//------------------------------// // Part I: The Construction // Story: Let It Snow // by TheCacophonousMuse //------------------------------// “Hey Dashie!” Rainbow Dash rolled over and tried to open her eyes. She groaned when the glare from the sun filtered through the window. “Go 'way Pinkie.” “Rainbow, it snowed!” Rainbow could feel the rhythmic pounding of Pinkie jumping up and down on the floor next to her bed. “It snowed, it snowed, it snowed!” “How are you so...” Rainbow groaned, sitting up and stretching out her wings. “... bouncy after last night?” “Oh silly, I only had four bottles of Champagne. Of course I'm not hungover.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Only you could recover from a New Years party that quickly. What time is it?” she asked with a yawn. “It's about 5:42. Now come on, it snowed!” “Wait, how are you even in my house?” “What?” Pinkie stopped bouncing and looked at her friend quizzically. “Well, my house is made of clouds, and you're, well, an earth pony.” “So?” “Pinkie, earth ponies can't stand on clouds.” “Oh right!” Pinkie slapped her forehead. “Silly me!” She then proceeded to fall directly through the floor, down to the snow below. Rainbow rolled her eyes at her friend's antics. “Come on!” Pinkie's voice filtered up through the floor. “We need to make a snowmare!” “Why is it so necessary for us to make a snowmare?” Rainbow yelled back towards the ground. “Well, duh, the warm front comes in tomorrow.” Rainbow shook her head. For a brief moment she wondered why she had ever asked Pinkie for a logical explanation. “I'll be down in a minute, Pinks,” she called back. Rainbow dragged herself slowly into the bathroom. She didn't have an extensive manecare ritual like Rarity, but she did have enough common decency to brush it. Plus, it helped keep her shape streamlined if she tied it back. On her way down to meet Pinkie, she grabbed a scarf that she was rather partial to. Not that she like the scarf because it was pretty or anything. But it was warm. You know, as scarfs go. She looped it around her neck. “What took you so long?” asked Pinkie when Rainbow landed next to her in the crisp new-fallen snow. “Oh, come on, how long did that actually take?” “A little over thirty seconds... that's pretty slow for you, Dashie!” “Well, I'm cold today. It did snow, after all.” “Hmm,” Pinkie mused. “Fair point. Now let's make the best snowmare anyone's ever seen!” * * * “Hm... now all I have to do is stitch up the lapel and this suit will be complete. Oh, I do hope he likes it, he is royalty after all...” Rarity was plying at the the suit with her sewing machine. “Now, this last stitch has to be precise. If it's not the whole thing will be absolutely ruined.” Rarity bent down close to the garment, attempting to guide the needle into the perfect place. “Hey Rarity!” a loud voice burst out from behind her, making her topple the sewing machine over. “What're you doing?” Pinkie Pie asked. “I'm trying to put the finishing touches on this suit,” she told Pinkie, hefting the sewing machine back onto the table. “Ooh, that sounds exciting.” “Yes, but it's quite hard for me to focus with other ponies poking around my shop,” she said with a pointed glance at her friend. “Okie Dokie!” Pinkie told the fashion designer. “I'll just grab this and run along then so I don't bother you!” Pinkie lifted the top hat from where it was sitting near the collar of the suit jacket. “Well, I'll be off now!” she said, bouncing out of the room. “Wait, but that's not— wait, what— no, come back!” “Without the hat, the suit is simply dreadful! Now I've got to redo the hat... and Prince Charming is coming to pick up the suit in only twenty four hours. Oh, how did I let myself get so behind schedule!” Rarity quickly located the designs for the hat again and set to work. “When I get my hooves on Pinkie Pie...” * * * A blur zoomed past Carrot Top's stall, skidding to a halt alongside her. “I'll take one of your finest carrots please... actually, make that two, I haven't had a carrot in forever,” Rainbow said, glancing over her shoulder. “But make it quick, I don't want to be seen by—” “— Ah see how it is, Rainbow.” An angry earth pony strode up behind the pegasus. “You don' like mah apples anymore. Huh? Is that it?” “Applejack, calm down. See, it's for—” “— Ah will not be told to calm down!” Applejack stamped her hoof in frustration. “Ah thought you were the element of bucking LOYALTY, Rainbow. But, no, ah guess that doesn't apply to your taste in produce, now does it. Or were you just mad at me for beating you in the running of the leaves?” “I beat you in that race. Why can't you just accept that fact and move on with it?” “Um,” Carrot Top interjected. “That'll be three bits.” “Hold your horses, Ah'm not done.” “A.J., it's just for making a snowmare!” “OBJECTION!” Applejack stamped her hoof and pointed at Rainbow. “You said 'a snowmare.'” “Yeah?” “Then why do you have two carrots?” Rainbow cringed. “Well, me and Pinkie are making snowmares...” “You always make one together. Ah don' think that's changed. An' anyway, why couldn't you use apples, huh?” “Um, what?” “Well, sure, it's a bit big... and red... but it is feather flu season.” “Wait.” Rainbow balked at her incredulously. “You want me to use an Apple for a nose?” “Ah don' see a problem with it.” Applejack said, shrugging. “Ah mean, it could be Rudolph the Red-Nosed Snowmare!” “Seriously A.J., that's a little whacked out. Even for you.” “You callin' me crazy?” Rainbow let out a nervous laugh. “Um, I should really be going now.” She quickly grabbed the bag from Carrot Top and sped away. “You come back here!” Applejack yelled after her friend. Carrot Top tapped the angry mare on the shoulder. “Your friend never paid. That'll be three bits, please.” * * * “Okay Spike, the pentagram has been drawn, and the candles are ready. We're only going to have one shot to get this spell right, and so we need to make sure to stay focused. It's your job to keep anypony from getting in here and distracting me. You've got that?” “Yeah... what does this spell do again?” “Well, in short, it summons a high level demon from the inverse realm and imbues its life energy into an object at which the spell is directed.” “That's the cat statue, right?” asked Spike, pointing to the jade statue of a cat that was sitting in a wrought iron cage in another, smaller pentagram. “Yes. Jade is particularly susceptible to exorcism, so it should be easy to reverse the spell once we finish. This piece already has inherent magic which will force the life energy imbued to mimic that of a cat; that's why I borrowed this piece from Celestia specifically for the spell. It's a relic from the far east that was found and enchanted by Star Swirl the Bearded himself. He never got to use it though, since the spell can only be cast once a year, eleven days after the winter solstice—” “You could have just said 'on the first of the year,'” Spike pointed out. “Well, technically the date is based on the alignments of the sun and moon and thus it's technically eleven days after the solstice, but for our purposes, yes, it's on the first of the year. Anyway, Star Swirl passed away that year, so this poppet was never used for its intended purpose.” “All right. So I just have to make sure nopony distracts you while you cast the spell, right?” “Yup. That's all you have to do.” “Okay.” Spike exited the room, closing the door behind him. Twilight vaguely heard him giving orders to the guards to let no one into the library until further notice. Twilight flipped open the book and began to build up her power, mumbling strange words in an ancient, demonic language. As she concentrated her power, her eyes began to glow. Magic filtered from her horn and enveloped her entire body in a spinning cocoon of energy, lifting her into the air. At the tip of her horn, a beam began to grow in size; now all she had to do was perfectly control this to hit the cat statue... “Hey Twilight, what's up?” With a shriek, Twilight released the energy towards the voice. She fell back to the floor with a dull thud. “Pinkie?” she asked the pink pony, who was for some reason holding a top hat in her mouth. “What are you doing in here?” “I was just coming in to see what you were doing. But you seem busy. So I'll go now.” “Well, no, I'm not too busy. Thanks to you, I can't cast this spell again until next year.” “Oh, then I should probably leave before you cast any more spells on this hat.” “Wait, what?” “You were glowing and stuff and I was like 'Hey Twilight' and then you were like 'IMMA FIRIN' MAH LAZAH' and you shot a huge beam of light, and it hit this hat.” Pinkie shrugged her shoulders as if to say, 'well, duh.' “You shouldn't be touching that, then! That hat is housing the life force of an incredibly powerful demon!” “Oh, Twilight. You're silly. Anyway, Rainbow and I need this hat for our snowmare!” Pinkie hopped out the window, which Twilight suddenly realized was open. “Wait, Pinkie, that could be dangerous!” Twilight shouted after her in vain. When she got no response, she shook her head and buried her face in her hooves. “Done yet?” asked Spike, poking his head through the door. Twilight glared at him. “Unfortunately, this spell will have to wait until next year.” “What happened?” Spike looked from Twilight to the still inanimate cat statue. Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Pinkie Pie.” * * * “Angel, I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I can make this salad.” The bunny looked at Fluttershy with a dour expression on its face. “Wouldn't you like a nice salad with apples on top instead?” Angel stamped angrily on the page of the book, clearly indicating his salad preference. Carrots or nothing. Fluttershy slumped her shoulders defeatedly. “Maybe I can borrow that 'Dangerous Mission' outfit from Rarity,” she joked. Angel glared back at her. “Oh, all right, I'll go buy those carrots now.” With a last sigh, Fluttershy slipped out the door. She elected to take a back route to the Ponyville marketplace, hoping to avoid being spotted. “If Applejack sees me buying a carrot, she'd be angry at me, and I wouldn't want that!” Fluttershy shuddered. “I'll just have to make sure she doesn't spot me.” Slipping out of the alley, she hastened over to Carrot Top's stall. “Can I have one of your carrots, please?” “Sorry, sold out.” “Absolutely. A Blue Pegasus with a rainbow colored mane bought the last two. I'm just packing up and heading home. So, if you'll excuse me.” “Oh, okay.” Flutteshy backed up to get out of the earth pony's way. “An' just what d'you think you're doin'?” called a voice from across the road. Fluttershy turned around. “I'm so, so sorry Applejack, but Angel needed a carrot on top of his salad, and if I don't make his salad's just like he wants them, he just won't eat, and then he'll starve to death! What would you have me do?” Tears were starting to well up in the corner of Fluttershy's eyes. “An' you don' think Angel could stand to lose a few pounds?” Applejack asked her friend with a slight smirk. “Are you calling Angel... fat?” Fluttershy looked up at Applejack with a tear-stained face. “Um,” Applejack stammered, “yeah.” Immediately Fluttershy was in her friend's face. “Angel Bunny,” she whispered in a low, growly tone, “is. Not. Fat.” With a huff she turned and walked away. Applejack narrowed her eyes at the retreating Pegasus. “Friendship is a fickle thing,” she told Carrot Top. “Especially when it comes to produce.” * * * “Okie Dokie Lokie! Let's see your haul, Dashie!” “All right, I got a carrot from Carrot Top's stand for the nose, and I gathered some sticks from the outskirts of the forest to use for arms. You?” “I got this super cool Top Hat from Rarity,” she said, placing the hat down in the snow. “Oh, right. I also paid a visit to my parents out on the rock farm for these.” Pinkie dropped two lumps of coal from her saddlebag onto the ground. “Wait, you got this at the rock farm?” “Eh, during the Equestrian power crisis they were forced to become a coal mine instead.” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. It was quickly becoming apparent that she wasn't going to get any logical answers out of Pinkie. “Well then, let's roll some snow.” For any simian readers out there, it's important to note the difference between snowmen and snowmares. Snowmares are created by rolling a large, oblong snowball and propping it up and then sculpting out “legs” so as to look like mare is sitting. Another smaller snowball is placed on top to form the head, and two smaller snowballs still are used to sculpt the ears. The tail is then easy to add at the end, as a finishing touch. Pinkie and Rainbow were of course well practiced, and set to work immediately. Rainbow was in charge of rolling the snowballs; she would get going, flying low and fast along the ground with a moderately sized snowball rolling along the ground underneath her, gathering snow. Once she had created each snowball, she handed it off to Pinkie, who quickly began the artistic aspect, carving each snowball to form a pony out of the mass of snow. Both ponies stepped back to admire their work. Rainbow picked up the coals from the ground, and placed each in the eye sockets. Pinkie adjusted the nose so that it fit perfectly on the snowmare's snout. Rainbow picked up the hat, dusting the snow off. “All right, this should be the finishing touch.” She placed it gently down on the snowmare's head. “Wow, that looks super-duper cool!” Pinkie Pie said, stepping back. “Almost as cool as a Cherrychanga! Mmmm, Speaking of which, want to come back to Sugarcube corner? I just baked a fresh batch of Hearth's Warming Cookies this morning, and we've got Hot Chocolate!” Rainbow lay in the snow beside her friend, taking in the sight. “Yeah, that sounds great, Pinks. We've also got to get our friends to come out and see this. She looks amazing!” The two sat in silence, staring at their creation for a few moments. “Race you?” asked Pinkie. Rainbow glanced over at her. “You're so on.” With that the two friends galloped over the hills and out of sight.