//------------------------------// // Chapter #24: Snow // Story: My Little Pony: Dark Star // by WestRail642fan //------------------------------// Chapter Twenty Four. Snow. The snowy landscape twinkled in the twilight hours of the evening sun as it dipped below the horizon. "Good thing we bought all that unused firewood." Hitch said as he threw the last of the large logs onto the fire. Embers shimmered into the cold air as the wood crackled. "You don't get skies like this in Zephyr Heights, that's for sure." Dazzle looked towards the night sky as aurora danced across it. "Yeah, the Crystal Empire sure is lucky..." Zipp replied, laying on her back on top of her sleeping bag, eyes locked towards the dark void above her. Air escaped her nose like smoke from a dragon as she exhaled in the cold night. Pipp sat on the steps of her trailer, guitar in hoof. She softly strummed the cords, humming the tune to herself in the process. "And here I thought you made all your music on the computer." Sunny chuckled, passing Pipp a cup of hot chocolate. "I am a mare of many talents, young Sunny." Pipp smiled proudly, taking the cup from the orange mare, watching the steam bellow from it in the cold air. "I'm six years older than you..." Sunny trailed off in mild annoyance. "Details, details." Pipp patted Sunny's head, "Sunny? Can I ask you something?" Pipp asked her friend, tilting her head. "Sure, what's up Pipp?" Sunny replied, sitting down on the step next to the pegasus. "So, since Opaline is your mom, that makes Misty your sister, right?" Pipp asked, eyebrow raised as she saw the gears turning in Sunny's head. "You know, I don't know to be honest." Sunny rubbed her chin, looking down at the ground, "Maybe I should ask my mom..." She added, looking towards Opaline, only to find her laying belly down on the snow, snoring loudly. "Guess that'll have to wait until the morning." Pipp giggled, before taking a mouthful of her hot drink. "So, Pipp why did you do that thing…. Um, what’s the word again." Sunny said in a curious tone. "You mean mating?" Pipp spoke, nearly choking on her drink. "Yes, that. Why did you do it with the human of all creatures?" Sunny continued, "A married human at that." She added, emphasising the word 'married'. Pipp let out a long, hard sigh, "I was honestly expecting this coming from Zipp of all ponies..." She rubbed the back of her neck as her cheeks flushed a deep red, "But, if you want to know the whole truth..." Pipp quickly looked down at her hooves, "I didn't want him to leave Equestria... heh..." She chuckled nervously to herself. "O-Ok?" Sunny spoke, completely wide-eyed, "But!" She quickly shook her head, "Why would you want him to stay here?" She added. "Because..." Pipp sighed, "Because outside of Cadenza and Shooting Star, he has no other family, here or his own world..." She trailed off. "I see..." Sunny replied, no emotion in her voice, "So that’s the reason why? You mated with him so you could stay with him if his wife and daughter may no longer be alive and that he gets to stay with you?" She added. "Yes?" Pipp raised her hooves, whilst giving a confusing grin, "Since well, mating leads to foals so... If I were to get pregnant, he would have a reason to stay here." She continued, tapping her hooves together in embarrassment. "EW! Pipp! Gross. I'd rather listen to Mom’s boring stories and lectures than listen to how your mating session went." Zipp groaned from the other side of the fire while covering her face and faking a puke. Sunny placed her hoof against her face, shaking her head, "Pipp, you mean to tell me that your plan to make the human stay was by getting pregnant?!" Sunny spoke in a hushed tone, eye twitching. "Yes?" Pipp continued to tap her hooves together while smiling innocently. "Pipp that’s very, very disappointing. Your mom would disapprove of it." Sunny shook her head in disapproval of Pipp's actions. "I know Sunny, but it was the only thing I could think of! It's not fair that he should be alone for the rest of this life because of something a stupid alicorn did!" Pipp raised her voice, holding back some tears. "Hey! Don't blame this on my mom!" Sunny snarled back, eye continuing to twitch. "What? No! I'm not blaming Opaline for this." Pipp quickly defended herself, "Look. David told me that right before he ended up here, he said he saw an alicorn in front of him." Pipp pinched her head in mild frustration. "Oh..." Sunny stepped back, "Forgive me, I thought you referred to Opaline since everyone said she would betray us." She quickly added before looking down, "No offence, Mom..." She spoke under her breath in a hushed tone. David, meanwhile, was sitting a bit away from the makeshift campsite, choosing to be alone with his thoughts. "I'm in too deep..." He said to himself, looking down at the palm of his hand at the crystal as it glowed brightly in the slowly approaching night, "I should be happy that they're alive..." He added, "But I can't stop thinking about Pipp..." He continued, sighing to himself. David's mind began to wander onto thoughts of Cadenza and Shooting Star the last time he saw them for what to him was only a few days ago but if Sunny was to be believed was actually over 2000 years ago. "Go cool off!" Cadenza had snapped at David, the pink alicorn snarling as she stood in front of a Shooting Star on the verge of tears. "She's my daughter too, Cadenza! I am not gonna let her get herself hurt because you gave her the idea to be a guard!" David snapped back, "I missed 24 years of her life and I don't want to see her get killed before she's even 30!" He added. "Get……..Out." Cadenza snarled, her horn crackling in the air, "Before I use violence against you in front of our daughter!" She snapped while her horn was crackling with power, "DON'T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF DAVID! GET OUT NOW!" She roared. "FINE! I NEEDED A BREAK ANYWAY!" David said with anger in his voice. And he soon slammed the door of the royal chambers. David was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard Pipp running over towards him, calling his name, "Hey! You alright, David?" Pipp said as she skidded to a stop in the snow. "Huh... Oh yeah, I'm fine... Just clearing some thoughts." David replied while rubbing his head. "You miss them don’t you?" She asked, a slight pain in her chest following those words. "Yea... You could say that. It may have only been a few days for me, but how long was it for them..." He said. "It’s getting cold out here, come sit by the fire. Don’t need you freezing and falling sick." Pipp gestured to the campfire where the rest of the ponies sat. "Do you think they'd even want to see me? Cadenza and Shooting Star, I mean..." David said to himself, the wind kicking up a dusting of snow. "Yeah, of course, they would!" Pipp smiled, "I'm sure your daughter would be eager to see her father after so long. I can say the same for your wife. She would be so happy to see you after so long." Pipp gently cuddled David as he looked up at her emerald eyes as they shimmered in the cloudless night. "I should let you know something..." David softly spoke, placing his hand on Pipp's hoof. "Yes?" She fluttered her eyes, "Is he going to confess his love for me?" She thought to herself, her heart beating faster. "Each city of the Empire has a protective shield around it." He continued, staring off into the snow. Pipp frowned slightly, "Oh..." She let out a disappointed sigh, "I thought you were gonna say the thing you know the 'I love you.' part." But never mind..." She said in a disappointed tone, "What do these bubbles do exactly?" She tilted her head, ears flopping to one side. "It... It protects the cities from the cold this far north." He continued, "But, before you ask, ponies can pass right through the shield with no issue, it just keeps the cold out." He added. "Does it hurt to pass through?" Pipp asked, slightly concerned by this shield. "Not at all, but, for ponies passing through for the first time, it's a bit bumpy and might make you dizzy." He chuckled to himself as the wind suddenly picked up, sending a chill down his spine. "Okay, that’s it, you're coming to the fire whether you like it or not." Pipp said as she dragged David by the arms back to the campfire with little effort on her part. "Alright, alright... I'll go with you, easy there." David groaned as Pipp ceased her dragging once the human was in front of the fire. The mare quickly wrapped him up in 4 layers of blankets. "There. Much better, all nice and toasty." Pipp smiled, nuzzling David's cheek before taking a seat next to him, "So sis..." She turned towards Zipp, a devilish smile on her face, "Mind telling us how you and Thunder ended up in that broom closet." She smirked as Zipp squeaked in surprise. "You can not be serious..." Zipp groaned, cheeks turning deep pink. "Oh, but I am." Pipp grinned devilishly. "This is gonna be juicy." Came a deep voice, all eyes turned towards the source, Dazzle giggled as she leaned closer, "If this is juicy stuff I would make it into a ZBS report." She added, much to Zipp's horror. "Well, that was unexpected..." Izzy said in surprise as she scooted away from the lavender pegasus slightly. "Yeah, not gonna happen." Zipp crossed her forehooves, "That’s the last thing I am telling you, over my dead body." She said in an unamused tone, "I'd rather listen to Mom’s boring stories and lectures than tell you that story." She added. "Spoilsport." Pipp grumbled, lip pouting as she crossed her hooves. "Wow, would you look at the time?" Zipp said, looking at the nonexistent watch on her hoof, "It's time we got some shut-eye." She spoke quickly before darting off into her tent. "Now what?" Sunny asked, holding her hooves close to the flames as she shivered. "Coward!" Pipp yelled at Zipp as she ran into her tent and zipped it up. "Sorry can't hear ya I'm too busy sleeping." Zipp responded as she faked intense snoring. "I will forever ask myself if she even wants to tell that story from her point of view or Thunder if he’s comfortable telling it. Since sis ended up sleeping with him." Pipp rubbed her chin whilst tapping her hoof on the snowy ground under her. "Is she always like this?" Sunny asked as she rubbed her hoofs near the fire. "Oh believe me she is like that every time I pester her to tell me stories of her being in awkward situations. She will always find a way to run away when I'm distracted." Pipp replied as she wiggled herself into the blankets David was wrapped in, her head poking out under his, "That's more like it." She grinned to herself as she nuzzled the underside of David's chin with her forehead. Dazzle let out a yawn, "I think I'm with Zipp on this one." She stretched her hooves out, joints popping, "It’s getting late and I'm tired, we should turn in for the night if we are gonna have the energy to head to the empire tomorrow morning." "Not you too, Dazzle..." Pipp groaned, "Please don’t tell me you're faking your tiredness to Dazz, don't you even think about breaking our long friendship." She eyed Dazzle like a predator. "No, really, I am really tired. It’s very late and I am burned out. We agreed we would go to the empire tomorrow morning so a good night’s rest is needed." Dazzle Feather replied. Soon, every other pony went to sleep in their own tents, leaving Sunny, Pipp and David sitting around the fire. "So..." Sunny tried to break the awkward silence that surrounded the three, "How have you two been over these past few days?" She asked in a curious tone. "We already told you..." Pipp tilted her head in confusion. "Sorry..." The orange mare shivered a reply, "The cold up here has made my brain shut down..." She added, shivering. "If you're cold, you could always spend the night with me And lover boy here." Pipp suggested, raising an eyebrow. "Lover boy?" Sunny's cheeks flushed red at Pipp's suggestion, "Bleh, I can see why Zipp is annoyed at why you two keep flirting with each other. But, let's go this night over with." Sunny shivered some more, "I presume your trailer has a heating system inside?" She added. "Well..." Pipp smiled weakly, "If by heating, you mean a bed big enough for all three of us, and tons of blankets to spare, then yes." She added as the strong icy breeze began to pick up more. "Do you expect me to share a bed with you two?" Sunny tried to sound disgusted. "Either that or you become a Sunnycicle." Pipp smiled, opening the door of her trailer. "Ugh. Fine! But no funny business from either of you!" Sunny grumbled, "Or I'm telling your mom again." "Ok Sunny." Pipp gave a toothy grin as the three entered the trailer. End of Chapter Twenty Four.