//------------------------------// // Do You Want to Build a Snowpony? // Story: Snowed In // by theOwtcast //------------------------------// A couple of hours later, still wrapped in a blanket following the ordeal in the snow, I once again observed the white-coated scenery as it passed by on the other side of the window. This time, however, the sky was graced with the mesmerizing dance of ethereal, rainbow-colored swirls and ripples; we were reaching our destination. If only Pharynx was showing more enthusiasm… He was statue-still in his seat, forelegs crossed, gritting his teeth and pouting, and I could swear he hadn’t stopped staring at the same spot somewhere in the opposite row of seats ever since the train started moving again. Good thing we were alone in this car, or the persistent glaring would have quickly become awkward at the very least… I’d tried to snap him out of it, to striking up a conversation, anything, only to have every attempt shot down by a simple snort with a leave-me-alone undertone and a red-hot spike in his aura, a response he occasionally displayed when annoyed about something but unable to tackle the root of the problem. The root of the problem, in this case, seemed to be the lack of an enemy - or lack of one particular enemy he’d been itching to track down and sort out for a while now - and there was nothing I could do about it. Goodness, this was going to be a long day if he kept it up… Would Cadance and Shining catch on and help me figure out a way to get him to unwind or at least to soften his attitude? Well, I was about to find out; the train was approaching the station, and the familiar trio was already waiting at the platform. “Crystal Empire! Final station!” the conductor announced a minute later as the train was slowing down. Pharynx and I got up, me eager to meet my friends again, him with a scowl still frozen stubbornly onto his face. “Thanks for the blanket,” I said to the conductor as we passed him, folding it up. “No problem at all,” he said, accepting it back. “Did it help?” “Of course! I can’t believe how warm and comfy it is!” “Only the best for the king!” “That didn’t stop you from letting him dig snow-” “Pharynx…” I warned, looking daggers at him for a second or two before returning my attention to the conductor. “Please don’t mind him, sir. He means well but doesn’t care much for manners, and I haven’t been able to get far with him in that regard…” “It’s alright, I’m used to having such customers,” he assured me. “Enjoy your stay!” We barely managed to disembark when a pink blur tackled me and attached itself to my neck. “Why hello to you too, Flurry,” I cooed, chuckling and stroking her mane. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” “That it has,” Cadance said, approaching us with Shining. “Welcome back, Thorax! And Pharynx, I take it?” “It’s good to be back! I’m sorry about the delay. The rails got snowed in and we had to help clear them.” “We figured as much,” Shining said. “It happens often this time of the year.” “Were you waiting at the station the whole time?” “Yes, but don’t worry about it. We really needed to get out of the castle anyway!” Flurry had in the meantime climbed onto my back and found my wings to pull at, babbling impatiently. Cadance gave her a slight frown, to no avail if the purpose was to get her to calm down. “Yes, Flurry?” I asked. “You wanted to suggest something?” Cadance sighed. “She’s been wanting to get out into the snow all day. I promised her we’d ask if you’re interested, but I was really hoping she’d give us a few more minutes, and we understand if you’ve had enough of the snow for today-” “That’s alright, we can go now!” “Are you sure?” Shining asked. “You don’t have to for our sake!” “No, really! I was actually reminiscing about all the fun we had in the snow while I lived here and thinking of asking if you’d be interested to do it again! Unless… Pharynx, would you care to join us?” “Eh. Whatever. It’s not like I can change your mind about anything, so why bother?” I sighed inwardly. “Please excuse him, guys… he’s uh… had a rough day… um…” The gritting of teeth intensified, followed by another eye roll. Cadance and Shining exchanged a knowing glance. “Right, then,” Shining said. “There’s a good patch of snow a little to the south.” We got underway, Cadance and me taking the lead with Flurry still riding on my back, and Shining and Pharynx behind us. I walked in silence for a moment, just taking in the scenery and thinking of the times I’d made the same journey to the snowy outskirts of the city with these same ponies in the past, knowing how much I’d missed the other changeling that had now finally joined us even if reluctantly, but only just now realizing how much his presence filled the hole in my heart that had been gaping open every time before! Now my family was finally together! But what about the one member of that family who was finding no pleasure in the company of the rest of us? Shining was attempting a conversation with him but every word was falling on deaf, uninterested, and annoyed ears, and even though he’d technically agreed to tag along, I knew Pharynx would have rather been anywhere else right now, possibly even in the depths of Tartarus, and no conversation, consoling, or bribery was going to change that. “Your brother is interesting,” Cadance finally said. Was it a genuine impression or a politely-wrapped disapproval of his attitude? “Well, he’s generally a good guy and I love him, but there are times when I just don’t know what to do with him,” I admitted. “I mean, yes, he sided with me eventually and stopped harassing the other drones and destroying their plants and artwork for the most part, but he’s no less grumpy than he was in the old days. The only change there is is that he wants to find and obliterate Chrysalis when he once wanted to serve her, but that translates to him seeing her shadows everywhere and never giving me a break about it! Heck, he even thought she was the one to blame for that snow dune on the train tracks today! What gives?” “It’s because he loves you, Thorax, and he wants to protect you. I haven’t known him for very long, but I get the impression that he’d never forgive himself if something happened to you, maybe even if it’s something out of his control, so he can’t rest until he goes above and beyond to prevent any such situations from ever happening, and Chrysalis must be the most obvious threat he can see.” “You really think it’s as simple as that?” “Yes. Shining was exactly like that for the longest time after we married, but he got in under control over time, even if your appearing in the Crystal Empire gave him a scare and caused him to relapse for another while. Your brother will get there too, just give him time!” “I can do that, but he’ll still be grumpy in the meantime. How do I get him to unwind from the constant vigilance and enjoy things?” “He probably finds enjoyment of sorts in the very acts of protecting you, or at least in knowing that you’re as safe as he can ensure it. As for the more mundane forms of enjoyment, just give him space and he’s sure to find them on his own.” “Even if we’re just playing in the snow?” “Even if you’re just playing in the snow. There’s a lot one can do with snow, so he’s sure to come up with something interesting. And who knows? He may actually be enjoying something more than he’s letting it show,” she said with a wink. Soon we were in a valley covered in untouched snow, and Flurry hopped off my back to dive into it. Her prancing and squealing was a delight to watch, even if half of it was left to imagination, as she often sank completely under the surface and had to fly out of the resulting holes whenever she wanted to rejoin us! “I’m finding it hard to keep track of her,” Cadance said after a few minutes. “I mean, nothing is going to happen, but still…” I pondered this for a moment. “What if we started building a snowpony? Maybe that’ll catch her attention and she’ll join us and remain in sight?” “Of course! She loved the last one you built for her!” I grinned awkwardly. “Aww, it’s not like I didn’t have any help…” “Oh hush, you’re the one who did most of the work!” Shining said. “Here, I’ll start…” He ignited his horn and pulled some snow into a pile. The process exposed some of the tunnels Flurry had made in the meantime and created some empty space for Pharynx to plop down onto the ground, still pouting. “It’s not forbidden to join us, you know,” I told him. “You could even have a say in what the snowpony will look like in the end!” He just grunted and looked away. “Suit yourself,” I shrugged. I still wanted him to join, but maybe Cadance had been right. Maybe the trick really was to let him join on his own accord or to find his own activity independently from us. Hopefully that activity wouldn’t end up being the souring of the experience for everypony else… Either way, the plot to construct a snowpony had worked. Flurry emerged from one of her tunnels puzzled by it suddenly opening into clean air, then momentarily frowning at us, probably for destroying her hard work, only to notice the crude shape of the beginning of a snowpony, and suddenly the tunnels were all but forgotten; she joined the construction crew with such gusto that I once again found it challenging to keep track of her at times! Some of her efforts flopped, admittedly, and needed the rest of us to fix them, but others were pretty good; had she had practice since our last time? Or rather, how much practice had she had? She couldn’t have been kept away from the snow this whole time! Eventually the snowpony was finished, and though we hadn’t agreed on what it should look like when starting out, it became a remarkably well-executed copy of the only grump in sight. The scowl was especially convincing! “Very funny,” the green Pharynx said, looking daggers at the white one. “Why?” Shining chuckled. “Because you left an impression on Flurry? We didn’t start out with the idea of recreating you specifically, or anypony else for that matter; we just went with the flow.” “So now I’m mock material for some foal?” I’d had enough. “Will you quit taking out your frustrations on innocent bystanders already and learn to behave yourself for one afternoon?!” I exclaimed, kicking at a discarded pile of snow in his general direction; though I hadn’t intended it, some of it hit him in the face. His expression went blank for a moment, and air seemed to have turned into a vacuum. Then he pierced me with a long, hard stare. “Did you just throw snow in my face?” “Uh…” He stood up. Grabbed some snow in his magic and slowly and deliberately crushed it into a snowball, never breaking eye contact with me, making sure I was watching his every move. Then he made another snowball. And another. And another. And about a hundred more. Scowled. Smirked. And for the second time that day, I was soon soaked to the bone in a pile of snow.