November 18th, 999
"Ah don't get why you need to schedule a big storm like this right when winter starts," Applejack groans. She cuddles closer to Doug, pulling the quilt off of his toes as she tries to wrap herself. The two are laying down on the couch, spooning as Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Applebaum play a wood stacking game in front of them, Pomarbo content with watching. The cold house groans as more and more snow piles against it, the first true test of the recently finished Carrot House.
"There's a bunch of reasons," Doug says, pulling the quilt back over himself. "You want me to go over them?" Outside, the snow begins to pile in the little nooks the curved walls provide, drifts starting to build against the basement. The windows of the main floor are mostly sheltered from gathering too much snow, inset as they are into the barrel walls. The rest of the room is sparsely furnished, mostly empty bookshelves and chairs scattered around the dining table.
Applejack glares at Doug, trying to scooch even closer, practically on top of him at this point. She tucks her hooves underneath her barrel as he wraps his arm around her, "Well, Ah know Ah don't want to once Rainbow gets here. It's bad enough with just one weather geek trying to explain something. And she's got a very..."
"Roundabout?" Doug prompts.
Applejack snorts as she rolls her eyes, "That's about the nicest way you can put it. The only way the mare can make a straight line from point A to point B is by flying one. And that's only if'n she even knows where she's going. Or started from."
"Hey, no talking bad about me behind my back!" comes a shout from the front door, a burst of cold air invading the room. Rainbow Dash hovers in, shrugging off her snow covered saddlebags. She pulls her scarf off, the Rarity-made cloth dropping to the floor. She looks up as Doug snaps his fingers, rolling her eyes as he points to the side. She sighs, picking the bags up off the wood with her teeth and dropping them onto the rug with the rest of the fillies' snowy winter gear.
Applejack cuddles even closer to Doug, trying to escape the freezing air, "Ah wasn't talking bad about you, Rainbow, just your... method of explaining what could be simple concepts." Applejack grunts, trying to not insult her herdmate while also letting her know what she thinks of her explanations. She growls a little, not wanting to move from her comfortable spot as Rainbow inspects the two on the couch.
"Yeah, well," Rainbow says, flying over to the two. She looks at Applejack under the quilt, then at Doug, debating whether or not there is enough space for the three of them under the quilt already stretched to its limit. She groans, moving to the closet and grabbing another quilt. She walks up to the couch, wrapping herself entirely in the quilt before settling down at the other end. Doug pulls his legs up, giving Rainbow enough space to snuggle in next to his feet. She stretches over Applejack, sharing a kiss with Doug as the earth pony grumbles at the cold hooves next to her.
"So, this was your first big storm, right?" Doug focuses on Rainbow, helping warm the cold mane flopping down on him. She flicks little droplets of water over at Applejack, the earth pony trying to hide under the quilt from the torrent.
"Yup! I mean, I did quite a bit last year, but this was the first big snowstorm I didn't feel like I had to hold back at all." Rainbow squirms, trying to find a comfortable spot on the couch. "So, what were you talking about before?" The three glance over as the tower of blocks crashes to the ground, Scootaloo doing a happy dance as Applebaum slams her hooves into the floor.
Doug rubs both of their heads as he says, "Weather stuff." Rainbow rolls her eyes as Doug continues, "Anyway, so, we need a certain amount of moisture in the air to make all the snow, right? Otherwise, it won't get that nice white winter look everypony really likes. Ponyville doesn't need as much moisture moved as some of the other areas, because of the Ponyville River. A lot of the areas not on the coastline need quite a few storm clouds in order to get a good enough covering of snow. There just isn't enough water otherwise." Pomarbo, now more interested in the conversation than the game, walks over, looking up at her dam from the floor.
Applejack pats the couch with a hoof as she says, "Ah thought the main way water got to Cloudsdale was from those waterspouts." Pomarbo puts his forelegs up, his back legs pumping up and down as he tries to climb up the couch. The three fillies go back to rebuilding the column of blocks, their game beginning again.
Doug reaches a hand over, scooping up the nearly two year old colt and depositing him next to Applejack. Doug says, "Yup. But the Cloudsdale Weather Factory isn't the only way to get water into the atmosphere. You also have some evaporation from the rivers and lakes and whatnot. But, because of your messed up hydrologic cycle, it doesn't ever condense into clouds. It just sits there, or floats there, as extra water vapor in the air." He next focuses on rubbing Rainbow's forelegs, the mare sticking them past Applejack.
"Ugh, I hate those collection runs," Rainbow moans, squirming against Doug's legs and trying to get more warmth. "I'm a sprinter, and pushing around a cloud for hours to gather all that water really sucks." She moans a little as he rubs, her tongue slightly sticking out of her mouth. "Plus, I only like to get wet around here."
"Language, Rainbow," Applejack grunts as Pomarbo snuggles next to her, motioning towards the fillies. They pause their game for a brief moment, looking at the four snuggling on the couch, before going right back to trying to figure out which blocks they can pull out. Applebaum practically clenches down on her tongue as Apple Bloom slides a piece out, the three fillies yelping as the tower comes crashing down again.
"What? It's what we're doing." Rainbow mimes pushing around a cloud by pressing on Doug's chest, her wings flaring out and flapping once, "We literally suck the water out of the sky. Saves us about a quarter the cost of a cloud. If we can reuse an empty it's even better." Rainbow smirks as she stares at Applejack, "You either pay somepony to get 'em shipped from Cloudsdale or you pay somepony to push a collector up and down for hours. Sucks either way."
"Okay, that one was deliberate," Applejack says with a glare. Rainbow settles back down, sticking the tip of her tongue out at Applejack before she hides behind Doug's knees.
"Yeah, well, lighten up a bit. Not like they don't know that goes on." Rainbow pouts, pulling her quilt up over her head. A quiet "Aww," comes from underneath as she pulls up the quilt wrapped around Doug, his heavier set of pajamas already on.
Applejack says, "Well, Ah think you were talking about storms, 'fore Rainbow came in here." Doug wags his eyebrows, Applejack rolling her eyes and lightly whacking him with a hoof.
Doug straightens his legs, clamping his knees around Rainbow Dash under the quilt. She squawks in alarm, the three fillies looking over from their game and giggling at the pegasus half trapped under the quilt. Rainbow wraps her still somewhat cold forelegs around Doug's legs, trying to free herself as Doug continues, "Anyway, so the reason we have storms during these transition times is because the air has a bunch of water in it. Either in cloud form or scattered water vapor. Well, warm air can hold more water than cold air. And these gigantic storms are the best way to rid the air of all that extra moisture and convert it to snow on the ground." A gasp escapes from his lips as one of Rainbow's cold hooves settles on his stomach, finding its way underneath his pajamas to the warm bare skin.
"Wish there was some warm air around here," Applejack remarks, a bit of a shiver. "This house ain't as well insulated as the farmhouse, Ah suppose." She looks at the fillies. They don't seem too uncomfortable, but they do each have a blanket wrapped around them. They have already rebuilt the tower, Applebaum grunting in exasperation as she tries to maneuver a block out. Her uncoordinated hooves knock over the tower almost immediately, the other two fillies frowning at the early loss.
Doug continues to wrestle with Rainbow using his legs as he frowns, "Yeah. I didn't think it'd be this bad. We might need to go over the walls, maybe with Rarity and Rainbow's help, try to seal up all the cracks. Didn't build a fireplace in here either." He swats at her hoof trying to snake its way under his shirt again, the mare huffing under the quilt.
"Ah didn't think ya'd need it, to be honest, or that it would be this cold," Applejack says. "Most ponies just grow a thicker coat when winter hits. "
"Yeah, you told me that before. Sorry; I'm built to lose heat, not keep it." Doug grunts as Rainbow pushes against a sensitive area, his hand disappearing under the quilt to give the pegasus a noogie. She yelps, trying to pull back but Doug's legs are holding her in place, locked underneath her forelegs and clenching her barrel.
"What, humans just live around the warm parts of the world? We got ponies spread all over. Hay, you went up to Vanhoover in the winter. Humans migrate back and forth from those kinda places?" Applejack glances at the squirming quilt between Doug's legs, flopping back to her side with a groan.
"Nah, we'd just wear warmer, thicker clothes, basically all the time." Doug transitions to scratching Rainbow's ears. She calms down, a contented sigh as she rests her head against his stomach. "Lots of fire to keep warm, that sort of thing."
Applejack slides back and forth a little, a slight frown at losing a bit of her spot on the couch as Rainbow and Doug shift around. She tries to push back, Doug repositioning as close to the couch as he can. "Ah guess ponies like Rarity would get a lot of business in those parts of the world, huh?"
"Eeyup. Very important business too, making sure everyone stays warm enough. So you got a lot of people growing cotton or some other fiber, working textiles, tanning. Depends on what's available. Then you have to ship and sell them, if you aren't using them for yourself."
"Tanning?" Rainbow asks, pushing the quilts aside to look at Doug. "You mean, like, working on-" her voice drops low, a quick glance at the fillies "-hides?"
Doug nods, "Exactly. Not exactly the most pleasant business, but a vital one." Pomarbo utters a low grunt, burrowing further into Applejack.
"Yeah, I've heard of griffons that do that kind of thing, but that's all decorative stuff, like a headdress or ceremonial cape they got out of an impressive hunt. Not, um, everyday wear." Rainbow nervously paws at the couch, a bit of disgust at the concept.
"Heh, I could imagine it being pretty intimidating, looking at somepony wearing a lion as a cape." At the two pony's raised eyebrows Doug adds, "Or a manticore. You know, it's weird that so many of the creatures around here are half-breeds with a lion. Like the griffons themselves, being half lion and half eagle. Wonder how that started."
"Besides the obvious?" Applejack drawls.
Rainbow snorts, her head thunking against Doug's knee. "Yeah! You know, when an eagle and a lion love each other very much..." Rainbow's giggles get louder as Doug squeezes her with his legs, smooching sounds coming from under the quilt.
"Hey, you never know, maybe Discord just, like, said 'You know what's not scary enough? Eagles. Also, lions.' and then Boom! Griffon." Doug pauses for a second before saying, "Do you actually have lions around? Are they like manticores?"
Rainbow says, "Well, I've never been to a land zoo, and I doubt Applejack has either. Obviously you didn't see any land based creatures up in Cloudsdale, and Ponyville has enough spectacle with the Everfree that you don't see a lot of demand for seeing more exotic creatures around here."
Applejack nods, "Never really seen the need to go to a zoo, ya know? Ah work with plenty of animals around here. Even if it ain't the exotic kinds you'd have to travel to see. Fluttershy would probably know, she loves meeting all kinds of new critters."
Doug scratches Rainbow's head, the pegasus disappearing underneath the quilt again. "Yeah, I'm just glad I didn't end up in a zoo when I got here. Hey, maybe we should plan a trip to Canterlot. I bet there's a zoo there."
Applejack clears her throat, "Well, it'll have to be a bit down the road, partner. Maybe when everypony can appreciate it, and half of the fillies aren't scared out of their coats when they get close." She sighs as the fillies turn their heads, "Celestia knows building this house set us back enough. Ah hope it's worth it."
The fillies scamper over, their half built tower forgotten, "We aren't scared! We wanna go to the zoo!"
Applejack smiles down, "Now, you three ain't the fillies Ah'm referring to. Ah mean this feller here." Applejack lifts and points a hoof down at Pomarbo, the colt huddling against her. "Once he's old enough to not be afraid then we'll talk."
The three fillies start pouting as Doug smiles at them, "It would be a lot of fun to go to the zoo, though. Imagine all the animals you would see!"
The fillies smile at that, returning to their game as they list off all the animals that they've learned about in school, and only seen in books. Apple Bloom quickly returns to the couch, her forelegs propping her up as she asks, "Can we go to the library? And see what books they have about animals?"
Applejack smiles, "We sure can!" She glances over to Rainbow, "Assuming this storm lets up at some point."
Rainbow shrugs against Doug's legs, the motion making the quilt bounce up and down, "Eh, it might stop at some point in the night. Definitely by midday."
"Ugh, everypony's going to be out and about if they've been cooped up all morning." Applejack sighs, "Do they have a new librarian yet? Ah thought the old one left, like, a year ago."
"Closer to two, by now." Doug shrugs, "I went by there a couple times. Pretty dusty, fairly deserted for the most part. I think they're mostly on the honor system. Reshelve whatever you bring back, hope it's in the right area."
"That's too bad, Ah liked going by there." At Doug's glance back Applejack amends, "Well, when Ah was younger. Haven't had much time to do that once Ah took over working the farm."
"I don't think I've stepped hoof in the library since I got here." Rainbow pokes her head out again, her hooves pushing her mane back in place. "Don't know that I went to one in Cloudsdale, either." She pokes a hoof at Doug, "I bet you lived in a library."
Doug snorts, "You got me. Books were my ooonly friends."
Applejack digs one of her hind legs into Doug's leg, "Hey, no fibbin' 'round these parts."
Doug winces, one hand moving towards Applejack's belly. "Okay, okay, I had like three friends. And I didn't live in a library. My family just happened to live near by one. Where I spent a lot of my formative years."
The storm outside continues unabated, the windows now fully frosted over. Snow continues to pile outside, the first floor nearly completely buried. The wind howls outside, nearly masking Rainbow's coughed, "Egghead."
"And proud of it." Doug scratches Applejack with both hands, Rainbow whimpering a little at the lack of attention. "Where was I?"
"Talking about warm air, if'n Ah recall." Applejack pushes her head into Doug's hands, trying to get him to push down further along her mane. He happily obliges, his hands finding their way under her ponytail to really dig into the roots.
Doug grunts as he leans further into Applejack, "Oh, right. So, cold air can't hold as much water as warm air. So, when it goes from autumn to winter, and a little bit from summer to autumn, you either collect as much of the water out of the air as you can beforehand-"
"Beforehoof," Rainbow corrects with a smirk.
Doug lightly flicks the pegasus' ear, though it doesn't cause the smirk to disappear. "Fine, beforehoof, I guess since we are talking about pegasi here. Otherwise, when it gets cold, you get random little rain clouds popping up all over the place. Just enough for a splash or two of water. And it'll happen all day long, or all night long. Really annoying for everypony. And then you're left with one hundred percent humidity, which sucks." Applejack turns to glare at Doug as he continues unabated, "You get all kinds of frost and ice, which ponies hate to clean up."
"Oh yeah, definitely on that. How'd you deal with it?" Rainbow asks, "Seeing as you don't exactly control the weather like we do."
"A mix of ways. Sometimes you just ignore it, wait for it to melt. That's less of an option here, since you control the temperature to be just below freezing. You could use shovels and snow plows to clear the roads and sidewalks. Salt them, when the temperature allows it."
"Hold up now." Applejack peers over at Doug. "You salt the roads?" She snorts, "How do ya keep all them good-fer-nothing drunks from eating up all your material? Or going out and licking everything."
Doug nods, "Well, remember that salt doesn't do the same for humans as it does for ponies. Although we do go to some extremes for things like medical alcohol to keep people from drinking it. But that's for tax purposes, I think. It would be pretty hilarious to watch though." He chuckles to himself for a second before saying, "Anyway, salt lowers the melting point of snow and ice. So it turns to water and is either easier to clear or drive over. Ends up creating other problems, like what do you do with the salt runoff and corrosion, but that's cheaper to deal with than lots of snow."
"Yeah, it's pretty easy to deal with around here." Rainbow motions outside, the storm upgrading to a blizzard, "You just dump the requisite amount of snow, and then it sits there. Plow it off the streets and you're done! Or never have it snow there in the first place, if it might be hard to remove. Just cart it in. Don't have to deal with that melting and refreezing nonsense."
"It amazes me that some places that aren't ski resorts want to manually cart in snow instead of having it fall naturally. But, I guess that's just the way of thing." Doug shrugs, going back to cuddling his two living furnaces.
"You know, Ah think you're just as bad as Rainbow." Applejack snickers, glancing back at the pegasus. Rainbow's eyebrows narrow, but not in a mean way, instead trying to figure out what Applejack means.
"Oh yeah?" the pegasus retorts, a hoof poking Applejack in the side. "How so?"
Applejack nods to herself, "You both just go on whatever wild tangent you want to. Can't stick to explaining one topic. You gotta explain all the little things that crop up along the way."
"Well, yeah, it's how I think, sometimes." Doug stretches his arms out as he yawns, "Or because of hyperlinks. Actually, maybe I shouldn't explain those."
"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Rainbow says, snuggling in for a quick nap before they need to send the fillies off to bed.