White Wonders
Chapter 6: White Wonders
When Dawn awoke the day after Nightmare Night, he pulled back the curtains of his room to see that all of Ponyville had been blanketed in a beautiful sheet of white. Snow had fallen all through the night, covering everything. All the preparations Rainbow's team had made had paid off and Ponyville's first snowfall of the season had gone off without a hitch.
Normally, Dawn would already be going through his morning routine, brushing his teeth, combing his mane, preening his feathers. But, just this once, he paused, simply spending several minutes staring out the window in quiet fascination as the snow continued to fall. It was a very different feeling from what he'd experienced last winter. Snow was cold, snow was wet, it was potentially deadly, something to be regarded with caution and a sign that the season was against him. When Dawn had seen snow in the Everfree Forest, his only thoughts had been about surviving it. But now, laying in a warm bedroom, with an even warmer blanket draped over him, he was able to stare out at the snow from within this sanctuary and see it with new eyes. The snow looked...beautiful. The sight was so mesmerizing to the ebony colt, that he completely lost track of time until the first thumps of Scootaloo's hoof against the front door echoed up the stairs.
Wasting no time, Dawn rushed down to let the orange filly in, who blinked in surprise at the Dawn's state of disarray. "You okay?" she asked as she hung up her purple scarf and shrugged out of her heavy winter coat. It was uncharacteristic of Dawn to abandon his usual morning activities and usually a sign of trouble, that something was seriously bothering him.
"It's nothing," said Dawn with a sheepish smile, "I was watching the snow and I completely forgot about everything else."
Scootaloo blinked and looked out one of the ground floor windows. "Is it that big a deal?"
Dawn shrugged. "I'm not certain," he replied, "I was just enjoying watching it."
"If you say so," said Scootaloo, still watching out the window, trying to see what Dawn was finding so fascinating.
Dawn quickly went upstairs to finish his morning routines. A few minutes later, he came back down to see Scootaloo was sitting quietly in the living room, her feathers fluffed out slightly. Though the room was warmer than the outside, there was still a bit of a chill that pervaded the early morning. Dawn carefully placed some logs in the fireplace. Extending a wing, he built up a charge in his feathers before sending a bolt into the pile of wood with a snap, immediately sparking a flame, which slowly caught and began to build in strength. Slowly the warmth from the fireplace began to seep out into the living room.
"Better?" asked Dawn.
Scootaloo didn't answer until she'd sidled up next to him and tucked herself underneath his wing. "Much better."
The two of them spent a moment relaxing before they had to get up and move onto the next part of their routine. With the temperature outside dropping, it was no longer all that advisable to continue training out there. Unfortunately, inside Caramel's living room, there just wasn't enough space for the two of them to run through their forms. Dawn hoped to find some way to remedy this issue.
When he'd lived in the Everfree, he'd spent much of the winter going through his forms over and over again. The main reason had been that the constant physical activity helped stave off the cold and keep him from freezing. But now that he had a warm home of his own, he wasn't sure what to do. He and Scootaloo could probably continue their practice in the afternoon, but flying all the way out to the quarry for intensive training and then flying back was ill-advised in this weather. Most likely, they would simply have to curtail their training for a little while until things began to warm up again. It would slow Scootaloo's progress, but it was better than risking her health.
Perhaps Arkenstone might have an idea, thought Dawn as he and Scootaloo maintained their silent meditation.
After a few moments, Dawn's ears picked up the low clopping sound of Caramel's hooves as the tan stallion wandered down the stairs.
"'Morning you two," he said cheerfully, "Glad to see you made it here alright, Scootaloo."
"It was no problem," said Scootaloo as she relaxed her stance. She and Dawn climbed onto the couch and relaxed together.
"Thanks for lighting the fire," Caramel said, getting a nod from Dawn in response, "What have you kids got planned for today?"
"Well, we've got work at the teahouse from the morning through the afternoon," said Scootaloo, "Then we were planning on doing something with the others." She grinned wolfishly. "I'm thinking we should have a snowball fight."
"Just be careful," said Caramel as he headed towards the kitchen, "We don't want anypony getting sick."
"We'll be fine," said Scootaloo with a dismissive wave, "We've had huge snowball fights every year when the snow falls."
"If I recall, you came down with a cold twice afterwards," commented Fluttershy as she joined the group.
"Well, that was..." Scootaloo blushed as Fluttershy giggled, accompanied by some chuckling from Caramel. She looked pointedly at Dawn who, while not showing any audible signs of mirth, was betrayed by the jerking motion of his chest, indicating barely restrained laughter. Scowling, Scootaloo jabbed the colt with her elbow, which only served make Dawn cough out a couple of audible laughs.
Fluttershy couldn't help but smile as she exchanged her morning nuzzle with Dawn before going to join Caramel in the kitchen, the two of them working to put breakfast together for the hungry foals. After they had finished the meal, Fluttershy saw her coltfriend, along with Dawn and Scootaloo, to the door, watching the three of them as they headed off to their respective jobs. After she'd seen them off, Fluttershy hummed happily as she donned her own scarf and coat in order to head out to meet Rarity at the spa.
Flaxseed awoke in his room in the Carousel Boutique. Lifting his head slowly, he tried to recall what had happened the previous night. He and Rarity had not drunk all that much of the port she had shared with him. However, Flaxseed had little practice in the art of drinking. It was difficult to find the time and money to spare for liquor. On top of that, the last thing the stallion typically wanted to do was imbibe something that could lower his inhibitions and render him vulnerable. It was for that reason that his alcohol tolerance was nothing worth writing home about.
Fortunately, though he was groggy, Flaxseed was pleased to find that he'd been spared the hangover, which at least seemed to indicate he hadn't overindulged. Thinking back, he tried to recall the details of the evening he'd spent with Rarity. They'd spent their time conversing congenially over a few glasses of her port and some almond croissants. He'd learned a great deal about Rarity's dressmaking business, all the famous clients she'd acquired, and the many adventures she'd gone on to find particular materials. For his part, Flaxseed had found himself opening up more about his past experiences, regaling Rarity with his recollections of some of his more harrowing escapes, which the mare had listened to with a great deal of attention. In retrospect, that may have been her plan from the very beginning. The conversation had been interrupted several times over the course of the evening by the doorbell as small groups of foals came to the door to demand their Nightmare Night candy.
All told, it hadn't been a bad way to spend an evening. After Rumble walked Sweetie Belle home from the festivities, they had all gone to bed and that had been that. After closing his eyes, Flaxseed's next conscious recollection was waking up in his room, safe and comfortable.
Glancing at the door, Flaxseed was shocked to see that he'd completely forgotten to place his usual locking charm. His heart jumped in alarm. Though the door itself had been locked, Rarity could have easily opened it with her magic, or possibly a master key that she likely had. However, the door was undisturbed and there was no sign that anypony but Flaxseed had been in the room.
The revelation amazed him. In the scant few days that he'd been in Ponyville, Flaxseed was shocked by how much he had lowered his guard. His heart had been warmed by Rarity's kind treatment, her willingness to open her home to him, her warm and caring friends. The whole time, she'd kept her distance, respected his privacy, and done everything in her power to make sure that he was comfortable. Never once had she betrayed or abused the trust that Flaxseed had placed in her.
Still, he thought, It's too early to tell...much too early.
Though he desperately wanted to believe that Rarity and her friends had his best interests at heart, though he wanted to believe that all of Ponyville wasn't some kind of fairy-tale haze his addled mind was dreaming up, Flaxseed just couldn't bring himself to let go of the paranoia that had dogged him for so long. Undoubtedly, the lock charm would go back up on the door that night and it would be a while yet before he found himself willing to risk drinking anything alcoholic. Already, the realization of just how vulnerable he had been was leaving Flaxseed panting as he fought down a panic attack.
It took a few moments for the gold-colored stallion to get his thoughts back under control. Once he'd succeeded, he managed to get back to his usual morning routine and was soon downstairs in the kitchen, where Rarity was already in the process of fixing him another late breakfast. Soon, Flaxseed found himself devouring a cheese and spinach omelet and washing it down with several glasses of apple juice.
"And how are you feeling this morning?" asked Rarity with a smile as she placed a second omelet in front of the ravenous stallion.
"I'm feeling alright," said Flaxseed, before tucking into the second omelet, "I was afraid I'd have a hangover this morning, but it looks like I got lucky."
"Well, we didn't have very much after all," said Rarity with a chuckle as she sat herself at the table, "Port isn't meant to be consumed by the bottle anyway." Indeed, there was still at least half of a bottle left from the previous night. "Perhaps we can finish it some other time."
"Maybe," said Flaxseed dubiously. He still didn't plan on lowering his guard again anytime soon. "What's on your agenda for today?"
"Oh, there isn't a whole lot," replied Rarity, "Now that Nightmare Night is past, the only outstanding orders that I have are the new costumes for Sapphire Shores and her ensemble. Between them and the fees I took in for costumes, there should be enough to last us through the season."
"Even though I'm here?" asked Flaxseed.
Rarity blinked. "Well, I must admit that having a third pony did throw my calculations off a little, but I still think we have enough."
"Maybe I could check for you," offered Flaxseed, "I'm good with numbers."
Rarity's eyes widened for a second before she began to smile eagerly. "Oh, you are, are you..."
Flaxseed nodded. "Ever since I was little, math has been my favorite subject. I used to want to be an accountant when I grew up."
"Used to...?" inquired Rarity, raising an eyebrow.
Flaxseed sighed. He glanced forlornly out the window. "Well, I ended up not being able to go to Trade School for it."
"Was it because of your eyes?" Rarity felt more than a little awkward to be bringing up the subject of Flaxseed's condition in this context. From the look on the stallion's face, it was clearly a painful memory for him. The previous night, he'd regaled her with some of his experiences, but ones that had been more exciting than distressing. They'd been tales of late-night escapes under the cover of darkness and harrowing chases. She suspected that, besides those tales, there lurked other stories that were the source of many of the scars on the stallion's heart, stories that he wasn't ready to part with just yet. Perhaps this was one of them.
Flaxseed's shoulders rose and fell with his sigh. "Yeah," he admitted, "I'd just graduated from elementary and was sending out applications when I had my first...episode. There was this pony that'd been bullying me all through my school years. He was really getting on my nerves, harassing me every day. Finally, I just...snapped...gave him a piece of my mind. When the damn brat ran off screaming, I thought I'd finally won and gotten him off my back."
Flaxseed let out a cynical snort. "'Course, I found out how wrong I was when a mob showed up at our house, complete with torches and pitchforks. Turns out the kid had told his dad, was overheard, and the next thing I knew, the Order of Celestial Light was at my family's house, insisting that I be hoofed over for extermination."
"That's awful!" gasped Rarity.
The gold-colored stallion nodded slowly. "My parents managed to distract them long enough for me to sneak out and get away. I still don't know what happened to them. I haven't tried to find out."
"Why not?" asked Rarity.
"Too dangerous," replied Flaxseed with a shrug, "Those bastards from the Order were persistent as hay. They chased me through three different towns before I finally managed to make them lose my trail. I wasn't about to risk them finding it again by going back to the place where it all started. Going to the Guard was a joke. I couldn't trust them. I couldn't trust anyone. The Order seemed to have ponies everywhere, no matter where I went. If I slipped up even once, the next thing I could expect was somepony trying to lure me into an ambush." His head dropped and he held it in his forehooves. "The things they said..."
Rarity stood up and slowly made her way around the table. Carefully, she placed a hoof on Flaxseed's shoulder. The stallion tensed at first, but didn't jump. Deliberately, Rarity slid her free arm around his shoulders and pulled him against her. Flaxseed's body began to shake with barely suppressed sobs. "It's alright," she cooed softly, "Let it all out."
She held the stallion for a while longer until he managed to regain his composure. When Flaxseed finally pulled away, sniffling and wiping his eyes, she smiled at him. "I would be ever so happy to have you go over my finances," she told him, "No one should be denied from doing the things that they truly love."
Haltingly, Flaxseed returned her smile. "Thank you."
Rarity gently patted him on the shoulder again. "If it's alright with you, I would like to share this information with Twilight. Her brother is Captain of the Royal Guard. It's highly possible that he can investigate what happened to your parents. Either we can find them and reunite you with them or..." Her breath hitched as she considered the other possibility. "...Or we can at least lay your past to rest."
Flaxseed looked at her nervously. "Are you sure it's safe?"
"As safe as can be," replied Rarity, "Keep in mind that everypony here is on your side and many of them are quite strong. No matter what might happen. They will see to your safety."
"O-okay," said Flaxseed, still sounding uncertain, "Let me think on it."
"Of course," said Rarity, "We wouldn't dream of doing anything without your permission."
Dawn gave the bits in his pouch a bemused look. Scootaloo peeked over his shoulder. "Wow, the loot's really piling up," she commented wryly.
"Well, it's not all that many bits," Rumble pointed out. The pouch was still rather small. After all, Dawn had only just gotten his earnings from his job. It had been empty before.
"Yeah, but he's been saving them up," replied Scootaloo, looking back at the gray colt, "Dawn hasn't really splurged on anything aside from the Harvest Festival and the first day of Cider Season." She turned back to her coltfriend. "Didn't Fluttershy just open an account for you at the bank?"
"She did," answered Dawn, "I forget exactly how much I have in there at the moment though." Besides the pay for his work, there was also the money leftover from the reward purse he'd been given by Mayor Mare for his role in ending the drought caused by the Cloudsdale tribalists.
"A lot," said Scootaloo, spreading her arms for emphasis, "It's something like almost a thousand bits now."
"Whoah!" gasped the other foals in stunned surprise. A thousand bits wasn't all that spectacular an amount. Dawn's mother had more in her own account. Diamond Tiara's father was likely to drop more on an impulse buy for his daughter (in the old days, at least). But, for the average foal, it was a veritable fortune that could buy entire piles of sweets and treats, one of the reasons Dawn had been willing to spend so much money on cider earlier.
"What are ya gonna do with it all?" asked Apple Bloom, leaning forward.
Dawn shrugged. "I haven't thought about it much," he said earnestly. At the very least, he figured it would serve him well to save up the money while he could. After all, Fluttershy saw to all his essentials presently, so he figured that saving his own money for the future was probably a wise move. The fact that he'd rarely found anything he felt he needed to spend his own money on kept Dawn from losing any significant amounts.
"Geez," griped Rumble, "If you're not going to do anything with it, you could at least treat us to cupcakes more often." He yelped as Sweetie Belle elbowed him sharply. Turning, he gave the irate filly a sheepish grin as she fixed him with a reproachful glare.
"We're getting paid too," she reminded him. Arkenstone had been giving all of them a decent wage for their work at the teahouse. Granted, with the exception of Dawn, the other foals were a bit more inclined to blow their pay on various indulgences, though their elder siblings had convinced them to set at least some of their earnings aside for a rainy day.
"Enough about money!" exclaimed Scootaloo, "It's time to let some snowballs fly!"
The others, save Dawn, shouted an enthusiastic agreement and rushed out to the wide-open expanses of Ponyville park, where the snow had accumulated across the hills, leaving plenty for the construction of forts, as well as ammunition.
They tried to divide into teams, but found it a little difficult to keep things even with five ponies. Apple Bloom put the fight on hold and rushed back into town. A few minutes later, she was back, a puffing Spike bounding along in her wake. Now that they had even numbers, they once again started deciding on teams.
For the first round, it was decided that it would be boys against girls. Spike, Dawn, and Rumble made up one team, while the three fillies of the original Cutie Mark Crusaders made up the other. Immediately, they set about making preparations, namely the construction of fortifications and ammunition. Dawn, a bit bemused by the whole affair, had to be directed through his tasks by Rumble, the two of them working to erect a walled enclosure that they could hide behind, while Spike set his dextrous hands to molding snowballs. Across the way, Bloom and Scootaloo were working on their own fort, while Sweetie used her magic to carefully shape snowballs of their own.
"What are the rules of this game?" asked Dawn as he worked the snow beside Rumble, both of them packing it in and building up the wall, high enough to crouch behind, but not high enough that it would impede their own ability to pop up and lob snowballs at their opponents.
"Well, they're not so much rules as they are...guidelines," explained Rumble, "The basic idea is that you just try to hit the other side with as many snowballs as you can, while trying to get hit as little as possible. It's not like anypony's gonna try to keep count. After the fight, we'll probably spend a good ten minutes arguing over who 'won.' The only rules we really have are the kind to keep us from hurting each other; snowballs only, no ice chunks or anything with rocks or sticks in it, that sort of thing. Try not to hit anypony too hard."
"Okay," said Dawn, going back to work. Building the wall was at least somewhat familiar to him. During his time in the Everfree, he'd made snow shelters for himself during the winter. Once it was packed, Snow actually made an excellent insulator and, combined with careful construction, could be used to build a shelter that was surprisingly warm inside, even when the temperatures outside were well into the negative numbers. Those memories came drifting back as he continued to work on the wall.
"Okay," said Spike, as he added one last snowball to the sizable pile behind him, "I think we're about ready." Standing up, he raised his head above the wall to peer at the fillies. "You ready, girls?"
The next sound out of the young dragon's mouth was a startled yelp as he ducked beneath the wall to avoid a snowball that had nearly burst against his face. It was the only warning the boys received as the trio of fillies fired off a furious salvo of packed snow in their direction. Dawn and Rumble both hurled themselves over the wall to avoid getting battered by the flying snow.
"Thanks for the warning!" Rumble called out irritably in the direction of the girls.
"Ya snooze, ya lose," Apple Bloom taunted back.
"Real original," groused Spike. He looked over at Dawn and Rumble. "Ready to give the girls a taste of their own medicine."
"You bet," said Rumble with a ferocious grin, picking up a snowball with his feathers. Crouching, he jumped, bouncing up above the height of the wall. His eyes almost immediately zeroed in on the fillies, who were already taking aim at him. Smirking, Rumble sighted on Bloom and let fly, snapping his wing forward and launching the snowball using the same skills he'd honed while practicing with the meteor hammer.
The snowball flew straight and true, bursting against Bloom's forehead, knocking the yellow filly back with a shriek, her own snowball dropping to the ground. Sweetie and Scootaloo retaliated with shots of their own, but Rumble swept his wings upwards, using the downforce to drive himself back down below the line of the wall before their snowballs could reach him. The two icy projectiles sailed harmlessly overhead.
"Hah!" shouted Spike, peeking over the wall, "Good shot!" From his position, he could see Bloom getting upright once again, flakes of white scattered in her hair and her bow knocked askew. However, Spike's jubilation was short-lived as he was knocked onto his back by a pair of snowballs launched by Sweetie and Scootaloo.
"Your turn," said Rumble, giving Dawn an imploring look.
Frowning contemplatively, Dawn examined the pile of snowballs that Spike had assembled before smirking. The colt extracted a pair of white orbs from the pile, holding them in the feathers of either wing. With a flick of his wings, he hefted them upward before catching them on ascending air currents generated by his magic. Closing his eyes, Dawn let his awareness spread across the battlefield. The girls and their snow fort was well within his twenty-meter radius.
Dawn's wings flickered, appearing to double in number. The snowballs shot upwards. Both Spike and Rumble tracked their progress, watching in confusion as the balls flew in high arcs before descending out of sight. Less than a second later, the surprised shouts of Scootaloo and Sweetie echoed across from the other side.
"No fair using your wind-sense!" Scootaloo protested.
"You could do the same!" Dawn shouted back, feeling quite amused, "It's good training for you!" He began to gather more snowballs to launch upwards, Spike and Rumble watching him with triumphant grins on their faces.
On the other side of the battlefield, Scootaloo growled under her breath. Her wind-sense had been getting better. But she only had a hazy idea of what lay on the other side of the battlefield. Dawn and the other boys were crouched in the lee of their own wall, which obscured them from her view. Even before he'd hit them with such pinpoint accuracy, Scootaloo had already figured that Dawn would know their exact locations.
"Do ya think ya can do it?" asked Bloom, giving Scootaloo a hopeful look.
"I'm not sure," replied Scootaloo, "I mean, they're in a tricky position for me."
"Well, if you're gonna do something, I suggest you do it fast!" exclaimed Sweetie, looking up with wide eyes, "Because we don't have much time."
Scootaloo felt it in the wind even before she looked up. Her and Bloom's eyes widened as they saw the veritable hail of snowballs descending towards them. The three fillies shrieked and yelled as the snowballs rained down from above, pelting them.
"Buy me some time!" shouted Scootaloo as she ducked her head beneath her forelegs to try and keep the snow off.
"Um...uh..." Sweetie looked around frantically before lighting her horn. A few seconds later, a shimmering shield of green energy projected over them. It wasn't much, but it reduced the snowballs to harmless powder that then flowed off the sides.
Dawn's attack quickly abated when he realized that the girls were successfully defending themselves against an attack from above. In the meantime, Apple Bloom leapt into the offensive, jumping up to the wall and hurling snowballs as fast as she possibly could at any hint of another pony or dragon showing over the wall on the other side. At one point, she spotted a lick of gray and black and shifted her aim upwards slightly. When Rumble bounced above the wall to try and hit her with another pinpoint attack, Bloom's snowball took him straight in the face.
In the meantime, Scootaloo had closed her eyes and tried to let go of all the excitement that had been building in her over the snowball fight. She spread her wings and reached out through the wind, extending her awareness through it as it rolled over the snow, caressing the walls of the snow forts and the bodies of her friends. She felt their presence displacing the air as it flowed around them, turning the currents into small eddies and vortices.
Dawn and the other boys were currently sheltered in the lee of their wall, the presence of which obscured Scootaloo's view of them as the disruptions of the wind currents the boys' bodies created blended with those that came from the wall itself. Frowining, Scootaloo's face scrunched as she tried to discern the airflow displacement created by the boys from the flow of the wall itself.
"You're thinking about it too much." Dawn's carried over from the other side. "Don't try to separate everything out, but follow the flow and feel it change."
To Scootaloo's surprise, she suddenly felt as though Dawn's presence was right beside her. She realized that he wasn't next to her, but she was feeling his magic as he blended it into the air along with hers. Her awareness automatically began to follow it as if flowed across the wall and down behind it. She felt the wind flowing, curling, and twisting in the wall's shadow, carrying around until it met with new objects that changed its flow further. She realized that Dawn was using his own magic to show her how to differentiate him and the other boys from the wall itself in her awareness. After a few moments of concentration, she began to be able to tell them apart and even note the details of their forms. Now Scootaloo new exactly where her targets were. All that was left was to launch the attack.
Being careful to not lose track of the boys, Scootaloo began to load snowballs onto her wings. She'd already figured how Dawn was launching his own attack. She wondered if she had the control to do the same.
The answer for the first try was "no." As soon as Scootaloo tried to use an updraft to lift the snowball up, it burst into powder, scattering across the girls and making them squeal as the cold flakes settled into their manes. Even when tightly packed, the snowballs weren't rocks and came apart much more easily than any stone that Scootaloo had worked with. Back to square one, she thought glumly as she picked up another snowball and got ready to practice levitating it.
However, Dawn's words came back to her and she realized she was overthinking things again. It was simply a matter of feeling the snowball in the air and adjusting to its weight and heft, while using a gentler touch to keep it from breaking apart. I can do this.
She tried again, slowly raising the snowball in the air above her wing. Gathering the air beneath the snowball, she propelled it upwards into an arc.
Her first shot was wide of the mark, landing well behind the boys and their own fortification. With a growl of frustration, Scootaloo loaded up another snowball and tried again. This time, the snowball dropped down in the open ground between the two walls. Okay, almost got it...
However, it was apparent that Dawn was not going to simply let her find her range. Scootaloo felt him moving the air on his side of the field and, more importantly, felt the objects he was moving with that air. They were smaller in number, but larger in size, as though the boys had molded several snowballs together into much larger ones that Dawn was going to lob like boulders from a catapult.
"Hit the deck!" screamed Scootaloo, dropping her own snowball and diving down to press up against the wall. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle joined her just as a snowball the size of a small boulder smacked down where Scootaloo had been standing. It fragmented and sprayed all three of them with snow.
"Ah don't think we're gonna win this one," said Bloom glumly as she shook her head to dislodge the snow.
"Oh no we don't!" exclaimed Scootaloo, standing upright and rushing to their pile to get some more ammunition, "I'm not about to go down without a fight. CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS: SNOWBALL WARRIORS!!!"
"YAY!!!" Sweetie and Bloom added out of reflex as they too dived for the pile of ammunition.
On the other side, Spike and Rumble cringed at the echoing yells from the girls' side. "We're in trouble now," intoned Rumble.
"Eeyup," agreed Spike, leading his two friends to surmise that he'd, perhaps, been spending too much time around Big Macintosh.
"I'm not sure I follow," said Dawn, "We clearly have the advant-" He ducked with a yelp before he could finish the sentence as a snowball wrapped in a glowing green aura nearly smacked into his head. Spike and Rumble weren't nearly as lucky, the dragon having been nailed right between the eyes, while the gray colt received a shot to the side of his muzzle.
Taking an opportunity to peek up over the wall, Dawn was surprised to see several more snowy orbs hovering over the girls' side of the battlefield. Sweetie launched them in a single barrage, clearly guiding their trajectories over the wall.
"Perhaps I was wrong," said Dawn as he ducked down next to the others, "We are in trouble."
"Yeah, Sweetie's gotten really good with her magic," commented Rumble as he dodged another shot.
"Oh yeah?" said Spike, "Let's see how they work around this..."
He inhaled and reared up to his full height, rising above the top of the wall. Naturally, several more snowballs homed in on him, now that he'd made himself such a visible target. However, the dragon simply unleashed a torrent of emerald flames that burned the snowballs into steam before they could reach him.
"Ha!" shouted Spike...right before another snowball collided with his head and knocking him tail over teakettle, courtesy of Apple Bloom's rather impressive throwing arm.
Dawn looked over at Rumble. “An opponent’s time of greatest vulnerability is when he is assured of victory.”
“Duly noted,” replied Rumble, before the two of them looked at Spike as he sat up.
“Dang, Bloom’s got a mean throw,” grumbled the dragon.
Now that Spike was down, a veritable hail of snowballs came hurtling over the walls, curving sharply downward as Sweetie Belle’s magic altered their trajectories to home in on the boys. Dawn quickly deflected the first wave with a sharp blast of wind before asking Spike, “Can you use your flames to teleport the snowballs?”
“I don’t think so…” replied Spike uncertainly, “At least, I don’t think I can without melting them.”
“Probably best to avoid it then,” said Dawn. While the snowball fight was all in good fun, dousing anypony with water in this weather would put them at serious risk.
“Well, let’s just soldier on then,” declared Rumble, scooping up another snowball of his own before popping up and launching it straight for Sweetie, smacking the filly across the muzzle, causing her to drop the next wave of snowballs she’d been about to launch. However, Rumble was caught by another shot from Bloom before he could duck back down.
Back and forth the battle went, both sides scoring hits and shifting tactics as they tried to get the upper hoof. After over an hour of prolonged battle, both groups finally ran out of snowballs. By that time, it was getting close to time for them to begin heading home for the day. The foals (and dragon) went their separate ways, agreeing to meet up again for more fun the next day.
“That was the best snowball fight ever!” exclaimed Scootaloo as she and Dawn slowly winged their way through the air.
The two of them came in for a landing at the front yard of Scootaloo’s house. She kissed Dawn on the cheek. “Thanks for helping me back there.”
Dawn smiled back. “You did pretty well with your wind-sense. Actually, all of this gave me some ideas for training that we can do during the winter.”
“What ideas?” asked Scootaloo.
“You’ll see,” explained Dawn, “When we get our next day off from work, I’ll show you.”
“Okay,” said Scootaloo as she headed for her door, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Dawn nodded as Scootaloo shut the door behind her before he took off to begin his own flight home.
Applejack tilted her stetson back as she elevated her gaze upwards. "Well, Ah'll be darned," she said, staring in awe at the brand-new orchard's-worth of trees that had sprung up from the frozen ground overnight. At Twilight's advisement, she'd planted the wintersilk apple seeds the week before. Now, the day after Nightmare Night, she'd come to check and see if there was any progress, donning her heavy coat, scarf, and boots to make the trek through the newly-laid blanket of snow to the most recently planted plot of land.
As it turned out, Twilight's assessment of the wintersilk trees' growth had been spot on. Where there had been nothing but dirt and faded, yellowed grass before now stood rows of pale-gray trees, adorned with ice-blue leaves. Above all else, they looked healthy and strong, having grown tall and thick, with as much foliage as any of her other apple trees would sprout during the height of spring and summer.
"Do you know when the apples are supposed to grow?" asked Red River.
"Nope," said Applejack, "Not even Twi's research could tell us that. We've just gotta keep an eye on 'em. Ah only hope they ain't as finicky as them zap apples, otherwise we might just miss the signs and lose the whole crop."
"Well, we are working with unfamiliar trees here," said Red, squinting up at the leaves, searching for any sign of buds, "It may very well take a year or two to get the harvest right. The farm still makes enough without their contribution, so anything we get out of them now would be pure profit."
"Ah wish that were true," said Applejack, "We ain't gonna go in the red doin' it, but Ah'm spending a little extra to make sure the Weather Team keeps things 'round this here orchard nice and cold, no matter what weather might be scheduled for the rest 'o town. That ain't a tall order, but we are puttin' some money into raisin' these things right."
"I'm sure it will be fine," said the stallion, "With your experience, we should be able to see things through. Do you have any idea what you want to do with the apples?"
Applejack's brow furrowed. "Well...they're plenty good to sell as is. But Ah was thinkin' about what's goin' on in Canterlot..."
"You mean you plan on trying for the Royal Warrant?" asked Red.
"Eeyup," agreed Applejack, "There's gonna be warrants offered fer all kinds 'o categories. Dependin' on when they start selectin', we could probably win it fer our farm with our traditional apple goods but..." She narrowed her eyes up at the trees. "Ah remember the taste of these here wintersilks. Them's juicin' apples fer sure."
"So apple juice then?" asked Red.
"As a start," said Applejack, "But Ah'm thinkin' further. Ah'm thinkin' these here apples might be good fer distillin'. They grow durin' winter and have so much sweet juice, we could probably make a good hard cider, or even a mighty good batch 'o applejack from them apples. Ah'm sure it would be a hit."
"Certainly worth a try," agreed Red, "But that can wait until we actually have apples to work with. In the meantime, we need to get back home. Granny Smith said dinner would be soon and she doesn't want you freezing out here."
Applejack nodded and turned to follow her coltfriend as he led the way back to the farmhouse. Behind them, the first buds began to emerge on the trees.
Twilight couldn't stop herself from giggling at the sight of Spike as he trudged through the door. The little dragon was covered from head to toe with a light dusting of snow, making it look as though he'd just been coated with powdered sugar. She was glad that Pinkie Pie wasn't there, otherwise the eccentric baker might have been tempted to simply lick Spike clean.
"It looks like you had fun," observed the lavender mare as she set down her book and levitated a towel down from the bathroom. Spike took the cloth gratefully and began to wipe down his scales.
Unlike his pony friends, Spike wore no jacket or scarf. As a dragon, the internal furnace that fueled his flame also kept his body at a consistent temperature, regardless of the outside temperature, which was what allowed him to take baths in molten lava without the slightest trouble. Being fire based, Spike's inner flame dealt better with extremes on the hotter end of the spectrum than it did on the colder end. So, while he could walk outside on a brisk winter's day without so much as shivering, he could find himself in trouble if he suddenly found himself in a situation where the temperature dropped quickly and drastically, such as the time he'd fallen asleep on a chunk of melting ice during Winter Wrap-up.
His drying finished, Spike stretched his body, sending numerous pops from his neck, all the way down to his tail, which was beginning to develop a diamond-shaped projection on the tip. According to Twilight's research, it would likely serve as a rudder when he was in the air, helping him maneuver more easily once he started flying.
Twilight blinked when she heard the pops from Spike's neck and tail. "How long has that been happening?" she asked warily.
"Past couple of weeks or so," said Spike, "I just start getting these cricks in my neck and, the next thing I know...POP!"
Twilight jumped at Spike's exclamation, getting a laugh from the dragon before she leveled a deadpan glare at him. "I'm serious Spike," she growled, "What if something's wrong with you?"
"Uh...didn't we go through this before?" asked Spike, "I mean, a few months ago, we were freaking out over lumps on my back and it turned out I was growing wings. What could cricks in my neck possibly mean?"
"I don't know," said Twilight, her eyes narrowing, "But I think we should find out. I mean, just think of the possibilities. Even if nothing is wrong with you, imagine the boon this could be to our understanding of dragon physiology and anatomy. A dragon's growth from infancy, through adolescence, to adulthood has never been fully documented."
"There's probably a good reason for that," muttered Spike. He could think of at least two off the top of his head. The first was that a dragon's lifespan tended to make it difficult for its growth to be effectively charted since the timespans involved could be measured in decades, if not centuries. Secondly, dragons weren't exactly amicable to being studied.
"I have an idea," said Twilight, "I can run some tests on you in the basement. I even have an x-ray. What do you say?"
"No way!" exclaimed Spike, "I know how you get with those tests of yours! You'll have me down there all night. I'm not doing it!" He crossed his arms stubbornly. "Can't it wait until morning?"
"But we need to start charting the changes to your body now!" exclaimed Twilight, "Please!" Rolling her bottom lip, she gave the young dragon her best pleading pout.
"Not a chance," groused Spike, remaining unmoved.
"If you do, I promise not to tell Apple Bloom about the lock of Rarity's mane you used to keep under the cushion in your basket."
Spike's cheeks flared bright-red as he glared at Twilight. "Do that and I'll tell Arkenstone about the 'Pretty Pony Princess' incident."
Now it was Twilight's turn to blush and glare as Spike huffed and turned away. Okay, so blackmail didn't work. How about bribery...? She smirked. "Would you do it for star sapphire?"
Spike's ear-frill twitched, but he kept facing the other direction. "Nope."
"How about two star sapphires?" asked Twilight, her smirk widening.
Now Spike's wings twitched. "I don't think so..."
Twilight took a mental tally of the gems she had on hoof in the library. "How about two star sapphires and a ruby?"
Spike's stomach growled and the dragon finally sagged. Turning around, he looked back at Twilight. "Fine."
"Wonderful!" squealed Twilight.
What have I gotten myself into? wondered Spike as Twilight's magical field latched onto him and began to drag him down the stairs into the basement.
Stats
Page generated in 0.031 seconds
Total duration
916 users online
1,371,818 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
So Flaxseed's an accountant... why do I sense he'll try and help Applejack only for her extended family to try something funny against him?
I wonder who they can be?
5154650
What if it's Granny who dies?
Now Scootaloo knew exactly
If I had a heart, I'd have a warm fuzzy feeling from this chapter.
Let's be fair, if it was a pony that fell in water of that temperature, they'd get hypothermia.
Either Cult Solar, or Flaxseed's parents.
I wonder how could this be... maybe Shining and Cadance? Or even Fluttershys parents? I dont remember if they where mentioned or not...
Twilight and Spike teasing each other was funny and the snowball fight was great.
"we will return to our regularly scheduled updates come Sunday"
I wish I lived west, it's Saturday evening here...
5154805 It was made crystal clear that not even Celestia knows about that... But even if she did, I doubt she would ever make that public (if only for Arkenstone), thus the community behavior is still unaffected.
5154816 They were mentioned once in the sixth book as something possibly required for extended foal service inspection, but nothing more that I can remember...
quickmeme.com/img/5a/5af1800dbd18b30ced7a98fd63f0fe1f411091a0da880f6bf4dcdd967cce8270.jpg
I see what you did there... dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/Emoticons/misc_Bonbon_gaze.png
Another sweet and funny chapter! Let's hope they can find Flaxseed's parents. Keep in mind, Spike did apparently take a dip in a frozen lake.
Have a safe flight, and I can't wait to read the next fic come tomorrow. Glad you had fun in Hawaii.
Would you do it for a Scooby Snack?
I can't help but feel that Perlin will join Ponyville's side (merely to fight strong opponents like Terra Heart and others)... considering he has no loyalties other than his lust for battle (which will happen given how this is the calm before the storm)... How would Twilight and co. convince him to join? Simple. He gets to fight others, gets paid (maybe) and just maybe with Coco he starts to grow a soft spot for the mare who will be his conscience.
You know, this chapter reminded me that the Tribalests haven't played that much of a role since Cloudsdale, could we expect to see some Earth and Unicorn(the non-noble, not so quiet kind) Tribelists take center stage in the future.
And while we're on the subject, are we EVER gonna get some closure, or at least some story development, on those missing thunder heads?
Yeah... thought I forgot about those didn't ya... yeah.
Flaxseed paranoia level: 7/10
the part with dawn just watching the snow is touching as I have found my self doing the same thing many times , it is just hard to describe how relaxing it truly is.
harts fire
velmadinkley.com/ssnacks.jpg
What came to mind as I read this...
5250924 Ha! i can't believe i forgot about those!
THIS STORY IS BEAUTIFULLY AWESOME!
Silly Dawn once the OG CMC has issued their war cry of doom not even Celestia herself can stand against them!!!!
5857317 true dat. I read a fic where Twi started a war game for the royal guard, one of the guards pissed off Sweetie and Bloom, and 3 hours later, they are given one day as the rulers of Equestria as ransom for the Princesses. All because they did that cheer. And Sweetie weaponized tea.
5914135 Do you have a link to that story by any chance?
Celestia: "I can assure you, Spike. You teleported them!
"
"
*The Day Princess was standing behind them covered in slowly melting snow*
Spike, Dawn, Rumble: "Eeep!
IIRC, Spike's green flame is his teleporting flame.
Ah the Scooby snack approach to getting your way.
The safety concerns that exist today are a bunch of hooey. Goddamn bleeding heart liberals need to shove their noses up each others asses and quit trying to tell everypony else what to do.
And when I say that, I'm basically a shark feeding on mine own kind, as I'm mostly a Democrat. A Democrat that is voting Republican this year because his party has gone to shit...
7309137
Yeah, honestly both democrat or republican is a joke now-a-days. Since both party's are mostly 'pro-whatever corporation / lobbyist is paying for their campaign'. With putting their financial backers over anything else.
So yeah, the whole dem. vs. rep. is a joke. And sadly not a funny one for a nation that for the last few decades has been turning into a major corporatocracy.
You evil unicorn
7309137
I'm curious on your opinions now, seeing as three years have passed since this comment, if you even care to respond.
Is that like a Scooby snack for dragons ?