Welcome To My Life
Chapter 4: Snow Laughing Matter
4 years later…
It was a cold winter’s day in Ponyville. A fair blanket of snow had slowly amassed over the past week, dousing the world in a soft, white down as if to wipe the world clean to start anew. Small flakes still trickled from grey clouds, adding incrementally to the fresh canvas. The air was still and cold, with few sounds to be heard over the muffling effect of the snow. Even those ponies that decided to brave the chill and enjoy the serene purity, whether solo or in pairs, remained in an almost revered hush, careful to avoid shattering the surreal wonderland around them.
Despite their best efforts, the atmosphere was viciously rent by the harsh clanging of the elementary school bell, followed almost instantly by the growing roar of about two dozen fillies and colts streaming through the front doors to glorious freedom. It was the start of the Hearth’s Warming Eve holidays, and the energy amongst the foals could not have been higher. Within moments, the flat, fresh, and featureless fields surrounding the schoolhouse had become excavated and mounded seemingly at random, each unique feature shaped by energetic hooves and vivid imaginations.
One young pony, the last to leave the building, poked his head from the doors cautiously. He was a quiet young pegasus, preferring to read by himself than to gallivant through cold, wet expanses off of the main path that always led home. Shifting his saddlebags with his shoulders and letting out a deep sigh, Stalwart Bastion embarked on his dangerous mission. Shy, almost introverted, ponies such as himself had a great deal to fear from snow. All it would take was one shouted command from one of the cool colts, and…
“FIRE VOLLEY!”
Instantly, 5 colts emerged from their holes in the snow. Snowballs littered the basins of their foxholes, expertly fashioned for maximum flight distance and speed.
Accustomed with these rituals by repeated trial and error, Bastion knew hat trying to run would only light the fire of the hunt in their hearts. They would then give chase and, seeing as he was slower than them and still flightless; he would receive face washes of icy snow from two of them while the others held him down and laughed.
Fleeing back to the schoolhouse also never worked, as one or two were positioned closer to the door than he was, ready to bar his path to freedom and toss him back to the rest of the gang. This left him only one real option.
Ducking to the icy path, he hunkered down; shutting his eyes and covering his head with both hooves for protection just as the first projectiles shattered against his sides. As long as he remained a stationary target, the group would soon lose interest, assuming that none of them suggested-
“Keep firing until he’s buried!” shouted Bismarck, a colt with a light green coat and grey mane.
The rest of the group paused to cheer briefly, allowing Bastion just enough time to sigh in preparation for the long haul. Just as the volley was beginning to pick up once more, it stopped again suddenly. Bastion heard the distinctive tinkling of magic, and could feel the presence of somepony else beside him. Lifting his leg off of his head cautiously, he cracked open one eye.
Standing at his side was a pale red unicorn filly sporting a light blue mane and tail with a white stripe running through each. Both were cropped short, yet were curled and coiffed cutely. She wore a deep red scarf with a large pompom at each end, and her large round pair of dark blue thin-rimmed glasses. Her small horn was glowing fiercely to keep a pink bubble shield up. The incoming snowballs splattered uselessly against it, fizzling lightly as they slid slowly to the ground.
Bastion recognized her immediately. She was Arcana Dura, daughter of Trixie Lulamoon and Card Trick, grade A student and star pupil of the school. He had seen her at the front of the classroom all year so far, as he himself always sat in the back corner. Part of him disliked her, but only because when she answered questions, her upraised hoof partially blocked his view of his favourite poster on the wall. She often gave presentations for the class, more often than was required, and while doing so, he had always liked how her mouth smiled on the right when she started getting excited by her topic. Learning and teaching made her eyes light up with joy every time, as if they, too, were trying to smile.
Her eyes were not smiling now, but were reciprocating her mouth’s snarl.
“Why don’t you jerks leave him alone?!” she growled both from anger and exertion, sweat beading on her brow to maintain her small force shield. The projectiles petered out, and Bismarck was about to urge his comrades to keep firing, when a second voice cut him off.
“That is quite enough!” a mint green unicorn mare called out.
“It’s Miss Lyra! Scatter!” Bismarck yelled. He and all of the other colts dove into the snow in separate directions, sending white powder spraying from in front of them and leaving shallow valleys in their wakes.
Arcana cut her spell, causing small droplets of water and snow to drop shimmering to the ground all around the two. She hung her head and let out a burst of air from the release. She panted lightly to regain her breath as Lyra walked over. Bastion picked himself up and shook his head to clear his mane of snow.
“Hello Miss Lyra,” both foals recited in unison, one out of breath, and the other mildly embarrassed.
Lyra Heartstrings, or Miss Lyra as her students called her, brushed the last fragments of snow and water droplets from Bastion’s coat. “Oh, Bastion,” she muttered concernedly, “I thought I had told you that you should fight back. Bullies don’t like picking on a colt who isn’t afraid of them.”
He looked at his hooves and ground a snowball into the path. “I… I can’t…” he muttered.
“And why is that?” she asked gently. Lyra placed a hoof over his shoulders. Arcana, who had mostly recovered by this point, looked at him curiously.
“Mom told me not to.”
Lyra sighed to herself. As a teacher, she was not allowed to undermine a parent’s authority, especially that of her boss. Professor/Principal Sparkle, the founder of the school, had hired her to replace Cheerilee, who had moved into the university as a professor, and to cross Twilight was never a good plan. She did, however, plan to ask about this rule to her at a later date. Today would not work, as the university was closed for the holidays already.
“Well, ok then,” she conceded unsurely, “run along then.”
As he walked away, Lyra turned to Arcana. “Thank you for helping him out, Arcana. It was a brave thing you did, standing up for him like that.”
“Thank you, Miss Lyra!” she beamed up at her teacher.
“Impressive spell, by the way,” she noted. “I have to say it’s been some time since I’ve seen a shield like that one, years in fact.” Arcana basked in the praise.
“Try not to overdo it, though. Over-casting spells like that can be very dangerous.”
“I promise.”
“Good. And can I ask a favour?’
“Anything, Miss Lyra.”
“Do you suppose you could walk with Bastion home? He gets it pretty rough from those guys.”
“Sure thing, Miss Lyra!” she agreed with a salute. “You can count on me!”
Arcana spun on the spot, and rushed off to catch up with Bastion. Lyra watched them until they rounded a corner and left her sight. Expertly sliding her side satchel around, she fished out a note from her current male admirer, double checking for her own sake where he was taking her for dinner to celebrate the holidays. Discarding her identity as a schoolteacher for the time being, she ruffled her mane up playfully, giggling in anticipation.