//------------------------------// // XXVII March // Story: Twilight's Blog // by Frith //------------------------------// Spur Of The Moment March 1: Spike and I went to the Bazaar today to shop for a few essentials. The kitchen larder was getting a little bare. We chanced on Fluttershy and Rarity at Golden Harvest's carrot stand and we trotted over to say hi and to buy some carrots too. Just as we got there Pinkie Pie appeared and we all got to chatting about food and how hungry we were during the worst of the Winter ordeal. Golden Harvest uttered a little impatient whinny about then (we were standing in the way of anypony else who may have wanted to buy carrots) so we quickly picked out the bunches of carrots we needed and after paying, moved a little to the side to chat some more. My friends think we're overdue for a game night and a potluck supper and I agree. The Winter ordeal we went through has left all of us on the thin side and not only is a potluck supper fun, a feast sounds really good right now. I suggested we invite the Cakes too, especially after they helped make our Hearth's Warming Eve party a success. So Spike, Starlight and I have to come up with a few dishes for the night after next. Pinkie is taking care of alerting Rainbow Dash and Applejack and she's going to see if the Cakes can come too. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Cakes For Supper March 2: Pinkie dropped by to tell me that the Cakes said yes, but they'll be bringing the twins (Pinkie told them that would be fine). They'll be bringing their own toys, which is good to know. I don't think I have anything that could keep them entertained. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Hot and Sour Silage Soup March 3: This morning I went to the market with Spike and Starlight Glimmer. Starlight still isn't used to having so many friendly ponies wishing her well and waving hello, even though she did save all of us from a Changeling invasion. But before long we arrived at the food kiosks where we looked around at what was available and debated what dishes we could prepare for the pot luck. We picked up a few jars of second cut hay silage, some butter, rolled oats, fresh alfalfa sprouts, poppy seeds, dried lemon zest, dried spearmint, raisins, turnips, wide whole wheat noodles, alfalfa cubes, dried apple slices, sesame seed snaps, pickled beets, pine nuts, beet jam and hot sauce. We settled on making a hot and sour silage sour with whole wheat noodles and pine nuts, as well as a few loaves of lemon poppy seed bread, served with butter, beet jam and apple butter. Plus a grated turnip, alfalfa sprout and sunflower seeds salad. Since we're the hosts, we of course served plenty of third cut hay. We bought all that and headed back to the castle. Spike cooked while Starlight and I moved furniture to the lobby, got out the games and brought down a few flakes of third cut hay. The Hearth's Warming decor has all been removed, including the tree and the wreaths. By the time that the two loaves of fresh bread were cool enough to slice, all our guests had arrived and were filling their bowls and plates from the assortment of dishes everypony had brought. The twins turned up their noses at the hot and sour soup but everpony else liked it. The bread went so well with the soup that I don't think anypony touched the beet jam. We ate and played games. The foals ran around with Owlowiscious keeping a close eye on them until they grew cranky and tired. The Cakes left early with as much of the leftovers that we could get them to take. Eventually it got late and we called it a night. We left everything down in the lobby. We'll sort through the spoils and put away the games, dishes and cushions tomorrow. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Leftovers March 4: Everything has been put away from the potluck supper. We are going to be eating leftovers for a while, starting with the hot and sour hay silage soup. Heating the silage to make soup stopped the microbial action but it can still go bad quickly. Applejack and Rainbow Dash wanted speed skates like Pinkie's so they went to the Crystal Empire today with Pinkie so she could show them where she had bought hers. I bet they're waiting for the sun to come up to gallop down to Saddle Lake tomorrow and break them in. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Best Out Of Three March 5: Sure enough, Pinkie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were down by the lake lacing their skates up right after breakfast. Pinkie had dropped in on the way to urge us to come watch, so around mid morning Spike, Starlight Glimmer and I joined Rarity and Fluttershy on our usual embankment overlooking the action. It's high up and well out of the way of crashing ponies. By the look of the snow stuck in their manes, Applejack and Rainbow Dash had had a few splashdowns in the snow already. We settled down on blankets spread out on the snow and got down to watching the three of them zip across the ice. Most everypony loves speed and these ponies were nearly flying on their blades of steel. Pinkie looked like a pro in the form-hugging jumpsuit Rarity had made for her. It's white with turquoise racing stripes and leggings that fade to golden yellow. Her mane was held flat to her head by the hood, for decreased wind resistance, but her tail poked out the end. The skaters we saw racing at the Winter festival had their tails either braided or trimmed short. Tails are important for maintaining balance and control during turns, although Dash was using her wings. Pinkie skated up to right below us and announced that they were all warmed up and ready to race! We whinnied in approval. They marked out a line on the ice to serve as both start and finish. A tree limb sticking out of the ice at the far end of the lake marked the halfway point. Spike has good traction on ice so he went out, and on the count of three, started the race, Then he scampered back up to the safety of our embankment. On that first race, Applejack slipped and fell down hard on the way out, sliding a long ways on her side before she could scramble back up on her skates. Rainbow Dash went down in the turn and it looked like she had to dig her way out of a snowbank. Pinkie won that race. The next two races went about the same, and even though Pinkie fell in the third race, sliding upside down across the finish line, she won all three. She does have the advantage of being a practiced skater and her speed skates are broken in. Dash and Applejack's brand new skates are more than a little stiff. After the third race they called it a day and we went to Sugarcube Corner for victory hot chocolates, with extra marshmallows for Pinkie. On the walk back to town, it looked like both Dash and Applejack had pretty sore hooves from all that skating. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Rest and Recovery March 6: I had planned on taking down the gigantic Hearth's Warming ribbons and bows adorning the castle today, but Dash and Applejack are still sore from breaking in their speed skates and crashing repeatedly. We'll take them down tomorrow. Suddenly, I want ice cream. Chocolate peppermint spice. In the middle of winter and in the middle of the night. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Undressing The Castle March 7: We may have been the last ponies in Ponyville to take down our Hearth's Warming decorations. Oh, there are several ice sculptures and a few snow ponies scattered about town, but the wreaths, festive lights and over-sized candy canes have been put away, except on the treecastle. Well, we didn't wait until spring, we got together and took it all down today. Taking down those giant ribbons is easier than putting them up. They're pretty heavy but Dash and I managed to unfasten them and lift them one at a time off the building and then slowly lower them while Rarity rolled them back into bolts for storage. We may have to wash them as well next year. Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie took care of gathering the lights into big orderly loops, rounding up the star-shaped lamps and bringing the bolts and bows inside as we finished rolling and folding them. Spike showed them the way to the room where we store our Hearth's Warming decorations (the castle is a maze) and then went off to fix lunch. Starlight Glimmer kept an inventory of everything as it came in. We paused for lunch, then got back in the saddle, taking down the last of the lights and the big bow over the front door. By mid afternoon we had finished de-gift wrapping the castle. We collapsed on the mane balcony and Spike and Starlight brought us victory hot chocolates. Spring is only two weeks away. Applejack and Rainbow Dash trotted off to go speed skating while it was still light out. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Should I Stay Or Should I Go March 8: I know I said I was going to forego the In The Field dinners, but the next one is being given by A.K. Yearling. I missed the Daring Do fan fair last fall, and in a sense, Dash missed some of it as well. I wrote to see if there's room for me and a guest. It's probably sold out. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Oil, Wax and Trim March 9: I have royal duty tomorrow, starting bright and early when Celestia's Royal Flying Guard will pick me up to take me to Canterlot for the Annual Assembly of Equestrian Municipal Affairs. I won't be wearing anything fancy, this isn't a ball or gala, it's strictly administrative and a ceremonial presence. During the proceedings, I'll just be wearing my crown. So today I went to the spa. The Crystal Empire oil bath may leave a pony with a bit of excess oil but it really makes me feel, and look radiant. Thus, I had that, plus a hooficure, feather waxing (no glitter) and a heat soak in the sauna. Not in that order, the sauna came first and the oil bath came last. After the strigil combing, I asked them to try and soak a bit more of the oil out of my fur with towels as I don't want to leave a pony-shaped oil-print in Princess Celestia's chariot tomorrow. Right now I'm again wrapped in towels, just to wick a bit more of the oil out. Otherwise, the oil bath is so worth it. I told Rainbow Dash about the In The Field dinner and she's pretty excited, even though I haven't heard back from the Explorer's Society yet. I told Rarity that I didn't want to get quite so dressed up this time. I hope she's not too disappointed. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Annual Assembly of Equestrian Municipal Affairs March 10: Royal duty called me out of bed a few hours before sunrise today. I would like to say that my silky smooth coat of shiny and perfumed fur made slipping out of bed easier, but that would be untrue. It did make brushing easier. It was so early that Starlight Glimmer was just on her way to bed when I met her in the hall on my way to the kitchen for something to snack on. By twilight I was the only pony awake in the castle. I collected my crown and packed it with the last two issues of the Canterlot Explorer's Society quarterly journal into my saddlebag. I didn't expect to have time to read, but just in case I did, it felt good to be prepared. In the lobby I put on a scarf and my deep red winter cloak with the sparkling dragon-cut gems in the hem. As I stepped out into the predawn light, two pegasi pulling Celestia's chariot landed right in front of me. The sun rose. I had breakfast with the princesses and I had a refresher on today's protocol (no changes had been made), then it was off to the Grand Hall. There, Luna gave the speech from the throne and then each municipality gave their report. Since all the talking was done by chairpony Flax Bit, the Royal Committee on Equestrian Finance and Civic Affairs and the municipal representatives, I had lots of time to practice on remaining focused. But not on my breathing. Practicing breathing exercises while being ceremonially addressed by municipally appointed representatives is right out. So is napping. Lunch break was a relief. My left haunch had gone to sleep and I resisted the temptation to stretch until we had been escorted out of the hall. I requested a thicker cushion for the afternoon session. By supper time the accumulated written reports submitted by each representative after their oral reports were in three tall piles on the table in front of the Royal Committee. I fantasized sorting the reports and using a rainbow array of colored stickers to cross reference common trends. The last representative submitted her report just before sunset. We retired and while the committee deliberated, Princess Celestia lowered the sun and Princess Luna raised the moon. I remembered what a shaky job of that I'd done during the Tirek affair. Soon we were back in the Grand Hall to receive the closing remarks and to sign and seal the register. Ceremonial duty, check. Luna's winged guard whisked me home in Luna's chariot, away from Canterlot and the chatter of small talk in the palace garden and ballroom. Home to quiet Ponyville and to my front door, to my closest friends and to the company of my books. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Dressing Up Without The Dress March 11: I received a reply from the Canterlot Explorer's Society and yes, there is room for me and a guest at the next In The Field dinner. I sent a mailed confirmation to the Society and went to tell Rainbow Dash. She was pretty excited, which helped perk up my enthusiasm as well. Happiness is infectious between friends. She plans on wearing her Wonderbolts dress jacket, without the goggles. Winter Wrap Up is galloping up fast. I tried on my all-team-organizer vest and sure enough, it was a bit tight. I took it to Rarity to see if I could get it adjusted. She wanted to know what I planned on wearing to the dinner. I told her that I didn't want to get dressed up again. Well, maybe just a little dressed up, but I really don't want to be known as the Princess Who Always Dresses in Style. In the end, I'll be wearing a shear high collar button-down dinner jacket and matching turtleneck from Rarity's winter collection, the string of stars choker necklace that Rarity gave me, and my blue and burgundy crushed velvet cloak. No boots, no dress. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° The Last Snowfall March 12: Cloudsdale sent us a fresh blanket of snow this morning. It's true that it had been a while since the last snowfall and Fluttershy pointed out that the mice need the snow to be thick enough to keep their subnivean playground from getting exposed to the colder surface air, but Winter Wrap Up is just a week away. Even though it seems strange to get fresh snow this late, it's about this time every year that Cloudsdale gets down to clearing out their snow flake bins. Rainbow Dash says that Ponyville was near the end of Cloudsdale's route this time around, but we're not the last. The snowflakes they left us are mostly a jumble of bits and pieces. They don't glitter much, but for Dash and Pinkie, they spell one last chance to go sledding in fresh powder before spring. So after lunch, Spike and I got out our gear and plowed our way through the white stuff to join our friends for a few hours of wild rides down the sledding hill. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Stitching It Together March 13: I went to pick up my all-team-organizer vest at the Carousel Boutique and found Rarity surrounded by anxious ponies carrying Winter Wrap Up team vests that need mending. There were more vests awaiting repair next to her, piled withers high, pinned, identified and awaiting repair. The finished vests were on a rack in the back. I waited my turn. After Rarity came back with my altered vest, I asked her if she needed anything for her bird's nests. She said that she has all the ribbons she needs, but I could check with the Plant Team to see that they had collected enough sticks, graded by size and ready for delivery. So I put my folded up vest into my saddle bag and trotted off to see Applejack. I found Applejack and Big McIntosh lining up snow plows for inspection and repair. I told her that I was here on Rarity's behalf to see if her order of nest sticks was ready. Applejack brought me round to the storage area of her barn and pointed to 8 bales of straw and a giant, graded and neatly stacked tower of nest-sized sticks. Fresh, green and flexible, enough for several hundred nests. I started my checklist. Nest-making supplies, check. Inspection of snow plows, check. I added an item -- consult last year's checklist for items to add to my Pre-Winter Wrap Up checklist. I will need that when I make the rounds with the team leaders in a few days. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Grooming March 14: Tomorrow's posh In The Field dinner called for another trip to the spa. I may have had a Crystal Empire oil bath quite recently, but my winter coat is looking a little ragged and in need of a little spa pony magic. I didn't have another oil bath this time, I don't want oil on my fancy clothes. But I did get my feathers waxed, with a touch of glitter. Speaking of clothes, I've carefully packed my new dinner jacket and turtleneck, as well as my necklace and cloak for the train ride. This whole posh aspect to the evening has me worrying that I'll somehow ruin my clothes and have nothing to wear. I'll get dressed in Canterlot. I've also packed my copy of Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone. I hope to get it signed by A.K. Yearling. Rainbow Dash and I are going to catch the midday train to Canterlot tomorrow. We'll arrive in plenty of time to get changed at my old place and go to the dinner. Then we'll stay the night in Canterlot and return the next day. When I get back I'll check with Mayor Mare to make sure everything is on track for Winter Wrap Up and go through my checklists again. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° (It's a wonder Twilight doesn't come home to find lost ponies wandering the halls.) °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Back In The Saddle March 16: We're back from Canterlot. I liked the talk. A.K. Yearling recounted how three villages live in the warm shadow of an active volcano and cooperate through the use of magical artifacts to keep the volcano from blowing its top. Of course I've read the book, but that was written as a mystery to be solved, whereas last night it was more like a Friendship lesson. I think Dash was bored, but she perked up when A.K. Yearling joined us at the VIP table. We got to talking about the Idol of Boreas of Griffonstone, our trek through the eternal night of the frozen North to rescue Moondancer and Lemon Hearts, and Professor Quest's Epona discovery. Yearling wouldn't say much of Daring Do's new standing as a member of the Magical Counsel of the Ancients and her quest to find all twenty-two Enchanted Artifacts of the Ancients. We'll have to wait for the book. And I got my copy of Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone signed! I spoke with Mayor Mare today. The team leaders are busy getting prepared, making sure every pony knows what their jobs will be. Dash has wasted no time rounding up her pegasi and handing out assignments. And a compass for Ditsy Do. Ditsy is good with birds, not so good with directions. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Champing At The Bit March 17: Lots of ponies are keeping Rarity busy mending their team vests. We all tend to want to do the same things at the same time. I'm glad I got in early. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Before The Starting Gate March 18: Winter Wrap is tomorrow! Everypony in Ponyville is going to be up with the dawn and ready to change the season. Good bye winter, hello spring! In my role as All-Team-Organizer I made a final round with Mayor Mare, checking in with all three team leaders and making sure we have everything we need. Everything checks out, we are as ready as we'll ever be. Rarity even finished mending all the vests and took a well deserved break at the spa. I'd better get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, and then some. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° (Winter Wrap Up, too busy planting crops to write.) °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° That's A Wrap March 20: Winter Wrap Up is a big job. It's like we held on to winter until the last possible moment and then ran around in circles trying to meet the spring deadline. Maybe I should propose that next year we start a few days earlier. Everything went as planned. Mayor Mare got us hot to trot with her Winter Wrap Up speech, the team leaders made sure eveypony knew their assignments and waited for their cues, and everypony got to work. Snow was knocked out of the trees and shoveled away, teams of ponies cleared, plowed and planted the fields, the skies cleared, the lake ice was scored and the animals awakened. I checked items off my list as tasks were completed and made sure nopony skipped the signals. Tank dug his way out of his hibernation burrow into the bright sunshine and rested, blinking, by a big basket of food Dash had prepared. The animal team finished rousing all the hibernating critters and with the help of pegasi, installed Rarity's bird's nests in the trees. By nightfall, everypony was in the fields, planting and watering and keeping everypony fed. We were still at it at sunrise. By late morning the southern birds arrived and Mayor Mare declared winter wrapped up. Overnight, we'd gone from the silent snows and whistling winds of winter to the buzzing and warbling of spring. Then we all went home to rest. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Spring Has Sprung March 21: I woke up late this morning to the smell of warm damp earth and fresh green growth. I went out on my balcony into bright sunshine, to blue skies and the battle cries of song birds. It really is spring. And since it's the first full day of spring, Pinkie fired her cannons and threw Ponyville a party. It was probably the bangs that woke me up. I went downstairs and into town to join the fun. The early ponies were just finishing helping Pinkie hang up the banners. Of course there were balloons and confetti everywhere, and cake. Punch, cookies and lots of cake. Pinkie brought out piñatas and party games and Rarity rounded up the Ponytones for a sing-a-long concert. In the afternoon the foals amused us with a six-legged race and a steeplechase event. After dark, my friends and I stood together to watch the final event of the Spring Has Sprung party -- fireworks, blooming like brilliant flowers overhead. Soon the ground will reply with a carpet of flowers of its own. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Spring Harvest March 22: Another sure sign that it really is spring -- I'm shedding again. I'm so itchy, and every time I scratch I get a hoof full of loose winter hair. If only there was a winter wrap up for winter coats. Or maybe not. I can imagine now hordes of mice and small birds singing spring songs1 while tugging out my hair and leaving me bald. No, it's better this way. Nice and slow so my summer coat has time to grow in. I'm still itchy. Since there's no escaping the molt, I went to see if Rarity wanted to try her hoof at felt dolls again. She said they sell well, and since she has some felting competition in Canterlot, all the more reason to make more. She has time since during the spring molt she closes down the Boutique. Otherwise, unsightly molted hair gets on everything. So today I went to the spa with Fluttershy and Rarity. I washed off the Winter Wrap Up grime and I'm feeling quite fluffy. No oils or perfumes this time. Tomorrow Fluttershy and I are going over to the Carousel Boutique where Rarity is going to give us a good brushing. It's the new spring harvest! ----------------------- 1 The Equine Haircut song! It would go like this: Mice: Three months of subnivean parties Birds: And southern getaways! Mice: We kept out of the storms and cold Birds: In the tropics we stayed Mice: But our earthen burrows are getting bare Birds: And our nests let in the cold Mice: Although the spring has warmed the roots Birds: It's time to be bold... Equine haircut, equine haircut! Yank out tufts by the roots! Equine haircut, equine haircut! Watch out for those stamping boots, watch out for the stomping boots. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° That's What I Shed March 23: There are lilac colored hair bunnies lurking under the furniture and wispy fine hairs floating in the sunbeams in the castle. Even though I'm getting harvested every day by Rarity, it doesn't seem to put a dent into how much hair I leave everywhere. My favorite reading cushion in the library looks like it needs to be sheared. Starlight Glimmer isn't exempt from this rite of spring, there are halos of light pink-purple everywhere she has stopped to scratch. We're keeping Spike very busy. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Shedding To The Scoldies March 24: Rarity had us stand in her kitchen to get brushed, well away from where her garments and workshop await the end of the spring molt. She scolded us for being sweaty, oily ponies, as if we could just shut off our sebaceous glands. I noticed that the kitchen was immaculately clean and that Rarity was wearing a full body shawl. She also swept up every last fallen hair with a feather duster between brushing Fluttershy and proceeding to harvest me. Collecting hair is serious business. While we were shedding for the cause, we had an idea. At this time of year, the spa ponies insist that everypony gets well brushed before using the mud, oil bath or hot tub. That means Rarity could pick up a lot of fine molted insulating hairs of every color for her felting project. Rarity said she would go inquire. And she said that it could help if we bathed more often. My feathers are starting to drop too. That means I'll have a fresh supply of quills that match my coat! °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Sheds Who? March 25: This itchiness is getting very distracting. I can't wait for spring molt to end. I want to go wallowing in some soothing mud, but Rarity needs me to stay clean. After Rarity's harvest, I went to the spa to swelter in the sauna, get a full body shampoo and then soak in the hot tub. I had a nice break from the itchiness while I was at the spa, but now my skin is dry, my ratty coat is all poofy and I'm still itchy. I have blood feathers growing in too. I have to be extra careful not to bump my wings into anything. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Spring Is In The Hair March 26: After getting brushed some more by Rarity in her clean room, also known as her kitchen, I collected a picnic blanket and a few books and I went out to get some sun in the eastern meadow. I found a quiet spot, far from where a small herd of foals were frolicking and rolling in the dust. They have spring molt off from school. Teaching class is not easy when everypony, including the teacher, is scratching all the time and leaving floating wisps of hair everywhere. The birds are having a field day chasing down the eddies of hair clinging to fences and bushes and using our winter coats to line their nests. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Stay Out Of The Shed March 27: Rarity has a room off the kitchen where she has collected quite a few bags of hair now, many of which she got from the spa. They're graded by color and they're mostly ready for felting. She calls the room "her shed". Ha ha, I think that was a pun. Fluttershy and I were allowed to peer in through the doorway but Rarity wouldn't allow us to go in. Soon as this molt ends, classes resume, Rarity's boutique opens and Dash heads off for spring training with the Wonderbolts. It has been ages since the Tree has sent any of us on a mission. I imagine that if the Map Table did activate this week, it would have something to do with ponies having a messy mane day. I guess that would call for Rarity and Fluttershy. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Looking Back March 28: Starlight Glimmer has been my student for an entire year now. While her path has been bumpy at times, like when she tried to compel her way through her friendship studies... that happened at least twice. She got past that and she has kindled some strong friendships. She has also combined forces with her friends to solve problems she would not have been able overcome on her own. Friendship has given her the confidence to accept her village's welcome. Through her rekindled friendship with Sunburst, she helped heal the Crystal Heart, and by working with Trixie and her new friends Thorax and Discord, she showed the changelings a new path and saved Equestria. I think she has mastered friendship, as far as anypony can do so. Friendship also needs to be nurtured and that's a lifelong task, one that doesn't require a mentor or a guide. It just requires true friends, which Starlight now has. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Into Thin Hair March 29: The molt is winding down and about half of my new feathers have grown in. My wings still feel pretty tender. Fortunately the nights have been mild and I've not really needed blankets, so the sensitive blood feathers haven't been chaffing and waking me up as they do when I cover them. So while I'm still shedding, I'm just not shedding as fast. It's mostly the long guard hairs that are dropping now. That's not as useful for Rarity's felting project. At the same time, some of my summer coat has begun to grow in. Between that and the patchy leftovers of my winter coat, I'm still looking ratty. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Felting March 30: Rarity has started felting, most of the molted insulating hair that she has recovered from us and from the spa has been picked through and cleaned. She also needs mane hair, for the manes and tails. That's taking longer to collect. °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`° Edible Green March 31: The pastures around Ponyville have that lovely light spring green color now, and there are long rows of green sprouting in the plowed fields as well. Some of that green is back on the menu. For lunch we had dandelion greens, trout lilies and early timothy grass shoots mixed into our hay. Delicious! °Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°Øo.¸¸.•*´¯`°