//------------------------------// // Into the Storm // Story: Conquering Cold // by RationalCube //------------------------------// Conquering Cold ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ “And if the sky is falling down on you, there’s nothin’ in this world I wouldn’t do” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Chapter 3: Into the Storm “Just double checking… You’re fine there, right bud?” The red stallion across from him looked like he was almost going to throw his chair across the room, then nodded in response. Noteworthy remembered his brother acting like this when he didn’t take his pills. Those days never ended nicely. “It’s only gettin’ a bit worse. Nothin’ much, jist a headache.” Headaches were bad. “I just don’t want you freaking out on us. I know how hard it is sometimes, with my brother and all. We still have time left in the day if you wanna go get some pills now.” The snow was still coming down hard, but not hard enough to deny the red pony his medication. “It might be a bit hard, but I mean, I’ll be doing it for somepony I car- uhm- I’ll be doing it for one of my friends.” Rational shook his head again, not seeming to dwell on the fact that Noteworthy’s tongue had almost slipped again. The blue pony, however, felt his ears heat up to a point where he was sure they’d combust. WIth his ears perked, the slight sound of a book dropping on the floor startled him enough to jump. Spike quickly picked up his book from the floor and mumbled an apology that the blue pony couldn’t quite hear. Sighs were issued across the quiet room. As Spike moved on to reorganize the other bookshelves, Noteworthy heard the red pony begin a song. There is a wild hog in yonders woods That eats men and seeks their blood. (Cut him down, cut him down, catch/kill him if you can). There comes a wild hog through yonders marsh Splitting his way through oaks and ash. We followed that wild hog to his den, Found the bones of a thousand men. We followed that wild hog day and night, Swore we’d make that wild hog fight. We killed that hog with sticks and knife, Swore we’d take that wild hog’s life. Every repetition the red pony sang got slightly louder, until finally Noteworthy was able to add his own harmonies, creating a haunting and somewhat chaotic musical number. Rational’s violet eyes grew to a fire when transitioned up to an even higher harmony, leaving any possible listener to fill in the melody themselves. After a few singing through the short song once more, he burst out laughing in what seemed like pure joy as he turned to the blue pony. “Ah- ah never had a pony singin’ with me ‘fore. Thanks fer that. Ah- ah kinda needed some music. Ya learn quick, better than me, an’ that’s sayin a lot.” “Nah, you knew the song in the first place, all I did was add a few harmonies-” “Ya were great! An’ don’t deny it. Ah always knew ya were great, ya always sung somethin different at yer performances, an’ Ah only sang country. Never even liked it on any hoof.” “Can… Can you sing that song one more time?” Noteworthy whipped his head around, startled when he realized Spike had been sitting there all along. “You were both great together, and I know how to play some instruments… Maybe you guys could sing while I accompany you?” He had a small stringed instrument laying across his legs. His left claws gripped a weirdly shaped neck, one that started off wide and stepped into a narrower width as it lost it’s fifth string, ended off by tuning pegs. “Twi made this for me. She got the idea from a book somewhere, although I’ve never actually seen one before. It’s easy enough to play, really, but I guess you need claws or something. Don’t really see how you could make different notes with a hoof.” Noteworthy nodded yet again as Spike drummed out another series of chords, forming them into the haunting melody of the song the ponies had just performed. Noteworthy started off this time, singing the simple melody as a solo, waiting for the other pony to jump in above him. He heard Rational start singing for a bit before he broke down into quiet sobs. “Ah- Ah- Ah need a sec. Sorry guys.” Noteworthy and Spike stopped quickly, casting worried looks to the red stallion. “You sure bud? You looked fine just a sec ago, but now I’m pretty sure you need your medicine.” The blue pony embraced the other’s head, patting his mane as Spike walked over in an attempt to also comfort the older pony. “Ah- Ah think Ah’m still fine. Just- actually no. Ah’ll stop lyin’ ta ya. Ah’ve been feelin’ mighty sick t’day an’ Ah think Ah need-” He sobbed more, for what seemed like no reason. Noteworthy could sense the pain in the other’s voice, however. Even though it may not have made sense, he pulled the stallion closer, in an embrace similar to what he used to do to his brother when he was racked by the same sobs. “It’s fine. You’re safe. Don’t worry.” Simple sentences seemed to calm down the crying stallion. “We’re here. I’ll go get your medicine, I just need to know where your house is.” “It’s fine, Ah can go with ya if ya need. Cold helps calm me down anyway, so it’ll probably be better than stayin’ here.” Noteworthy watched as a large drop of blood rolled out of the red pony’s lips, getting soaked up by his fur before being able to drip to the floor. The red pony actually looked fine now, almost happy. Completely changed from what he’d been like less than thirty seconds prior. Continuing the embrace, Noteworthy slid a bit backwards, looking straight into Rational’s eyes. “Only come if you feel like you need to and are able to. I will not have you fall under an… attack… outside and be forced to watch you freeze yourself.” “Ah’ll be fine.” The other stallion slowly removed himself from Noteworthy’s embrace, moving with determined motions. “Uhm, do you two need anything warm?” Yet again, the two were caught off guard by Spike as he walked up holding some thick fur coats and the two’s boots, as well as an umbrella, but it was wide and had a handle instead of the usual headrest. “I can also come, and hold this for you guys. I’ll be able to melt the snow and start a fire, if we need it. I also… uhm… get lonely here. I don’t wanna stay here worrying about not just Twi, but you two as well. Can I please, please come along?” His eyes begged almost more than his voice, if that was possible. Noteworthy flashed him a quick smile as he nodded, starting to put on his coat and boots. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Rational could feel blood already starting to freeze around his mouth. Thankfully, Spike was holding the umbrella over him and the blue pony to keep snow from falling onto them. He heard Noteworthy shiver in the cold as a gust blew over them, picking up snow and ice and throwing it into their faces. The frost was already hurting his eyes, and they weren’t even out of sight of the library. The two ponies made sure to take it slow, letting Spike lead them by a couple inches. He would melt some of the snow ahead of them with fire to clear a path to walk in. The walk was slow going, but before too long the red pony spotted his house in the dimming light. The coat and boots had certainly helped, for hardly any ice had formed inside the ponies’ fur. They inched slowly for a few more seconds after the house was spotted, but soon after they sped up to a trot. Rational pulled the purple dragon onto his back as he bounded through the snow, eager to walk into the warmth. While not having a fancy heating system like Twilight’s library, the house was still insulated well against heat. At least it was warmer than freezing, that would have to do for now. As soon as he stepped through the doorway, the red pony went through his normal routine. He asked Spike to help him light a fire as he crawled out of his boots, looking back over his shoulder to check if Noteworthy was there with him. Afterwards, he made his way to the sink, filling a kettle with hot water and turning on his stove. And, like always, he took a second to admire unicorn magic. The pipes stayed warm enough and the water source was always hot enough, they did so much to provide for the town. Rational noticed he was getting off task again, a telltale sign that he needed his pills quickly. Whenever he started drifting, he would end up victim to an attack, something that he wanted to avoid now more than ever, having two guests in his house. As he grabbed two pills, he glanced back towards the fireplace. The blue pony and the dragon were moving a very large couch in front of it, something that Rational hadn’t even thought of doing before. He watched them for a few more seconds, finally taking the time to admire the blue pony in full. His body fur was a dark cyan color, which led almost perfectly to his deep blue tail and mane, which were both moderately short, shorter than Rational’s own. His amber eyes still caught the light like they always did, but in the firelight they seemed to glow brighter and deeper, going from a bright gold to brown in seconds. His cutie mark, however was slightly obscured by the winter coat he still wore. He seemed to have two pairs of eighth notes which came close to overlapping, a perfect cutie mark for a musician. It seemed to fit his talent a lot more than Rational’s did, his being a sharp symbol framed closely by two stringed bows. He sighed as he remembered when he’d gotten the cutie mark. He’d been playing the violin and to be honest he hadn’t really minded it. The notes seemed to flow naturally to him, however. He’d managed to get his hooves around the awkward positions in a matter of minutes, and the melody somehow made it out of the wood and into the air as he pulled the bow across the strings. The instrument had costed too much, and his family couldn’t have afforded it for hundreds of years however, and he was forced to drop it almost as soon as he had picked it up. “You okay there, bud?” Noteworthy seemed to be asking that question a lot, “And why are you staring at my flank?” The blue pony chuckled to himself, seeming to find the situation very amusing. “Now why in all of Equestria would Ah be doin’ that?” The stallion tried to act oblivious, but to be honest he had been staring at the other pony’s cutie mark, which was very close to the back end. “Ah was jist thinkin’ that’s it. No way Ah’d be starin’ down there!” Noteworthy chuckled again, making the red pony blush a shade deeper than his fur. He patted the couch next to him, motioning for Rational to come and sit down with him and Spike. “It’s fine Rat, just so long as you’re feeling better now. Just relax until the tea finishes.” To be honest, that wasn’t such a bad idea. The red pony sat with the other two, trying his best to stay happy until yawns overtook the three. It was getting late, and the snow had not slowed down in the least. Taking initiative, Rational tried his best to live up to his name, “Ah’m gettin’ a might tired here and y’all seem a bit worn out too. Let’s get some rest. If ya like, Noteworthy can sleep in mah bed and Spike can take the couch. Ah’ll make do with a few blankets.” The blue pony shook his head, but the dragon already seemed fast asleep. Celestia, he must have been sleepy. Two seconds of another pony talking had knocked him right out. “I can take the blankets. You are going to sleep in a bed tonight, and I’m not going to let you sleep anywhere else.” His eyes narrowed as he started back towards his friend, awaiting a response. Rational gave in quicker than he expected, hearing a quick “If ya insist” come out of his mouth. He lead the blue pony into his room, where he grabbed a large comforter and two large pillows and laid them down on the floor. “Ah’m sorry, don’t got much around here. Live by myself so Ah never really needed more than one of these things.” The blue pony didn’t seem to mind, quickly taking a seat before laying down himself. There wasn’t much talk between the two as the red pony turned off the lights. Before hitting the one on his nightstand however, Rational mumbled a quick “Goodnight,” not really expecting one back. It was a pleasant surprise to hear a response. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ In all honesty, Noteworthy wasn’t in the least bit sleepy. He’d been through a lot that day, sure. It was mostly just a different kind of tired. His muscles ached from the time in the cold, but his mind was still flooded with ideas. The constant tossing and turning of his new red friend didn’t really help anyways. It’d been around an hour since Rat had turned the lights off. A normal pony usually got to sleep in an hour, right? The red pony had, or at least what could technically qualify as sleep. He hadn’t responded when Noteworthy had asked if he was fine, which worried him a bit. Every few seconds a mumbled “ma” or “pa” came from the bed, and even though the red pony never finished a sentence, Noteworthy could tell he was having a bad nightmare. He was removed from his thoughts as the red pony let out a bloodcurdling scream into the night. It wasn’t loud, but it was desperate. Noteworthy jolted his head up, looking back at Rational before moving closer to him. He hopped up into the bed, awkwardly taking the other’s head and stroking his mane. “It’s okay, bud. I got you.” In the night, it was hard to even see the other’s head, but he felt arms wrap around his torso as the red pony pulled himself closer, mumbling “Ah’m sorry ma, never meant to hurt nopony…” before stopping completely. After a couple minutes without any further incident, Noteworthy lightened up on his embrace. He could feel the red pony’s warm breath on his chest, and decided it would be better for him if he stayed in bed with him throughout the night, and before long, Noteworthy found himself drifting off into a deep sleep as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ A loud crack arose Noteworthy from his sleep. He was still cradling Rationals head, but the other pony hadn’t woken up yet. He seemed to be a late riser. Squirming out from underneath the smaller pony, he made his way to the window and pulled back a curtain. He was momentarily blinded by pure white light as he started out into the road. Why did snow have to be so goddam bright? Blinking a few times, he looked back into the abyss. His scan only revealed to him a few brown and green branches and snow. Lots and lots of snow. There was a large mound of it a few feet from where he was standing, and he couldn’t see anything beyond that. The dragon was awake, of course, and he seemed to be panicking as he too ran around the house like an energetic foal. Noteworthy called out to him, and he turned around. “Do you know what made that sound? It sounded pretty bad.” Spike shook his head, “That’s what I was just looking for. Sounded like it came outside, I was just looking for my umbrella to go out and check on it.” Noteworthy let out an annoyed sigh as he walked over to the door they came in from. He reached to the door, and started out to see white. Pure white. A wall about two pony heights tall stared him straight in the eye, no wonder he couldn’t see the door from the bedroom window. He said a quick “oh” in surprise as he worked out what this meant for the other pony in the house. Spike could probably climb out of a window and get help for the other two. A tree must have collapsed in front of the door, which would be the cause of the noise and fresh wall of snow. Spike whistled as he walked up to the door, also astounded at how much of the white stuff there was. Looking back towards the older pony, he asked, “Soooo… What do we do now?” Noteworthy took charge quickly. “I think you need to go get us help. You can climb out of a window or something and head back to the town. I’ll stay here and make sure that Rat is fine.” The assistant nodded, obviously understanding the need for help. “I guess so. I’ll go now, before it snows more.” Then, cupping his claws around his mouth, he took a deep breath and exhaled. Noteworthy watched as he saw a green glow begin in his claws, and the dragon revealed a swirling green marble. “I’m a messenger too, so if you need me to know anything just break this over a letter and it’ll send directly to me. It’ll restore itself within about 30 minutes, so the letters might be slow going, but at least this one is reusable.” Noteworthy reached out his hoof and took the sphere. “Just, be careful out there, bud. I don’t want you to get lost or freeze to death. And I especially don’t want to explain to Twilight how I killed her assistant.” Spike smirked at him, “I’ll be back before you can blink. Don’t worry.” He then turned and jumped into the snow, quickly burrowing his way through before Noteworthy lost complete sight on him. Sighing again, the blue pony shut the door and made his way back towards the kitchen. He took the kettle out from where he saw the red pony put it, and filled it up with water from the sink. He turned on the stove and went to wake Rat up.