After their previous mishaps in nest-making and skating, Dusk and Twilight were now looking for Fluttershy with Spike and Half Coin behind them. When they reached another part of the outskirts of Ponyville, they were in luck when they saw the shy pegasus poking her head into a den.
“Wake up, little sleepy heads.” Fluttershy called out gently.” Hope you had some wonderful dreams and restful hibernation, but it's time to get up now, spring is coming.”
The group watched as the pegasus moved her head and from the burrow, a pair of hedgehogs were yawning before walking out.
“Awww, how cute.” Twilight commented as she and others walked up to Fluttershy while looking at the hedgehogs.
“Aren't they?” Fluttershy said.” This is my favorite task the whole season, when I get to see all my little animal friends again.”
While she hasn’t notice at first, Fluttershy finally saw Half Coin in the group. “Half Coin? What are you doing in Ponyville?”
“Well, I’m interested in seeing how this Winter Wrap-up goes and I have to say its quite an ordeal that you ponies have.”
“Uh, what's hibernation?” Spike questioned just as Half Coin finished talking.
“Really Spike?” Dusk was a bit surprised at baby dragon. “Hibernation is when animals enter something like a long sleep during winter to save their energy and eat less food.”
“Long sleep?”
“Yes.”
Fluttershy agreed with Dusk’s explanation before ringing a bell at another den and called out the porcupines that resides there to wake up.
“So, you know a lot about animals Dusk?”
“I’m no expert, but I did read some books about animals.”
He replied as watched the porcupines that came out of their den hug each other, only to flinch when some of their quills ended up sticking to each other’s fur.
“With all these warrens and dens, it seems you have a lot in your hooves.” Half Coin noted as he looked around the entire area.
“Oh, I’m afraid so.” Fluttershy said. “I'm worried that I won't be able to wake up every animal before spring comes.”
“Well, I'll help, Fluttershy.”
“Guess I will join in as well.”
Twilight was eager to be some help with Dusk following suit. Compared to nest-making and skating, waking up animals from their hibernation should be simple.
“You two will?” Fluttershy was happy to have her friends helping her with her task. “Oh, that would be wonderful.”
After getting a bell of their own, Dusk and Twilight then went up to a den of choosing and wake up the animals inside. Spike went to accompany the latter when half Coin went with the former.
“Okay, here goes.” Dusk muttered as he ringed his bell near the den’s entrance. “Uh wake up. Spring is coming.”
“You could show a bit more enthusiasm.” Half Coin commented.
Moments later, the stallions heard Twilight screaming and quickly turned to see her frightened of the animals that awoken from the den she chosen.
“Waaa! Snakes! Snakes!” Twilight yelled as she backed away quickly.
In the process, she ended up stumbling into a cave and awoken the bats that lived there. As expected, Twilight quickly bolted out in fright as the bats themselves flew out.
“Twilight! Look out for that...” Half Coin tried to warn her, but he was too late for she ended up colliding with a tree.
Unfortunately for Twilight, the impact dislodged a bee hive from its branch and landed over her head. With the bees stinging her face, Twilight screamed at the top of her lungs despite being muffled by the bee hive, which also covered her eyes.
Running frantically and blindly, Twilight was unaware that she was moving towards Dusk’s direction and he was not prepared to move away in time.
“Twi...” That was all Dusk could say before Twilight crashed into him and the two ponies ended in the den that former chose before.
For the animals that the stallion awoken prior, they were startled from the sudden intrusion and with that, Dusk and Twilight learned the hard way what they were.
“Ugh...!” Dusk moaned as his nose was quickly overwhelmed by a powerful pungent scent which he once experienced back on Earth. “Skunks...”
Back in the library, Twilight and Dusk ended up having to take a bath in tomato sauce; in separate tubs of course. With their noses covered, Spike was tending to the former while Half Coin was helping with the latter.
“I don’t think the tomato sauce is helping.” Dusk muttered as he could still smell the stench across his body. It seems to him that tomato sauce treating shrunk spray was really a myth after all.
“I’m so sorry Dusk.” Twilight apologized to the stallion. She was after all the one responsible for getting themselves sprayed by the skunks.
“Don’t fret about it Twilight. I was getting the feeling that those skunks would spray me anyway upon waking them up.” He replied. “Besides, you are in worse shape than I am.”
He gestured to Twilight’s face, which was covered with welts due to the bee stings before. They still hurt and the tomato sauce isn’t helping.
“After we get rid of the skunk spray, I will treat your welts.” Half Coin told her while scrubbing Dusk’s coat.
“Thank you.” She thanked the pegasus before she sighed. “Oh, all this Winter Wrap-up stuff is a lot harder than it looks...”
“Right, because there's no magic.” Spike said with his nose covered. “Why don't you just use magic, Twilight, and get it done the right way?”
“No, Spike, I have to do it the traditional way.” Twilight remained resolute in keeping with the town’s tradition. “Ponyville has never needed magic to wrap up winter.”
“Well, they never had you here before, either. Think how much quicker they could wrap up winter with your magic.”
“No, no, no! I'm gonna find some other way that I can help out if it kills me!”
Spike was still insistent that the she does what she does best yet Twilight refuse to yield. Dusk and Half Coin were listening to the conversion and while they appreciate her commitment, they also worry that her frustration of her inability to do something meaningful today would cause her to do something rash.
After spending more time in the tomato sauce bath and taking additional treatments, Twilight and Dusk manage to rid themselves of the skunk spray and with Half Coin’s help, the former’s welts were properly treated.
Leaving the library, the group went to Sweet Apple Acres where they would likely meet with Applejack and her plant team.
Dusk and Half Coin had doubts that Twilight would fit in since the plant team are likely engaged in manual labour, which the unicorn is not likely to excel in. Even so, she remains determined to do her part for the Winter Wrap-up.
For Dusk, he wasn’t sure he would be up to the task. He may have the form of an earth pony, but he hasn’t done much physical work like Applejack.
“Keep pushin', Caramel.” Following Applejack’s voice, the group soon saw her coordinating her team. “That's it, Bumpkin. I know it's hard work, but you guys are doin' great. Yee-haw!”
Dusk could see that the plant team were using snowplows which were somewhat like the ones back on Earth. The only difference that it was essentially pony-powered; another way of saying physical work.
“Hey, Applejack. How's everything going?” Twilight called out to her.
“Oh, just dandy. A little slow startin', but peachy all the same.” Applejack replied before she then notices Half Coin. “Howdy Half Coin. Wasn’t expecting you to be in Ponyville at this time.”
“Just wanted to see how this Winter Wrap-up goes.” He said while looking at the ponies plowing the snow off the fields. “I say that your team has their work cut out for them.”
“I’ll say. There's a lot of ground to clear and we can't even start the plantin' and the waterin' until we get all these heap of snow hightailed outta here.”
“Well, me and Dusk would like to help.” Twilight asked with a determined expression, which caught Applejack’s attention.
“Well, I... I dunno Twilight.” Applejack said in an unsure tone. “I think Dusk is better suited.”
“Uh...”
“Just give me a chance.”
Dusk tried to reply but was quickly interrupted by Twilight, who looked at Applejack with a desperate smile.
“Well, I never turn down a hard worker, but...” The farm pony tried to find the right words to say, but the unicorn took it as a yes and went into one of the snowplows.
Unfortunately, the snowplow didn’t budge for Twilight lacked the strength necessary to push it through the snow. When she turned her head to the others, the unicorn could only see them shake their heads at her fruitless efforts.
“Uh Dusk. Would you mind helpin’ Twilight?” Applejack whispered to the stallion.
“I don’t think she will like it, but I can...” Before he could finish, Dusk heard some movement and turned to see that Twilight now pushing her snowplow without any trouble.
Upon closer inspection, Dusk and Half Coin notice that her snowplow was covered with a faint violet aura. It soon dawned to the two what Twilight had just done.
“Half Coin. Don’t tell me Twilight...”
“She just did.”
Whispering to each other, it became clear that Twilight finally gave in and chose to discreetly use magic to maker her task easier.
Applejack may not have notice the aura, but she became suspicious when she saw Twilight was moving faster than the rest of her team.
“Hmm... She's awful strong for such a little pony.” She commented on Twilight, who was passing by just a few meters away with a smile on her face.
“That's my girl, following my advice.”
Spike said upon noticing that the unicorn’s horn was glowing. However, that only raised Applejack’s suspicions of Twilight’s sudden success at snowplowing.
“And what in tarnation does that mean?”
The two stallions felt this has gone long enough and were about to reveal the truth if not for Twilight’s yell from the fields.
“Slow down! Slow down!”
Everyone turned their attention to Twilight and saw that her snowplow was picking up speed. Unable to maintain control, the unicorn begun to move all over the field while rolling up a large snowball in the process. After causing some trouble, the out-of-control snowplow begun to head for their direction.
Dusk and Half Coin was quick to react to avoid it; the former jumping to the side while the latter took flight. As for Applejack and Spike, they were failed to react in time and thus were caught in the ever-growing snowball in front of Twilight’s snowplow.
“Oh no!”
Dusk said as he quickly got back up on his hooves and chased after them. From the sky, Half Coin did the same as the two tried their best to catch up with the speeding snowplow.
“What's going on? Wha'd'ya do? You used magic, didn't you?”
The two stallions heard Applejack shout out despite her being rolled around in the snowball. The chase only ended when the snowplow ended up crashing into a hillside, which in turn caused a miniature avalanche.
While Half Coin was able to avoid it due to being in the air, Dusk wasn’t as lucky as he was caught in the wave of snow along with Twilight, Applejack and Spike.
“Oh, this is not good.”
The pegasus muttered his dismay as watched the avalanche reached the almost-cleared field and buried it in snow, undoing the work of the plant team.
Moments later, Dusk popped his head out of the snow and gasped for air. This was one of the few moments that he was scared for his life. While it isn’t like the rock avalanche back then with napping dragon, but the thought of being buried alive in snow was nevertheless frightening.
“Ugh... You really have to make such a mess didn’t you, Twilight.”
He said to himself upon regaining his composure, looking upon the snow-covered field and the displeased expressions that the weather team were making at the work they now have to do.
“Nuts, Twilight, you used magic!”
Turning his attention to the hillside, Dusk watched as Applejack scold Twilight for using magic which brought forth the mess that her team had to clean up.
“The nerve. Can you believe her?” Upon hearing that from Spike, he glared at the baby dragon. After all, he was the one that gave the suggestion to Twilight in the first place.
“That's not how we do it 'round here, Twilight, and especially not on my farm!” The farm pony continue to scold the unicorn, whose eyes began to water.
“Well, see, I just wanted to... Oooh...”
Twilight said nothing more as she leapt out from the snow and ran away in tears; her hopes of doing something meaningful for Winter Wrap-up now eroded.
‘Twilight...’
Seeing sadness and disappointment on the said unicorn’s face made Dusk’s heart ache a bit. He seen her upset before in the past, but what he’s seeing now was like a whole new experience.
Almost like an instinct, he quickly freed himself from the snow and chased after her, leaving both Spike and Half Coin behind.
“Twilight? Twilight?”
Dusk called out the unicorn’s name as he looked around for any sign of her. He followed her straight to the town hall but ended up losing sight of her in the last minute.
While looking around, he heard something rustle from a nearby bush and soon caught on that was Twilight’s hiding spot.
“I know you are there Twilight.” He said as he approached the bush. “Please come out.”
“No...” She replied with her voice filled with disappointment. “I’m a winter mess-up.”
“Just because you messed up several times today doesn’t mean it’s the end of the line.” Dusk tried to comfort her. “I know there is something you could do for Winter Wrap-up.”
“I doubt it... All I did was cause trouble for my friends and the rest of the teams.”
“That doesn’t mean you can just give up like that.”
Twilight was silent for a couple of seconds before she asked Dusk a question.
“How can you be so positive?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you messed up almost as badly as me today and yet...” The unicorn tried to find the right word to say, but stallion soon realized what she meant before.
She wanted to know why he wasn’t distraught with his own mess-ups.
“Twilight, the reason I’m not daunted with my failures today is because I knew deep down, those were going to happen.”
Dusk explained to Twilight, who was taken back by his words.
“I don’t a thing about making bird nests. I haven’t skated for many years till now. I had a gut feeling that those skunks from before would spray me upon waking them up and Earth pony or not, I doubt I could move that snowplow through the snow by myself.”
“Huh?” Twilight didn’t know what to say to Dusk, who was apparently speaking out his own lack of skills without hesitation.
“Sure, I’ve messed up several times today, but those very mess-ups can be learning experiences. I just need to build up those necessary skills or even look up other tasks involved in Winter Wrap-up in the future.”
Dusk felt he was acting like a teacher sharing his own experience with failure and that wasn’t far from the truth. He wasn’t very successful at first when he first played Duel Monsters, but he learned from his defeats and refined his skills until he was what he is today.
“I know it isn’t easy Twilight, but you can learn much from your failures. You understand what mistakes were made and ensure that you don’t repeat them in the future.” Making a bold move, Dusk moved his hoof into the bush a give a reassuring pat Twilight; hopefully her head. “Even if today was bad, I know you’ll be able to learn from your mistakes and prepare yourself properly for the next Winter Wrap-up.”
Luckily for Dusk, he indeed patted the top of Twilight’s head and luckily for her, the bush prevents him from seeing the blush on her cheeks due to the gesture. Even so, she felt some renewed hope that she could still do her part for today.
“There you are Dusk.”
He heard somepony call his name and turned to see Half Coin coming up to him with Spike on his back.
“Did you find Twilight?” Spike asked Dusk and he got his answer when he saw the latter’s hoof in the bush. “How is she?”
“She should be feeling better. I just had a...”
He was then interrupted by a conversion near the town hall between Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy.
“Rainbow Dash, y'all on the weather team need to melt the rest of the snow here on the ground and the trees, pronto.”
“Got it.”
Dash obliged with Applejack’s request and was about to leave if not for Fluttershy disagreeing with that request.
“Wait. My poor little animals' homes will get flooded if the snow melts too fast.”
“Got it.”
Applejack however remained adamant for her request that the snow be melted for planting, which Fluttershy was utterly against for the sake of her animal friends.
“I'm tellin' you, Rainbow, you gotta melt that snow now.”
“No, you simply must wait.”
“Okay...” Dash however was unsure what to do as she watches her two friends argue with each other.
Dusk was listening to the argument along with the others and he could tell it was difficult choice between food and the well-being of the animals. If the snow doesn’t melt, it wouldn’t be possible to grow food to sustain Ponyville. However, if the snow melts, there was the chance that the water would flow into the dens and endanger the animals that are still hibernating.
It was then he saw Half Coin walk towards the ponies as they continue to argue whose request should be followed through.
“Go!”
“Stop!”
“GO!”
“STOP!”
“UGH! Make up your minds!”
“Would you two please stop arguing.” Half Coin called out as he went between Applejack and Fluttershy. “Arguing will not get anypony anywhere.”
“Half Coin?”
Dash was surprised at seeing the said pegasus again after all these months. Applejack and Fluttershy however was hoping they could get him to convince one another that their respective request is the best choice.
Knowing his skill as a therapist and mediator, they presume he could convince the other to give in to the other’s request.
“Half Coin, would ya mind telling Fluttershy that the snow needs to be melted right now.” Applejack said to him. “We can’t plant any of our seeds till then and we will not have anything to eat.”
“No, my animal friends have to be waken up slowly.” Fluttershy said. “Half Coin please, you have to tell Applejack that melting the snow has to wait.”
Just before Half Coin could do anything, Mayor Mare just arrived at the scene with a displeased look on her face.
“Oh! What in Equestria are all you arguing about? This sort of silliness is why we were late for spring last year, and the year before that, and the year before that.”
Upon hearing the word ‘late’ from the mayor’s mouth, Twilight then poked her head out of the bush which startled both Dusk and Spike.
“Did she say late?” She questioned as Mayor Mare started to express her dismay at how the Winter Wrap-up was going.
“I was hoping my amazingly inspirational speech would urge everyone to do better than last year, but now it looks like we're going to be later than ever! I mean just look at this catastrophe!”
She turned her gaze to the other parts of Ponyville and while Dusk knew he couldn’t see what was actually happening, he could still visualize from the Mayor’s words.
“The ice scorers made the ice chunks too big to melt.” He imagined that Pinkie wasn’t really responsible and then recalled that she didn’t say anything about somepony in charge the ice scoring.
“The nest designer is horrendously behind, we need several hundred, and she's only made one.” He then imagined that Rarity was fixated in redesigning the nests that he and Twilight made yet was failing miserably.
“And don't get me started on all the clouds in the sky, the icicles on the trees... This isn't good, not at all!”
For Half Coin, he could tell from the Mayor’s tone that she been through these issues many times on each Winter Wrap-up. However, it appears that very little was done to resolve them.
“And it's gonna be all to pieces disastrous if we can't get our seeds all planted.”
“Chillax Applejack, we're bustin' our chops as fast as we can.”
“No, not fast, we have to wake animals slowly.”
Before Applejack and Fluttershy argue again with Dash at the middle, Big Mac walked with up along with an earth pony which Dusk recognize as a member of the plant team.
“Uh, AJ?”
“Oh good gravy, Caramel lost the grass seeds again, didn't he?”
“Eeyup.”
Moments later, a pegasus from the weather team came by to give a report to Dash.
“Ditzy Doo accidentally went north to get the southern birds!”
“Oh that featherbrain! Didn't she learn her lesson last year when she went west?!”
Very soon, a chain reaction occurred as ponies begun to gather around the town hall to argue and express their complaints. Half Coin would have been the one to silence them and restore order if not for Mayor Mare doing it first.
“Stop this at once! We don't have time to argue!” She called out. “It's almost sundown. Spring is going to be late again. Another year of scandal and shame...”
“I never expected Winter Wrap-up to be so disorganized...” It was then an realization appeared in Dusk’s head akin to a breakthrough.
“Of course!” Dusk said. “Twilight, you love to be organized right?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“And you remember what I told you about learning from your mistakes.”
“Yeah...”
Slowly trying to understand what the stallion meant, Twilight finally caught on when she heard the mayor say what would be considered the unicorn’s magic words.
“If only we could be more organized...”
With that said, Twilight then jumped out of the bush. Thanks to Dusk, she not only regained her confidence but realize there was a task that was essential for Winter Wrap-up and it was something she excel in.
“Spike! Get my checklist and clipboard, STAT!”
She told the baby dragon, who obliged and ran back to the library. It was then she turned her attention to Dusk.
“Dusk, thank you for being there for me.” She told the stallion with a happy smile. “Can you still help me?”
“After all you been through, why wouldn’t I?” His response made the unicorn smile even more as they then walk towards the crowd who started to bicker once more.
“Stop, everypony!”
Twilight called out, but the crowd was too focused on arguing and complaining to listen.
“WOULD YOU ALL STOP ARGUING AND LISTEN?!”
It was only by Dusk shouting at the top of his lungs that the crowd quickly quiet down and give them their full attention.
“Thank Dusk.” Twilight said to him before then speaking to the crowd.” Listen, I know you all want to complete your jobs on time, but arguing is no way to go about it.”
As the crowd listen and took in everything that she said, Spike came back with the checklist and clipboard that she requested.
“What you need is organization, and I'm just the pony for the job.”
Seeing that everypony was willing to place their faith, Twilight smiled along with Dusk and Spike.
“Think you are up for this?” Half Coin asked Twilight as he walked up to her.
“She is more than up to the task, Half Coin.” Dusk assured him. “Trust me. When it comes to organizing, Twilight here is a natural.”
Twilight couldn’t help but smile at Dusk’s compliment. She was also hoping that no pony notices her blushing a little.
Despite the daunting task of completing Winter Wrap-up with a couple of hours to spare, all the teams manage to complete their tasks without any trouble thanks to Twilight’s organization skills.
Rarity now has ponies helping her make the hundred of nests needed for the birds coming back from the South.
Pinkie Pie and the ice scorers were coordinating their movements in which they made small squares across the frozen lakes and allow the ice to melt quickly.
Fluttershy was given the instructions and means to wake up multiple animals at the same time from their dens.
Applejack and her team were combining multiple steps into one process; one pony would plow the snow, another behind him or her would plow the dirt and then another would then plant the seeds.
When the animal and plant teams finish their respective tasks, Rainbow Dash and her weather team was finally given the green light to clear the clouds and let in the sunlight.
With Twilight and Dusk helping in maintaining cohesion within the teams and carefully planning out their tasks, everypony worked through the night until everything was done all across Ponyville.
On the next day, Spring has finally arrived as the southern birds came back to their new nests, and the animals frolick across the newly grown plants and flowers.
“I can't believe it. Spring is here! On time!”
Mayor Mare was happy at long last, the town had a proper Winter Wrap-up. She then turned to Twilight, the one responsible for making it happen.
“And we have you to thank for it. If it weren't for your organizing skills we would still be arguing.”
“It’s not just her.” Dusk said as he gestured to everypony that took part in Winter Wrap-up. “It was a team effort.”
“He’s right.” Twilight nodded in agreement.
“And since you helped every team, we have an official vest for you.” Mayor Mare said just as Rarity came up and leviated a newly-designed vest for Twilight, which was a mixture of blue, green and tan. “We give you the title: All-Team Organizer.”
While Dusk felt that the name could use some work, he could see that the vest does represent the role. With the colours of the weather, plant and animal teams all on one vest, Twilight has an important role to play for all three teams.
“Gosh, I don't even know what to say. Thank you, everypony.” Twilight said before she patted on Dusk’s back.
“However, I couldn’t have it if not for Dusk here. He was there to help me when I down and told me that you can learn from your mistakes so you don’t repeat them.”
Before long, everypony turned their attention to the stallion and cheered for him, who only gave a nervous chuckle while rubbing the back of his neck.
“Now that everything is done, I hereby declare that winter is... wrapped up on time.”
Mayor Mare’s declaration has caused everypony to cheer and clap their hooves at their accomplishment. As Dusk and Twilight were smiling at the scene, Half Coin then came up with a napping Spike on his back.
“I’m impressive what you just did Twilight.” He told her. “To get these ponies to work together and get everything done on a tight deadline is no small feat.”
“Why thank you Half Coin.” She replied before looking at Spike. “He quite a sleepyhead isn’t he?”
“I’ll say. I just saw him take a nap on a sheet of ice at this lake here.” The pegasus gestured to the one that they were standing near. “I managed to grab him before the ice floated away.”
“Well, that’s a relief” Dusk said. “Though I think we should let have Spike have his beauty sleep on the next Winter Wrap-up.”
In a matter of time after the cheering, everypony went back to their homes to take a long-deserved rest. At the library, Dusk was putting Spike to bed while Twilight wrote her friendship letter to Princess Celestia.
As for Half Coin, he was going to rest up in the town inn before going back to his travels. However, he did promise that he would be coming to Ponyville time-to-time to check up on everypony.
All in all, it was pretty much a good way to start the Spring.