//------------------------------// // The Snowball Effect // Story: Making the Sun Shine // by The Fiery Joker //------------------------------// Sunny Smile awoke to the smell of boiled vegetables permeating the air. Her eyes blinked open, the gentle yellow rays of sunlight peeking through the hole in the wall and crawling across her blanket. It gave her a little more warmth at the very least, much more than last night’s ice cream weather. In fact, it made want to stay in the snug confines of her bed like an immovable colossus. If she did, however, she would surely feel the wrath of a stern talking to by her mother. She slowly crawled out of her warm cornucopia and onto the chilly wooden floor. Sunny and her parents sat at the breakfast table in their usual spots. Merry Way scanned the newspaper he usually retrieved from the nearest trash can, occasionally taking a sip from his bowl. Pinkie, carrying a tray holding another bowl of soup in her mouth, dragged herself over to Grandpa Clyde’s bed. After delivering breakfast, Pinkie then proceeded to switch on the radio, hoping to hear some decent news. After a bland breakfast consisting of just boiled lettuce and water, Sunny started to get her saddlebag and other essentials ready for the school day ahead of her. Seeing the sun’s light through the cracks in the window, she debated whether or not she should take her favorite blue scarf with her as it was likely to warm up later. “Take the scarf, Sunny,” Grandpa Clyde called from the bed. “Better safe than sorry. You can just put it in your bags if it gets too warm.” “Okay, pappy,” Sunny replied, whipping the scarf around her neck and trotting out the door. It wasn’t as frigid as yesterday, but it was a lot windier. Some of the cold still broke through her coat considering it was still morning. Shuddering and ruffling her feathers, she set off towards school. She didn’t bother taking the scenic route, as she was feeling a little cold and wanted to get inside a warm building as soon as possible. She quickly joined up with a couple of other students after the collective recommendation of parents saying the children should travel in groups. When Sunny got inside the red, warm schoolhouse she was a bit early, much like at breakfast. There were a few fellow students already there, most likely because of parents who had to take their children to school and juggle getting to work on time. In fact, most of the fillies and colts here right now were hugging their desks with their faces, in full-on snore mode with drool accessory. She trotted to her oak desk and sat on her small, wooden stool. It didn’t take long for the rest of the class to materialize into the room, the chime of the steel bell telling the students that class was about to begin. Slowly they began to file in, each of them giving happy “Good Mornings” or mumbles to each other depending on their alertness levels. Sunny also participated in this morning ritual, giving small “Hi’s” to other kids that happened to pass her desk. Half the time she got replies, sometimes she just got an acknowledging glance, and other times she was downright ignored. Class didn’t truly begin until their teacher arrived, most likely due to the urge of staying in his own bed with a cup of coffee and the new crossword puzzle. However, as a teacher, sacrifices had to be made. The black pegasus didn’t look all too happy to be here, bundled up with more coats than the ground with snow, but he was a rather good actor in his time. Novel Idea plopped his bag on his desk and pulled out three items, a thermos of piping hot coffee, an excess amount of chalk, and a notebook that was most likely their planner for the day. Novel placed a hoof to his mouth and coughed, a signal for the rambunctious children to be quiet and to settle down. The signal was well received and the volume of the room could rival a doctor’s office. “All right class, we’ll taking another look at fractions and percentages out of the blue book.” After saying that, he was met with a horde of groans. He continued, “And we’ll also read a little bit of Dashing Mr. Diamond Dog, maybe answer some questions along with it. Any questions?” Nopony dared speak up. “Good!” exclaimed Mr. Novel, opening his teacher version of the blue book. “Now who can tell me…” Hours passed without significant event, at least as far as the children were concerned. Occasionally a child would be asked for a question, usually getting the answer correct. However, one filly had to be woken up by the teacher via jockey whip to the desk and was subsequently disciplined with extra homework. The sound of a ringing bell signaled the start every child’s favorite part of school: recess. The competition was on as students leapt from their seats, bumping into each other trying to be the first ones out the door. “Children!” Novel Idea snapped, halting every child in their tracks. “You will line up like civilized ponies and we will walk to the playground area without anypony hurting themselves. Is that clear?!” “Yes, Mr. Novel,” the class intoned in unison. “Good,” the teacher affirmed, a smile appearing on his face. “Now line up and enjoy your recess.” Sunny ended up towards the back of the line, but didn’t end up dead last due to some children being both overly drowsy and sitting in the back of the classroom. Lucky for her; no doubt the kids in the back would be the butt of a quick and cheap joke or two. She tried not to indulge in such spite, but some days it was fun to throw some teasing out, and nopony seemed too bothered by the teasing. She didn’t care too much either when she was laughed at for sometimes ending up dead last. After all, it was just a joke. The children cheered as they charged towards the playground like soldiers ordered to assault a building. Sunny darted for the slide, hoping to get a few rounds in before the line got too long. Sure enough, other kids had the same idea. She ended up towards the front of the line at least, so the wait wasn’t too deathly slow. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting on the steps, Sunny finally made it to the top of the slide. Even though it slightly annoyed her that other kids would take too long at the top of the slide to enjoy the view, she couldn't blame them. After all, it was a nice view and you could see every single sparkling attraction and child in the entire playground. Today’s view was especially interesting considering it was covered in a thin layer of snow, yet the sun was still out which caused some pretty shines off anything metal. Deciding she had enough of the view and trying to be courteous, Sunny was scooted herself closer to the edge. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a group of ponies in trenchcoats and trilbies sprinting down Main Street, some carrying notepads and flash-photography equipment. Sunny dismissed it as them just finding another cool story and proceeded down the slide. Sunny reached the bottom, enjoying the pleasant jolt of adrenaline but feeling unfulfilled. She quickly stepped back into line. The wait wasn't as long as the last time since others decided to play elsewhere after their first trip down the slide. To her delight, Sunny made it to the top rather quickly. Sunny took her position, ready to slide down again. Taking another glance around the area, Sunny saw two more groups of heavily dressed ponies darting down the main road again. Their eyes were wide and panicky, seeming to ignore the traffic around them as they sped on. “What’s with all the newsponies everywhere?” Sunny wondered. “Did something serious happen?” “Hey, get going!” a colt behind her yelled. Sunny meeped and started down the slide. In a moment of panic, she realized the colt behind her had started too early and was closing in on her poor behind fast. After reaching the ground, she fluttered her wings and dived out of the way. Sunny landed face-first into the snow, immediately becoming soaked. Growling to herself, she shook off the snow and looked towards the city. Curiosity overtook her and she headed towards the fence. She saw a group of reporters huddled next to a lamppost, either snapping pictures or furiously scribbling on their notepads. Sunny placed a hoof against the fence, stricken with curiosity and wonder. She stretched her tiny body as high as it would go, her wings involuntarily buzzing to get lift. "Hey, what's going on, Sunny?" a voice asked from behind her. "What are you trying to look at?" Sunny turned around. A trio of colts that usually hung together appeared, looking inquisitive. "There's newsponies over there," Sunny pointed. "Something big happened next to that lamppost and I can't see what." She returned her gaze towards the fence. The three colts huddled next to her, their eyes widening as they viewed the spectacle. "Did somepony die?" one colt asked. "I don't know," Sunny answered. "Can't see a dang thing," another colt muttered. "Hey Sunny," the biggest colt said, tapping said filly on the shoulder. "If we give you a boost, do you think you could get a better look?" "Maybe," Sunny answered, tilting her head at the reporters again. "Why does she get the boost?" the smallest colt whined. "Because she's a filly, and a pegasus," The biggest colt noted. "That means she won't be heavy. Now come on." The two biggest colts knelt down next to the fence, giving Sunny ample room to climb onto. The other colt assisted Sunny with her balance in getting on. Soon Sunny was on top of the two colts, almost being high enough to climb over the fence. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see. Her wings fluttered again, trying to get even higher. "What do you see?" one of the colts grunted. "It doesn't look like trouble," Sunny replied. "But I think I see-" "Ahem." Sunny heart jumped twice. Once from hearing the school's voice of authority, and the second time from the surprise of being dropped. "I certainly hope this isn't what it looks like-" Novel Idea's eyes narrowed, "-because what it looks like is a few naughty children were caught trying to escape my school." Sunny took in a sharp breath. This did look pretty bad out of context. She began to protest, "No, Mr. Novel, this isn't what it-" "Calm down, Sunny. I am sure none of you would try to play hooky," Novel tutted. "But I must ask, why does it seem so?" "We're trying to see what's going on over there," one of the colts said, gesturing. Novel Idea's eyes moved up from the foals. His eyebrows furrowed as he beheld the mass of ponies gathered down the street. "Tell you what, I'll go see what the all the commotion is about," Novel stated. "In the meantime, can I trust you four to not hop any fences?" The four children nodded. "Good. If you need anything, ask one of the other teachers." Novel Idea flared his wings and propelled himself over the fence. Sunny and the colts remained at the wired wall, watching with wide eyes as their teacher landed next to the herd outside. A duo of fillies walked up, curious as to what the group at the fence was doing. Another group soon joined them. Before long the entire playground was empty, assimilated into the gathering at the fence. Novel Idea was speaking with one of the ponies nearby. The kids gasped as they saw their teacher's eyes expand out of shock. The newspony handed Novel a piece of paper, which he proceeded to read. They all pressed against the wiring, desperate to hear something. Sunny began to feel crushed under the weight of all the pushing, but couldn't muster the breath to voice her complaint. The kids retreated from the fence as Novel Idea began his return to the schoolyard. Novel landed next to the group of children, where he was briefly surprised by the size of the group. The crowd began to pepper him with questions. "So what happened?" "Why are the reporters there?" "Did somepony die?" "Calm down. Your teachers will inform you once class restarts," Novel Idea chided. "For now, just enjoy the rest of your recess." Some kids gave disappointed groans, but they all dispersed across the playground. Sunny lowered her head in bemusement, but soon headed off to play some more. Maybe the swings would be open, or the jungle gym. The see-saws were definitely out of the question, as they likely had large puddles where the seat touches the ground. She opted to go to the carousel, where she was greeted with cheers as pegasi could make the carousel continuously and quickly spin using their wings. Out of the corner of her eye, Sunny noticed Mr. Novel speaking with the other teachers. Their eyes also widened as Novel showed them a sheet of notebook paper. The need to know what happened burned within her, but her teacher's command to wait prevented her from asking. Another bell chime signaled the end of recess. The children gathered around the front doors and filed themselves inside. Wordlessly, the children trotted to their classrooms at sat down at their desks. With their teacher nowhere in sight. "What's taking Mr. Novel so long?" Sunny wondered. On cue, Novel Idea opened the door at took his seat at the front of the room. “I assume everyone wants to know what happened?” Novel Idea asked. The entire classroom nodded. “I didn't want to tell you all of this because I feared you would hop the fences in excitement,” he explained, shooting an amused glance towards the colts and Sunny. They returned sheepish smiles. "I'm sure you're all familiar with Candy Mane?" "Did he die?" Licketysplit asked. The room erupted into gasps. "No! No one is dead!" Novel insisted, causing the classroom to visibly lighten up. "I've actually got very, very good news. What was the subject of so much attention outside was a large flyer, made by Candy Mane himself, giving this announcement." Novel Idea pulled out a piece of notebook paper from his trenchcoat and cleared his throat. “Dear Ponies of Equestria," Novel recited. "I, Candy Mane, have an important announcement. I have decided to allow six children to visit my factory this year. I have hidden six golden tickets under the ordinary wrapping paper of six ordinary chocolate bars. These candy bars can be in any shop in any town in Equestria." "The lucky finders of these golden tickets will be given a tour of my humble factory. I, Candy Mane, will conduct you around the factory myself, showing you everything there is to see. Afterwards when it is time to leave, you will be escorted home by a procession of large trucks; each one filled with all the chocolate you could ever eat! In addition, one of these children will receive a special prize, beyond their wildest imagination! I eagerly await the ponies lucky enough to find a ticket." Novel looked up from the sheet of paper. As he expected, the entire classroom was struck dumb. Most of their eyes glossed over, some were drooling, some were hyperventilating, but all had their mouths hanging open. Novel Idea smiled, then raised an eyebrow as the classroom's gazes seemed to be drifting to his left. He turned his head to see what the children were looking at. The only things there were the disciplinary chart, the calendar, and... the door. "Perhaps I should have locked that..."