//------------------------------// // Chapter 17: The Ice Trolls // Story: Winter's Howl // by 71NYL-5CR4TCH //------------------------------// Winter’s Howl Chapter 17: The Ice Trolls ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Snowstorm and Scootaloo wandered the sofa shop, looking for a suitable bed. “Ooo, ooo! I want this one!” Scootaloo hopped in place, pointing an energetic hoof at a ‘Wonderbolts’ children’s bed. “I don’t think so Scoots, you’ll grow out of it in less than a year…”Snowstorm replied. “But it’s sooooo cool!” Scootaloo begged. “That’s what you said about the last four, now come on, pick out something practical.” Snowstorm said, clearly irritated. “But practical is sooo boring!” “Quite Rainbow, you’re not helping.” Snowstorm now turned to Rainbow Dash, who also seemed to be eyeing the Wonderbolt’s bed. “Besides, we already got a bed, and you said you liked it.” “I said I liked the way you looked in it.” Rainbow replied, giving a sly smirk. “Ok! Practical! Let’s look at what’s practical!” Scootaloo interjected before the situation could escalate. A stallion approached Scootaloo and offered a friendly smile. Upon his flank was a small couch and a quill. Odd, how did he even find out that was his special talent? The three thought in unison. “Hi there everypony! Name’s Softquill, anyway I can help you find what you’re looking for?” Ah… “Actually yes, I need something for this little one here,” Snowstorm gave Scootaloo a small noogie before turning back to the salespony, “something with some room to grow and preferably comfortable.” “And cool!” Scootaloo interjected. “Hm…A difficult combo, but I’ll see what I can find. Follow me please.” After a brief trot, the trio came to a medium sized bed. It had a simple, wooden frame with a small backboard. On it’s comforter’s lay prints of a combination of extreme sports rides, such as trick bicycles, skateboards, and of course, scooters. Snowstorm looked it over briefly, it was large enough to fit Scootaloo, possibly until she was fully grown. Scootaloo took a running dive at the mattress, landing face first in the soft, springy material. Quickly, the springs within the mattress countered her velocity and sent her flying a few feet into the air. After a few more bounces, Scootaloo finally came to a rest in the middle of the mattress. “WANT.” Scootaloo said with a groan. Snowstorm chuckled, “Looks like we’ll take this one too.” After an hour, the moving ponies arrived at Snowstorm’s home, and unloaded the beds into their respective rooms. Rainbow entered as the moving ponies left, and began trotting back towards the sofa store. She approached Snowstorm, “Nice little place you got here, mind if I stay?” Rainbow spoke in a sensual tone. “I may need some help breaking in the new bed…” Snowstorm countered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After an incredibly awkward discussion involving the newfound knowledge that the home had better than expected acoustics, Snowstorm and Rainbow laid in bed together, still very much awake. “Alright, two VERY key investments have to be made. ONE, a very nice pair of headphones,” Rainbow had a serious expression on her face, Snowstorm merely chuckled, “and TWO, a muzzle.” “Kinky…” Snowstorm replied with a massive grin. *whap* Snowstorm felt a hoof to the side of his head. “I meant for the kid! She’s got a mouth on her..” “Less fun.” “I know, but it’s true! Where do you think she learned to talk like that?!” Rainbow looked somewhat worried. “I knew how to when I was her age…our original father was not a nice stallion, but our mother always told us to never repeat the words he said. I guess without mom there telling her to clean up her mouth, she never had anypony to.” “She’s in for a rude awakening when she goes back to your mom’s isn’t she?” Rainbow asked, smiling slightly. “Oh, more than you can imagine. I almost WANTED it to happen last trip, just so I could see it. I’ll be amazed if she comes back here without a red rump.” Rainbow snuggled up to snowstorm, giving him her best bedroom eyes, “After that first weekend, I know I'll have one…” A small voice echoed from down the hall, “CAN. HEAR. EVERYTHING.” “Damn it this is annoying…” Rainbow mumbled, backing off slightly “You and me both!” The voice returned. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Five Days Later) “Come on Scootaloo, we’re going to be late!” Snowstorm stomped a hoof impatiently. “Hold your humans! I’m coming!” Scootaloo emerged from her room carrying a pair of ‘Beets’ By ‘Dr. Whooves’. Naturally, Scootaloo had picked out literally the most expensive headphones in the music store, and the newest iPony to go with it. But, they were the best at noise cancelation, or so they said. Noise cancellation only seemed to work one way. “I still can’t believe I spent half a weeks pay to buy you those things.” Snowstorm muttered. “Well, they do what you want, don’t they?” Scootaloo replied, placing the headphones in her saddle bag. “Sort of, but you’d be amazed at how off-putting it is to hear “my foal, my foal, my foal, OOOOHHHH!” coming from down the hall. Honestly, how do you like that Justin Trotier colt?” Snowstorm asked with a glare “Oh, I don’t.” Scootaloo gave an evil smile. “You wicked little troll…We are leaving. Now.” “Why? Something you want to do without me around?” Scootaloo was malicious now, a wicked, toothy smile spread across her face. “Yup, and I need to use your bed to do it…” Snowstorm returned the smile. “You wouldn’t…” Scootaloo’s face turned to one of horror. “Maybe, maybe not. The best part is you’ll never know…Now get on, we’re leaving for mom’s.” Scootaloo shuttered before climbing aboard Snowstorm’s back, “Rainbow’s not coming?” Snowstorm took off into the air. While flying, he spoke, “Nah, she said she’s cover my shift today if I got the place cleaned up and took you to mom’s. Oh, just a thing, I wouldn’t really worry about being to ‘clean’ around mom anymore. Sea Mist can be pretty vulgar once you get to know him, but he’s still nice. Mom’s just used to it now.” Snowstorm began to smile. “Really?” Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow. Nope! The one time I heard him say ‘buck’ he got his ear chewed off for two hours! “Yup.” “Huh. So why are you so uptight about it?” Scootaloo asked suspiciously “Cause I don’t want you to have to pick you up from detention every other day.” Snowstorm replied. “Fair enough.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ After dropping off Scootaloo with his parents, and making arrangements for Sea Mist to bring her back Sunday night, Snowstorm returned home, somewhat tired. He knew Rainbow would be waiting for him back home, so he stopped at the Ponyville grocery on the way home to pick up a can of Red Pegasus. By the time he returned home, he was re-energized, but not twitchy. It takes a lot to get me buzzed…He thought as he opened the door to his home. It was surprisingly quiet and still, he’d expected a more enthusiastic greeting. “Rainbow?” He called to the seemingly empty house. No response. Gingerly, he walked over to his room, the door slightly opened. “Rainbow?” He called again. Still no response. Slowly he opened the door to his room and saw Rainbow, laid out across his bed in a rather provocative pose. “Happy birthday to me…” Snowstorm said quietly before closing the door behind him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Celestia’s sun shown through the window of Snowstorm’s bedroom, directly onto his eyelids. They scrunched briefly before fluttering open, only to see Rainbow Dash’s face directly in front of his. Her mane was still a mess from the previous night’s…activities…and he was sure they’d practically woken up half of Ponyville, but he was having far to much fun to give any more than zero bucks. Rainbow was still unconscious, laying peacefully with a wide, silly grin still spread across her face. Snowstorm stood from his bed, careful not to wake the sleeping mare in the bed next to him. He placed to his hooves on the small of his back and stretched, causing a series of ‘pop’s to sound from his spine. He quietly walked out of his room and approached the kitchen. Pancakes…was the only thought that drifted into his tired mind.