//------------------------------// // Winter's F*cked Up. // Story: Equestrian Eeveelution. // by Symphonicdysonince //------------------------------// I lay within the Daycare, glaring out at the white mounds of spite. Ever since the temperature had plummeted, I had been staying with the eggs, keeping them warm. Gone were the bright blue sky's of autumn, the white fluffy clouds of summer. Only sheets of slate grey remained, drowning out the sun's soothing glow. Lush green grass smothered by a white death, fall's bright colors shorn away by howling winter winds. My most hated season had truly set in. Rainbow Dash had done what she could to insulate her home, but I could still feel the biting chill. At least the snow kept the Daycare well insulated. For the past few moons, I had stubbornly refused to leave the eggs without good reason, and only for as long as I needed to. That's not to say I became a recluse. I did make sure to get my daily exercise by running to the marketplace and back, and Conner would stay with the eggs all day every Sunday so I could spend time with the others. Speaking of, aside from my personal dislike, only two others of my pack had any issues with winter. Without a word to anyone, Villhiem had rooted himself in Apple Bloom's room, and fallen asleep. It quickly became clear he had started hibernating. But Lulu had it the hardest. She had to stay somewhere warm, or she risked freezing solid. We discovered this problem when Rarity found her frozen to the door. Lulu was fine once she thawed, but none of us wanted to risk her freezing then shattering. If she had to leave the Boutique for any reason, she wore heavily enchanted booties and coat to keep her warm. My musing was cut short by the sound of crunching snow. I leveled my glare at the flattened path as Zann's distinct footfalls drew near. As soon as he came into view, my eyes locked onto him, glowering at him as he scrambled up the icy ramp. "No." I growled as he opened his mouth. "C'mon," he pressed, "you didn't even listen to what I wanted to tell you!" I scowled, waiting until he tried to speak again. "No." "Oh, don't be such a cat." He teased. "Anyways, I came to see if Conner and Joy set the heaters up yet." He flinched back as I raised my paw. Once he stopped cringing, he followed my paw to see the cherry glow of the enchanted fire rubies sitting in the corners. "Twitchy, much?" I grumbled. Zann gave me a nervous smile. "We~ell, you did throw me out the last time I came here. And the time before that." He looked up in thought. "And the time before that, and the one before that too." His gaze returned to me. "I think I'm starting to notice a trend. Anywho, Yomega wanted me to come here to remind you that we'll be meeting early at the library tomorrow so that we can catch the Canterlot train with the ponies. "He also said that if you don't show up, he'll drag you there through every snowbank he can find on the way there." Zann chuckled. "Y'know, I'm kinda surprised he sent me, after last time." "I don't know where those snowshoes came from," I began to smile, "but watching you struggle out from the snow drift was the highlight of my day." I curled up next to my eggs, before arching an eyebrow at him. "Was that all?" "Yup!" He smiled, making no moves to leave. "Well, go on, then." I made little shoo-ing motions with a paw. "Tell Yomega I'll be there." I closed my eyes, hoping to catch some more sleep. I figured Zann would catch the blunt hint. "Hey, Leo?" Apparently not. "Wanna build a snowman?" A new, Zann-shaped hole appeared in the snow outside the Daycare. I sulked beside Yomega the next morning, grumbling about everything I could think of under my breath. We sat at the station waiting for the train. <> Yomega scolded. I wisely shut up, turning my ears to better hear the ponies' conversation. Fluttershy had been reassuring Twilight that the eggs would be kept safe while we were gone. "Are you sure one of them shouldn't stay behind?" Twilight asked. "Leo's been staying with them all winter, maybe she should stay behind?" Yomega sat on my tail. I Glared at him in turn. Moon Dancer placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "We all agreed that, Villhiem excepting, they could all do with a trip to Canterlot." I felt Yomega stiffen, and facepawed when I realized my mistake. "I know." Twilight sighed as I pushed Yomega over. "And I know the Princesses want to see them again. Princess Luna really wants to see Abes in particular." I moved to sit beside Lulu, who was bundled up in her purple and pink coat. Further conversation was cut off as the train pulled in. Thankfully, there weren't many ponies getting off the train this early in the morning, so we were able to board quickly. Rainbow eyed Pinkie as she carried Yomega on board. "What's wrong with him?" Rainbow asked. <> Zann laughed. Pinkie sat Yomega onto one of the seats. "Yeah, he really should know better than to bug her like that. Especially after the snowshoe thing." <> I shouted from my spot. Lulu gave me a look. <> <> I countered as the train began to move. <> Conversations died out as the train rumbled down the track. I mostly kept to myself, sulking the whole way up the mountain. I barely noticed the commotion as we rounded the final bend to the station. I shuffled off the train on autopilot, surly following the group as we made our way through Canterlot. I only started paying attention again when I heard my name. "You'll have to excuse Leo, she doesn't seem to like the cold." I heard Twilight say. "I have a couple of theories as to why, but I'll save those for after the play." Moon Dancer added. "I look forward to hearing them." Celestia praised. I leaned over to the nearest Eevee to me. <> <> Vince answered. I took a quick look around. <> Cy snorted. <> <> I asked in surprise. <> Vince nodded. <> <> Cy continued. <> I checked to see if Fluttershy was paying us any attention, before speaking as quietly as I could. <> <> Vince assured. I blinked at that. With a shrug, I watched as Celestia gave her well wishes and left to take her place in the audience with Moon Dancer in tow. It wasn't long before the argument I was familiar with broke out. Eventually, I got both cold and bored. With two slams, I blurred up the wall and latched the windows shut. I Glared at all the ponies before making my way towards the conductor's box. The others joined me shortly before the curtains rose. Yomega's glare told me that he and I would be having words later. Turns out, we were staying the night in the palace before catching the morning train home. The play was wonderful, and I fully enjoyed it. Now, though, Yomega had pulled me to the side. "Okay, I'm going to be blunt with you on this one." Yomega whispered. "What the hell is your problem?" I arched an eyebrow at him. "Is this about the window?" "The window, and your attitude all season!" He snapped. "I was cold, and they weren't doing anything to deal with the window. I was just fixing both problems." I jabbed a paw at him. "And I'll have you know that I don't have a problem with winter in general, I just hate the cold." I turned to go back to bed. "And Christmas?" I paused as Yomega continued. "Why do you hate the best time of year, Leo?" "... The Christmas that everyone on Earth knows is a dead husk of the original." I said at length. "I once asked a family what Christmas meant to them. The kids only talked about what they got, the parents only mentioned the food. Then I talked about this with my own family, and they agreed with me: Christmas is dead, and now some other holiday is parading around in it's heavily commercialized skin." I looked over at my grey companion. "Do you even remember what Christmas stood for?" "The celebration of either Jesus's birth, or the winter solstice, depending on what you believe." Came his confused reply. "Wrong." I snorted. "Well, maybe you were right, once upon a time, when religion was still a key part of every community." I sighed. "No, I mean the more modern meaning of Christmas. The one with Saint Nick, the elves, the Grinch and Scrooge, the stockings hung by the chimney with care? That's the one materialism killed." "So what did that mean?" I turned to fully face Yomega. "It wasn't even a proper meaning. It was a feeling. It was the Spirit of Christmas! It was spending time with those closest to you. Family, friends, lovers. It wasn't just giving gifts, it was making memories! The gifts that were given had meaning beyond the material. It wasn't about what you did, it was about who you did it with! "And you know the worst part? I can see it starting to happen here." I growled. "All I could hear when I was out of the Daycare was what every foal and filly wanted, every stallion and mare's concerns about hosting the dinner." My tail began lashing from side to side. "And the richer they were, the more material their thoughts. Only the Crusaders, Snips and Snails seemed to remember the true Hearts Warming!" Yomega was silent for a time, holding me there with his gaze. "And so you're letting your anger and frustration bleed out to winter as a whole." "What?" I tilted my head. "No, I-" "Yes. You. Are." Yomega jabbed a paw into my chest at each word. "Justify it however you want, you still are." He pulled me into a hug. "I can't stop you from feeling this way, but you can't let it drive your actions all winter." As he held me, I let my thoughts drift back along my lines of thought, hoping to put lie to his words. I found something else instead. "I, I just thought -hoped- that ponies would be better than this." I sniffed. We sat there for a time, both pretending we didn't notice my tears.