The Softest Voice

When Twilight Sparkle awoke one morning, she was determined to find the Star of Winterdreams.

"The Star of Winterdreams? What's that?"

"I don't know, Spike. But I saw it last night while I was sleeping, and I'm convinced that I have to find it."

Spike scratched his head. "You saw it... while you were sleeping? Twilight, do you mean you saw it in a dream?"

Twilight was already packing her bags when she responded. "Well, yes. But, Spike, it was just too real to be only an ordinary dream. I know it sounds silly, but I'm convinced it wasn't just a dream—it was something more. A message of some sort, or a premonition."

"So... you're going to leave and go after it?"

"I'm sorry, Spike, but I have to. I..." Twilight stopped, and gave a pleading look. "Ohhh, how can I explain it? I can feel the star's magic in my heart. It's calling out to me, I just know it. I don't think I have a choice in the matter—I have to find it."

Spike didn't try to hide his disappointment. "Do you at least know when you'll be back?"

"I'm sorry, Spike, but I don't. It's not something that anyone can know ahead of time. Just... take care of the library while I'm gone, okay?" Twilight gave a bittersweet smile, and shared a hug with her confidant. "Promise me..."

Spike laughed away his tears. "Of course, Twilight. I'll take care of the library."

"I knew you would. I love you, Spike. I promise I'll come back as soon as I can."

With that, she stepped out the door into the darkness that precedes dawn, and was gone.

Twilight followed her heart, and by nightfall it had brought her to a cave at the base of a mountain. She made a fire, ate her dinner, and prepared to retire for the night.

I wonder what the Star of Winterdreams is like.

She laid down and listened to the trees as they were blown upon by the outside wind, the footfalls of creatures on the forest floor, and the crackling of the firewood beside her.

It must be an extraordinarily powerful magical entity. After all, it brought me here. Who knows what untold strength it can harness—ooaaaah, I can sense it again! It must be near...

It was then that the wind began gaining speed.

First, the trees started swaying. Then, the sound of a branch snapping caught Twilight's attention. Turning from her thoughts, she gazed out the mouth of her cave and was silently impressed as the wind began to pick up small sticks and rocks from the ground.

Within a moment, a thread of anxiety curled itself around her heart; the trees were no longer swaying, but struggling.

Meanwhile, the sound of the wind echoed ever louder in the cave, until she could even feel the chilling wind on her own skin from where she was lying.

As a tree fell outside, her jaw fell with it. Then a sudden gust of unusual force extinguished her campfire in one breath; at this, she became frightened, and retreated in a huddle to the far wall of the cave.

What is this? Is it some freak of nature? Is it... could it be...?

Twilight struggled for an explanation. But as quickly as it came, the wind departed: the trees stopped shaking, the cave stopped echoing, and Twilight was left in a stunned silence at this new and inexplicable turn of events.

That... that was not natural.

The Star of Winterdreams was on her mind. Could it have done all that? But why? To prove its power? I don't understand...

Twilight sat in silent wonder, her fire extinguished, until a new stimulus presented itself to her senses: the ground had begun to shake.

Some stalactites fell, and Twilight guessed that a cave was not a safe place to be during an earthquake. She abandoned her things and hurried stumbling out. The vibrations were intense.

As if by design, Twilight's cave residence collapsed in on itself no sooner than she had raced out of it. The sound of the mountain's ferocious trembling was fearsome, and Twilight realized she was not safe yet; a rockslide could still occur. She ran away from the mountain as fast as her unicorn legs would carry her, downhill, into a denser part of the forest.

Why is this happening?! Is it just a coincidence? Or—is the Star of Winterdreams angry with me? I did what it asked, I came out here just because it called me... And I don't even know what it is or if it's a real thing! So why, why is it...

Twilight never finished her thought, because a bolt of lightning touched down on a tree only feet away from her face.

The season being winter, the tree's leaves were dry, and it easily caught fire. Twilight watched in a deafened horror as the fire began to spread. She broke out into a gallop downhill, toward the valley; in her panic, she failed to notice that the ground had stopped shaking.

The fire was spreading quickly, and as it grew in size, its radiant heat grew proportionally intense. It seemed to Twilight that the fire was spreading all around her, at a preternatural speed; no ordinary fire could outrace a determined little pony. She did her best to evade the flames, to break out into the open air, but despite all her efforts, they continued pressing closer in on her.

What did I do to deserve this?!

Panting and out of breath, Twilight stopped running, and looked around her. She saw nothing but a wall of flames in every direction.

As she looked around, again and again, her heart sunk: there was no escape. The Star of Winterdreams had lured her out here with a false promise, and now it was punishing her for something she didn't know she had done.

Already sweating and wincing from the blistering heat of the fire, Twilight was about to give up hope—when something caught her eye: a reflection of the night sky on the ground.

She sprinted toward it, and screamed out loud when she realized what it was, and that she had been overlooking it. She dived into the reflection headfirst, and allowed herself to be completely submerged; the sensation of the icy water against her skin was more welcome than anything she had felt in a long time.

As she resurfaced, she looked around to see which way she needed to swim to escape the fire.

But to her great astonishment, there was no fire, nor were there any signs of one; the forest foliage was unscathed and the air was free from the sight and smell of smoke.

Twilight was staggered. She had no words or even thoughts as she calmly climbed out of the water. She dumbly took in her surroundings over and over again, in a state of disbelief, as she could find no smallest twig either scorched or broken.

Finally, hanging her head in blankest defeat, Twilight saw the reflection of the night sky again, and stared at it for what seemed like hours.

It was beautiful.