//------------------------------// // A story told by Vinyl (long rewrite of Vinyl's History lesson) // Story: An Apple Scratch toward the World. // by Mariacheat-Brony //------------------------------//         With the return of their last member, the life of the Apples of Sweet Apple Acres was back to its usual train of life. Vinyl had happily returned to doing the morning chores with Applejack. Waking up at crack of dawn in Manehatten for doing nothing other than jogging during a whole year wasn’t really fulfilling compared to the morning chores.         While most of her days at the farm were spent in Applejack’s company around the farm, Vinyl still had to work for their trip to Canterlot. Those responsible for the wedding’s musical arrangement had asked Vinyl to compose a few tunes to add to the selection the bride-to-be had chosen. It had become an habit to see the blue haired Apple sitting on the house’s patio, quill in her hand with many music sheets, and a bottle of ink twirling around her in a light blue magical aura. It was in that state that AppleBloom had found Vinyl, focused on her composition, three afternoons before her departure for Canterlot. The little red-head had a rather big book with a golden engraving representing a winged unicorn. “Huh, Vinyl?” AppleBloom called hesitantly. “What is it, Bloom?” Vinyl asked casually, her eyes still focused on one of the many music sheets hovering in front of her. “Ah...Ah have ma last history report to do for school,” AppleBloom explained slowly. “Ah know yer busy preparing for the wedding, so Ah asked Applejack to help me, but she said that Ah should ask ya… She said that yer the brain of the family, and that ya have a good feelin’ about history,” she added quickly. “Well, that’s nice of her to finally admit it,” Vinyl said with a chuckle as she faced her little sister. “What is your report about?” “Ya don’t have to if yer busy with….” “Don’t worry about that,” Vinyl assured with a wave. “It was time that I take a break anyway. And, even if it wasn’t, your schooling is more important than the wedding of a complete stranger,” she added with a wink. “Well, it’s the wedding of a princess,” AppleBloom remarked uneasily. “Still a stranger to me,” Vinyl replied with a shrug while all her music sheets were being put away with her magic. “Again, what is it about?” “Oh, right,” AppleBloom said while showing Vinyl the book she had been holding. “It’s about the founding of Equestria,” “That’s a rather easy subject,” Vinyl commented. “You hear about it every year on Hearth’s Warming Eve.” “Ah know, but there is something Ah don’t understand,” AppleBloom explained. “The book keeps referring to the three tribes as a whole… Like the tribes didn’t exist,” “Well, there was a time before the three tribes, Bloom,” Vinyl said calmly. “A time when Titania, Epona and Jupiter were nothing more than a few drunken hunter’s rumors.“ “What do you mean?” “Sit next to me, Bloom,” Vinyl demanded with a smile while patting the spot next to hers on the bench.         AppleBloom quickly sat on the indicated spot with an eager smile on her face. She knew what was about happen, and she couldn’t wait for it to happen. “Ready for some good storytelling, Lil’ Bloom?” Vinyl chuckled at the smile of her little sister. “Ready as Ah can be!” AppleBloom replied with a nod. “Ok, then…” Vinyl cleared her throat. “Very long ago, in a land not so far away….” ~~~~~~~         A bit more than forty-four centuries ago,.... “Why don’ ya say four thousand four hundred years?” “No questions when I’m telling a story, Bloom! Now, where was I?”         A bit more than forty-four centuries ago, our land of Equestria had a different name. The name was lost into the meanderings of time, along all the things related to that ancient realm. The only fact we’re sure about is that it was very prosperous. Until they came into the picture.         They came from the Arctic North, and they brought with them a wave of cold that stroke deep into the land itself. The crops started to wither, rivers slowly turned into glaciers, the earth started to freeze. Those frost monsters, half-elk half humans, went South to plunge the world into an everlasting winter. It was the first time humans saw the use of magic, they were defenseless against this new enemy that let the weather fight for himself. Slowly, but surely this ancient kingdom fell, village by village, until the Windigos, as they were called, moved on to the bigger towns. In less than a few months, mankind was left with three strongholds. Strongholds that were isolated from each other: one was a big coastal city that would be later on be called Manehatten; another was a fortress built on top of the mountains, not very far from where Cloudsdale is nowadays located; the last being a large castle of which ruins now lie deep within the Everfree Forest. Humans felt the end coming. Their glorious kingdom that was supposed to last forever was now in ruin, and their last cities would be in the same state without much delay. They prayed for their deities to save them. The legends says that while the three last bastions were under the simultaneous onslaughts of the Windigos, their prayers were answered. Though not by whom they had prayed to. ~~~~~~~         At the Everfree Castle “They’ve breached the gates!” a castle guard of yelled in panic through the loud, icy winds that accompanied the enemy’s troops. “Retreat to the inner…” his order was interrupted by an ice-made javelin piercing his chest. “In the name of King Fimbul, leave no one standing!” a massive Windigo with an ice blue fur and two larges ice made battle-axes ordered with a mad chuckle as his brethren charged into the castle.         Many castle guards sacrificed themselves in the hope that many citizens could reach the relative safety of the inner gate. They didn’t even inflict any casualties upon the beastmen invaders, who could paralyze them easily with their ice magic.         Thanks to that same magic, the windigos froze the inner gates to the point they would shatter under a kick from a Windigo’s hoofed leg. The invaders pushed the humans further into the fortress, killing everyone on their path.         As the Windigos were rampaging through the city, a middle aged man holding the hand of a very young child was cornered by the chief of the invading force and his party. The chief slowly walked toward the man who had his back turned to him with a mad grin, lifting one of his battle-axe. “Gr...Grandpa, he’s coming,” the little boy’s voice trembled in fear before his grandfather kneeled in front of him and held him tightly. “It’s going to be alright, little one,” the grandfather said in a final attempt to reassure his grandchild. “Just… don’t look.” he added almost pleadingly.         When he heard the Windigo was a few meters behind his grandfather, the boy hugged him strongly before closing his eyes. “The human warmth at its finest,” the windigo commented with an icy chuckle. “The world our King wants won’t miss it for sure!” he lifted his right axe.         At the moment the blue furred biped’s weapon was about to come down on the old man, a giant column of bright white light appeared between him and his kill. The windigos yelled with a wince before stumbling backwards in front of the white light. In the entire area, windigos and humans alike stopped what they were doing to glance at the light with an awed curiosity. “What was t….” the chief windigo began asking before seeing what had come between him and his victim.         Just in front of the old man and his grandson was standing a two and a half meters tall, pearl white unicorn, its horned head lowered threateningly toward the windigos. The invaders couldn’t help themselves but to feel afraid of the mysterious equine apparition. The white magical hue coming from the Unicorn’s eyes and horn wasn’t about to reassure them to say the least. “Grandpa!” the boy let out in an awed whisper. “It’s like the stories… It’s Titania, the white unicorn of the forest!” he said with a fearful, yet excited voice.         Before anyone could make a move, the white unicorn stood up tall, proudly raising her two foot long horn to the sky. A white beam flew from the horn into the air, reaching a point where everyone see it clearly, before it exploded in a rain of white magic shards that flew toward every human in the vicinity.         Nearly all of them screamed in panic when the shards touched them. Upon contact with the humans, the shards illuminated the area like a thousand of small suns.         When the light died down, the chief Windigo noted that the unicorn had disappeared, leaving the old man and his grandson alone. He shrugged before returning to what he was about to do when the old man slowly stood up, his eyes focused on his palms.         The man turned around, revealing the beginning of a rather impressive, greying beard, his eyes and hands glowing in a deep blue hue. “Stay away from our home, monsters!” the old man growled threateningly before extending both his hands to the Windigos. “What did you just…” was all the chief could say before him and his party were engulfed in a torrent of blue flames.         As the invaders in front of him were burning to a crisp, the old man looked at the night sky, seeing it lit up by many colored hue while hearing yells of pain. Only this time, the yells were coming from the invaders and not from the attacked humans. ~~~~~~~ At the mountain Fortress “Commander! We must abandon the walls!” a captain shouted pleadingly. “If we abandon the walls, the Windigos would have won even before setting a darn hoof on them!” the commander barked at his captain. “It’ll be the end for all the people counting on us to protect them!” “But, those flying sculptures are attacking from the air, and our men are sitting ducks on the walls!” “Then grab a bow, and shoot those things down!” the commander ordered firmly, before setting the example for his men.         The Windigos didn’t make war with the sole strength of their hordes. They looked like beasts, but their tactics were as advanced of the humans’. Even probably more advanced as they could use their magic on the battlefield, something the humans could not.         Like on the ongoing siege, Windigos often used their magic to create ice made puppets of many differents flying creatures: from large birds of prey or small flying drakes. Needless to say those ice-made statues were resilient enough to simply brush off the humans’ arrows. Bolts from bolt throwers, on the other hand, not so much, but that’s what the flock of ice creations had first destroyed when they attacked the fortress’ walls.         The commander shot an arrow that bounced on the eye of a giant frozen eagle which, in response, grabbed half a dozen of soldiers in his talons when he flew above the wall. The next thing the commander saw was the bird of prey dropping his soldiers above the horde that awaited for the right moment for their assault on the wall.         Said moment seemed to be when another flying golem raised from the rear of the mass of blue furred creatures, which was hidden by the falling snow. The commander and all his troops gasped in shock when they saw what it was. The Windigos had created an ice version of a full grown dragon.         The dragon flew rather slowly compared to his smaller sculpted companions, and the Windigos were marching a few dozens of meters behind. They weren’t gonna do anything until their newest creation had breached the walls. “Men, do not run away!” the commander ordered slowly as he felt the moral of his troops falling as quickly as the dragon came closer. “If it’s our fate to die today, then it’ll be with the honor that befits our duty as soldiers!” he said calmly while drawing his sword out of its sheath.         Soldiers passed their commander’s words to each other. Many gulped uneasily, but none of them left  post. They all drew their weapons out, bracing themselves for their last stand. The dragon opened his maw to let out a loud, cavernous roar when landed in front of the fortress’ gate.         A loud boom resonated through the mountains. But it didn’t came from the gate. It came from the sky. The numerous clouds in the sky were suddenly scattered by a prismatic ring. When they heard a very sharp, and high-pitched whistling sound coming closer, the defenders looked up only to see a black blur crashing onto the dragon’s skull, completely shattering it in tiny shards.         The headless body of the ice dragon fell loudly and heavily on the ground, raising a large cloud of dust that masked the entire area in front of the wall. A sudden, powerful gust of wind coming from inside the dust cloud dispersed it instantly, revealing what had just destroyed the giant ice golem.         Standing proudly in a small crater, a massive stallion, about four meters to the withers the commander had estimated from the top of the wall, black as the night, with large wings spread on its back. The black pegasus’ eyes and front hooves were circled with sparks of lightning. “Captain,” the commander called softly. “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” “Yes, commander,” the captain replied in awe. “What do you think it is?” “I don’t know,” the commander said, his eyes focused on the black pegasus that was angrily tapping its hoof on the ground. “I think it’s the storm pegasus,” a nearby soldier thought out loud, earning a few glances in his direction. “You know… that legend about the shadow of a winged horse that some claimed to have seen in the sky after a lightning strike…. I think the stories called it Jupiter, or something like that,”         Jupiter reared up on his legs, his large wings widely open on his back. He let out a loud whinny as the cleared sky was suddenly filled with black storm clouds. The number of lightning sparks around his front hooves had doubled when Jupiter slammed them on the ground in a loud, thunderclap. When he did, the storm clouds above liberated an incalculable numbers of thunderbolts that all headed towards the human fortress. Before anyone could process what had happened, every single human in the fortress had been struck by a lightning bolt. When he recovered from the strike, the commander saw electric sparks coming from his hand. He blinked many times until he realized the sparks weren’t a product of his imagination. The commander glanced where Jupiter had been standing earlier, only to notice that the horde of Windigos had ran toward the wall while he was a bit out of commission. The commander didn’t even get the time to growl in anger before the earlier giant eagle flew in his direction, talons ready to crush him. He instinctually waved his hand defensively at the giant bird. The ice creation exploded with a loud shriek when a lightning bolt flew from the commander’s hand to its chest. As the remains of the frozen eagle fell to the ground, the commander glanced at his hand in awe before he realized something had been weighing on his back since the moment he had been struck by lightning. He glanced behind him, surprised to see a large pair of black wings attached to his back. He looked at his men with curiosity. They all had also a pair of wings on their back. Some made of feathers, others made of colored light. The commander glanced outside the wall. The Windigos were now busy freezing the gates while their flying sculptures dove towards the wall to attack the soldiers who were confused by their newly earned wings. He closed his fist angrily, causing multiple sparks to come out of it. He felt his wings flutter on his back. He felt a high sense of exhilaration when they did that. When he saw an ice made drake diving in the direction of his men, he knew what to do. He took off, and destroyed the ice sculpture with another lightning bolt produced by his hand.         His men gasped as their commander kept himself in the air with constant flaps of his black wings. Another flying sculpture flew quickly to him to attack him, only to be destroyed by another lightning bolt. “Men!” the captain called sternly. “Have we no shame at all that we leave the commander fighting alone?!” he asked in an angry shout, his ethereal blue wings widely spread on his back. “Is that how we do things now?” “NO, CAPTAIN!” they all replied with a shout. “Then, let’s join him!” the captain ordered before flying rapidly to the commander’s altitude, immediately followed by a great part of the soldiers. “Your orders, Commander?” The commander looked back at his now airborne soldiers with a small grin. “Follow me!” he said before diving towards the horde of Windigos that were about to break the fortress gates. “Onward!” a few soldiers chanted as they followed their commander to the ground before delivering to the invading force a rain of thunderbolts. “Onward with Commander Hurricane!” ~~~~~~~         In the city now known as Manehatten,         The defenders of the coastal city had prepared it for anything they could think off. They had reinforced the walls, condemned the gates with huge barricades, built hastily new siege engines to bombard the Windigos’ advance. They were ready for anything that would try to invade from the land. Windigos simply mocked all those preparations by freezing the sea itself, using the thick layer of ice as a landmass to simply walk around the defenses. Their actions also trapped the many ships the city’s chancellor had prepared for an emergency evacuation. As the bellowing horde was walking slowly toward the frozen port, the citizens started to panic and began to run inside the city, thus blocking the soldiers that were trying to get to the port. Only one person didn’t ran to the city. An incredibly tall man, only armed with a pickaxe, madly ran on the ice until he reached the middle of the distance between the port and the invading army. He lifted his pickaxe high above his head before he started to mine the ice at a speed that showed his years of experience as a mine foreman. Windigos started to mock his futile efforts as they came closer to the city’s port, while the humans couldn’t help themselves but to stare incredulously at the man’s crazy idea. Ignoring the mockeries yelled at him, the foreman contuned mining the ice at an incredible pace. Eventually, one of the marching Windigos grew tired of the foreman’s action. He conjured a sharp ice shard before casting it at the mining man. The shard buried itself in the man’s chest, right below his right shoulder. The man stumbled backward due to the impact, dropping his pickaxe on the ground. That attack caused an uproar in the human’s ranks. Many decided to angrily charge onto the ice to help the foreman, and many more followed suit, rage burning in their eyes. The foreman shook his head vigorously before picking his tool up and went back to mining the ice, ignoring the shard in his chest. Unbeknownst to the two charging masses on the ice cap, something else was observing the whole scene. A massive workhorse mare was standing on the shore of the frozen, her floral mane flowing to an unexisting breeze and her glowing green eyes focused on the foreman. She let out a loud whiny that was heard by everyone on the ice cap, turning many gazes towards her. She reared up and slammed her forehooves on the ground. Large roots made of a green light emerged from the ground around the mare. The roots entwined themselves and grew bigger until they formed a gigantic, vibrant green tree. The tree shined brightly before exploding in myriads of bright green seeds that were carried by the winds to the city. The seeds landed on every human present before instantly merging inside them. The humans and Windigos alike didn’t notice any change until they heard a thunderous crack coming from in between the two crowd. The foreman hadn’t stopped his mining when the magical mare appeared. But since the moment the seeds merged with him, each time his pickaxe went down it created large cracks on the frozen surface. At each hit, the crack grew longer, wider and deeper. When they felt their ice-made footing becoming more unstable every second passing, many Windigos put their hands on the ground, using their magic to restore the ground. But their magic couldn’t overcome the damage constantly created by the foreman’s mining. They could barely stop him from more damaging the surface. One of the spellcasters yelled the order to kill the foreman. The rest of the horde charged toward the foreman, casting many shards at him to stop him. Only this time, every shard that touched him couldn’t pierce his skin. They simply shattered on impact, as if they had crashed on a stone. While they didn’t hurt the foreman, one shard had broken his pickaxe. The man joined his fists together and lifted them as high as he could, his eyes shining a yellow hue. The Windigos were only a meter away from him when he brought his fists down with a load roar. As soon as the foreman hit the ice, it gave way under the invaders’ hooves. The cap in front of the foreman shattered and the cracks overcame the Windigos’ restoring spell. Small patches of ice drifted apart from each others, or collapsed under their own weight, making the Windigos’ army fall into the sea with panicked yells wherein many of them were crushed between drifting icebergs or simply blocked underwater by the same icebergs, thus leaving them to drown. The Windigos who had stayed in the rear guard simply turned heel and ran away, to the coast, hoping they would outrun the collapsing ground they had previously created. The humans who had run to the foreman cheered for him loudly. For the first time since their appearance, Windigos had been vanquished on the battlefield. “I wonder what that horse was?” a man thought out loud in the middle of the shout. “Have you ever heard legends when you were young, boy?” the foreman asked happily, startling the man. “That was the keeper of the wild, the Nature Mare Epona!” he claimed with conviction. “How could you be so certain of that?” “Well, it’s more of a hunch than a certitude actually, but it had never failed me before so..” the foreman replied with a shrug. “What’s your name, man?” a soldier asked him happily at some point. “So that we can chant your name for the whole town!” “Hum..name’s Igneous Rock,” the foreman replied softly. “But my friends in the mine used to call me Puddinghead because of my silly ideas, like pickaxing the ice,” he explained sheepishly. “Well, since that silly idea of yours saved us all in the end,” the soldier turned to the crowd. “For Puddinghead, hip, hip, hip…” “HURRAY!” the whole crowd shouted happily. ~~~~~~~         Many years later, in the Everfree Castle, “Starswirl, you’ve got to listen!” Hurricane claimed loudly to the old man with an incredibly long white beard sitting in front of him. “We can’t go on like this!” he shouted, ignoring the dark glares the entire court composed of the Children of Titania, or Titanians as they were also called, were giving him and his companion. “Why should I listen to you, Hurricane?” Starswirl replied coldly. “You and your feathered kind have done nothing for us in the last two decades, and now you walk in and ask, no, demand my help in one of your nth attempt to get rid of Fimbul, the king of the Windigos!” he said with an unhappy chuckle. “Nothing?” Hurricane asked angrily, his black wings instinctually flared open. “You dare say nothing? We Jupitarians fought against the Windigos, and took back many territories that were lost before the Horse Gods’ blessing, while you and your kind remained hidden deep inside of your enchanted forest. You’ve done nothing while we were shedding blood to claim back what was once ours!” “You’ve only fought for yourself, Hurricane!” Starswirl retorted angrily. “Didn’t you say it yourself when we offered you a helping hand in the past? Pegasopolis doesn’t need help to fight her battles!” Hurricane gritted his teeth before glancing at his companion, a brown haired man wearing the black armor of Pegasopolis. “Someone made me realize how foolish I was back then,“ Hurricane admitted slowly, shocking about everyone in the court, except for his companion who nodded quietly. “We were once a powerful, and united nation! Unity is what we need if we want to get rid of the Windigos for good!”         His words were met with a deep silence. “Glad you finally realized you were a fool, Hurricane,” Starswirl said slowly. “Too bad it was too late. What’s in the past must remain in the past!” he added firmly. “Now, I ask you to leave, Commander Hurricane!” Hurricane trembled from frustration. “As you wish, Starswirl the Bearded!” he growled before heading toward the door.         Hurricane and his companion headed out of the Castle while every Titanian they encountered walked away from them with a dark glare. “I’m sorry we had made the journey for nothing, Commander,” his companion said softly. “It wasn’t your fault, Pansy,” Hurricane said with a sigh. “I should have known the old fart and his clique wouldn’t leave their enchanted forest.” “I’m not sure that our idea was badly received by everyone, Commander,” Pansy reassured softly. “Starswirl might have said no, but….” “But nothing, Pansy!” Hurricane growled impatiently. “He has kept them safe ever since the Blessing. They’ll never do something against his word! They owe him too much.” “Yes, but…” Pansy started as they passed through the castle’s front gate before being startled by a purple flash. “Waah!” he let out, hiding behind his commander.         A young man with bright green hair, wearing a brown habit had appeared in front of Hurricane who rolled his eyes at his easily scared companion before focusing them on the young Titanian. The young man’s purple eyes stared at the commander with an evident interest. “What do you want?” Hurricane asked abruptly. “You really meant what you said to Grandfather?” he asked back curiously. “You’re Starswirl’s grandson?” Pansy asked in surprise. “I said many things to the old man,” Hurricane replied matter-of-factly. “Care to be more specific?” “Unity is what we need if we want to get rid of the Windigos for good,” the young man quoted. “Did you really mean that?” “Why is that so hard to believe?” Hurricane asked with an irritated frown. “You have the reputation of being rather individualist,” he replied with a shrug. “With what your grandpa just said to us, am really I the only one who’s individualist?” Hurricane asked sharply. “Fair enough,” the man replied with a shrug. “Anyway, why do you need our help so much?” “We tried to slay the king of the Windigos, many times,” Pansy explained slowly. “We tried every way we could think off, but he’s too powerful!” “Hum-hum.” Hurricane nodded. “Whenever we tried to attack him, but his control on the wind is too much for us to handle,” he growled in remembrance of his former failures. “We hope that a combined assault of our three tribes would be too much for him.” “That’s what we hope,” Pansy added. “That’s logical,” the young man replied with a nod. “I’ll help you!” “Really?” Hurricane asked skeptically. “You’ll go against your grandfather’s words?” “Grandfather lost track of what was important,” he said with sadness. “The Windigos isolated us to get rid of us more easily in the past! If we maintain that isolation further, even with our abilities, we are condemned.” “Your name, boy?” Hurricane asked with interested smile. “Clover,” he replied casually. “Clover the clever!” “Well, we’ll see if you deserve that title, Clover,” Hurricane said with a chuckle. “We should go, Commander,” Pansy said. “We need to get to Manehatten as soon as possible.” “You’re right!” Hurricane nodded. “Do you have any way for you to move fast enough to keep up with our flying speed?” “Just needed to ask,” a woman’s voice said boastfully before a giant, crystally panthera jumped from the castle walls. “What the in Tartarus name is that thing?” Hurricane asked, his fists sparkling with electricity. “What are you doing here, Platinum?” Clover asked the woman, wearing a deep purple cloak with a black and white, furred collar, who was riding the crystal feline. “Well, knowing you as much as I do, Clover,” Platinum said, rolling her gemlike eyes knowingly. “It was obvious you’d be interested in Commander Hothead’s idea,” she turned her gaze on a the growling, black winged man. “And for your information, that THING is a magically created crystal golem. I call him Fluffy!” she giggled while patting Fluffy’s head. “It’s Commander HURRICANE, girl,” Hurricane growled angrily. “Try to be a little more diplomatic, Commander,” Pansy advised before Hurricane growled at him. “Never mind what I just said,” he added sheepishly. “That didn’t answer my question, Platinum!” Clover remarked. “You know for someone whose title is ‘the clever’, you have trouble realizing the obvious sometimes,” Platinum replied in annoyance. “I’m here to give you a ride, because I know that you’re about to leave with these two, and if they don’t mind…. Well, even if they mind, to come with you!” “Why would you want to come with me, Platinum?” Clover asked. “Someone has to be there to make sure you don’t get sidetracked, Clover, and I doubt the Commander is willing to do it,” Platinum explained. “And, there’s something I need to ask the commander,” “What do you want to know?” Hurricane asked with a cocked eyebrow. “You’ve seen Fimbul in flesh and blood, right?” Hurricane nodded. “Is it true that his crown is adorned with a large saphir that shines as brightly as a blue sun?” she asked eagerly. “Huh….” Hurricane was surprised by that question. “I haven’t paid much attention to that, but I’m pretty sure he has a large blue gem on his crown.” “Fantastic!” Platinum replied happily before turning to Clover. “Hop on, Clover, or I’m leaving you behind. Clover blinked before noticing the interrogation on the two Jupitarians’ face. “She has a thing for gemstones!” he explained with a shrug before climbing on top of Fluffy’s back. “I can see that,” Hurricane whispered while Pansy nodded in realization. “Anyway, let’s go!” he said before taking off. “I’d rather be far away before Starswirl notices his grandson is missing. I hope your cat can keep up with us, girl,” he asked as Pansy had joined him in the air. “Don’t worry about that, Commander,” Platinum grinned as her hand shined a pure white aura. “Where to for Manehattan?” “It’s toward East, Platinum,” Clover said before tightening his grip on the crystal feline. “Perfect! See you there, Commander!” Platinum rested her magic charged hand on Fluffy’s head, making his whole body shined brightly. “Let’s go!” she shouted happily before the crystal made cat dashed to the East at a speed that took Hurricane and Pansy by surprise. “Wow,” Pansy let out in amazement. “The girl sure got skills,” Hurricane commented slowly before they flew to catch up with the brightly white feline. “Nice flying speed,” Platinum commented as the two Jupitarians flew a bit ahead of them. “Thanks,” Hurricane muttered. “Why are we heading to Manehattan by the way?” Clover asked, while holding firmly his crystal mount. “We’re going to ask the help of their giant,” Hurricane replied. “It’s going to be hard,” he added with a sigh. “Puddinghead is as stubborn as Master Starswirl?” Platinum asked with curiosity. “Not really,” Pansy replied uneasily. “He’s…. Something else.” “Huh?” Clover and Platinum replied in confusion. ~~~~~~~ In Puddinghead’s quarters in the center of Manehatten. “So, that’s why we came here,” Hurricane said with the most infinite patience when he was done explaining his idea to the Chancellor standing inside the chimney in front of him. “I see,” the voice of Puddinghead replied in a small echo, presumably scratching his chin with a pensive frown. “I know I asked many times already, but…” Platinum began uneasily. “Yes, Platinum, he REALLY is standing inside a chimney!” Clover replied with a shocked expression. The giant of Manehattan wasn’t like how he expected him to be at all. “Okay,” Platinum focused her attention on the chimney. “WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?” she asked frantically. “He likes to think outside the box,” Smart Cookie, the chancellor’s female assistant, wearing a brown jacket and a matching hat with a white feather on it, replied with a tired sigh. “Why is he inside a chimney then?” she asked incredulously. “He says that the inside of a chimney counts as outside the box,” Cookie replied apathetically. It wasn’t the first time she had to explain that small detail. “Personally, I think that the time he spent in the mines when he was younger damaged his head too much,” “I heard that, Cookie!” Puddinghead called from his chimney. “Good for you!” Cookie replied in annoyance. “You’re awfully direct for an assistant,” Pansy remarked casually. “And that’s why I’m keeping her!” Puddinghead replied happily before coughing a couple of times as they saw soot falling on his feet. “We really should clean up in here, it’s dirty.” “Yes, Chancellor Puddinghead,” Cookie said monotonously while the others were glancing one and another with awkward expressions. “Anyway, what do you think about Hurricane’s plan, Cookie?” Puddinghead asked curiously. “You’re asking me?” Cookie asked back, completely taken aback by the chancellor’s question. “Yep! I know I’ve made a few bad decisions in the past when I should have listened to you,” Puddinghead explained softly. “This time, I can’t allow myself to make a bad decision! It’s about our own future, not some regulation about how the guards are supposed to control the circulation in town.” “And you’re trusting me with that something that important?” Cookie asked in a shaking tone. “You think I’d have kept at my service for so long if I couldn’t trust you when it matters the most?” Puddinghead asked.         Smart Cookie didn’t reply immediately. She felt all the gazes of the people present in the room on her, even Puddinghead’s despite the fact he was still inside the chimney. Cookie glanced outside a window, only seeing the plains around Manehattan covered under a thick layer of white snow, the cloudy and grey sky in one of the rare moments when it didn’t snow. “Does anyone of you remember what Spring looks like?” she asked pensively. “Huh, no,” Platinum replied in confusion. “I was too little to remember,” Clover replied sadly. “I’m afraid I don’t,” Pansy answered quietly. “No, I don’t,” Hurricane said calmly. “Can’t say I do, sorry,” Puddinghead answered with a great sadness in his voice. “Me neither,” Cookie said calmly. “I know it’s supposed to be the beginning for new lives, a revival for the old ones…” she sniffed slowly. “But it has been gone for two decades now,” she added in a shaken voice. “More than twenty years without Spring’s new flowers, twenty years without Summer and its warm days, twenty years without seeing the colors of Autumn,.... Just twenty years of snow and ice,” she said bitterly while she trembled in anger.         Puddinghead got out of his chimney before walking to his assistant while dusting his clothes and face from all the soot. He gently grabbed her shoulder and forced her to turn toward him and the others, only to see her pulled her hat down her eyes. Puddinghead lifted her hat up to wipe the tears in his assistant’s eyes. He gave her a short nod before she hugged him strongly. “Hurricane,” Puddinghead called while patting Cookie’s head slowly. “Yes?” “This winter has lasted long enough,” Puddinghead said in stern voice that startled everyone. “Let’s put an end to it, Commander!” Hurricane grinned. “With great pleasure, Chancellor!” ~~~~~~~         After weeks of preparations and scouting, Hurricane and his group laid an ambush for King Fimbul and his escorts in a chain of mountains in the center of the land. “Why are there only six of us again?” Platinum asked casually as Fimbul’s escort was coming closer. “Because a larger group would attract too much attention, girl,” Hurricane replied in annoyance. “I have a name, Commander Hothead!” “Call me by mine and I’ll start using it,” Hurricane replied. “We need a distraction,” Puddinghead remarked. “We’re gonna have come closer discreetly to care of the escort quickly enough.” “Why don’t we use her crystal cat?” Cookie asked as she pointed at Platinum. “Not really a distraction,” Platinum replied. “I have to stay close so that Fluffy can move,” “Great! So now you’re useless in battle on top of being a nuisance,” Hurricane growled. “Pardon?” Platinum asked with a cocked eyebrow. “I counted on your big cat for the fight, but if you can’t control it from a place you’d be safe, it’s no use,” Hurricane explained. “I see,” Platinum replied with narrowed eyes. “Very well,” she added before standing up and walking to Fluffy who started to move when his mistress was close enough. “I’ll just go along with Cookie’s idea.” she climbed on top of her crystal feline mount. “WHAT?!” Puddinghead, Cookie, Pansy and Hurricane asked, nearly shouting in shock.         Before anyone could stop it, Fluffy and his rider climbed down the cliff on which they were hiding to bar the road Fimbul and his escort were taking. “The idiot!” Hurricane growled angrily as Fimbul’s escort stopped when they saw her dismounting fluffy and walking up to them. “She’s gonna get herself killed!” he was about to take off when Clover stopped him with his purple magic. “Just watch, Commander,” Clover said with a knowing grin. “Hello, dear gentle...deers?” Platinum called the Windigos. “I’d like an audience with your King, Fimbul,” she said calmly. One of the most massive guards snorted. “What do you want of our King, woman?” “I’m here to warn him of an assassination attempt on his ...person,” Platinum explained, unsure about her choice of words. “In exchange for my town’s safety.” “A human selling her own kind?” a very deep voice spoke from behind the walls of guards. “How interesting.”         The escort parted to make way for the new comer. Platinum’s widened at the appearance of King Fimbul. She had found the Windigo that had answered to her was massive, but the build of his king made him look like a skinny Windigo.         The King was easily seven feet tall, without counting his massive staghorns, and four feet wide on the shoulder level. He was way more muscular than any of his guards. His fur was dark blue, nearly black on his hoofed legs, and his eyes were shining in a steamy, cold blue hue. He was wearing a skin made loincloth as a sole outfit, but he was wearing many golden bands around his wrist and arms, along with a many golden or silver necklaces. On top of his deer head, Fimbul was also wearing a simplistic silver crown with the largest and brightest sapphire Platinum had ever seen. “So, you had a warning for me?” Fimbul asked in his deep, guttural voice. “Well, sort of,” Platinum replied evasively, her diamond shaped irises focused on the sapphire between the two staghorns. “It doesn’t come without a fee though,” “Yes, I heard that,” Fimbul chuckled. “Your town’s safety, right?” “Well, since you’re never gonna set a foot… no a hoof in it, so how about that shiny sapphire on your head?” she asked pointing at Fimbul’s crown. Fimbul narrowed his eyes at the woman with the purple cloak, before giving a small shake of his head and turned his back to her. Two of his guards took their icy swords out and marched threateningly toward the Titanian. “Well, I’m still going to give my warning even if you didn’t pay.” Fimbul heard Platinum’s voice before hearing two loud cracks and seeing his two guards falling in front of him, each with a large and deep bruised recesses in the shape of a round brilliant cut diamond in the chest. He looked back and his eyes slightly widened when he saw the Titanian’s arms surrounded by a bright white aura shaped like an assembling of jewels. “Someone is going to assassinate you,” Platinum said coldly. “Right about now!” “KILL HER!” Fimbul yelled his order furiously. “We got to help her!” Pansy said with worry as five growling Windigos charged at Platinum. “No, she needs to vent a little,” Clover commented casually. “Huh?” “SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU TWO LEGGED DEERS!” Platinum bellowed in fury as she her diamonds shaped gauntlets took the shape of long blades before she nearly diced the five Windigos in a flash. “YOU’RE NOTHING MORE THAN UNUSUAL HUNTING GAME TO ME!” “She used to have anger management issues,” Clover explained while the others stared in awe at the rampage caused by Platinum. “Until Grandfather found out that fighting was an excellent outlet for her,” “No kidding,” Hurricane whispered, blinking profusely as Platinum demanded to hesitant Windigos to come at her. “Hey, where’s Cookie?” Pansy asked when he noticed the hat wearing woman’s absence. “COME ON!” Platinum taunted the dozens of Windigos forming Fimbul’s escort. “Come on, you littles does!”         A muscular Windigo didn’t take well the insult on his buck-hood, raised his icy axe high before being shoved away by a brown blur and sent crashing on a nearby rock. Next to the now unconscious hoofed creature, her foot pressing the Windigo’s head on the boulder, Smart Cookie was nonchalantly standing. “I was wondering when you’d show up,” Platinum remarked casually. “Well, Puddinghead is a bit slow to get started, and I don’t know about the rest,” Cookie retorted as she left the defeated Windigo on the ground. “Looks like it’s going to be a nice girl & girl moment. Want to see who’ll get the most?” “That’ wouldn’t be fair! I’m already six ahead of you,” Platinum commented with a smirk. “Hum-hum!” Cookie frowned before lunging at the Windigos in a blink of an eye.         Cookie was so fast that Platinum heard her strikes hit their marks instead of seeing them. A few seconds later, six Windigos laid unconscious on the ground and Cookie had returned to Platinum’s side. “We’re even now,” Cookie said with a cocky grin. “You sure are a fast one,” Platinum commented with an impressed whistle. “The fastest Eponian alive,” Cookie tipped her hat. “That’s why I’m at the Chancellor’s service!” Platinum and Cookie blinked as they processed what the latter had just said. “That sounded really wrong!” she added with a wince. “A little bit,” Platinum admitted awkwardly. “How about we forget about it?” “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?” Fimbul bellowed at his guards. “Kill them! Or I’ll kill you myself after taking care of them!”         The four dozens of Windigos gulped fearfully at their King’s threat before charging in unison at the two women. “Looks like Fimbul reigns with fear instead of respect,” Cookie commented with a shake of her head. “What a big mistake on their part.” “Yeah, they should fear us more!” Platinum added with a smirk.         The two women were ready to receive the charge of the forty Windigos when a rain of purple fire and lightning bolts fell on the blue furred creatures, charring them all in a few seconds. As the incinerated Windigos fell on the ground, Clover teleported himself next to them while Hurricane and Pansy landed behind Fimbul along with Puddinghead who landed less delicately than his winged companions. “Spoilsports,” Platinum and Cookie both complained with a frown. “Sorry, ladies,” Clover said genuinely before the ambient temperature drastically dropped. “But we need to take care of him quickly,” he added in a low tone while facing Fimbul.         The rocky mountain path had frozen around Fimbul’s hooves, his eyes were bright blue fire of anger now. Due to the Windigos’ King wrath, the weather changes from a soft snowy day to a howling blizzard. “So this is your new idea, Hurricane?” Fimbul asked in his deep voice as he glanced at the black winged Jupitarian behind him. “What happened to your ‘I’ll avenge those who fell because of you by killing you myself’?” “I’d rather slay you in good company than letting you live longer than you already have,” Hurricane retorted coldly, his wings flared open in defiance and his fists surrounded by many electric sparks. “I have first claim on his crown!” Platinum said in a greedy, defiant tone while her entire body was covered by a white light armor made of diamonds and that her giant crystal cat took stance next to her. “His staghorns will be perfect on my wall,” Cookie taunted with a smirk, flexing her legs to get into a running stance. “For all the harm you brought us, all the lives you’ve taken, we will take you down!” Pansy claimed loudly in an unusual angry tone, his hands surrounded by a grey-ish fog. “Today is the day you’ll meet your destiny, King Fimbul!” Clover growled his hands and eyes shining in a deep purple aura while a circle of violet fire appeared around him. “Arrogant humans!” Fimbul bellowed in fury before he let his anger explode in a bright blue flash. When the light died down, he had transformed into a giant, ice-made version of himself. “I am Fimbul, King of the Windigos and of the North! I AM THE INCARNATION OF WINTER! YOU WILL NOT STOP ME!” he yelled as the blizzard grew stronger. “The incarnation of Winter, huh?” Puddinghead said in an unusual coldness, cracking his knuckles loudly and his eyes shining in a yellow hue. “Well, my friends, I think it’s about time we wrap up Winter!” he shouted before charging at the frozen giant.         Puddinghead was instantly imitated by Cookie, Platinum and her crystal feline, while Hurricane and Pansy took off before conjuring a shower of lightning bolts and large storm clouds and Clover extended his hand forward, casting a beam of purple fire at the King of the Windigos who shouted furiously before slamming his fists on the ground, sending large ice shards to his attackers.         The battle was long and painful. Fimbul was as powerful as a god of ice and cold but Hurricane’s plan worked in the end. Whenever the frost king tried to get rid of one tribes warriors, those from the others protected them. When he unleashed the northern winds to throw Hurricane and Pansy out of the sky, Puddinghead and Cookie would interrupt his spell by strikes charged in Eponian magic that could break mountains. A simultaneous assault from the two Eponians shattered his hoofed right leg. When he tried to trap the Eponians in ice coffins, his magic was counteracted by one of Platinum’s diamond shaped shield, or by Clover’s magic fire. One of the woman’s crystal made blades was responsible for the loss of his right hand, while the purple fire melted his external ice armor and burned large patches of his fur. When he cast ice projectiles at the two Titanians, Hurricane’s lightings would intercept them or Pansy’s wind gusts would divert them from off their course, thus making them miss their targets, and even sometimes throwing them back at him. In the end, the combined actions of the three types of magic defeated the Windigos’ King. The moment his last breath was consumed, the blizzard ceased to howl, the snow stopped falling. It is said the temperature has suddenly climbed up in the whole land at this very moment. Everywhere in the land, the Windigos felt their king’s demise, and when they did, they all retreated to the north where they came from, terrified that their god-like ruler had been killed. After defeating their greatest enemy, the six friends found a nice spot in the mountain to heal their wounds and enjoy a well deserved rest. “Careful with your hands, Clover,” Cookie warned threateningly as Clover was healing her bare bruised leg. “Don’t get the idea you can touch because you’re using your shiny healing method on my leg!” “I got it the first ten times, Cookie,” Clover replied in annoyance. “While I admit you have good looking legs, I’ve seen what they can do. I’m not going to risk it!” “Good!” Cookie replied curtly, not without slightly blushing at the compliment. “I hear the wedding bells ringing. How about you?” Puddinghead commented happily as he passed his flask of ale to Hurricane. “I think they’re a bit late for that.” Hurricane chuckled before taking a swig of the flask. “That’s true,” Pansy said in slightly mocking tone. “A man shouldn’t see the skin of the woman he desires out of wedlock.” “Clover has always been an impatient boy,” Platinum commented while meticulously cleaning the large sapphire she had pulled out of Fimbul’s crown. “Will you all just shut up?!” Clover and Cookie, both red as beetroots, shouted in an angry embarrassment, causing the four others to laugh.         After the healing of Cookie’s legs was done, she and Clover joined the others in a small celebration that lasted throughout the whole night. Obviously, Puddinghead’s flask of ale didn’t last through the night, though that actually gave him the idea to hide stacks of ale everywhere in the land, in case of an ale emergency. An idea that was well received by Hurricane, but the others told them it wasn’t possible at all. Nevertheless, even without alcohol, the six companions didn’t stop their cheers, stories, songs until dawn. “Hey, guys,” Cookie said softly. “The clouds are dispersing, look!” she pointed at the horizon.         Her five friends looked where she had pointed. For the first time in two decades of winter, the sky was clear enough to watch the sun rise. They all smiled at the sight of the yellow halo of the rising sun slowly merging in the dark blue sky of the ending night. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Platinum asked softly as small tears rolled along Cookie’s cheeks. “It’s wonderful you mean?” Cookie asked back, a large happy smile. “Things are going to be better now,” Puddinghead said softly, as he patted his assistant’s head. “Hey…” Clover called, while narrowing his eyes toward the sky. “What’s that?”         He pointed at elusive line in the sky where the sunlight was touching the night sky. The other five focused their gaze on a bright, white star that was right on that line. A white star that grew bigger every second….no… A white star that was coming closer, and really fast. “We have to get….” Hurricane didn’t get the time to end his warning.         A large ball of light crashed just in front of the six companions. Their first reflexes was to get ready to fight, but the benevolent warmth that emanated from it calmed them instantly. The light slowly disappeared, leaving in plain sight a tall unicorn with majestic, large wings. Its coat was pure white and its mane and tail were dark crimson. It stared at every one of them with its penetrating, teal gaze. “Unity brings Harmony,” the warm and motherly voice of a woman came from the equine apparition, despite its lips not moving. “Preserve Harmony!”         Before the six companions could grasp the fact that equine had just talked to them, it disappeared in a bright flash. While they were still dazzled by the flash, the cries of newborn children were heard. They all glanced where the winged unicorn was standing a few seconds ago, their eyes falling on two naked babies. “PLATINUM, YOUR CLOAK!” Puddinghead shouted firmly as Cookie dashed to the newborns. “They’re going to freeze without covers!” “Ri-Right!” Platinum stammered in shock before joining Cookie who had picked the two babies in her arms.         She took her thick, purple cloak and ripped it two before Cookie passed her one of the newborns and took a part of her half-cloak. The two women quickly wrapped the babies up, both sighing in relief when they stopped crying. “Where did those two come from?” Clover asked incredulously as the four men scooted closer to the two women. “Probably from the same place as that horned pegasus,” Hurricane supposed slowly. “Why would they leave these two babies?” “Don’t know,” Cookie said before she slapped Puddinghead’s hand away from the baby she was holding. “Stop that! You’re gonna scare her!” “I’m not scary!” Puddinghead pouted. “So, this one is a girl?” Clover asked with curiosity as he glanced at the tanned skin baby with a pink hair. The baby girl opened her eyes at him, revealing her cerise irises, before giggling at the green haired Titanian. Puddinghead, Cookie and Clover couldn’t stop themselves from letting a a long “D’awww!”. “They both are,” Platinum said softly as she showed the two Jupitarians the pale girl with light blue hair and teal eyes she was holding. “And they’re adorable!” she cooed before rubbing her nose on the blue haired girl’s who giggled playfully in response. “They sure are,” Puddinghead said while caressing the pink haired one’s cheek with his forefinger. “Oh, look! She’s holding my finger. Isn’t that pre….” CRACK! “DAMNIT!” Puddinghead yelled in pain, pulling his finger, which was bent upwards now, away from the giggling girl. “SHE BROKE MY FINGER!” “That...That’s impossible!” Cookie glanced at the pink haired with shock, while Hurricane and Pansy went to inspect Puddinghead’s finger. “She’s just a baby! How could she...” “Yeah, it’s very well broken,” Hurricane commented with a wince. “Clover, do you have a spell for that?” “Hum… Can someone help me, please?” Platinum asked in a panicked voice.         They all glanced at Platinum, seeing her holding on tightly to the remains of her cloak, a few feet in the air. The blue haired baby was happily flying around in circles thanks to large deep blue wings spread on her back, her small hands holding firmly the purple cloak that served as a blanket. “What the hell?” Clover said in amazement. “CAN ONE OF THE TWO FEATHERBRAINS COME UP HERE AND PULL HER DOWN?!” Platinum asked in a high-pitched shout as the flying girl was pulling her higher in the air. “I’m scared that she’ll get bored of holding my cloak at some point!” “Oh, dear!” Pansy muttered before he and Hurricane took off.         Hurricane flew as fast as he could to the girl’s altitude, unintentionally startling her, thus making her let go of the blanket. “HURRICANE, YOU STUPID OVERSIZED PIDGEON!” Platinum shouted in a panicked anger as she fell toward the ground.         Her momentum was stopped inches from the ground as she was grabbed in a bright golden levitation spell. The group’s heads snapped toward the pink haired girl whose hands were glowing in the same golden halo that surrounded Platinum. “Did she just catch Platinum in a telekinetic field?” Clover asked with wide eyes. “Is that normal for Titanian kids?” Cookie asked with worry. “Not when they’re so young!” Clover shook his head vigorously. “And certainly not with something as big as Platinum.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” the concerned party shouted angrily, still inside the golden halo.         No one gave her an answer, as the pink haired girl, who had just seen Hurricane struggling to get blue haired one down, decided to fly up there to join them with the help of large pure white wings. The golden aura around Platinum dissipated, making her fall on the ground with a loud, low growl. Everyone gasped in shock when the blue haired girl ‘sneezed’ a powerful gust of wind that forced Hurricane to crash to the ground. As she saw him lying on the ground, the blue haired girl flew down before picking up him with a night blue aura. “What the..?” Hurricane growled in surprise when he realized he was in the air due to the magic of the small girl. She flew close to him, her teal eyes filled with an innocent worry. Hurricane couldn’t help but to softly chuckle. “I’m fine, can you let me go now?”         The blue aura dissipated before Hurricane started to flap his wings to stay in the air. The blue haired girl hugged his armored arm before her wings dissipated into thin air. Holding the small baby tightly, Hurricane landed softly on the ground. “I think she likes you,” Puddinghead remarked gently as the pink haired one landed on his shoulder, her eyes focused on his broken finger. Her eyes shined in a golden hue that also surrounded his hurt phalange. In a blink of an eye, his finger was good as new. She gave a pleading pout to Puddinghead who simply laughed before cradling her in one of his massive arms before tickling her belly, earning playfully giggles from her. “Looks like she likes you as well,” Hurricane commented playfully. “They just have a rougher definition of caresses.” Clover sighed. “So we have two baby girls who have Jupitarian wings, the Titanian magic, and the Eponian strength, left to us by an unknown Horse God…” “Silly, it was Faust, the Alicorn of Creation!” Puddinghead said with a roll of his eyes. “You all really lack knowledge of popular culture,” he added in disapproval. “How do….” Clover started, taken aback by Puddinghead’s knowledge. “Forget that! We have a much more important thing to think about!” Puddinghead said, his eyes focused on the giggling girl in his arms. “What?” Pansy asked. “How are we gonna name those girls?” ~~~~~~~ “WAOW!” AppleBloom let out in amazement. “That’s really what happened before the founding of Equestria?” “Eyuuup!” Vinyl nodded. “They called the two girls, Celestia and Luna,” she explained. “Faust had appeared from the spot in the sky where Day and Night merge together. Since those two were left to us by Faust, they named them in honor of that place. Celestia for the day, and Luna for the night.” “What did they do after that?” “The six took care of the girls until they became adults,” Vinyl told softly. “On the mountain where they found them, the three tribes, now free of the Windigos, built a city to symbolize the re-found union they once had. They created the Principality of Equestria, and put the two girls on the thrones, so they could reign together in harmony.” “WAOW!” “I take it you liked my story, right?” Vinyl asked with a smile. “It was great!” AppleBloom said excitedly. “How do ya know all that?” “I worked at school, Bloom,” Vinyl said before ruffling her sister’s hair. “And, Manehattan Great Library had copies of the six Founders’ journals and memoirs. They were good bedtime readings,” she commented with a smile. “Bloom, Vinyl!” Granny Smith called from inside the house. “Soup’s on!” “Already?” Vinyl asked in surprise before standing up to get inside. “Time sure flew by this afternoon!” “That won’t make ya late for yer compositions, right?” AppleBloom asked with worry. “Nah, I should have things done by tomorrow night at most,” Vinyl replied with a shrug. “You’ll remember enough of it for your paper?” “Hum-hum!” the red haired nodded. “Though, that’s really how things happened? Because some parts of yer story seemed a bit exaggerated.” “Bloom, we live in a world where some can fly, can levitate things, or can pull an entire house with only a rope. Our rulers have been the same two women for a bit more than four thousand years,” Vinyl stated with a chuckle. “Our national history is sure to hold some exaggerations, but it doesn’t make it any less true!” “If ya say, so,” AppleBloom said, not entirely convinced. “Ya sure ya didn’t changed a few things to make the whole story more interesting?” she asked with suspicion. “I’d not invent things when you come to me for a school assignment, Bloom,” Vinyl remarked casually. “Or, at least not on important, historical facts.” “So ya did exaggerate a few things,” AppleBloom remarked. “Puddinghead’s shenanigans, for example?” “Sorry to break it up to you, Bloom, but that’s actually the one thing the historians are sure about!” Vinyl chuckled. “Chancellor Puddinghead certainly was an eccentric.” “But.. Why standing inside a chimney?” AppleBloom asked in confusion. “Because it’s outside the box, apparently,” Vinyl replied with amused smile, before entering the dining room. “Now, let’s eat! We’ll discuss that with a full stomach!”