Winter
by Toratchi888
Winter
The dark and terrifying creature formerly known—okay, somewhat less terrifying but still known—as Nightmare Moon laid in the darkness at the bottom of the stairs leading down from the Golden Oaks Library Reading Room into Twilight’s basement laboratory. Her eyes alone glinted in the weak ambient light as she looked up the stairs.
The door at the head of the stairs was cracked open slightly; not enough to allow a pony to push her hoof or snout through, but enough to allow Twilight to call down whenever she felt she had ignored her guest for too long.
She shook her head, allowing it to drift down to her crossed hooves, but snorted and lifted her head once again as she heard conversation upstairs; her star-studded, ethereal mane swirled about her unclad body as she moved.
“…see you and Night—er, Aster tomorrow morning, then, sugarcube?”
“Absolutely! I can’t wait to show her Winter Wrap Up! Do you know she’s never seen it before?”
“Aha, well, neither had you when you first came, Twi, so I guess that’ll be somethin’ special for the both of ya. Anyhow, I’ll take my leave.”
The door clicked shut; Nightmare—Aster—heard a thump of saddlebags dropping to the floor. She discorporated into a starry mist—the same substance as her mane—and slithered up the steps and through the door.
She rose up behind Twilight—who had levitated several scrolls from her bags—and coalesced. “I take it the apple farmer still fears me.”
Twilight jumped, but relaxed when she spun around and saw her guest behind her. “Goodness, Asteris! Why do you always do that?”
Aster smirked. “It’s too easy to get a start from you, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight frowned. “Not that—I’m used to that. I mean, why do you always talk down to my friends? You don’t really do it to me anymore…”
Aster blinked, then turned her head away. “I… They do it, too! They still think of me in the old way…”
“I think it’s just a habit,” Twilight replied, turning slightly to float her scrolls onto the librarian’s desk. “It’s why we wanted to change your name, right?”
“Asteris Creperii,” she muttered with what might have been a sneer. “At least I’ve been upgraded to a Star, even if I’m still an Unknown Quantity.”
Twilight pouted. “I thought it… suited you. I know it’s old Roano-Grequine, but…”
Aster blinked and pawed the ground. “I don’t… hate the name.”
Twilight cocked her head. “Really?”
Aster narrowed her eyes. “I just—I don’t care! Your friends can act however they like; it’s fine with me!”
Twilight shook her head. “Asteris, you’ll get to know them better; give them time. I tell them the same thing: get to know each other. You’re… you’re really…”
Aster snorted. “What? Dark, broody, inscrutable—”
“Thoughtful.”
Aster’s self-deprecating invectives cut short at that. “‘Thoughtful?!’” Aster rolled her eyes. “Sweet merciful stars, Twilight Sparkle! ‘Thoughtful?’”
Twilight skittered back. “Um, I don’t mean… um… I…”
Aster rolled her eyes again.
“I, um… Anyway, I have to get going; I have to head to Rarity’s to, uh… check the fit of my vest.” Twilight trotted upstairs.
“What vest?” Aster called after her.
“My All-Team Coordinator Vest!” Twilight replied. She trotted to the landing, the gold-trimmed green-and-blue vest floating beside her and sparkling in her magic glow.
Aster snorted. “Twinkle, twinkle, Twilight Star. Shiny little shirt, isn’t it?”
Twilight blushed. “Rarity has a talent for using gems, after all, and she did make the vest for me two years ago.”
Aster blinked. “Two years? You’ve been here that long? Good grief…”
Twilight frowned and made her way down the stairs. “Aster… I really don’t understand why you can’t just… make friends.”
Aster sneered. “I guess I’m just not a pretty pony princess like you.”
Twilight’s frown deepened. “Anyway, I’ll be out for a little while, and so will Spike. The Library’s closed today, so you… shouldn’t be disturbed.”
Twilight levitated her saddlebags from where she had left them, folded the vest neatly into the left-hand bag, strapped the bags on, and trotted to the door. Opening it, she paused a moment, her head half-turned back as though to look over her shoulder; then she left, shutting the door behind her.
Aster’s eyes narrowed at the closed door. “…she doesn’t have a scarf…” She glanced about, taking in the main library room. “Hmm…” She snorted. “I suppose the Princess of the Library would look in a book to find a solution to her problems…”
Having spent the better part of the last two years as Twilight’s guest, Aster had—however unwillingly—learned a little bit about practical library service. Though the sorting system…
Aster moved to the center of the room, giving the circular reading seat to her left a small berth. She pointed her hindquarters at the door—glancing over her shoulder and sparking her magic to lock it as an afterthought—and faced her head towards the inner library shelves.
Aster shut her eyes and lit up her horn. Tendrils of magic reached around her and began to pull books out. They began to swirl around her, slowly at first and then faster.
Aster’s eyes snapped open, lit white by her magic. Books began to fly past her face just slowly enough to skim their titles. Useless ones flew back to their shelves, while crafting books settled beside her on the reading seat.
When she had a dozen crafting books settled, she toned down her magic and leisurely floated them up before her. She skimmed the titles with her non-magicked eyes, frowning as she concentrated.
“Knitting,” she snorted. Sounds like something the apple-farming grandma would do on a Sunday night in front of the fire.
…suppose that would be cozy…
Aster floated the several books on knitting onto a shelf set aside for “returns,” plus a book on Neighponese folding-paper crafts that had escaped her notice before.
“Hmm… The Beginner’s Guide to Crochet by Threadloop.”Aster flipped open the cover page.“‘Welcome to the wonderful world of crocheting! With this book you will learn the basics of crochet, including abbreviations, terminology, working in rounds, and basic stitches such as the single crochet, double crochet, and treble crochet. There are also exercise patterns with which to practice, including wash-cloths, hats, and scarves.’”
Aster flipped to the exercise patterns, skipping the wash-cloths and hats. After perusing a few scarf patterns—turning them down for, variously, being too fancy or too difficult—she found one she liked. “This one will be just right. It looks like it would be warm, and I suppose it’s pretty.
“Now I need… …supplies.” She sighed. “Guess I have to go out.”
* * *
Aster braved the trek through town in the cold air to retrieve crochet supplies.
Actually, that’s a lie; she went discorporal and invisible, and teleported to her destinations.
First, she went to Sofas & Quills, reasoning that if they sold quills, they might sell other crafting or stationary supplies.
Alas, it was not to be; Davenport only sold Sofas and Quills at Sofas & Quills, though he tried to sell her a nice sofa on which to crochet. She glared at him and vanished, next reappearing at the Ponyville Hardware Store.
Sadly, the Hardware Store—while well-stocked with bolts and screws, flashlights, brooms, pliers, and various other goods—it did not possess crochet supplies. Aster only gave a moderate glare at the clerk before disappearing again.
* * *
Aster floated above Carousel Boutique an agitated, invisible cloud. Mentally gritting her teeth, and swallowing her pride, she reappeared herself at the front door and rang the bell.
“The door is open! Please come in!”
Aster pushed open the door and entered. Rarity appeared a moment later from behind a screen.
“Ah, Asteris! What an unexpected… How are you? What can I do for you here at Carousel Boutique?”
Aster gazed away. “Crochet.”
“Hmm, I don’t get too much call for crochet’d items hereabouts, but I find it a delightful pastime. I’d be happy to make you some—”
“I’M crocheting,” Aster retorted as her gaze snapped back to Rarity.
“Oh! Well, I have plenty of crocheting supplies! What are you looking for in particular? I have many different hooks—”
Rarity trotted to the back of the shop and opened several drawers, floating up a clutch of crochet hooks. Aster walked forward warily.
“This is a large hook, excellent for large, loose stitches—like you would see in a Spring or Autumn blanket—and it’s lovely solid silver with the little sapphire in the pommel.
“If you want a really tight stitch you want a small hook like this gem! This is a very small steel hook used mostly for making small stitches, perfect for doily making, and finished with a lovely chrome shine!
“And if you come this way I can show you my yarn and thread supply! See here; I have everything from size 30 crochet thread—which is the smallest I carry without getting into sewing threads of course—up to yarn weighted 8. Over there is a heavy and very warm yarn, but it can be a bit tricky to work with. And this is the Whitetail Warm and Soft brand, perfect for winter blankets!”
“Pardon—” Aster began as even more equipment began floating up.
“And over here are stitch markers, particularly useful when you are working of continuous rounds. I have many different colours here, and many of them are made of different material! For example, these ones here are aluminum with a pink metallic finish on them, and these are platinum here! Aren’t they just darling?! Oh, and would you like to see the yardage counters I have? They are right this way! This will help you keep track of how much yarn you’re using, and how much you have left!
“Do you have a pattern in mind? If not, I have plenty of magazines and books with patterns in them over here! Of course, I’m sure with you staying with Twilight in the library you have at least browsed some of the books she; but if you haven’t found any you like in there, feel free to look in those books over there. What about instructional books? Do you need any of those? If you do they are all here, ranging from your first ever project to very complex ones for professionals!”
“I’m making a scarf!” Aster blurted, just below a yell.
“Ooh,” Rarity squealed, “a winter scarf! How romantic! What does your pattern say you need for yarn and hook size?”
“6.00mm hook, weight-4 yarn.”
“Well, that’s common enough. And who is it for, if I may inquire?”
“…Twilight.”
“Ah.” Rarity stopped mid-stride, supplies hovering about her expectantly. She cleared away much of the creative detritus as she made a delicate little cough. “Twilight, you say? Indeed. Curious…”
“What’s that?” Aster growled.
“Oh, no, nothing, darling! I meant nothing by it. What colours do you need?”
“It needs to match that vest you made her. For the Winter Cleanup thing.”
Rarity’s mouth dropped open very slightly. Aster’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “What?!” Aster snapped
“N-nothing at all, darling! I know the vest well; her All-Team Coordinator vest, for Winter Wrap-Up.”
“That’s the thing.”
“Yes, of course! I’m quite proud of the piece, and I think Twilight is as well. Let me get all that for you…”
* * *
With Rarity’s enthusiasm reigned in, Aster was able to exit the Boutique within a few minutes with her purchases. Rarity kindly agreed to allow Aster to deliver payment within the week, since—obviously—Aster had to pay Rarity without arousing Twilight’s curiosity.
Returned at last to the Library, Aster sat down with her supplies and her book in the basement. “I’ll work all night if I have to…” she muttered. “And if that froufrou unicorn can do this with magic, I can certainly do it as well. Now, to start…”
* * *
“So, first I have to make a slip knot. Done.Okay. Chain… what’s that? Oh, that’s easy enough. Wait… I have to do how many?!”
* * *
“Hmm… now what does that mean? Now I have to double…Oh, this is getting tricky. I yarn over, then put my hook through there… is that right? Hmm… I don’t think I did that right. Start again…
* * *
“Okay, there’s one! Wow, I have to do that again in the same spot? I’m not sure I’m reading this right, but okay…”
* * *
“Now I do that in each stitch?! Sigh… This is going to take a while…”
“Aster!”
“What?”
“Are you okay? I hear you muttering down there.”
“I’m fine! I’m… just reading… aloud.”
“Okay, that’s fine. There’s some food if you want it.”
“Fine.”
* * *
“Oh, I put five in that one? Will that fit? …there it goes. Now I do WHAT?! Get. In. There! There! Okay, now I’m at the end of the round. How do I change colours? Oh, that’s easy. Now I chain up, and do that all over again…
* * *
“…change colours, and now only one double crochet all around. Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm—DONE!”
Aster lifted the product of her work before her, a slightly manic grin on her face as she ran her eyes over the scarf. It was ruffled, the folds undulating over each other along the length of the scarf. Its design was also roughly concentric, with pale yellow in a double row at the center, two green rows around that, and blue rows in the outermost rings.
Aster’s head snapped around as a soft knock sounded at the upstairs door.
“Aster? It’s almost dawn. I have hot oats for breakfast, if you’re ready.”
Aster discorporated and slowly floated up to the door. She opened it with her magic and flowed past Twilight, who turned as Aster reappeared in solid form in the middle of the library.
“Aster, you were down there all night talking to yourself; are you okay?”
Aster faced Twilight and levitated the scarf around the latter’s neck. “I made you a scarf to go with your vest, b-b-because I don’t want you to catch cold. It’s not like I care or anything! It would just be inconvenient to find another place to live, is all.”
Aster turned away, her cheeks darkening under her fur with a blush.
Twilight gaped in amazement, then smiled. She trotted over behind her desk and levitated something up.
Aster peered at the shape as it unfolded and wrapped around her neck: It was a long, rectangular scarf made of black velvet, with small silver tassels at the ends and innumerable small stones dotted along its length.
Aster’s eyes widened as she took it in. “T-T-Twilight, did you…?”
“I had Rarity make it for you,” Twilight replied softly. “This is your first Winter Wrap-Up, and I wanted it to be special for you like it was for me. I guess we were both thinking how to make it special for each other.”
Aster pawed the scarf, lost for words. “…thank you, Twilight.”
Twilight smiled again. “Let’s get some breakfast, and go wrap up Winter.”
“Like a scarf,” Aster smirked.
They both laughed.