Right, now, to those of you who have kept up with this log up to this point I apologize for my grammar mistakes. I'm just used to writing in the present-tense, so even though this is years ago for me it's still easier for me to write in present-tense. I hope you'll forgive this, and no I won't go back to fix it. Bonbon tells me that it's important for any agent to keep uncensored accounts of their missions so sorry, it's staying as is.
Back to the story though... Winter Wrap Up... Wow, that was one of my favorite memories of living in Equestria, and getting to experience it twice in one year was fun. But for continuity sake I should probably start with the first one, that's where the events of the episode happened anyhow.
My earliest memory of my first Equestrian winter has to be taking Savanna to Rarity's for new clothes. When I had come to Equestria I'd been hiking in the Rockies so I was set for winter gear. Her on the other hand I wasn't so certain of...
And I was right to think that, since the only thing she had on when she got here was a cozy looking black DC hoodie, Rolling stones cut off, black skinny jeans, and a pair off rickety old gray vans.
"Don't worry Sav, Rarity won't wreck your style," I inform her. "She's all about style... In fact I'm starting to wonder if we should have grabbed AJ for the chance to make sure it's all functional."
I turn my head to her when she doesn't respond and immediately know why.
She has her hood up with the strings pulled completely shut, the only thing visible being the end of her maroon hair. "Heh, look Har, I'm a edgey 2003 emo."
I snort a laugh in response, "It's a good look for you. Then again black is my favorite color, just about anything looks good with black."
"True,” She responds as she opens the hood again, her hair standing straight up like someone rubbed a balloon on it.
I press my lips together, and suppress a smile as I turn us around a corner towards Carousel Boutique. I decide to start practicing levitation magic more often, and raise a hand. The handle of the shop door is wrapped in an aura of dark blue magic, and as I turn my hand so too turns the knob before I pull it open with a flick of my fingers. Later I'd learn my eye glow the same color when I use magic like that.
And that catches Savanna attention pretty quick. "Wow, okay that’s pretty flippin cool dude!"
"Yeah, I feel like Sylar, or some kind of Jedi when I do that," I chuckle as I step sideways to let her in first.
"I bet." She grins at me and pats my back as she walks in.
Inside we find Rarity dressing her displays in some pony boots, scarves, earmuffs, and other assorted winter garb. What catches my eye is a fluffy saddle on one of the ponies, and I raise an eyebrow.
"Good morning Rarity," I say as I walk over for a closer look.
"Oh, hello darlings!" She looks up from her work, and smiles up at us, "Now, what can I do for you?"
" I need some new sick duds." Savanna pips in, “Can you help?"
"Well you certainly came to the right place!" Rarity wraps her lush coil of a tail around Savanna's wrist, and leads her over to her modeling platform that has three mirrors behind it for viewing at alternate angles.
I tune them out for a bit as I feel the saddle curiously.
Why is this even here?
The saddle? Well ponies have fur thick enough to handle the cold, plus our bodies are hot enough. But saddlebags can get uncomfortable so it provides extra padding.
Ah, I see. To us humans these were always a part of Rule 34... Um... Lingerie.
Oh! Well, that too, but they're made of thinner materials then, and... Eh... Oh, incoming.
"Huh?" I look around just in time for something to smack me in the face. I pull it off, and my eyes shoot wide open as I realize I'm holding Savanna's shorts. Don't ask me why, but some impulse brought my eyes to the stage where Rarity has her in her undergarments.
"Curious," Rarity mutters. "What is that around your torso darling?"
"CELESTIA'S FLAMING CUNT DRIPS!" I slap my hands over my eyes, though whether for Sav's decency, or to keep my eyes from popping out of my head I can't tell.
"Wow lady!" I hear Savanna yell, obviously surprised too, but being her covers it with a joke. "At least buy me dinner first before ya make me strip!"
Nightmare, get me outta here!
Very well, take three steps forward, and turn right to avoid the stool, the door is straight ahead... That's it, doorknob is a little higher...
Wait, wasn't the door off to our le-?
I freeze when with my eyes squeezed shut my hand comes into contact... with...
"Doorknobs are not squishy!" I quickly run the other way, slamming right into a wall. In a panic now I start crawling before I hear an undignified whinny, and something soft being beat over my head.
You are now being struck with a roll of cloth-
I NOTICED!
"That is no way to treat a lady," Rarity says shortly with me. "Shoo! Shoo!"
"I'm shooing! I'm shooing," I whine as I feel her magic guide me to the door, and I fumble with the knob. All the while she's beating me over the head with the roll of cloth.
Savanna is laughing her ass off and she points at me. "Oh my gad..." she wipes a tear of laughter away.
Once mercifully outside I take a moment to sit against to door, mortified. "I can never face her again..."
Why not? She didn't seem to mind.
It's Savanna, I'm pretty sure even a girl as random as her wouldn't like it if I groped her tits. Plus thanks to your directions it probably looked deliberate!
I see... Then how about a wager? If she is upset with you then I will fulfill any request I am capable of. If she isn't, then I have a favor to ask of you.
Uh... What favor?
We shall cross that bridge when we come to it. However I can promise that it is nothing malicious.
...Fine, it's a bet.
Our bond allows us to feel the emotions of each other after all, making lying virtually impossible. So I head off to sit on the stone rail of a nearby bridge to wait for Savanna, and watch the Pegasus haul in clouds overhead for the first snow.
It's about an hour wait, which I guess is kind of understandable.
Savanna whistles to get my attention as she trots up to me, with her arms out.
"Dude this fuckin amesome! I'm like a shield maiden!"
What she now has on looks like something from midieval time, a white shirt with a thick leather corst, leather arm and shoulder peices, and of course her gauntlets.
Her pants and new boots are similar, have laether amor like peices, and of course, the leather is black.
I tilt my head at her, "Wow... Is that look coming back in style? You look like you belong in a play for A Hearthswarming Eve..."
Ahem...
I sigh, "And... About in the boutique... Sorry about that..."
She sighs and nods. "Yeah...Just...Just don't do again, or at least warn me first." She wiggles her eyebrow with a laugh.
I blush a bit, and clear my throat, "Oh... Well then... We're cool? You're not upset?"
"Nah. "She shrugs with a smile
I smile, and then Nightmare starts talking in the bad of my head.
Now for my favor... When you rebuilt the town you made an addition in Fluttershy's neighborhood... I want you to invite her.
What?! Wait, how is that a favor to you?
I enjoy watching you both interact.
With a sigh I rub the back of my neck. "Hey Sav... I know this is a weird time to ask this, but I just wanted to throw it out there..."
"Sure, shoot."
"Well... When I fixed the town up I made myself a little something... A decent sized 2-story home over in Fluttershy's neighborhood. Four bedroom, walk-through dining room with an island kitchen, and a back yard with a pool..." I smile sheepishly, and shrug, "It's... Too big for one person, and built to human dimensions..."
She perks. "Really? Sounds lovely...Wait, are you asking me to stay with you?”
"Well... Yeah, yes I am. I mean I get it if you wanna stay living with Doc, and the land of misfit inventions, but I thought it was fair to at least offer the invitation."
"Sure, I'd love too...Kinda tired of ducking my head..."
I smile, and hold up my ring hand, "Wanna head there now?"
She grabs my hand with a grin and says.
"Yeah, sounds good."
As much as I would have loved to super-speed us there, I decide to just walk it, build up the suspense a bit.
The walk itself is pretty tranquil. Folks are stocking up on winter supplies because nopony is going to want to have to trudge out for extra stuff, or have stands open in the snow. I tilt my head as we pause in the market street, and ask, "Wanna pick up some stuff? It'll be at least three months before we head out shopping again I hope."
"Would be the smart thing to do." She say.
"Speaking of food..." She looks up at me," Can we get food now?"
"Sure, whatcha hungry for?" I look around, and spot Sugarcube Corner in the distance. "Pinkie makes a mean pie."
"Yeah...But I want real food, not just sweets..."
"Well there's a nice cafe around here someplace... Though I hope by real food you don't mean hay fries, hay burgers, or Daisy sandwiches... Someone needs to introduce these vegetarians to tofu, or soy at least."
"So no steak? Dang it..." She pouts and hangs her head.
"Considering the cows in Equestria can talk, no," I reply. "No bacon either, pigs seem to be pets."
She groans and stomps her feet, "Fine..."
"Well... We can still get a nice couple of salads... Ugh, trust me, it's hard for me too. I've always been 80% carnivore."
"Okay...Good enough..."
I sigh, and almost put an arm around her as we walk, but in light of recent events I just told my arms behind my back. "...You go on ahead to the cafe, I want to talk to Pinkie about setting up a housewarming party for us, and the Mane 6. We'll make one of our own for the Watchers later in the winter."
"You got it." She responds and pats my back before heading in the direction of said cafe.
Yeah, those were fun memories. I could go into detail on the parties, and our supplies, but I don't want this recollection to be a prequel to the events of the actual episode. So I think I'll summarize, and give the cliff notes.
The house I had built isn't too shabby, nothing on the grand palace, but still something to be proud of. Hardwood flooring, granite counters, tile walls in the kitchen and bathrooms... Well, perhaps I should just describe the tour.
The first thing you'd see is a white picket fence surrounding the front yard with a quaint little gate. A cobblestone pathway to the front door which opens to an entryway, then the living room. To the right there's a pair of large bookcases flanking a fireplace with enough space over the fireplace to mount a decent sized painting or television if we ever get one. Across the room is the couch against the wall with a coffee table, and some plush chairs for guests. The entryway opens a bit to the right of the living room, and in the opposite corner are the stairs to the next floor, under which hold our machines for washing clothes.
If you were to walk right through the living room from the entryway you'd find the dining room with the kitchen to your left, and sliding glass doors to the back yard. I made sure it was plenty big enough to house a party, or several ponies that need to gather for a meeting. The kitchen is pretty spacious with an island stove in the center so one could cook while facing the dining room.
The back yard is rather large, and enclosed with a brick wall ten feet high. About a third of the yard is a pool that goes from three feet deep on one end to twelve on the other, complete with a diving board. The rest of the yard is just grass, but there is a small back porch with cover for shade.
Up the stairs there's a U-turn of a small hallway that holds five doors. The door closest to the stairs is the master bedroom, my naturally, complete with the master bathroom. Three of the other doors are regular bedrooms for entertaining guests who are staying the night, but naturally one of these belongs to Savanna. The last door is the bathroom, the door farthest from the stairs.
Other than that the house itself I painted a warm chocolate brown with shingle roofing... It's honestly my dream house, or will be once I gather a sword collection, and hang it behind the couch with a panel of glass to keep them from falling on guests. Cubby has taken to the place pretty well, after we made one of the bedrooms a cat room, and set up a cat tree in the living room. Hard to believe after days in suspended time I still forgot to put in a garage...
...
When Savanna sees it she pauses with a large smile and turns to me.
"You built this? It's beautiful!"
I nod with a smile, "Yeah... I'll admit, I'm proud of how it turned out. I thought about putting a secret staircase behind a bookshelf to a game room underground, but I figured I'd put that off for a while. I mean I got a nice roof over my head, figured that was reward enough for making Ponyville livable."
"Yeah, it is something you should be proud of." She says
"Plus it'll be a nice place to chill out for the winter, and when Summer comes back around a few months from now then we'll be able to make good use of the pool."
I lead her inside, and spot my Savannah cat snoozing in the top of his cat tree. I smirk, and nod my head towards him, "D'awwwww..."
She looks then her smile drops slightly. "Yeah...He's cute."
"Huh? Sav, what's up?"
"Nothing...Hey, wheres my room?" She sighs quickly and rubs her eye with the back of her wrist.
Harley, I would advise you make a tactical withdrawal. She has a reason to snap at us with the incident at the boutique, so pressing the matter may be unwise.
...You're right, I'm sure when she's ready she'll tell me.
"Upstairs," I reply. "There's a pair of bedrooms not yet taken, one of them is already a cat room, the one closest to the bathroom. You have a pick of the remaining two if you want."
She doesn't respond to me, and I watch her bolt up the stairs, and shortly after a door being shut hard, but not quite slammed.
...I wonder what that was about. It almost looked like she was crying... She might very well be.
Time will tell... Oh yes, time will tell all.
What's that supposed to mean?
Don't try to pretend you can fool me. You fancy the girl, do you not?
I clench my fists, and scowl as I walk up the stairs to my room, and into my bathroom to look at my reflection. It's the closest to face to face contact I can get with Nightmare.
Look, it's a base attraction between male, and female. That's it, I value her too much as a friend to put her through shit like that.
I don't understand.
You haven't been in my head long enough to understand, but let me bring you up to speed. I am a terrible boyfriend, all I've ever been in a relationship is a shoulder to cry on, and a confidence boost for women that just leave me anyways. Here though she doesn't have other options, and that's not a position she deserves to be in, especially with how I've acted with her in our world.
You treated her poorly? Strange, despite your faults I've seen you be very kind. You make a habit of it in fact to go out of your way to help others even if you don't wish to.
That's... Well... I don't believe people can ever be completely good, or bad, but I lean more towards the bad in my opinion. Being nice just helps me live with myself. As for how I treated Savanna... Well, the key thing in a relationship is trust in my opinion, and I haven't done much for her to earn hers. Our record in writing together speaks volumes. I was constantly either abandoning our projects out of boredom, or going long periods of time without talking in which I nearly forgot she existed... She deserves something better.
And where might she get it? I know you hold a torch for Luna, but I doubt she is as open-minded.
That's totally different! I relate to Luna, that's all.
Oh you fool... Don't forget, I lived as Luna for a long time, shared her darkest emotions until I manifested as them. So let me tell you know that your self-loathing, and pity won't bring you any comfort. It will fester like an infected wound until the sickness completely consumes you.
This is rich coming from you of all places.
The irony is not lost on me, but just hear me out. Don't forget I not just feel your emotions, I experience them as well... You are a comforting presence for others, something for them to lean on. Whether this is coincidence, or some twist of fate I cannot say. But I cannot go through that cycle of hurt as we are cut off, closing ourselves from potential happiness to let the darkness grow.
What, are you saying I should try to date her? Because it's not happening. She's a valued friend, too values to risk losing to that same song, and dance as always. Or worse, having her stay because she feels she has no choice, that neither of us do.
Look Harley, we can dance this circle of thought time, and time again until you die of old age, but the fact will remain that nothing ventured is nothing gained. I can feel some measure of affection in you for her. As I said, time reveals all.
I sigh, and rub my face, "Ngh... Now I see why people with voices in their heads are called crazy. Trying to hold a conversation, or argue with them is what drives you insane..."
...
In the months that follow, living with Savanna is... certainly interesting.
She's sort of a clean freak, and tends lay in random places of the house.
Which can get awkward for me since while I'm all about tossing the garbage, and keeping up with dishes, I'm not exactly one for the smaller details.
But she is, she doesn't scream at me to pick up stuff, but does like to keep room neat. Like folding blankets or straightening pillows.
I've done my best to help her get situated. A quick trip to Quills and Sofas got her a decent sized bed at least, and Rarity was kind enough to donate some curtains as well as bedsheets as an apology for the part she played in Savanna's exposure.
Other than that, winter is pretty boring in this near-empty house. Plenty of wood for the fire so every few days we have s'mores after dinner. Sometimes we'll go play billiards with Lyra, and Bonbon which is always fun. Other times we're going over to Doc to put some ideas up on the drawing board.
But something was still...Off, about Savanna, she wasn’t smiling nearly as much, and was missing pun opportunities left and right. And her eyes are almost always down now.
I'm really hoping that taking part in Winter Wrap Up will help raise her spirits... But on the last night of our scheduled winter I decide I have to make a move.
Over a dinner of pasta salad I say, "Hey Savanna?"
"Yeah?" Is the quite reply, she didn't even look up from her dinner as she spins her fork in the noodles.
"You... Really haven't been yourself the last few months... Will you please talk to me about it?"
She sighs softly and sets her fork down. "It's nothing big Harley...It's nothing important."
"If it can bum you out for three months then I respectfully disagree," I reply. "Hey, when have I ever judged you? I mean, besides the time you were cleaning the inside of a windshield, and pressed the car horn with your boobs? In which case I judged you to be hilarious."
"It's not something you can help with Harley. I...I just really miss home...Dad, and all my animals..." By now there’s tears streaming down face as she tries to hide it. "It suddenly hit me that what if something bad happens to them and I'm not there to stop it?!"
...That had honestly never crossed my mind. I'd been so wrapped up in embracing my new life in Equestria, and nearly resenting my life on Earth that I hadn't considered she might miss hers. She had it pretty well for herself back there now that I think of it.
I set down my fork, and walk around the table to do the only thing I really can do... Give her a hug. Hardly ever have I felt so useless in all my life.
She stays still for a minute before she gently pushes me away. "T-thanks Harley...But, I-I just wanna be alone right now." She pushes her chair back and brushes past me to scurry to her room.
"Sav, wait," I call out, and pinch the bridge of my nose before following after her.
I hear the slam of her door shutting and locking, and then a thud as she slides down the wall to the floor, followed by quite sniffles.
I sigh, and rub my face. Then through the door I say, "Sav... Trust me, I know exactly what you're going through... And I know that on your own, alone in your head is the last place you should be... Please, you can trust me, right?"
I sit beside her door, and turn my head to face it, "...Did I ever tell you about my little sister?"
On the other side, Savanna raises her head from her knees.
"...No..."
"...Her name's Cheyenne, like the rodeo. She's four years younger than me, and ever since she was born we were always together. Same school, same house... We were two halves of the same person, my dad said we were thick as thieves..."
I tilt my head back to rest it on the wall behind me, "Then... Well... The past came back to haunt us with a vengeance. My mother's biological father was a sociopath who hurt his family in every way, and I'm not exaggerating. There was talk of him getting out of jail, and my mom... She... I never thought she was the best mom, but she loved us. She flew me up from Tennessee to Washington state to live with my dad's side of the family. Cheyenne was staying over at dad's for a bit so he drove her up about a week later..."
She listen carefully and also rest her head on the wall to let him know she's listening.
"It was fine at first, we were happy... Then we started living seperate lives. Started out with different schools, so our social lives were completely different... Heh, she was a social flower while I was the pariah of my school... A few years passed, and she decided to go back to Tennessee." I bow my head, and suck in a big breath, "I liked my life there, all things considered. I was coming up on 18 at the time so I realized it was time we started growing apart..."
I clench my fists as the memories float through my head, "Then there was trouble with the Law, and suddenly I wasn't allowed any contact with her. No calls, no skype, I couldn't even hear about anything that she was going through... I was so scared, I'm the big brother, what if she got hurt? Every day the image of her in a hospital someplace haunted me... Then two years later... This happens. I get sucked into a world of magical horses, and all I know about her is that she was planning to go into the Air Force at some point..."
I look back to the door, "I know your pain Sav. Your family, including your horses... I know how much it hurts... But I've been there, and if you close out those who want to help you then you'll become so hateful, and bitter you won't recognize yourself... Don't let that happen, please don't..."
On the other side of the door, I hear Savanna take a deep breath and slowly unlocks the door.
I smile, and get to my feet, "...May I come in?"
"Yeah..."
I hear her stand and dusting herself off as she opens the door.
I step through, and pull her into another hug. "You're not alone... Never again."
She hugs me tightly and thuds her head to my chest. "I can't thank you enough Harley...And to get it though your thick stubborn skull, you're not alone either."
I wince a bit, "...I... I know..." In the back of my head a little voice, not Nightmare, is screaming at me to back off, and not put her through my drama. But another side of me is telling me to stay put, because she needs me for better or worse right now.
I do what I usually do in a tense situation... Change the subject, or lighten the mood.
"Especially with Winter Wrap Up tomorrow," I reply. "We should get to bed, it'll be a long, frustrating day... Can you skate by chance?"
"Yeah, of course." She responds and pulls back away from from me.
I smile, "Then I think I know how you can help out tomorrow."
"How?"
"Oh you'll see..."
...
The next day as the sun rises I head out with Savanna. I'm putting the tan vest Rarity made for me over my jacket to show I'll be working with the animal team. Our first step is to meet up with the fashionista so I can explain my plan to her.
Lucky me, Rarity believes in being prepared or I would have looked like an idiot. She ducks into her boutique for a few seconds, coming out with a blue vest, and a pair of ice skates made for humans instead of ponies. I can only guess she made them from examining our shoes.
"...I'm guessing those are for me?" Savanna asks with a rasied brow
I nod, "I'm going to be helping Rarity make the bird's nests for when the pegasai bringing back the birds from the south. You'll be helping Pinkie skate fault lines into the ice for the lakes of Ponyville to melt into chunks so they melt faster. We'll both be pretty busy until this is over." I shrug, "Unless you wanna help AJ plough the fields, or Fluttershy wake up the hibernating animals."
She perks. "I'm torn, I haven't staked a awhile...But I like Fluttershy..."
I chuckle, "Yeah... Okay, either way you'll get a good laugh... You're not afraid of any animals are you?"
"Nope!"
"Okay then, because Fluttershy will be waking every sort of animal." I pull out my phone, find the right episode, and show Savanna the scene where Twilight wakes up snakes, backpedals into a cave of bats, slams into a tree that drops a beehive on her head, then dashes blindly into a den of skunks. "So be careful..."
" Joy..."
"You can still opt to help Pinkie," I say.
"Nah!"
Rarity takes the stuff back, and comes out with a tan vest for Savanna. "Well then dear, I wish you the best of luck! See you both at the town meeting!"
As Rarity trots off I put my phone away. "This is a pretty big deal. Hell, the entire Canterlot chapter of the Watchers is coming to lend a hoof... And possibly search for the Manifest at the same time."
"Great...Uh, btw, what should I be looking for again?" Sav raises an eyebrow at me.
"Well, green magic for one, and anypony with glowing green eyes," I reply. "It'll be a really light green too."
"Alrighty then." She nods and slides the vest on.
We head for town hall where Mayor Mare gives a short inspirational speech, and then she dismisses us to get on with our work.
"I wonder if they'll do it," I mutter, looking around.
Savanna's head is suddenly right beside mine. "Do what?"
I take a step away for the sake of personal space, and grim. "Just the catchiest musical number in Season 1."
"Oh my god..." Savanna groans, "Musical number? It's not one that's gonna get stunk in my head is it?"
I chuckle, "Probably just the chorus..."
...Sadly, the chorus was all that we get to hear. Turns out it was one of those musical numbers that the ponies aren't aware of. I forget what Silver Quill called that, go watch his review of "Filli Vanilli" for details. Still, that doesn't keep me from singing it as I walk with Savanna after Fluttershy to make sure she's set properly.
"~Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap Up! Let's finish our holiday cheer, Winter Wrap Up! Because tomorrow Spring is here, cuz tomorrow spring is here~!"
Savanna is just hanging her head next to me, shaking her head with a smile.
"What? If you had actually watched the show you'd be signing right along with me. Just be glad I'm not following Animated James' lyrics."
She shrugs, “Why watch it now if I'm living it?"
"True, spoilers," I nod, and look down as Flutrershy walks over with a basket in her mouth. In the basket is a collection of bells with wooden handles.
Savanna tilts her head at the basket, I'm thinking she remembers what they're for, but I'm not sure.
"Hello Fluttershy."
Fluttershy sets down the basket so she can speak. "Hello Savanna! Rarity told me you want to help me wake up the animals. Thank you ever so much, there's just so many dens to visit."
In a motion that perplexes even me she uses her wing to reach into he basket, curl some of her larger feathers around the handle of a bell like fingers, and offer it up to my human comrade. "Just remember to be polite, and patient with them. They've probably been having the sweetest dreams so they might not be completely ready to wake up yet."
She nods, with probably the biggest smile I've seen with her yet. "Understood."
I decide to stick around a bit longer to see how Savanna handles the job. Meanwhile Fluttershy softly rings her bell, and coaxes out a family of chipmunks from their hole in the ground.
Meanwhile Savanna does the same with a den of squirrels, ringing her bell and cooing them out.
"Come little guys, time to rise and shine..."
Looks like she will be fine here.
Yeah... And Fluttershy's here just in case.
I smile as I watch them wake a few more dens, and I can't help but chuckle when Sav wakes a den of hedgehogs. We met over Sonic fanfiction after all.
Savanna squeals quietly when the little hedgies waddle out, yawning cutely as they look around. "Awe!"
I decide to leave her to it then, and wave goodbye before headed to Carousel Boutique. Rarity is just finishing getting our supplies together when I pull up a box to sit on for our job. Rarity takes about fifteen minutes to show me how to build the nest, and I can't help but admire her dedication to this no-magic tradition. This Snow White unicorn who fusses over contact with dirt unless it's imported is using her mouth, and hooves to make homes for birds out of hay, twigs, and ribbons.
My first attempt isn't as smooth, and sleek as hers. It has a few twigs sticking out at odd places, but thankfully not on the inside. Rarity takes a minute to show me a clever little trick for twisting the materials into a perfect circle.
"You're doing this quite well," Rarity approves. "I suppose hands, and fingers are better for crafting than hooves..."
"Probably not by much," I reply with a smile. "My dad's a contractor, his oldest brother works sheet-metal, and another one of my uncles is a master of welding as well as Blacksmithing. Craftsmanship just runs in my blood, though woodworking is my favorite. Once I build a wooden race car back in middle-school propelled by a burst of CO2, and it was so fast that when released you'd miss it hit the finish line if you blinked. Fastest in the class, and the track was about... A hundred paces, or so."
Rarity looks impressed, "Really? Well then, it's a shame you're not a pony. I'm curious what your creative nature would have given you for a Cutie Mark."
"Me too," I chuckle. "You know... You've been the best of friends since I got here Rarity. Everypony is swell, but here... Well, remember when Gilda came to town?"
"How could I forget? As I recall you were upset to learn ponies had developed firearms, and felt somewhat betrayed."
"Yeah... But a cup of tea, an exchange of words, you had me back in the right mind again... Thanks for being such a dear friend."
Rarity wraps a hoof around my middle in a one-limbed hug. "Think nothing of it darling. I'm just glad I could be there for you."
"Hey Har-...Oh..." Savanna walks up to us with a rasied brow. "I'm not intruding on anything am?"
I frown at her, "No, of course not." Rarity meanwhile coughs awkwardly into a hoof.
"Okay...Well anyway, Fluttershy wanted to know how the nests where coming along." She says and kicks a rock awkwardly.
"Well we got... Two," I reply. “But the day's young, we'll probably have several hundred before the day is out." While Rarity isn't looking I give Savanna a wink, and a subtle shake of the head before looking around.
She straightens her lips and nods. "Alright. We'll good luck you two!"
I notice Twilight approaching from behind her with Spike, and hold up a finger to Savanna. "Twilight!"
Savnna blinks at the finger crosssed eyed then looks at me. "Uh...Am I forgetting to do something?"
I put a hand on her shoulder, and whisper in her ear, "Just a fun little scene of Twilight Tomfoolery..."
"Oh..."
It's the same shtick as the episode, Twilight trying to find something to do to help with Winter Wrap Up, and so Rarity offers to help teach her to make nests. Though I guess Twilight's a bit too eager to help as she jumps right into it once she has her materials. And once she's finished...
It resembles the excrement of a cow... Or the cud...
"Wow, that looks awf- I mean great!" Savanna says with a forced smile and thumbs up. "Uh...I uh- fuck!" She then just resorts to clamping her hand over her mouth.
I chuckle, but Spike has no problem voicing his thoughts openly on the nest. That the nest needs to be condemned, or would best serve the avian populace as an outhouse
That makes Savanna snort a laugh around her hand. "Oh my god, I think him and I are gonna be great friends."
"He'll need a friend," I mutter to her. "He's not very popular in the fandom..."
"Why?"
"Well... He's not written very consistently. Some days he's a jerk that just laughs at their antics, other times he lives up to being Twilight's #1 assistant..."
"Ah. Well, that's good to know. Sounds like my kinda person- er, whatever he is..."
"Dragon," I reply. "A baby dragon."
"Yeah, that." She says and straightens her lips out.
We watch Rarity fuss over the nest, methodically trying to fix the travesty, which I already know is beyond saving. Looking downtrodden Twilight starts walking off to find some other way to help out.
To be honest I'm torn. Sighing I tell Savanna in a low tone, "My work ethic is telling me to stay, and pick up the slack I know is coming, since Rarity will spend most of today trying to fix the one nest because of her perfectionist attitude. On the other I really want to see Twilight up to the antics from the episode... I mean, we both know that later everything will be put back on track, but I don't know if I should go..."
She grins and grips my wrist. "Alright then, I'll choose for you then. Let's go!"
"What the-?! Hey..." Still, my feet seem to agree with her because before I know it I'm walking away with her.
...
Twilight is headed towards the lakes it seems, where Pinkie is merrily skating on the ice, and calls out to us when she sees us.
"As soon as Twilight gets her skates on, we better give that lake some distance," I mutter to Savanna, and chuckle.
"Probably be smart. rather not get stuck in a big snowball."
"That's not till the farm," I reply. "But same basic idea."
"Shhhh, just let it happen." she whispers back and bumps into me.
"...That didn't even make sense to me...I'm just gonna shut up now."
I raise an eyebrow at her, and chuckle. Sometimes that which confuses me just amuses me. And the amusement is doubled with another dose of Twilight Tomfoolery that ends with Twilight, Pinkie, and Spike crashing into the shape of a snowman. Don't ask me how they managed that, every Brony, and Pegasister knows whenever Pinkie Pie is involved physics takes a coffee break.
"Ya know, I don't know why people insist that ice staking is hard. Like, it's SO much easier then roller skating."
"I bet," I mutter. "Especially with four legs, right?"
"Yeah! Jeeze, and people say I have no balance..."
I shrug, "Oh well... Oh, there she goes..."
Savanna snorts a laugh. "There she ggooessss!~ There she goes again!~"
A Vine of a woman getting dragged by a dog by the leash plays through my head, and I chuckle as we move to follow Twilight again.
" So many memes where made from that..." Savanna says and wipes a fake tear away.
...
Finally the time comes when Twilight reaches Aj's Apple farm.
The scene with Fluttershy's team had been enlightening... That much slapstick isn't as funny when it's in person, and happening to your friend. And Sav seemed to agree with that.
This scene though I'm perfectly willing to just watch from afar with binoculars, sharing with Sav.
Speaking of which, she hands them back to me.
"Dude, she's getting roasted."
I raise an eyebrow as I look down on the scene. "Roasted?"
She sighs dramatically and hangs her head. "You have so much to learn..."
"Oh then please, share your infinite wisdom..." I roll my eyes as I lower the binoculars.
She snorts and points at me with a laigh. "Why? You're the one who has the glasses."
I roll my eyes, and shove the binoculars to her chest. "Smartass..."
"Nah, quite literally, you have the glasses." She ponits at my face again while trying to hold back her laughing. "Just look at yourself."
It takes me a few seconds, but I finally catch on. I dab my face around the eyes, and look at my finger, expecting to see ink.
And I do...As Well a glitter mixed in with it.
By this point, Savanna is humched over laughs her ass off and gasping for air.
"Oh my god! Your face was priceless!"
I narrow my eyes at her, then lunge. We tumble through the snow, and I press my hand to the back of her head to press her face into the snow. "Who's laughing now, huh?"
She's still laughing, and from around to snow yells, "Me! I'm laughing you dildo!"
She then bucks me off and grabs a snowball, dunking it at my chest.
I growl, and grab a handful of the stuff, dunking it down the front of her shirt in retaliation without even thinking.
She squeals loudly amd jumps back while trying to get it out. "Motherfucker! That was a dick move!"
I laugh, only feeling a little bad about it... Honestly her squeal was kinda cute.
She grumbles at me and spins around, pulling at her shirt and coat to get the snow that hasn't melted yet out.
I stand, and wipe my eyes of joyful tears, "Right... Anyways, to buisness... Twilight is going to be sulking in a bush near town hall until she figures out how to get her rear in gear. Think it's time to head back to our teams?"
" I guess so." She shrugs and then shivers heavily. "GAH!"
I jump, "What?! What?!" I look around, expecting danger.
"I'm flippin cold now." She deadpans
"Oh," I blink. I'd forgotten she's gonna be working outside. "Right... Um, how about you come chill at the boutique?"
"If I chill anymore i'm gonna die." She exaggerates, “Cuz someone had to put snow down my coat."
"It was a reflex," I say exasperated.
And a "dick move".
"Shut up," I groan out loud.
Savanna blinks at me with a bitch face. "I didn't say anything."
Shit!
I've warned you about that...
Savanna eyes me suspiciously. "You're going crazy on me aren't you? Don't listen to the voices Harley!"
I smirk, and shake my head as I feel Nightmare grow cautious.
Is... Is she actually on to us?
I used to talk about being insane back in the human world... Firmly believe it too.
Well I can testify your case if you wish.
...Was that a joke?
It was an attempt.
Wasn't bad actually.
"Still, I'm going to start calling you Harley Quin if you do." Savanna says seriously with a rasied brow.
"Don't you fucking dare," I reply in an even more serious tone.
"Or what?" She challenges
I call on my magic to start levitating an army of snowballs to my sides.
She smirks and crosses her arms as she leans on one foot. "Oooooo! Scary!"
"You really wanna test me?" I smirk, "Cuz I'll do!"
Will you really?
Oh fuck the hell yes.
She bumps her chest with her fists and throws her hands out. "Come at me bro!"
And so I do. With a flick of my fingers dozens of snowballs fly at her at a rapid pace, as if she were attacked by an entire school of hyper elementary schoolers on the perfect snow day.
She throws up her arms, activating her light shield.
...You forgot the shield?
I forgot the shield.
So I smirk, and rather than attack her head on I decide to have them fly around the shield to aim at odd angles around her. I settle for having them hover in the air all around her, and then have whichever ones aren't facing her shield come at her.
"...I hate you..." She grumps and lowers her sheild.
I stop the snowballs mercifully, and then use my speed to get her to the boutique for some hot chocolate. A glance out the window show Rarity still obsessed with Twilight's cow-pie of a nest.
Savanna snatches it away from me and sassily takes a sip.
Is she genuinely upset?
Maybe a little? Nothing I can't fix though.
"Rarity doesn't have a drier last I checked," I inform Savanna. "But I can go heat up the oven, leave the door open a crack with your clothes on a coat rack or something. That way they dry while you get a shower in... Tub would probably be pretty small.”
Is this a ploy to get her naked?
Shut up!
"Yeah, okay. Sounds good."
I turn on the oven, and get a coat rack as promised. "I think Rarity's bathroom is upstairs."
Savanna trots up the stairs and peels off her wet hoodie.
"There should be a basket around, just toss your stuff in there," I call up after her.
Why not collect them now?
Humans are sensitive about nudity, especially around one another.
Your point?
Don't you dare start the shipping bullshit again.
"Noted! Thanks!...I think!" She calls.
"Oh and btw, this wasn't just a plot to get me naked was it?" She laughs, and slams the door shut.
I growl as I stomp up the stairs to collect the basket. "Alright missy, I openly admitted to being a pervert back on Earth, and I would the second anyone asks. But rule of thumb, when someone is trying to be nice don't hassle them for it."
That goes for you too.
I know, but living in your mind I'm understandably bored. Plus you tease others from time to time so...
Right, pot, kettle, yadda yadda yadda...
On the other side of the door, Savanna pauses, and then starts snickering.
That is before she gather her composer and cracks the door open to pop her head out.
"Fine. Thank you Harley." She says sincerely, and kisses the tip pf my nose before ducking back into the room.
I step back, and blink a few times.
...Well... That happened...
I carry her clothes down to the coat rack, and start hanging them up.
Pretty soon the sound of running water reaches my ears, and I sit and wait for her to be done.
So what's your plan for the rest of this... Episode?
There is no plan. It's just a slice of life episode with world-building.
But the Manifest...
Is not going to just walk in the front door with a big neon sign over its head. We'll stay vigilant, and with all the Watchers in town we have a better chance of finding it.
True, but we haven't done much to locate it.
I'm open to ideas, magic isn't exactly my strongest field of expertise.
Then it is fortunate you have several experts on call, myself included. Particularly now with Zecora recruited perhaps we can create some sort of sensor.
"...That is genius," I mutter. "Wish I'd thought of it."
I hear the boutique bell chime, and stand to go have a look. Sweetie Belle walks in, calling out, "Rarity? Where did you leave my blue beanie?"
I smile at Rarity's little sister, arguably the cutest thing in this show in my opinion. "Hey Sweetie Belle, what's new?"
"Oh, hey Harley!" She trots over to hug me around the leg. "Nothing really, just this beanie is a bit tight..."
"Gotcha," I say before I start looking around. It takes a while, but we find it. Sweetie takes it in her magic, and swaps them on her head before giving me another hug. Then she heads out the door in a gallop to go help with the wrapping up of winter again.
As I head to the kitchen to make myself some cocoa my smile fades into a thoughtful frown.
Is something the matter?
"Something... Doesn't feel right to me... Maybe it's just me." I shrug slightly as I take a sip of my cocoa.
I glance out the window at Rarity, and sigh. "Poor thing... Remind me to get her some ice cream before this is over."
What flavor does she prefer?
"I... Honestly forget..." I look back towards the stairs, "Savanna, you almost done?!"
"Yeah! ...Just having trouble getting this damn conditioner out!"
Perhaps you should go help-
"Dammit, will you give it a rest," I growl through my teeth. Then I close my eyes as I take a minute to think, and calm my nerves... Nobody likes it when I get angry. Up to Savanna I call, "Well we are in a bit of a hurry... Is there anything from Doc's place I can grab for you in way of clean clothes?"
"Uh...Psh...Yeah, in the garage, they're my work clothes...But stylish!" She responds
"Like I'd expect less of something Rarity made," I call back, and slip off my ring. About a second later to her anyways I'm there with her new clothes.
"...Actually...Uh, I may have stole one of your shirts..."
I frown, "What? But when did I start storing my clothes here...?"
"Huh? No, I took it awhile ago."
"...And how is that relevant to now?"
"...Just thought I'd let you know..."
I shake my head in amusement, "Dammit Sav..."
...
The rest of the day goes about like you would expect. Twilight gets her act together by helping organize the cleanup. Even Spike pitches in to help. We end up working late into the night, and rise bright, and early to finish... I might have cheated with magic when it came to sleeping. I mean hey, if you can take an eight to ten hour sleep in eight to ten seconds instead of just getting two hours of sleep, wouldn't you take it?
But that aside things go smoothly. I'm still not ashamed to admit that any equine is way stronger than me, even these little ponies, but I do my best to manage with what I can do. Being about twice as high as anypony helps when the time came to pass nests up to the pegasai. Speaking of which, I knew it had been coming, but hearing the Derpy flew north instead of south to get the birds make me chuckle.
With Twilight's little set up to wake all the animals at once with a series of bells tied to a rope, Savanna had been free to help out with Pinkie's team to score the ice into smaller chunks that melt quicker. Really I'm glad she got the chance to socialize with the residents of Ponyville, and remind herself that life here is wonderful. A thought that pleases me to no end once Pinyville is the sunlit setting we all know, and love... In record time too according to Mayor Mare.
"Record time? And how long have they been doing this?" Savanna whispers to me, then pauses and whips off her coat.
"HOLY- look how pale I am!"
I snicker, and pat her shoulder, "I'll get some sunning chairs for the pool back home."
"Nah. I'll be dumb and work outside and get so fried that I won't burn for the rest of the year."
I roll my eyes, "Whatever you say..."
There goes your chance for a swimsuit-
Seriously, shut it!
"Oh, btw, me and Doc are gonna move the TMC to our house, so I can finish it up."
"Got it," I nod, and glance past her to where Spike is snoozing on the last block of ice out in the middle of a nearby lake. "Hm... Should we help him?"
"Nah, let him get iced HA!"
"Aye-yai-yai..." I facepalm with a sigh. "We have got to get you pun lessons. Remind me to schedule a lesson with Pinkie for you."
" No. I'm the pun queen. She’s the one who needs lessons." She grumps and crosses her arms.
I shake my head softly, and then I feel Nightmare Moon suddenly become weary.
What is it?
Harley... You may want to call a meeting of the Watchers.
Okay... Why?
Because I think we found the Manifest.