It was an icy cold day. Outside, every bit of moisture that had survived since the latest rainfall was now frozen solid, a myriad of tiny glistening crystals that dotted the sight of every meadow, every flower, and every leaf of every tree. A peek through one of the many sealed windows of the Golden Oak Library revealed just enough of the outside world to make Twilight silently thank Celestia that she would not have to leave her home any time soon.
It was early into the evening, and Twilight was looking back onto a day full of studying. Her mind still whirled with the many ideas and concepts and facts and discoveries and streams of magic in patterns to manipulate air and temperature... it all had left her longing for relaxation, making her wholeheartedly look forward to the upcoming slumber party. It would be a break of learning, a nice, simple time with four of her closest friends, exactly what she needed.
When she heard the first knock coming from the door, her heart jumped a beat, and she was quick to answer it so as to not have the pony outside suffer for longer than necessary.
“Come in, quickly.” Twilight gave a smile to the bit of pegasus body that she could see behind a concatenation of various pieces of clothing, shutting the door behind her. “Glad you could make it. Let me take your scarf.”
“Thanks.” Fluttershy returned the smile, stepping out of her boots while Twilight unwrapped the scarf from her neck. When she slipped out of her coat to give Twilight a hug, the librarian almost jerked back, shocked from just how cold her feathers felt to the touch.
“This is crazy,” she murmured as they parted. “Today might be the coldest day I’ve ever seen.”
“Mhhh...” Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “It’s not as bad for pegasi, though. I don’t feel as cold as my feathers do.”
“What about earth ponies?” Twilight carefully floated Fluttershy’s clothes onto a pile in the corner of the room. “They also freeze less than unicorns do, don’t they?”
“Oh, no.” Fluttershy reached upwards, removing her knit cap. “More.”
“Really?”
Fluttershy nodded. “We learned that in flight camp. Earth ponies have the most magic in their bodies, but that magic doesn’t keep them warm. And they have a higher body temperature than unicorns, so they’re quicker to feel cold.”
There was a moment of silence.
“I doubt Applejack will come in this weather,” Fluttershy said, accurately guessing what had been on Twilight’s mind.
“I guess not.” Twilight gave a sigh. “Well... do you notice anything?”
Now naked, Fluttershy curiously turned her head as she followed Twilight into the right half of the room, close to the staircase.
“It’s... warm?”
“Yeah.” Twilight halted in front of where a couple of stones had been assembled into a small pile on the floor. “I enchanted these to give out heat. It was pretty difficult, but for tonight, they should work like a campfire.”
“That’s wonderful.” With a content sigh, Fluttershy dropped down next to them. “Mhh... it feels nice after the walk here. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Twilight said, a slight blush on her face. There was nothing quite like a conversation with Fluttershy, although she wasn’t even sure why. It wasn’t as though a simple ‘thank you’ was anything special – most of the other girls would probably have said it too – but coming from Fluttershy, it somehow had a different weight. It was as if others simply said it out of habit, while the pony that now sat opposite to her did it out of... kindness?
Twilight smiled, and she felt a warmth that didn’t come from the artificial fireplace. Going with the momentum, she found herself walking around the contraption, taking the pegasus into another embrace, this one not brief, but long and full of sympathy.
Though visibly confused, Fluttershy returned it, her cold feathers now seeming like a tiny nuisance, irrelevant compared to the weight of the gesture.
“What was that for?” she asked as they parted.
“I just...” Twilight found herself smiling; having no response to the question, she saved herself in a helpless shrug. “I’m... glad you’re my friend. We don’t tell each other that often enough.”
As an answer, Fluttershy simply nodded. “That’s true. Mhh... maybe I have something to learn from you.”
Twilight giggled, sitting back down. “Maybe.” Fluttershy joined her, and as she did, a strand of her mane fell in front of her eyes.
“So, how was your day?”
“It was...” Twilight paused, searching for the right words. “Totally exhausting,” she eventually said, giving a small laugh. “But it’s okay. Back in Canterlot, it used to be like this all the time.”
“Mhhhh...” Fluttershy made, and the sound gradually bled into the silence that followed. There was something special about the moment, and somehow, Twilight couldn’t bother trying to make conversation, not while she herself was so content simply enjoying the absence of learning.
“I’ll get it,” she said when another knock announced the arrival of the second visitor. Lost in her thoughts, it took her a few moments to register the sight of her marefriend standing in the entrance.
“Evening, darling.” Rarity gave her a kiss on the cheek, a gesture much welcomed despite the cold of her lips. “You look happy.”
“Oh.” A giggle. “I guess I am. Fluttershy does that.”
“I see.” Rarity paused, and Twilight could tell by the fact that she hadn’t come in yet that something was on her mind. “Ahem – two things, dear. Firstly, I’m afraid Pinkie Pie will not show up for tonight – according to Mrs Cake, she is a bit sick, although the issue seems mostly psychological. She has been very clear on wanting to be left alone, so there seems to be nothing we can do.”
“That sounds terrible.” Fluttershy had walked over from the fireplace. “I hope it’s nothing permanent.”
It was so cold outside that, by this point, Twilight was already beginning to freeze, and news about Pinkie, worrisome or not, were hardly a reason not to come inside.
“And the second point?”
“I received an unexpected visit from a cousin of mine,” Rarity said with a look over her shoulder. “She has expressed interest in joining our little get-together tonight, but I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate, and I didn’t want to drag her here if you two’d rather keep things in a closed circle. Do you think it would be alright if she accompanied us?”
“Everything... as long as we don’t have to keep the door open for longer,” Twilight remarked. “But... yeah, sure.”
“Of course.”
Rarity gave a thankful nod. “I shall get her, then – just one more thing. My cousin, she is... a very fragile pony, and very shy. More so than Fluttershy, believe it or not.” She gave a slight smile, as if to excuse her remark. Fluttershy giggled. “So... well, just, keep that in mind, if you will.” She lit her horn, and Twilight needed a few seconds to realize that she was giving a signal. If this was because her cousin had been too shy to meet them right away, then that might explain the whole procedure.
Neither Twilight nor Fluttershy could refrain from staring as the pony in question rounded the corner, but she too was covered in a thick layer of clothes that made it impossible to judge her appearance. One thing Twilight did notice, however, and with no shortage of surprise, was that she was a pegasus.
“Come in, please,” Twilight said as soon as she was in talking range, so as to prevent any further prolonging, closing the door at last. By this point, she was openly freezing, and had to prevent her teeth from cluttering. “You can undress here,” she added. “I can take care of your clothes.”
The pony nodded, and while she did as she was told, Twilight got the first real glimpse of what she looked like.
It was a young mare, younger than Twilight, with an inconspicuous, light gray coat and mane of a pale blue with a touch of turquoise, hanging down in strands from her head. She was pretty, but not nearly as pretty as Rarity, and in a much more passive sort of way. It was the kind of look that would never stand out, and yet there was a certain... fragileness to the image, just like Rarity had said, as if her appearance had somehow adapted this asset of her character.
She also did not have a cutie mark, a rare thing for a mare of her age.
“I’m Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight introduced herself while putting the clothes of Rarity and her guest next to Fluttershy’s. She refrained from offering a hoofshake, attempting to keep things as casual as possible.
“My name is Fluttershy.”
“Uhm.” The mare, now undressed, had her gaze fixated on the floor, her voice just barely loud enough to be audible. She, too, was shivering. “F... Featherfall.”
The scene brought into memory the first time she had met Fluttershy. As it seemed, everything about the pony that was now standing in front of them seemed eerily similar to how the yellow pegasus had been like a year ago. And yet... somehow, Featherfall seemed even more weak, even more fragile.
“Well...” Trying to prevent an awkward silence, Twilight made a gesture towards her contraption. “I enchanted a group of stones for tonight to work as a fireplace. If any of you are, you know, cold...” That earned a chuckle from Rarity and Fluttershy. “We could sit down there.”
“A fireplace?” Featherfall looked up at that, following Twilight to the spot. “Ohhh... that’s amazing!” With quick steps, she walked towards the stones, crouching down next to them. “Thank you!”
“Uhm...” Twilight instinctively raised an eyebrow at that, a multitude of questions bubbling up against the surface of her mind. But she opted to just smile, asking none of them. “My pleasure.”
Still eyeing the gray pony, Twilight sat down next to her. Fluttershy chose the spot on Twilight’s other side, and Rarity sat down between the two pegasi.
“Well then.” Rarity seemed to try her best to sound casual, but there was a clear sense of nervousness to her tone. “How have you been, Fluttershy?”
“Oh, uhm.” Fluttershy winced a bit, eyeing the stones with a sad glance. “Not that good. But I think it’s getting better.”
“Still the...” Rarity threw a gaze at her cousin. “Ahm – same issue?”
“It’s okay.” Fluttershy gave a shy smile toward Featherfall. “I’ve been having feelings for another pony, but she’s not into mares, and I’m not really over her yet. But that’s okay. I’m, uhm. I think I’m getting better.”
“Oh...”
“It’s okay, really.”
“It is not okay, darling. A rejection of this nature is one of the most demoralizing things a young mare such as yourself can experience, and it has been far too recent for you to be over her already.” Rarity lit her horn, removing the same strand of mane from Fluttershy’s face that Twilight had noticed earlier. “This mare must be a cold-hearted pony, if she is rejecting a soul as kind as yours,” she added, her tone somewhat snide.
“But... it’s not her fault. She’s just not, uhm... interested in other mares.”
Rarity gave an exasperated sigh. “Tell me, Fluttershy, if you... well, let us say that you were to find everything you are looking for in somepony else, and he happened to be a stallion. Would you be able to love him?”
“Uhm... probably?”
“So do you see? During the last few hundred years, while Celestia has lead us into the most tolerant and true-to-life era in recorded history, bisexuality has risen from roughly twenty to an orientation that over fifty percent of our population shares! I’m sorry to tell you, Fluttershy, but if she is hiding behind her romantic label, most likely it is nothing but an excuse. What kind of pony would voluntarily limit her romantic interests to merely a quarter of the available candidates?”
“I don’t know, Rarity.” Fluttershy murmured, a shade of pink on her cheeks. “Don’t you think you might be a bit... uhm, biased?”
Rarity opened her mouth, but closed it without giving an answer. “Well,” she eventually said, “maybe a bit, I suppose. But you know I care about you, Fluttershy. And I know that there are some mares who really do not feel any romantic attraction to ponies of their own gender, but please believe me if I tell you that it is often used out of dishonesty. Celestia knows, I have seen it.”
“Mhh...”
“What do you think, Twilight?”
“I, uh...” Twilight’s eyes had been fixated on Featherfall. There was something odd about her, but she couldn’t pin down what it was... and the suspicion she had was vastly unlikely...
She loosened her gaze, giving a shrug. “Could be both. I’ve never seen the mare. There’s really no way for us to tell.”
“I suppose that is true.”
“Although you have the most experience,” Twilight added. “If you say mares like using that as an excuse, I’m sure that’s true, too.”
“Ah, yes. Quite.”
“That’s, uhm. I think that’s cowardly, though.”
At that, both Twilight and Rarity voiced their agreement, then Rarity sighed.
“One has to be honest in seeking romantic relations. That is, quite frankly, the most important rule to follow.”
“Hmm...” A smile crept onto Twilight’s face at that, harbinger of good memories.
Then, “Who are the better kissers, Rarity? Stallions or mares?”
Fluttershy’s lips escaped a snicker, shortly silenced by her own front limb. Rarity had better control over herself, giving only a sly smirk at the question. Featherfall gave no reaction, not even a smile.
“Mares, by a landslide. More perceptive, and less demanding.”
“Oh?” Twilight smirked. “I recall you saying that being demanding is a good thing.”
Rarity’s eyes shot daggers in her direction. “At the right time and place, yes.”
“Sounds like somepony’s had bad experiences.”
“Ah, well. Twilight quite likes to do that,” Rarity said to Fluttershy. “First she will ask me about something, and when I give an answer that takes sides, one way or another, she thinks I’m being unfair.”
“H-hey!” Twilight protested. “That’s...” But the words did not pass further examination. “... okay, that’s kind of true.”
“Mhh...” Fluttershy seemed to have regained her composure. “I think the real question is, can we trust your answer?”
Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Of course you can.”
“I don’t know, Rarity,” Twilight assisted, having caught on Fluttershy’s line of thinking. “Generosity, remember? Not honesty.”
It was all friendly teasing, but while Twilight was saying it, her eyes flickered back to Featherfall. She had not said a word, not a single word since thanking Twilight for her spell. And she was sitting so close to the fireplace...
“Mh...” Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “Yes.”
“And you wouldn’t want to hurt us,” Twilight continued, not taking her eyes off Rarity’s cousin. “If the answer were stallions, would you really be honest?”
“I most certainly would.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Uhm, okay then. I believe you.”
“Do you, now? Why, how kind of you.”
Fluttershy snickered. “I don’t know if Twilight does, though.”
“I think I do. But I think Rarity might be blinded by love. I don’t think we can trust her judgement.”
“Well, I got bad news for you then, darling. You won’t have any opportunity to find out for yourself.”
“Ohhh...” Fluttershy cooed. “That was such a sweet answer.”
Twilight laughed. “Yeah. But... maybe I already did?”
“Well...” Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Did you?”
“...” Twilight blushed. “No.”
“That’s what I thought.” Rarity gave a complacent smile. “What about you, Feather? Did you ever have the fortune of a coltfriend?”
Having forgotten about her entirely, this brought Twilight’s attention right back to the shy pegasus, who seemed to be startled a bit by the question, and kept her gaze at the floor while she answered.
“Uh... uhm. No.”
Rarity doesn’t know her very well, Twilight thought. The fashionista had said nothing about how often she was seeing her cousin, but this interaction didn’t seem to indicate a close relationship. And now, Featherfall moved even closer to the stones, almost touching them, staring unhappily onto the ground.
Twilight had waited for something from the pegasus, anything that would disprove her horrifying premonition, that sinister feeling that was so terrible that she was scared to even consider the possibility of being right. But Featherfall was too distant, too empathetic, too sad, too fragile, and was sitting too close to the fire for her to ignore it any longer. Even now, she looked as though she was about to cry.
She had to do something.
“Uhm, Featherfall?” Twilight said, loud enough to make all heads turn towards her. “Are you... a-are you feeling cold?”
“Huh?”
“Are you feeling cold?” Twilight repeated, holding her breath at the absence of an answer. She couldn’t have been right. Celestia, no. Please no...
“I...”
But Featherfall seemed to struggle with a response. For over ten seconds, she simply looked at Twilight, as if hoping that somepony would change the subject. Rarity threw a confused look, first at Twilight, then at her cousin, but neither her nor Fluttershy said anything.
“Uhm... not... much?”
“So you are feeling a bit cold?”
“Well, only the way you always do. You... y-you always feel a tiny bit cold, r-right?”
Twilight closed her eyes in terror, unable to suppress a tiny sob, but it was Rarity who answered.
“No. You don’t, Featherfall.”
Confusedly, Featherfall moved her gaze over to Fluttershy.
“I don’t,” the pegasus said. “Only if it’s cold outside.”
Twilight let out a small breath, doing her best to stay collected. She had to keep herself together if she wanted to be of help.
“Can I try something on you?” she asked, her voice quiet.
“Uh... okay.”
Twilight bowed her head, a stream of magic erupting from her horn. At first, nothing happened, but then, Featherfall let out a pleasant moan, hugging herself.
“What are you doing?” Rarity asked, her voice spelling out utter confusion.
“Warming her,” Twilight simply said. “She’s cold. She’s always been cold. She probably barely knows what it means not to freeze.”
“Feather. Dear Celestia, is that true?”
Featherfall didn’t seem to have heard the question. Her eyes were closed, her body relaxed in a way that it had not been since she had arrived, and a very quiet moaning kept escaping her lips.
With the intent of preserving the young mare’s dignity, Twilight released the spell, but also moved herself closer to her.
“Feather. Is it true that you are always feeling cold?”
“Uhm... more or less.” With the warming magic gone, Featherfall’s body immediately snapped back into its tensed state. “I thought everypony did. It’s just... normal. It’s always been that way. It’s... n-not that bad. It’s just a bit.”
“But...” Rarity began, but Twilight shook her head, just a bit, signaling her to stop.
“Featherfall.” Twilight’s heart was pounding, and she hoped that she was making the right call by attempting to take matters into her own hooves, rather than reporting the issue momentarily. “Can I ask you for a hug?”
“What?”
“A hug,” Twilight repeated, with not a hint of sarcasm to her voice. “Can you give me a hug, please?”
“I... okay.”
Twilight threw a gaze at Rarity, who gave her a reassuring nod. Slowly, she took the other mare into her arms, pulling her upper body close. At first, everything seemed normal, and for a brief moment, she wondered if, maybe, she’d been wrong after all.
But then, very gradually, the feathers began to feel cold against her fur, and they only felt colder with each passing moment.
And that was the final piece of evidence she had needed.
“Thanks, Twilight...” Featherfall murmured.
Instead of answering, Twilight only held her close, her mind racing. Her gaze was fixated on Rarity, and her lips parted. Her pleading expression earned a confused look from her marefriend, then a raised eyebrow. Twilight bit her lip, hoping to signal just how important this was. Eventually, the fashionista gave a slow nod. Twilight closed her eyes in relief, giving a small sigh of gratitude.
“Do you like me?” she whispered, loud enough for everypony in the room to hear.
“I... I...”
“I don’t mean love,” Twilight said, drawing back so that she could look the pegasus into the eyes. “I mean like. Do you like me?”
“I... yes. Of course.”
Twilight extended a front hoof, gently caressing the other mare’s cheek. Then, gathering all of her courage, she slowly leaned forward. “It’s okay,” she whispered, this time so quiet that only Featherfall would hear it. “You are not betraying Rarity. I swear it.”
Featherfall didn’t answer, and although Twilight knew she was walking on a very tight robe, she nonetheless closed the distance between them, giving Featherfall a gentle kiss, right onto her mouth.
A gentle kiss...
For a few moments, they remained in this position, until Featherfall opened her mouth, just a bit, allowing Twilight to enter. There was a limit on how far she was willing go with this, and so she opted for little more than a careful, gentle coaxing with her tongue, hoping that what she was trying to do would work...
And it did. Suddenly, Featherfall trembled under her grasp, her mouth opened further, and her entire body seemed to relax, not unlike it had done under the spell. Twilight broke the kiss, only to take Featherfall back into a tight, caring embrace. Over her shoulder, she was searching for Rarity’s gaze, receiving a confused, but unquestionably supportive look.
“I feel warm,” Featherfall murmured, confirming what Twilight had guessed already. “I’... I’m warm. I’m warm.”
“Fluttershy?” Twilight asked. “Can you come over, please?”
Giving a nod, Fluttershy walked across the fireplace. At a gesture from Twilight, she sat down beside Featherfall, extending her wing as far around her other side as possible. Twilight smiled, and made a similar gesture for Rarity to come close. There wasn’t much space left, but Twilight moved a bit, so that Rarity could at least sit down next to her cousin, extending a caring front limb. It would be enough; the gesture was what counted, physical contact was only a means to the end.
Twilight felt immensely proud at both of her friends, who were doing so well despite having no idea what she was trying to do.
“Your childhood has been terrible, hasn’t it?” she asked the pony that was now being hugged from three sides. “Your parents have been cruel to you, and no-one has ever shown you love? No siblings, probably?”
“One older brother,” Featherfall stammered. “He left when I was very small.”
“Twilight,” said Rarity. “Explain, please.”
Twilight took a deep breath, but nodded. “Ponies need to be loved,” she whispered. “Not for happiness, not for morality, but for our bodies to function. Everypony has it, it’s what separates us from animals. Biologically, we don’t actually produce enough heat to keep us warm, we’d have to digest about twice as much food for that to even be possible.” She made a pause, watching the pony in her arms. “Your fire was almost out, Featherfall. You... you must not have received a lot of love during your life.”
Featherfall nodded... and then, without warning, she started crying. Twilight bit her lip again, doing her best to not let the sadness take over to her, knowing that her own composure was important for helping the pony in her arms.
“The only.... only pony who’s ever been nice to me is Rarity,” Featherfall said between sobs. “And even she... n-never had a lot of t-time for m-me.”
“I...” Rarity began, but Twilight shook her head again, and Rarity swallowed her response, giving a nod.
“I know... k-know it’s n-not your fault, Rarity. You did... d-did take c-care of me a few times, even t-though I... I...” At this point, her sobbing swallowed her words, and even though she was trying to say more, Twilight couldn’t understand it.
But she knew what to do next.
“We’re not going to send you away,” she said firmly. “This isn’t going to be a one time thing, Featherfall. You’re going to stay here for as long as you like.”
Despite the tears, the body in her grasp was not cold, not anymore. Twilight knew that what they had achieved here was only temporary, but she also knew how important the first step was. And though she couldn’t speak for her friends, she knew that it was the only thing they could do. If they sent Featherfall home, wherever her home was, all the progress they had made would vanquish. It took a close circle of friends, a circle that embodied the elements of kindness and generosity, for Featherfall to be cured. Not taking care of her would be nothing short of cruel.
After many more sobs, and many more tears, Featherfall eventually caught herself enough to give an answer. “You can’t do that. I live with my parents. They won’t let me go.”
“Hah.” Twilight gnashed her teeth, feeling an anger dwelling up inside her that she had rarely felt before. “I have a direct link to the ruler of this world. We will keep you here, and we will keep you here now. Not after you see your parents one last time, not after you talk things out, now. You will not have to go back there ever again. You will get a house here in Ponyville, and we’ll have one of us stay with you if necessary.”
Featherfall looked up at her, and Twilight could see both sorrow and barely suppressed hope in her eyes. “Really?”
“Your parents don’t stand a chance,” Twilight said, in a voice that didn’t allow any doubts. “If I explain the issue to the princess, and I will, she'll dispose of all say your parents have in your upbringing. Which should not be a lot, anyway. How old are you?”
“Seventeen.”
“Seventeen,” Twilight repeated. “So it's none. You could legally move out at any time.”
“I know,” Featherfall murmured. “But I have... no way of taking care of myself.”
“You don’t even have an intact body.” Twilight shook her head. “Of course you cannot take care of yourself. you... argh!” She took a few heavy breaths, regaining her composure. “Look. Frankly, it’s surprising that you’re even still alive. Without the inner fire, you... y-you probably feel cold constantly, and it’s almost impossible to develop passion for anything. That’s why you don’t have a cutie mark, too.”
Featherfall nodded, clutching more tightly onto Twilight’s body. “Will... will you take care of me?” she asked.
Twilight hesitated. She knew that there was a lot associated with this question, even though Featherfall herself probably didn’t intend for any of it. If she gave a promise now, she would have to spend a lot of time with this pony, more time than she really had to give away...
“Always. I promise.”
Featherfall let out a whimper, burying her face in Twilight’s fur.
At that moment, regardless of the consequences, all Twilight wanted to do was to smile.
In a purple glow, Featherfall was lifted up and gently put onto an improvised bed next to the fireplace. It had not taken long after the incident for her to fall asleep in Twilight’s arms, exhausted by what, for her, must have been an onslaught of new and strange sensations, underlined by an emotional breakdown.
Gesturing for the others to be silent, Twilight moved the bed even closer to the stones, providing the poor soul with as much warmth as possible, before she cast what looked like a purple bubble around her sleeping figure.
“That’s for absorbing noise,” she said. Then, rubbing her brow, she let out a long breath. “Wow...”
“I feel terrible for not having noticed any of this earlier,” Rarity murmured, her voice still quiet.
“How often did you see her?” Fluttershy asked.
“Very rarely. A total of five times to this day, if I’m not mistaken.”
“Who are her parents? Where does she even live?”
“In Cloudsdale. I have only seen her parents twice in my life, once when I was very young, and once when we accompanied Rainbow Dash, on the day after the competition. They... seemed normal to me, at the time.”
“If they showed their bad side in public,” Twilight murmured, “somepony would have done something by now. But what about Featherfall? What did you do when she visited? Or did you visit her?”
“Never. She always came to me. She... always bored me.” Rarity bit her lip, staring unhappily at her sleeping cousin. “She never talked about herself, and the few times I asked, I barely got any response. Mostly we’d talk about me, about my family, about my business. But...” Now Rarity closed her eyes, fighting with her own words. “She... she was so naive. It was like talking to a child. Worse than talking to Sweetie Belle. She didn’t know the last thing about fashion, or... or anything. It was exasperating.” She let out a sob. “Oh Celestia, what have I done...”
“She’s hollow,” Twilight murmured. “And it couldn’t possibly be different. From what I understand, she’s probably a strong pony, just going by the fact that she hasn’t killed herself yet, or...” She broke up. “I don’t know how exactly one could... which cause of death ponies with her condition fall victim to. Maybe they just starve, or freeze to death, or maybe it is always suicide. But I know that most ponies who live without an inner fire do not make it into adulthood.”
Fluttershy had taken it onto her to comfort Rarity, seeing as Twilight was too focused on her cousin. “When you say inner fire,” she now asked. “Do you mean...”
“It’s part of our genetics,” Twilight murmured. “This isn’t something to teach to foals, and neither of you has a higher education, so it’s not surprising that you’ve never heard of it. And... it’s extremely rare in Equestria that a child isn’t properly taken care of. A mother’s bond is so strong that it almost never happens, and if it does, it’s usually noticed at some point. I only remember a single case where it made the news, a few years ago. I still lived in Canterlot at the time, and Celestia told me about it. A young stallion was found dead... I think... but I don’t remember how he died.”
Her mind drifted back to what Featherfall had told them. “She said she has a brother... maybe that helped her.”
“I should have been the one helping her,” Rarity murmured. “I could see that she was sad. I should have been more determined to find out why.”
“She did say that you’re the only pony who’s ever been kind to her,” Twilight remarked. “Even if you didn’t do as much as you could have, you’re probably one of the reasons why she’s still alive.”
“And now? What will happen to her?”
“I think she has the potential to recover. But... she will need us. Us, and...” Her voice trailed off. “Us... and...”
“You think Rainbow Dash and Pinkie would be too much for her?” Fluttershy looked up from caressing Rarity, once again guessing what had been on Twilight’s mind.
“I’m not sure. Laughter is not really what she needs. Even happiness isn’t really what she needs. She needs to be loved, and she needs to know she’s being loved. Maybe Pinkie can do it, she can control herself if she really wants to. But, for the most part, I think it should be us three. I probably don’t have to tell you two this...” Twilight gave a smile to Fluttershy. “... but be gentle with her. She’s probably been pushed around her whole life; if we’re being rude to her, even if it’s just once, that could shatter her trust in us.”
Twilight made a pause, ordering her thoughts.
“Everything that requires... an understanding of how the world works could be a problem for her. Don’t be impatient. Don’t make any jokes, she might not get them, and again, she doesn’t need laughter to be cured. Always be as kind to her as you can. And make lots of physical contact.” Twilight paused, only to then repeat her last point. “Make a lot of physical contact. Every time you give her a hug, that will show to her that she’s being loved, and she probably can’t get enough of them; she has a lot to catch up on. I don’t think you can go wrong there.”
“If we do all that,” Fluttershy asked, “how long will it take for her to heal?”
“I... don’t know.” Twilight tried to remember what Celestia had told her. “I don’t think it’ll be long. Maybe a month? Do you think you can do it?”
“I have an order due in two weeks,” Rarity murmured, “but I will cancel it. Yes, I will do everything I can to make up for what I owe her.”
“I love helping small creatures,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “Uhm. I guess she’s not really small, but... yes.”
“Good.” Twilight sighed, feeling a bit of her worry disappear. “Sorry I’ve been so focused on her, Rarity.”
“Nonsense. Twilight, please. You’ve been doing what’s most important. I am the one who’s sorry.”
“You did great earlier. It takes a lot of trust to allow me what you did.”
Rarity’s lips twitched. “Thank you.”
A pause. A silence formed that seemed too imposing to break, and Twilight had already said everything she needed to. What had to follow now was nothing complicated – it was merely a matter of persistence... and kindness.
“You know...” Twilight said after a while. “This was supposed to be a slumber party.” Her gaze was fixated on the window. They had missed the sunset. “... but I don’t really feel like telling ghost stories anymore.”
“I think what happened here was scary enough,” Fluttershy said in agreement.
“But...” Rarity lifted her head, and Twilight could see that the change of topic had a last made her forget about her guilt. “The night has only just begun. And I had such a nice story prepared.”
Twilight blinked. “Really? You want to go back to telling ghost stories after all that?”
“It would hardly be going back, now would it? We never even started.”
Twilight laughed. “Okay. Well, what about you, Fluttershy?”
“Uhm... if they aren’t too scary...”
“Oh, but they are, dear. That’s their whole point.”
Abiding to a part of herself that felt intrigued, Twilight slid closer to Fluttershy, putting a hoof around her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Fluttershy. I’ll protect you from the ghosts of Rarity’s story.”
“Oh, heh...” Fluttershy gave a snicker at that. “Okay then.”
“Alright...” A smirk made its way onto Rarity’s lips as she moved a little towards her cousin, so that she was sitting opposite to both Fluttershy and Twilight. “Can you be a dear and shut the lights, please?”
Twilight nodded, flipping the switch with her telekinesis. At once, the library turned dark, the only remaining source of light being the softly glowing shell around Featherfall and what little came in through the windows.
Featherfall’s eyes flickered open, and a small sound of surprise escaped her lips. Twilight quickly removed the forcefield, shuffling over to stand next to the mattress, gently stroking the pegasus’ brow with a front limb.
“How are you feeling?”
“Mmhh...” Confusedly, Featherfall raised her head from her pillow. “I’m... not that good. Did you put the bed here?”
“Yeah. We wanted you to be as warm as possible.”
Featherfall coughed, and Twilight could see her drawing her legs in under the blanket. Fluttershy came walking around the fireplace to stand beside her.
“What’s wrong?”
“I feel sick. And cold.”
“Shouldn’t she be better?” Rarity asked, giving Twilight a questioning look.
“I...” Twilight paused. “I’m speculating, but... I think the fire might be too much for her body to deal with. It’s been so used to her being cold inside. It might need a few days to adjust.”
As soon as she had said this, a shiver caught Featherfall’s body, and she pulled the blanket closer around herself.
“Listen...” Twilight gave her a worried glance. “How would you like a bath?”
“A... bath?”
“Yeah. Best way to stay warm.”
Featherfall didn’t say anything, but she nodded. For Twilight, that was enough, and after another, gentle stroke, she turned around.
“Rarity, could you...?”
“Certainly.” Rarity gave a smile, making for the stairs.
“How bad is it?” Fluttershy asked. “How sick do you feel?”
“I don’t know.” Featherfall’s voice came out in a weak murmur. “I think I’ll survive it.”
“As long as it doesn’t get worse,” Twilight said, “I think we’re okay. If what I think is true, you might feel sick for a while, maybe it comes and goes, but it should be a little bit less bad each time. You... you do trust us to make things better, don’t you?”
To her relief, the pegasus nodded with no hesitation. “I often feel sick. This is different, but it’s not that much worse.”
“I’m really sorry.” Twilight lowered her gaze. Even after everything she knew, it was still harrowing to be reminded of just how much misery the pony before her had gone through.
For a while, the only sounds were the pouring of water from above and Featherfall’s occasional cough. Eventually, Fluttershy gave Twilight a tap at her shoulder, pointing upstairs.
“Uhm...”
“Right.” Twilight gave a nod, pulling herself together. “Featherfall? Would you... like to take that bath?”
Featherfall nodded, and Twilight gently caught the bed in a purple cloud, carefully lifting it up and floating it on the upper level, followed by herself and Fluttershy. There, she put the mattress and covers onto the floor, floating the naked pony through the open door and into the bathroom’s tub. She threw a gaze at Rarity, and found her own worry reflected on her marefriend’s face.
“Is the temperature okay?” Twilight asked, seeing how the upper body of the pegasus was caught in another shiver as her lower half made contact with the water.
“It’s...” Featherfall fumbled around a bit, taking her time to get used to it. “It’s okay.”
For a while, the only sound was the pouring of water, until Featherfall spoke up again.
“Listen. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy. I’m... I’m not a child, okay? I understand that I’m sick, not just because of this but... and... and that you’re trying to help me. And I love you for it. I... I love all of you. But... I’m not a child. I can understand what’s happening to me, if you tell me. And... just... don’t treat me like I’m ignorant, okay? Just... don’t... just don’t shut me out... please?”
Twilight hesitated for just a moment, then she climbed into the tub, leaving the surprised Featherfall enough time to draw in her legs, and reached out a front limb to caress her cheek.
“I know you’re not a child.” It was a simple fact, and it was the truth. “All I want, all we want, is to help you get better. And we don’t have secrets from you – you can ask us anything.”
Featherfall looked at her. She didn’t pull back from her touch, but she didn’t lean into it, either.
“Am I going to die?”
“No. I don’t think so.”
There was a moment of silence, and Twilight knew that Featherfall didn’t trust her completely. But she nodded, and then she did lean her head against Twilight’s hoof, only to once again break into tears a few moments later.
“None of us thinks you are weak,” Fluttershy said, answering a question that had not been asked. “You have just gone through so much.”
At this point, and with Twilight having entered the tub, the water was high enough to reach their shoulders, and, at least for Twilight, it was at a temperature that was just barely tolerable. Featherfall did not shiver anymore, she only cried, and did so quietly.
“What d-did you... talk about while I was... s-sleeping?”
“We want to take turns watching over you until you get better,” Twilight answered without hesitation. “If we want to keep your fire burning, you need to continue to feel loved. Once you are better, you can do whatever you want. And I told everyone to make a lot of contact.”
While she spoke, Twilight could see in the pegasus’ face how her trust in her increased with every word. Honesty is important to her, she thought.
“And is it real?”
“Could it work if it was not?” Rarity asked, turning off the tap.
“It could,” Twilight answered truthfully. “But it is real.”
Featherfall nodded, and Twilight knew that she believed her. Still crying, she shyly leaned forward, and Twilight understood, sliding a bit closer and taking her into another embrace.
She would have to do this a lot in the coming weeks.
But she didn’t mind.
This was the beginning of something. They were not just saving Featherfall’s life... Twilight had opened up too much to believe that they would just go their separate ways after Featherfall was cured. No, this was a pony who was likely to enter their circle of friends permanently. Six might become seven.
It was a scary thought, because none of them, including Featherfall herself, knew what kind of pony she really was, or was going to become. All they had seen so far was an empty husk, a shadow of a real person.
But it was also an exciting thought. Despite her task in Ponyville, despite her letters, the only real, close friends Twilight had made since her arrival – or, indeed, her entire life – were the other five elements. She looked at the pony in her arms, and, despite the fact that she was already sweating, she could feel a new warmth, coming to life inside of her.
Our story begins in an ordinary city, in Manehattan, and with an ordinary filly, a young earth pony. Her name was Lynn, and she had both a gentle heart and a bright mind, but she was also very quiet, and very shy.
During class, the other students would often pick on her. Lynn never understood why that was, never did she lash out herself, and she always treated the others with a warm heart. But it did not seem to matter. The others only laughed at her, spitting in the face of her kindness.
After school, she would sometimes stay to spend time with the phoenix the class kept as a pet. At those moments, her teacher would speak to her. ‘You have to learn to talk to the other students,’ he would say. ‘They only pick on you because you are different.’
Lynn was sad, and the more time passed, the sadder she got... until, one morning, everything changed. Amid a series of cruel mockeries, one of the other students, a unicorn, called upon his magic to summon a fearsome shadow. Young and inexperienced as he was, though, he could not control what he had set out to do, and without his intention, a pile of papers burst into flames.
The fire spread quickly, blocking the entrance before a single soul could escape. Now being trapped, everypony in the room began to shiver and cry, but Lynn knew better. The fire could be tamed by one creature alone, and when Lynn freed the phoenix from its cage, it took him but a few seconds to absorb all the fire into himself.
The other students knew that they were saved thanks to Lynn, and so they all apologized to her, promising to never be rude to her ever again. But the teacher only shook his head. ‘You wanted the fire to happen,’ he said, his black eyebrows narrowing above his eyes. ‘You were glad about something that put all of our lives at risk. You have to leave.’ And so she left.
For days, Lynn traveled through Equestria, far, far away from Manehattan, leaving this part of her life behind her. One day, she came across a tiny village enclosed in a curtain of darkness. As she got closer, she could see a number of lightbulbs, torches carried by the villagers, but the brightness they spread wasn’t enough to light up the place.
Hopeful to find a new home, Lynn quickly approached the villagers in an attempt to talk to them – for minutes she tried to get their attention, but to no avail. She had no torch, was not seen, and could not be heard. Sad and discouraged, she turned around, searching for a wall to lean on.
It was too dark to even see her own hoof in front of her face, and so she didn’t realize that the wall she had found was part of a hovel. Soon, however, she could hear voices coming from the inside. And it was so that she heard of the villain who was planting the seeds of fear and terror into the villager’s hearts, a pony who used the darkness to his advantage, striking in the shadows, never able to be caught. And she heard of the plan to put an end to him, by laying a grand fire onto the town’s largest building, that would at last illuminate the place, allowing everyone to see.
Lynn did not know what to do, if she should alert the others to prevent this crime, or if she should allow it to happen to stop the villain. And so, while she remained undecided, the plan took place beside her. The ponies snuck out, and they went to the largest building, luring everyone outside so that none would be hurt. And the fire they cast swallowed the building, and it bathed the entire village into light.
At this very moment, the villain was sneaking up to an unsuspecting villager, but with his protective darkness gone, he was caught and arrested before he could slit her throat. But while the arsonists had long mixed themselves under the crowd, Lynn was still residing beside the hovel.
‘You knew of this plan,’ one of the villagers said to her, and while the fire behind him slowly came to its end, the blackness crawled out of its hiding, surrounding him as he spoke. ‘You could have saved the largest building in town, and you chose not to. You have to leave.’ And so she left.
Disappointed and conflicted, Lynn spread her wings and and flew away, far, far away.
For days she was flying, not knowing where to, not knowing what she was searching for. One day, as she opened her eyes to the crisp morning air, she could see a constellation of clouds in the distance, too compact to be of natural cause. Curious, she left her own cloud to examine the sight.
The clouds were soft, and it was easy for Lynn to make a small gap for her to slide inside. But when she did, it was only to find that someone was already waiting for her: a sinister shadow, his eyes squinting at her figure in a menacing stare. Behind him lay a city populated by pegasi, with a gargantuan throne in its center. It was bright, and many of the villagers saw her quickly, coming for her aid and causing the shadow to flee.
‘You can fly,’ the pegasi said to her. ‘You can fly, and that means you can save us all. Do you see the throne?’ And they pointed towards the enormous throne in the center of the place. ‘The pony on that throne is not a pegasus, but he has robbed us all of our powers of flight, using them for himself. As long as he reigns, we are all tied to the clouds, but he can do as he pleases. You need to fly up there, and you need to take the fire from the top of the throne, because the fire is the source of his magic. Take the fire away, and we can take him off his throne and throw him down to Equestria.’
Lynn did not want the pony on the throne to die, and so she said no. But as time went by, she lived her life with the pegasi on the clouds, and she experienced firsthoof just how miserable it was while the pony on the throne ruled over the city, day after day. She did not want the suffering to continue, and so she decided to help, flying up the throne and taking the fire away.
The pony who had ruled over the city fell from the sky, and the pegasi took him and threw him off the clouds, just like they had said. But the fire Lynn had brought cast a shadow onto the walls, and the shadow spoke to her.
‘You are now guilty of murder,’ he said, his black eyes piercing into her soul. ‘You have to leave this place.’ And so she left.
With a broken heart, Lynn flew away, and the shadow came with her. Every day, Lynn flew to outrace it, but it would stay with her at every moment. When she couldn’t take his sight any longer, she let herself fall from the heavens and into the deepest ocean. Swimming in the water, she used her magic for a boost, traveling farther and faster, leaving the shadow behind her. And as she looked back ahead, she could see that she had reached the shores of a lonely island.
It was cold, and it was dark, and so Lynn made a fire to keep herself warm. For days she stayed on the island, but true rest should not be granted to her. Every morning, the shadows of the fire she lit grew longer, until, one day, her follower arose from it.
And the archon spoke to her. ‘You have now been in the air, on the ground, and amidst the water,’ he said. ‘You have been close to the sun, and you have been far away from the sun.’ Streams of black magic surged around him as he stared down at her with hollow eyes. ‘And everywhere you went did you do wrong, nowhere did you prevent the damage that was yours to prevent. Now, the moment has come for you to sleep... for a long time.’
He threw out his arms, and the water next to the island turned to ice, and the ice came closing in from all sides. Lynn stood beside the fire, alone and afraid, and she knew she would be caught in a prison of ice, for years, as punishment for what she had done.
And she lit her horn to raise a burning branch from the base of the fire, and she thrust the branch into the face of the archon. And the archon stared at her with black eyes. ‘Now you have murdered again,’ he said. ‘You must leave this place.’
And Lynn did not leave.
The archon’s body burst into flames, and soon he had left this world. But the black streams that had surrounded him rose into the air, and they formed a burning ring atop the island, melting the ice that had threatened to imprison the pony beside the fire.
And to this day, the ring of fire still resides above the island. Ponies who come near enough to see it are too scared to go further, and so no-one ever comes close enough to meet the pony it is guarding. But Lynn is still there, alive and well, and with the fire protecting her from evil, she has finally found her peace.
