Frostbite

Windegos. Creatures of ice, snow, and winter. We used to be seen as evil, but a group of three Shades got all of Equestria to start judging other species as equals. That happened about two decades ago. Man, I feel old. Regardless, other species were getting equal treatment. However, I didn't want it. Well, I did, but it felt like I was only getting accepted because of what the three of them did, rather than any of my own good deeds. I suppose I can't blame anyone for thinking I was trouble. After all, kind Windegos are even harder to come by than kind Shades. My theory as to why that's the case is because most Shades at least have a mind, whereas Windegos tend to be driven by base instinct and can barely be considered sapient. Although, there is an exception to every rule, me being one of them. I guess I should at least be grateful I was born the same time as all this, as it would be pretty awkward to have to start in kindergarten when I was a teenager. Also, if you want some detailed explanation of my young life, sorry, but for one thing, I hardly remember anything before I was thirteen, and what I do remember isn't that interesting.

I was in college when my story begins. I was walking to the large oak tree in the center of the quad, where I always go after a particularly hard day of studying, when my most frequent tormenter flew over to me.

"Hey, freak. Where are you going?" The pegasus jock, Muscle Memory, asked. I didn't respond. "Hey, I'm talking to you!" He said to me, raising his voice a little.

"I can tell. Please go away," I said in a monotone voice, not looking at him.

"Talk to me!" He yelled. I don't think he was used to people ignoring him and treating him like dirt before I came along. I've always been good at getting under other's skin, and at keeping my cool. Sorry, bad pun. What was really funny was that he was making a fool of himself; everyone was looking over at him getting increasingly frustrated. "If you don't talk soon, you're going to regret it!" He screamed as I sat down in the cool shade of the old oak. I chuckled internally at how empty his threat was. "You asked for it!" He yelled, throwing a punch at me. I shot a ray of icy energy at his fist, and he instantly froze from the top of his neck to the tips of his toes, with slender icicles pointing downward from his arms and wings.

"Y-you f-f-freak!" He yelled, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

"My name isn't 'freak'," I said calmly. "It's 'Absolute Zero'," And with that, I walked away, wanting to talk to my roommate.

I suppose at this point you might be curious as to exactly what I was doing at this college, (Twilight's School for Gifted Mages, by the way) and I was majoring in other-worldly research and travel. In other words, I research the possibility of alternate universes, and theoretical ways to travel between them. Yeah, it sounds cool, but it mostly boils down to sitting in class listening to lectures and poring over textbooks. I'm perfectly fine with the latter, as I rather enjoy reading, but I hate the former with a burning (Or should I say 'freezing'?) passion. If it wasn't for my roommate, I would be struggling a lot more to keep up with the rest of the class; which I suppose brings me to the topic of him. His name is Clear Thought, and he's pretty much what you'd expect from a stereotypical nerd; scrawny, scholarly, Unicorn, always picked on by the "cool" kids. Well, before he got to this school. I was paired up to be his roommate, which worked out well for both of us. I needed his help with schoolwork, he needed protection from bullies, you get the idea.

I was completely unprepared for what happened when I opened the door to our dorm. I was grabbed by the arm and pulled into the room with a yelp.

"Zero! You're here!" He said in his squeaky voice. Well, it's not normally that way, only when he gets nervous or really excited.

"Yes, I am indeed here," I said, catching my breath from the sudden surprise. "What is it this time?"

We both knew what I was talking about. The only other times he got this excited was when he thought he found a way to open a portal to one of those alternate realities I mentioned earlier. Key word being "thought", because they had never worked thus far. I didn't mind helping him out, but we had to keep a lid on it, because we're only allowed to start making portals in our forth year. The punishment for making one before that time was astronomical, but so was the punishment for freezing a student. I always have a watertight alibi. Always.

"Okay, you know that tour we got to take of Princess Twilight Sparkle's castle in our second year?" He asked impatiently.

"Yeah," I said, thinking I knew where he was going. "Dude, don't listen to those conspiracies that there's a portal in that castle,"

"But they're true!" He said with a pout.

"Prove it," I grunted unenthusiastically  before collapsing onto my bed.

"Okay, I will, but I need your help!"

"What for?" I asked as I reached for a book to read.

"I need you to make ice. Reflective ice, one you could use as a mirror, inside of that frame!" He said, pointing to a metal frame with numerous violet gems embedded in it. He had been working on that thing ever since the new semester started, but I never knew what it was for.

"Is that all?," I asked. When he nodded in response, I just shrugged and did as he asked. I pointed my finger at the negative space in the middle of the steel rim, causing the area to become frozen solid. "Okay, done. Why did I have to do that?"

"Well, you see, the reflective surface-" He began before I fell asleep from boredom. I slept a long time, but I unfortunately got a cruel wakeup call.

SMACK!!

"Were you even listening to my lecture?!" Clear asked angrily after he slapped me upside the head.

"No, I wasn't listening. I got bored," I said quietly, rubbing the spot where he hit me.