Snow Drift winced. The antiseptic the nurse was applying to her cheek stung as it disinfected her wound.
“I know it hurts dear but I need you to hold still,” Nurse Redheart said. She was being as gentle as she could but honestly, a cut on the cheek was the least of the unicorn’s problems, “I must say you are a very lucky pony. You could have very easily died or broken your back. It’s a miracle you came away as intact as you did.”
Twilight had, true to her word, woke Snow mere moments after dawn and the trio had left Zecora’s hut to make the trek to Ponyville. Standing had been a struggle, and she had collapsed as soon as she had gotten out of bed. The ankle of her right forelimb was swollen and Snow worried it was broken. Twilight and Zecora had carried her into town, ignoring her protests and waving off her apologies. The clinic hadn’t even opened by the time they had arrived but a bleary-eyed Nurse Redheart had been more than willing to see to her.
“Yeah, guess I am pretty lucky,” Snow replied with a smile before twitching back from the cloth. She’d never really been hurt before, at least not like this, and the whole experience was not what she would have called pleasant. “It’s a good thing Zecora found me or I’d probably be dead by now.”
“She really is a good friend,” Twilight said from her position behind Nurse Redheart, “I can’t believe the first time I met her I let my friends convince me she was evil.”
“Well it’s not terribly surprising. She spends most of her time alone in the forest and she is quite unique,” Nurse Redheart said as she finished applying the bandage to Snow’s cheek. “There, that should do for now. You’ll have to come back for a follow-up visit in a few days, and then again in a couple of weeks to get the stitches removed. Also, put as little strain on that forelimb as you can. There’s no permanent damage but it was sprained quite badly. Is it your dominant hoof?”
Snow shook her head. “No, I’m left-hoofed so it should be fine. Besides, I’m a unicorn so it isn’t so bad. I’ll just have to use my horn a little more often for awhile.”
“That would be best.” Nurse Redheart nodded in agreement, “Well then that should be everything. None of your injuries are life-threatening but you’ll need to be sure to change your bandages regularly and apply the antiseptic each time. The stitches will hold as long as you don’t do anything too strenuous but there is still infection to worry about. I want you to make sure to get plenty of rest. Do you have somepony that can look after you until you’re able to get around on your own?”
“Um, well, as soon as I can find my friends I’m sure they’ll be able to look after me,” Snow said, looking down. She hadn’t really considered what she was going to do when she got to Ponyville. She had assumed she’d have some time to plan with Aurora before trying to find Twilight, but things had taken a bizarre turn and now she wasn’t sure what to do. “We didn’t really have any place in particular that we were going to stay; we’ve never been to Ponyville before. I think we were just going to look for an inn or something when we got here. This whole mess wasn’t really part of the plan.”
“So you don’t even know where you’re staying?” Twilight asked with a frown.
“Well, no, not really,” Snow said sheepishly. It was a bit embarrassing to be caught so unprepared.
“Hmm, well I suppose you could stay with me at the library for a couple days,” Twilight said thoughtfully, “I do have a spare bed, and with Spike around taking care of you wouldn’t be a problem while we look for your friends.”
“What?!” Snow exclaimed, nearly tumbling out of bed, “Oh! No I couldn’t make you do that, not after everything you’ve done already! I’ll find somewhere to stay until I can find my friends, you don’t need to take care of me. Really, I’ll be fine!” Snow’s face burned with embarrassment.
Objectively, she knew that this was the perfect opportunity. She had found an easy way to meet Twilight Sparkle, and not only that had now been invited into her home. It was the perfect chance to fulfill her promise to her teacher. But she found herself reluctant to take the offer, hoping Twilight would change her mind. Maybe it was because she had saved her life, or maybe it just how incredibly nice she seemed, but Snow found it difficult to be so dishonest with Twilight.
“Don’t be silly,” Twilight said with a shake of her hoof, “You’re in no condition to be living alone and I have plenty of space. Once you recover a little we can go looking for your friends, and I’ll talk to the mayor. She’ll be able to keep an eye out for any new ponies in town so we’ll know if they’re looking for you.”
“But-“
“No buts, you need somepony to take care of you and I’m perfectly happy to do it.”
Snow Drift opened her mouth to argue but stopped, letting out a defeated sigh. She didn’t really know why she was fighting this so hard anyway. It made perfect sense, really. Still, it didn’t sit well with her.
“Alright fine, you win Twilight Sparkle,” Snow offered her a smile, “And thank you, for everything you’ve done.”
“You’re more than welcome,” Twilight said, returning the smile. “I’m just glad you’re okay. When I first saw you I was worried you might not recover.”
Snow shuddered. The thought of dying was far from pleasant, especially so far from home.
“Well it sounds like you girls have everything worked out then,” Nurse Redheart said, “You should be just fine so long as you take it easy, but please don’t hesitate to come back if you feel something isn’t healing right, even a little. You unicorns may heal quickly but that doesn’t mean you can go and be reckless. The last thing we want at this point is for you to get an infection or to rip open your stitches.”
Snow nodded. “I’ll be careful. Thank you again for seeing me Nurse Redheart.”
“It’s my job dear, really no need to thank me. But if you’ll excuse me, it is just about time for me to officially open the clinic so I need to be going. Will you be alright getting her home Twilight?”
“It should be fine,” Twilight said, helping Snow Drift to her hooves, “We’ll take it slow, and I can always use my magic if need be.”
Snow wobbled as she stood, careful not to put too much pressure on her sprained ankle. After a moment she managed to stabilize and was able to walk, although not without leaning against Twilight.
Together, they left the clinic and headed towards the library. It was still early, but the summer sun was already beating down fiercely. Snow squinted in the bright light, her injured eye throbbing as she squeezed it shut. It wasn’t as bad as it had been in the forest. At least here the air wasn’t so muggy and she wasn’t constantly being swarmed by insects, but the heat was still hard to deal with.
“Is it always this hot?” she asked, looking around as they walked.
Ponyville was different than any town she had ever seen in Equiiria. Everything was bright and colorful, and everypony seemed to walk around without a care in the world. It made sense, she supposed. She loved her home, but she was not so naïve that she would fail to realize how difficult a place it could be to live. To her, the harshness of the climate only enhanced its beauty, but she had lived a privileged and sheltered life. For others, things weren’t always so easy.
“Well it is summer,” Twilight replied, smiling brightly and waving at a pair of ponies sitting on a nearby bench, “It gets pretty hot, but it’s not that bad. Besides, it cools down come fall and then gets pretty cold during winter. I had to ask my friend Rarity to get me boots and a scarf so I could participate in winter wrap-up. I’m not sure what happened to those though, I think I might have lost them.”
“Winter wrap-up? What’s that?”
Twilight blinked in confusion. “Winter wrap-up, it’s the celebration where all the ponies work together to change the season from winter to spring. Don’t they do that where you’re from too? I read that every city and town in Equestria has a winter-wrap up celebration, although some places do it a little differently than others. In Canterlot we would use magic to clean up winter, but here in Ponyville its tradition to do it without magic. Do you call it something different where you’re from?”
“Oh, um yeah we call it…,” Snow fumbled for an answer, “Winter…clean-up,” she finished lamely. She smiled at Twilight, sweating from more than just the heat.
Twilight looked at her blankly for a moment before returning the smile. “Well it sounds like the same thing. Are you allowed to use magic? I had a lot of trouble trying to help without using my magic last winter, in the end I had to use my organizational skills to help everypony.”
“Oh, no we can use magic,” Snow said, relieved that Twilight had bought her lie, “Actually it’s mostly unicorns that do winter clean-up; it’s just a lot easier that way. Actually, that’s how I earned my cutie mark. I have a special gift for that kind of magic and the first year I was old enough to help I got my cutie mark.”
“So you’re special talent is magic!” Twilight gasped, smiling in delight, “I haven’t met another unicorn whose special talent is related to magic since I left Canterlot! You have to show me some spells! And we can study together too! Oooh I can’t wait!”
Snow Drift couldn’t help but smile at Twilight’s enthusiasm. She was almost exactly the opposite of what she had imagined. Kind, generous, trusting, and even a little naïve. It was bizarre, and a little troubling. How could somepony so kind be the student of a tyrant like Celestia? It just didn’t make any sense.
“Hey Twilight! Over here sugarcube!”
Snow looked up to see an orange earth pony waving at them from a stall on the opposite side of the square. She was wearing a hat unlike anything Snow had ever seen before. It certainly didn’t look like it would do her much good in the cold, and was selling the biggest, shiniest apples she had ever seen.
“Oh, hey Applejack!” Twilight replied, leading Snow over to the stall, “How are sales today?”
“Been a bit slow, Ah only just opened up shop though. Had a bit of trouble convincin’ Apple Bloom that Apple sellin’ just ain’t her special talent. Girl said she had a new sales strategy all planned out, but if I know them crusaders there ain’t no way I’m lettin’ one of their plans anywhere near mah apple cart,” Applejack said with a shudder. It had been bad enough the first time Apple Bloom had tried her hoof at apple sales, she wasn’t about to invite that kind of trouble again. “Who’s this? Ah don’t think I’ve ever seen ya ‘round town before. You’re lookin’ a little the worse for wear if you don’t mind mah sayin’.”
“This is Snow Drift,” Twilight said, letting Snow ease off of her shoulder, “Zecora found her, she had gotten injured in the Everfree Forest and so we needed to get her to Nurse Redheart this morning. She’ll be staying with me for awhile while she recovers.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Snow said, holding out a bandaged hoof.
“Well it’s a pleasure to meet you too Snow Drift, the name’s Applejack.” Applejack reached to shake her hoof before thinking better of it, “Sorry to hear about your accident. Looks like you took quite the tumble.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna be a bit sore for awhile, but I should manage.”
“Sore nothin’,” Applejack said with a chuckle, “I remember when my brother Big Macintosh got injured awhile back. he was out of commission for the better part of the season, and he didn’t look half as banged up as you do sugarcube. Here, have an apple on the house. You better eat right if you wanna get any better.”
Snow Drift accepted the apple graciously, taking a tentative bite. Her eyes widened and the apple disappeared in spray of pulp and juice.
“Woah there girl, you’re gonna make yourself sick eatin’ like that.”
Snow licked her lips, savoring the sweet taste of apple. “Sorry, I guess I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” she said sheepishly, “But I’ve never tasted an apple like that before! It was amazing! The most delicious apple I’ve ever had!”
“Well Ah’m glad ya think so Snow Drift,” Applejack replied, a note of pride in her voice, “We Apples have always prided ourselves on providin’ the best apples in all of Equestria. We work ourselves to the bone to get the best apples around.”
“Of course, sometimes members of the Apple family can be a little too stubborn to realize when they’re working themselves too hard,” Twilight said, smiling at Applejack.
Applejack’s cheeks tinged pink. “Hehe, yeah I reckon you’re right. Only sometimes though. So Snow Drift where ya from? We don’t get too many ponies visitin’ that come through the Everfree Forest. Most folks steer clear of that place. It’s got a bad reputation and it deserves every bit of it if ya ask me. Nasty place.”
“Oh, I’m from, uh, Maresburg. It’s not much bigger than Ponyville, and it’s on the other side of the Everfree Forest. We don’t usually come this way. It’s a pretty closed community.” Snow gulped. She had known she’d have to have a back story of course, but she hadn’t prepared one yet. She had intended to go over it with Aurora before they arrived, but circumstances hadn’t allowed for that.
It didn’t help that she hated lying. Ever since she was a filly she had been a terrible liar. She would stutter and blush, the blood in her cheeks clear against her snow-white coat. She could feel her cheeks burning already and lowered her gaze, trying to hide the tell-tale signs of her dishonesty
“Maresburg huh,” Applejack replied, a little less enthusiastic, “Well you sure have come a long way then. Shoot, I didn’t even know there was an ‘other side’ of the Everfree Forest. Here, have another apple. You sure look like you could use it.”
“Thanks!” Snow replied. She was beginning to feel a bit of her energy return to her. She was still in pain, but the sugars in the apple were doing wonders for her otherwise.
“Oh, Applejack, did you manage to talk to Carrot Top about helping out with the Summer Sun Celebration?” Twilight asked, leaving Snow to her apple.
“Yeah I did as a matter of fact,” Applejack said, beckoning Twilight over. “Why don’t we talk business for a minute. Snow Drift me an’ Twilight gotta take care of some things quick. Borin’ stuff really, but it’s for the Princess so we need to keep it between us for the moment. You just help yourself to those apples ‘til you feel better. Think of it as mah welcomin’ present to ya.”
“Oh, um, sure,” Snow replied, hesitant, “I’ll just be here then. And thanks for the apples.”
Applejack just smiled and tipped her hat, leading Twilight around the corner and out of sight.
“What’s the matter Applejack?” Twilight asked, “I know the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration are for the Princess, but it’s hardly a matter of secrecy. I mean, no offense but the status of the food preparation is hardly a matter of utmost importance.”
“Ah know that,” Appljack said, her voice low, “Ah just needed a moment away from your new friend.”
“What’s this about Applejack?” Twilight asked, confused.
Applejack sighed, fidgeting with her hat. “You remember how many ponies were at the Apple family reunion when you first came to Ponyville?”
Twilight thought for a moment before shrugging. “I can’t honestly say I do really. There were a lot of ponies there, and I was in a bit of a hurry.”
“Exactly. The Apple family is one of the biggest families in all Equestria. Hay, even Ah sometimes worry Ah’m forgettin’ somepony.” Applejack paused, peering around the corner. Snow Drift was standing by the apple cart, looking awkward and uncomfortable. “Point is, Ah got family all over Equestria, in just about every city or town you can think of, an’ there ain’t no such place as Maresburg, least of all on the other side of the Everfree Forest.”
“So you think she’s lying?”
Applejack shrugged. “Well Ah ain’t sayin’ she don’t got a reason. Could be a lot of reasons she didn’t want to tell us where’s she’s from. Ah can’t rightly say it’s any of mah business, but Ah know she ain’t bein’ truthful, an’ that makes me nervous.”
Twilight considered this. It was true she had never heard of a town called Maresburg. On top of that, she had never heard of any Equestrian settlements on the other side of the Everfree Forest. Looking back on it, Snow Drift had seemed a little reluctant to talk about where she was from, but she had just dismissed it as nerves. She had just been through a traumatic experience after all. Still, it was disconcerting to know that she had been lying the whole time. She didn’t seem like a dishonest pony, but Twilight trusted Applejack, particularly on matters of honesty. If she said Snow Drift was lying then Twilight was inclined to agree.
“But why would she lie about something like that?” Twilight said, thinking aloud, “I mean, it’s not like Ponyville has any feuds with neighboring villages, and I’m sure that even if it did everypony would be understanding enough to help a mare in need.”
“That’s part of why it bothers me,” Applejack said, “If she ain’t worried about how we’d treat her, then what’s she lyin’ for?” She sighed, kicking a stray pebble, “Shoot. Ah might just be overthinkin’ this. Like Ah said, there’s all sorts of reasons somepony might want to keep things secret. Ain’t no question she needs help right now though. She sure ain’t makin’ up those injuries. You just be careful ‘round her Twilight, I can’t rightly trust a pony that lies to folk tryin’ to help ‘em.”
“I will. I’m sure it’s nothing, but thank you Applejack, I appreciate you looking out for me.”
“Shucks girl, you know Ah’d never leave you in the dark. We’re practically family. Now come on, we kept her waitin’ long enough,” Applejack said, trotting back over to her apple cart and patting Snow Drift heartily on the back, causing the unicorn to wince and choke on a bite of apple.
Twilight followed behind slowly, watching the antics of her old and new friends. She couldn’t understand why she would lie to her. What possible reason could she have for wanting to keep her in the dark? What, exactly, was she trying to hide?
Ponyville was not what Aurora had been expecting at all. She wasn’t sure what exactly she had been expecting, but she supposed she had imagined it would follow the same basic layout as the towns back in Equiiria. In retrospect, she wasn’t sure why she had thought that. There was no real reason it would, but she supposed she had been so busy worrying about Snow Drift and the other aspects of their mission that she hadn’t put much thought into what Ponyville actually looked like.
The picturesque little houses scattered seemingly at random amongst an assortment of odd shops and carts didn’t follow any logical pattern that she could see, aside from a main street that led directly to what she assumed was the town hall. It was like something out of a ponytale. All the houses made of wood and straw instead of the stone most structures in Equiiria were made of. Wood was a scarce commodity, and most of it was used for heating. Stone structures had the added advantage of being less likely to burn down as well.
She soared high above the town, savoring the feeling of flying freely for the first time since she had left the castle. She had left her armor back at their campsite on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Technically, she was supposed to remain in uniform while on duty, but she was fairly certain something like that would arouse suspicion. Besides, as much as she loved wearing it, it did sometimes make flying a little more difficult. It was nice to be able to fly naturally again.
Aurora dipped low, ducking below the clouds to get a better look. She wanted to stay out of sight if she could, but it wasn’t easy looking for Snow Drift among all the other ponies wandering the town. She didn’t even know whether or not Snow had made it to Ponyville, but if there was a chance she had then she wasn’t going to let any lead pass her by. After a minute, she pulled back up with a grumble, the white pony she had spotted being another dead end. She had already made three laps around Ponyville with no success. It was going to be evening soon, and she had little to show for her efforts. At this rate she was going to have to give up the silent reconnaissance and start asking around.
She circled back, preparing to take one more lap around the town before calling it for the day. Hopefully, Fleethoof and the others had had a little more luck in their search, although Aurora doubted they had. Trying to find a lost pony in that forest would be nigh impossible, even in the best of circumstances.
She ducked low over the edge of town, trying to stay below a growing patch of stormy grey clouds.
“Hey, watch out!”
Aurora twisted her head around just in time to see a rainbow-colored streak hurtling out of the clouds towards her. She flared her wings, shaving speed and twisting her body, trying to roll out of the way of the oncoming pegasus. She managed to move just in time, the other pegasus streaking by mere inches away. Aurora turned, her heart pounding in her chest as the adrenaline pumped through her system.
The rainbow streak slowed to reveal a cyan pegasus banking back towards her. Aurora tried to collect herself, taking a few deep breaths.
“Hey!” the mare called, coming to a stop in front of Aurora, “Are you alright? I almost didn’t see you in time!”
“Yeah, sorry about that,” Aurora replied, beginning to calm down, “You should be more careful though, it’s not safe to come flying out of clouds like that with such poor visibility. You could really hurt somepony.”
“Hey, I’m just trying to do my job,” the pegasus said with a shrug, wiping the condensation from her goggles, “We’re scheduled for a storm tonight so I gotta whip something up. Most pegasi stay away from storm clouds when the weather patrol is working on them.”
Aurora blinked. Weather patrol? “So you’re actually making a storm?”
“Yep, gonna be a big one too. They always know to send me when they want the best!”
“Oh. Well, sorry I guess,” Aurora said blankly, unsure of what else to say.
“No problem, it’s cool. It’s a good thing you’re so quick though, most pegasi wouldn’t have gotten out of the way in time. You’ve got some pretty good moves, do you practice a lot?”
“Yeah,” replied Aurora, “I have to keep in good condition or I wouldn’t be able to do my job very well.”
“Cool, me too. Working with the Ponyville weather patrol means I get a lot of flying in, plus I practice whenever I get some spare time. I’m Rainbow Dash by the way, what’s your name?”
“Aurora, nice to meet you Rainbow Dash,” Aurora said, shaking Rainbow’s offered hoof.
“Aurora huh,” Rainbow Dash said, looking her over, “You new to Ponyville? Don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”
“Oh, I just got into to town. I was coming for a visit with some of my friends.”
A crack of thunder sounded, startling the two pegasi. Aurora looked up, noticing the darkening clouds. From the looks of it, it wasn’t going to be safe to stay in the air for much longer. Her heart fell. It was getting late, and with a storm starting she wouldn’t be able to keep looking for Snow Drift. She could only hope that she had managed to find shelter somewhere. If the storm continued to grow it was going to be a nasty one, and Aurora hated to think about Snow lost and helpless in the forest somewhere in the midst of such a tempest.
“Woah, looks like the storm’s starting, we better get inside before it starts. I’m gonna head home, it was good meeting you Aurora, maybe I’ll see you around,” Rainbow Dash said, turning to leave.
“Wait!” Aurora called after her, flying to catch up.
Rainbow Dash stopped. “What’s up?” she asked.
Raindrops started to sprinkle and the two looked up at the clouds again. Aurora noted with some concern that they were starting to spread out over the rest of Ponyville and towards the forest. Hopefully, Weatherlight had made it back to camp already and wouldn’t be caught on her way back.
“Well, um, you see….” Aurora trailed off. She really didn’t want to involve any of the local ponies in her search for Snow Drift if she could help it, but it was starting to look like her search was going to be delayed, and she didn’t want to waste any time finding her friend.
“Actually, I was hoping you might be able to help me,” she said, trying to sound casual.
“Uh, sure, what’s up?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Well me and my friends just got into town, but one of my friends got lost in the forest before we got here. I was actually looking for her when I ran into you. I don’t know if she made it to Ponyville or not, but I didn’t even know where to start looking in the forest.”
“Well I can’t help you look for her right now; this isn’t flying weather, even for me,” Rainbow Dash said, tapping her chin thoughtfully, “Hmm, I guess I could ask around town though. If someone new showed up in town I’m sure somepony will know.”
“Thank you,” Aurora said, “I’m really grateful. I just hope she isn’t hurt or still lost in the forest.”
“No problem, I’m sure she’ll turn up alright. Oh yeah, what does she look like?”
“She’s a unicorn, about my size, maybe a little smaller,” Aurora said, “White coat with a bluish mane and a snowflake cutie mark. Her name’s Snow Drift. She shouldn’t be too hard to spot, she doesn’t really blend in with the crowd.”
“Yeah there aren’t a ton of unicorns in Ponyville anyway, and I’m friends with the only white unicorn in town so I’ll know her if I see her I guess.”
A flash of lightning and another crack of thunder drew their attention.
“Yikes, time to get outta here. So yeah, no problem. I’ll ask around and keep an eye out for your friend.” Rainbow Dash started to fly away but stopped, calling back to Aurora, “Oh, where are you staying? I’ll come find you if you if I hear anything about her.”
“Me and another one of my friends camped out on the edge of the forest so we could keep looking for her,” Aurora said, hoping it didn’t seem too strange that she would be visit a town without staying in it, “We’re sort of close to that big orchard, I’ll put something up so you can find us.”
“Camping in the forest huh?” Rainbow Dash said, “You’re gonna have a rough night in this.”
“We’ll manage. I want to be close in case Snow Drift is still in the forest.”
“Sure, makes sense. Well good luck with the storm and looking for your friend. I’ll keep my eyes peeled for ya,” Rainbow Dash said before taking off.
Aurora watched the rainbow streak depart before taking off back in the direction of her camp. She really hadn’t wanted to ask for help, and to make matters worse she had told the rainbow-maned pegasus where to find her and Weatherlight. She tried to shake off the uneasy feeling the encounter had left her with. Their mission was on hold for as long as it took to find Snow Drift and make sure she was alright. Until then, she would just have to do whatever it took to find her.
Besides, she thought, landing back at her campsite, it was just one pegasus and she had seemed nice enough. It wasn’t like she was going to raise the alarm on the whole kingdom for them. No, most likely she was just being paranoid and Rainbow Dash was sincere in helping her. There was almost no way that asking the pegasus for help could turn around and bite her. At least, she hoped not.