Thaw

by Hap

Rating: everyone
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Adventure
Length: 14059

Twilight discovers that the Windigo is not what the history books say. Can the power of friendship thaw a frozen heart, or will memories of the past keep her in the cold?

When an unnatural winter descends on Ponyville, Twilight soon discovers that the Windigo is not what the history books say. Her quick thinking saves the day but leaves her with a bigger problem: An ancient alicorn, a contemporary of Celestia herself, has been turned into a filly and is now Twilight’s personal student.

Everypony is asking themselves the same question: Can the power of friendship thaw a frozen heart, or will memories of the past keep her in the cold?

A submission to the More Most Dangerous Game contest.

Much thanks to silvadel for kicking my butt into gear, and for his prereading and guidance.

Published 2015-01-25 20:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-01-25 20:20:02 UTC

1: Winter Descends

The world turned white where her shadow fell upon it. Landscape rolled past beneath her, as foreign to her as she was to it. Her hollow eye sockets scanned the unfamiliar terrain, searching for any hint of the place she knew.

There.

One thing, at least, had not changed. The mountain stabbed out of the Earth like unto a unicorn who seeks in excess of her station, and shall soon be cast down to the clay from whence she came.

She twisted her feathers, adjusting her course toward the East. Time had long swallowed any sign of the settlement she remembered, and was well on its way to digesting this new castle. All manner of birds and beasts fled the forest as it was consumed by the wave of frost. All of them fleeing toward a town on the horizon.

Anon, this hamlet shall comprehend hunger.

*tap tap tap*

Twilight raised her head. She peered over the edge of her book and frowned. Rainbow Dash was hovering outside of Twilight’s bedroom, pressing her face against the window. “Twilight!” *tap tap tap*

With a sigh, Twilight lifted a bookmark in her magic, carefully placed it between the pages, and set the book down. Her vertebrae popped as she took her time stretching, then trotted over to the window and swung the casements outward, wincing as the bright summer sunlight fell on her face. “Rainbow, why can’t you use the door like a normal pony?”

“Doors are boring,” Rainbow said, crossing her forelegs in front of her chest. “Besides, you really need to see this.”

“See what, Rainbow? Where are you…” Twilight leaned out the window and turned her head upward to follow Rainbow Dash. “Fine.”

Twilight dove through the open window and flapped up to the crystal rooftop where Rainbow was standing next to a telescope and staring off into the distance. As Twilight landed, she followed Rainbow’s gaze toward the horizon. “Whoah. That’s quite a storm. Is that on the weather schedule?”

“Nope. And take a look at this.” Rainbow swung the telescope toward the dark, anvil-shaped mass looming over the Everfree Forest.

Twilight squinted through the eyepiece. “Is that a blizzard? In August?”

“Keep looking.”

The view through the telescope bobbed up and down with each breath Twilight took. Then, she caught a glimpse of something pale maintaining a steady course at the leading edge of the roiling clouds. Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized the gaunt figure bearing down on Ponyville.

“But… But we’re living in harmony. It can’t be Windigos.”

Rainbow shook her head. “Windigo. Un-plural.”

Twilight’s eyes remained unfocused as she replied on autopilot. “Singular.”

“Whatever. When I flew up there to try and stop the storm, I got a pretty good look. There’s only one.”

Twilight sat down and scrunched her eyebrows. “This doesn’t even make sense.”

Rainbow dropped to the ground next to her. “That’s not all. It wasn’t quite like the pictures in all the Hearth’s Warming stories.”

“How so?”

“It was a pony, and” —Rainbow wiggled her feathertips— “it had wings.”

Twilight was silent for a moment as she chewed her lip. She looked up at Rainbow. “Do you know what this means?”

“Yeah. We have to read a bunch of dusty old books.”

“Yes,” Twilight said with a nod. “But I’ve read every history book in my library, and they all tell the same Hearth’s Warming story. We’re going to need older books.”

Twilight and Rainbow looked at each other. Slowly, they both turned to look towards the forest, deep in shadow.

Twilight kept her head down, letting the rhythmic crunch of ice crystals underhoof set the tempo for her train of thought. Some time between exhausting every possibility twice and three times, she heard Rainbow Dash announce in a hoarse whisper, “We’re here.”

Applejack looked back at the motionless trees. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen the forest so… quiet.”

“It’s definitely not natural,” Twilight said as they gingerly climbed the stone steps outside the imposing double doors. “But then again, we already knew that. The library is just through here.”

The trio filed into the ancient hall, tracing the lines of bookshelves up to the edge of the broken roof, where rough patches of dark clouds could be seen swirling just beyond. Twilight illuminated her horn, sending a lavender gleam through the room that was refracted by the multitude of ice crystals that had grown on every surface.

“Whoah,” Rainbow said, exhaling a cloud that likewise took on a purplish hue. “It’s like a million stars!”

“This…” Applejack whispered with a deep breath, “This must be what Rarity’s closet looks like.”

Rainbow snorted, then the two of them dissolved into snickers.

“Alright, you two,” said Twilight. “Let’s look for any books that might give us a clue about the Windigo.”

While Applejack wandered around the lower shelves, pulling history books out with her teeth and tossing them onto her back, Rainbow and Twilight began perusing the upper reaches. A dozen different tomes levitated around the princess as her eyes scanned for relevant titles. “Rainbow, look for—”

She turned to see which section the pegasus was browsing, only to notice that Rainbow had already selected a single volume and curled up on a tiny cloud floating above a ruined couch. Twilight rolled her eyes and turned back to the stone bookshelves. A few minutes later, she landed with her books in tow, stacking them into a comfortable fortress around herself before glancing up at her friends.

Applejack was lying on her back with all four legs straight up, each supporting one corner of an open book. One end of her scarf had been pulled over her muzzle, and the tassels danced about when she mouthed the words as she read. Rainbow was intently turning pages like she was reading a Daring Do novel. Twilight smiled, pulled her scarf tighter, and picked the book she had calculated to have the highest probability of yielding useful information.

“Got it!” Rainbow shouted.

Twilight looked up. “What? Already? You only picked one book!”

“Yeah, but it’s an awesome book. See, it’s got a picture of a griffon on the cover!” Rainbow held it up so the other ponies could see the gold leaf design.

Applejack rolled onto her hooves and shivered. “That’s nice, sugarcube, but what’s it say?”

“Oh, right.” Rainbow turned the book around and flipped back a few pages. “This book is griffon history, but the Windigo’s winter was big enough that the whole world was affected. According to the griffons, the Windigo was an alicorn who had a castle and everything.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. After several seconds of silence, she blinked repeatedly before stammering, “But… That would mean that this alicorn is older than Celestia.”

“Nuh-uh, listen to this. The Windigo was defeated by another alicorn who used the sun to burn away the clouds and snow.” Rainbow slammed the book shut and looked up at Twilight like some sort of professor concluding a successful lecture.

Twilight took a deep breath, then said, “Alright. We have a lot to think about, but first things first. Since Celestia apparently knows this alicorn, we need to get back to Ponyville so Spike can send a letter. Then, we can deal with the Windigo.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “And how exactly are we plannin’ to do that?”

“Well,” Twilight said, “we used the Elements of Harmony on Nightmare Moon, and that turned her back into Princess Luna.”

“But we ain’t got the Elements no more.”

Twilight nodded, “True, but we still have the power of friendship.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow added, “with, like, rainbow lasers and everything! Pew pew, fwoosh!”

Twilight threw her saddlebag over her back. “Exactly. Now, let’s take this book and get back to Ponyville. We’ve got a hearth to warm!”

Applejack slid to a stop next to Twilight, joined a second later by Rainbow Dash hovering on her other side. Fluttershy was frozen solid, her angry snarl visible through the translucent chunk of ice that covered her entire body. Giant icicles reached down from the cottage’s roof, touching the ground all around the perimeter, giving the impression that the house itself was in prison. The door stood ajar, and there were no animals visible, inside or out, despite the variety of footprints everywhere.

Rainbow gritted her teeth. “What kind of a monster would do this to… to Fluttershy?”

Applejack placed a gentle hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll be fine, sugarcube. We just need to find Spike. Between his fire, Twilight’s magic, and Princess Celestia, we’ll get everypony safe and warm in no time. Ain’t that right, Twi?”

“I…” Twilight blinked, and pulled her gaze away from the motionless pegasus. “Yes, let’s… Let’s do that.” She took a deep breath. “Rarity was making coats and scarves for everypony. I bet Spike’s with her.”

Rainbow and Applejack nodded, then the trio took off toward the center of town, crunching through a thin layer of snow and taking note of the occasional home or pony completely encased in angular crystals. All three ponies cheered when they saw the Carousel Boutique with just a thin dusting of snow on its roof. They raced around to the front and charged inside.

Empty bolts of cloth were littered about the floor, all the curtains were gone, and a sewing machine lay on its side with a tendril of black smoke rising from its gearbox. Rainbow zipped through each of the rooms while Twilight and Applejack sifted through the mess.

“She’s not here,” Rainbow announced from the stairwell.

Twilight frowned. “Then let’s check Sugarcube Corner. Hopefully they stuck together.”

“Well,” Applejack said, “they’re stuck together.”

Rainbow Dash snorted, then held a hoof over her mouth. “Hey, that’s not funny!”

“Element of Honesty.” Applejack tapped on the ice nearest Pinkie’s face. “Besides, I think Pinkie would appreciate that one.”

Twilight couldn’t tell who was trying to protect who, but Spike and Rarity were clinging to each other. Spike’s face was frozen mid-pucker, with puffed-out cheeks. Twilight laid a hoof on the ice and tried to keep her lower lip from trembling. “Spike…”

The clouds overhead exploded with a heart-rending wail, sending a hail of icicles that plunged into the ground like glassy spears. A sudden wind whipped up a spray of gritty snow that felt like sand against exposed noses and ears. Soon, the whirlwind had expanded to encompass the entire square, leaving Twilight standing with Rainbow Dash and Applejack in the eye of the storm, looking up into the sky.

A pale blue figure, lean and sharp, circled above on shimmering wings. The ponies below could see the sunken hollows where its eyes should have been. They could count every rib on the emaciated alicorn’s body.

Rainbow leaned over to Twilight and whispered, “How are we gonna use rainbow lasers of friendship, if half our friends are ponysicles?”

Twilight glanced at the block of colorful ice behind her. “I’m sorry, Rainbow, I don’t think we can.”

“That’s what I thought.” Rainbow crouched low for an instant, then rocketed into the air, kicking up a cloud of snowflakes that lingered above the ground. A multicolored streak flashed toward the Windigo. Rainbow’s contrail abruptly ended as the conical shock wave around her flashed into solid ice.

Twilight watched the ice bullet follow a perfectly parabolic trajectory back to the ground, embedding itself into the dirt.

“Rainbow!” Applejack cried, reaching out an orange hoof toward the impact site.

Twilight and Applejack both winced when the Windigo slammed into the frozen ground behind them. They slowly turned to regard the creature. Her muzzle was long and thin. Angular. More draconic than equine. She looked like the illustrations of Death in history books from the ages of plague and famine.

The Windigo turned her hollow eye sockets on Twilight.

Twilight returned her gaze, trying not to let her face show either the fear or the hundreds of spells she was considering and discarding as the staring contest continued. Magical blasts, teleportation…

The creature spoke with a voice like the hollow hiss of a winter wind through dead trees. “Thou art like unto her. Where doth Celestia hide?”

Twilight stood with her jaw slack, cycling through every spell she’d read about, practiced, or seen used. Transmogrification, want-it need-it, illusions…

The Windigo stood taller and asked, louder, “Dost thou ken mine words, knave?” She waved one crystalline wing outward, sweeping a chill breeze across the ground. “What kingdom is this?”

“W-what?” Twilight blinked rapidly.

“I know not of this ‘What’ kingdom. Which tongue speakest they in ‘What?’”

Twilight had run out of powerful spells, left with nothing but the simplest of all magic: illumination, minor gross telekinesis, a puff of smoke…

“Trixie!”

Ice began creeping up Twilight’s hooves as the Windigo paced closer and lifted her head higher, looking down her long snout at the shivering princess. “Thou speakest ‘Trixie’ in the kingdom of ‘What?’”

“N-no, I’m sorry. I’m just so s-scared!” Twilight cringed away from the gaunt alicorn, then pointed in the direction of Canterlot. “Celestia lives up there!”

The Windigo turned and peered Eastward through the thick clouds, which quickly shrank away from her vision, revealing a clear view of the spire she had seen before. “Upon yon mounta—”

A blast of smoky, crimson magic struck the Windigo and lifted her into the air. She quickly began to shrink, her howls becoming more ponylike as her muzzle became shorter and more rounded. Twilight grunted as red sparks flew from her horn, and beads of sweat froze, then cracked off of her face.

Twilight finally let the red glow extinguish, then slumped over where she stood, still rooted to the ground with ice, though the bitter chill had left the air. Applejack peeked out from under her hooves, then gasped. “Twi, you… you turned her into a foal?”

Still breathing heavily, Twilight opened her eyes and looked at the tiny sleeping alicorn curled up on the ground. She pulled her hooves free of the melting ice, and looked at the town around her. “AJ, round up all the ponies you can find to help rescue all the—” she glanced at Rainbow Dash “—ponysicles. But start with Spike. We need to have a serious conversation with Princess Celestia.”

Applejack nodded and started to turn around, when Twilight lowered her voice and added, “And don’t mention the foal to anypony. I’m not sure what to do about her, and I don’t want half the town beating down my door while I’m trying to decide.”

Twilight scooped up the Windigo and gently laid the little filly across her back, then started trotting toward her castle. As she walked, she turned her head and smiled at the peaceful look on the sleeping pony’s face.

2: Winter's Ascent

“Stuck together, hehe-CHOO!”

Confetti popped out of Pinkie’s ears as she sneezed. She sniffed, then wiped her nose along the entire length of one foreleg. “You’re a hoot, Applejack.”

Applejack set a bowl of hot soup in front of Rarity before tucking a blanket closer around Fluttershy’s shoulders. She turned to Rainbow Dash and smirked. “Toldja.”

Rainbow’s teeth were chattering too much for her to reply, so she simply rolled her eyes.

After fruitlessly searching her immediate area for a spoon, Rarity lifted her soup bowl and sipped as daintily as she could. “Thank you for the soup, darling.” She looked toward the balcony, where Twilight stood motionless, watching the sun set over Ponyville. Rarity raised her voice and asked, “How goes the cleanup, Twilight?”

Twilight paused for a moment before she turned to walk into the room, stopping to pull a blanket back over Spike where he lay curled up on a couch. “I think everypony is going to be thawed by the time Celestia finishes setting the sun, thanks to all of AJ’s bonfires.”

Rarity nodded. “Good.” She went back to sipping her soup.

Fluttershy gave a tiny sneeze that made Rainbow Dash chuckle.

A log popped in the fireplace, sending a wave of sparks up the translucent chimney.

Twilight stepped across the room and opened the double doors to her Eastern balcony. A warm summer breeze blew through the room, carrying the scent of wood smoke and magic. Applejack sat down next to Twilight and took off her hat as they watched the moonrise together.

Teams of pegasi flapped wearily back and forth across the sky, corralling wayward puffs of cumulus and breaking them down. Twilight smiled as she picked out one white speck against the deepening indigo, growing larger as it wound its way through the crowded airspace. A few seconds later, Princess Celestia landed softly on the balcony. Applejack gave a quick bow while Twilight rushed forward for a hug.

As Celestia walked into the room, she looked from one sniffling pony to another. When they began to sluggishly climb out of their seats for a proper bow, Celestia held up a hoof. “That’s not necessary; not in your state, and not in your own castle.”

“T-t-thanks, P-p-princess-s-s,” Rainbow said through her chattering teeth.

“I don’t mean to rush you,” Twilight said, “but we’ve got a sleeping filly in the other room, and we know next to nothing about her. I’d like to at least know what we’re dealing with before she wakes up.”

“Yes, of course.” Celestia pulled a large cushion up next to the fireplace, prompting everypony to gather around her. She inhaled deeply, then closed her eyes as she began her story. “Many thousands of years ago, well before Discord, before even Luna…

…the world was a different place. It was wild. Like the Everfree Forest, every animal cared for its own needs, weather mostly happened on its own, even the sun rose and set by itself, regardless of the needs of ponies.

The tribes did not yet work together. There was trade, but no trust. Civilization is truly a thin veneer; even now, the world is only nine meals from anarchy. Only, in those days, meals were more difficult to come by.

Winters were always hard, but this one had been particularly harsh. Education was uncommon, but everypony could do enough math to know that the food wouldn’t last til spring. All three tribes agreed to move. But the green land of plenty we found didn’t last for long; the winter had followed us. And it only got worse.

Everypony was hungry. There were fights. Theft. Reprisals.

Where was I in all of this? I was studying the sun. I had earned my cutie mark while researching the sun’s magic. I was certain that, if a unicorn could understand how the sun worked, that it could be manipulated to help all of the ponies suffering in a winter like this one.

Like Twilight, I had an epiphany. I took control of the sun, and something happened. Something terrifying and wonderful. Just like Twilight, I was surprised and confused. As far as I know, I was the first alicorn.

I burned away the clouds that had been keeping us in the dark. With the sun shining, the cold didn’t cut quite as deep. But in the clear air, we could all see something that had been hidden in the clouds. There was a castle, high on a mountain that we now call the Canterhorn.

The castle was made of ice. It was beautiful, the way the sunlight passed through it was…

The pegasi were nowhere to be found. Since I had brought the sun back, I became the de-facto leader of the Earth ponies and the unicorns. Since I was the only one with wings, I was elected to investigate the ice castle.

It was full of food.

One exceptionally talented pegasus named Windy Glow had gathered a number of followers, and trained them to manipulate weather like nopony had ever thought possible. The winter had followed us because Windy brought it with her.

Her plan was to starve everypony to the point of desperation, then demand loyalty in return for fair weather. I felt sick as I realized that the unicorns had an equally selfish plan to secure our own place in a harsh world. I thought about the way Earth ponies had used food as leverage against the other tribes, and something inside of me broke. I had magic, I had wings, and I could feel the rhythms of the Earth. I knew then that every pony was the same, that our struggle was not against each other, but against our own anger and mistrust.

Windy was clever and strong, and I was still not in full control of my abilities. It felt like our fight took hours. At some point during the battle, she also ascended. Every form of weather was under her control, especially ice. Her ascension left her as confused as I had been, and I was able to banish her to the arctic ice.

None of the tribes was innocent. Windy was simply the most ruthless, the most aggressive. Instead of revealing each tribes’ plan, I told them a deeper truth, and invented the story of the Windigo. With each generation the narrative became more real…

…and Equestria was born out of the harmony that grew from the Hearth’s Warming story. I never thought that I would see Windy Glow again.”

Twilight stared into the fire. For a long time, nopony spoke a word, listening only to the hiss of the last coals as they sputtered and died.

Applejack cleared her throat. “So, are you sayin’ that Equestria was founded on a lie?”

Twilight bit her lip, and looked at her mentor before turning back to Applejack. “I don’t think so. The winter was caused by a cold heart. Mistrust, on the part of all tribes, contributed to the problem. And, only by working together, ponies were able to bring about an age of cooperation and plenty.”

Celestia nodded. “The story is true, though the details may have a bit of artistic license.” She chuckled. “Not entirely my own, either. I haven’t told the story for millennia. Each generation adds their own flavor, but the truth behind it remains a guiding light for Equestrian harmony.”

“Well,” Rainbow said as she watched Spike add another log to the fire, “that was a cool story and all, but we still don’t know what to do with her.”

Rarity stood up and pulled her blanket around her shoulders like a cape. “I think that depends on whether she tries to take over the world again. The question is, does she remember who, or rather what, she is?”

Twilight looked toward the door opposite the fireplace. “Did you see her blank flank? The age spell somehow erased her cutie mark. That means her destiny may be completely different now.” She glanced at Celestia. “Right?”

“I don’t know,” Celestia said. “I’ve never removed a pony’s cutie mark. I’d never even considered it.”

“So,” Rarity asked, “how will we find out?”

Twilight shrugged. “I guess we wait until she wakes up, then talk to her.”

Rainbow tossed her blanket on the floor and hovered into the center of the room. “And what if she is still evil?”

“I don’t mean to sound overconfident,” Twilight said, “but I’m pretty sure that I can handle a little filly, even if she is an alicorn.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Unless she also is aware that she is overmatched, and feigns amnesia until you let your guard down.”

“Yeah,” said Applejack as she stepped beside Rainbow Dash and pointed one hoof at Twilight. “Just like you pretended to be so scared and helpless, til she turned her back. Then, zappo!”

Twilight looked at each of her friends in turn before settling her gaze on Applejack. “So what do you suggest we do?”

Applejack looked down and poked her hooves at the floor before she reestablished eye contact with Twilight. “Same as we did for Tirek. Send her to Tartarus. Just ‘cuz she doesn’t remember what she did, doesn’t mean that she ain’t still dangerous. You heard what Princess Celestia said about ponies starving. I won’t let that happen here.”

Fluttershy shrugged off her blanket and stood nose-to-nose with Applejack. She spoke in a voice that was quiet but unmistakably firm. “Absolutely not. She’s just a filly, no matter what she’s done in the past. She deserves a second chance, just like Discord.”

Rainbow pushed Applejack out of the way and stood in her place, matching Fluttershy’s gaze. After a moment, Rainbow’s face softened. “She froze you solid, Fluttershy.”

“I know,” Fluttershy said as she sheepishly shuffled her hooves. “But I can’t really blame her. I got very angry when she started to freeze all those poor animals, and she was probably just scared. I’ll make sure to be extra nice to her from now on.”

“So, Tartarus is out,” Twilight said. She glanced around the room and received nods from everypony, some more reluctant than others. “That leaves us taking care of a young alicorn who may or may not be evil. But I still believe in the power of friendship—” she glanced at Rainbow Dash “—even without lasers.”

Rarity gasped and clopped her forehooves together. “I do believe you’re right! If we can teach her the value of generosity, then perhaps she will find a new destiny.”

Everypony started talking at once, until Celestia stood and spread her wings. She smiled, turning her gentle eyes onto each pony in turn. “I have no doubt that she can benefit from each of the aspects of friendship, and I have no doubt that you are just the ponies to show her how wonderful friendship can be.”

Twilight let out a relieved breath. “I’m glad we have a plan. So, what do we do now?”

“And I thought I was bad at paying attention,” Rainbow said. “We’re going to teach her about friendship.”

“No,” Twilight said, with just a hint of irritation in her voice. “I mean, now now. Where is she going to sleep? Who’s going to take care of her?”

Celestia smiled and reached out a wing to Twilight’s shoulder. “Windy seems about the same age as you were when I took you on as my personal student. I think you’re ready to have a student of your own.”

Twilight gently pushed away the warm touch of Celestia’s wing. “I’m ready to be a teacher, but I’m not ready to be a mother. She needs a family.”

“Ahem.”

Both ponies turned to look at Fluttershy. “Twilight, right now, you’re the only family that Windy has. We can look for a more permanent home tomorrow, but right now, there’s a scared little filly sleeping in your bed. When she wakes up, she’s going to need someone to comfort her and tell her that everything’s going to be okay.”

“I… Of course you’re right, Fluttershy.” Twilight stood up and held her head high. “Spike, don’t stay up too late. Goodnight, Celestia. Goodnight, girls. Thanks for all your help.”

After a chorus of goodbyes and goodnights, Twilight turned and trotted into the dark hallway. With so few rooms on the top floor, she had no time to think before she was standing in front of her own bedroom. She took a deep breath before opening the door as quietly as she could manage.

The alicorn of frost and famine remained curled up on Twilight’s bed, with Starswirl-themed blankets pulled up to her chin. The curtains shifted in the evening breeze, letting in a sliver of starlight that danced on her mane. Twilight used her hooves to grab a few blankets from the closet, then arranged them on the floor next to the bed.

It seemed so long ago that Twilight used to fall asleep on the floor next to Spike’s crib, but she could remember every detail. She sat down on the pile of blankets and leaned over the bed, resting her chin on the covers. Before long, the rhythm of the filly’s quiet breathing and the smell of a summer night had pulled Twilight into the realm of dreams.

3: Binge

“Hey there, Twi, Windy. What brings y’all out to the farm?”

“I’m giving Windy the grand tour of Ponyville.” Twilight turned her head to look at the silvery pony hiding behind her legs. “How do you like it so far?”

Windy remained quiet as her wide eyes swept over the hills overflowing with ripe red and green apples. She even ventured to move a step or two away from Twilight to get a better view.

Twilight turned back to Applejack and gave a half smile. “She still hasn’t spoken a word.”

“Don’t worry about it. I reckon she’ll talk when she’s ready.” Applejack squatted down to look Windy in the eyes. “Ain’t that right? Say, I was about to make myself lunch. You wouldn’t happen to be hungry, wouldja?”

Twilight groaned. “No way. We just came from Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie had us try literally every single flavor of cake, to find out which kind Windy likes best. Her ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party is tomorrow, and…”

Applejack nodded her head toward the grinning filly. “She certainly seems to like the idea of lunch.”

“... apple spice cake, apple fritters, applesauce, apple butter, apple dumplings, and apple salad.”

Windy stared at the table with a wide smile, blinking rapidly and breathing in short gasps. She glanced at Applejack.

“Well, don’t just look at it. Dig in!”

Crumbs flew across the table as Windy stuck her face directly into a plate of apple pastries. Applejack chuckled while she scooped various morsels onto a plate of her own. “She sure has an appetite, doesn’t—”

Applejack glanced up to notice that Windy had nearly climbed onto the table, her forehooves planted firmly on the wooden surface. Big Mac and Granny Smith were both standing in the doorway, watching Windy lap applesauce out of a ceramic serving bowl. Applejack gave her family a nervous, toothy smile, and slid the bowl closer to the young pony. “Why don’t you just, uh, keep that bowl. We’ll open another jar if anypony else wants applesauce.”

Twilight leaned over to Big Mac and whispered, “Rarity is planning to teach her some table manners.”

“Eeyup.”

After filling their own plates, the Apples sat around the table. Although Windy didn’t take part in the conversation, Twilight noticed that she paid close attention to every word that was said, even after Twilight had lost interest in farm business, weather schedules, and the upcoming zap apple season.

The conversation was interrupted by a gurgling noise. Everypony looked at Windy, who hugged herself and whimpered even as the rumbling continued. Applejack briefly examined the little alicorn and said, “You’re lookin’ a bit green around the gills. Why don’t we get you some fresh air?”

Twilight reached out a wing to guide Windy toward the door. “I think that’s a good idea. Why don’t we call it a day, and walk back to the castle?” She glanced back up at Applejack. “Thanks for lunch!”

Applejack tipped her hat. “Thanks for stoppin’ by, Windy. I hope you feel better soon.”

Windy nodded with a weak smile as she and Twilight stepped out onto the porch.

Twilight levitated a tiny cup of steaming tea into Windy’s waiting hooves. “This is the same tea that my mom used to make for me when I ate too many cookies. My big brother showed me how to unlock the cabinet where mom and dad kept the cookie jar, and, well, let’s just say that I had poor decision-making skills at the time.”

Windy grimaced as she took a sip of the dark liquid. Twilight sat on the rug and tucked her legs up underneath her body. “Yeah, I used to wonder if she made it taste that way on purpose, to keep me from eating so many cookies. But it really does help. In fact—” she illuminated her horn, pulling a book from one of the shelves across the room “—I’ve got a book on pharmaceutical botany that explains what each of the ingredients do…”

The look on Windy’s face was somewhere between amused and unsure. Twilight grinned. “Or how about I read you a book about a little filly going on an adventure? Now, this one is a book my mom used to read to me when I was your age.”

Twilight lifted her wing as the little filly next to her snuggled into her side. Windy looked up at Twilight and smiled before closing her eyes and leaning her head against the princess’ soft purple fur.

The last traces of indigo had already snuck out of the sky when Twilight turned the last page of their fifth book. Dim light dancing across the walls made the room feel cozy, and the evening breeze carried just enough chill to make the fireplace a source of comforting warmth. Twilight yawned and tried to stand up, but Windy clung to her foreleg, pulling her back to the soft rug.

Twilight used her wing to tousle Windy’s mane. “It’s bedtime. You’ve got your own bed waiting for you right around the corner.”

Windy refused to let go.

Twilight sighed. “I don’t know what you want unless you talk to me.” She could feel Windy’s chest expand against her own as the filly took a deep breath.

“C-can we stay here? This is my favorite thing we did all day.”

“It’s mine too.” Twilight pulled Windy in tighter against her side, then squeezed her eyes shut and teleported a blanket from out of her linen closet.

The blast of lavender light reflected in Windy’s sparkling eyes. Starswirl’s constellation-covered blanket settled over the pair, its corners tucking underneath to protect against drafts. Twilight looked at the little pony under her wing. Windy returned her gaze with a tiny smile.

Twilight let out a contented hum. “Goodnight, Windy.”

“Twilight?”

“Yes, Windy?”

“Can you read me another book?”

Twilight threw her head back and laughed, then had to pull the blanket back up to her shoulders. “You don’t know how dangerous that is. I’ve been known to read all night.”

“I’d like that.”

A trio of books, all the same size though in different colors, floated off the nearest shelf. “I like your style.” She set the trilogy on the rug, and propped up the first book against the other two. “Milk Toast was a very, very boring pony. And that’s the way she liked it. In light of this, it was probably a bad idea…”

“Hi, Windy!”

“Heya, Windy!”

“What’s up, Windy?”

Windy looked up from a heavy tome and blinked at the Crusaders. “Is it that time already?” She bit her lip and watched the fillies nod, then started tossing books into a pair of saddlebags. “I’m going to be late for my lesson with Pinkie! I just got so caught up in my reading. Did you know that Starswirl the—”

“Aaaaaugh!” Sweetie Belle groaned, and fell over backward.

“Oh, gosh. Not you, too,” Scootaloo said. “Please tell me you’ve got a cooler Nightmare Night costume than being Twilight’s twin Starswirl.”

Apple Bloom cleared her throat and shifted her eyes off to the side. “I, um, actually think Starswirl’s kinda cool, I just don’t wanna hear about him all the time.” She eyed the overstuffed saddlebags that Windy had tossed over her back. “Where you goin’ with all those books? You’re not gonna need ‘em for Pinkie’s lessons.”

Windy rubbed one foreleg with the other as she looked at the floor. “Yeah, I know.” She looked up and scanned the bookshelves with a sigh. “But I might have a few minutes to spare, and I’d like to catch up on some reading.”

Spike walked into the room with a stack of books in his arms, already rolling his eyes. “You and Twilight, yeesh. I don’t know which one of you is more lucky that you found each other.”

Windy held her head high and grinned, showing all her teeth, as she trotted out the door.

Pinkie’s blue eyes bore down intently on the young alicorn. “Just like that. Perfect. Now hold it steaaaaaaaaady.”

Windy sweated, straining to hold perfectly still. She looked at Pinkie and said, “Uh don ummaftad wuh dif haf—”

“Aaaaand you ruined it.” Pinkie dumped the entire batch into a giant shiny sink. “We have to start over.”

“But... But I followed your recipe exactly.” Windy watched the last of the viscous mixture slide down the drain.

Pinkie pulled a cupcake out of her hair and hoofed it to her despondent trainee. “That’s the problem. You can follow a recipe exactly, but the ponies who eat your food are different—” she pulled another cupcake out of her mane “—every—” and a third cupcake “—day.”

“Wait,” Windy said through a mouthful of three different flavors of cupcake. She swallowed. “You’re saying that I have to adjust the recipe, for each batch, based on the ponies who are… are predestined to eat the desserts, and what they will need on that day?”

“Eeeeeeeee!” Pinkie grinned and clopped her forehooves together. “You understand!”

“What? No!” Windy held a hoof against her forehead and pinched her eyes shut. “I’m saying that there’s nothing about it that makes sense.”

Pinkie pushed a large bag of sugar across the counter toward Windy. “Are you willing to try it anyway?”

Windy took a deep breath, then let it out in a sigh. She stuck out her tongue and held it in the proscribed configuration as she glanced at her teacher for approval. Upon receiving the nod, she lifted a carton of cream in her magic, and poured it into a giant measuring bowl.

Ten minutes later, she stepped back and pulled her tongue into her mouth. Pinkie held up a magnifying glass, but ignored the white mixture and instead examined Windy’s face. Windy leaned backward, but Pinkie only leaned in closer and closer. “Did you follow the recipe?”

“N-no.” Windy glanced at the bowl, then back to Pinkie.

“Hmmmmm. What did you do differently?” Pinkie reached up and tugged on Windy’s tongue, stretching it out to examine it under the magnifying glass.

“Waniwwa.”

Pinkie narrowed her eyes. “I’ve never heard of ‘waniwwa.’”

Windy pulled her head to the side, freeing her tongue, then worked it around her mouth until she could talk again. “Vanilla. I added extra vanilla. And I rubbed some nutmeg shavings into it.” She bit her lip.

The liquid in the bowl wiggled as Pinkie tapped the side with a thoughtful frown on her face. She bent down and rummaged in a drawer for a few seconds before sitting up with an egg beater in her hooves. The beater made a clacking noise as Pinkie spun the lever, a smile growing across her muzzle. “There’s only one way to find out.”

“And that is?”

Pinkie plunged the mixer into the bowl, spraying greasy droplets across the table. “We get it to the ponies who need it. Now, gimme some ice, girl!”

Windy pointed her stubby horn at the bowl and fired a shimmering beam of blue magic into the swirling cream. A few minutes later, both ponies were panting as they tired of their respective efforts, but the mixture was quickly thickening into proper ice cream. At last, Pinkie leaned back and pulled the mixer out of the bowl, covered with black-speckled and glistening ice cream.

Pinkie held out the beater to Windy, who took it in her magic and gave the ice cream a lick. “I thought that the whole tongue thing was supposed to make it better? It’s okay, but it’s not anything special.”

“That’s okay, it’s not for you. Let’s go outside and see if it worked!” Pinkie grabbed the bowl of ice cream, a stack of waffle cones, an ice cream scoop, and a briefcase. She trotted outside and flopped the briefcase on the ground. Then, while still balancing the rest of the items on her back, mane, tail, and one hoof, she gave the briefcase a firm kick.

Windy hopped backward as the briefcase popped open with a clatter and a burst of confetti, unfolding into an improbably-large cart. As the last bits came to rest, a pair of vertical poles sprung up and unfurled a sign between them with “FREE ICE CREAM!” painted in blue across its sagging length. Ponies in Ponyville must have been used to things like this, because it didn’t take long for a line to accumulate.

A gentle nudge from Pinkie maneuvered Windy behind the cart. She glanced down at the giant bowl full of fluffy ice cream, then back up. A dozen ponies looked at her with expectant smiles and warm words.

“Did you make this? It looks delicious!”

“...gotta be good if Pinkie’s giving it away…”

“...can smell it from here!”

Windy lifted the metal scoop in her magic and hefted it, feeling its weight. She reached out with a hoof and grabbed a waffle cone. The scoop dipped down and carved a trough through the ice cream, releasing a fresh burst of the pungent nutmeg. The ball of ice cream fit perfectly into the cone.

A pale Earth pony was first in line, dancing eagerly from her left hooves to her right. She watched Windy’s hooves with wide eyes, waiting for the filly to hoof over the ice cream cone. As the seconds ticked past, the mare licked her lips and looked from Windy to Pinkie and back.

Pinkie cleared her throat, prompting Windy to blink herself out of her trance and look up. She sighed, then haltingly reached out her hoof toward the other pony. Her hoof stopped a mostly symbolic distance away from her body, but the mare took that as a sign of her offer and swiped the cone from her hoof.

Windy’s heart beat faster, pounding against her ribs as she watched the mare walk away munching happily on the cone that, just a moment ago, had been in her own hooves. Another pony stepped up, but Windy’s hooves were shaking too much to grab another cone. She clenched her jaw and tried to keep her lip from trembling as she blinked away the tears before they could show up.

Pinkie stepped behind the cart and ushered Windy off to the side, taking her place behind the bowl. As she scooped another serving of ice cream into a cone, she smiled and said, “Look at their faces, Windy. This is what you did today.”

Ponies pranced away cradling waffle cones in their hooves or magic, eating ice cream with smiles on their faces. Eating her ice cream. Windy watched the bowl become increasingly empty as more and more ponies walked away with her food. Her breaths came faster and faster, until she leapt forward with a scream, shoving ponies away from the cart.

Panicked cries filled the air as ponies scattered, galloping in all directions. Windy grabbed cones out of ponies’ hooves, throwing them back into the bowl until she was left alone on the street, grasping the bowl of melting ice cream and soggy cones. Pinkie sat down behind her and put a hoof on her shoulder, but Windy cringed away and hunched protectively over her bowl.

Windy didn’t know how long she cried, but at some point, Twilight had come up and surrounded her in a big feathery hug. Windy allowed the bowl to slip from her grasp and clatter to the street as she returned the hug, clutching onto Twilight. When the tears had run out and there was nothing left inside of her to push the wailing sobs out of her throat, she collapsed and let Twilight scoop her up.

4: Fork

Rainbow Dash marched down the cloud, staring down each of the scarf-clad ponies in turn. She stopped in front of Windy, and tugged the end of the filly’s fire-orange scarf a little tighter around her neck. Stepping back, she addressed the group. “All right weather team, listen up! This is our first snow of the year. You know what that means?”

Two dozen pegasi searched each others faces for the answer before turning back to Rainbow Dash and giving a collective shrug. Rainbow sighed. “That means everypony isn’t tired of snow yet. Every foal is going to build a snow pony. Every hill is going to have sleds, every park is going to be full of colts and fillies having snowball fights. This snow has to be perfect. It’s going to set the tone for the entire winter. We want fun. We want beautiful. We want… Awesome!”

The weather team cheered as Rainbow hovered in front of them with a wide grin. “You all know your positions. Let’s get to it!” As the air filled with pegasus ponies dispersing to the far corners of the sky, Rainbow called out, “Hey, Windy. Hold up a sec.”

Windy made a short loop and touched down right where she had taken off a moment ago. “Yeah, Rainbow?”

Rainbow landed on the cloud next to her. “Today’s a big day. Are you sure you’re ready for it?”

Windy rolled her eyes. “Rainbow, you don’t have to treat me like—”

“The youngest, most inexperienced pony working weather today?”

“Like—”

“A pony who hasn’t even completed the weather team training?”

“Like—”

“A pony who’s really good at what she does, but prone to getting in trouble when she shows off?”

Windy huffed and sat down, crossing her forelegs in front of her chest. Rainbow reached out a wing and pulled her close enough for a noogie. “Aw, come on, squirt. That was me just a few years ago.” She leaned back and left one wing on Windy’s shoulder. “We both know you can handle this. You don’t have to do the whole sky by yourself. You’re not alone out there this time, so be careful.”

The cloud came apart in tiny tufts where Windy poked at it with her hoof. She looked up at Rainbow. “I just want ponies to see that I can do something useful.” Her voiced dropped to a barely-audible mumble. “Not just scare them and take their ice cream.”

Rainbow was quiet for a moment. “Okay, that was bad.”

“It was a disaster!”

Rainbow shrugged. “Okay, so it was a disaster. That doesn’t mean you just give up. You gotta keep trying!”

Windy sniffed, then rubbed her muzzle with one hoof. “I can’t go back there. I can’t even look at Pinkie Pie.”

“You can’t keep hiding up here in the clouds. If you run away from your friends every time you make a mistake, pretty soon you’ll be alone. Really alone.” Rainbow shuddered. “And trust me, that’s not a place you wanna be.”

“So, what should I do?”

“Well, talking to your friends is never a bad idea. Pinkie said she had something important to tell you, so why don’t you start there?”

A tiny smile began creeping its way onto Windy’s face. “I do miss Pinkie.”

“Yeah! It’s been like three weeks, I’m sure she misses you too.” She kicked off of the cloud and hovered over the edge, peering into the distance where pegasi were already rounding up clouds and fluffing them into bigger piles. “C’mon, let’s get you to your station and maybe you can be done by dinnertime.”

As Windy flapped after her, Rainbow flicked her head to toss her mane out of her eyes and said, “Hey, did I ever tell you about the time that AJ poisoned, like, half the town with these awful muffins? Yeah, by the next day…”

Windy kept her head down, trying her best to ignore the ponies clustered around the tables munching on their assorted confections. If their uninterrupted conversation and laughter was any indication, they were completely unconcerned about her presence. Nopony moved to guard their food, though more than one pony she didn’t recognize smiled and waved at her.

She rounded the corner by the display case and poked her head into the kitchen. There were mixing bowls waiting to be washed, cupcakes waiting to be iced, and a distinct lack of any pink ponies preparing pastry. The murmur of the dining area disappeared behind her as she stepped into the kitchen. “Pinkie?”

The kitchen’s back door opened, and Rarity’s voice came floating in with the crisp winter air.

“—solutely gorgeous! I don’t believe I’ve ever seen snow sparkle like that before.”

Windy stood motionless, waiting for somepony to notice her. When Pinkie stepped through the doorway, she gasped and nearly bowled Rarity over in her rush to tackle Windy, who was waving meekly with a nervous smile. The rapid-fire string of words was incomprehensible, but Windy understood the hug well enough.

After regaining her hooves and greeting Rarity, Windy found it easier to let Pinkie blabber on than to find her own words. At least, until she realized that both ponies were staring at her in silence. Pinkie was nodding her head with half a smile on her muzzle. “Right?”

“I, um.” Windy sighed. “Pinkie, I’m sorry.”

Pinkie wrapped Windy in another hug. This one was softer, and after a moment Pinkie said, “I was afraid you didn’t like me any more.”

Windy pushed Pinkie back far enough to look her in the face. She squinted and tried to peer beneath those sparkling blue eyes. “Pinkie, were you telling me how you feel, or predicting what I was going to say?” Windy’s mouth curled up in a lopsided grin, then she shook her head and said, “It doesn’t matter, does it? I’ll never understand how you work, Pinkie.”

“You don’t have to understand it,” Pinkie said. She threw a foreleg around Windy’s shoulders and pulled her close, whispering in a loud, raspy voice, “Because you live it.”

“Pinkie, I don’t know what that means.”

“I got a letter from a pony who had one of your ice cream cones. You know, from before you went crazy.”

Rarity gasped. “Pinkie!”

“Aaaaaaaaanyway,” Pinkie said, “she was all super-duper sad until she tasted your ice cream. She said it was, and I quote, ‘Perfect. Just what I needed. It made my day.’ You listened to your heart and you made the perfect recipe for a pony who really needed to smile!”

“I…” Windy sat there with her mouth open, trying to remember what it felt like when she had stuck out her tongue and decided to add nutmeg and extra vanilla.

Rarity sat down and clopped her front hooves together with a huge smile on her face. “Twilight will be so excited to hear that!” She winked at Windy and added, “She might be just the teensiest-bit jealous, too. She never could figure it out, herself.”

Windy said, “Do you think she’ll be proud of me?”

Rarity squeezed past Pinkie in the space between the counter and the bank of ovens to give Windy a hug. “Darling, I’m sure she is proud of you already. Which reminds me. Congratulations on your beautiful snowfall! I feel as if I’ve never truly seen snow before.”

Windy blushed. “Thanks, but I just did my part on the team.”

Pinkie squashed her head in between the two already cramped ponies, her cheeks pressed up against theirs. “Nuh-uh, because Dashie said that you and her spent like three hours working on the weather blueprints!”

“Well, Rainbow did most of it. I just took notes and offered a few suggestions.”

Rarity shuffled backward, giving everypony a little bit of breathing room and herself enough room to flounce her curls back into shape. “Regardless, I say it’s something worth celebrating. I’d like to treat you to dinner at that new restaurant, Sativum. I think it would be a great place to practice your table manners. Don’t make that face.”

Suppressing a grumble, Windy straightened her ears and put on a serene smile.

“That’s better. Have you ever had a formal five-course meal before?”

Windy shook her head. “I’m honestly not sure what that means.”

Pinkie raised one hoof as if she was in a classroom. “I don’t think I know what it means, either.”

Rarity managed to make gritting her teeth together look like a dainty smile. “I’m sure you’ll love it, darling.”

“That sounds nice.”

The kitchen’s back door opened in a shimmer of blue magic as Rarity swept a hoof in front of her. “Shall we?”

As the pair trotted out the door, Pinkie called out, “Remember, Windy! A lady always wears her life jacket for the soup course!”

Rarity froze, and her eye twitched a few times before she took a deep breath and resumed walking. Windy giggled and waved goodbye to Pinkie as the door closed.

A slender fork lifted a miniscule portion of creamy spinach pastry to Windy’s mouth before it silently returned to the table. A napkin took its place, rising up to dab at her muzzle and then lowering again. Windy looked across the table at Rarity, trying to look like she wasn’t looking.

Rarity nodded, then scrunched her eyebrows and tilted her head sideways. “Windy, dear, are you sitting up straight?”

Windy swallowed her food and straightened her spine, lifting her chin at just the angle she remembered from her lessons. Rarity squinted and tapped her fork on the table. “Is it just my imagination, or are you getting taller?”

While Rarity took a bite, Windy nodded energetically and said, “Yeah, Apple Bloom says that I ‘been growin’ like a weed’ and that pretty soon I won’t fit in the Crusaders’ clubhouse, which I’m pretty sure is hyperbole, because—”

“Windy.” Rarity waited for the little pony to look at her. “Please use your indoor voice. Other ponies are having their own conversations.”

“I’m sorry, miss Rarity.”

Rarity followed Windy’s gaze out the window to the still-falling snow that was now reflecting the brilliant colors of the sunset. Ponies still wandered in the streets; couples enjoying the sunset, colts and fillies trying to eke the last moments of fun from dwindling daylight.

While they were enjoying the view, a stallion in a collar and tie stopped by the table to take away their plates. Windy turned around just in time to see him walk away with her plate. Her eyes widened as she shrieked, “NO! That’s my—”

“WINDY!” Rarity shouted as she stood up. “It’s okay, darling. Hush, hush. There are four more courses on their way. There is plenty of food, dear.”

Patrons of Sativum slowly turned back to their own plates, though some let wary glances remain on the agitated filly for longer than she would have liked. Rarity finished stroking Windy’s mane and returned to her own cushion at the table. With a groan, Windy covered her face with her hooves and mumbled, “I’m so sorry, Rarity.”

“It’s quite alright,” Rarity said as she smiled disarmingly at other diners.

A waiter trotted up to the table, perhaps a bit more quickly than normal, and set two bowls of creamy soup on the table. Windy smiled in the least-threatening way she could manage, and apologized for her outburst. The waiter bowed slightly and returned her smile before leaving the way he came.

Windy’s eyes traced over the utensils on either side of the shallow bowl. She glanced up at Rarity, then lifted the spoon on the far right of the place setting. Rarity followed suit, and soon both were silently eating their second course.

After a few minutes, Rarity cleared her throat and said, “Windy, a lady does not clean her plate.”

Windy sighed, and left her spoon in the half-empty bowl. “Yeah, I remember.”

When the waiter came to clear the dishes for the next course, Windy had to nudge the bowl in his direction before he would take it. While they waited for the entrée, Rarity asked, “So, you gave away some ice cream and made some ponies very happy. How does that make you feel?”

“I’m glad that Pinkie is proud of me. But it still feels… I don’t know. Bad. Like I’m sending food the wrong way.”

“There are a lot of ponies who enjoyed your generosity. Isn’t that worth something?”

“What do other ponies have to do with it? Can’t they take care of themselves?”

Rarity shook her head and glanced at the ponies surrounding them. “You heard what Pinkie said. One pony was having a bad day, and you made her day better. Sometimes, a pony just needs other ponies. That’s what friends are for.”

“But whoever that pony is, she wasn’t my friend. She’s just somepony I don’t know.”

A grin spread across Rarity’s face. “But now, I bet that she would consider you a friend. You’ve got lots of new friends that you haven’t even met, just because you made their day a little better.”

“Is that why so many ponies smiled and waved when I went into Sugarcube Corner?”

They both leaned back as the waiter placed a pair of salads before them. Rarity nodded and said, “That may very well be. Generosity can accomplish great things.”

Windy thought for a while, rolling a cherry tomato around her salad by poking at it with her fork. “So, giving things away makes ponies like me, so that they’ll be nice to me and then be generous to me?”

Rarity frowned. “Yes and no. If you give something away in order to curry favor, that isn’t generosity, that’s bribery. Generosity makes you a better pony, and that makes ponies like you more. It’s true that they may be generous to you later, but that’s the power of friendship. Surely you appreciate that making other ponies happy is its own reward?”

“No. I guess I just don’t get it.” Her fork stabbed through a tomato, spearing several layers of lettuce below. Windy stuffed the huge bite of vegetables into her mouth. Rarity took the hint and resumed eating her own dinner.

Rarity yawned as they ascended the crystal staircase. “Goodness, we’ve had quite the night, haven’t we?”

Windy nodded. “Thanks for dinner. It was wonderful, when I wasn’t screaming at the waiter.”

“Yes, it was. And thank you for the stunning landscape on the walk back! I had no idea that snow in the moonlight could be so brilliant.”

As they stepped into the hallway at the top of the stairs, they could see orange light spilling out of the fireside room. Windy trotted inside while Rarity stayed by the doorway. Twilight looked up from where she was seated on the couch. Her jaw was set and her eyes were hard. “Windy. Have a seat.”

Rarity took a few steps into the room to put a hoof on Windy’s shoulder. “Twilight, I’m sorry if I kept her out too late. I take full responsibility.”

Twilight shook her head. “Thank you, Rarity, but that’s not the problem. I need to talk to Windy alone, please.”

A quick hug and goodbye from Rarity, and Windy was left all alone with Twilight. She shuffled into the room, her mind running through every possibility. As she rounded the couch, she saw a large pile of food on the floor, and her heart dropped into her stomach.

Twilight’s voice was cold. “You lied to me.”

5: Aroma

Windy stared at the floor. Twilight’s words pounded on her like a hammer, relentless. The smell of spoiled apples made her sick and hungry at the same time, but she fought to keep her eyes away from the incriminating heap of food. What was so bad about it, anyway? That food wasn’t hurting anypony. Twilight shouldn’t have been snooping anyway, she had no right to do that.

Twilight rummaged through the pile. “Half of this is from our own kitchen. It’s already your food. You can just walk down to there and fix yourself something to eat whenever you’re hungry. And is this garbage? Why were you digging through other ponies’ trash cans?”

The spinning world suddenly came to a stop when Twilight put her hooves on Windy’s shoulders. “I love you, Windy. I would never, ever let you go hungry. Don’t you believe that?”

The words echoed in Windy’s ears and swirled around in her head like a blizzard. There were so many things she wanted to express, but none of the words could leave her mouth. She just sat there, clenching and unclenching her jaw, running through scenarios where this hadn’t happened. She kept her stash somewhere else. Twilight minded her own business. Twilight understood how important food was. Twilight was frozen in a giant block of ice.

Windy shook her head and wiped the tears off of her face, then looked up at Twilight. She didn’t look angry, just hurt. “Don’t you trust me to take care of you?”

Without a word, Windy pinched her eyes closed and leaned forward into Twilight’s chest. The hug she got in return was almost mechanical.

“Windy, I want you to feel safe, but I don’t know what else I can do for you.” Twilight took a step backward, then levitated a garbage can from the corner and set it next to the pile. “You’re going to sort through this food. Throw away all of the garbage, and any food that has spoiled. Any food that is still good enough to serve a guest, you’re going to put in this box and take it to the kitchen and clean it up. Then you can clean the rotting food out of your bedroom. Try not to take too long, because you’re getting up early to find some needy ponies and give them the food you’ve been hiding.

“I’m going to go talk to Rarity, but I’ll be back soon. Talk to Spike if you need anything.” Twilight wrapped Windy in her wings and kissed her forehead. “I love you, Windy. I know it’s hard, but you’ll get through this, just like I did when I was your age.”

Cold air rolled across the floor when Twilight opened the balcony door and stepped outside. Windy remained motionless long after the sound of Twilight’s wings had faded. Finally, she turned to evaluate her task. She wrapped a few rotting apples and half-eaten sandwiches in her pale blue magic and levitated them into the garbage can. A box of dried pasta fell at her hooves.

Windy reached out and picked up the pasta in her hooves. It was enough to feed a hungry family. She let it fall to the floor again, then stepped on it, slowly crushing it under her weight. Harder and harder she pounded it with her hooves until the pasta was reduced to crumbs spilling out of the shredded cardboard.

“Are you alright? I heard you screaming.”

Windy wiped the tears off of her face and turned to face Spike. “No. But thanks for asking.”

Spike stepped into the room and grimaced when he looked at the mound of stinking food. “You know, I don’t think there’s a pony in ponyville who wouldn’t give you a meal if you knocked on their door and told them that you’re hungry.”

“Except for me.” She kicked at the crumbs, scattering them across the floor. She’d have to sweep them up later.

Spike yawned. “You’ll get there, as long as you let your friends help. Remind me to tell you some time what happens when a dragon gets greedy. I’m going back to bed. Wake me up if you need something.”

Windy turned back to the pile and started sorting, forcing herself to let each morsel fall out of her possession. Every bit of food she picked up reminded her of the pain in Twilight’s eyes when she had asked, “Don’t you trust me?” She had a long way to go.

Princess Celestia nodded and sipped her tea. “But she is making progress?”

Twilight set down her teacup without taking a sip. “I thought she was. But now I find a hoard in her room? She’s lying to me, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“What did I do when you were being particularly stubborn?”

Rings formed in her teacup as Twilight tapped the table. She looked up at her mentor. “You let me learn it on my own. But I have no idea how to do that.”

“It’s not so different from what you’re doing already.” Celestia lifted the teapot and poured herself another cup. “Sometimes, a pony needs a gentle nudge in the right direction. I think that having her give the food to less fortunate ponies was an excellent idea. But she also needs to combine generosity with something she enjoys.”

“She’s going back to Sugarcube Corner to learn more of whatever it is Pinkie does. Hopefully she’ll be able to give away some food without having a meltdown.”

Celestia beamed. “See, you’re doing it already.” She took one last sip, then stood and turned back to Twilight. “It was lovely to talk to you again, Twilight.”

Twilight giggled and said, “Well, I suppose I’d better check downstairs to see what kind of trouble Windy and the Crusaders are getting themselves into. Thanks for listening to me.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

Celestia turned to leave when Twilight walked in front of her and wrapped her hooves around Celestia’s neck. Celestia returned the hug, and they both sat there for over a minute. Finally, Twilight pulled back with tears in her eyes. “Thank you. For everything.”

“It really has been my pleasure. I’m sure you understand now.” Celestia used a wingtip to gently wipe the tears off of Twilight’s cheeks.

Twilight nodded and watched as Celestia gracefully lifted herself off of the balcony. She rubbed her face and put on a smile before she trotted downstairs.

Open books were scattered across the floor, and the four fillies were lying on their stomachs, reading passages to each other. After each passage, a debate would begin as the fillies discussed the relative merits of… some process Twilight didn’t understand. She rolled her eyes and stepped into the library.

“Hey, girls!”

The Crusaders greeted Twilight while Windy stood up and plodded over to her. Windy spoke in a quiet voice. “Twilight, I’m sorry about yesterday. I should have been nicer about giving away the food, and I should have apologized last night. But, can I still go to Pinkie’s this afternoon? I promise that I’ll give away everything I make.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, you should have, and I’m glad you realized that.” She pulled Windy into a hug. “Of course you can—” Twilight felt Windy stiffen in her grasp. She pulled back and looked at Windy’s wide eyes, flattened ears, and rapidly heaving chest.

Windy pushed away from Twilight, stumbling backward until she tripped over a small pile of books. She jumped upright and squinted at Twilight, her mouth twisted in confusion.

“Sweetie, what’s wrong?”

Windy backed up as she snarled, “Thy odor, tis a foul wind that burns.”

Twilight’s heart caught in her throat. “W-what books have you been reading?”

As Windy turned to gallop out the door, the three Crusaders grabbed her in a big group hug. Apple Bloom pressed her cheek against Windy’s side and said, “I don’t know what’s wrong, but Granny says there ain’t much a hug don’t fix.”

Windy shivered in their embrace, then began to sniffle. Twilight leaned over and sniffed herself, then called out as she backed toward the stairs, “Girls, can you take Windy to Sugarcube Corner? I think she needs a cupcake.” She turned and galloped up the stairs.

Twilight twisted up the corner of a towel and stuck it in her ear. Satisfied that her ears were dry, she wrapped the towel around her mane and trotted out the door, letting the steam roll out along the ceiling of her bedroom.

She opened a drawer, pulled out a scroll, and unrolled it on the desk. She dipped a quill in the inkwell, brought it over to the scroll, and froze. The tip of the writing instrument hovered over the sheet of paper for a long time, then went back into the inkwell. Twilight sighed, and tossed her towel onto the bed before shuffling out the door.

“I dunno. It was like a bad dream or something. Is there something wrong with me?”

Pinkie nodded sagely as she stroked the gray beard attached to her chin. After a moment, she said, “Absolutely!”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo waited with wide eyes as Apple Bloom wrapped one foreleg around Windy’s shoulders. Windy’s lower lip started trembling as she looked at the bearded mare and waited for her diagnosis.

“You don’t have enough cupcakes!” Pinkie announced. She lifted up a breadbox and hoofed out four cupcakes with blue, orange, red, and pink icing.

Windy chewed on her cupcake, crumbs jumping off of her lips as she spoke. “So, you’re saying that if I eat enough cupcakes, I won’t freak out for no reason? I find that difficult to believe.”

Pinkie started piling things onto the counter as she talked. “Just because you’re not perfect doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. We’re going to try something special today. Something that has never been done before.”

Several jugs of cream sat on the counter, along with sugar and vanilla, but also flour and eggs. Windy said, “Okay, I give up.”

“We’re making—” Pinkie took a deep breath “—deep-fried ice cream! It’s the perfect food!”

Apple Bloom asked, “How’s that even gonna work?”

Pinkie picked up Windy and turned her around, then threw a foreleg over Windy’s shoulder. “After we batter each scoop, Windy here is going to keep the ice cream frozen while we deep fry it.”

“Can I do that?”

Pinkie giggled. “I guess we’ll find out!” She turned to the Crusaders. “I need you three to run around town and tell everypony that they need to come get top secret experimental fried ice cream.”

The three fillies saluted and turned to gallop out the door when Windy called out, “Wait!”

They turned back around. Windy shuffled her hooves, then looked back up. “Don’t take too long. I think I’m gonna need your help to give it away.”

Sweetie Belle said, “That’s what friends are for!”

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded, then the three turned and raced out the door.

The last of the ponies in the dining room thanked Windy again and trotted out the door. The Crusaders fell into a lean against each other while Windy rested her head on a countertop. Windy licked her lips. “Pinkie, how many fried ice creams did we give away?”

Pinkie hopped up and down with a giant grin on her face. “Three hundred forty seven!”

Windy smiled. “That was kinda fun, seeing everypony smile. But my horn hurts, I’m ready for bed, and I really need to apologize to Twilight.”

Pinkie dumped a large pile of dishes into the sink and said, “Thanks for everything! Unless you want to do dishes, the door is that-a-way.” She started sweeping off the counter with her tail, cleaning off the flour and melted ice cream as she hummed an unfamiliar tune.

The four fillies bumped into each other as they rushed out the door. Once outside, they stopped to giggle in the snow. Scootaloo turned to Windy and said, “Hey, are you going to the Hearth’s Warming play in Canterlot tomorrow?”

“No, why?”

Apple Bloom said, “My big sis is takin’ all of us on the train. I think you’d love it!”

“Yeah,” Sweetie said. “It’ll be great!”

Windy smiled. “That sounds like fun. I’ll ask Twilight.”

“Train leaves at nine,” said Apple Bloom. “See you there! Goodnight.”

Windy waved goodbye and spent the rest of her short trip home looking up at the stars. After climbing the stairs, she peeked into the fireside room. Twilight was curled up under a blanket, reading a book. “Twilight?”

Twilight set her book down and smiled. “Windy, come here.”

From a respectful distance, Windy said, “I wanted to say that I’m sorry about freaking out earlier. I want a hug, but I don’t want to freak out again.”

Twilight held out her forehooves and said, “I think it’ll be okay.”

Windy ran forward and jumped into Twilight’s embrace. After a few seconds, she looked up and smiled. “Thanks.”

The blanket rose up in a haze of purple magic and wrapped around both ponies. Twilight said, “How was Sugarcube Corner?”

“It was great! I made deep-fried ice cream, and gave it away to almost three hundred fifty ponies!”

“That’s really impressive. And you gave it all away?”

“Well,” Windy said with a grin. “I did eat one.”

Twilight giggled. “You had to make sure it was good, right?”

Windy yawned. “I’m super tired. Oh, by the way, can I hang out with Applejack and the Crusaders tomorrow?”

“I don’t see why not.”

Twilight squeezed Windy one more time before the filly ran off to bed.

6: Crevasse

Windy trotted up to the Ponyville train station and hesitated just outside the door. She wasn’t actually sure whether she needed to go in, or just walk around to the platform. When she heard Apple Bloom’s voice from the platform, she chose the latter.

Dozens of ponies milled around on the platform, but the three most energetic ones were bouncing around a blond mare in a cowboy hat. Windy made it halfway across the platform before Sweetie Belle saw her.

“She’s here!”

All three Crusaders rushed through the crowd, tackling Windy and all talking at once. Before she could get anypony to quiet down enough to say anything, Applejack walked up. “Heya, Windy. You come to see us off?”

“Actually,” Windy said, a huge grin spreading across her face, “Twilight said I could come along!”

Applejack raised one eyebrow and scrutinized the grinning quartet. “You asked Twilight for permission, and she said you could come along with us?”

“Yeah!” Windy nodded vigorously, her eyes wide.

The train’s whistle sounded across town, prompting everypony on the platform to look toward the curve where the locomotive was just coming into view. Applejack glanced at the clock on the station’s wall, then back to the fillies. “Alright, I guess it’s okay if Twi says so. You got your ticket?”

Windy thought for a moment, then said, “What’s a ticket for?”

Applejack facehoofed. “You’ve never been on a train before.” She looked at the Crusaders and said, “Y’all stay here. I’m gonna take Windy inside to get a ticket.”

The inside of the station was spartan, with just a few benches and a ticket window. Applejack led Windy up to the window and tossed a couple of bits on the counter. As they waited for the attendant to get the ticket, Applejack looked at Windy, then squinted. “Sugarcube, you’re gettin’ bigger. You’re just about as tall as I am now. I didn’t think—”

“Here’s your ticket, ma’am.”

Applejack grabbed the ticket with her teeth and looked out the window to see the train come to stop with a puff of steam. They trotted outside and joined the Crusaders, waiting for passengers to disembark before they could board. Windy asked, to noone in particular, “Have you ever been on a train before?”

All three Crusaders simultaneously put on nervous smiles and glanced at each other, while Applejack started telling a story. Windy narrowed her eyes and looked from Sweetie Belle to Scootaloo to Apple Bloom, then whispered, “You have to tell me the story!”

Scootaloo leaned over and spoke out of the side of her mouth, without breaking her smile. “After we get on the train.”

Sweetie was nearly bouncing out of her seat. “Canterlot is soooooooo beautiful!”

Windy asked, “But haven’t you been here before?”

The Crusaders shushed her in unison, then Apple Bloom looked at her big sister, who was thankfully involved in conversation with the unicorn in the next seat.

“Technically,” Scootaloo said, “we have. But that was a secret mission. We didn’t have time for sightseeing.”

Windy rubbed her temples with her hooves. “But didn’t Rarity catch you?”

“True,” Sweetie said, “but my big sister can keep a secret.”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. Windy said, “Wow, you guys sure spend a lot of time sneaking onto trains.”

The house lights dimmed, and a spotlight appeared on the curtains as they began to roll back. A sharp-dressed unicorn on stage smiled broadly at the audience. “Once upon a time, long before the peaceful rule of Princess Celestia…”

Windy leaned back and listened to the narration as six ponies silently took their places on separate thirds of the stage. She felt an uneasiness seep into her stomach as the chronicler continued. Looking at the ponies around her nodding, Windy whispered, “No… That’s not…”

Soon, the narrator stepped into the shadows as the ponies on stage began to bicker and debate. Scootaloo poked Sweetie and whispered, “Yeah, you and your freaky magic.”

Sweetie returned the prod and whispered back, “Stop that, you ruffian!” They both dissolved into snickers and giggles before being shushed by the ponies behind them.

Scootaloo leaned over to Windy and said, “I bet this play was ten times cooler when Rainbow Dash played Commander Hurricane.”

“Hurricane?” Windy rolled the word around on her tongue, felt it rattle around in her head.

“I proclaim this new land to be… Pegasopolis!”

Windy gulped. “But the winter followed them. Be-because, the… the Hurricane.”

Apple Bloom leaned across Scootaloo to whisper to Windy. “I thought you said you hadn’t seen the play before?”

Scootaloo pushed Apple Bloom back into her own seat. “See, I told you that everypony has seen the play.”

Windy sat, silently shivering while the Crusaders bickered like the ponies on stage.

Twilight hummed to herself as she stepped into the Carousel Boutique. Rarity set down a bolt of cloth and turned to smile at her friend. “Oh, dear! I almost forgot about our lunch.” She levitated the measuring tape off of her neck and walked outside with Twilight, closing the door behind her.

As the pair strolled toward the diner, Twilight said, “I’m glad that we both had free time today. I didn’t know how much work it would be to care for a filly Windy’s age. How do you manage to watch Sweetie Belle and still have a social life?”

“Well,” said Rarity with a saintly smile, “Sweetie really does take care of herself mostly. She’s also, you know, not tried to take over the world. Twice.”

Twilight winced. “She’s not like that any more. You had some of her fried ice cream? She gave away over three hundred servings, and Pinkie says that she’s got a real talent for knowing exactly what ponies need.”

“Yes, I did hear that she has been making progress, though I was surprised that you let her go to the Hearth’s Warming play in Canterlot. I mean—”

“I let her WHAT?” Twilight came to a dead stop, looking at Rarity with wide eyes.

Rarity stopped and looked back at Twilight with one eyebrow raised. “Sweetie mentioned that Windy might go to Canterlot with the Crusaders and Applejack, contingent upon your permission, of course. Since you mentioned she is gone, I assumed…”

“No, no, this is bad. This is VERY BAD!” Twilight sat down and started stroking her mane with her hooves. She looked up at Rarity. “I think her memories are still there, just buried. Yesterday, I had hugged Celestia just before Windy hugged me, and I think Celestia’s smell triggered something. If she sees the play, she might remember who she is. Who she used to be.”

“Don’t forget, darling. This is Canterlot. Celestia herself might be at this play.”

Twilight’s heart dropped into her stomach. “I have to leave. Now.” She leapt into the air, leaving Rarity and Ponyville behind, cutting through the icy air toward the mountain hanging in the distance.

Apple Bloom elbowed Applejack. “Somethin’s wrong with Windy. I think she might be sick.”

Applejack looked Windy up and down. She was sweating and shaking, breathing far too quickly, and her eyes were locked open as wide as they would go. Applejack leaned across the two fillies to nudge Windy. “Are you okay, sugarcube?”

Windy jumped. She turned to look at the ponies next to her, then fixed her eyes back on the stage.

“W-w-what is that thing?”

“They must be windigoes. My mentor Starswirl the Bearded taught me about them…”

Applejack saw Windy flinch at the word. She wondered whether it was her imagination, or if the room was getting colder. She turned around, maybe to look for somepony to help, maybe to look for an emergency exit. The theater was absolutely packed with ponies who were all paying rapt attention to the performance, and Applejack couldn’t even see the exits in the dim lighting.

A choir began singing. Windy turned to Applejack and murmured, “The cold… Windigo. That… That was…” Windy sobbed, then jumped from her seat and pushed through the ponies to the nearest aisle.

Applejack jumped after her, straining to keep up as she galloped toward the rear of the house. Both ponies slid to a halt as Princess Celestia landed front of them, completely filling the space between the rows of seats. Windy’s jaw dropped as she looked up at the graceful white wings, long horn, and shimmering mane. Her forehead wrinkled and her mouth flapped a few times before her eyes went wide. She snarled, “You!”

A sudden chill instantaneously enveloped the room, causing a sharp cry to arise at once from every corner of the theater. The air instantly turned to fog, further adding to the confusion. Windy turned around and ran the other way, bumping into Applejack. She glared at the earth pony, hissing through her teeth. “Thou—” she winced “—You, you lied about who I am!”

“No! Yes.” Applejack reached out a hoof toward Windy. “I’m sorry, sugarcube. We just couldn’t tell a foal that she’s—”

“A monster?” Windy advanced toward Applejack, forcing her to backpedal down the aisle. She turned her head and scanned the fog for any signs of Celestia. “I’ll show you true hunger, and then we’ll see who the monster is.” When she looked back, Applejack had disappeared into the mist.

As Windy continued stomping toward the stage, the fog coalesced into snow, swirling angrily in the frigid air. A few flaps of her wings and she landed on the set, fetlock deep in fake snow. “An angry winter spirit, indeed.”

Hexagonal ice crystals grew across the walls, and the wind increased to a vicious howl. The air grew denser with snowflakes as mares and stallions alike screamed and ran over each other in panic. Three fillies emerged from the snow in front of Windy, and the wind immediately ceased. It only took a few seconds for the snowflakes to settle to the ground, leaving the air crisp and clear, if bitingly cold.

Every pony in the theater stopped and looked at the alicorn on the stage, faced down by three tiny ponies. She towered over them, frozen in confusion as she stared into their faces.

Apple Bloom took a step forward. “Windy, what are you doing? Somepony could get hurt.”

Windy looked out across the theater, scanning over the heads of terrified ponies huddling against the cold. Celestia was nowhere to be found. Windy spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. “Do you understand, now? She lied to you! I am Windy Glow. I froze the world. I will—”

Scootaloo had jumped forward and grabbed Windy’s leg in a hug. She was quickly joined by Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. Windy looked down at the Crusaders. After a few seconds, she backed up, shaking herself free of their grip. She shuffled backward a few more steps, not taking her eyes off of her three friends, then turned and blasted a hole through the rear wall of the theater.

Windy stepped up to the ragged edges of the hole and peered into the alleyway beyond, when the blast of a teleportation spell appeared behind her. She didn’t have to turn around to know that it was Twilight.

Twilight said, “Windy, please…”

Windy turned her head and looked at Twilight. Their eyes met, and Windy held her gaze for a long time. She took a halting breath, then leapt outside, unfurling her wings. Then she was gone.