Of Flame and Shadow

by Garuda IV

Chapter 48- Winter Wrap Up

Dark was sleeping peacefully after a tiring few weeks. Between his increased magical training lessons in Ghastly Canyon with Nocturne, and a big order that was placed on his forge, Dark's been busier than ever. But, even though he was busy and tired, he would make sure to spend some time with Twilight. With memories of last night coming back to him, Dark reached over and felt that Twilight's spot next to him empty before he felt Twilight herself shaking him awake.

"Wake up, Dark! Wake up!" Twilight gleefully told him.

Groaning, Dark opened an eye to look. "Twilight? What's going on?"

"It's Winter Wrap Up! We need to get ready!"

Noticing that it was still nighttime outside, Dark looked over to the clock.

"At four in the morning? Twilight, I love you, but isn't that a bit early to start? And won't everypony else still be asleep for a few hours for that matter?"

"What? You're not saying that you're not excited about this, are you?"

"It's not that, Twilight. It's just that it seems too early to be up and getting ready for it. Besides, the aftermath of that order that Mayor Mare placed on my forge two weeks ago is still kicking my flanks."

"Didn't you get that order finished though?"

"I did, but it was still a lot of work. Seriously, I had to look over and repair the thirty snowplows that we'll be using today in that short amount of time. Not to mention that some of them needed a new axle, the plow itself, a wheel, or replacements for some of the smaller pieces that'll hold the plow up off the ground so that it doesn't drag along it after the snow gets all cleared up. But worst of all was that I had to make most of those parts freshly new!"

"You didn't have the parts already made for them?"

"I had some axles already made incase a few wagons came in and needed a new one, but the other parts I never expected."

Twilight winced now that she got the picture. "Oh. Well, while I would let you sleep for a while longer, I have some things to prepare for in the meantime. And by the time I'm done with those, everypony will be up and ready to help bringing back spring."

With another tired groan, Dark flopped back down onto the bed.

"If you get up, I'll make you breakfast~" Twilight sang, causing Dark to crack an eye open again.

With his ears perking at the sound of food and his stomach growling at him, Dark dragged himself out of bed and walked over to Twilight.

"Alright, you win," he resigned, causing Twilight to smile and give him a peck on the cheek.

"Good. Now, while I'm busy cooking us something to eat, why don't you go get yourself a shower."

"Why? Do I stink?" Dark asked before sniffing himself.

"No, you're fine. I just suggested it to help wake you up."

"Oh. Yeah, that'll work. You want me to wake Spike up while I'm at it?"

"That's alright, he can sleep for now. Besides, after what happened during our first Winter Wrap Up here in Ponyville, he hasn't liked participating in it very much. Even if it's just helping me with my checklist and organizing."

"So then, just let him sleep until we need him?"

"Yep."

"Okay, but if you're making breakfast now, then what about him?"

"This breakfast will be ours, Spike's will come later."

"If you say so then."

"Good, because I just did."

Smiling, Dark kissed Twilight before heading towards the bathroom to freshen up for the day. After running the water to warm it up, he walked in and stood there, enjoying the warm water running over his coat while thinking about Twilight's cooking. Briefly thinking back, he remembered how bad she was when he first taught her how to cook. And while she still has some troubles with cooking the egg bake with hash browns and hay sausage, she'd all but perfected a variety of breakfast meals like the omelets. He had planned on teaching her how to make pancakes, but it had turned out that she'd already knew how to make them and proved it one morning when he came down to see three stacks of fresh pancakes waiting for them.

Feeling fully awake and fresh after his shower, Dark quickly dried himself off and headed on down to eat. Turning the corner into the kitchen, he saw Twilight over by the stove as she looked to be about done with their food. Getting a mischievous idea, Dark slowly and quietly sneaked up behind Twilight and wrapped his arms around her, causing her to yelp in surprise as she was suddenly brought into a hug.

"Hey," Dark smirked, nuzzling Twilight's cheek.

"Hey," Twilight returned with a nuzzle of her own. "You smell nice."

"You smell nice too. Actually, you smell nice enough to eat."

Getting his meaning after Dark started nibbling and kissing her neck, Twilight smirked before pushing him back and levitating the food onto a pair of plates for them. As she turned around to bring their breakfast over to the table, she teasingly whipped Dark in the muzzle with her tail.

"Sorry, Dark, but with me overseeing everything during Winter Wrap Up, and with you having to work on plowing the snow, fun like that will have to wait until after we're all done."

"Hehehe. Guess the snowy fields won't be the only thing that I'll be plowing this week then."

"Who said anything about you being the one of us who's doing that?"

Seeing the smirk and half-lidded gaze that Twilight was giving him, Dark's eyes widened in dread as he realized what she was suggesting.

"Oohhh, no! No, no, so many noes! If you want to experiment and try new things in bed, then I'm fine with it, but we're not doing that again!"

"But why not?"

"Because it was weird enough for me the first time we did it!"

"What? All I did was switch our roles."

"Twilight, you didn't just switch our roles, you switched both of our genders!"

"Awww, but I like you as Shady Blaze. I know I said it before, but you're really cute as a mare."

Hearing that name and compliment, Dark facetabled. "I can't believe that you gave my female self a name. When did you even come up with that?"

"Just last week. Besides, you've been turned into a mare once before, so why not name your female self incase it happens to you again?"

"... alright, I'll give you a point for that one," Dark reluctantly admitted. "But don't think that I'm going to start calling you Dusk Shine if it happens to you, because I won't."

"Really? Because if I recall correctly, you couldn't stop calling me that when I was-"

Seeing where this was going and feeling his cheeks burning, Dark tuned out Twilight's voice and began stuffing his face with his food. Seeing that he didn't want to continue with this topic, Twilight smiled triumphantly before she too began eating. After her first few bites, she turned towards the kitchen entryway with a look of worry.

"Hey, you don't think that Spike heard us talking just now, do you?" Twilight asked.

Feeling worried himself that he did, Dark strained his ears to hear anything that would indicate that Spike could be hiding on the other side of the wall. A few moments of silence later, Dark casted his Soul Eyes and looked through the wall for Spike. Seeing that the outline of his spirit wasn't there, Dark turned his head towards Spike's bedroom where he saw a weird outline of a soul. Figuring that it was just Spike sleeping in a weird position, he breathing a sigh of relief before dispelling it and looking over to Twilight.

"He's still asleep up in his room."

"Thank Celestia," Twilight sighed. "The last thing that we need is for him to hear about that."

"And for Princess Celestia or Princess Luna to hear about it," Dark added. "If they did, then I would be willing to bet that while Princess Celestia would just tease us a little bit, Princess Luna would be paying us both a visit in our dreams. For all we know, since she has power over our dreams, she could turn us into our gender-swapped selves to sate her curiosity."

"While she probably could, I don't think that she would... I think."

Shrugging, Dark and Twilight began to eat in silence. After some time had passed with idle chatter, they finished their breakfast and cleaned off their dishes before heading on up to Spike's room to wake him. As they opened the door to his room and walked over to his bed basket, Dark's and Twilight's eyes widened as they saw Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom asleep on top of Spike.

"How did they get in here?!" Twilight quietly shouted at Dark.

"I don't know!" Dark quietly returned.

"But your Shadow Wraiths are patrolling the castle, so weren't they suppose to capture them and tell us since they snuck into the castle?"

"..."

"Dark?"

"Well... that would normally be the case, but not when it comes to our friends and family."

"How so?"

"I gave the order that if anypony who trespasses isn't a friend, family member, or is here on business, then the Shadow Wraiths will act on them. If it is one of them, however, then they'll welcome them in."

"Wait, are you saying that they just walked on in here?"

"Yep, and probably in our sleep too." They turned their attention back to the four sleeping kids. "So, what are your thoughts about this?"

"We'll let them be for now," Twilight began. "After they wake up, however, they'll have to face their sisters about this. I'll also be having a word with Spike about sneaking his fillyfriends in like that behind our backs."

"I just hope this isn't the beginning of Spike's rebellious phase. Hey, do you think that Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow even know that they're here?"

"If they don't, then they're about to find out."

"In that case, you want me to go tell Applejack since I have to report to her anyway?"

"Sure, then I'll go tell Rarity and Rainbow."

"Okay."

---

After walking with Twilight over to Ponyville Town Hall to see Mayor Mare, Dark left for Sweet Apple Acres to report to Applejack for Winter Wrap Up... and tell her about Apple Bloom. Deciding to enjoy the cold air while it lasted, Dark decided to fly over there instead of Shadowporting. Crossing over the borders to the orchard, Dark saw a line of the snow plows that he'd repaired, along with Applejack looking over them for one last inspection. Flying down, Dark landed a few dozen feet away from her.

"Good morning, Applejack," Dark greeted as he walked up over to her.

"Well, howdy there, Dark," Applejack returned. "What brings ya around here so early in the mornin'?"

"My alarm clock told me that it was time to get up."

"Did ya set the alarm too early or somethin'?"

"No, no. I'm talking about Twilight," he chuckled.

"Oh. Well then, that makes sense. Ever since she's been put in charge of Winter Wrap Up, she's been gettin' up earlier than everypony else."

"Except for you that is, but that's just apart of your normal sleeping habit, right?"

"Eeyup," Applejack proudly answered, motioning for Dark to follow her. "So then, are ya ready ta get today started?"

"Eeyup," Dark mimicked before remembering the other reason why he was here. "Umm, hey, Applejack?"

"Hmm?"

"Is Apple Bloom asleep up in her room?"

"She should be. Why do ya ask?"

"Oh, boy," he sighed.

"What? Did somethin' happen ta Apple Bloom?" she asked with a hint of worry.

"No, no, no. She's perfectly safe."

"Then why don't ya tell me what's goin' on before Ah go chargin' inta her bedroom and create a ruckus?"

"Okay, but you probably won't like it."

"Try me. She and her Crusader friends have gotten into a lot of trouble in the past, so Ah doubt that it could be that bad."

Dark gave her a deadpan stare. "She, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all snuck into the castle last night and slept with Spike."

For the next few minutes, Applejack stared blankly at Dark before her cheeks started turning red with anger.

"They what?!"

Realizing his poor choice of words, Dark waved his claws defensively in front of Applejack.

"I mean that they fell asleep with him!" he hastily corrected himself. "They snuck into the castle last night and fell asleep with Spike in his bed."

"Where are they now?"

"Twilight and I left them asleep when we left. She's going to tell Rarity and Rainbow about what their sisters did while I tell you since I had to come to you anyway."

Giving an angry snort, Applejack began pacing around.

"Ooh! When Ah get my hooves on that filly, she's goin' ta get herself a good groundin'. And if Granny doesn't paint her backside red, then Ah very well might."

"I wouldn't blame you. While them being together like that is fine when we know, it's when they start doing it in secret like that that I start to wonder."

"Yeah, me too."

Getting what he wanted to say out of the way, Dark quickly began thinking of something to steer them away from their current topic. Looking around at all of them snow plows, he came up with his idea.

"Hey, Applejack?"

"Hmm?"

"Since I'm already here, can I go on ahead and start working on clearing away the snow?"

Looking back from the plows over to Dark, Applejack brought a hoof up to her chin to think it over.

"Ah don't know," she said unsurely. "Ah know that Twilight likes ta do things by the schedule."

"True, but wouldn't it help put us all ahead of her schedule if we started early?" Dark countered.

"You have no idea how much Ah've wanted ta do that, but nopony other than me and Big Mac have ever wanted ta start this early."

"And now that I'm here and willing to start early?"

With a smile, Applejack nodded. "You might be only one pony, but one's better than none. Ah'll go get Big Mac and we can get started. Celestia knows that he does."

Standing in place, Dark waited as he watched Applejack disappear into her house. Using his fire breath, he cleared a spot free from snow until it was dry and sat down on it while he waited. A few minuets later, Applejack walked out of the house with Big Mac following, both wearing a green vest and Applejack holding another in her mouth. After Dark and Big Mac greeted each other, Applejack tossed Dark the spare vest for him to wear. With his team vest on, the three made their way over to the snow plows, got themselves settled down in them, and began plowing the snow side-by-side.

"Now don't ya forget, Dark, this here's an old Ponyville tradition," Applejack reminded, "so that means no magic."

"I know," Dark sighed. "Twilight made sure to remind me of that part after what she told me had happened during her first Winter Wrap Up here."

"Good ta hear."

"Will Twilight be alright with us workin' ahead of schedule like this?" Big Mac questioned.

"Ah know that Twilight likes ta do things by her schedule, but Ah don't think that she'll mind the three of us startin' a bit early," Applejack answered. "Besides, it'll just put us that much closer ta wrappin' up winter on time. And after that, you can finally take Cheerilee out on that picnic date you've been talkin' about."

"Wait," Dark suddenly spoke, "you have a special somepony? And it's Miss Cheerilee? As in the school teacher?"

With a barely visible blush, Big Mac nodded. "Eeyup."

"Dude, grats to you."

"Thanks."

"So, how long have you two been together?"

"Almost a year now."

"... dang. Well then, sorry that I didn't congratulate you about it sooner."

"It's all good," Big Mac dismissed. "Besides, only a small hoofful of ponies know about us."

"Would Apple Bloom be one of them?"

"Eenope. She's probably one of the last ones that Ah want hearin' about us."

"Speakin' of you two," Applejack began, "should Ah be expectin' ta see her wearin' a ring sometime soon?"

Hearing what Applejack was suggesting caused Big Mac to stumble over his hooves. Standing back up, Big Mac tried to hide his darkened blush and sped on ahead of the teasing chuckles of Dark and Applejack.

---

A few hours later after the sun had finally risen, the rest of Applejack's team arrived to help clear away the snow. Once they cleared the hill, they looked in surprise at what the Apple siblings and Dark had completed already. Once they got down to meet up with Applejack, she went on to explain to them how they wanted to get an early start since they were already there and told them to not feel bad about it, seeing as it was their choice.

Parking her snowplow off to the side for a moment, Applejack went on to give everypony their team vest before dividing them into groups to help with the snowplowing, plowing, and planting and the seeds. Standing back to oversee everything for a moment, Applejack continued to watch until she felt confident with their situation. Not wanting to feel lazy, and seeing as the snowplow she was using was taken by somepony else, she made her way over to check on their stock of seeds. It didn't last long though as everything was as she remembered leaving it, minus the few bags that they removed from the piles.

After checking over the seeds, Applejack made her way over to the top of one of the hills to watch over her team. Though she would've preferred to be there working with all of them, as the leader of her team, she was responsible for making sure that things went smoothly for them. A few hours of watching them later, she heard the sound of hoofsteps behind her. Turning around, Applejack saw Twilight as she smiled and walked up alongside her in her specialized vest.

"Hey, Applejack," Twilight happily greeted.

"Howdy, Twilight," Applejack returned. "So, what brings ya here?"

"Just checking up on everypony to see how things are running," she answered, looking out over Applejack's crew. "And from the looks of things, it seems like your team is actually a little ahead of schedule."

"Ah figured we would. After Dark came on over, we decided ta get an early start since Big Mac and us were all awake and ready ta get started."

"Huh. Well then, I guess that just means that we'll hopefully end this early."

"Yeah, Ah hope so. By the way..."

"Yes?"

"What's this Ah hear about Apple Bloom sneakin' in ta see Spike last night and sleepin' with him?"

"Dark told you then?"

"Eeyup. That filly's gonna get one heck of a groundin' when she gets home."

"Same with Spike. I can't allow for him to sneak the girls in like that. Better for us to nip this in the bud before it starts becoming a bad habit."

"Ah agree with ya. By the way, how's Rarity and Rainbow takin' it? Did ya tell them yet?"

Twilight shuffled her hooves. "I did."

"And? How'd it go?"

"Just about how you would expect," she sighed. "Rarity was already having a freak-out by the time I got to her place since Sweetie Belle wasn't there, but Rainbow didn't seem too bothered by it. After I told them where they were though, Rarity went from panicked to infuriated. Whether it's because Sweetie Belle snuck out like that and didn't return, or if it's because of her secretly meeting Spike like that, I not sure."

"Probably both."

"Probably. Anyway, Rainbow handled it a bit better. While she was more laxed about it than Rarity, she still wasn't too happy to learn that Scootaloo did something like sneaking out in the middle of the night to see Spike."

"Where are they now?" Applejack wondered. "Dark told me when he got here that y'all left them asleep."

"You're right, and they still are."

"Really? But it's almost mid-mornin'. Will Spike be makin' them somethin' ta eat before they leave?"

"He won't need to. I had some time to make them something to eat after my meeting with Mayor Mare over the details of this years Winter Wrap Up."

"Alright, but do they know that we know about them sneakin' in ta see Spike?"

---

One hour ago, back in Twilight's castle, Spike and the Crusaders each walked into the kitchen to see a plate set out for each of them. As they approached the table and sat down to eat though, Spike paused as he saw a note sticking out from beneath his plate. Pulling it out, he quickly read through it before letting out a loud groan.

"Something wrong, Spike?" Sweetie Belle asked, hearing is groan before seeing the piece of paper he was holding.

"What's the note say?" Scootaloo wondered.

"Nothing good," Spike huffed.

Curious, the Crusaders got up off of their seats and walked over to read the note for themselves.

Dear Spike and Crusaders,

When you're all done with breakfast, make sure that you wash and dry your dishes before putting them away. After that, I want for Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo to go meet up with your sisters. I'm sure that they'll each want to have a word with you after last night. As for you, Spike, you're not off the hook either. I want for you to go to Town Hall and wait for me there. Once we're done for the day, we're going to have a talk about you sneaking your fillyfriends in behind our backs like that.

Twilight.

With a dejected sigh, Spike laid the note down off to the side. "Guess we better eat up before we get into anymore trouble."

---

Back over on the hill, Applejack watched as Twilight looked off to her right with a satisfied smirk.

"Oh, I have a feeling that they know."

Though confused initially, Applejack followed the direction Twilight was looking to see Apple Bloom walking up towards them with her head hung low. Keeping her gaze to the ground to avoid looking at her sister, Apple Bloom made her way over until she was standing just a few feet away from Twilight and Applejack. And though she spared a quick glance up at Applejack, she immediately regretted it when she saw the disapproving look she was giving her.

"You've got some explainin' ta do, Apple Bloom," Applejack firmly spoke, causing Apple Bloom's ears to fold back while her body shook.

"Ah'm sorry, Applejack," Apple Bloom quietly apologized. "We just wanted ta spend some time with Spike before winter ended."

"Well, y'all should've thought of that before y'all ran off like ya did. If ya would've just asked me then this wouldn't have been such a problem." Shaking her head in disappointment, Applejack turned to look over her team. "We'll talk about this more later, Apple Bloom. Until then, Ah want ya ta go back ta the house and wait there. When we're all done for the day, we'll be havin' a talk with ya. That includes Granny and Big Mac."

With a frown and audible gulp, Apple Bloom slowly made her way back to her family's house. Once she was out of earshot, Applejack sighed and turned back to Twilight.

"As much as Ah hate havin' ta do this ta Apple Bloom, Twilight, Ah can't overlook this."

"I know. Well, I suppose I've stayed here long enough. Better go check in on the others and see how they're all coming along."

"What about Spike?"

"I told him in the note that I left for them to wait for me at Town Hall. I'll go get him before lunch. Until then, he can take that time to think about what he did."

With a silent nod and a wave, Twilight left Applejack to oversee her team while she went over to check on the rest of her friends to see how things were going for them.

---

It was past noon and the ponies had just gotten off of their lunch break. Over on the outskirts of Ponyville, Fluttershy was leading a small team in helping wake the animals that had gone into hibernation for the winter. Eager to see to see her animal friends after so long, Fluttershy and the others had already awoken half of the animals. But, while she was happy to see them again and for how smooth things were progressing for them this year, a tired groan from her side caught her attention. With a smile, she walked over and began affectionately nuzzling Discord.

"This is so boring. Why can't I just use my magic? With a snap of my claw, I could have this entire Winter Wrap Up thing taken care of and over with."

"You know why, Discord," Fluttershy reminded. "This is an old Ponyville tradition, so the use of magic is discouraged. Besides, you've been a really big help to us with your help already."

"I know," he sighed, looking at the small bell in his talon. "I'm just tired of simply ringing a bell in front of these dens is all. Can't I just lite a firecracker in front of them or something?"

"Discord!"

"What? I was only kidding. Besides, fireworks would work a lot better."

Discord's chuckles over the thought of it were short-lived as Fluttershy's disapproving stare quickly silenced him. Even though she knew that he probably wouldn't actually do it, Fluttershy still didn't like the thought of scaring any of the animals like that.

"Fluttershy!"

Turning around to the direction of the voice that called to her, Fluttershy was met with Twilight landing just a few feet away from her with Spike sitting on her back behind a clipboard.

"Hello, Twilight, Spike," Fluttershy happily greeted before noticing the downcast look no Spike's face. "Umm... excuse me for asking, but is there something wrong with Spike? He looks like he's pretty sad today."

"He's just in a little bit of trouble is all," Twilight answered her.

"Oh, dear. I hope that it isn't anything too bad."

"Soooo," Discord began in anticipation. "What did he do?"

Fluttershy looked at him warningly. "Discord."

"What? I'm just curious. To be honest, he barely causes any kind of chaotic trouble these days, and even less ever since he started going out with those Crusaders."

"Actually, Discord," Twilight began, "you're closer than you think."

"Oh, so they did do something! Well then, tell me what they did. Come on, come on."

"Well, all three Crusaders snuck into the castle in the middle of the night last night and slept with Spike."

Upon hearing Twilight's words, Fluttershy brought a hoof to her mouth while her eyes widened and her cheeks blushed. As she was looking at Spike with shock, Discord looked to him with an arched eyebrow and folded his arms.

"It's not what you think," Spike groaned with a facepalm. "Seriously, how many times am I going to have to say this? We didn't do anything like that! All we did was spend the last night of winter together, that's it!"

After a moment, Fluttershy found her voice again. "Still though... to let three fillies sneak into your room in the middle of the night like that isn't good."

"I know, I know. I've been getting the same talk from everypony."

"Even Rarity?" Discord questioned.

"Especially her," Twilight answered. "Between her, Applejack, and Rainbow, she was the most upset with Spike."

"I still say that she should've at least let me see Sweetie," Spike complained. "I swear that I could hear her sniffling and whimpering up in her bedroom from outside of the boutique."

"I know, Spike, but she's grounded like you and the rest of the girls."

"For two weeks though?"

"You should be happy that that's all that you're getting," Discord spoke. "At least it won't fall over Hearts and Hooves Day."

"He's right," Twilight nodded.

With a dejected sigh, Spike lowered his head and relented. "Alright."

"Good. Now then," Twilight continued as she turned back to Fluttershy and Discord, "how's everything coming along here?"

"It's going pretty well," Fluttershy answered. "We should be all done by the end of the day."

"Good to hear. I'll go tell Rainbow the news."

With a flash of light, Twilight teleported herself and Spike away, leaving Fluttershy and Discord alone to work. With a small huff, Discord went on over to the next den and raised his bell. Before he began to ring it, though, a mischievous smirk formed. With a chuckle, he snapped his paw, changing the small bell into a massive gong that overshadowed them, and conjuring an equally massive gong mallet.

Preparing to swing, Discord quietly chuckled to himself. "Oh-ho, ho, this'll wake them up for sure."

"Ahem!"

Freezing in place at the sound, Discord turned his head around to see Fluttershy giving him a disapproving glare. Faltering under her gaze, Discord sighed and returned the gong back into a small bell and dismissed the gong mallet, earning him a smile from Fluttershy before she returned to her work.

---

Teleporting around Ponyville with Spike on her back, Twilight looked around to find Rainbow. Normally it would be easy to find the pegasus with her rainbow-colored trail when she flew, but she was nowhere to be found in the skies. Getting the idea from Spike to ask other ponies if they've seen her, Twilight soon found out that she was over at Rarity's. With another quick teleportation spell, Twilight and Spike stood by Rarity's boutique, and the work station for making bird nests. With a quick glance, she saw Rarity working on another nest with her team, and for some reason, Rainbow.

"Why do I have to help you make these bird nests again?" Rainbow complained with a huff. "Honestly, an awesome and athletic pegasus like me shouldn't be sitting here making things like these. What I should be doing is something like helping Applejack's team with clearing the snow away, or better yet, clearing the clouds."

"You know that you can't do that until everypony else is ready, Rainbow Dash," Rarity calmly told her. "And have you gotten word to clear them?"

"... no."

"I thought so. Besides, I could always use some help with making these nests for when the birds get back."

"Okay, but I still don't know why I'm helping with them. It's nothing against the birds, it's just that I don't feel like I'd really see myself using this weaving anytime in the future."

"Perhaps, but it never hurts to have an extra skill like this on hoof. You might not have a need for it now, but who knows, perhaps someday you might. Besides, it'll help improve your hoof-eye coordination."

"Pfft. Like I need it."

"It still doesn't hurt, Rainbow," Twilight told her as she walked up to them.

"Oh, hey, Twilight. When did you get here?"

"Right as you were starting to complain about weaving bird nests. And from the looks of things, I'd say that you'll need more practice. Just how many of them have you made so far?"

"I made plenty," Rainbow boasted.

With a deadpan look, Rarity looked from Rainbow to Twilight. "She made one."

"Just one?" Twilight repeated.

"One. And event that was barely any good."

With an annoyed huff, Rainbow stepped back from the table and spread her wings. "Look, I'm sorry that I stink so badly at making them, but you don't need to rub it in. I'm going to go and help Fluttershy wake the animals up from their hibernation until I get the all-clear to clear the clouds. Besides, I'm eager to see Tank again."

"Rainbow, wait!" Rarity called out, stopping her before taking off and glancing back at Rarity. "I'm sorry that I said that about you. It was very rude of me to do and I apologize for that."

With a sigh, Rainbow turned around and walked back to her place alongside Rarity. "It's fine. I guess that I'm sorry too for acting like that."

"It's quite alright, darling, I understand."

"Thanks.

There was a brief pause before Rarity spoke up again. "So... are you going to go help Fluttershy then?"

"Nah," Rainbow answered, shaking her head. "I came here to help you and I'm staying to see it through. Just as long as you don't make anymore comments like that."

"I promise."

"I'm happy to see that you two have worked this out," Twilight commented, "but if you don't mind, I kinda need an update on how well the nests are coming along. We seem to be ahead of schedule with the snowplowing, and Fluttershy says that they should be all done by the end of the day."

"So, in a few hours then?" Rainbow clarified.

"Roughly."

"Sweet. That means that tomorrow we can clear the clouds and bring back spring."

"What about the birds that few south for the winter?"

"I sent Cloudchaser and Thunderlane to go get them. I would've sent Derpy with them, but I didn't want us to be put behind schedule because of my mistake in choosing ponies. Thankfully she's good about it and understands. Besides, from what I was told, she seems to be happy working with Fluttershy's team."

"That's good to hear, Rainbow." Twilight looked from Rainbow to Rarity. "And what about the nests, Rarity?"

"We should be all finished by mid-morning tomorrow," she confidently answered.

"Sounds like we'll be done on time again. I better go tell Mayor Mare about this."

---

It was nearly sundown by the time Twilight got around to Town Hall, thanks to her grabbing some dinner and dropping Spike off at the castle. Making her way in, Twilight soon came to Mayor Mare's office door and took an extra seat in front of the desk where the mare in question was awaiting her.

"Good evening, Princess," Mayor Mare greeted.

"Good evening to you too, Mayor," she returned.

"So then, how's Winter Wrap Up going this year? I took a look around and everything looked like it was going smoothly."

"Actually, at the rate we're going, we should be all finished sometime around noon."

"That's great to hear," Mayor Mare beamed. "I knew it was a good idea to keep you as our permanent All-Team Organizer."

"That makes two of us."

With a giddy expression, Mayor Mare began shaking in her seat with excitement.

"Ooh! I can't wait to announce the arrival of spring tomorrow!"

"Speaking of announcements, there's something that I wanted to remind you of."

"Oh?"

"Remember when I told you about the dragon that's coming over to Ponyville for a visit?"

"Ah, yes. I remember. You said that he'd be arriving on the first day of spring, right?"

"Yep."

Mayor Mare arched an eyebrow. "Okay, but just so I'm clear, would that be the first full-day of spring, or the day that spring arrives?"

Twilight was about to answer, but found her words catching in her throat. Taking a moment to think back, she wasn't told specifically on which one of those days that Pyre would be arriving. With a forced chuckle, Twilight shrugged.

"I... don't known."

"Well then, I guess that we'll just have to wait and find out. Hopefully after the announcement is given."

---

The next day finally came around. It was almost noon as Twilight and Dark stood on top of a hill overlooking Ponyville, happy to see that all of the snow was gone. Looking up into the sky, they watched as Rainbow's team of pegasi cleared the last of the snow clouds, allowing the sun to shine brightly again and cause the ice chunks from Pinkie's team to quickly and evenly melt away. Though bright at first, their eyes quickly adjusted to the sunlight.

"I may prefer the darkness of the night, but I do miss the warmth of the sun," Dark sighed contently as he closed his eyes and basked in the sunlight.

Smiling at her coltfriend, Twilight watched as he fell into a sense of peace. As she watched though, she began to notice something. While Dark continued to take in the sun's warmth and light, Twilight noticed that his mane had a subtle glow while a few burning embers escaped from it. Her eyes widening, Twilight tapped a hoof against Dark's shoulder, causing his attention to focus on her while the glow from his mane diminished and the embers died out.

"Something up, Twilight?"

"Well... um... did you notice anything just now?" Twilight questioned, unsure of how to ask him.

"Not really," Dark shrugged. "Just feeling the warmth of the sun is all."

"Oh... okay."

"Why?"

"Well, it's just that your mane sorta glowed there for a moment there."

"Huh. Probably just the sunlight shining off of it," he shrugged.

"There were also embers floating out of it."

This got Dark's attention as he arched an eyebrow at Twilight. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm positive that's what I saw. Why would it do that?"

"I don't know. The only time it would come close to it is if I would use my Amplify."

"But there's no fire around here for you to absorb."

"I know. That's the weird part."

Scratching the back of his head in confusion, Dark was about to add onto his words when the area around them became shaded. Looking up, Dark and Twilight saw the remainder of Rainbow's team return with all of the birds that had flown south for the winter. Happy with how well this Winter Wrap Up turned out, Twilight leaned up against Dark and sighed in relief, causing Dark to wrap an arm around her and hold her close.

As the two stood in silence and watched the fleet of colorful birds flying overhead, they soon noticed that one of the pegasi broke away from the group and was flying directly towards them. Seeing that it was Rainbow, Twilight eagerly waved her over. As she got closer though, they could see the worried look on her face.

"Twilight! Dark! We've got a problem!" Rainbow yelled before landing in front of them.

"What's wrong, Rainbow?" Twilight worryingly asked. "Did something go wrong? Is spring going to be late?!"

"No, nothing like that!" she said, her voice now taking on a tone of panic. "We've got a dragon coming this way! And I don't mean like the adult ones that we saw during the Great Dragon Migration either! This one's at least twice as big as they were!"

"That's probably Pyre," Dark calmly said with a small shrug.

"Who?"

"Remember when Aero came by during our snowball fight?" he asked, getting a confirming nod from Rainbow. "Well, as it turns out, part of the reason why she came here to visit was to tell us that our brother, Pyre, would be coming over to visit once spring came around. I'm actually surprised that he meant today and not tomorrow."

"Okay, hold on a second," Rainbow said, trying to calm herself. "So, what you're telling me is that this dragon is one of those Scaleless Dragons like Aero is?"

"Yep."

"And Aero is your sister, correct?"

"Eeyup."

"So then, would Pyre be considered to be your brother then?"

"An older brother, but yeah, pretty much."

"Do we have to worry about him then?"

"I wouldn't think so. From what Aero said, he's coming here to see me about something."

"Okay, so we're good," Rainbow sighed with relief.

"Yep."

"Umm... Dark?" Twilight meekly spoke.

"Yes?"

"There might be a teeny-tiny problem."

"What is it?"

"Well, Mayor Mare and I were going to announce Pyre's arrival during our speech at the end of Winter Wrap Up."

"Wait, are you saying that nopony besides us three and Mayor Mare know that a Scaleless Dragon is coming to Ponyville?"

"Pretty much."

With a small groan, Dark looked to Rainbow. "Rainbow, how long until Pyre get's here?"

"At the rate he was going, I'd say about five to ten minutes at the latest," she answered before pointing a hoof out to her side. "You can actually see him from here."

Turning his gaze, Dark looked in the direction Rainbow was pointing at. Focusing on the area, he eventually caught sight of a speck flying towards them off in the distance.

"Okay. Twilight, can you go to town and tell everypony about Pyre while Rainbow and I try and stall him?"

"Sure, on it," Twilight nodded before teleporting away.

Spreading their wings, Rainbow and Dark launched themselves into the air and flew off towards Pyre.

"How long do you think that we can stall him for?" Rainbow wondered.

"I have no idea," Dark shrugged. "I'm just hoping that he won't be stubborn and is willing to listen to us."

Comments

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Dat cliffhanger! So Pyre came early.... This should be interesting...
Awesome job as always!

[EmberLight]

"You should be happy that that's all that you're getting," Discord spoke

You know better than anyone that being grounded is no fun, you'd been grounded for roughly 1000 years.

[Mortefleur]

7190918

Because they don't know who the cloaked figure is.

The lost memories were to do with what happened in stonewall.

[Derpy_DragonV1]

"I know," he sighed, looking at the small bell in his talon. "I'm just tired of simply ringing a bell in front of these dens is all. Can't I just lite a firecracker in front of them or something?"

"Discord!"

"What? I was only kidding. Besides, fireworks would work a lot better."

This still funny even though I've read this story twice.