Featherweight and Rumble poured over their Official Wonderbolt Trading Cards as they lounged on a park bench near Ponyville’s fountain.
“You know, my Uncle Heavyweight insists he met Spitfire once.” Remarked the spindly-legged colt casually.
“So? My brother Thunderlane says the same thing.” shrugged Rumble. “Did you ever happen to get one of those Soarin with Apple Pie foils?”
“I think they only made like three of those.”
Grrr
“Was that you?” exclaimed Featherweight in surprise.
“Yeah.” the Pegasus colt sighed. “It’s my stomach. Usually around this time of day you could count on Peppermill showing up with some awesome snack.”
“You haven’t seen him around lately either, huh?”
“I think Scootaloo mentioned something about him being sick.”
“Sick? He hasn’t been around in weeks. I hope it isn’t anything serious.” remarked Rumble.
“Eeek!” A shrill shriek caused the colts to jump and scatter their collections. Before either of them could gather their wits, a wine-red unicorn filly came half running, half tripping over her hooves towards them.
“Is that Ruby Punch?” asked the young photographer.
“Looks like it. But the real question is this real or another one of her over-reactions?” Despite being one of the younger ponies in town, most of the young colts tolerated the little filly and her big personality for two reasons. First off, even the most stalwart ‘fillies are icky’ colts would admit that Ruby Punch was unbearably cute. When pressed, Berry Punch’s daughter could reduce the stoniest of hearts to mush with her shining eyes and trembling bottom lips. Secondly, she had an imagination as big as Equestria itself. There were times when some ponies worried whether or not she was capable of separating reality from her make believe, especially when she seemed to pull anyone in the vicinity into her world. Even so, it was impossible to ever be bored with her around.
“I saw it! I saw it!” she squealed as she came to a somersaulting halt in front of the bench.
“Saw what Ruby?” asked Rumble calmly, knowing to take anything she said with a grain of salt.
“An abominable snow pony!”
“An abominable snow pony?” was Rumble’s understandably skeptical response.
“I’m impressed she could pronounce the word…” admitted Featherweight.
“I saw it! It’s real! It was big and lumpy and moving this way!” The filly waved her forelegs wildly, in what one would assume was meant to be a threatening, lumbering way.
“Are you it wasn’t just a bush, or maybe a dog?” asked Featherweight.
“Nuh uh!”
“It seems kind of…hot for a snow pony. I mean, the first day of autumn was just the other day. Not to mention there aren’t really many mountains around here…” remarked Rumble.
“I know what I saw! You have to come and see!” demanded Ruby.
“All right, all right. Let’s see this snowpony of yours.” soothed Rumble.
Within moments the filly had led the Pegasus colts to the other side of the park. She hid behind them as she pointed past them with a trembling hoof.
“See, there it is. On the path.” Rumble and Featherweight peered in astonishment at the…thing waddling in their general direction.
“I don’t think that’s a snowpony Ruby.” announced Featherweight warily.
“It does look like a bit like a pony. But that is an awful lot of winter clothes on him…or her.” Rumble added.
“But it’s not winter.” mentioned Ruby.
“Something weird is going on.” With a bold strut, Rumble approached the heavily burdened, pony shaped figure.
“He’s so brave.” Ruby sighed while Featherweight rolled his eyes at the drama.
“Hello?” questioned Rumble of the figure. There was so much clothing on the figure it was a wonder it could move at all. Even with Rumble taking a position directly in front of it, it took a few moments before the ‘snowpony’ seemed to notice. By the colt’s calculations there was a large jacket, snow pants, at least three long scarves and a large woolen hat with an apple-shaped bobble on top. The hat was pulled so low and the scarves wound so high that there was no way to recognize anything resembling a face.
“Hey, that hat looks kind of familiar…” remarked Featherweight, edging closer.
“Hello?” asked Rumble again. The figure lifted its head high, trying to glimpse the colt through the slim opening between the hat and scarves.
“Rumble?” came a raspy, muffled response.
“Peppermill?!” gasped Rumble in amazement.
“Oh my gosh!” squealed the unicorn filly. Now that Ruby Punch had accepted that her snowpony was in fact one of her potential future husbands (don’t ask) she immediately bounced forward to try and yank a scarf off of Peppermill’s face. Eventually, with a bit of help from the Pegasus colts, they were able to free up the chef’s face.
“Geeze, you must be broiling in all that!” exclaimed Featherweight.
“I wish…” moaned Peppermill.
“I thought we heard you were sick. What is with all the clothes?” asked Rumble.
“I am…sick. But…I couldn’t stay…home any longer. I always thought…’cabin fever’…was just…an expression.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you have all this stuff on.” prodded Featherweight.
“I’m just…so…cold.” moaned Peppermill again with a pronounced shiver.
“Cold?” Ruby Punch reared on her hind legs and place a hoof onto the colt’s forehead. “You aren’t cold, you’re wet!”
“Of course he’s wet. He’s sweating buckets!” exclaimed Featherweight. He and Rumble exchanged a look, and began to have a hushed conversation. Meanwhile, Peppermill suffered silently as Ruby attempted to wipe the sweat from his face with one end of a scarf.
“All right, on three…three!” exclaimed Rumble. The two Pegasus colts suddenly lunged at Peppermill, each grabbing him underneath a foreleg. Despite the colt’s feeble protests and a squawk of alarm from Ruby, they managed to get him off of the ground.
“Where…are you taking…me?” demanded Peppermill.
“The library.” answered Featherweight. “If any pony can figure out how to help you, it will be Twilight Sparkle.”
“But Miss Sparkle isn’t a doctor!” protested Ruby.
“But she is the smartest pony in town. Besides, maybe she can…I dunno…magic it away.” explained Rumble. All the grey colt could do was pray to Celestia as he and his friends bobbled in the air, with Ruby following anxiously from below, towards Ponyville’s library.
***
“You know Spike, you can just take two or three books at a time up the ladder.” Twilight Sparkle watched her number one assistant with concern as he clambered up the ladder against the bookshelves. The baby dragon had done this time and time again with half a dozen books at a time with a 73 per cent success rate (yes, she had calculated this probability during a rare quiet moment). Even during those other 23 per cent of the time events when he crashed hard to the floor and bounced back up unscathed, it still concerned her when he did so.
“No sweat Twi. Not only do I have perfect balance, but these books are better than weights for building up arm strength. Besides, if I did it your way I’d never get done.”
“Whatever you say Spike.” sighed Twilight. The lavender mare had just turned away when…
CRASH!!!
“Spike?” Twilight was already mentally ready to lecture-slash-scold her friend on the follies of pride, and discovered the dragon standing behind her in surprise.
“That wasn’t me Twi, that came from outside.” The dragon jogged to the library’s front door and pulled it open.
“Ow…” moaned the raspy voice of Peppermill. He rubbed at his temple, his bobble-hat having been knocked off his head from the impact. On either side of him, sprawled on the doorstep, were Featherweight and Rumble who were rubbing their own heads.
“I told you I was losing my grip…” griped Featherweight.
“You need to work on your upper body strength…” grumbled Rumble.
“I got his hat!” chirped Ruby Punch from the back of the pile, holding up her prize in a forehoof.
“Holy guacamole! What the hay happened here?” demanded Spike.
“Peppermill? What are you doing here? I thought Applejack had told me you were sick!” exclaimed Twilight.
“I am…sick. And now…I have…a headache.” The young ponies were ushered into the room as Featherweight and Rumble explained the situation. As they did, Twilight used her magic to peel the layers of clothing off of Peppermill.
“Wow! You’re soaked! I’m going to get a towel.” exclaimed Spike.
“You see! It knew it wasn’t my entire fault. He was heavier than usual.” exclaimed Featherweight. Spike returned with a towel, which was immediately grabbed by Ruby Punch as she doted on the colt.
“First you get sick, then you get tossed around by a bunch of clumsy colts…” she sighed as she pressed the towel onto Peppermill’s chest. The Pegasus colts looked put upon while Peppermill tried to vainly push the filly away.
“If you are so sick, they why in Celestia’s name are you wandering around town in all this?” demanded Twilight, holding up a dripping wet jacket and wrinkling her nose at the scent of young horse sweat wafting from it.
“It just…I’m…erghh!” Peppermill’s head hung low as he gave a groan that was more emotional than physical in nature. “I hate…being sick. I can’t…cook; I can’t…go out with…my friends. I’m…sore…and tired…and I just can’t…seem to get better!” The colt looked on the verge of tears when Ruby Punch gave a little sob and embraced him. Featherweight and Rumble shifted uncomfortably, moved by their friends plight.
“You boys should maybe go on your way. But make sure one of you go and tell Applejack at the stand that Peppermill is here.” Twilight’s voice was firm, despite the twinge in her heart. The colt quickly bade their goodbyes and did as they were asked.
“Ruby? I think you could go home too.” said Twilight softly. The filly either didn’t hear or chose not to as she held onto Peppermill with an impressive hug. Spike and the unicorn mare managed to pry her off of him, but not before Twilight noticed that Peppermill had gained a bit of color back into his face. Eventually the filly let go and was sent on her way, with Spike being sent to accompany her. This left Twilight and the grey colt alone in the library. As Twilight watched Peppermill shiver, her mind began to percolate. The sight of the slight improvement Peppermill showed under Ruby Punch’s grip, and some text from a book she had recently read burned bright in her mind.
“Peppermill? Are you here sugarcube?” Applejack’s twang broke Twilight out her thoughts. The blond mare entered the room, her green eyes reflecting a mix of concern and anger.
“Sakes alive! When those friends of yers tol’ me you were here, I thought they were pullin’ mah tail.” Applejack crossed the room in a flash, immediately nuzzling the colt’s clammy forehead. She gave a moan of distress at the taste of salty sweat. “Oh sugarcube ah…ah jes don’t know wut to do fer ya. Ahd give up every apple in the orchard ifin it could make you well again.”
“I’m sorry…Applejack. I just…couldn’t stand…being cooped up…at the farmhouse…any longer.” Peppermill sighed.
“Thanks fer watchin’ over him Twi.” sighed the Apple mare as she gathered his soaking wet clothes from off of the floor and ushered the colt away.
“Man, that’s rough.” Spike shook his head, and debated whether to get a cloth to wipe up the puddle on the floor when he glanced at Twilight.
“I know that look Twi. What’s up?”
“Spike, do you remember that book I was looking at the other day?”
“The one on magical illnesses?”
“Yes, could you please find it for me?”
“Aye aye!” The dragon snapped the mare a salute and raced for the bookshelves. Meanwhile, Twilight murmured to herself.
“I have a theory…”