//------------------------------// // Wrapping Up Winter // Story: The Champion of Harmony // by Voxum //------------------------------// The night was calm. The moon and stars hung in the air, twinkling softly against the inky blackness of empty space. Hearth's Warming had come and gone, and with it went the myriad decorations that had infested the town, leaving Ponyville as pristine as it ever was. It wasn't a surprise to find that on such a calm, quiet night that the residents of this little town were all sleeping peacefully in their homes, with not a care in the world as they swam through the realm of their dreams. Even so, there was one individual who was still awake at this time, as a soft hum echoed through the air, followed by an angry growl as that same individual nimbly ducked beneath the timberwolf's strike. Despite the imminent danger to his life, Emerald could honestly say he was feeling surprisingly relaxed. Then again, he was in the middle of an exercise that 101 Ways to Relax: The De-Stressing had outlined, so perhaps that wasn't too surprising? As annoying as it was to admit, the book that Sparky had gotten him for Hearth's Warming three months ago had proved particularly effective, and he had decided to take the occasional opportunity to make use of the simple exercises. Like right now, whilst he was in the middle of avoiding the timberwolf that was trying to turn him into minced meat, which was already somewhat relaxing to him. ... That was not a good thing, he understood. Finding a life or death fight relaxing, in any way, shape, or form, was not exactly something that any sane individual should be able to do. Then again, thestrals weren't exactly the perfect picture of mental health, and the Skies Clan even less so. Plug in the Facility and he was surprised he hadn't been admitted to a mental facility. Though, there was that one psychologist that Mother had brought to him just after he first woke up in the Medical Wing... His spear spun in place, before coming to a halt just in time to stop the timberwolf's paw dead in its tracks. He gave it a sort of half glance, before shoving its paw aside and lashing out, severing its head from its shoulders in a single motion. He simply stood there and continued humming after that, not bothering to watch as the cursed wolf fell apart. It was a slow process, but his humming eventually came to an end, leaving a soundless void all around him. A soft wind washed over him suddenly, its soft caress completely lacking the, by now familiar, sting of snowfall. Though, it was to be expected, after all... Spring was tomorrow, and with it came Winter Wrap Up. Winter Wrap Up was basically its namesake. The ponies of Equestria would all band together to get rid of the lingering touch of Winter and bring about Spring through the manipulation of the weather and the surroundings. He'd... never actually participated in Winter Wrap Up before, and it wasn't because he was out working or outside Equestria. He... simply couldn't manipulate the weather. He wasn't a pegasus, after all. Plus he was mostly stationed in Canterlot whenever Winter Wrap Up came along, and there wasn't much to Wrap Up aside from the weather there. Unlike Ponyville, which had weather, animals, as well as several farms in the area. He could only wonder how much more they had to do. Perhaps... he'd be able to help out this time? He might not be able to do shit about the weather, but he was certain that he could do something. But... what? Emerald frowned as he pondered this, but turned around and made his way back into town. It was a dilemma, and not one he'd be able to solve right now. He didn't know what tasks Ponyville required done, or what options were available to him. Then again, there hadn't been any sort of town meeting or anything to distribute work to the townsfolk, so... perhaps he'd be assigned something tomorrow? ... Unless, of course, they didn't need to have a meeting? Maybe it was open-ended and one could just... join in? Or maybe the roles had been assigned a long time ago and just never changed? It sounded horribly inefficient, but this was a fairly small town, so either was possible... He was, admittedly, startled from his thoughts by a nearby door bursting open, flooding the empty street with light, followed immediately by someone shouting- "-Bright and early!" Confused sapphire eyes met a pair of eager amethysts, though the air between them remained silent. Slowly, Sparky's eyes glanced upward, taking in the sight of the yet-to-set moon hanging in the sky, "O-oh..." she breathed, her face turning red enough that she probably didn't need her current Winter gear anymore, "Maybe a little too early..." she muttered, though it reached his ears clearly. Emerald was silent for a moment longer, before he started chuckling "Excited for Winter Wrap Up tomorrow?" he asked sarcastically, "Well... yes," Sparky admitted, pouting, "It's a big tradition in Ponyville that everypony in town pitch in to help bring about Spring!" she gushed, "I used to love watching the Guards back in Canterlot work to clear away Winter when I was a filly, but I never once thought about participating," she said with a smile, bouncing a little place, "But now I can't wait to help everypony out! Not only does Ponyville do it differently than Canterlot, which is interesting all on its own, but I'll be working with everypony else in town at once!" Emerald chuckled a little more at her excited demeanor, but nodded along with her words, "I understand," he said, "I never helped out when it came time to clear up for Spring, so I'm... interested in helping out this time around." Sparky blinked, and looked at him, confused, "You never helped out?" she asked, "But I thought members of the Guard were required to?" she added with a raised brow, "Shining always had to head out early and he wouldn't be back until late at night, even when he was still in training!" she said. "That's true," he said, then gestured to his currently undisguised form, "But remember, I'm neither a unicorn nor a pegasus. I have no Equestrian magic in my body. I can't manipulate the weather or use spells, and there aren't any animals or plants to help out with in Canterlot, so I couldn't do much," he said, then frowned and glanced around at the still lingering snow, "To be honest, it was a tad annoying, seeing work to do and not being able to do it," he admitted, before smirking, "So I guess we'll both be working our first Winter Wrap Up together." Sparky stared at him for a moment, then beamed at him, "I'm looking forward to it! I guess I'll see you bright and early tomorrow!" she said, and he nodded, "That's right," he said, "Provided you get back to bed first. Bright and early implies that it's bright and early, after all," he teased, pointedly glancing up at the moon. The red-faced glare she sent back at him before slamming her door shut had him laughing well into the rest of the night. The next day came by a tad too quick for Emerald's liking, but, in hindsight, he should've expected the town to get up a lot earlier than usual for Winter Wrap Up. Thankfully the Mayor was one of the first to wake up, and she had clued him in to the town meeting scheduled in a half hour to distribute duties, leadership roles, and 'team vests'. That had caught his attention, and he'd promptly demanded an explanation, which, after he told her of his plans to help, she'd been suspiciously happy to give. There were going to be three teams, each one denoted by a coloured vest with the team leader's being distinguishable by a large embroidered star and white trim. Green vests were for the Plant Team, whose duties entailed tending to the fields, planting seeds, and clearing away the snow using plows. The blue vests were for the Weather Team, who were tasked with clearing the sky and snow around town, as well as carving and melting the nearby lakes and ponds. Although, it was rather stupid to call them the Weather Team since the town had an actual weather team. Blue Team it is. Lastly, the tan vests were the Animal Team. They were the ones in charge of waking up the hibernating animals, constructing bird's nests, and helping the animals forage for food while they were busy bringing Spring in. They were also responsible for welcoming back the Southern birds. That... had actually made choosing where to help a tad harder for him. While there wasn't much he could do about the weather, clearing away the snow was easy enough, and carving the ice wouldn't be difficult, depending on what tools they had to use. Same went for planting seeds and pulling along those plows. He wasn't the best with animals, but hunting for food in the forest was simple and easy as well. So... where did he go? He'd have to speak with one of the Team Leaders to get his tasks, them being either Rainbow Dash for weather, Applejack for plants, or a mare named Amethyst Star for the animals. ... Shit. ----- "Half hour my ass..." Emerald growled under his breath, sitting patiently in front of Town Hall. An hour had passed since Mayor Mare's explanation, and the meeting had yet to even start, bringing a sense of irritated confusion to the local thestral. "Faust, if this meeting is anything to go by, then it's no wonder this town hasn't been on time for the past two decades," he grumbled. It had been a fact he'd only just remembered after Mayor Mare's explanation, specifically right after her strangely happy demeanor had set off alarm bells in his head. It had taken some deep thought, but, eventually, he recalled a crucial piece of information regarding Ponyville. Spring had been late in this town for nearly twenty years. He wasn't even sure how that was possible! Clearing up Winter took a meticulous schedule in order to ensure that every single piece of work went smoothly without interfering with the work of other sectors. Clouds needed to be cleared in such a manner that the ground was warmed evenly to prevent the snow from melting in one spot too fast or else risk a small flood, snow needed to be plowed to this location to ensure a proper channel of flow was established so that it didn't cause damage to the nearby housing, and the weather needed to remain at a good temperature to make sure that the wind didn't pick up too much and send snow, paperwork, badges, and other such things flying. If they had all of that, then how could any town be consistently late every year? Eventually, a few other ponies started showing up around him around twenty minutes later. There was a slight problem with that, however. They already had on vests. What the fuck was wrong with this town? Ponies shouldn't already be aware of their stations. Such a thing should've been handled during the town meeting where the leaders would be assigned and volunteers would approach the leader and receive their vest. Not to mention that a formal letter detailing the time and setting of the meeting should've been sent out days ago to make sure that everyone arrived on time, and to give them as much time as possible to hoof out assignments and get started on their work. Honestly. Regardless of his increasingly irritated mood, ponies continued to arrive, one by one, until nearly another hour had passed, before the entire town was finally present, leaving Emerald as the only one not wearing a vest. A fact that had a few nearby ponies staring in confusion. As if he was the one being strange. Faust. "Thank you everypony for being here bright and early!" Mayor Mare suddenly began, catching the crowd's attention, "We'll be needing everypony's help to wrap up Winter this year and bring in Spring," she said, smiling, "Now, you all have your vests, and you all know what your duties are, so let's go everypony! Let's make this the quickest Winter Wrap Up ever!" she called, causing the crowd of ponies to erupt into cheer. Moments after, however, they scattered across town, leaving Emerald, and unsurprisingly, Sparky and Spike behind. "Wha-that's it?" Sparky asked, looking around, confused, "B-but what about hoofing out the schedule? Or explaining what each team is supposed to do? Or-or giving everypony a pre-made list of their assigned duties?! Or-?!" "Relax, Twilight," the hatchling yawned, "Just ask around, or somethin'..." he mumbled tiredly, "But Spike, this is important! I don't want to go around bothering ponies just because I don't know something! Winter Wrap Up is a very intensive task! I don't want them to start running behind because of me..." she muttered. Emerald snickered, which caught her attention, "Emerald?" she asked, looking confused, "What are you laughing about? This is serious!" she insisted, but it only got him to laugh a little harder, "R-relax, Sparky," he said, chuckling, "Ponyville hasn't been on time for Spring in years. Trust me, you won't make much of a difference, timing-wise," he revealed, "Blue vests are for weather and snow cleaning duty, green vests are for planting seeds and tilling the fields, and tan vests are for handling the animals and their food," he explained. Sparky blinked, and smiled at him, though he could tell she was wondering about what he'd said about Ponyville's chronic lateness. "Thanks Emerald," she said, and frowned, "but... that doesn't really help me. I still don't know where I'd fit in best, especially since I can't use my magic..." she trailed off, then perked up, "Oh! Where are you working? M-maybe we can work together?" she asked, perhaps a little too eagerly, if the sudden flushing of her face was any indication. Emerald shook his head, "I'm as clueless as you are, Sparky," he admitted with a shrug. She seemed surprised, "Really?" Sparky asked, her eyes widening slightly, "I would've thought you'd have an idea already, " she said, and glanced away, "You always seem so... sure about things. I'm honestly a bit surprised you don't know what to do," she added. Emerald scoffed, "Believe me, Sparky, there's plenty of things I'm clueless about. Equestrian traditions, for example," he said, but paused when her face suddenly turned bright red, then smirked, "but you already knew that." "I suppose we'll just have to look around then!" she announced loudly, spinning around to face away from him, and began stiffly walking away, "M-maybe we should talk to the girls! I'm sure they can help us!" Emerald smirked, and shook his head, before following after her. ----- It didn't take them long to spot Rainbow Dash, who was currently hovering in mid-air, shouting orders at a group of pegasi, each of whom was holding onto a small cloud. "-ay from the farm! We don't want any of this snow hanging around longer than we need it to! Got it?!" the pegasi responded with a chorus of affirmatives, "Good! Now get going!" she shouted, and scarcely seconds later they had disappeared, flying over town. Rainbow nodded, smirking almost smugly, and turned to fly away, only to pause as Sparky called out to her, "Rainbow Dash!" she yelled into the sky, "Huh?" was the eloquent response, before Dash decided to glance down, "Oh, hey Twilight!" she called, lazily floating down, "You too Spike, Emerald," she added off-hoofedly, before her attention returned to the lavender unicorn, "Whatcha doin' Twi? Shouldn't you be..." she trailed off, and narrowed her eyes, "Uh... who're you assigned to?" she asked. Sparky shook her head, "Well, that's the problem, Rainbow. Emerald and I aren't assigned anywhere," she explained, and smiled, "So I thought we'd go around and ask if there's anything we can do for you all!" she added enthusiastically. Rainbow chuckled, "Gee, thanks Twi, but we've got plenty of hooves already. Besides, you can't really help with the weather, since, you're a unicorn," she said, and gestured at Emerald, "He's out too, since he's... you know," she added, sparing a glance around for eavesdroppers, "not a pegasus." Sparky wilted, and hung her head, "Oh... are you sure?" she asked, glancing hopefully up at the other mare. Rainbow grimaced, and started rubbing the back of her head, "W-well... I guess.... oh! You can go talk to Pinkie," she suggested, brightening suddenly, "Yeah, Pinks is our ice carver. She works at the ponds and lakes and cuts 'em up with her skates. We don't got a lot of those, so she'll probably need all the help she can get." Carver? As in... one? "Really? Thanks for letting us know, Rainbow!" Sparky gushed, and spun around, "Alright you two! Let's go find Pinkie!" He and Sparky bid Rainbow Dash goodbye, and set off in search of the elusive pink mare. "It's a shame that we can't help them with the weather," Sparky said, breaking the short silence they had shared, "hopefully we can help Pinkie!" she added. Emerald nodded, "It shouldn't be too hard," he agreed, "Dash mentioned that Pinkie used her skates to carve the ice, and luckily for me my birth mother enjoyed taking me ice-skating whenever I was healthy enough," he revealed, then frowned, "I... haven't done it in... over a decade, actually." Sparky seemed surprised, "Really?" she asked, then gasped slightly, "Right, you said thestrals are from the Frozen North. It makes sense that Winter themed sports like ice-skating would be a common past-time," she said, "Do you play other sports like that? Like curling or even hockey?" Emerald chuckled at her enthusiasm, but shook his head, "No. Well, not when I was there. Nocturne is more vertically spaced than horizontally, so there isn't a lot of space for games like those. I... believe I do recall a few games, but I never played them. For multiple reasons," he said vaguely, "besides, only very young thestrals actually have the time to play things like that. From what I can remember, and from what lessons my Father practically beat into my skull, once thestrals are recognized as adults, either by age seven or getting our marks-" he glanced at the spark of magic on Sparky's flank, "-then we're placed into the Clan's working caste, unless we display sufficient skills in another area that would warrant a transfer into another Clan." "Transfer?" Sparky asked, tilting her head, "But didn't you say that anyone could be anything? Like a Skies could be a teacher, or a... Royal? A Royal could be a hunter?" Emerald nodded, "I did," he said, smirking, "I'm... surprised you remember that," he admitted, "But yeah, that's true. What I didn't tell you is that a Royal that becomes a hunter doesn't stay a Royal." "What?!" Sparky practically shrieked, "B-but that's not right!" she said, spinning to face his directly so hard that Spike was sent flying off of her back into a nearby pile of snow, "They can't just throw someone out of the family just because they're better at something else! That's wrong! Family should stick together, no matter what!" she insisted. Emerald smiled, and even chuckled a little, earning a, not undeserved, furious glare from her, "Why are you laughing?!" "Sorry, sorry," he apologized, grinning slightly as he waved his hooves, "it's just, hehe, you seem to think it's something that's forced." That got her to calm down. "It's... not?" He shook his head, "No, of course not. It's a choice. By choosing to be something other than what your Clan Name dictates, you are choosing to become a part of a different Clan, hence a Name Change to reflect that," he said, then straightened his back and held his head high, mimicking the pose his Father had held when he'd explained it to him, so many years ago, "'Our Founders chose to split the responsibility of our home onto ten different Clans. This has remained the way things have been done since the beginning of Nocturne, and it shall remain the way things are done until Nocturne has withered into dust. Our Names dictate the paths our lives shall take, from birth until death. The Ten Clans act as pillars for our home. Solid, and without give.'," Emerald smirked, and relaxed, "I told you, Sparky, that The Ten Clans made up the various workers that are in Nocturne. I should've told you that the workers made up the Clans. Instead of saying that every Skies and Tides is a warrior, I should've have said that every warrior is a Skies or Tides. That was my mistake," he admitted, somewhat sheepishly, "so... sorry for the confusion?" he added hesitantly. Sparky stared at him for a moment, then sighed, "No, it's... it's fine. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I... forget that your culture is drastically different than mine at times" she admitted, looking him in the eye with a sheepish smile, "You just act so much like a pony that it doesn't really... register that you're a completely different species than me, and that your culture would obviously be different and shouldn't be held to the same standards as Equestria's." Emerald smirked, "I'm not acting as much as you think I am," he said, shrugging listlessly as Spike finally reemerged from his snowy prison, "I was born and raised in Nocturne, but at this point I might as well be a pony. I'm just lacking some well known cultural information," he paused, "... okay, a good chunk of it, but still." Sparky smiled, her expression brightening, "I guess you're right. But you've obviously hung on to some old things from back home," she pointed out, though her brow furrowed, "Although... that sounded a lot like something to do with politics," she pointed out, "Discussing the reason as to why your culture functioned like that and how tradition is supposed to be maintained. Why would your father teach you that? I thought Skies were a warrior clan?" Emerald blinked, and regarded her with confusion, "What do you mean?" she fidgeted slightly, "Well... maybe I'm assuming things again, but... wouldn't a warrior based clan be more focused on things pertaining to being a warrior? Like... um... fighting or weapons?" she asked, and winced at her own words, "I'm sorry if I'm being offensive, but Shining says that a lot of the ponies he's met with Guard family history tend to act like that," she apologized. Emerald stared for a moment, but laughed it off, which caused her to relax, "It's fine, Sparky, and, honestly, you're pretty much right," he admitted, then gestured to himself, "I'm pretty dedicated to training and working myself, and even Shy is pretty dedicated to her work too, and she's only half-Skies," he joked around, hoping that it would ease her further, "So... I suppose it would be pretty odd for the average Skies member to learn about Clan-based politics, but my Father was Clan Head, so it was pretty much guaranteed that I'd be expected to learn about it as well." Emerald nodded to himself once he'd finished speaking. His Father had been fairly thorough whenever it was time for his lessons. Sickness or not, a potential Clan Head absolutely had to learn about the ins and outs of running the family. Despite the Skies being a Warrior Clan, there was a lot of paperwork that went into it. Things like allocating funds to certain districts, maintaining a well rounded military, actively maintaining a positive relation with their sibling-clan, directing training schedules and patrols around the mountains, as well as making sure that the weapons and gear were all in good condition were just par for the course. And he learned all of that despite being a sickly third child! He was sure his brother, as the eldest, had a more in-depth tutoring than himself, and even his sister likely did. Then again, his Father wasn't one to do things half-way. If he wanted to do something, then it was all or nothing with him. He supposed he had inherited that from him, at least. ... Sparky had gone quiet. He focused back on her, having lost himself to this thoughts for a moment, and found her just... standing there, staring at him with a slack jaw and wide eyes. "Uh...?" he tried to say, before catching his tongue, "Something the matter, Sparky?" "Y-your father was the head of the clan?" she asked, "B-b-but th-th-that would mean that you're basically foreign royalty!" she sputtered, causing Emerald to blink, "Th... that's not-no, just no," he said, shaking his head. Sparky regarded him, surprised, "B-b-but you just said-!" "I said that my Father was Clan Head. I didn't say I was the Clan Heir," he corrected her, brow raised, "I'm the third child of three. I told you that before, Sparky," he said, frowning, "My older brother is the Clan Heir, and the only way that I'll be the Heir is if both my brother and sister kick the bucket, and I go back," he added, and shook his head, "And even if I was the Heir, I wouldn't be 'royalty'. Clan Heirs are just like any other member of the Clan. The only real difference is that they're expected to learn a lot more about Nocturne's politics in conjunction with the Clan's normal duties," he said, "... and have to adhere to some of the more... questionable traditions, but that's really it," he added. "Really?" Sparky asked, only for her eyes to widen, "Speaking of traditions, we need to find Pinkie!" she gasped, and started jogging off, "C'mon! Winter's not going to stick around and wait for us to help!" she called. Emerald shook his head, but followed regardless. He caught up easily enough, "So, if Pinkie's the ice carver, it stands to reason that she's already started," Emerald began, "so the only question is 'where is she right now?'." "Right," Sparky agreed, staring determinedly forward, "Well, if I remember, there's a few ponds near Fluttershy's house, one big one near Whitetail Woods, and then there's the large water reservoir a bit out of Ponyville, and the one the Weather Station uses for it's rainbows," she listed, before frowning, "I... have no idea which one she'd be at right now. Logically she should start with the ones closer to town so they're ready for the Weather Team to melt, but-" "It's Pinkie," Emerald finished for her with a nod, "so logic isn't entirely in the question." "Right! So we'll have to ask- Rarity!" Sparky shouted, and jogged off once more, "Rarity?" Emerald asked, "Why do we need to ask- oh..." he trailed off, spotting the white unicorn moments later. They had ended up walking near the Carousel Boutique during their momentary conversation, where they found the unicorn standing beside an absolutely massive pile of twigs he could spot off to the side. It was accompanied by large rolls of variously coloured ribbon, as well as more than a few bales of hay. If that hadn't been surprising enough, the fact that the mare in question was wearing a tan vest had nearly thrown him for a loop. Rarity, a mare who hated getting dirty, was on the team dedicated to working with a mass number of animals? It simply didn't make sense! Then again, the alternatives were working in the field all day, not something he could even picture her doing, or working with the weather. And considering the last time he knew of Rarity working with nature had resulted in her and Applejack nearly toppling a tree into the library, he definitely didn't want to see a repeat. Rarity's head snapped back suddenly, pulling a long red ribbon in her teeth taut, before letting it go and allowing it to settle into a nice little ribbon hanging off the... bird's nest? His eyes traced back over to the pile of materials, and back over to the hoofmade bird's nest sitting prettily on the table in front of her, and suddenly her being on the Animal Team made a lot more sense. Although, the sight of the expertly woven bird's nest, which more resembled a basket in his opinion, was a little off putting to him. Damn ponies and their need to control everything around them. Birds were perfectly capable of making their own nests, dammit! Whatever. "Oh! Why hello there Twilight!" Rarity called upon looking up, "Oh, and you too Spike, and you as well Emerald!" "Rarity," he greeted, still a tad distracted by the hoof-woven nest in front of him. "Well, what brings you three here?" she asked politely, her eyes darting, perhaps too eagerly, between him and Sparky, "Well, we're looking for Pinkie," Sparky explained, her eyes scanning Rarity's current workspace, "See, since we're still pretty new in town, Emerald and I haven't been assigned anywhere, and-" "Oh? Maybe you two could help me, then?" Rarity suggested, and gestured to her materials, "You see, I'm in charge of making all of the bird's nests for when the Weather Team bring back the southern birds, so that they all have places to lay their eggs ready. Unfortunately, I'm the only one who makes them, so I'd really appreciate the help," she explained, smiling at them. "Oh! I'd love to help!" Sparky latched on to the offer immediately, while a purple glow surrounded Emerald's leg, "We'd both love to, in fact!" she corrected with a smile. Emerald didn't bother resisting. "Alright then," Rarity began without issue, smiling too widely at them as she levitated a pair of baskets in front of them, each filled to the brim with straw, ribbons, and twigs, which Sparky all too eagerly accepted, "so, all you have to is-" she continued to explain the fine art of nest weaving to the two of them, all the while remaining semi-oblivious to the way Sparky started carefully organizing the contents of both their baskets by size, colour, and material, as well as the way she painstakingly set it all out onto the table before each of them. "-you understand?" Rarity finally wrapped up her explanation, curiously glancing at him and the widely smiling Sparky, sparing a quick, surprised, glance down at their neatly organized materials. "All set!" Sparky chirped, "Ready whenever," Emerald responded right after, "A-alright. Let's begin then." And so they did. Quickly getting to work, Emerald grabbed a few pieces of straw and some twigs and began to wrap them together, making sure to utilize some of the ribbon in the process. It didn't look pretty, but he was sure it was coming along. ----- He had absolutely zero idea how to weave a basket, much less a nest. Oh sure, he knew that you had to wrap the straw over this piece in just such a way, and that you had to, somehow, do that with hundreds of other little pieces, but how exactly was one supposed to even do that? He glanced back over at Rarity's finished product, and concluded that the mare's years of needle-working were playing a large part in her success. He tugged futilely at the knot he'd somehow placed in the bird's nest-assuming that the strange ball of knotted straw, ribbon, and twigs could even be considered such a thing. He glared at the ball he'd somehow crafted, willing it to light itself on fire, only to find that particular endeavor almost as easy as making the nest. He glanced at Sparky's nest, and almost did a double take. Hers... actually looked like a nest. Oh it wasn't pretty like Rarity's, but, unlike his, hers actually possessed a bowl-like shape that the birds could lay their eggs in, and actually possessed a sizable ring on the outside that would keep them from rolling out. Even without magic, the lavender mare had ended up making a better nest than himself. He looked back over to his ball, and idly wondered if Opal would like to keep it. "Oh... my," Rarity broke the silence, having looked back up from her fifteenth, perfectly made, basket, "Whaddya think?" Sparky asked eagerly, eyes raking over her little creation, "I mean, it's not beautiful like yours, Rarity, but-" she glanced at Emerald's for a moment, before looking away, "I think it came out just fine!" Cheeky little- "Of... course," Rarity said hesitantly, staring at their products like one would a rabid animal, "They're both quite... um...?" "Awful?" Spike suggested from his bush, opening one eye to stare blandly at them, "Spike!" Rarity admonished, glancing at him for an instant before turning back to them, "They're not awful! I'm sure the birds will love them! They can use them as, er..." "Outhouses?" Spike interjected once more, causing Rarity to hiss at him a second time. Emerald's brow twitched, and he found himself turning on the little brat, "You know, Spike?" he asked pleasantly, holding a smile so sweet it would be impossible to recognize it as something wholesome, "You, Sparky, and I all haven't done anything to help out during Winter Wrap Up, yet here we are trying to do just that this year. But wouldn't you know; Sparky and I are being oh so selfish, we're not even including you!" he said, stalking forward, before grabbing the irritating hatchling, and depositing him on the table, "It just wouldn't be fair if we had all the fun, and left you out of it, right?" he asked politely. Spike, who had turned a very unhealthy shade of white at this point, nodded rapidly, "U-uh, yeah! Of course! I'd love to help!" he swallowed the lump in his throat, and mechanically turned to the materials laid out before him, "I-I'll just get started right away!" he stammered, his claws working overtime to correctly weave the straw and ribbon together. "Oh, that was nice of you, Emerald!" Sparky beamed at him, before frowning, "I was so caught up with my own desires, I can't believe I didn't realize what a great opportunity I was depriving Spike!" she whined. Emerald blinked, and regarded her with a tilted head. Was she... was she playing along or was she oblivious what he'd just done? Bah, not like it mattered. Evidently the little drake had proved somewhat decent at the task, if the way Rarity had suddenly started praising him was anything to- What. Immediately, Emerald's attention focused on the completed project resting in Spike's talons. It was, by no means, as nice as the ones Rarity had made, but it was leagues beyond the nest Sparky made. The less said about his the better. "This is wonderful, Spike!" Rarity gushed, "Oh, I knew you were a wonderful helper, but I didn't realize you were so good at weaving!" "Uhh... yeah! I'm pretty awesome!" Spike said, soaking in the praise like a dry sponge. Emerald's eye twitched, and he had to work to suppress a growl. So much for that. As he was busy contemplating his failure, Twilight was looking dejectedly between the small pile of finished nests by Rarity's side and her own nest, finding her previously good mood falling with every changing glance. This... she didn't want to help like this. She wanted to provide a meaningful contribution to Ponyville's Winter Wrap Up! Her nest weaving was poor at best, unlike Spike's. She supposed that was one good thing about her failure. Seeing Spike succeed at something she failed at had provided a bittersweet warmth to her otherwise chilly body, but a warmth nonetheless. "Well, Emerald and I should get going and see if we can catch Pinkie before the day's done," Sparky said, catching everyone's attention, "Why... why don't you stay here and help Rarity, Spike?" she asked, smiling at the dumbstruck look on her little brother's face, "I mean, this is your home too, so it's only fair that you get to help in your own way, right?" she asked him. Emerald was a tad surprised at that, though Rarity seemed completely dumbfounded, as well as a bit reluctant. ... Right, she'd never actually talked with the love-struck drake about his feelings, had she? He regarded Sparky with a more critical eye. Was this her plan? To get them alone long enough that Rarity practically had to talk to him? Judging from the slightly sad smile on her face, he honestly doubted it. "Hmm, Sparky's right," he eventually decided to say, giving Rarity a firm look, his eyes dancing between her and the hatchling for a moment, "we should head off while there's still plenty of time for us to help." Rarity gave the two of them an alarmed look, "A-are you sure?" she asked, sending a half-glance over at Spike, who seemed lost in his own little world for the moment, "I-I'm sure with a little more practice you two won't have any trouble assisting me!" she implored, "Surely there's no reason to go looking around and leave me with poor little Spikey, yes?" she asked, only to swallow as Sparky shook her head. "As nice as it is for you to offer that, Rarity, I couldn't live with myself if I started taking up your time anymore than I already have," she admitted, holding a hoof to her chest, before giving her friend a smile, "Lets get going Emerald, who knows how far Pinkie has gotten by now," she said to him as she turned and began walking off. Emerald spared Rarity a final glance, before following her. They walked in silence for a minute, the absence of the hatchling slowly bringing to mind the fact that they were now alone together to each of them. After that long minute passed, however, Sparky managed to bring herself to speak. "So... umm... who should we ask next?" ----- After a moment of debate, they decided to head over to Fluttershy's. This was primarily because they could both check the nearby ponds to see if Pinkie had been there yet, as well as check in to see what Fluttershy was doing for Winter Wrap Up and see if she knew where Pinkie would be. It didn't take long after that for them to arrive, though considering the sheer amount of snow that still covered the area, enough to completely blot out the green of the forest around it, he doubted that anyone was around here, much less Pinkie and Fluttershy. "Wow..." Sparky breathed, taking slow steps forward, her head moving on a swivel, "I... guess nopony has gotten to this part of town, yet," she said, "I wouldn't say that," Emerald muttered, glancing up to find a few pegasi flying around with clouds in their hooves, "Though, I don't hear Flutter-" he cut himself off at the soft sound of a ringing bell, coming from somewhere off to the far left, "nevermind," he added, brushing through the snow-covered foliage, with Sparky trotting behind him after a moment. The sounds of the bell didn't last long, but the sound of crunching snow proved more than enough for him to track, until they soon came upon a large hilly field, littered with burrows, and a lone, butter-yellow pegasus wearing a tan vest, whose head was currently stuck inside one of the barrows. "Come on out little ones, it's time to wake up..." he could barely hear her whisper, before slowly drawing her head from the burrow. There was some reluctant movement from inside the burrow, before a small group of porcupines started waddling out, stretching in the morning sun. "Aww," Sparky cooed, starling Fluttershy, "how cute!" "Oh!" the pegasus gasped, "Um, good morning Twilight, Emerald," Fluttershy greeted politely, before tilting her head softly, "D-did you need something?" "Oh, morning Fluttershy!" Sparky greeted in return, and nodded slightly, "Sorry to bother you, but Emerald and I are actually looking for Pinkie," she said, giving the shy pegasus a smile, "Have you seen her?" Fluttershy blinked, "Umm... no, I don't think so. Sorry," she said, frowning and turning her head downwards, "Oh no, it's fine!" Sparky quickly said, waving her hooves slightly, "I was just wondering, since Emerald and I are new in town and we aren't part of a team," she explained. Fluttershy perked up at this, "Oh my, really?" she asked, "I'm so sorry about that!" she said, sounding genuinely apologetic despite having nothing to do with their current predicament, "Umm... maybe... maybe you could help me with the animals?" she suggested. "Help, how?" Emerald asked, eyeing the numerous number of burrows around them, "Well, you see, I'm supposed to go around and wake up all my little animals friends!" Fluttershy explained, a bright and excited tone overtaking her usually timid one, "It's so wonderful to see all of them again after their hibernation! Oh! But I have to make sure to be very gentle and not spook them, so that makes it take a lot longer when I'm by myself," she admitted, looking out over the other burrows sadly, pawing at the ground with a hoof, "I'm worried I might not be able to wake them all up in time for Spring." "You... do this by yourself?" Emerald asked, brow raised. Fluttershy turned back to him, and nodded demurely, "Mmhm." He frowned. That was... highly inefficient. Not to mention downright stupid. He could understand why they would entrust the animals to Fluttershy, absolutely, but for her to be the only one? That was preposterous. Fluttershy wasn't the only pony in town with animals related skills. He knew for a fact that the Ponyville Vet had more than capable workers, not to mention the multitude of ponies in town who must have a pet, and, therefore, some animal related knowledge. It was like this with Rarity and Pinkie as well, considering Dash's earlier implication. Like Fluttershy, they might be the one of the few or only experienced individuals, but surely there were others who were able to help, or at least take orders? He... supposed this just might be one of the reasons that Ponyville was so often late for Spring. They seem to place the majority of their work force into the larger tasks to speed up the process, while placing the minimal number of workers in the smaller, but just as important, tasks. It sounded like a good idea on paper, but given the nature of the tasks, it caused a large error in regards to time management. More workers to speed up a larger task, but too little workers to keep the smaller tasks going at the same overall pace caused a backlog of things that needed to be done, which ended up dragging out the entire process. But... such a thing could be easily solved by the over-all manager... The one that... didn't exist. Of course. He sighed to himself, even as Sparky eagerly accepted the bell Fluttershy had passed her and set herself to work. Ponyville completely and utterly lacked any sort of management system in regards to it's Winter Wrap Up. Sure they had basic leaders who were in charge of their tasks, but who was in charge of them? Who was in charge of making sure that their resources were properly allocated, that their workers weren't overworking or under-performing? Who was in charge of making sure this stupid thing actually ran on time for once? The Mayor certainly didn't seem to do anything. He hadn't seen her put on one of the vests and get to work. So just what in the name of Tartarus was she doing? He was torn from his thoughts by the incessant, and irritating, sound of a bell ringing in front of his face, causing him to come eye to eye with Sparky, "What?" he asked, annoyed at the grating sound. Sparky just stared at him, holding the bell's handle in her mouth, a sight that nearly made him chuckle as it caused the mare to look like an eager foal, before she set it down, "You were just standing there, staring off into space," she said, and turned her head towards the many burrows waiting, "Fluttershy needs our help!" she stated firmly, turning back to him with a fire in her eyes, "We have to get going right away!" she added. Emerald smirked at her enthusiasm, but shook his head, "As much... fun as that sounds, I actually have something I need to do right about now," he said, frowning slightly at the suspicious look on her face, "Oh don't give me that, Sparky," he snapped lightly, a smirk returning to his features, "I need to talk to Mayor Mare about this whole Winter Wrap Up thing," he explained. She perked up at that, "Oh! That's a good idea! We can ask her if there's anything that we can help with and-!" Emerald cut her off with a hoof, and shook his head, "That's not what I was talking about, Sparky," he said, hastily removing his hoof when she narrowed her eyes at him, "Ponyville has been late bringing in Spring for about two decades now, and I think I'm beginning to understand why," he gave the lavender mare a smug smirk, "so, I intend to bring up this little issue with the Mayor, and see if I can't fix this stupid thing in my own way," his smirk softened, and he gave the mare a gentle poke in the center of her chest, "You, on the other hoof, should keep looking for something to help out with. I'm not sure if the Mayor will actually listen to me, and I'd rather not waste your time with something as trivial as this. Besides, once I'm done with the Mayor, I already know what I'm doing to help. I just need to find Pinkie before then." He gave Sparky one last smirk, before bidding her, and the nearby Fluttershy, a quick 'See you later', and trotted off towards Town Hall. Scarcely a minute later he could've sworn he heard Sparky start screaming something about snakes, but he was already far enough away that he doubted he'd make much of a difference of he were to run back. Besides, Fluttershy was there. Sparky would be perfectly fine. Hopefully. ----- Making his way to Town Hall didn't take long. Even with all the ponies running about, he was hardly obstructed on his path to the Mayor. It was fairly strange, actually. It was almost as if the residents were actively avoiding going near Town Hall while they were working on clearing Winter. This, of course, only made the need for him to speak with the Mayor increase in importance, and also served to increase his pace further. Once he finally made it to the building, he wasted no time in striding in, scarcely glancing at the semi-familiar form of the Mayor's secretary, before demanding to the speak with the Mayor. The secretary told him that that Mayor wasn't going to be seeing anyone for the time being, or at least she tried to, until he outright ignored her and strode into the Mayor's office regardless. "Mayor Mare," he intoned firmly, letting the door close heavily behind him, which caused the bespectacled mare to jerk her head up from a small pile of paperwork, "we need to talk." "O-oh!" Mayor Mare gasped, hurriedly adjusting her glasses, "Well, he-hello again Sir," she stammered, swallowing nervously, "Wh-what brings you here? I-I'm afraid I'm rather busy and-" "This is concerning Ponyville's chronic lateness regarding its Winter Wrap Up," he stated clearly, cutting her off without issue, "I've noticed quite a few issues with how Ponyville, and by extension, you, handle this. Issues that I seek to have fixed. Immediately." "O-oh..." Mayor Mare stammered, surprised, "Well, I understand that Ponyville has been late for quite some time now. The problem seems to come from-" "You," Emerald interjected sternly, "M-me?" she asked. Emerald nodded, "Yes, you. As Mayor of Ponyville you should be taking a distinctly active role in managing this town's progress," Emerald said beginning to pace across the room, "You should be out there, managing your townsfolk's work and making sure that this Winter Wrap Up is on time, every time. You should not be sitting in here, doing paperwork." Mayor Mare blinked at him, then started to shake her head, "But these are important documents! I have to make sure that the town has proper funding going into the new season, and-!" "You are the Mayor. As the Mayor you should be ensuring that this town arrives on time for Spring every single year. As the Mayor, you have a duty to lead this town, not whole yourself up in this room, only to go out there every year and berate the townsfolk for being late when the fault lies entirely with you," he snapped, stalking towards her, "There are so many things wrong with the way you 'lead' this town, and I mean lead in a very loose manner. Your paperwork can wait for Spring. Your town's farms, businesses, and weather department can not. Not when Ponyville is several weeks late, every. Single. Year." Mayor Mare swallowed a nervous lump in her throat, even as she leaned back a tad to increase the distance between herself and the irate Royal Guard before her. He was right, though. She knew this, without a doubt. The members of this town had re-elected her time and time again, had given her the position of Mayor so that she could lead them properly as she'd done for nearly thirty years now. But with all the time she'd spent here, she'd gotten used to trusting the other townsfolk, because that's what Ponyville was. A small town where everybody knew everybody. She had gladly put her trust in her fellow townies, and they'd done just fine for a full decade! Then the newer generations started coming in and, while they were a lot like the older Ponyvillians, they held brighter personalities, livelier occupations, and were just more... out there. Things started falling apart, slowly, but surely. She... wasn't used to the idea of forcibly taking the reigns like that. She had always been a guiding hoof that was guided in turn by the town. She always did what she thought was honestly best for the town, and her gut had yet to steer her wrong. But... this Guard was right. She needed to change that. Not all at once, no, and, maybe, not even completely. She just needed to be a bit more hooves on. She didn't need total control, that would be foolish, but she needed to be more involved with her beloved town. "Alright," Mayor Mare said, after having been silent for nearly five minutes, "what do you think I should do?" That had gone significantly better than he had anticipated. Better than he'd hoped, even. Perhaps he'd been wrong about Mayor Mare. He'd, at least partly, envisioned her as someone who was too comfortable with her power, who had grown content. But now? After seeing how reasonable the mare turned out to be, and how willing she was to get going once someone had pointed out her flaws, he could certainly see why the residents of Ponyville saw fit to keep her in office as long as they had. Following their meeting, Mayor Mare had a nearby team of pegasi round up the townsfolk for another meeting at Town Hall, and, taking a suggestion from Emerald, had expressly told everyone to come immediately. Hardly even five minutes after word was sent out, and the area in front of Town Hall was filled with the townsfolk, all of whom were a bit disgruntled that they'd been taken from their work, but all fairly curious. Emerald could spot a confused Sparky standing with her friends in the crowd from his position inside Town Hall, but was soon distracted by Mayor Mare. "Now, are you certain these are good ideas?" she asked him, carefully looking over a small list filled with slightly shaky hoofwriting, "I understand the logic and reasoning behind all of this, but it's another thing to actually try to implement everything," she said, "especially in a town as traditional as Ponyville." Emerald chuckled, "Oh please. The only traditional thing about Ponyville's Winter Wrap Up is that it must be done without unicorn magic to honor the earth ponies who founded and maintained it, and the pegasi who helped them," he said, and frowned, "Frankly, everything on that list should've already been implemented years ago. My only guess as to why it wasn't was due to the fact that the Apple Family founded this town, and their teamwork is good enough to not need supervision," he guessed. "That's very true," Mayor Mare agreed, but still gave him a skeptical look, "But... are you absolutely certain that the townsfolk will listen?" Emerald scoffed, "They may not be the brightest folk-oh you know I'm right!-but they're not stupid. Everyone here loves this little town, and I honestly doubt any of them wouldn't take the chance to help it out," he reasoned. Mayor Mare sighed, running a hoof through her currently ragged mane, "I know you're right, truly I do, but I can't help but worry." Emerald shrugged, "Such is the price to pay for holding a leadership position. You can't really afford not to worry. Ever." "I'm beginning to find that I don't like it when you're right." ----- "What in the hay's takin' so darn long?!" Applejack snapped angrily, staring up at the currently empty stage, "We still gotta bunch'a things ta do 'round here, an' we ain't gettin' 'em done like this!" "Calm down, Applejack," Twilight tried to soothe the mare, but she wasn't sure it was working, "I'm sure the Mayor has a very good reason for this!" "She'd better," Rainbow snarled, crossing her hooves petulantly, "We finally got Ditzy going the right way to get the birds this year, but then we get to call her back! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get that mare to remember directions?!" "I really need to hurry up and wake the other animals," Fluttershy added meekly, "If they stay too long, their burrows might start flooding..." "Spike and I are beginning to fall behind in our nests as well," Rarity bemoaned as well, crossing a hoof over her forehead dramatically, though Spike remained... oddly silent, "At this rate, we won't have enough nests for all those little birds!" "Yeah! And I've been stuck carving the lake outside of Ponyville! I was almost done with it too!" Pinkie added, though Twilight felt like she just wanted to add to the conversation more than she wanted to complain about something. Twilight sighed at her friend's moods, sans Pinkie, but she could understand them. She had yet to find anything to help out with, though she had managed to find Pinkie, only for this meeting to interrupt them before she could give ice-skating/carving a try. Oh, she really hoped this was important! Spring would be here by the end of the day! They were running out of time! Finally, as if answering her and her friends' prayers, the doors to Town Hall opened, and Mayor Mare strode out confidently, her familiar smile plastered over her face as she looked out over the crowd. That held Twilight's attention for all of a second, before Emerald came trotting out of the building as well, holding a decidedly smug smirk in place. Right, she hadn't seen Emerald for nearly an hour, not since he mentioned going to talk to the Mayor. Given their current set up, she had a feeling that this town meeting had something to do with him. "Citizens of Ponyville!" Mayor Mare called, quieting the crowd after a moment, "I'm glad to see that all of you made it here on time! Now, I'm sure you're all wondering just what's going on here," Mayor Mare paused for a moment, as a murmur of confirmation passed through the crowd, "Now, the reason I have called all of you here at this time is due to a few errors that I am sad to say have been pointed out to me, far later than I feel they should have been," she admitted, the now surprised murmuring rising in volume, "Of course, the fault lays with no one but myself, for I understand now that I haven't been the leader, the mayor, that this town rightfully deserves- no no!" Mayor Mare held a hoof as some of the crowd began to angrily shout their denials, "It's true! And while I greatly appreciate your faith in me, it does not change the facts. I have been the faithful mayor of this town for some thirty years now, and during those thirty years, Ponyville has done wonderfully, and it continues to do so! However, one problem in particular has become too grand to ignore. Winter Wrap Up." Mayor Mare paused once more, to allow that information to sink in. "What in the hay is she talkin' 'bout?" Applejack muttered, "Perhaps it has to due with our recent lateness?" Rarity offered, "Well what the hay is wrong? We've been tryin' to do this for years!" Rainbow snapped quietly. "You see, our great town was founded by the Apple Family," Mayor Mare suddenly continued, shutting town the crowd's quiet conversations, "The Apple Family has always displayed a powerful work ethic, as well as the sticktoit-ivness to keep this town going off of their own hard work. They have always worked grandly with each other, and still do, and for many years our town of Ponyville remained populated by the Apple Family," she said, then trailed off for a moment, "But in recent decades the number of Apple Family members have declined, moving on to other towns with their pieces of the family, or on to... better places, where they may now rest in peace," Mayor Mare gently placed a hoof against her heart, "As a result-" she continued, "-our town has grown more diverse. With more ponies from more and more backgrounds, ideals, talents, and races, our town began to flourish as it opened up to the rest of the world. But because of our increased differences, we lack the same admirable teamwork that the Apple Family has always displayed. It is for this reason that our Winter Wrap Up has been late for so long. I have always placed faith in the Apple Family whenever this time of the year came around, and have always stepped back to allow them the freedom that let them work together so well. But now that we are as we are, that can no longer happen. As your Mayor-nay-" she stamped her hoof, "-as a fellow Ponyville resident, I will do what I can to repair our wonderful town's reputation, starting now," Mayor Mare's back straightened itself out suddenly, giving Twilight the sudden impression of her being taller, "We will be changing the way we handle Winter Wrap Up from here on out. Emerald!" she called, turning to the green stallion off to the side, "As you were the one to propose these changes, I leave it to you to explain," she said, then carefully stepped down. By now the crowd had erupted into noise, nearly every member of the town leaning over to speak the the ones in the nearest vicinity. Not that Twilight could blame them. She hadn't been in town long and even she knew that Ponyville was very heavily geared towards tradition! Not so much as to hinder advancement or integration, but enough that a sudden change like this might not be viewed in the best light right away. "Right," Emerald began, somewhat un-enthusiastically, likely not prepared to make a speech if the way he glared at Mayor Mare was any indication, "anyhow, I don't need to tell you all how annoying it is that this town has been consistently late in bringing Spring around for the last twenty years, since I'm sure you all figured that out year one," he said plainly, "So we're gonna fix that. I've that this town has a very unusual organizational method. Namely, the fact that it doesn't exist. And while the Apples were all fine and dandy with not needing one, we most certainly do now. From what I've gathered, from one day alone mind you, is that ice-carving, nest-making, and animal-waking are all done by one individual, correct?" the crowd murmured a collective affirmative, "Great. And... what else is the Animal Team doing?" he asked, raising a brow, his eyes scanning the crowd, "The Blue Team is the one grabbing the birds, while the majority is focused on doing... what? Clearing away clouds and snow? This town has an actual Weather Team who get paid to do that, so why in the name of Tartarus is the entire Blue Team helping them?" he asked, shaking his head and waving his hoof to brush it aside, "The Plant Team is completely confined to the few farms in the area. According to Mayor Mare, you have nearly half the town working on clearing away the snow all at once, before moving on to plowing, then planting. So, the Plant Team takes up the majority of the town, while the rest is funneled into the Blue Team with, maybe, ten ponies working on Animal Team. The sheer numbers difference make it near impossible to get anything done on time. The Blue Team gets done first and has to wait on the Plant Team to finish up before they melt their snow, but they can't because if they do, then the Animal Team's animals are gonna flood and drown. Plant Team finishes first? Then there's too much snow in one spot and everything floods anyways. The Animal Team? Ha! They can't finish first." he stared out over the crowd, and sneered, "That. Is. Stupid," he snapped. "So here's what were gonna do. The pegasi on the actual Weather Team will take care of the clouds and snow once the Animal Team finish waking the animals, while everyone else on the Blue Team will help carve the ice," he said, his tone brokering no room for argument, "The Plant Team is going to split in half. One half, I don't care which, will help the Animal Team with waking the animals, getting their food, and finishing the nests. If you don't have any skills in either of those things, then ask for help. We have Rarity and Fluttershy, two pretty decent ponies who actually know what they're doing, to help. On that note, we'll need more bells," he muttered, "The other half will focus on their original task. Except you'll be doing it my way," he added, smirking when he heard a few ponies call out angrily, "You all clear, plow, then plant. You do three three different things that you could frankly do all at once and finish in a third of the time. Three ponies, one in front to clear, the second to plow, the third to haul the seeds and plant. I doubt you'll need as many ponies as you have, so anyone who isn't helping that, help the rest of the Animal Team," he finished. Despite the initial misgivings, a lot of the town seemed to have started nodding along with his words, and even Twilight was giving an enthusiastic nod as well! His ideas were actually pretty great! Thinking about it, Twilight had noticed a lot of the things he'd described, and could more than see the logic behind those solutions. He nodded firmly to herself, even as the crowd around her started getting more excited. This would work! "We're running late as it is," he suddenly added, smirking, "I don't know about you lot, but, frankly, I hate being late for my work. We'll all have to bust our backs to get this done, so, let's get to it and Wrap Up Winter on time for once!" """""""""""""""""YEAH!""""""""""""""""" It might not be perfect, but Emerald was happy to say that everything was going pretty well. Oh sure, there were a few mishaps here and there, but he wasn't training new recruits or anything, so things like that were honestly expected. "Alright, Animal Team, how goes the waking?" he called, looking out over the multitude of tan-vested ponies, "Oh, it's going wonderfully!" Fluttershy answered him from not too far off, popping her head out of another burrow, "Everyone is being so gentle when waking them! None of the animals have gotten scared at all!" she gushed, smiling softly. "That's good, any idea how many of the animals are awake?" he asked, "Oh, not very many," Fluttershy said, holding a hoof to her chin in thought, "Maybe... half?" she estimated. Emerald nodded, though he still frowned, "Alright. 'Half' isn't a bad number after just a few hours," he said, scratching something down on the clipboard the mayor had given him, "It's the fields that'll take up the rest of today, and maybe a bit of tomorrow," he muttered, and nodded, "Alright! Great work Fluttershy! Keep it up, and make sure to let the Weather Team know when you're all done!" he reminded. "Got it!" Fluttershy said, a determined look overtaking her features. Emerald didn't have the heart to tell her that the way her cheeks puffed up like that made it near impossible to take her seriously. He left them behind immediately after, making his way towards the fields. Ponyville was coming along nicely. Sure there was still a shit ton of snow left, but once the Weather Team swooped in that would be a thing of the past. The only really worry right now was that they'd already cleared a good portion of the sky over Ponyville. Not enough to make a real difference, but enough that if it got too hot then everything would start melting early, and that wasn't a good thing. Still, it wasn't something he needed to fuss over immediately. It really wasn't something he'd expected to fuss over at all, actually. Mayor Mare had delegated the task of Overseer to him for the time being, apparently taking the term 'hooves on' a bit too literal, and joining in the task of clearing away the snow. He... wasn't entirely sure who was doing more work between the two of them. Whatever. That was an issue he'd bring up with her later. Probably. Maybe. Eh. He arrived at Sweet Apple Acres and was immediately pleased with what he saw. He'd initially been worried that Applejack, who was still head of the Plant Team, would take his suggestion of doing everything at once poorly, and stubbornly refuse to do so. It wouldn't have been too surprising, considering her reputation, but no. It seemed that Applejack had been quite happy with the suggestion, if the line of three ponies walking across the fields in unison meant anything. He had to admit though, the way they were all moving in sync like that reminded him of his old training days back in the Guard, before he'd been promoted. Though they'd lasted only a month at most, he still remembered them somewhat fondly, if only because he'd thought learning to swirl a spear around like that to be fun. He shook his head to rid himself of the thought. They were doing great, he could tell that much just by looking. It was funny, despite being placed as Overseer, he really hadn't had to do much. Even checking in on everyone seemed pointless, given just how well the rest of the townsfolk were doing. At this rate, he might actually get to help with clearing Winter. Reforming their method of operation and checking in on them didn't count, in his opinion. It was more for his sake than theirs, since he couldn't stand by just... watching them screw up like that. Smirking to himself, as well as checking a few things off the list, he spun right around, intending on one final check before he tossed the thing aside and got to work. It took him longer than he'd expected, and longer than he had liked, but he eventually found exactly who he was looking for. "C'mon Twilight! Skating's not that hard!" Pinkie cheered, happily spinning through the air, landing perfectly on her skates, "Ya just gotta keep your balance!" "I-i-it's not that easy, Pinkie!" Sparky retorted, shakily trying to plant her hooves back on the ice from where she'd just slipped. It was actually rather amusing, watching as Sparky finally managed to stand, only to lose her hoofing and start scrambling just to remain standing. "Woah, w-woah, woah, WOA-oof!" Even so... "Hey Pinkie, why don't you take a break?" Emerald suggested suddenly, "I can take your place for awhile," he added, setting down his clipboard. Pinkie skated over to him, and came to a sudden halt, scattering ice flakes onto a sullen looking Sparky by mistake, "You sure?" she asked, tilting her head, "I don't mind! Ice-skating's real fun!" Emerald nodded, "I'm sure Pinkie," he said, "You've been working at it longer than anyone else. You deserve it. Just leave behind your skates for me, yeah?" he asked. Pinkie narrowed her eyes at him, and began to lean forward, "Hmm...?!" she perked up suddenly, "Okay!" she chirped, and hopped right out of her skates to start scampering off, "Have fun!" Emerald watched Pinkie walk off for a moment, feeling just a tad suspicious at how readily she agreed to leave the two of them alone. Bah, it was probably nothing. Or at least not something to worry about. He turned back to Sparky, "So, how's the skating going?" Alright, not the best conversation starter he'd ever used, but... Sparky glared at him, "Not w-well!" she said, only to stumble once more during her attempt to stand, dislodging the flakes of ice from her form, "I don't understand how Pinkie makes this look so easy!" she snapped. Emerald shook his head, quickly slipped the skates on, hardly even surprised that they fit him, and smoothly skated over to her. "It just takes practice, Sparky," he said, carefully leaning down to help her stand, "Besides, it's Pinkie." Sparky sighed, but remained standing despite her still wobbling hooves, courtesy of Emerald's hoof on her shoulder, "I know," she said sullenly, frowning down at the ice. Emerald mimicked her expression, but took a quick glance around. The lake they were currently on had scarcely any markings in it. That meant that they hadn't really gotten around to carving this one yet, though Emerald didn't blame them. The Animal Team still had a ways to go, and it's not like waiting to carve the ice would actually cause an issue. It would just mean this particular body of water would melt slower than the others. Not like this one was the reservoir or anything similarly important, so it was fine. He glanced back at Sparky, whose gaze still remained on her hooves and the ice, before he nodded. "Show me," he said, causing her head to snap up to him, her expression twisting into confusion, "What?" she asked, raising her brow at him, "Show you... what?" "Your skating." Sparky made a strangled noise, not unlike a squashed chicken, "What skating?!" she asked, staring at him like he was crazy, "I can barely even stand let alone skate!" Emerald sighed and rolled his eyes, "Show me anyways," he insisted. Sparky kept staring at him, but, after evidently concluding that he wasn't kidding, nodded. She took a few deep breaths, which had the fortunate side effect of calming the shaking in her legs, before she took a step forward and immediately slipped. "Ack!" Emerald sighed, but couldn't stop the slight grin that wormed it's way onto his face. "Alright, Sparky," he began, hoisting her back onto her hooves, "I think I might know what you're problem is." "Really?!" she asked, staring at him with a wide smile and sparkling eyes, "What is it?!" A little off put by her sudden behavior, he answered, "You're trying to skate the same way you would walk," he said, then, when he noticed the confused look on her face, broke away from her for a moment, "Alright, watch me," he ordered, and started to skate along the edge of the lake. "See, Sparky, instead of leading your hooves like you'd do when walking-" he said, skidding across the ice with unfettered ease, twisting and twirling around the stupefied mare, "You have to follow through with the entire side of your body that you're moving on, while keeping your other hooves beneath you so you don't affect your center of gravity," he explained, slowing down as he passed in front of her, allowing her to see the way he swung both his front and hind legs to propel himself, "Pinkie wasn't kidding when she said you only need to keep your balance," he added, more for his amusement than anything else. Evidently, that hadn't gone over Sparky's head, if the way she pouted at him was any indication. She relented, eventually, "Alright," she muttered loudly to herself, "I just... have to keep my balance... just propel with two hooves, skate on the others... center of gravity..." She continued to repeat those same lines another three, possibly four, times, before nodding to herself. "Ready?" Emerald asked, highly amused by her behavior. It would seem that this was lost, as Sparky only gave him a firm nod, and pushed off from her position. She made it all of a foot before abruptly kissing the ice, a pained yelp not even having time to escape her lips. Emerald shook his head and sighed, before helping her stand once more. "Okay then, let's try something else," he muttered. Not bothering to wait for her to give him an answer, Emerald wrapped his right wing around her and pushed forward, dragging her with him. "W-woah!" she stammered, her legs shaking already, though Emerald would not have it, "Copy me," he ordered, bringing his movements to a stop, "I've got you, so just copy me." Sparky gave him a shaky nod and forcefully straightened her legs, though it didn't get rid of her shaking. It still took her a few tries to figure out how to move her legs like he was, but, eventually, she managed a sloppy push, which propelled both of them forward a little bit. "I... I did it..." she muttered, and pushed forward once more, "Hehe, yeah you did," Emerald said, smirking as he joined back in, "Not so hard, now was it?" he asked. Sparky didn't seem to register his voice, smiling too broadly and laughing much too loudly to hear him. "Haha! I'm doing it!" she cheered again. Emerald didn't particularly mind letting her lead the two of them around the little lake. It was rather nice, being so close to her like this. He could feel her heartbeat, he could hear her ragged, but thrilled, breathing, he felt how their coats brushed together, and bask in her very scent. Eventually, however, he decided that she probably didn't need his help anymore, and let go. It was pretty funny, watching as Sparky continued skating around the lake, only to freeze when she ended up turning around and found him just standing there. Though, her movements might've stopped, her forward motion certainly didn't, and watching as the frozen mare ended up careening into a snow bank had him laughing his guts out. It would seem that Winter Wrap Up was more fun than he'd thought it would be. "I can't believe you tricked me like that!" Sparky continued to pout, even while Mayor Mare was congratulating the town on a job well done. Emerald shrugged, "All I did was let go, Sparky," he countered with a smirk, "I didn't make you fall into the snow. That was your fault for not stopping. I taught you how to ice-skate!" "You didn't teach me how to stop!" she retorted hotly, her face turning red, "I...!" he tried to say, but found that whatever argument he'd had in mind was falling a part, "... suppose that's fair," he finally muttered. "-ow that when we truly put our minds hearts together, we can overcome whatever difficulties that we, as a town, face!" Mayor Mare continued loudly, a very proud smile on her face, "I truly want to thank you all for committing yourselves to such hard work! Each and every one of us made a difference here today, because for the first time in twenty years, Spring is on time!" The erupted into sound, cheers and whistling echoed through the air as ponies started stomping the ground wildly, "Of course!" Mayor Mare added suddenly, causing the cacophony of sound to die down, for now, "We can't forget the contribution that our newest resident, Emerald Skies, made for us. Without his help, we might have been doomed to another year of being late, so please, a round of applause for him everypony!" she said, and started to gently stomp her hooves against the stage. Just like before, the crowd exploded into cheers, though this time they were all aimed towards the lone thestral, who found himself turning away, deliberately ignoring the way his face and ears began to burn. What a stupid, stupid town... He really did love this place.