Winter Reading
Jan 1st: Winter snow and cold is quite good at convincing a pony to stay indoors with a hot pot of chocolate peppermint spice tea and a few good books. I whiled away the afternoon today like that. My Astronomical Astronomer's Almanac To All Things Astronomy reminded me that there is another meteor shower due in a few days, and in another book I read about Muleavian and Balefriesian mimicry strategies. Some critters have very strange cooperative friendships.
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The Last Blast
Jan 2: I caught up with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie trotting to Sugar Cube Corner for a cup of hot cocoa, so I joined them. I told them about the meteor shower that will be at its peak some time after midnight tonight! Dash said she'll make sure to clear out the clouds for that.
I've cleared the snow off part of the eastern balcony and I have my big cushion and my blankets out there, right next to my telescope. The Treecastle will shield me from the light of the moon. These shooting stars are small but fast and they can wink by anywhere in the sky. According to the Almanac, this is the last major shower for several moons. No more until spring. I'm going to make the most of it.
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Into the Early Morning Night
Jan 3: Last night, after I'd snuggled up under my horse blankets on the balcony and I was staring up at the sky, Rainbow Dash landed next to me! She'd come to watch shooting stars too. She'd brought smores and a blanket. So I scooched over a bit on my cushion and offered her some chocolate peppermint spice tea. Then Rarity trotted out on the balcony. Followed closely by Applejack.
Pinkie had planned this 'surprise meteor shower watch with Twilight'. She and Fluttershy were the last to arrive (Spike was asleep in bed the whole time). Everypony brought a little treat too: Rainbow with the smores, Pinkie some hot cocoa, Applejack hot apple cider, Rarity jasmine tea, and Fluttershy, cookies shaped like shooting stars. I got out the cups, plates and more pillows and blankets. I have the best of best friends.
We did see some shooting stars while we laughed and chatted, with mostly just our heads poking out from under our blankets, but I misread my Almanac! The real peak of the meteor shower is tonight, or rather very very early tomorrow. We thought we were just having too good a time and that we had just missed most of the shooting stars speeding overhead. Of the ones we did see, some came quite close. I think our friendship drew them near.
So I'm going back out under the stars for the real peak tonight! It's colder out than it was last night. I'll need more blankets. And a few hot water bottles. Ear muffs. Scarf. Hat. Tea.
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I Took The Stars From Our Eyes
Jan 4: It was cold last night under the stars! I covered myself in horse blankets, buried so deep that my eyes and nostrils were all that were peeking out. I was like a mountain range, my breath a heavy mist building frost gardens in two near parallel rows down the top blanket. But above, in a burst of activity, shooting stars!
Did they bring on the cold? Are there, were there ice ponies? Was there some winter event long ago, something that they remember and that spurs them into action on this long dark night? Where there is smoke, there is fire. Here there is freezing cold and the last big meteor shower until the spring.
I watched them flash across the sky, in every direction, hither and yon. Silent diamonds with a need for speed. Mysterious. Searching.
I stayed up until twilight, wanting more, until the pull of sleep and the brightening of the sky sent me to bed. I dreamed of maps and dark landscapes long gone, wiped clean by the passage of time. And in the darkness, flashes of starlight, traveling paths that only they could see. I didn't rise until well past noon.
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Silk
Jan 5: Still very cold out today but I was warm as I walked through Ponyville wearing my expedition gear. Minus the snow goggles. Foals would have stared.
It's spa day. As I wandered about, I wondered idly, to spa or not to spa? I looked up and lo, there I was standing right in front of the spa. Destiny. So, taking off my horse blanket, I went in. And nearly ran right into Rainbow Dash and Spitfire.
We roasted together in the sauna, and after rinsing off I convinced Spitfire to try the fragrant oil bath with me, the one where the spa ponies cover you in oil and then remove it with a special spoon-shaped strigil comb. Rainbow Dash is ticklish about ponies touching her with scraping tools so she went to get pummeled by Bulk Biceps instead, followed by a soak in the scented bath.
Rainbow Dash walked out of the spa looking very relaxed and mellow. I feel, and smell! like a million bits. Spitfire shone like the sun. Her mane, and my mane, just flowed like water with every shake of our heads. I feel I could play with it for hours.
Home again, I feel silky and wonderful, but I'm wearing a housecoat. Those strigil combs leave more than just a trace of oil in my fur. I'd rather not leave an embarrassing oil stain on my reading couch. I'm going to go out for a short trot, just to feel my mane and tail bounce and flow some more.
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Between the Covers
Jan 6: The winter semester at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns is in session and Moondancer gave her Haycartes lesson. She taught both the standard Haycartes spell which allows you to be fully immersed in the text, and her variant that allows a pony to visit books from the same edition and printing. It was a great success. They had her speaking in the largest auditorium in the School -- the indoor polo court, and the stands were packed full. But there is a downside. Ponies have been using the spell to read books other ponies have taken off the shelf instead of waiting their turn. Now Moondancer can't read her books at the library any more. She's opened some books to find up to three ponies trotting between the covers. The worst are ponies offering their opinion on the book's contents even before she's had a chance to read it. The only solution is to check the books out and take them home to read them.
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The Fire of Friendship Castle Lives in my Hearths
Jan 7: The cold snap is dying down outside, but in the Treecastle, the temperature is constant. The building pulls in heat from deep underground and distributes it throughout the castle via heavy crystalline columns in the halls and buttresses that climb the walls and frame the windows and doors. That's a good thing as there are very few fireplaces in this building and they're small and inefficient. I still use the fireplaces anyway. Not only is the flickering firelight pleasant, but I still find the rock floors, walls and ceiling cold and sterile. I like my wild and messy fire. It crackles and pops and consumes wood like a live thing. I just have to keep it away from my books.
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Interdimensional Craft
Jan 8: I dreamed about the Tree of Harmony last night. I dreamed I was in the Everfree Forest and I was gazing down into a crevasse. Then I was at the bottom of the crevasse which is the alcove where the Tree of Harmony has stood for I don't know how many thousands of years. It began to move. I turned to run, and as I reached the stairway, I looked back to see it floating up after me. I ran in a panic through the bushes and brambles to the Friendship Castle and in the front door. The Tree of Harmony rose up, right there, springing upright from the hallway floor and blew me and Spike and all my books out the door. Then a giant crack appeared in the sky and the Treecastle slid sideways into the crack and vanished.
I woke up, soaking wet with sweat.
Addendum: This journal entry was written on the 1 year anniversary of its inception!
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One Foal Step for a Pony
Jan 9: What my work in progress, The Magic of Friendship, a Reference Manual, really lacks, is material for the chapter on Friendship Creation (the First Spark). I was thinking, where else could I put out a request for Friendship Lessons for my research project and maybe get a few new data points without running the risk of getting swamped with mail? Somewhere off the map of Equestria, so to speak. Not Yakyakistan, not Griffonstone, not Saddle Arabia. I'd get ignored there anyway. No, I was thinking of perhaps putting in a letter to the editor in an Earth newspaper. There's one that looks promising. It's called The Equestria Daily. It seems to have a good readership, even though it has what looks like made-up news from Equestria and it prints new editions much more often than daily. It should probably be named 'Fantasy Equestria Hourly'.
What do you think? Would I get any letters? They could send them here, either as comments or as "private messages" (this E-journal has a mail slot!). The advantages would be: no uncontrolled pan-Equestria announcement of my project, no sea of ponies wanting to tell me their stories in person, and no ponies armed with pitchforks and flaming firebrands banging on my front door if my project goes bust.
So research! Science! Yay! I think my letter to the editor of The Equestria Daily should go something like this:
Dear Earth People, as Princess of Friendship I've decided to expand my studies on the Magic of Friendship by asking for data in the form of Friendship letters from Equestria at large. As I've learned from Rarity and Applejack (Friendship Reference Manual, chapter Living With Friendship sub heading Benefits of Friendship section Observing Friends Sub Section Avoiding Traps) is that careless advertising and promises can lead to overwork. Thus, I started by having a test run using the foals of the Ponyville schoolhouse. That went well, for a test of concept. Now I'm ready to scale up slightly. I read that you like ponies and friendship. Since there are probably at best only a few hundred of you, I feel that asking you for Friendship Lessons You Have Learned won't flood my mail box the way it might if I go next to asking, say, all of Ponyville.
A Friendship Lesson should follow this general format:
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
Today (or whenever it was) I learned that {key friendship problem} is solved by {key action}.
Fill in the pertinent details and context.
Your signature statement {for example, Yours Truly, (your name)}
I'm building a manual on Friendship covering everything from starting friendships, building on friendships, mending friendships, benefiting from friendships and stronger abilities through co-operative friendship. It's all about building better magic through science!
You can send your Friendship Lessons to me as a comment in my E-journal here at dreamwidth.twilightpony.org or as a "private message" in that same E-journal. It does both! It's really nifty!
Princess Twilight Sparkle.
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And in the Ponyville Express the Caption Read
Jan 10: Chaos in Canterlot! in big bold letters. It was splashed across the front page of the Ponyville Express: some ponies have checked books out, gone home, only to find out there was a pony reading the book they had borrowed. They get home, put the book down, and a few minutes later, there's pony standing next to it looking lost! Ponies from the School For Gifted Unicorns have instituted a spell on the doors of the Canterlot libraries that cancels out the Haycartes spell when ponies pass through. There were a lot of surprised ponies getting dumped on the threshold at first, but since then ponies have become more ... selective in when and where they dive into books. Since Moondancer has stopped reading her books at the library for the time being, I guess she hasn't been among those landing upside down and sideways in the library lobby. That must be a sight to see!
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A Drift in the White
Jan 11: I went into the Everfree today to check on the tree. As soon as I entered the forest I was in deep snow. I was wearing a white cloak and saddle and white boots to blend in. Friend with the snow.
The forest is so silent. Soft powdery snow was falling from the sky and deadening the sound. I had to follow animal tracks much of the time, which is easier for walking but it had me very wary of getting ambushed. I tried to breathe gently and evenly, listening and watching as I pushed my way down the mane path to the Tree of Harmony. At least the cragadiles and cockatrices are hibernating and many of the other dangerous animals are spending the winter in the Flame Geyser Swamp. The falling snow was like a shroud, hiding me but also hiding anything that might be watching. A pony may be dangerous prey but a pony can be taken by surprise. I did not want to be that pony. I should have asked Applejack to go with me.
I reached the ravine in the wild wood where the Tree of Harmony is found. I felt my way down the stairs, through slippery white powder. There in its deep stony alcove, with but a little drifting snow brushing up against its roots, stood the Tree. Mute, motionless, bejeweled. I turned and left. A silly dream had brought me here.
I climbed back up the stairs, stepping in the track in the snow that I had made on the way down. I took a different path this time and I went to call on Zecora. She doesn't come to Ponyville often in the winter.
I couldn't see Zecora's house until I was almost at her door. Smoke was rising lazily through the falling snow from her chimney and there were no fresh tracks, so I knew she was in. I knocked and she let me in. Warmth. Tea. Her rhyming speech. I told her about my research project, the dream that brought me to wander alone through the Everfree in winter, and we laughed about the Haycartes fad in Canterlot. She remarked on my fragrance and how silky my fur was, so I told her about oil bath at the spa. I told her that she should try it, and when she does, that she should come by the castle so we can go together. I think I might see her tomorrow.
When I left it was late afternoon. The shadows were deepening and it was getting colder. I hurried home. You don't want to get lost in the Everfree at night.
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Oiled Friends
Jan 12: Zecora did venture into Ponyville today! This afternoon she dropped in on me as I was doing an inventory of my hay larders. She was still interested in trying out the ancient oil bath that Rarity had introduced to the spa. So I pulled on my boots, threw on my red blanket with the gold trim that Rarity had made for me, and we set out to see if we could round up a few friends to join us.
It was cold and grey today in Ponyville and I regretted not wearing my matching scarf. I joked with Zecora that she had brought the chill of the Everfree Forest with her. She replied that today in the forest it was warm and fair, on entering Ponyville she experienced colder air. The Everfree Forest really is strange.
We went to Sweet Apple Acres where we found Applejack. She was in need of a hoof trim and a massage. That's one! We caught sight of Rainbow Dash but she couldn't join us, she had weather duties to attend to. Pinkie thought it was a great idea and galloped off to see if Fluttershy was up for a trip to the spa. Two so far. We found Rarity hard at work in her boutique, nearly buried in fabric and patterns. To my surprise she had been too busy this morning to go to the spa, but she could really do with a break. So Rarity made three. Pinkie burst in to tell us Fluttershy had been to the spa this morning and she just wanted some peace and quiet at home. But Pinkie invited Lyra and Lyra said she's meet us at the spa. So all told we were six.
We all went into the sauna together. I told them about my dream and my excursion to see if anything had changed with the Tree of Harmony. They chided me for going to see the Tree alone. I was a bit distracted, I'd never seen Zecora without her gold bangles before.
After the sauna and rinse, both Lyra and Zecora headed for oil bath. Zecora recognized the herbs and fragrances employed by the spa ponies in this recreation of the oil bath Rarity had read about in the Crystal Empire Library. Rarity and I watched from the side as Lotus and Aloe poured warm oil over them as they stood on the large raised stone tables. I tried not to laugh too hard at the faces they were making. They all got to talking about herbal scents, relaxation, cleansers and variations that could improve the oil. Aloe dropped her strigil comb in the oil and had to get another. Zecora's short thick fur was a bit of a challenge but the end result was stunning. So shiny.
After our hooficures and Applejack's massage I invited everypony over for dinner. Rarity declined, Applejack had to get home, Pinkie had to foalsit and Lyra had a prior engagement. When Zecora hesitated as well, I offered her a room for the night (I have so many empty guest rooms). So Spike and I had Zecora as our dinner guest and she's retired to one of the guest rooms with a book from my library for the night.
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Clothes Maketh the Mare Warm
Jan 13: Well, Zecora has left. She got up early, had breakfast with Spike and went back to her home in the Everfree. It's her way.
Later this morning, Spike popped into my reading room to tell me that Rarity was inviting us all over today. I went, expecting tea and cookies, but instead, Rarity had a surprise in store. She showed us what she had been working on yesterday: winter cloaks, one for each of us! We tried them on.
Mine is a beautiful deep dark red, Applejack's cloak is a fresh grass green, Pinkie a royal blue, Dash a golden yellow, Fluttershy a delicate spring green, and for herself, Rarity went with a deep purple. Each cloak has our cutie mark and small sparkling flowers, made with dragon cut gems, sewn into the hem. I just love mine! And it is so soft and warm. Rarity really picked up a knack for warmth on our northern expedition. Practical and stylish!
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Book Horse
Jan 14: Princess Cadence sent me another shipment of books. She included a note that said the rate of books being dropped off had slowed to a trickle. This is probably the last big addition I'll get to my library for a long time. Still, I had fun sorting them by subject and author and finding space on my shelves for them. There were quite a few copies of books I already had. I'll have to find a home for those.
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The Kind of Pony Everypony Should Know
Jan 15: My open letter was denied! The editor of the Equestria Daily wrote back to say that they were worried about "sending people to a place that answers their questions". It must be a cultural thing? I asked what steps I need to take to get on the list of vetted contributors. The editor replied something that I take means that they will discuss my case in a meeting. I guess this is what happens when you are thousands in the same herd, you choose a select few to contribute to your newsletter on behalf of everyone? No matter, I'll just have to bite down on the bit and ask the Ponyville Express to print my open letter.
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Phase Two, Wait For Letters
Jan 16: My letter to the editor of the Equestria Daily got published! I must have passed muster. Now to see if I get any Friendship Letters.
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Message In A Bottle
Jan 17: Still no letters. I thought I'd get at least a few by now. I've noticed that mail moves very fast in this giant library of yours, maybe even at dragon's breath speed. I've also noticed that it never takes me any time to reach and open this journal of mine, once I've cast the graphical display grid spell. Thus, the delay is not due to letters moving slowly through the postal system. It may be that friendship is as hard to quantify in Earth as it is in Equestria. There's also the fact it was a letter to the editor. I barely glance at that page when I read the Ponyville Express.
No letters is still an interesting result. Writing a letter is an investment in time and remembering something you've learned about friendship takes both time and effort. I probably shouldn't be worried about getting swamped by letters!
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Blast From The Past
Jan 18: Pinkie Pie burst in through the door to my reading room this afternoon and made me almost leap out of my skin. (It's an expression, ponies do not remove their skins.) She's found out that the Crystal Empire is reviving its winter festival and she wants us all to go! There will be ice houses and slides and races and archery and ice flower nectar on the snow and dancing and... I got the message. No sooner had I said that it sounds like fun, she was out the door to ask the next pony, I think Applejack. I wrote a letter to Princess Cadence to see if there is room for six ponies and a dragon at the castle and dropped it off with the post during my late afternoon stroll.
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Freshly Fallen Snow
Jan 19: It was Ponyville's turn for a fresh layer of snow. I donned the red cloak with the gems in the hem that Rarity gave me and went for a trot in the falling snow. I had fun admiring Cloudsdale's snowflake craft. The snowflakes show up nicely against the red, and the cloak is so well insulated that they don't melt. I should ask Rarity what shade of red my cloak is.
The weather ponies have collected what's left of their clouds and moved on, leaving us with mostly clear skies. It's all really pretty, white and fresh, with moonglow reflecting off the sparkling snow under the sparkling starry sky. But the temperature is plunging. It's nice inside by the fire too.
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Festival Fever
Jan 20: As I had hoped, we're all going to the Crystal Empire Winter Festival. We met up today at Sugar Cube Corner and discussed our plans over hot chocolate. This will be the first time we will have visited the Crystal Empire in the winter and Rarity is keen to see firsthoof crystal pony winter fashion "in the wild". Fluttershy hopes to catch a glimpse of the wild animals there. They're active despite the cold and snow. Pinkie wants to see it all and try every activity and every specialty. For party research, of course. Parties are SERIOUS business (her words). Since Spike is a local celebrity in the Crystal Empire, we're going to see if the festival organizers would like him to take an official role in any of the activities.
We leave in less than two days. I think Rarity is already packing, there are so many things she wants to wear. I'll pack tomorrow but I bought our train tickets today, just in case.
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Mister The Dragon
Jan 21 I received a letter from Princess Cadence today and in it she knocked two things off my checklist. First off, she said she had room for us at the castle, but we'll have to double up as she has only three rooms left! I think that supports my guess that there will be a lot of ponies at the festival. So we have a place to stay. Accommodations, check. We won't have to pack winter camping gear.
She also wrote to say that Spike is invited to be a Guest of Honor. Seeing if the crystal ponies wanted Spike to make an appearance was the other item that was on my checklist. It turns out that we won't have to track down the festval organizers after all, there will be an honor guard waiting for Spike at the train station. When Princess Cadence learned that Spike was joining us, she told her advisers, and well, there you go. This is pretty exciting for Spike. To help him calm his nerves a bit, I asked him to tell our friends that we'll be staying at the castle and that he will be participating in the Festival as a Guest of Honor. That worked well. Telling the same story five times in a row gentles a pony down nice and easy. Unless you're Pinkie.
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Everypony Loves the Sound of a Train In the Distance
Jan 22: We're off to the Crystal Empire Winter Festival! Spike left already for the train station, he does _not_ want to miss that train. My saddle bags are packed, I'm wearing my new cloak, I have the tickets, I'm all set to go. Back in two days!
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(The Princess is out. Please leave a message.)
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Crystal Empire Winter Festival
Jan 24: Never a dull moment! Well, we're back from a great few days taking in the Winter Festival and all that the Crystal Empire has to offer. In more ways than one.
It was crowded! Even the train was crowded. We were packed like apples in a barrel on that train, but everypony was so excited about this trip, we were happy, singing apples. It got very hot in our compartment. Fortunately it was also a quick trip.
After we poured out of the train, dripping with sweat and steaming in the cold Crystal Empire air, two royal guards pounced on Spike and spirited him off. We divided up Rarity's luggage and made our way to the castle.
We found our rooms, and by that time I felt a bit less than presentable in my dried, sweat-matted fur. Fortunately, we knew where the spa is. Better yet, there wasn't a crowd at the spa. So all six of us got refreshed at the spa before heading out to the festival.
Even though we were early and the festival was just starting up, there were already crowds of ponies on the fairgrounds. There were also stands selling food and goods, and dozens of ponies hard at work making ice sculptures on the fair grounds and along the parade route in the city. The grand opening would begin at nightfall, with a parade, fireworks, a gala dinner and all night dance parties. But the giant ice slide was in full operation and we took the opportunity to plan when and where we'd watch the next day's activities. We were all invited to the gala dinner and I was expected to sit at Princess Cadence's table. I expected we'd find Spike there too.
Evening comes early in the Crystal Empire. We were watching ponies light up some of the finished ice sculptures when we heard fugel horns and drums approaching. We got off the road and out of the way to watch as a sparkling procession wound around a corner and headed to the Crystal Empire fair grounds. There were marching ponies, acrobats, jugglers, bands making a deafening din, floats, and perched high up on a float next to the festival princess, Spike, waving to the crowd. The marching ponies were all wearing hats with colored streamers dangling from the brim on all sides, a lot like the one Rarity had made a while back. I could swear Rarity turned a light shade of pink, but then, it was too dark out to see.
The dinner was in a big building on the fairgrounds made entirely with ice and carved to look like a giant snowflake. We couldn't have been more than a few hundred ponies at the dinner, so it was an honor to have been included on the guest list, especially at the last minute! Spike was there, Princess Cadence made a speech, and the food was all Crystal Pony specialties. Outside, the dance party was already underway, and getting louder. Princess Cadence may be getting a bit bigger around the middle.
Fluttershy, Applejack, Spike and I left before it got too late (Spike was falling asleep despite the stomp-step line dancing of the crowd and the four-part harmony whinnying on stage by the Beach Bays). I don't know what time Dash, Rarity and Pinkie got in, Fluttershy, Spike and I shared the same room.
The next day the Winter Festival was in full swing. We woke up Pinkie, Dash and Rarity, had a quick breakfast from the castle kitchen and trotted off to see the events!
I'll write about that tomorrow.
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Out With a Bang
Jan 25: After breakfast on the second day, all bleary eyed for some of us that had danced until the wee hours of the morning, we put on our saddlebags and winter garb and headed to the fairgrounds. Two official ponies ran up looking for Spike, and finding him with us, spirited him off to stand with the Festival Princess and announce archery and jousting events.
We watched those events, ate ice flower nectar on the snow, cheered on the snowshoe race (how do those ponies keep from tripping over their own feet?), admired more ice sculptures in the making, ate from the food kiosks, went down the giant ice slide, and had a real good time. We were invited to supper with Princess Cadence so we headed back to the castle as night was starting to fall, passing the evening Festival parade on the way. Spike caught up with us at supper, looking a little worn out. He fell asleep in his plate. During the supper, Princess Cadence told us that we must go out for a walk in the streets of the Crystal Empire later. She wouldn't tell us more, just that we should be in for a nice surprise. So after dessert, and after tucking Spike into bed, we met by the door and went out to look for this mysterious surprise.
Outside it was snowing. That wasn't much of a surprise, I had noticed Cloudsdale's arrival earlier that afternoon. The only unusual thing was that they had the clouds snowing at night. I guessed it was to avoid interfering with the festival events? So we kept walking, circling the castle. It was very nice out. Not too cold, the fallen snow making everything look softer, rounder and quieter. The snowflakes were very nice, stellar dendrites, geometric and crystalline, perfect for the Winter Festival. There were happy crystal ponies walking alone and in pairs, like us, watching the snow drift down from the sky.
Suddenly I felt a surge of happiness that is almost palpable. We turned toward the castle just as The Crystal Heart started to flare, sending skyward rivers of rainbow hued light. It painted the clouds and bounced back into the city, reflecting off every snowflake and causing them to spin through the air in time with the Crystal Heart. I was in total awe. Thousands, millions of Crystal Hearts, all around us. I had never seen anything so beautiful.
I barely noticed that we had been turned to crystal, same as the crystal ponies nearby. Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and myself, all we could do is sit down right there, hug and stare up in agog. As we hugged, we too began to glow. Crystal ponies looked out of windows and doorways and those in the street stopped to stare as the bouncing reflections from the Crystal Heart entered our translucent bodies and accumulated. That attracted more of the liquid light to us, building up until all I could see was brilliance everywhere. Every snowflake, every building, every pony around us stood out in blinding but minute detail. Dazzling, beautiful, and painful. And then we let go. In one blast, the light within us was released, flash flooding the entire Empire, rocketing down every street, in all directions and lighting up the countryside in rainbow hues.
I think all of Equestria must have seen that flash. When we got back yesterday, from the moment when we got off the train in Ponyville and clear across town, everypony we met wanted to know if we had seen and felt the glorious flash from the north. Yes we had.
We had seen the flash and it was us.
I'm still a bit shaky.
I had weird dreams that night. I think we all did. Although with Pinkie, it's hard to tell sometimes. We ate a late breakfast. Spike had already left for the fairgrounds. Cadence came down to eat with us and hear all about our experience of the night before, straight from the horse's mouth. Let's just say that the flash was not the surprise she'd expected. But we were OK so we said goodbye to Princess Cadence, thanked her for stabling and feeding us and we went off to enjoy our last day at the Winter festival.
There were no snowshoe races or archery that day, but instead there was ice skating and a food fair. I left the skating to Pinkie and Rarity, but the food fair was fantastic! So many strange but tasty concoctions, dishes and grasses. But best of all were the teas, aromatic herbs, spices and flavors! I bought quite an assortment, in doubles so I can share with Zecora. We spent most of the day grazing on all the good food that was just everywhere. We never did stop for lunch. Or supper.
After Spike made one last appearance in the evening parade, we collected our things and caught the last train back to Ponyville.
The festival is not over. It lasts two weeks, with still more activities, such as the costume ball next week. Spike will be going back for the closing parade and fireworks.
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Afterglow
Jan 26: It's nice to be back by my fireplace again, pouring through my familiar books and scrolls, away from the crowds.
There wasn't anything in the Ponyville Express about the Crystal Empire flash. I guess ponies are taking it to have been a sign that the crystal ponies are especially happy with the revived Winter Festival. For me, I hope it's just a reminder that when we come together, the six of us, we channel power. Power that we can only hope to control.
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Staringing Across the Divide
Jan 27: In the cold cloistering season of winter, lounging by the fire in my reading room, I get to thinking. What would happen, if you take out the disorientation implicit in navigating a new geometry of a radically different universe, if a pony should step out into a city on earth World, or if a 'person' should step out into a city in Equestria?
Panic, probably. Like with Zecora, at first, in Ponyville. But eventually? I'd like to think that a person would become accepted as part of pony society, like a minotaur or a griffon, only harder to feed. I doubt a pony, especially a unicorn or a pegasus, would integrate quite so easily into a meat eating society where only one species can talk.
It's probably the hay. Winter fare slows a pony down. First cut hay dampens the metabolic fire to a slow, steady burn.
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Friendship Council
Jan 28: It was a short Friendship Council. For the most part we discussed Flareblitzfury's lesson: "I've found that my friendships usually form the best from at least one common interest, then finding out more things, then as time goes on, more trust and a bond begins to form!". Applejack seems to think that friendships start with a friendly how'd you do and a hoofshake, but she admits that after that, it follows that you have to find a common interest. Our common interest was defeating Nightmare Moon. With the feuding families that the Tree sent me and Fluttershy to reconcile, the common interest was honoring the promise their sires had made to the critters. The trust and bonding came with it being clear that they could best honor that promise if they worked together. Just like we worked together to defeat Nightmare Moon.
Notation made in the Friendship Reference Manual, chapter: Starting Friendships.
Then we had supper!
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Wood Smoke
Jan 29: There was oak wood in with my firewood today. Road apples. I didn't realize it until well after I'd fed it into the fire. I was reading by the fire and getting uncomfortable. I was feeling a rising panic that I couldn't put a hoof on. I had to get up and look around. It was the smell! The smell of burning oak. Again.
I rushed down to the map room. Above the table hung the silent remains of the Golden Oak. Immobile, trailing strings of picture gems, memories of the past. It was not on fire any more.
I went back up to my reading room and lifted up the logs in the fireplace. I found the oak wood and extinguished the flames. Cradling the split, blackened log in my magic, I carried it out to a small rise nearby. I chose a sheltered spot on the sunny side, and buried it in the frozen ground.
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Inventory
Jan 30: The mid-winter Hayboard meeting is tomorrow. I had another look through my pantry to see how much I've eaten so far. Of the first cut, which was harvested seven moons ago and of which I bought 30 bales five and three quarter moons ago: 15 bales are left. I bought 15 bales of second cut four moons ago, a moon and a quarter after the harvest (I was busy snow walking). There are seven bales of that left. Third cut hay now. 15 bales delivered two and a half moons ago, soon after the harvest (before the yak buyers sent the prices sky high). I have twelve and a half bales of third cut hay left.
I'm eating one bale of first cut hay every eleven days, one bale of second cut hay every two weeks, and one bale a moon is the rate my third cut hay has been going down. I save the third cut for when I have guests or for a potluck supper.
Over all, Spike and I eat about one flake of hay a day, not counting the third cut hay. There are six to seven flakes per bale and there was a two week period where I wasn't home. At the rate I'm eating it, we're going to be shopping for more second cut hay next summer, but our supply of first cut hay is going to last to well past next harvest. My third cut hay supply is just about right.
I should eat more first cut and less second cut, especially now, in the winter. I'd feel warmer, less restless. It's just, the second cut hay is so tender and it smells so sweet!
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Summer Bounty, Winter Ease
Jan 31: The Hay Board meeting was this afternoon. With everypony out of the fields for the winter, it was a full room. As I thought, yaks taking a fancy to our hay (the best in Equestria!) has put a real dent into our third cut stores, reduced our second cut stores as well, and that has kept prices high. Fortunately, the price for silage and first cut hay is about the same as it was last year and we have enough good first cut hay to last us past Summer Sun Celebration.
The problem is that if we increase our hay production as planned, we will probably meet the new demand for third cut hay, but we risk over-producing first cut hay. There was talk of using the surplus as building material, or of mowing a few fields every week until after Summer Sun Celebration day and then letting the hay grow to harvest height.
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