The Deepest Magic

Ruins of Polarmino
April 29, 2:58 PM

The crumbling remains of the village of Polarmino were a depressing sight. Each day saw another building collapse little bit more into a dusty pile of ashes and scorched timber. A cold, relentless wind whistled through the wreckage of the meeting hall. The rows of small cottages on either side of the street lay silent, little more than hollow, burnt shells of what they once were. Everything had been torched in the destructive flames of the Chimera, leaving it black and dead; a stark contrast with the glistening white snow visible in all directions. It was a miserable scene.

But without any ponies, not even a windigo could feed on the negativity.

Feelings of sadness were not uncommon to the windigoes. While they feasted on disharmony and hatred, the emotion of sadness was usually not far removed from its more aggressive counterparts. To a windigo, sadness was the garnish on a meal: unnecessary, but still a nice touch.

But to be the one feeling the sorrow? That was something entirely new.

Still, the commander couldn’t deny what he was feeling. Somehow, even though the Equestrians had never really cared for the windigoes at all, seeing the settlement in this condition unsettled him. Perhaps it was the harsh reminder of the power of the Chimera. Or the unpleasant reality of death. Or maybe, it hurt to know that somewhere in Equestria, a pair of unique ponies he had become fond of would always carry this sadness with them, as well.

He had returned to the ruined town many times over the past two months, watching for any sign of life, pony or otherwise. Shortly after returning from his trip from Canterlot, he had found a curious creature, covered in black and white fur, which seemed to be lost and frightened within the decimated colony. He had not paid it much mind until he drew near to it, when it had hissed at him. Over his next few visits, he had sought out the fussy creature, which had apparently taken shelter somewhere with some remnants of food, because it never seemed to lose any weight. Recently, though, the little animal seemed to be running out of sustenance, because it was beginning to look more thin and gaunt than before.

He had wondered how he could help the poor thing, though without knowing what it could safely eat, he had been unwilling to offer it anything. And so, the little animal continued to become thinner and thinner until it was only a matter of time until it would die of starvation. And today, he was afraid of what he might find.

He slowly passed between the empty houses of the settlement, only half-aware of his surroundings. Deep in his thoughts, he had begun to wonder about the fate of Sky Streak and Lily Pond. He knew from the feeling he had several weeks ago that they had confronted the Chimera again, but he had no other news on the outcome. And so it was that he was so caught up in his own thoughts that he did not hear the voices until he was almost right on top of them.

He quickly gathered his wits and retreated to the cover of the nearest standing wall, peeking around the corner to watch for the intruders. He silently reprimanded himself for being so incautious. He perked up and listened to the conversation as it grew in volume:

“I had no idea it was this bad. How did it happen?”

“Barley told me that it disguised itself as a lost pony to sneak into the village, then destroyed everything from the inside.”

“I’m glad that everypony turned out alright, but I still hate that they had to lose their homes.”

“There was nothing any of us could do. Once the Chimera came here, we should have known that the colony was doomed.”

“I guess so. But that still doesn’t make it any easier to see this.”

He recognized the voices, of course. So they were victorious, and they both survived. Fascinating.

Suddenly, a soft mewing began on the other side of the wall. Surprised, he turned towards the source of the sound. Ahead of him, the pair of ponies sounded as though they had also heard the sound and were now approaching it. “Did you hear that? It sounded like…a meow.”

“Oh, no way. That’s just not possible.”

“Cuddles, is that you? Come here, Cuddles.”

Cuddles?

Another soft meow came from the partially-collapsed home beside him before he heard the distinct gasp of Lily Pond. “Cuddles! It is you! Oh, just look at you, you poor thing!”

“How in Equestria did she survive this long? It’s been three weeks!”

“Perhaps,” the commander said, rounding the corner into full view of his guests, “she is as resilient as the two of you.”

“Commander!” Lily exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise as she focused on the windigo. She was wearing another beige coat, much like the one she had been wearing when she visited his colony. Either it had been impeccably repaired, or she had obtained an entirely new one.

Beside her, the sky blue pegasus looked at him with a smug, fully confident face. Much like Lily, he was wearing a hooded white coat that matched the one from the battle over three months ago. “Hello, commander,” he said calmly. “I heard you didn’t wait around for me in Canterlot, so I figured I’d have to just come to you.”

Lily gave Sky a quick elbow in the side. “Don’t listen to him, commander; he’s just teasing you.”

He glanced down to see the little creature, looking more haggard than ever. It barely seemed to be able to stand on its own. Lily crouched down and used her magic to draw a cylindrical object from her saddlebags. She unscrewed the top portion, revealing a cap that doubled as a cup or bowl of some sort. Then, taking the main portion, she proceeded to pour out a steaming amber fluid into the cup. “Here you go, Cuddles…I’m sure you’ve missed this.”

Cuddles sniffed at the mug of liquid for a moment before gingerly leaning over and began to lap the liquid with her tongue. “I assume you know what this creature is?” the commander asked.

Sky looked at him curiously. “Well, yeah. This is Lily’s pet cat, Cuddles. We both assumed she had been lost when the Chimera attacked Polarmino, but it seems as though she’s tougher than we thought.”

“We’ll need to get her to somewhere warm,” Lily said, looking concerned. “Who knows how much longer she’ll be able to last? It’s been a long time to survive without proper shelter or food.”

“That cider seems to be having a positive effect,” Sky observed. He quickly turned back to the commander. “But that brings up a question: did you keep an eye on her during all this time?”

“I have looked for her on several occasions,” he admitted, “but I have not cared for her. I did not know what she would use for sustenance. Windigoes are poor at discerning food sources for other creatures, I’m afraid.”

“It’s fine,” Lily replied. “She seems to be alright, if not a bit thin and weary, but I think we can handle that with some time.” She sweetly ran her hoof across the back of her furry friend as she continued to imbue the welcomingly warm cup of cider.

“I am pleased to see that you survived your final encounter with the Chimera, pegasus,” the commander said. “Was it as I said it would be?”

“I never knew that windigoes were foresighted,” Sky replied. “I have to thank you for that, commander. If it hadn’t been for what you told me, I might never have figured out how to beat that thing.”

“The windigoes are not foresighted. We merely understand other creatures and their weaknesses better than others,” he replied solemnly.

“Oh, uh…I meant that as a joke,” Sky said.

“I see. I am afraid humor is a subject with which I am not well-acquainted.”

“But I meant it when I said thank you.”

The commander straightened up and gazed down at the ponies proudly. “Of course. Any windigo would be proud to have helped contribute to the downfall of such a creature.”

Sky seemed to smile sadly. Lily placed her hoof against his side, apparently a gesture of support. “Commander, I’m glad you’re here. This is likely the last time we’ll see you for a very long time.”

The windigo arched an eyebrow, causing a disparity between the brightness of each eye. “And why is that?”

“Well, see, both Lily and I will be living in Canterlot. I’ve been living there for the past year or so. And since Polarmino is gone, Lily has to find another place to live, so she’s decided to join me in Canterlot.” He paused before quickly adding, “I mean, not living together, just in the same city.”

“Do your princesses have no plans to rebuild the town here?” he asked, looking around at the wreckage.

“Well, not right now,” Sky continued. “See, Celestia and Luna agree that the windigoes deserve some space, and since we worked together several times over the past few months, we don’t want to damage anything that we may have started to build. So they’ve decided to leave these lands empty for now.”

“And what of these ruins?”

“The ruins of Polarmino will remain as a monument of sorts,” Lily interjected. “A reminder that when a great danger threatened us both, the ponies of Equestria and the windigoes were able to put aside their differences and stand together.”

“Then you are merely here to say goodbye?” the commander asked. He did his best not to display any emotion, even though he felt a twinge of nostalgia.

“I guess so,” Sky said, looking like he was trying to put on a brave face. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again, but it probably won’t be for a long time, and we didn’t want to disappear without any explanation.”

“Well, then…I must admit, I am saddened by this,” the commander admitted. “I am not entirely certain, but I believe that I was beginning to grow fond of the two of you.”

“You know, commander, I think that’s true for all parties present,” Sky commented.

Cuddles finished lapping her cider and meowed contentedly. “Well, if nothing else, I think she’s in better spirits,” Lily said, placing her thermos back into her saddlebag. Then, she gingerly lifted the cat into the air and placed her in her other bag, tucking her in neatly in an attempt to keep her warm. “But we still need to get her some shelter.”

“Then you must be on your way,” the commander said abruptly. “You cannot risk the life of your companion any more.”

Lily recoiled at the brusque nature of the windigo’s comment, but Sky stood his ground. “If my journeys should bring me back here, I will come looking for you,” he said. “And I expect to find you.”

The windigo raised an eyebrow slightly as Sky continued. “And if I don’t see you, then I’ll have to believe that you’re hiding from me. Probably because you don’t like me. And that may just be enough to keep me from coming back ever again.”

The commander snorted. The comment was strangely amusing. It was as if, for a moment, Sky understood the mindset of the windigoes and knew how to manipulate them. Perhaps he did. “I hear you,” he replied at last. “And rest assured, if you come here again, you will see me.”

“Until that time, then,” Sky said as he and Lily bowed.

“Until then,” the commander echoed as he took to the air and headed for home, smiling the entire way.

“Do you think there’s hope for the windigoes?” Lily asked as the commander faded from sight.

“Hm?” Sky grunted. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, we may be friends (so to speak), but he’s still a windigo. He will still feed off of our negative emotions and feelings that we’d rather not have. How can we build a relationship on that?”

Sky merely sighed and shrugged. “I don’t know, Lily. I’d like to believe that everything will work out in the long run. But we’re not foresighted, either. We don’t know what the future holds any more than he does.

“In spite of that,” he continued, “I think that what we’ve done so far is a fantastic first step. Before we went to the windigo colony, we were enemies. Now, we’re on speaking terms, even to the point that one of the windigoes travelled all the way to Canterlot to warn us about a specific danger. I can’t be certain what will happen in the future. But I do know what has happened up to now. And that makes me feel pretty confident about the future.”

Lily couldn’t help but smile. “You certainly have a way with words.”

He her words brought a look of surprise to his face. “You think so?”

“I do. But it’s probably because you don’t know when to shut up,” she added with a mischievous smirk.

“Oh, har har,” Sky moaned. “Let’s get Cuddles somewhere sheltered.”

“Good idea.”

“And maybe I can find somepony who will treat me with some civility,” he shot back.

“To you?” Lily said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Miracles happen, but I think you’re pushing it.”

“Sweet Celestia, what did I do to you?” Sky exclaimed. “I should go back to the windigoes! I might have better luck with them!”

Lily half closed her eyes and leaned into Sky, prompting a small meow from her saddlebag as it was squished between them. “Fine, I’ll be nice. I’m just trying to stay even with you.”

“I like to win,” he said with a spark in his eyes, “but with you, I’m content with a tie.”