"Well Tank... I guess I'll see you at Winter Wrap Up," whispered Rainbow Dash, her voice straining. It's no easier than last year, yet hibernation is as inevitable as the moon rising to replace the sun. It also doesn't help that she decided to read an extra Daring Do book to help Tank fall asleep.
As Rainbow turned away, some moisture started forming in her eyes. If anypony were to ask, she would insist it was from the cold air, and her quick take off towards her house had nothing to do with wanting to be alone to cry. However, this behavior wasn't left unnoticed by a certain pink party pony.
After last year's fiasco with Rainbow sabotaging the weather factory to keep winter from happening, it didn't take a genius detective to figure out Dash was gonna be upset yet again this year. "Don't worry Dashie, just wait for good old auntie Pinkie Pie to turn that frown, upside down," announced the pink earth pony, bouncing through the snow in her winter gear. How she managed to effortlessly make her way through the snow as if it wasn't there, nopony could say.
As she took her time making her way to her friend's cloud house, Pinkie managed to spy the telltale rainbow contrail from her favorite pegasus. Now, for the best results, I've got to get the timing just right. Give her a few minutes to cry into her pillow, talk to herself about how much she misses Tank, and how hibernation isn't fair, etc... Pinkie thought through her multi part plan to cheer up her friend. All the while, her face was an unshakable smile with a blank look in her eyes. It wouldn't be long until she put her plan into action.
As Rainbow Dash made her way to her cloud house, she didn't even bother with her front door, instead opting for her bedroom window. Making her way closer, her speed was sapped until her wings gave out just before letting her momentum carry her through the window and crash onto her bed. There she lay, spread out, unwilling to move as she cried her eyes out.
"Tank... it's not fair. What am I gonna do all winter? This used to be my favorite time of year, but now.... now I just dread having to leave you in that burrow," Rainbow mumbled face down. "I'm the only one with a pet that hibernates! Why did Tank have to be so cute, awesome, and loyal?" Dash propped herself up on her forehooves, her face starting to heat up in anger. Her wings unconsciously shot out in an aggressive stance. "Ugh! Why? Why? Why?!" Rainbow's shouts got increasingly louder, her rage powering her outburst. Though, just as quick as it came, the heat left her body, everything felt like lead as she let herself sink back into her tear stained sheets, wings limp and splayed out.
"Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie shouted from the ground in a drawn out sing song tone. "Hey! Dashie! Come on out! I got a surprise for you!" Pinkie was bouncing up and down like she had spring loaded hooves.
"Ugh..." With great effort Dash rolled over to face her bedroom window. "Go away Pinkie, I wanna be alone," she mumbled, mostly to herself.
"But I can't go away silly billy," said Pinkie, standing at the foot of her friend's cloud bed.
"Gyah! Pinkie! How did you get up here?" Rainbow demanded incredulously as she was startled out of bed. "Actually, no. Don't answer. I don't think I wanna know," she relented, rubbing her head as she stood up. "Just... go, please. I don't feel up to any parties or songs, or even pranks. I just wanna be alone for a bit," said Rainbow, starting to climb back on her bed.
"Well then, it's a good thing my surprise doesn't involve any of those things," replied Pinkie, her smile never wavering.
Dash's ears perked up at that, and her curiosity was peaked. "Okay... so what did you have in mind then?" Rainbow asked, raising a single eye brow.
"I told you, it's a surprise!"
"But you just said-never mind," Dash snorted as she thought over her friend's antics. "Fine, I guess I can always sulk some other day," Rainbow mumbled under her breath before putting on a halfhearted smile. "Alright, lead the way Pinks."
With that, Pinkie made her way down to Rainbow's door before jumping outside and falling through the cloud yard. "Pinkie!" Rainbow dashed out her house and down at break-neck speeds in a desperate attempt to catch her friend. It wasn't until she was a dozen or so hooves above the ground that she noticed a giant snow pile right below her house. More than that, there was a pony shaped hole at the top. Making a sudden stop midair, Dash started searching the area. "Pinkie? Are you okay? Where are you?"
"Right here Dashie!" Pinkie shouted as she opened a snow door at the base of the pile, and closed it. "Cheese Luise, you're such a worry wart," she chided her friend with a smug grin on her face.
Rainbow just floated there, dumbfounded for about five seconds before her brain's auto response of Pinkie being Pinkie kicked in and rebooted her mind. "So... you gonna tell me what this surprise is?" Dash asked, scratching the back of her neck.
"Nope! First you got to get your winter gear on! Don't want you getting frostbite, because that leads to gangrene, and if you get that in your wings, you'll have to get them amputated, and then you won't be able to fly anymore, and flying is your whole thing, can you imagine you not being able to fly, it would be like Twilight not being able to do magic! Speaking of Twilight, have you ever noticed she's like the you of magic, or are you the Twilight of flying, am I the Twilight of parties? What is Fluttershy the Twilight of, oh, what abou-" Pinkie's rant was cut off by a cyan hoof in her mouth and bemused looking pegasus.
"Okay Pinkie, if I go get my snow gear on, do you promise to stop rambling?" asked Rainbow, doing her best to not let Pinkie's antics get to her. After a quick nod from Pinkie, she flew back to her house, got all her gear on, and flew back down in ten seconds flat. "Alright Pinks, now can you tell me what your surprise is?" Rainbow's voice was becoming increasingly exasperated.
"Nope! But I can take you to it," Pinkie beamed as she began to bounce away, not even checking to see if Rainbow was following her.
As they made their way along snow covered paths, Rainbow couldn't help but notice their direction. It could just be a coincidence, but seeing as Sugar Cube Corner was behind them, Dash had to ask to make sure. "So, Pinkie... you sure you know where you're going?"
"Yupper duppers! I got a big surprise set up! You're gonna love it!" Pinkie shot back, an ever growing grin splitting her face.
As Pinkie kept leading her, Dash had noticed they were leaving Ponyville, and starting to make their way up a familiar slope. "Uh... Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow asked, apprehension clear in her voice.
"Yes Dashie?" Pinkie replied, without a hint of worry.
"Are we... going up to that old dragon cave?" asked Rainbow.
"Okay, fine! You figured it out! But there's still the totally awesome surprise at the top. Trust me, you're gonna love it!" Pinkie assured her friend, which only slightly calmed the nerves of her prismatic pegasus pal.
As they made their way up the mountain, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but feel a bit of nostalgia. Not to mention how quick they were climbing without having to stop for Fluttershy every five minutes. She loved the canary colored pegasus like a sister, but that didn't change the fact that she occasionally got annoyed with her lack of bravery. Granted, she's gotten way better over the past several moons. Just like Rainbow herself has gotten a bit more comfortable being vulnerable at times.
Dash's introspective moment was interrupted by her tail being bitten by Pinkie Pie. "Equestria to Rainbow Dash! We're here!" shouted Pinkie as she got her friend's attention.
Looking around, Rainbow was a bit surprised to see that, yes, they had arrived at the entrance to the former dragon cave. Looking toward Pinkie, she gave her a questioning look. "So, what's the surprise? Did you bring me up here just to get some fresh mountain air?"
"Heck no! I brought you up here for sledding!" Pinkie exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing ever. "Look, I even got a sled big enough for two ponies!" At that, she pointed to a custom two seat bobsled decorated with both of their cutie marks, as well as two helmets with similar decoration. Seeing Rainbow Dash's mouth agape she continued. "That's not all either! I set up a whole track for us that winds all the way down and through Ponyville, and right to the next part of your surprise!"
After many more seconds of being totally gobsmacked, Rainbow Dash recovered her mental faculties with a vigorous shake of her head. "Pinkie... how, when, you, why, what?" Rainbow's sputtering was cut off by Pinkie raising a hoof and handing a helmet to Dash. As if in a trance, Rainbow put it on still wide eyed and trying to figure out when Pinkie had time to do this. As Pinkie led Rainbow to the sled, Dash got a good look at the track Pinkie spoke of.
It started simple, just a trench of packed snow, maybe ice. It went straight down for a bit before turning a few times then spiraling down the mountain before letting up near Ponyville. There, it seemed to incorporate the roofs of the various buildings before it became impossible to see the end. As she was checking this all out, Pinkie was strapping her in before she strapped herself in the front seat.
"You ready Dashie?" asked Pinkie, a maniacal grin on her face. Before Dash could even respond in the positive or negative, they were off. "Wooooooo! Hold on Dashie!" she shouted back at her passenger.
"Pinkie!" Rainbow shouted back in vain. As the initial shock wore off, Dash's mind started registering her surroundings. They were accelerating as they zipped down the mountain. Just when Rainbow was starting to get worried about their speed, they hit the first curve, then the second, and a third before they started their spiral down. Wow, Pinkie really thought ahead. If we had hit the spiral without bleeding some speed, we would have flown off. Plus... that was pretty cool. She thought as they started picking up speed again.
Without the ability to talk, Rainbow Dash just tried to enjoy the ride. She never realized she could go this fast without flying. As she took in what little scenery she could before it zipped by, Dash idly wondered if she could pull off a Sonic Rainboom in a sled like this. However, before she could go further in that thought process, she noticed they were coming up on Ponyville. Straight ahead she could make out a huge ramp.
Fresh panic filled Rainbow's mind as they went flying. On instinct, she tried flapping her wings, only to have her body be stuck to the sled via the bull body straps surrounding her. The next thing she knew, her and Pinkie were gliding across various roofs. Sometimes they were guided by artificial ice tracks, other times the natural curves of the roofs was all they needed. Occasionally they would fall back to the ground, just to be lifted up on another ramp.
What amazed Dash the most though, was the fact that they just narrowly avoided running into anypony. There weren't any rails or barriers keeping ponies from crossing the track, yet without making any warnings they failed to even nick a single hoof. Does Pinkie have everyponie's walking routes memorized or something? Rainbow couldn't help but question just how well the pink party pony could plan ahead.
Her thoughts were once again interrupted by an upcoming series of loops. How they still had enough momentum to keep going was a mystery unto itself, but Rainbow decided she would be better off not questioning it. Their journey through Ponyville came to an end as they slid off the last roof before hitting three consecutive loops made of ice. After the final loop, they hit a slight ramp that sent them flying one last time before landing. As they touched down Pinkie grabbed the sides of the sled before shifting her weight, causing the sled to turn to the side, sapping all their momentum into the snow beneath them.
As they came to a stop it took Rainbow a minute for her brain to catch up. At that time she realized she was unbuckled from the sled and she now stood on the outskirts of Ponyville near the crystal castle. Not only that, but there were two walls of snow facing each other a decent distance apart. "Uh... Pinkie? First off, that. WAS. AWESOME!" Dash shouted as she flew in a few tight loops with a massive smile on her face, her hooves scrunching up her cheeks in emphasis.
"Awe, thanks Dashie! I'm just glad I could make you smile," replied Pinkie with a smile of her own. "So, what's second?"
"What? Oh, right! Second, what are we doing here? Also, what's with those snow walls?"
"Silly willy! Those are snow forts. And to answer your second question... we're having a snow ball fight!" Pinkie exlaimed as she threw her hooves up in the air while confetti seemed to explode from Pinkie's mane.
"Really? Huh, I guess it's been a while since I had a snow ball fight with anypony. Alright, you're on!" Rainbow said with narrowed eyes and a smirk. Before Pinkie could say anything else, Dash had flown over to one of the snow forts to start making snow balls. She may have been a bit rusty, but making snow balls isn't rocket surgery.
"You ready yet Dashie?" asked Pinkie from her fort.
Risking a glance back, Rainbow's eyes widened in amazement at the sight that greeted her. Before her, she saw Pinkie's hooves moving too fast to track with her eyes. It looked like a pink blur pumping out snow balls at an unnatural rate before she finished her stockpile. Said collection of snowballs numbered in the hundreds, the pile eclipsing Pinkie's snow fort. Compared to Dash's measly dozen or so, it seemed she would have to rethink her strategy.
"Uh... yeah, sure Pinkie! Whenever you're ready!" she shouted over her shoulder as a plan began to form in her head.
"Oki-doki-loki!" Pinkie shot back before making the first strike.
Rainbow Dash quickly dropped below her fort as the snow ball soared over her head, just barely grazing her mane. Seconds later, a constant barrage of snow balls were thrown over. She's pinning me down! I can't make any counter attacks! Okay, okay, calm down. For now, just keep making snow balls. She's gotta run out eventually, and then I can turn the tables. Dash's thoughts were going at full speed as an idea came to her mind. After about ten minutes of constant snow balls, the assault was halted.
As soon as the coast was clear, Rainbow dashed into the sky before flying over to Pinkie. Just as her friend was starting up snow ball production again, Dash dive bombed her. Not all of them hit, but at least three out of five hit their mark. As Pinkie stood there in stunned silence, Rainbow made her way back for a resupply and a second round.
“Heh, looks like you underestimated me Pinkie!” Rainbow taunted as she picked up all the snow balls she could hold. “Now prepare yourself, Rainbow Dash shows no mercy!” She took to the air once again, gaining altitude before pointing downward for a steep dive bombing run. Just before pulling up, Dash let loose her load of snow, totally covering Pinkie Pie. “Bullseye!” she celebrated before attempting another run.
This back and forth went on for a few more rounds. Sometimes she would get Pinkie, other times the pink mare would dodge or duck behind her fort. However, the fact of the matter being Pinkie was on the defensive, and Rainbow was relentless. “Give up yet, Pinkie?” Rainbow asked, assured of her victory.
“Nopey Dopey Dashie!” Pinkie yelled back before bursting into giggles.
“Fine then, you asked for it!” Dash replied before taking off with her biggest snow bomb yet. It was a single massive snow ball, about the size of a large chicken, or a small filly. It was a bit harder to fly after so many runs, her wings were starting to feel the burn, but Dash pushed through it. Everything would be worth it to taste victory.
Just as she was about to pelt Pinkie with her final ball, Rainbow Dash was hit right in the face with snow. This caused her to not only let go of her package early, but it disoriented her enough to send her careening towards the ground. Before either of them could take corrective action, Rainbow crashed into Pinkie's snow fort, and then into Pinkie herself.
"Oof, sorry Pinks. You alright?" asked Rainbow Dash, a shameless smirk on her face.
Without missing a beat, Pinkie Pie popped out of a pile of snow before responding. "Yupper duppers Dashie. What about you?"
"Oh, that was maybe a two out of ten on the Crash Scale," replied Dash with a nonchalant wave of her hoof. "Not even worth mentioning."
"Crash Scale, what's that?" asked Pinkie with a concerned tilt of her head.
"Oh, well..." Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck as her cheeks started heating up. "To help me get over my whole 'Rainbow Crash' nickname with the Wonder-bolts I decided to make a game out of it. I know Spitfire already went over how they all have embarrassing nicknames, but this just helps me take ownership of it, ya'know?"
"Oh, that makes sense," said Pinkie, a look of understanding overtaking her face. "So, out of curiosity, what are some bigger crashes?"
“Heh, well there's the eight point five that landed me in the hospital. There's the six from when Applejack accidentally launched me off that catapult. Most of my old Rainboom attempts were probably around a five, except for that one that flung me into Twilight's place. That was definitely a seven,” Rainbow finished listing off all her major crashes with her usual bravado, and almost a sense of pride in her voice.
“Wowie! So, what's a ten on your scale thingy?” Pinkie asked innocently.
"Uh..." Rainbow's mood visibly soured and her face fell for a moment before regaining a bit of her cocky smile. "Probably last year when I tried to stop winter, and broke a bunch of stuff in the weather factory..." Dash trailed off as her brave mask started cracking. Her focus zeroed in on her hooves as the corners of her eyes began to sting, remembering how she started out the day.
Pinkie winced as she realized her blunder too late. "I-I'm so sorry Dashie, I didn't mea-" Pinkie was cut off with a gentle hoof to the mouth from Rainbow Dash, before she was enveloped in a hug from her feathered friend. As soon as she realized this, she returned the hug. Not as tight as she usually gave. This wasn't a playful hug, this was just for comfort.
After what felt like an eternity, and a few new wet spots on Pinkie's coat, Rainbow Dash finally spoke up. "Pinkie... thank you so much. You did all this to cheer me up, and you have no idea how much that means to me," Rainbow Dash pulled back slightly so she could look her friend in the eye, but still held her at hooves length. "Before last year, I looked forward to the winter, but then I found out about hibernation and..." She let the implications lay in the air. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, I forgot about why I loved winter. I just associated it with loosing Tank, but then you reminded me why it's awesome, so thank you."
Pinkie's face started to brighten as Dash's smile started resurfacing. "You know me Dashie, I love seeing my friends smile. I'd do anything to turn your frown upside down." At this point, Pinkie's own eyes were starting to tear up. "By the way Dashie, there's still a third part to your surprise if you're up for it," she said, rubbing her eyes clear.
"Sure Pinks, let's do it," Rainbow replied, sniffing a little as she wiped her eyes. Her cocky grin coming back in full force once again. “So, what's the last thing you got planned?”
“Now now Dashie, you should know by now not to try to spoil a surprise,” Pinkie chided playfully, a sly smirk on her face. “Just follow me, Twilight should have everything set up by now,” she said, bouncing her way to the crystal castle.
Rainbow followed closely behind the prancing pink party pony, wondering what Twilight had to do with all this. Sure they were going to her castle, but it was more of a shared castle between the six of them. I guess I'll find out when we get there.
A few seconds after Pinkie knocked on the castle door, Spike came to greet them. “Hey guys, glad you made it, come on in. Twilight's got the fire place going, and I'll come join you guys in a second,” Spike greeted them before running off toward the kitchen. "Just leave your boots and stuff near the door," he called back before vanishing behind a door frame.
“Sweet, I am pretty cold, so a fire sounds great,” said Rainbow Dash as she and Pinkie disrobed and hung their scarves and hats on a nearby coat rack. As soon as she was unencumbered, Rainbow flew into the entry hall before darting toward the hearth room where Dash knew Twilight would be. As soon as she arrived, she noted with great annoyance that Pinkie had somehow beaten her there despite Rainbow's considerable head start. However, before she could voice said annoyances the door was enveloped in a light magenta aura just before they opened up for Twilight to greet them.
“Pinkie, Rainbow, so glad you could join me and Spike. Come on in, I got some snacks and Spike should be here soon with the hot cocoa,” Twilight beamed as she welcomed in her friends.
Slightly taken aback, but recovering quickly, Rainbow Dash flew in and took a spot in front of the fire before Pinkie joined her sitting on a cushion beside the cyan pegasus. Moments later, Twilight joined them, sitting on Rainbow Dash's unoccupied side, and levitated the snacks in front of the trio.
Realizing just how hungry she was, Rainbow dug in with her usual lack of table manners, but the other two ponies didn't seem to mind at all. “Man, these tea cakes are great Twi, did Spike make them?” Dash asked , spilling crumbs out of her mouth.
“Actually, I made them. Pinkie's recipe from when Starlight tried making them was still in the kitchen. Even so, I'll have you know I've improved quite a lot in my cooking skills. After all, I can't always expect Spike to cook for me,” Twilight stated, matter-of-factually.
“Did you tell them how many times it took you to get them right?” Spike deadpanned from the door frame, carrying a tray of steaming mugs. “The kitchen is still a disaster, but I guess after sixty three tries, anypony could get a recipe right,” Spike said with a smug look on his face.
Just then, Twilight's cheeks turned a bright shade of red as she gave her little brother an indignant look. However, after realizing the jig was up, she sighed and bowed her head in shame. “Fine, yes. It took me longer than I would have liked, but I still improved, and I'm sure I'll be able to apply this learning experience to future culinary ventures.”
Everypony went silent for a few seconds before Pinkie finally said something. “Well Twilight, I'm glad you're branching out. If you want, we could try baking together some time. It might be easier if we tried making cupcakes though...” Pinkie trailed off deep in thought. “In any case, we're not here to talk baking, today is about cheering up Dashie here!”
“Of course, Rainbow, we're here for you. Pinkie just told me this morning to get things ready, so whatever you need, just ask,” Twilight said as she draped a wing around Dash. Just then, Spike walked up and served everypony their drinks before sitting next to Twilight, who wrapped the dragon in her other wing.
“Thanks guys... Honestly, today has been great. I needed to be snapped out of my funk, and Pinkie's plan did just that. I guess I still have to come to terms with not having Tank around, but as long as I have awesome friends like you guys, I think I'll be okay,” Rainbow said before she took a sip of her coco. “Ah, that's good stuff...” she trailed off before getting an idea. “Hey Twi, do you have any apple cider?”
“Yeah, I have a couple barrels in storage that I use a stasis spell to keep fresh. Why, did you want some?”
“Well yeah, but more specifically, I was wondering if you've ever tried hot cider. I was thinking it would be even better than hot coco,” Rainbow said with a cool grin. “Like, don't get me wrong, the coco is great, but hot cider is by far, the best winter drink.”
“Huh, I can't say I've tried that, but if you give it such a glowing endorsement, I'd be happy to give it a chance,” Twilight replied, happy to indulge her friend. “So, do we just heat up cider on the stove?”
“What? No, there's like some other ingredients and stuff we gotta add, but it's worth it. We'll need cinnamon, lemon peel, orange peel, some mixed berries, clove, and maple syrup. Pinkie, can you get the ingredients while Twi and I get the cider warmed up?” Rainbow asked, sounding confident as ever.
“Wow Dashie, I didn't know you knew how to make hot cider. I usually use different ingredients, but your version sounds delicious too. I'll get all the stuff ready lickity split!” Pinkie gave a quick salute before dashing out of the room, presumably to the kitchen.
“Sweet, so Twi, where do you keep the cider?” Rainbow asked, excitement raising in her voice.
“One moment, I'll show you. Spike, you can stay by the fire to rest. We'll be back with a mug of hot cider for all of us,” Twilight said before gently unwrapping her wing from around the baby dragon.
“Alright, sounds good Twilight...” Spike tailed off as his eyes started drooping.
The cider prep went much smoother than the last time Twilight tried to use the kitchen. Probably because a certain pink mare kept a close eye on everything while Rainbow did most of the work. It was her recipe and idea after all. Soon, they were making their way back to the hearth. Noticing the fire was getting a little low, Twilight added a few more logs before settling down.
As they all made their way back to their spots, Twilight made sure to scoop up Spike in one of her wings once again, gently nuzzling him to rouse him from sleep. Rainbow, not wanting anypony to be left out, draped a wing over Pinkie's back and gave her a friendly nuzzle of her own. As they settled in, Dash pulled her friend in a bit more for some quality wing snuggles as Twilight did the same for the baby dragon.
“Ah, this is the best way to end a winter day,” Rainbow said as she sipped her hot cider. “I think, I'm actually looking forward to the rest of winter. Not that I'm expecting to go on epic sled rides and have brutal snow ball fights every day. But if I get to spend time with friends as awesome as you guys, I'll have lots of stories to tell Tank when he wakes up,” Rainbow Dash said, finally back to one hundred percent of her old self.
“Well Rainbow, you know you're always welcome at the castle. Plus, it's been a while since we read a Daring Do book together. I know it'll be a while until the next one is out, but I have a few other series we could try,” Twilight offered before taking a sip of her own cider. “Hmm! This is delicious. Hey, Spike, you gotta try this,” Twilight said as Spike was roused from his slumber.
“Hmm? Oh, hey Twilight. Is that the cider you guys made?” Spike asked before taking a sip of the offered drink. “Wow! Rainbow Dash was right. This is way better than coco!” At that, the baby dragon chugged the entire mug before gasping for air and wiping his face with a claw. “Ah! That hit the spot.” Spike said before yawning and once again, cuddling up to his big sister under her wing. "We should totally make that more often," Spike mumbled as he revelled in her warm embrace.
“I'm glad I was able to bring a smile to your face Dashie. Also, this isn't the only time we can do fun stuff. I'm always up for fun! We could hang out any time I'm not helping the cakes this winter, plus we could do special winter pranks too! Oh we're gonna have a blast, I can't wait!” Pinkie finished her rant and nuzzled her pegasus friend back.
“I'm looking forward to it Pinks. Plus, if those other books are as good as Twi says, I'm sure I'll be able to keep busy when you're not free to hang. Not to mention the rest of the gang,” Rainbow said in a more subdued tone, yet still excited. “I can't wait, this is gonna be the best winter ever!”
As the night drifted on, the four of them slowly nodded off to sleep, snuggled up together, happy and content. That night, Rainbow Dash had a wonderful dream about playing in the snow with Tank. "That which may be impossible in the waking world need not be kept from your dreams, dear Rainbow Dash. I am glad I could help you in this simple matter. If only fair Pinkie Pie had sent her letter sooner," Luna lamented at her lack of attention to one of her saviors and dear friends. "Never the less, I shall bring you pleasant dreams of winter fun with your beloved tortoise, sleep well."
And with that, the princess of the night departed Rainbow Dash's dream, with intent to return as many nights as possible this winter. After saving her from herself at least twice, this is the least Luna felt she could do.