//------------------------------// // Wires // Story: Yearbook January // by Regidar //------------------------------// Wires Fluttershy peeled back the blue covers of her sleeping place. It was almost a shame to ruin the perfectly made bed, but she had to go to sleep somewhere, and she wanted to make sure it was as comfortable of a place as possible, even if that meant messing it up a little bit. The entire room was swathed in a warm glow from the fire, and the air was toasty warm. The pegasus snuggled under the covers, smiling slightly as she did so. The dinner had been lovely, and she even had leftovers waiting for later consumption; Fluttershy was drowsy and full; It was almost as though she were back in her own bed, curled up in blankets, waiting to drift peacefully off to sleep. “Goodnight, Angel,” Fluttershy whispered, before her eyes opened slowly and she realized where she was. Perhaps it was a bit too much like home. Fluttershy sighed, and let her head sink into the large pillows she was resting in. They were like clouds, except less wet, and they felt oh so amazing... Her drowsiness was catching up with her, but she still turned to look over at the kitchen, and through the giant window there. What she saw was stunning. The night view of the valley was gorgeous. She was close enough so that she could almost reach out over the stove and touch the glass. The cold sunlight that reflected off the moon shone down over her face, and she sighed dreamily at the beauty that filled up her gaze. The little stars in the sky made a blanket over the crisp clean Arctica landscape. Constellations Fluttershy had never known existed glittered down at her, and she could see the great splash of celestial bodies that made up the Platinum Sash, a heavenly conglomerate named for Princess Platinum. From the south, one could hardly see it, even out in Ponyville, and from the cities it was nearly impossible to view this beautiful sight. Now it was here, fully visible, and Fluttershy was not going to waste the opportunity. Quickly fleeing from her bedside, she shot to the door, and placed a hoof on the handle. “I really should put my parka on...” Fluttershy mumbled to herself, looking at her neatly folded parka at the foot of her bed, and then at the window, where the moonlight continued to shine down on the stove and the covers. Pushing the door open, Fluttershy shivered through the sudden cold contrast from the outside. Walking past the door, the pegasus cringed as the snow pressed against her hooves, but she trudged on. Taking her wings up, she flew out into the night air, looking around the moonlit landscape. It was breathtaking, fluttering in the cold air as the world was laid out in shadows and moonlight before her. Fluttershy looked around the valley and snow-dappled hills that she had viewed earlier in the sunlight, and under the cold moonlight, they looked ever more majestic then they had before. They were soft crystal mounds that trailed down to a dark, almost black sea, which a bright beam from the moon left a gorgeous shining streak down the center of. The pegasus let out a small gasp, her eyes growing wide in the stunning brilliance that was the entirety of the place before her. Never before had she seen a landscape quite like this. There were many beautiful things that had been witnessed by her one time or another—the birth of a newborn animal, the view from the top Canterlot that overlooked the entirety of Equestria, the smile and laughter of her friends—and this was a beauty that she had never quite witnessed. There was a stillness that filled up the entire land here, and brilliance that she just couldn’t shake at all; not that she wanted to, of course, but it was nearly overwhelming. A tear escaped from the left eye of Fluttershy, who blinked hard. She felt a swelling sensation in her chest as her face broke out into a smile, and despite being out at night in the middle of Arctica, she felt so very warm. Basking in the ethereal light of the moon, she closed her eyes, and inhaled. Fragrances beyond the fresh snow and the light smell of smoke from the chimney of her little cottage filled up her muzzle: the pine trees from the forest behind her exuded a strong scent, the barely descendable smell of old wood, petrified by long exposure to ice, from her cottage porch, and even the smell of the air itself—so cold that the temperature was actually translating into an odor. Opening her eyes again, she cast a gaze down at the snow plain where she had seen the penguins from before. There were still there, a group of around thirty, and they were waddling about, flinging snow at each other with their small flippers, or rolling around on the powdery ground. Fluttershy smiled softly as they frolicked there, leaving little marks in the snow wherever they went. All at once a few broke away, and tumbled together into a little patch of the bright moonlight. Holding her breath, Fluttershy watched in silent anticipation as their waddling began to become ever-so-slightly more graceful, spinning in circles and pressing their flippers together and they gyrated around. They were dancing. A little squeak came from Fluttershy, who’s grin widened at seeing this sight. The penguins continued to make their movements, and Fluttershy watched with growing pleasure; it was absolutely brilliant, and there was a grace that Fluttershy had not previously seen shown by the penguins. She continued to observe them, the little polar birds flopping and twirling in the moonlit snow. One of them did an odd sort of summersault, and was caught by two others, who linked flippers and ricochet him off into the snow before the little penguin. Fluttershy laughed despite herself; it was outstanding, the whole display, and she felt honored that she was able to experience it first hoof. The pegasus shivered from a mix of how overtaken she was by the whole scene and because the realization of how cold it actually was had finally crept up on her. Fluttershy tore herself away from the scene, and glided down towards her porch. Landing softly, she trotted briskly across her cottage patio and pulled the door open with her mouth, wincing as the cold knob hurt her teeth and curdled her tongue. Throwing the door open, she slid inside, and in another instant had it closed again. Flapping her wings as she advanced towards the fireplace, little bits of snow and ice crystals that had formed while she was outside melted or fell to the floor. Eyeing the wood pile by the fireplace, which was considerably smaller than it had been the previous day, Fluttershy gripped a few sticks in her mouth and added them to the fire. Repeating this a few times, she smiled as the flames flared up, growing higher and higher as they consumed the wood. Soon, the entire cabin was awash in orange light and full of a heavy, warm air. “Ah...” Fluttershy sighed as she felt the heat wash over her, thawing her frozen fur and frosted feathers. Stretching her wings to keep the circulation running, and totted her hooves absently. Blinking hard, she felt the full effect of her fatigue hit her with the force of a freight train. It had been a long day... Creeping back to bed, Fluttershy wormed her way under the covers, sighing once more in contentment, the perfect amount of warmth from the fire being kept close to her by the soft comforters. “I think that’ll be the last time I leave without my parka on...” she whispered drowsily as sleep overtook her. *** Blinking the sleep from her eyes, Fluttershy rolled over in the toasty warm bed, her mane flopped lazily over her eyes. Pressing her forehooves behind her, she sat up, looking around the cottage. Light spilled in through the window, but this was warm sun light as opposed the cold moonlight that had been cast through last night. The fire was crackling the last bit of burnt twigs, the embers still giving off enough heat to keep her moderately warm. Fluttershy rolled out of bed, yawning widely as she did so. She carefully placed her hooves all on the floor at once, yelping slightly as she fell those few inches to land neatly and softly on the ground. Shaking her head, the pink mane that adorned it floated gently back into place, and she smiled. There was much to be done today. January 25th, Morning, My first day here has been wonderful! Last night I neglected to write down an entry, and it was a beautiful night that should have been recorded when I had the chance. I think I was a bit overwhelmed by the whole day, honestly. The wildlife here is gorgeous—hopefully I’ll be able to introduce some of the new specimens I have with me very soon. The penguins are some of the cutest animals I’ve ever seen, and very friendly! I’m honestly having a good feel about this beautiful northern land. The reindeer are just like the deer back in Equestria—cryptic and reserved. I don’t mind this at all, though! They’ve been helpful nonetheless, and I have no doubt that they’ll continue to do so. Whipping herself up a quick breakfast of leftovers from the night before, Fluttershy trotted back to her bedside, and rummaged around for a moment before donning her parka. The slightly heavy hood still irritated her ever-so-slightly, but she was able to get over it rather easily when she remembered what had to be done. “I’ve got a job here, after all,” Fluttershy mumbled to herself, frowning slightly as her brow furrowed. “Oh, I do hope he keeps his promise and shows up, though...” Fluttershy banished the thoughts of the him not showing up, and trotted towards the door. Pressing it open, she quickly trotted onto her patio, and took a deep breath of the crisp Arctica morning air. A light dusting of snow had fallen the previous day, covering up the tracks from the night before. Fluttershy gazed out over the low valley that extended out to the plane of ice that comprised the half-moon bay. Fluttershy took to the air, and soared down, following the winds that were funneled into the valley, intent on reaching the ocean. As she flew, she thought back to the doe’s words from the night before. “Who is this ‘Other’?” she muttered to herself as the snow began to be punctuated by rocky outcroppings that marked the beginning of the shoreline. The ground leveled out, and Fluttershy knew that these were sheets of ice. “Well, regardless, I mustn’t forget why I’m here…” Fluttershy gently alighted the snow-covered ice, testing the strength of the ground beneath her. When not a single sound beyond her breaking the snow reached her ears, she smiled, and took a look to the east. “Just relax… you’re here to relax.” Fluttershy’s gaze fell on part of the ice that broke to the ocean, forming the crescent of bay. A modest group of penguins hung around the edge of the ice, diving in and out of the ocean. Her lips turned upward in a smile, and she trotted towards the group of little birds. “They must be feeding! I’ve heard about it, but I’ve seen them do it up close… they dive in, and they scoop a fish in their beaks, and then charge back out!” Fluttershy said to herself. “Oh, it’ll be wonderful to see it first hoof…” Fluttershy landed a few feet away from the penguins, the water rippling from the birds entering and exiting the ocean. She slowly advanced towards them, careful not to step too close to the edge. The penguins payed no notice to her, instead continuing to jump to and from the ocean. Fluttershy's brow furrowed as she watched the penguins. “That’s odd…” The pegasus crouched down, looking at the group of penguins, then at the rippling water, and then back at the penguins. “Where are the fish?” she asked to no one. The penguins did not answer this, as expected, and continued to jump in and out. Fluttershy looked around nervously. What could be causing the penguins to be doing this? As if to answer her, the penguins stopped, the final one hopping up onto the ice. A harsh wind billowed down from the valley and the hills behind them, and if Fluttershy had bothered to glance upward, she would have seen huge, dense clouds rolling in. Her gaze, however, was transfixed on the shadow rising up from the ocean underneath her. It broke the surface of the water with a thunderous splash, waves rolling over the ice. Fluttershy jumped back, and the penguins remained steadfast in their positions. Her gaze followed the long, yellow horn that jutted up from the ocean, down to the off-white body that it was connected to… “A narwhal?” Fluttershy gasped. “B-But… you’re supposed to be legends! Unicorns of the sea, and…” She slowly crept closer to the edge of the ice, the sea beast giving her a glance with its brown eye. Before Fluttershy could get too close, she heard a loud, metallic snapping noise. The penguins all spun to face the direction of the noise, but the narwhal simply rested its horn against the side of the ice. Fluttershy, heart pounding, took one last look at the narwhal before following the gaze of the penguins. Snow had begun to fall, dropping from the heavy clouds, the winds blowing the snow flakes about her and her line of vision. She could, however, just barely make out the long, thin image of some sort of creature… crouching? It was next to a long, thin pole of sorts, but the snow was obscuring it. The wind blew to the side momentarily, and Fluttershy’s eyes widened. She could not see the figure clearly, but the long, slender pole was no discernible to her. It was almost fashioned like a… camera, of sorts. That wasn’t what caught her attention. There were long wires attached to the device, all threading in different directions. They were glowing, but very faintly, and the snow soon got so heavy that Fluttershy could no longer see them. The figure was now gone, and the penguins were all diving into the ocean. Fluttershy stood there, the snow gathering higher and higher around her. “Other…” she whispered, her voice getting lost in the wind.