Letters from an Irritated Princess

by Tired Old Man

A Tail to Chill (or Warm) the Heart, Part 2

Alright, everyone’s bladder fully emptied? The backup-backup hot cocoa is all set with another triple-backup right behind. Can’t believe it takes four cocoas to get through this story with you two…

Ahem, where did I leave off…

The three ponies pondered their options
Carefully considering each with caution
Dandy offered the first choice
Taking a moment to clear her voice

“We owe her for sheltering us in her home.
Perhaps I might offer up my humble abode?
If we spend some time to rig up a sled
I’m sure we could celebrate in my home instead!”

“That does sound like a great plan,”
Burly sighed. “One Ah’d get behind if I can.”
“But why not rebuild them a new place?
Boy, just imagine the happy look on her face!”

“I’m sorry Burly, but as good as that sounds
It’d just be covered in a big snow mound.
I can do something to hold off the weather
But we need something faster and better!”

Dandy looked to Burly and Blazing
Took their ideas, set her mind racing
Then an idea hit. “I know what we’ll do!
We’ll take all this snow and build an igloo!”

The others eyes lit up, nodding in agreement
Such a task was a feasible achievement
“I’ll draft the blueprint!” “And ah will get the snow!”
“I’ll fetch the family, flying as fast as I can go!”

Their priorities realigned, they took this as a sign
To set aside their differences one more time
To make right their wrongs on this chilly night
Trying their best and giving all their might

Blazing flew quickly back to the house
Reclaimed by the weather, what she’d seen
Was a cold den not fit for a mouse
And big and little hoofprints leaving the scene

She tracked them down to the entrance of a cave
Dark and spooky, somepony was very brave
Or crying, from the sounds she heard
Of the small foal sputtering words

“Mommy, this place is s-s-scary!
What if there are creepers or spiders that are hairy?!”
“Button, now isn’t the time to fret.
Once we start a fire there will be hope yet!”

“Hello? Is that you?” Blazing’s gravelly voice bellowed.
“Not you again! Leave, I’m not even close to mellowed!”
“No, wait! Please listen! We want to apologize!”
“Really?! Our house is gone! Did you forget to memorize?!”

“I know, but we want to fix our mistake!
You’ve given us hope, and we wish to remake
A new place for you to go
It’s a new house, a new home, you know?”

A few beats passed quietly, safe for the wind
As the mother glanced down at her little kin.
His shivering body and weak, tiny voice
Had given the mother little choice.

“We accept your offer,” she said with a pout.
“But I’ll have you know I still doubt.”
Blazing nodded. “Come on, it’s just around that bend!
Your new home’s being built by my new friends!”

Meanwhile, back at the construction site
Earth and unicorn produced quite the sight.
A modest snow castle with a solid foundation
Had more than enough room for accommodation.

Packed and carved solid snow brick
Made up the walls two bricks thick.
With ice panel windows inserted on the walls,
This chilly abode stood twenty feet tall!

The only thing that wasn’t made of snow
Was a stone fireplace with a chimney tower.
Why not made of snow? Well, don’t you know?
If they’d dare start a fire, there’d be melting within the hour!

It might not have been a perfect build,
But it would suffice to ward off some chill.
Moreso than a damp, dark cave
Or the old home the ice reclaimed.

Burly admired his work, Dandy studied the design
Both agreeing this turned out fine.
Surely the mother would accept this from the ponies
For this gift was genuine, certainly not phony!

But it was missing a few amenities:
A table, some chairs, and other furnishings.
Worse still, it lacked a good meal
So this wasn’t a perfect deal.

But as Blazing and her company crested the hill
The mother had appeared quite thrilled!
“Goodness, you’ve really built all of this?!”
She made no efforts to hide her bliss.

“Eeyup, miss,” Burly said with a small bow.
“I gathered up supplies, and Dandy brought her know-how!”
“That’s a funny way to talk about magic,” Dandy added with a playful glare.
“Don’t matter how it’s done to me. You made it work,” Burly said to the lime-green mare.

“But, uh, there’s a problem with our construction.
Tried as we might, we couldn’t make any furniture function!”
The mother held a hoof to her chin in thought,
Then smiled widely; there’s something yet to be brought!

“I’ll be right back! Watch over my boy!”
The mother decreed as she ran off the hill.
“Mom, wait! You still have my toys!”
But she missed those words, lost to the wind’s killing chill.

The boy grew worried, tears welling in his eyes.
Blazing reassured, “I’m sure she’ll be back with a cool surprise!
In the meantime, how does making snowponies sound?”
Button’s face lit up. “That’ll be awesome when mom comes around!”

And so the four ponies set to work,
Stopping only once for a snowball fight
Because Dandy wanted to be a little jerk!
Wrong as it was, the battle was so right.

But as time ticked, the snowponies became complete.
The mother had yet to return to the hill’s peak.
“I don’t see my mom. What’s taking her so long?”
As if on cue, she soon came along!

Having visited the old frozen home
The mother stacked furniture, much of what she owned.
Table, chairs, curtains, plates and drapes!
She wore the tablecloth as a hooded cape!

But centered in all of the tangled homely mass
Was a pot of frozen stew, another hefty mass.
‘Twas everything needed to reset the feast
All stacked and bound on the table, quite the feat at least.

“I’m going to need help bringing this down!
The hill is too steep!” she explained with a frown.
The others merely looked at each other and agreed
That the mother was truly in need.

Within minutes, the pot hung in the fireplace
As the ponies all arranged the dining space.
While it was not as gorgeous as Dandy’s
It still had a charm sweeter than candy.

And as they worked, the blizzard lost intensity
Friendship’s warmth halting it indefinitely.
However, the snowy home did not melt
But the stew did, and its aroma could be felt.

Pouring out the stew with joy
Each pony celebrated, especially the boy.
“Tonight, I declare this being clever.
This was the best-worst-best Hearth’s Warming ever!”

Everypony shared a laugh, good and hearty
Rounding out the night with a modest party.
And when the sun rose the next day
The guests all left, going on their merry way

But none would forget this fateful night
Beginning with fright and a faint light
Once bitter, all had become fantastic friends to each other
And would forever remember their names… except for the mother?

They’d keep in touch with letters they send
Distant they may be, they seemed just round a bend
Because that’s just what they are: good friends
And they’d stay that way for years and years… the… end…

Hm? Oh, sorry. I was just… thinking of an old student. It’s not too important. Anyway, that’s the story. Now then, I see we’re all tired.

Correction: Luna is straight-up snoring, and you two are almost nodding off. Let’s leave her here--I’ll get you two to bed.

I know you can’t hear me, but goodnight, sister. Sleep well.

Comments

[cosmofur]

Cute

[Level Dasher]

D'awww. Sweet.

[ChibiChabot]

D'awwwww

[FanOfMostEverything]

Touching. The meter's all over the place and some the rhymes are really stretching it, but touching. Especially the ending. Thanks for the out-of-seasonal cheer.

[Briarpelt]

Sweet, but if you would take my advice... stick to prose, my friend.

7230417 Seconded!

[Prism Phoenix]

7230475 yes, Celestia, please stick to normal speech and leave the rhyming to Zecora.

[Tired Old Man]

7230905
That's okay. For a first outing in poetry, I thought this was decent enough.

As far as a baby banging on the drums goes, at least. Awful if you're listening to the music, but a cute attempt anyway.

[BlueYoshi]

Aww, that was a wonderful story. Glad everyone got a happy ending.

[darkwalker787]

Awwwwwww so cuuuutttteeee