Companionship was a figurative atrophy for the shadow-mare. What use was friendship when it was so easily severed? Why trust others when they would as soon put their knife in your back as look at you? There was no point to it, no reason to place your life – no, more than that, your happiness - in another’s hooves. Even if they did not betray you, any number of things could happen to them: they could die, they could be stolen, they could be tortured, and all of it simply to get at you, to hurt you. And it would hurt, she knew that now, the loss of something so precious would cause an unbearable amount of pain.

And yet these feelings were precisely what she felt for the FrostHeart. His presence, not only in the frigid caverns, but also in her life, was welcomed. His affections were desired – not in a romantic way, necessarily, but they were yearned for all the same. Even more than that, the shade wanted his attention, his approval - all things that one might want from a close friend, an ally. An ally. Since when had she stooped so low as to claim one of those? But here she was, her life becoming so closely intertwined with another that their ill-fitted relationships from past times seemed almost like a bad dream rather than reality.

And if she lost him? If she caused him pain?

No.

Life as she knew it had simply ceased to exist.

His grin brought another flutter of glee into her thoughts, and her own crooked smile remained rather firmly on her features. His question finished just before the touch began, so close that it almost seemed that her gesture had cut him off. His scent spilled through her nares and into her mind, intoxicating. A part of her wanted to close her eyes, to savor the moment, to preserve it in all its perfection in her mind forevermore; a larger part wanted to memorize every hair, every mark, every little imperfection on his hide. The larger part, winning the mental battle, allowed her amber gaze, oddly warm in the frozen caverns to dance over the features of his face, along his nape, drinking in every part of him that she could see. His question was forgotten as her orbs returned to his.

A gentle tug at her forelock brought a gentle shake of her head, as though to coax the locks into place again. She was aware, too aware of every place that their skin touched. Heat emanated from each contact point; a light tingle started and slowly spread throughout her body. It was so very easy to give in to this temptation, to this affection – why had she resisted for so long? Friendship, particularly with the Ice King, would not delay or eradicate her plans – in fact, he would help her. So why fight it? Why had she? His muzzle slowly traced a line up to her nape, hovering near enough that his breath again sent shivers down her spine. ”They aren’t all barbarians,” she whispered, his final statement reminding her of questions unanswered. ”Some of you need to be impressed.” She did not realize that she had substituted ‘you’ for ‘they’. An unconscious wish, perhaps?

"Talk talk talk."