//------------------------------//
// Chilly the Snow Pony 
// Story: Chilly the Snow Pony 
// by Snowy Flanks 
//------------------------------//

It was the morning after the last heavy snow and Ponyville was blanketed in a sea of white. As was tradition for Ponyville, all of the local business had closed for the day so that everypony could enjoy the coolness. The air was filled with the smell of clearness and pine needles, just the kind of smell that you would want on a winter day.
 
Ponies were already out, playing in the snow. Some were sliding down the town hills while trying to avoid colliding into other ponies, others were using coloured water to paint, but most were in White Tail Woods having a snowball fight. In the park three ponies started to roll snowballs. Up and down the park they rolled the snowballs. Eventually they had a large one and a snowball just the right size for a snowpony head. They carried the two balls to a spot where two other ponies were piling up snow to make four legs. The two earth ponies hoisted the large ball on too the legs while the pegasus gently placed the head on top, after a magical pack with some snow between the layers the snowpony was ready.
 
Berry ran home and brought two shiny bottle caps to use for the snowpony's eyes.
 
Colgate gave it a pinecone nose and a funny bubble pipe.
 
Caramel brought a tweed scarf for the snowpony.
 
And Carrot Top brought her favourite carrot for the horn and a yellow mop for the tail.
 
"Now we need a hat," said Thunderlane. So they all began to look around.
 
Berry found a beret cap, but it didn't look just right. Colgate found a battered bowler hat. But it still didn't seem right.
 
Just then, from the park entrance came a whistling wind, which blew a shiny top hat to their hooves.
 
"Just what we need!" cried Carrot Top and Caramel.
 
"It's like magic!" said Thunderlane and Berry.
 
It was Thunderlane who picked up the shiny top hat and put it on the snowpony's head. Zerk! Thunderlane’s hoof sprang back with a shock and a poof of colours.
 
"It is magic!" gasped Colgate.
 
"That it is," said a voice, a chuckley voice they had never heard before. "And a most tingly sort of magic, if I do say so myself."
 
“Who said that?” shouted Berry spinning around to look for any other pony, but there was none.
 
"Chilly the Snow Pony, at your service," said said being of snow as the ponies eyes began to widen.
 
“Colgate, what did you do?” asked Carrot Top turning to the blue unicorn.
 
“That wasn’t me! I can’t animate things like this, no unicorn can!” answered Colgate quickly.
 
“Come on, ponies, let’s play!” sang Chilly as he hopped around them, covering them in a fine snowy powder.
 
The ponies stood, stunned, not sure what to do until Chilly grabbed Berry and began to swing her around the park.
 
“Dance party!” Chilly shouted as he spun Berry around and turned to take Thunderlane’s hoof.
 
The ponies were reluctant at first but soon they began to move around in the snow.
 
After Chilly had danced with each of the ponies, they started playing leapfrog with each other out of the park. Each time Chilly landed on the ground he created a cloud of snowflakes around his legs.
 
“What do you want to do now?” said Chilly as he started to juggle snowballs.
 
“Ummm, I guess we could go sledding,” said Carrot Top.
 
“YAY! Sledding with friends!” cheered Chilly as he ran towards the hill, followed by the ponies that could not help get swept up in wonderment of the snowpony.
 
When they arrived at the hill, nopony else was sledding down the hill. “Ummm, did anypony bring a sled to go down with?” asked Colgate.
 
“Sit on my belly!” said Chilly as he laid down on the snow.
 
The ponies looked at him strangely but Thunderlane complied. As soon as he had made contact, Chilly pushed off and the two were dashing down the snow in a greyish blur. At the bottom they crashed and Thunderlane was thrown headfirst into a snow drift.
 
The ponies looked down worryingly, as Thunderlane was pulling himself out.
 
“Chilly, I want you to listen me very carefully,” said Thunderlane as he turned to face the pony. “I want you to climb back up the hill and lay down so I can go again BECAUSE THAT WAS WAY TOO MUCH FUN!!!” Thunderlane wrapped his hooves around him.
 
Chilly produced a big smile and ran back up the hill. When he got to the top, Berry and Carrot climbed on to his back and Chilly jumped down the hill. Both of the mares cheered, their manes flapping in the wind, and this time Chilly managed to tilt up and come to a safe stop. As the three turned around, they saw Colgate coming down the hill on her magic, while Caramel just sat down and slid on himself.
 
This went on for over half an hour with everypony taking a turn riding down with Chilly and sliding down by themselves; it was great fun for all. For some reason, even though the ponies had landed in snow drifts several times, during the sledding practice none of them felt cold; it was as if the cold didn't want to bother them anymore.
 
“What now?” asked Chilly bouncing up and down again.
 
“No, wait. Before we do anything else, you have to tell us where you came from and how you are alive,” said Caramel “I know you’re a good pony, but I still need to know. It has been bothering me all this time.”
 
“I have no idea,” said Chilly, sitting on the ground with a thump.
 
“What do you mean, you don't know? How could you not know?!” asked Colgate.
 
“I don’t know, I’m just here now. Does it really matter? We can have fun!” said Chilly as he spun his head around to look at all of the ponies.
 
“We can have fun later, we really need to figure this out,” said Thunderlane. “I'm going to check out the hat, Chilly started to move when that was put on him.”
 
He flew up and picked the hat off of Chilly's head, freezing him in place. He turned the hat over and over, ran his hooves and wings over it, smelled it, and even licked it.
 
“There is nothing, this hat doesn't feel funny at all!” said Thunderlane throwing it to Colgate.
 
Carrot Top examined the now unmoving snowman. “This snow doesn't look any different either, it tastes just like regular snow” said the carrot mare taking a small nip.
 
Colgate levitated the hat back on to the snowpony and Chilly once again began to talk. “Chilly the Snow Pony, at your service!"
 
“Sorry about that, Chilly, Thunderlane sometimes does things without thinking,” said Caramel shooting the pegasus a look then turning back to the snow.
 
“That's alright, did you find out how I am?”
 
The ponies looked at each other. Berry walked up and rested her hoof on Chilly. “We have no idea, you just seem to be alive for no explained reason,” said Berry as the rest of the ponies nodded behind her.
 
Chilly brushed some snow on to his leg and turned around in a circle. “So what do you want to do now, snow fort, snowball fight, make a snowpony, draw pictures in the snow?”
 
“You really like to play, don't you?” asked Colgate with a raised brow.
 
“Playing is fun, who wouldn't want to have fun?” asked Chilly.
 
Caramel laughed. “Can’t argue with that, I guess. The snowball fight should still be going on across town; let’s go see if they need our help.”
 
Chilly cheered, “Yay, more playmates!” and ran back up the hill, the other ponies following behind him at a fast gait, laughing at the snowpony’s excitement. Soon all six of them were walking in a line with smiles on their faces and giggles come out of their mouths.
 
“Does anypony know why we are doing this? I usually fly,” said Thunderlane.
 
“I don't know why, but it is fun!” said Colgate from behind him.
 
“It's just like being a kid again; I don't care who sees me!” said Berry Punch.
 
Chilly was in the front of the line, levitating a rake he had found leaning against a tree and trying to whistle. He was looking left and right as he entered the center of Ponyville.
 
“Ohhh, who is that?” said Chilly pointing at a large statue surrounded by a fountain.
 
Carrot top laughed. “That's Princess Celestia.”
 
“Wow she is really big,” said Chilly.
 
“Yeah, she is,” said Thunderlane with a laugh.
 
The group started to march again when they heard something.
 
“FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!!” All the ponies stop and turned to see a royal guard walking towards them. “Halt! Who goes there?”
 
“Chilly the Snow Pony! I am going to a snowball fight on the other sides to town! Would you like to come with me Mr. armoured pony?”
 
The guard pony looked at Colgate. “What is this?”
 
“Sorry, Sir. He is just really excited to be alive and wants to experience as much as he can,” said Colgate.
 
The guard stared at Colgate then and Chilly. “Well, if he just came to life, I guess I can understand that. You can go now and have a nice day,” said the guard with a wave of his hoof.
 
The group continued to walk down the street while the guard went back to his rounds. “I really should request a transfer. I bet none of the other guard ponies have to deal with snowponies suddenly coming to life.”
 
Chilly led the group out of town and into the woods, still swinging his rake around like a baton, and when they arrived, they saw that the snowball fight was still in full swing with balls flying about in about from both sides. Colgate and Caramel led the group to a small rise that protected them from sight and from getting hit. Thunderlane peeked over the edge and saw a slight bit of red among the snow. Soon an army of ponies stood up and started to throw snowballs as fast as they could at the hiding ponies. Chilly reached into the snow and began to throw balls at a speed far beyond that of a normal pony. Within seconds the attacking ponies were covered in snow and retreating as fast as they could run. Chilly kept throwing until the ground beneath him was bare. When he couldn’t throw any more balls, he turned around and cheered.
 
“That was a lot of fun! Can we do it again?”
 
The ponies began to clap slowly, getting louder and louder, until Berry was whistling in glee. “That was awesome! How did you do that?”
 
“I don’t know, it just came to me. Did I do good?”
 
Berry nodded. “Yes, you did very good.”
 
“Let’s go build something!” said Chilly as he ran into a clearing with the ponies following along with a bit of difficulty, as they sank into the snow while Chilly just glided on top of it. When they got to the clearing, they saw Chilly building a snow bank to act as a wall. Carrot Top joined Chilly in pushing up the walls, making sure to compact it down tightly. Thunderlane and Berry built three towers to act as the corners for their fort and strengthen the walls. Colgate and Caramel carved out a door and windows and carefully shaped everything to make a more fort-like shape in the snow. When the six were finished, there was an elegant fortress standing up in the forest.
 
Chilly ran inside of the fort to craft furniture and a flag pole while the other ponies rested outside.
 
“Doesn’t he ever get tired?” asked Berry.

“I doubt it, no muscles, no heart, no lungs, just snow. What is in there to get tired?” answered Thunderlane.
 
Caramel bucked it with his hind legs. “This is a mighty strong fort we have made. Usually I can kick a hole in a snow wall, but this time it’s like kicking a boulder.”
 
Chilly came out of the fort and smiled. “Yep, we can make a good fort. So what’s next?”
 
The ponies looked at each other and Colgate sighed. “Well, Chilly, I’m sorry but we are all a little tired so I think it’s time we go home and try to warm up; some hot chocolate or cider would be magnificent right now.”
 
The rest of the ponies nodded and gave Chilly a hug before walking away. Chilly followed them with less glee then he had when he entered the forest but still smiled.
 
“Do you think you can still come out after you have had a little rest? That would be really nice and we can still have fun!”
 
Thunderlane turned and smiled. “I will see if I can Chilly, it was a lot of fun to move around in the snow,” he said, and the rest of the ponies turned and nodded with Thunderlane.
 
Chilly jumped up, cheered and waved goodbye to his friends as they dashed off to their houses. He looked around for the next thing to do. It was the time of the afternoon snowfall and all of the ponies had run in doors to hide from the precipitation. Chilly didn’t mind the weather and took a while to blow snowflakes back up until they were too big to be carried up by his breath. The snow became thicker and the wind harsher but Chilly was still having fun until a very strong gust of wind blew his hat right off and on to the group, Chilly froze with a smile on his face.
 



 
When the storm finally ended, Berry came out of her house and started to brush off any snow that had collected on her walk when she saw a familiar snowpony standing by her garden. She walked up closer but Chilly did not turn to her. When she looked up, she saw that Chilly was missing the magic hat. Looking around she could not find it so she ran off to find her friends and enlist their help in tracking it down.
 
Caramel and Carrot Top were standing together chatting about farming techniques when Berry found them and told them about Chilly’s plight. The three began to search, and with the help of Thunderlane who they saw flying overhead making sure the snow clouds were safely gone, they retrieved the hat from a branch it had caught itself on.
 
“I am so glad that we found this! Chilly deserves to be alive just like the rest of us,” said Caramel as he held the hat in his mouth.
 
As they were walking back to Berry’s house they saw a snowpony standing in a yard and Thunderlane snatched the hat away from Caramel and flew over to the snowpony.
 
“What are you doing, Thunders?” asked Carrot Top.
 
“Just checking something out,” said Thunderlane as he dropped the magic hat on to the snowpony’s head.
 
The ponies waited, but this time the snowpony did not come to life. They poked the hat and snow a little but the pony did not move. Berry took the hat off of the pony and started to walk back from Chilly.
 
“It doesn't make any sense, it’s the same snow! It should animate when you put the magic hat on it,” said Thunderlane.
 
“I guess Chilly is just special like that,” said Caramel with a shrug.
 
When they got back to Berry’s house, Chilly was still standing there, waiting for things with the same smile on his face.
 
“You think we should give him something while we are here?” asked Carrot Top reaching over.
 
Thunderlane slapped her hoof away. “Don’t you change anything. Chilly is great.”
 
Thunderlane flew up and placed the hat back on the snowpony’s head.
 
"Chilly the Snow Pony, at your service," said Chilly as Thunderlane was wrapped in a big snowy hug. “Did you have a nice rest? I did!”
 
“You were aware of yourself without the hat?” asked Berry,
 
“Nope, but I know time passed,” sad Chilly, wrapping another pony in a hug. “So what do we do now?”
 
Thunderlane rested his hoof on Chilly’s shoulder. “I think you should go Chill.”
 
‘WHY?” asked Chilly and the ponies.
 
“I got word from the weather office, and there are going to be heavy winds throughout all the area for the next few days. I don’t think you will survive if you stay here”
 
Berry looked worried. “Are you sure, what if he stays indoors?”
 
Caramel shook his head. “No that wouldn’t work. It would be too warm, and Chilly would melt.”
 
The ponies looked at each other. “So what do we do?”
 
Colgate came up to the ponies. “I have an idea.”
 
“What?” asked Chilly with a note of eagerness..
 
“You can go to the frozen north; you would never melt there”
 
“But what if the hat blows off? No one would be there to put it back!”
 
Colgate smiled and levitated a blue ribbon out from her bags. “We can tie down the hat with this.”
 
“If we have the ribbon, why don’t we just let Chilly stay here?”
 
“Because it will get warmer here eventually. If Chilly goes north, he will never melt.”
 
The ponies looked at each other and nodded. “I guess that’s true,” said Carrot Top.
 
The ponies and Chilly walked swiftly north to the train depot. None of the passenger cars were heading north, but together, they were able to pool enough bits to pay for Chilly to get a spot on a cargo train. They did get a few looks when the trains ponies saw them loading a snowman on to the train, but since they were still paying, no one stopped them. As the train pulled away, Chilly leaned out and waved to his friends.
 
“It was fun playing with you; I'll be back again someday.”