Winter’s Howl
Chapter 13: Cold Shock
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Snowstorm kissed his younger sister gently on the forehead as he watched her drift into sleep. It’s amazing, he thought, after all those years…He quietly exited the small hotel room and began the brief walk back to his. He opened the old wooden door to his room slowly, in attempts to stifle any creaks the door may let out. As he entered the door he sighed, exhausted from the days events. Quietly, he shut the door behind him and turned to see Rainbow laid out on the bed seductively.
Snowstorm grinned, “You know, the skies are clear, what’s your cheesy excuse for having to stay here this time?”
Rainbow gave a sly smile, “Do I really still need one?”
Snowstorm laughed. It felt good to laugh, it had been a long day and he needed a little bit of light-heartedness. His smile faded slightly, “As tempting as the offer is, I’ve had a long day, and Scootaloo and I are going back to see mom. She still thinks Scoots is dead and, well, we’ll have to be dealing with a lot of emotions…”
Rainbow’s smile faded completely, now sitting upright on the bed with a serious face. “Really? Tomorrow? Isn’t that a little…soon?”
Snowstorm looked back at Rainbow, climbing in bed himself, “Maybe, but if you thought your kid was dead, would you want to suffer another day thinking that?”
Rainbow sighed, “no, I guess not…”
Snowstorm frowned, “What’s the matter? You seem upset…”
“Well, I was just hoping to spend tomorrow with you is all. We’ve yet to have a day that wasn’t interrupted with these crazy shenanigans.” Rainbow exclaimed, spinning her eyes on the word 'crazy'.
Snowstorm stopped. She was right, It felt like with all that had been going on he’d lived in Ponyville for weeks! In truth, this was only his third day. “Well, would you like to come with us? I mean, I know it’s early, but I guess I’d like you to meet my mom.”
Rainbow beamed, “I’d love to come along! Should we head out right after we clean up the skies?”
“Sounds good to me.” Snowstorm whispered into Rainbow’s ear before pecking her cheek, and falling into a restful sleep.
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The next morning, Snowstorm and Rainbow had a stroke of luck. While the earth was still covered in a thick layer of snow, the skies we’re crystal clear, not a cloud within them. The journey didn’t require much planning, as while Cloudsdale may have been high in the air, it was only a mile or so away from Ponyville, if one flew over the mountains. Ms. Warmhearth was kind enough as to pack all of them a small sack lunch before bidding them off that morning.
As the trio stepped out the door, Scootaloo paused, “Wait a second…you two can just fly to Cloudsdale, how the hay am I gonna get up there?”
Rainbow stopped. She hadn’t thought about that. Without hesitation, Snowstorm lowered himself as though bowing for the princess, and instructed Scootaloo to hop on. Scootaloo did as she was told, but accidentaly forced Snowstorm’s lowered head into the snow beneath him.
“Oops…heh heh, sorry.” Scootaloo held a hoof over her mouth.
Man, she weighs more than I thought, Snowstorm thought as he razed his head from the snow. The three took off, ascending into the sky, eyes focused on the flying city of Cloudsdale on the horizon. Rainbow was the first to notice the look upon Scootaloo’s face.
It was the first time she had ever flown, or at least been this high in the air. Since her wings had not yet developed, somewhat due to her lack of schooling, she had yet to experienced the ultimate freedom of flight. Her eyes grew wide as saucers, pupils expanding to a massive size as she took in the sights beneath her. The entire world was small now, a flat, limiting, and two-dimensional plane of existence with an infinitely new world hanging above it. The high winds carried her mane with them, causing it to wildly dance as the air moved as its partner.
While Rainbow Dash had experienced flight hundreds of times, she still remembered the first ever time she flew. The way the wind ran through her coat and mane, the way the air mixed with complete freedom to create tears of all but sadness in her ruby eyes. She sighed, and began to reflect how little she stopped to simply appreciate flight as its self, and just how much she took her wings for granted.
Slowly, the edge of Cloudsdale became visible as the three reached it’s outer limits. The city was fairly large in comparison to Ponyville. While Ponyvile was mostly comprised of small shops and businesses, Clousdale’s main source of revenue was it’s large, weather-making factories. Many of the homes were much larger, while ponies that couldn’t afford large homes stayed in large apartment buildings. Even while the trio flew, Scootaloo couldn’t help but gaze up at the large cloud structures that surrounded her. It had been so long, this didn’t feel like home, but instead an alien world of towering buildings and hundreds of Pegasi.
After a brief flight within the city, the three came to a newer, more segregated part of the city. Here, the homes were nice, but quiet, simple. Many of them looked the same in build, lining one after another, separated only by small yards. Snowstorm stopped at one house in particular. Scootaloo jumped off of Snowstorm and landed on the cloud sidewalk beneath her, confusion in her eyes.
“But…but this isn’t our house…” Scootaloo was clearly puzzled.
“No…nor was it the one you lived in. After you went missing, it’s not hard to guess that mom and dad split up. After a few months, well, child support stopped coming in and we lost ties with him. Neither mom nor I have seen him in years.”
“Dad’s not around anymore?” While a hint of sadness could be heard in Scootaloo’s small, frightened voice, a sense of relief came with it too. It was obvious she wasn’t ready to face that demon yet, and Snowstorm thought it best she never did.
“No Scoots, he’s gone. Probably out of Cloudsdale, maybe even Equestria for all we know. But without the child support, mom couldn’t afford to keep our old house, so we moved here, about a year after you went missing. She’s been living here with someone for a while now…someone I probably should have told you about…”
Scootaloo raised an eyebrow, she wasn’t sure where Snowstorm was going with this.
“A couple months after your ‘funeral’, mom met a nice stallion named Sea Mist. He and mom fell in love and, well, about 3 years after you went missing, mom married Sea Mist. He’s our step father.” Snowstorm stepped back, unsure of what reaction to expect. Anger? Distrust? Sadness?
None came. Instead, Scootaloo simply smiled. “Well, I’m glad mom found someone who makes her happy! Do you like him?”
Snowstorm stopped, thinking to criticize Sea Mist for some of his less admirable qualities, which came out fairly often, but decided against it. “I think he’s a good man and I’m glad he makes mom happy too. Come on, let’s go in so you can meet him.”
Snowstorm walked up to the door, and Scootaloo followed, standing just behind him, but in front of Rainbow. Snowstorm gave a few knocks before stepping back. He let out a breath, unsure of how the entire situation would play out.
The door opened to the face of a kindly mare, standing with a gentle smile and her hoof still on the door. She was a pale, grey-ish blue, with soft, deep grey eyes. Her lavender mane was rather short for a mare, kept in a small bun behind her head. She was younger than Ms. Warmhearth, perhaps by a decade or two, but was still reaching the end of her prime. She spoke enthusiastically when greeting Snowstorm.
“Snowstorm, honey, how are you? What brings you home?” The older mare embraced Snowstorm in a tight hug before opening her eyes and noticing Rainbow behind him. “And you brought a friend! How nice…” She gave Snowstorm a wink.
“Heh, yeah, this is Rainbow Dash, I’ll make introductions in a moment…”
“Well, introduce us now dear!”
“Mom, I think there’s someone here who you might rather see.”
Snowstorm’s mother took a step back, raising a quizzical eyebrow at Snowstorm while tilting her head.
“Mom…I...I found her…”
Scootaloo took a few cautious steps from behind Snowstorm, meeting her mother’s gaze. “H-Hi Mom…” a few tears began to form in Scootaloo’s eyes.
Snowstorm’s mother stared blankly for a split moment, her brain unable to process the information before her.
“Scootaloo…” She spoke in a whisper, before her eyes fluttered shut, rolling back in her head, and her legs gave in, causing her to fall to the sidewalk in an unconscious heap.