//------------------------------// // The Holes That We Dig // Story: Snowblind // by CrowMagnon //------------------------------// Snowblind by crowmagnon Chapter 3 - The Holes That We Dig With Twilight's presentation coming to a close, the unicorn was crossing off a checklist of team leaders that she had talked to. She would have missed one, if not for a flash of grey and yellow in her peripheral vision. Quickly looking up, she called out, "Derpy Hooves! Can I have a word with you before you leave?" The wall-eyed pegasus, surprised by the sound of her name being called just as she was about to fly off, looked over her shoulder and veered around back toward the source of that voice. As a result, Twilight eeped as Derpy either over-corrected, or her skewed eyesight made her think that Twilight was somewhere she wasn't. Whatever the reason, the purple unicorn ducked, then winced at the loud crashing sound as Derpy flew right over her and smashed into the podium behind her! Worried that she may have inadvertently caused the pegasus to give herself a concussion, Twilight sweatdropped nervously as she turned around to see Derpy sitting in the middle of a pile of splintered wood. Her eyes were rolling around in her head independantly of one another, but that was nothing new as far as Twilight knew. Otherwise, Derpy wasn't even the slightest bit wobbly as she looked at the wreckage surrounding her. "Oh, I just don't know what went wrong..." Twilight let out a quick laugh of relief after making sure that the mayor had already gone back into the Town Hall and hadn't witnessed this. While using her magic to help the pegasus up and pick the debris off of her, Twilight replied, "Uh... that's alright, Derpy. Now, according to my notes, you're in charge of bird migration?" Derpy's left eye swiveled to focus on Twilight. As soon as it did, and she registered who she was talking to, the pegasus stood up straight with a foreleg brought up in a salute. "Sir! Yes sir, ma'am! Derpidella Hooves reporting for duty!" "Uh... right. At ease, Ms. Hooves." The pegasus put her hoof back down, but continued to stand as if she were a soldier in front of an officer, rather than a mailmare. "I just wanted to talk to you for a moment because I heard of your..." She drifted off for a moment, trying to look Derpy in the eye. The problem was that doing so was near impossible, and tracking the wandering right eye's movement had an almost hypnotic effect. Finding herself feeling as though she were being entranced by some sort of spell, her Ranger training kicked in and she quickly turned her head as she blurted out, "... Navigational difficulties! I, uh... I understand that you ended up going West last year." This caused a small, sad frown to cross Derpy's face as she looked (or at least dipped her head) down at the ground. "I didn't mean to, ma'am-sir! I had to go the long way flying around a really bad storm, and got all turned around, and..." "No, no, it's okay! I understand. The mayor said you're a real savant when it comes to feeling air currents. That the birds are always more energetic when they come back if you're leading them because they don't have to fight the wind so much," Twilight interjected to reassure the pegasus. She quickly reached into her saddlebags with her magic to pull out a small object on a thin chain, which she placed around Derpy's neck. "I just thought it might be better if you had this." Startled by the sudden gift, Derpy's expression brightened again. She squealed with delight as she lifted it up to try to get a better look at it with one of her wandering eyes. "Eee! Thank you, sir-ma'am! I always try to be the best darn civil savant I can be, but I never thought I'd get a medal for it!" "Umm... actually, you're holding it backwards. It's a compass," Twilight said, flipping it over. "This way, if you get turned around again, you can just use it to check your heading," she explained as comprehension slowly dawned on Derpy's face. The pegasus adopted a serious look again, beaming with a sense of pride and duty and focus, even if only the first two were reflected in her eyes. With another salute, she exclaimed, "Ma'am! I promise I'll treasure this and take good care of it, sir-sir! I'll bring back those birds, or die trying!" Twilight chuckled awkwardly in response to Derpy's enthusiasm. "Ah... heh, well... I'd really prefer you didn't die or anything..." When Derpy continued to stand there saluting for a while longer, the Ranger sweatdropped and said, "Um... Dismissed, Ms. Hooves." Apparently, that was what she had been waiting for, and the wall-eyed mare launched herself up into the sky. Not without clipping a nearby weather-vane, Twilight noticed, causing the wheel of a nearby wagon to get broken by the tumbling iron rooster. "Wow. I see some things haven't changed," Rainbow Dash mused as she and Zecora approached Twilight. "Back in Flight Camp, we called her 'Hurricane'." This made Twilight's eyes fly wide open as she turned to face her friend. "Hurricane? Like Commander Hurricane, the ancient pegasus war hero?" She highly doubted that Derpy was affiliated with the Equestrian military, but then again, considering how she had reacted to Twilight's rank... Just then, Derpy called down, "Oh, hi, Rainbow Dash! I didn't see you down there!" As she waved down to Dash, the grey pegasus flew straight into a second-story window. The ponies on the ground winced as she smashed right through the glass. Loud crashing noises erupted from the house, accompanied by the occasional twang of a stringed instrument getting badly mangled and the yowling of a rather distressed cat. When she came bursting back out of the building, it was through the front window of the confectioner's shop on the ground floor, suddenly wearing a scandalously designed saddle on her back from which a frightened calico cat clung for dear life. Other than that, Derpy seemed none the worse for wear as she exclaimed, "That wasn't my fault! Bon-Bon suddenly put her house in my way!" "Not exactly," Dash deadpanned belatedly in answer to Twilight's question. ----- Meanwhile, Apple Bloom and her big sister were both defiantly facing away from each other with their noses in the air. Big Macintosh and Granny Smith had reluctantly gone to check in with Lt. Sparkle, leaving the two of them alone with Pinkamena. Suddenly, a high, girly voice broke the silence. "Hi, Apple Bloom!" Seeing her friend coming over with Rarity and Spike behind her broke through the little yellow earth pony's layers of sulk, and she broke into a happy smile as she went over to join the unicorns and baby dragon. "Hiya, Sweetie Belle! Hello, Miss Rarity. How're y'all an' Spike doin'?" "We're doing very well, dear," Rarity replied, smiling down at her sister's friend. "And you must be happy to have your big sister come to visit." To Rarity's surprise, though, Apple Bloom's expression fell into a frown as she glanced back at Applejack, who was still pointedly facing away from her. "Yeah... ecstatic," she muttered. After an awkward moment, Rarity said, "Well, I think I'll go say hello while she's here. Spike, why don't you play with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom for a bit?" "Okay," the dragon replied excitedly as Rarity gently set him down on the ground with her magic. While Rarity went over to visit with the other adults, he looked at Apple Bloom and proudly proclaimed, "I know the alfa-bet!" Apple Bloom blinked at the non-sequitor, but quickly replied, "Wow, that's great, Spike! Ah sure didn't when ah was only a few months old. Did Rarity teach ya?" When he nodded, the earth pony smiled and said to Sweetie Belle, "Must be nice, havin' a great big sister lahk Rarity." "Well, sure," Sweetie Belle replied proudly. "She's the best! But you've got a pretty great big sister too, don't you?" Apple Bloom didn't reply to that question. Instead, she looked away for a moment before asking, "Hey, why don't we make the biggest snowpony we can before the weather ponies melt it all away?" This got a cheer from the little unicorn and dragon, and the three of them rushed off toward the nearest patch of untouched snow. Meanwhile, Rarity approached the two adult mares. "Applejack, it's so good to see you again! But what's going on with Apple Bloom? Is something wrong?" From behind, the businessmare seemed to be standing tall and dignified, defiantly avoiding looking back at her little sister. When Rarity came around to look her in the eye, though, her eyes were brimming over with tears that dripped down her face. Slowly turning her head to look at Rarity, Applejack asked in a small, distraught voice, "What did I do, Rarity? Sweet Celestia's flowing mane, what did I just do?" Rarity blinked a few times, but seeing the typically proud and confident Applejack driven to tears, she immediately threw her forelegs around the businessmare and held her in an obviously much-needed hug. "There, there... why don't you tell me what happened?" While Applejack sniffled against her friend's shoulder, Rarity lifted one end of her scarf with her magic to dab the tears away. When she started feeling a little better, Applejack returned the hug and then pulled back so she could explain what had happened. How the argument with Apple Bloom had escalated, and the wager they had made. "What was I even thinking? I came here to reconnect with my family, but either I lose because I'm a bad sister, or I win and she ends up publicly humiliated!" Rarity cleared her throat and tried to sound reassuring as she replied, "Well... that... that certainly sounds like a tricky situation you've gotten yourself into, but it can't really be that bad. Whatever made her say those things, she's a good friend to Sweetie Belle and one of the nicest little fillies I know. I'm sure she'll come around." Applejack smiled, heartened by the humble rock farmer's kind words. Then Pinkamena interjected, "Plus, you're still young. You could let this fester for decades and decades, and you'd still have time to make up when you're bitter old nags who've watched every other chance at happiness crumble away while you held on to your spite like a jealous lover. And then, even with a lifetime of missed opportunities and spurned second chances, at least you would be able to spend what little time you have left waiting to slip into death's embrace with love and dignity." Rarity stared at the poet with an utterly flabbergasted expression while Applejack's orange coat took on the hue of a bleached carrot at the thought. "I have to talk to Apple Bloom right now." "That would probably be for the best..." Rarity agreed. Gone were any traces of hesitation as Applejack hurried off toward the other end of the square where the children were playing. Watching the businessmare run off, Pinkamena's face underwent an uncomfortable contortion. The corner of her mouth quirked up ever so slightly, her eyes crinkling just a little bit as her cheeks tried to lift. The painful attempt at a smile didn't linger long, but while it did, she mused to nopony in particular, "It feels good to help." Then, when her face naturally reset to its default position, she noticed that Rarity was still looking at her with her mouth hanging open. One of her deep blue eyes was squinted and twitching, the other with her eyebrow raised so high that it seemed to be trying to fly off her face. Tilting her head in curiosity, Pinkamena asked, "What?" ----- Fluttershy had just about finished assisting Twilight when she spotted Applejack running across the square. Quickly grabbing one of the green vests in her mouth, she took wing and quickly intercepted the orange businessmare. "Hrr oo go, Abbljak! Don' wanna frrght thiff! Hw've oo ehn ooing ay th' 'ay?" Applejack was barely able to skid to a stop before she collided with the motivational pegasus. "Oh! Fluttershy, sweetie, don't startle me like that! Listen, it's good to see you, but I need to--" She tried to walk around Fluttershy, only to get cut off as she flitted in front of her again. Looking at Applejack with big blue eyes that could (and frequently had) turn the most hard-hearted of creatures into simpering puppies, Fluttershy smiled sweetly around the green fabric held between her teeth. "Cmmon, AJ, we hvvn' feen eegh uffer'n munff, an'd ike t' ktch up 'frr oo haff t' fpenn 'll murrnin' bllin' a blaow." Applejack actually stopped for a moment, if only to puzzle out what her winged friend was actually saying. After a moment, she shook her head and took the vest, fitting her forelegs through the sleeve holes so that it fit over her coat. Once that was taken care of, she replied, "Fluttershy, darling, I would love to catch up, but I really have to--" "--Get to work, I know," the pegasus replied with a sigh. "Honestly, Applejack, you have such a one-track mind, sometimes. But I suppose I can understand why you would want to get right to it." She smiled understandingly and asked, "You want to make sure you get to spend some quality time with your family, don't you?" Applejack smiled and nodded as Fluttershy got it. "Yes, exactly! I promise that I'll make some time later for you and the rest of the girls, so--" "Well, we'd best be moseyin' back to the fields," the deep voice of her big brother interrupted. Applejack jumped in surprise, somehow not having heard Big Macintosh lumbering up behind her. The stallion pushed his hat back a little, eyebrow arched slightly at his jittery sister. "What's got yew so jittery, sis?" "When did you learn to be a ninja?!" Applejack retorted before her nerves settled back down. "Look, before we go, I just need to--" "Sorry, sis, but Lt. Sparkle's schedule is pretty tight, an' if we don't get the fields cleared on time, the critters'll get flooded out o' their homes again once the weather team breaks the clouds up." The big red stallion looked over toward where the children were playing, rolling a giant ball up onto the four 'legs' they'd made, creating the body of the fattest snowpony they'd ever seen. "Apple Bloom! Time fer us t' head back!" Hearing Big Mac calling out across the square, the little yellow filly lost her concentration while trying to hold up her side of the massive snowball. As a result, her grip slipped and the ball started to tumble over to one side. Spike's eyes widened as the shadow of the snowball they had worked on fell over him, and Sweetie Belle let out a shriek as it fell right on top of the baby dragon! There was a flash of light as Twilight immediately teleported over at the sound of the unicorn filly's cries. "What happened? What's wrong?!" Sweetie Belle was frantically trying to break the snowball apart with her hooves, but Apple Bloom had insisted on packing it as densely as possible, so she wailed in dismay as she ineffectually chipped away with it. "Apple Bloom killed Spiiiiiiike," she cried out, shocking her friend with the accusation. "N-no, ah didn't! It was an accident!" She quickly turned around and started bucking at the snowball to try to break it apart, the two of them practically sobbing in despair at the thought of having crushed the baby dragon or trapped him in an inescapable ice prison. "Girls! Girls! Calm down," Twilight urged, her horn glowing as she wrapped the snowball in her magic and lifted it up off the ground. Instead of getting Spike free, maybe a little bruised but otherwise none the worse for wear, she looked at the patch of ground where it had been and saw nothing. Then Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom started screaming again as they saw Spike's legs and tail sticking out of the bottom, dangling and kicking weakly. Off in the distance, Applejack responded to her sister's need for help by running toward them. "I'm coming! Just hold on and--" Before she could finish, though, she was spun around by a butter yellow streak blowing past her. Fluttershy got there almost immediately. "Don't worry, I'll help," she assured the fillies as she looked up at Spike. Opening her mouth wide, she clamped down on Spike's tail in order to pull him free. As she yanked, though, instead of meeting the expected resistance, the entire snowball glowed bright green for an instant. Then it exploded in a burst of green flame that instantly converted most of it into steam, the rest turning into an omni-directional spray of slush that coated every pony in the vicinity. Instantly freed from his snowy prison, there was nothing holding Spike up in the air anymore. As a result, he and Fluttershy ended up tumbling back and crashing into Applejack just as the businessmare caught up. After getting sent tumbling end over end, Fluttershy groaned and rubbed her head. Still a little dizzy, she heard a loud siren-like noise that she soon realized was the sound of a crying dragon. Spike was sitting on top of a slush-covered Applejack, bawling his little eyes out. The two fillies quickly hurried over, with Lt. Sparkle right behind them. While they did so, Rarity and Pinkamena approached the chaotic scene. The white unicorn in particular rushed over and scooped Spike up, cradling him in her forelegs. "It's okay, Spike, it's okay. Mommy's here, so don't you worry about a thing." She looked him over, cooing maternally until she saw the indentation of teeth-marks on his tail. Then her beautiful face twisted into the expression of an enraged Ursa Major. "Who bit my Spikey-wikey?!" Fluttershy eeped and slowly raised her hoof. "I did, but I was just trying to help," she explained, drawing the full force of Rarity's ire. "How could you?!" A switch had been flipped in Rarity's head, her usual down-to-earth calm replaced with protective fury. "He's just a little baby! His scales are still soft and sensitive!" She snorted at Fluttershy, so angry that the butter yellow pony could swear she saw tiny puffs of purple smoke shooting from her nostrils. The only one brave enough to face that fury was Twilight, who teleported between Rarity and Fluttershy with a flash of light. "Rarity, wait. Spike was stuck in a giant snowball, and Fluttershy was just trying to help pull him free." "And just what was he doing stuck in a snowball?" "Apple Bloom dropped it on him," Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "I did not," the yellow filly shouted. "I mean... I kinda did, but it's not like I meant to!" Seeing Rarity give Apple Bloom the stink eye, Fluttershy quickly said, "Please, Rarity, nopony here would ever want to hurt Spike. I'm sorry that I bit down so hard, but I was worried for him." Meanwhile, Applejack rubbed her head and groggily picked herself up. "Mmph... well did you have to pull so hard, Fluttershy? This coat was hoof-stitched by one of the finest tailors in Manehattan, and... eek! It's ripped!" the businessmare gasped as, aside from the dirt and slush that now plastered her, there was torn stitching in her coat. This caused Apple Bloom to look at her sister in utter disbelief. "Mah best friend's dragon is hurt an' she blames me for it, and all y'all c'n think about is yer fancy coat?! What in tarnation's wrong with you?!" Applejack blinked in surprise. "Apple Bloom, no, I just--" Her little sister didn't let her finish. Instead, she gave Sweetie Belle a pleadingly apologetic look, then ducked her head and ran off as fast as her little legs would take her. "Apple Bloom!" Fluttershy quickly said, "It's okay, I can catch her," and was about to launch herself back up into the air when she was yanked back down with a tug of magic. "Not until you apologize to Spike," Rarity replied, seething at the pegasus. "And for getting in my way, earlier," Applejack added, the look on her face expressing hurt as much as anger. "Because of you, I wasn't able to talk to my little sister! Now she's gone and run off, and who knows when I'll see her next?" "I... I didn't mean to..." "APOLOGIZE!" "Woah, woah, everypony relax," the raspy voice of Rainbow Dash said as she and Zecora trotted over. Chuckling nervously, she said to Rarity, "You don't want Spike to get hurt, I know. Let's not lure in the Windigoes. Not that there's any real risk of that, a-heh..." Rarity rolled her eyes and hugged Spike tighter. "This is hardly the time for tasteless jokes, Dash! My poor little baby's been mutilated! He's hurt and sobbing, and I wasn't there to protect him!" While everypony was arguing and bickering with each other, Fluttershy shivered as an unusually cold gust blew through the square, chilling her to the bone. Unbenknownst to any of them, a few flakes of snow started to drift down from the sky, the clouds above heavy with the promise of more. ----- Meanwhile, Derpy hummed happily to herself as she soared away from Ponyville. Every so often, she would glance down at the compass Twilight had given her and make sure that the needle was lined up with the S. It was such a useful and thoughtful gift, she had no idea why nopony had given her one before. Then again, Twilight Sparkle was one of the smartest ponies in Equestria, the way she was always reading or making maps and charts, so it probably just slipped everypony's mind. Things tended to slip her mind all the time, so it was fine. The most important thing was that she was going to be able to make it to the southern nesting grounds and back in record time, no matter which way the wind tried to blow her! Just as she thought this, though, she realized that she felt a rush of air in her wingfeathers. Sensing the strength of it, she quickly started flapping as hard as she could to rise above it as an arctic blast came rushing past her from one of the mountains near Ponyville. Derpy shivered, feeling the heat get sucked out of her body, but she had managed to avoid getting hit with the full force of it. Despite her 'challenges', as some ponies put it, Derpy had always been very good at feeling out air currents. She wasn't the fastest or the strongest or the best at making weather, but she could spend entire days just gliding on the wind, riding the air currents like a soap bubble with practically no effort at all. She hadn't been able to sense the sudden cold front coming until it was nearly on top of her, and that was hardly the only confusing thing about it. Many things confused Derpy Hooves, even some things that other ponies took for granted, but the wind wasn't one of them. Yet when she had sensed the wind coming from the mountain, it hadn't been from near the mountain or coming around the mountain. The wind had felt like it originated from the mountain itself. Derpy considered what this could mean, and quickly came to the conclusion that she had no idea whatsoever. She then considered further, thinking that she should probably continue on her route and lead the southern birds, but if mountains were generating freezing wind willy-nilly now, then that would play merry havoc with her route. Thus, wanting to know what she was in for, she turned and glided toward the tall snow-covered peak. Setting down atop a rocky ledge, up above the sorce of the freezing gale, Derpy looked in every direction. Well, she was usually looking in every direction anyway, but for the moment she was really focused on seeing everything that was around her. More helpfully, she spread her wings so that she could feel the way the air was moving around the mountain and soon found that the extraordinary cold was coming from another ledge farther down. With great concentration, Derpy peered over the edge and struggled to get her eyes pointed in the same direction. It was difficult and made her head hurt if she tried to keep it up for too long, but she eventually got them to focus. Once she did, she gasped in astonishment at what she saw. Perched down below and staring down at Ponyville was easily the biggest griffon that Derpy had ever seen. Somewhere around two to three times the size of a full-grown adult. At the same time, she had nearly missed seeing the giant griffon completely because her entire body was such a pure white that she blended almost seamlessly with the snow around her. Derpy was sure that it was a 'her', though, because once she was able to make out the griffon's outline, Derpy could tell that she had a very sleek and feminine shape. In fact, though she didn't know what other species found attractive, if she had to hazard a guess she would bet that the mysterious stranger was also the most beautiful griffon she had ever seen. A cold, severe sort of beauty, but at the same time regal and commanding respect and admiration without having to ask for it. Looking at her made the pegasus feel small in a way that had little to do with the griffon's imposing size. It was a lot like she felt on the few occasions when she had been able to see Princess Celestia in person. Of course! Thinking about the Sun Princess made Derpy realize that the griffon below her didn't just look 'regal'; she looked downright royal! Between her size, her (supposed) beauty, her bearing, and the way that her proportionately enormous wings folded around her body and extended behind her like a long formal cape, Derpy realized that she was looking at a griffon princess! Wait, did griffon's have princesses? They had an Empire, but politics and history were well outside of her few areas of expertise. As she reached up to rub her chin in thought, though, her wings twitched. That cold wind was moving again. Being perched this close to its source, Derpy's talent for air currents allowed her to visualize it so clearly that she could practically see it. No, not 'it'... 'them'. To the naked eye, their forms were little more than faint ripples in the air. Derpy's sensitive feathers acted almost like a form of sonar, however, giving her the impression of several griffon-like shapes circling around the white princess. The way the temperature and air pressure dropped around them, it was clear that they were the source of the unnatural cold. Derpy gasped again as realization sank in. She wasn't usually much of a detective, but every schoolfilly knew the Hearth's Warming Eve story of how Equestria was founded, and the creatures that had brought about the end of the old kingdoms. Granted, in the plays they had been depicted as spectral ponies, but there was no doubt in Derpy's mind that what she 'saw' below here were the dreaded Windigoes! Upon realizing this, she took the first course of action that entered her mind. "Look out, princess! You're surrounded by Windigoes!" Her voice reached the white griffon over the sound of the wind that the monsters were generating. The Windigoes suddenly stopped as the griffon turned to look at Derpy. Her expression was so impassive that her face almost looked like a mask or a helmet as she turned blank, solid white eyes toward the grey pegasus. "What in Tartaros?" "Windigoes," Derpy repeated earnestly. She hopped down to the ledge the griffon was on. "I'll help you get rid of them, your majesty!" There was only one way that she knew of to deal with Windigoes, so it was with steadfast determination that she rushed toward the griffon with the intent to hug her and drive the monsters away with the power of friendship and understanding. ----- Meanwhile, Twilight was struggling to make peace between her friends and their immediate family. Every time she got one pair of ponies to settle down enough to approach a resolution, another would cut in start a new argument. It certainly didn't help when Iron Will hobbled over on his crutches and started bellowing at Rarity to stop bullying his wife, causing Spike to start crying again just as Rainbow Dash had calmed him down and gotten his tail bandaged up. Finally, she reached her limit and cried out, "Everypony, SHUT UP!" Startled by the Ranger's outburst just long enough to silence them for a moment, Twilight seized on the opening. "Look, we have a lot to do today, and too many team leaders shouting at each other. We don't have time to settle every little thing, so let's just put a lid on it and focus on everypony getting to their assigned jobs! At the end of the day, if you still feel like throttling each other, we'll deal with it then, but for now I need you on-task!" Several ponies looked like they were going to interject or protest, but Twilight cut them off by lighting her horn up with her purple magical aura. "I mean it! Either let it go, or save it for later. If you can't, then I'll teleport each and every one of you to your job sites right now. Got it?" Everypony (along with Iron Will and Spike) looked a bit mollified by this threat, or at least kept their thoughts to themselves so as not to get magicked away. In the ensuing quiet, Twilight heard Derpy's voice off in the distance, carrying to Ponyville on the wind as she wailed, "I just don't know what went wroooooong!" Twilight brought a hoof to her face and groaned in agitation. "Oh for crying out loud... and after I gave her a compass and everything..."