Twilight was cold.
So very, very cold.
Hooves struggling to put themselves ahead of one another, Twilight could feel her last flickers of magic die out as her sorry attempt for a heating spell finally extinguished within her core. Hissing in pain as the full extent of cold hit her again, Twilight continued to trudge through the thick snow layer, the below-freezing temperatures making themselves apparent once again.
Ironic, not a cloud in the sky and the sun beaming on her in its full glory, and yet here the purple Alicorn was ready to collapse from the sheer cold.
A sorry laugh escaped Twilight as she stopped, the snow beckoning her to become enveloped in its embrace. Anything was warmer than she was currently experiencing. It had only been a couple of hours that she had been within her castle, the summer heat making her sweat stick to her skin like it was a thick blanket. Yet, with a quick flash of her magic and the help of a few runes, what should have teleported Twilight to the Crystal Empire instead had her in a desolate land of white.
Twilight knew immediately that something had been wrong. Her sense of the magical field that kept Equestria alive was gone, and with that her magical abilities severely diminished. The sun seemed much farther away, and yet brighter. Not to mention that there wasn't supposed to be snow anywhere on Equus at this time of year.
With the very much reduced magical ability, Twilight could barely keep herself warm, much less attempt teleportation to somewhere that may be warmer, wherever that was. And so, her only hope was to keep walking, trudging along as she felt the effects of hypothermia kick in. Her calls for help left unresponded as if the uninterrupted horizon was mocking her.
Was this how it ended? An immortal Alicorn, defeated by the cold? Then again, was she really cold? The permafrost that surrounded her indicated otherwise, but Twilight could only briefly acknowledge that she was starting to feel hot, the feelings within her hooves and wings all but gone.
Twilight collapsed, her energy gone, and the coolness of the snow wrapped around her body a relief from her now burning core. She shouldn't be hot, it was impossible, but her body was starting to shut down as hypothermia fully settled in.
It would just be a quick nap thought Twilight.
the Alicorn's eyes closed. The sun continued to shine, with no indication of settling anytime soon.
Snow crunched against itself as multiple pairs of boots walked against a ragged path that intersected the buildings along either side. French and English floated through the air as many within the group sipped on their morning coffees, enjoying the sun's rays as they prepare for another day of research and maintenance to their small, isolated settlement. Work had been busy lately, a usual complement of the resupply missions that graced them with their presence a few times a year. Spirits were high though, as high as they could be at least when the average temperature was below freezing.
A beep sounded between the discussions occurring among one another.
One person within the group, the only one with a radio attached to his belt, crudely fumbled with his belt clip through his thick gloves. Pulling down the top of his jacket and clicking on a button, the man responded and acknowledged his existence to the other end of the line. Quickly taking another sip of the coffee that warmed his insides, he waited for a response.
It was not long before he and a colleague of his parted from the group, hopping onto a Snowmobile and driving off into the distance.
The man and woman stepped off their mode of transportation, the former shutting off the engine as they walked towards a few other people who stood in a circle.
The discussion among them as they looked towards the barely breathing creature between them was one of fascination and curiosity but otherwise subdued and with hints of apprehension.
A woman within the group grimaced as they uncovered the snow that lay atop the creature, it's strange looking hooves showing the tell-tale signs of frostbite.
It wasn't long before curiosity won and recognition of misfortune towards the creature had the group load said creature onto a stretcher, akin to one found pulled behind at ski resorts. Thus, making sure the creature was properly tied down, the group headed back towards their base.
Another man, one who had made the initial radio call, pondered at the event that was currently transpiring. Who would've thought going out to perform simple maintenance on their observatory would've resulted in an encounter with a creature of myth and fantasy.
He took a sip of his coffee from his thermos, his other arm holding on as the two snowmobiles sped back towards their base, one with the creature in tow. He briefly thought about how he'd kill for some Tim Horton's brand coffee instead.
The first thing Twilight noticed when her eyes fluttered open was that she was not dead.
At least, she didn't think she was.
Lacking the energy to do anything much more than looking around at her surroundings, a faint beeping being heard from a machine next to her, Twilight made the mental note that she was in a hospital cot of some sort. A makeshift one at that, one that seemed to have been set up in a hurry, but a cot nonetheless.
Twilight also noticed that she was hooked up to an IV drip attached to her front left leg, and two bipedal creatures standing off to the end of her bed, frantically writing things down on what appeared to be typewriters. Strange looking ones at that, but the clicks and motions they made appeared nearly the same. One of the foreign creatures eyed her intently.
Twilight attempted to croak out a question, asking where she was, but only a raspy, unintelligible noise came out as she realized her throat was drier than the hottest of deserts.
Then again, the Arctic is technically a desert.
One of the creatures typed faster in response to her attempt to make a noise.
Collecting some saliva and clearing her throat, Twilight attempted again.
"W-where am I? Who a-are you?"
The creature who had typed faster suddenly bugged out, nearly launching its fancy typewriter to the floor. The other's mouth opened as it stared at her, not making a sound but clearly in shock.
Then both erupted in noise.
"WHAT THE F..."
"MON DIEU."
The one who spoke in what appeared to Prench turned to its partner, beckoning it to fetch others with strange names such as Lucas, Charlotte, and Raphael. Certainly, they hadn't expected her to speak, but why?
The Equestrian-speaking creature quickly left the room, while the Prench one continued to stare at her. From the tones of the voices, Twilight had to guess that they were males.
The Prench-speaking creature spoke up again.
"You can talk?" the creature said with apprehension.
A cough racked through Twilight, before she responded in a weak voice.
"Yes, of c-course...but where am I?"
The creature seemed to respond with more sanity this time, briefly pondering over a response even though the shocked face somewhat remained.
"Alert, CFS Alert in Nunavut, Canada, closest permanent human settlement to the North Pole."
Author's Note
This was a story idea I came up with in the middle of the night and wrote once I woke up, simply so I could say I have a piece published on this website. Don't take it too seriously. Might continue, but don't bet the house on it. Feel free to throw your thoughts at me about this story through the comments section. Likes and dislikes are always appreciated as well.
Have a nice day, happy readings, and happy new year!
