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- >It's cold.
- >It's always cold.
- >As it has been, for as long as you could remember.
- >Your home has never known the crackle of a fire, the warmth of a hearth.
- >It had the capability; a finely masoned fireplace rested against one wall, but went perpetually unused.
- >No fire would start here.
- >You never knew why the small equine creatures that found you insisted you live in a house at the edge of their town.
- >You couldn't get close to them, socialize with them, live with them.
- >You tried, once, but it brought only pain.
- >Since then you dared not venture out; every step you took blighted the earth, drove away any life you came near.
- >So you remain isolated, locked away in your modest domicile.
- >Alone.
- >And cold.
- >There was a knock at the door.
- >You hesistate, hoping the visitor would leave quietly.
- >Another knock.
- >Always persistent.
- "Come in."
- >The door swings wide, letting in a driving snowstorm.
- >It is swiftly shut again, once a heavily bundled figure had entered, shaking flakes of snow to the icy floor.
- >For much of the year, the populace kept their distance from your chilly abode, leaving you to your self-imposed solitude.
- >Except for one.
- >The thick hood is thrown back, releasing one last wave of powdery ice in the process.
- >The purple figure promptly shivers as the frozen air hits her unguarded coat.
- >"Brrr... I swear it's colder in here than it is out there."
- >A violet glow from the spiraled horn poking through her straight-cut mane illuminates the entry hall nearby, walls glistening in the soft light.
- >A barren set of coat hooks is passed without a second thought as she trots across the glossy floor with practiced ease.
- >The visitor finds you in your usual location; seated in a solidified recliner, staring at the frozen hearth of the forgotten fireplace.
- >She stops nearby, breath producing small clouds that soon dissipate into the heavy air.
- >"Hello, Anonymous."
- >You expend the effort to turn your head, flecks of ice breaking off with light crackling.
- "Hello, Twilight."
- >The hint of a smile plays at her features at the mention of her name in your chilled tone.
- >"I suppose you know why I'm here."
- >Your eyes widen the slightest bit in feigned surprise.
- "Is it that time of the year already?"
- >Her smile widens, almost imperceptibly.
- >She knows you had not forgotten.
- >You never forget your solitary visitor's annual appearance.
- >As reluctant as you were about it, it was some amount of solace from your usual withdrawl from living contact.
- >"Yes. Hearth's Warming Eve comes but once a year."
- >A shivering chuckle escapes your icy throat.
- "Were it not for you I believe I'd lose all track of time entirely."
- >She takes the cushioned mat out of her bag and places it on the floor next to you, sitting on it to remain separate from the frosty hardwood.
- >"Believe me, I would come around more often, if not for the circumstances of your... condition."
- >She always danced around the subject of what you were.
- >Occasionally you let it bother you, and made her come out and say it.
- >Admit that you had no business being this close to any creature with warmth in their heart.
- >But she always resisted, adamant that you had a place here, with her, and her friends.
- >Much of the time you let it be, and let her have her delusions.
- >If only to not drive away the only company you might know.
- >You would allow yourself that, if nothing else.
- >You pull yourself away from the stiffened back of the chair, breaking the spires of ice holding it to the floor, in order to turn around to face her.
- "So, what has happened in your world this year?"
- >The talks were nice.
- >Twilight would tell you of all the significant events that transpired beyond the frigid confines of your tomb.
- >Of how her and her friends had many adventures together; some simple, others dire.
- >Your longstanding favorite was about the time two of them, called Rarity and Applejack you believe, couldn't get along at a sleepover.
- >That things as trivial as that held such importance to them was endearing, even to your icy heart.
- >But soon enough, the conversation wound down, as it had a habit of doing just when you had begun to forget how the rest of the year was spent.
- >And like so many times before, the room fell silent.
- >With a sigh, you turn back to face the empty fireplace, Twilight shortly doing the same.
- >Like all good things, the day had come to an end, and the window of visitation had started to close.
- >Already you could feel the ambient temperature begin to dip, barely noticeable to you, but significant, and soon life-threatening for her.
- >"Anonymous..."
- >These were the words you always hated.
- >An apology that things had to be this way, and a heartfelt farewell, heralding another year of quiet solitude.
- >"Do you remember the day we found you?"
- >...These words were new.
- >You hesitate, staring at her, unsure of how to respond for a moment.
- "...I do."
- >Her gaze does not leave the forlorn hearth.
- >"Remind me of what happened."
- >You knew she would never forget.
- >But you complied.
- "You found me wandering in the Everfree forest, at the center of a terrible blizzard. I did not know who I was, or how I came to be. Your friends, they... warned you not to get too close. That I was dangerous, and unknown. ...But you said I looked... lost, afraid; that I needed help. So you approached. And... you..."
- >The words catch in your throat, the bitter memory freezing them in place.
- >"I was frozen solid, in an instant. We had no idea back then, but it was the height of summer, and your power was at it's strongest. ...I nearly died."
- "Because of me."
- >She turned to look at you now, a certain fire of determination in her eyes.
- >"But I didn't. My friends came through, and rescued me. Brought me back from the brink. We had only just met a few weeks before that, but they put their own lives on the line to save mine."
- >You remain silent, looking back to the ice-encrusted brick, trying to keep your emotional state in check.
- >"When I recovered, I did as much research as I could. There were no records of such a creature existing, so I watched you from afar. It wasn't apparent at first, but I noticed, as the days grew colder, the creatures of the forest could get closer. Until one day, nearly six months later..."
- "...You came back."
- >The silence returned, momentarily, the air growing colder by the minute.
- >"Do you remember what I said to you that day, on the first Hearth's Warming Eve I would have in Ponyville?"
- >You remembered.
- >The words stung at your heart just to recall.
- >You didn't want to remember, but she was as persistent as ever.
- >"Anonymous."
- "'I will find a way to help you.'"
- >"...'I promise.'"
- "Saccharine lies!"
- >In the greatest display of mobility since that day so many years ago, you forcefully stood up from your chair, the ice that formed around you shattering away.
- >Twilight flinched at your outburst, but remained steadfast as you took several bleak steps towards the window, your only reminder that a world existed beyond.
- "You said you wished to help me. You brought me back here. Gave me a place to call my own. But what is it really?"
- >You place your hand against the glass, the light magical buzzing of the enchantment permeating the walls causing slight discomfort on contact.
- >The words that pass your frozen lips lower the temperature sharply.
- "You gave me a prison."
- >You feel her wince at the word, but as expected, she does not relent.
- >"It's not a prison."
- >You turn back to her, a different sort of fire filling your own eyes.
- "So what is it, then? A home? A home is a place to come back to, not a place you can never leave."
- >Her fire burned strong.
- >"It's a protective measure."
- >You were slightly offput by her straightforwardness, but recovered quickly.
- "A protective measure? ...Of course. To keep your kind safe from me."
- >"And to keep you safe from yourself."
- >You did not recover as quickly from that.
- >"On that first day, when... when I was frozen. I was still conscious for several minutes. I saw the look in your eyes, before you ran. The horror at what you realized you had done. I know you would never hurt anyone or anything if you had the choice."
- >You turned away, back to the window.
- >"You could have left at any time. Gone back to the Everfree, to the life you had before. But you didn't. You stayed here. You stayed here because there was a glimmer of hope, no matter how faint, that your life didn't have to be this way."
- >You bring a palm to the glass once more, ignoring the sensation of magical repulsion.
- "And just look what it got me."
- >Silence fell once more, your words hanging in the frigid air like icicles.
- >But they soon were broken away.
- >"I brought you something."
- >In spite of everything, a laugh slips out.
- "More books to whittle away the boredom, I presume?"
- >"No, this time it's something a little different."
- >A strange sensation you can't remember ever feeling cascades across the back of you.
- >You turn back, and find a small, pale white crystal suspended there, held in Twilight's magical grip.
- >At its center was a faint orange glow, intensifying as your hand neared it, along with the foreign feeling.
- "...What is this?"
- >"It's called a Hearthstone. A magical crystal designed to keep ponies warm in the coldest of winters."
- >The crystal levitates closer, and you tentatively take hold of it.
- >It was slightly longer than your hand was wide, pointed ends jutting out of either side of your fist.
- >The glow shined its brightest at contact with you.
- >"Under normal circumstances it generates just enough heat to negate the cold an owner might experience, allowing them to remain comfortable without any protection, even in the middle of a blizzard."
- >The sensation... the warmth, is not altogether unpleasant, but...
- "...I still feel cold."
- >"Like I said, under normal circumstances. This one is specially designed to stay somewhere well below that threshold, just enough to cancel out your heat absorption capabilities beyond a radius of two meters, at least when they're in a moderately lessened state. What this means is you'll still need to remain a safe distance away from anypony, but you'll be able to go outside for much of the winter without causing the town to permanently ice over."
- >You remained somewhat perplexed.
- "For what reason is this restriction? If it can cancel my power... my curse, completely, why not let it?"
- >"Well, I'm not sure it actually can match your rate of absorption in its current state. That, and I believe if we did, you may suffer... adverse effects."
- "...Such as?"
- >She hesitates.
- >"...I'm afraid it might kill you."
- >You look at the slightly translucent, crystalline flesh of your hand wrapped around the stone.
- >Its light shone through, illuminating the slowly flowing icewater in your veins.
- >You let your arm drop, looking back at her in exasperation.
- "Forgive my ingratitude, but this doesn't seem like much of a solution."
- >Her eyes remain solemn, but the fire of hope still burns brightly behind them.
- >"I never said it was a solution. But it's a start."
- >Her breath had quickened slightly, which you noticed was not as visible as before.
- "A start..."
- >You look back to the glowing hope in your hand, studying it carefully, taking in every facet of it's meaning.
- >You throw it into the fireplace.
- "Keep it."
- >This reaction surprises your guest more than any before, her bewilderment unveiled, as you turn back to the window.
- "If this is all I have to look forward to after this many years of waiting, I think I'd be better off in the forest."
- >The temperature plummets with your words, the resulting quiet chilling even you to the bone.
- >After a time, Twilight lets out a heavy sigh.
- >"...Alright."
- >You hear her begin to move toward the door.
- >Upon reaching it, she lingers.
- >"The stone isn't really ready yet, to be honest."
- >Your gaze remains on the snow-covered town outside.
- >"Even a normal Hearthstone takes several years of concentrated effort to create, a unicorn putting as much magical energy into it as they can to make the enchantment last for a suitable amount of time. The best stones are masterful crafts, lasting many times longer than the lifetime it took to create them."
- >There is a heavy feeling at the bottom of your heart, but you ignore it.
- >"For this one, I gathered the other Princesses; Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, to help me charge it. Some of the local unicorns even pitched in. If I can reach out further, I believe we can make it strong enough to let you leave whenever you want."
- >You do not turn around.
- "...For what reason would they go to that much trouble, to help someone they hardly know, who could never properly repay them?"
- >Her response is unusually prompt.
- >"Do they need a reason?"
- >The air hangs still.
- >The door is unlatched, and the snowstorm billows in.
- >"I'll see you soon, Anonymous."
- >The seal is restored, silence and solitude at last returning to you.
- >You stand by, watching the only visitor you've ever known trudge through the snow toward her home.
- >She looks back only once.
- >Even from this distance, you can see that fire in her eyes; one that couldn't be extinguished, even when frozen.
- >You watch her fade into the distance, before looking back to the fireplace.
- >The hearth had begun to thaw.
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