Chapter 13: Winter Break and the Sledding Trip
It had been a month since that awful night in the high school, and at the playground, where so many hurt feelings were felt. Hearth’s Warming was a couple days away, and the grade school ponies had a week off, until after the new year began.
One may think there may have been no going back from all that. It happened though. It was hard, but not impossible.
Lark was glad he went looking for Windy. If she’d fainted out on the playground by herself, with nopony to find her, she may not have been found until somepony stumbled over her frozen body. She would have slept through her own death.
Lark was horribly torn over what to do once he was with her. He considered taking her to his aunt and uncle’s place, to let her rest and calm down, letting her parents know in as little detail as possible, what happened. But deciding his aunt, uncle, and sisters didn’t need that, he brought her to her parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Meadow weren’t exactly happy with what happened but knew their daughter had been struggling with finally getting some things out of her system. Windy had things on her mind, constantly, that other ponies never really faced. They couldn’t really be angry with her but were concerned. Lark told them as little as possible, saying she’d had a nasty argument with one of their friends. They didn’t ask too many questions, thankfully.
Still, they were very thankful Lark went looking for her and that she was safe. After politely refusing their hospitality, he phoned his aunt and uncle, letting them know he was on his way home. They hadn’t even been remotely concerned. They knew he was out with friends. He decided to tell them what happened at home, and not over the phone.
Not really knowing what would happen after, he went home, trying not to think of having to deal with the aftermath… whenever it happened. Upon reaching home, he told them what he had to. They were unhappy for Lark, seeing his fun weekend go out the window. He’d just try to relax. He might get together with a few of his friends, other than Windy and Thunder, who needed to cool off.
Before it got too late, Lark called Misty. She told him Medium was staying with Thunder that night, and that everypony else was home safe. He let her know Windy was safe, not telling her everything. They agreed to meet for brunch the next day and she would invite a couple others.
Sleeping better than expected, considering what happened the night before, Lark met Misty at the usual café. Medium was still with Thunder, having brought her stuff to camp out a few days. It was a 3-day weekend for them, so it could be expected they’d see neither Thunder or Medium until Tuesday. Lark had no idea when Windy might rise out of her funk.
Daisy and Sherry joined the pair. Light was sleeping in. After the drama, and the declaration the trip was off, he’d decided just to hole up a few days and do whatever it was Light did in his own time. Lark couldn’t blame him. He’d just come to know a lot of them and would probably shy away a bit after the fireworks the previous night had displayed.
Lark was really hungry, so he ordered a large skillet with everything: pancakes, eggs, hash browns, cheese… The girls made their orders, and they all had hot cocoas.
Misty fiddled with her cup, “So… how’s Windy?”
They all knew both Windy and Thunder were at fault, so they somehow managed to not take sides.
Lark sighed, saying as little as he could, “I got her back to her parents. She’ll be fine… I found her trying to fly at the playground and took her home.”
He didn’t need to explain the gravity; they understood how upset Windy was.
Misty changed topics, “I think… Thunder will be okay, too… She just needs a few days to calm down… I just hope she and Windy can get through this.”
Lark wasn’t exactly optimistic about them making up. That had ugly. And everypony knew the girls were fighting over him, or at least his time. It was no secret Thunder had still liked him, at least not to the ponies around Lark. He felt so dumb for not seeing it. He really thought their talk at his aunt and uncle’s place, back when he couldn’t even stand moonlight for his epic concussion, was the end of things. He thought they could just go on being friends… best friends… Oh, boy… Now he began to see part of the reason Thunder was so upset.
It was only a few minutes until their chow came, so Lark dug in, burying his frustration in food. The girls looked on with some disgust. The way Lark and Windy could out-eat the rest of their friends put together wasn’t the nicest thing to watch.
Daisy wasn’t one to just let things lie, but instead of griping Lark about his eating habits, “You have been spending a lot of time with Windy, Lark. I’m sure a lot of the reason Thunder’s so upset is the two of you were pretty much besties until you met Windy. I think you need to let her know she’s still your friend…”
Lark already knew this; he'd just been thinking on it. It brought him no joy to hear it from Daisy, but she was right. Sherry, he knew, agreed, even though she was trying to shrink away from the conflict. And he knew how Misty felt about all this.
“…I know you’re all right. I just… don’t know how to deal with things, now.”
The girls gawped. What a stupid thing to say.
Misty sat up, working on her own plate, “It’s not that hard, Lark… I’m pretty sure Thunder’s realized she’s been friend-zoned, so just spend a little time with her.”
Lark found that easier said than done. How do you stay friends after a love rejection? Did he really need to reexamine things? Should he spend less time with Windy? He was loathe to admit it, but Windy was now his best friend. As much as Thunder meant to him, she seemed like just a friend, now. Windy was special.
Sherry, looking contemplative, surprised the group by speaking up, “Lark? Do you… have a thing for Windy?”
Lark had realized just a day or so after meeting Windy, that he didn’t exactly have a crush on her… It was something else entirely. She was his best filly friend, but she wasn’t his fillyfriend.
Still, Sherry’s question had him choking on half a pancake. Struggling, he grabbed a glass of water closest to him, Misty’s as it turned out, and sucked it down, clearing his throat.
“What?”
Sherry asked again, “Well… do you have a thing for Windy? You… really seem to like her.”
It was hard to put into words just what Windy was to him. What was it about the little, doe-eyed Pegasus he was so nuts about? The girls looked intently, Misty and Daisy impressed with Sherry’s nerve.
“Girls… I don’t know… Windy… She’s my best friend. It’s not a crush, but… there’s just something about her…”
To the girls, Lark’s face was unreadable. But there was something going on. He had on an expression that could be described as… whimsical. It was weirder than shit.
Misty decided for the group they’d had enough weirdness out of Lark; a little went a long way with him, “Well… I know everypony’s still upset… worried… but I think we just need to go do something fun. It’s not like it’s the end of the world or anything. Our friends just had a fight. We can’t just sit and worry…”
These were wise words, and the others agreed.
They’d just finished brunch, around 11:30 a.m., and had a whole day ahead of them. Of all the things going on, there was a strings recital at the university at 2:00 p.m., so they took the bus there. Lark hadn’t known Daisy played in the elementary school orchestra. She was first viola and had suggested they go there.
Lark was not glad to be without them, but he realized if Thunder and/or Light were there, both of them probably would have scoffed at the idea. Medium wouldn’t have been keen on the idea. Windy would have loved it, but those there were open to the idea too.
Seeing college students and faculty play so exceptionally, Lark fleetingly wished he’d practice his mom’s violin more. Was he good enough to play in the elementary school orchestra? Maybe… but it didn’t interest him, and he mostly contented himself working through her old sheet music.
The girls certainly enjoyed the show. Sherry had never been to a recital. Afterwards, they got milkshakes from the hayburger shack near campus. Deciding to call it a day, they would relax and do whatever the rest of the weekend brought each of them. They would continue to give Windy and Thunder space, but Misty would keep in contact with Medium. Lark had half a mind to call up Windy’s parents but couldn’t decide what to do. So he decided not to worry too much.
The quartet of friends parted ways, to see each other again Tuesday.
That was a month ago. Lark was happy to say Windy and Thunder had since made up. He needn’t have worried as much as he did. Both fillies felt very foolish about the way they acted. Windy hit a milestone, which helped put things into perspective. Thunder hit one as well, and while less distressing, it humbled her.
They’d avoided each other for a week or so, with their friends trying to balance their time between them. Both girls were beyond accusing the other foals of taking sides. They knew how badly they’d screwed up. Lark tried to stay out of it. It was a girl thing and he was glad to let Misty deal with it.
Misty, using her rather blunt method of getting other ponies to communicate, sent Windy and Thunder on a walk. And it worked. There wasn’t much crying, or vows of eternal friendship, but they agreed to be better to each other. Each knew how sorry the other was.
It was slow, and they were lukewarm to one another for a couple weeks, but by the time Hearth’s Warming was upon them, they were fine. Things wouldn’t be the same, but at least they had understanding and could be friends again. Forgiveness is hard…
With school out until the new year, many a foal was excited for Hearth’s Warming. But it being Saturday, they had a few days to wait. Lark was walking around with Pine and Light downtown. Each of them had a little shopping to do and thought they’d get it over with so they could concentrate on other things.
It being the weekend, the ski resorts were slam packed. As a group, they’d wound up putting off their sledding trip, but they were going Tuesday. Everypony in Lark’s circle was going: Windy, Thunder, Medium, Misty, Light, Daisy, and Sherry. Pine had been invited, as he and Lark had become much better friends than before, but he and his family were traveling to Canterlot to be with family.
Hearth’s Warming Eve was Wednesday, so it might have been a close call for everypony, but the rest would be going, all staying local for the holiday. Tuesday would be a good day to go; the resorts were closed Hearth’s Warming Eve and Day, but the dates the resorts were least busy (unless on a weekend) occurred the eve of Hearth’s Warming Eve. The resorts saw about 15% of the activity they would on a weekend and about 45% of what they might see on a normal weekday.
This translated to less time riding the ski lifts, less ponies to watch for, and more chances to ride down the hills. Lark, Pine, and Medium had dragged the toboggan Lark found to one of the few hills in town. Having greased it up, they found it roared down the hill at a frightening pace. The toboggan could hold 5 or 6 of them, so it would be positively dangerous up in the mountains… they couldn’t wait.
Lark, knowing his aunt and uncle didn’t really need anything, got them a large box of liquor-infused chocolates. His sisters hated these, and he wasn’t a fan himself, so his aunt and uncle could have them all. He knew they loved chocolate but tried to keep it out of the house as they tended to quaff sweets when available.
He got his sisters an astronomy book to share. Copper would probably appreciate it more, but Valley was surprisingly knowledgeable on the subject. For his friends, he planned to bake a lot of butterscotch cookies. It was a recipe his mom had, and it was one of the best things he’d tasted in his life. His aunt and uncle loved the recipe. It was easy and all the little foals running around their house enjoyed them with high passion. He would bring a batch to share with his friends on the trip and give them each a full batch on the Eve.
Light and Pine had finished shopping, so the colts decided to go pony-watching at the downtown ice rink. Light and Pine were at the age where girls stopped being gross and they stood slack jawed at the high school mares (they looked mare enough) dancing on the ice.
Lark enjoyed himself too, but he’d never gone through any phase he thought girls were gross. He’d always loved them. It might have just been his experience having sisters, but he didn’t care to think about why. His colt friends sometimes ginked him for his apparent lack of excitement when it came to watching girls, but it was nothing new to him. Plus… he had more filly friends than any other colt he’d ever known.
Soon bored with gawking at girls years beyond their experience, Pine led them away to get a soda somewhere. Having a few root beers, the boys split ways. They wished Pine a good trip and Lark would see Light Tuesday morning at the school to hop the shuttle bus out to the resort.
Lark spent some of Sunday at the Meadows’. Mr. Meadow had built a greenhouse off the south side of the house and showed Lark a few things he’d been working on. The greenhouse was primarily to grow plants from seed so they could be transplanted in the spring to Windy’s garden and to keep a few of their sun loving houseplants.
The other reason was for Mr. Meadow’s hot pepper breeding. In his years traveling, he’d gathered the hottest peppers he could find. Another of his harvests was ready and as usual, he had hundreds of the things. Too hot to really enjoy or give as gifts, he saved a lot of seed after testing the qualities of the peppers. A goal of his was to grow this into a business.
A stupid thing Mr. Meadow did with the peppers was spread them among his circle of friends, seeing who could take the heat the best. Lark knew the peppers to be hot, but he ate a few anyway, just for the experience. It was hot. Mr. Meadow laughed at the colt, he himself in tears for the heat of eating some himself. Mrs. Meadow tutted them and gave them each a large bowl of ice cream.
Lark, lips still burning, sat upstairs with Windy in her room. He found it rather plain for a filly’s room, but she had it the way she liked. Lark knew how important family was to the Meadow family: Windy’s room and the rest of the house were full of pictures of the places they’d been, but mostly family. Windy had never been one to play with dolls and she found stuffed animals to be “sad and creepy” so she mostly had books. She also had a classic music collection.
One of her few hobbies, she collected records, mostly classical. She had an ancient turntable in the corner and the two of them sometimes listened to recordings he himself had sheet music of. Windy didn’t play any instruments, she found her fine motor skills lacking, but enjoyed reading scores. Now, the turntable was playing a poignant piano arrangement. It was a piece he didn’t have himself, but one his mom had played on the violin from memory.
It was one of the things he really remembered about her. Almost every day, he heard it. It didn’t bring tears… but it was special to him. At times, he wished he had the sheet music for it. But every time he had a chance to buy it- once, he could have had it for free- he never got it. Something about it… scared him… like it would open up some wound in him.
Windy noticed his melancholy, “You okay, Lark? Is it the ballade?”
Not really off in his own world, “Yeah… it was Mom’s favorite piece. I sometimes feel a little sad when I hear it…”
She paddled over to the player, “Oh, if you’d like to listen to something else-”
Sitting up straight, he quickly said, “No. Please leave it on.”
Hesitating, she relented, “Could I… start it over? I’ve never really listened that closely to it.”
They were only a few minutes in, so he nodded. She did so.
She sat next to him and listened intently. She’d listened to the piece a hundred times, she figured, but… it was… so lonely. Wanting to say, how could anypony love this so much? she decided to sit and wait. It was… mesmerizing. There was no better word to describe it. She noticed a sniffle out of Lark. Just a little one, but it happened.
She leaned on him, still listening. The piece climbed in and out of melancholy. Lark snaked a hoof over her shoulders and they listened to the happy crescendo. Of course, the piece didn’t end happily. It faded away into desolation. And ended somberly.
Windy was wowed, “Wow… I guess I can see how somepony could love that so much.”
Lark blinked a couple times, “Yeah...”
Shaken from their concentration, Mrs. Meadow called from downstairs, “Windy, Lark! Cake’s ready.”
Lark was ready for something happier than the ballade, so he helped Windy off her bed and went downstairs.
Bidding the Meadow family goodbye, later, Windy would meet Lark and their friends on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. at the shuttle bus. That night, a large dump of snow fell on the whole of Northwest Equestria.
The fresh dump of snow had been dealt with harshly on Monday at Lark’s aunt and uncle’s. He was even more excited now. That day would be busy, so the skiers and sledders would “break in” the snow for them tomorrow. They would have some good sledding Tuesday. He’d slept like a rock Monday night and was thankful not to wake up sore.
About 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Lark whooped and hollered as he grabbed the toboggan and pulled it in a healthy trot to the school. He didn’t like leaving his sisters, but this was a trip for him, being old enough to go alone with his friends. He knew his aunt and uncle planned to take them another time.
It was a beautiful day. It was just below freezing, and the day would be mostly sunny. He’d donned his “concussion” glasses for the day. He hadn’t realized how cool the polarization made things. Other than his coin purse and student I.D., tucked deep in his jacket, he only carried with him the batch of cookies to share with his 7 friends.
Upon arriving at school, he found he was the fourth to arrive. Thunder, Daisy, and Light beat him there. They greeted each other excitedly. Next, Windy came with Misty. Windy’s was on Misty’s way, so she made sure Windy would get there alright. As the shuttle bus was pulling up, Medium and Sherry came galloping from opposite directions; they weren’t late, just excited. They all stood in their little snow boots, coats, and hats, chattering up a storm.
Only about 10 other ponies were waiting. They were all families, none of the foals known to Lark and his friends. Once the bus opened, everypony’s gear was stowed and they made the schlep out to the Juniper Hill Ski Resort.
Approaching the mountains, the foals became even more excited. The slopes glistened, and they could already see a few skiers barreling down the hills. Lark’s opinion about skiing and compound fractures hadn’t changed, so he would stick to the toboggan and maybe a little tubing. Thunder and Sherry were actually accomplished skiers, so they brought their own gear. Thunder intended to talk Medium into trying it, but it was a stretch.
Upon parking, the bus dumped them and their stuff off, to go back down to the city for the dozen or so ponies that would probably be waiting. It was a slow day… even slower than Lark had heard or anticipated. All the better for them. They paid the 15 bits each and split up. The girls skiing wanted to get a few runs in, so they wouldn’t be tired later. Tubing and sledding took a lot less energy. The rest rode a different ski lift for the sledding hill.
Deciding to “test the waters” before going the full distance on the toboggan, they stopped at the middle of the line. Looking down the slope, they could still see the city of Vanhoover shining in the sunlight; they could even see the port, ships coming and going in the far distance… It was a sight to behold. Lark couldn’t wait for Summer, as much as he enjoyed Winter. There was a whole other list of things to do, and he’d do them all with his friends.
As Lark figured, 6 foals could fit on the long toboggan comfortably.
Misty looked down the hill nervously, “So… who’s steering?”
Lark figured he would, but was open to anypony else, “I’ll go first. Light, you’re heavier than the girls, so sit on the back. Everypony else, just get in line behind me.”
Even halfway up the slope, it was a full ¼ mile to the bottom. It was a serious sledding hill. But it was sparse for admission, so they had range of the hill. Once everypony was situated, Light slowly pushed them to the edge. Other than Misty, who was a little scared, the rest of them were raring to go. Windy, sitting third on the sled behind Daisy, was cheering.
Lark adjusted his sunglasses and held the ropes, “Okay, Light! Nice and easy over the edge. Make sure you can get on.”
“Got it Lark,” Light pushed until gravity took over, and jumped on behind Medium.
Misty was whimpering, for which Medium was giving her guff. Lark tried to look ahead, and it seemed smooth sailing, which was what they did. The greased bottom went gliding over the packed snow.
While Misty screamed, the rest of them in back screamed with a smaller degree of fear. What a rush! Lark had no idea how fast they were going, but they were barreling. He could hear Light and the girls laughing behind him. Glancing back, everypony looked positively buoyant, other than Misty. Lark hardly made a peep. Not really one for loud shows of emotion, unless he was angry, he let the air rush through him, feeling the toboggan jostle underneath them. This was working better than he had hoped.
It worked a little too well. Lark hadn’t even thought to install any kind of braking system, so when they reached the bottom, they didn’t lose much speed. It wasn’t crowded, but there were still a bunch of ponies at the bottom.
Lark was yelling as loudly as he could, “Out of the way! Sorry! Coming through.”
His party was a little less enthusiastic now, as they almost made it to the parking lot. Lark steered them into a patch of deeper snow, which finally stopped them. His hooves hurt from holding on so tight. He sighed and looked back. His friends looked a little spent but smiles soon tugged at their lips.
“Whoo-hoo! That was awesome!”
“Why didn’t you install a brake, Lark? That was nuts!”
Misty staggered off the sled, looking positively grateful to stop, “Oh, that was so scary!”
Medium roughed up her friend, “You did it, Mist! I told you it wouldn’t be that bad!”
Windy moved to Lark and hugged him, “Oh, thank you for taking me along! That was so much fun!”
Light shook a little, “That was… something, Lark!”
Lark looked back, Windy hanging on him, “Sure was…”
A dangerous light came into Light’s eyes, “Hey… anypony want to try the full length?”
Misty’s jaw dropped, “Are you crazy?! We could die!”
Lark hadn’t thought much about it, figuring that was enough excitement, riding half the hill, “Hell, yeah, let’s do it! You want to steer, Light?”
“Yes! I promise I won’t get us killed.”
Other than Misty and Daisy, the party laughed.
Daisy said, “Is that really a good idea?”
Misty agreed; both were genuinely concerned, “Yeah… it could be dangerous.”
Windy spoke up, “I want to go.”
That’s all Lark and Light needed. They grinned at each other like hyenas, ribbing each other in their laughter.
Medium rubbed her hooves together, and said, “Well, I’ll go too.”
Misty and Daisy refused to go. But they had watches and agreed at a time to meet back at the bottom. The girls still wanted to see what would happen. They planned to get a couple hot cocoas and would watch for their friends at the bottom.
So, Lark and his brave companions rode all the way to the top. The view shamed the earlier one. They could see the ocean disappearing into the distance, their city gleaming in the late morning light. It was something to behold. Wasting little time, Lark explained how to steer and hoped for the best.
With Light steering and Medium behind him, Lark took anchor behind Windy. The fillies held on for dear life and Lark settled in. He’d thought to install a few hoofholds closer to the back, to keep everypony’s flanks on the toboggan.
Lark called up, “Everypony ready?”
They apprehensively murmured their ascent and Lark hoofed them to the edge. He didn’t even bother giving them a running push; they didn’t need it…
This was a scary ride… Thrilling, but a little terrifying. Lark looked ahead nervously. There were a lot more tubers on the hill now. Thankfully, Light steered around them fine as they sped past them at some untold speed.
“Lark…! You’re crushing me!”
And he was, “Sorry, Windy!”
But she just laughed at him, cheering louder than the rest.
Hitting the bottom with even more speed, Light called back, “Just gonna use a little magic to slow us down.”
He did, and they glided to a nice, controlled stop.
Lark staggered off, “Good driving, Light…”
“Thanks, pal,” he gasped back.
Windy and Medium were hugging and squealing, “That was awesome!”
At this point, Misty and Daisy galloped up, with Thunder and Sherry in tow.
Thunder gawked, “That. Was. So. Cool! Misty told us what you were doing. We had to see it.”
Sherry looked at the toboggan, “Lark… Could… Thunder and I go next?”
Lark didn’t mind, “Sure. Plenty of room.”
To the surprise of everypony, Misty spoke up, “Uh… Could I go?”
Everypony did a take, and as if this wasn’t surprising enough, Daisy put up a hoof, shyly, “…Me too?”
Lark looked to Light, “What do you say, Light? We can wait down here… Girls’ run?”
Light crossed his hooves with a smile, “Could be fun… Sure!”
The fillies squealed, jumping about. Medium would steer. She had the magic after all, if they had any trouble. As they had for the previous run, they decided a time for launch. Lark and Light watched Thunder and Sherry’s ski equipment and got a snack.
Once the time came, they eagerly waited. They could see the speck that was the toboggan with the fillies, but they could already hear Misty screaming before they could make much else out.
Medium was skillfully weaving around, and Light was sure she was using magic… Might have been helpful. As the girls came close enough to make out, they could see Medium in front, with Thunder taking anchor, whooping and hollering. Hitting the bottom, the girls sped by like a rainbow missing a few colors, catcalling the colts.
Gliding to a stop, they disembarked. Misty looked a little used up, but she had an eager air about her.
“Again…”
The company cracked up, but it was time for lunch. Splitting a few pizzas and appetizers, they had thoroughly enjoyed the day so far. They spent the rest of the day taking turns on the toboggan while the others rode tubes. Thunder and Sherry tuckered out early, so they stowed their gear and went tubing. Much to her happiness, and that of everypony else, Windy lasted the whole day.
As the bus took them back to Vanhoover, a few of the girls and Light were snoozing where they sat. Windy had fallen asleep on Lark’s shoulder. She looked so cute sitting there. Across from them, Thunder and Daisy were awake. Daisy sat contentedly, staring out the window, but Thunder looked at Lark. They exchanged a little smile, before Thunder settled in for a few minutes of shuteye.
Lark sat, tired, but happy. This had been one of the best days he could remember. He was sore now… The tubes had bucked and sent them bouncing down the hill a couple times. Still… what a day.
The next day was Hearth’s Warming Eve. Medium’s parents, it turned out, were throwing a big party. And Medium’s friends were invited. This would be some fun. He just hoped Thunder didn’t try to get him under the mistletoe or anything. She was truly over him but loved giving him a hard time about things. If it wasn’t so funny, he probably wouldn’t tolerate it.
But Windy would be there, too. Not that Lark had any ideas. There would be enough mischief going on, anyway. Medium, it appeared, had gotten the idea in her head that Light and Daisy made a good item. He’d heard her talking it over with Misty. Misty of course, looked ready to strangle her creamy-coated bosom buddy. Hadn’t she caused enough trouble the last time she played matchmaker? But Lark chuckled at the idea. It would be interesting to see what the next day would hold.
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