It had already been two days since Airy's incident, and for those past two days Fluttershy had worried nonstop for her. Every hour, she would check up on the crystfairy to see if she was doing alright, but more importantly, if she had awoken. Always her excitement was dimmed when she saw Airy still unconscious. But she never gave up hope. Finally, as the shy mare was folding her bedsheets for her laundry, she heard a small groan come from her patient's bed.

"Airy?" she questioned the noise. Wasting no time, she trotted over to the fairy and saw her eyes were squinting and her head was moving. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see Fluttershy over her with a comforting smiled.

"F-Flutter... shy?" Airy asked "I-Is that... you?"

"Yes, Airy," the cream yellow Pegasus nodded "it's me. Are you feeling okay?"

"Y-Yeah..." she confirmed, much to Fluttershy's relief, before she rubbed her head with the least injured arm she had "Certainly some way to wake up in the morning... How long have I been asleep?"

"Nearly two days now" the Pegasus sighed "I've treated all your wounds, so you shouldn't feel the amount of pain you would in normal situations like this. But you do need some rest."

"Two days?" an eyebrow was risen on the fairy's face before her eyes widened "Wait... I've gone a full minute without me insulting you... How can that be?"

"Traumatic events usually do that to somepony" Fluttershy explained "Oh, and you touched the crystal heart. The crystal heart has the ability to make ponies, or in your case fairies, happy. But Discord said it might be a bit different with you."

"Did he say how?" Airy asked.

"I can say that now!" laughed a familiar voice before a certain spirit of chaos appeared in a flash of sparkles, wearing a princess crown and fake fairy wings "Behold, my dear. I am the fairy queen! I shall bestow upon you the knowledge of how the crystal heart affected you!"

"What the heck are you wearing?!" the crystfairy gasped in surprise.

"Oh, never mind that, Airy" Fluttershy smiled "I mean, unless you want to mind, that is. But I think it's adorable."

"I think it's strange..." Angel, who had come upstairs from the loud sound Discord appearing, hopped up next to Airy and spoke in, once again, the language only she could hear.

"Shall I begin?" Discord asked his audience before nodding in confirmation "Since I'm older than all of you combined here..."

"I doubt it..." Airy thought.

"...I would know a thing or two about the mystics of this world. The crystal heart that resides in the Crystal Empire was created to bring happiness to all around it. It holds immense power, but even then its power is limited. While it can brighten the mood of all good-hearted souls, it can only fracture darker ones."

"So in short?" the fairy wondered.

"In short," the spirit continued with a smile "this means our dear Airy here, who's soul was dark and shrouded, has been given a sliver of light. And like all lights, they will eventually grow into a beautiful flame. But you know what they say about fire; in order for it to grow, you must nurture it."

"So, light now exists in me?" Airy asked as she looked down at her body, her good hand touching her chest where her heart was.

"So, thanks to the crystal heart, we now have a chance of bonding with Airy?" the cream yellow Pegasus wondered

"Quite right, my dear!" Discord confirmed with a laugh "I'm not sure it would have been possible to break through her darkness without that dumb old gem. I took a sense of her when I met her, and that was 100% evil we were dealing with. Nothing could come back from that without a little help."

"That aside, what does my situation look like?" the crystfairy wondered "What I mean is how long will I be confined to this bed?

"Unfortunately, I'd say at least a week at most" Fluttershy sighed in sorrow "That resets your week, I guess..."

"Of course it does..." Airy sighed as well "Well, fine then. What exciting things can I do while laying perfectly still in my bed?"

"She's still a bit rude, wouldn't you say so, Fluttershy?" Discord whispered into his friend's ear.

"Give her time..." she whispered back before speaking directly to her patient "Well, I may have an idea, but first you have to tell me if you're able to fly a bit."

"I think so..." Airy removed her covers and sat up on her bed. She flapped her wings a bit before smiling and slowly taking off, giving everyone else there a wave of relief. After flying around a bit, she finally floated up close to Fluttershy.

"They don't hurt at all!" the fairy said in surprise.

"That's good to hear" the Pegasus smiled "Now, would you like to know what I had planned?" the crystfairy nodded at her question "Then take a look outside, if you want to, of course."

Airy's curiosity grew. With an eyebrow raised, she floated over to the window of the bedroom and took a look outside. As soon as she peered out the window, she gasped. Outside was a blanket of snow on the ground and the trees. The small pond around the cottage had frozen over, and no animals besides Angel could be seen. Winter had arrived in this world.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Fluttershy smiled as she came up next to the amazed crystfairy "It snowed yesterday. The Pegasi did a wonderful job, didn't they?"

"The Pegasi?" the fairy wondered "Ugh... I'll have some questions later. Anyway, I'm guessing you want me to go outside? No way, no how! I hate the cold weather..."

"Oh, surely it couldn't be too bad, right?" Discord wondered "Here, I even made you a coat just now! I materialized it with love, of course" he made a white winter jacket with holes in the back for her wings to go magically appear on Airy, as well as a red beanie on her head and some black pants for her legs.

"Oh wow, this is really warm..." she snuggled in close to her jacket "Well, I guess we're going out then. So, what exactly can you do with snow?"

"Y-You can't be serious!" Angel was taken aback in surprise "You know what snow and cold weather is, yet you have no idea what to do with it? What rock have you been living under all this time?"

"Shut-up, you furball!" Airy angrily shouted at the white rabbit.

"Airy! Don't be mean to Angel" Fluttershy scolded the crystfairy the best she could "What on earth did he ever say to you anyway?"

"You mean... You really can't hear him?" the fairy wondered curiously "Interesting..."

"Enough of the talking already!" the spirit of chaos exclaimed "I want to go out and start throwing snowballs!"

"Sounds good to me" the cream yellow Pegasus giggled a bit "Just let me get my earmuffs and we'll go out, okay?"

"Okay then" Airy nodded before turning back to Angel "I've got my eye on you..."

"I'm not the one who's evil here" the white rabbit smiled as he too glared at his now considered rival.

"I dearly wish these fools could hear you" the fairy grinned "Then they could listen to the sounds of me strangling you, and me taking great joy in doing so..."

"Filthy wench!"

"Urchin of a rodent!"

"Nerf Herder!"

"Nerf He- Wait, what?" Airy became confused by the rabbit's comeback "What on earth is a Nerf Herder?"

"Okay, I'm ready to go" Fluttershy came back to the three patiently awaiting persons "Oh, was I interrupting something here? I'm sorry about that. What were you three talking about?"

"Oh, nothing much" Discord laughed as he munched on some popcorn he materialized after realizing Angel and Airy would be having an argument before throwing it away "Now, why don't we have some fun in the snow?"

"I agree" all three remaining nodded. As they headed out, Airy and Angel continued to glare at each other in hatred and despise, never once looking away.

(Music Stop)

XXXXXX

Airy entered the cold world and immediately felt a chill running down her spine. Even though she wore the full winter attire, it was still very cold for her fragile body. Besides that, she thought the snow looked quite lovely on the ground. Even with her heart still filled with darkness, she always had an admiration for snow, even if she never really showed it all that often. Just as she was beginning to appreciate the weather, a small group of fillies ran towards the group.

"Fluttershy, Discord, Airy!" they called out before finally coming face-to-face with them.

"Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo?" Fluttershy wondered "What are you three doing out here? Not that I mind you being here, that is. It was just a surprise."

"We came to see how Airy was doing!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.

"She looks fine ta me" Apple Bloom noted "Actually, how are ya doin', Airy?"

"Why would you-" she was about to insult them before Fluttershy nudged her a bit, causing her to sigh "...sorry. What I mean is that I'm doing fine, thank you."

"That's good to hear" Scootaloo nodded "Anyway, would you like to play with us in the snow?"

"I'm sorry, girls," the cream yellow Pegasus apologetically smiled "but remember that Airy was badly injured, so she won't be able to do some of the things you can do right now, if any."

"Aww..." all three of the crusaders spoke simultaneously.

"Hey Airy?" Sweetie Belle spoke up "I just wanted to thank you for saving us from those timberwolves a few days ago. If it wasn't for you, then I'm not sure if we'd still be here talking with you."

"You're mistaken" Airy scoffed "I didn't 'save' you, per say, but rather saw an opportunity to attack the monster and took it. Nothing more than that" her head then hung down a bit before she quietly breathed "But... You're welcome anyway..."

"What's this about timberwolves, girls?!" Fluttershy panicked "Are you hurt?! Did you get out okay?!"

"Fluttershy, it's okay" the crystfairy intruded "No need to punish them for merely an accident."

"W-What accident?" the cream yellow Pegasus asked, slightly cross at the four girls.

"Well, ah think 'at's our cue ta leave!" Apple Bloom stated.

"Yep!" the remaining crusaders nodded before they all ran off somewhere that wasn't Fluttershy's cottage. The mare in question sighed and let out all her pent up anger.

"I don't know what I'll do with those girls..." she shook her head before perking back up and smiling "But let's not let a little anger ruin this day, hmm? I have a whole set of fun things we could do out here."

"Such as?" Discord asked his one and only friend.

"Well, we could go ice skating" she answered.

"What's ice skating?" Airy asked.

(Music Stop)

XXXXXX

"I DON'T LIKE ICE SKATING!!!" the crystfairy wobbled around, trying to stay balanced on the ice.

After the group had reached a small frozen lake not far from the cottage, Discord snapped his eagle-like fingers and magically made everyone have skates on their feet/hooves. Without hesitation, the spirit of chaos began spinning around on the ice and generally having a good time. Airy was skeptical at first, but once seeing that Discord was skating with ease, she made her way onto the ice as well. And she did not like it one little bit.

"What's the matter Airy?" Angel laughed a bit "Can't handle the ice?"

"Silence, rodent! I'm trying to stay balanced!" the crystfairy shouted back at her rival.

Finally, she managed to get a hold of her stability, sighing in relief in the process. After looking at how the spirit of chaos seemingly danced around on the ice, she moved one of her legs forward, soon after the next, then the first again. Slowly, she started sliding forward in a fashion which she could control, letting out a small laugh.

"I'm... I'm doing it!" she proclaimed "I'm actually doing it!"

"Good for you, Airy!" Fluttershy smiled as she came up next to the fairy "See, it's fun isn't it?"

"Well... perhaps a little bit..."

"This event is beginning to bore me" Discord sighed before teleporting right next to the two females "I suggest we do something a little bit more entertaining.

"Oh?" the Pegasus wondered "And what did you have in mind, Discord?"

(Music Stop)

XXXXXX

The party of four was separated into two teams; Airy and Discord was on one side while Fluttershy and Angel was on the other. They had all compacted some snow into fortifying walls, and everyone, even the shy Pegasus present, looked at their opponents in preparation and rivalry. It was then when Airy stopped for a moment to ask a question.

"Uh... May I ask, what are we doing anyway?" she wondered.

"I think this will answer your question, my dear" the spirit of chaos laughed before packing a ball of snow in his hands and throwing it at the opposing team "SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!"

"W-What?!" the crystfairy was taken aback by surprise. Her reaction quickly turned to anger as a small snowball from Angel hit her square in the face. The warmth of her skin quickly melted the snow, resulting in water traveling down her cheek and into her jacket.

"AHHH!" she cried out "Cold! Cold! So cold!"

"Fear not, my dear" Discord brought out a tennis launcher filled to the brim with snowballs "I've got this..." he pulled the trigger and began firing away at the opposing fort. Fluttershy gasped and hid behind the wall as best she could. Inevitably, the fortifications fell on top of Fluttershy and Angel, coating them in snow.

(Music Stop)

"HA! That's revenge for you, Angel!" Airy laughed. As she did, a small spark stirred inside her causing her to stop and think for a moment. At first, she didn't understand it; it was a warm feeling, something that was foreign to her yet at the same time very welcoming. Then it hit her: she was feeling pure happiness, and not the fake happiness she used when with the heroes of light. A small smile escaped her lips.

"Airy, dear, are you okay?" Discord asked "We won! Don't you see?"

"Hmm? Oh, right! We beat Fluttershy and that annoying rodent!" she realized "That was very entertaining. We should do this again sometime, when I'm not, y'know, injured."

"Agreed" laughed the spirit "Now, let's help them out. If we didn't, I wouldn't hear the end of it from Fluttershy."

The two approached their defeated and buried 'enemies' and did their best to remove them from the snow. Once doing so, Angel and Fluttershy shook their heads, trying to knock off all the snow off. They then began laughing.

"That was so much fun" the cream yellow mare giggled after her laughing fit "We should do that again some time again. Though, maybe we should organize the teams a little more fairly next time."

"Agreed..." Angel sighed, though none could hear him but Airy.

"This really has been quite... entertaining, to say the least" the crystfairy admitted "Is this the limit to the things we can do in winter or is there more?"

"Well, maybe not outside, but we can certainly do some things inside" Fluttershy smiled "Okay everypony, follow me!"

"You shouldn't feel to happy with yourself, pigeon" Angel remarked to Airy "You didn't even do anything to help Discord. Though, I don't blame you; you're injured. Next time, thing before acting."

"I don't need your advice" the fairy scoffed "I'm perfectly fine on my own!"

"Suit yourself" the rabbit shrugged "Just remember that I was the one who found you cold and alone in that tree, with nothing around to help you. You would've become timberwolf food if not for me."

"I don't need your obnoxiousness either" Airy's voice rose a bit.

"Pesky insect!"

"Insufferable rodent!"

"Grrrrrrrr!"

"Grrrrrrrr!"

"Now, now, you two rascals" Discord split Airy and Angel apart from one another with his magic "We shouldn't fight... yet. Fluttershy wouldn't like that very much. Besides, there's something more relaxing to do at her home."

"Fine..." Airy sighed "But I stay as far away as possible from that rabbit."

Angel nodded in confirmation, knowing that Discord could not understand his language. The spirit of chaos nodded before teleporting right next to his one and only friend, the two little creatures still in his magical grasp.

XXXXXX

As soon as the four got back to the cottage, Fluttershy went into her kitchen and brought out a box of marshmallows and an iron pole. After placing them on her living room table, she went over to the fireplace and, with a little help from Discord, lit a controlled fire. Finally, she brought up a seat and placed it right next to the fire before sitting on it soon after.

"Please, take a seat" she kindly asked "I insist."

"What is this all about?" Airy asked.

"We're roasting marshmallows for our hot cocoa" the Pegasus answered "While Discord can make the cocoa with his magic himself, I always found it fun to-"

"Done!" the spirit of chaos spoke almost if on cue, materializing four cups of hot cocoa; two normal for him and Fluttershy, and two smaller for Airy and Angel "Now roast those marshmallows like your life depends on it!"

"Okay, Discord" Fluttershy giggled before placing four of the sticky yet plush snacks on her stick and began roasting them. After a few minutes, she picked her pole back up and removed the marshmallows, plopping one into each of the cups.

"Finally!" Angel immediately went to drinking his portion of hot cocoa.

"Hmm... An interesting taste, for sure" Airy thought aloud after sipping some of her drink "Very chocolatey. How come I've never had this bef-" a thought crossed her mind that she immediately regretted thinking of "Oh, right..."

"Airy, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, sorry..." the crystfairy nodded "But, can I talk with you for a second upstairs? In private?"

"Of course, Airy" the kind Pegasus smiled before turning to Discord "Please don't eavesdrop again, okay?"

"Oh, alright" he sighed "You're just no fun sometimes..."

Fluttershy rolled her eyes before bringing Airy upstairs to her room. She closed the door behind her as the fairy sat in her bed on the dresser again, waiting to tell the cream yellow Pegasus what was on her mind.

(Music Stop)

"Whatever you want or need, Airy, I'm here for you" she smiled "Now, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I can't believe it, but in the course of a day you've managed to make me feel something I don't think I have in a long time" Airy spoke slightly nervously "But that's beside the point. I think I'm ready to tell you something you deserve to know."

"May I ask what?"

"Well..." the crystfairy sighed "Everything about my past..."

"Airy, truly?" Fluttershy gasped a little.

"Yes" she nodded "But be warned... You might not like it..."

Author's Notes:

This was a cute chapter, except at the end when Airy's all like "You won't like it" and stuff like that. But other than that, this was a more relaxing chapter. It'll pick up later because that's what I like doing. Even a Slice of Life story can have a bit of action and adventure. More the former, but I digress.

This story is constantly evolving, so if you have any ideas you want to share with me, I'll be sure to take your thoughts into consideration. Anything at all. Just, really. Anything. Yeah...

Be sure to Like, Comment, Favourite and Follow, and until then... nah, I'll see you later guys!