The Magic Behind the Name

        Caramel Glacier was horse famous in his own way, but an ice cream maker can only accumulate so much of a reputation. He knew he had made many ponies happy. He glanced over at the adjacent wall, invisible underneath the portraits of him with his family, drawn by ponies more talented than himself. His wife wasn’t unattractive any more than she was drop dead gorgeous. His colts weren’t overly rambunctious, and they left him alone most of the day.

        At the sound of the metal knocker on his door,  Caramel snapped out of his daydream and back into his work. The newcomer entered, a unicorn wearing a ragged brown cloak. She looked unfamiliar, like some vagabond wandering around, but her mane was a lovely green color. Caramel slapped on a smile and stood up to greet her, seeing a pouch heavy with bits tucked into her cloak.

        “What can I do ya for?” Caramel said in his best salesman voice. “We’ve got a special today, two cones for the price of one, if you have a friend or a special somepony you want to share a cone with.”

        “Just me today. I’ll look around for a while before I order.”

        “You take your time, dear. Never any rush around here.”

        The mare looked around deliberately. She peered at the empty tables, the many flavors of ice cream, the staircase up to the living quarters.

        “Since business doesn’t seem to be overwhelming your cottage, would you mind talking to me for a bit?”

        “If there are bits involved, I’m in.”

        She laughed, a powerful but graceful whinny that caught his attention and made him look back at her. She was young and beautiful. He remembered that she had said that she was without a special somepony. Perhaps she would make a good companion for the night.

        “I’d love to talk with you. Why don’t you have a seat?” He pulled out an armchair stationed near a coffee table, and she sat in it delicately. He sat in an armchair across from her. “What’s on your mind, pretty pony?”

        She whinnied again, and his heart skipped a beat. “Well, I was just wondering about how you make your ice cream. It must take very advanced magic.”

        “Not at all, not at all. If you’re staying in town, I could show you how to do it sometime.” He lied. But he could certainly show that dainty little mare how to do a couple other things...

        “I’m afraid not. I have a mission that I need to complete before I can settle down.”

        “Oh? What mission would that be?”

        “How about we play a game?”

        Caramel side-eyed the newcomer slyly. “What kind of game, did you have in mind, gorgeous?”

        This time there was no whinny. “We take turns asking each other questions. If you get stumped first, you tell me how you keep that ice cream frozen,the truth now, and if I can’t answer...hmm...what can I do for you if you stump me?” The mare was sneering, and Caramel suddenly became embarrassed.

        She knew what he wanted of her. And at once he realized just how much he wanted it. “Stay an extra day. With me. And then…” He trailed off, blushing for the first time in years. He hadn’t realized he was still able to blush.

        Her sneer widened. “And then?”

        “And then, if you want to, you can, well, well, um,” He was melting under her eyes. He knew he’d have to spit it out or surrender everything he had to her. He stood up from his chair and gave what felt like a very unconvincing smile. “Then you can spend an extra night with me.”

        The traveler smiled and rose out of her chair to meet his gaze. He hadn’t realized how very tall she was. Her horn began to glow as the door slammed shut. The door glowed for a second before it became one with the wall. The mare turned smiling to Caramel and said “Nopony will bother us now.”

        Caramel wasted no time staring, but immediately bolted for what was the door, using any spell he could think of. The wall froze, warmed, splintered, and creaked, but refused to open. Caramel pounded on what used to be his door with his front hooves, but there wasn’t so much as an outline. After a while he accepted the fate of the door and turned back to the traveler. “Who are you?” He whispered. With a single spell, she had modified the very being of his home. That took more than small magic. She had changed more than that: Caramel was suddenly powerless, and anything she wanted; his money, his family, his life, would be hers.

        The traveler smiled warmly. “Just a pony you’re about to hand a spell to.”