//------------------------------// // Subject 122: To Sire's Hollow // Story: Interviews With Equestrians // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// And so, without much delay, we arrived in Sire’s Hollow. It was already covered in a blanket of white, frozen particles. It was a beautiful sight mainly because it snowed much earlier here than in Ponyville. We would be able to enjoy ourselves in relative peace as a result. I trotted off the train with a green and black fluffy coat that I had purchased a while back. Black with green, v-shaped stripes to be exact. “Come on, everyone. You don’t wanna get left behind in mounds of snow.” Cheerilee followed. She wore a white parka that really brought out her eye color. “Ooh, this is wonderful. The snowfall occurring a bit sooner lets us enjoy it much longer. I can’t wait to see the ice skating shows. How about you, Cozy?” “Hang on…” At last, Cozy exited the train with a pullover sweater that had a hood with an adorable pair of antlers. “This isn’t one of the coats I packed. Where did it come from?” I had the answer to that question. “Well...we both decided to make it for you. To show that we care about you.” I chuckled at myself, “Hehe...well, it was more like Cheerilee sewing after I managed to prick my hoof a few times. Not pleasant, but I designed it.” Her face contorted into an expression of teary-eyed glee with a quivering set of lips. “I…” She walked up to us, and put her hooves around the both of us to bring us all in for a hug. “It’s the best gift ever. I honestly couldn’t be any happier knowing that two great ponies made something for me. Plus--it’s super warm too. I feel so...cozy in here, haha.” We all took a moment to laugh at the cute pun. Then we gathered our luggage and walked down the paved road where snow had been cleared so individuals wouldn’t have to trudge through snow to get to the town. “By the way,” Cheerilee commented as we took our stroll into the town, “Did any of you notice that there was a group of ponies who looked a bit…” “A bit…?” Cozy repeated with a tone of a question. “I don’t know. It was as if they felt different from the other passengers.” My ear flicked, and I shifted my eyes to gaze around the area. “Different how? Do you think they’re hostile?” Cheerilee scoffed in a playful fashion. “Pshaw. Nothing like that. I just feel like I knew some of them.” Cozy wasn’t affected by it, apparently. She continued to walk with an air of maturity about herself. “Well, whoever they are, it doesn’t matter. They’re still going to get absolutely pulverized when we beat them down in the snowball fight that’s set to take place.” “Yeesh, intense much?” I asked with a teasy sort of grin, “We’re not going to participate in a war or anything. It’s just snow.” “Hmph. You know what I mean. C’mon, let’s get to the hotel and get checked in,” she started to fly ahead of us, “I don’t wanna miss out on that hot chocolate ice cream!” I stopped dead in my tracks. “Hot chocolate...ice cream? That sounds utterly oxymoronic.” Cheerilee grabbed my hoof, and pulled me along. “Oh nonsense. There’s been far worse food-based creations from ponykind, you know.” “Yes...that’s true.” In Manehattan, pizza was often eaten under monstrous conditions. Whoever invented grilled cheese stuffed crust, cheese-hayburger toppings, and anchovy-pineapple needed a serious chat to question their sanity. But hot chocolate ice cream? That sounded a bit...curious. Anyhow, no time to waste. Had to get checked in. After we did that, and got settled, we were given our hotel room keys. Cozy was given her own room right across from ours. That being Cheerilee and my own. We all were going to stay together, of course. But there was no way we’d all function in the same room. I placed my suitcase on the bed when Cheerilee called me over to the window. “Ooh. Pale, look at this!” “Hm? What’s up?” I trotted over, and looked out the window. The sight lit up my eyes with sparkles not unlike the snowflakes that were outside. “Wow…” Down below, in Sire’s Hollow’s Square, we saw ponies engaging in snowball fights, ice skating, and building things out of the squishy white material. There was even a group of sledders and skiers on the nearby mountain. Hey, I think I also saw Double Diamond and Marble Pie too. Glad they still worked out. But Limestone… My thoughts were interrupted when my marefriend nudged me. “Cozy is going to love this, don’t you think? Shouldn’t we participate too?” Now that was a cute idea, but it made me hesitate. Given the sorts of activities I engaged in during my youth, the more...mundane ones never caught my eye. “Erm...I’m not sure if I’m really ready for...stuff like this.” I rubbed the back of my head, “Honestly, I don’t even know how to throw snowballs all that well.” “Is that all?” she asked with a tilt of her head, then a smile that comforted me, “Oh don’t you worry about that. I can teach you everything you need to know about having fun in winter.” She looked off to the side, “If you’ll let me that is.” I nodded with haste to reassure her. “Oh no, yes--I mean, please teach me. I’d love to know what to do so I don’t get buried in white as soon as I get out there.” From the hallway behind us, we heard Cozy all for us. “Hey! I’m heading out, guys! Let’s go!” “Coming!” I shouted in return. As soon as we went outside, we watched as the pink pegasus lied down in the snow, and moved her hooves around. What was she...oh, a snow angel! “Yes, it’s perfect!” she said with a triumphant flap of her wings as she stood up to admire her work. “Give it a try, Pale!” “Oh, um...I’m not--” But Cheerilee interrupted me with a gentle push towards the snow. “Go on. I’d like to see you do it too!” Well I suppose it couldn’t hurt. Could it? I lied down in the snow. I expanded and contracted my limbs in order to move the frozen white mass out of the way so that I could carve a shape into the ground. I heard Cozy call out. “That looks perfect! Get up and see!” My ear flicked, and I rose from the earth. I turned around to take a look at my creation. A rather wide ‘angel’ of sorts, etched within the snow. Though it looked more like an overgrown star than an angel. “Yeesh,” I revolted at my creation. But Cozy didn’t share that reaction. “What? You’re just far more muscular than I am, so that was kinda inevitable,” she put a hoof around my neck, “Besides, it looks great!” I couldn’t help but crack a smile at her words. But then I realized that Cheerilee had more or less disappeared from sight. “Hm? Hey, where’d Cheery go?” We both looked around until we spotted her at the nearby gift shop. Even from where I stood, I could see an abundance of toys and trinkets on sale. Near that was the food court in another building where the hot chocolate ice cream stand was still in preparations. “There she is,” Cozy pointed out as she laid eyes on the deep purple mare. Then she looked over at the ice cream stand. “Hm...we have a bit of time before things get started. Why don’t we have some fun in the meantime?” she let me go, and started to trot towards the Square. “Oh, okay,” I replied with a bit of hesitation, “Doing what exactly?” She pointed a hoof to the Square where ponies had already started to engage in battles with projectile snow. “What else? Let’s show them a thing or two! You’ve got a good throwing shoulder, yeah?” I flexed both of my hooves. “I suppose so. But I wouldn’t know the first thing about this sort of...combat. Is there a point system or is it...to the death?” I asked with overly dramatic intent. That got a laugh out of the young mare. “Wh--no, haha! You just keep flinging them until the enemy gets tired. Simple!” “Well, I suppose I could give it a try,” I said with a bit of withheld joy. I had to admit, it sounded like a lot of fun to let loose and fling bits of cold mush at others. It was harmless...mostly. “Nice! Wait here while I get us a defensive position set up,” Cozy offered and went on ahead. She started to gather up the snow in bunches so that she could create a fort for us both. That’s when I noticed something. Among those who already played in the snow, I saw that familiar white unicorn stallion and that lightly colored mare. The pink mare that was with them on the train was nowhere to be found. But again, no hostile aura came from them. Had we been followed? Or were they someone I had already met? Guess this battle of snow would help me find out. That’s when I heard a familiar, older mare’s voice approach me. “Oh, it’s you! So glad you could make it here to Sire’s Hollow!”