As always, big thanks to my amazing editors, Drucilla and BlueShifted!

I'll admit the ending is pretty lackluster, but ultimately I'm glad I gave this kind of story a try, and I hope you all enjoyed the very depressing ride. Thanks to everyone who liked, reblogged, commented, and gave me such beautiful fan-art! I couldn't, and wouldn't, do this work without all of your love and support. Also big thanks to Modmad for inspiration behind one of the pairings, let's be real.

Lastly, I want to say that one of my editors, BlueShifted, will be temporarily stepping down. Send them a lot of your good thoughts and love, because they deserve it!

Minnie could no longer be sure about the truth of the weather, for her insides stayed cold no matter how roughly she rubbed her hands as she rode one of the reindeer with Goofy. Ratface stayed on her shoulder, cuddled up close only because he "felt an itch" that her ear was good to scratch, and nothing more, so he'd insist. Occasionally from within the carriage beside them Daisy would call out and ask if Minnie was all right. Minnie would lie and say yes she was, and Daisy would pretend to believe it since there was nothing she could do to fix it. As the hours piled on, so did the snow, starting lightly in front and then growing heavier as they journeyed forward.

They encountered pine trees that were heavy with white, and further still trees that had died a frozen, miserable death some ages ago. For a brief moment of time, Minnie wondered if somehow they had gone backwards and returned to her village, for the setting began to seem very familiar. The absence of plants and color, the dead quiet all around, and the snow that never relented... The way they traveled was not for anyone, it was as if it had been made to dissuade people from going any further. Goofy began to shiver, but he didn't tuck his arms around himself for warmth – he saved that for Minnie, wanting to do all he could to keep her steady on the reindeer.

Occasionally the wind blew, but not enough to blind their vision, which was their last saving grace. Donald was worried about the horses, but Goofy assured him that they wanted to see this through to the end, if only for the sake of their mistress – who whined about how cold she was.

"Who told you a fancy gown was suitable for travel?" Ratface huffed when Daisy complained yet again. "It's only going to get worse from here. If you want to back out, do it now."

"You won't be rid of me, ruffian raven," Daisy said after a not-so-elegant raspberry from the carriage window. "We shall reunite Minnie with Mickey, and free the land from eternal snow! I just wish I had packed along thicker gloves, is all."

"Don't suppose anyone's thought of a plan about how we're freein' the land?" Goofy asked as he trembled atop his reindeer. The herd stayed close together as possible, trying to group for warmth. "I'm stickin' with ya'll, but I still ain't sure how we can stop a lady that's been doin' this forever. How do we make her listen to us?"

Minnie had hoped by the time she got this far she'd have some idea of what to do, but there was still no great plan that came to mind. Saying so would only worry her new friend, so she kept it to herself. "We'll figure it out. As long as we keep trying, we'll find a way." If only because they must, if only because there was no alternative. None of them could go back to the way they'd left things, be it a freezing village, a saddened kingdom, or a hurtful family. There was no option but to keep moving forward.

"May your determination keep you alive, pretty girl," Ratface said rather solemnly, his eyes ahead, "because we're just about there."

This got everyone's attention, and they all peered as best they could through the thick, falling snow. At first they couldn't see anything, and Donald would have given Ratface a good tug on his tailfeathers for the trick, but as they continued, they felt the land go down in a slope, and a shadow was descending upon them. Whatever was ahead was blocking out the sun more than the clouds ever could. There was a triangle shape in a misty form, but with each hoofbeat, it became clearer and more solid.

Rows and rows of icicles peppered what was once a lovely and quaint forest, now making it a hazardous place to traverse. The dirt and ground path was frozen solid, and there in the distance lay the landmark that sent a hard wave of fresh fear throughout the group – it was if a tidal wave had crashed up into the land and then had been frozen there completely, spikes and shards of ice sticking out everywhere, reaching up all the way into the heavens. It was disjointed, abrasive, and just looking at it was painful. This had been the creation of someone in unimaginable pain, someone who had done all they could to lock themselves away from the world.

Donald swallowed heavily. "I don't exactly see a front door we can knock on. How are we supposed to get inside?"

"I imagine she lets her soldiers in and out whenever she wants." Daisy tapped her fan to her beak in thought. "But if she doesn't want us in, she's not letting us in."

"And we'll be hard-pressed to find a way otherwise." Ratface stood upright, on edge now that he was so close to what he'd been avoiding for ages. "A hundred human soldiers couldn't break down that ice."

Perhaps this was true. Minnie looked at their surroundings, or more specifically the furry ones. "How about less than one hundred reindeer?"

Goofy clapped once. "Aw, that's a great idea! Reindeer are much stronger than people! You are some kinda genius, Minnie. Everybody ready?"

"No," said Donald.

"No," said Daisy.

"No," said Ratface.

Minnie didn't bother.

"SOUP'S ON!" Goofy stuck two fingers into his mouth and whistled a note so high that Minnie winced, and after that, every single reindeer began to stampede forward, horns out at the ready. Since this was to be a much bumpier ride, Goofy lifted Minnie into his arms and held her like a careful package, despite how painful it was due to her chill. Donald groaned, but after a tug on the reins, the horses raced on far in the back.

The first reindeer didn't make a crack, nor the second or third. But by the time the thirtieth reindeer and all its siblings crashed into the icy wall, not only did it crack, it was thoroughly and completely crushed like a thin ice cube in the palm of a hand. Inside, the reindeer continued on an icy road but began to slow down as it became clear that bunching up together would only lead to their doom.

Within the ice palace was a single stretch of pathway, and stepping off it meant dropping into a bottomless pit. There were hovering patches of ice with fresh snow that drifted back and forth like eerie stepping stones, and they floated up, down, left, right. The carriage pulled to a stop, and Donald gently helped Daisy down. At first she thought the walls were coated blue, but a startled blink revealed the truth – soldiers. Hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers lined the walls, waiting for orders, unfeeling, unthinking. Daisy dove into Donald's arms, frightened by the number, and Donald felt much the same, clutching her tightly to his chest. Goofy gulped audibly, taking his time to lower him and Minnie down off the reindeer, no longer shaking just from the cold.

"There," Ratface said softly, and Minnie turned her head to look up ahead.

The pathway rose high with white stairs, leading to a grand throne where the Snow Queen sat, her dull eyes observing her guests. She didn't appear to be surprised by her visitors, but then it was difficult to imagine her with any emotion at all. Though she was far away, Minnie felt the terror that seized her when she first met the dreaded woman face to face back in her village. Her toes clenched up in her red shoes, the precious ones she'd gotten from Daisy, and she wanted to run away and abandon the mission.

Instead, she walked forward, through all the reindeer. One by one, her friends followed, their steps echoing, the silence determined to drive them to madness. In turn, the Snow Queen rose from her seat, staff held ready in her fingers, and she began to descend the stairs. It all seemed very formal, like the heads of warring nations coming together for a talk of peace. Minnie kept her chin up, never looking away, only stopping when she reached the foot of the stairs. The Snow Queen stopped in the middle of the stairs, and the staring contest started anew.

Minnie took a deep breath, though it agonized her lungs. "My name is Minnie," she began, "And these are my friends. Ratface, Daisy-"

"I know who you are," the Snow Queen interrupted, holding up a hand. "I have been watching your useless journey." As she spoke, Minnie glanced at Ratface, trying to read his reaction, as he stayed absolutely still, eyes wide. "I had thought you all knew my lessons well...but it appears you refuse to learn, and so must be punished."

Daisy found her voice very easily. "I'm glad to have flunked your lessons! You took away all the light and love of our world, and we're here to get it back!" Donald tried to hold her back, but this was proving futile. "Return Mickey to Minnie at once! They deserve to be together!"

"If that is what you wish." The Queen's grip on her staff tightened, and it began to emit a faint blue glow – and so did one of the soldiers from the walls. He jumped onto one of the floating ledges, jumped again, and indeed this was Mickey, weapon at the ready, and within seconds it became clear that he wasn't returning to Minnie for a happy reunion.

"Scatter!" Donald cried, unable to think of anything else. He grabbed Minnie by the wrist and jumped onto the nearest floating ice patch which proved quite slippery, and Ratface took to the air. Goofy stumbled backwards, and Mickey landed at the foot of the stairs, ready to start the chase anew – and then Daisy threw herself at the boy, arms around his neck, trying to tug him backwards.

"Mickey, you must wake up!" She pleaded – all those in the Golden Kingdom have been trained to fight the Queen's soldiers, and she hoped it would finally do some good. "Your true love came all the way to save you! Don't you remember?" Mickey wordlessly clenched Daisy's arm, and threw her off with one hard swing – Goofy held up his arms to catch her, and wound up bowling into the reindeer, who were doing all in their power not to fall off the path.

"He has two shards within," the Queen said calmly, as Mickey ran ahead to catch up with Donald and Minnie. "His memories are gone, and there is no power that can restore them. Such is the fate that awaits you all." More soldiers began to light up, signaling they were about to join the fray.

"Not good not good not good!" Donald yelped as he tried to keep his footing, and Minnie, on the floating ledge, seeing the other soldiers getting off the wall. Mickey landed hard on the same patch, causing the ledge to tilt his way. Donald staggered, and then pushed Minnie hard. "Go!" and she obeyed, trying to hop onto the nearest ledge. "All right, you big palooka, let's see you-" but Mickey was in no mood for exchanging pleasantries – he smacked Donald hard with his spear once, twice, and when Donald tried to duck and tackle, it was like hitting a brick wall. Mickey shoved him aside, and leapt on to the ledge where Minnie had just begun to slide on the ice.

She fell onto her side, and gasped as Mickey stuck his spear into her dress to keep her there. She gazed up at him, at his lifeless blue eyes that saw nothing. "Mickey," she whimpered, but there was no reaction. Her mouth fell open, wanting to beg and plead, wanting to say all the things that built up since he'd been gone, but found no words to express them. The Snow Queen was right about one thing – he wasn't going to listen. Not like this. She then held her breath as she understood. "You're not my target." No, if she wanted to fix things...

"Comin' through!" Goofy hollered – before riding on a reindeer that slammed Mickey off Minnie. Maybe he wasn't good for much in combat, but even an ice warrior had difficulty fending off hundreds of pounds of solid flesh and horns. Minnie sat up, and could see Donald and Daisy trying to hold their own with the soldiers that had joined the battle, reindeer rearing up and kicking and ramming any in their way. Any soldiers that fell off the path seemed to vanish, but were actually waiting until they hit the wall of brethren, so they could grab, climb, and start all over. Ratface tried to help as best he could, pecking and biting at the soldiers, but he made no affect at all.

Throughout this, the Snow Queen stayed in place, not truly watching, her eyes distant. As far as she was concerned, she already knew the ending. Once their bodies were worn out, she'd plunge her shards deep into their chests and add to her collection - this Minnie knew. The shards, the shards, it was all about the shards, and Minnie held her aching chest, seeing what others could not. She had to act quickly, before another soldier came for her, but her movements felt tired and sluggish due to the chill in her heart.

"I know what you want to do!" Minnie cried out as loud as she could, though it did not turn the Snow Queen's head. "You plan to use your shards on us all!"

"It is your punishment," the Snow Queen replied without looking at her. "And it will be what is best for you, and for the world. A world without love is a safer world."

"How can you say that it's best..." Minnie staggered, but kept on, her back hunched over. "When you don't understand at all? One shard takes over the body... two shards takes over the mind... but you never put a second shard in your heart!"

At last, this made the Snow Queen's head whip around, her eyes wide. As if all attuned to her, all of the soldiers stopped what they were doing. Ratface dove for Minnie's side, flapping his wings hard in the air. "What are you saying?! I know what I saw, she pushed them right into her heart!"

"You saw her push in one shard!" Minnie rebuked, her eyes still on the stunned Queen. "But she closed herself away before you saw anything else... I know she didn't take the second one! It never happened! She remembers everything, she hasn't lost a single memory!"

The Snow Queen's began to turn towards Minnie, her face staying the same but her eyes darkening. "Your fear drives you to insanity, child." Her voice still had the same disturbing calmness – but the words shook, holding back. "I remember nothing, as do all of my soldiers. That's why they will never wake up and return to their lives. I gave to them the same thing I gave to myself."

"Liar!" Minnie screeched, and though she felt tears near her eyes, they lacked any natural warmth. "You're lying! I know you never gave yourself another shard, and you still have your memories in you... because if you didn't... because if you truly forgot everything the demon did to you...we wouldn't be here!" She held out her hand, gesturing to the horrors all around her. "You wouldn't be trying to 'save us' from love, if you didn't remember every part of it for yourself! If you really wanted it gone, you would have erased it from yourself entirely! But... you kept it..." Her breath hitched, as she felt her very insides growing numb. "I know what the demon did to you, I know the things he said and what happened to your wings..."

The Snow Queen's free hand began to shake, before curling up, fingernails pressed into her palm. "If you really do know what happened to me... then you know why I erased those memories. I would want nothing to remember him by. There is no truth to your words, I will not hear them!" Suddenly her once peaceful voice became louder, and all of the soldiers turned toward Minnie. One by one, they began moving toward her, and her friends became more frantic in their efforts to stop them.

"You do remember, and I know why you kept those memories!" Minnie heard Mickey coming for her, and knew that he would show her no mercy, that no matter the tears she shed or the answer to his last question, he was gone, and would stay gone if she stopped. "Because despite all the pain you feel, despite what happened to your wings, despite everything... You don't want to get rid of the memories, of that time when one person made you feel loved!"

"Silence!" The Snow Queen's frozen facade began to break, and the mirror atop her staff glowed deeply, harshly. "It's not true! None of it's true! Make her stop!"

Mickey came up behind Minnie and grabbed her by the arm, forcing her backwards, but she pulled forward, even as her bones began to grow cold, even as her muscles lost their feeling, even as every part of her was in endless pain. "He made you feel like you were important! Like you were special! He made you see a part of you that you never knew was there... and he made you happy! You never wanted to forget that, you couldn't go through with it! No matter how much it hurt to remember, you wanted to keep him with you!"

How much was she speaking of the Snow Queen, and how much was she speaking of herself? She could no longer tell, the lines between these lost lives now growing blurry. Ratface had stopped his flying, stunned at what was being said, his beak agape, mind in the past. Donald, Daisy, and Goofy kept trying to fight past the soldiers, to save their dear friend, but all they could do was delay the inevitable by mere minutes.

"That's why you're doing this!" Minnie yelled as Mickey held her arms behind her back, to the point where she was certain something would break soon. "You hoped that if you got rid of everyone's love, yours would vanish on its own! But it won't! It never will!"

"Stop it! STOP IT!" The Snow Queen – Magica – had begun to scream, clutching her hair, all the emotions she had tried to kill rising up and clawing at her throat. "I SAID STOP IT!"

Mickey's hand came for her throat, and Minnie used the last of her strength, "After all this time, more than you love mortals, more than you love helping them, even now – You still love him!"

"NOOOOOO!" Magica's hands were on the staff now, not even aware of what her powers were doing, all she could hear was the voice she wanted to silence and all of its truth. The mirror began to crack, over and over, and then – it in a wind as harsh as a scorned lover, shards flew out and sank into Minnie's chest. Not just one, or, two, or even three – countless shards entered her chest, and her eyes lost their color, her entire body went white, and then -

"Minnie!" Ratface shrieked, taking to the sky, but it was too late. Ice formed from within Minnie's chest, and then quickly climbed all over her body, encasing her like a clear coffin, growing up and down in an icicle that could not be broken. Mickey was flung backwards by the sheer force of it, although he was quick to stand up and await more orders from his Queen. All the soldiers were doing the same, stopping in place, as the ice around Minnie finally stopped. All the color was stripped from her body, even her clothes, and not even the blue from her veins could be seen anymore.

Magica dropped her staff in silent shock, her hands trembling as they came to her mouth. "No... no... w-what have I done...?"

"Minnie!" Daisy burst into tears, but that didn't stop her from running towards the wall of ice that held her friend, Donald and Goofy in tow. "Minnie, darling! Minnie, wake up!" She banged her fists on the ice, but not even a speck came off. Donald slammed his hands hard, and Goofy had one of his reindeer bang into it, but nothing would make the prison budge.

"Pretty girl!" Ratface tried to claw at the ice with his talons, yet couldn't leave a scratch. He hadn't cried since he betrayed his lost love, but now tears fell hard, as he scratched and scrabbled. "No, no! You were supposed to be different! Oh, I should never have taken you here! I should have left you be!" He hit his wings on the ice until his small body gave out, and he dropped from the sky. Daisy caught him in her arms, and they wept together, unable to look away from Minnie's lifeless body.

They were not alone in their grief – Magica fell to her knees, shaking her head wildly, as if that would undo the life she'd taken. "This... This wasn't supposed to happen! I was trying to help you! I... I was trying..." But the words fell flat, doing no good, being forced to confront reality – that in her years of reigning torment, she hadn't helped anyone. Why did that girl keep fighting, when she knew she couldn't win? Why did she keep moving forward when everyone else had given up? Magica didn't know, and didn't know what to do. She'd never given anyone more than a second shard. The third was only a threat, only to keep them in line, only to protect mortals from the pain of love! "I wanted to help..."

The soldiers kept waiting for orders, unable to grasp what was happening around them. As Mickey waited with them, a red blur touched his face.

It was one of the rose petals from Minnie's hair, all of them now floating gently downwards, having been flung from her body as she'd been encased. None of the soldiers acknowledged it. Mickey went to remove it, as it was an obstacle, and all obstacles had to be eliminated, so he picked it off his face and -

And he stopped. His hollow eyes remained on this petal, staring intensely, for reasons unknown to him. He felt it between his fingers, though he could no longer feel anything at all. So why was he holding onto it? Why did he refuse to let it go? He knew he had seen this color somewhere else. It meant something to him, more than orders from his Queen. This was more than a color, more than a petal. It was a symbol, an accomplishment, it had been work and effort and determination, never giving up despite all the odds. He knew this, because... because... didn't he...?

Slowly, his eyes went up, looking at the girl in the ice. Why did she have this? Who... was she...?

"...Minnie...?"

Little Minnie laid in the snow, knowing it was piling on her but unable to feel it. She couldn't feel anything, and it was getting harder to see anything in the pitch black night. Her voice was worn out from screaming for Papa, it was clear he wasn't coming. She was all alone.

Except Minnie of the present was there too. She blinked down at her younger form, pitiful and pathetic as she took shallow gulps of air. She remembered this night very clearly, and at her worst moments and deepest fears, it came back to her with resounding force. Sometimes it felt like she'd never escape this night, and maybe she hadn't, maybe everything up to now had been a mad dream of death. She sighed, and looked at the door, knowing Papa and Mama were on the other side. This had been done as an act of love, twisted and cruel as it was. He'd only wanted to protect her, to show what would happen if she defied the Snow Queen.

And he was right, wasn't he? Wasn't she dead? Or something close to it. She hadn't been able to defeat the Snow Queen and rescue Mickey. She led several innocent lives along her insane quest and now they'd be turned into mindless soldiers too. Everything had been for naught. Maybe it would have been best for everyone if she really did die this night.

She'd been scared of the cold for so long, letting fear hold her back from everything. Now here she was, devoured by it, and she looked down at her child self, wishing she could warn her of the terrible things to come. Maybe if she did, she could avoid this awful fate and save her friends. Papa had done this for the best. Papa had meant well.

She knelt down in the snow, but as she began to brush the powder off of her younger form, she paused as her eyes reflected herself. She saw her fur had now gone completely white, as opposed to the child beneath her, dark as night. She really had been so small, so weak, so fragile. If they had waited a minute more to get her inside, would she have truly died? All to protect her, to punish her for believing in Mickey's dream? Instead of fighting for their child's right to happiness, or their own, they would have rather let her suffer? They too had been afraid, they too had let fear hold them back. She understood what they had done, but...

"What Papa did was wrong," Minnie said quietly, for the first time in her life acknowledging the sin of her elder. "Even if an act is done with love and worry...it can still be wrong. And you didn't deserve this." Carefully, she scooped the child up into her arms and held her to her chest. "We didn't deserve it... I didn't deserve it. I wanted to believe in a future where I could be loved and happy... and that was not a bad thing." She was so cold, but the child was... warm? Like a soothing fire that crackled and welcomed, and the snow around them began to slow down to a halt.

What was this new feeling in her heart? It was so unlike any of the other emotions she had discovered. It was soft, yet bold, taking a firm grip in her soul and giving her strength. It was a strange happiness, a new confidence, it was something she had never known was possible and yet now that she knew it – she felt she understood everything.

Like mirrors all around her, she could see Ratface, Daisy, Donald, Goofy, her parents, the Snow Queen, and Mickey, cheerful Mickey, wonderful Mickey, and around them she saw herself and what she'd done with them – for them. All the times she had listened to their burdens, offering shoulders to cry on, friendships and devotion, courage and conviction, sacrificing her own well-being for their own.

Was this love? Was this how love was supposed to feel? This...was not the love that Magica had tried so hard to erase, because Magica didn't have this kind of love. So very few people did, and that had to change. This was why it had hurt the Queen so deeply to be betrayed, why Ratface had given up everything to save her, why Goofy stayed with his abusive family, why Donald had given into anger so much, why Daisy threw so many of her parties, why Papa and Mama never told Minnie a word of kindness, why everything had stayed the same and nothing had changed.

This love was unique for every person, and Minnie smiled as she understood, as the younger version of her vanished, taking its proper place in her heart. She held herself, and warmth overflowed every single part of her body, as if the entire sun was blossoming inside of her. She knew the name of this love, and she knew it would free her.

"I am a good person," she said softly, eyes shut. "I try my best to help those I see, and it makes me feel good when I do. I have helped people find their bravery, I have defeated evils that can no longer hurt others, I have taken steps no one else dared to see. And from now on, no matter what happens... I promise... I will never stop loving myself!"

When she opened her eyes, the ice encasing her began to split, then hiss, and then in a flurry of heat and water, broke apart entirely, flooding the crevasse below with pools of warm water. As her feet touched the floating ledge, grass began to take root suddenly, growing at a wild rate, wildflowers popping into existence in every shade of the rainbow. The ledges fell into the water, floating around, and the flowers and grass continued to grow, melting the icy pathway and giving life and form to the ground. Minnie laughed as the water splashed at her shoes, grabbing the ends of her dress and twirling around. The white was gone from her hair, and the blue was gone from her skin. At last, at long last, her nightmares were over.

Mickey dropped the petal from his hand – he remembered being a boy and planting seed after seed, never stopping despite how many failures he'd encountered, all for the sake of bringing hope to the village he loved. He knew he could save his people, he knew he was doing good for them, and he – yes, he could – he could also love himself – and with that, the spell on him was utterly destroyed, the blue on his skin evaporating at once, the fresh color of his eyes were restored. He dropped his spear, staring down at his hands, with his normal clothes restored to him as well as his heart, his breath, his ability to feel and touch. Then that delightful sound touched his ears – Minnie, laughing. Had he ever heard her laugh before? It was the most beautiful sound in the whole world.

"Minnie!" he cried, and he ran towards her, unable to last a second longer without her in his embrace. But he wasn't alone on that account – just as he'd taken her his arms, her name was joyfully shouted over and over by the friends she'd made -Daisy went for a rather hard tackle, taking all three of them down into the knee deep water, and Donald joined in, ruffling Minnie's hair between her ears, then came Goofy, seizing everyone into his long arms for a great big squeeze.

Ratface dove into Minnie's lap, pushing his head to her chest. "You stupid girl!" He sobbed openly, even as Minnie held him and kissed his head. "How dare you do this to me again! I'll leave for good this time, I swear it, you'll never see me anymore!"

"I love you too, Ratface," Minnie said with an extra giggle, and then she looked around, unable to stop smiling, joy in every word. "I love all of you, with all of my heart! I'm so glad to have met you, and be with you! I'm so glad to be alive! I'm..." Yet she trailed off, once her eyes fell on the shocked Snow Queen. The other soldiers stayed in place, still trapped, and she had yet to move, eyes wide and mouth open.

Mickey jerked, and then went on the defensive, standing up with fists clenched. "You! After all you've done..." But Minnie gently pushed aside all the tender holds and stood up, placing a hand on Mickey's fist to lower it.

"How...?" Magica asked breathlessly, her hat sliding off her hair and rolling onto the ground. Her glorious throne was cracking and melting. "How... did you come back? I don't understand. You kept trying, and you didn't stop, no matter what I did or what anyone else threw at you. How can you still stand up? How are you alive?"

Minnie picked up the ends of her dress so she could walk out of the ocean she'd created, and stepped onto the grass, which many reindeer had now taken as lunch. She stood in front of Magica, and smiled. "You couldn't erase love, no matter how hard you tried. No, not really. You made parents afraid of loving their children, of villages afraid to love their people, and of two people afraid to be together. But there was a love you could never destroy, because you didn't know it existed... because you never felt it yourself. And that kind of love will always find a way, even if it takes centuries."

Kindly, lightly, she leaned over and held Magica by her cheeks, lifting her face up. "You never knew how to love yourself."

She looked back at her friends, who watched in awe, candles of comprehension beginning to burn within. "We all forgot how to do it... and so many of us need another's love in order to see it for ourselves. We become so focused on loving another that we can't see the good in us. We look for others to make us feel special, because we can't find it in ourselves. But... it is there. Sometimes it needs help, but it is there. We can all find a way to love ourselves."

Tenderly, she stroked Magica's hair as she would do to Ratface's feathers. "And you? It won't be easy, after all the pain you've caused... but I know you can find it too. The person you used to be, who helped others because that is what they liked to do. The person the demon fell in love with. She's still there, and she deserves love, the same as everyone else does. Everyone deserves love... especially from themselves." With that, she gently kissed the top of Magica's head.

The final touch of pure warmth melted the spells – the palace of ice began to dissolve, and the soldiers staggered, waking up, one by one, some falling over in shock, others running to their loved ones in mad joy. Magica's minks and robes fell apart, revealing the divine, simplistic robes she once wore as an angel of the earth. Magica gasped, pained, and then suddenly she held Minnie closely, weeping into her, and Minnie allowed it, continuing to stroke her head and let centuries of agony pass through.

The staff fell apart, melting away until there was only the mirror left, and the crack still remained, except now it did not look so terrible. In a different light, it was not seen as an imperfection, but a quirk, perhaps. Broken still, but not inherently bad because of it. All around them, the forest quickly regrew into its natural state, the water rolling away into the open mud and dirty path. The clouds parted, and when Magica lifted her teary face, Minnie could see herself reflected in those eyes again, and she was proud of what she beheld.

"I'm sorry," Magica groaned, her fingers holding firmly onto Minnie's dress. "It's not enough, it will never be enough, but I am sorry."

"Not everyone will forgive you," Minnie said gently, "And the wounds you made will take a long time to heal. But...I think anyone can start over, if they really want to try." She glanced backward, and met Ratface's eyes. He gulped audibly, but knew he could stand back and watch as a mere audience member no longer. He stepped back, then forward, flapping into the air and landing on Minnie's chest. He tucked his beak softly to her chin, a silent show of gratitude for the journey she had taken and all she had endured. She kissed his beak in return, thankful for the way he'd shown her and the protection he'd tried to give.

Minnie held out her arm, and Ratface walked down along it, trembling quietly as he looked at Magica, who was quietly watching him in return. Slowly, Magica held out her hands, and Ratface walked into them, his eyes blurry with years of tears. "I was so caught up in the bliss of loving you," he murmured, "that I never considered the world around me, and that the things I had done that would catch up to us. I wanted so desperately to be special, to be better than everyone, when I could have been content with me being me... as long as I was with you. I will not ask your forgiveness, I will never deserve it. But I beg you here and now... to let yourself be free to love yourself for the first time."

Magica said nothing still, but she lowered her head, pressing her forehead to his own. The concept of loving herself had never been thought, had never been experienced, and the idea was frightening after all the pain and misery she had caused. Minnie picked up the fallen mirror, and offered it back to Magica, and in this gesture the angel could see the person she once was – the one who had been so terrified of falling to temptation she'd given away her magic. "Whoever you were," Minnie said, her smile feeling immortal, "she may still be deep inside you. I think you can find her again."

It would be a long, difficult task to do so, but Magica could feel Ratface – Gladstone – nudging her with his wing, urging her to try again. Maybe now she could think as Minnie did – to do nothing was tantamount to giving up, to being dead already, and the only way to attempt to fix the problem was to try. Try, try, and try again. Minnie, with no powers of her own save for her own heart, had come this far. It was time to see how far a fallen angel could go. Magica's fingers brushed up to the crack in the mirror. "Thank you, child," she said softly, and the mirror began to glow. "Thank you for breaking my rules."

Then the glow became bright, bright enough to blind but not enough to pain, like the summer sun shining down for the first time in ages. When Minnie could see again, the two were gone, but up in the sky, she could have sworn she saw a pair of ravens flying away. Sparks of sunlight fell from the sky, and for every sunny spark that fell, the soldiers began to wake up, their eyes clearing, their hearts open, and there was gasping and crying and cheering and singing. Loved ones were reunited, and the world was free. Ah, but yet, not all was done, so Minnie remembered. She turned around, facing the proud expressions of her companions. "Mickey... I have an answer to your question."

"Oh!" Mickey's breath caught, and he stumbled forward, so overcome with excitement he nearly forgot how to walk. Daisy giggled as she stepped aside, Donald rolled his eyes as he pulled Daisy in by the shoulder, and Goofy began to earnestly sniffle. "Right! Th-the question! Of course! I mean, I'm sorry about the jewel, and everything, I wasn't in my right mind, wasn't in any mind, I was..." He cleared his throat, understanding he was going nowhere fast. He took a slow breath to try and calm down, and then knelt in front of Minnie, taking her hand. "Minnie... I love you with all my heart. I feel like I always have. And now I know, together, we can rebuild our village...and we can do it side by side. So, Minnie, will... will you marry me?"

Minnie tenderly put her hand atop of Mickey's, and inhaled, exhaled – she had been confident of this answer ever since she woke up to what she had been missing, and there wasn't a doubt in her heart that her choice would be the right one. She knew exactly what to say.

"No."

Mickey's jaw dropped open in shock, but it was Daisy who yelled, "WHAT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

Goofy tilted his head. "Did I miss a step?"

Donald rapidly gestured between the mice. "You went through all that, and you say no?! Why?"

To that, Minnie let out a soft laugh. "Because I only just allowed myself to be myself! All this time we've been growing up, I haven't been allowed to think or say or feel what I really mean. How can I be sure if Mickey loves the real me, when I don't even know the real me yet?" She pulled Mickey up his feet, and closed his open mouth. "Yes, let us return home and free our families from the prison the Snow Queen made... and let's learn a little more about each other first, all right?"

Mickey snorted, but found he couldn't very well argue against her logic. He thought he'd be angry or disappointed, but instead, he felt a little relieved, and perhaps excited. "In that case... I can't wait to get to know the real you. I bet she's some kind of wonderful."

Minnie looked to the sky, hoping she'd see one more glimpse of her flying friend, but he was nowhere to be found. The former soldiers were now embracing one another, eager to return to their friends and family. Daisy spotted her parents and flew into their arms, embracing each other with kisses. Goofy began to wail happily, and Donald sighed as he tugged him along, certain he'd need his help rounding up all the reindeer, yet couldn't find it in himself to complain.

At long, long last... winter had ended, and spring had come.

"Yes," Minnie answered. "I bet she is."

All the spells had been broken at last, and all who had shards within them were freed of their grasp. In the Golden Kingdom, the rightful rulers were quick to undo the damage their daughter had done – and best of all, allowed their child to be young again. Her beloved attempted the path of the guardsmen once more, and failed once more, yet he vowed to never truly give up. After all, he had a wondrous woman waiting for him at home, who gave him the confidence he lost. The outcast from the family of thieves found a new family, one that didn't consist of brothers and mothers, but of neighbors and friends who opened their arms and their hearts to him, helping him find a new home for him and all his furry friends.

The women who had become petite and porcelain dolls were now flesh and blood again, and they banded together to return to their families, eager to embrace the world that was new warm and loving as it was meant to be. The snows melted, and the ice thawed, and in one village, the joy of seeing lost ones return was enough to warm the cold souls of every single man and woman. There were wounds that needed to heal, traditions to be unearthed, and come the next year, there were beautiful roses that grew all over the land.

One day, when the village was colorful and happy and full of smiling people, there was a wedding for the first time in years.

Did they all live happily ever after? Oh, never count on such a thing. No life can ever be happy all the time, nor can it ever be constant sadness. But there is one thing to be certain of – so long as they kept love in their hearts for one another, and especially for themselves, there were far more happier times than ever before.

My pretty girl wouldn't have it any other way.