“Twilight…” she warned, and the princess sighed.
“You behave, Adagio Dazzle,” Princess Twilight shook her hoof at Adagio.  “We’re letting you hide over here as a courtesy.  If you make problems, I’m sure there’s still room in the Canterlot dungeons.”
“Oh, is that a threat?” Adagio purred.  “Or an invitation?  Because if you need to chain me up, or restrain me, I’d be happy to…”
Princess Twilight’s scream of frustration cut off suddenly as Sunset Shimmer shoved her through the portal.
“Maybe you should get her out of here,” Sunset looked flushed herself.  “Just close the door on your way out.”  She then stepped through the portal herself.
“So…” Adagio dragged the word out almost musically.  “Want to see how much trouble we can get into in Twilight’s castle?”
Spitfire raised her eyebrows.  “I thought you promised the princess you’d be on your best behavior.”
Adagio’s laugh was low and throaty.  “Oh, I did.  But you don’t know me very well.”  She began to saunter out of the library, her tail swishing with the slow sway of her walk.  “My best behavior isn’t very wholesome.”
Spitfire thought her cheeks would be sore later from all the grinning.  “To be fair, there’s not much mischief we can get into in a librarian’s castle.  Let’s head out anyways.”  She moved towards the library door, pulling it open with one hoof.  
“You’re just trying to clear me out of the castle,” Adagio pouted.
“Maybe.  But I’m pretty sure Dash told me Princess Twilight doesn’t keep any booze on the premises, so…”
“Ugh.  Very well,” Adagio sighed, but there was a sparkle in her eyes.  “I’ll allow you to lure me away from this boring castle.”
“Great!” Spitfire led the way up the stairs.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“It’s w-winter over h-here, too?” Adagio shivered as the two of them stepped out of the castle and onto the snowy street.
“Sure is,” Spitfire said as the two of them trotted through the snow, leaving hoofprints behind in the fresh fall.  “You didn’t bring winter clothing?”
“I was wearing it when I went through the portal,” Adagio grumbled.  “But apparently the stuff you’re wearing doesn’t carry through.”
“Oh.  Well, I’m sure we could wander back into the castle, see if Princess Twilight has something suitable.”
“Ugh.  I would r-rather not be even more indebted to that…”  she closed her mouth before she could say whatever invective Spitfire was sure was about to escape her lips.  After a deep breath, she continued.  “Don’t you have clothing stores?”
“Oh yeah,” Spitfire said.  “Ponyville’s got a few vendors.  I’m sure we could find something that works.  A scarf, and maybe some boots and socks?”
“It sounds l-lovely, but I’m afraid my assets aren’t very liquid at the moment,” Adagio said mournfully.  Spitfire wondered how a shivering unicorn discussing finances could somehow manage to sound so sensual.
“Well then, I have good news for you,” Spitfire said.  “Princess Twilight said she has an account with all the sellers here in Ponyville.  Anything we need will be charged back to the princess.”
“Oh!  So I can run up a mountain of purchases, all of which will be charged to Twilight?” Adagio’s eyes widened with glee.  
Spitfire shook her head.  “No, I can,” she rolled her eyes.  “And I still have to deal with her after you’re gone, so tread lightly, hm?”
“Killjoy,” Adagio pouted.  “Well, at least our basic needs will be met.”
“I’m sure we can do better than basic.”  Spitfire grinned.  “One of the best designers in all Equestria lives right here in town.  I know she’s away on vacation, but she’s left a friend in charge of her shop.  I’m sure we could go splurge a bit.”
“That wouldn’t happen to be… Rarity, would it?” Adagio said carefully, and Spitfire  glanced at her.
“You know Rarity?”
“It’s probably safe to say I know about her,” Adagio hemmed.  “If this Rarity is anything like…”  she trailed off, going silent.
“Princess Twilight wouldn’t tell me much about where you came from,” Spitfire said, curious.  Adagio shook her head, her mane swaying about.
“Not much to say.  It’s a nightmare on the other side, but I couldn’t exactly come back.  I…”  There was no hint of the casual sensuality she’d had before; the flirty seductress was gone, replaced with a mare that seemed unsure and maybe a little scared.  “…sorry.  You don’t need to hear about this.  You’re just my babysitter for the day, after all.”
“Hey, Princess Twilight made it clear I was more than a foalsitter,” Spitfire said as the two of them reached the town proper.  There were almost no ponies about;  most ponies seemed to be indoors, sheltering from the light dusting of snow that was falling down.  “I’m going to make sure you have a good time here, regardless of what else is going on.”
“Thanks,” Adagio whispered.  She glanced about the town.  “This place is… quaint.  It looks like something out of a child’s storybook.  Do you live here?”
“Me?  Nah,” Spitfire tossed her mane.  “I usually live up in Cloudsdale.” She fluttered her wings for emphasis.
“What brought you down to this little village?”
“I got grounded,” Spitfire said smugly.  “I punched a reporter, and stomped on his camera a few times, so my bosses suspended me for a few weeks.”
“You’re joking,” Adagio’s eyebrows shot up, but when Spitfire merely grinned, she slowly smiled back.  “You’re not joking.  I’m starting to see why I liked you so much when we first met.  You’re a bit of a bad girl yourself, aren’t you?”
Spitfire didn’t know why the accusation filled her with warmth.  She matched Adagio’s confident sway, swishing her own tail alongside the unicorns.
“Maybe.  The jerk snuck into a closed compound so he could take some pictures of some friends of mine making out.”
“So you chased him down and assaulted him?” Adagio asked.  Spitfire glanced around.  Technically there were still pending court cases, so she wasn’t sure how much she should be talking about out loud.  But there was still almost nopony about.  They were passing town hall, and from the lights inside, there was some sort of Hearth’s Warming event going on inside.
“Just a little,” Spitfire said proudly.  “And only after he wouldn’t give me the camera.”
“Ooh, I like a girl that knows what she wants and takes it,” Adagio purred, and there was just the slightest flutter of butterflies in Spitfire’s stomach.
“I should have called security and had them deal with it,” she admitted.
“But you didn’t,” Adagio said.  “You took the h-hooves on approach.”
“Yup.  One of the better decisions I’ve ever made,” Spitfire said smugly.  She hadn’t felt that way at the time, and she might regret it more later, but right now?  No regrets in the slightest.
“Oh?”
“It got me suspended, which got me right here.”
This time Adagio reacted, blushing slightly.  It could have been the cold.  “F-flatterer.”
“C’mon, let’s hurry up and get you to the boutique.”  She sped up to a trot, and Adagio followed after.
“You’re just d-doing this to show off your f-flank,” Adagio mock-complained, and Spitfire giggled.
“You’re admitting looking?”  Spitfire made sure to bounce her step just a little more, and heard Adagio’s throaty laugh in response.
“Oh yes,” Adagio breathed, in a breathy voice that certainly stirred the butterflies to life in Spitfire’s stomach.  “Admit it; you got a n-nice look back at the castle.”
Spitfire felt it wise to stay silent.  They passed the town hall and approached the carousel shaped building that Spitfire had seen from the air before.
“This is Carousel Boutique,” she explained.  “Rarity’s shop.  I’ve never been here, but Dash says it’s the best around.”
“Of course Rainbow Dash would say that,” Adagio muttered, a little bitterly.  “I wonder how alike they really were.” Spitfire glanced at her, but she’d already put up her usual sultry façade.
“Let’s go inside,” Spitfire said, a little nervously.  Apparently there were parts of this mystery that were just a bit uncomfortable.  She pushed the door open and heard the tinkling of bells above her head.
“Um, welcome to Carousel Boutique!” came the surprisingly male voice from inside.  Spitfire was even more shocked when Princess Twilight’s bipedal dragon friend trotted over.  What was his name?  Spurt?  Splash?  “Oh, hey Spitfire.  And, uh, have we met?”  He stared intently at Adagio.
“Are you… Spike?” Adagio asked, and Spike’s eyes suddenly widened with recognition.
“You!” he shrieked, pointing with a claw.  “What are you doing here?”
“Spike, calm down,” Spitfire inserted herself between them.  “Adagio, close the door, it’s cold out there.  Spike, we’re here on the Princess’ permission.  Adagio is her guest in town.  She didn’t tell you?”
“Yeah, she told me,” Spike muttered angrily.  “But I didn’t expect her to show her face here.”  He nearly spat.
“Spike, be nice,” Spitfire chided.  “Adagio is here to get some winter clothes.  You know coming through the portal makes the clothing you had on the other side disappear.”  Spike flushed with anger, spinning and turning his back on the mares.
“Whatever.  Well, I’m running the shop for a few days while Rarity is gone, so I guess just do what you have to do.”
“Princess Twilight also said something about an account for the castle?  Charging things to the royal tab?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Spike growled.  “Just keep her out of trouble.”  He pointed with an accusing claw.
“Adagio is behaving perfectly,” Spitfire defended.  “As opposed to a certain rude little dragon I know.”  Spike’s wings fluttered with anger, and he huffed, a tiny puff of smoke seeping out of his nostrils.   “C’mon, what would Rarity say about you treating paying customers this way?”
“But you’re not even paying, Twilight is!” he protested.
Spitfire shrugged.  “I guess we could go to Barnyard Bargains.  I’m sure they have scarves and socks there.  I’ll just have to be sure to apologize to Rarity that we couldn’t give her any business.”
Spike took a deep breath.  “Sorry.  Don’t go.”  His eyes still simmered, though.  “The socks are on the shelves over there, as well as winter boots.”  He pointed.  “Scarves are over here, hanging on a rack.”  He sighed.  “Look, I’m sorry, but if you knew what that… that creature put us all through, you wouldn’t be so quick to trust her.”
“Princess Twilight trusts her.  At least a little,” Spitfire said.  “Enough to leave her here while she goes through the portal to deal with whatever’s going on.”
“Look, I don’t want to argue, okay?” Spike said.  “Just don’t turn your back on her.”  He retreated to the counter, clearly uninterested in more conversation.  That didn’t stop his watchful eyes from following Adagio everywhere.
Spitfire huffed and walked over to the shelves he’d mentioned.  There were dozens of socks, all warm-looking.  She tried to ignore the suspicious dragon over in the corner and looked over the merchandise.
“I’m thinking I’d like some blue solids,” Spitfire said, picking up a set.  Adagio was watching her carefully.
“You’re not going to ask?” Adagio whispered.
Spitfire shrugged.  “Does it matter for sock shopping?”
The question appeared to catch Adagio by surprise, and she smiled.  It wasn’t the sultry sort of half-grin she usually wore, but something a little more genuine, and heartfelt.
“Thanks for defending me,” she whispered, and moved over.  “Blue solids?  Hmm…put it up against your fur so I can get a better look.”  Spitfire complied, and Adagio nodded approvingly.  “Oh, those will do nicely.  Now if I only get to watch you slip them slowly up your legs…”
That was more like it.  Spitfire shook her head, laughing.  “What about for you?  Maybe white and purple stripes?”  She found a likely set and held it out to Adagio.  She obligingly held them up to her own fur.  “Looks good.” The purple complimented her crimson eyes, and contrasted nicely against her yellow fur.  
“Boots next?” Adagio asked.
Spitfire snorted.  “You kidding?  We’re shopping on the Princess’ bit, here, Adagio.  We can’t just stop at one set.”
The smirk that Adagio gave her in return was almost vulpine.  In the end, they went with three sets each.  Boots were easier; they only needed one set each.  And of course they had to get one matching scarf for each set.
“You sure this is what Twilight had in mind when she opened up her accounts to you?” Spike asked them skeptically as he tallied up their purchases.  Spitfire smirked confidently.
“Sure it was, Spike.”  She shrugged.  “And if it wasn’t, it’s not like I don’t have money.  Relax.  If the Princess complains, I can cover it.”
“Whatever,” Spike shrugged with another suspicious stare at Adagio.  “Changing rooms are over there.”
“Thanks, Spike.”  At least one of them could be gracious.
“Do we need a changing room, though?” Adagio said far too innocently, a hoof to her chin.  “It’s just socks.”
“Knowing you?” Spike snorted.  “You’d make even something as simple as putting on socks into some sort of obscene display.”
“Why, thank you for the compliment, Spike,” Adagio curtsied.  “Peed on any fire hydrants lately?”
Spike darkened.  “Just put on your stuff and leave, Adagio.  And try not to do anything weird in my town until you leave, okay?”
“Hm, I don’t know if I can restrain myself,” Adagio purred, and Spike scowled at her.
“Play nice, both of you,” Spitfire said with a roll of her eyes.  “C’mon, let’s go get dressed.”
Adagio hadn’t been kidding about dressing in the open.  She slowly unwrapped the first pair of socks, using only her teeth to slowly slide it up one of her forelegs.  Spitfire blinked, her mouth dry.  Her eyes were locked on the striped purple and white fabric as it slowly slid over the fur, stretching to tightly hug the contours of Adagio’s limb.  Spitfire swallowed, before glancing up to meet her eyes.  There was an increasingly familiar vulpine glimmer, of course, but Spitfire also saw invitation and challenge.  She felt a growing flame of excitement in her belly.  Competition she understood perfectly.
Slowly, and while deliberately keeping her eyes locked on Adagio’s, she unrolled her own set, and began to slowly slide it up her legs, using her nimble wingtips.  She was rewarded when Adagio’s eyes dipped, following her actions for a brief moment before jerking back up.  There was enough pink in Adagio’s face that Spitfire felt the familiar rush of victory.
It was such a little thing, a simple distracted glance, a few blood vessels in the cheeks heating up, but Spitfire knew the taste of winning.  She made sure to keep running her feathers over her fur as she put on her own socks, and was rewarded with the sight of Adagio slipping in her own seductive motions once again, the sock slipping out of her teeth at least three more times.  She couldn’t help but give a raspy chuckle.
“H-hey, don’t tease.  I’ve never had to do this without hands before,” Adagio said, flustered.  Spitfire was about to shoot back, when she heard Spike give a disgusted snort.  Wincing, she realized she’d forgotten he was even there.
“I’m pretty sure I’m way too young to be watching this,” he said, glaring at them.  “You both wanna be less weird and get going?”
“Sorry, Spike,” Spitfire mumbled, then glanced at Adagio.  Adagio looked skeptical, then surprised, looking back and forth between Spike and Spitfire before finally groaning.
“S-sorry, Spike,” she acquiesced.  Spike looked rather shocked at the apology.
They quickly pulled the rest of their socks on, laughing a little at the mutual embarrassment, before also slipping on their new boots and scarves.  When they turned to leave, however, Spike spoke up again.
“Hey, uh, Spitfire?  Adagio?  Um, sorry I was a jerk.”  Adagio gaped at him.  “Um, yeah.  And happy Hearth’s Warming.”
“You too, Spike,” Spitfire waved.  “Thanks.”
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adagio was oddly quiet as they trotted through the snow towards their next destination; a quaint looking bar Spitfire had seen on her flyover into town.  It didn’t seem like a loaded silence, though, so Spitfire was content to wait for Adagio to speak.  Meanwhile, she enjoyed the silence of the quiet, snow draped town, and the casual company of the beautiful mare walking next to her.
“Can you tell me about Hearth’s Warming?” Adagio said suddenly.
“You… don’t know what Hearth’s Warming is?” Spitfire stopped dead in her tracks, unable to keep her jaw from falling slack.  She glanced back at Adagio, who was looking at the snow and pawing it awkwardly.  “Wow.  You really are from another world, aren’t you?”
“Forget it,” she mumbled, but Spitfire was curious now.  She stepped over and lifted Adagio’s chin.
“Hey.  What’s going on, are you okay?” Spitfire asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just lost in thought.”
“Oh yeah?  Want to share?” she asked.  Adagio started to shake her head, then stopped.
“I was just wondering if it’s anything like the holiday creatures in the other world celebrate this time of year.”
“Well,” Spitfire mused.  “It’s a holiday that celebrates the unity between ponies.”
“Ugh.  That sounds far too wholesome,” Adagio groaned.
Spitfire laughed.  “It can be.  It’s a day where we celebrate the harmony between pony races, but also different kinds of harmony.  Like the love between families.”  Adagio was making gagging noises.  “Don’t you have a family?”
It was the wrong thing to ask.  A wide-eyed look of dread oozed over Adagio’s face, and Spitfire flinched.
“Wow, that was really dumb of me,” she tossed her mane, angry with herself.  Spitfire knew better than anybody else what it was like to be on the receiving end of awkward questions like that.  “Sorry.  I get tired of people asking me questions like that, and what do I do at the first opportunity but blurt out the same idiocy.”
“It’s okay,” Adagio’s mass of curls swayed as she shook her own head.  “So that’s why you got the dubious honor of being my escort?”
Spitfire snorted.  “Dubious my hoof.  This has been the most fun I’ve had in weeks.  And that’s saying something, because I’m pretty sure I’ve got the best job in Equestria.”
“What’s that?”
“You really don’t know, do you?”  Spitfire grinned.  It was refreshing; she rarely met anypony who didn’t know who she was.  The glazed, adoring looks of hero worship on the looks of foals and adults alike grew monotonous after a while.  “I’m a stunt flyer.  Commander of the Wonderbolts, Equestria’s most elite flying team.”  She puffed out her chest as she said it.
“A mare in uniform?”  Adagio’s voice danced with delight.  The butterflies began their fluttering once again.  “How intriguing.”’
“I’d be happy to let you see it some time,” she shot back confidently, her wings fluttering slightly.  “But it’s less of a uniform and more of a furtight flight suit.”  Adagio’s eyes widened slightly, and Spitfire couldn’t help but grin at the reaction.  “C’mon, it’s cold.  Let’s find the bar to warm up our outsides and insides.”
“I can think of other ways to warm up,” Adagio whispered, and the butterflies began swarming.  There was a definite bounce to her step as she led the way.
“If I remember correctly, the bar was over here somewhere,” Spitfire pointedly ignored the last innuendo, instead simply reveling in the warmth their flirting brought.  It had effectively burned away the chill of her earlier faux pas.
They turned the corner and Spitfire moaned in frustration.  There was the bar, just like she’d remembered.  It was dark, with unwelcoming closed doors and curtained windows, and a large sign on the door.
“Closed for Hearth’s Warming Celebration,” Spitfire read, her voice drooping with disappointment.  “Horseapples.”
“Aw, don’t feel too down,” Adagio walked up beside her, their flanks brushing together as she wrapped a hoof around Spitfire.  “I’m sure there’s somewhere else in this town we can get a drink.”
“You don’t know Ponyville.” Spitfire snorted.  “Sure, the place is growing since Princess Twilight took up residence, but it’s still pretty small.  I wouldn’t be surprised if there were only one bar in the entire town.”
“Jeez,” Adagio laughed as she squeezed Spitfire around the shoulders.  “What brought that stuck-up goody g…” she cleared her throat.  “Er, I mean, what brought that mare to this town in the first place?”
“I don’t know the whole story,” Spitfire shrugged.  “She was a bit of a nopony before she suddenly became Princess.  I think she was librarian here before the library got destroyed.”
“Destroyed?” Adagio laughed.  “So she built her entire royal palace into several libraries?”
“I guess so,” Spitfire said, and they both laughed.  “Well, maybe the bar was a bust, but we could find a restaurant or something?  Maybe there’s at least one other business that’s as anti-festive as we are.”
“Anti-festive?” Adagio snorted with amusement.  “Sure.”
They turned away from the bar just in time to hear an explosion.  The ground trembled, and Spitfire crouched, spreading her wings as she stepped in front of her charge.
“What was…” Adagio began.
“Stay here!” Spitfire ordered.  “I’m going to get a little altitude!”  She fixed Adagio with a stern look.  Adagio blinked, then nodded, looking a bit frightened.
She coiled the powerful muscles in her legs and launched into the air, spreading her wings.  It was a mere heartbeat to get high enough to see over the thatched roofs, glancing towards the source of the sound.  It was the castle.
From what Dash claimed, things like sudden explosions were pretty common in Ponyville.  Spitfire had always chalked that up to Dash’s prodigious talent for exaggeration.  But with smoke now trailing from the castle’s façade, Spitfire was seriously reconsidering those assumptions.
Her eyes darted about, trying to find the source of the explosion.  Even at this distance it was clear from the rubble that something had burst out of the castle, rather than it coming from the outside.  She spun in the air, desperately searching for the source of the danger.
“ADAGIO!”  the scream ripped through her, making the very air vibrate with menace.  It didn’t sound like one voice, but thousands, dissonant and broken.  “ADAGIO!  I need to SEE you!  I need TO talk to YOU!  It’s CHRISTMAS, shouldn’t you SPEND it with FAMILY?”
Spitfire’s gaze finally landed on the speaker, a monstrous creature that made her shiver inside.  The creature was enormous, standing as tall as three or four ponies.  Fur and scales alternately covered her strange bipedal form, and two twisted, torn leathery wings extended from her shoulders.  Her two-toned blue hair was ragged and thin, but long, stringing down past her oddly-shaped legs to drag along the snowy ground.  A dark misty miasma appeared to float around her, seeping from her skin like a cloud.  Her eyes burned with a baleful blue light.
Spitfire darted down next to Adagio, who was trembling with terror.
“Okay, you know how all of this has been need-to-know for me up to this point?” Spitfire began, using her no-nonsense voice that usually got a great response from cadets.  “I need to know.”
“It’s my s-sister, Sonata!” Adagio stammered.  “She must have gotten past Sunset and the others!  This wasn’t s-supposed to h-happen!  They said they could f-fix her!  With their friendship lasers, or something!”
“ADAGIO!  WHERE are YOU, Adagio?”  The buildings around them rattled from the force of the scream, and both Adagio and Spitfire had to clench hooves over their ears.  “Merry CHRISTMAS, ADAGIO!  Let’s spend SOME time together!  AS a FAMILY!”
There were more crashes as something slammed into buildings.  Spitfire felt a jolt of horror.  Most ponies would be at the Hearth’s Warming celebration, but some could still be at home.  And whatever that was, it was crushing homes.
“Listen!” Spitfire ordered sternly.  “I’m going to need to get that thing away from town.  I need you to go somewhere safe.”
“Somewhere safe?” Adagio whimpered.  “THIS TOWN was supposed to be safe!  If she made it past Sunset and Twilight, now nowhere is safe!  I…”
“Hey!”  Spitfire took her by the shoulders and shook her hard.  “Listen up, Adagio!  You’re going to turn around, and you’re going to sprint back to Rarity’s boutique.”  She punctuated each instruction with a small shake.  “Once you’re there, you’re going to tell Spike what’s going on, and ask him to get a message to the other princesses however he can!  Ponyville’s defenders are all gone, and we need their help!”
“Adagio DAZZLE!” the voice ripped through the air again.  It was getting closer.  “Where are YOU hiding?  I WANT to see MY SISTER!  I’m going to TEAR this TOWN apart to FIND YOU!”
Adagio seemed frozen in place, unable to move.  Her eyes were wide, twitching with fright.  Spitfire physically spun her around, pointing her in the direction of Rarity’s boutique.
“Go!” she screamed, smacking Adagio hard against her flank with one hoof.  She was sure she’d catch Tartarus for that later.  She was also sure she’d probably enjoy it.  But at least it got Adagio moving, her hooves splashing fresh snow into the air as she galloped away.  Spitfire watched her go for only a second before launching back into the air, this time darting towards the monster as quickly as she could.  She was easy to make out, surrounded by a half-dozen small buildings she had already crushed with her frighteningly elongated claws.
As she flew closer she could see how truly terrifying the creature really was.  Her patchy blue skin looked sallow and unhealthy, and her misshapen, flat muzzle was twisted with a rictus grin. The blue mists that spun around her looked decidedly baleful. Her glowing blue eyes tracked Spitfire as she flew closer.  Spitfire got as close to the thing’s head as she dared.
“Look, I dunno who you are, but you gotta stop,” Spitfire called out.
“Buzz, BUZZ, little fly.  SHO, fly!” Her voice was cracked and breaking, but it sounded like the creature was trying to sing.  Spitfire flinched at the horrid sound.  The monster lifted a claw to swipe at Spitfire, and she easily darted out of the way.  “Fly AWAY from HERE, don’t BOTHER ME!”
“Hey, sure, I’d love to leave you alone,” Spitfire countered, darting back in front of her face when she tried to turn back to her destruction.  “But I gotta get you out of town, first.”
“OUT of TOWN!?” the monster shrieked.  “BUT Adagio is HERE!  ARIA said SO!  BEFORE I hugged her TIGHT.  I SQUEEZED and squeezed, and LOVED her SO MUCH!”
“N-no, Adagio’s not here!” Spitfire called, feeling a cold chill in her spine.  Had the monster harmed somebody else?  Maybe… killed?  She shuddered with horror while swooping to the side, trying to draw the creature’s attention away from Ponyville.  “We hid her outside town!  In the Everfree!”  She pointed at the forest.
“YOU sound like a LIAR!”  The monster swung at her, and Spitfire was just a tiny bit too slow to dodge, the claws catching just the edge of her wing as she dashed through the air, wrenching the wing painfully sideways.  She dipped in the air, losing altitude just enough to cut into the mist that clung on the snowy ground.  A quick gasp of pain and surprise was enough to get some of the blue mist in her lungs.  It smelled like cold, rotten meat, and Spitfire immediately gagged, suddenly fighting for altitude with wings that didn’t want to move.

You’re alone.

Visions spun in Spitfire’s head.
A cloud home, far too small for even the three ponies that lived there.
A father, slumped and nearly witless from drink.
A mother, working herself ragged to support them.

Not good enough.  You’ll fail.

Her wings beat the air, trying to rise above the mist.  She panted, trying to expel the foul stench from her lungs.

You’re not good enough.  A Wonderbolt?  Don’t make me laugh.

She flailed at the air with her hooves, as if trying to push the mist away.

Spitfire?  Your mom’s had an accident.  It’s bad.

She felt her body slam into the ground, and she gasped in pain, bringing more of the foulness into her lungs.

Dad?  Why’d you even show up?  Mom left you years ago, before…

She clawed at her face, her chest, with desperate hooves.

You’ll always be alone, now.  No family.  Mom dead.  Dad lost in a bottle.  Separated from your fans by your fame.  Separated from your squad by your rank, by your duties.  Always by yourself.

“Spitfire!  Hold your breath, don’t breathe it in!”

The voice broke through the visions, cutting through the mist like a blast of fresh, cold air.  It was Adagio’s voice.
“SISTER!” the monster shrieked from somewhere above her.  “It’s SO good to SEE YOU!  MERRY CHRISTMAS, Adagio!”
There was a haze over Spitfire’s mind, a curtain of pain and loss and grief, of loneliness and anger.  She struggled, shoving her hooves hard against the ground as voices swam about her.  Some were real. She tried to focus on one, the one that told her to hold her breath, but it was hard.  She wanted to take a deep breath, but something stopped her.
“It’s despair and loneliness!  The mist will latch on to your worst relationships, and fill your head with their voices!  Fight it!”
It was true.  Her father’s voice echoed all around her.  The smell of stale, lukewarm beer drifted through the air, mixing with the stench of the mist.  She heard the sound of something slamming into the ground.  Of Adagio screaming in terror.
“No,” she muttered.  Voices and mists swirled.
“No!” she yelled, and closed off her lungs.  Her chest burned almost instantly, begging for oxygen, but she didn’t dare breathe in another bit.
My daughter, Captain of the Wonderbolts!
The voice didn’t come from the mists, from outside, but from her memories.  Her mother, Misty Flare.  Always too busy.  Always working hard.  But always proud, always supportive.  Gone, but never forgotten.
You’re the reason I always wanted to become a Bolt, ma’am.  You’re an inspiration!
That time it was Rainbow Dash.  Sure, she was a subordinate, but that didn’t stop the warm feeling from growing in her chest.  Rainbow was a friend, too, no matter what regulations said.
A mare in uniform?  How intriguing.
This sultry voice was new, but no less welcome, pushing back the chilling mist with the warm fires of infatuation and maybe even, someday, something more.
“You can’t beat me,” Spitfire muttered with the last of the air in her lungs.  Her chest ached from lack of air, but she felt the tingling warmth in her limbs.  She flared her wings with the very last bits of her strength, her muscles screaming in protest as she launched into the air, dragging herself above the mists.
Desperately Spitfire filled her lungs with clean, fresh air, and the voice of her father, the smell of him, dissipated like smoke in the wind.  She was left with nothing more than the voices of her friends, and the fire that lit in her belly.
“Oh, Celestia,” she moaned.  “I’ve become an inspirational Hearth’s Warming tale.  I’ll never live down the lameness.”
She had only a brief second to take stock of the situation, to gather her thoughts and take in what was happening.  The creature had Adagio by the throat and was squeezing, while Adagio’s hooves dangled and danced helplessly beneath.
“I LOVE you, ADAGIO!  I love when YOU call me IDIOT, when YOU made me and Aria FIGHT because it AMUSED you and KEPT US weak.  And NOW I’m GOING TO love YOU until…”
Spitfire never let her finish.  With a powerful beat of her wings, she dove towards the creature’s head.  She wasn’t looking Spitfire’s way, her attention entirely focused on Adagio.  Spitfire slammed hoof first into her head, knocking it sideways.
The monster screamed in agony and her arms flew wide, flinging Adagio to the snowy ground.  Spitfire’s heart leapt with fear, but she could see Adagio coughing and twitching, so she turned her gaze back to the monster.
“No!  YOU’RE like ME!  LONELY!  Hurting!  YOU have NOBODY!”
“Yeah, think what you want, crazy,” Spitfire muttered, but immediately felt guilty.  Clearly this creature was hurting.  She could do better than that.  She thought back to all the conversations she’d had with Dash about friendship magic, all the lighthearted teasing she’d done about mushiness and rainbow friendship lasers.  “Um, you’re not alone?  You have friends?”
It may have been the wrong thing to say.  The monster shrieked with rage, swiping it’s claws so quickly that they slammed into Spitfire with a sickening crunch.  Pain knifed through her side, and she soared through the air, bouncing against the ground with a limp thud.  She tried to rise up, but agony burned in her ribs, and she slumped back down.
“Sonata, wait!” Adagio cried out, desperately.  Something moved beside Spitfire, and she opened her eyes enough to see Adagio standing over her.  “Please, stop!”
“STOP WHAT?”  Sonata shrieked, loud enough to make Spitfire’s ears ring.  “I’m just SHOWING you LOVE!  The SAME way you ALWAYS DID!”
“I know,” Adagio whimpered, and to Spitfire’s utter shock, slipped so that she was kneeling, her stomach pressed against the ground.  “I know, Sonata.  I hurt you.  I’m so sorry.”  She pressed her face down, close to the ground.  “Don’t hurt these ponies because of me.”
“But I’m NOT HURTING them!  THIS IS how you LOVE!”
“It’s not, Sonata,” Adagio whispered.  “And I’m so sorry it took me so long to realize that.  Please, stop all this, so we can talk.”
“TALK?  WHAT should WE talk about?”
“About what I did.  About how I used you.  About how I’m going to keep trying to get better.  Please?  You’re hurting ponies.”
Spitfire struggled to her hooves.  Each breath hurt, like a spike in her chest.  Probably a broken rib.  She stood aside her charge, looking up at Sonata’s wretched form.
“I… I… I don’t want to hurt PONIESssss….” The last word hissed out of her mouth, full of despair and self-loathing.  Sonata began to tremble, shrinking back from the two.  The mist seemed to retreat back, as if absorbing into her.
“No,” Spitfire muttered, watching Sonata tremble and shake as the foul air seemed to absorb back into the poor thing.  “That can’t be good.”
“What—” Adagio began, before yelping in protest as Spitfire again leapt into the air.  It was agony, but she kept her wings moving, pushing herself in a tight circle around Sonata.  The monster didn’t even seem to notice as she whipped around her, spinning up mist and air and snow in a flurry of movement.  Sparkles of white light trickled at the edges of her vision as the intense pain of her efforts screamed through her.  But she had to help.  It was what a Wonderbolt would do, after all.
As her usual tornadoes went, it was honestly pretty pathetic.  Barely a dust devil, really.  But it was enough.  A spinning mass of cold air, snow flurries, and vile blue mist danced around her.  With one last desperate gasp of effort, she released the tornado, spinning it off towards the Everfree.  She was barely conscious enough to watch as it rushed off, only to dissipate harmlessly as it slammed against the dark tree line.  It left behind not a monster, but a gently trembling earth pony with soft blue fur and a two-toned blue mane, her eyes closed in unconsciousness.
Something caught her before she could hit the ground.  Something that was shaking, but warm.  Something wet was brushing against her cheeks, her lips.  Kisses.  She was being kissed.  She opened her eyes just enough to look into a pair of trembling, wet ruby eyes.
“Is this…” Spitfire rasped, barely able to breathe in enough air to talk.  “Is this the part where you coo the line?”
“The… line?” Adagio asked, confused.
“My hero,” Spitfire whispered, and Adagio’s face flooded with bright red.
“Sh-shut up!” she stammered, even as she held Spitfire tight.  Laughing hurt, but it was worth it for that gorgeous blush.