Everwinter

As Swift crept through the dark, ice cold tunnel, he was lost in thoughts. Who were his pursuers? He didn’t know, but he had no doubt that they would kill to get what they wanted. And what became of the pony in the white cloak? Swift hadn’t heard any screams. Maybe he was still alive. If their pursuers didn’t capture him, he could still make his way to the city. If he did, Swift would have to have a talk with him.

And then there was this other pony. He couldn’t make him or her out clearly, but it had to be a unicorn, given the powerful magic he cast. Was he friend or foe? He may have attacked Swift’s pursuers, but without knowing his motives there was no way of knowing what side he was on.

And all because of this small crystal trinket.

Swift glanced to the bag at his side. The round form clearly stood out. Swift didn’t know what purpose the orb served, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out that it was more than a fashionable accessory. What secrets did it hold, what powerful magic? Swift had no way to know, so he didn’t dwell on it. All he knew was that it was very important.

And that means it’s worth a lot.

Swift may finally have found a solution to his financial predicament that didn’t involve the risk of breaking and entering. He made a note to himself to see his fence as soon as possible. For now though, Swift yearned for his bed back at home.

He finally reached the well shaft at the end of the tunnel. The rope that hung from the top of the well reached all the way down to the ground. The bucket that was attached to it lay on the frozen stream to Swift’s hooves. The well had not been in use for a few years since it had stopped carrying fluid water. A small amount of moonlight crept into the shaft. Swift extinguished his oil lamp, grabbed the rope, and started climbing. When he emerged, he stepped onto a marketplace with the well in the middle of it. He stayed in the shadows and immediately made his way to the south, towards his home.

He arrived there without trouble. The house he lived in was situated near the south wall at the edge of the city. There was a wide surface of ice behind it, which had been a stream that had run past the building. No water exited on top of the hill the city was built on, therefore elaborate mechanisms, whose workings Swift did not fully grasp, – he believed that a unicorn had helped to design them and they may have utilized magic to function properly – had transported the water into the city. This mainly ensured that businesses that relied on flowing water could stay inside the city where they were safe from attackers.

Swift’s home, being timber-framed like many more buildings in the city, had two floors, the second one being the attic, which was where he lived. The mill wheel at the side facing the frozen stream made clear that the house had originally belonged to a miller, but he had run out of business years ago. Now Dibs the fence used it as a warehouse for stolen goods. He stored them on the ground floor and let Swift stay in the attic for a monthly fee. Dibs was one of Swift’s few friends, – if one could even have friends in Swift’s line of work – and he trusted Swift enough to not steal from him or do anything else that would hurt his business.

Swift unlocked the door and entered. As usual, a lot of different loot lay around on the floor or was stowed away in crates or barrels. Swift ignored all of it and headed towards the stairs on the other end of the room that led upstairs. He went through the trapdoor at the end of it.

His room had a tilted ceiling with the highest point in the middle of the room. There was one window on each tilted side, one leading to the north and the other leading to the south, but the shutters were closed. A simple bed stood in one corner, a chest in another, both on the west side of the room. An empty table was situated in the middle of the room.

He locked the trapdoor and examined his home closely. It was a habit he had developed years ago. Whenever he was in trouble or had pulled off a big job, he would always make sure that no one was hiding in his room, had searched his belongings, or had stolen something. Everything seemed to be in order for now though.

He took off all of his traveling gear and put the saddle bags under his bed. He then threw himself on his bed with a groan, falling asleep almost instantly.

*

The next day, Swift awoke with blissful ignorance. It took him a few moments to realize that he was home again, and the only memory on his mind was the nightmare he must have had during the night.

It was cold, and he was shivering. He got up, but kept the blanket wrapped around him. He walked over to the window on the north side and opened the shutter. The bright sun greeted him and covered one half of the room in a warm gleam. The sky was mostly blue. Swift closed his eyes and savored the warmth of the sun for a moment.

When he opened them again, he saw something glisten from the corner of his eye. It came from under his bed. He walked over there, reached down under it, and took out a crystal orb.

Oh... right.

He sat down on his bed and started examining it. It was almost perfectly round, and the surface was very smooth. It was cold to the touch, but that could have been because of the cold in the room. It was translucent, but it had a murky gray haze inside.

He pulled the orb closer and took a closer look. It was very subtle, but the murky haze was moving. Gray mist mingled and separated again constantly and very slowly. There was no discernible pattern to the movements, but the longer Swift stared into the haze, the more he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some sort of order to it. Maybe some form of rationality induced them, some... entity?...

...in times...

Yes, there had to be something! Somehow he was sure of it. Maybe these movements meant something? Was it a code?

...the light...

And what was behind all the haze anyway, in the middle of the orb?

...encompassing...

Wait, what!?

In an instant, Swift pulled his face away from the orb, his eyes wide open. Had he just heard voices? His eyes darted around the room, but there was no one to be seen.

...which leaves only...

He pulled the orb close again and perked his ears up. It took a while of staring and concentrating, but after a while he heard them again. There were multiple voices coming out of the orb! Swift couldn’t decide if they were male or female. In fact, they didn’t appear to be voices at all, not in the strict sense. They were like manifested messages in their purest form, not restricted to worldly perspectives and unaffected by individual feelings and motives. They were voices with which you only spoke truth. There were six of them, each one clearly sticking out to Swift, and put together they were complete.

It is in times of disarray,
Of cold, despair, and common plight,
A mare will see the light of day,
And light she’ll be and ever bright.

Her nature will have been unknown,
Unique yet all-encompassing,
The throne one day she’ll rightly own,
Ensure her subjects well-being.

Her might, so potent, so sublime,
Will be the only thing to fight
A certain chaos in due time
And shield all from eternal fright.

When it ended, Swift was back in his room, not having realized how absent he had been. Everything was silent except from distant noises of daily city activity. He stared into nothingness for a while. Then, his eyes slowly wandered to the orb in his hooves again. A giant grin was forming on his face.

No, you won’t be worth a lot.

His grin grew even wider, if that was even possible, as he spoke the next words aloud.

“You’ll be worth a FORTUNE!”

With that, he put the orb into his saddle bag, which was shoved back under the bed, and rushed out of the room.

*

As soon as Swift left the house, he headed towards Dibs’s place. While Dibs earned money via buying and selling stolen goods, it wasn’t his primary occupation. He owned a small store in the southern part of town, which sold all sorts of goods, from food to tools and even medicinal herbs and potions, which he produced himself. Of course, he knew very little about medicine, but his customers wouldn’t even suspect it for a second. To say that Dibs knew a thing or two about deceit would have been an understatement.

On the way to Dibs’s store Swift evaded a guard patrol. So far, he hadn’t seen any posters with his face on them, but for now Swift wanted to play it safe. No need to attract unnecessary attention. He made a mental note to ask Dibs if the guards were still out to get him.

The street the store lay in was muddy from the hooves treading on the snow on a daily basis. Hardened snow nestled up to the fronts of the timber-framed buildings on both sides of the street, interrupted only where doors led into stores and homes. A small number of ponies were out and about, minding their own business.

When Swift reached the store, the closed window shutters immediately caught his eyes. It appeared as if Dibs hadn’t opened the store for the day yet. Swift approached the door and tried it. It was locked, unsurprisingly. He knocked a few times, but there was no response. Apprehension started to build up in Swift.

He took a step back and looked up to the windows of the second floor where Dibs had his apartment. “Dibs?”

Again, no reaction.

Maybe he’s just out of town... or maybe...

Swift didn’t let on anything as he examined the street warily. The ponies around him didn’t show any interest in him and just walked by, their heads hanging low. Swift didn’t disregard the roofs either, but again the coast seemed to be clear.

If this was a trap, it would have sprung already anyway.

He stood there for a few more moments, thinking about just breaking into the store and maybe finding out what’s going on that way, but ultimately decided against it. The street was relatively bare with ponies, but there was still a chance to get caught, and Swift didn’t see the need to take the risk. Besides, he didn’t have his toolkit with him, which would have complicated the job significantly.

And so, he left the street to meet the only other pony he trusted... well, more or less.

*

She could be hard to find, but Swift knew where to look. She never lived in one place for very long. Sometimes she ran out of money to pay for accommodation. Other times the actual inhabitants of the house she had broken into came home after having left the town for a few days and chased her out. Her life certainly was erratic, but it matched her character. One constant though was her liking for a certain inn called The Silly Goblin, which was where Swift was headed right now.

The marketplace with the well through which he had entered the city the night before lay on his way. It was roughly round in shape and encircled by stone buildings, which mainly housed stores and workshops. A lot of them were empty, plundering being one of the main reasons why. Swift saw a malnourished looking pony in rags enter one of them, seeking shelter from the bitter cold before one of the city’s officials would sooner or later chase him away again. The city’s minster was situated at one end of the plaza and towered over it. Angels, saints, and demons, carved out of the stone, looked down at the city with compassionate or maliciously gleeful looks.

The well in the middle of the plaza was currently obscured by a crowd of ponies. Before Swift could wonder what all the commotion was about, a confident, female voice rang out from within the crowd.

“Heed my words, fellow citizens, for i bring important news!”

A mare jumped up onto the rim of the well and attracted all the surrounding looks, including Swift’s. She wore a beige cloak. Her coat was bright green, her mane a rich red, and her lively, yellow eyes had an enchanting property to them, something which she was using to her advantage at that very moment. Swift smirked knowingly and joined the crowd. He found who he had been looking for.

The mare continued. “I, Cantrip the Cunning, have seen much on my travels, but what i’m about to tell you now may well shake your fundamental knowledge of our world to the core!”

A voice called from the crowd. “What’s your point? Is this about some weird pagan views again like last week?”

Irritated murmuring could be heard from the crowd, but Cantrip spoke up again quickly. “My friend, never would i even consider something that vile. I assure you i have your best interests in mind – our best interests for this is of concern to all of us.” She moved her hoof in a wide arc that encompassed all surrounding ponies. “My friends, the unicorns have taken us for foals!”

Another voice made itself heard. “Tell us something new!”

“Right you are, ill intent and deviousness surely are nothing new to a unicorn, but what if i told you that the one thing that sets them apart, that lets them think they’re better than earth ponies or pegasi... is not what it seems to be?”

The crowd grew impatient. “Tell us already!”

“Of course!” A dramatic pause followed, then Cantrip raised her voice and spoke momentously. “The unicorns’ magic is not limited to their kind!”

The crowd’s reaction was two-fold. Half of the ponies gasped or murmured among themselves, trying to process this new discovery. The other half just stared at Cantrip skeptically.

After the murmuring had died down mostly, she resumed her speech. “It is true, my friends. I learned it during my time in Emedula. Maybe a few of you have heard the name Star Swirl the Bearded?” She held her head high and began to strut on the rim of the well. “Old pony, but the greatest conjurer to have ever lived; his power is said to blind every earth pony or pegasus that dares to lay eyes on him; has conceived more spells than any non-unicorn can count to; sports a gray beard, longer than the mind can imagine.”

She looked down at the crowd, an eyebrow raised in a skeptical manner. “What an old buffoon!”

This triggered some giggling from the crowd.

“His beard is so long that it now holds the first lice kingdom in the world!”

The giggling was replaced by reserved laughter.

“The guy is so smart that he’s lying with books instead of mares!”

The laughter grew in volume.

“And he’s so old that one of the many duties of his unfortunate apprentices is to wipe his ass!”

The ponies in the crowd were now laughing uproariously, and Cantrip looked at them with a content smile on her face.

When the noise subsided, she went on. “So, being the experienced adventurer that i am, i made it into his wizard’s tower undetected. I took a look around, but mostly just found rubbish, magical trinkets that served no practical purpose and really weren’t of any interest or need to an earth pony.”

She held up a hoof. “There was one thing though that sparked my interest. It was a book, detailing the methods of casting spells. I took it with me and read it.”

“You can read?”

She frowned in irritation. “Who do you take me for!? Have you never heard of Cantrip the Cunning!? I’ve visited every corner of Wrühtlant and have traveled to distant lands beyond the sea. I’ve fought wild beasts – one day i should really tell you about my encounter with that one hydra – and have even argued with kings and queens. Of course i can read!”

Shaking her head, she continued where she left off. “Anyway, what i found was that casting magic does not require some birth given talent or even a horn. In theory, everyone can learn it! It wasn’t long after i cast my first spell.”

Swift saw his chance to tease her a little bit and shouted from the edge of the crowd. “Ha! So far, we’ve learned that you have a big mouth, but can you follow up on it with big deeds? Prove it!”

Her eyes darted towards him, and one of her eyebrows was raised in surprise. Then, a confident, defying smile grew on her face. “I would be happy to do so, mister.”

And so, she started to perform magic in front of them. For her first demonstration she sat down on her haunches and closed her eyes. Then, she raised both of her hooves and started to execute carefully choreographed gestures and muttered words under her breath. A swift movement of her hoof followed, and she suddenly held up a white rabbit, which punched the air and threw incomprehensible words at her in protest.

Swift wasn’t impressed. “Pfft, and i thought we don’t hold fairs in this city anymore.”

Cantrip freed the rabbit, which put its nose up defiantly and hopped away. Then, she held up a hoof to silence Swift. Once again, she closed her eyes, executed gestures, and muttered words. She then clapped her hooves together, rubbed them, and held out one of them towards the crowd. A small flame waved and flickered on it. Cantrip’s face showed no sign of pain, but instead featured a stern look of authority.

A few ahs and ohs could be heard from the crowd, and Swift himself raised an eyebrow in slight admiration.

Cantrip waved her hoof and quenched the fire. She immediately started to cast yet another spell. The gestures were now wider than they were before as her forelegs waved in front of her in curved patterns. Her eyes were shut, and a frown on her face showed intense concentration. This spell took longer than the ones before, and after a while her muttering turned into a strange chant. Swift could now hear the words more clearly, but could not understand them as they appeared to belong to a different language. Dusts of glitter suddenly appeared on her hooves and trickled to the ground. Her voice increased in volume even more.

Without warning, she lost contact to the ground as she started to levitate. She ascended higher and higher until she stopped a meter above the rim of the well. The ponies in the crowd could only gasp and stare at her in disbelief.

Then, with the final word of the incantation shouted out towards the crowd, loud and swooshing noises appeared from behind her, and lines of smoke seemingly came out of her and darted towards the sky. Seconds later, colorful lights graced the sky as booming explosions erupted over the crowd.

Most ponies ducked their heads, their faces showing signs of terror and awe. Swift must have looked quite dumbfounded as he stood there, staring towards the sky with his mouth agape.

When the spectacle ended after a few moments, Cantrip descended back towards the ground and landed on the rim of the well again. Swift regained himself and, upon looking around, was surprised to find that the crowd had gained size considerably. In fact, Swift realized, the whole city was probably by now wondering about the magical lights in the sky.

Silence fell upon the plaza. Ponies were now staring at Cantrip, not knowing what to say or how to react.

Cantrip didn’t appear to notice or think much of it though. She bowed before them multiple times. “Thank you, thank you! I can see that my demonstration has pleased you in one way or another. I also fail to see any neigh-sayers left to convince.” She smirked at Swift.

“Now, my friends, there is a reason why i called for you, the unfortunate souls who have been stricken by fate so cruelly. You see, these spells were all but minor feats of magic. True power lies within the school of life magic. Luckily, i’ve learned a spell or too in that regard as well, and i’m willing to use my knowledge to the benefit of all. So, no matter the ailment, come to me and i shall ease your pain.”

She then looked at the crowd apologetically. “I don’t ask for much in return, but, alas, these are times of deprivation, and i’m sure you understand.”

It didn’t take long for the first ponies to walk up to the mare and ask for help regarding some medical problem he or she was suffering from. Cantrip sat on the rim of the well, talked to them, and executed spells on them.

Some of the ponies’ illnesses were noticeable to the naked eye. Swift could see ponies that had lost limbs, blind ponies and ponies with discolored spots on their bodies. None of these ponies looked any different after they had been treated by Cantrip and paid her a bit or two. One thing almost all patients had in common though were the joyous looks they had on their faces.

It took about ten minutes before Cantrip treated her last patient. She had started to cast glances across the plaza as if looking for someone and seemed genuinely relieved when the last patient left. Swift went up to her.

He was greeted by a smirk as Cantrip tilted her head towards the direction the last patient went. “What a bunch o’ suckers!”

“I must say, that’s cold, Can!”

She shrugged. “Blame it on the weather!”

Swift almost didn’t catch it, but with a flick of a hoof, Cantrip pushed something beside her on the rim of the well down the hole.

Swift raised an eyebrow questioningly.

She answered casually. “Payment for my little helpers, but enough with the talking. Let’s go!” She stood up and walked towards one of the streets leading away from the plaza.

“Why the haste?”

“The show was fun and all, but i’m not too keen on awkward questions from the city’s officials.”

The two made their way towards the edge of the plaza. When they were halfway there, something felt off to Swift. He glanced to his right. There, about thirty meters to the side, two guards walked towards the street, trying to look casual while intercepting, but failing. Swift looked at Cantrip questioningly.

She rolled her eyes. “Care to prove if you can live up to your name, Swift?” she asked with a smirk. “Who ever is at The Silly Goblin last, pays.”

He smirked back. “You’re on!”

And with that, they shot off, causing the two guards to stand there for a moment, flabbergasted. When the guards finally reacted, the two scoundrels had already reached the street and vanished into the familiar labyrinth that was the city.

*

To Swift’s dismay, Cantrip reached The Silly Goblin first. It was a peculiar establishment. The whole building looked as if a crazy pony without any knowledge of architecture had build it. There was no symmetry; no two lines were aligned. The windows were all of different styles, and the roof was an askew patchwork of shingles, straw, and bare wood. A wooden sign with a quirky, dancing creature on it hung over the entrance.

Swift and Cantrip entered the inn. Surprisingly, the taproom didn’t look much different from taprooms of other inns and taverns. On the right side was the counter. Behind it, a door led into the kitchen. On the left side, there was a stage, situated slightly higher than the rest of the room. Rectangular tables with heaps of straw beside them to sit on filled the remaining open space. Along the back wall, a stair led up to the upper floor.

The two ponies sat down at a table in one of the corners and ordered food and drink. Cantrip took off her beige cloak to reveal the two dice on her flank in the same color.

She spoke up first. “I see you’re sporting a new look.” She examined Swift’s face closely before she grimaced. “Maybe you’re lucky and the ponies you’ve robbed won’t recognize you anymore.”

Swift realized that she was referring to his still broken nose. “Maybe you can fix it with your magic.”

“Sure, give me a few bits, and i’ll see what i can do. The right angle and just enough force and it should look fine again,” she replied with a grin.

“No, thanks! Anyway, impressive show you just performed there. For a second, i thought there was actually something to it.”

Cantrip cast him a cheeky smile. “The look on your face didn’t escape me. To this day, this innocent girl never fails to leave you speechless with her charm,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

Swift snorted in mock amusement. “Yeah right, innocent girl!”

This triggered a laugh from Cantrip. “You’re wrong though. There was something to that show. Those tricks are hard to pull off, you know?”

“What were those lights and that thunder at the end, anyway?”

“You liked it? Fancy import from the far east. They call it fireworks. I got it from Dibs. I always wonder what he needs all this weird stuff for.”

“Sounds exotic... and expensive.”

“It was. Almost spent every bit i had on it, but wasn’t it worth it?” she asked with an enthusiastic grin on her face.

Swift shook his head and grinned. “You’re crazy, Can!”

Cantrip rolled her eyes. “Seriously, how many times do i have to tell you? Sweet-talking doesn’t work on me!”

Swift laughed and took a gulp from his mug before he leaned back and took in his surroundings. As he cast his eyes around the all familiar taproom scene, he was reminded of a certain inn, a brawl, a strange unicorn, the way to the north and what happened during it. It occurred to him again that there was a specific reason for why he wanted to talk to Cantrip.

“Say, what’s up with Dibs, anyway? He isn’t at home, and his shop is closed. Is he out of town?”

Cantrip shrugged. “Last time i checked, he was at home.” She glanced at him curiously. “Why? Pulled any jobs lately?”

“No, i was out of town myself.”

A knowing grin crept onto her face. “Ah, and we both know why, don’t we? That stunt with the baron’s son was priceless.”

Swift groaned, but Cantrip kept on going. “The guards searched every nook and cranny for you. Your cute face adorned every street corner.”

“It was that bad, huh?”

Cantrip chewed on some cheese as she answered casually. “Uh huh.”

“Then, why are the posters gone now?”

Cantrip swallowed, then answered. “The baron decided that his son’s reaction was a bit extreme and had them removed. Still, some of the guards are on the lookout for you.”

“That’s fine. I can deal with a few guards.”

Swift wanted to tell her about last night, about his encounter at the crossing and the chase, but should he drag her into this? Maybe she would be better off not knowing anything about it. This whole affair was his problem, not hers, after all, and he would have to deal with it.

Then again, Swift had seen the determination in the thugs’ eyes. They would use every opportunity to get him, including everyone connected to him to lure or seek him out. Had he already dragged her into it without wanting to? A sense of guilt overcame him, but he shook it off quickly.

It’s not my fault, but i can make the best of the situation and at least tell her about it.

And so, he told her everything about the night before. He started with the pony in the white cloak, described the orb, and told her about the chase and about the mysterious unicorn, who had engaged his pursuers.

What he left out were the voices in the orb. If the thing was as important as the pony in the white cloak had made it out to be, then it was probably prudent not to reveal too much about it to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary.

Cantrip devoured the story and asked for certain details here and there. Her eyes were big and glittered with the fascination of a child listening to a bedtime story of heroic deeds in foregone times.

When Swift finished with how he had safely gotten home, she stared at him with awe for a few moments before she regained herself and spoke up. “So, what are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know. They’ll be looking for me now, so i guess i’ll keep my head down until Dibs shows up and i can get rid of that thing.”

Cantrip looked disappointed. “Oh, so you want to sell it?”

“I want to get rid of it, and if i can earn some extra while doing so, then i’ll do that.” He looked at her directly. “I told you about this so you know to be wary when someone shows up and starts talking about crystal orbs. Not that i think that they would be that obvious.”

Cantrip rolled her eyes. “Come one, i can look out for myself. I’m not a child anymore.”

Swift wasn’t convinced of that. “It’s for both our sakes.”

Swift and Cantrip finished their meals and talked about everything and anything for a while after that. Cantrip didn’t squander the opportunity to talk at great length about fireworks, her apparent new passion. Swift wasn’t surprised about this, considering it exploded loudly and gave off colorful lights. From what Cantrip told him – things that she had in turn learned from Dibs – the contact of a burning fuse with some kind of powder on the inside of the firework resulted in the violent reaction he had witnessed. The fact that this reaction wasn’t probably too comfortable from up close didn’t escape him.

After a while, Swift bade farewell and left. He tried to get some info on Dibs’s whereabouts from a few strangers in the vicinity of the store, but didn’t get anything out of them. For the rest of the day he decided to lay low and stay at home. There wasn’t much more that he could have done except to wait for Dibs to show up. If the bad guys found Swift before that, then so be it. He would deal with it when the time came.