In Swept a Blizzard

by Wintergreen Diaries


An Average Day (But with Lasers)

Chapter 1: An Average Day (But with Lasers)

There are as many subjects of controversy in life as there are immutable facts: constants, the antonym of one sugar-powered mare currently experiencing a level of bliss not normally attainable without chemical augmentation from elicit substances or stimulation not acceptable in public. Twilight had long since given up her doomed, though noble, quest to explicate the inexplicable mysteries and regular breaching of known natural laws commonly displayed by a certain earth pony the color of cotton candy, but on that particular summer day, enjoying the warmth of the sun on her back and the scent of flowers mingling with the dust from her newest literary conquest, she noticed something particularly disturbing.

More than her ability to outrun Rainbow Dash or accurately predict a host of bizarre happenstances and natural disasters, this sudden realization took the studious mare's mind by storm. A creature whose diet consisted of disease inducing levels of sugar had white teeth: not just white, but shining, scilliant, flawless white. Twilight had learned not to delve into matters where logic and reasoning had no part or portion, but as she was all but blinded by reflected solar rays, she couldn't help but comment.

"Pinkie!" At the sound of her friend's voice, hyperactivity incarnate responded promptly, jamming no fewer than half a dozen muffins into her mouth before zipping over in a blur of pink.

"Yush Twulut?" Brushing away crumbs and spittle, Twilight responded calmly with an affectionate grin.

"Sorry to interrupt your 'snack,' but... I couldn't help but notice you have a really dazzling smile." Pinkie, for once, appeared momentarily speechless, though this was expectedly short lived, as was Twilight's personal space. The sudden eviction of air from her lungs escaped in a wheeze, courtesy of one ecstatic embrace. Slightly- no, more than slightly confused by such a sentimental response, Twilight let her hooves hang limply at her sides for a moment before reciprocating the unprecedented hug with an awkward pat to the mare's shoulder.

"Omigosh, Colgate was right!" the jubilant mare chortled, sweeping Twilight off her hooves. Twirling in a sickening series of spins that would have left any Pegasus reeling, Wonderbolt or not, Pinkie displayed all the poise of a trained dancer as she spun, missing not a single step. Eventually, the semi-traumatized shouts of the pony currently being subjected to her victory jig caught her attention, so Pinkie slapped a lid on her excitement, giggling profusely as she threw Twilight into the air with flair and set the mare back on her hooves as lightly as a feather floating down to earth.

"Sorry, you're just the very first pony I wanted to notice since I started trying out Colgate's special treatment, and now you are!" she explained, fidgeting like normal, but not.

"Is she... blushing?" Given the mare's coat and unabashed nature, Twilight knew that if the faint redness coloring the bubbly mare's cheeks was indeed a blush, then whatever was causing such a phenomenon would have to be pretty strong. "Ok, discounting all of my obvious questions..." she began, maintaining an even expression despite being off kilter on a number levels. "What is this 'special treatment' thing?"

"Oh, it's super neat!" Pinkie replied, shirking her momentary recession of insanity with a cheerful grin. "It's a teeny tiny bit more expensive than the usual checkups, but it really makes your teeth shine. You should totally try it!"

"I can't deny I am a little curious," Twilight conceded with reluctant admission. Rather than respond with words, Pinkie slowly leaned further and further forward, the wealth of anticipation stretching the corners of her mouth into a delighted crescent moon nearly as radiant as Luna's cradle itself. A defeated sigh slowly escaped as the birthing cries of a rueful grin, and the temperate librarian found herself unable to keep her affection for her friend from showing. "Ok, you win, Pinkie," Twilight said in mock exasperation, throwing her hooves in the air and wincing as Pinkie let the town know that it was truly a great day.

Why Twilight getting her teeth cleaned, which she was fairly confident she was as studious in maintenance as she was in research, made her friend hop excited circles around her, she couldn’t say. Despite her bafflement, Twilight knew it was a small price to pay for such a good friend. Closing her tome, Twilight promised Pinkie Pie that she would meet her back in the gnoll upon completion of her session before trotting back towards the library to pick up some bits to cover the costs. As she stepped inside, she hastily made a mental note to give Spike a lecture on the finer points of work before pleasure, and turned back towards town with the disastrous mess behind her; it wasn't her fault that Starswirl the Bearded's theories were buried under layers of myth and legend, after all! The clink of the bits within her sack mingled with the myriad voices of the townsfolk to form the background music for intellectual exploration of all she had learned, and before she knew it she was standing outside a small clinic dedicated to dentistry. It certainly wasn't a spectacle, built of typical Ponyville architecture with a quaint sign hung above the entryway that simply read "Brushie Brush!"

"Hello? Is anypony here?" Twilight called out upon entering to find the rather small waiting area completely unoccupied.

"Yes! A customer!" a voice called out in a jovial tone laced with excitement. Twilight cocked an eyebrow as there sounded a scuffle followed by a crash that sounded like somepony upending the silverware drawer with blissful nonchalance, a groan accompanied by a stream of muttering Twilight was thankful she couldn't quite make out, and finally the emergence of the resident dentist. "Oh, hey, Twilight!" Colgate quipped, cantering over and extending a hoof.

"Uh... Colgate, you got a little... something right..." Twilight said slowly, motioning to her mane. Colgate stared blankly for a moment while she mirrored the motion, her hoof quickly coming into contact with that which was not hair and bringing with it a sheepish giggle as the unicorn dug the offending toothbrush from her mane with practiced ceremony.

"Thanks for that, Twilight! I-"

"Little more, Colgate," Twilight interjected, chuckling as the mare tilted her head to the side only to have a number of toothpicks and a small mirror used for molar examination clatter to the floor.

"The hay..." Colgate murmured, staring in confusion. "Ok, I remember the toothpicks, but why wasn't there floss? Wait a second..." Twilight sheltered her muzzle as the mare gave her head a hearty shake, releasing a hail of oral care products including, but not limited to, two travel-sized tubes of toothpaste, another brush, and the much sought after container of floss, only half full. "There you are! I swear, I am starting to understand why so few ponies listen when I tell them to floss," Colgate lamented, shaking her head slowly at the dire tragedy as she turned her attention back to her would-be customer. "Think about it! Who is going to actually want go chase down their floss at the end of the day?"

"Pinkie Pie comes to mind," Twilight offered in a casual tone, a little taken aback as Colgate nodded sagely in full agreement.

"Oh, if only everypony were as dedicated as her..." Colgate murmured with a wistful sigh. "No, wait, then I would be out of a job! I'd go crazy with nopony to brushie! Wouldn't that just be absolutely, horrifyingly lame?"

"Well, I-"

"Need a good brushie brushie! Durr, way to go me!" the mare exclaimed, pulling a face and as she clapped the side of her head lightly with a hoof. Twilight hadn't really had any direct dealings with Colgate prior to this, her first trip to the dentist since foalhood, and she couldn't help but smirk a little as the giddy mare led her around the corner and sat her down in an amazingly comfortable chair, all while chanting some kind of theme to herself made up entirely of the words "brushie brush." It was catchy.

"Ok! What brings you in today, Twilight?" Colgate asked in a musical tone, sanitizing her hooves as well as the tray of tools that had cruelly attacked her immediately following Twilight's entrance, much to Twilight's pleasure and peace of mind. Actually, much like everypony else she'd met since coming to Ponyville, there was likely a good deal more intelligence buried under the quirks than readily apparent to naked eye, and Twilight was willing to give Pinkie's recommendation the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, I don't know that I need anything, but Pinkie Pie was telling me about some kind of 'special... treatment?'" Twilight trailed off at the end as Colgate whirled around with a crazed grin, and despite her logical nature's gentle chiding for attempting to recoil while quite firmly pressed into the chair already, the mare couldn't help but be slightly nervous at the glee shining in Colgate's eyes.

"So, you want the 'special treatment,' do you?" she repeated, approaching slowly with unidentifiable intentions.

"Suddenly, I am having second thoughts... but Pinkie..." It was enough. While unconventional, Pinkie had a knack for pulling ponies from even the deepest of valleys, and Twilight couldn’t count the number of times a blast of confetti had garnered her appreciation. With a sigh of calm acceptance, Twilight nodded with a smile, ready to meet whatever awaited her - Pinkie Pie style.

"That's right. I made a promise to a friend, and I won't go back on my word. Colgate, lay it on me!"

“Well, prepare yourself for the most outrageous oral experience a mare could ever wish for!” Colgate squealed in her elation, shifting her hooves to Twilight’s shoulders as she did so. “Now, this is kind of a delicate operation, so you’re going to need to stay really still, okay?”

“If you say so.” Twilight closed her eyes and let her head sink into the soft cushioning, contemplating how gratifying it would be to nap in such a comfortable chair and wondering how many times Colgate had likely done the same. "She’s a touch spastic, but other than that, she’s really pretty fun. It’s no wonder her and Pinkie Pie get along."

“Ok, um... in order to actually clean your teeth, I need you to open really wide. Oh! Don’t move your tongue too much, either. That could hurt.”

"Hurt?" Twilight cracked an eye open as the mare double-checked her tools. "Yikes, some of those look pretty pointed. She wasn’t playing around when she said it was a delicate procedure, I guess... Oh well! I can trust her - she is the professional, after all!" Complying without a second though, Twilight opened her mouth and did her best to remain still, finding little cause for concern. Trepidation soon paid the mare a visit as she heard a sound akin to activating an enormous centrifuge full of microwaves set to high and likely filled with several bags of popcorn each. The cacophony graced her ears much like Scootaloo's singing would serenade an audience of critics, and one eye cracked open became two very frightened dinner plates as she regarded the buzzing machinery with all the level-headedness of a green-maned Rarity. One might argue that any device that would cause such imagery in one’s head was nightmare worthy in and of itself, but the whirring mass of metal was directed at Twilight’s face, and it had a barrel. A very narrow, very scary barrel.

“C... Colgate?!?” Twilight yelped, attempting to meld into the chair in her efforts to put a little distance between herself and the massive turret that had risen from the floor.

"You know, Twilight, you're only my second customer for the special course, but you seem kinda... I dunno, tense?” Colgate commented, poking her head out from behind the behemoth. “You should relax!"

"Don't tell me to bucking relax with that... that cannon pointed at my muzzle!"

"How could you say something so cruel, Twilight! She is not a cannon!” Colgate shot back, drawing up beside her precious contraption and stroking its gleaming silver frame.

“Well, then what the hay is she- it, anyways?”

“This lovely lady’s an expert in the amplification of sodium monofluorophosphate by stimulated emission of radiation.” Twilight digested this information, blinked once, and quailed.

“You turned toothpaste into a laser?!?”

"Bingo!” Colgate quipped, clapping her hooves. “Lasers are way more classy than cannons! No offense to Pinkie Pie, of course. Now, as I said before, this is a delicate operation, so could you please sit still? I’d rather not miss.”

“Are you crazy?” Twilight snapped, frantically trying to calm enough to focus her magic into a forcefield. “There’s no possible way I’m letting you zap my teeth with something so dangerous!” Bereft of patience and a little more than slightly offended with Twilight’s callous disregard of her countless hours researching science not even remotely close to that of the medical kind, Colgate set her jaw, narrowed her eyes, and delivered her ultimatum.

“It’s brushie time.”

“Try it, mare,” Twilight growled, lighting the room with a dangerous lavender glow as she conjured every defensive spell she knew to mind. “There’s no way that mechanized menace of a brushie blaster could possibly muddle my magic!” Mortally wounded in a place right near the center of her chest, Colgate clutched her heart as her eyes filled with tears at hearing her baby called a menace. It brought just a tinge of hesitancy to the slanderer as the spearmint mare dropped her gaze, ignored the tiny clatter of a foal’s toothbrush as it fell from her mane, and sniffled quite loudly.

“Uh... Colgate?”

“Gotcha!” Twilight had but a moment to appreciate the truly devious leer of a mare and her machinery not to be scorned before Colgate deftly flipped a slider and mashed a button on the side. The Element of Magic was formidable, but how could she possibly expect to outrun a laser? A gale of laughter tore from Twilight’s lungs as ten thousand feathers joined one million tiny spiders doing the jitterbug on her ribcage. Squirming helplessly as the low-pressure stream of toothpaste bore into her side, any hopes of concentrating enough to conjure any kind of spell quickly bid the laughing librarian a hasty adieu and romped away to dance with the spiders cutting a rug with the jitterbug, currently set to the “breathless” difficulty.

“C-Colgahahaha! Youhehehehe~ n-n-need to... to... bwahahaha!” It was useless. Like Luna celebrating her very first Nightmare Night, the laughter doubled as Colgate gave the lavender mare a sympathetic nod and swept the beam across to the other side, across the mare’s belly despite her patient’s flailing hooves, which Twilight discovered were also quite ticklish, switched the machine off, and then sauntered over to the chair with a smug grin.

“Huh, so you can turn a pony purple with paste!” Colgate mused to herself, leaning in close to scrutinize a very breathless Twilight’s cheeks, currently taking a fashion lesson from Rarity’s mane and doing an absolutely smashing job at flattery through mimicry. “Still think she’s a menace?”

“Huuuwah...”

“You know, for somepony who lives in a library, I’d have thought you’d be a little more, I dunno... eloquent?” Colgate mused as Twilight lay gasping for air, still weeping tears of forced mirth. “Eh, can’t judge a book by it’s cover, I suppose. Now, be a good little filly and sit really still, ok?” Struck by the irony of being told to “sit still” when quite firmly glued to the chair, Twilight attempted a snort that came out a snicker and shed a few more tears. Peering through her scope, Colgate took aim, set the power to max... and had an oops.

It was nopony’s fault, really. Colgate wasn’t a seer, Twilight wasn’t a good patient, and doctors rarely anticipate their patients brazenly casting aside their instructions with casual disregard for their own safety. In Twilight’s defense, she was fairly light-headed from Ponyville’s newly appointed tickle torture extraordinaire, and thought nothing of it as she closed her gaping maw and leaned forward to make petition of her dentist. Colgate was just peeved that she missed her shot.

“Col...” ZAP!

“Ooooh,” Colgate grimaced, “...nose shot.” Straight up the mare’s sinuses blasted a concentrated beam of minty goodness, freshening as it gushed in one nostril, out the other, down the back of her throat, and probably out her ears; Twilight couldn’t rightly tell as an overwhelming tingling sensation dominated her muzzle like Applejack at the Ponyville rodeo.

“Oh Cewesha, id ib by node!” Twilight howled, kicking her hooves and clutching her muzzle as olfactory sensory overload threatened cranial eruption of the worst kind. It wasn’t even that it hurt, per se, but simply that sniffing a freshly crushed sprig of mint was normally enough to clear one’s sinuses. So, when a gallon or so of extra strength toothpaste was used in accidental replacement of a proper nasal wash, it was a touch overwhelming as one could well expect.

“Ged ib out! Ged ib oudda mah node!” Twilight wailed, frantically attempting to teleport away from the mess in her schnoz. “Oh, dah mindt... id burnig!”

“Well, I told you to sit still!” Colgate said, throwing up her hooves in exasperation. “Not even I like mint enough to snort it. Is that a librarian thing?”

“No, ith a bad thig! Ith bery bery bad thig!” Twilight snapped, squeezing her muzzle from base to tip like a tube of toothpaste with very much the same effect.

“Huh, so I’m not crazy for never having tried it before...” Colgate mused in a thoughtful tone before glancing up to find herself being fixed with a most furious glare.

“You are moth debinidly cwathy,” declared, pointing a quavering hoof at the mare who simply stared back, nonplussed. “Lodo. Inthane! Compwedely oudda huh gowrd!”

“Hmph! Well, if you can’t even be nice about it, then you’re welcome to leave!” Colgate huffed, pressing a few buttons and watching her machine power down. “Pinkie Pie asked me to treat you to a good time, and I tried my best, but you... you’re just mean!”

"Pinkie Pie asked her to... wait, mean?!?" “Mead?” Twilight snapped back, calling after Colgate as she fled the room. “I diddn poin a lader at thom pony faeth!” Muttering as she popped free of the binding paste and fell onto the floor with a plop, Twilight confirmed within herself to find a spell to replace any and all need for a toothbrush as she waddled out of the office and back towards the park, ready to give Pinkie a piece of her mind. Carefree as always, Pinkie Pie was right where Twilight had left her, every bit as happy and completely unaware that her friend was stalking over.


“Shucks, bein’ a farm pony is a lot o’ work, even when it ain’t the autumn harvest!” Groaning as she stretched her back and wiped sweat from her forehead, Apple Bloom shot the summer sun a dirty look before returning her gaze to the freshly tilled earth. With fall only a few weeks away and most of her summer spent trying every nonsensical ploy her friends could conjure to claim her ever-elusive mark of destiny, her summer chores had piled high like the carts would be with apples by the turn of the month. Sneaking a peek this way and that and finding neither of the overbearing taskmasters known as “siblings” to be present, the filly turned back to the rows of fertile soil awaiting their daily shower and adopted a stern glare.

“Now, don’t y’all go gettin’ me in trouble, ya hear?” she warned, waving a hoof at the watering can. “Ah’m just takin’ a little break, an’ ah’ll be back in just a little bit t’ cool ya off.” Darting away before any witty rebuttal could be made, the filly galloped towards the fringe of the apple fields and nestled up against one of the trees, releasing a contented sigh as the fruit-laden boughs sheltered her from the heat. “Ah wish ah were a plant right about now,” the filly commented behind closed eyes, pausing as a refreshing breeze tickled her coat. “They don’t have to do any chores. Hay, ah could go fer a nice cool shower mahself.”

Apple Bloom hadn’t expected the elements to grant her request, and she didn’t immediately respond to the sudden cool upon her brow with anything more than an appreciative moan. As a trickle dribbled down her cheek, she blinked sleepily and brushed the moisture away before staring at her hoof in utter confusion. “Ah’m... sweatin’ cold water? That don’t make any sense at all... wait a minute, what’s all this?” No longer interested in her hoof, the filly’s attention drew towards the white powder quickly melting into grass. “Snow? Why ‘n tarnation is there snow in the middle of summer?” Her answer was much closer than she would have guessed, and as she lifted her eyes, she found herself staring into the eyes of a stallion far more fatigued than she.

The unicorn’s disheveled mane was likely once as pure as the snow that seemed to manifest around him at seemingly random intervals, but neglect and dust had marred its ivory sheen. Streaks of turquoise dispersed throughout his hair led her vision down to vacant eyes of the same brilliant color, but there was no sparkle to be found in his heavy-lidded gaze. Apple Bloom’s attention lingered for just a few moments on his dirt-encrusted azure coat before lifting her eyes to the fruit that swayed gently in the breeze. Her contemplation ended shortly after it began as a faint pulse of shimmering light produced a few more flakes of snow, and as a few lighted on her snout, the open-minded filly decided that the newcomer could use a proper welcome.

“Uh, hey there, mister,” Apple Bloom ventured, standing up. “Thanks fer coolin’ me off with yer magic! Spot o’ snow felt right nice.” Receiving not so much as a glance, she took a step closer and shivered as her hoof crunched down on a small collection of chilly flakes. “Ya seem mighty interested in our apples,” she commented, noting his slender form. “Ah might not be as good at buckin’ as mah sis, an’ it’s still a little early in the season, but ah’m sure ah could knock a few down.” The stallion stirred, blinking as if waking from a dream.

“...Why?” he asked, his voice as quiet as the streets on cold winter’s night.

“Why?” Apple Bloom chuckled, completely unfazed. “So you could eat a few, o’ course! It ain’t that complicated. Pardon me fer sayin’ so, but ya look like you could stand t’ eat a bit more.”

“That’s probably true,” he replied, dropping his gaze and inspecting himself with apparent disinterest.

“Just sit tight. Ah’ll have those apples down before you can say ‘ponyfeathers!’” Taking her position at the base of the tree, Apple Bloom braced her forelegs and bucked a good Apple family buck. Beaming proudly as she rounded up all three of the apples that she’d harvested proper, she laid them in front of the newcomer and watched with pride as he took a bite, paused, and then demolished the remainder with startling speed. “Goodness, mister! How long’s it been since ya last had a proper meal, anyhow?”

“It’s been... perhaps a week?” he replied after a short pause. “Two weeks, maybe?”

“Two weeks?” Apple Bloom exclaimed, gawking for a moment before shaking off her surprise. “Shoot, ah’m surprised ya didn’t start gnawin’ on the tree if it’s been two weeks! Let me get ya some more.” Not waiting for a confirmation, Apple Bloom galloped back to the base of the tree, but paused as the stallion’s voice sounded again.

“This is a farm, isn’t it?”

“Uh... yeah, but what’s that got to do with anythin’?” Apple Bloom replied, cocking her head to the side.

“I’ve no money with which to pay you.” The filly simply grinned: city ponies were just plain silly, sometimes.

“Well, now y’all got me confused in the noggin; ah can’t remember sayin’ anythin’ ‘bout payin’ fer them apples! Ah hope ah’m not speakin’ fancy again...” Chuckling as the stallion took longer than expected to comprehend her cheery sarcasm, Apple Bloom gave the tree another buck and nudged another apple towards the hungry traveler. “Hospitality don’t cost a pony nothin’ at all,” Apple Bloom quipped, offering up the fruit with outstretched hooves. “Ah ain’t seen you before, so you must be new t’ Ponyville. We may have a few bad apples, but most everypony ‘round here are the nicest ponies you’ll ever meet! Say, ah never caught yer name. Ah’m Apple Bloom.”

“I...” the stallion started, hesitating.

“Apple Bloom! Where in tarnation have ya got to?” a voice suddenly called out, causing the little pony to jump.

“Ponyfeathers! That’s mah sis,” Apple Bloom muttered she spied Applejack wandering amongst the trees looking cross. Knowing it was better to cut her losses and own up to slacking rather than try and evade her sibling’s searching eyes, the filly paid the stranger an apologetic glance and bellowed back. “Ah’m over here, sis!”

“What’re you doin’ all the way out...” Applejack started to say, falling silent as she found her little sister in a remote location with an unknown stallion. “...here,” she finished, almost growling out the word. "That pony looks shadier than the tree they’re sittin’ under, mane all mussed up an’ dirtier than some o’ the pigs." “Apple Bloom, get over here.” She responded promptly with every bit as much bull-headed stubbornness as her sister might have, stalking over and meeting her glare with one of her own.

“Ah was just takin’ a little break, sis! Ah wasn’t ditchin’ work, honest!” Apple Bloom protested defensively. “Ah knew you’d be on me like bees t’ flowers if ah left fer too long, so ah came out here t’ get away.”

“You’ve had all summer t’ play with yer friends, and you’ve barely been workin’ an hour,” Applejack countered. “Besides, as much as ah’ve let you get away with lately, ah’d say you used up most o’ yer breaks already.”

“But...”

“Don’t start with me, Apple Bloom,” Applejack interjected, shaking her head. “You know as well as ah do that everypony has t’ pitch in ‘round here.”

“...but it’s hot, sis,” the little filly moped, scuffing at the dirt. Rather than further lecture, there passed a few moments of silence before an airy sigh gave the little filly cause to smile.

“All right, all right... take mah hat,” Applejack said softly, placing her prized stetson on the filly’s head. “Ah know it ain’t comfortable out here, but we really need t’ hustle an’ get caught up before the fall harvest comes around, or we’re gonna have a city full o’ hungry ponies. Ah’ll be along in a few t’ help, but in the meantime ah need you t’ get back to it, alright?”

“You got it, sis! Bye mister- uh... whateveryernameis!” the filly called over her shoulder as she bolted back towards the fields, nearly colliding with a tree as the oversized hat slipped over her eyes. Her sister’s caring smile faded as she turned back to the stallion who had remained quiet through the entire exchange, regarding him with apprehension.

“Ah don’t suppose you’d like t’ explain why exactly you were hangin’ out here alone with mah little sister?” she asked, scrutinizing his every move.

“I was drawn to the smell of food that wasn’t grass,” he replied readily, sounding neither upset nor put off by the accusatory nature of Applejack’s prodding. “That little filly was kind enough to allow me a few apples. I’d be grateful if you thanked her properly for her kindness.”

“That’s it, huh?” "He ain’t showin’ any signs o’ lyin’, but somethin’ about him just don’t sit right with me..." Though she couldn’t pinpoint any specific cause for her suspicion, the sense that something was amiss with the stallion grew as he gave an almost imperceptible shiver, sending a few flakes of snow floating to the ground. "Ah must be crazy fer askin’ this... he’s likely t’ think ah’m all kinds o’ daft." “Are you...” she started, sighing as she mentally rolled her eyes at herself one more time. “You ain’t cold, are ya? Ah can see ya shiverin’ over there.” Her hackles raised as the stallion’s once distant eyes focused, bearing down on her with an intensity that brought Fluttershy’s stare to mind. Applejack said nothing as his expression softened again, the weariness bowing his head towards the ground.

“Always...” he replied as he turned away, his voice barely rising above a whisper. “There can be no warmth when the heart lies buried beneath the frost.”

"Ferget feelin’ daft: this pony’s got problems." As reluctant as she was to let the bizarre pony anywhere near her friends and family, Applejack knew that shivering in the late summer heat was simply unnatural, though given the snow that continued to manifest around his hooves with rising frequency, she could see that he had problems. "Lucky fer you, ah know a pony who loves to solve problems." “Look, ah can’t dilly dally, an’ you don’t look like yer up fer much conversation,” Applejack began, trotting a few paces forward and stopping as she felt a substantial shift in temperature. "Dear Celestia, even the air near ‘im is cold..."

“Ah ain’t exactly sure what it is yer doin’ out here, but if you need somepony t’ help you with yer, uh... snow problem... ah know just the pony you should try talkin’ to.” Applejack waited a few moments for a reply or some kind of interest, but the unicorn made no motion to acknowledge her words. “Her name’s Twilight,” she began again, ignoring the conflicting emotions within. On one hoof, she’d just as soon see the stallion leave town so she could stop wondering why the hay he made her feel so anxious, but her friendly nature couldn’t simply send him away. “She’s the town librarian, an’ callin’ her a prodigy when it comes t’ magic is puttin’ things lightly. If anypony can figure out why yer so cold, it’ll be her.”

“I...” the stallion began, faltering. “I doubt that-” Without warning, a violent shiver passed over the stallion, causing his legs to buckle and bringing him to the ground. Applejack impulsively rushed forward, but made it only a few steps before finding herself in danger of sharing the stranger’s condition: the air around him had grown numbingly cold. Fearful and yet filled with awe, the mare swallowed hard as the snowfall became constant, but as seconds ticked by and she struggled to find her voice, the unprecedented storm proved to be brief. Rising shakily, the stallion turned to glance at Applejack and shivered again. “...where can I find the library?”

“It’s, uh... just down the road a ways,” she replied hesitantly, pointing a hoof. “It’s built into a giant oak tree, ya can’t miss it.”

“Thank you... for the directions,” he replied amidst shallow breaths.

“Hey, are you gonna be alright?” Applejack called after him as he took a few steps and stumbled.

“This is... normal. I’ll make it.”

“Normal?” she murmured to herself, letting her gaze drop to the frostbitten grass. The fronds that had once been full of life lay withered where the stallion’s hooves had once rested, and the flakes that had fallen glistened in the sun like the morning dew. “Ain’t nothin’ normal about any o’ this. Ah hope sendin’ him t’ Twilight was the right thing t’ do.” Stealing one last glance at the hoary enigma trotting away, the farmer returned to the chores at hoof, eager to give her mind something else to focus on and maybe, just maybe figure out why the hay she found him to be so disconcerting: the reason that lay hidden amongst all the others.

While Applejack quickly found distraction in the strain of manual labor, the newcomer to Ponyville was forced to fight his constant, overwhelming fatigue every step of the way. Any unicorn that dabbled in magic for anything more than basic levitation could attest that prolonged use left one just as weary as any day out in the fields, but none of the townsfolk, who paid him not the slightest bit of attention, could possibly have comprehended the victory that couldn’t be felt with each and every hoof placed in front of the other. With his magic growing more out of control with each passing night and his rest anything but peaceful, managing any kind of lucidity was often too much to ask. Gritting his teeth and blinking as his vision grew blurry, the stallion peered at the wavering mirage off in the distance, noted that it had quite a bit more green than most anything else in the town, and hoped to whatever power might grant him mercy that it was the tree which he sought.

Shedding what precious little strength still remained in the snow that ever swirled around his form, the stallion pressed on, knowing that he would either find momentary solace in the distraction of another world, wrought of words, or unconsciousness would come to take him as it had so many times: he dared not believe in this mare the farmer spoke of. Finding the structure to indeed be his destination, he lifted a hoof to knock and lost his balance, landing bodily against the door with a soft and painless whump. That was one of the few benefits that he’d found with being completely numb: things hurt a whole lot less. Closing his eyes and fighting for breath, he lifted his hoof and knocked once... twice... and a third, letting his hoof remain in place.

"This door... is really quite comfortable..." The thought had barely finished before the support was suddenly removed. He barely felt the impact as he crumpled on the floor amidst a flurry of snow, and though he vaguely heard somepony’s voice call out, he simply lay there for a time watching the room swirl. Eventually, his eyes refocused, and he turned towards the speaker with growing confusion.

“Hey, are you okay?” the voice came again. “I didn’t realize you were leaning against the door, or I would have been extra careful.”

"A... pony? No, not a pony..." “...dragon?” he murmured, staring at the soft lavender scales and green spines.

“Uh... yeah, I’m Spike,” the resident custodian of Golden Oaks replied, motioning to himself with a claw. “I haven’t seen you around before, so you must be new to Ponyville. Don’t worry; even though I’m a dragon, I’m not dangerous,” Spike attested with a chuckle. “Do you need help up?”

"Probably..." After a few attempts to move were rejected by his limbs, the stallion rose shakily to his hooves, swaying unsteadily. "Don’t see... anypony else. But... there sure are a lot of..." “...books?” the stallion mumbled, not daring to point lest he lose his balance.

“Uh, yeah, we’ve got plenty. This is a library, after all,” Spike replied, scratching his head in puzzlement. "This guy looks like he needs a week of sleep more than he needs a good book. Phew, and a shower too! I’ll bet Twilight would be proud. Where the hay did all this snow come from, though? It’s the middle of summer!" Being one frequently involved in exploratory magic, Spike couldn’t help but take an immediate interest in the half-conscious unicorn struggling with basic motor control, yet still managing to coat the floor in frost. His questions of “how” were soon answered as a pale blue light produced another flurry of flakes, though he stowed his curiosity for a moment and beckoned the stallion inside.

“Come on in! I’m sure we have whatever it is you’re looking for, and I’ll be the one to help you find it. I know these shelves like the back of my claw.” Not so much concerned as bemused by the wobbly stallion staggering inside, the assistant failed to contain a snicker as the stallion leaned back to view the top shelf and lost his balance, plopping him down on his rump. “Overwhelmed, huh?” Spike commented with a touch of pride. “Yeah, Twilight keeps this place pretty jam packed, and she’s always finding a way to cram more books onto the shelves. Oh, Twilight’s the librarian, by the way. She’s out right now, but I can help you find whatever you’d like: adventure, historical fiction... steamy romance,” he added, snickering as he imagined how Twilight might respond to the knowledge that he was fully aware of her “secret” stash.

"No, not... not romance... Need a spell to... help me sleep..." “Do... you have anything on... on...” "What was... I just thinking?" Pale light and a subsequent shiver gave just a moment of focus to the stallion, who finally managed to say, “...magic?”

"Yeah, Twilight has to meet this guy. They’d get along like bread and butter." Striding purposefully towards the shelves, Spike motioned to its entirety and simply said “Ta-da~!” The stallion just stared, and snowed. “I can’t really call it its own ‘wing,’ but everything on this and the next three shelves are all about magic. I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a little more specific.”

"More... what? Oh... types... there are many... but I’m..." “Un... unicorn.” Spike glanced up for a moment, scanning the titles before turning back to his patron with vague amusement.

“Yeah... that really doesn’t narrow it down much,” he informed the stallion. “Let’s see, maybe I can help you narrow it down. Are you looking for something on wards, maybe? We also have books on charms, hexes, transformation- pretty much anything you can think of!” The unicorn’s head sank to the floor with a soft thud, partially muffling his unsure reply.

"Can’t think... what it would be under..." Another few flakes fluttered to the floor, again sparking his mind. “...warm?” he murmured, vaguely aware that he wasn’t making much sense.

“Warm, huh?” Spike mused aloud, perusing the titles. “Are you sure you don’t need something about plumbing? It looks like you’ve got a leak,” he teased, snickering a little but falling silent as the stallion simply stared back with vacant eyes. “S-sorry, I’ll just um... yeah, warm. Let’s see, where was that...” he mumbled, wracking his brain. “I know Twilight was using an elementary fire spell in one of her experiments recently... ah ha! This one, I think!” Roused by the elevation in volume, the stallion lifted his head and stared blankly at the tome laid before him.

“I’m pretty sure there’s a chapter in here about fire spells,” he explained, though he couldn’t help but ask the question lurking in the back of his mind. “You know, if you’re really so cold, can’t you just stop... snowing?” He didn’t respond right away, but instead opened the tome to the first page before doing anything else.

“Can’t,” he managed, not looking away from the spell book.

“‘Can’t?’” Spike murmured, growing concerned. "Twilight always says that magic only happens when you make it happen, but if he really can’t make it stop, then he’s in worse condition than I thought." Grabbing an assortment of reading material for the stallion to browse, Spike went back to his chores, keeping a close eye on his guest as he worked. As the time passed and the stallion grew more intent in his studies, the frequency of the intermittent magic releases seemed to lessen, but even still, Spike couldn’t shake the strange sense of urgency bidding him hasten Twilight’s return. Straightening up a stack of parchments and aligning the quills just so, the dragon decided that his guest didn’t deserve to wait, and wandered over.

“Hey, um...” he started, awkwardly fiddling with his claws as empty eyes slowly locked on his. “Did you find anything yet?” Though somewhat delayed, the stallion closed the book in front of him and motioned to the front with what almost sounded like a tinge of excitement.

“Daring Do.” Short on words, perhaps, but with every interaction Spike became more enthralled with the idea of introducing Twilight to the mystery stallion.

“That’s one of Twilight’s favorite series,” Spike chuckled, nodding his approval. “I’m kind of surprised she’s not back yet, actually. She’s the one who manages all the books that leave the library. I’d let you check something out myself, but she’d really protective of the books. You can just hang out here, okay?”

“But... the snow...”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Spike replied, dismissing the issue with the wave of a claw. “I’ll clean it up when I get back. Just... try to keep it from messing up the book, okay? Especially the Daring Dos,” he emphasized. “Seriously, Twilight would have a fit if she found water wrinkles on her stuff.”

“Thank you,” the guest replied, dipping his snout in thanks.

“Don’t mention it!” Spike quipped, jogging over to the door. “Just sit tight, and I’ll be back soon.” With a slam, quiet returned to the library. The stallion couldn't say how long he stared at the door, or why he found reason to do so at all. Perhaps he was simply too tired to focus, but the reading had helped, and with that single motivation he returned to a world that, no matter how fragmented, would always come back together in the end.