The Secret of Ponyville

Chapters

A Woeful Trade
A Deadly Foe
A Modest Hamlet
A Betrayal Most Foul
A Frozen Heart

A Woeful Trade

Hello. My name is Rarity, and if you’re reading this, I’m probably dead. I have betrayed my best friends. Though I can never fully make amends for my actions, it would alleviate some of my guilt knowing that somepony learns of the terrible deeds I have done. I don’t even deserve your pity, though I suffer a terrible fate. I’ve earned this, and every other punishment I’ve since received. So, to set my conscience at ease, I will recount to you the story of how I turned the most beautiful town in the world into a desolate swath of pain and misery. I am talking of course, about the lovable town of Ponyville.

It began, I suppose, about fifty years back. I was a filly then; you’ve all seen my brilliant rendition of the tale. I was coming of age. My other classmates all had their cutie marks, and though I’d recognized my talent for fashion, the mark still hadn’t appeared—and I couldn’t imagine why. Then of course, my horn took me on a long and relentless journey to a boulder filled with gems. That was where I realized my fashion designs lacked flair, and the addition of gems to the costumes for my school play earned me my cutie mark.

Such a brilliant and inspiring tale, isn’t it? If only it were true. No, my cutie mark appeared for a far less innocent reason. You see, I am—was—a treasure hunter. Well, more of a treasure hoarder, but my insatiable thirst for precious articles was the key. You see, that story involving the gems is partly true. I was dragged quite some distance by my horn, and my cutie mark does have a lot to do with precious jewels, but that’s where the truth ends and the lies begin.

~ ~ ~

I hadn’t quite discovered my magical abilities just yet. Born into a hunting clan in the far north, I spent my days helping to maintain the village; patching up ice walls; collecting snow for melting; keeping the woodpile stocked—when I wasn’t getting into mischief. As the only unicorn family, it was rather difficult to keep up with the earth ponies and pegasi when it came to menial labor; unicorns aren’t exactly built for lifting much weight unless they can do it telekinetically. I would often practice with my horn, but having never felt magical energy surge through my horn, I was mostly groping in the dark.

My parents tried helping me learn how to freeze ice to the ice walls, creating a single solid mass, but my magic hadn’t quite matured yet, I suppose. They said it would ‘just show up’ one day, and that I’d ‘just know’ how to use it, but waiting became extremely tiresome. I spent some of my free time in the center of the village, near the ice sculpture my father had crafted in his youth. It depicted Icy Gale, the earliest name anyone in the whole clan could remember. Her wings almost seemed lifelike, slicing through the wind high above the wall. She had lead an expedition to search for a crystal cave that was supposed to be nearby, but they’d never found it; She and her team had been forced to erect a shelter in order to survive.

It was said that a unicorn foal had been born to one of the earth ponies with unicorn blood, which I suppose must have been my great great grandfather, Frost Shard. He had originally constructed the ice wall which surrounded the village, protecting it from ice storms and any predatory creatures in the area. I liked to imagine that it was his cutie mark emblazoned upon the base for the sculpture.

So intricate was the design, so… flawless. The mark was cut into the snow crusted ice, then filled in with ice so crystal clear and smooth it shimmered under the right light. My friend, Snowflurry, often caught me gazing at it intently, and never passed up the opportunity to laugh. Such precious items had always dazzled me, and I often went searching for them when I wasn’t mesmerized by Icy Gale’s statue.

Other ponies didn’t take kindly to me walking into their huts unannounced, though. I didn’t understand what all the trouble was. I just wanted to look; I wasn’t going to take anything, but try telling them that. In their defense, I did nearly walk out with a large sapphire necklace once. I’d put it on, admiring the way it matched my eyes, then scampered quickly when the family returned home. The father caught me out the back door, which earned me a charge of attempted theft.

There wasn’t really a justice system for such a small village, but my parents weren’t exactly happy with my behaviour. Of course I could never explain my fascination with precious gems to a village of earth ponies and pegasi, who were far more interested in when the next storm would be rolling in. They were certain I was seeking out the gems intentionally, watching for anypony who brought some in from a scouting patrol.

Really, I couldn’t explain how I was so drawn to them, I just was. I somehow knew they were there, like some innate extrasensory ability that would turn my path until I found a hut that met my fancy. In I’d stroll and there would be the beautiful rubies and diamonds.
Can you blame a filly for being curious? My misdemeanors earned me frequent scolding from my parents, and on rare occasions, scouting runs.

Today was one of those days. It would have been a rather dreadful task, being forced to wade out through the thick snowdrifts with no warm feathers to protect me. However, a pegasus filly named Snowflurry had decided to tag along to keep me company—something about needing a navigator. Usually this meant that she would keep an eye out and I would simply follow, despite the task being assigned to me as punishment for acting out. Besides, I was rather dreadful at navigating through snowstorms.

But following Snowflurry through a snowstorm was a task in and of itself. She had a snowy white coat and a near white mane, with some streaks of dark grey, which made her nearly impossible to see in the snow. And she had a nasty habit of hiding behind snowdrifts and popping out to scare me. Not that I truly minded of course. I was glad of the company.

Snowflurry was a special kind of friend. The sort where you didn’t know how or why you met; you’d just always been friends. She and I had grown up together, and she’d rescued me from all sorts of mischief all over the village. And on special occasions, she would be the only one to sit and truly listen to my troubles. Odd that I was the one named Rarity, and not her.

Our task was to keep an eye out for any wolf packs that might be moving through the area, or caribou. If any of either were spotted, we would report back and a hunting party would be sent out after them—either to scare them off or bring them in. You’d think ponies couldn’t eat meat, but we could, somehow. The wind was cold, and bit at my nose and my horn. Snowflurry didn’t mind so much, being covered in feathers—lucky girl—but I needed a scarf and thick snow boots just to come this far.

I strained my eyes to see anything on the horizon, but with the heavy winds and thick snowfall, we may as well have been searching for a snowfox in this blizzard. And then I found this odd sensation I often bumped into when strolling through town, often finding gems. It felt odd, but somehow important, as though it had been planted there just so that I could discover it. I pulled at it, curious as I’d ever been, and of course nothing happened. Nothing ever did, other than the small tickle which graced the tip of my horn for a moment.

“Hey, look over here!”

I looked up. Snowflurry had gone on ahead while I was focusing on my horn. I slowly stumbled over to where her voice had come from, trying desperately to shield my face from the wind with my scarf.

“Boo!” Snowflurry leapt up from behind a snowbank, startling me. I lost my footing and slipped, tumbling—rather ungracefully—over the edge of the bank, and landed face first onto a thick sheet of ice.

“Ha-ha. Careful there,” Snow laughed, trotting up to me. She helped me to my hooves with a wide grin, then turned her attention to the ice. “Whoa, check it out! I didn’t know there was a lake out here.” She scurried out onto it, sliding around gleefully.

Remembering what my parents had taught me about ice, I first inspected the lake to make sure it was safe; Snowflurry shouldn’t be out there yet. There was a raised lip of ice surrounding the entire edge of the lake, as though the whole surface had sunken in, and the resulting broken pieces around the edge had melted back on to the rest of it. It was a captivating conundrum, but determining the safety of my friend was more important, and I wanted to get back before I froze to death. My mane had already frozen to my withers. I placed a tentative hoof onto the ice, drawing back instantly at the biting cold surface.

“Snowflurry, wait! I’m not quite sure it’s safe.” I decided I should go fetch her; the ice had been sturdy enough near the edge. As long as I was careful…

“Aww, come on. How often do you get to slide around on some ice with nopony watching? Just a few more minutes and we can get back to scanning for snowdrifts.”

She used her wings to propel herself around the lake, cackling giddily as she went. I trotted further out—careful not to slip—and noticed the ice was getting thinner as I got nearer to the center, and Snowflurry was gliding over a dangerously thin patch near the middle.

“Snowflurry, stop. The ice looks really thin over there.”

She did indeed stop, but rather than heed my warning, she trotted right on top of it, and looked down.

“Whoa! Check it out. You can see straight through, like there’s nothing there at all, and look, what do you suppose that is?”

I followed her gaze, but all I could see was the reflection of her icy blue eyes. I moved closer, and noticed a rather odd phenomenon. Beneath the water’s surface was a second surface of some other liquid. She and I stared at it for a good long while, mesmerized by it’s peculiar existence.

Then, we heard a loud crack. Well, felt is more like it. Before either of us could react, the ice had begun to give way beneath us. I scrambled for the thicker ice on the edge, but Snowflurry was not so lucky. As the surface disappeared and evaporated before our eyes, a powerful gust of hot air blew Snowflurry’s mane straight up. She fell over, stunned by the sudden blast of air. Her wings twitched uselessly at her side as the ice fell away beneath her. I saw the horrifying look of fear in her eyes as she whispered a silent plea for help, and sank through the growing hole in the center of the lake.

The next thing I heard was a loud sizzling sound, quickly drowned out by the agonized screams of my best friend.

“AAAAGGGH!! RARITY, HELP!! IT BURNS!!”

I crept closer to the edge, trying to see down into the hole Snowflurry had fallen through, but the ice cracked and fell anytime I got close to the edge. I couldn’t even see what was hurting her. Whatever it was was glowing red, and emitted a blistering heat. I had to help her, somehow, but there was nothing to do except wait for the rest of the lake to melt and then join her terrible fate. If only I had my magic.

My magic!

Yes. If I could unlock my magic, I could lift her out of there to safety. Telekinesis was a standard spell for all unicorns. I closed my eyes and concentrated hard on finding that odd sensation I’d been tugging at earlier. I grabbed hold of it, and ripped it to the forefront of my mind with whatever mental strength I possessed. My horn exploded with an odd tingling sensation, as though a thousand snowflakes were pelting the inside of it all at once. This had to be it. Now for a spell.

Come on, come on. Just get her out of there. I’ve got to save her! I thought to myself, as though simply wishing it hard enough would make it happen.

But I couldn’t lift her up—I couldn’t even feel her. I tried to reach out and find her with my magic, but she was simply not there. I reached out as far as I could in any direction. There had to be somepony nearby.

“Somepony! ANYPONY! Please just help me!” I cried as I struggled to find some magical grip on Snowflurry.

I felt a sharp tug on my skull, and the ice began sliding beneath my feet.

“What?! What’s going on?” I opened my eyes to see the lake almost entirely melted by now. Snowflurry’s screams slowly died off as the entire scene sped quickly away from me through the wind.

“No! Stop! You have to take me back! I have to save her!” I dug my hooves into the snow, but it was no use. I was properly hooked, and being taken somewhere unknown against my will. Tears flowed down my cheeks and froze quickly in the biting wind as I struggled helplessly against the tug of my own horn. I uttered a quiet promise to my friend as I stared longingly back at what I now knew to be her grave.

“I’m sorry, Snowflurry. I promise I’ll come back. I’ll find a way to save you. I promise.”

~ ~ ~

“Are you alright, young one?”

The question was voiced only in my head, but I certainly wasn’t the one to say it. It came in a calm, soft, soothing voice, rather unlike my own. It sounded exquisite, as though its owner had an affinity for the uncommon or refined, and it echoed around me as though from a vast chamber. I cast my gaze around for the speaker, but found nopony. It was dark, wherever I was—far too dark to see.

“Ah, yes. I had forgotten you do not see well without light.”

A brilliant blue light flared up somewhere in front of me. I blinked, quickly at first, but more slowly as my eyes adjusted to the new light. I was in a small cave, decorated by a myriad of dazzling crystalline shapes jutting from the walls. The floor beneath me was perfectly smooth, like ice. The far wall glowed brilliant sapphire blue, the source of the light, and curled up in front of it was the unmistakable form of a snowfox.

A halo of blue light radiated through its stunning white coat. Sparkling strands of snow colored tail fur swayed bewitchingly backward and forward on top of its snout, matching time to the gentle rise and fall of its side. Eyes closed in peaceful slumber, it appeared to be sleeping.

“Hello.” The voice called out in my mind again. I blinked, and looked around for the source of the voice. It chuckled, which matched the sudden erratic breathing of the fox just then.

“Figured it out yet, have you?” It was teasing me, I realized. The fox’s eyes opened then, revealing that they too were brilliant sapphire blue. They appeared to glow from within, as though they provided their own light. I stared into them, awed by their stunning contrast against the snowy white fur.

“Oh, do go on with your admirations; I know I am quite a beautiful creature, but I believe you called out to me for a reason?” The fox stood up and arched its back, stretching as it said this, and waving several snowy white tails in the air behind it. I blinked a few times and checked again to be sure I had counted right, subconsciously pointing with my hoof. One, two three… Yes, there were six tails coming from the fox. I wasn’t sure how I’d missed the extra tails a moment ago, but there they were, extending upward further than the length of the fox’s body.

“Yes, yes, I have six tails. Are you going to ask me for something or not?” The fox rolled its eyes and shook its head, thrashing a tail or two forward like a whip.

“Oh, I um…” I stuttered, trying to remember why I was here in the first place.

“It speaks. At last.” The fox laughed again in my head as I listened to the sound of my own stuttering echo around the walls of the cave. “And what might I call you, my young dear?”

That much I did remember. “Oh um, Rarity, good sir.”

The fox smiled (if that was possible) and silently trotted up to me. “Ah. And a rarity you are.” I stood perfectly still as it walked a circle around me, brushing its furry tails over every inch of my body. They tickled, as though licking me with magic, and I stiffened at their touch, but they didn’t seem threatening, so I forced myself to relax. My eyes remained fixed on the opposite wall, which shone like a crystal lantern.

“Well, miss Rarity, you may call me Burūfok. I am the guardian of this cave, and I can grant you something you may desire, but you must give up something in return for it.”

I continued to stare ahead at the opposite wall, noticing the intricate facets of the crystal there. It seemed to grow larger, blocking out everything else in the cave, almost as if it were staring back at me, drawing me closer to it. I reached out a hoof to step forward, then stopped. Snowflurry. I have to rescue Snowflurry. No time for gems now. I tried to turn my head, but it seemed to be fixed in place. I pulled harder, nearly groaning with the effort, and slowly, ever so slowly, I turned until my eyes could no longer remain locked to the crystalline wall.

Instantly, a cord was severed, and my body became my own once again. The first thing to enter my field of vision was Burūfok. His snout nearly touched mine, and he stared straight into my eyes. I swallowed hard. I knew what I wanted, but to give up something in return? I had never been very good at that. I don’t care what it takes, I just want her back. A tear escaped my eye, as I recalled our fillyhood together. She had been the only one who could talk me out of anything. The only one kind enough to stay with me no matter what, even when nopony else would even look at me. Or even when I didn’t want to be seen. She’d always seen through me, and that kind of friend just didn’t happen twice.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, and asked him. “Please. Please just bring back my friend. I’ll be so lonely without her.” The tears began to steadily stream down my cheeks. I’ll give anything. I heard him chuckle in my head once more, which was joined by an audible, sharp gekkering.

”Such a fascinating creature you are, to resist your nature so easily... Very well, I shall return life to your friend, and in return for your admirable integrity, I’ll even lend you my power to draw on for the duration of your own life.”

He walked back to his spot near the far wall, and curled up, then began to glow intensely bright. His six tails reached up into the air, swirling around each other slowly, but growing steadily faster. Thin wisps of magic began to float in the air between them, glowing the same sapphire blue as everything else in this cave. Faster and faster they spun, until they formed a vortex which began to spin the air around it. My mane began to whip my face as the wind caught it, and before long I had to close my eyes.

Something cold brushed my face, and I opened my eyes again. I was no longer in the cave, and began to wonder if I ever was. I was lying down in the deep snow. The wind was biting cold, and my scarf had frozen around my neck. I stood up and looked around, but was unable to make out anything in detail amidst the snow flying everywhere,.

I was lost out in the middle of nowhere, with no one to help me. Snowflurry usually showed up right about now with a warm blanket, and her keen sense of direction. As I remembered the horrifying scene from before, I began to cry into the wind. Snowflurry was gone, and she wasn’t coming back.

My flank itched, and I turned to scratch it with my horn. I gasped. There, on my flank, were three blue sapphires, printed into my coat. My cutie mark! I should have been excited, but it was hard to feel happy when I’d just lost my best friend. A dull pain formed in my chest. She should have been here to share this moment with me.

I heard a chuckle echo from somewhere in my head. Was that… The fox! The chuckling grew into a loud, chittering laugh. So it had been real. Which meant Snowflurry was alive! I searched for the direction I’d come here from, but there were no tracks in the snow, and I couldn’t remember arriving here in the first place. The laughter in my head continued as I closed my eyes, and concentrated with my magic.

Nothing. There was nothing nearby, and no way to figure out where I was going. I was lost. Well, that fox wasn’t going to get his amusement out of me yet. I opened my eyes, faced forward and began to walk—wherever that would take me. Surely I’d reach something identifiable soon enough. And as luck would have it, my first hoof-fall went straight through the snow, which broke and began to slide forward, and downward. I struggled to keep my footing, as the snow beneath me gave way.

I fell several feet and landed in a thick blanket of white powder. Just as I was getting up to shake myself off, more fell on top of my head, and the whole slew of it began sliding as one large mass. Faster and faster it went, picking up more along the way. Well that was it. I had no way of knowing where this snow-slide would take me, but it didn’t matter now. Wherever it was headed, I was going with it, willing or not.

I struggled to maintain my balance, but ultimately could not. The snow churned and swirled, flying up in large volumes to crash over my head. The white world around me turned black as I slipped beneath the snow. It was a sickening ride as I turned end over end by the thrashing wet powder, tumbling down the side of the mountain I’d been standing on. My prison opened up to the outside air for a few dizzying moments, and I noticed that I was airborne. Then it clamped shut and I went tumbling through darkness again.

After several more minutes, I noticed that the world had stopped violently turning, but now I found myself unable to move, trapped in complete darkness beneath the snow. NO! I couldn’t just die like this. That damned fox had promised. There had to be some way to escape. I couldn't even figure out which way was up. I was completely stuck. If I could cry, I think I would have. The snow got slowly colder, draining the heat from my body as I desperately tried to think of a way to escape.

There was none. I was going to die here, without even the chance to say goodbye to my parents. My heart ached as I thought of them, sitting at home wondering why neither of us had returned. After a few hours they’d sent out a party to look for us, expecting to find us frozen in the snow or beneath the ice. They’d find Snowflurry, hideously marred beyond recognition by whatever evil had melted and eaten the lake. And they’d assume I’d met the same fate—my tracks leading away would be gone by then.

If I could just melt the snow... I reached out with my horn, searching for the surface. If I could just find which way was up maybe I could… Suddenly, I could feel water pouring over me. It ran through my already soaked mane, growing thicker and warmer until at last I felt a chilling wind on one of my hooves. The spell’s success took me a bit by surprise, but I was beginning to become accustomed to the feeling of using magic. I guess my father was right after all.

The pool of water that had collected around me was rather soothing, and the tunnel reaching up before me didnt look quite as inviting, but I needed to get back to Snowflurry, so I scrambled up the steep slope as best I could, and out into the world above.

The biting wind from earlier had ceased, and with it, the punishing snow. The moon glowed brightly in the clear night sky as I shivered against the frigid air, pulling my soaking wet scarf tighter around myself in a feeble attempt to keep warm. A nice dry, wool blanket would be absolutely wonderful right about now. The snowdrift I’d just climbed out of reached upward to my left. Looking up, I saw that it extended up the side of a mountain—the cause of my latest plight.

As to where Snowflurry was, I hadn’t the slightest clue where to begin. I’d woken up in that cave, so there was no telling where it was in relation to my home village, and there were no landmarks in sight other than the mountain I’d just tumbled down. I felt the tears well up in my cheeks long before they actually broke. I was never going to see Snowflurry again. I was never going to see my family again. It was hard to tell if I was shivering from the cold or from sheer and utter grief.

I don’t know how long I sat there, or how I kept from freezing to death. Perhaps it was the simple forlorn stubbornness of one who refuses to admit their loss. I’d like to think it was Snowflurry, sending me a comforting wing from beyond the grave. Perhaps it was her who encouraged me to get up, and begin my long, slow trudge through the frozen wilderness.

~ ~ ~

My scarf had frozen solid around my face when I first saw the smoke, but it had kept me warm. The sun had risen again, and the light of the dawn revealed a column of smoke rising in the distance. It was still very far off on the horizon, but it meant hope. Hope of finding out where I was in this vast tundra; hope of escape from the cold. I could no longer feel my hooves as they pressed on through the thick snow, but the thought that I might see my family again gave me new strength.

Mother would be fixing a nice warm dinner, and father would be sitting by the fire, having just finished making additions to the walls around the village. They’d look up and rush to sweep their daughter into a tight, warm embrace, welcoming her home. I smiled at the thought, or tried to, given that my lips were frozen stiff and couldn’t move very far. I reached out with my horn, searching for anypony on the horizon who I might look to for help.

It took several hours to reach the source. Snow gave way to grass and small brush as I got closer. It was odd to see anything green in the middle of winter, but perhaps I’d found some secret oasis, like the one from legend. But my hoof falls slowed and eventually stopped as I drew closer and finally saw what had captured my attention.

There was an enormous cloud of glowing orange mist surrounding the smoke, and the ground was very warm and wet, the way it ought to be in summer… in the south. I stopped dead in my tracks, and my heart nearly did the same as I realized why it was so warm. After I’d walked about a mile, the mist cleared, and I could see the cause of such a strange phenomenon.

This was no ordinary smoke from a campfire. I had only seen it from so far away because it was so thick, and rose miles into the sky. At its base was a mountain of fire. Flames reaching up so high they dwarfed the small houses burning at their base. There was a town on fire, and the resulting heat had melted the snow and raised this cloud of mist.

Liquid fire poured up from beneath the snow in the center of town, shooting high into the sky and raining down upon the defenseless townsponies—who were probably dead by this point. Then I noticed something my heart was not at all ready for: This was my village.

Home at last, and all for nothing. I’d lost my fillyhood friend, my parents, and my home all in the same stroke. There was no stopping the floodtide of tears that was rushing to my face in that instant. I could feel myself shaking violently all over. How was a filly supposed to cope with such loss on her own? I collapsed onto the ground. My head hung limply, staring down between my front hooves, barely stable enough to support my weight. My heart felt heavy, and slowly, steadily the tears began to flow. Snowflurry would know what to do.

Wait. Hadn’t that fox promised to return life to her? My head shot up, looking around. Could she be alive? I scrambled to my feet, kicking up soft dirt as I raced off toward the last shred of hope I had. Tears dried on my face, my heart nearly bursting straight out of my chest. The lake had been nearby here. I searched for where I knew it to be, and at last there it was. A great depression laid into the ground, now run dry by the same heat which had melted the ice and taken my friend.

I stopped at the edge and peered down at Snowflurry’s would be grave. A lake of fire peered back up at me, heat radiating off of its surface so strongly that I had to look away after a few seconds. My lips dried and cracked almost instantly. I turned and ran along what used to be the shoreline of the lake. Snowflurry had to be here somewhere. My eyes stung and my hooves were quickly gathering blisters from the heat of the rocks beneath them.

She wasn’t here. Slowly, reluctantly as I completed a full turn around the used to be frozen lake, I came to the heart-wrenching conclusion that Snowflurry was not here. I began to shake violently, as every muscle in my body tensed, and the pain in my chest intensified until it burned like a white hot ball of fire.

A shriek escaped my lips, born of every injustice I had been dealt since I stepped onto the ice that morning. It rose and grew in intensity, until I could no longer feel myself. The fire from my chest poured into my horn and through it, sending out waves of magic I didn’t know I’d had.

As I allowed myself to be consumed by rage, one small point in my head threw forth its voice. A single shard of ice amidst the flames. It thrummed with raw energy, waiting to be released, pressing against my mind like an ocean of power.

“My gift to you. Use it if you wish”

My eyes clenched shut and I glared with the sharpest daggers I possessed into the abyss I’d found, screaming inside my head. You monster! You lied to me! She is not here, and you’ve taken everything I’ve ever loved! WHY! How could you? You promised!

His eyes then lit up, burning with ferocity in the blackness of my own mind.
And you shall have all that I have promised you, when you have paid all that I have deemed a worthy price.
His words dripped with amusement and satisfaction, and the glowing orbs of light before me narrowed into thin slits. He’d planned this. I had never specified which price I would pay—only that I wanted Snowflurry back—and now I could see Burūfok intended to exploit my vagueness inexorably.

As I came to this realization, I heard his cruel laughter ring out in my mind. The wellspring of power continued to press relentlessly against my mind, and at last I let it in. I let it flow through me, and gave it direction and purpose. Torrents of energy poured into my horn, and were released in a brilliant white light that obscured everything in sight.

When it died down and everything went black again, I found myself on the ground, crying. There was silence all around me. The crackle of the flames as they consumed my village, the bubble of liquid fire as it rose from the earth. Gone. A cool breeze blew through my mane, sending a shiver down my body. It was cold outside again.

I opened my eyes with some effort, and looked out over my hooves. It was like looking into a dream. As I struggled to raise my head, I saw down into the lake, and what I had done to it. It was frozen once more, but this would not melt. Its surface was a deep sapphire blue, perfectly smooth and flat. A great snowflake pattern had been emblazoned into it, with such delicate texture and intricate facets it put the old statue of Icy Gale to shame. I wanted to jump straight up when I saw what was in the middle, but my legs wouldn’t support me well enough, and it was a struggle even to stand.

At a painfully slow pace, I stumbled down and out onto the crystalline surface I’d built. It was both cold and warm at the same time, yet not unsettling. I struggled forward to the center, slipping a few times, but eventually made it. There before me stood a perfectly crafted, icy blue carving of a pegasus filly—Snowflurry. Its color matched her eyes. My lip trembled, and I shakily raised a hoof to touch it—her.

Just as my hoof was about to make contact, I stopped, barely able to breathe. Part of me wanted desperately to reach out and touch her, but the rest of me knew what my heart didn’t want to admit. I stayed nearly motionless for a second, then slowly put the hoof down, and let the tightness in my chest relax.

It wasn’t her. I hung my head, more tears forming. She was gone, and there was nothing that was going to bring her back. I reached forward with my horn just enough to touch her with the tip. I summoned up the magic I’d used to create her, and let her dissolve. Her aqueous form flowed downward onto the blue ice beneath us, collecting and reforming into three large icy blue gems. Just like her eyes. She had always had such beautiful eyes.

I picked the gems up with my magic and held them in front of me. These would keep me company as I blundered on through this pointless life. They would serve as a reminder that friends were only a curse–painful tools which could be used against you. I would keep my one and only friend next to me, where she could not be taken, or used against me. I fashioned myself a new saddlebag from the surrounding snow, melding the ice crystals into fabric. I then levitated the three gems into my new saddlebag, and turned away from the scene.

That was the day this all began.

A Deadly Foe

I left that town behind that day and never looked back. Something—some otherworldly force pushed me away from it. Maybe it was the fox, maybe it was my inner denial, and refusal to accept what had happened. I don’t know that I’ll ever know, but there was something else drawing me as well. I made it to the end of the valley—for though we didn’t know it, that little village had been in a vast valley—and discovered what would eventually become my ultimate downfall.

The mountain stood alone among its subjects, towering above them like an ancient monolith. I felt the familiar tug from my horn, directing me up the mountain. Somewhere up there, there were gems to be had. I decided to follow my horn and marched right up the side of the mountain.

My belly rumbled loudly and I quickly realized that going nearly a full day without food doesn’t do much good for one’s stamina. Furthermore, I was a unicorn. We aren’t exactly built for long distance travel, much less climbing mountains. Needless to say I didn’t have much strength when I reached the cave, in addition to being wholly numb with cold.

Did I mention the cave? There was a cave—a large vast opening cut into the side of the mountain, though with little flat ground to stand on. Heat radiated out from it, so I did what any sensible creature would do when presented with a frozen mountain top, and a chance at getting warm.

I could feel the ice melting off my coat as I entered the cavern. The air was surprisingly dry, though I suppose it owed that to whatever the source of heat was. Of course, it didn’t matter to me much how the cave was heated and dried, just that it was. There was very little light, but a little horn magic could fix that.

Rather than simply light the cave, however, I decided I’d better know what was around me, so that I wouldn’t intrude on any current residents. Spend enough time out in the cold and you learn to expect life forms to already be living around any and all heat sources. I reached out with my newfound magic, and sure enough, there were small rodents running through the walls of the cave. Food.

I could figure out a method of hunting them once I’d regained my strength, but what interested me right now was the enormous life force coming from the very back of the cave. Deep, very deep back down there somewhere, was a slumbering giant. Listening carefully, I could even hear it breathing in the distance. I let out a small moan as I realized that was also where the gems were probably hidden.

My scarf was dripping wet now, so I moved farther back through the rocky cave. A mouse passed by in front of me by chance, so I targeted it with my magic and pounced on it. A satisfying crunch sounded beneath my hoof. Excellent. It was a lucky shot I’m sure, but I was proud of my first kill out on my own, small as it was. On top of that, I was starving. I plopped it back without a second thought, not even bothering to chew; it was small enough to swallow whole.

It was almost too dark to see this far back in the cave, and the light outside was diminishing anyway. It was night time, and I needed my rest. I found a comfortable enough rock and curled up to sleep.

~ ~ ~

I awoke to the sound of a crackling fire. There was a slight breeze on my face, and I could feel snowflakes on my cheeks. I opened my eyes, and instantly regretted it. I was facing the fire, and there was white everywhere else from the snow. The combined effect was visually painful, and I recoiled. That was when I discovered another horror: I couldn’t move! I was tied up and gagged, so, naturally, I tried screaming.

“Oh, hey. It’s awake! Great,” called a voice from behind me. It sounded like a filly’s voice, but hardened as though she had grown up in a hurry. “Hey, cut that out. No need to wake anything dangerous. It’s just a precaution.”

Somepony shifted against my back. I tried turning my head but couldn’t quite get the angle I needed. They—she walked around in front of me. She was young—not much older than myself—with a pale tan coat, and vibrant blue eyes. The rest of her was wrapped warmly in wool cloth. I couldn’t see her face, and if she had a cutie mark, it was covered.

“Sorry. But I can’t afford to trust anyone around here, besides...” she leaned in and brushed my face with her hoof. “who knows, you could be valuable.” She chuckled at that, then walked to the far side of the fire and rummaged through something. A moment later, she stood up, a saddle bag across her back.

“Alright, we’re moving out. Gotta run the goods back to the boys and…” She trailed off, eyeing my bounds. “Don’t suppose I can trust you to not run away if I untie you?” The look in her eyes told me she didn’t really think so, but had asked simply to entertain some tiny hope.

I responded by grunting, glaring down at my gag, then back up at her.

“Oh, right. Kinda hard to nod when your mouth is the only thing that can’t move. Let me help you with that.” She snorted and grabbed the knot holding the gag in place, then yanked it tighter. It pressed into my cheeks and actually began to hurt. A tear escaped one eye.

“Now then. You’re not going to run, because there’s nowhere to go out here except back up to the dragon’s cave, and I’m pretty sure you don’t feel like becoming dragon chow.” She placed a hoof on my cheek and stepped down, hard. “So you’re gonna stick with me, and we’re gonna go sell you to some loser with cash. Now get up!”

She grabbed at the knot around my legs and pulled hard, effectively removing the rope but pulling me roughly across the icy ground. She kicked me onto my feet and tossed the rope in her saddlebag, then turned to glare at me

“Come on, we’re moving.”

I didn’t budge. The world around me took on an eerie shade of blue for a few moments. The other mare took a few steps, then stopped when she realized I wasn’t following.
“Oh come now, it’s not like we’re gonna hurt you or anything. Rare items need to be kept in good condition. You’ll be pampered for as long as we can manage it.” Her blue eyes gleamed in the light from the fire, and I glared strongly into them. I didn’t have to like her, but her words made sense. I bit down hard on the rope in my mouth, and it cracked apart. I guess it must have frozen solid. It was certainly cold enough that night. I spat it out and and worked my jaw a bit to loosen it.

“Fine. I’ll come with you.” I trotted over to her, then gave her an icy stare “But you’ll be the one sold when we find traders. Not me.”

Her eyes smiled, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she inclined her head, and the two of us wandered into the snow, side by side.

~ ~ ~

I decided to call her Crystal. She was hard and cold, like ice, but I would never bestow so mundane a name upon somepony, even as disrespectful as her. Besides, I actually came to like her. She had an aggressive, confident attitude that I found particularly endearing, and her tongue wasn’t really as sharp as she may have wanted it to be. Of course, had I realized this from day one, perhaps I could have bypassed what happened to her team entirely.

Crystal led me to a hidden location further down the valley. Had I not been searching for their shelter, I might never have seen it. Barely visible against the snow was a sort of canvas. As we got closer, I could see that it was half of a tent, set up against the side of the mountain. A thin trail of smoke poked out through the top, before being whisked away by the wind. Crystal pulled back the flap, and ushered me inside. I could feel warmth and see light coming from inside, but right as I passed her, Crystal’s friendly smile twisted into a snarl, and she kicked me roughly inside.

“Come on, get in there!” She ducked inside after me and pulled off her face mask and helmet, revealing her fuschia mane. Her face looked… well, young, but old. Hardened, by what looked like years of a rough life, but far too young to have lived long enough for these scars. She flashed me a brief, mischievous smile, then turned back to her team.

“Alright. New cargo for you lot. Take good care of her, she’s fragile, and we don’t deliver damaged cargo, do we?” They all shook their heads. “Didn’t think so. Now that that’s settled, everypony welcome Rarity, the newest temporary member of our team.”

Crystal’s ‘team’, was a small ragtag group of would-be explorers. We sat and ate with them for a while, to get to know each other. They gave me a surprisingly warm welcome, in more ways than one. I was allowed to sit with them by the fire, eat their food—which was mostly bread, but food nonetheless—they gave me a warm blanket, and they all patted me on the back and introduced themselves. As a whole their interests revolved around finding rare valuables and selling them at questionable markets to the highest bidder. I wasn’t exactly thrilled, but they had given me food and shelter. I had to be grateful.

Compass Rose was the navigator. Shocking. She had an innate sense of direction—rare for an earth pony, I should think. She could get herself lost in a maze and still be able to point to the entrance, wherever it was. Actually, she wouldn’t have gotten lost in the first place.

Gold Mine wasn’t that much of a mystery either. He was another earth pony, with a sharp eye for appraisal, and a thirst for gold, gold, and more gold. Go figure. Not to mention his coat may as well have been gold encrusted for all of its glossy sheen. He was constantly stroking his golden brown mane.

Feather Breeze was an odd assortment. He was a free spirit, on the one hoof; he loved to travel, loved living free, and hated the idea of staying in one place for very long. On the other hoof, he was very aggressive, in a “grab the bull by the horns and then hammer toss it over the nearest fence” kind of a way; a bold confidence and fierceness that just seemed aloof to his otherwise passive nature. But I guess that’s a pegasus for you. It kind of reminded me of Snowflurry.

Storm Vision was clearly the muscle of the group. His wings were enormous, extending past his hindquarters, and his beak and talons were razor sharp. He constantly had a scowl on his face, and looked about ready to pounce on the first creature that spoke to him. He told of how he grew up in the wild, and taught himself to fly through sheer willpower. He claimed to have flown through a hurricane, and between his wings and his attitude, I believed it.

Then there was Crystal, whom the others just called “Boss”. She said very little about herself, only that precious items were the love of her life. I found that odd for a pony her age. She was the youngest of the group—possibly even younger than myself, but that was hard to tell—but still commanded respect as though she were decades older. She was an enigma all in herself. She demanded respect from the others with an iron hoof—even Storm—but when she looked at me, her eyes flashed blue, and she smiled that odd mischievous smile. It was as though we understood each other on some other level, yet I felt that I did not understand her at all. Respect, I suppose was the word, but I’m not sure I’ll ever know.

I was the only unicorn. It felt odd, like I was being inducted into their group—not taken as their prisoner. I wasn’t really so much of a captive, not now that I’d found my magic, but I feel like I should have at least felt like one. Following suit with the others, I explained my past. How I’d grown up in a small hunting clan up north, and how I’d always seemed to find gems wherever I went. The others’ eyes gleamed hungrily at that bit. When it was over, Crystal doused the fire and stood over the smoking embers.

“Alright, you losers. We all buddy buddy now? Got to know each other pretty good? Bellies full? Good. Let’s go nab some gems.” She thrust her hoof into the air and the others silently followed suit, then she began issuing orders.

“Feather, we need eyes in the skies. You know what to do if there’s trouble.” Feather nodded.
“Rose, you’re with me. We’ll need to find our way outta that cave quick if the dragon wakes up, and we’ll need to book it back here before he finds us. Mine, you too. You’ll know the best stuff to grab. We don’t need to kill ourselves with a heavy load.”
Gold Mine responded by grinning, and swiftly tucking his hoof into his chest and shooting his elbow back, in a sort of reverse punch of celebration.
“You!” She turned to me, eyes deadly focused. “You said you can sense gems?” I nodded quickly. “Good. You’re with me too. It’ll be nice to just know where the loot is for a change.”
“Storm, as usual, you guard the haul. We don’t need anyone making off with our stuff.”
“Oh, and here.” Crystal tossed me my saddlebag, and a face mask, “You’ll need these. Protect your face. Let’s go”

We all filed out into the snow, which was falling lightly. I wasn’t entirely sure where we were headed, but Crystal didn’t seem in the mood to tell me, and for reasons I couldn’t even begin to explain I wasn’t in the mood to refuse. She marched forward with a dagger-like stare that made me forget she was a filly for a second. Then again, she really wasn’t a filly, if one thought about it. How she commanded such authority at such a young age was truly the mystery of the age, but I had little time to think about it before I realized with dismay exactly where we were going. In hindsight, I should have already known.

The cave was easy enough to spot in this weather, with the thin trail of smoke snaking out of the hole in the side of the mountain. Feather took to the air and vanished before long. His white feathers blended well with the background. Storm took to the air as well, but didn’t vanish the way Feather had. His dark feathers stood out against the snow, and he didn’t seem to be trying to hide, either. He just flew wide sweeping arcs across the valley, occasionally ascending and diving again.

The rest of us headed toward the mountain. Well, along the mountainrange, but toward the peak that held the dragon’s cave. It was clearer that day than it had been the previous day, so I could see the mouth of the cave. My mouth simply hung open as I saw how far up the mountain it was. It’s difficult to recall if I was more impressed by how far Crystal had carried (or more likely dragged) me down the mountain, or how far up it I had climbed with barely any strength and an empty stomach.

It was much easier to climb in daylight, especially since Rose was very good at finding buried trails. I was decent enough at it myself, but I couldn’t be asked to help guide others. I slipped once or twice on patches of ice that had appeared at first to be snow. Each time I fell, I slid right into Gold Mine behind me, who simply glared at me and shoved me back up the hill. Crystal on the other hoof, well, she didn’t appear to need any help at all. She glided across the snow as gracefully and nimbly as if she’d had wings, and was only allowing the illusion of flightlessness in order to show off. Not even ice patches disguised as snow could cause her to stumble.

It took the four of us just under an hour to climb to the cave mouth. When we finally reached it, nopony bothered stopping at the edge. It was dark in there, but that was where I came in. I’d been in there the previous night, and my horn would allow me to find the gems, in addition to lighting the cave if it came to it. Besides, I can’t imagine any of them wished to stay out in the cold a moment longer than I did. It was infinitely warmer inside the cave than outside. We all stopped in the cave opening, letting the frost drip off our shivering limbs.

“Alright, Rarity, you’re up. Take us to the goods.” Crystal spoke softly but with a firm tone, not to be ignored.

“Oh, come on, Boss. Let’s sit here a moment and thaw.” It was Gold Mine who spoke. Casting a glance at him, I was surprised he could speak so well, what with all his shivering. He looked like a cat who had been forcibly given a cold bath.

Crystal shot him a hard look. “Can it, Mine, or I’ll feed you to the dragon.”

All at once his eyes opened as wide as they would go, his mouth clamped shut as tight as it would go, and any color left in his coat, vanished.

Crystal smiled warmly at him, then turned to me with the same face. “Rarity, if you would. I’d like to find those gems now.”

I nodded and lit up my horn. Perhaps if I could call out to them… As expected, I felt the pull of my horn, and followed it directly through to the back of the cave. The route was long—far longer than I had originally thought. Points of it didn’t seem traversable at first, but I was able to find a route before the others noticed. I considered asking Rose for help, but I soon found that I didn’t really need her. I could find my own way. I led the group around a few twists and turns, over some small chasms, and finally to a vast room from which all the heat seemed to be radiating. We were here.

I couldn’t see anything, but I could hear the others scrambling over the rocks behind me. I slowed to a mild canter to allow them to catch up. My horn cast no visible light over my surroundings. Every rock, every crevice, every lurking treasure waiting to be discovered, was shrouded by enveloping shadow. But I could see it all. Every crevice, crack, twist and turn of the cave.

As though I’d attained some form of supernatural sense of my surroundings, I didn’t need to see where anything was. I simply knew. It was like recalling a memory of a place you’d spent much of your time in, to help you navigate in the dark.

The first thing I noticed was how vast the cavern was. I could have fit my entire home village in there twice over, with room to spare. The floor wasn’t smooth or entirely flat, but any jutting rocks had been smashed and brushed to the side by a massive force. A veritable mountain of gems occupied the vast majority of the cavern. It stretched back against the far wall, rising higher as it went.

I may have spent a moment or two drooling over the sheer number of gems I’d found, but then I felt the presence of something else on the gentle breeze that wafted through the cave. A sound so subtle I’d nearly missed it, but there it was. I reached out with my senses to find what it was and nearly recoiled from the size of it. A massive life force that seemed to fill the whole cavern, radiating outward the very heat we were enjoying like a furnace. A few of the gold pieces shifted, and I saw it.

A barbed tail stuck out from the far side of the gem hoard, the tip swaying just slightly. I froze. If that was the tail… A terrifying suspicion rose in my mind, but I dared not voice it. The hair on my neck stood on end, and I turned very slowly to my left until it came into view. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest as I found myself nose to nose with a fully grown dragon. Well, not quite, but when its head is the size of a house a few meters feels very much like no more than a few inches. I relaxed when I realized it was still sleeping.

As it turns out, Dragons breathe very little during deep slumber, or at least that must be the case here, because the rise and fall of its chest had not disturbed a single gem or piece of gold. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn it was just an oddly shaped rock formation. I let out a quiet sigh. This would not be a problem. I would simply need to be careful in extracting some of its hoard without waking it.

The others halted when I stopped, and I could feel their eyes looking about for anything; any light whatsoever, but there was none. They had been following my footsteps, and now those were gone. They were left with no sense of direction, or where to go next. I smirked, and tapped my hoof gently, releasing a sharp click which brought them straight to my side.

“Now what?

I had a choice.

I could tell them where the gems were. I could help them steal the gems and escape. I could be nice.

Or I could wake the dragon. I could doom us all. I could even survive the encounter. I probably even had the power to control it.

It would be easy, with the power Burūfok had given me, to simply wipe them all out, and take the gems for myself. After all, they were just going to sell me when they found a buyer. Or at least they were going to try. They didn’t know what sort of power lay inside me, or how much I suddenly craved the gems before me. I found myself lusting after them like I never had before. I no longer simply knew where the gems were, I wanted them all. I turned a devilish grin toward Crystal, and pointed. Her eyes flashed blue, and she began walking forward, smirking just as I had.

Rose stuck to Crystal like frost on the tip of your nose, stepping lightly behind her, yet managing to fall ever so slightly behind. Perfect. I stood rooted to the spot. Watching. Waiting. Crystal walked right in front of the dragon’s snout, close enough to tickle it’s nose as she walked by. It snorted, releasing a scalding hot stream of air that caught Rose perfectly in the face.

She stopped walking, and fell over on the ground, holding her face in her hooves as she tried to conceal the agonized moans pouring out from beneath them. The dragon stirred, shifting its enormous head from where it lay. I moved quickly to the back of the cave, using my newfound auravision to navigate silently as I shuffled over rocks and around massive piles of sparkling gems.

Claws scraped over stone, gold flung itself from the great beast’s hide, filling the cavern with a maelstrom of glittering gemstones. Rose stiffened, and began shivering despite the heat. A low whimper carried through the air from her direction. The dragon’s head descended in front of her, its eyes glowing dimly in the dark. Rose looked up into them, ignoring her burns, as it drew in a long, cold breath. Her eyes widened and she scrambled to find her hooves. The dragon's jaws closed momentarily, a thin wisp of smoke from its nostrils being the only warning for what came next.

The cave erupted in an inferno, filling the cave with a blinding light as liquid heat poured from the jaws of the ancient reptile, drowning out Rose’s screams. Then, by the light of its deadly breath I saw the full size of the dragon. The beast was gargantuan, filling up the entire cavern as it rose to its feet. I’m not even sure half of the volume of that mountain of gold was even gold. It was as though the dragon had buried itself with gems just so one would think the hoard was even larger than it was.

Glowing red scales lined its sides, flowing smoothly into massive batlike wings, which now served to fuel the whirlwind of gold filling the cave.Crystal had managed to avoid the initial fireblast, and hopped behind a rock holding up a pile of gems. She sifted through them, ignoring the dragon as though it were not even there. But those were my gems. I had claimed them. The cave flashed blue, and the dragon’s tail swatted Crystal into the far wall, pinning her there.

She kicked at its tail and tried to slide out from beneath it but to no avail. The beast’s head snaked around, supported by its long neck as it flowed toward her struggling form. Its tongue flicked out, whipping her with its barbed edges. I watched fixedly, genuinely curious as to what might happen next. Crystal looked down at me despite her tormentor. Blue eyes burned back with the same intensity as my own, as though somehow she knew I’d done this.

The dragon seemed to have made up its mind, curling the tail around Crystal and whipping her toward its open jaws. She sailed through the air, completely powerless to avoid her inevitable fate. I should have been glad—No. I shouldn’t have. And I wasn’t.

I don’t know why I did it. Perhaps it was pity, but I doubt it. She bore nothing but ill will toward me. She intended to enslave me if she got the chance. I should have hated her. I did hate her. But whatever the reason, I couldn’t watch. I twisted away, and looked down at my hooves through closed lids.

She didn’t deserve this.

What came next I could never have planned nor predicted. The roar of the dragon, the clatter of claws on stone, the cries of Crystal and Gold Mine, all ceased at once—like somepony had shut the sound off. A minute passed with no sound and no movement. It was as though time had stopped. The sweat froze on my coat, and frost nipped at my nose. I snapped open my eyes, blinking in disbelief. There was ice beneath my hooves. I looked up, slowly. There, before me, taking up the entire cavern, a perfect ice carving of a dragon. Its tail lashed, it’s wings were unfurled, claws stretched out, jaws wide open, ready to devour the object suspended in the air before them: Crystal.

For some reason, my heart sank when I saw her there. Not ice like the dragon, but frozen in place. Trapped. Alone. I had no reason to feel any emotion at all toward her—she’d held me against my will, intended to sell me like a piece of property, and had only removed my leash because the cold would do just fine—but there it was, the sound of my heart crying for her. A blue flash spread throughout the cave, followed by a loud crackling sound that quickly grew in intensity. The ice surrounding Crystal shattered, and she fell to the floor, sending gold coins everywhere!

“Ow, watch it with the mid air freezing will ya?!” She exclaimed, getting up and massaging her rump. “That was a brilliant idea, but let me down easy next time, okay?” She glared at me with blue eyes. I returned her intense gaze, and there was silence in the cave for a few moments. Then she relaxed, forcing a smile to adorn her face.

“Look, relax. We’re alive, you’ve conquered a dragon, and there’s a whole hoard of precious gems here. Let’s gather what we can carry and hoof it back to the hideout.” She began scooping up piles of my gems. “Better yet,” she went on, tossing a hefty sapphire into the air and catching it. “Why don’t we just head back to civilization ourselves. Just the two of us. You and me.” Her eyes flashed blue.

I blinked, transfixed for a moment. Her words made sense, but there was something behind them that felt off. I shook the thought away, and smiled back. Whatever she was planning behind that wry smile of hers, I could surely handle it. And I would destroy her before she carried it out.

“Yes, let’s go.”

~ ~ ~

The wind had kicked the snow into a veritable blizzard by the time we reached the valley floor, but compared to the ice inside the cave, it may as well have been summer. Crystal had decided she would carry the most of the gold, so that I wasn’t overburdened. And I let her. I’ll never know why, but her words just made sense in the moment. Despite myself, I wanted her to carry it. I kept only the three sapphires that clung to me as though children.

I looked back up at the mouth of the cave, the fire of the dragon vivid in my mind. I could still hear Rose’s screams as its molten breath poured down her throat, roasting her from the inside out. I had done that. Not directly, but I’d intentionally led Crystal next to the dragon so that she would wake it up, and that Rose would be right in front of it as it woke up. I had planned all of it, but… She didn’t deserve that, did she?

What had Rose done to me, that I should orchestrate such a horrifying death? Had I really intended for her to die? Yes, I suppose I had, and the worst part was that I had enjoyed it. I could remember myself smiling as the fire consumed her lungs. I had loved it. But why?

Just then, I faintly heard Crystal’s voice call out to me through the whiteout. The wind slowed for a moment, bringing enough clarity that I could make out Crystal’s shape in the distance. I felt my heart stop for a moment. Had she really gone that far already? Would she really leave me behind? She motioned with her hoof for me to come to her, and I obliged.

“Are you coming or what?” She asked when I got closer, and I realized it was what she’d shouted to me a few moments before. I took another look back at the cave.

“Come on, already. We got the gold, now let’s get back to the hideout and ditch this place. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be around when that dragon thaws. Nice touch by the way.”

I blinked. Of course, the gems and gold we’d stolen. How could I have been so childish? That was why I’d had Rose killed. She’d been after my bounty, and I certainly couldn’t share it with just anypony. Only Crystal had earned that right. But why Crystal?

“Ugh, stand there and freeze for all I care. I’m leaving.”

She left. Just like that. Abandoning her cargo so soon? I was shocked, to say the least. It wasn’t until I felt my scarf growing hard that I realized I was still standing there staring at the place where she’d disappeared. Surely she wouldn’t leave me out here to starve? I decided I’d rather not risk it, and scurried after her.

It took about three seconds for me to understand exactly why we’d built the ice wall. Blizzards are no fun to be out in. The wind bites, the snowflakes blind, and there is no escape from the chill that creeps into every fold of clothing you cover yourself with. Not to mention your cargo. You thought ice was cold? Ice is at least kind enough to numb the skin it finds, so that you no longer feel it. The three little gems pressing against my side stung like an icy dagger, even through my saddlebag. I had never been out in a blizzard, and knew little about covering myself with suitable clothing. Needless to say, I was grateful for the facemask Crystal had given me, and for the scarf I had loved so much.

I thought of Snowflurry as I trudged. She never seemed to mind the cold. I suppose it was the feathers. They must have been just toasty. A natural barrier from the elements. Many of the stories Grandfather had told me about the far south had little birds in them that were never cold, because their feathers protected them. I almost wished I had been born a pegasus. None of this would have ever happened. I would never have been in that house, and I wouldn’t have gotten in trouble, so Snowflurry wouldn’t have followed me out, and she wouldn’t…

I stopped walking.

And I would never have been dragged to that cave, nor would I have met Burufok. He would never have given me my magic, and I never would have met Crystal, or found all that gold. I was lucky to have been born a unicorn. It granted me such wonderful gifts, such as gem tracking. I reached out with my horn, feeling for the familiar tug I had always associated with precious gems. Sure enough, I could feel the gems, and not too far away. Finding warmth in the tips of my hooves, I set off at a gallop, following the gentle guidance of my horn.

The hideout wasn’t far at all. It took me not but a minute before I could see the glow from inside the tent emanating through the whitewash. I shivered in the stinging wind. All manner of inner thought gone, I dropped the spell, and rushed almost blindly toward the tent. Heat! Snow crunched beneath my hooves as I closed the distance between me and the tent flap.

I burst through into the cozy interior, and tripped over a small pile of logs. My hooves were knocked from beneath me and I had a very untimely meeting with the ground. But it was warm.

A sneering tone, followed by several voices laughing, assaulted my ears.
“Oh, nice of you to join us, sweetie.”

I looked up from the floor to see Crystal and Feather Breeze gathered around a pile of…

“My Gold!” I scrambled to my hooves and rushed toward my gold. Crystal let out a snort, and flashed me a very cold look. And I just… stopped. I have no idea why, I just stopped running, and stared into her deep sapphire blue eyes.

She smiled. I blinked. In front of her, my gold was scattered around neatly, forming distinct piles in front of each of them. I could see the largest was for her. One, two, three, four… I thought at first that she had included me, but then I remembered that Storm Vision and Gold Mine had not come back yet. There was no pile for me. She smirked, obviously noticing that I’d figured it out. I was precious cargo as well, to be sold as soon as we got to the nearest town. I would have no need of… gold. I let out an audible whimper as I silently uttered that final word. My lower lip quivered as I realized she really did mean to sell me. I didn’t matter to her at all.

My legs felt weary all of a sudden, and I slumped onto the floor, exhausted. I wasn’t sure whether to cry or roll over and go to sleep. I knew she’d been cold at first, but she had seemed to like me back in the cave. Maybe I had just wanted a new friend so badly I’d let her delude me into thinking we could be friends. I crawled over behind some of the cargo crates and curled up there, so they wouldn’t hear my whimpering. A found a nice silk cloth piled next to an overturned crate. It would do for now. I pulled it tightly around myself and cried into it. She would return every tear she'd stolen from me someday, but for now I would let them flow. I reached into my saddlebag and fished for the three blue sapphires I’d taken earlier.

A Modest Hamlet

“Hey, little fillies. Are you friends of Pinkie Pie’s?”

A high, almost whining but decidedly male voice accosted us. I turned along with Crystal toward the sound of the voice. A young, amber coated stallion with a bright orange mane approached us. He was garishly decorated in a white apron, red striped bowtie and a red hat, and carried balanced on his back a tray of cakes. His cutie mark was three small pieces of cake.

I nearly drooled at the sight of cakes on his back. Warm, cake with real sugary icing. My little village had only ever had frozen treats. I could see the scrumptiously decorated icing positively melting.

He walked up to us and eyed the invitation in my hoof. “She gave you one of her invitations it looks like. Oh I really hope you’ll come. This is a really big step for her, the poor thing. I’m actually surprised she’s able to keep such a cheery face up. You really should come. There’ll be plenty of cake there for everypony if you’re interested. I hope to see you there.”

He waved with a smile and strode off, leaving Crystal and myself standing alone by the fountain. I stared after him, doing my best not to drool as I imagined the many flavors of icing there might be at the party. I turned to Crystal, who had a terrifying grin on her face.

“A party huh? Sounds fun. We should go.”

I cast her a sidelong glance at the odd manner in which she’d said that, but shrugged it off and nodded. “Yes, let’s.” It was probably nothing worth worrying about. Besides, there was cake to be had, and I had a sweet tooth to feed.

I looked down at the invitation in my hoof. It was a garish bubblegum pink, covered with—eugh—dark pink letters, as well as blue confetti and yellow streamers. Beneath the deluge of decorative detritus, the letters told of a party at a Sugarcube Corner that afternoon. It must have been a small town where everypony knew everypony, since there was no address. There was however a picture so I was certain if we walked around a while we could—

“It’s that way.”

I blinked, looking up. Crystal was pointing down one of the streets connecting to the fountain’s circle. She had a smug grin on her face, and a blue glint to her eyes. Next to her was a young colt who looked quite dazed. I let out a sigh.

“Was that really necessary?” I whined, stepping off in the direction she’d pointed. Crystal took a step back, feigning shock, and tapped the colt on the flank to send him away. He obeyed
almost too swiftly. Then she caught up and trotted next to me.

“What? It’s not like I made him do anything harmful. I just asked him for directions.”

I put a hoof to my face. “Yes but… wouldn’t he have told you anyway? I really don’t want to
make a habit of forcing ponies to do things they don’t want to.”

“Oh please,” she said with a smirk, trotting up beside me and layng a hoof across my withers. “He definitely wanted to do it. He’ll be at the party, and he’s getting to be that age, if you know what I mean.” She wiggled her eyebrows and glanced back in the colt’s direction. I furrowed my
eyebrows, trying to process what she’d just— Oh. Oh my. My face frew hot and I fumbled for
words, eyes wide.

“I—what, you— WHY?! Ew ew ewewewewewew gross. Why would you even suggest that?”

Crystal snorted, and let out a mean spirited giggle. “Pffft, come on, I’m totally not interested in
that dork. I just asked him for directions. Geez, it’s like you like him or something.” She challenged me with a stare.

I refuted that claim with the utmost grace and dignity a lady can.

“I DO NOT!”

“Snkkkt, you totally do.”

“I do not!” I stomped my hoof

“Do too,” she jibed.

“Do not,” I insisted.

”Do too-oo,” she sing-songed.

“Ugh! Shut UP! Let’s just go, where is it?”

I let out a strong puff of air through my nostrils, then pulled my eyebrows tight down over my eyes and glared down the street. The buildings all looked the same. There was no sign of this supposedly conspicuous establishment.

“We’re here,” Crystal stated with a very smug grin on her face, pointing to the building directly
next to us. I stared back the way we had come. Had we really gone down the whole street
already? The fountain seemed so far away now. Above us towered a two story building with icing and candy canes covering the entire exterior. There was no doubting it was the sugar shop we were looking for. It looked exactly like the picture on the invitation. I stared daggers at Crystal as we trotted up the two steps onto the main landing, and pushed through the double doors.

Inside, the building seemed almost larger than it did on the outside, though careful inspection revealed it was simply due to a very clever floor plan. I at least had to hoof that to the designer. The floor was made of tiles, offset from each other, and colored a surprisingly comfortable grayish turquoise. Several hoofsteps in front of us was a wooden framed glass countertop displaying several cakes and pastries, behind which stood a blue earth pony with a bubblegum pink mane.

“Oh, hey there, fillies! Nice to meet ya. I’m Mrs. Cake. Welcome to Sugarcube Corner. What can I getcha?”

I opened my mouth to say something, but then closed it. Mrs. Cake took that as a signal.

“Are ya here for the party?” she asked, smiling. I gave her a brief nod, then turned my attention to the rest of the floor, which was devoid of all furniture but for a single table with two chairs off to our left.

“Oh, well the party’s not ‘till later, but you two can help set up if you like. I’m sure Pinkie’ll be glad to see you, do you want me to go and get her?” She turned toward a staircase behind her which blended well into the wall it would otherwise have been. Only the wooden railing betrayed its presence. I was about to answer her when Crystal piped up.

“Oh, no, that won’t be necessary. We’ll just go up to her.”

Mrs. Cake put on a pained expression. “Oh, well, maybe I should let her know you’re here first, then. She’s a little shy around new ponies, ya know.”

But Crystal pressed on, stepping up toward the counter. “Oh, I’m sure she’ll be alright with just two new faces. After all, she’s hosting a party isn’t she? She’ll have to meet a lot of ponies then, and wouldn’t it be better if she weaned herself in a bit first, instead of just all at once?”

Crystal was leaning on the counter now. I almost missed the glazed look in Mrs. Cake’s eyes, as she slowly nodded. “Well, I guess that makes sense. Go on up.” She leaned her head over anyway and called up the stairs. “Pinkie, dear, you’ve got guests!” She flicked her head up the stairs and smiled at us as we headed up, then went back to her counter like we weren’t even there. I cast Crystal an annoyed glance but if she caught me staring, she didn’t show it.

At the top of the stairs we found a short hallway with different rooms leading off of it. One of them in particular drew me, and I walked toward it. As I drew nearer, the pull grew stronger and stronger, until I nearly threw myself into the room. I couldn’t see much, except for a dresser next to a bed, which held a small box filled with gems on it. I began to drool, and trotted forward.

“It’s not that room.”

I stopped in my tracks, shaking my head to clear away the gemlust. I looked back at Crystal. Next to the stairway we’d just climbed up, was another stairway leading up to a… third floor? That was odd. There wasn’t a third floor on this building. I tilted my head and stared at it.

“How do you know?” I asked, stalling.

Crystal rolled her eyes and pointed to the railing next to her, spiraled with bright red and white stripes.

“It’s the only candy cane railing. You saw the invitation. Where else would she be? Come on.” She turned and trotted up the stairway. I glanced down at the invitation, only just noticing the small candy canes and mint swirls stuck to it. I sighed. Crystal was right, again. I hurried after her.

We arrived at the top of the stairs, and encountered an unsettlingly plain door compared to the rest of the decorum. It was pink, of course. With three simple balloons emblazoned on it. But there was no confetti, no streamers, no candy or candy canes. It was almost ugly, but I dared not say so out loud. If Pinkie is reading this, you really should spruce up your bedroom door, dear.

There was nothing else up there, just that door, so we knocked. As if in response, the door unlatched—I had to check to make sure Crystal or myself hadn’t used our abilities to unlock it—and swung inward slowly with a loud creak.

The first thing I noticed nearly made me run. There was a streak of red pooled across the wooden floor. There was little else on the floor, but I pushed the door open further, following the line of red with my eyes, until to my horror, it led to a pink earth pony filly with a curly pink mane, about my age, lying strewn on her back on the floor.

‘Oh my goodness, are you alright?’ is what I would like to remember having said. Instead, what left my lips was a very unladylike shriek that startled even Crystal. I rushed to the poor filly’s side. Her chest was covered in a red liquid, and there was a broken candycane protruding from it.

But when I looked at her, I didn’t see a pink earth pony. I saw Snowflurry, and her horrific apparition crawling toward me through the snow. I loomed over the poor filly, completely at a loss as to how to possibly help her. Her lifeless form smattered in blood. How could such a tragedy have occured?

I heard Crystal chuckle and glared at her with such ferocity my eyes burned, then looped around to being icy. Crystal simply raised an eyebrow, then nudged her head down at the filly below me. I shot her an appalled look, but she simply jerked her head again, seeming to lose patience with me. Did she see something I didn’t? I steeled myself, and then turned back toward the lifeless filly on the floor. I squinted, scanning for whatever it was Crystal was seeing that I wasn’t. I scanned the filly’s pink coat, the blood pooled and coagulated on her chest, the candy cane protruding from it, the… gentle rise and fall of her chest?

I had to look several times, but there it was. Not a moment later, the filly opened a pair of bright blue eyes and leapt up at me. I shrieked again, as her blood smeared all over my clean white coat. Yet somehow, despite her obvious mortal wound which had miraculously not killed her, the filly was.... Laughing?

“Heeheeheeheeheeehahahahahahahahaw, GOT you!”

She leaned back, smiling up at me with a far too innocent grin. I froze, unable to process the situation. There was blood all over the both of us. I could still see Snowflurry shambling toward me, and this filly was laughing while covered in blood. Then she wiped a hoof up her stomach, scooping up a lot of the blood and the (Pinkie I have still never forgiven you for this) licked the blood from her hoof, slurping it up happily.

I don’t recall much of the next minute or two, only that all noise was drowned out by a shriek that shook the walls, during which Mrs. Cake must have walked in. I don’t know, because it took Crystal’s hypnotic stare to finally reign me in. Mrs. Cake looked equally parts cross and concerned. Much of her ire was directed at the pink filly before us, thankfully.

“What have you got to say for yourself, young lady? Scaring your guests like that. You should be ashamed. This poor dear nearly had a heart attack.” The pink filly shrunk beneath her gaze. Her once impossibly curled mane now hung flat, drooping onto the floor. Mrs. Cake then turned to me.

“Are you alright, dear? Pinkie Pie didn’t scare you too terribly, did she?” I glanced back and forth between her and Pinkie Pie. I found myself unable to form words, and simply nodded with a whimper. Mrs Cake nodded slightly and went on. “I don’t know what she expects with these silly pranks of hers. Scared me half to death my first time. I’ll go get you some sweets from downstairs. On the house of course.”

Mrs. Cake scurried off, and we were left in the room with the saddest looking filly I have ever seen. She slowly walked up to me, having had most of the clearly fake blood scraped off of her by Mrs. Cake, and nudged my chest with her head. She sat back and pouted at me for a moment before speaking.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Mrs. Cake tells me I get too carried away sometimes. I thought it would be fun to scare you with a good prank, but I guess I overdid it.” She stared at the ground the whole time. Then, without looking up, reached a hoof up toward me. “Nice to meet you, I’m Pinkie Pie.” It was probably the most tear inducing greeting I’ve ever encountered. I was once again at a loss for how to respond.

Glancing down at my coat, I realized I was still covered in whatever this fake blood was made of. I shuddered violently at the state of my coat, but perhaps a bath could help. It would be nice to once again properly clean myself. I eventually decided to simply take her hoof, and gently shake it.

“It’s... fine, I guess,” I said, letting out a long held breath. “I’m… Rarity.” I nearly choked.

I’m honestly unsure if it was the scare she gave me or the sight of her in tatters that caused me to tear up so, but it was not a moment later I was competing with her for watery eyes. She looked up at me, and her eyes widened. First shock, then realization, then excitement, then joy. How so many emotions can be expressed all with the same facial movement will always astounds me. She leapt forward and squeezed me tightly. I don’t know if you’ve ever been hugged by Pinkie Pie as an adult, but even as a filly her hugs have always been inescapably crushing.

When at last I could breathe again—which thankfullly was only a moment later—she stepped backward into view and held out a hoof, much more proudly.

“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie. Nice to meet you.” Her smile was exuberant, and infectious.

I hesitated a moment, but took her hoof, smiling as well. “Rarity. A pleasure.”

She let out an adorable squee, then burst into a tirade about her ruse.

“Nice to meet you, Rarity. I’m Pinkie PIe, but you knew that. I’m hoping to be a traveling stage performer someday. I’m going to travel the world and bring joy and smiles to ponies everywhere by putting on plays and shows and it’s going to be super duper fun. But before I do that I have to make sure I can be convincing, so I put on this little staged death scene to see if I could trick you, and I did. Boy were you scared. You should have seen the look on your face. I really got you good. Did you like the frosting?” She paused to wipe some fake blood from my chest and lick it from her hoof.

“It’s just standard sugar icing, with some red food coloring. Soo tasty. It cleans up easy too. I’m sure Mrs. Cake won’t mind you taking a bath here. How was I? Was the candy cane too much? I wasn’t sure how to explain being dead so I figured maybe some fake blood would really sell it, but then I couldn’t figure out how to explain being covered in blood, and I didn’t want slashing wounds because that would take too much work, and it’s really hard to look crushed, especially without a big heavy object, although I suppose I could have used the bed, but then I figured, a candy cane would work just fine. Stab wound, am I right? So come on. What’dya think? Huh? Come on, tell me tell me tell me!”

I stared open mouthed as she bounced up and down repeatedly, sometimes moving sideways in the air while acting out her story. This Pinkie Pie filly was certainly an odd sort, and the rapid manner in which she switched moods was alarming. But her joy and passion were very evident in her speech. I smiled.

“It was… great,” I forced out. “Very um… convincing. Though perhaps, not so much blood, next time. You probably shouldn’t scare your audience if your goal is to make them smile, right?”

She stopped, looking down and pondering what I said. Then she looked up with her ever present smile. “You’re right. That does make sense. Maybe I should just surprise them with streamers next time.”

I gave a forced chuckle, if only to hide my horrified astonishment. “Ahem, yes, I suppose streamers would be the best—”

THWUMP-POW!

Something massive landed on the floor hard enough to send myself and Pinkie into the air, followed immediately by an echoing explosion that shook the whole building. It sounded eerily similar to cannonfire. Something blasted into Pinkie faster than I could blink, slamming her against the wall with a resounding crash.

When I pried my hooves from my ears, and slowly climbed out from beneath the bed, I saw Pinkie dazed and plastered to the wall by streamers and confetti, and some odd fuzzy pink paste.

Following the source of the blast, I found Crystal standing next to a large robin’s egg blue cannon barrel, with wooden wheels and still smoking. Behind it was an open closet, from which streamed dozens of balloons and rolls of brightly colored paper

Crystal presented a shocked face, and even went so far as to put a hoof to her mouth.

“Oh my gosh, Pinkie are you alright? I’m so sorry, I hope nothing’s broken.”

I narrowed my eyes at her; she couldn’t even be bothered to use the proper tone, let alone rush to Pinkie’s side, which I promptly did.

“Oh, Pinkie, are you hurt?” I asked rushing to peel her from the wall. My hooves made contact with… cotton, candy?

Pinkie shook her head, and opened up her eyes. I then bore witness to a phenomenon that astounds me to this day. Pinkie’s tongue extended far, far out from her mouth, wrapped all the way around her body, and licked all of the cotton candy off herself—without licking up any of the confetti or streamers. She slid gracefully to the floor with a soft clop of hooves, adorned wonderfully by party favors.

Somehow, despite having just been shot with the contents of a… cannon, Pinkie was just fine, smiling even. She actually bounced and… I’m really not sure how to describe what I saw next. It was a blatant and utter disregard for all manner of physics and what I know of reality. Suffice to say Pinkie has some very strange abilities.

“Wowie,” Pinkie squeaked. “Confetti Blaster test number one is a success!”

I gawked. Crystal fumed. Pinkie bounced, beamed, and baffled not only me but the universe itself.

“I-a-WHAT?! A success?! How can you call that a success?” I exclaimed. “I should think that’s quite dangerous.”

Pinkie giggled. “Yeah, but the confetti fired. I might need to cut back on the explosives but the streamers and the cotton candy are okay. Now if I could just get it to fire balloons as well.”

She put a hoof to her chin and stared down at the trail of streamers leading from the muzzle of the... confetti blaster. I glanced at Crystal for a moment, who seemed to be contemplating what sort of ice sculpture she would like to turn Pinkie into.

“I-um… Pinkie?” I stammered, eyeballing the blue blaster with extreme bewilderment. “What in the world could you possibly need this for?”

“Oh, I’m planning on firing it onto the stage after I perform at plays, as a way to signal the final curtain. I figure it’ll add a really cool—and tasty—bit of flare. Am I right?”

“The—stage? Are you a performer, Pinkie?” I asked, looking back toward her. She was still bouncing in place.

“Yupyupyup, I’m going to be in a really big, Equestria wide play and make thousands of Ponies smile with my super cool acting and performing skills.”

She threw in several in place kicks, flips and twirls for flair. I had to admit, she had the energy and the style to entertain for sure. She then held up what I hope was a candied apple, though it was covered in a creamy white shell. I looked around to see where she’d gotten it from. Maybe she’d had it in her mane the whole time? She held it before her face in one hoof and adopted an expression I wasn’t sure whether to take seriously or not.

“Alas. York Porridge.”

I blinked. “What?”

Crystal snorted loudly. Pinkie laughed, setting the apple back where she’d gotten it.

“Oh, just something I heard in a play last year in Manehattan. At least I think that was the line. Unfortunately Mrs. Cake wouldn’t let me keep a pony’s skull. I’m not sure why though.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but there was nothing. Crystal expertly contained her amusement, though she looked as though she wanted to burst out laughing. I exhaled, pondering just what sort of play this filly had seen that involved skulls, or why Crystal found that so—no, wait, that much wasn’t really a mystery. Still, I didn’t get to ponder it long, because in the next moment, Mrs. Cake burst into the room.

“Ooh, Pinkie. You have guests arriving, shouldn’t you be setting up your party sometime soon? It starts in ten minutes!”

Pinkie’s smile vanished in an instant. Her entire body stiffened, losing the boundless energy she’d displayed a moment before. Her teeth became occupied with her lower lip. Her eyes grew wide and glanced around for something to look at, settling on me. Her look was pleading, dreading. Sweat formed rather quickly on her forehead. And Crystal noticed instantly.

“Yeah, Pinkie, don’t you have guests to entertain?” Crystal started with a seemingly friendly tone. “We should go downstairs and welcome them.”

I don’t know how she did it, but in that moment Crystal sounded both friendly, and unfriendly. Or at least that’s what I heard.

Mrs. Cake didn’t seem to notice. “Why don’t I pass out some snacks then? You fillies just make your way down soon, okay?”

She turned and disappeared out the door she’d come from.

Pinkie on the other hoof, was beginning to shake. Her breathing seemed labored, meanwhile Crystal moved in like a shark. Her lips curled into a frightening sneer.

“Come on, you’ve got to go entertain your guests. They’re all waiting on you. Don’t you want to be a performer? To entertain? How are you going to do it all the way up here? Huh? You’re just going to have to march down those stairs and greet all of those fillies and colts all waiting for their host to arrive. They’re waiting for the party to start. But where’s the party pony? Hmm?”

Crystal was leaning over Pinkie now, who was curled up tightly and staring silently at the wall. And where was I? Watching it all happen. Oh I wish I could say I’d done something. I could have. I should have stepped between her and Pinkie. I should have told her to stop. I should have done anything, but I just… stood there, as tears began to leak from Pinkie’s eyes.

Crystal snorted, gave me an amused grin, then sauntered over to the top of the stairway. “It’s alright, filly, I’ll start your party for you.” Her eyes glinted blue, then she turned and disappeared down the stairs, but not before flashing me a mischievous look. I blinked. Did she expect something from me?

As she disappeared, it was like waking up from a spell. I glanced back down at Pinkie and had nothing to say, so I simply wrapped her up in my hooves, and pulled her close.

Neither of us moved for several minutes. We just sat there. Her shaking, and me holding her. I admit, I was at a loss. I was helpless without Snowflurry. She’d always known what to do. Thinking of her opened up a hole in my chest again. How many months had it been? How many nights had passed that I had forgotten her?

A knot formed in my throat. I fought it, trying desperately to swallow it back down but to no avail. It eventually burst its way forth in a broken sob, which grew into a foalish whimpering wail. How could I simply have forgotten her, my best fillyhood friend? I felt a hoof rub my leg, and reached out to hold it.

Then I stopped, my breath caught. I looked up, and Pinkie was staring at me with sad, but life filled eyes. She didn’t say anything, but simply stepped forward and embraced me. I cried a few more breaths into her shoulder and then we stood apart, and she actually smiled.

It still amazes me to this day, that little moment we had there. I’m not sure how or why it happened, but Pinkie smiled after I sat and cried with her.

Actually, now that I dictate that it makes much more sense. But I digress. We turned and looked at the blue confetti blaster. I opened my mouth to suggest streamers to fill it with, when Pinkie spoke up first.

“Spaghetti.”

The sentence forming in my throat collapsed in on itself. “How abo-ah-whAT!?!”

Pinkie grinned, happily(?) at me. I tilted my head, staring curiously at her expression. She beamed, let out a very adorable squeak, then visibly jiggled her entire body.

“We should put spaghetti in the blaster. That way we can serve our guests and throw streamers at the same time.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words caught in my throat for a moment. Pinkie blinked and smiled at me expectantly. It took some effort but I found my voice again a moment later.

“I— um, Pinkie… Spaghetti?”

“Yup, it’s fun, and tasty, and it looks like streamers, it’s perfect.”

“I mean it um… sounds fun and all but… couldn’t you use actual streamers? Spaghetti just sounds sort of… messy.”

She paused, tapping her chin. “Hmm, well it’s not as fun as spaghetti. Maybe I could make streamers out of cake! No… maybe rock candy? Yeah, That sounds fun and tasty. We should put rock candy in the confetti blaster. It’ll be like real, edible confetti!”

I opened my mouth but said nothing.

“Or— Or maybe cotton candy.”

I took in a breath.

“Or popcorn!”

“Um.”

“Or caramel sauce!”

“...”

“OR wrapping paper.”

“Pinkie.”

“Ooh, candles! We should put candles in the confetti blaster. So we won’t have to decorate the cakes.”

I put a hoof over her mouth. “Pinkie, none of this sounds like something that really should go into anything that is to be fired toward guests. Shouldn’t we be thinking about the decorations?”

She paused, clearly imagining up some sort of decoration, then her eyes widened. “That’s it!” She exclaimed, grabbing my shoulders. “Actual cakes! With streamers and balloons and candy! Wouldn’t that be great? We could set up the whole party with one big blast. Like a… party blaster!”

I found myself speechless. While most of her ideas were absolutely ridiculous or repulsive, this one almost seemed as though it could work. How this filly intended to actually pull this off without just splattering cake batter everywhere was beyond me, but if her excitement was evident before in her bubbly mannerisms, here it was palpable. There was just one problem.

“Um, Pinkie, I think this looks more like a cannon, don’t you think?”

A loud gasp escaped the pink filly before me as she levitated in the air out of what I could only assume was sheer elation.

“That’s PERFECT! A PARTY cannon!” Two pink hooves squeezed my face from either side. “We’ll build a cannon that sets up the party for me, that way I can to it lickety split and I won’t even have to worry about upsetting they guests because…” I could see what was coming next. I covered my face. “They’ll have a blast!”

Pinkie smiled at me for a few moments, I held a deadpan stare. Then, slowly, I could no longer contain myself. I snickered, then burst out laughing. Pinkie fell over beside me, rolling on the floor and clutching her belly as she giggled at her own joke.

“Heeheeheehee, see, it’s so much fun to laugh.

I clutched my side while she wiped a tear from her eyes. Then more tears appeared. Then her smiled vanished. I stopped laughing. Her face tightened, and there was a strangled sob just before the words came.

“I just don’t understand why nopony laughs at my jokes anymore. Don’t ponies like a good joke?”

She put her face in her hooves and began to shake. Oh dear. Tears are not my area of expertise. I looked around the room, then scooted closer to her. “Pinkie, please don’t cry.”

It was about as effective as one might expect. I looked about for something to distract her, then noticed the open door. “Shouldn’t we get to work on setting up for the party downstairs?”

I reached forward to put a hoof on her shoulder, but then she collapsed onto the floor.

“Oh, what’s the point? Nopony likes me anyway. They all just think I’m crazy and run away. I’m just a silly filly with no real talent. I’m never going to perform on stage. I’m never going to be anything but a baker’s assistant, making stupid cupcakes all day. And then I’m going to get so tired I’m going to fall into the batter, and nopony is going to notice and they’re going to cook me into a giant cupcake and I’m gonna get chopped up and eaten and then I’ll be party food for everypony, and I probably won’t even taste good and they’ll all gag and it’ll be the worst party ever and Mom and Dad’ll get fired for making bad parties and have to move out into the street and eat dirt and nopony will like them either and it’ll be all my fault because I’m such a failure!”

I reached out a hoof toward her, then froze halfway. I wanted to comfort her. Truly. But alas, I found no words that could meet such a deluge of self doubt. I could even feel my own tears forming. And suddenly it was so obvious. Without thinking, I did the only thing that made sense in that moment. I slipped a hoof under her shoulder, lifted her up and pulled her into another tight embrace. She fought me at first, but then she squeezed me all the tighter. We both cried for… oh it must only have been a minute but it certainly felt like much longer.

“Thanks,” she murmured into my shoulder. I stroked her mane, and she let out a shuddering breath. We both sat back, and she glanced sideways at the cannon, then looked down.

“I—” I started, then stopped. I had to say something, but what could be said? Sounds of many voices drifted from downstairs, and I heard a record begin playing. It was a casual party tune. Not overly rambunctious, but not boring either. I glanced over at the stars. Well, at least Crystal was handling the party downstairs. Speaking of…

“Um, Pinkie? Don’t you think we should at least head down? I know you’re feeling down but… you are the hostess.”

Pinkie sniffled. “I know. I just… I’m not good with crowds of ponies.” She crouched low and looked through her mane at the door. I could see her shivering, and her eyes betrayed trepidation bordering on terror. I frowned.

“But, you seemed so… enthusiastic earlier. When you were handing out invitations?”

Pinkie groaned, burying her head under her hooves. She looked up sullenly at me.

“Mom says I need to branch out. Get used to meeting ponies. I can’t be an actress if I’m not comfortable around big crowds.” She let out a whimper, then spoke in a high pitched squeak that became a sob. “I don’t know how I’m ever going to act on stage if this is the best I can do. What am I supposed to do, Rarity? How can I be a showmare like this?”

Her eyes were too tired to find tears, else I have no doubt they would be streaming in that moment. I exhaled very slowly, glanced at the door, where somepony had leaned my saddlebags against the wall. I reached out with my magic, sweating from the effort. It took some concentration, but I managed to undo the strap, and lift out three small sapphires. I glanced sideways at Pinkie, and realized she was staring, mesmirized, at them. I quickly stuffed them back into the bag and clasped it shut. She visibly pouted, but it was far from her disconsolate deluge earlier.

I turned toward her with a confident smile. “We’ll do it together,” I stated.

Her eyes widened, then began to water. “You— You really mean it?” An incredulous smile crept onto her face.

A powerful warmth swelled up in my chest. I breathed in and smiled proudly, feeling full of new energy. “Yes. We’ll take the stage together, Pinkie. I’ll be there with you every step of the way, to make sure you shine like the gem you were meant to be.”

I had never felt so sure of anything than I did in that moment. Pinkie responded with a squee of exquisite joy and elation. She tackled me with another crushing hug and vigorously nuzzled my mane.

“Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou. This means so much to me I just don’t even know how to say thank you. Oh, I guess I just did.” A chuckle. “You’re the best friend ever, Rarity.”

I patted her on the back, waiting for her excitement to die down, but after a minute of not breathing I had to clear my throat to get her attention.

“Oh, hehe, sorry.” She released her vicegrip from my ribcage and stepped back, beaming.

I took in a much needed breath and brushed my coat off, noticing that I still had fake blood dried on. I smiled toward the door, then back at her.

“Well, I say we quickly wash up and head downstairs. You’ve got a party to host, after all.”

Pinkie’s smile vanished, and she shifted to place myself between her and the door, peering over my shoulder. “Um... I don’t know. Maybe we could just stay up here and—”

“Pinkie, I said, softly. “I’ll be right here with you.”

She shook a little, but then sighed. “The washroom is down the hall on the second floor.”

I smiled, and stood up, tugging her hoof along behind me. “Well there’s no time like the present. Let’s go.”

“Hehe, present.”

We both snickered at that as we made our way down the stairs toward the party.

A Betrayal Most Foul

I awoke that night to a sharp kick to one of my hooves. I thought at first that I’d kicked something in my sleep, but I could feel somepony next to me. I looked up, and in the dim light of the dying fire I saw Gold Mine standing over me, a deep frown set under a hardened glare.

I shuffled backward instinctively, ultimately pinning myself against the crates behind me. He took a step forward, his hoof impacting solidly on the ground between us. A powerful blow from his nostrils disturbed the blanket beneath his hooves.

“You’ve got some nerve, kid.” He spoke low, barely above a whisper, but each word struck with the impact of an axe pick on ice as he spat them through clenched teeth. I found myself frozen in place. A deep chill clenched my chest as I stared with wide eyes into his own, finding an abyss of seething rage.

“You was supposed to get us through there safe. You were our guide. We were to slip in and out unharmed, and without so much as a whiff from the beast.”

He took another step toward me, and I felt splinters pressing into my back.

“I get your situation sucks. I’d have pulled something myself to try to escape. But what you did?”

He snorted again.

“I can’t prove you had her killed, but what happened smells worse than dragon dung. And to think you could have incapacitated it at any moment.” His lips flicked open into a snarl, then closed, flickering between the two.

“Then you left her. You left Rose without so much as a second thought, scooping up enough gold between you and the boss for triple what you’re worth, and you’re worth a lot, let me tell you.”

He looked down at my saddlebag, confirming its lack of contents with a gentle kick.

“Just as well the boss took it. You don’t deserve any of it. I don’t care what your situation is, you don’t just leave a mare to die like that and not even give a second glance over your shoulder. You’re scum!”

An icy blade cut through my heart as he spat the last word. My breathing came in strangled gasps as his piercing gaze pinned me to the heavy crate. His hoof shifted, nudging one of the sapphires I’d slept with. He stopped, looking down at it, then returned his gaze with a deathly glare that stopped my heart cold for a long minute. Then something stirred in me. A fire poured out, shattering the ice around my heart and building its blue flame behind my eyes. Gold Mine blinked, the malice in his gaze gone. He took a step back, shaking as though he were staring at a ghost. Then he turned, and rushed to the other end of the tent, nearly tripping over himself.

I rushed to cover up my three gems, cradling them to my chest like a mother hawk. I moved the blanket back over myself and curled up under it, shivering, but not from the cold. In moments, I was asleep again.

~ ~ ~

I woke to the whistle of the wind and the brush of frost against my face. My nose wrinkled at the smell of… burning flesh?

My eyes snapped open. The tent was gone. I was lying in the middle of a frozen tundra, the harsh wind cutting daggers through my thin coat. I leapt to my feet, every muscle tensing as I searched for the source of that awful smell.

“Rarity.”

I screamed, spinning around in an instant to face the voice that could not possibly be there. Before me stood nothing but the empty snow-swept plain, but that awful stench was growing stronger.

“Rarity, help me.”

The voice came through as a painful rasp, like someone struggling to breathe. I twirled again, searching for something I hoped I wouldn't find.

“Why didn't you save me, Rarity?”

The voice was even closer now, almost as if she were breathing into my ear. A shiver ran up my spine and the fur on my neck prickled.

“I'm Sorry!” I whirled around once more, closing my eyes from the nightmare that had visited me. “I tried, but my horn—”

“Why did you leave me?”

The smell grew even stronger, and now I could hear the popping and sizzling flesh.

“I'm sorry. Really I wanted to save you but I couldn't. By the time I came back you were gone. Please believe me.” My voice broke into loud sobs as I lowered myself to the ground and used my front hooves to protect my face from the horror that stood before me. I could feel the heat coming off of her.

“Why won't you look at me?

I began shaking all over, sobbing into my arms.

“Please. Don't—”

“Open your eyes, Rarity.”

“NO! You’re dead! I can’t—”

“LOOK AT ME!”

I shrieked and cowered beneath what may as well have been a banshee’s scream, but I lifted a hoof from my face and slowly pried one eye open.

Her beautiful white coat was now anything but. Where there was skin left it was black and bubbly and oozing. The exposed flesh beneath was glowing as though lit from within, but it was a frightening red glow, and I could hear it sizzling and popping. Only one of her wings remained, but one could hardly call it that. What was left was a shriveled, blackened section of skin clinging to the tiny bones beneath. Much of the flesh on her face had melted all the way to the bone. I could see most of her teeth, and what was left of her tongue. And her eyes were just... gone. One of them was a deep abyss while the other glowed like a flame. A trail of blood and blackened flesh snaked out behind her, and some waxy substance dripped from her face and down her legs, melting the snow around her hooves as she stepped forward.

I retched on the ground in front of me.

“Look what you did to me. Why did you leave me to die, Rarity?

“Snowflurry, I didn't—”

“Why did you let me burn?”

She flung a smoldering hoof at me and something flew off of it, smacking and burning my face. I screamed so loudly I thought my throat would burst. Then she was on top of me, smothering me beneath her hooves. I could feel my own face melting as the red hot bones of her still cooking flesh seared into mine.

I screamed as loud as I could, but she only pressed harder, muffling my cries beneath her massive weight.

“Shut up!”

The snow vanished around me, replaced by the canvas confines of our tent. Snowflurry’s glowing eyes became those of an enormous griffon, standing over me. His eyebrows were drawn low, curling in over his large curved beak, which was drawn back in an avian snarl.

My eyes snapped all the way open as I became fully awake, and I let out a shriek, though it was muffled by the massive clawed foot that was clamped over my mouth, crushing my face. I pounded my hooves uselessly against it, tears streaming down my face.

“Ugh, move over. I’ve got this,” Crystal’s voice called from somewhere beyond my vision.

The griffon, who I just remembered was called Storm Vision, and was part of the group of bandits who had kidnapped me, looked up at Crystal’s voice with a calm expression. He looked back down at me for a moment, and then lifted his gargantuan weight off of me.

I let out a loud gasp as my lungs rapidly reinflated, and scrambled to my hooves. There was a bright blue flash to my left, and I turned to see Crystal, smiling at me. I stared into her deep blue eyes as my breathing slowed, and the sweat cooled on my coat. Nopony spoke, or even moved. There was complete silence in the tent for several minutes. I didn’t even mind. It was as though nothing else in the world mattered except for those brilliant, iridescent sapphire blue eyes of hers.

Crystal chuckled, breaking the silence, and my concentration. I blinked, and realized my mouth was open. I shut it very quickly.

“That’s better,” Crystal said with a cheery smile. “I’d suggest we all get back to sleep, but it’s already morning, and I think we’re all pretty well awake now, so why don’t we get an early start to the day?”

The whole team responded in unison, moving to gather up any scattered belongings and pack them into crates. I tried to help, but they all pushed me aside, saying I was in the way. I managed to steal some of the gold pieces without any of them noticing. They offered me a small comfort, but hiding in the corner only gave me time to remember I was never going to see my family again.

My heart ached as I remembered the flames. Remembered… her—Snowflurry! Her name was Snowflurry. I remembered the last look my parents gave me before I left that day. Not anger. Not Disappointment. Not even confusion. Fear. They were afraid of me. I thought to the dragon’s cave, and of how I had used it to murder Compass Rose, and how I had frozen Crystal and the others.

My parents had feared me. Had they seen this in me? Just what was I?

What indeed? I didn’t need them. They had died, after all. I was alone out here, and holding on to my past wasn’t going to help me. I took in a deep breath, mentally linking it to everything I had once held dear.

A crack like a whip, followed by blinding white and intense cold, snapped me out of my reverie. I looked up, and saw that the canvas which made up our shelter had blown away in the wind. Feather Breeze was first after it, snatching one of the still attached ropes before it got far, but the canvas was like a kite, filling up with wind and pulling even the strong pegasus along with it. He was dragged through the air like little more than a doll, with Crystal and Gold Mine chasing after him. I looked around. Nopony was near me, or watching me. I was alone.

Acting quickly, I grabbed a blanket and a food parcel and shoved them into my saddlebag. I lingered for a moment over the chests of gold, still unsecured. It should be mine after all. Why shouldn’t I take it? So I did. I grabbed several hoof-fulls of gold before deciding I should run.

Gold weighing me down in the heavy winds, I charged out into the snow. Away from my kidnappers. Away from Crystal. Away from her.

I made it about a hundred yards before an incredible weight, far beyond that of the gold in my saddlebag, flattened me into the snow. At first, I wasn’t sure what had even happened. I was galloping awkwardly through a field of white. Then, black. Crushing. Suffocating.

Needles pierced me, and ripped me from the ground. I flew through the air, feeling my saddlebags separate from my back, before striking something hard against my back. I cried out, then fell forward onto my hooves.

The wind was so loud I’m still not sure if I actually screamed, but towering above me was a massive black griffon, wings flared over his head to their full extent, eyes glaring murderously at me, and one claw clutching my now destroyed saddlebags. A roar blasted out from his beak that made the wind fall silent. Spit flew across the distance between us, smacking me in the face as I stared down his cavernous throat. I was briefly reminded that griffons once ate ponies, and in some places the practice had not been lost. My tribe was one of those places.

Then my eyes fell to the three sapphires at his feet. Snowflurry. My fear vanished. My eyes hardened. My legs found new vigor. Fear? I had feared him? He should fear me. Just as they had.

There was both fire and ice in my chest. Ice so cold it burned like fire, and fire so hot it chilled like ice. The two were one in the same. I felt it rise up within me, filling every hair on my coat, and turning the whole world bright blue.

The monster before me faltered. His snarl vanished. His wings fell, His eyes widened, and rage turned to horror as he gazed into the eyes of a power far beyond his own, and knew that he was beaten.

No. Not yet.

I took a step forward. He took a step back. My saddlebag fell from his claw, which he then held out in front of him.

“No, stop! Please I… I didn’t realize—”

There was a crackling sound, like fire on a log. His body slowed, then stopped, then turned blue. Frost crawled up through his feathers and spread along his plumage and coat. I drove it deeper by sheer force of my gaze, willing it to penetrate deeper into his flesh. Smoke rose from his body as the ice crawled toward his heart, until there was only a clear ice carving of a terrified griffon standing before me.

I stared at my handiwork, knowing this time that I had done it, and done it with intent. I had heard of cold blooded murder, and hot blood, but… were they really so different? The world remained blue as more cracks appeared on the surface of what had once been a powerful griffon. They quickly spread until they covered his whole body and then he shattered, like a diamond before me.

I stood transfixed, watching the shards of ice fall like snowflakes to join the snow. Through them walked… Crystal!

She strode forward like a wolf staring down its prey, bright blue eyes locked in mine. She stopped where he had stood, and looked down with a sneer.

“My my, a griffon with frostbite? It’s a wonder you and I are still alive.”

She reached forward and plucked three blue sapphires from the ground. “Ooh, these are pretty.”

I leapt at her. Reaching for the power I had just used to kill Storm Vision so I could strike her down with it as well. How dare she touch my most precious gems?!

But I didn’t move. My muscles protested, ignoring my commands and utterly refusing to move. I was frozen in place.

Crystal drew her gaze up toward me diffidently. “Oh, are these important to you. Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. Here. Have them.”

She tossed them to me through the air, and of course I caught them. I hugged them tightly to my chest, collapsing into the snow as I made sure they were not lost. As I stood, my gaze fell upon Crystal, mere inches from my face. A rather unsettling grin adorned it, one that made me step back.

“And you’re rather important to them, aren’t you? Why else would you murder another pony in hot blood? Oh. He wasn’t a pony was he?” She circled around me, and as I tried to turn my head to follow her, I found myself once again locked in place, unable to even look at her as she walked around to my backside.

“A griffon, our natural enemy. Cold blood then? You wanted to kill him, didn’t you? It was easy, wasn’t it?” She leaned in and whispered just audibly in my ear, “Oh the power you must wield.” A shiver rolled down my spine as she said it. She strode back in front of me, lips turned up in a permanent sneer.

“Oh, you’re quite interesting, aren’t you?” she said, then licked her lips and backed away slowly. “I think I’ll be watching you very carefully. I want to see how you… progressss.”

Her eyes flashed blue, and then she was gone. I felt my muscles relax. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I blinked once, and I was once more alone in the cold. I still wasn’t quite sure what to make of what had just happened. Had Crystal just… showed favor? My little filly mind struggled to make sense of her behavior. Sure she was cold blooded and selfish, but surely she couldn’t have enjoyed what had just happened to Storm Feather. Of course, had I been a little less naive, I might have realized that was exactly what had just happened. As it happened, I found myself struggling with the idea that maybe I had enjoyed it myself, just a bit.

I stood there in the cold, completely baffled, until I heard somepony crunching through the snow. Crystal! She had come back to taunt me again. I crouched, eyes trained on the space my ears told me she occupied. The sound of her hooves grew closer, pounding through the snow toward me. I caught a glimpse of her mane through the whitewall as her silhouette came into view. My lips drew back into a snarl.

“Kid? Is that you?”

I flinched. That wasn’t Crystal’s voice. The earth pony silhouette became more focused, and I realized it was too large to be Crystal. I stood up, peering to get a better view.

“Oh, thank goodness. I’ve been looking for a chance to get you on your own.”

I took a step backward, horn lighting up instinctively.”

The pony stopped. “Relax, I’m not here to hurt you.”

He strode into view and I finally put a name to the voice. It was Gold Mine. He looked nervously over his shoulder and crouched low, then beckoned me closer.

“The boss is busy helping Feather Breeze with that canvas, and I have no idea where Storm Vision is. That guy creeps me out, honestly. Look, I wanted to apologize.”

He took a seat in the snow, crouching low and continuing to look about. I didn’t trust him, but I didn’t want to see Crystal, so any distraction was worth it.

“Are you alright?” he asked. “You look cold. Come here.”

I sat down next to him, and he loosened his cloak and tossed it over me. Ah, wool. Not very comfortable most of the time, but in the freezing cold it’s the most heavenly material imagined. I snuggled into it, and he smiled at me.

“Like I was saying. I’m sorry about last night. I ain’t gonna say you’re not scum, because for all I know, you could be. And I ain’t gonna take back what I said, because I meant it. But I shouldn’ta said it to you, and I shouldn’ta assaulted you like that. I was angry for Rose.” He hung his head.

My surprise must have shown, because he glanced at me and nodded, then stared off into the distance.

“I loved her, ya know? She’s sorta how I got wrapped up with the boss. She and I used to go treasure hunting together. We grew up together, and we sorta ran off together too. We’ve been through a lot, she and I. Then about a year ago, we met the boss. Strangest thing I ever did see. She’s a weird one, that filly. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was a full grown mare, but she’s just a kid, ya know? But it don’t sit right with me how she knows all the stuff she does. She just ain’t been around long enough.

An’ what’s even stranger? Nopony knows where she came from. Storm Vision and Feather Breeze aren’t her first crew. They’re actually new recruits we picked up on the way up here. She already had a few ponies followin’ her back when she found Rose and me, and they didn’t know where she came from either. “

She’s a mystery, and so is the ponies she keeps around her. They don’t last long, ya know. That’s why I know you didn’t kill Rose. Ponies who hang around the boss too long, they just up and vanish sometimes. I’ve watched her get rid of every last one of her crew ‘cept me an’ Rose a couple of times, one at a time. Now I guess it was finally Rose’s turn.”

He looked down again, and I could see the tears running down his face. He looked up at me with eyes full of fear. His lip trembled and he struggled to form words.

“I… I gotta leave before she…”

“There you are.” Crystal’s voice shot ice through my veins colder than the blizzard we were sitting in. Gold Mine turned the color of the snow and turned swiftly to face her.

“I wondered where you wandered off to, Goldie. Having a chat with the merchandise while Feather and I tie down the fort? Oh and I see you’re offering her comfort as well. I don’t recall giving you permission to run off on your own, or to make friends either.” She bore down on him like a hound, and he balked beneath her gaze. She stopped, then smiled. “She’s going to go away when we get to Yaktown. It would be a shame if we were to lose more than one valuable item to those greedy furballs. Am I clear?”

Gold mine’s lip trembled, but his eyes hardened and he stared her down with such bravery I still admire it today.

“Crystal,” he said. There was pain in his voice, though he stood just a bit taller as he said it.

Crystal scowled, then leaped up and spun to kick him across the face. He landed sprawling in the snow, holding his snout. She grinned wickedly and continued in a sweet singsong voice.

‘Good. Now be a dear and help Feather Breeze load the sled. We’re moving out soon. Oh and Storm Vision left, so you’ll be pulling it this time.”

This time I saw the blue flash in Gold Mine’s eyes as he stared blankly ahead, and nodded silently. I frowned as I stared at him. He looked almost like a puppet carried by a string. He stood up and walked away slowly, and if he still noticed the cold, he didn’t show it.

Then Crystal looked at me, and said sweetly. “You too, dear. It’s time to go.”

I never even noticed what was happening. Her words seemed so sensible, and I silently obliged. My legs moved under me of their own accord, and while I struggled to regain command of them, they carried me blindly through the blizzard, back toward the camp. She let me walk past her, glancing back at where I’d been standing, before following right on my tail.

~ ~ ~

Yaktown appeared between two distant hills later that afternoon. It was quite small by Yak standards, but with my limited knowledge of a single pony settlement, it looked absolutely massive. Thatched roofs not unlike those I would later come to know of in idyllic Ponyville topped nearly a hundred enormous round huts. The streets were paved with stones probably taken from the nearby mountains. And of course, there were Yaks everywhere.

I actually smelled them before I saw them. Yaks are far from the cleanest creatures. Their shaggy fur traps on all manner of grit and foul smelling substances, not to mention it makes a wonderful home for fleas. Further north we didn’t have to worrry about them but it was warm enough there that there was actually green grass in places. My eyes dazzled at the sight of it, and my stomach growled in anticipation.

Before my excitement could brew very long, however, a noose slipped around my neck. I felt the rope tug and I looked over to see Feather Breeze on the other end, hovering with a smart grin on his face. Beneath him stood Crystal looking… I’m not sure triumphant is the right word, The grin on her face certainly spoke of a satisfying conclusion to a long played strategy, but her eyes were searching, watching carefully in anticipation of… something. Oh, if only I’d known at the time, perhaps I might have acted differently. Perhaps I could have found a better solution. Then again, perhaps not.

Behind her, Gold Mine stood staring at the ground. His eyes spoke of more pain than I knew how to feel at the time. Pain I would not learn about for years yet to come. My heart nearly stopped as the realization struck. Some small part of me had known this was coming, but the rest of me had hoped that we would never arrive, and that I could perhaps find a way to escape.
But Crystal was too strong. Even with the power that damned fox had granted me I knew I could not escape her. And so I hung my head and let the tears fall. Feather Breeze moved forward, and I was forced to follow him.

As we drew closer, a new smell rose out from the dregs. It wasn’t the filth of simply not bathing for a long time. Well, it was, but it was mixed in with something a bit stranger. An odd musk I had no way to place. It made me feel sick, and only grew worse as we got close to the massive buildings.

I was initially shocked to see not a yak, but a stallion trot out from between two of the houses on the edge of town toward us. He cut a path in the snow to intercept us a short distance from the houses.

There, Crystal signalled to halt, and we all stopped. I began to cry.

“Oh shut it. You knew this was coming.” Came Crystal’s harsh voice. “Though I do seem to recall you saying I’d end up sold and not you. Maybe you’re about to pull some switcheroo?” She stared at me mockingly. This time I watched as her eyes started to glow brighter, and shut mine. This earned a snort and a chuckle.

I was then roughly shoved to the side, while somepony scrambled with the strap for my saddlebags.

“What are you doing?” I opened my eyes to see Crystal tearing the strap with her teeth. It came free with a snap, and she ripped the whole set from my back. She spat it out and kicked it aside.

“Oh, just taking back what’s mine. It was fun watching you steal from me, thinking you were going to keep it, but the end result is the same. It’s still mine.”

My breath stopped. The sapphires! Snowflurry was still in there! I scrambled to my hooves and leapt at her, horn glowing. But a weight descended on me from above, and I felt myself pressed into the snow. The air squashed out of me, and I heard Feather Breeze chuckle. A thick gag slipped between my teeth before I could close my mouth, and something wrapped tightly around my horn. Crystal walked up to me, sneering.

“Sorry, but you’re not getting out of this. You’re going to go live in a brothel the rest of your life. Maybe even make a few friends. And you’re going to learn to love it, meanwhile I’ll be loving all the money I got for selling you. You’re just a worthless slave pony now, and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it.”

I looked up at Crystal, whose face was now inches from my own. Once again her grin spoke of triumph, but her eyes were still waiting, expecting something.

But her face, and her entire body vanished a moment later as somepony slammed into her. She landed several yards away in the snow. Gold Mine now stood over me, casting a deathly glare in the direction he’d just sent Crystal. I felt a weight leave my back, and the leash grew tight around my neck. Gold Mine cast a quick, caring look down at me, then up at Feather Breeze, before grabbing my leash and pulling at the other end of it. He leapt up and yanked down at the same time, closing the distance between him and the pegasus. I heard a yelp, an impact of two bodies colliding, and a soft thud as they both landed in the snow behind me. I refused to look, and instead kept my eyes locked onto Crystal in front of me. And I am glad I did, because what I heard next sends me chills to this day.

A brief scream cut short by the wet sound of something being driven into pony flesh, the strangled sound of somepony struggling to breathe, and then the wet gurgle of liquid in somepony’s mouth. Something hot and wet splashed across me, then silence. A moment later, my leash pulled tight around my neck, then vanished with a snap.

“Kid. Run!” Gold Mine’s voice was muffled, as though there was something in his teeth.

I couldn’t move. All I could do was stare at Crystal, who was slowly getting to her hooves. She didn’t appear hurt, just stunned. I didn’t have long to look though, before teeth clamped around the back of my neck and I was pulled roughly backward, and shoved onto my hooves.

“Go on, get out of here. I’ll hold her off.”

I cast a glance back at Gold Mine and nearly vomited into the snow. His golden fur was stained dark brown in patches, there was a small knife clamped between his teeth, dripping with blood, filling the snow around his hooves was with bright crimson. And his eyes. They burned with a cold fire I have never seen in anypony else to this day. He looked terrifying, and determined. Had the situation not been so dire, it would have been awe inspiring, but for that matter, it might never have taken place. I took a few steps backward, then turned and galloped toward Yaktown. If I could hide out long enough, maybe I could find a way out of here, and then maybe find a way to get back to Snowflurry.

Snowflurry! I dug in my hooves and slid to a stop.. I had left Snowflurry behind. Her sapphires were still in my saddle bags! I looked back. Gold Mine was standing stock still, staring at Crystal, whose face was twisted into a feral snarl I would expect to see on one of the Arctic wolves that used to attack my old home.

But when I saw her face, my fear vanished. Or rather, shifted. I no longer cared about myself, and my safety. It was him I was worried about. The knife was no longer in his mouth, which hung open loosely. I looked to Crystal. Her eyes were practically pulsing blue. I could nearly feel the shockwave impacting against my eyes from the sheer power she was putting out. I reached out with my mind. Screaming, begging for him to look away. To turn. To run. But he didn’t, he just stood there transfixed.

Crystal took a step forward, and so did I. My breath caught in my throat. I looked down at my hoof, then back up at her. That was just a coincidence, wasn’t it? She took another step, and I matched her. Panic rose in my chest. No, no she wasn’t looking at me this time. She couldn’t—

Crystal turned, and stared straight at me, straight through me. Her eyes drilled deep into my own with a piercing blue gaze. I was stuck. Good and trapped by whatever magic allowed her to do that. I had figured it out, but too late. She had me. As if just to demonstrate, she lifted a hoof and held it there, and my own hoof matched it perfectly. Then she set it down.

I felt beckoned toward her, and obliged without thinking. She did not move for me this time, but I trotted up to her. Gold Mine did not budge an inch. He was like a statue, gathering snow.

When I caught up to him and Crystal, she smiled at me.

“There, see? I told you, you can’t escape. There’s really no point in fighting. You can’t defeat me, and I’m going to have what I want.”

She gave me the same mixed look as before. I frowned, trying to piece together what she was saying. There was something she wasn’t saying. Something she wanted me to figure out. I quickly gave myself a headache, and Crystal snapped her gaze back to Gold Mine.

“Oh quit staring. You’re scaring the poor dear. Go ahead, Goldie. Talk.”

Gold Mine let out a gasp as his body became his own again. He collapsed onto the ground, clutching at his chest. He took a few moments to breathe, then stood again, this time staring daggers at her once again. He didn’t take a step toward her, though he looked like he wanted to.

“Well, go on then. Tell us what’s really on your mind. Hmm? What prompted this little rescue attempt? Killing Feather comes without a shock from a pony of your caliber, you greedy glutton. But freeing our biggest score since we discovered the location of a dragon’s hoard? Come on. What’s the deal, Goldie? Aww, you didn’t have a soft spot for her did you?”

He let out a snort, swallowed, then took a breath. “So what if I did. What are you going to do, kill me?” He lifted a hoof with some effort, but it quickly slid back to where it had been. Crystal’s smile widened. “Like you killed Rose?” he spat. Crystal’s smile vanished. Replaced with surprise. Fake, but I didn’t see it then.

“Oh? Did I? And how do you suppose I did that? Your stupid girlfriend forgot to watch her step. She woke the dragon, not me. She deserved to burn like that.” Gold Mine struggled visibly against something that bound his limbs in place. Veins popped on his temples, and his eyes bulged from his face.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I would loved to have done it. She’d outlived her purpose anyway, now that I’ve got this little gem compass.” She pointed to me. “But some dumb dragon beat me to it. Such a shame. I would have loved to watch the look on her face as she realized she was going to die. Really, that’s always the most amusing expression. Did you happen to catch it on Feather Breeze over there?”

She nodded to the place behind Gold Mine where I knew the pegasus now lay dead. Tears rolled from Gold Mine’s eyes, but his rage seemed to burn stronger. He took in a breath, but then his jaw clamped shut again.

“Now that’s enough out of you. I need our guest to hear this next bit. You see, I’m not going to kill you. She is.”

Gold Mine and I both exchanged a look of utter shock. I stepped back, already feeling sick at the idea. Crystal laughed.

“Oh, you don’t believe me? Well, I guess we’ll just see, but first, why don’t you open up your saddlebags for me?”

Gold Mine looked back at her, his face now as white as the snow. He trembled beneath her gaze, which somehow still held him in place.

“Oh? You already know what I’m going to find, don’t you? Or rather, what she’s going to find.”

A quiet whimper escaped Gold Mine’s clamped lips. I took a step closer, eyes narrowed. Was she expecting me to find something? What could he possibly have that would strike such fear into him if it was found? And what did it have to do with me?

Crystal nodded once, and Gold Mine began to move as though controlled by strings. He reached back rigidly, clamping the clasp for his saddlebag with his teeth, unlocked it, and then pulled it slowly off of his back and onto the ground between the three of us.

“Well, go on. Dump it out for us.”

Slowly, shakily, Gold Mine grabbed the bag in his teeth and lifted it by the bottom. Out slid an assortment of books, small tools, odd trinkets, and many especially shiny bits of gold. Oh, they were immaculate. Each one shone like its own gem, cleaned and polished so that they glowed from within. And each was perfectly round and smooth. I could feel drool forming in my mouth. But then, three items fell from his bag that changed my curiosity to confusion, shock, horror, then anger, and finally a heat that rose in my chest, and burned, hotter and hotter until I could no longer feel it..

Gold Mine screamed through his clamped teeth. The sound was muffled, and mixed with brays and whimpers. Once again veins bulged out everywhere on his body as he fought to be anywhere else. A small chuckle came from Crystal, which slowly grew into a cackling laugh one would expect from an evil mastermind. Which I suppose she was. How gauché

Myself? I saw the edges of my vision grow dark. I felt a gentle compulsion come over me, but not one I wanted to fight. I felt power built behind my horn, begging to be let out. The air around me began to vibrate as my rage built. Sitting atop Gold Mine’s pile of prized coins, where the three Sapphires I’d brought with me from Snowflurry’s grave.

All of his kindness that morning, wrapping his blanket about me, telling me that story about Rose. All just a ruse to get close to me so he could steal Snowflurry’s Sapphires from me. They were the finest gems I’d ever seen, and apparently so had he. That must be why he had done it. Why else would the thought of dumping his saddlebag terrify him. He knew what I would find. Snowflurry had been right.

I never even felt the magic release. I never saw the change happen. I stared deep into Gold Mine’s eyes. If looks could kill… I saw the fear in his eyes. Saw the realization that he was going to die. I almost smiled. How dare he try to take something so precious to me. Well he would not have her. I would protect her. A scream ripped from his throat, which he now had control of. His scream became the roar of the wind. His skin became the ice of the storm. And the wind took him and carried him away in a thousand floating pieces.

When the pressure on my ears subsided, and the edges of my vision returned to normal I was staring at nothing. There was nothing left of Gold Mine, except a frozen circle where he had stood. There was no wind, and no snow falling either. Crystal and I stood alone out on the frozen tundra.

“And? How was it?”

I snapped my head in her direction. She was smiling warmly at me, glittering anticipation in her eyes.

“I— W-w-what?!” I stammered.

Her sharp laugh caused me to jump. “The look in his eyes, when he realized there was nothing to stop it. That’s always my favorite part. Go on, tell me.”

By the gods, she actually looked excited! I took a step back. I glanced down at the sapphires. She followed my gaze. Her eyes narrowed into a sneer. She made a leap for them. NO! She couldn’t have them. I wouldn’t let her.

I reached for them, not just with my hooves, but with my mind. I willed myself to take them from her, to protect them. To protect Snowflurry! A different form of magic thrust itself forward. It was nothing like what I had been using so far, but it was exactly what I needed. It flowed up through my horn, and extended outward like a thousand tiny invisible hands, and wrapped around the three little gems. They moved, shifted, just enough that she missed them, then came to my side.

I held them tightly to my chest with my new magic, and galloped in the other direction as fast as I could

“Hey—GLLK!”

I slammed into something both soft and hard. All of my momentum stopped as I stared at dark blue fur, inches from my face. Blue fur that was quickly turning red. I heard the same sound that Feather Breeze had made earlier, and quickly shut my eyes. But I couldn’t shut my ears. And I couldn’t stop the warm, wet feeling surrounding my horn, and starting to drip down my forehead, and into my mane.

No. No make it stop! “MAKE IT STOP!”

And suddenly I felt cold. Cold everywhere. I opened my eyes, and I was staring at a wall of ice. I tried to pull back, but I was stuck. My horn was frozen into… into… I shut my eyes. There was something sitting at the front of my mind like a needle. I pushed it forward, and I heard a sound like glass breaking. My head came free and I opened my eyes. Before me on the ground was what looked like a frozen pony, broken into a dozen pieces. There was a hole in its chest, and its eyes were wide with fear.

I collapsed onto the ground, covered my face and cried. I cried long and hard, deep wails that burned my throat. It wasn’t fair. I never asked for this.

A Frozen Heart

“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” A warm hoof descended on my back, sharply contrasting the frigid breeze.

I didn’t flinch. I didn’t stir the slightest bit. My eyes had locked themselves shut, and my throat had gone numb from cries that had died along with the strength of my lungs. I had all but retreated into myself, and a few small tremors were all that might have shown that I was alive. Were it not for Crystal’s hoof at that moment, I just might have. I owe her my sanity, though in a way it is she who owes it to me. But I digress.

“Such raw power. Few ponies have ever seen it and lived.”

Crystal’s voice shattered the black tendrils that had begun to envelop my mind. Her voice was the only thought in my mind in that moment. Nothing else existed, nothing! And there was nothing else to think about except the sweet sound of her voice to distract me from the horrors I had yet to accept. The power I’d wielded, and still held inside of me.

Her hoof left my back, but I could still hear her hoofsteps in the snow. She trotted off a few steps, then stopped. I heard her breathe in deeply, then sigh. “I haven’t seen it put to full use in years, decades even. Oh, what a true gem you are, and how lucky we are to have met each other.”

My breath caught for a moment. I tried to relax, but she had noticed.

“Oh, yes. I know what you are, what you can do. I’ve seen it. Seen you use it to control others. Such skill, and at such a young age. Ponies like you are all but legend. I could live a thousand years and never find a gem so valuable as you, or one wielding such power.”

“I was never really going to sell you. I’ve known what you were from the moment I met you. I could see it in your eyes. No, a pony like you could never serve somepony else, never be reduced to something as pitiful as a slave. I pity the fool who believes he could tame you. Actually, I don’t. But then again, I made peace with my sanity a long time ago.”

“And you need to do the same, Rarity.” I stirred. While a moment ago her voice had been doting and contemptuous, now it felt, caring. I felt her hoof on my snout.

“Rarity, I need you to look at me.”

I shook, visibly I’m certain, but steeled myself and gathered my breath. Slowly, I cracked one eye open. I opened my hooves, and saw Crystal’s beautiful blue eyes in front of me.

“There we go,” she said with a smile.

They say the eyes are the window to one’s soul. I believe it. Her pupils were so vast and dark, as though they contained troves of knowledge I could never begin to delve through. And yet they held such beauty. This close, I could see every facet of them, the ripples and valleys set into her irises, kaleidoscoping over each other as her pupils dilated and constricted slowly. They were a pair of blue sapphires, and I wanted them for myself. I wished very much that this moment could last, that I could stare into those eyes forever.

My snout brushed hers, and I recoiled instantly, scrambling to my hooves and backpedaling quickly. But I stopped once proper distance had been made. I stared back at her, and she just smiled as she continued on.

“You have such incredible power, and you could do such incredible things if you weren’t so afraid to use it. You stopped a griffon in his tracks, you slew a dragon. It’s a lot for a filly your age, but you can’t lock away who you are.”

I took a step back, but I could not look away. There was blue fire in her eyes that danced like a snowflake on the wind.

“It was even fun, wasn’t it? Holding that much power inside you? Letting it flow, and guiding it along a path you chose? To control that power, it was exciting. Don’t lie. I saw it in your eyes. You enjoyed it. You loved the thrill of holding another pony’s life in your hands, and then crushing it.”

Tears froze on my cheeks. I wanted to turn, to run away, to be anywhere but near her. She was… insane. And yet, I stayed. I stared at the fire in her eyes, and cursed her because I could still see it in my own. She was right, I had enjoyed it. I had wanted to kill him. And not just to protect her. He was simply… nothing. And he became nothing.

Crystal’s smile twisted into a terrifying grin.

“You did like it, didn’t you? There it is again. You want to wield it again. You want to feel that same rush. I know.”

She turned away, facing the nearby yak village.

“I’ve felt it before as well.”

There was a sound like a bell, a flash of blue, and a vibration of such magnitude, I shook as I felt it pass through me. Then, all sound, wind, and motion, stopped. Snowflakes hung in the air, suspended by some unseen force. The yaks, who had been loud enough to hear nearly a mile away before, were now utterly silent, despite being only half that distance now.

Then, there was a low creaking and groaning, which grew in intensity, joined by a cacophony of cracks and snaps. My ears swiveled forward to find the source, and what I saw took my breath. The unmistakable clear blue of crystal ice was rising from the base of every structure in Yaktown. Splinters of ice rose from the ground like frozen claws, and with them, the boundary between life and death in Yaktown.

It happened quickly—under a minute. Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, it was already done. Before me, where there had once been a bustling town, there was now a dome of twisted, icy thorns, trapping inside an entire crystallized village. It was the most macabre work of art I’d ever seen.

Crystal looked back at me with a smile that spoke of joy and excitement, but also triumph, conquest and victory. Power, such power, it terrified me. And yet fascinated me.

I shook my head, blinking away the glamourie. “You’re a monster,” I spat at her, shoving the wonder from my face with as much anger as I could muster.

Crystal threw her head back and laughed—no, cackled, like a witch. She returned my gaze a moment later with the same terrifying smile that did not belong to any sane pony.

“True, but so are you.”

All the anger drained from my face. The strength left my hooves and I collapsed onto the ground. Rage tried to build behind my face, but there was nowhere to direct it. Its target was me. Blast her, she was right. I’d killed, enjoyed killing, and done it without need.

“Don’t look so down, Rarity. You should be proud of what you are. I said few ponies have ever seen us and lived. Few have. You and I have seen each other, and lived. None, save the alicorns, can match our might, and even they have few who can withstand us for long.”

“We are cursed. Cursed to wield such power. Cursed to carry it our entire lives, and sacrifice part of ourselves to do so, but oh just look at the benefits. We were made to rule over them. Even dragons fall before us. The only one greater than us is the one who gave us this power, the one who cursed us. You met him too, didn’t you? In that cave in the mountains?”

I blanched. She nodded.

“You did I see. Yes, I was there too, a long time ago.” She looked past me, far back the way we had come. Then her eyes widened, glinting blue, and she reached a hoof out toward me. “Come with me.”

I stared at her, completely uncertain of how to respond, or even what I wanted to say. I took a step back. She took a step forward. Her look became pleading.

“Rarity, I want you to come with me. I’ve never met another pony like me, I...need you. I know I seem hard and cold… And I am. But even I get lonely. Please, you’re the closest thing I’ll ever have to a friend.”

Her eyes looked sad then. Genuine sadness, like she was preparing to face a great loss. I could not believe it. She had a soft spot. For me. My mouth opened and closed rapidly, but no words came. I wanted to run, but I also wanted to stay. I hated her, yet I was in awe of her. I needed her and I couldn’t stand her. I stood still, caught between coming and going, as I weathered the feeling of my heart splitting in two.

“I can teach you things,” She continued. There was desperate hope in her eyes now, and she took another step toward me. “I’m young, I know, but I’ve seen so much. I can help you master this power of yours, teach you to use it properly, help make it less of a curse. I can give you the tools to take whatever you want from this world. Please just come with me, Rarity.”

She broke into a sob. I was completely dumbstruck. Here she was, completely vulnerable, having bared everything, and I held not her life, but her happiness in my hooves. I felt sick. I could feel tears reaching for my own eyes as reality overwhelmed me.

“Please.” She said, dropping to her knees. “Please.” Her voice was barely above a whisper now. She knelt at my hooves, and I still had no answer for her.

“Yes.”

She looked up at me with a gasp. My eyes widened. Had I said that? For the first time since I’d met her, I saw true happiness in Crystal’s eyes. She stood to her full height, and looked up at me with joy.

“Yes.” I said it again, and this time, I felt warmth spread through my chest as I said it. “Yes, I will come with you.” It was as though somepony else were speaking for me, but I was all too happy to let them. If it meant I could gaze into her beautiful eyes whenever I wished, I would follow Crystal anywhere. She rushed forward to hug me, and I embraced her in kind.

I still wonder how such a happy moment came from such a horrific experience, but life is complicated. In that moment, everything that had happened thus far was just a memory, and none of it mattered any more.

And thus my journey began.

~ ~ ~

We spent the next several weeks on the road. Our saddlebags were laden with gold and jewels, and at last I was comfortable. Despite the sheer weight of it all, I found that I could bear it, and being that close to so much gold acted as a sort of stress relief, so I didn’t notice the weight of it as much. I never saw Crystal cry again, though it was very apparent that she was kinder to me than to other ponies we met along the way. We didn’t see many of course, but those we did she would speak to just long enough to drive them off or to rob their purses.

It was quite entertaining to watch actually, and she even taught me to do it. Just a small tap into my colder magic, and ponies became like snow in my hooves. I could suggest anything to them, and they followed like it was the most sensible thing in the world. A gentle hint to leave their money in the snow and forget about it as they trotted off, and not to bother looking back because they had always remembered it and never forgot.

I grew to learn when her smile was genuine, and when it meant that she had nothing but ill will toward a pony. I rarely saw the former, except when she and I would cuddle together near a fire. We got to do quite a bit of that as we traveled south; it took nearly three weeks to leave the frozen north, and see more green grass than snow.

Let me tell you, the green south is vastly more welcoming than the tundras up north. Ponies aren’t meant for the cold, at least not unicorns. And there was more food available down south. Not just the small rodents I used to occasionally hunt, either. But green grass, flowers, and other small shrubs that taste simply scrumptious. The grass didn’t taste as good as the flowering plants, but it wasn’t as bad as the meat. Unless your name was Crystal.

Remember when I said that ponies could and often did eat meat? Well, Crystal had a far more ravenous appetite for meat than I had. I actually had to stop her from murdering a pony we’d had a bad run in with just so she could eat him. It was a bit frightening, and she even tried to convince me to let her, though I was ready for her this time. Gods above, did I really brush that aside so easily? Such a foal I was.

~ ~

“Oh, come on, he tried to kill you. Please?” Crystal begged in a childish fashion that was ironically very unlike her.

I raised an eyebrow. “You don’t actually think he would have succeeded, do you?”

“Well, no. That’s why I’m here of course. I’d rip his throat out if he ever got close enough. It would actually be fun too...” She stared off into space with a devilish grin that might have frightened me, if I had not seen it a dozen times before. “Please, just let me do this for you?” She blinked several times, trying to look innocent, but it only added to her unsettling appearance.

I rolled my eyes and gave her a hard stare. “No! I’m still not okay with what happened up north. That really upset me, you know.”

“Ugh, come on,” Crystal groaned. “I won’t even hurt him. I’ll just snap his neck really quick. He won’t feel a thing. Heck, I could probably even get him to do it himself. Come on it’ll be really fun.”

“Absolutely not!” I said, putting my hoof down. “I don’t want you killing ponies just because you enjoy it. I’m still not sure how I feel about you liking it at all.”

She stared at me blankly for a moment, then dropped into a sly smile I had seen far too many times before. Her eyes glinted blue as she spoke “Oh? Are you sure? After all, he did try to hurt you, and he needs to realize that we are not helpless little fillies to be taken advantage of. No, we are the two most dangerous beings in the world. The world should fear us, and who are we to moralize their deaths if they seek to harm us. You even almost killed him yourself. He deserves to die for trying to hurt you. You know you want to see him dead just as much as me. I’m just protecting you, Rarity. Don’t youwant me to protect you?” Her head tilted just slightly to the side, and I felt myself follow it.

I nearly started to nod, but then blinked. “What? No. Hey, I know what you’re doing. Don’t you use your eyes on me like that. I’m not one of them!”

I was only half angry with her, but her eyes betrayed a glint of hurt. I thought we had established, if not trust, at least an understanding that we were above other ponies, and shouldn’t try to overpower each other. It really was insulting that she thought she could use her eyes on me. I decided to press my advantage.

“I can sleep away from the fire from now on. I’m as familiar with the cold as you are. I won’t freeze.” I gave her my best hardened stare, praying to whatever gods that I would not betray how painful the very thought of spending a night away from her was.

The corner of her lip turned up. Oh no, had she seen through it? She must have. She grew a smirk. Drat. I did my best to hold the stare, but I could tell it was useless. She knew the truth.

“You wouldn’t dare.” She took three steps toward me as she said it, pressing her face very close to mine, her eyes glinting even deeper. “Every night, you’re the one who comes up to me—don’t deny it.” She pressed further, and I found myself quite literally off balance as my hooves struggled to trot backward quickly enough. “You need me more than I need you.” She took a lunging step forward, and threw me onto the ground. My eyes shut instinctively, but before I could even raise my hooves in defense, she was on top of me, smothering me under her matching weight.

Something bumped into my snout gently. I opened my eyes, and saw it was her hoof. She was grinning playfully. My cheeks grew hot, and I realized I’d been beaten. I relaxed, letting the now growing heat between us warm my body. A smile crept across my face, and I tried not to laugh.

Her smile widened. “See? I win.” She reached in and nuzzled my snout, letting out a soft hum. “But you’re right, we shouldn’t cheat on each other.”

She got up, and I found myself craving her touch once again. But the moment was fleeting, and I quickly shook my head to clear it.

~ ~

That was the start of our relationship. She and I grew close over the next few months. I discovered during a night around the fire that her name wasn’t actually Crystal. When she heard me call her that she laughed.

“Wait, Crystal? Is that what you’ve been calling me?” she snickered.

I looked away and fussed about for something to occupy my hooves with. My face had grown hot. “I—well—yes,” I finally stammered. “Why is there something wrong with it?”

“What? No, no it’s just—” She stopped laughing and sat up, then placed a hoof on her chin and gazed upward. “Not bad, actually. Okay, Crystal it is.” She nodded and gave me a smile.

“I—do you not already have a name?” I asked incredulously. She laughed again.

“Oh, well, not really. I just go with whatever feels right at the time, but to my crew, I’ve always just been ‘Boss’, so I’ve never really needed a name.”

“But… didn’t your parents ever give you a name?”

Crystal’s smile vanished so quickly I wondered if it had ever been there at all, and met me with a stare that sent shivers down my spine. I flinched back and readied my horn for defense.

“If you really care about me, never ask me that again.”

Other than the dance and crackle of the fire, one might have believed time had stopped again. I opened and closed my mouth several times, but it took me several minutes to finally speak.

“A-alright.”

Her smile returned as quickly as it had appeared, and she reached over to kiss me on the cheek.

“Thank you.”

The rest of that night was mostly spent in silence, but we didn’t need to talk. I might not have believed it myself if I wasn’t there, but the pony who had not a few months earlier forced me to commit horrifying acts, and convinced me I’d enjoyed it, had become ~~my closest friend~~ somepony I cared deeply about.

~ ~

One of the moments where she really stole my heart, was nearly a month after entering the green south and a land Crystal said was called Equestria. I gasped!

“The Equestria? Ruled by Celestia the Great?”

“Oh, you’ve heard of her?” She seemed surprised. “I didn’t realize word of Celestia and Luna had reached that far north.”

A filly is allowed to swoon. It’s adorable. “Oh, I’ve heard stories. I hear their manes shine like the stars, and that ’their beauty is immeasurable’.” I couldn’t resist taking a line from the story my father had told me. “Is it true they move the sun and the moon? That doesn’t seem possible.”

Crystal rolled her eyes. “It’s not, technically.”

My mouth dropped open. I listened intently and kept walking. This was sure to be interesting.

“There’s this old legend about Luna being locked away in the moon or something, but even Celestia doesn’t have the power to affect something that far away. Don’t get me wrong, she’s worthy of her legend. I’ve never met a more powerful alicorn, but the stories oversell her way too much. She governs a small city on the side of a mountain, and oversees the surrounding country. You can actually see Canterlot Mountain from here.”

I had stopped listening, “You’ve met her?!” I had also stopped walking.

Crystal turned and gave me a big smirk. “Oh yeah, I’ve met her. Actually, you’ll probably meet her too. She may not be able to move the sun and the moon, but she can certainly sense when a threat to her citizens enters the country. Something as powerful as you and me? She probably already knows we’re here.”

The gaze she cast into the distance can only be described as devious. It was one of knowing, of forethought, of pride, amusement and superiority. I never doubted for one second that she had plans for us to meet Celestia, and not with friendly intentions.

I followed her gaze toward the horizon, where a lonely mountain stood tall in the wide plain. A solitary monolith, holding vigil over the vast land beneath it. “Is that… ?”

“Aye, that’s the royal high mountain city of Canterlot, home of Alicorn Princess Celestia, daughter of the sun.”

“She can’t be!”

“Oh it’s just a title,” she said, waving a hoof dismissively. Her gaze softened as it returned to me. “Come on, let’s get moving.”

We continued on for the better part of the day. Crystal moved forward with such blind focus I wondered at times if she remembered I was there. She stared sharply ahead, eyes never diverting to the left or the right.

It baffled me how she could simply ignore the grass, and the sun, and the bright blue sky. I had never seen so much green. The spring thaws had occasionally brought patches of grass to the surface, but to cover the entire ground for miles with such a rich verdant carpet, it was unthinkable! And trees! We’d had trees up north, but never in such vast forests.

I looked up at the sky, and noticed a small patch of clouds that looked like a full rainbow. A rainbow cloud. Was it possible?

“Um, Crystal? What in the world is that?”

Crystal followed my hoof.

“Hm? Oh, that’s just Cloudsdale, the floating city.”

“A floating city!” I could not stop my hoof from covering my mouth. The better to stop flies from entering anyway.

“Yeah, it’s really nothing special, just a bunch of clouds some pegasi pulled together one day.”

“Nothing special? But, just look at the way the rainbows flow like a waterfall. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

“Eh, it’s alright I guess. Clouds aren’t really my thing.” She gave me a sideways glance before continuing. “Besides, they’re pretty lacking in gems, which is what we’re here for anyway. Come on, I hear there’s a place south of Canterlot where gems are as abundant as trees.

I wheeled around until we were nose to nose. “You mean it?” I asked as I held her close and stared into her beautiful sapphire blue eyes.

She smiled. “Rubies and Sapphires galore. We find this place, we’ll never have to chase after other ponies and steal their loot, ever again. We can live like royalty right there.” Her voice softened. “And I won’t even have to hurt anypony.”

I gasped. She really meant it. No more killing. It was like a dream come true. I leaned against her and sighed. There was hope for her yet.

~ ~

I know, it seems strange. A filly like me, barely old enough to realize my magic, caught in the early throes of romance. Perhaps I project too much of what it became onto what it was, or perhaps true friendship and true love are so near to each other that one cannot be separated from the other. Perhaps I was simply lonely, and having someone like me whom I could tell anything to, whom I trusted with my life, felt comforting.

Whatever it was, it blossomed into a deep loyalty that kept both of us looking to the other at the end of every day, and made our journey that much quicker, that it seemed but a few days until we found ourselves deep in the hills on the northern end of the Everfree Forest.

“I still don’t understand why we couldn’t stop in Canterlot on the way.” I chided. “We passed so close to the mountain I could have frozen it solid.”

“Because, as much as ‘Celestia the Great’ probably already knows we're here, I really don't like drawing attention to myself until I want all the attention for myself. Make sense?”

I nodded, returning my gaze to the trail ahead. The trees broke open further uphill, revealing a rocky scar carved into the valley.

Gravel crunched beneath our hooves as we strode out onto the crag. I slowed a bit, letting Crystal take the lead. But she went not ten hoofsteps farther before turning back to me.

“We're here.” She gave me that same expectant look that she always did.

I blinked, looking around quizzically. “What, here?!”

She nodded.

“But there's nothing out here!” I balked.

She smirked and shook her head. “Come on, Rarity haven't you ever heard the expression ‘a diamond in the rough‘? Can't you feel what's out here? It's your special talent after all.” There it was again, that triumphant, expectant grin.

I looked around again. No, I stopped looking.

I closed my eyes—my physical eyes, anyway.

I brushed Snowflurry for just a moment, with my magic, feeling the familiar twinge of her gems.

Oh.

Crystal was right.

There were gems nearby. I could feel them, just the same as I always had.

I smiled. My horn lit up, and I walked forward. The tug directed itself further and further downward until I could walk no farther forward. The pull was straight down.

“Here.” I said, opening my eyes. “There are gems here.”

There was no response. I looked around. Crystal was nowhere to be seen.

“Hello. Crystal, dear, where did you go?”

I heard clamoring and a loud yelping behind me. I spun to see Crystal, eyes aglow, towing a pack of dogs, transfixed by her spell. They each wore collars emblazoned with various gems, and there was a ravenous hunger in their eyes, just like Crystal often had when she looked at somepony’s suffering. These were no ordinary dogs.

“Crystal, are those…”

She grinned wide. “You know they are. You didn’t think I was going to let you and me dig up these gems did you?”

“Well, I... yes, but…”

Crystal fixed me a glare that silenced all further protests.

I gasped. Why was she so short with me? Could she be losing interest in me? Was it my lack of bravado. Oh forgive me, how smitten I was. I had to win her back. I watched silently, chewing on the inside of my cheek, as the diamond dogs began digging. Was it my fierceness she’d admired, or the way I stood up for myself? Wasn’t she just lonely? Wasn’t I lonely? Was I only good for finding gems?

Thinking about it that much made me realize it didn’t matter, because I needed her for the same reasons; I needed those jewels. The dogs weren’t moving fast enough. I could dig more quickly on my own.

I glared at them, and almost as if they could hear my thoughts, they began to work faster, emitting yelps and whines as they did. Crystal looked up at me, momentary shock on her face. But she soon settled into a grin, nodded with approval, and looked down at the dogs.

“A stranger’s pain for your personal gain, in time is a price found not so nice.”

I jumped, then turned toward the sound. The dogs’ digging stopped. There was silence in the clearing, broken only by the soft hoofsteps of a strange, striped pony who had just emerged from the nearby forest. Just when I thought I’d seen everything... I didn’t think we were far enough south to find zebras.

“Oh shut up, you old windbag.” Crystal snapped at her, eyes glowing blue. “I don’t have time for your fancy rhymes. Unless you’d like to help us out, that is.” She smiled at the zebra, who glared straight back, unblinking.

I saw Crystal’s face turn sour, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead. The zebra frowned warningly at us. Perhaps I imagined it, but I could swear her eyes shone gold for the briefest of moments. What she said next never made sense to me until years later. In a voice that was her own, and somehow, not her own, like it was pulled back from the future to be said here, the zebra spoke.

“The gem of fools who is not her age
Fly swift from here. Make us not your stage.
Your puppet strings can never last
While you still run from your own past.”

The wind seemed to shift as she said it. I felt a shiver run down my spine as she finished. Crystal, however...

“Oh can it! Go write a spell!” Crystal shouted at her, shattering the glamourie, but otherwise not fazing the zebra.

Icicles formed on the trees near the zebra but stopped a few feet away. She held Crystal’s gaze for a few moments, as though challenging her. The icicles grew thicker, but made no progress toward the zebra. When it was obvious nothing was going to happen, she turned and trotted curtly away.

“Yeah good riddance,” Crystal called after her. She continued to glare into the trees, which froze in the zebra’s wake but left her completely untouched. When she was gone from sight, Crystal flashed her glare back to me.

“Well? What are you staring at? Keep those dogs working!”

I felt struck by her words, such ire she displayed that I had not yet witnessed. It took me but a moment to remember myself, and wonder who this strange zebra was who could enrage Crystal so.

I turned back to the diamond dogs and pushed them to dig until their claws bled. I gazed hungrily into the dirt that flew everywhere beneath their diligent paws. I could all but smell the gems. They were just a few feet further.

“What are you doing?”

I blinked. Crystal’s voice had sounded so far away. I turned, to find that she was back and above me, and I was standing in the pit with the dogs, churning dirt with my own hooves. I looked down at the stains already climbing up my legs, and paled.

“Did you forget?”

I winced.

“Yeah, we have dogs for that. Don’t worry, I won’t let them eat anything.”

I looked back down at the whimpering pack of diamond dogs, shoveling dirt with painful swiftness.

“Hey, if you want to get filthy that’s on you, but don’t expect me to lick you clean afterwards.”

I looked between her and the scant feet left of dirt that I knew stood between me and glittering amazement. I knew my choice. I steeled myself and marched back up toward her. I was met with a triumphant sneer, but no snide remark. She simply snorted and said:

“Come on, I hear the lost Castle of the Two Sisters is around here. Let’s go find it.”

She turned and trotted into the Everfree at that. Before I could decide whether to follow her or not, my hooves began marching right behind her. I chose not to resist their pull. We went in search of the castle.

~ ~

What we found was the very definition of haunted. Cracked, crumbling stone, overgrown with vegetation, flanked by trees that should have fallen long ago, on the far side of a black ravine, traversed by a rotting bridge with frayed rope.

Oh, that it was not yet twilight, perhaps with a full moon, the scene might have been picturesque. Regardless, I found myself in envy of wings as we trotted across the creaking planks of a poorly designed bridge. Perhaps the ponies who built it simply had no better building materials. But for a castle home to two [said to be] goddesses, I was... disappointed.

As we got inside, I was met with even further disappointment. Tapestries of profound inspiration decorated the entirety of the main foyer. Each one individually was a stunning masterpiece, but as a whole they obscured each other's beauty, the result a gaudy and garish conglomerate.

Did she seriously intend to stay here long term?

I found the throne room immediately beyond much more palatable. Simple, smooth stone walls, painted to match the twin tapestries adorning the far wall. The effect elegantly and efficiently highlighted the subtle beauty of the sun and moon's likeness, which in turn drew attention to the thrones which sat beneath them. The thrones themselves carved from stone, and each adorned near the top with a small carving of its respective celestial body.

No doubt this room was designed to accentuate the full beauty of the two sisters themselves, who would literally have been the crown jewels of this ensemble. My own coat would look quite nice beneath either of these two banners. Perhaps this is not a bad base of operations after all.

“Do you like it?”

Her voice broke my daze, and I turned toward it. She was ascending the right hoof side of the twin stairs flanking the two thrones, staring up hungrily at the overhead tapestries. She flung her gaze upon me when I didn’t respond, and her expression both frightened and excited me.

“I uh-um…” I stammered. Unable to form words under her gaze. My face grew hot. She laughed.

“I knew it. You love it. You really are royalty, aren’t you?”

My heart jumped. Was that… no, not possible. Not from her. She was far too cold. I put her baffling remark aside and strode up the left side stairs, forming my thoughts quickly, and with distinction.

“It’s really... nice.” I started, fumbling for the proper words. “A-amazing, really. Though it’s perhaps a bit lonely. Wouldn’t it be nicer if we had some company? And I don’t mean the dogs.” I gave her a flat look. Non-threatening, but neither timid. She narrowed her eyes at me, gears clearly turning behind her piercing gaze. Then she smiled wickedly.

“Oh, you sly thing. You mean that little pony village nearby, don’t you? I gotta say, Rarity, I didn’t think you could impress me twice, but you really are as rare as your name implies.”

I regret to say that I was far too flustered by her flattery to realize what she was saying. She strode to the center of the parapet, and looked out over the throne room, then back at me.

“Let’s do it.”

My heart stopped. “I—what?”

“It won’t really make a ton of money, but it’ll be way more entertaining than anything we’ve done lately. I’ll bet that idiot Celestia won’t even notice. Not that she could stop me if she did.”

She seemed to be speaking to nopony in particular, eyes staring at the floor as her hoof tapped her chin. She looked up at me.

“Rarity, you’re a genius.”

My mouth opened to answer her several times, but no words came. Instead, I smiled, hoping I had understood her correctly. She turned her terrifying grin at me, jerked her head toward the door, then began walking. I took a few looks around, then followed. If nothing else, this pony village would be refreshing to see after so many months of wilderness.

~ ~ ~

She led me on a long trek through the Everfree Forest. It was only an hour or so, which after much travel didn’t seem like much, but the trail wound through so much thick brush I wondered if she hadn’t gotten us lost. She stared down a massive manticore along the way. It had wandered onto our path, perhaps looking for an easy meal, but soon thought better of it. It was always baffling to watch the terror form in the eyes of anything Crystal stared at long enough. She could scare a dragon to stone.

After an hour, however, the forest cleared up, and the trail became a road, which led into the valley toward the town I would come to call home: Ponyville. Let me tell you, the simple beauty was breathtaking. Open meadows, clustered homes, a meandering stream, fluffy clouds overhead, a warm sun, and birds singing happily in the trees. I could see pegasi tending to the clouds, and ponies bustling about the streets.

We crossed a bridge and entered the town square. I stopped right there, and nearly cried. It was nothing like my old home. But it had ponies, and something inside me broke down. Crystal caught it, and stared daggers at me. My heart ached, but her gaze wouldn’t let me cry. She smiled, and I put on a weak smile. We turned and trotted forward, looking left and right among the townsponies.

In the center of the square was a big fountain, and next to it was a bright pink filly with balloons on her flank. Fitting, that she was tying balloons to the base of the fountain. Her mane was done in thick curls that almost seemed unruly, but I guess that’s just the way her mane liked to be. She had to sense us approaching, because she turned before we got close.

“Oh, hi. You must be new in town. That’s just perfect. I’m throwing a party this afternoon, you should come and meet everypony.”

She jumped up and ran to us so quickly I nearly jumped out of my skin. She stuffed a small invitation in my face.

“I’m Pinkie Pie, I’m new in town too, but that’s okay because I’m going to meet everypony at the party and make lots and lots of friends. You should come too so you can meet everypony and make friends too and then we won’t be new anymore. I’m getting all sorts of games and snacks and everything. It’s going to be the best party ever! Ooh, I gotta get more balloons. See you later.”

A moment later, she was gone, and I found myself wondering if she had ever been there at all. I looked over at Crystal, who pointed into her mouth and made a gagging motion. She turned around and trotted over to the stream nearby.

She didn’t say or do anything at first. I trotted up next to her and stared into the water with her. Neither of us said anything for several moments as we listened to the sounds of a bustling village square behind us. I took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh scent of flowers on the breeze. The stream before us trickled gently, helping me relax and breathe evenly. I could have cried. My hometown had never felt this beautiful.

“Do you like it?”

I looked up at her and nearly jumped back. She had a truly sincere expression on her face. It almost didn’t look real, but it was. I glanced back at the fountain, then back to her. Did she mean the village? I thought again back to my own hometown, then looked around the square. Everypony looked so happy. Was this another chance? Tears welled up in my eyes. It just couldn’t be real. I looked back at her and nodded.

“Yes. Yes, I like it very much.”

“Great. It’s yours.”

“What?!” My mouth couldn't decide if it wanted to be open or closed.

Crystal smiled mirthfully and rolled her eyes.

“This little hamlet doesn’t have any sort of ruling authority. I think they just run all the way to Canterlot if they need anything they can’t provide for themselves. You could run this town. We could run this town. We’re meant to rule over other ponies, not like those petty Princesses. This could be your first dominion. It’ll be a bit boring, but it’ll be good for you, and the land is rich with gems anyway. If you end up hating it, I’ll just freeze it and we’ll move back to that Castle back in the woods. What do you say, Rarity? Do you want to run this town with me?”

I’m not proud of what I said next. I’ll never know if it was fear for the townsponies’ lives if Crystal froze them because she thought I was bored, or just greed and power lust that gave me the words, but I was overcome with a strange calm. I swallowed the ice in my throat, ignored the cold in my gut, smiled warmly and simply said:

“Yes. Let’s do it.”

And so began the darkest age of Ponyville history. Oh, gods above, spare my soul.