Winter Wrap Up
Continues With
Yellow Bells Ringing
Lunch was over now everypony was back at work accomplishing their tasks. The bird nests were finished, and being hung throughout the cleared trees. All the lakes throughout the town were scored, and those finished with this task were relaxing. Snow clearing was about half way done from what could be done on the ground. Soon the animals of the forest who had hibernated all winter would be waking to the sound of gentle bells at the entrances to their den's and warren's.
A lavender unicorn mare and a red earth stallion were seen coming over a raise to one of the fields filled with an assortment of those burrows, dens, and warrens. Twilight was rather impressed as bells had been hung with care around the entire field. Looking over the field she soon saw the yellow pegasus mare with a straight pink mane and tail having several lengths of rope laid in-front of her. The pair of ponies were fast approaching the yellow pegasus. Twilight was once again the first to announce their presence. “Hello there, Fluttershy. How are things going on your end will your critters be ready for the skies to be cleared today?”
“Oh... Hello Twilight. Umm... Hello, Big Mac. I... I... guess so, Twilight. But I'm still waiting on one team of ponies to finish hanging their bells. I don't want to have the delay be on my end again. Everypony has done great this year, but I always seem to have a little bit of trouble with some of my ponies slacking off...” said a fairly nervous Fluttershy.
Big Macintosh just nodded at Fluttershy's greeting. He did know she was skittish so he felt his strong and silent treatment worked best in these situations. Twilight on the other hand was starting to get a bit worried about the schedule. It was getting close to two in the afternoon which would be the optimal time to leave the sun in the sky to finish off the ice in the lakes. Twilight soon asked “Which team is holding you back, Fluttershy?”
“Umm... well... the only team who hasn't reported back with a rope so far has been Twinkleshine and Lyra Heartstrings,”said Fluttershy in her light airy tone.
Twilight couldn't believe her ears bringing her her hoof to her face. She did such a good job of putting a fire under Lyra when she had left them. It was at this moment another yell went throughout Ponyville this time it was Twilight's voice booming across Ponyville. “LYRA HEARTSTRINGS!”
Across town a mint green unicorn mare gulped audibly, while an eggshell unicorn mare with a pink mane standing next to her chuckled. The second mare had figured something like this might happen since they took another break before returning to Fluttershy.
Together the pair of unicorns bolted with their rope towards the rendezvous. Leaving an extension of rope running throughout parts of town. Soon the pair of Lyra Heartstrings and Twinkleshine were coming closer and closer to the group of Fluttershy, Twilight, and Big Mac. The Pair of late ponies were now out in-front of those who were their accusers.
“H... H... Hey, Twilight. Were we late or something?” Lyra said this dismissively and continued on nervously while slightly panting. “We were just on our way here weren't we, Twinkleshine.” Lyra gave her friend a gentle nudge in the hopes that she would back up her story.
“Oh... Umm... Yeah were were. I did tell her we shouldn't take break before returning to Fluttershy, Twilight.” Twinkleshine said this with a smile, while Lyra shot her a look of daggers.
“Oh that's ok girls...” said Fluttershy in her light airy voice.
Fluttershy was abruptly cut off by Twilight's voice trampling over the rest of Fluttershy's statement. “ Have you girls even put up one birds nest yet? Lyra, this is exactly why you're not on the weather team with Bon Bon. The weather team needs to be 'on time' with all their assignments or somepony could get hurt!” Twilight spoke with an increasing thunder in her voice with each statement.
It suddenly occurred to Big Mac that he had never really seen Miss Sparkle lose her temper before. Big Mac brought a hoof to her shoulder which snapped her rage in half like a twig. Then he spoke in his deep thick powerfully calming voice. “Miss Sparkle, everypony is fine, and the job is complete. I think Miss Shy is ready to ring the bells and have things ready for the clearing of the skies.”
Big Mac statements had calmed Twilight Sparkle, while she looked around she saw that she had been scaring everypony present save for Big Mac with just the tone of her voice. “Oh my gosh ladies. I... I'm so so sorry. Everything was just going so well and... I thought you'd be done early after talking to you before. You're ready then Fluttershy?” Twilight said this in a much calmer tone of voice, with a slightly crimson blush on her face.
“Yes.” came the squeak of an answer of Fluttershy.
Fluttershy slowly stepped back into the circle of her ropes with the addition of Lyra's rope the circle was complete. Futtershy soon started to pull the ropes with steady simple tugs causing a heavenly symphony of bell chimes to start at the entrance to every critters home. She pulled the ropes like they were some bizarre musical instrument, and the light gentle rings of the bells could be heard clear throughout the town as if it stopped to listen to the sounds of the bells gently ringing. The soft sing song sound of the bells was soon followed by the sound of critters who had been dormant all winter raising to the the almost ready spring.
Twilight was enraptured by the sound and the movements of the critters almost like everyone else at present, however, it was the stoic stallion who broke the silence of voices from the group of ponies around Fluttershy saying, “Umm Miss Sparkle... Don't we need to get back to finding Rainbow?”
“Oh my gosh, you're right, Big Mac. Fluttershy, why don't you go check her home. Lyra and Twinkleshine please meet up with Spike and Rarity. Big Mac and I will... Big Mac?” Twilight looked around and the red stallion was gone from the scene.
“Um... Twilight, Big Mac already left to search, he...” Fluttershy had been about to continue.
When Twilight interrupted her again. “ What?! Where did he go? Excuse me Fluttershy I have to go try to find two missing ponies now.” Twilight began moving away from the clearing very absorbed in her own thoughts at the moment.
“Oh... Um.... Ok then. Well he went in the direction of Rainbow Dash's place. I... I guess I'll just go check it out then.” Fluttershy's voice was barely heard by Lyra and Twinkleshine who were still standing next to her, so it was no surprise that Twilight Sparkle continued on as if her friend had said nothing.
After his declaration that Rainbow Dash was still missing, Big Mac had pulled his goggles on, and took off at a full gallop towards her house. Big Mac was a stallion of few words because he preferred to let his actions do the talking. Sitting around talking about it didn't get things done on the farm, nor would that get things done in a search party. He also needed a moment away from Miss Sparkle something about her was just so different now it was like she was a whole different pony to him now. She broke down so easily over the slightest thing right there. This really made Big Mac question if she was the right mare for him, so much so it almost caused him to run past Rainbow Dash's cloud mansion.
Big Mac looked up at the cloud structure from the ground, as he did he realized she must have put a lot of hard work into it to get it just the way she wanted it. He had been by the structure before but some reason now as he looked over it he could tell that there was just so much attention to detail. He had read about Pegasi construction before but he was flabbergasted by the amount of different techniques that were truly used on her home. In taking the time to admire her house of clouds he almost forgot why he was there. Soon Big Mac called out to the house, “Rainbow Dash, are you home? It's Big Mac I think we need to talk.”
Rainbow Dash had finished preening her self early, so she was stretching out her wings when she heard the stallion's voice calling out in a loud slightly worried tone to her from below her house. She sighed figuring everypony in Ponyville was likely looking for her now. She put her set of flying goggles on, having decided she'd at least reveal herself to him.
Rainbow Dash moved in stunning loop dashing out of her bedroom window, proceeding to land just before her front door. She was standing a few feet above Big Mac on her cloudy doorstep. Looking down at him she said, “No time for that now, I've got a job to do. Those cloudy skies are calling my name. Macintosh, I'll meet you here once they're clear.”
With that Rainbow dashed to the stormy clouds punching a hole where went through. On the edge of her hearing she heard a simple statement from the red stallion below, it made the prismatic pegasus smile.
Big Mac yelled out to catch her ears before she was gone, “Be Safe, Rainbow!”
There was one pony who had witnessed the scene, a butter yellow pegasus who had been too scared to disturb the unfolding events in-front of her. Fluttershy now had to find Twilight before blowing the whistle for Rainbow Dash to start clearing the skies.