Cold

by McDronePone

Prologue

Prologue

A flake of snow wavered its way through the company of its brethren and landed against the transparent surface of a window pane. It made company with the frost that had etched itself onto the clear surface, forming at the edges and slowly amassing toward the center. The biting cold was pounding against window, making an attempt to breach the glass and seep into the area inside, pushing out the warmth that already lingered inside.

Fortunately, for the tall building the window was built into, the insulation served as one of the many protective barriers to keep the intruding presence from getting in, although there were some cracks and nooks that the cold managed to slip through. Still, it was hard for the warmth to be pushed out of its territory, making the building a safe haven from the weather outside that would bite at any surface it could cling onto.

At the base of the building a set of double doors had open, allowing the cold to swarm around a mare exiting the building. She gave a slight shiver but quickly dismissed it as she tightened the scarf she wore. She allowed the other winter wear that she was currently wearing to protect her from the weather as she continued onto the busy sidewalk. Winter in Manehatten was not at a temperature that was any different than the amount of cold any other cities had, but the constant flow and liveliness of the city had ponies out longer—and as a result, colder. Still, ponies managed to endure the freezing weather if just to make sure their daily business was attended to.

A unicorn stallion,who was amongst a crowd trotting down a sidewalk, was heading for his place of business. He had an aversion for the cold and only wished that the winds helping speed it along would die down, if just for a few brief moments to allow him a moment of peace. He winced as the wind blew another good chunk of it at him, his face being the part of his body that he wished the cold did not affect so much. If only biology would cooperate with that wish. Thankfully a street vendor was coming into view which would most likely be serving some hot cocoa during this time of year.

He stepped up to it, the assortment of other products—such as newspapers, snacks, and the like—being visibly on display, as well as their prices. The vendor had been reading a newspaper, holding it in his green aura of magic. He only set it down once the unicorn giving a short cough signaled that he had a customer. The paper was set down on the counter, revealing a set of peering blue eyes, void of pupils, staring back at him. The changeling manning the vendor looked at the stallion and then smiled, asking the unicorn for what he wanted. The stallion in return asked for a cup of hot cocoa and a newspaper, now interested in seeing how the weather was going to pan out. The changeling nodded, using his magic to levitate an empty cup from below the counter and taking it to a small machine behind him. As he did this, the unicorn lifted the number of bits needed for the products from his saddle bag and placed them on the counter, taking one of the newspapers from the rack it was on. The changeling returned with the cup, the fluctuating vapors rising from it indicated how hot the liquid inside was. The stallion gave the changeling a smile, taking the cup into his own field of magic as the changeling counted the bits and put them into the register.

The stallion opened the paper and looked to the weather section. He gave a tired sigh as he saw what he had feared. A cold front was scheduled for tomorrow, bringing more of the frightful weather into the city. He took a sip of the cocoa, hoping for the warm liquid to mend his dampened mood as it warmed what it could in his body. The changeling noticed the weary emotions the unicorn emitted and looked to him with concern. The unicorn took note of the concern on his face, but gave him a reassuring smile, though he knew that he couldn’t hide his true feelings from the creature. Still, the changeling smiled back, offering his visual sympathy. They both went back to their routines soon after.

On the opposite side of the street, the sidewalk was busy with ponies and changelings alike. All of them were going about their routines, trotting to where they needed to be or wanted to be. At each crosswalk would be the occasional stop of the crowd as they waited for taxi carriages to drive on by. Some carriages were driven by common ponies while others were driven by changelings who have also become just as common. It had been some time since their attempted invasion on Caterlot. In the short-term it was a great shock. It was not just some disaster that was felt across Equestria but a direct attack on their capitol. It gave the ponies something to fear and they wonder.

In the long-term, it just became another distant nightmare that once plagued on their minds. The terror of it all continued to diminish as news went on about some type of peace talks that went on between some changeling affiliates and the princesses themselves. Something having to do with being cut off from their leader and questions as to the invasion actually being a good idea eventually drove them to desiring a truce. During that time, their integration into pony society was slow, made slower with the small pockets of resentment that both parties had for each other. Old feelings—fear, anger, indifference and such—tend to diminish at a snail’s pace. But overtime the population began to accept its new residents. Positive feelings and emotions being given willingly and freely turned out to be a much better alternative than taking it by force. Soon the changelings became another simple part of society. An image of them being public enemy number one was now erased from the majority of minds. Although some carried their grudges, they did not hold enough relevance in public to cause any kind of major disturbance.

Despite such a change, it do not keep the city where everypony—everyone—looked-out-for-themselves from being as cold as ever during the winter. In the end, though, the weather only managed to be a minor annoyance to those who did not allow it to get to their heads. Winter kept bringing down the biting teeth of cold, trying to gnaw at the passersby, tempting them to accept the force as something they cannot defend against. This season, then next season, and the next, it always came. It tested them each year, seeing which denizen would finally crack under the pressure of its freezing weight.