Maple tried to hide her face with her hooves, but since she wasn't in disguise - she could still see Misty through the holes in her forelegs.
"you might not believe it Misty.." Maple sighed into a forced chuckle that failed to even pretend there was any effort in it. "...but I've got a way to make this mess even worse than it already is." Maple dropped her hooves and looked Misty square in the face, the statement lingered in the space between them as Maple looked at her friend's face with the same scrutiny she used when making her mental maps... Ear tips, cute nose, that perfect smooth coat... even the way her eyelashes occasionally poked out from behind her bangs when she breathed. Maple mapped it all.
then when she could close her eyes and still see Misty's face, she continued.
"They left you alone with me... Maple the horrible monster. Rember that one meeting we had where I used my magic?" Maple shifted back to her pony form.
"That time I showed the team that I can make Ponies forget things... all I have to do is look at them, look at you... like I just did, and you'd never know what I said or did, you'd have forgotten everything that's happened the last few minutes... and wouldn't even remember if I just walked out and left you sitting here." She started sobbing as she realized it was likely what they expected her to do. and then Maple's heart broke... was that what Misty was waiting for her to do?
She had worried there was a chance she might have lost Misty the first time she went to help Snowy... had she actually succeeded the second time?
"I'm not sneaking away... whatever happens now I accept it. "I just wanted to remember your face. that's why I just looked at you, you're going to remember all of this, Sorry."
Maple turned her head away and closed her eyes for a moment and then looked back.
"Misty, before the chief throws me in a dungeon somewhere I want to show you the most beautiful thing in the world."
Maple's green flames danced along her body until Misty was looking at her reflection.
"Maple... I know what you're capable of. And I know you're not going to do that, because that wouldn't be like you at all. You're not a monster... you just did a dumb thing. If anything, that means... you're a normal pony."
Misty chuckles as Maple takes on her shape... and blushes a little, too. "Oh, that's very flattering... I'm still upset with you!... but, you're as sweet as ever. Gosh."
Snowy wrinkles his nose. "I'm a little offended at your lack of faith in my abilities. I held power like this in check for over a decade." He sighs. "But I suppose none of you would know that, would you? I'll start from the beginning." He closes his eyes, and his coat slowly ices over, coating him not in frost, but in a solid layer of ice. Only Night Cap can feel that he's a perfectly normal temperature now. His mouth opens, in complete ignorance of the ice sealing it, and he begins to speak.
"When I was 18, I froze 26 ponies to death in their house in Bitka. They look like this, now. They sit in a frozen house, about to eat breakfast or get dressed, trapped in ice. The wand is the only thing I've ever found that could save them." He sighs again, and the 'ice' melts out of his fur. "The power to do that came from the windigoes, and the cost was my soul. I converted their power into an illusion to hide me, and I fled town. That illusion kept me safe for a decade and a few months, until I managed to transfer my debt to Barometz. That's how I defeated him; The Windigoes took his soul instead, and I was free. Then, just a few weeks ago, I was contacted by A Sharp, the last surviving member of the family I killed. I'd attended his funeral just a few days...before. Maple knows all this because I was afraid I'd talk my way around A Sharp, so I brought her to keep me on the straight and narrow. You all know how good she is at making you do the right thing." He allows himself a wan smile. "Purely by accident, it turns out her 'family,' as it were, live in Bitka's suburbs, and we stumbled onto her big secret too. That's why I wasn't surprised. I don't know what she was thinking back there, but she had no idea this was going to happen. Leave her out of this." He takes a deep breath. "A Sharp charged me with setting things right. One day I will, but I was hoping that day was today."
He lets out a gusty sigh, looking a little relieved to have everything out in the open, but primarily he still looked horribly disappointed in himself. "And lastly," he angles his head towards Static, "the wand is not particularly malevolent. It just got so sick of being used as a weapon of mass destruction, that it bought into the idea. I think if you want to work with it, you might want to find a way to put it to work. Freezing limbs for reattachment maybe, or defrosting past victims. We were going to have a nice long chat on the train, but that's not happening anymore."
"I also have chocolate covered raisins in my pack." Maple laughs, this time for real- as she switches back to herself.
"You can have some, and I won't even try to escape." Maple smirks. Misty was upset with her... and it was wonderful, it meant they were still friends. Maple also added the adorable blushing to her mind picture.
Stung, Scarlet let out a sharp, bitter laugh and glared at Rhapsody.
"I think you just proved my point, Rhapsody!
You don't care what his reason might be, because you've already decided what he was thinking and what his punishment should be.
Yes, stealing the Wand was the worst thing Snowy could do. So why would he do it. If it is simply to destroy, then why didn't he just freeze us all right from the word go, hmm? As for Maple? That pony is too kind hearted for her own good and probably helped because 'friends and hugs are awesome!' And no, before you say anything, i still refuse to automatically condemn her because she's a changling.
Here's a thought. Why don't you consider the reasoning behind why the Chief Director wants to talk him. Why she wants to hear his explanation first, rather than simply cucking him in a locked cell the way you likely want too."
Ignoring her dig about his past again, as it was irrelavent for now. Scarlet simply huffed.
