//------------------------------// // Getting The Band Back Together // Story: The Snowball Fight // by zaponator //------------------------------// Scootaloo, still dressed in her heavy brown cloak, led the way through the woods. Apple Bloom followed in her friend's hoofsteps, noting the way that Scootaloo's gaze constantly moved over their surroundings as if every rock and bush was a potential threat. They didn't seem to be going anywhere recognizable, so it was with some surprise that Apple Bloom saw Scootaloo raise a forehoof to signal a halt. Apple Bloom trotted up and stood next to her friend, trying to see what reason they had for stopping. Their surroundings looked much the same as they had for the whole hike. Snow-covered trees and snow-covered bushes scattered across snow-covered ground. With all defining details hidden beneath the snowy covering, Apple Bloom could honestly say she had no idea where they were. "It's right here," Scootaloo said unhelpfully, totally ignoring Apple Bloom's requests to clarify what it was. Scootaloo trotted over to a seemingly random mound of snow the size of a small cottage. A large tree jutted out of the middle of the snowbank, though its leaves held no snow. If Apple Bloom had to guess, she would say that all the snow had fallen from the tree to form the absurdly large snow drift at its base. Other than that, Apple Bloom failed to see anything remarkable about it until they trotted around to the other side. There, a wide and flat piece of bark was leaned up against the snowpile. Scootaloo approached the out of place bark and knocked on it three times. A muffled but squeaky voice answered, "What's the password?" Scootaloo ran a hoof over her face. "We've been over this a hundred times. There is no password!" There was a long pause. "That's the password!" The piece of bark shifted and slid out of the way at the hooves of whoever was inside. A warm, orange light glowed inside the snow hill, and Scootaloo wasted no time in stepping inside. Apple Bloom hesitated momentarily at the strangeness of the whole situation, before shrugging and following her friend. It took her eyes a few moments to adjust to the dimmer light inside, and in that time she heard somepony close the entrance back up. When her vision cleared, Apple Bloom saw two wide-eyed faces staring at her with equally wide grins. "Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom tilted her head. "Why were you hiding inside a snowbank?" The aforementioned unicorn was dressed in a green scarf and earmuffs, and was sitting next to a small fire beside the tree in the center of the hollowed out shelter. "It's the only safe place left." Sweetie nodded sagely, as if she'd actually explained anything at all. She hadn't, and Apple Bloom's glare certainly made that known. "Ahem, er, right," Scootaloo jumped in. "I guess I do owe you an explanation for what's going on." "She doesn't know?!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed incredulously. "I didn't have time!" Scootaloo shot back. "I found her wandering right down the middle of an open road! She'd already gotten jumped by three goons when I showed up. After I outed them, we couldn't risk sitting out in the open any longer." Sweetie Belle sighed. "Alright, fair enough." She turned to Apple Bloom. "How much do you know?" "Literally nothing." Sweetie Belle blinked. "We'll start from the beginning then." Scootaloo leaned forward. "It all started when we got to school today. Miss Cheerilee gathered up all the students and said there were gonna be no classes today." "But it's not just a normal snow day," Sweetie Belle added. "Instead, Miss Cheerilee started a game." "A snowball fight," Scootaloo clarified. "School wide." Sweetie Belle nodded. "The last pony in the game gets a prize. There's only one rule: If you get hit by a snowball, you're out." "No backsies," Scootaloo added in a low voice. "The first few minutes were crazy." Sweetie Belle turned her eyes towards the floor. "Chaos everywhere. Colts and fillies were being outed faster than they could blink. Only the smartest, strongest, or fastest survived." Scootaloo grimaced. "A regular snowpocalypse." Sweetie Belle continued, "Eventually, when some of the dust began to clear and the snowballs slowed down, somepony was bound to rise up and take command." "Aero, pegasus colt from the class ahead of ours." Scootaloo nodded. "He was the first to try it. He stood up on a hill shouting about how peace was the only answer. He said we could all work together, play together, and share the prize with everypony." Sweetie Belle only grimaced. Scootaloo glanced at her friend before continuing, "Yeah, everypony thought it was dumb so we outed him right away." Sweetie Belle sighed. "But then it got worse." Scootaloo shuddered and hugged her forelegs to herself. "Super worse." "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon took over leadership. They recruited almost everypony to their cause with silver tongues and empty promises. They say they're going to share the prize with those they deem worthy, but only their blind followers believe that." "They're not gonna share anything!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "But… still, more than half the school joined the cause." Sweetie Belle shook her head. "They call themselves The Conglomerate." "I don't know what that means, but it makes me mad!" "Those of us who saw through Diamond's offer fought back against the Conglomerites," Sweetie Belle went on. "There used to be many of us, but there was always more of them." Scootaloo made a disgusted noise. "We lost. We lost hard. All we wanted was to be able to pummel each other in peace, but The Conglomerizers—" "Conglomerate," Sweetie interjected. "—just couldn't let us have that. Now us three? We're the only ones left. Everypony else is either out, or brainwashed by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's fancy words." "So there you have it." Sweetie Belle turned her eyes back on Apple Bloom. "The summary of our lost war, and the introduction to our dead rebellion. Any questions?" Apple Bloom squinted. "Firstly, all this happened in the 30 minutes I overslept?" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle glanced at each other, then at Apple Bloom. "Yeah." "Alright. Secondly, just what is this prize that's got our entire school embroiled in civil war?" "Uhhhhh…" Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo avoided Apple Bloom's prying gaze. "The thing is…" Sweetie Belle started. Scootaloo joined in. "We don't exactly…" "Know what the prize is." "But I'm sure it's something awesome!" "Or pretty!" "Or explosive!" "Or in six designer colours!" The two fillies fell into swooning silence as Apple Bloom stared in shock. "Y'all mean to tell me everypony's gone postal and they don't even know what they're doin' it for!?" "Yeah," Scootaloo shrugged. "But just think about it. That prize could be anything…" Apple Bloom thought about it. She could really use a nice new boat… "Alright, I'm in! Let's take down The Conglamoration!" "Conglomerate," Sweetie Belle corrected. "Whatever!"