Fall was just coming to an end. Tank was digging out a new den to sleep in with Conner's help, and Villhiem was rooting himself to Triphyle's back. The big lug had parked himself by the farmhouse's chimney with his large shell spikes facing outward. With his lower body and head almost covered with dirt, he almost looked like a natural earthen mound.
Lulu had already pulled her enchanted clothes out in preparation for the frigid temperatures. Conner was helping Fluttershy get her animals prepped for the winter, and the rest of the Pack were doing little odd jobs around town.
I was helping the weather teams as much as I could and moping again.
"You sure you don't have any abilities to make it snow?" Rainbow asked me for the third time. She had started asking me about it after Thunderlane made the same comment he did last year. This time, Rainbow was able to put some thought into it, since we didn't have to worry about him bleeding out this year.
<<You know what?>> I finally had enough of just saying "no". <<I'll give you the long, boring answer! I probably could, but it wouldn't be beneficial. First off, the only snow related weather ability causes dangerous hail to fall, so ponies will get hurt. And secondly, I don't know it. Which means that I have to train on how to use it. Which means potentially several weeks of mucking about to get it right. How much work do you think that will cause for the crew?
<<Additionally, I think the ability is too close to Rain Dance in effect, if not execution. That means that I will be spending longer trying to work out how to do it since I'll have to figure out how to not use Rain Dance instead.>> I sat up to mash the stuffing in my pillow into a more comfortable shape. I settled back down and sent a glower up at Rainbow. Its effect was dampened by her work desk getting in the way. <<So, yes. I have a move I can learn that can cause hailstorms, which should help over winter. If you don't mind ponies getting hurt and several hundreds in bits of damage each time I use it. Never mind the cost of clean up for me just to use the damn thing.>>
Papers rustled for a bit as Rainbow fought against her paperwork. "So..." My ears perked up at Rainbow's voice. "You do have one, or not?"
<<Oh for the love of Arceus! NO! No, I don't have one. I can LEARN one.>> I huffed. <<Big difference.>>
"Okay, okay." Rainbow placated. "But if you could learn one, and not have it... How'd you put it? 'Drop giant ice balls'? Would you learn it? Snowflakes are one of the hardest things to make, and so they're very expensive when we go over our allotted amount."
<<I dunno. Maybe?>> I rolled onto my back and stared at my paws. I finally flopped my paws onto my chest and sighed.<<The biggest hurdle is still learning it. I'd be messing with the entire weather system, and I don't think that there's a place nearby we can train over winter.>>
I heard Rainbow tapping the desk. "What if... What if we could do it inside somewhere?"
<<Again, though, where can we go?>>
Rainbow thumped a hoof onto her desk. "Tell you what. I'll look for a place over the winter, and then next summer, we can try to do it!"
<<... Sure, why not?>> I sighed. If only to get you off my back about this for the winter.
More paper rustled on the desk, and I heard Rainbow's chair creak. I rolled my eyes to watch Rainbow come out from around her desk. She picked me up and placed me on her desk. "Alright, Leo."
Uh oh. That's her serious face...
"Tell me what's wrong?" She placed her hooves on either side of my head. "Why are you so moody right now?"
<<... Sit down and get comfortable.>> I sighed, pushing her paperwork to the side. <<Please don't bring this up with Twilight or Moon Dancer. They'll be grilling us both about this for fucking ever if you do, and we can both agree that we don't have the time for that. So, you know that we're not from around here, right? Well, the ponies from where we're from don't celebrate Heart's Warming. They celebrate a holiday called Christmas instead...>>
<<... And, yeah. Now you know why I dislike winter.>> I finally finished. We were staying late, since my explanation kept being interrupted by the rest of the weather team. <<It just reminds me of the all the wasted potential and rampant greed and gluttony of peo- ponies.>>
I was surprised when Rainbow scooped me up into a hug. "What hurt you so badly, to give you such cynicism?"
I sniffed. <<I'm surprised you know the meaning of the word.>>
"Yeah, well, I did have to look the word up." Rainbow gave me a playful noogie. "C'mon, let's go check up on the heaters in your hutch."
We jogged through the town, mostly to keep the late fall chill at bay. As we left the town proper, I looked up at my mare. <<So, when are we getting the first snowfall?>>
"Should be another week or so."
<<Great...>>
"Hey, cheer up." Rainbow smiled at me. "Winter can be fun without the holidays. And you'll be happy to know that the main Hearth's Warming celebration happens once a year. Everypony just takes a day to remember and reflect each month."
I sighed. <<Alright. What holidays are there this month?
"There's two." Rainbow answered as Fluttershy's cottage came into view. "There's the Winter Moon Celebration, which Twilight told us was put in place about a thousand years ago."
<<I wonder why.>> I snorted.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "The second's closer to spring, after New Month, called Rendezvous."
I started to make my way up the ramp. <<What's it about?>>
Rainbow shrugged. "Basically, it celebrates the gem and gold rushes that happened once everything defrosted after Hearth's Warming. Everyone dresses in period and there's even a dog sled race, and- You okay, Leo?"
<<I-I'm fine, just tripped at the top of the ramp.>> I lied.
"Okay, then." Rainbow stuck her head into the Daycare. "The rubies still there?"
<<Yup!>> I chirped, going through a short checklist to make sure the heaters were working. I was doing my best to quell my mounting excitement. They have Rendezvous here! Please tell me it's as good as the one back home!