Winter had arrived in Ponyville. As the students of the school of friendship woke up, they found the whole town covered in a layer of crisp, white snow to start their weekend.
Ocellus, consistently being the first to arise out of all her friends, quickly spread the word. Soon, everycreature was gearing up for a fun day out in a little winter wonderland. Hats, gloves, boots, scarves, jackets, and a myriad of other cold weather clothing articles where being tossed about between all the eager students. Except for Yona, who didn't have to change at all. Her thick yak fur coat allowed her withstand even the harshest of winter blizzards, so some light snow felt like nothing to her.
Gallus was getting ready like all the others, throwing on a yellow beanie, an amber scarf, and some charcoal grey gloves. Griffonstone was no stranger to cold weather, and Gallus had often toughed it out without any accessories, so if anything he was just getting dressed up for fashion purposes. The griffon caught a glimpse of his reflection in the window, and struck a pose. It was just a little ego boost before he'd head outside and trounce everycreature in the school-wide snowball fight they had planned. It was gonna be great, he had already charted himself a flight path in order to execute the single greatest aerial bombardment in the history of snowball fights. The best part of it all? Everycreature in the school would be there to witness it! So many creatures there, basking in the glory of Gallus as he took down the opposition in a single, swift, and decisive strike! There was even a rumor that Headmare Starlight had made a wager that if the students could win the battle, then all exams would be canceled for the next two weeks, so stakes were high.
Still, Gallus couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. No, it wasn't something it was somecreature. Somecreature wasn't there, meaning that was one less creature for Gallus to flex on. After a quick mental headcount of everyone he knew would be attending, Gallus easily pinpointed the outlier.
Smolder had gone completely unseen today, which was odd for a two reasons. Normally if there was any kind of competition, Smolder would be one of the most competitive ones there. She was also roommates with Ocellus, and by proxy, one of the first to wake up. For her to be completely missing from anything was a little concerning.
Gallus swiftly went searching for his missing friend. Nocreature had seen her all day, and she wasn't in her dorm, the cafeteria, or on the roof. If she wasn't at her typical locations, then she must've gone somewhere she almost never did, somewhere nocreature would really expect to find her.
Gallus barged through the large double doors of the school library. It was almost completely empty, save for an orange dragon sitting on one of the couches alone. She had completely wrapped herself up in at least five different blankets she undoubtedly took from other students's beds. She even had the fifth draped over her head like an oversized hood.
"Smolder, is that you in there? What's with the cocoon thing?" The griffon inquired.
"It's winter. It's snowing. It's cold." Smolder seemed to pull the blankets in even tighter at the mere mention of such topics.
"Yes, what astute observations you've made! Tell me, how could you figure out such a thing? Also, I still don't think that full answers my question about your blankets."
"You absolute imbecile! I'm a dragon, and in case you forgot, dragons are reptiles! You know what reptiles are? Cold blooded! Do you know what that means, Gallus?"
"Uh, sorry, I never really paid attention when Professor Fluttershy talked about biology."
"It means I don't like the cold, you bird-brained idiot!" A hand shot out from underneath the several layers of fluff and hurled a pillow at the griffon. He caught it with ease. Her throw was much weaker than normal.
"So you're cold blooded, and yet you're also one of the biggest hot-heads in the school," Gallus retorted.
"I am not in the mood for this," Smolder pouted.
"My point exactly."
"Remind me to strangle you when spring starts." The dragoness retreated deeper into her pile of blankets. Gallus glanced out the window, catching a glimpse of the snowball fight. It was an all out war zone outside. Snowballs of all different sizes were being hurled at speeds not thought possible, colliding against grandiose snow fortresses and other creatures alike. It even seemed like some of the professors were getting involved in the battle. He caught a glimpse of Sandbar galloping as fast as his legs could take him, practically goading Professor Dash to chase him. Everything out there was incredibly enticing, and Gallus grew eager to join in the chaos, but he looked back to Smolder, shivering next to him on the couch. The griffon cleared his head, deciding to focus on what was much more important right now.
"Y'know what? Snow is overrated. I think I'll just relax in here for today. You wouldn't mind that, would you?"
"Depends. You gonna be a pain in my side the entire time?"
"I make no promises." Gallus removed his winter clothing and handed it over to Smolder. "But here, take these as a sort of peace offering." Smolder gladly took the offer, slipping on the beanie, scarf, and gloves. The gloves were a bit big for her claws compared to Gallus's larger talons, but they got the job done.
"Have you not tried to light the fireplace yet?"
Smolder rolled her eyes in annoyance. Instead of responding with words, she drew in a long, deep breath. Gallus jumped out of the way, flying up to the ceiling, careful not to collide with it this time. This flame would be complete overkill and probably scorch the entire library if she was taking this long to charge it up. Smolder released her fire, but only a few sparks and a tiny flame came from her maw. The flame itself was barely the size of a candle, and flickered out after a few seconds.
"That's honestly the best I can do right now."
"Wow, this Winter cold is really messing you up." After the anticlimactic, non-ignition of the fireplace, Gallus had begun thinking aloud. "So if you're cold blooded, then you need something warm, something comforting, something to lift your spirits..." The griffon tapped a talon against his beak, straining himself to think of a solution. Smolder found it endearing whenever he tried so hard to please his friends. It was kind of cute.
Despite the below freezing temperatures, the dragon felt her face quickly grow heated at the thought, and resorted to burying herself even deeper in her layers. Did she just call Gallus cute? While he didn't notice Smolder's blushing, the griffon did seem to get an idea. Without a word Gallus took off, leaving Smolder alone in the library again.
The dragoness peeked out of the blankets she'd swaddled herself in, now able to process whatever it was she had just felt a second ago in peace. Why did she react like that? It was just Gallus being Gallus. Sure he was a little annoying from time to time, but whenever he was genuine, he was the kindest in the school. It was one of his most admirable aspects. Even then it felt like only part of the reason she was constantly excited to see him everyday, there was still something else, some bigger reason she just wasn't getting. It was bothering her, being unable to grasp what this odd feeling was. Instead of continuing to frustrate herself trying to understand it, she repressed the thought. At least for the time being. She'd definitely have to come back to this later.
After a couple of minutes the griffon triumphantly returned with a tray of hot drinks and snacks hoisted above his head and a matchstick in his beak. Gallus struck the match, using it to properly ignite the fireplace, and set the tray down on the table in front of it. Smolder could now clearly see what Gallus had gone and gathered for them. Several cups of warm drinks, such as coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and apple cider, all still steaming, and next to the drinks was a nice platter of cookies, cupcakes, and brownies. In the center of the tray, however, was a bowl of gemstones. Gallus had clearly put a lot of thought into the assortment of treats. Everything from how they were organized, to some of the small little decorations on them. A cookie had a frosting drawing of Sandbar's cutie mark, while a cupcake was shaped similar to Mount Aris. The craftsmanship was rather impressive.
"And where did you get all of this?"
"Mess hall. I ordered all of us a tray of stuff this morning for after the snowball fight, and then I added some of my own little flare to it. I thought it'd be alright if I too it out early, but if you want something else I can go and-"
"No, no, Gallus, it's fine. I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. This is already more than enough." She invited him back his spot on the couch. He graciously accepted and plopped down on the other half of the chair. As Smolder took a teacup in one hand and a handful of gems in the other, she had one last question on her mind.
"So, why exactly are you bothering to stay in here with me instead of having fun out in the snow with everyone else?"
"Well for one, it's a way to say thank you for helping me with that essay a few days back. Also, is it really that hard to believe that I'd want to help a friend in need?"
"I guess not. I mean, you always have this super cocky, 'I'm Gallus, I'm too cool for school' attitude, but deep down, you are probably one of the sweetest creatures I know. I mean, you got us our own custom platter of little winter snacks! That's freaking adorable!" She flashed Gallus a smile. "Thank you."
Gallus was accustomed to the typical sly smirk from the dragoness, but this time something was different. There was no snark or sass in her tone, just pure sincerity in every word, not to mention her smile. There wasn’t a hint of mischief, just a genuine warmth, and the griffon found it downright adorable. It made his heart begin to flutter, and he looked away to hide the growing red in his cheeks. Smolder didn't seem to notice as she began sipping her tea.
"Tell anyone about what I did here and I'll deny it."
"I think they'd be more weirded out if you didn't."
Together the two ate and joked with each other, all with the sounds of total war outside. After a couple more hours of this, the sounds of the battle subsided, and the pair were left with the calming sound of the crackling fireplace.
"Wanna read something?" Gallus suggested.
"Who are you and what've you done with the real Gallus?" Smolder chuckled.
"I am only half joking. I don't mean unironically read a whole novel or anything, I mean let's just find a quick book or something to laugh at while we read it. Just a little something to keep us entertained for a second."
"Honestly, sounds kinda fun, and we're not doing anything else so why not?"
Gallus hopped off the couch for a moment, flying through the many, many, many bookshelves the school library housed. He zipped and twisted through the narrow paths the shelves formed, snatching a random book off of a shelf and returning it to the table.
"Daring Do and the Razor of Dreams!" Gallus exclaimed in an overly dramatic tone. He lifted the book above his head as if it was some prophetic item that held the secrets to the universe inside, inciting a laugh from Smolder.
"Sounds a little goofy, doesn't it?"
"Yes, but I've been meaning to see why everyone seems to like these Daring Do books so much."
They decided to start reading their first Daring Do book together. It wasn't as boring as they thought, in fact it was quite the captivating adventure. So captivating they decided to read another, and another, and more and more books piled up in front of the pair. With every book the pair also moved closer and closer together on the couch, and by book eleven, Smolder had extended her blankets to Gallus. The largest of Smolder's blankets wrapped from Smolder's shoulder to Gallus's. As their binge reading continued, day turned to night, and Smolder began to grow drowsy. Without thinking, she rested her head on Gallus's shoulder and proceeded to fall asleep. His mix feathers and fur were the perfect for comfort and maintaining warmth, which made him the perfect pillow. That added with the soothing fireplace, sweet treats, and calm reading, the dragoness had no troubles drifting off to sleep.
Gallus had gotten so absorbed in his reading that he hadn't even realized what Smolder had done until he commented on the plot of the book only to be met with a snore from the dragoness. As his brain finally registered what had occurred, he began to profusely blush. He scanned the room checking if anyone was in the library with them, but thankfully, it was still just them. He calmed down a little. Smolder seemed so snug in her sleeping position, he'd hate to disturb her. He reassured himself, it would be for the best if he simply remained where he was to not bother Smolder.
The rest of their friends arrived later in the night. The four of them were absolutely caked in snow, exhausted, Ocellus especially. At first she was staring daggers at the blue griffon, but her look of utter fury quickly subsided when she noticed everything around him. Gallus was reading? He seemed so incredibly calm and relaxed, and Smolder was resting her head on his shoulder? Then there was a tray of snacks on the table in front of him? Soon, things clicked into place for the changeling, and her outrage was quickly replaced with a subtle smirk. Gallus peered up from his book and excitedly beckoned them to enter with his free arm.
"Hey, guys! Could I interest you in some cookies and hot chocolate?"