An Icy Reception

Chapter Two: Pyrefly's Last Stand

“'What have I done?' What do you mean by that?” Twilight Sparkle asked Pyrefly. Rainbow Dash, frozen solid in the yellow pegasus' hooves, said nothing.

Pyrefly let out a strangled sound that gave off the impression that he knew more than he was letting on, and was doing a bad job of trying to hide it. His eyes darted back and forth between the frozen mare in his hooves and the frozen fortress that Ice Dancer had created. Holding back the truth wasn't going to help them now. In fact, it was only going to make things worse.

“It... It's all my fault-- I...I lied when I said I didn't cause that fire in Coltston!” Pyrefly shouted suddenly. “I-I-It was an accident, and I was too young to understand what I'd done-- and that's the real reason I took Icey and ran away!” Pyrefly sobbed the last part, his tears falling onto the ice cube that used to be Rainbow Dash and freezing to her frosty skin on contact. “That's why Ice Dancer has so many emotional problems! That's why all of this is happening! It's all my fault! If I hadn't run in that last race-- if I hadn't wanted to win so badly-- I wouldn't have pushed my limits! I wouldn't have tried to break the sound barrier! I wouldn't have performed my signature move, and I wouldn't have set that fire that killed our parents!”

Applejack nudged Pyrefly with a hoof and wiped his tears away softly. “Yer blamin' yerself fer way too much, sugarcube. Y'all couldna known that was gonna happen. T'aint like y'all could see the future.”

“I... I'm such a failure!” Pyrefly shivered. Rainbow Dash's frozen body was beginning to lower his own body temperature. “I ran away from my mistakes instead of facing them, and I taught my sister to do the same! Now she's so afraid of my failure that she can't control herself!”

“You're not a failure, Pyrefly. Ponies make mistakes. Sometimes big mistakes. All you can do is pick yourself up and learn from them.” Twilight consoled softly. “Trust me. I've felt like this before.”

“Did you burn down your parents' home and trap them underneath burning rubble, too?” Pyrefly deadpanned darkly, staring blankly at Twilight through dull golden eyes.

“Well, no, but I understand what it's like to feel like you're not good enough. To feel like everything you try to do ends in a miserable failure. I know what it's like to feel like you're not good enough for the sibling you love so much. Like you don't deserve their kindness and love. I know that feeling well.” Twilight explained. “I also know that no matter how terrible you feel, you always have somepony to count on. You always have your sister, Pyrefly. I know that she loves you.”

“She doesn't love me! She hates me for what I've done to her and to our family! I'm nothing to her but the monster who murdered Mom and Dad and dragged us away from our home!”

“No, she doesn't think that of you!” Twilight insisted sharply. “You want to know how I know? Because she is your sister! Your sister will love you no matter what!”

Pyrefly snorted. “Are you even looking at the giant spiky ice fortress she's turned our home into?!”

“I see it, Pyrefly, but it doesn't mean she hates you! It just means she's upset and needs some time to herself. To... cool down, so to speak.” Twilight said more softly. “Right now, our main concern is Rainbow Dash.”

Pyrefly finally looked back down at Rainbow Dash's icy form. “...Right.”

Pyrefly stood up and shook the frost off himself. “Twilight, Rarity. You guys are unicorns. You think you could levitate Rainbow Dash to a wide open field somewhere? Somewhere huge and empty.”

“What'r y'all plannin'?” Applejack asked suspiciously.

“Are we having a Frozen Rainbow party?” Pinkie asked excitedly. Applejack's even stare sombered the pink pony up quickly.

“You'll see.” Pyrefly said cryptically. Twilight and Rarity did as they were asked, lifting Rainbow Dash-cicle up into the air and leading the way for Pyrefly and the others to follow.

Casting one last glance at his frozen home from the field Twilight chose, Pyrefly began stretching his wings. “I'm not certain I'll be able to do this.” Pyrefly admitted. “It's been a long time since I even attempted this move, but I'm sure it's the only way to thaw out Rainbow Dash. My sister's magic is wild and unpredictable, but it's powerful. I know how to counter my sister's ice magic, but it's going to take everything I've got.”

“Are you talking about that fireball move you were doing earlier?” Twilight asked.

“No. Well, sort of. I didn't actually perform my signature move back there. The moves I did were desperate, yeah, but it wasn't the best I had. I was too nervous and too freaked out to really give it every ounce of wingpower I had.”

“But you broke the sound barrier on that move, multiple times.” Twilight rebuked.

“No, I didn't.” Pyrefly admitted. “What you heard as sonic booms were actually just me bouncing off the ice blocks. The acoustics of ice are a little bit weird, especially magical ice. It amplified the sound of me smacking into the ice over and over and you interpreted the sound as a sonic boom.” Pyrefly explained.

“But I saw you burst into flames!” Twilight argued. “I saw a fireball melting through the walls!”

“Again, it was an illusion caused by the ice's magical surface. You just saw the streaks of my mane and tail bouncing around, reflected in the ice's sheen. I wasn't even melting anything. It was a trick of the light, that's all.” Pyrefly said. “But this is going to be different. I'm going to give it my all.”

“I... okay.” Twilight finally conceded to Pyrefly's explanations to what happened, and hung her head.

Pyrefly backed up to the very edge of the field, facing Rainbow Dash. “Just in case this doesn't go the way I planned, I want the rest of you to take cover, okay? I don't want anypony to get hurt.”

Pyrefly didn't have to tell Fluttershy twice. She was already up in a tree and hidden from view before he finished his sentence.

Pyrefly planted his hooves firmly on the ground and flapped his wings as fast and as hard as he could, feeling the friction gather in the air around him. The temperature rose around him rapidly, and he took off, pushing himself to his very limits and then beyond. All at once,  the air around him burst into flames, real flames, and Twilight could see the difference between this image and the one she saw earlier. Pyrefly was right. Twilight realized. I remember now. I couldn't feel any heat when he was bouncing around earlier. He wasn't really on fire.

Pyrefly shot forward, a real sonic boom echoing in his wake and sending a shockwave of flames powering through the air around him in every direction, forcing Fluttershy out of her hiding spot in the trees, lest she be burned in the blast. He left the smell of ardent earth in his wake. He reached Rainbow Dash and banked a hard left, spinning around her in circles. A column of spinning fire rose from the ground, surrounding Rainbow Dash in an infernal tornado. As the flames grew hotter and Pyrefly flew faster, the flames turned from orange, to red, to blue, to white. A column of pure white hellfire spun around the frozen mare, slowly thawing her body from the inside out. The ice melted bit by bit, dripping off of Rainbow's coat and leaving shivering, freezing, living mare behind.

When Rainbow Dash was fully thawed and gasping for breath, Pyrefly broke off from the tornado, but was unable to stop his forward momentum and crashed headlong into the ground, digging himself into a huge rut in the earth.

Rainbow Dash seemed surprised. “I... I'm alive? I'm alive!” She cheered, and the rest of her friends cheered with her. “You saved my life?” She asked of Pyrefly, still collecting his marbles at the bottom of a smoking crater.

“No, Mommy, I don't want to go to school today. I want to stay home and bake cookies with you!” Pyrefly babbled half-incoherently, dizzy and smoking from his efforts. Rainbow Dash lent a hoof and pulled the stallion out of the scorched hole.

“Whoa, there, buddy. Are you alright?” Rainbow asked.

Pyrefly finally shook himself out of it. “Yeah..... Ugh, I'm okay. My concern is you. Are you alright?” He asked. He tested his wings, and found that one wouldn't move. He had broken his left wing upon his landing, and now it was shooting red-hot needles of pain through his entire torso. He looked back at it and realized that he was pretty mangled from his efforts. Seared skin under a singed coat and oozing blood from spots where feathers were yanked out by his momentum.

Rainbow Dash looked herself over a bit and shook the remaining water out of her hair. “I feel okay, yeah. I think I'm gonna be just fine. Thank you, Pyrefly. You saved my life.”

“I'm sorry my sister turned you into an ice cube.” Pyrefly blushed.

“It's alright. I forgive her.” Rainbow laughed. “Now let's get your sister out of that ice fortress.”

“First, I think we need to get Pyrefly to the hospital.” Fluttershy gasped. “He's bleeding!”

“No, it's okay. I'm fine.” Pyrefly insisted, but a prod to his broken wing by Fluttershy sent him reeling to the ground, howling in pain.

“Oh, I'm sorry, Pyrefly. I didn't mean to hurt you. But I really think I should take you to see a doctor... if that's alright. Your wing is clearly broken.”

“My...sister....” Pyrefly choked, sniffling in pain.

“We'll try to get through to your sister. Don't worry, we'll stay outside the freeze radius. Fluttershy, can you get Pyrefly to the hospital? I'm going to go get Spike.” Twilight announced, darting off. Rarity and Rainbow Dash followed her, with Pinkie Pie bounding off in some other random direction. Applejack stayed with Fluttershy and Pyrefly.

“As if I didn't have enough trouble with spikes lately.” Pyrefly rolled his eyes.

“Spike isn't an ice spike, Pyrefly. Spike is Twilight's assistant. He's a baby dragon.” Fluttershy explicated, lifting Pyrefly onto her back and floating gracefully on cream-colored wings towards Ponyville Hospital.

Somewhere within the walls of Canterlot Castle, Princess Celestia prodded one of her assistants. “Excuse me, does it seem... cold in here to you?” She asked. “Like, unseasonably cold? It's mid-summer, yet I can clearly sense snow on the horizon.”

“Would you like us to make it warmer, Your Highness?” The assistant replied, his horn preemptively glowing to raise the temperature in the room.

“No, no. I was just wondering if you noticed the change in temperature, or if it was just me.”

“It's been cold all day, Princess. Actually, we think the cold front is coming from Ponyville. Some sort of spell gone awry, but we can't precisely pinpoint the origin. We think that the origin is being blocked by a different spell that we've so far been unable to figure out.”

“Hmm.... I'd best send a letter to Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia's horn glowed with magical light, and a quill and a piece of parchment flew to her.

Back at the library, Spike coughed up the letter the Princess had sent in a short blast of green flames.

My faithful student Twilight,

It's been unseasonably cold in Canterlot all day, and my meteorologists tell me that a strange cold front has manifested in Ponyville and is spreading throughout Equestria. They think it's a spell gone awry. I was wondering if you knew anything about it, because for once I'm clueless on the matter. I'm being told we can't quite pinpoint the origin of the cold front.

Sincerely, Princess Celestia

“Spike, take a letter.”

Dear Princess Celestia,

The cold front in Ponyville is absolutely a spell gone awry, though this time it wasn't me, I swear. I've had enough messing with elemental spells after the time I made it rain frogs for three days last April. I learned my lesson on that one. Actually, it's due to a young mare and her brother who just moved to Ponyville, and the sister's a little... jittery, and can't control her magic well. We've already had an incident in which Rainbow Dash was frozen solid for a few hours, but don't worry, she's all thawed out now and feeling fine. We hope to have the confusion cleared up by the end of the day, though by the look of things, it's not going to be that easy. This poor filly is apparently a real mess.

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle

When Celestia received Twilight's response to her letter, she immediately penned one back.

Twilight,

Would the two who moved to Ponyville happen to be named Pyrefly and Ice Dancer?

Princess,

Yes, they are. Why? They seem like nice ponies. Well, Pyrefly anyway. I haven't actually met Ice Dancer yet.

Twilight,

I'm on my way. Stay put. Don't go near the source of the cold front again. This is an order from the Princess.

Twilight was concerned about the last letter. Why would Celestia order her not to help her friend? That didn't seem like the Princess.

Princess Celestia burst through the window and landed on the floor of the library. “Twilight Sparkle. Show me where the cold front originates from.” She ordered sharply, and Twilight was actually a little scared. She'd never heard Celestia's voice quite that edged with venom.

Twilight silently nodded and turned on her hoof, leading Celestia through the streets until they reached the ice fortress. Celestia ran up to it.

“Princess, don't! You'll be frozen solid!” Twilight warned, and Celestia stopped in her tracks, glancing back at Twilight with a flash in her eye. “Um, I'm sorry, Princess, but the wards around it are designed to keep everypony out. If anypony besides Ice Dancer's brother Pyrefly comes anywhere near it, they're immediately frozen solid, and Pyrefly is the only one who can thaw them. But he needs to perform the equivalent of a Sonic Rainboom to do it, and he's currently holed up in Ponyville Hospital with a broken wing after he thawed out Rainbow Dash.”

Celestia looked to Twilight again. “It's clear that Pyrefly has no idea what his sister has become.” She said flatly. “She's become so warped and so broken from her foalhood trauma that she views everything and anything around her as a threat. She's so terrified of the world around her that her magic has overcompensated in the face of her fear, and turned her into a monster. She'll kill anypony who gets in the way of her 'perfect' view of life with her brother.”

“How do you know so much about them, Princess?” Twilight asked.

“It's my job to know, Twilight. I rule Equestria. It's my duty to know.” Celestia replied.

“Your duty to know what, though?” Twilight pressed. “That Ice Dancer is dangerous? How? She seemed like a nice pony. Or, what Pyrefly has said of her.”

Celestia shook her head. “Pyrefly is unaware that it was not his own, but Ice Dancer's faults that are causing them to roam from place to place in search of a home. He is completely unaware that his sister has turned into a sociopathic killer, trapped within her own mind and unable to break free. Look upon these, Twilight, and tell me if you believe Ice Dancer is not dangerous.”

Celestia tossed out a few newspaper clippings and a few crime photos from all over Equestria. Headlines like “Construction Accident Kills Six” and “Tragic Drowning of Three” splashed boldly across the clippings, and the photos were simply too horrific for Twilight to look at very long. They made her sick to her stomach, and the photos were entirely too saturated with the colors red and brown for her taste. Twilight immediately recognized that the innocent headlines were merely a cover for the true story; propaganda to cover up what had really happened.

“Princess.... how could a pony do this to another pony? It doesn't make any sense.” Twilight's voice quivered as she hoofed the line between maintaining self-control and breaking down into a terrified ball of tears.

“Like I said, Twilight, Ice Dancer doesn't have a sense of what's right and what's wrong.”

“Couldn't you just banish her like you did with Nightmare Moon?” Twilight half-shrieked in fear.

“Unfortunately, no. Nightmare Moon was an alicorn, like I am. Immortal. She could survive a banishment like that. If I were to banish Ice Dancer, she would not be able to survive without her brother's help, and he has done nothing wrong; committed no crime. I cannot legally banish him for anything, but because she could not survive without him, she would surely die quickly in exile, and then I would be no better than she is; a murderer.” Celestia explained. “The most I can do is strip her magic and keep her under mandatory psychiatric counseling until I feel she is no longer a danger to herself or others.”

“You can do that? Strip a unicorn's magic from them, I mean?” Twilight asked, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle, I can. I do not enjoy doing so, but I will do whatever I must to protect my subjects from peril.” Celestia said gravely, staring up at the ice castle that was Ice Dancer's cavern of solace. A stronghold of diamond. A fortress of falsity. Ice Dancer's twisted view of ponykind had created this barrier against further sorrow.

A terrible cry suddenly rang out from the top levels of the fortress. It was a cry of horrible pain, of anguish and agony. It sounded like somepony was being terribly tortured. “That sounded like Pinkie Pie!” Twilight shrieked.

“Your friend must have gotten inside the fortress somehow and is now being held captive by a killer as cold as she is mad.” Celestia extrapolated.

“But how did Pinkie Pie get past the freeze radius?” Twilight wondered frantically. “Rainbow Dash was frozen completely solid instantly upon going anywhere near the place.”

Pinkie Pie shrieked again, and it was clear it wasn't a party she was having up there. Celestia tried to blast the ice down with a shot from her horn, but her blast was reflected right back at her, knocking her back and knocking her tiara clean off her head, where the gem inside it shattered against the ground. The crown itself was scuffed up a bit, but largely unharmed.

“Princess!” Twilight yelled out, going to help the large alicorn.

“I'm all right, Twilight.” Celestia assured, standing up on her own.

“There has to be a weak point in Ice Dancer's fortress. Otherwise how could Pinkie have gotten in?” Twilight wondered. Applejack and Rarity, having visited Pyrefly once he was situated, came running up. Rainbow Dash flew up as well, though she stayed far back from the ice wall, staring at the growing fortress warily.

“We thought we heard Pinkie Pie screaming.” Rarity said, with concern.

“It was.” Celestia answered, and at the sound of her voice Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash immediately bowed in respect, only to be yanked back up magically by an impatient Celestia who was working on the very end of her last nerve.

“Look, there will be time for formalities later, guys. We need to get Pinkie Pie out of there. Ice Dancer won't give up willingly. How's Pyrefly?” Twilight asked.

“We had to hold him down to keep him from running off to come with us, but he's generally okay. Fluttershy's watching over him now.”

Celestia made a thoughtful sound in her throat and paced around the perimeter of the ice fortress for a moment. “I think I have an idea, but it's going to take Fluttershy's aptitude for kindness. Rainbow Dash, would you mind swapping out with Fluttershy to watch over Pyrefly? It's not that I don't think you're up to this task, but one of you has to make sure that headstrong little pegasus doesn't hurt himself further.” Celestia chose her words tactfully.

Rainbow Dash looked downtrodden that she was being asked to leave the fray. “But... I... But... Okay.” She reluctantly agreed, fluttering off back towards Ponyville Hospital.

As for the other residents of Ponyville, who had been strangely absent during this entire adventure, they had noticed the huge ice stronghold in the middle of town, and had taken careful measures to avoid it. They had noticed the Princess and all bowed to her inside their homes in respect, but didn't dare come out to see what was going on. After all, they had seen what had happened to Rainbow Dash, and they didn't want to meet the same fate.

Fluttershy came trotting up near Celestia. “I'm here... Rainbow Dash sent me to help you... Oh, but I don't know what I can do....” She half-spoke.

“Fluttershy, I have a special task for you, if you're up to it.” Celestia said.

“Oh, um, I... I suppose... But I'm not sure....”

“You can relax, my little pony. I'm not going to ask you to fly to the moon and back.” Celestia said, smiling a little. It was a nice change from her brusque and somewhat venomous tone from earlier. And it was nice to see that Celestia still retained her sense of humor, even in these troubled times.

“Oh, um, well, okay, I suppose...” Fluttershy agreed softly.

Celestia stood up tall and pointed to the ice fortress with one hoof. “Inside the upper levels of that fortress, your friend Pinkie Pie is being held captive by Ice Dancer. From the sounds we've heard, she's not being humanely treated as a prisoner; not at all. I suspect Pinkie Pie is in a great deal of pain, and possibly struggling for breath as we speak.”

As Celestia spoke, Fluttershy's eyes grew wider and wider, and her pupils got smaller and smaller within them. It was unclear whether Fluttershy was furious or terrified, though Twilight suspected it was a virulent combination of both.

“So, I'm going to use a powerful ward-nullification spell on a small portion of the ice wall, and you're going to slip inside, provided the nullification spell is successful. Confront Ice Dancer. Show her true kindness in the hopes that she will finally understand that what she has been doing is wrong. I know you can do it, Fluttershy. I have seen you take on manticores and dragons. I have watched you fight your way through a changeling battalion. I know you are strong enough to do this, Fluttershy. Will you do this for me, Fluttershy? For your friend, Pinkie Pie? For Equestria?” Celestia finished.

“Pinkie Pie.... Ice Dancer is.... hurting Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy's voice wavered in sorrow, but grew louder with thinly-veiled rage. “Ice Dancer is... killing Pinkie Pie? My friend?” Fluttershy certainly did not sound pleased.

With all the force of a raging fire, Fluttershy took off towards the ice wall, and Celestia barely had time to cast her nullification spell before Fluttershy was already inside. “Nopony hurts my friends!” Fluttershy shrieked from within the ice barrier, and the magical ice amplified her voice much the way it did for the sound of Pyrefly's attacks, making her voice louder, deeper, and more powerful, rumbling the ground beneath the group of ponies outside like the aftershock of a sonic boom.

“Remember, Fluttershy! Kindness!” Twilight called out, but it was too late. Fluttershy was tearing flank through the castle, furiously searching for the pony responsible for bringing harm to one of her dearest friends.

Fluttershy's rage quickly deepened into sadness and pity, and she slowed down to a trot. She couldn't help what she did. Fluttershy thought to herself. She doesn't understand that she's doing anything wrong. She thinks she's protecting herself.

Fluttershy turned the corner and the sight she witnessed nearly made her faint. “Oh... my....” she couldn't help but squeal.

Pinkie's mane was flat and matted with blood, having lost the tangled fluff of happiness usually present within it. She was chained by her forelegs to the wall, letting the rest of her dangle free, which was clearly putting a terrible strain on her shoulders. Fluttershy could see they were nearly dislocated entirely, just by the angle of her forelegs. Pinkie Pie had long since grown silent, probably due to the fact she was unconscious. Fluttershy didn't want to think about the rest of the blood on the floor and wall. It wouldn't end well for anypony.

Fluttershy moved closer as softly as she could. “Pinkie....?” She whispered. “Pinkie, are you okay?” Oh, what a question! Fluttershy chastised herself inwardly. Of course she's not okay, Fluttershy. She's chained to a wall and bleeding.

“She can't hurt me anymore.” A frighteningly calm voice sounded from behind Fluttershy, causing her to shriek in fear and take to the air, turning 180 degrees fully to view the source of the voice.

Ice Dancer stood in the doorway of the room, her silver eyes glued to Fluttershy. “Nopony can hurt me anymore. Not in here. How did you get here?”

“P-P-P-P-P--” Fluttershy tried to stammer.

“Pyrefly?” Ice Dancer guessed. “Did my brother put you up to this?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “C-C-Celestia--”

“The Princess is here?” Ice Dancer asked, but didn't seem to care. “Well, whatever. The Princess can't hurt me either. Not in here. My ice walls will keep me safe. My ice walls keep me happy.”

Ice Dancer was swaying a bit on her hooves, her silver eyes glassy and opaque. Her voice was dull.

“Ice Dancer, we t-t-tried to welcome you t-to P-p-Ponyville, but you d-d-didn't c-c-come to Pinkie's party--”

“Why would I come to a party like that?!” Ice Dancer suddenly roared back. “A party full of ponies out to hurt me! Out to hurt Pyrefly, my only brother!”

“Nopony wants to hurt anypony--”

“You're lying!” Ice Dancer fired a beam from her horn, and Fluttershy barely managed to escape. Ice Dancer's attack grazed her flank, and Fluttershy squealed upon feeling the chilly bite of a frozen knife cutting into her side. She fell to the ground, her back leg immediately numb.

Ice Dancer giggled dangerously. Her eyes got glassier and even more dead inside. She towered over Fluttershy and flashed her horn in warning. Fluttershy struggled back to her hooves.

“Icey, I understand your aversion to reason. I know you've had a lot of pain in your past, but I want to tell you that Ponyville isn't like that. It was founded by strong, hardworking Earth ponies who held family and community among the highest priorities. Ask my friend Applejack. She represents the Element of Honesty, and she'll know that it was her Granny Smith and Granny Smith's family who founded Ponyville. Hay, ask Granny Smith!” Fluttershy said, as firmly as she could under the circumstances. “Ponyville is a place where ponies who have nowhere else to go can live and love each other together away from persecution or fear. We're one of the smallest, closest, most wonderful towns in all of Equestria.”

Ice Dancer swayed and took a step back. “Everywhere I've ever been.... Pain, suffering, fear...”

“I know you've been told this many times before, and I forgive you if you don't believe me, but Ponyville is different. Let me tell you a story, Ice Dancer.

“I was born and raised in Cloudsdale, like a lot of pegasi. I was never a very good flier, and I was made fun of a lot in school. 'Fluttershy! Fluttershy! Fluttershy can hardly fly!' they used to chant at me as they pointed and laughed. They used to call me names like Klutzershy and Crashershy because I couldn't fly well.

“Rainbow Dash stood up for me once day and challenged the bullies to a race. As the race started, the force of the start caused me to fall down into Ponyville, unable to fly high enough to bring myself back up to Cloudsdale. I found out that Ponyville was a wonderful place to live, and nopony in Ponyville ever made fun of me because I couldn't fly well. I feel like all the ponies in Ponyville are my friends.

“I know the things I've been through aren't nearly as bad as what you went through, but I've never been through what you've been through. I haven't suffered like you've suffered, so I can't stand here and tell you I understand. But I can stand here and tell you that I, if no other pony, will always be your friend, because I believe that everypony deserves compassion and kindness despite their deeds and despite their past. I've reformed a God of Chaos, and tamed a Manticore. I've stood up to Minotaurs and the Changeling Queen. I am the Element of Kindness, and no matter how you treat me or anypony else, I will never show you anything but.”

Fluttershy finished, and flared her wings to accept Ice Dancer, should she choose to accept Fluttershy's embrace.

Ice Dancer's eyes went from glassy and dead to clear and lifelike. She fell to her knees on the icy floor. Suddenly, the ice that made up the room began to crack and melt. “I...I... My suffering...”

“--Was terrible. I know. You've survived through things that most ponies couldn't. You're stronger than you think you are.”

“I... I... I'm... I'm sorry....!” Ice Dancer sobbed, lurching forward into Fluttershy's embrace. “I'm sorry for everything I've done... I've been such a bad pony... I'm sorry!”

Fluttershy fell with Ice Dancer and let the blue-and-silver mare cry into her lap.

Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head.... Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed... Drifting off to sleep, let the long day be behind you, laying down to sleep, let the sweetest dreams  come find you....

The ice fortress crumbled and evaporated, and Pinkie Pie's chains along with it. The pink pony fell to the floor and awoke slowly, her eyes fluttering back to consciousness.

“Fluttershy...? What happened? Why do my shoulders hurt so much? It feels like I've been partying for days!” She asked.

“Hush, Pinkie.... You had a bad dream, that's all. It was just a bad dream.” Fluttershy gathered Pinkie into her lap as well, and Pinkie drifted into a peaceful rest as the last remnants of magical ice melted and disappeared. The Princess climbed the stairs and entered the room, the others following close behind, including Pyrefly, whom Rainbow Dash sprung from the hospital with the promise to the doctor that she would make sure the young pegasus stayed off his wing until it was healed, and to check in with the doc once a week. Rainbow Dash had one wing draped over the injured colt for support.

“Fluttershy, you did it! Are they okay?” Twilight asked, gesturing towards the two sleeping mares in Fluttershy's gentle hooves.

“They're both just fine. Princess Celestia, please go easy on Ice Dancer. She's seen the error of her ways. She didn't know she was doing anything bad. She's sorry for everything she's done and all she wants is to be loved and accepted to a home that won't hurt her.” Fluttershy pleaded.

“I simply cannot overlook her deeds, Fluttershy. She's killed in the past. Taken many ponies' very lives from them.” Celestia replied gravely.

“But she didn't know what she was doing! It wasn't her. She wasn't aware of it. Oh, please, Princess, please! Don't banish her or throw her in a dungeon or banish her and then throw her in a dungeon in the place you banished her to!” Fluttershy begged.

Celestia sighed. “I at least have to protect my subjects in case of a relapse. When she awakens, I will remove her ability to use magic for a set period of time, but I will not imprison her... on one condition.”

“Oh, name it, Princess.” Fluttershy said earnestly.

“I will not imprison Ice Dancer, if you take her in, Fluttershy, and watch over her. Make regular reports about her progress integrating into Ponyville society, as well as your regular friendship reports. When possible, the two can be combined into a single report. Ice Dancer will also make friendship reports. After a sufficient amount of time has passed and I judge that Ice Dancer is no longer a danger to herself or others, I will restore her ability to use magic.” Celestia said firmly.

“Your Majesty, what about me?!” Pyrefly cried out. “I can't be apart from Ice Dancer! She's my baby sister and we've always been together!”

“It's alright, Pyrefly. Ponyville is a small enough town and you can easily visit your sister every day if need be. Fluttershy's cottage is only down the road.” Twilight answered for Celestia.

“But... I... we... okay. I guess.” Pyrefly seemed downtrodden, but accepted his sister's fate.

Ice Dancer's eyes fluttered open slowly.