The Power Within

Chapter 6 - In the heart of the night

The ringing in my ears told me that I was slowly waking up. The feeling was quite similar to the one I had after the nightmare, but this time there was a vicious headache pounding within my skull like somepony was using it as an anvil. I tried to open my eyes to look around, but nothing happened. It felt like there was some kind of glue holding my eyes shut. Soon enough I felt somepony touching my head, causing me to twitch in surprise.

My reaction brought on the sudden sound of somepony speaking closer to my head, though I couldn’t quite make any sense out of what they were saying. At least it didn’t sound hostile. If somepony wanted to end my days, they would have done so by now. Where was I again? How long have I been unconscious? And what in the name of Celestia happened in the first place?

Slowly everything started to come back to me. I remembered that I was on the outside of the library ... I had bumped into my old friend Leaf Trotter, who then told me that somepony called commander Silvermane had captured my sister and that she was being held as a prisoner in Whitestone. We had struggled and then I’d flown full speed head first into the tree. That was something that’d knock out pretty much anypony, and cause a headache this bad.

Was I still there? I turned my head in an attempt to see, but my eyes were still stuck somehow. I raised my hoof to rub them but was stopped by something - or somepony.

“Please, try not to move, okay? Twilight’s coming back soon, don’t worry,” Spike said.

The ringing in my ears had calmed down just enough to recognize his voice. Apparently Twilight and Spike had heard my scuffle with Leaf Trotter and came to see what was going on. But where was Leaf Trotter anyway? And where did Twilight go?

“Mmh... W-where... Where is he?” I muttered and started to cough. My throat felt as dry as a bone while the iron taste of blood slowly spread in my mouth.

The coughing hurt my lungs and stomach while my headache decided to intensify. Grimacing from the pain, I pushed my eyes shut even tighter before trying to yank them open by force this time; and it worked. My eyelids felt slimy and heavy for some reason.

“Where is who?” Spike asked next to me.

I turned my head around, trying to look for Leaf Trotter but couldn’t see much of anything at first; only a dim blur. I guess he wasn’t around anymore. He was probably hiding in some bush, trying to be invisible... Well, he was good at that. Plus it probably wouldn’t look good for him to be here right now, as somepony might get the wrong idea of what had happened.

Blinking my eyes a couple more times, I rubbed them again. Looking at my hoof, I could see it was covered with blood - both dried and fresh. So that’s what was holding them shut. I must be bleeding a lot. I wiped my muzzle as well and got some more blood on my hoof. This wasn’t good.

“What happened, Shimmering? Did somepony attack you?” Spike asked worriedly while trying to motion to a few bystanders to keep their distance.

To be honest, I didn’t know what to answer. I didn’t want to tell him about Leaf Trotter, nor was this the time or place to tell him what I had learned about my sister. Spike still didn’t know anything about my past and I wanted to keep it that way - for now at least.

I only drooped my head, trying to get my thoughts together. I thought about Cres and what Leaf had told me about the situation in Whitestone. A lonely tear made its way out of my eye, collecting some blood on the way down. The uncertainty about the fate of my parents slowly turned into an acceptance that they were gone... If there was anything I could do to save Cres, I’d do it. I’d even give my own pathetic life to save hers.

Even though the last couple days had shown me what a wonderful town this was, it all felt insignificant now. All my life I had been nothing but a freak, a failure. Almost a complete outcast. If it was my purpose to sacrifice myself to save somepony I deeply cared about, so be it.

A sudden sound of hooves rapidly hitting the ground pulled me from my grim thoughts, as I saw Twilight Sparkle and Nurse Redheart galloping our way.

“Redheart ...?” I wondered aloud in confusion “No ... No!”

My voice cracked from the cry I held in. I realized immediately that it would be because of me that her peaceful, free night would have fled out of the window and into the trash can. She wasn’t the only nurse in town, why did Twilight have to drag her here, of all ponies?

I pressed my head down in defeat, there was nothing I could do about it anymore. Once again I had ruined everything...

It was sad to see my new scarf tainted by my blood, as I had really liked it. As if that wasn’t enough, blood also covered Twilight’s living room table. Twilight had put me there so Redheart could work on me once again. It wasn't a pretty sight, but they soon noticed that my injuries were not too serious this time around. The white mare had patched my bleeding head and was now washing away some extra blood from my face, scarf and the table.

What originally started as an outdoor operation led by Nurse Redheart had then turned into a court hearing about what had happened, judge Twilight presiding. Somehow - believe it or not - she thought that I was lying. She told me that one could never fly into a giant tree like that, no matter how clumsy they were. Not to mention the speed needed for this to happen.

In my mind, I wasn’t lying to anypony. I was just leaving out some details I didn’t want to share with them. If I told them about Leaf Trotter, they might overreact and try to capture him. I also didn’t want to tell them what I had learned and was about to do; that I was going to go back to Whitestone and rescue my sister. These girls didn’t have anything to do with the whole thing, so they didn’t need to know that. They’d continue their life and forget me in a week. This was my choice to make.

Deeply buried in my thoughts again, I absently stared at Nurse Redheart’s bloody hooves that she rested on the edge of the table. Twilight stood there next to her. Redheart’s expression was concerned, while the librarian looked almost angry. I doubt it was because of the mess I had created, but more my transparent inability to lie.

“Come on now, Shimmering! You need to tell us what really happened!” Twilight almost screamed into my ear. “Are the soldiers still after you?” she asked, her voice trembling with both fear and anger.

A loud gasp from Redheart told me that such a scenario had never occurred to her and that she was on the verge of panic. I had to calm her down somehow.

“No! Dear Celestia no, nothing like that!” I sobbed frantically before starting to cry. “Please, y-you need to let me go!”

My sudden reaction baffled the mares even more. I wasn’t tied down or anything, but I couldn’t afford to have them following me. I needed their permission to ‘slip away’ so to speak. Every second would count. Every minute I spent here was another agonizing minute for Cres in her prison.

“Why, what happened?” Redheart asked worriedly. I never had a chance to answer her, for we were interrupted by a cough we heard from the doorway.

“If you really care about him, you let him go,” somepony spoke to us.

Twilight and Redheart spun around while Twilight’s horn flared up simultaneously. I recognized the voice, but turned my head toward the door to be sure and saw Leaf Trotter casually leaning on the doorframe.

What in the world was he doing here?

The librarian looked ready to use her magic against the intruder at any given moment, while Nurse Redheart took the place between me and my friend as if trying to protect me.

“Who are you?” Twilight shouted and lowered her head preparing herself ready to attack. One wrong move and my friend would be toast. The situation would have been almost funny if it wasn’t so deadly serious.

“The name is Leaf Trotter, Leafy or LT for friends; like the one you have right there,” he said and looked at me emotionlessly.

What the hay was he doing? This wasn’t going to help me as I didn’t have time to explain who he was or what he was doing here.

However, the mares turned to me, looking for the confirmation of Leaf’s announcement. I guess I had to play ball, even if I was a little bit tempted to get rid of him.

“Yeah, I know him...” I murmured quietly. I was still bitter to him for not letting me go right away. Had he changed his mind, then?

The glow slowly vanished from Twilight’s horn, but she too took a step between Leaf and me, trying to block him from seeing me.

“What do you want from him?” Twilight demanded, probably still suspicious about the visitor. I couldn’t blame her. She knew my situation and would not take any risks with new faces.

Leaf merely peeked over the mares and looked at me. “Thunder, are you okay? Can you walk?” my friend asked.

He was doing such a great job neglecting my two beautiful bodyguards, who only looked at each other in confusion. Calling me Thunder probably helped convince the mares that he knew me. At least Nurse Redheart took a careful step toward him.

“Shimmering has a nasty wound on his forehead, I think he should get some rest now,” Redheart spoke quietly, trying to get rid of my friend.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the hospital and she didn't have the authority she had there. She’d have thrown him out by now, but the doubts about him being dangerous stopped her for doing so.

“P-please, be so kind,” the white mare murmured.

One could have cut the tension with a knife as Redheart didn’t even try to hide her fear. It would be up to me to calm her down before something actually happened.

“It’s okay, Redheart ...” I stated softly to the nurse before turning my attention to Leaf. “I guess we need to talk?”

LT simply nodded while I slid off from the table. To my surprise, the girls had not said anything to try and stop me. They merely followed me with their gazes as I exited the library with my green friend.

It was almost a midnight already when I sat on the cliff with Leaf Trotter. The air was a bit colder than usual, but I paid little mind to it even if it made me shiver. Nothing really mattered anymore. My panicked desire to rush back had now faded away, replaced by the sadness and despair I harbored in my heart about the situation. Even if I went back, there was little I could do alone. But I didn’t want to take the risk of anypony else getting hurt by helping me.

Actually, getting hurt was more of an optimistic way to look at things. There was a very real possibility of not coming back at all, being the main reason for me not to ask for any help. The last thing I wanted was more innocent ponies to suffer. Then again, if nopony stopped those bastards, they might eventually hurt more ponies.

All I cared about was my sister and her wellbeing. Maybe I could trade myself for her…

I merely stared down to the valley while the gusts of wind ruffled my mane and wings. Another shiver traveled along my spine, and I shook uncontrollably. Leafy didn’t seem to mind, though he had been living in the wild almost his whole life.

“Do you think they’ll hurt Crescent?” I asked quietly.

Leaf didn't say anything at first; he only looked at me for a moment before turning his gaze forwards. One could have detected a hint of uncertainty in his demeanor.

“She wasn’t hurt when I met her, at least,” he stated calmly.

“Do you know what they are up to?”

A shake of his head told me enough. “I’m not entirely sure, but Cres said they might be looking for something,”

“Like what?”

“That I don’t know,” LT said quietly.

I took in the sparse information he’d provided me with.

“How did you find me, then? I mean, how did you know I was here?” I inquired, now looking directly at him.

“Well, Cres told me that she saw you flying away that day from your house. I investigated the place and found something ... well, interesting,” Leaf said cryptically while peeking at my expression.

“Oh ...” was my only sheepish reply. I guess he had found the soldier I’d killed.

Leaf simply gave me a smirk before continuing, “I recognized your hoofprints and noticed a trail of blood, so I followed the trail you left behind after taking to the air. I almost lost the trail at one point, but fortunately, you had landed again. Or - according to the skid marks and broken tree branches, you had lost consciousness and crashed to the ground.”

I just stared at my friend in awe. He was spot on, as always. I always knew that he was an amazing tracker and one of the most stealthy ponies I had ever known, but this report made me look at him in an entirely new way.

Then again, if you were living alone in the wild like Leaf Trotter did, you had to be aware of your surroundings. You would need to learn to notice the smallest details and detect the tiniest sounds in order to survive.

All in all, it was really great to finally see my old friend after so many years. We had lots of catching up to do. For the first time after the attack, I didn’t feel like I was alone.

I gave my friend a wide smile and sighed, “Thank you, Leafy. You are the best friend a pony could hope for.”

However, my overly sweet comment only yielded a quick snort out of my green friend. “Some kind of a friend I am.”

Leaf’s unexpected huff got me off guard as I found myself staring at him questioningly.

“W-what do you mean? You are one of my best friends...” I muttered.

“Yeah, one who’s never around and only cares about himself. Besides, it’s not hard to be ‘one of the best friends’ when you have a total of two of them,” Leaf Trotter retorted.

Now that was a bit uncalled for, considering my current situation. What gave him the right to mock me, of all ponies? One could have smacked him in the face in that instant, but I simply stared at him in tears.

“B-but, you of all ponies should know why I don’t have that many friends in the first place,” I almost cried.

Leaf’s cold expression didn’t change though. If anything, I felt the air getting even colder between us.

“You can’t blame your glowing mane and tail for everything!” Leaf yelled suddenly.

I couldn’t help but gasp dumbfounded, as my pulse increased rapidly. This wasn’t typical behavior for Leaf at all. Usually so calm and understanding, Leafy was now scolding me for blaming the one thing that had made my life a living hell. Like he was the perfect pony himself.

“Says the one who’s constantly running away from his problems!” I shot back in tears. “You left your family to die! No, you killed your family, isn’t that how it went?” I shouted.

Leaf’s demeanor changed, as he shot me a dark, angry glare that likes of which I had never seen before. To be honest, I was a bit scared of him by now. That was an extremely cheap shot and I knew it. But thanks to my hot temper, I didn’t care.

“You know it was an accident! There was absolutely nothing I could have done!” he yelled to my face so loud I could feel a few drops of his spit hitting my muzzle.

“Exactly! And it was because of that accident that you decided to live alone, making sure that nopony you cared about would get hurt ever again; except, it made you lonely and miserable! You are blaming yourself, just like me, but it’s not your fault!”

Leaf blinked a few times, confused by my logic, but I knew I was right. What happened to his family was indeed an unfortunate accident and there was nothing he could have done to help. But instead of even trying, he had run away. Nopony blamed him for the accident except for Leaf himself. Now after a decade of living in the wild, he was still on the run. However, he was anything but okay it seemed.

What I saw next was the first time I had ever seen it - Leaf Trotter was crying. Somewhere deep inside of that hard shell was the caring stallion that I once knew; back when everything was still okay.

“I’m sorry, Thunder. You're right. It’s because of me acting like a coward that day, but I couldn’t see them like that. I didn’t want to see them die right in front of my eyes, I was just a foal! There was nothing I could have done! They were all crushed under the pile of huge rocks. Rocks that I made fall down onto them by an accident. The biggest boulder crushed my father's head like a fruit and-” Leaf bemoaned in tears.

“Stop it, Leaf,” I begged, while barely holding back my own tears, “It wasn’t your fault,” I whispered and put my hoof and wing on his back, trying to comfort him the best I could.

Leaf Trotter then softly rested his head against my body, sobbing quietly. At least he wasn’t alone anymore…

A few moments later, LT had calmed down enough to talk with me again. I had told him about Ponyville and all those nice things that had happened to me since I arrived here. I told him how I got the scarf and how I went out with Nurse Redheart - an admission that earned a playful smirk from my friend.

Leaf Trotter listened in awe, being seemingly surprised by everything I said. Things were clearly much better here than anywhere else we knew.

“So ... What happened at the library?” LT asked once I told him about Twilight. “Did somepony attack us?”

Reliving the moment didn’t help as I couldn’t actually remember anything at all. I was too concerned with getting away at the time.

I only shook my head before answering. “Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t even remember what happened there, only that I flew against the library head first,” I mumbled.

“Hah, that explains the amnesia,” LT chuckled. “You tried to go back but I managed to stop you. I gotta say, you are quite strong for a pegasus.”

“I was just desperate to get away,” I muttered annoyed.

“Well, in any case, what are you going to do now?” Leaf Trotter asked a serious tone in his voice this time.

To be a completely honest pony, I didn’t know anymore. Of course I wanted to save my sister, but the talk with LT had made realize how wonderful this place was. I wanted to come back here. I ... I didn’t want to die ... Maybe my life had a meaning after all. We needed a plan to rescue Crescent safely.

“I need your help to rescue her,” I stated quietly.

Leaf stared at me immovably before tilting his head. “Do you have some kind of a plan?” he asked.

“Well, no.”

I didn’t want to tell him about my backup plan, but if needed, I was ready to take Crescent’s place in order to save her.

“It’s probably for the best if we manage to sneak in there unseen and then release her,” said my friend as he revealed his plan. “Another option would be for one of us to distract them while other gets her free,” Leaf continued absently.

The first plan sounded much better to me, although there was one thing that I was concerned about. “You managed to talk with her - where were they holding her?” I asked worriedly.

Leaf now looked at me with the same worried expression I wore myself. Great, more bad news.

“It was a metal cage at the center of the village. It must have been locked and would be hard to open without the right key,” Leaf Trotter said quietly.

“Hmm, you are probably right,” I mumbled while trying to think of something.

The cage was most likely protected with a spell as well since they were holding up a unicorn in there, otherwise Cres would have escaped by herself. Or had they threatened to kill her if she ever tried such a thing? She was a smart girl and would know better than to risk her life without a guaranteed getaway.

But why did they spare her in the first place? I mean, was she the only one who made it besides me? Maybe she knew of something that they wanted, and that something was a good enough reason to slaughter the whole village? I couldn’t think of anything that valuable anyway.

“Can you get anypony to help us?” Leaf asked quietly.

“NO! ... I mean, no ... I couldn’t bare to see any other pony getting hurt or worse. This has nothing to do with these ponies and the Royal Army would be too slow. We need to do this on our own and fast, the sneaky way you suggested,” I muttered. “Once we get her free, we will then get the Royal Army to arrest those criminals,”

Leaf watched me for a while before nodding. “So, are we off to Whitestone then?”

“Uh, not quite yet... I left my saddlebag at the library,” I said as I lowered my head.

Getting the saddlebag would be harder that one would think. I bet Twilight wouldn’t let me just leave without telling the truth and if I told her that, she’d never let me go.

“Uh, why would you need that?” Leaf Trotter asked baffled.

“I have something there I can’t leave behind,” I answered. My voice probably revealed more than I wanted it to, as I thought it would sound silly. I wanted to get the ribbon back to Cres.

“Okay, tell me what it is and I’ll get it for you,” LT winked at me. “I promise they won’t notice a thing,”

Even though I was tempted by his offer, I was getting really tired suddenly. The lack of sleep combined with all the excitement for the day had really started to take its toll. We wouldn’t get far tonight and it would be dangerous at night anyway. We didn’t have much of a choice.

“No, Leafy… I think we should rest now and sneak away in the morning while everypony is sleeping,” I revealed my overly simple plan.

The plan was simple and it just might work. It wouldn’t be a nice thing to do, but I had no other choice. I could always apologize later if I ever made it back in one piece.

“Okay, I’m pretty tired too. I’ll be sleeping outside, don’t tell anypony that I’m there, okay?” LT asked softly, receiving a nod from me in return.

However, something about his voice and demeanor worried me. I couldn’t put my hoof on what it was, exactly. I couldn’t help but feel like a total jerk for bringing up his family like I had. Celestia knows what mental wounds I had torn open inside of him...

Leaf Trotter followed me a good distance behind in case Twilight was outside waiting for me as we were getting closer to the library. The moon had lit up the sleeping village, its citizens unaware of the situation back in my own hometown. The moon also revealed that nopony actually waited for me outside. For some reason, I felt both relieved and sad at the same time. I guess I had hoped for somepony to care enough to look for me, but apparently, this wasn’t the case.

Leaf hid in the bushes while I knocked on the door. The sound of hooves galloping across the floor rapidly told me that my assumptions had not been totally accurate. Twilight was still up and had waited for me, it seemed. Once the door opened, my jaw dropped completely.

“N-Nurse Redheart? What are you still doing in here?” I asked while staring her tear stained face.

Without her making any verbal reply, I suddenly found myself within the tight grasp of the white mare and I knew that she wasn’t about to let go. Dumbfounded by the sudden hug, I barely allowed myself to breathe again as I slowly answered her gentle hug.

“I was so worried,” Redheart sobbed quietly against the scarf on my neck. She then carefully nuzzled my neck while tightening her grip. She really cared about me this much?

As baffled as I was, I somehow managed to look behind her, only to find Twilight staring back at me in disbelief. The librarian looked sad, almost helpless as she shifted in place anxiously. She then pressed her head down, turned away and disappeared from my vision.

If I only knew what had been going on here. Wasn’t Twilight happy to see me?

A moment later, Nurse Redheart pulled away from the hug and stared at me before sniffling quietly. “Um, please come in, we have been waiting for you,” she said, her face glowing with a red hue.

I stepped inside while Redheart closed the door behind me. I looked around but couldn’t see Twilight anywhere. Spike was also nowhere to be found, though he might be in the bed already as it happened to be well past midnight.

Trying to look for some clues, I let my gaze travel through the room but saw nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. Even the bloodied table had been cleaned. My attention then turned back to the white nurse next to me.

“Are you okay?” I asked worriedly. She had clearly been crying while I was gone, though it appeared she had no physical reasons for that.

“I’m fine,” she smiled back at me. “You should get some rest now, it’s really late,” Redheart said and walked to the kitchen.

Twilight then appeared from the guest room and smiled faintly, “Your bed is ready now. Good night, Shimmering,” Twilight said and quickly trotted upstairs.

I followed her with my gaze as the door closed behind her. Maybe she was just tired after all of this? Or maybe she was afraid of Leaf Trotter, maybe she thought that he was the scout of the soldiers who slaughtered our town who now came to look for me?

I turned back to the kitchen and saw Redheart coming back with the wet towel in her mouth, “Okay, please go lay on your bed so I can clean your wound and change the bandage,” she mumbled, before swinging the towel onto her neck to travel. She looked a lot happier by now and I did as I’d been told and went to the guest room.

Climbing on the bed, I rested on my left side and looked at the white mare in front of me doing her thing. It was almost like she enjoyed taking care of me, or at least the way she hummed while she cleaned my wound suggested as much.

Soon enough there was a delicate smile on my face as I eyed my white caretaker in awe. I was glad she was there. Even though I was devastated by the fact that I had ruined her free night, I thought she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now. In a short period of time, we had come to know each other rather well. Even if most of that was due to the fact that she had been the nurse and I was the patient. There was more to it; I enjoyed being with her. I couldn’t quite explain it, but I felt good around her.

My smile grew even larger as I closed my eyes and released a happy sigh that I hadn’t known I was holding.

“My, I have never seen anypony enjoying this as much as you are,” Redheart giggled playfully.

I merely opened my eyes again and looked up at her amused expression. “Thank you, Redheart,” I said, earning a simple nod from her as she finished cleaning my forehead.

She then turned around and took a fresh bandage and gently pressed it onto my now-clean wound.

“All good,” Redheart exclaimed happily, admiring her work as I simply smiled back at her from the pillow. “I think it’s time to get some sleep now, good night, Shimmering,”

Much to my surprise, she didn’t go anywhere. To be precise, she merely circled around like a dog in her place before laying down next to my bed.

Not believing my eyes, I peeked over the bed, looking at her questioningly, “You are... Sleeping here?”

“Why of course, I have nopony at home, it’s so depressing to sleep alone. Besides, this way I can keep an eye on you in case you start feeling sick,” Redheart cheered and took the sleeping position again.

Well, I believed she didn’t want to be alone, but I also believed that she was trying to protect me from something else besides health complications. I guess she still didn’t trust Leaf Trotter, or she thought that the soldiers were going to attack me.

But that didn’t seem plausible. If they were holding Cres as a prisoner, it meant that they weren’t going to move. What in the name of Celestia were they up to? It was as if they were waiting for something - or somepony.

I needed to get back in Whitestone tomorrow, no matter what. Though now I had another obstacle in front of me - literally. Nurse Redheart had decided to sleep directly in front of the door that opened inside. I couldn’t get out without waking her up.

The window on the wall wasn’t one that opened and it was a bit too small as well. I couldn’t make her go sleep anywhere else as that would be highly suspicious - not to mention rude, considering that she was only wanting some company and I just couldn’t deny her that.

I sighed quietly as I gazed at the sleeping white mare on the floor. She looked so peaceful... I’m so sorry, Redheart...

The morning came and I heard the birds singing their serenades outside, but I wasn’t one to enjoy it right now. My stomach felt like it was doing flips and cartwheels on its own. And I knew the reason for it all too damn well.

I was about to leave Ponyville and my new friends. I was about to sneak away from them and go back to Whitestone with Leaf Trotter and rescue my sister. What was it that I was about to do anyway? A complete betrayal of their trust? Abandoning their friendship and very likely committing myself to a suicidal mission? I didn’t know anymore, but saving Cres was the only thing I could think of. I opened my eyes and looked at the door.

There was no sign of Redheart on the floor, so that meant she had already gotten up. Great. I tried to listen but couldn’t hear anything behind the door. Maybe she went back to the hospital?

I sidled off from the bed and took my saddlebag from the floor and put it on. I carefully snuck towards the door and would have opened it, had it not been for the hoof steps that closed in. I backed away from the door to avoid getting hit by it, causing more work for the poor white mare that I assumed to be at work.

The door opened and the said pink maned nurse was standing in the doorway, a tray of food in her mouth. She was a bit baffled to see me up at first, but then happily trotted inside and put the tray on the nightstand.

“Good morning, Shimmering. I made you some breakfast!” The mare smiled, simply radiating happiness.

Did she have a day off or something? I couldn’t make myself to believe that she’d neglect her job anyway.

“Oh, uh ... thank you, Redheart. I hope Twilight didn’t mind you cooking for me,” I stammered awkwardly.

“Twilight and Spike are still sleeping. I can’t leave my patient hungry, you need to eat something to get some energy,” she smiled. “Twilight will understand, don’t worry.”

‘Yeah, but what about those other patients in the hospital?’ I thought while accidentally rolling my eyes.

She then took a closer look at me and noticed the saddlebag. Never in my life had I thought the atmosphere could change so quickly, but it did. It was like an icy wind had blown through the room on a cold winter night, while my heart raced harder than ever. She stared at my saddlebag as if frozen on the spot, while I tried to come up with an explanation.

“A-are you ... going somewhere ... Shimmering?” Nurse Redheart whimpered, being almost immediately in tears. This wasn’t good.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I wasn’t going to lie, no way. She would have noticed it anyway. There was only one thing I could do and it was to tell her the truth. No matter how much it would hurt, I needed to tell her what was going on. She would let me go, she would understand me. Wouldn’t she? Wouldn’t she?

“I need to go back to Whitestone…”