//------------------------------// // Snow Problem // Story: Final Fantasy: Eidolons of Harmony // by Belligerent Bindlestiff //------------------------------// ////Pinkie Pie//// The cannoneer awoke with her nose itching and her knee pinching, a double Pinkie sense alarm for something scary and dangerous, but she only saw the party still sound asleep. “That’s weird. I wonder why my Pinkie sense went off.” She said to herself and then attempted to open the back door of Trixie’s wagon, only to find that a layer of snow had buried them overnight. Not being one to let other ponies sleep in during important events, Pinkie woke up the party with a burst. “Hey everypony, we got snowed in again! Looks like we need to melt the snow or we might have an air problem!” The party slowly roused themselves. Trixie looked at her wagon’s windows after opening the curtains. “That’s a lot of snow.” Kain gave the obstruction a glance. “I think I can use my fire breath to free us.” He then opened the window next to him. “Wait, fire breath?” Trixie asked incredulously. She took note of the dragoon taking in his breath to unleash his attack. The black mage then grabbed and yanked the dragoon away from the window. “No, stop!” she yelled. “You’ll use up all of Trixie’s, I mean our air!” She then place the head or her magic rod into the snow outside. “Fire!” Trixie incanted and the snow around her focus began to melt. Noticing that it wasn’t nearly as fast as she hoped it would be, the black mage increased her power. “Fine then. Fira!” Energies warped around her weapon and shot out in a pillar of flame that near-instantaneously melted the snow. With the snow cleared, a rush of cold air entered the wagon. “Okay.” Trixie said with her teeth chattering. “Let’s get Trixie’s wagon out.” //// While it had snowed overnight, the landscape hadn’t actually changed much; the mountains and even the Crystal empire hadn’t been lost from view. “Yakyakistan isn’t too far off.” Wedge said. “It’s through that pass ahead.” Pinkie excitedly bounced ahead of the wagon, leading the party. “Come on!” only for the wagon to barely move when Kain tried to pull it through the fresh snow. “Trixie, you said your wagon was set for this kind of weather.” Rainbow Dash said, annoyed. “Well, being snowed in isn’t one thing her wagon isn’t ready for!” Trixie said. “I’ve got it!” Pinkie said with a snap of her hooves that no one noticed. “We should have breakfast while I get the wagon ready!” She sped about the wagon and set up a fire with a large skillet over the center. “Who wants pancakes?!” Before anyone could really answer, Pinkie had already set about pouring batter onto the skillet. The rest of the party shrugged and sat themselves around the confectioneer, their hunger only slightly beating out their curiosity of how the mare would solve their problems. “Breakfast is good and all, but I don’t know how this is going to help us.” Rainbow Dash said. Pinkie however, simply brought out plates and tossed one to each party member. “Cinnamon!” she called out and tossed the pancakes to Rainbow Dash and Trixie. She started another batch, adding fruit, but still now clueing in the party on her plan. “Blueberry for our battle ponies!” she said and flipped the flapjacks to Kain and Wedge. Then, in a blur, she threw in a multitude of additional ingredients. “And for me, a super-sprinkle, chocolate chip flapjack!” Pinkie tossed it onto her plate and layered it with whipped cream. There was an awkward silence that hung over the group as they ate. Kain finally decided to speak. “While I’m certain everyone appreciated breakfast, we’re still at a loss for moving the wagon.” Pinkie licked the last of the whipped cream from her lips and put down her plate. “Well, for one thing, you can’t fight evil or solve puzzles on an empty stomach!” “So, all of that cooking was just for breakfast?” Trixie asked. “You didn’t have a plan?” Pinkie stood up and began preparing to cook more pancakes. “Oh, I’ve got plans!” she grabbed some everdough from the special pouch she had on her belt and added some to the skillet. The confectioneer hopped over to Kain. “Can I borrow you for a second, Kain?” she asked. “Well, I’m not sure-“ he was cut off when Pinkie slapped him over his back, causing him to belch out a blast of fire under the skillet. Pinkie rushed back to the fire with her spatula. The mare then lifted the pancake and began to arc the skillet so that the now burning breakfast item was curved. Then she tossed the item into the snow, causing the spot to sizzle before Pinkie lifted out the finished product. “Would you mind telling us what you’re doing, Pinkie Pie?” Trixie asked flatly. I’m making flapjack sled shoes for your wagon, Trixie!” Pinkie said smiling. “But won’t it just fall apart?” Trixie asked. “Not these!” Pinkie said as she brought more everdough out and began another gigantic flapjack. “Dashie, remember the time you tried making pancakes with me” Rainbow Dash held a hoof to the back of her neck, “Yeah, how can I forget.” She said. “They came out as hard as rocks. We ended up playing frisbee with them afterwards.” “And we broke one of Twilight’s window!” Pinkie said, causing Trixie to snort in the background. “So, I figured, why not just make something like that for a sled!” She nodded expectantly at Kain. The dragoon sighed and let out a blast of fire beneath the skillet. “I have to wonder if you ask Spike to do this sort of thing.” The confectioneer worked her not magic and tossed the sturdy foodstuff into the snow. “I sometimes wonder about your resourcefulness Pinkie.” Kain said, continuing. “You always seem to have an answer for everything.” “All part of being a party planner!” she replied. //// With the party on their way once more, Pinkie focused all of her energy planning to meet the yaks of Yakyakistan. Her mind whirred with thoughts on a possible gathering at each time of the day. She envisioned herself cooking all sorts of foods and singing songs of all genres. What kind of instruments did they have? What were their favorite flavors? With each possibility, Pinkie imagined another tiny version of herself splitting off and doing something different. And even amount those instances, she may have included a stage performance with Trixie. Those thoughts were cut short in an instant as all the mini-Pinkies came rushing back in an instant as Pinkie’s tail began to twitch, letting her know that something was about to fall on top of them. The party was nearing the end of the pass, Pinkie hopped into an extra harness next to Kain and pulled with all of her earth pony might. Rocks and snow came crashing down where they were only moments prior. Rainbow Dash, along with Wedge, flew back towards the party with inquisitive looks. “Before you ask, Dashie.” Pinkie said. “I was not singing out loud, not even my imaginations’ singing caused an avalanche this time!” Wedge examined the remnants of the debris. “Snow and rocks.” He said to himself before his eyes widened with concern. “This wasn’t an accident, be on your guards!” He yelled. A large, quadra-ped creature loomed from over the edge of the pass above. If it weren’t for the grotesque maw and ghostly, haunting eyes, the creature might have been considered equine. Each of its legs, comprised of snow, contained shards of ice and rocks as it thudded to the ground in front of the party. “A snowdigo.” Wedge said. “What a creepy looking thing.” Trixie said. “They’re deformed versions of windigos.” Wedge said. “Said to have all the malice, but none of the mind of their original forms. The creature roared, a mix of a predator and the frigid wind. But before it could act, a column of fire erupted nearby and encompassed it. The snowdigo was engulfed in flames, sounding a roar from being hit by the attack. The rest of the party turned towards Trixie and looked at her incredulously. “What?” the black mage asked. “It was totally going to attack us! You can’t say something like that jumps down and after doing all of that just to say hi?” The fire spun out, leaving not a trace of the monster. “If only it were that easy.” Wedge said. “These creatures seldom travel alone.” More frigid howls sounded from above and soon the party was beset by a pack of snowdigos. “These monsters won’t be a problem.” Rainbow Dash said and drew her blade. “If Trixie can take one down by herself, then we’ll get past this, easy.” One of the snow beasts shot a blast of snow from its maw directly at Pinkie Pie, but the mare dodged the shote easily and saw it hit the side of the pass, revealing rocks and shards of ice within the projectile. Pinkie looked back and inspected the mess. “Hey, you’re not supposed to put rocks in snowballs! It’s against the rules!” she brought out her cannon and fired back, getting the creature stuck in a batter bomb. Rainbow Dash flew down and attempted to slash one of the snowdigos with her sword. Instead of a clean slice, the rocky debris inside of the monster jarred the raptor. Kain landed on top of the creature with his hooves, turning the creature into a mound of slush. “Be careful with monsters that are made of metal or rocks. It wears down your weapon.” Wedge flew into one of the snowdigos with his shield in front of him and smashed it against the wall. “If you’ve got some of other way of hitting them, then I suggest you do that.” The soldier said, prying his shield from the wall. Rainbow saw another creature about to pounce on her, only for it to be blasted by a gout of fire from Trixie. The raptor sheathed her sword back and looked at her hooves. “Back to getting in close.” She said. Kain took notice of a group of snowdigos running as a pack. The dragoon leapt in front of them and let out a blast of fire, reducing them to a mist. Another monster meanwhile, jumped from above and tried to land on Rainbow Dash, but she took note and evaded to see it crash down. The snowdigo was about to make another attack when a rather smelly object passed by Rainbow Dash and dissolved the snowdigos “Was that…garlic?” The raptor asked. “Spicy garlic and potato soup!” Pinkie shouted. “Always great on a cold day!” The party dealt with the scores of creatures that had leapt down and attacked them. Kain, Wedge, and Rainbow Dash fought them off in close quarters, smashing them with their hooves. Pinkie Pie and Trixie fired off their own attacks at the snowdigos in the back of the pack that were waiting for the melee fighters to expose a flank. Pinkie let loose a barrage of hot soup, dissolving a great deal of the creatures. All the while, bolts of fire whizzed by, each time after Trixie incanted her spells. “Fire! Fire! Fire!” “Wow, Trixie, that’s a lot of magic you’re using!” Pinkie said. “Of course!” The black mage said. “There’s no way that Trixie is going to let these gifts bestowed on her go to waste. Fire!” she incanted and blasted another snowdigo that had slipped behind Wedge. “Yeah! You’re way better with magic now, and less mean to us!” Pinkie said. “Watch out Dashie!” She fired off a blast from her cannon. “That’s a whole lot of spells you’re using, aren’t you tired? I’ve got lots of ingredients and everdough to use if you need to rest!” After firing off three more bolts of flame, Trixie spoke. “Trixie.” She panted. “Is. Doing. Fine.” Another snowdigo had charged towards the pair of artillery mares. Trixie attempted another cast of fire only for it to sputter out of her horn with a few sparks. “Aw nuts.” Wedge then flew into the beast and slammed it into the ground. “Trixie could have gotten that one.” She continued, the exhaustion resonating in her voice. “Just a few more and we would have had all of them.” Rainbow Dash plowed through one of the snowdigos and landed in front of the black mage. “That’s great and all, Trixie, but I think you might not have seen those guys.” She pointed behind Trixie, to the location they had traveled through the pass. “What?!” Trixie cried out, exasperated. She turned to see another horde of snowdigos being fended off by Kain’s fire breath. Their numbers were so great that the creatures pushed forward and the dragoon leapt back with the rest of the party. “I don’t think I can keep using my fire breath. They’re keeping their distance from each other.” Kain said. “And with our mage out of commission, we don’t have a wide enough of an attack.” Wedge said looking Trixie, who was now being held up by Pinkie Pie. “Kain, do you have enough for one more fire breath” Rainbow Dash asked. “Yes,” The dragoon replied. The raptor smirked. “When I tell you, give it one more blast.” Kain nodded and Rainbow Dash took off towards the horde. She flew above the monsters just high enough to draw their attention, but not low enough to bet bit when they leapt up at her. She swung her blade, creating air slashes that cut into the occasional adversary. When she neared the edge of the horde she began encircling the creatures. “Dashie is gonna make a tornado?” Pinkie asked. “You need a lot of pegasi to do that.” “And it only works for rain.” Wedge said. “Wait.” He looked at Kain. “I know what her plan is.” The soldier dropped his shield and flew into the tornado with the raptor. The winds of the tornado were intense, despite only having the wing power of only two pegasi, but the snowdigos braced themselves and attempted to make their way closer to the party. As Rainbow Dash continued her revolutions, she yelled at the rest of the party when she passed by. “Almost there! One more lap!” Pinkie noticed that some of the snowdigos were attempting to get out of the storm. She fired batter at their feet to keep them inside. As the raptor rounded once more, she yelled, “Now!” Kain let out the last fire breath he could muster into Rainbow Dash’s tornado. The storm of wind captured the flame and the funnel illuminated the pass. Both pegasi narrowly escaped the flames, When the attack died down, nothing remained of the monsters. Rainbow Dash and Wedge returned to the party, their armor slightly singed, but the pegasi were unharmed from the stunt. “Yeah! We got them!” the raptor exclaimed. “That was a good instinct on your part.” Kain said. The party took in the silence of the completed battle, only for a much louder, more imposing roar, to emanate. A shuffle of snow and rocks flew down from the top of the pass, but nothing could be seen. “No.” Wedge said. “What is it?” Pinkie asked. Before the soldier could answer, an enormous creature descended from the heights of the pass. “An alpha.” Wedge said. “We don’t have any more fire attacks.” Rainbow Dash said. “That’s never stopped you before.” Kain said, readying himself to jump. The rest of the group braced itself and prepared for another difficult fight. “I’ve still got soup!” Pinkie exclaimed, to sheikh she fired another barrage of flaming food. The beast was so large that even the multitude of shots only slightly speckled the snowy body. Kain leapt into the air while Rainbow Dash and Wedge flew overhead of the alpha snowdigo to distract it with air slashes and fly-bys. “Hmm, maybe my soup needs a little more spice.” Pinkie said, to herself and began to rummage through the supplies, all the while the battle raged on. Kain landed on the monster’s head and attempted to stab its face with his spear. The snowdigo flailed its head to rid itself of the dragoon. Rainbow Dash swung repeatedly at the snowdigo, unleashing a series of air slashes that wore deep into one of its legs. Wedge then flew into the gigantic appendage and broke the snowy limb away. The snowdigo shifted from the imbalance, but still focused on trying to remove Kain from its face. Pinkie continued working on her next soup blast recipe. “Hmm, red fangs for a hotter flavor?” she held one in her hoof over the mouth of her cannon. Trixie, still exhausted from her over-exertion looked on at the battle. “Why are a bunch of birds fighting a snowdigo?” “There, that should do it!” Pinkie said, while she aimed her cannon. “EVERYPONY MOVE!” she yelled. Kain jumped off of the monster, while the two pegasi cleared the airspace. The confectioneer fired a tremendous blast of hot garlic and potato soup that collided with the snowdigo. The culinary concussive blast tore a hole into the monster’s chest. Despite the attack, the creature lumbered ever closer, until shaking could be felt in the ground. “Uh, Wedge.” Pinkie Pie said. “Do snowdigos come in bigger sizes?” “This is about as big as they come.” Wedge said. “At least as big as I’ve ever seen them.” A cloud of snow manifested from the exit of the pass, and the monstrous snowdigo turned to meet dozens of yaks emerge from the clouds in a stampede. The monster began to turn but was soon overrun by the large horde of yaks. The north’s natives skidded to a halt in front of the party, leaving very little of the snowdigo behind them. One yak, garbed more regally than the others stepped forward. “Thanks for your help, Prince Rutherford.” Wedge said. “Didn’t think you all heard the commotion from way out here.” “Help?” the prince asked. “Oh, yaks didn’t hear trouble, we smelled really good food from our home, really smelly food.” The whole party work a look of shock. “Do you have a great cook with you or something?” Rutherford asked. Pinkie Pie could only smile at the yak prince’s question.