//------------------------------//
// Chapter 36 
// Story: Raindrops' Wrap Up 
// by Arkensaw Pinkerton 
//------------------------------//

Well, they've got to de-ice the fountain first. Maybe after that's done- assuming it doesn't take the entire day- you can find some other poor sap to help you out with them.

"Line up, troops!" you shout. You know you're not great with foals, and you tend to just copy your old Flight Instructor's habits. Cloudburst was a cantankerous old brick of a pegasus, but you always knew where you stood with him, and you appreciated that.

The lanky little pegasus colt is the first one to listen to you, untangling his legs and scampering to a position directly in front of you before snapping off a pretty good military salute. 

"Private Featherweight reporting for duty, ma'am!" Well, that's adorable. He's got a little gap in his front teeth and he seems really eager to please. You breathe a small sigh of relief- this all gets so much easier when they're actually on your side. 

Copying Featherweight, the other colts and fillies fall in line with more or less enthusiasm, and after stopping a scuffle between Snips and Snails about how to salute properly and splitting Diamond Tiara and her little friend up to get them to stop gossiping about something, you've actually got some semblance of order.

"Okay, troops, we've got one job we absolutely have to do- we need to de-ice the fountain. That's our responsibility. So we're going to start with that-"

"Aw, come on!"

"We always end up getting stuck on de-icing the stupid fountain!"

"It's just the same job every year!"

"AND THEN, after we've finished that, we're going to go and join one of the other teams. I've got some great ideas to fill out the rest of the day," you lie, "but if we don't get that fountain done lickety-split then there won't be time. Now, who brought skates with them?"

Dinky, Featherweight, Diamond Tiara and her friend all stick their hooves up, and the rest of them all look incredibly disappointed. You've got to think of- hmm. That might work.

"Alright, if you've got skates, strap up and start scoring the fountain. I'll supervise that. Everypony else? There's a lot of snow in this courtyard, and by the time we've finished the fountain I want almost all of it in the form of snow forts and snowballs. We've got one good snowball fight left before next winter and I want it perfect!"

Ten minutes later, it's going pretty well. Without too many fillies and colts, the fountain isn't too crowded and the four you're looking after are actually getting some good skating in. Diamond Tiara's probably the best, but you get the feeling her sidekick is holding back a little. Featherweight's a little wobbly, but Dinky- like every year- is kind of awful. Featherweight's trying to help but she's getting upset and you just know Princess Snark over there's about to give her a hard time.

Meanwhile, the snowball making and snow fort making is going alright. In about five minutes, you'll be done with the fountain, and there are four seperate snow forts on the go, each with their own little pile of snowballs. It looks good, even if Snips and Snails are having an urgent-looking conversation in the nearest fort. 

Rolling your eyes, you turn back to the fountain and a moment later a snowball smacks you in the back of the head. You spin round, but now there's nopony visible. 

Ugh! Foals!

Please put requests for Raindrops' actions in the comments below!

There's a few ways you could have gotten here.
To go back a step, Click here for Chapter 16.
 Or Click here for Chapter 24.
 Or Click here for Chapter 30.
 Or Click here for Chapter 34.